tonight on "nightline," framed? a son fights against his mother and the governor of arizona to clear his father of a heinous double murder. so where does the truth lie in this 35-year-old crime? plus want to join the circus? love try angles feuding jugglers and a police intervention. we go behind the scenes at the circuit, as you've never seen it before. and, new moves. you remember michael flatley. bear chest, head band and sizzling feet. but you've never seen riverdance like this. and that's a "sign of the times." >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news with

terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city this is "nightline," october 27th, 2010. >> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with a question of justice. 35 years ago, bill macumber went to prison for the double murder of two young adults in arizona. all the evidence in the crime even fingerprints pointed to him. but then shocking new evidence emerged indicating that macumber may have been framed by his own wife while they were locked in an ugly divorce. now, the couple's son wants his ailing father freed. dan harris followed the case all the way to the governor's office. "nightline" investigates. >> i want her to know who i am. i want her to know i'm bill macumber's son. >> reporter: ron kempfert is a son engaged in a desperate battle with two forceful women. the governor of arizona and his

own mother. this is a fight over the fate of ron's father bill macumber imprisoned for 35 years. >> this is the house i grew up in. first seven years of my life here. >> reporter: ron spent most of his life believing his father was a monster. what types of things did your mother say about him? >> he's a murderer. he's manipulator, he uses people. that he didn't care about us, only cared about himself. >> reporter: his father was convicted in the 1970s of killing two young adults and leaving their bodies in the middle of the arizona desert. but several years ago, a phone call that changed ron's life. a conversation with an attorney for the arizona justice project, which works to free innocent inmates. >> he said, i don't know how to tell you this, there's no other way. we think your father's innocent and we're pretty sure your mom framed him for it. >> reporter: the attorney on the line was larry hammond. there's no doubt in your mind that she did this?

>> there's no doubt that she was involved in doing it. >> reporter: it took some time but ron ultimately came to believe this story. >> i said this before and i say it again, i love my mother but i don't like her. she is not a nice person. and i did not make that jump immediately. but i don't have any doubt anymore that my mom did this. that my mom framed my dad for the murders. >> reporter: at the time of the arrest, bill and carol macumber's marriage was falling apart. carol was working at the local sf's office where she had access to the evidence in the murders and recently took classes in lifting fingerprints. >> how do you get across to yourself that your mother is capable of this? that she framed your own father for a murder that he had been in prison for 35 years now, well, 35 years now, for something he didn't do because she was going to lose what she had. >> reporter: did you frame your husband? >> no. absolutely not.

absolutely not. >> reporter: we tracked down carol came fert in olympia, washington. she agreed to grant her first and only tell vision interview. >> i didn't wake up one morning and say, gee, i'll frame my husband today. i did not, and i will say this again, i did not manufacture nor did i ever tamper with evidence. ever. and i passed four polggraphs and i'll be happy to take another. but i did not tamper with any evidence. >> reporter: she says she remembers her husband coming home the night of the murders with his clothing covered in blood. and that he later confessed to her as their marriage was disintegrating. to some it might sound a little farfetched. here is a guy with no history of violence, who allegedly kills two people he doesn't know in the desert and then confesses to you in a middle of a divorce. doesn't that sound -- >> it sounds ridiculous. but that's in fact what happened.

>> reporter: the notion that your son, who i would presume, knows you, would say that you're capable of acting in such a diabolical fashion, that's -- it's a damning statement. >> ron -- oh boy, i don't know if i want to get into this. ron always has been a follower. >> reporter: you're saying he's gullible? >> critical thinking is not one of ron's better skills, what can i say? and if anyone was ever made for bill to mold and manipulate it would be ron. >> reporter: she's saying that you have always had tendency to be a little bit gullible and that your father is a manipulator and that he's manipulating you into believing this. >> okay, let's say i am gullible, and my father is manipulating me, please explain how he's manipulating the arizona justice project and everyone that is fighting to get him out? >> reporter: another group that

believes bill macumber's story, the arizona clemency board, which last year, in a rare move recommended his sentence be commuted, saying quote, an injustice has been done in mr. ka mum macumber's case, and his wife had, quote, the motive means and opportunity to falsely pin the murders on mr. macumber. the board pointed out that another man allegedly confessed that he had done the murders. something the jury was never allowed to hear. and that bill macumber had an exemplary record in prison. in fact, he would have been eligible for parole ten years ago if he agreed to confess his guilt, but he refused. >> he would rather die in prison than say he committed a crime he didn't commit. to look at this case say that this is a man who ought to stay in prison, to me just -- it ceased being rational a long time ago. >> reporter: after the clemency board voted, ron kempfert was briefly optimistic. but then, the case went to the governor of arizona, republican

jan brewer. you may know her from her support of arizona's controversial immigration legislation, or from her famous freeze-up during a recent decent. governor brewer rejected the recommendation from the clemency board whose members she appointed. >> we were devastated. i was angry. we were making all the plans for him to come home. >> reporter: ron and his father's many supporters believe the governor fears looking soft on crime in the middle of an election campaign. >> we'll have a sweet, sweet victory. >> reporter: so, we took ron to confront the governor. >> i haven't gotten a response yet. >> reporter: but we were turned away. >> she's in back-to-back meetings all day. >> reporter: governor, my name is dan harris. we then decided to show up at one of governor brewer's news conferences. >> you won't answer anybody's questions as to why. i've sent your office two e-mails and a letter, no

response. we've all been asking why. why won't you release him? >> well, you know it's an unfortunate situation that governors have to make. difficult decisions. regardless of what recommendations are made to them. i know it's hard as a child that you're faced with this in your lifetime. but he was found guilty and i feel very comfortable with my decision. i've made my decision. and it's final. >> reporter: this is your board. why wouldn't you follow a recommendation of your own board, governor? at first, no response. i had to ask twice. you have no second thoughts given that it's your board that recommended this? >> i commented on it. >> reporter: is there political motive here on your port? desire not to look soft on crime? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: how you are doing? >> i am -- unbelievably angry. she just ran away you know the

moment it got tough. the same statement we've been hearing from her office for a year now. >> reporter: ron is a man now carrying incall cuable anger, not only at the governor of arizona but also at his mother, who, in our interview offered these words. >> i'm sure ronald sees this and if he does i want him to know that -- even though bridges may never be mended i really wish him and his family well. i really do. >> well, that's a first. my mother's never been supportive of my family. and for her to say that to me is laughable. i'm sorry. i cannot accept that. >> reporter: with neither the governor nor his mother showing any signs of relenting, ron and his father's legal team are now exploring other options for securing bill macumber's release. but the options are limited, and given the poor state of bill

macumber's health, time may be limited, too. for "nightline," this is dan harris in phoenix, arizona. >> a deeply troubling case made more complex by governor brewer. when we come back we'll turn to entertainment and life behind the scenes at a traveling circus, where the show does not always go as planned. hi, we're looking to save some money on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side so you get the same coverage often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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i'm among 30,000 employees who used to work for hp. i was supposed to retire there. carly fiorina changed all that. fiorina laid off 30,000 people and she shipped our jobs to china and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night. we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now. i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. ah the circus is a zone of

suspended disbelief where humans fly, wild animals rye bicycles and the clowns smiles never fade. pull back the tent canvas however, and circus life begins to look more like real life. warts and all. tonight, jeremy hubbard takes us behind the scenes for what turns out to be a show of a different color. ♪ >> reporter: it is the subject of wild-eyed childhood fantasy. life under the big top. but if you thought the spectacle of the circus only happens inside the ring, think again. >> somebody tried blowing up the building. >> gathered together 150 nomads. >> a bomb threat at the circus? >> reporter: send them on the road, drama is bound to unfold. >> they're investigating my

husband supposedly making a bomb threat on the circus. >> reporter: at the circus what happens behind the canvas can be as exciting assenter ring. this is the big apple circus. >> this is the big apple circus. >> reporter: this is the creative director for this traveling road show. a 33-year-old one ring regional circus that calls this sea of rvs home for eight months out of the year. part of the appeal for people who run away and join the circus is that you give them free food and a place to stay. >> that's right. it's room and board. so that allows people to find a home and when we say this is a home, this is literally their home. >> reporter: recently, his circus rolled back the tent allowing pbs documentary crews inside for an inmant look at circus life. first, through technology using high speed cameras the kind in big budget action movies that captured first of their kind images of the daring acts. >> so, you can see, you know their performances like you've never seen them before.

while it may seem like they fly through the ease with the greatest of ease, our cameras tell a different story. >> reporter: but producers captured the saw dust and girt. the decidedly less glamorous side of life under the big top. >> you're making me nervous. >> shut up! >> no. >> reporter: >> it's stranger than life. it's wilder than fiction, what happens on this stage. you couldn't come up with these stories because real people are just so amazing. >> reporter: some of the characters are seventh generation circus performers whose way of life few can relate to, though more of us are trying. when the big apple circus had an opening for just six jobs nearly 250 people showed up some, in shirts and ties. >> if you can work full time that's the schedule, okay? >> reporter: glen is one of those who followed the dream. at 47, he's a newbie to the circus, who is experienced in real life, the tears of the clown.

he's been homeless bankrupt divorced and had a nervous breakdown. you'd think the circus would be a piece of cake. but it isn't. >> what if we restructure? >> reporter: even for the circus' veteran clown, barry who as endeared himself to generations of children through his character grandma, the center ring smiles belie a real-life scare. we learn he's been diagnosed with life threatening tie roid cancer. >> so, i'm a klaas foe big human. >> okay. >> reporter: did this character help you escape during that time? >> the work when you use it you know, in that way, is absolutely very, very effective, because for those two hours, it's kind of a heightened form of life. i mean, you're out there in front of 1,500 people. you're trying to give them a good time and for that period of time, you can certainly escape from what you've going through.

you have to. it's like a plumber coming to fix your sink no matter how bad your day is going, all you care about is, fix the sink. >> reporter: that ability to get over real life heart ache has rubbed off on others. >> my dad died from cancer, so for me it brought up the extra feelings because meeting barry, getting to know barry, barry's become a father figure to me. >> reporter: is he still your hero? >> oh, yeah. barry is my hero, for sure. >> reporter: there are challenges for the big apple circus. shrinking budgets, leadership changes and a new generation of children for whom the circus may seem a relic. is the circus still as sort of relevant as it was when you were a kid or i was? >> it's a great question and my best answer is based on the fact that people are coming out, still, in droves i would have to answer yes, but i think the more people turn inward with the

xbox and the computer and 5 million channels on television, that when they get the chance to go out and have a shared peex experience, it means a lot more. >> reporter: night after night the show goes on both inside the ring and out. i'm jeremy hubbard for "nightline" in manville, new jersey. >> and the documentary "circus" premieres wednesday, november 3rd at 9:00 p.m. eastern on pbs. up next the staccato footwork of riverdance is undergoing an online reincarnation, and this time it isn't the feet that are doing the work. [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day. ♪ ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving heat patch activates sensory receptors. it helps

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insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results. i've built businesses. i've built a business. met the payroll. met a payroll. i enter this office beholden to no one except you. i will owe my office to no one but you. i don't owe anyone anything. i don't owe anyone anything. what's the worst that can happen? what's the worst thing that can happen?

>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. >> riverdance, the popular revival of traditional irish folk dance that enchanted audiences worldwide demonstrated that an old language of movement could be made to speak to a modern audience. now, the phenomenon is undergoing a similar transformation, for an even newer audience, though this time, with a williams call twist. and for nick watt, that's a "sign of the times." ♪ >> reporter: wait for it. wait for it. bust a move. irish dancing back in 1963. glum faces, arms limp unused. it was all about the legs. oh, yeah. you know.

then along came flatley. michael flatley. turned this world on its head. mid 90s and riverdance was all we could talk about around my house. flatley cut loose and updated an ancient art form shirt off, headband on. a form that would last another 1,000 years. then, we noticed this on the internet. sacrilege. their arms are moving. the glum faces are back but they're sitting down there's even irony, intentional kich. i promised myself i would never use the phrase internet sensation again. i just have. music, by the way, is yolanda be cool and d cup. the dirty dancers, tired of riverdance. so, you're not just doing this because your legs don't work so well anymore?

>> we do dance with our legs, as well. >> reporter: do you? >> absolutely. >> reporter: they call themselves up and over it. and, through the medium of youtube and old fashioned face to face went counters will tell anyone who will listen that irish dancing can be something else. so, you're the second best irish dancer in the world for your age. >> yes. >> reporter: congratulations. >> thanks. >> reporter: what does she make of it? >> i really enjoy it. >> we're two exriver per dancers that want to do something different with our form. >> reporter: it doesn't just have to be like this. flatley reincarnated as lord of the dance, feet of flames and celtic tiger. he's a multi-multimillionaire. so, what do peter and suzanne want to do? >> mix of online stuff with some live shows would be perfect. >> reporter: the online stuff, i

mean, you're not going to make your fortune doing the online stuff. >> it's not about the money, though. >> it's not about the money. >> we are artists. >> reporter: who want as many people to be inspired by their weirdness as possible. so, they've stuck it for free on youtube. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in london. >> okay kind of weird but wonderful. when we come back the president makes a move and that's the subject of tonight's closing argument. but first, here's jimmy kimmel with what's coming up next. >> tonight, william shatner, hilary duff and music from a perfect circle so please watch. unless you've lost power because of the storms. then don't. "jimmy kimmel live" is next. ne

ols." he even called our schools "insidious" and "socialism." as families struggle to raise their kids, to provide a good education, harmer bragged, "we can design a plan to dismantle them." david harmer is just too radical. we need jerry mcnerney. protecting local schools from devastating cuts. endorsed for his "independence" by the contra costa times stockton record, and our local teachers. i'm jerry mcnerney and i approved this message. [ male announcer ] with jerry brown it's just one dishonest smear after another. and another. just a dishonest politician, trying to hide his record of failure. the real brown plan? more spending on out-of-control state pensions. more favors for the big teachers union, blocking education reform. more job-killing taxes and regulations. more of the same old failure from sacramento. job killer jerry brown. always more taxes, more spending, and more lost jobs.