it was good again. >> for those who were close to beth lochtefeld, there is a real sense of closure this time. the trial behind him, beth's father, the artist, john, finished the book he and beth had worked on together. it was published after she died. he illustrated her words and dedicated the book to beth and her dreams. the dream she lived and those that died too soon with her. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am andrea canning. thank you for watching. hellos "d. i am craig melvi this is dateline. >> it was horrifying. this was my mom.

a five front woman ripped out of the world. >> everything we thought in our life was all shattered. he betrayed us to our very core. >> they were a stunning couple. a doctor and the beauty queen. >> she won homecoming queen. she did modeling. >> the day she was found dead in the top. set a mystery and motion. >> my father said, rachel, come home and then he hung up. >> so many secrets locked up for so many years, and covered by daughters turned detectives. >> you hacked into his phone? >> yeah. >> a mistress named gypsy. what she a motive for murder? in court, epic showdown. father against daughter and daughter. >> why were you seeking information as to your mother's

death. >> because i believed my father killed her. >> was the evidence on his side? >> the medical examiner's report listed it as a natural cause of death. >> who will you believe? >> hello, and welcome to dateline. martin and michele macneill right dream couple. he was a handsome doctor and she was a whip smart former model. together they built a loving home and filled it with eight children. the seemingly happy family would be torn apart by sudden death and suspicions of foul play. was the tragedy a result of natural causes? or cold-blooded murder? here is keith morrison with secrets in pleasant grove. the story you are about to witness was all too human, but what people do to each other. and yet, puzzling.

there were these three women who wouldn't have a story to tell without them. two sisters and their aunt and what they discovered might make you wonder, can you ever really see the truth in the face in the mirror? the face beside you in bed at night? the story begins with the beauty queen. a former beauty queen named michele macneill. she was, look at this, she was truly lovely. this is about what happened to michelle, the year she turned 50 , the very last year of her life. although she couldn't possibly have known it. as she contemplated a question a lot of people do, as youth fades, plastic surgery, should she or shouldn't she? she answered for one reason or another, yes, yes i will. before long. >> everything we thought in our life was all shattered.

>> what happened to michele macneill? what was behind the breathless play-by-play and a utah courtroom? the family drama played out in public view? the hidden sins of, well, you will see. >> here, this is a picture their magical beginning. both beautiful. michele linn martin macneill, everybody liked smart, charismatic michele from childhood on said her sister, linda. >> she entered different pageants and won homecoming queen. she did modeling. she was an exchange student in switzerland. she excelled at everything. >> martin did too in his own way. it took a little while, but eventually he became a doctor and then a lawyer, then a leader in his local ward in the

church of the mormons. before he did any of that, back when this picture was taken, it was unstoppable love. today elope? >> they got married by the justice of the peace. >> that had four children. eventually set up house in a place called pleasant grove in utah, and love their family life so much they adopted four more little kids. three from ukraine. alexis from the first set of four followed her father everywhere. was his little shadow. you kind of idolized him. >> i did. i wanted to follow in his footsteps. i became a doctor because of him. >> people on the outside looking in, what with ac? >> a very happy family. a wonderful mother who doted on her children. a father who was a physician,

attorney, and present in the children's lives. >> rachel shared her father's love of books. >> i remember when i was little holding on to my father's hand and to walk with him, daddy's little girl. >> and their mother, michele? >> she was an amazing and beautiful person on the inside and out. >> and so it went for nearly 30 years. as he built a career and they together raise their big family. and then, here is how martin reacted to middle-age. >> around the time he turned 50, he lost a lot of weight and started tanning. >> hello? >> yeah. it was out of the ordinary and abnormal for him. >> that is when her mother, michele, confronted that question, the one about looking younger, getting something of the past. the facelift question.

>> she was like, you know what? i don't want to but if your dad is getting fixed up and looking good, maybe i should. >> what did you say? >> i said, mom, you are beautiful. she was incredibly beautiful. >> on april 3, 2007 michele checked into the hospital . the doctors worked on her for almost nine hours. a long time for a facelift. still, they proclaimed it a complete success and the next day she went home again. her face covered in bandages. otherwise, apparently, in perfect health. alexis had been with her mother for the surgery. stayed for a week to nurse her through the recovery and now, relieved, alexis returned to her medical studies in nevada. >> my mom and my father drop me off at the airport. i looked back and my mom is doing well. i smiled and i said i will call you soon. >> which she did. >> i asked how she was doing.

she was fine. she told me your dad's being so sweet to me. he is being so sweet to me. that was the last time i talked to her. >> that was april 11, eight days after the surgery. >> when i came home from work, i checked my cell phone, and i saw i had missed, i believe it was 20 something calls. i called my father. i said what has happened? he said, rachel, come home. i said, dad, tell me? tell me what has happened? his mom okay? my father said, rachel, come home. then he hung up. >> what happened to michele macneill? the events of that day would launch a long-running mystery. >> coming up. >> who was in the bathtub? bath?

what can you do with sensitive skin? ( ♪♪ ) cetaphil moisturizing lotion hydrates for a full 48 hours. because a lot can happen in 48 hours. cetaphil. we do skin. you do you. finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water. finish ultimate, with cyclesync technology, helps deliver the ultimate clean. (♪♪)

ying] helps deliver the ultimate clean. keith morrison: she was just 50 years old. she lived a clean, healthy, mormon life. she was just 50 years old. she lived a clean, healthy, mormon life. all she wanted was to look a little younger. a little prettier, for her husband. and now. panic in his voi

struggled to make the 911 operator understand. >> dr. martin macneill, panic in his voice, struggled to make the 911 operator understand. >> i need help, do you understand? >> they are on their way. >> is your wife breathing? >> she is not. how old is your wife? >> my wife is 50 years old. she just had surgery a couple of weeks ago. >> what type of surgery did she have? >> she had a facelift. >> do you know how to do cpr? >> i'm doing it. >> martin perform cpr until the first responders arrived, but it was too late. >> i called alexis and i said what has happened? something has happened with

mom. i said, mom is dead, isn't she? alexis said, yes, she is. >> martin said he left the house early in the morning for work. later in the morning he accepted an award at a safety fear. at 11:30 left the office to pick up their six-year-old daughter from school. when they got home, she rushed up the stairs to see her mother. and found her in the bathtub, unresponsive. >> it was horrifying. this was my mom. a vibrant, healthy woman who was ripped out of the world. >> what happened? michele was a young 50. did not drink. did not smoke. she was carrying more weight than she wanted to, but the only thing out of the ordinary was the surgery she had just had. >> i wasn't concerned about the health aspect of her doing the facelift. i didn't think she needed it. >> so, if a complication from the surgery seemed unlikely, perhaps the theory from martin made more sense.

maybe michele had taken too much pain medication and while running a bath, fell headfirst into the tub. >> he said she was slumped over the top. her head into the water. her legs out of the water. >> something about that did not son right to alexis. for one thing, six-year-old ada who also saw her mother in the top , had a slightly different memory. >> she said she found her laying back and her head by the faucet. >> facing up. >> facing up and fully clothed. >> strange discrepancy but maybe not hard to explain given the turmoil of the day. alexis remembered how after the facelift michele's doctor prescribed medication but her father asked him to prescribed percocet and valium. to alexis, they seem like too much medication. >> he told the plastic surgeon

what medication he wanted him to prescribed to her. >> doesn't the surge make those decisions? >> that was strange. >> stranger was what happened after michele died, when alexis went looking for those pills. asked her dad about them. where were they? >> he told me, the police must've taken them. i later found out he had my brother and his girlfriend flush it down the toilet and throw the bottles away. he told them that it made him too sad having her medication there. >> very unpleasant thoughts rattled around in alexis' head. there was the business of the funeral. >> my father was adamant to have her funeral right away. >> and at the funeral, said his daughters, martin talked less of his wife of nearly 30 years than he did about himself. >> lard, thought i was your boy. lord, i thought i was doing a

good job. are you there? as the hours passed last night, the answer came to me. i've had such a good life. >> alexis and rachel were appalled by that and angry. even as they pondered what to do with her blossoming suspicion, the autopsy results were released. to the police chief michael smith, the results seemed crystal clear. >> the medical examiner's report indicated that michele had died of myocarditis and hypertension and listed it as a natural cause of death. >> in other words, classic heart disease. the cause of death all too common among women michele's age, especially someone with high blood pressure. the daughters suspicions were not based on any palpable facts. the drugs in her system or therapeutic levels of the toxicology report. as far as the state of utah was concerned, the matter was closed.

>> the medical examiner in the state of utah is the ultimate say when it comes to the cause and manner of death. >> the mcneil family, it worsened. martin and alexis disagreed with how to care for the younger children now that michele was gone. >> he started saying, i will get a nanny. i can't take care of the kids by myself. >> coming up. martin macneill hires help. >> i found the perfect nanny. i said, what is her name? he said it is jillian? i said i know that woman. woma and longer-lasting relief than tylenol rapid release gels because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. so for faster pain relief, advil the pain away. with bugs, the struggle-is-real. that's why you need zevo traps. zevo works 24/7 to attract and trap flying insects. for effortless protection. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly.

hi. i use febreze fade defy plug. and i use this. febreze has a microchip to control scent release so it smells first-day fresh for 50 days. 50 days!? and its refill reminder light means i'll never miss a day of freshness. ♪

we are developing agents... with powers farer miss beyond mortal menhness. or you might just explode. [ laughing ]

keith morrison (voiceover): there are many kinds of grief. alexis and rachel were struggling with the angry kind. not angry with their mother for dying, no. there are many kinds sof grief. alexis and rachel were struggling with the angry kind. not angry with her mother from diking, no. it was what crew from the suspicion they felt that their father was hiding something very bad. still, there were practical matters such as who should care for the four younger macneill children. alexis return to medical school so rachel volunteered. their father martin insisted they find a nanny instead. right away, -- >> he demanded we go to the temple to pray about having a nanny which was strange. my father was not a spiritual person. >> outside the temple, they were approached by a mysterious

-- >> she said, i was at the funeral. i am so sorry for your loss. my father said, i'm sorry, what is your name? and she said, my name is jillian. my father said, oh, okay. >> a week after that accountant , martin hired the sympathetic woman and told his daughters. >> i found the perfect nanny. found someone who will be great. i said, dad, what is her name? he said, oh, it is julian -- i think it's jillian. >> the name jillian didn't mean anything to rachel. but alexis? >> i said, dad, i know that woman and mom is concerned you were having an affair with her. >> an affair? well, yes. release before michele died, that is what she suspected.

so worried about it, she asked alexis to help her find out for sure. >> my mom confided in me about everything, all her feelings and concerns. and so, i took is cell phone and was able to download his password and we did see a number that my dad had been calling quite a few times. >> you hacked into his phone? >> yeah. we called the number and a woman answered and hung up right away. i paid for an online search and it came up with a name. it was gypsy jillian willis. >> gypsy jillian willis? >> we thought maybe it was a stripper. i don't know what. anyway, my mom with that information, with the lady's name went to my dad and confronted him. >> martin denied everything set alexis. and gun the next day, he made a curious suggestion. >> my father came to my mom and told her she needs a facelift.

>> that is -- lots of women decide they want payslips but when there husband says, you need one. >> it was out of the blue. >> the facelift that preceded the death. here was gypsy jillian willis, martin's choice for a live in nanny. some and he just happened to find. >> so, she got the job and moved into the house. this was just a couple of weeks after my man's death. >>'s daughters were furious. they wanted to know what other secrets their father had been keeping? >> my sister put a blog up and asking anyone with information about my father to contact her. we discovered he had so many different affairs. there were a lot of different things that came up. >> with their ada they gathered all the information and brought it to the authorities. >> pushing to get them to

investigate. >> the local police had never investigated michele's death as a crime, not from the first day. remember the coroner's report? michele's death was caused by heart disease. >> for us to be able to overcome something like a medical examiner's office they say she died of natural causes is a huge task. >> the women were relentless. they met with jeff robertson and they work for the county attorney. you took them seriously off the top? >> not really. >> they started to look at some of the evidence amateur sleuths had gathered. not evidence of murder, but, still. >> they started to challenge a lot of things that their father, who he was, what he was doing. we thought, i would like to find out if he really is a doctor. >> martin did have a medical degree, but? he fraudulently got into medical school. faking the results. >> he took somebody else's

because arose a different data veterans and different date of graduation and they were all straight a's. >> they dug deeper and found before he faked his college transcripts, martin was convicted of forging checks. now, to investigators, the respected doctor was looking anything but respectable. >> it tells me it's not the guy that goes to church every sunday with his family. >> there two martin macneill's. didn't mean he murdered his wife. >> no. >> martin's daughters looked at their father's list of offenses. the fraud, infidelity, how we encouraged their mother to have surgery and take so many drugs afterwards. they were certain their father killed their mother. >> he betrayed us to our very core. everything we thought in our life was all shattered. >> it is all a sham. >> it has been a whole sham.

>> not everyone felt that way. damian, the only son, stuck by his father. >> he had a hard time after my mom died. i talked about my concerns. he didn't want to believe my father was capable of killing my mom. >> alexis's conviction was absolute. every time she said foot and her parents home, only one thought went through her mind. >> this is where he killed her. >> and yet, there was still no hard evidence that martin killed michele. almost two years went by and martin and gypsy carrying on in plain sight. but then, in january 2009, suddenly there both arrested. >> yeah. >> but not for what people might have thought. >> oh, no. >> two lovers cook up a secret crime. >> he stole her identity. r ide

and show off clearer skin and less itch with dupixent, the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. (whisper) air wick. how far would you go to control the fragrance in your home? there's an easier way. try air wick vibrant, with 2x more natural essential oils for up to 120 days of amazing fragrance per dual pack. now that's a breath of fresh air wick. this is the greatest sleep innovation ever created. it's the patented gel flex grid inside every purple mattress. now that's a breath only purple passes the raw egg test because only purple cradles your body and simultaneously supports it. memory foam doesn't come close. purple conforms to relieve pressure from hips and shoulders

while supporting your spine and instantly adapts no matter your position. sleep on a purple risk free for 100 nights. save up to $800 during our 4th of july sale. visit purple.com or a store near you let's review. okay. we're not gonna talk about traffic or weather. if anyone brings up lawn care, i will handle it. hosting can be extremely difficult for young homeowners turning into their parents. oh, are you done with this? i'll just take that. okay, he's still drinking. right. oh, look what the cat dr-- no, no. let's try again, if you wouldn't mind. it gets ugly. you can either take it off or i'll take it off you. yeah. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. but you love to take it. she doesn't want it.

tropical storm beryl on track to make landfall on the texas coast in hours. is expected to restrengthen into a category one hurricane and bring life threatening storm surge and winds to the region. we will watch a right here. check police in detroit are investigating after two people were killed in 19 injured at a shooting at a block party early sunday. the deceased victims were 20 and 21 years old. authorities say a suspect has yet to be apprehended. welcome back to dateline. i am craig melvin. the forgery conviction, faked college transcripts. the alleged affair. the more investigators looked into martin macneill, the more the good doctor seemed like a fraud. another scheme was about to be revealed making detectives question if martin was capable of much worse.

once again, here is keith morrison with secrets in pleasant grove. martin macneill's daughters see. the father return the family home into a tawdry love nest for a so-called nanny. the mistress. gypsy willis. for nearly two years, they had been laser focused on improving his guilt. trying to set persuade the police or anyone that martin murdered michele. sure enough, they discovered a crime. not murder. shocking nonetheless. it started when martin sent his 16-year-old adopted daughter giselle up to ukraine to visit her biological sister. >> giselle called my daughter's phone and they started talking. gisele started crying and told her story that she got left there. >> abandon? >> right. >> why would he do that?

more digging revealed the martin and gypsy cooked up a scheme and it involved taking over daughter giselle's so social security number. he stole giselle identity. >> for gypsy. >> yes, for gypsy. who, how should we say, financially challenged. the new forged identity wiped her debts away. it also gave her a brand-new name. jillian macneill. allies did not end there. they began posing as husband and wife. >> giselle is out of the picture. >> even worse. >> they use the data my man's funeral as their marriage date. >> martin and gypsy were arrested in 2009. not for murder but for fraud. they both pleaded guilty. martin four years and gypsy 21 months. to avoid any more charges, gypsy

promised she would testify against martin and any future legal action. it was a victory for alexis. her campaign against her father had consequences. >> it is meal by myself. >> the widget drove between the sisters and their brother damian. it put a strain on your relationship? >> it did. once my dad was sentenced, he didn't want to have anything to do with us. he killed himself. >> damian died by suicide, january 2010. >> he was such a wonderful guy. i miss him. >> but, the murder investigation continued. picked up steam, in fact. the two investigators debriefed gypsy in prison. >> that was a treasure trove of information she gave at that point. >> she confirmed that chance meeting with rachel was a set

up, rose to get her into the house after michele was gone. how long had she and martin been planning a? >> i said you scripted that meeting? yet. when did you scripted? during the funeral? was up before the debt? >> so. >> no comment. >> the investigators went back to the prosecutor. urging him, charge martin with murder. but, what did the prosecutor say? >> see this medical examiner's report? >> death by natural causes. >> that's right. >> there was a new medical examiner in the show the report in the file and the arrest for fraud. >> you cannot scan this report. i said read this much. and he did and he goes, okay. i think i will look at this deeper. >> after the review, he agreed to make one small change. in the manner of death from

natural to undetermined. but, they hardly broke the case wide open. he refused to call it a homicide? >> absolutely. >> macneill was released by federal prison. >> the sum of 2012, martin macneill was a freeman. he served his time for fraud. we first spoke to alexis right after dad was released from prison. he is a free man. how does it make you feel? >> very scared. >> you have been his chief accuser. >> i am concerned. i am concerned not only for myself and my family but everyone who comes into contact with my father. i know he is a dangerous man. >> investigators agreed. the prosecutor wanted more. something they could take to court. >> show me how she died. show me how she died. i said, i believe i know how she died but i can prove it yet. >> then one little detail jumped

up and said, look at me. >> the time that came to me is when we heard from the officers and the mt when she threw up, water. >> if michele threw up water when the emts did cpr, that meant martin, the doctor, had not done it properly, if at all. >> do you know how to do cpr? >> with that, all the circumstantial bits seem to line up and support the idea of a plant murder. a plot that began after martin took up with gypsy. >> his wife finds out, concrete evidence that he is doing it. he is trapped. what do i do? i cannot lose my good name because i will lose my job, my reputation and everything is. so what does he do? >> drugs her and drowns her they now believe. finally, the prosecutor agreed.

on august 2012, martin's daughter sat in the utah courtroom, holding a pictures of their dead mother as their father appeared in court on charges of first-degree murder. >> she hadn't pushed. if she hadn't started making those calls, with this have gone anywhere? >> i don't think it would've come to me. >> soapdish >> it would've been closed out as unfounded. >> the family drama would play out for a jury. but the outcome? at that point, it was far from certain. >> coming up. a mistress turns witness. >> one more secret. mistress number 2. this isn't charmin! no wonder i don't feel as clean. here's charmin ultra strong.

ahhh! my bottom's been saved! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. enjoy the go with charmin.

i know you love your dada. of course he loves you, he just doesn't show it on his face.

or with his body language. [ cooing ] ♪ sweet child of mine ♪ pop! [ screams ] keith morrison (voiceover): what a strange thing it was that the day martin macneill was charged with murdering his wife, what a strange the day martin macneill was charged with murdering his wife, his daughters only regret was that it had taken more than five years. >> i think my dad got off on seeing what he could get away with. >> when the trial began october in provo, he was noticeably pale. the prosecutor was a little worried. it seems like a case where you got the impression maybe the guy was guilty, but proving it was not going to be an easy matter. >> it's going to be difficult

to wrap it up early and give the jury this nice box with a bow on top. >> the prosecution told the jury that martin drugged and drowned his wife michele. that he made a plan to get rid of her when he had a love affair with that woman named gypsy. and once he dispatched of michele, he was practically gleeful. even on the day of her funeral. >> the defendant was jovial, laughing, and smiling. remarking he was going to have to get used to the life of a bachelor. >> how kallas said the prosecutor. is for evidence he murdered her? the autopsy said heart disease was the cause of death and not murder. >> this case is a puzzle with many pieces. >> your wife is unconscious? >> the first piece was martin's behavior that morning during his 911 call. he seemed angry.

he hung up on the operator. first responders had trouble finding the house. when they finally did arrive, the police said martin was acting so erratically it made them nervous. >> was concerned about my safety actually. >> while martin, the doctor, was performing cpr. >> he was kind of yelling at her. why did you do this? why did you do this? then he struck karen the chest with one of his hands. >> when the police took over, remember. >> she expels cups of water. >> if she had done cpr, she would've expelled that? remember how martin said he found his wife, head down in the tub, her legs sticking up over the edge. prosecutor showed how that differed from that of every other witness, even his then six-year-old daughter ada.

this is a police interview recorded in 2008. >> what she in the bathtub or partway in the bathtub? >> please raise your right hand and take an oath. >> prosecutors called the woman at the center of it all. the woman who so captivated martin. the mistress, and they said, the motive. >> my name is gypsy willis. >> she said an online relationship turned section will. >> it was a casual thing. whenever we had time. and it could be arranged. i think we probably had sex half the time. sometimes it was just lunch. >> the very day after michele's death, gypsy took a six a selfie assented to martin. >> it was a little suggestive. >> showing your buttocks. >> yeah. >> it wasn't long before she moved in the macneill house,

supposedly hired as a nanny. >> if i told you others testified that you were not much of a nanny in terms of cooking, cleaning, taking care the children and were staring at the difatta, what would be your response? >> my responses, when the adult children were home, deferred to them and went back to studying my nursing. i did help with the children. >> although gypsy to the jury she never did mary martin, they did hear about the fake documents. the marriage date of april 14, 2007, the day michele was buried. and remember, gypsy had to testify as part of her plea deal. probably did not want to. >> she clearly minimized the relationship. i think in so doing, the jury saw that. >> just to be sure, the prosecutor had gypsy read love letters martin wrote to her from federal prison. >> i love you and miss you every minute. i can think of nothing but how

wonderful you are. >> so, gypsy, so the prosecutor was martin's motive for murder. that is, if it was a murder, and if it was, was she involved? >> in light of all this information, are you telling us you don't know anything more about michele's death? >> that is correct. >> do you believe she had something to do with the? >> as far as the actual death, we have no evidence. being a co-conspirator and talking about it, evidence speaks for itself. >> and so, her turn was over. outside the court, she said she was overwhelmed by all the attention. >> a frightening experience. being in court. i've never had more than a speeding ticket. >> as we know, that wasn't even close to being true. and, back in the courtroom, the jury was finding out that gypsy was not martin's first mistress. >> is it fair to say that you

and dr. macneill began an affair? >> yes. >> this woman said she canoodle with martin before he took up with gypsy and the pillow talk she told the jury, include it was sounded like, a prescription for murder. >> did martin describe the process of making some and have a heart attack? >> yes. >> what did he tell you? >> there is something you can give someone that is natural so it's not detectable after they have a heart attack. >> please raise your right hand. >> and then, the much- anticipated showdown. daughter versus father. after years of digging, collecting, persuading others her father was an evil, guilty man, alexis was about to stake the stand. but the defense was about to argue alexis had her own problems. with the truth. >> coming up. that dr.'s defense. >> used to conclude that the

manner of michele macneill's death was undetermined? ath was she is 19 months old. she is a little ray of sunshine. one of the happiest babies you'll probably ever meet. [giggles] children with down syndrome typically have a higher risk for developing acute myeloid leukemia, or just leukemia in general. and here we are. marlo thomas: st. jude children's research hospital works day after day to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. tiffany: she was referred to st. jude at 11 months. they knew what to do as soon as they got her diagnosis. they already had her treatment plan drawn out. and they were like, this is what we're going to do. this is how long it's going to take. this is how long in between. this place is like a family to us now. like, i can't say enough how grateful we are to be here.

medical bills are always a big thing to everybody because everybody knows that anything medical is going to be expensive. we have received no bills since being at st. jude. we have paid for nothing. marlo thomas: thanks to generous donors like you, families never receive a bill from st. jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food so they can focus on helping their child live. for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the lifesaving research and treatment that these kids need now and in the future. join with your credit or debit card right now, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear to show your support. tiffany: anybody and everybody that contributes anything to this place, no matter if it's a big business or just the grandmother that donates once a month, they are changing people's lives. and that's a big deal. [music playing]

here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. judge: ms. somers, if you'll come forward join the millions of people taking back their privacy here to the clerk's desk. keith morrison (voiceover): for six years, alexis somers had been the strongest most th if you will come forward the clerk's desk. >> for six years, alexis had been the strongest most persistent voice arguing her father murdered her mother. the prosecutor. >> her testimony was huge. >> under oath, alexis told the

same story she told us. >> why were you seeking information as to your mother's death? >> i believe my father killed her. >> the defense was going to try to prove alexis wrong. in fact, they were going to question if there was a murder at all, and they were start by using some of the accusing daughter's own words. remember alexis' claim that her mother was feeling fine just before she died? it turns out that wasn't what she said at her man's funeral. i just don't remember her saying that she was feeling a little sick. i remember her being up and getting ready for the day. >> she was feeling a little sick is what you said. >> i just don't remember her saying she was feeling sick. i remember her getting ready for the day. >> you remembered it on the day

of her funeral, three days later. since that time, you have said over and over that your mother is feeling great. no problems on april 11. >> the implication? if michele was feeling sick just before she died, there could be a medical explanation for her death. and, that alexis' memory was flexible. >> i just don't remember her feeling bad at all. >> a lot of things you don't remember accurately. >> they honed in on the biggest problem. they were prosecuting a man for murder when according to the state's on medical examiner, the cause of death was most likely heart disease. the coroner tied gray admitted on the stand he never classified michele's death as a homicide, and even his decision to call it and determined was not exactly based on science. >> met with the investigators in your office, correct? >> that is correct. >> they worked hard to get you

to change a. >> they gave me an in-depth presentation of what they thought proved it was a homicide. >> when prosecutors took the unusual step of hiring an outside medical expert to try to bolster the case for homicide? the defense showed a cross- examination that he was no more definitive. >> when you consider the circumstances of this case, you still conclude that the manner of michele macneill's death was undetermined? >> yes. >> remember the water in michele's lungs? the cocounsel had an answer for that. >> michele was found in the bathtub, and it's difficult to do cpr in a bathtub. >> why didn't he pulled her out of the tub? >> barring some superhuman strength, very few people would be able to lift a 182 pound person out of the tub in that situation. >> in that moment, regardless

of what he might have seen, that morning, what's the strongest evidence that he did not kill his wife? >> i think the strongest evidence was likely the time of death and where martin was that morning. >> the defense called witnesses who testified they saw martin right about the time that michele collapsed in her bathtub. in other words, he was not there. could not have killed her. this is six-year-old ada kindergarten teacher. >> he picked her up that day and between 11:30 and 11:35 to pick up ada? >> yes. >> it took closing arguments spoke those facts together. the prosecutor was aggressive. >> make no doubt, he intentionally and knowingly cause the death of his wife. the evidence supports it. the motive is there. the means are there.

the opportunity is there. >> the defense? had to concede that martin was a cad and a cheat, but insisted the prosecution hadn't even proved there was a murder let alone that martin committed it. >> i submit none of the circumstances they submitted to you is consistent with homicide. they do not rise to the level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. >> the jury began deliberating. they huddled hour after hour, lead into that friday night. midnight came and went. they were still talking. >> the longer the deliberations went, the more worried i got. >> quicker deliberation is better? >> in this case i thought so. our case was fairly simple. >> a signal. a verdict. too quick of the prosecutor. >> when they were coming back after 11 hours, i was nervous. >> it was 1:00 a.m.

on saturday morning. >> having reviewed the evidence find the defendant is to count one murder, guilty. >> at that moment, michele's family couldn't hide there really. finally, after years of fighting, they had gotten what they wanted. what they demanded. until that moment, martin's defense attorneys believe perhaps more than martin himself, that he would be acquitted. >> i think martin took it better than we did. he was like, i am okay. i'm thinking i'm not okay. >> according to the defender, martin said something quite remarkable. >> this may seem strange, but even respects what his daughters did. not because he killed his wife, but because, if they really believe that he killed his wife, he would expect them to

advocate for her. he understands. >> he told you that? >> he did. >> we are happy he cannot hurt anyone else. we miss our mom. that courtroom was full of so many people who loved my mom. >> you feel you got justice? >> there is justice for my mom today. >> martin macneill was sentenced 17 years to life but would not serve the time in full. april 2070, martin died by suicide. a dark ending for the story of a family that began with so much hope. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am craig melvin. thank you for watching. u for w ( this sunday, pressure campaign. just four months to election day, a defiant president biden vows he's staying in the race. >> i am ru