and many others gathered for a celebration of marie's life. they did her favorite thing. they sang karaoke. and esther told us that when marie's daughter paris came to visit her cousin, esther's daughter, the two would sit down at the piano and play, make music just like their mothers years ago. and grace-- esther bridges: i want to tell her all about her mom. it's-- it's one of those where i just-- i want to show her, you know, like, your mother really did love you. keith morrison: maybe some day she'll know about that uncontainable woman who while she stayed brought joy, marie. andrea canning: that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thanks for watching. strike that is all for this edition of dateline.

this is dateline. the zip tied my arms and zip tied my legs. and duct taped my hair. no words. i am sitting there just hysterical. terrifying. >> reporter: she thought he was mr. wright. a confident handsome surgeon until the good doctor seemed to turn sinister. >> he put his hands over my face and said, go ahead and try to leave. i had nowhere else to go. >> she broke down and she was afraid. >> reporter: then something deadly. >> they said he hired someone to get rid of me. >> reporter: a doctor plotting a murder.>> he is planning to kill you. >> precise instruction.

>> reporter: investigators would launch a plot of their own and unravel not one murder screamed but two. now you have a man and woman who both want their exes dead. is that beyond bizarre? >> shocking. >> unreal. we could not believe this is happening. >> reporter: an unthinkable crime and an unbelievable twist. the detectives had a plan and you are part of the. >> mind-boggling to most people. >> please tell me. the worst day of my life. ♪ welcome to dateline. it looked like an ordinary lunch meeting. four people having a conversation at a chain restaurant. except, nothing was as it seemed . and what was being discussed would eventually be at the center of the court battle. but to understand how a nice- looking couple ended up at the

table talking with two people they thought were hitmen, we need to go back to the beginning when meghan verikes had met a charming dr. named leon jacob. here is twisted in texas. in the beginning it was fun. >> he is very charming. >> reporter: she was swept away. >> i don't think i have ever had somebody tell me i am beautiful that much. >> reporter: without warning, it all turned. from love story to crime story. >> relentless tsunami. >> he does not care who the effects. like out of a movie. >> it is. >> reporter: a thriller. >> i ran across the street, leave her alone. with secret recordings. >> reporter: a fake death. and another death that was all too real. >> awful.

never should have happened. none of it. >> reporter: meghan verikes is a pittsburgh girl born and raised. steeler games, tightknit friends, a solid family. >> i do up with my parents who have been married for 35 years. >> reporter: her own love life was not so simple. >> she got married in the 20s but she and her husband drifted apart. >> reporter: she threw herself into work, managing a busy hotel downtown. >> it is a fun job. you meet a lot of different people. >> reporter: one of those people was a local doctor who checked in during the winter of 2014. his name was leon jacob . >> reporter: what was your first impression? >> arrogant. you know, i am a doctor. give me whatever sweet you have. >> reporter: what did you think of that? i don't want anything to do with that? >> exactly. >> he wears on you.

>> reporter: he came from a well to do family and attended an elite boarding school and now he said he was a transplant surgeon. >> i think that anybody is enamored by somebody who can save lives. >> reporter: like meghan, leon was unlucky in love and told her he was going through divorce . the more major got to know him, the more approachable he seemed.>> he is very charming. >> reporter: soon enough a romance blossomed and when leon moved back to his home town of houston, he asked meghan to join him. >> he made me feel like i deserved something else . >> reporter: something better?>> yes. >> reporter: she found a job in hotel sales and signed a lease on a new apartment. leon moved in. >> that to me was scary. i am independent. he said i open a bank account and put your name on it. i am like, he really cares. like. okay. >> reporter: leon's family

welcome megan like one of their own. >> reporter: did you envision the possibility of marriage with him?>> okay. >> reporter: of megan settled in a got a job and made a new friend through work. >> we clicked over just being from out of town and both transitioning into houston and both steelers' fans. >> reporter: the self-assured and loving couple but there was one trouble spot and make its new life. leon did not have a texas medical license yet. >> why did you work as a surgical assistant? he said you don't understand what it is like to be a doctor. >> reporter: make it had to support herself and leon. >> it seemed like frustration within a normal relationship. >> reporter: one night, everything changed. meghan expressed frustration and front of leon's high achieving family.

>> i don't understand why he is not working and he said we will talk about this when we get home and he just tore up my entire closet and through all of my stuff on the balcony. >> reporter: what did you sit back? >> i was in shock and did not know what to say. i did not what to do. i live with this person. >> reporter: that might started a downward spiral. soon every day leon seemed to find a new reason to get angry. and eventually she said his anger turned into abuse. >> it was always something. almost like clockwork. he used to chew tobacco and i don't know what i did or what happened, he took the thing of spit and threw it across the room at me. it was constant. >> reporter: humiliating. >> yes. he did not think it was a big deal. even though he called the horrible names and demeaning and awful. >> reporter: then he said he would beg forgiveness.

>> i'm sorry. i love you. i have so many things going on and i need you in my world and you're the only thing that keeps me happy. >> reporter: would you forgive him? >> of course. >> reporter: she said leon always promised to change but never did. did you ask yourself how -- >> i don't know. exactly. you don't expect to be in a relationship like that. >> reporter: then can january 12th, 2017. making got home late after a long day of work. >> you started throwing stuff in the dishwasher. and then he threw a glass of wine army. >> reporter: meghan had to get out. she rushed to pack a bag. >> he put his hands over my face and said go ahead and try to leave. >> reporter: meghan made a run for it and took their dog and got in the car and said leon chased her down the driveway. >> he was like, if you don't could be the dog --

>> reporter: leon grabbed the dog but meghan got away and she was free. or so she thought. coming up, -->> he was right behind me. >> she was afraid. >> reporter: was megan in danger? >> she has to be out of the picture. he hired somebody to do something. who knows what they will do? >> reporter: when "dateline" continues. check. when flares tried to slow me down, i got lasting steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when my doctor saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting, steroid-free remission. and visibly reduced damage. check, check and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots,

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every morning around 8:30, area washington had a sales meeting with her friend and coworker, meghan verikes. january 13, 2017, was different. >> good morning. the next word out of my mouth was, what's wrong. the remarks around. >> reporter: it was the morning after maker's desperate flight from her boyfriend.>> she started crying. >> reporter: until that moment, she knew little about meghan's troubles with leon. >> she was afraid and in disbelief that something like this happened to her. >> reporter: as women talk herself from pink incessantly. >> it would not stop. >> reporter: all from leon. erratic messages from an account called, leon loves meghan. >> i love you and here is this wedding ring and want to buy you. and the next thing would be,

you are so done and i want nothing to do with you. >> reporter: make an texted leon to leave her alone and that they were over but there was more to come and it was infuriating. mega found out that leon had withdrawn most of the money from the joint bank account. which went to her apartment to get her belongings, she was shocked by what she saw. >> i had no furniture left. nothing.>> luckily i got there in time. >> reporter: make it went to the police and swore out a complaint against leon. >> i sat in this filthy office and wrote down everything i can remember. >> reporter: she told police that leon had assaulted her and she applied for a protective order. that it did not come through immediately. a few days later -- >> i pulled out of my work and he was behind me. >> reporter: meghan said she spoke to downtown but cannot shake her ex. then leon cut her off with his car. >> he jumped in front of my

vehicle telling me i am making a huge mistake and that he loves me. >> reporter: she managed to swerve around and escape. but he kept showing up at the hotel where she worked, asking to see her.>> his demeanor was very calm but persistent. and that is scary or because you don't know what is going on in the back of their head. >> reporter: the hotel and leon from the property. coworkers saw him working. >> when you walk outside and see him standing behind a bush like you are invisible, i remember the first words coming out of my mouth were, you know we can see you. >> reporter: theories, ariel ran across the street yelling. >> go away and leave us alone. >> reporter: police arrested leon for assault. >> that was very short-lived because he was out within the next day. >> reporter: two weeks later, leon and meghan appeared in court and the judge granted the protective order in order leon to be arrested again on the spot

. this time for stalking. as officers read him his rights, meghan was surprised to see a familiar face in the gallery. >> i noticed a valerie was sitting in the stands. which i thought was odd. >> reporter: valerie mcdaniel, a successful veterinary and in town recently divorced from her husband of 19 years. mack. meghan met valerie, mack and their daughter with their marriage was falling apart. >> she would come over and have martinis and she would be over a lot and we went through some nightclubs . she was a nice person. >> reporter: how did leon act around valerie? >> like anybody else. >> reporter: that was then. on the stay in port, make it but leon and valerie looked like a couple. she learned later that valerie even posted leon's bond, with this man. a bail bondsman named michael to bosch. a couple of days later got an unsettling visit from leon. >> he shut the door behind him.

and that was odd. he said, i am here because i want to know what thing. >> reporter: leon as the bail bondsman help finding another client of his. leon said the client's name was, zack. >> i said i don't know zack. you are you talking about? he said you know him. he is ex-military, ex-cia. he is middle eastern. >> reporter: he said he hired zack to do a job for him but now could not find him. >> the need nine this and pays a lot of money to take care of this. she has got to go either back to pittsburgh, has to be out of the pittsburgh. i'm a doctor and i cannot have her come to this court and testify against me. >> reporter: he found leon's words frightening. >> i felt like it was much more sinister than wanting her to the pittsburgh. >> reporter: to what extent? >> i did not know. if he hired somebody to do something. who knows what they will do. >> reporter: it turns out the bail bondsman also happened to be a city council man and a friend of the houston police

chief. gave the chief a call and said they should take a closer look at leon and the mysterious, zack. coming up, an undercover mission to learn what leon is will be up to. he is giving you a way to kill someone. >> very detailed, precise, instruction. >> reporter: and the real jaw dropper, make it was not the only target. >> we are taking care of both problems. >> reporter: when "dateline" continues.

february 23rd, 2017. leon jacob had been arrested two days before.

meghan verikes had a protective order against him. for the first time in weeks, she should have felt safe. but that evening her phone rang. it was a police officer. >> he basically said that there was a credible threat to my life. >> reporter: police came to meet meghan the next morning. her friend ariel remembered meghan was afraid and she were disguised. >> she was putting a week gone and a hat on and jeans and tennis shoes and t-shirt so that she could try to be as inconspicuous as possible. >> reporter: they checked the officers ids. one by one. been investigators said the tip they got from the bail bondsman, michael kubosh. >> they think that my ex- boyfriend may have hired somebody to have me hurt. and that i need to be surrounded by people 24 hours a day and not be left alone. >> reporter: normally i would say that must have been shocking. were you that surprised?

>> i was not. >> reporter: the police suggested meghan go back to pittsburgh for a while. she bought a ticket and flew home. the well at the harris county da special crimes bureau, investigators jimmy and mike started looking into leon. were you surprised to see a doctor involved? >> it was surprising to us. normally we don't deal with professional people. looking to have somebody killed . >> reporter: their first priority, look at the elusive zack. the guy that may have been a hitman. they knocked on doors and they found him. his real name. >> he said, we need to talk. >> reporter: they said they had him all wrong and he was no hitman but they were right about leon. he wanted to get rid of the meghan. >> his main goal was that she does not appear in court. whatever required that to happen, that was fine with leon.

up to killing her. >> reporter: he said leon gave him $9980 in cash and a couple of fancy watches to do the job. but he said he had no intention of doing it. >> his story was he was playing leon and he was not ever going to do they hit. >> reporter: but he told police he had no doubt that leon still wanted it time. and he also said he was willing to work with him to help catch leon. so police recorded the call. >> reporter: he told leon he was bring a partner. >> i will bring with me. so we can get this done. >> reporter: he did not tell leon that his partner was an undercover police officer. then he said something he was

not expecting. >> we are taking care of both problems. both of the individuals. >> reporter: leon agreed to meet at them all of garden restaurant with the undercover officer who went by adam. we agreed not to show his face. what is the goal of this meeting? >> to make sure this really is a murder for hire. and to gather evidence. to see what it is they wanted and to discuss payment. >> reporter: when leon showed up, he was not alone. >> we followed leon to the table. where we sat down and we were introduced to valerie. >> reporter: that is right. valerie mcdaniel. leon's new girlfriend, the woman who bonded him out of jail. he was valerie meeting two suppose it hitman. when the conversation started, leon did not sound like someone trying to hire a hitman.

he said he was happy if make it just went back to pittsburgh. but as they ate the pasta, leon's tone harden. . during the conversation he said he wanted adam to try another tactic. plant some drugs on meghan. and a more sinister idea. which sounded like an invitation to murder.

>> reporter: he is giving you a way to kill someone. >> he gave me very detailed and precise instructions on how to kill somebody. >> reporter: it was not just meghan whose life was in danger. remember, leon had said something about both individuals. who was the other target? leon clearly hated the guy. who was he? her ex-husband. he met valerie's ex-husband, mack. that is right. this murder for hire was a double plot . it seemed leon and valerie both wanted their exes dead. leon and taz left the table for a smoke and valerie top specific with adam about how we can pump off her ex-husband. the undercover officer suggested some simpler execution options.

but first, adam wanted to know, was she sure. of course, explained adam, second target would cost extra money. the and returned to the table to negotiate a payment plan. listening from a nearby table was sergeant frank when he was in charge of the undercover operation. now you have a man and a woman who both want their exes dead. >> yes. >> reporter: is that beyond bizarre? >> i had not seen anything like it before and it was really shocking. >> reporter: the meeting broke up and adam and taz promised to be in touch and investigators thought they had a case. to make it stick, they needed the money to change hands. and they had a wild, elaborate plan to make that happen. coming up --

>> they said they needed to get in the car. >> reporter: the unders cover sting, see number two. >> we zip tied her hands and feet. and duct tape around her mouth. >> sitting historical. no words. >> reporter: when "dateline" continues. ficantly improve your vision. more people on eylea hd had no fluid in the retina, compared to those on eylea at 4 months. eylea hd is the only wet amd therapy that helped 8 out of 10 people go up to 4 months between injections, after 3 initial monthly treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eylea hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen there is an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most commons side effects were blurred vision, cataract,

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breaking news update. israel saying up on's preemptive airstrikes inside lebanon early sunday to target hezbollah. this comes as hezbollah says it started an attack firing more than 300 rockets onto israel to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders in beirut last month. secretary of defense lloyd austin speaking with israel defense minister following the strikes by phone. the defense minister saying they discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation. more later. but now back to the line.

welcome back to "dateline". meghan verikes had been attracted to ex-boyfriend leon jacob in part because as a doctor he saves lives. now police officers were telling her he was trying to hire a hitman to potentially take hers. and there was more. she was not the only target. but the police were putting the wheels in motion on a plan of their own. back now to, twisted in texas. after anxious days in pittsburgh, meghan verikes got a call from investigators to come back to houston. soon after she arrived, they called again with surprise. >> they said we are outside and we need you to get in the car. >> reporter: like out of a movie. >> it is. they take me to a lot that is like a junkyard. there are cars with bullet holes in them. >> reporter: just in another call pulls up in another man got out and meghan denies

valerie's ex-husband mack and learned that he was the target of a hit. >> he hugged me and he was like, i heard about this, a day ago. and, yet. >> reporter: they could not anticipated the scheme that police had in mind. the sergeant of his officers wanted meghan and mack to participate, in a fake kidnapping and murder. what a bizarre request of someone who is effective in a potential murder for hire plot. we want to pose and you will look dead. >> yes. >> reporter: his plan was to show photos of the stage seems to leon and valerie and wanted to see the reaction and also have to make a payment for the fake hit. mack went first playing the murder victim. was he up for this? >> yes, definitely. >> reporter: he used pigs blood to simulate a head wound they knew they had to make it look convincing to leon. >> when you are dealing with a doctor, who has probably seen wounds, then you need to be as

realistic as you can. >> he has been shot. in the head, yes. >> reporter: meghan's role was different. she play the victim of a kidnapping. >> we zip tied her hands and zip tied her feet and duct taped around her mouth. for us this is very clinical budding meghan's case, it hurt her and tears were flowing and she broke down. >> no words. i am sitting hysterical. it may the photos look better because it was real tears. >> reporter: the undercover police officer posing as a hitman exchanged text and calls with leon. >> most of the conversations have to do with leon asking me to hurry up. and commence with the motors.

>> reporter: later that day armed with stage photos, the undercover officer went to leon and valerie's home to tell them he had killed mack and get them to pay. but leon wanted to talk about meghan and how they were bad match from the start. adam return to the business at hand. city plan to to deal with meghan the next day. if she refused to leave town, he would kill her. leon showed the undercover officer a pile of cash wrapped in a dishtowel. payment for homicidal services rendered. >> $1800 in cash with a payment

of $10,000 at a later time. >> reporter: what does that say to you in that moment? this guy is serious. >> that is what told me there was no going back. he was dead serious. >> reporter: the next day adam texted leon the photo of meghan crying, zip tied and duct taped. leon did not respond so the undercover officer called to tell him he had to kill meghan. hours later, continuing the ruse, police arrived at valerie and leon's apartment with the body cameras rolling. >> we are coming to inform her that her husband has been killed. to get her reaction.

>> reporter: what was the reaction? >> they tried to act surprised and then we wanted to gauge his reaction. >> he immediately offers an alibi and he is like, we have been here all day. >> reporter: suspicious? >> yes. one thing is not is a good actor. >> reporter: the police got the reaction they were looking for. they had the money paid to the undercover officer and so they spring their trap. they arrested leon and valerie for solicitation of capital murder. and revealed there was no murder and no kidnapping. meghan and mack were alive and well. >> they had no idea. they believed that their issues had been taken care of and they had no more problems. until immediately, they go from

a definite vacation to, you are under arrest for solicitation of capital murder. that will get your attention. >> reporter: was valerie mcdaniel a murderous mastermind or another victim of leon jacob? coming up, -- >> i cannot believe this was happening to my sister. >> reporter: what could have given valerie to do this? she tells her story, and leon tells his. when "dateline" continues. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious for those over 60, including those with asthma, diabetes, copd and certain other conditions. but i'm protected. arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv

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the headline was so sensational. river oaks couple take out hits on axis. the murder for hire plot that sent shockwaves through. in the days following the arrest, revelations about leon's past, would end with every newscast. >> we are digging up new details. >> reporter: court documents should leon was not exactly who he appeared to be. he had been kicked out of residency programs, convicted of cyber stalking and criminal trespassing, and another woman from leon's past to accuse him of abuse. his ex-wife. leon was held without bail. but the judge said bill for valerie and allowed to go home. her sister angela was in shock.>> it just was unreal. i cannot believe this was happening. to my sister. the most kind, sweet, loving

person. >> reporter: valerie's best friend said valerie was scarred by her recent divorce. >> it left are extremely vulnerable to a predator like leon to come along and sink his teeth in. >> reporter: after the arrest, maggie confronted valerie. >> i just kind of said, you are under some sort of spell right now. this monster has gotten you into some trouble. and you need to fight. >> reporter: what did you say? >> she did not understand what was happening. she just seemed off. terribly, terribly sad. >> reporter: at home, alone, valerie recorded an audio diary on her ipad.>> it is valerie. >> reporter: you recounted out back when her marriage to train it was crumbling she ran into a neighbor's son, leon.

overtime, valerie like make it before her, thought she saw something in him. and as with meghan, leon capture their budding romance in selfies. but valerie said she never intended to have her husband killed. the audio diary turned out to be her final recorded words. a little over two weeks after her arrest, valerie mcdaniel jumped to her death on the seventh floor balcony of her apartment building. >> the worst day of my life. >> reporter: valerie's friend blamed leon. >> i really do.

i think he has murdered her reputation and he ultimately murdered her. >> reporter: even though she made the choice on her own?>> yes. never, ever, ever, none of this would have happened without him. >> reporter: leon jacob did not see it that way. we met him at the harris county jail where he was awaiting trial . far removed from the promise of his early years. this is a privilege light, top boarding school, fancy vacations, nice house. would you describe it that way? >> yeah. i cannot say i wanted for anything. >> reporter: what him to medicine? >> i think it a lot of boys as a physician you are public servant. >> reporter: he said meghan caught his eye at first sight. >> she was beautiful and vivacious and smart. >> reporter: she thought you were obnoxious when she first met you. >> i don't know. i was just being myself. some people find me obnoxious or confident when they first meet me but after they get to know me a little bit, i'm just in easy-going and fun loving

person. >> reporter: after leon was charged with soliciting make its motor, the misdemeanor assault charge was dropped. he told us he never physically abused her. >> i don't recall the relationship being like that. >> reporter: she said the final straw was when you grabbed her face in the bathroom and physically assaulted her and that is when she finally left. >> her recollection of that night is different than mine. >> reporter: tell us what happened in your eyes. >> we were fighting. i was not going to restrain her. i have not physically touched her or hurt her in anyway. despite what she claims. >> reporter: he admitted he called her repeatedly a followed her around after their breakup. city just wanted to talk things out.>> i had been to her work a bunch of to say i'm sorry. >> reporter: you make it sound like it is nothing. she was living in such fear. that she did not know if she would live to see another day if you found her.>> that is absurd.

absolutely absurd. >> reporter: leon insisted he did not hire anyone to hurt macon. he was tried to help her return to her hometown. >> i never asked him to anybody or kidnap anybody. what i was told was what what meghan wanted to do was go back to pittsburgh. >> reporter: why would you want to be nice at this point. meghan does not want anything to do with you? >> i was told that is what she wanted . >> reporter: what about the tapes? leon said the tapes did not prove anything. why go down this road? why higher who you think is a hitman if you did not want meghan dead. >> you have to understand something. i never thought these people were violent criminals at all. >> reporter: that is not how it appears on the tapes. >> if you listen to what is said, i never asked him to hurt anybody. never asked them to kill anybody. >> reporter: remember, he did offer a suggestion on how to kill her.

why are you telling him how to do this? >> i will talk about that when i am on the witness stand. >> reporter: nothing you want to share now. >> no. >> reporter: we asked how valerie's husband became a target. >> i had nothing to do with that. >> reporter: but leon told us he was being kind to meghan, it was a different story with valerie. he shifted blame to his late lover, even as he tried to sound sympathetic. >> valerie was not a monster. she clearly had reached a breaking point and i cannot say that i condone what she wanted to have done. as a doctor, just as human being , taking someone's life is not okay with me. >> reporter: you are saying you were not in on this together? >> not on having anybody killed. >> reporter: did you mastermind the plan to have meghan and mack killed? >> it was never planned to have

anybody killed . no. i did not mastermind a plan. >> reporter: do you believe valerie was the mastermind? >> she asked for something to happen that she clearly wanted to have happen. i don't think she masterminded it. i think that she progressively got there. >> reporter: convenient for leon that valerie was not around to defend herself. but then again he was the one about to go on trial. he takes the stand. will he be able to save himself? coming up. >> you need to restate your question. >> reporter: a suspect not as clever as he thinks, or just clever enough to convince a jury. >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed. kidnapped. >> reporter: what would the verdict be? when "dateline" continues.

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harris county prosecutor, and her cocounsel, knew they had a strong case against leon jacob for solicitation of capital murder and additionally for solicitation of kidnapping. they also knew they had a potential problem. >> as you headed to trial what would be the cornerstone? >> the recordings. >> there was no way he could get himself out of all of the things he said. >> reporter: what would you say was the weakest part of your case? >> the aspect of the

recordings, the defendant is educated, he is intelligent. he was caught fish in his approach to talking to the undercover officer. >> reporter: that was the problem. in all those recorded conversations, leon never said, kill meghan. yet the prosecutors had to prove, that is exactly what he meant.>> leon jacob does not stop until he get what he wants. >> reporter: the trial began on march 20, 2018. the prosecution called the bill bondsman michael kubosh who told the jury he had no doubt that leon wanted to hire a hitman to kill meghan. >> i felt like i was talking to the devil himself. >> reporter: the state called the suppose it hitman an informant, taz, he testified he knew exactly what leon wanted done. >> i asked him for 2500 to see how serious he was. >> reporter: prosecutors play the tape where leon discussed in detail how we, as a doctor, my get rid of meghan.

>> might not have said murder or might not have been killed but he knew what he was asking for. >> reporter: one of the star witnesses was the man played dead. mac mcdaniel, alive and well, told the jury he did not want leon, a man accused of stalking an assault anywhere near his daughter. motive, said the prosecutors, for leon to have mack killed. >> mack , will make valerie choose between her daughter and the defendant. she will choose her daughter. >> reporter: mack recounted the emotional moment when he learned about the murder plot. >> if it would have been successful, she would not have any parents. >> reporter: then it was meghan's term. no gag or zip ties this time. she told the jury she had no doubt that leon wanted her dead.

>> were you scared? >> very scared. >> how did that affect how you felt about your safety? >> i was terrified. >> reporter: the defense attorney said the prosecution had it all wrong. leon did not want anyone killed. >> he was not suggesting this be done. >> reporter: he argued leon was just a lovelorn ex-boyfriend who had gone overboard with big talk.>> dishes and backtracks. >> reporter: you might think that makes him a risky witness but leon wanted to testify. >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. we had multiple discussions or multiple conversations about not wanting to harm or hurt anybody. >> reporter: of the state said that was just semantics. on cross-examination, prosecutors pointed out that despite leon's claim he had not explicitly asked for meghan or

mack to be killed, he did not shy away from violent talk .>> put her in a room and tell her if she does not leave i'm going to kill her parents. right? >> if that is what you say i said.>> did you say it? >> shore. >> reporter: as the leon's claim he never suggested killing meghan. >> if you eject someone with potassium chloride it will hurt them. it will kill them. >> yes. >> you know that is a doctor. >> yes. >> if you asked a question, if he did not feel like it was right he would rephrase it. i believe that he felt like he was smarter than us. >> reporter: did you want to smack him? >> yes. >> reporter: leon, they argued, did not care who lived or died. >> he did nothing to stop this. in his mind, his ex-girlfriend is safe by herself in a

warehouse somewhere in the city, zip tied, with duct tape around her mouth, and he thinks he can walk away from this. >> reporter: it took the jury an hour and 15 minutes to decide leon's fate. >> the jury finds him guilty. >> reporter: guilty of all charges and in texas, the jury can also decide punishment. in the penalty phase, prosecutors called a new witness. leon's ex-wife. she testified in vivid detail that leon was abusive. >> what did he tell you? >> that was my punishment for calling the police. >> the defendant cannot be trusted to live among us. a guilty verdict, without the appropriate punishment. >> reporter: there's something you want out of the punishment phase. >> i would never want him to do this to somebody else because if it was not me, it was not valerie, if it was not his ex- wife it will be somebody else. and that needs to stop.

>> reporter: the jury sentenced leon to life in prison. afterwards meghan addressed him directly. >> while you sit in jail i hope you think of me. the girl you called poor and uneducated. it is because of me you will be in prison for life. >> i was really proud of her and i think it took incredible courage on her part to see this through. >> reporter: meghan nose in a way she was lucky. >> every day there are people in situations like this that don't have the means to get out. i have had so many people help me and i want to make a difference. for those who do not have a voice. e. hello, i'm andrea canning and this is dateline. i think i was just in