♪ ♪ i had a huge crush on him. >> he had this amazing voice. >> very gregarious, i think the passion he had for people came through. >> he was the guy the whole town woke up to, morning d.j. steven

b. >> he was so funny, and he had such a great love of music. >> he's lovable. everyone loved stooereven b. >> soon it was clear not everybody did. >> they came upon a body floating in the water. >> i felt like i was in some made for tv movie. this couldn't be happening. >> reporter: what did happen? the hunt is on, a gleaming yacht. >> i thought, why did you get on that boat? >> reporter: a scheming businessman, and a missing fortune. >> you're a multimillionaire, and you don't have any money. >> reporter: from high seas adventure to heart stopping murder. >> i don't think i'll ever get another case quite like this. >> reporter: who killed the radio star? hello, and welcome to date line extra. i'm craig melvin. fans of steven b. williams hit radio show woke up every morning to his golden voice. he was a d.j. who found fame and

fortune. then one day steven b. disappeared. detectives were determined to solve the mystery, but the key remained stubbornly out of reach wrapped in a napkin, tucked in a cabinet and hidden in a library. would anyone ever find it? here's keith morrison. >> reporter: down below the surface of the pacific ocean on the far side of california's catalina island is a silent current, strange how it flows up to the swelling coastline of santa barbara, then just before the open sea turns back to glide again past the storied island with one sunny day in may 2006 someone in it. >> i have a saying that i'd rather be lucky than good.

>> reporter: ken clark of the l.a. sheriff's department has been at it a long time. as has robert martindale, more than 50 years between them. but nothing like the case that literally floated to them on a lonely reach of ocean out by catalina, would never have had the case at all, except. >> we were lucky that we had some boaters leaving newport beach going to catalina ie lsla and they came upon a body floating in the water. >> reporter: just happened to see it? >> just happened to see it. >> that's a big ocean out there. >> reporter: the sailors had spotted a flock of shrieking sea gulls penchrched on a body. it looked like it had been in the water a long time. >> it was in extreme decomposition phase, bloated. >> reporter: there was no i.d. on the body. it was labeled a john doe and taken to the l.a. coroner's office. >> initially it was believed to be a drowning victim.

>> reporter: but who was he? identifying their john doe posed a huge challenge. >> we could only say it was a human being. that was it. >> reporter: though, there was one odd thing. medical examiner pointed to the man's left hand, three fingers were missing and clearly had been said the examiner for years. >> when the victim was young, he had an accident where he severed three fingers on his left hand. >> reporter: which at least offered a slim chance of getting an i.d. >> we were hoping someone were to call ask say my friend's missing. tell us something about him. >> reporter: and then another piece of luck, someone did call looking for a friend he hadn't seen for weeks, a friend who had lost three fingers in a junior high school wood shop accident, and just like that john doe had a name and a whole remarkable life. >> our victim we identified as steven bailey williams. >> reporter: steven bailey williams better known to his friends, family, and fans as

steven b. >> friday morning with the bird and the bee. >> reporter: a d.j. with a distinctive voice and personality that had made him famous in the 1980s as part of the hit denver-based radio show stooer steven b. and the hawk. >> reporter: doug johnson and stooerch were friends for more than 30 years. >> they were the guys that really pioneered two-man morning radio. they were funny. they were great writers, great comedians. >> he's lovable. everybody loved steven b. >> reporter: young sill ylvia n had a big crush on steven. >> i went in and asked him if he'd be my date for the beach boys concert, and he turned me down and i was just like devastated, you know, and so i was sitting in my little sales cubicle. >> reporter: what's the matter with me?

>> and the general manager walks in and he goes i think you need to know something. i go what. well, if you were a boy he would have gone. and he goes he's gay. oh, okay, well, i can accept that then. >> reporter: and that very day sylvia and stooereven began a w lifelong friendship, many amps spent at this coffee shop and many memorable evenings. >> what were those dinners like? >> steven's an amazing cook. >> reporter:. >> if you were patient he was good. he was the type of person if he would talk to you, you would have his undivided attention. >> by the time we would eat it's like everybody's drunk. >> reporter: and then somewhere in the middle of the 90s, the radio business seemed to tire of steven's huge deep voice and happy style. he got a job in the winery business for a while, then went

home to care for his ailing father in southern california, and in 2003 when his father died. >> oh, he was devastated. >> reporter: then in the depths of his despair, a window opened to a whole new set of possibilities. steven made a new friend who had just bought a yacht, planned to sail it around the world. would steven like to go along? be the chef? >> reporter: did he know anything about sailing? >> nothing at all. >> reporter: what did you think about that? >> he's excited about this. it's a nice diversion. >> i thought it was amazing. i said i think it's awesome. i was really excited for him. >> reporter: but now the dream, the voice, the happy go lucky charm all gone. what happened to steven b.? did he fall overboard? in the harsh white light of the pathology lab the coroner peered down at the body and made a pronouncement. steven b. did not die of

accidental drowning, couldn't have, because there was a bull l -- bullet in the back of his head. >> that bullet meant only one thing, steven b. williams had been murdered but who would want him dead? in homicide investigations detectives have a saying, follow the money. coming up. >> he was bad with money and he was paperwork averse. he would just forget to file his taxes for a few years. he was trying to manage the estate, trying to get things organized, which for steven was an almost impossible battle. >> when who killed the radio star continues. ontinues a bigge! -how many of you use car insurance? -oh. -well, what if i showed you this? -[ laughing ] ho-ho-ho! -wow. -it's a computer. -we compare rates to help you get the price and coverage that's right for you. -that's amazing! the only thing that would make this better

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welcome back, devastated by the loss of his father, former radio star steven b. williams decided to change course and sail the globe as a chef on a friend's yacht, but before the high seas adventure could begin

boaters found steven's body floating in the waters off the southern california coast. it was murder. there was a bullet in the back of steven's head, and soon detectives would uncover a possible motive, 2 million of them, in fact. here's keith morrison. >> reporter: there had been so much promise in the air that spring of 2006. the second act of a radio man, all that fun on the radio was over, yes, but now he was all set to sail the world, live a dream, and then he winds up floating facedown seven miles off the coast of california's catalina island, a bullet hole in the back of his head. but who wanted him dead, and why? detectives ken clark and robert martindale started by asking his friends. >> what did you find out about him? >> the thing i noticed about this case, and i give the credit

to his friends, was he was surrounded by a group of very close friends that knew a lot about him. these are lifelong friends. >> he was just a great soundingboard, somebody i would call if i was angry, if i was frustrated, if i needed advice. >> he could talk you down or talk you up? >> he could do both, usually at the same time. >> reporter: and recently steven had found a soundingboard of his own, a new friend named harvey morrow. >> he's just a quiet, easy going guy. he came up to him and said oh, my gosh, i'm such a huge fan of steven b. and the hawk. >> steven became fast friends of harvey and his wife debbie. >> reporter: what'd you think of steven? >> he was so funny and had such a great love of music, and he loved to cook. i thought this man is going to be perfect to go on a boat with us. >> reporter: ah, yes, the boat, harvey had a dock at the l.a. yacht club, a 69-foot beauty. harvey and debbie had big plans for that boat. they talked about it ever since

their first date. >> he says what do you want to do when you retire? and i said i want to sail all over the world. >> reporter: it was her dream of a lifetime, and now debbie actually found the man who shared it. they married at the dawn of the new millennium right here on the front porch of their new texas home. all that adventure to look forward to, and now harvey had invited steven to go along as chef on their beloved yacht. steven moved aboard, lived with them on the boat, but before they set sail, there was some work to do. >> reporter: he had bought this old rusty tub, right? >> yeah, yeah. >> greg labano helped harvey fix up the old tub. greg fashioned all the stainless steel trim, felt a connection with harvey, too. >> he was a wall street guy, investment banker rejecting society. >> reporter: a little bit like you? >> yeah, an outlaw mentality, that's why we bonded.

>> reporter: as greg watched harvey pour money into the boat, the flat screen, the $50,000 washer/dryer. >> holy cow, you can buy another boat for 50 grand. >> reporter: sure. >> he wanted the biggest and the best he could get. >> reporter: before harvey dropped out he'd been in the investment banking business, had some old stock investments that paid off he said, and so he plowed the money into the boat, along with what a still working debbie was able to contribute. >> he says don't worry, so what if you have to work another year. >> reporter: he said that? >> it's like, well, okay, work another year. but by that time i'm in it. the boat's bought. he's already sunk so much money into it, so it's like let's just get this done. >> reporter: can't walk away now? >> right, can't walk away now. let's get it done. >> reporter: they did not ask steven to kick in a share, which was probably just as well given how steven was with money. >> he was not a good money

manager. >> reporter: steven bailey williams had lived hand to mouth most of his life. he was a radio guy, made good money and spent it, finance not a strong suit said his friend doug johnson. >> he was bad with money and he was paperwork averse. he would just forget to file his taxes for a few years. >> reporter: how many years would he go? >> his report was eight. >> reporter: then steven's father died and the bad money manager was confronted with a windfall. steven inherited nearly 2 million, so now he'd have to manage real money. >> he was trying to manage the estate, trying to get things organized which for steven was an almost impossible battle. >> >> reporter: happily there was harvey the exbanker. >> steven said he's helping me with stuff, he's a retired financial planner, investment banker. >> just the sort of person i need right now. >> reporter: but that was just business. what really caught steven's

imagination was sailing around the world, that is if the boat ever got finished. >> every time he turned around there was a new computer being put in and new paintings and fireplaces and satellite systems. >> reporter: and two bathrooms and a full kitchen that well, never seemed to end. two years passed, three years. steven waiting and waiting. >> he had wanted to go to culinary school that harvey kept saying, oh, we're going to set sail soon. we're going to set sail soon. >> reporter: and then one day without a word to anyone, steven simply disappeared. >> the questions began. where was steven, and what happened to his newfound fortune? coming up. >> we were all kind of having the same angst that he had just dropped off the radar completely. >> i said how can this be, you're a multimillionaire and you don't have any money.

and he said har vaevey's got it tied up in these offshore accounts. e accounts

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in the spring of 2006 ex-d.j. steven b. williams was ready, eager. suddenly without saying word to any of his lifelong friends he vanished. >> i was worried sick. we were all kind of having the same angst that he had just dropped off the radar completely. >> reporter: his friends called each other, compared notes. no one had seen steven for weeks. >> so i called harvey and i said, hey, harvey. we're all really concerned about steven. have you seen him? and he's all, well, he's over in hawaii. he went to hawaii. >> reporter: now that was strange because harvey told another friend steven went to mexico. what'd you think? >> i thought steven wouldn't go into mexico at gunpoint. that was -- it was completely out of character for him. >> reporter: then harvey's friend greg, the stainless steel guy said he noticed something strange about steven's usually cluttered cabin.

>> it was completely sterilized. nothing in it, not one loose object. >> reporter: it was as if steven had never set foot in there, and then those boaters made their shocking discovery. steven facedown in the ocean, a bullet in his head. >> what was it like to get that news? >> oh, it was awful. i felt like i was in some made for tv movie. it was like this can't be happening. >> reporter: detectives ken clark and robert martindale wanted to have a look at harvey morrow's boat, steven's last known residence, and they wanted to talk to harvey. they got a search warrant, brought a whole team to the harbor, seized the yacht. >> when you first walked in, was it clean? >> absolutely clean. clean enough for you -- and these are my words, to eat off the floor. >> reporter: pristine, in fact, and for all the diligent efforts of the forensic people, there was no sign of steven b.'s existence, no evidence he'd ever set foot on that yacht. they did find some high-tech navigation equipment, which they

hoped would tell them where the boat had been, but when the expert analyzed it. >> he said it was never connected, never turned on. >> reporter: there was a manual for a hand-held garmin gps, but only the manual. >> we went and we searched and we searched and we searched, and we just didn't find the gps. >> reporter: nor did they find harvey morrow. he seemed to have disappeared, and that's when they started digging into harvey's background. just who was he anyway? >> some said he was as wealthy as $12 million or more. >> reporter: though when detectives talked to the neighbors here at the yacht club, at least one of them wasn't quite so sure harvey was for real. >> she says me and my husband, we have money. we live on our yacht, i knew when i saw harvey that he was full of it because no one dresses like gilligan and the skipper when they're living on a yacht, yet harvey always showed up -- these are her words, he showed up in costume. >> reporter: and harvey's employment history? turns out it was not quite as gold plated as harvey had been

letting on as the detectives discovered. >> i think everything harvey's been involved with throughout his career in banking or stock broking has gone belly up. everything he's involved in seems to have some type of fraud involved, one con after the nextmenex next. i don't think he's ever had a bona fide job where he's been there for a period of time. >> reporter: what kind of job had harvey been doing managing steven's inheritance. shortly before steven vanished, somebody broke into the trunk of his car where he kept his personal paperwork, his passport, his trust documents were stolen. >> please tell me the document between you and harvey. he said what document? i said for him investing your $2 million. you have something documented right? he said no. you gave some man you just met a couple of years ago $2 million, ask you got nothing in writing?

>> reporter: she told the detectives, of course, and they took a good look at harvey's boat and soon learned something that probably should have been obvious all along. that fancy dolled up tub with its pricey power winches, its expensive electronics, its polished washer dryer fireplace, was paid for practically every dollar by the unwitting steven b. that answer turned up in meticulous detail in harvey's own ship's ledger. >> he put according to his own ledger 1.7 million into that yacht, so almost the whole amount he took from steven went right back into that yacht. >> reporter: no wonder said steven's friend sylvia. no wonder the last time they went out to lunch she had to pick up the check. >> she was so embarrassed and i said how can this be. you're a multimillionaire and you don't have any money? and he said, well, harvey's got it all tied up in these offshore accounts. >> reporter: the detectives discovered harvey morrow had put

steven's money in an offshore bank account in the british virgin islands just like he said he would, but then he secretly brought it back to the u.s. in small increments and used money to refurbish the boat. >> harvey sucked up all that money? >> all of it. >> reporter: steven by his own admission a lousy money man, trusting, vulnerable after the death of his father, was said detectives the perfect mark. >> steven was no match for this man at all. >> reporter: nor apparently was his wife debbie. >> i was really very much in love with harvey. >> reporter: but as she now began to discover the man she loved had lied. a house in vail, colorado, when he told her he owned outright actually belonged to someone else. the money when she went back to work, vanished. the auto insurance he told her he bought for her didn't exist, and what he said was a $25,000 diamond ring he slipped on her finger when he proposed, a fake.

>> reporter: who was that man she married and believed she loved? >> i don't think harvey even liked me. love is not only blind, it's deaf and dumb. >>. >> reporter: but devastating as those lies were, debbie couldn't bring herself to believe harvey could kill. >> i never once thought it would be harvey that hurt steven. >> reporter: there was nothing definitive tieing harvey to steven's murder, no sign of any violence, if only the detectives could talk to harvey. it turned out they'd just missed him. an employee of the yacht club told investigators harvey was standing nearby in plain sight observing as the cops scoured his boat. by the time they heard that, harvey was long gone. >> from friends and knowing his past there was some speculation that he would go south, and he had some dealings in belize before, and we believed that's

possibly where he's heading. >> reporter: they put out feelers, belize, the virgin islands, harvey's old haunts down there, but the trail went cold. steven's murder apparently unsolvable. >> where was harvey morrow? police thought he went south, but maybe they were looking in the wrong direction. wherever he was, blending into the crowd had never been his strong suit. >> coming up, a mysterious stranger surfaces hundreds of miles away. >> he was quite the character. he was very sure of himself to the point of a little bit smug. the more he would talk about the loss of his wife and his boat the more intrigued i became. >> could he hold the key to the case? >> did you ever help steven with his finances after his father's estate sold? >> ask steven. >> okay. did you ever get any money from steven and put it in your account? >> we passed money back and forth. >> when who killed the radio star continues. >> when who killed the radio

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brett kavanaugh is officially supreme court justice after a private swearing in saturday night. this after a contentious senate vote that confirmed him 50-48. a formal swearing in will be held monday night. the confirmation sparked protests from around the country by people who thought the fbi investigation into kavanaugh's past was not thorough enough. and president trump taking a victory lap after the confirmation during a rally in topeka calling it a historic night. now back to date line. welcome back to date line extra. i'm craig melvin. according to investigators harvey morrow was a conman and a liar. they believe he drained steven b.'s bank account and then skipped town.

the trail had gone cold. then hundreds of miles away a retired cop with a sharp nose for nonsense picked up his scent. here again is keith morrison. >> reporter: it was september 2006 when a smooth talking stranger walked into pete's auto dealership in great falls, montana, and got himself a job as a used car salesman. >> he was quite the character, wasn't your typical car salesman persona. >> joe parsetich was the finance manager. he was at the dealership the day the new guy started. >> he was very sure of himself to the point of a little bit smug. in montana where you have a lot of down to earth, meat and potatoes people where they're very friendly towards one another, having somebody with a smug, cocky attitude isn't going to go over very well at times. >> still, joe was friendly in the way montanans are known for.

he gave the guy the benefit of the doubt. one sunday evening they got to talking. joe says the new salesman told him how he used to be a successful stockbroker, had a beautiful lakefront home in texas. they even looked up his property on google earth. so why on earth, joe asked, would someone leave all that and come to great falls? >> he had shared that his wife and a couple of her friends had taken their yacht down to the gulf of mexico and were going to go sailing for the weekend. during that time a storm ensued and the boat was capsized, and his wife and her friends all perished along with the boat, so he had shared that looking at large bodies of water was just more than he can bear, and he wanted to get as far away from that kind of environment as he could. >> reporter: and who did this tragic past belong to? joe said the wealthy salesman told him his name was harvey morrow. harvey was quite chatty with

joe, but one thing harvey didn't know, joe his attentive audience was a former police officer, and harvey's amazing story made joe's antenna buzz a little. >> the more he would talk about the loss of his wife and his boat the more intrigued i became. >> reporter: on his way home that night, joe took a little detour. drove by the hotel where harvey said he was staying. >> and when i drove by, i didn't find his suv at that location that he said, which i didn't think suspicious at the time, but i still for whatever reason drove around to see a few other hotels or motels to see if i found his vehicle, and i located his vehicle at a place called imperial inn. >> reporter: why would harvey lie about something as benign as where he was staying? when joe got home that night he went straight to his office and turned on the computer. >> i entered harvey morrow's name on google, and i was surprised what i had found.

>> reporter: a simple google search, and there it was, a news article describing the murder of disc jockey steven b. williams. >> and harvey morrow was listed as a person of extreme interest. >> reporter: if harvey really was a fugitive, wouldn't he have changed his name? maybe it was an awful misunderstanding. still, joe called the captain of cascade county sheriff's department in great falls and told him what he'd learned, and it wasn't long before sergeant clark in california returned to his desk and saw the red light on his phone. there was a message. >> he said i understand you might be looking for harvey morrow. >> >> reporter: wow, what'd you think when you heard that message? >> i was happy. >> reporter: it was another stroke of luck. >> i'm looking for you in the british virgin islands. unfortunately for you, again, lucky for me we got a retired cop that is not going to have a bleeding heart.

he's going to have sympathy and empathy, and he's going to say, okay, great, but behind the doors he's going to run you on the computer and go, oh, my goodness. >> reporter: sergeants clark and martindale board the flight to montana to pay the elusive harvey a visit. joe helped arrange a little meeting at the car dealership. >> i told harvey i said i need you to go back out there and get this one particular vehicle prepared that one of his customers were coming back to look at it. >> reporter: and when harvey stepped out front, officers from the cascade county sheriff's department were waiting for him. >> they just walked up and said, harvey, there's some guys from california that want to talk to you. put your hands behind your back, you're under arrest. >> reporter: that was that. >> pretty civilized. >> i was impressed. i was very impressed. >> reporter: police searched harvey's land rover, discovered guns and ammunition. they loaded him in the back of the squad car, took him to the

local sheriff's department, eager to hear what he had to say. >> how much money did you put into that boat? >> i don't know. >> what would you estimate? what would you think? >> i have no idea. it's over a period of a long time. >> we wanted to key in on him, how much money did you have? how much money did you spend somewhere did the money come from and thing os s of that nat? he was very vague. it became pretty frustrating. >> did you set up steven's trust fund? >> you lost me. >> did you set up steven's trust fund? >> steven took care of his own stuff. >> did you ever help steven with his finances after his father's estate sold? >> ask steven. >> okay. >> did you ever get any money from steven and put it in your account? >> what do you mean, we passed money back and forth. >> how many times did you receive money from steven? was it more than once?

>> i don't remember. >> do you remember how much money you got from steven in total? >> no. >> you don't? >> he was very vague. i believe he talked to us thinking he was going to outsmart us in that interview. >> reporter: was he trying to prevent you from getting him on the record, pinning him down in a way you could use later? >> i felt that. >> they're asking questions that -- >> harvey, you're a banker, man. you should know the answer to these questions. >> i don't want to talk about anymore. >> you're done? >> yeah. i mean, you're not telling me anything. >> we're not finished. i told you i've got a lot to tell you, and i do. i will tell you. >> tell it to my lawyer. >> what? >> tell it to my lawyer. >> reporter: he was going to need one. harvey was extradited to california, charged with first degree murder. but for all the evidence that harvey conned and stole from steven b., evidence of murder was pretty thin, at least without another stroke of luck. >> and that's exactly what they got, a missing piece of the

puzzle discovered at last. coming up. >> he said you need to look at the data that's in this gps. >> that gps was a pivotal point in the investigation. it really kind of sealed this whole case together. >> when who killed the radio star continues. who killed the ro star continues -omar, look. [ thunder rumbles ]

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welcome back. harvey morrow's lies had finally caught up with him. a savvy former cop uncovered that the smooth talking salesman. charged with the murder of steven b. williams, case closed? not so fast. investigators still had not found enough evidence to prove morrow shot steven, then a lucky break. a crucial clue was about to turn up want once again, keith morrison. >> reporter: in september of

2006 doug johnson was walking on the beach thinking about his friend of 30 years, the murdered one-time d.j., steven b. williams. >> and i see this light on the beach, and i thought, now what can that be? i dropped my cell phone, and it had landed face up, and the panel was lighting up, and i walked over to it, and i picked it up, and it was ken clark, detective clark calling to telling me they had arrested. >>. >> reporter: real life is not quite like that. for all the suspicion of steven's friends, the murder case against harvey morrow was rather weak, no evidence sufficient to prove that harvey shot steven and dumped his body in the ocean. >> we were looking for steven's d.n. on the boat knowing that his death was caused by a

gunshot wound it was pretty obvious that there should be something that said this is where it was. >> reporter: but there wasn't, no blood, no gun, no significant fingerprints. what they needed couldn't find, was something that put the two men together on the far side of catalina island where that current would have caught the body, carried it around to the spot where boaters saw it floating face down in the water. they hunted everywhere for harvey's gps but they never found it. months went by of harvey sitting in jail, no luck for the investigation now. and then a phone call. it was the commondant of harvey's yacht club. >> he said i found a hand-held gps in the library of her club. >> someone in the club had found the gps wrapped in a napkin and hidden in the back of a club library cabinet. >> and he says that cabinet is

in a position where harvey morrow always sits and reads all the time and he showed us a garmin c 60, all the manuals we had recovered months earlier on that yacht. >> reporter: here it was, the device they searched for on the boat and couldn't find. >> and he said you need to look at the data that's in this gps. >> reporter: amazing thing, the gps preserved in its memory almost infinite detail, its very last trick, which was as follows, may 4th, 2006 around 2:00 p.m., the gps headed out towards catalina island. went to the backside where it seemed to putter around aimlessly in the middle of the night. then returned back to the dock. 6:00 a.m., may 5th, that little device seemed to pinpoint the place and time of steven's murder, but how could detectives be sure the gps belonged to harvey and was on his boat? and then what do you know luck again when harvey bought the gps

he took a friend. >> i was with him in the car when we picked it up. it was such a cool gps. i've got one. >> okay that gps was a pivotal point in the investigation that really kind of sealed this whole case together. >> reporter: though the gps evidence told detective where s harvey's boat was how could they be sure that harvey and steven were together on the boat at that time? electronic data is fascinating nowadays. our cell phones, we can follow that signature, we were lucky again. >> reporter: lucky this time because of blackjack. blackjack's cell tower, catalina island where both harvey and steven's cell phones pinged together just where the gps said they would be after which steven's cell phone went straight to voice mail and harvey's sailed right back to his dock the next morning where he was late for a prearranged fishing trip with his friends. >> they basically said he looked

dishevelled. he looked as if he had been up all night. he was not himself. >> reporter: one question left, exactly what happened on that fancy boat the last moments of steven b.'s life? doug remembered steven was angry over harvey's handling of his money. >> he had said that he was going to have a come to jesus with harvey. he was going to confront harvey about the money. >> reporter: did steven confront harvey over his lost fortune? is that what led to this? >> we believe that they were both on deck and he walked up behind him and just walked up, put the gun in the back of his head and pulled the trigger, which can explain the lack of blood evidence, and then you just push him right over or he fell over. >> reporter: it took five years and over 30,000 pages of evidence to build the case against harvey morrow. most of it hinged on the financial motive, all of it circumstantial.

the detectives felt confidence about the case they had so carefully assembled, while harvey all the while maintained his innocence, and then the very first day of the trial, the bombshell they didn't see coming. . >> coming up. >> i thought, oh my god he's being set pree. >> so many years and so many cons. was there about to be another? >> it said the money harvey got from steven was money that was owed to harvey. >> when who killed the radio star continues. star continues i love you, but sometimes you stink. febreze air effects doesn't just mask, it cleans away odors. because the things you love the most can stink. and try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up to 30 days. breathe happy with febreze.

welcome back. a gps found hidden in a napkin and tucked away in a library cabinet. it was a pivotal piece of evidence in the case against harvey morrow. the ex-banker was about to stand trial for the murder of steven b. williams and prosecutors were convinced they could prove he was a killer, but the defense

had a surprise in store, a stunning revelation that threatened to shatter the foundation of the prosecution's case. with the conclusion of our story, here's keith morrison. it had taken five long years to get to this point, but harvey morrow was finally being tried for the murder of steven b. police and prosecutors felt confident, that is until the defense gave its opening statement and things took an unexpected turn. >> during the opening statement, it was said that the money that harvey got from steven was money that was owed to harvey in a loan that happened many years ago. >> harvey loaned money to steven's father back in the '80s the defense told the jury. they had a promissory note to prove it. >> hadn't you encountered that along the way? >> no, it was part of the trust packet.

at this point the numbers i'm getting from the court were over 33,000 pages of documentation. >> quite frankly, we missed it. >> reporter: they had missed evidence that seemed to show harvey wasn't stealing from steven at all, had no motive to kill him. suddenly the whole case against harvey fragile to begin with seemed in danger of falling apart. amid doubt about the new eviden eviden evidence, the judge declared a mistrial. >> i thought, oh, my god he's being set free. >> but harvey wasn't set free. instead the state appointed to the case its third prosecutor in five years. >> this was my first case of this particular type. >> prosecutor john mckinney. >> how do you get ready? >> quickly. >> reporter: his first task, to address that alleged loan between harvey and steven's father, the issue that caused the mistrial. he spoke to steven's best friend and heard this. >> i said i know it's complete fiction. i know it's fraud. >> reporter: and sure enough, when prosecutor mckinney took a

closer look at that loan document, steven's father's signature didn't match. classic sign of a con job said the prosecutor. even the idea that there had been any sort of relationship between morrow and steven williams' father was nonsense, right? bogus, couldn't have possibly been? >> couldn't have possibly been and wasn't corroborated by any evidence whatsoever. >> reporter: now he was ready for the new trial. he showed the jury check by check how harvey drained steven's accounts, all 1.7 million in just three years to dress up a boat that was never going to sail. >> the boat wasn't properly outfitted for a trip around the world. it was outfitted in such a way that suggests it was just going to be a show piece. it was going to be part of his con, part of the image that he liked to sell to people. >> reporter: then the prosecutor took the jury through the gps and cell phone records and explained how that evidence put steven and harvey together on

the far side of catalina island, after which steven vanished and harvey told conflicting stories about when where he supposedly >> i think the most damning evidence in this regard was the fact that despite having a history of calling mr. williams on the telephone over the years that they knew each other, he never called his phone one time after the day the victim went missing. >> reporter: that didn't mean harvey killed steven, the defense said. steven b. was so depressed about losing his career, his father, getting older that he killed himself, and the medical examiner testified it was possible steven could have shot himself. >> reporter: what was your opinion at the idea he might have committed suicide? >> i think it was incredulous, i don't think he would have done it. >> still, it was another explanation, and the jury would have to consider it, so now the

courtroom waited and when i sis. would harvey take the stand? >> i told the investigators that i thought he was going to testify. they didn't think so. they thought i was crazy. >> reporter: what made you think he would? he's a con man, he likes to talk. con men think they can talk themselves out of any situation. >> he was right. sure enough, harvey was confident, self-assured, had answers for almost everything. he didn't steal steven's money, he said. >> he came wupup with a story t no one had heard before his testimony. >> which was that steven owed him his entire inheritance to pay back a whole different loan, this second loan was verbal said harvey. done on a handshake, undocumented naturally. >> but mr. morrow thought he could sell it. he is a con man and he told it with a straight face. >> reporter: would jurors believe him? steven's friend sylvia worried. >> you know, i was thinking, oh,

my gosh. what if he cons these people the way he conned steven. >> reporter: and perhaps there was reason to worry. the jury stayed out for almost two full days. >> it was a long couple days, i'll tell you that. >> reporter: and then, finally. >> we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant harvey morrow guilty of the crime of woeful, deliberate and premeditated first degree murder of steven b. williams. >> oh, my gosh. we were all holding hands. when they read it, we all started crying and just were so grateful. >> reporter: and steven's many friends poured into the courtroom the day harvey was sentenced. doug johnson read a statement for all of them, things he had to say to harvey. >> for years you ate his food, lived and worked on what he thoughts after common goal the whole time stealing from him and ultimately taking what was most precious, his life. you worship a false god, the god of arrogance, ego and greed.

today our nightmare ends. today yours really begins. >> reporter: harvey was sentenced to life without parole after which his now ex-wife debbie invited us down to the pier where she took harvey's fake engagement ring and the other costume jewelry he'd given her. >> i threw them into the water as a tribute to steven. >> reporter: and his friends. >> steven was part of my family. he's the part of the family you get to pick. i can open a great bottle of wine and sit there and think about steven. the pain phase, tfades, the meme sustained, and that's the part i'll keep with me forever. >> the only way i can kind of deal with it is i knew he was going to eventually get on a boat and sail around the world, so i just kind of think of him out there, you know, he's out there somewhere. >> reporter: out there like the happy go hulucky free spirit on

the radio. >> that's a good one. >> the man they called steven b. >> have a good weekend. >> bye. >> that's all for this edition of date line extra. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. a vivacious young mother of three found murdered in a field.