joey was shot? it's nine times. olga was shot here and i'm supposed to be forgiving. i have to work on that one. >> reporter: they were newlyweds. opposites -- in love. >> she was so shy, so timid. >> he was the life of the party. >> they just loved to be together. >> reporter: it was all so perfect, till one night -- >> he was face down on the ground. she was bleeding very heavily from the back of her head. >> it looked like an execution >> reporter: the motive, a mystery. >> what are you thinking at this point? >> the only thing we had to pursue is this strife within their family. >> reporter: a family feud between a brother and sister. >> how bad was the bad blood in that family?

>> it was bad. >> he said, "if anything ever happens to me, she did it." >> how many times did people say to you, "she's got something to do with that murder?" >> more than once. >> reporter: were detectives closing in on a killer? >> are you guys looking at me or something? >> reporter: or a lie? >> what are we missin'? what am i not figuring out? that's all you're thinking about. >> reporter: a double-murder that wasn't what it appeared to be. >> liar. conniver. killer. >> reporter: i'm lester holt and this is "dateline." here's josh mankiewicz with "the favorite son." if life is a journey, then life with the connells was a white knuckle ride >> they're crazy. [ laughter ] >> reporter: rowdy, reckless -- combative. the family connell almost always fought harder with one other than with anyone else. >> yeah, somebody's always upset with somebody.

>> reporter: and then, eventually, it gets settled? >> yeah. >> reporter: well -- not always, but we'll get to that. the connells are brought to you by wilmington, delaware. a hard-working city where generations of families fought for the good life. the connell family built a beautiful house on five acres. where the boys found lots of ways to get in trouble. >> joe was crazy. i mean there's pictures of him -- jumping cliffs, drivin' through rivers. >> reporter: mom and dad split up when the kids were almost grown. john was the oldest. kelly was the baby. and right in the middle was joey. gifted, funny, and john says, a piece of work. >> he was -- the life of the party um, always kind of a loud ob -- obnoxious types of a person. >> reporter: he was a loud, obnoxious guy, in a good way? >> yeah.

oh, yeah, in a good way. he was really fun to be around. >> reporter: this is mickie, their mother. we came to understand an open secret in the connell clan -- that in mom's eyes, joey could do no wrong. >> reporter: i've been told that of all your kids, joe was your favorite. >> who said that? >> reporter: all your other kids. >> they do that. >> reporter: true? >> well, no. i -- i don't wanna say that. don't get me started. so what? >> reporter: he was your favorite. >> okay, okay. >> reporter: because? >> he had a special personality that was always happy, always inquisitive, always teasing me. he was always teasing me. >> reporter: joey connell was doing well as the co-owner of a small business called c and s auto. and then life went from good to great when he found olga, a russian woman from siberia.

he met her online, and his mom had no problem with that. in fact she loves talking how she met olga. >> the door opens and i see joeys face and he goes, "mom, i've got somebody that -- for you to meet." well, poor little olga. she was so shy. she -- she kind of looked around the door. >> and joey kept saying, "come on in, come on in." she's going, "okay." and she came in. she started talking to us and it was really nice. you could tell she was such a sweet person. >> reporter: mickie couldn't have been happier when her joey decided to marry olga. the only thing missing was a diamond ring. and that became the doorway to the connell family feud. >> reporter: tell me about that ring. >> oh, i did something. and um -- i'm not sorry i did it. okay, when -- >> reporter: okay.

let me -- let me see if i got the details of this correct. >> okay. >> reporter: okay? >> yeah. >> reporter: your former husband gave you a ring -- >> yeah. >> reporter: at one point -- >> yes. >> reporter: which you then passed on to kelly, thinking maybe she'd wear it when she got married. >> yes. >> reporter: again, that's kelly -- joey's little sister. and then when joey's gonna marry olga, you want that ring back? >> yeah. >> reporter: but instead of asking kelly for the ring back, you just go over to her house and take it. >> i asked her if i could wear the ring. i said, "kelly, can i wear that ring? i'm going to mexico with jerry"" >> reporter: jerry is mickie's new husband. >> she said, "okay." >> reporter: actually, the ring wouldn't be going on any vacation. mickie gave it to joey. he took out the diamonds and had them made into his bride's shiny new engagement ring. mickie knew kelly wasn't gonna like that. >> i said, she's gonna have a fit when she finds out. joey said, well, mom, i'll go

get some -- zir -- zircon? zircons? how do you say it? >> reporter: zirconia. >> yeah. "put in and maybe she won't know." i said -- i said, "okay." so we did that. >> reporter: that's right -- they swapped out the diamonds for cubic zirconia. >> i returned the ring. >> reporter: the phony ring. >> yeah, and joey got the diamonds. so -- >> reporter: uh, wait a minute. how can you do that to your daughter? >> because i know she didn't need it. >> reporter: you can probably guess what happened next. kelly figured it out. and when she did she was not happy. not at all. >> reporter: she felt kinda betrayed i think. >> well, joey needed it. >> reporter: he's more important. >> well, at that particular time he needed the ring. and i was sorry i had given it to kelly, because if i still had it there wouldn't have been a problem. >> reporter: "problem" is

putting it mildly. see, olga had no idea the diamonds in her stunning engagement ring had belonged to kelly. until kelly sent her a nasty text -- right in the middle of olga's private wedding with joey in the virgin islands. and saying, "i know where your nice, new ring came from"? >> yeah -- >> basically, it started getting really nasty. >> reporter: john's wife stephanie remembers it well. >> it just upset joe so much because it upset olga. and he's -- he was so protective of her. she, like, crossed the line when she did that. >> reporter: joey then sent kelly a blistering text of his own -- and the nasty back and forth continued and pretty soon the wedding day was ruined. >> as soon as he got home from his honeymoon, he was callin' you telling you all about it, he was so upset. >> he was screaming at the top of his lungs to everybody. >> reporter: you guys try to mediate this at all? >> when joe was upset, you really couldn't calm him down. he was upset -- he was gonna be upset for a while.

>> reporter: and that was not the end of it. not even close. the feud went nuclear a few weeks later when someone broke into joey and olga's apartment and stole a lot of olga's jewelry. not the engagement ring, but precious stuff that included some heirlooms from olga's late mother. joey just knew who was responsible. he made that quite clear to officer kelly richards when she responded to the burglary call. >> joe was angry. to him the burglary was personal. >> reporter: joe said it was his sister kelly -- she was behind it. of that he was certain. and olga was beside herself. >> she was very emotional at the time and very upset. i had gotten a chance to sit with her for -- a few minutes, and attempting my best to make a bad situation a little bit better. >> reporter: there seemed to be

no getting over this. because now olga had been wounded in the war between the connells. >> his reaction to the burglary i think more than anything was that he was angry that she was so hurt, you know? >> reporter: detectives questioned kelly and her boyfriend -- and launched an investigation. in my line of work, i see family disagreements sometimes turn into something much worse. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: either of you ever worry that this was gonna go so far that it couldn't be brought back to normal? >> not at that point, no. >> reporter: that's the backdrop for what came next. it was late on a september night when the calls started coming into the new castle county police department. >> my neighbor is laying on the ground. she's, uh, hurt. she has blood all over her body. >> reporter: a young woman had been shot multiple times right outside her home. even the witnesses could tell --

she wasn't likely to survive. a violent attack. who was the shooter -- and who was the target? when we return -- >> it looked like an execution to me. >> how many shots fired? >> in excess of 20. >> reporter: and not far away hidden under some bushes, another horrifying discovery. >> one of my fellow officers let me know, "hey, richards, we have -- a second body." needles. essential for vinyl, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start

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a woman was lying on the front sidewalk, blood marking where she'd fallen. >> she's just laying there now? >> yeah, she's laying on the ground. >> reporter: corporal kelly richards -- the same officer who'd responded to joey and olga connell's burglary -- was among the first on the scene. >> on the -- night of the shooting, when the call came in, i was working in the area. i was very close by and i was able to respond out very quickly. >> reporter: paramedics were already there. t012/ >> and -- the first thing that i noted is that they were working on -- a female's body

that was laying right here on the ground. i ran down and i noticed that she was still alive at the time that i had arrived. >> reporter: corporal richards made some basic -- and important -- observations. >> gunshot wound to the cheek. she was bleeding very heavily from the back of her head. she was dressed very nice. she had jewelry on. >> and i noticed that i knew -- i knew who this person was. >> reporter: richards realized she'd come full circle. she'd spoken with this woman, even tried to comfort her a few weeks earlier right here at the paladin club condos. the woman bleeding out in front of her was olga connell. richards stopped to relay the id to police headquarters -- >> and when i came back down, one of my -- fellow officers that was on the scene with me let me know, "hey, richards, we have -- a second body." >> reporter: there were tall, heavy bushes along the front of the building back then. and underneath them -- a man's body -- shot in the back of the

head. >> he was face down on the ground. um -- he had his head resting like this in his um -- in his arm. and his right hand was laid out in front of him, holding his cell phone. >> reporter: she leaned over and took a closer look. >> i recognized and noted him to be joseph connell -- olga's husband. >> reporter: joey connell was already dead. by then olga was in an ambulance. she died on the way to the hospital. the distraught couple who had spoken with corporal richards just weeks before -- who blamed a sister for stealing some precious heirlooms, had been murdered together in a hail of bullets right in front of their home. prosecutor colleen norris arrived at the scene a few hours later. >> it looked like an execution

to me. >> reporter: olga's ring was still on her hand. her keys were sticking out of the lock on the front door. >> just seemed like it was a very purposeful killing. >> how many shots fired? >> in excess of 20, i think. close to 25 shots. from two -- two different types of ammunition. >> reporter: lead detective jamie leonard said witnesses had seen little -- but heard plenty. >> they heard two different types of gunfire. and then another caller who had indicated that he had heard -- two male voices outside, and a scuffle. >> reporter: by morning, detective leonard had a clearer picture of how the killings unfolded. it was two gunmen -- he said -- who were lying in wait for joe and olga as they returned from a night out. >> so they park their car for the night up the sidewalk here, come walkin' down, begin to walk up to their front door. olga makes it to the front door. >> reporter: the detective believed olga's killer was hiding in the bushes to the right of the door.

>> that's when the attack happens? >> absolutely. exactly at that point in time. she gets her keys into the front door. >> the second shooter --he believes -- was waiting in a car. >> so when he gets out of the car it's simultaneous to when this other guy is -- is engaging olga. >> reporter: joe's attacker was armed with 9 mm rounds. the spent shell casings told the story. >> joe runs to that corner. by the time joe gets to that corner, he's taken probably three nonfatal gunshot wounds all to his lower torso. >> he gets behind that tree, gets tripped up on this guidewire. he gets bludgeoned. >> and then that person shoots joe four times in the back of the head. >> reporter: a team of assassins. >> what are you thinking at this point? >> well, at this point the only thing i really had to base any theory that i may have is -- is this strife within their family -- >> tempers flare and -- and people make decisions or -- i mean, whether they be thought out or whether they be snap decisions, that result in things like what happened to joe and olga.

>> reporter: as detectives would later learn -- the murders of joe and olga connell were anything but a snap decision. coming up -- chilling words from joey before he died. >> he said, "if anything ever happens to me, kelly did it. >> reporter: and kelly is feeling a chill of her own. >> are you guys looking at me or something? >> reporter: when "dateline" continues. now! make sure there's bows! let's go! whoo! "preseeeeeents!!" reload! but we didn't get you anything... (woman) whoa, whoa, whoa... you do realize everyone wins? presents for them, kohl's cash for you! (announcer) kohl's. give joy. get joy. lookin' at the new mcpick 2 for 5...... going for savory, juicy, and crispy...

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>> reporter: it was sunday morning. the murders of joey and olga connell were only a few hours old, and the rest of the he and another friend had just driven by to pick up joey for a trip to the mountains, and found themselves entering a crime scene. >> there was yellow tape and police cars and ambulances. they told a police officer they were looking for joe connell. and, he said, "well, i can't

talk to you now, but you're gonna have to follow me down to the station and answer some questions." >> reporter: jay had known joey and his family since they were kids. >> and, at that point, we definitely knew it wasn't good. >> reporter: jay says he had a growing sense of dread as he answered questions about joe and olga. >> they finally let us know that he and olga had died, and it was a total shock. >> reporter: jay called a friend, who reached out to the family. police were already talking with mickie, who remembers very little of that conversation. >> how do you say it when you're like a zombie? um, i was like, i heard it, i believed it. i was like in a state of mind that i can't quite describe. >> what'd police ask you? >> i don't remember. >> well, i'm guessing one of the first things police asked you was who had it in for your son and daughter-in-law?

>> i don't remember what they asked me. i really don't. >> reporter: police recorded that death notification with mickie and her husband jerry. and as you'll hear, just six minutes after they broke the news, police did indeed ask. >> is there anybody that might want to hurt him, ma'am? >> i don't know. >> does he complain about having problems with anyone? >> jerry, you tell them about the robbery. oh, no. >> uh, somebody broke into their house. >> no, no, no, no. >> broke into their house? how long ago was that? >> about a month -- a month and a half. >> did they report it to the police? >> yes. >> reporter: and it was right about then that kelly, a suspect in that burglary, walked up the driveway with her brother john and his family. >> and then we saw kelly come, and she was behind them. and when she got halfway up the driveway, she just fell down on the ground crying and crying and i had to pick her up.

>> reporter: on that same police tape, kelly sounds hysterical. >> and now he's dead. we were fighting, and he wasn't talking to me. >> reporter: most of the family went down to the police station, where the ring, the feud, and the burglary came up in separate discussions with detectives. prosecutor colleen norris was involved in the investigation from the start. >> there had been a lot of discussion and interviews that kelly was a suspect in that burglary, and that perhaps the murder had something to do with that burglary. and so that was -- >> you get pointed at kelly connell, basically, that night. >> absolutely. right away, yeah. >> reporter: in fact, it was joey connell himself who was pointing the finger at kelly. their brother john remembers joey's chilling words. >> he said, "if anything ever

happens to me, kelly did it." "if anything ever happens, make sure you go to kelly first." >> reporter: so they did. detective justin breslin of the new castle county police department conducted the first of several interviews with kelly connell. >> tell me about your brother. >> um recently, i mean, recently, him and i were not talking. he hated me. >> reporter: kelly had pulled herself together by the time she sat down with detective breslin, and talked about the family feud. >> how bad was the bad blood in that family? >> it was bad. >> reporter: and she confirmed, it all started with that ring. which, by the way, did not come out of a gumball machine. it cost her dad about $20,000. >> it was huge. uh, it was full of diamonds. i'd say it had thirty diamonds on it. it was just something to be kept in the family.

>> thirty diamonds, like, it wasn't like, a solitary -- it wasn't, like -- >> oh no. it was, um -- let me remember. i can draw you a picture of it. [ laughter ] >> reporter: as she drew that picture, a couple of things became clear. kelly had plenty to be angry about, and she had no trouble recalling the details and design of the ring. >> that kind of screwing over one family member to give something to somebody else, i mean, that can be a motive for all kinds of things. >> yes. it gave us much more to work with after hearing kelly's account of it. >> reporter: in kelly's account, she was the victim. >> my brother was very, very, very irate to me. >> what did he say? >> from that moment on, you can read his texts. from that moment on, my brother was pure evil to me. >> i mean, you got -- you've got money at play here. you've got jealousy at play

here. you've got betrayal. >> right because what it ultimately does is this feud between the two of them gets so inflamed that now they're getting court orders. >> accusing me of sending numerous, numerous, numerous threatening texts to his wife. >> they're getting restraining orders, protection from abuse orders that olga's seeking against kelly because of text message conversations that are heated. >> reporter: kelly talked about that, how ridiculous she thought it was that joe and olga had taken her to court. she pointed out that a judge had denied her brother's request for an order of protection. >> family court? >> yes. they made themselves look like complete and utter idiots. you should get a transcript. >> reporter: kelly suggested her brother lied about things, like the ring. >> i don't think he wanted his wife to truly know what kind of life he was running. she didn't know about anything. she didn't know about the ring. >> reporter: in the room with the cops, kelly appeared angry, bewildered. >> can you guys tell me what

happened? >> we can't really get into details yet. >> reporter: and full of raw emotions which careened from resentment to grief to fear. >> i'm just scared. i miss my brother. >> reporter: and there, at the new castle county police department, with the walls maybe closing in a little, came a shot of reality. being suspected of the burglary had suddenly become the least of kelly's problems. >> are you guys looking at me, or something? >> no. no, no. we're just trying to get information. >> i'm scared. >> we're just trying to get as much information as we can. >> cause i didn't do that robbery, and i don't want to be connected to my brother's -- >> no. i'm not saying that you did, all right? we're -- like i said, we're just trying to get as much information as we can. >> it's scary. ok. >> reporter: every look, every nuance was being recorded. police would later study this tape and wonder, is this grief?

>> god. >> reporter: or guilt? coming up, from adoring sister. >> i was the little pain in the butt little sister that followed joey everywhere. >> reporter: to possible suspect. >> she knew right away that our suspicions were that she was somehow involved in it. with crest pro-health. crest pro-health protects all... ...these areas dentists... ...check most. immediately i felt a... ...difference it did an... ...extremely good job of cleaning 4 out of 5 dentists confirm... ...these crest pro-health... ...products help maintain... ...a professional clean. go pro with crest pro-health my daughter inspired me... ...to make a change. crest pro-health really brought my mouth to the next level. crest healthy beautiful smiles for life. ( ♪ ) ♪ with imagination, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ with imagination ( ♪ )

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>> reporter: kelly connell spent hours with police that first morning after the murder of her but kelly understood what they really wanted to know. >> i dropped on the driveway this morning when you guys said i had to come to questioning. i said, "oh, my god, now i'm accused of the murder." it's a total nightmare. >> she knew right away that our suspicions were that she was somehow involved in it. >> and she saw it coming? >> she -- she knew. before we even said it, she knew what -- what our thoughts were. >> it was one of the first things that crossed my mind --

>> that you were gonna be a suspect? >> that i was gonna be a suspect. that -- i was bein' kept separate from people. >> reporter: kelly's answer to the big question isn't much better now than it was then. >> what kind of alibi did you have for the time of the murder? >> i can't remember right now. i believe i was just home that night. >> reporter: her alibi wasn't the greatest. kelly was recovering from major surgery at the time of the killings, but she wasn't incapacitated. and anyway -- someone else could have done it for her. >> police wanted to interview you more than just once, right? >> yes. >> how many times? >> um, in the first three days i was called in about four times. >> reporter: and you went in each time? >> yep. >> reporter: no attorney? >> no. >> reporter: and answered their questions? >> yes. >> reporter: what'd they want to know? >> they wanted me to tell them more. they just felt like i wasn't telling them everything. so, i would go in there and just wrack my brain and just tell 'em anything i could think of. and i would leave and get a call

the next day, "kelly, we need you back in." i'd go in and they're like, "you're not tellin' us somethin." >> well, that was my question. was there anything you weren't telling them? >> no, that-- no -- not that i could think of. >> reporter: the late joey connell had made his feelings about his sister kelly quite clear. >> he was saying he was scared of me, that i was gonna come hurt him and his wife. >> there's no question there was significant animosity there between you and your brother. >> uh-huh. >> and it's not a big leap to think he hated you, he made you hate him -- >> right. >> reporter: according to kelly the really sad thing was this: she grew up adoring joey. >> i was the little pain-in-the-butt little sister that followed joey everywhere. um -- i always wanted to do everything him and his friends and my other brother, whatever they were doin', i'd want to join in. >> you wanted to follow him around. did he want you to follow him around? >> not all the time, not when i was younger.

as we got older -- we had all the same friends and we did a lot of stuff together as we got older, grew -- grew closer. >> what was he like growin' up? >> he was a prankster. he was outgoing. he was always fixing stuff, riding dirt-bikes, fishing, boating. it was just -- he was an outdoors guy. >> he had some serious mechanical aptitude from the time he was, like, a little kid, right? >> i remember him takin' apart his bikes as a little boy, just to have somethin' to put back together. >> when he ended up workin' on cars for a living, that didn't really shock you. >> we expected it. >> reporter: kelly said she was proud of joe when he bought into c and s --- that nice auto repair shop. it was a perfect fit for him. >> you would walk in and feel like you were in a high-end auto shop. it was very new and clean. big office, huge, huge shop. and everything was new and clean in it. >> olga out front. >> quite a s -- >> she was-- >> olga dressed beautifully, in

her elegant clothes. so you would be greeted by this beautiful blonde, russian woman in a clean office. no -- she wouldn't let anybody touch the walls with their dirty mechanic fingers. >> reporter: the way she's talking about joe and olga makes it hard to imagine kelly wanted them dead. even so -- the suspicions lingered -- even among those close to her that kelly could have been involved. >> that was definitely in the back of everybody's mind. i think my mom, especially, kept saying something about that. >> she thought, what, kelly had somehow gotten joe killed? >> i would say so. >> or been responsible for it? >> yes, yeah. >> reporter: but as police examined the fault-lines in the bedrock of this family -- they had to wonder -- if there was maybe more to joe and olga's lives than even their own family knew. coming up -- >> seemed like joe and olga were spendin' an awful lot of money. >> reporter: did that money and their deaths have anything to do with olga's past?

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even if you are in someone else's house... santa. enter promo code, freepie, on your next order at dennys.com >> reporter: in the first days after the connell's murder, police got an earful about joe's feud with his sister kelly. and then, as the investigation widened, police heard from people like jay koss, who said joe connell was easy to get along with. >> he would do anything for anybody if you asked him. and he would never let you down. >> reporter: easygoing and generous. joe was happy to take olga out to expensive and fancy stores, and to hang out with her russian friends.

>> i think, routinely, they went to the russian market in philly and -- and got their grocery shopping done. and, you know, they got all of olga's favorite things. >> reporter: police got a slightly different take on joe when they paid a call on his business partner, chris rivers, just hours after the murders. the first words out of his mouth cast joe connell in a different light. >> i asked him, "do you own a business with uh, joe connell?" his response was, "what -- what did he do now?" >> "what did he do now?" >> right. >> reporter: chris joined police at the station and talked at length about joe and olga. at first, police did not tell him they'd been killed. >> i just want to talk to you a little about your partner. your history with him, and, uh, what kind of stuff he's got himself tangled up in recently. ultimately, when we're all said and done -- >> promise me you won't repeat it to him. >> yes. >> cause i told the other -- >> i give you my word. >> okay. >> reporter: they covered a lot

of ground, work, family, the business, and some less-than-flattering things about joe connell that we'll get to later. chris told them had tried to meet up with joey and olga at olga's birthday dinner the night before. he'd been texting them all evening but that in the end, he wasn't allowed in. >> at 11:00, i went down there. it was around -- i guess it was around 10:30. but i didn't have my i.d. on me, so i had to drive all the way home. >> reporter: after he'd answered most of their questions, police broke the news. joe and olga connell had just been murdered. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: he took some time to pull himself together, and then spoke some more. about his business partner. and his business partner's wife. >> what did chris have to say about olga? >> he spoke about how they met, that that was a more or less an internet type dating thing. >> reporter: that's how

detectives learned olga had been married once before. she had met that guy on the internet too. his name was kemel. his family was from turkey. >> what do you know about that marriage? >> that kemel's family wasn't 100% behind his decision to marry olga. >> there was some tension with the in-laws, i guess. >> oh yeah. she didn't like them. >> and they didn't like her. >> no. they didn't like her. >> she wasn't from their country. uh, it didn't really follow along with the customs that they had. >> olga did follow one family custom, the one where the wife gets the trinkets. kemel gave her some family jewelry, which olga hung onto even after she had let go of kemel. >> again, with the jewelry. >> yes. >> reporter: and since some of those jewels were likely taken in that burglary, police had to wonder if olga's first marriage was somehow connected to this. >> did her ex want the jewelry back? >> no. >> did his family want the jewelry back? >> i think his family did.

but -- but in talking with olga's friends, he would never push for that. >> reporter: at the same time, they were getting tips that olga may have been the target of a different kind of threat. >> she was russian, and had a lot of russian friends. it was at that point in time that he made mention of the russian mafia may be involved in this. >> that was one of the rumors that we heard on the street. >> rumors, yeah. >> it was the russian mob. everybody insisted it was that. >> reporter: people talked about joe and olga's spending. how she drove an expensive baby-blue mercedes sl550. their deep-sea fishing trip off key west. the shopping sprees and expensive restaurants with olga's russian friends. even john and stephanie wondered about all of it. >> it seemed like joe and olga were spending an awful lot of money, more than what we could afford i mean. >> you thought maybe they were living a little a higher on the hog than circumstances would explain? >> yeah.

so that sort of fit with maybe something illegal. >> yeah. >> or something that they weren't telling you about? >> uh-huh. yeah. >> reporter: those suspicions were not shared by everyone. >> no, not the russian mafia. no way. >> to anyone who suggested olga might be connected to something criminal, impossible, said mickie. olga was an angel. >> i loved her. she was so different. that girl was so kind. and she was um -- thoughtful. >> she was beautiful on the inside and outside. she just wanted everybody to feel good about themselves and she really loved joe. and they just loved to be together. >> you could tell? >> oh, yeah. they -- that's why she worked there as the receptionist at c and s because they didn't want to be apart at all. >> that's kinda sweet. >> yeah, it is. >> and -- and what'd you think of olga? >> she was great.

perfect fit for joe. >> he went from wild to tame instantly. and i'm like, wow, he's really doing good. >> reporter: he's not kidding about the wild part. long before he became a devoted husband and business owner, joey played on the dark side. and maybe that's what cost him and olga, their lives. coming up -- >> how many years? >> he got seven. joey has a new address and a new look. >> he came out huge, like the hulk. people would stare. psoriasis does that. it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last.

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>> reporter: everyone seemed to have a story about joey connell. his cars and motorcycles. how he could cook and play the and, how he laughed. >> i have a story about him at about three and a half years old, where he tried to take my husband's um -- lawnmower apart. he's sitting on the ground outside, take -- trying to take off the parts. and then trying to put 'em back together again. >> reporter: and as they looked into joey's murder, investigators heard other kinds

of stories. because joey had his demons too. long before he met olga, joey was a hard drinker with a hot temper. and in the fall of 2003, those two traits combined to get the best of him. he was 29. >> he met some girl and just fell in love with her. and one night they went to the tailgates bar. joey got drunk, really drunk. and then, some guys started hitting on his girlfriend. >> the next thing ya know there's a fight. >> yeah, and that's what happened. >> and it -- and it ends up out in the parking lot? >> yep. >> reporter: joey always insisted the rest of it was a blank. >> he got hit over the head with a beer bottle and he doesn't remember after that. but um -- he went out to his car and grabbed the shotgun out of the trunk. >> which was unloaded. >> yeah, it was unloaded. it happened to be hunting season.

>> reporter: more accurately, it happened to be stupid season. with the unloaded shotgun in his hands, joey started walking back toward the bar. >> that's when the cops showed up. he didn't even make it back to the bar yet. and they told 'em to drop the gun and he started yelling back at the cops. real obnoxious, real loud voice. i know how he gets. >> he's lucky he lived through that day. >> reporter: joey was arrested and hit with gun charges and resisting arrest. >> and when it went to court -- he -- he said he's not guilty. he thought he didn't do this. and he wanted to go to trial and the lawyer said, "do not do this, you're not gonna win." he said, "no, i'm going to trial." >> reporter: again, not the smartest call. >> how many years? >> he got seven. >> and his girlfriend told 'em that if he got anything over three -- >> she was leavin' him. >> yeah, she was dumping him. >> it's good when they have a number. >> they offered him two years,

he denied it. >> he should have taken it. >> yeah, he said, "i'm not going to jail." >> yes, you are. >> yeah. he went. >> reporter: and just like that, joey connell had a criminal record, and a room for the next seven years at the crossbar hotel. >> and so off he goes -- >> yeah. >> -- to prison. you worried about him? >> i was there um -- all the time. don't go there. you hit me with some of these things. i went all the time. every -- >> to visit him. >> -- all the time. yep. >> everybody's worried about him. he's just a little skinny, 130 pound kid. >> reporter: but something happened to joey in prison. the things that made joey so likeable on the outside, seemed to pay off on the inside. >> his attitude, where he comes to a party and livens everybody up, i think he did that same thing in prison, he would make everybody laugh and forget where

they're at. he made a lot of friends in there. tons. >> reporter: it didn't hurt that one of his cellmates was a member of a notorious east coast biker club called the pagans. that pagan ensured joey's safety and status in prison becoming both friend and protector. >> he met a lot of pagans that were really good friends of his. >> reporter: in the end, joey connell paid his debt to society and was released in seven years. his family and friends say he walked out of prison a changed man. far more mature and cautious than the knucklehead who went in. >> he was very responsible when he came out. he did everything by the book. >> yes, definitely. he wasn't going to take any chances. >> reporter: and they also mentioned another change. when joey walked out of the slammer, he was a lot bigger than when he went in. >> he came out huge, like the hulk. i'm not exaggeratin'. his shirt -- he would -- literally be popping out of a

white t-shirt just talkin' to you. it was -- it was weird. >> reporter: after he began working full days at c and s, joey didn't have as much time to work out. somehow he maintained that buffed physique. and one of his mechanics, the observant billy carozzo knew exactly how he was doing it. >> he would go in the bathroom. and he'd have all his tools laid out. and i knew what he was doin'. he'd be in there for 30 minutes, you know. he'd have his band-aids, his alcohol. you know what i mean. >> reporter: joey connell was using steroids. he was also selling them. >> did you have any idea that your brother was using performance-enhancing drugs? >> yes. >> did he tell you that? or you just figured it out? >> i just -- figured it out. >> reporter: and when she talked with police, kelly did suggest joey's illegal steroid connection had become dangerous. >> i would have to guess this robbery and this murder are connected by some kind of drug

people. >> reporter: his partner chris backed that up. >> finally, i -- i wasn't there one day, and the other guy -- the other guy that works with me comes up and goes, "joe's selling drugs our of the back of the shop." and i was like, "what?" so i searched the shop, found 'em, and said to him, "get 'em out, i don't want it here. i'm not losing the frickin' place over this ---." >> mm-hmm. what was he selling? >> steroids. >> reporter: olga for whatever reason, did not complain. maybe she didn't think of steroids as "bad drugs." but billy carozzo didn't think steroids were doing joey any good. >> you'd call it 'roid rage, if you will. but -- his moods would be up and down, you know. he'd get mad over really dumb stuff, really little stuff. >> reporter: there was the time joey got into a loud dispute with a customer. not a big thing maybe. but it made investigators wonder. among the roid rages, the steroid sales, the pagans and

the prison stint, had joey crossed someone truly dangerous? >> one of the things you're left to wonder is, was he somehow involved in whatever got him killed, was he in the middle -- >> right. >> -- of something illegal? >> right. >> was he hangin' out with the wrong people? and, i guess you really have no idea. >> no. >> no. we were scared. >> there was a million things runnin' through our minds. >> reporter: that was something police understood. but as they focused on new leads, the road led them back to c&s auto. >> reporter: coming up. maybe prison isn't the best place to make new friends. >> any indication that joe connell was a member or doing business with them? >> reporter: when "dateline" continues. grocery bags. getting a bad haircut. overcrowded trains. turnstiles that don't turn. and spilling coffee on themselves. but for everyone else, there's directv. for #1 rated customer satisfaction over cable, switch to directv.

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>> reporter: returning to our story -- >> they were totally, totally in love with each other. a newlywed couple, joey and olga connell, have been murdered -- execution style. >> how many shots fired? >> in excess of 20. >> reporter: some suspected that a feud with his sister had erupted into war. >> he said, "if anything ever happens to me, kelly did it." >> in the first three days, i was called in about four times. >> reporter: or, perhaps joey's wild past caught up with him. >> there's a fair amount of crime that's been associated with that gang over the years? >> yes. >> reporter: now the trail seems to be leading back to joey's business, a little shop with a lot of secrets. >> he showed us right where they were. >> reporter: hidden drugs. mysterious money. >> we never truly realized how much money he had invested in there. >> what else was that shop hiding? >> that was really when everything started to click. >> reporter: here again is josh mankiewicz. it was a warm, sunny day in

early october when about 200 people gathered to celebrate the life of 39-year-old joey connell, gunned down with his wife olga. kelly, still on the outs, and still under a police microscope, was feeling like a pariah. >> it just stood out in my mind that my mother never said hi to me at the funeral or looked at me, and just acted like i wasn't there. that -- you know, that's something i'll never forget. i went with my dad. i stood by my dad's side and left with my dad. >> she might have felt like that. but not in my mind. her and my mom were still in a big argument. >> yeah, they weren't getting along. mickie was still in shock. >> reporter: you didn't say anything? you didn't speak? >> no. not gonna talk to anybody when i'm crying. >> reporter: no. but, i mean, you didn't, like -- give a eulogy or say anything about him or -- >> oh, it was really nice because one of kelly's friend's fathers sung "oh danny boy." 'cause we're all irish, you know. that was nice. and then different people, different friends of joey's got up and talked. they spoke about him.

>> reporter: that was nice? >> yeah, that was good. >> reporter: the whole c and s crew was there, including joey's partner chris rivers. >> i mean, chris was cryin', obviously, and emotional. everyone was emotional. his whole family was devastated. it was very sad. >> reporter: chris rivers seemed eager to help police solve the crime, insisting joe's steroids played a role in his killing -- he even showed police where joe stashed his drugs at c & s. >> he took one of our supervisors from the -- drug unit, and walked him right in there, and pointed 'em out in the ceiling. >> reporter: if chris thought joe's steroids were somehow connected to the murders -- the prosecutor wasn't so sure. >> reporter: steroid use, steroid sales, illegal. >> correct. >> reporter: but this isn't cocaine. >> right -- >> reporter: and generally people don't get killed over drug deals in which the drug is a performance enhancing drug. >> that would be correct. yes. >> reporter: one more thread of

the investigation seemed to be thinning out -- the whole russian mob angle. yes, olga had russian friends and yes, they went to fancy restaurants. but that seemed to be it. >> reporter: and that, on the face of it, doesn't sound like evidence of anything. except that you like borscht. >> right, there was nothing about her life that seemed out of the ordinary. she had no enemies. there was no discord. >> reporter: the investigation kept veering back to joe, and tips were coming about his past and that connection with the pagans, those bikers he'd met in prison. >> reporter: this is the pagans in the whole sort of atlantic corridor area? >> yes. >> reporter: and there's a fair amount of crime that's been associated with that gang over the years? >> yes. >> reporter: except the pagan connection was turning into a dead end as well. >> reporter: any indication that joe connell was either a member or doing business with them or their enemy? >> no. he liked motorcycles. he liked to ride motorcycles,

but he was not a pagan. >> reporter: the pagans themselves decided to end any doubt. a leader of the group actually asked to speak with detectives. >> the general gist of -- of their conversation was that they had no dealings with him um -- with regards to any type of drugs, and -- >> reporter: joe connell's not a pagan, and he's not in business with 'em? >> right, and that they were just as taken aback by his killing as -- as his own family was. >> reporter: police believed it. there was another tip that police found credible and pursued aggressively. it was about a guy who worked with joey and chris at c and s. >> reporter: tell me about harry cook. >> he was -- a runner, parts runner. he uh -- he ran the christmas tree stand. they used to sell christmas trees in the -- in the wintertime. >> he was a good dude. he -- he'd just -- he'd pop in every now and then, just like everyone else, you know. it was basically chris' buddy. >> reporter: harry cook turned

out to be more than a buddy. he was keenly interested in c and s auto. >> we got turned onto harry by some tips that had been called in -- saying that harry cook was a silent partner of c and s automotive. invested a lot of money in -- in the business. >> reporter: both joe and chris know about that? >> no. joe did not have any idea that harry was investing money in the business. >> reporter: police learned harry was interested in becoming a full partner. except joe was already chris' partner. and he showed no sign of wanting to leave. which led police to a theory. >> logically, you would think, that if -- if joe's not willing to leave the business or take a buyout or -- this harry, who's invested over $100,000, is he angry now because joe won't just up and leave and -- and take his buyout? >> reporter: so maybe that's what this is about, joe won't get out. and everybody else wanted him out?

>> right. >> reporter: one more thing that put harry cook on the list. >> at the time, harry lived stone's throw from paladin club. there's one road that separates where joe and olga lived -- and where harry lived. >> reporter: it was time to talk with harry cook. >> reporter: coming up -- questions about a silent partner. >> did harry cook have an alibi for the time that joe and olga were murdered? and maybe another partner should have stayed silent. >> did you do anything that night? did you go out anywhere? >> no. i was at work and then i went straight home. >> i can't get rid of that interview in my head. e give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days.

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>> reporter: the execution of joe and olga connell had become

>> reporter: he'd invested $140,000 in joe connell's business c and s. and had nothing to show for it. however. >> did harry cook have an alibi for the time that joe and olga were murdered? >> yes. >> which was? >> he was in pittsburgh with some friends of his -- with the -- intent of going to a steelers game on sunday the -- 22nd, the evening of the 22nd. >> provable? >> oh, yeah. >> so whoever pulled the trigger, it wasn't harry cook. >> wasn't harry. >> reporter: so, back to the drawing board. police continued to get calls about kelly --that she must know something. rumors mostly. >> how many times did people

outside the investigation say to you, "you need to look at kelly connell? she had something to do with that break-in. and she's got somethin' to do with the murder." >> i know that the investigators did receive that information from multiple sources -- >> more than once? >> more than once. >> reporter: kelly continued to deny any involvement in the burglary or the murder and was convinced her own mother was stoking suspicion. so she called mickie. >> i'm like, "what is your problem with me?" i'm like, "you -- joe's dead. are you trying to lose another kid? what's goin' on here?" she's like, "i'm just so mad you. i'm so furious you made my son die angry." that's what she said to me. she's like, "and i'll never get over that." >> did you tell police that you thought kelly might be involved? >> no. no. no. >> you didn't say to police that you thought kelly knew more than she was telling? >> no. >> you never believed that? >> of course not. no. she could stay angry at him forever. she can stay angry at me

forever. but not killing somebody. that is not in her or any of us. no. >> reporter: by now, police had reached the same conclusion. >> you know, we've now looked at kelly. and we've tried to figure out is -- did this family dispute rise to the level of killing her brother and her sister-in-law? >> we've looked at the pagans and the russian mob. and we've looked at her -- olga's ex-husband. and now we've spent some time with harry. and again, we're gettin' the same feeling that we did from all these others, is that -- that we're not -- we're not on the right track. >> nothing -- nothin's panning out. >> nothing. >> reporter: while police regrouped ---- mechanic billy carozzo and others left behind at c and s auto were doing their best to soldier on without joe and olga. >> after joe and olga died, it -- it affected the business a lot. things weren't as organized, we went in there it was just, like, piles of paper, and it was just a mess. >> and the invoices were all

over. the computers weren't on. >> the -- the place was kinda fallin' apart with -- >> it was. >> without joe and olga? >> yeah. >> reporter: chris seemed to be working around the clock to keep up with the extra work. >> when i would drive by sometimes at night uh -- say, 9:00, 10:00 at night, the lights would still be on, he would be workin' and -- >> uh-huh. >> the shop was open all the time. >> reporter: when someone dies, it's natural to want to rewrite your own history with them. maybe that's what motived chris rivers to give this interview to the news website delaware online talking mostly about joe. >> was he married when you met him or was he single? >> he was dating olga when i met him. >> and how was she? >> she was good. i mean she was, always smiling, always happy. always looking at clothes and taking pictures. >> reporter: he made it clear from the start what a good guy joe was. >> there's nothing that he would do to make anybody angry, ever. >> reporter: interesting, given that chris was often angry at joe. >> how was your relationship up until the day he died? >> figures, you see someone

every day, 12 hours a day, more than you see your wife. so we were pretty much best friends. >> reporter: to those who knew chris and joe, that didn't ring true. >> did you see him on television -- in the first couple of days, talkin' -- >> yes. >> --about this? >> yes. i can't get rid of that interview in my head. >> reporter: he talked about the night before the murders, how he had to work, so he couldn't get to olga's dinner party. >> so what happened why didn't you meet them on saturday? >> i was working. >> oh, so you just couldn't go? >> mm-hmm. we had plans to go but i never made it. >> and did you talk to him just call them to say hey man i just can't get there or what? >> yeah, i was talking to him. i talked to him all day long. >> did you do anything that night? did you go out anywhere? >> no. i was at work and then i went straight home. >> reporter: at one point -- someone off camera weighed in. >> what'd you guys do that night? >> went to bed. >> no, you didn't go straight home. >> reporter: i went to, yeah -- i went to mcdonald's, and i brought food home to her. >> reporter: that voice belonged to chris's new attorney. >> and where were you the night before? >> at home.

at work. to the shop. to home. >> reporter: police watched this interview closely -- and at least one thing caught their attention. chris said he headed straight home after work. but remember, he told police, early on, that he went to the restaurant where the connells were celebrating. >> i went down there. it was around -- i guess it was around 10:30. but i didn't have my i.d. on me, so i had to drive all the way home. >> reporter: why was he changing his story? police couldn't ask him -- because once he lawyered up -- chris rivers stopped talking. coming up -- >> chris would complain about joe taking money out of the account. >> reporter: a smart detective knows to follow the money. wherever it leads. >> what are we missing? >> reporter: when "dateline" continues. from the first moment you met it was love at first touch and all you wanted to do was surround them in comfort and protection

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overturns on southbound highway 101 in san francisco. it happened about 8 tonight near the cesar chavez exit. four of the victims seriously injured.. some taken to san francisco general hospital. all but one southbound lane is closed.. the back up goes on for miles. a live report fromthe scene on nbc bay area news at eleven. >> reporter: if police were taking a closer look at chris rivers, many of his

>> and how's -- how's chris rivers doing during that year? >> he's still upset, still cryin'. >> reporter: c and s had always been more than a car repair shop. it was also kind of place for friends to meet and catch up. mechanic billy carozzo says people were always coming by. >> it was a good hangout spot, you know. it was -- people didn't mind comin' in. it was a good atmosphere. >> reporter: billy liked his boss chris rivers. lots of people did. >> yeah, if i was working on something and, you know -- and chris was there and he saw me struggling, he would stop what he was doing and j -- come jump in and -- and show me better ways to do things, you know, tricks. tricks of the trade kinda thing. >> reporter: he came from a nice family. went to good schools. and seemed to be building a viable business. chris's family -- and joe's, had put tens of thousands of dollars

into it. >> why was business so good for them, do you think? >> i think the location, the prime location. >> i think the location had a lot to do with it. i think a lot of people knew chris rivers from his father and his parents and stuff. >> reporter: when detective jamie leonard met that nice young business owner, he got an odd vibe. it all came down to what chris said when police first asked if he worked with joe. remember he said "what did he do now?" >> it was always a comment that jumped out -- jumped out at me. it was one that just stuck in there. and i never forgot it. >> reporter: and as police spoke with more people, they learned chris rivers had frequently bad-mouthed joey connell. long before the murders. >> chris would complain about joe taking money outta the account -- for uh like, lavish things, like, luxurious things. i've always heard it from chris' side that, you know, joe's doin' this. joe's doin' that. >> much of what everyone knew

about joe connell was told to them through the prism of christopher rivers. you know, it was his version of joe. >> which was what? >> not very flattering. that he didn't work hard enough. that he was taking money from the shop. >> there'd be a couple times where chris couldn't pay me 'cause he had claimed that joe took money out of the account and there wasn't enough money there to pay me. >> reporter: prosecutor colleen norris and her team learned that c and s auto, which was taking in close to a million dollars in business a year, was for some reason losing money. >> did you and your investigator sort of go through the books at c and s to determine whether or not joe was takin' money out of the business that he wasn't entitled to? >> absolutely. >> the investigator spent a lot of time looking at that exact evidence. and it, in fact, was not true. >> it wasn't. joe wasn't embezzling or over -- >> absolutely -- >> -- take -- >> -- not.

>> or over drafting money from there. >> absolutely not. in fact, it was the opposite. he was taking less than his half. >> reporter: there were times when even joe and olga didn't get paid. >> they told me that chris was not paying them their salary. that he didn't have the money to pay 'em their salary. and olga got really mad. >> that was right before they were killed? >> yeah. she was just upset over it. she would say, "mickie, i didn't get any pay." i'd go, "why not?" "he -- he says he has no money." that's how she talked. she was so sweet. >> reporter: someone was draining the accounts at c and s. and the more police learned about chris rivers, the more it looked like him. something seemed seriously wrong with chris. kelly spotted it a few months after the murders. >> i gave him a christmas present for his baby. so, that would have been about three months after the murders. >> and how was he? >> he was a mess.

he was -- he looked awful. it looked like he had been up for days. he looked intoxicated. >> reporter: kelly had picked up on something that had become apparent to a lot of people -- including police. chris had a big drug problem. he had taken a hard dive into opioids and that was just part of it. >> what drugs was he taking? >> he was taking prescription drugs, percocet, oxycodone. things like that. >> addicted? >> he was taking cocaine, powder cocaine. >> reporter: after looking at the books, police came to the conclusion that chris rivers was the one who was milking the company dry. all to pay for his drug habit. >> you have any idea he had a drug problem? >> did i ever? >> joe say anything? anybody else say anything? >> olga and joey told me that they thought he was on drugs. >> reporter: detective leonard wasn't convinced joe knew the full scope of chris rivers' drug problems. >> i would say that he wasn't aware that he was -- buying the amount that he was buying and using the amount that he was using.

>> reporter: so now -- as they looked back on the months before the murders, police saw a troubling scenario -- an unhappy business partner with an extensive, expensive drug problem and a company deeply in debt. >> so we go back to some information we had had earlier. and that was -- chris had given us his phone. um and he allowed us to download the contents of his phone. and we decided we're gonna need to regroup and start from scratch with this phone and see what -- what could be in there? what are we missing? >> reporter: coming up -- a peek behind closed doors the night of the murder. >> what you see is him text messaging on the phone the entire night. >> and closing in on a suspected killer. >> liar. conniver. i kept looking for ways to manage my symptoms. i thought i was doing okay. then it hit me... managing was all i was doing.

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>> they worked on it day and night. they worked overtime. they worked at night.

they worked on weekends, yeah. >> reporter: and as they worked, investigators became increasingly curious about chris rivers and his version of events. like the way he kept steering them toward joe's steroid use. >> you seem pretty convinced that this is was all about? >> yeah, i'm pretty sure that's probably what it's about. >> why would you say that? >> what else would it be about? >> reporter: and there was something else -- chris seemed quite eager to prove he was home the night of the murders. it wasn't that police doubted that. to the contrary. chris was definitely at home. it was just that his story seemed a little too well-prepared. >> he told us he has cameras inside his house. >> reporter: you don't ask that? he volunteers it? >> he volunteers that he has -- cameras outside and inside his house, and that if you check them he'll be there. >> reporter: that strike you as

a little weird? >> it did. >> reporter: those cameras didn't just show chris at home -- they showed what he was doing at home. okay. what's on these cameras that he so helpfully volunteers? >> well, you could see him comin' home. you see him go up the stairs to where, presumably his child's mother is, to the bedrooms of the house. comes back down. and then what you see is him constantly pacing throughout the night, and text messaging on the phone the entire night. and when police looked at chris rivers' phone data -- they saw many calls from the night of the murder had been deleted. >> and not -- sort of, a mass deletion. but a purposeful -- individual manual deletion of data from the phone. >> reporter: forensic phone examiners discovered the deleted calls were made to a man named josh bey. and who was that? he was a regular customer at c and s. >> josh bey would come in and get his car worked on, and he'd kinda just hang out and -- you know, i'd work on his car for

him. >> reporter: police learned josh bey and joe connell didn't get along -- in fact, they'd gotten into an argument once, over a bill. not a big deal at the time. but why would chris rivers call josh bey and then delete his calls? >> reporter: you bring josh bey in? >> uh-huh. and he lies. and he lies numerous times. >> reporter: what's he lying about? >> first, he says he doesn't really have a relationship with chris rivers. >> reporter: and then you show him all these calls and texts between him and chris. >> right. >> reporter: and then suddenly josh bey remembers! chris rivers is his mechanic. >> he says that chris was supposed to work on his car so he was trying to get hold of him. and then he ultimately said at one point time that -- that he was pocket dialing chris. >> reporter: again and again and again. >> right. >> and when i pointed out to him that these are -- these are -- incoming calls, "how are -- you can't pocket dial an incoming call."

there's incoming and outgoing text messages. >> reporter: pocket texting, too. >> right. >> reporter: police pushed harder and the story started making just a little more sense. josh bey admitted he was selling drugs to chris rivers. so josh bey is chris rivers' dealer, or one of them. >> yes. >> reporter: well, maybe that's why he's lying about what contact he has with chris. police already knew that josh bey was much more than just a petty drug dealer. >> josh has an extensive criminal history. he has a multitude of felonies, dating back to his younger days. >> reporter: so now police had a guy who was angry with his business partner and a felon with the means to carry out a murder. it's a very reasonable question -- did josh bey gun down joe and olga connell? and the answer was no. >> reporter: josh bey has an alibi for the time of the murder. >> he does. >> reporter: so he wasn't there. >> correct.

he was inside a store on camera -- working. >> reporter: there he is -- right there, working his night shift at kohl's department store. which makes you think, what, this is a dead end? >> no, because -- once we had josh bey's phone records we saw that he was communicating -- frequently during that same time period with an individual by the name of dominique benson. >> reporter: police knew all about dominique benson. he was a guy with a criminal record -- and police files contained tips that benson associated with a man named aaron thompson. benson and thompson. to police, that could be the team of killers. one of them was talking with josh bey on the night of the murders. and josh bey was talking with chris rivers. >> reporter: so, you have this chain of telephones calling each other, but that doesn't in and of itself tell you about a criminal conspiracy and that's not enough to indict somebody for murder. >> not at all. >> reporter: did you think there was a chance that nobody would ever be arrested for your

brother's murder? >> it was a worry, but -- i was so confident in our detectives. >> reporter: police held josh bey on a parole violation and kept the pressure on. and then one day as they were taking bey to a hearing -- prosecutors got a gift. >> i'm walking over to the courthouse for the hearing and i see two individuals in front of me. and they look familiar. i've never seen dominique benson or aaron thompson in person, at this point -- >> reporter: but you've seen, what, mugshots. >> i've seen a picture, driver's license photo of them. suddenly, they're in front of the courthouse. and i was shocked, and thought, "oh, my gosh. that's them." >> colleen called me from inside and said, "there's two guys sittin' out front that kinda look like dom and aaron. can you take a look at 'em when you come in?" so justin and i we come down, turn and start walkin' toward the front door of the courthouse.

and there, sittin' on the front bench is dom and aaron. >> reporter: and with that, the two suspects entered the courthouse and walked right up to josh bey's hearing. detective breslin was there. >> and when they get into the courtroom, they sit on the opposite sides of the courtroom. >> reporter: like they don't know each other? >> right. >> reporter: so what's goin' on here? >> well, i think our thought was that they were there to make sure that joshua bey knew that he'd better not say anything. >> reporter: for police and prosecutors -- this was the ultimate kodak moment. so you borrow a phone from somebody? >> right. >> reporter: and you what, snap some pictures right -- >> no, i stood up and videoed it. >> reporter: and they saw you? >> yes. dominque wasn't very happy about it. >> reporter: everybody involved in this just overplays their hand every chance they get. >> right, it was surprising to us. and we were also, heartened that what we suspected seemed a little more likely now. >> reporter: i mean, if that's true, these guys have just told you, "you're on the right

track." >> correct. that's exactly right. >> reporter: what began as an investigator's educated hunch had become a working theory. and it went like this -- >> that christopher rivers, because of mounting debt and unhappiness with his partnership with joe connell, hired his drug dealer, joshua bey, to kill joe and olga. >> reporter: and that josh hired dominique and aaron to do the killing. police decided it was time to tell the family what they thought. >> right after christmas, my family was sat down and detectives and prosecutors told my family, "this is what happened. this is who did it." >> reporter: mickie says she had her suspicions from the moment she saw chris rivers' interview. >> you could watch on television how chris rivers lied and said, "joey was my best friend." and he had tears in his eyes and all that stuff on that video.

what a mess that was. a liar. conniver. >> they told us everything. and they said, "we don't have enough to arrest him yet." >> reporter: chris? >> chris. >> reporter: and they might never have enough to arrest chris rivers because the only person who could put it all together was josh bey. and he wasn't talking. >> reporter: coming up -- never stiff a killer. >> the lesson here is, if you're gonna hire a hitman, pay them. >> yeah. >> reporter: when "dateline" continues. what's inside the box. it's what's inside the person who opens it. ♪ give ancestrydna, the only dna test that can trace your origins to over 150 ethnic regions- and open up a world of possibilities. ♪ save 30% for the holidays at ancestrydna.com

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reporter: a year had gone by since the murders of joe and

just from the police. the delaware news journal had revealed that chris rivers was, essentially, broke. >> a local reporter ran an article about the massive amounts of judgments and debt that c and s automotive had, as a business, and how much debt chris had as an individual. it may be that the alleged conspirators finally did the math. >> they're -- they're never gonna get the money that -- that they were promised and that -- that the -- chris never even had any intentions of paying out. >> 10 months after that kodak-moment hearing where aaron thompson and dominique benson showed up, josh bey looked at his options, cut a deal and unzipped his lips. >> so, i guess the lesson here is, if you're gonna hire a hitman, pay them. or the next thing you know, they'll be state's evidence. >> that was probably one of the

pieces of information that was sort of unbelievable in all this, that you would hire, contract to hire killers, and then not pay them. >> let's start with how you met chris and then we'll work through from there. does that work? >> okay. >> josh bey said that around the time joe and olga were getting married, chris rivers was already planning their murders. >> so he's, like, man i'd pay anything, like, i'd pay anything to get them out of the way, get them gone. >> so i threw the number out there at probably, about, i said "man, $60,000?" and he said, "i can do $60,000"" >> so, josh laid out what we had long suspected was that he made contact with dominique benson and aaron thompson to have joe and olga killed out in front of their house.

>> and bey said chris rivers was fully committed to his bloody objective. >> did chris ever call you and say i changed my mind, i don't want to do this. no? >> no. >> i take it from the conversations we've had that it was just the opposite. "hurry up?" >> yeah. real persistent. real persistent. >> reporter: in september 2014, chris rivers was charged with conspiracy and two counts of murder. he went on trial in april of 2016. >> for chris rivers' trial i was there mostly everyday. >> what was that like? >> he walked in like it wasn't a murder trial, like he was innocent. he walked in, and he didn't seem to be affected by anything. >> when you'd go to the trial, did you look at chris rivers? >> yes. >> you try to catch his eye? >> no, i just kept looking at him. he was so disgusting. >> reporter: the prosecution team came armed with phone

records, witness accounts and the magic bullet -- josh bey's testimony. >> did it bother you at all that the state made a deal with josh bey? >> not at all. >> you're okay with him essentially walking away from the murder charge? >> exactly, because without him, we wouldn't have a case. >> prosecutor collen norris told the jury josh bey's testimony was bolstered by those phone records. detectives laid it out in detail. >> what we're looking at is -- is more or less a flow chart of communication. when we took these 10,000 pages of phone records and whittled 'em down to the communication amongst the people that we know are involved in this. chris, josh, dominique, aaron, and this burner phone. investigators say that burner phone belonged to aaron thompson. >> so chris would always call josh, who would then always call dom, and dom would have contact with aaron, whether on his real

phone or on this burner phone. >> and on that last night when chris rivers was texting joe, saying he was on his way to the restaurant. investigators believed that was part of the plan. >> you know, that kind of sealed the deal for me was a text message where chris asks joe how much longer they were staying. and joe's response is, "we're leaving in about an hour." and chris then calls josh who calls dom who calls aaron. >> you think that's chris ordering the hit? >> i think that's him confirming when they're gonna be heading home so that they can get the people in place that they need to get in place. >> and then the prosecutor revealed why a drug-addled chris rivers thought murder for hire was a viable plan. >> christopher rivers had a big benefit that he would get if something had happened to joe connell. >> it was a life insurance policy, close to a million

dollars, that joe and chris had together taken out for the business. so there in black and white, was the motive of legend. money. >> why kill joe's wife as well? why kill olga? >> he told josh bey that olga had to be killed too because joe may have a will. >> meaning, a living breathing olga might have complicated the insurance payout. the prosecutor told jurors chris rivers had every detail planned. like the way he planted false leads long before the killings. >> he told, and showed, numerous people the steroids, told his father, told him that he was worried that that was gonna 'cause dangerous people to come to the shop. i mean, he -- he knew he was gonna use that months before the murders. >> so, this is just one long setup. >> correct. >> it proved to be an even

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chris rivers' defense had a recurring theme during his murder trial. it boiled down to "where's the money." >> tough to prove murder-for-hire when there's no big cash payment from one person to another. >> right. >> so by not paying his debts, chris rivers actually made your job a little tougher. >> he did, yeah. >> reporter: the defense had something that made prosecutors concerned. the state's star witness was a sketchy con man who'd become a rat to save his own skin. >> joshua bey is a person who

has a lot of baggage. and certainly he's going to be challenged on his credibility. >> were you at all worried that when prosecutors cut a deal with josh bey they were maybe setting themselves up to rely too heavily on someone who was involved, and was gettin' a deal, and therefore wasn't trustworthy? >> yeah, we were a little worried. >> i know how things go, i know the game. >> reporter: even so bey delivered as promised. and then some. he revealed just how calculating chris rivers could be. remember that burglary that stoked the connell family feud? >> i think around this time too that i end up doing the burglary -- doing the burglary and everything. >> reporter: that's right! he's the guy who stole olga's heirloom jewelry. >> we had no idea until he told us. >> you think chris rivers told josh bey to commit that burglary as a way of, essentially, framing kelly connell for the murder that was to come?

>> yes. >> reporter: so after all the accusations all the misplaced rage it turns out innocent kelly connell did have a connection to the burglary. she just didn't know it. >> you and joe already were at odds, so -- >> chris took advantage of the fight and kept it going. he made it -- >> and said -- and said that -- >> made it worse. >> and send the police after you instead of maybe after him. >> right. >> reporter: chris rivers trial lasted 19 days. the connells were there for all of it. >> did you think they had him? because, you know, no eyewitness, no dna, no fingerprints, no murder weapon -- >> yes. i did. i definitely did. they were wonderful people. >> reporter: not everyone was that sure. especially when the case went to the jury. >> jury was out for a little while. >> uh-huh. >> yeah. >> a couple days. >> there's gotta be a point where you're sorta thinkin' to yourself, you know, "maybe this is all for nothing." >> uh-huh. yeah.

we were tryin' to prepare ourselves just in case he was found not guilty. >> reporter: and then the verdict came back for the connells, justice wasn't quick but it was true. >> what's it like to hear that word "guilty?" >> it was -- it was just like in -- it was a final feeling of relief. it was satisfaction in knowing that this killer would never be out of jail again in his life. i mean, he -- he's done. he's done. >> i just remember crying when they said guilty. that was the first time in trial i cried, i just -- when they said guilty. i held myself together till that point. >> reporter: aaron thompson was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to two life terms. dominique benson was acquitted on murder charges but convicted of criminal conspiracy and sentenced to five years in prison. police believe there was one more man involved who hasn't been identified or charged.

following his testimony against rivers, benson and thompson josh bey was sentenced to five years on a conspiracy charge. kelly spoke about joe and olga at chris rivers sentencing hearing. she read part of her statement to us. >> his last moments are unimaginable to me. watching helplessly, his wife shot multiple times in front of him, as she fell to the ground. this is the worst thing that anybody could ever have done to him. >> you read that to chris rivers. >> i did. >> he look at you while you were reading it? >> no. >> he say anything at that hearing? >> he did. he said, real brief, he said, "i hope i can be an example to people using drugs heavily like i did. and i would like to apologize to the connell family." and he turned to us and he goes, "sorry." and that was it. >> sorry. >> that's all he said. >> well, i guess that kinda squares it then. >> yeah. and that was the end.

they took him away. >> reporter: chris rivers received two life sentences. >> if your brother hadn't been killed, the two of you would have eventually made up-- >> we would have. >> i think. >> yeah. definitely. olga raitina connell ended up completing the journey that took her from siberia to suburbia and back again. she was joey's bride for only 107 days. her family wanted her buried back in russia, and the connells agreed. even though they still think joey and olga would have wanted to be together. joey connell was cremated. but he didn't go anywhere. >> where'd you scatter his ashes? >> i didn't. they're on my table in the living room. >> you can't let go of him yet?

>> reporter: joe connell left behind a family that still seems fractured. to outsiders like us anyway. >> i have one more thing to ask you. >> okay. >> are you and your daughter gonna patch this up someday? because you should. >> well, we're okay. there's nothing to be patched up. we'll just hold our feelings as -- as they are right now. we go on with life. >> okay. don't steal anything else. >> well, i never did before. but i did it. yep. yeah. i'm not sorry for it. >> i didn't mean it to hurt anybody. i just did it out of wanting to do something good for joe. >> you would've done anything for joe. >> yeah. >> your family gonna be okay? >> yeah. >> anybody learned any lessons from this about maybe not bein' so angry at everybody else all the time? >> i hope so. >> yeah. >> reporter: kelly says she's already learned that the hard way.

>> one of the most painful lessons i've ever learned. >> which is? >> um make up. make up. don't go to bed mad. tell people you love 'em. i learned -- learned the hard way you don't get a -- you can't expect the next day. >> reporter: that's all for this edition of "dateline." we'll see you again next friday at 9:00, 8:00 central and of course, i'll see you each weeknight for "nbc nightly news." i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, goodnight. breaking news in san francisco.

29 people hurt after a bus crashes on highway 1-0-1... traffic backed up for miles, and news in san francisco. 29 people hurt after a bus crashes on highway 101. traffic backed up for miles and victims rushed to the hospital. we're live at the scene. i'm terry mcsweeney, raj and jessica have the night off. we start with the breaking news. a terrifying crash on highway 101, a bus headed to a party on the peninsula crashes overturning onto its side.