uis, please check out this blindfold. have a look if there is anything hidden. so you can't see anything through it? - i can't, no. - thank you very much. - thank you. - can i look at something? [laughter] - yes. i'm here for you, howie. - okay. - and we'll do a little game with you. just take the die for a second and roll the die on the table. oh, number six. you're lucky. you will do it one last time, but this time you will cover it so no one can see what number is on top. go for it. [laughs] - i was testing it. - you're happy? - i'm thrilled. - thrilled. i will turn around. - okay. - you will have a look. - okay. okay. - you did? - i did. - reach out your right arm like this, to the side. - howie. - yes.

- i don't think you rolled a very high number. it was not a four, not a five, not a six. i'm pretty sure, howie, you rolled the one. - can we have a look? yes. - it scared me. - number one on top. [cheers and applause] - that's impossible. - okay, one out of six. let's make it a little bit more complex. let's take the playing cards and, mel b, shuffle them. mix them up. spread out the cards, make a nice fan. and, louis, you select one card just for you. keep it a secret. whatever card you like, and place it facedown on my palm. yes. - louis, you chose the five of hearts. - yeah. - my god! - yes, it is...

- oh! - the five of hearts. - oh, my god! - how do they do that? - wow! - wow. - oh, my god, that's so weird. - okay, one out of six, 1 out of 52. let's make it impossible. let's make it one in a million. that's your money on the table, right? - yeah. - nothing is set up tonight, that's correct? - correct. - and i don't want to touch your money at all, but heidi, you can. just select one bill and place it on my hand. we will do the impossible. you all know there's a serial number on every bill. to know this exact number, it's more impossible than to win a million in vegas. but that is what i want to know. amélie, go for it. - okay. you like to challenge me tonight. so--but i'll try it. you watch very closely. the first number is an eight. yes? yes? - yes. - holy cow.

- how are they doing this? - then there is a nine. - yes. - yes. - a seven. together: yes. - and a five. [dramatic music] - i can't believe how she can do this. - there is a three. i sense a two. no wait, there is a three. - yep. - yes. - no, she's not from this planet. - the next number must be an eight. that's a four. and there is a letter, and it must be an "a." - wow! - is that correct? [cheers and applause] - that's correct. [cheers and applause] - wow. kinda spooky. - let's go to vegas. thank you, simon. [cheers and applause] - that is terrifying. - i think you guys are absolutely incredible, but i also love the whole entire experience of it all.

it's very mysterious. fantastic. - thank you very much. - thank you so much. - louis. - it genuinely is hard to even react to that because it's mind-blowing. i am buzzing. - thank you very much. - thank you very much. - well, first of all, thank you, simon. i'll keep that. [laughter] what you do you can't really explain. i think you just have to see it to believe it. brilliant, guys. - thank you so much. - absolutely brilliant. - thank you. - thank you, mel b. - honest to god, i've never seen anything like it in my life. you definitely stepped it up this time round. incredible. - thank you so much. - thank you very much. - you are the most amazing thing that i have ever seen in the history of this show. i'm 60 years old. i've never been involved in anything so weird, so scary, so wonderful. thank you so much. - thank you so much. - thank you very much. [cheers and applause] - they could win. - out of 19, we gotta get 6. you think we have a tough decision tonight? - yes, i do. - i do.

- there's been a lot of great acts. - trying to make a decision... - here we go. - in the same night, it's impossible. - so can you see into the future? are you gonna be one of the seven? - we have an idea, but we'll see if we're right. - oh, okay. - this is so freaky and so scary. i just feel bad that millions of people are watching this at home and aren't here with us to experience this. [piano music] i have cervical cancer. from an infection. human papillomavirus. who knew hpv could lead to certain cancers? who knew my risk for hpv would increase as i got older? who knew that there was something that could have helped protect me from hpv when i was 11 or 12, way before i would even be exposed to it? did you know, mom? dad? i was infected with hpv. maybe my parents didn't know how widespread hpv is. while hpv clears up for most, that wasn't the case for me.

maybe they didn't know i would end up with cancer because of hpv. maybe if they had known there was a vaccine to help protect me when i was 11 or 12. maybe my parents just didn't know. right, mom? dad? what will you say? don't wait. talk to your child's doctor today. learn more at hpv.com. introducing t-mobile's most epic deal ever! get a free samsung galaxy for everyone in the family. that's right, free and get 4 lines for just 30 bucks a line. don't miss this epic deal. report to kohl's this weekend for sweet deals on back to school tees. we're talking graphic tees, striped tees, character tees lots of tees. plus, any way you pay take an extra 15 percent off your purchase. now that's the good stuff. kohl's.

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- looking at it now, it's pretty intense. my face was on one of these once, hey, simon? - exactly. - she's the golden buzzer. - thank you. - we now have to put... - six. - six more through. - this journey cannot end for us tonight. we've come too far and we fought too hard. - he didn't step it up. and he was great in the first audition. - there's a few people that didn't step it up. - anybody can be out or in. it's like really a lot of question marks right now. [triumphant music] - if i was watching the show, these are the two people i would be talking about. - you'd remember them, they'd stand out. - i'd be talking about them. - yeah, you'd be talking about them, why are they still in the competition? - what you try to do every day, you know, is make your parents proud of you, so this is like the biggest night of my life. - i'm not happy, but we've made a decision. - we did. - thank you, louis. - thanks. - did you enjoy it? - i did. i really enjoyed it. i had a great time. it's interesting, because obviously, i've been an auditionee, but never a judge, of course.

and actually, to make that final decision on people's careers, lives, is a--is a big deal. ♪ [leona lewis' "i got you"] ♪ - been a long day, right? - yeah. - you understand that part of doing a competition like this is that you have to compete with others, and unfortunately, we do have to lose people along the way. i'm sorry to say to all three of you, you haven't made it through to the live shows. ♪ but keep doing what you're doing, all three of you. - okay. - ♪ just get on the phone ♪ i got you ♪ come and pick you up... - we're so proud of you, buddy. - we are, we're so proud of you. - love you. - love you, too. - okay, you got a big heart, honey. we've always known that. ♪ - we kind of butted heads on the panel,

because we all have our favorites here. but we had to come to a decision. ♪ the act moving forward is... ♪ sos and victoria. - aah! - ♪ go ahead and say good-bye ♪ i'll be all right ♪ go ahead and make me cry... - today we did it, and we're gonna amaze you, america. - ♪ and when... - our dream come true. - i appreciate you, heidi. - nothing personal. i still love you. - you're honest and brave. i like that. - you see, now i have to kiss you for that, john. - i thought that was very brave... - but--but--but-- - that you voted your conscience. - thank you. - heidi and i made up. - good. - i got a kiss from heidi. - oh. - [laughs] you're a lucky guy. - yes, i am. ♪ - this was a unanimous decision. both of you are through to the live shows. congratulations.

- ♪ go ahead and say good-bye ♪ i'll be all right ♪ go ahead and make me cry... - we can't believe it's going to happen, but we are going to the live shows and-- - we are going to the live shows! - ♪ and when you need a place ♪ to run to - we had to think long and hard about the decision that i'm gonna present to you. ♪ only one of you are gonna be moving on to the live shows. ♪ the act moving forward... - ♪ oh - is... - ♪ oh - outlawz. - ♪ go ahead and say good-bye - ♪ say good-bye ♪ i'll be all right ♪ go ahead and make me cry - ♪ oh... - outlawz on three. one, two, three. together: outlawz! pack! - whoo! - ♪ to run to... - yes. - [cries] [one direction's "story of my life"]

♪ - thanks for performing for us again today for the second time around. unfortunately, i have to break the news to you that you will not move on to the live shows. i'm really sorry. - sorry, guys. - ♪ and i'll be gone gone tonight ♪ ♪ the ground beneath my feet is open wide ♪ ♪ the way that i've... - viktor and d.j., the choice that we have made is... - ♪ in between ♪ - viktor. - ♪ the story of my life ♪ i take her home... - next time i will be onstage it will be live for the entire america. this feels just amazing, just fantastic. - ♪ is frozen ♪ - hi, mom. - hi. - your son is absolutely adorable. - thank you. - now, i have to tell you the sad part. unfortunately, you're not gonna be going through to the next round, but that doesn't mean to say

that we don't love you and think you're absolutely fabulous and amazing. - thank you guys. i just loved this opportunity. - oh. - aw. - you're a sweetheart. you feel okay? - mm-hmm. - yeah? - what did you want to say? - high five? - are you ready to take over the world? - with you? yes, i am. we have an agreement. ♪ - we're very proud of you. - love you. kiss. - good job. good job. ♪ - first of all, thank you for all the effort you put in. there were some issues with some of the vocals. unfortunately, this is a competition and there were only seven slots available. - ♪ take her home, i drive all night... ♪ - and i'm sorry... - ♪ keep her warm and time... - you've got a lot of work to do... - ♪ is frozen...

- because we are gonna be seeing you in the live shows. - ♪ the story of my life i give her hope ♪ - that just gave me goose pimples. - ♪ until she's broke inside... ♪ - well done, guys. - thank you so much. - thank you. - thank you. - ♪ the story of my life... - can i tell you something? when he said this, i was like, oh, my god, did he forget what we discussed? we were like, "they're going through." [cheering] - oh, my gosh, that was great. - you guys ready for hollywood? [cheering] - ♪ the story of my life... - we're celebrating. that's the end of the judge cuts. and now, who's it up to? - now it's up to you, america. - even though we didn't always agree, we all butted heads a little bit, i think we made the right decisions. - and now, on to the live shows. take care, everyone. - ♪ the story of my life [electricity powers down] [horn honks] [piano note]

- okay, good to go. remember the sign, guys. [piano note] [drum beat] [piano note] [crowd noise] [electronic pulse] [cheers and applause] - are you ready, america? now you are the judges. [cheers and applause] [upbeat music] only one act is walking out of here with $1 million. - now it's up to you, america. - they just have to leave everything out there on the stage and bring it. [pops] - this show is about the american dream. we're here to find a star. [cheers and applause] ♪ [cheers and applause] [upbeat music]

♪ >> reporter: it's an unpleasant thing to think about. parents murdering their own children. but it happens. is an old story, frankly. some awful glitch, perhaps, in the human recipe. had it happened here, in jonesboro? suspicion fell quickly on marc's dad, jack despain. michelle's mom heard about it when she called to tell a relative that marc was dead. >> somebody's murdered marc. and he was like, "oh my god." he said, "have they found jack despain?" >> reporter: he thought right away it was jack. >> uh-huh.

>> reporter: because anyone close to jack and his family knew, a poison far more potent than money had come between father and son. >> i never saw it coming. i don't think marc ever saw it coming. >> reporter: it began, said michelle, when her 13-year-old daughter told them an ugly story, that her grandpa jack asked her to take nude photos of herself on his phone. marc called a family meeting. >> marc told his dad, there's a problem. we want to help you. you know, we're not here to point fingers at you or judge you. >> reporter: jack swore he did nothing wrong. marc called in the police. tana, jack's wife of more than 30 years, left him. moved in with marc and michelle. well, how do you prepare for a thing like that? >> you don't. you don't prepare -- >> reporter: well, what is that like? >> you just -- your mind is -- is in overdrive, you know, trying to think, you know, "oh my god, could this have possibly

happened?" >> reporter: but after the police interviewed the girl, and then jack, and then the girl again, and heard her story change, become more elaborate, the investigation was dropped. and tana, driven with guilt for ever suspecting jack abused his granddaughter, went back to him and begged forgiveness. >> the man i've been married to for over 30 years and went to high school with, and then doubting him, and knowing i shouldn't have. >> reporter: but marc and michelle, believing the girl, never spoke to his mom or dad again. cut them off from their grandkids. disowned marc's sister when she took jack's side. >> i believe dad 100%. i don't believe he had anything to do with it. >> reporter: so that was the ugly backdrop to the murder investigation. and detective brooks would have to figure out if this years-old unproven allegation had so eaten away at marc's dad that it

pushed him over the edge. time to meet potential suspect number one. >> i'm going to close that door, mr. despain. >> reporter: detective brooks sat down with jack in an interrogation room and watched the man fall apart. >> i can't. >> reporter: was this true grief the detective was witnessing? or regret? or guilt over something jack had done? or hadn't done. >> i was too late. >> reporter: too late. what did he mean? jack didn't shy away from discussing those abuse allegations. here's how it happened, he said. >> she had taken some nude photos of herself and sent them to her boyfriends. >> reporter: jack said he found out the girl was sexting, confronted her, said he was going to tell her parents. but she got to them before he did, jack said, and invented the

story to get out of trouble. >> so they took her side, i guess. they took her side and said i was the bad person. >> reporter: jack told us the same story, eager, he said, to finally set the record straight. you didn't ever ask her to take pictures of herself and give them to you? >> no, no. >> reporter: but the accusation, said jack, almost destroyed him. >> i was at home. i could have opened up my own whiskey store, i think, with how much whiskey i drunk for two months. and typically i don't drink. but that was just to kill the pain. >> reporter: because everybody assumed that you were abusing your own granddaughter. >> yes, yes, yes. >> reporter: the detective wondered, did jack's pain drive him to seek revenge on his own son? no, said jack, no. he wanted to reconcile with marc, not kill him. >> i know i ain't talked to my son in four, five years but i

loved him dearly. >> reporter: anyway, when marc was murdered, said jack, he was miles away at his own house. >> i was on the roof trying to put some shingles on. >> reporter: that alibi would have to be checked out, of course. but even before detective brooks had a chance to do that, other members of the family came down to the police station and told him, don't be fooled by jack's tears. he was an angry, possibly violent man. >> he said, i will ruin you and your family. he said, for you all accusing me of this. he said, i will see you ruined. >> reporter: this is michelle's dad, carl. the man who'd been cursing jack out on the street right there at the murder scene. >> if i was going to point a finger at anybody, if that's what you're asking, i'd point it at jack despain. >> reporter: detective brooks could plainly see this was a family with a troubling history. so he made a decision to attend

marc despain's visitation, take a look around, see what his gut would tell him. i saw a note where you, in your case file, you wrote, this has to be one of the strangest visitations i have ever attended. >> yes. it was just a cold feeling. it just did not feel right. >> reporter: was the killer sitting among the mourners, planning a next move? coming up, a family feud at the funeral. >> she calls the police on us. >> and somebody else calls the police with a tip that could crack the case. >> reporter: that's a nice little gift. >> it was. [hip hop beat]

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♪ back to our story. a young father has been murdered and the search for his killer is focussed on those closest to him, for good reason. his family, and his wife's family, are divided by a bitter feud. that fight has gotten so ugly that even his funeral is about to be turned into a battleground. here again is keith morrison. >> reporter: michelle and marc, just children really when they got married. now marc was dead. gunned down in the family kitchen. and michelle had to plan his funeral. she was barely functioning, she

said. >> i couldn't even tell you who was at the -- you know, who was there. it was just a blur. it all still just feels like a blur. >> reporter: but there was one thing she was clear about. marc's parents and sister were not welcome at his funeral. what was the funeral like for you? >> oh, it was awful. we couldn't sit down on the main level with family. >> reporter: why? >> michelle wouldn't let us. she barred us. >> reporter: it was the same at the cemetery. >> she's literally trying to get him in the ground before we can even walk up. >> reporter: you mean get them to fill in the grave? >> yes. so, we just immediately jump out of our car and we start rushing to the graveside. and she calls the police on us. she calls the police at my brother's funeral. >> reporter: yet, for all the chatter about jack, that he might have killed his own son, detective brook's instincts said no. jack's alibi checked out. he was fixing his roof afternoon of the murder.

and those tears in the interrogation room -- >> i did not feel anything as being fake from mr. despain. he appeared to be a broken man at that time. >> reporter: so what to make of the fractured family and all the bad blood now tangled up with so much grief? detective brooks thought back to his interview with michelle's dad, carl, the man who pointed a finger at jack on day one. >> he told him he didn't want to have nothing to do with him. >> reporter: carl said he'd been in marc's house not too long before the murder, dropped off some rent money. >> why didn't they shoot me instead of him? i had the money in my hand. >> reporter: interesting timing? coincidence? or, as detective brooks wondered, did carl have something to do with the murder? maybe not. carl's alibi checked out. surveillance cameras, in fact, caught carl right where he said he was around the time marc was

gunned down, meeting his daughter at the bank where she worked. he could not have shot marc. while the investigation continued, marc's parents spent time at the cemetery, finally able to do what they couldn't when their son was still alive. >> we'd talk to him. talk to marc. >> and rainy days were the worst. i didn't like rainy days. >> reporter: what do you mean rainy days? >> i didn't like him getting wet. i knew he was in heaven. but i just didn't like the rain on him. >> reporter: and then? pure luck, really. remember how neighbors reported seeing an african american stranger in the neighborhood? now, someone called the cops with a tip. somebody who matched that description was actually boasting about shooting marc despain. that was a nice, little gift? >> it was.

>> reporter: didn't take them long to find the guy. street name, qualow. real name, terrance barker. and he was nervous. >> i can see your heart beating through that shirt right now. i know you're scared. >> reporter: he denied everything. >> i don't know what to tell you, man. i didn't do this. >> reporter: detective brooks wasn't buying it. because by then, the police also tracked down the driver of that beat up blue mercedes seen near the house before the murder. and he told the cops he took qualow to meet a man in a church parking lot. and that man wanted a job done. was that job murder? >> i didn't do that. i did not do that, sir. >> reporter: by now detective brooks had been working night and day for a week. his store of patience ran out. >> this is serious [ bleep ] to me. i've got three kids that are laying over there crying. >> reporter: was it that angry speech or another long night in his cell? the next day, qualow, came clean.

for our promise of $7,000 to $10,000, still unpaid, he said he took the job to shoot and kill marc despain. >> you fired the first round and that round hits him where? >> it hits in the chest area. >> reporter: he didn't know marc from adam, he said. it was the man from the parking lot who took him to marc's house, told him where to lie in wait for marc, gave him a gun. and then qualow said something rather surprising. >> i've been thinking, like, man, what the -- what -- what -- what in the hell kind of people do [ bleep ] like that? >> reporter: the shooter who executed a stranger for the mere promise of a few grand, said he was appalled. not at himself, at the man who hired him. >> people are something else, man. you know, it's -- especially people that you think care about you and love you. they're supposed to be -- these are the same [ bleep ] that be in your face plotting on you.

>> reporter: if the hitman was telling the truth, detective brooks' hunch had been right. someone who claimed to love marc, also plotted his death. but who? coming up -- michelle confesses to an affair. >> my dad didn't know that. marc didn't -- i mean, nobody knew that. and there was another surprise. >> there were two insurance policies, each for the amount of $500,000. >> when "dateline" continues.

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♪ >> reporter: it's shocking what some people will do for the mere promise of a few thousands dollars. like lie in wait for marc despain, then put a bullet in his head. but revealing his paymaster? that the hit man did for free. and the name? >> somebody called me and said, have you heard, carl's just got arrested. i'm like, oh, my god. he did this. >> reporter: carl, kathy's ex-husband, michelle's dad. but marc gave him a house and a job and took him on family vacations. and once again, said michelle, she was stunned. >> i thought that he cared for marc, you know. the father of my kids. >> reporter: but michelle's mom, kathy, was not so surprised. she knew what carl was capable of. she divorced him years earlier, she said, to escape his explosions of temper.

>> he never would hit me because he didn't want to leave a mark. >> reporter: what would he do? >> he would hold a gun to my head. >> reporter: hold a gun to your head? >> yes. >> reporter: threaten you? >> yes. >> reporter: still, what would make him mad enough to have marc killed? confronted, carl's face turned to stone. >> i'm not going to say anything without a lawyer, vic. >> reporter: but, as investigators discovered, carl had been talking to other people, told them marc had been physically abusing michelle, that he was tired of it. did you investigate whether or not any abuse actually occurred in that marriage? >> there was not any abuse ever found to have been -- to have happened. >> reporter: so if the abuse story was an obvious lie, why did carl do it? marc's parents were certain he didn't come up with the idea on his own. the real mastermind, they believed, was someone else very close to marc, his wife michelle.

>> i cannot see carl taking my son's life without michelle being involved. >> reporter: michelle was far from a loving, doting wife, they said. the woman they knew was pure self-interest, would do anything to get what she wanted. exhibit a -- so what was it that just turned marc against you? >> michelle's manipulation. >> reporter: it was michelle who pushed marc to break away from the family business, they said. michelle who tore the family apart by stoking her own daughter's allegations of abuse, to drive a permanent wedge between marc and his dad, and get marc and his money all to herself. they could easily see her goading her father into planning a murder. >> michelle is a sociopath. she is absolutely -- cares nothing about anyone or anything but michelle. >> reporter: quite an

allegation, if true. and, as it happened, detective brooks was pretty sure he saw an effort by the grieving widow to manipulate him. he'd interviewed her, of course, right after the murder. >> i nudged his leg, and i screamed his name again, and he didn't move at all. >> reporter: all that emotion in her voice, it seemed like an act to him. >> there was no tears. no tears. >> reporter: but her voice of desperation captured on the 911 call, surely that was real? >> she's not answering the door, okay? >> reporter: maybe not. one of michelle's neighbors said they saw her standing calmly in the middle of the lawn. >> they see a woman standing out there talking on her phone. didn't appear to be in a grievous situation for sure. >> reporter: wasn't like she was calling around the neighborhood for help? >> no. >> reporter: and marc's sister still remembered how cool

michelle seemed at the crime scene. >> i think what bothered me the most is how clean she was. like her hair was still perfect, her nails were still perfect. >> reporter: what would you have expected? >> oh, well, as brutal as it sounds, some blood underneath her fingernails or something. >> reporter: like she got down there and tried to revive him? >> something. >> reporter: so detective brooks took a careful look at michelle's story, how she invited marc, who was working from home, to have lunch with her downtown, and then after lunch they went across the street to buy ice cream for dessert. see them here? marc had literally minutes to live. phone records showed that in the hours leading up to marc's death, there were calls and a flurry of text messages between michelle and her dad. >> what the investigator found was that there was an enormous amount of texts missing. there were chunks of texts missing from carl's phone and from michelle's phone. >> reporter: anything interesting or suspicious about the fact they were missing from

both phones? >> immediately it was suspicious. >> reporter: on the day her dad was arrested, detective brooks invited michelle back to the police station and asked her, point blank. >> did you have anything to do with the murder of your husband? >> no, sir. no, sir. >> reporter: but she admitted she was hiding something. >> anything at all that you need to get off your chest, michelle? >> just that i was seeing a guy that -- my dad didn't know that. marc didn't. i mean nobody knew that. nobody knew that. >> reporter: seeing a guy? an affair? it all tumbled out. how michelle was dipping into family finances to pay for her lover's apartment, for his groceries. >> you have to understand, i'm very ashamed of this. >> reporter: so maybe marc was on to her, was about to find out what michelle was doing behind his back. marc's parents believed the michelle they knew would rather see her husband dead than risk being on the losing end of a messy divorce. so it was all going to fall apart?

>> yeah. >> from trailer trash to a rich woman, so she thought in her mind. she was fixing to going back to being trailer trash again, and she just couldn't stand the thought. >> reporter: but if marc died -- >> we found that there were two insurance policies, each for the amount of $500,000. >> reporter: that's a healthy chunk of change? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: a whole noxious stew of suspicion by now, but none of it actual proof. months went by. michelle went on with her life. jack and tana pushed investigators to keep going. they even posted a billboard asking the public for help. the idea that michelle might get away with murder was eating jack alive. you've got a whole lot of anger in there for that woman, haven't you? >> if i could take her life, and bring my son back, i'd do it. i'd do it in a heartbeat. >> reporter: sometimes it's overwhelming, that anger, isn't

it? >> it is. it is. coming up -- one more twist. >> i never dreamed he would do that to me. >> and justice for marc? maybe. >> i wanted answers for the children. honey, is the internet back yet? yes!! i need to let her know that i like this! i like, like, like, like... i haven't seen a movie based on a comic book in so long. i know. we're over here internet people! get high speed internet from at&t. with over 99% reliability. at an everyday price with no extra monthly fees.

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♪ >> reporter: jack and tana heard

about how their son's widow was living, a new boyfriend on her arm and life insurance money in her pocket, and they fumed. >> she's buying stuff, and buying clothes, and going to restaurants. and it's very hard for us to take. >> reporter: detective brooks was determined to see the case through. just like marc's parents, he believed michelle had orchestrated the murder down to the very minute. the shooter himself said as much. carl was texting with someone, he said, as they made their final plans in the church parking lot. >> who'd he tell you he was texting? >> the dude's wife. play by play. >> play by play. >> reporter: but virtually all those texts had been deleted. detective brooks labored for months, nights, weekends. kind of got emotionally wrapped up in this one, huh? >> i kept thinking of the children. i wanted answers for the children.

>> reporter: and then, a breakthrough. finally nine months after the murder, a police analyst managed to recover several deleted text messages, including this one, time stamped 8:20 a.m., five hours before the murder. michelle writes to her dad, "has to be today. can't live like this. awful this morning." her dad's response? he asks if she can get him away for lunch, right? >> yes. >> reporter: she says she can? >> she says she can. and he replies, okay, i'll let you know the time. >> my review of some of the text messages is that marc really wasn't interested in going to eat lunch that day, but she begged him to take her to lunch. >> reporter: after lunch, remember, she asked to linger for an ice cream treat. all the while texting her dad, said the prosecutor, tipping him off to marc's whereabouts as carl placed a killer in their home. >> it just kind of sent chills up my back. what kind of person have you got to be to let your husband walk away from you, knowing what he's going to walk into when he gets

home? >> reporter: armed with their new evidence, police arrested michelle. she was charged with capital murder, for planning and orchestrating the crime. she denied it, said she could explain everything, and agreed to tell us. why should people believe that you had nothing to do with the plot to kill marc? >> because i didn't. he was such a good dad. such a good dad. anybody that knows me knows that my kids are so important to me, the most important thing, and i would never want them to not have their dad. >> reporter: but she did want out of the marriage, she said. so, those back and forth texts with her dad that day did involve a plot, just not murder. what did you think he was helping you do? >> leave. >> reporter: how was he going to help you leave?

>> by getting things while we were gone. >> reporter: so she'd keep marc at lunch while carl and two hired hands moved her stuff out of the house. but her dad changed the plan on her, she said, used those men to kill her husband. she swore to us she had no idea when she met her dad at the bank that day what he'd just done. you're this close to each other, father and daughter, and you're looking in his eyes and talking to him. he gives no hint that he just killed your husband? >> not at all. >> reporter: and then michelle -- what's the expression? -- threw her father under the bus. carl killed marc, she said, not because he thought marc was abusing her, but for money, for a piece of the insurance payout. but you were going to get the insurance? >> right. >> reporter: so even if it was his idea, it makes you look pretty guilty. >> right. one thing that he always told me

and my sister growing up was, you know, that he -- you know, he used people for what you can get out of them, you know. >> reporter: that was what he told you -- >> uh-huh. and i never dreamed he would do it to me, use me. >> reporter: did he? or was michelle the clever user? in our interview, michelle denied being a master manipulator. she denied that she stoked those sex abuse allegations or that she engineered marc's split with his parents. for that, she blamed jack and tana. >> i never would've walked away from my kids in the first place. i never would've -- >> reporter: in the end, they didn't walk away from their kid either. because who was pushing, from day one, to solve the murder? who kept pushing, month after month after month? >> my opinion on that is their

hatred toward me. it wasn't anything to do with marc. it didn't have anything to do with marc. it was all about jack despain's hatred toward me. >> reporter: you seriously believe that? >> i do. >> reporter: michelle, out on bail, waited for trial. her mother, kathy defended her around town. did you ever let yourself think she was involved? >> the daughter i know? the daughter i helped raise? no. >> reporter: meantime, michelle's attorneys, ray nickle and bill stanley, took a closer look at those recovered text messages. they filed a motion arguing that investigators didn't obtain them properly. >> they didn't get a new search warrant every time they searched the phone. we're talking about, i think 15 searches. >> yeah. >> of michelle and carl's phones. and they didn't have 15 search warrants.

>> reporter: their arguments about improper search warrants may have had some traction. with the trial looming, the prosecutor was worried. >> we're at the high stakes poker game where it's all or nothing when that judge rules the next day on whether to admit the evidence or not to admit it. >> reporter: the prosecutor agreed to start talking about a plea deal. the defense played it tough, said michelle was only willing to admit she learned about her father's plot after the murder. >> she is admitting to having knowledge of someone being involved and not disclosing that to the police. >> reporter: she would agree to plead guilty to a charge of hindering apprehension, said the defense. after some prayer, marc's mother said she could live with that. >> i'm not a gambling person. and you know, it would only -- even if we'd have went to trial, it would've only taken one sympathetic juror to have set her free. >> reporter: it was more than three years after the death of

her husband when michelle despain walked into a courtroom to be sentenced. she left in handcuffs, mouthing i love you to her mom. her dad and the shooter got 35 years, but michelle, though sentenced to 30 years, could be out on parole after serving as few as five. until then, her mom kathy will raise the kids. jack and tana hope one day those kids will want to know them, that they will want to hear about their dad and their love for him that came before all this hate. some of marc's friends told us that you were his hero, jack. >> yeah. >> reporter: you knew that. >> i loved him. >> reporter: i'm sorry, jack. jack and tana set up a charity to help other victims of violent crime. it's called marc's place. >> we're going to try to move forward with something positive

that we think marc would be very proud of. >> reporter: and on a fall sunset, they gathered family and friends together to remember their son and finally say goodbye. >> i tell people all the time, it's hug the ones you love. let them know, because you never know. the next moment they may be gone. that's all for now. i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us.

right now at 112::00, the republican party outraged. ted cruz provides drama at day three of the convention. >> i think it was an awful performance by someone who showed himself tonight to not be a man of his word. the news pat 1 at 1 at 11:00 starts