i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> they said we need you to get in the car with us. they zip tied my arms and zip tied my legs, duct tape my hair. there's no words. i'm sitting there, just hysterical it's terrifying. >> she thought he was mr. right -- a confident, handsome surgeon. til the good doctor, seemed to turn sinister. >> he put his hands over my face and said, "go ahead and try to leave." i didn't know where else to go. >> i mean, she just broke down she looked afraid. >> taunts. threats. then, something deadly.

>> they said he had hired somebody to get rid of me. >> a doctor, plotting a murder? >> he's giving you a way to kill someone cop-very detailed precise instructions. >> investigators would launch a plot of their own and unravel not one murder scheme, but two. >> so, now, you have a man and a woman who both want their exes dead. is that beyond bizarre? >> shocking. >> it was just unreal. i couldn't believe this was happening. >> an unthinkable crime and an unbelievable twist. >> these detectives had a plan? >> uh-huh. and you were a big part of it. >> oh, my god. >> it's just mindboggling to most people. >> i said, "just please tell me" >> it was the worst, worst day of my life. >> hello and welcome to "dateline." it looked like an ordinary lunch meeting. four people having a conversation at a chain

restaurant. but nothing is as it seemed. and what was being discussed would be at the center of a court battle. but to understand how a nice-looking couple ended up at the table talking with two people they thought were hitmen, we need to go back to the beginning, when meghan had just met a charming doctor named leon jacob. here's andrea canning with >> reporter: in the beginning, it was heady, fun. >> he is very charming. >> reporter: she was swept away. >> i don't think i've ever had somebody tell me i'm beautiful that much. >> reporter: but without warning, it all turned from love story to crime story. >> he's a relentless tsunami. >> he doesn't care who he affects. >> reporter: this is, like, out of a movie? >> it is. it is. >> reporter: a thriller.

>> i ran across the street yelling, leave her alone. >> reporter: with secret recordings -- >> i want her gone. >> reporter: a fake death. and another death, that was all too real. >> it's awful. it never should have happened, none of it. >> reporter: meghan verikas is a pittsburgh girl born and raised. steeler games, tight-knit friends, a solid family. >> i grew up with my parents who've been married for 35 years. >> reporter: meghan's own love life wasn't so simple. she got married in her 20s. but she and her husband drifted apart. so she threw herself into her work, managing a busy hotel downtown. >> it's a fun job. you meet a lotta different people. >> reporter: one of those people was a local doctor, who checked in during the winter of 2014. his name was leon jacob. what's your first impression?

>> he was arrogant. "oh, i'm a doctor. give me whatever suite you have." >> reporter: what did you make of that? did you think to yourself, i don't want anything to do with this guy? >> exactly. exactly. but he wears on you. >> reporter: leon came from a well-to-do family and attended an elite boarding school. now, he told her, he was a transplant surgeon. >> i think that anybody is enamored by somebody who can save lives. >> reporter: like meghan, leon was unlucky in love. he told her he was going through a divorce. the more meghan got to know him, the more approachable he seemed. >> he is very charming. >> reporter: soon enough, a romance blossomed. and when leon moved back to his hometown of houston, he asked meghan to join him. >> he had made me feel like i deserved something else. >> reporter: something better? >> yeah. >> reporter: houston was good for meghan. she found a job in hotel sales and signed a lease on cool, new

apartment. leon moved in. >> that to me was really scary. i'm very independent. and he's like, "i opened a bank account and i put your name on it." >> reporter: that's quick? >> but i was like, oh, he really cares. like okay. >> reporter: leon's family welcomed meghan like one of their own. did you start to envision the possibility of marriage with leon? we rejoin you at the hour to bring you president trump's remarks in tokyo and it's to a group of business leaders. the president just arrived a short time ago to begin his four-day visit which will include talks with shinzo abe. let's listen in. about half an hour ago with the first lady by his side, tonight

he will be speaking with business leaders and then meet with abe tomorrow. >> we just spent many hours on the plane. you know the flight probably as well as i do. and here we are. we just walked off the plane and here we are along with probably 40 of the greatest business leaders in the world, so thank you very much. please sit down. thank you. thank you, ambassador, you've been doing a fantastic job. everybody's talking about the job. do we like the job he's doing, folks? [ applause ] >> and we really have strengthened the enduring alliance between the united states and japan. it's very special. prime minister abe is very special. we greatly appreciate all of your hard work in organizing

this wonderful event and thank you very much. fantastic job. thank you. the first lady and i are thrilled to be with you as we celebrate japan's era. a very special time and affirm the close economic ties between our two nations. this evening we're delighted to be joined by ambassador. where is bob? they didn't give you a great seat, bob. what happened? who's been very busy negotiating deals and doing a fantastic deals. thank you very much, bob. as well as mr. peter jennings the president of the american chamber of commerce in japan, thank you very much. thank you, peter. fantastic, thank you. also distinguished representatives of the american

japanese communities, the greatest businessmen and women in the world. you really have some people that are just been incredible and incredible investors in our country. thank you very much. you said ifty win you're going to put 50 billion in and you put the 50 billion in. >> more. >> he actually raised it to 100 billion. it's probably higher than that. thank you very much. i appreciate that confidence. we also appreciate all of your spouses being here, very special people. without the spouses it doesn't work. that we will all admit so thank you all for being here. we're deeply grateful to you for your presence and the relationship with japan and the united states. i can say for a fact it has never been stronger. it's never been more powerful. never been closer. this is a very exciting time for commerce between the two countries that we both love. the united states and japan are two of the largest economies in

the world. you're right there. you're doing fantastically well. office looking for closely on the ride over at some of the numbers being produced in japan and you're doing great. today we're cooperating closely across many industries including defense, technology, digital economy and energy. also infrastructure, science, and so much more. as you know, the united states and japan are hard at work negotiating a bilateral trade agreement which will benefit both of our countries. i would say that japan has had a substantial edge for many, many years, but that's okay. maybe that's why you like us so much. but we'll get it a little bit more fair, i think. i think we'll do that. we also have a tremendous relationship on the military and japan is ordering a great deal of military equipment. we make the best equipment in the world, the best jets, the best missiles, the best rockets,

the best everything, so japan is doing very large orders and we appreciate thand we think it's probably appropriate right now with everything that's going on. the world is changing. with this deal we hope to address the trade and balance. remove barriers to united states exports and ensure fairness and reciprocity in our relationship and we're getting closer. just last week u.s. beef exports gained full access to japan and to the markets in japan for the first time since the year 2000. we welcome your support in these efforts and we hope to have several further announcements soon and some very big ones over the next few months and we're also here as you know for a very special occasion, not having to do with trade. we all know about that. our nations are also working together to promote mutually beneficial investment. the united states is currently japan's top foreign direct

investor, by far, and overall japanese investment in the united states supports nearly a million jobs and that number is going up very rapidly. in fact, we're looking at projections with all of the money coming in for the new plants and other things that number will be daubled in a very short period of time. over the past two years alone, japan has invested tens of billions of dollars in the united states. in march toyota -- where is toyota? i thought that was you. please stand up. that's pretty big stuff. right? thank you very much. we appreciate it very much. thank you. which is represented in a number of people, but we have the boss. there's nothing like the boss. thank you. recently announced new investments of $750 million in increased its five-year investment plan to $13 billion.

appreciate it. with plans to add many, many new american manufacturing jobs and last month soft bank and denzo, where are they, please? this guy. where is -- do you have another? that's what i thought. thank you very much. thank you. appreciate it. joined toyota in announcing a $1 billion investment to help uber develop self-driving cars and technology and i guess self-driving cars are becoming a bigger and bigger thing. what do you think? yes? that's the future, if you say that's the future i'm okay with it. it seems very strange when you look over and there's nobody behind a car going 60 miles per hour but when you say it, i'm good with it. i hope many of you in the room will also significantly increase your investmentes in the united states. there's no better place to invest. you look at what's happened with our stock market it's up almost

50% since my election in 2016. we have the best employment numbers we've ever had as of this week. we have almost 160 million people working and it's the most we've ever had working and we have the best unemployment numbers we've ever had specifically on groups african american, asian american, hispanic american, the best historically. with women we have the best numbers we've had in now 71 years. it's going to be very soon a historic number meaning the best ever. so there's never been a better time to invest and to do business in the united states. we have some interesting trade deals going on. i'm sure you haven't read too much about it with china and some others but it seems to be working along actually quite well. last year for the first time in a decade the united states was ranked the most competitive economy anywhere in the world. during that year our economy grew at 3% and if the fed didn't raise interest rates frankly it

would have been much higher than 3%. and the stock market as high as it's been would have been at least i think probably anywhere from 7 to 10,000 points higher. but they wanted to raise interest rates. you'll explain that to me. according to the world economic forum, our financial system and business dynamics and labor market all ranked number one anywhere in the world. manufacturing and small business optimism have set all-time records and consumer confidence is just surged to a 21-year high so they do studies and polls and we're literally at the top of every study and every poll. the optimism is what it's all about when you think about it. we slashed our corporate tax rate from the highest in the developed world to one of the lowest in the developed world. we took it down, i mean, some people could say we're at 41,

42% different places, different areas, but we took it down from probably on average 41, 42% depending on what state you're talking about, sometimes much higher than that to 21% and people were amazed we got that through. but what it meant is tremendous investment and jobs because capital investment is now 100% deductible and that's something that people thought would never happen. they'd never see. you have one year deductions where it used to be in many cases 40 year deductions and we've cut red tape and job killing regulations at an unprecedented rate. the most ever by a president and you could take four years or eight years or more than that in one case. and the fact is that nobody has ever cut regulations like we have. we've eliminated more than 30,000 pages from the federal

register of regulations. these are all regulations. thousands and thousands of pages. they ov're all gone and we stil have regulation but it's sensible regulation. it's environmentally excellent and things are getting done. in louisiana, i just left louisiana a few days ago. they opened an lng plant. i's $10 billion investment. anybody in this room investing in that plant? congratulations because i hear you sold out for 20 years. that's been a good one. are you happy with the investment? i think you would be. i've heard it's been very good but we got the permits that were stuck for years and years and we got the permits. i made sure that people were able to get permits to build and that lng plant is one of the

biggest in the world. it is absolutely magnificent. this is a building that's a mile and a half long and it's all pipes. it's all pipes. but in those pipes are a lot of energy being produced. and they were telling me the numbers and the amounts. it's incredible and now they're building many more. so we're going to -- we're really doing something really special. the united states as you know has become the number one country in the world during my administration two and a half years in energy. so we're now number one in the world and actually we're number one in the world by far and if i get the pipelines approved in texas, which have been under consideration for many, many years, we'll get them done quickly because it's a good thing and if we get that we'll be up another 20 to 25% just that one move with the pipelines. we were able to do the -- as you know, the dakota access pipeline and we were able to do many

pipelines. many, many pipelines got approved that were stuck. they were absolutely stuck. you know, the keystone excel pipeline, the big one, i did that in my first week in office. 48,000 jobs and that's now under construction. so we want u.s. companies, we want japanese companies, we want firms from all around the world to build and hire and grow in the united states. it really is a special place and we really have made it much easier. we've gotten rid of a lot of the red tape. as an example, if you look at the various types of plants, nobody was getting them approved. nobody was getting them out of the epa. you couldn't get refineries done, you couldn't get anything. we were sending our raw product way far away to foreign countries to have it refined and then would bring it back to the united states. and now we have plants the likes of which nobody's ever seen actually. commerce between the united

states and japan is essential to ensuring a future peace and prosperity for all of our sit sevens. that relationship is so important. i met with some of our generals this morning before we left and the relationship they have with the japanese generals has been incredible. and they have tremendous respect for them too. tremendous respect. if you join in seizing the incredible opportunities now before us in terms of investments in the united states i think you're going to see tremendous return on your investment. it's my sincere hope that the era, the economic ties between the united states and japan continue to grow deeper and stronger if that's possible. i think we right now probably have the best relationship with japan that we've ever had and that goes back a long way but i don't think it's ever been

better. this probably is the best. and we're going to keep it that way. so i look forward to seeing you all. i look forward to shaking your hands right now. i know the media finally will get them to go back and rest because many of them came on the flight with us and i'm sure they want to go home. i'm sure they wouldn't want to stick around and hear any of these conversations. but anyway, but we had a good time on the flight. we had a great flight and it's an honor to be with you again. i've been to japan many times and have so many friends and they are just -- it's a great place with great, great people. really great, great people. thank you very much and let's say hello to everybody. thank you. and thank you very much. thank you. >> president trump, he has arrived in tokyo and you see him there, he just wrapped up a business leaders meeting. he was addressing business leaders with the ambassador to japan at his side. president trump thanked the ambassador and he also thanked

the prime minister abe for setting up this visit. he is there for four days in japan. he will be playing golf with the prime minister tomorrow and then a meeting with the new emperor on monday. so a lot of things going on for the president in japan. we see pictures of him arriving with the first lady. we're going to go to hallie jackson who is in tokyo and she's traveling with the president and what can you tell us? that was an interesting introfor president trump to be discussing about business and how the great the relationship is with the u.s. and japan and he touched on all these business deals. the energy, the defense, talking about trade and balance which we know was going to come up in a conversation over these nooex few days. what can you tell us about that, the trade conversations that he's going to be having? >> reporter: yeah, we know he will dismuss that with prime minister abe when they hold their bilateral talk later on over this holiday weekend.

but this was a chance, an opportunity for the president to get before several dozen business leaders, key leaders here in japan and essentially make the pitch that investment in the u.s. is what they should be doing more of essentially. we have heard this kind of a pitch from the president before in different settings so it's not altogether surprising. we knew that this was going to be one of the president's big pushes as he has just landed on air force one. this is his first stop before he heads over to his hotel and heads to bed for the night as it is getting into the evening here in tokyo. but the president made a special point to emphasize the good relationship that the u.s. has with japan and watch for that to be a critical theme over these next several days. i was on the phone with one white house official just a few minutes before the president began speaking who said this is about policy, trade but it's mostly about the personal, this was an opportunity for president trump to work on relationship building with prime minister abe. the center piece of this is going to be when the president meets the new emperor in japan.

the new era now that the japanese royal family has entered into with the rising of this new emperor and so that is sort of a nod from the president to the reason why he's here on this trip and what he will continue to look forward to over these next couple of days. i'm told that the president was in a good mood on his plane ride over, that fit went fine, very smoothly and he's looking forward to not just the golf outing but to watching that sumo wrestling match. we've learned more about the trophy that he will present to the champion of that match. it's capped on top by an egot. they're calling it the president's cup. that's just one of the things that we'll be watching for this weekend. >> it looks like an exciting weekend ahead. hallie jackson coming from tokyo. thank you so much. and that wraps up our coverage for now t. be sure to tune in at

6:00 a.m. for msnbc live. now we take you back to "date line." line." hey, listen i'm going to set up a meeting with you tomorrow, so we can finish this. okay? >> okay. >> reporter: taz told leon he was bringing a partner. >> i'm gonna bring with me the navy s.e.a.l. guy because he wants, you know -- so we can this done -- >> reporter: taz didn't tell leon. his new partner was really an undercover police officer. then leon said something taz wasn't expecting. >> we're taking care of both problems? >> what both problems? >> both of the individuals that we're talking about. >> taz looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. >> reporter: a second potential victim has just been added to the mix. >> yes, right. yes. >> reporter: leon agreed to meet at an olive garden restaurant with taz and, the undercover officer, who went by adam. we've agreed not to show his face. what is the goal of this meeting? >> make sure that this really is a murder for hire and to gather evidence.

to see what it is that they want, also to discuss payment. >> reporter: when leon showed up, he wasn't alone. >> we followed leon to the table where we sat down. and we were introduced to valerie. >> reporter: that's right, valerie mcdaniel, leon's new girlfriend, the woman who bonded him out of jail. here was valerie meeting two supposed hit men. >> hey, valerie. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: when the conversation started, leon didn't sound like someone trying to hire a hitman. he said he'd be happy if meghan just went back to pittsburgh. >> i want her just to leave. >> yeah. >> i don't want her hurt. >> reporter: but, as they ate their pasta leon's tone hardened. >> make it very clear to her that if she doesn't leave this time, there's gonna be some severe consequences. >> reporter: during the conversation, leon said he wanted adam to try another tactic, plant some drugs on meghan. >> she gets pulled over, she has a little cocaine. she's not a credible witness anymore. >> reporter: and leon had a more sinister idea, which to the

undercover officer sounded like an invitation to murder. >> give her an injection of potassium chloride to stop her heart, untraceable. >> it's up to you. >> do you have that stuff? >> i can get access to it, yeah. i have access to a pharmacy. valerie owns a pharmacy, she has a pharmacy at her clinic. i'd prefer not to do that. but my survival is more important. >> reporter: he's giving you a way to kill someone. >> he gave me very detailed, precise instructions on how to kill somebody. >> reporter: but it wasn't just meghan whose life was in danger remember. leon had said something about both individuals. who was the other target? >> he needs to go. i don't mind what you [ bleep ] do to him. he's one of the worst human beings i've ever met in my entire life. >> reporter: leon clearly hated the guy. so who was he? >> i've never met a human being like her ex-husband, and i've met some pretty bad people. >> reporter: her ex-husband. he meant valerie's ex-husband mack.

that's right, this murder-for-hire was a double plot, a two-fer. it seemed leon and valerie both wanted their exes dead. leon and taz left the table for a smoke and valerie talked specifics with adam about how he could bump off her ex-husband. >> he could have a boating accident. harder? >> reporter: the undercover officer suggested some simpler execution options. >> take his car, leave him on the street. make sure he's dead. maybe put another bullet in his head. we call that a "double tap." they'll think it was a robbery. >> reporter: but first, adam wanted to know, was she sure? >> you need to give me the go-ahead. there's no going back on this, okay. >> what option do i have? he's gonna take my daughter. >> reporter: of course, explained adam, a second target would cost extra money. leon returned to the table to negotiate a payment plan. >> $5,000. >> after everything is done -- >> we'll take care of it. >> reporter: listening in from a nearby table was sergeant frank quinn, who was in charge of the

undercover operation. so, now, you have a man and a woman who both want their exes dead. >> yes. >> reporter: is that beyond bizarre? >> i hadn't seen anything like it before. and it was really shocking. >> reporter: the meeting broke up. adam and taz promised to be in touch. investigators thought they had a case but to make it stick, they needed the money to change hands. and they had a wild, elaborate plan to make that happen. coming up -- >> they said, "we need you to get in the car with us." >> undercover sting scene number two. >> we zip tied her hands, zip tied her feet and, then, duct taped around her mouth. >> i'm sitting there just hysterical. there's no words. >> when "dateline" continues. guys, what's the matter?

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here's what's happening. president trump is in japan. the president will hold talks

with the japanese prime minister on issues like trade and tensions with north korea. and the governor of missouri signed a sweeping bill banning abortion after eight weeks. the bill does not include exceptions for rape or incest. only medical emergencies. a similar bill was blocked by a judge that says it infringes on women's health care rights. now back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline." meghan had been attracted to leon jacob in part because as a doctor, he saved lives. now, police officers were telling her he was trying to hire a hitman to potentially take hers. and there was more. she wasn't the only target. but the police were putting the wheels in motion on a plan of their own. here's andrea canning with "twisted in texas." >> reporter: after some anxious days in pittsburgh, meghan verikas got a call from investigators to come back to

houston. soon after she arrived, they called again with a surprise. >> they said, "we're outside. we need you to get in the car with us." >> reporter: this is, like, out of a movie? >> it is. they take me to some lot that looks like a junk yard, kinda. there's cars with bullet holes in them. >> reporter: just then, another car pulled up, and a man got out. meghan recognized valerie's ex-husband mack, and learned that he, too, was the target of a hit. >> he just hugged me. and he was like, "i heard about this, like, a day ago." and i was like, "yeah, i've been dealin' with this for some time." >> reporter: but neither meghan or mack could have anticipated the incredible scheme police had in mind for them. sergeant frank quinn and his officers wanted meghan and mack to participate -- get this -- in a fake kidnapping and murder. what a bizarre request of someone who's a victim in a potential murder-for-hire plot to -- >> it is. >> reporter: hey, we want you to pose. and you're going to look dead. >> yes. >> reporter: quinn's plan was to

show photos of the staged scenes to leon and valerie. he wanted to see their reaction and also have them make a payment for the fake hit. mack went first, playing a murder victim. was mack up for this? >> yes. definitely. >> reporter: quinn's unit used pig's blood to simulate a head wound. they knew they had to make it look convincing to leon. >> when you're dealing with a doctor who's probably seen wounds, then, you need to be as realistic as you can. >> reporter: he's been shot? >> yes. shot in the head. >> reporter: in the photos? >> shot in the head. yes. >> reporter: meghan's role was different. she played the victim of a kidnapping. >> we zip tied her hands, zip tied her feet and, then, duct taped around her mouth. for us, this is very clinical. but in meghan's case, it hit her. and the tears were flowing. and she just broke down. >> there's no words. i'm sitting there just hysterical. but i guess it made the photos look better because it was real tears. it was real emotion. >> reporter: meanwhile adam, the

undercover police officer posing as a hitman, exchanged texts and calls with leon. >> i want that taken care of asap, too. this has gotta be fixed. >> most of the conversations have to do with leon asking me to hurry up and commence with the -- with the murders. >> we just want these two situations taken care of immediately. >> reporter: later that day, armed with the staged photos, the undercover officer adam went over to leon and valerie's home to tell them he'd killed mack and get them to pay. >> the male subject, i'm sure you know who i'm talking about, he's gone. he's done. >> reporter: but leon wanted to talk about meghan, and how they were a bad match from the start. >> she grew up sort of middle, lower-middle, class. this girl, she doesn't understand my world. >> reporter: adam returned to the business at hand. said he planned to deal with meghan the next day. if she refused to leave town, he would kill her. >> tomorrow? >> more than likely by tomorrow

she'll more than likely be dead, and that's it. >> i'd rather not. >> i understand that you prefer not, but i can't give you 100% guarantee. >> reporter: leon showed the undercover officer a pile of cash wrapped in a dish towel, payment for homicidal services rendered. >> $1,800 in cash, with the promise to pay me the remained of the $10,000 at a later time. >> reporter: what does that say to you in that moment? like, this guy's, obviously, serious. >> that's what told me there was no going back. he was dead serious about it. >> reporter: the next day adam texted leon that photo of meghan crying, zip tied and duct taped. leon didn't respond, so the undercover officer called to tell him he'd had to kill meghan. >> there's no reasoning with her. she just put too much risk on -- on us and she doesn't care, uh, about leaving. uh, that's pretty much it man. she's, uh, she's dead. she's gone.

>> she was just like, "-- you?" >> in so many words, yeah. she -- yeah, she's dead. >> you already took care of it? >> yeah. >> reporter: hours later, continuing the ruse, police arrived at valerie and leon's apartment with their body cameras rolling. >> we're just coming to inform her that her husband has been killed to get her reaction. >> your ex-husband has been found. it looks like it, uh, turns out to be a fatality. >> reporter: what was their reaction? >> they try to -- feign some kind of surprise. and, then, we wanna gauge his reaction, too. >> oh, my god. we were here all day with their -- their daughter, and we watched movies. >> he immediately offers an alibi. he's like, "oh, my gosh. we've been here all day." >> reporter: suspicious? >> very suspicious, yes. >> the one thing he's not, is an actor. a good actor. >> reporter: the police got the reaction they were looking for. they had the money paid to the undercover officer, and so they

sprang their trap. >> right now, we're going to read you your rights. >> me? >> reporter: they arrested leon and valerie for solicitation of capital murder. and revealed, there was no murder and no kidnapping. meghan and mack were alive and well. >> they had no idea. they believed that their issues had been taken care of. they had no more problems. and to immediately go from a death notification, to you're under arrest for solicitation, to capital murder -- >> reporter: that's a head-snapper. >> yeah. that'll get your attention. was valerie mcdaniel a murderous mastermind? or another victim of leon jacob. >> i couldn't believe this was happening to my sister. >> what could have driven valerie to do this? she tells her story. and leon tells his when "dateline" continues.

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the headline was just so sensational -- ritzy river oaks couple take out hits on their exes. >> the murder-for-hire plot that sent shockwaves through river oaks. >> reporter: in the days following the arrests, revelations about leon's past flooded in with every newscast, including nbc affiliate kprc. >> channel 2 investigates is digging up new details. >> reporter: court documents showed leon wasn't exactly who he appeared to be. he'd been kicked out of

residency programs, convicted of attempted cyberstalking and criminal trespassing. and there was another woman from leon's past who accused him of abuse, his ex-wife. >> one count of solicitation of capital murder. >> reporter: leon was held without bail. but the judge did set bail for valerie. she was allowed to go home. her sister, angela, was in shock. >> it just was unreal. i couldn't believe that this was happening to my sister. the most kind, sweet, loving person. >> reporter: valerie's best friend, maggie, said valerie was scarred by her recent divorce. >> it left her extremely vulnerable to a predator like leon to come along and sink his teeth in. >> reporter: after the arrest, maggie confronted valerie. >> and i just kind of said, listen, you are under some sort of spell right now. this monster has gotten you into some trouble and you need to

fight like hell. >> reporter: what did she say? >> she did not understand what was happening. she just seemed off. terribly, terribly sad. >> reporter: at home alone, valerie recorded an audio diary on her ipad. >> hey, it's valerie. >> reporter: she recounted how, back when her marriage to mack was crumbling, she ran into her neighbor's son, leon. >> i was completely turned off immediately by his attitude, because you could tell he knew how beautiful he was. >> reporter: but over time, valerie, like meghan before her, thought she saw something in him. and as with meghan, leon captured their budding romance in selfies. >> i got through that exterior and realized he was a -- a nice person. and i was lonely. and uh, he kept me company. i fell deeply in love with leon. >> reporter: but valerie said she never intended to have her husband killed.

>> i hate the idea that everybody thinks i'm a monster. >> reporter: the audio diary turned out to be her final recorded words. >> i don't want to hurt anyone. just me. okay, thank you for listening. bye. >> reporter: a little over two weeks after her arrest, valerie mcdaniel jumped to her death from the seventh floor balcony of her apartment building. >> it was the worst -- worst day of my life. >> reporter: valerie's friend, maggie, blamed leon. >> i see it as murder. i really do. i think he's murdered her reputation. and he ultimately murdered her. >> reporter: even though she made that choice on her own? >> yes, yes. it never, ever, ever -- none of this would've ever happened without him. >> reporter: leon jacob didn't see it that way at all. we met him at the harris county jail where he was awaiting trial, far removed from the promise of his early years. this was a privileged life. top boarding school, fancy vacations, nice house. would you describe it that way?

>> yeah. i mean, i can't say that i wanted for anything. >> reporter: and what drew him to medicine? >> i think in a lot of ways as a physician, you're a public servant. >> reporter: he says meghan caught his eye at first sight. >> she was beautiful and -- and vivacious, and smart. >> reporter: she thought you were obnoxious when she first met you. >> i don't know. i was just being myself. some people find me obnoxious or confident when they first meet me. but after they get to know me a little bit, i'm just an easy goin', fun-loving kind of person. >> reporter: after leon was charged with soliciting meghan's murder, the old misdemeanor assault charge was dropped. he told us he never physically abused her. >> i don't recall the relationship being like that. >> reporter: she said the final straw was when you grabbed her face in the bathroom and you physically assaulted her. and that's when she finally left. >> her recollection -- >> reporter: couldn't take it anymore -- >> of that night is different than mine. >> reporter: tell us what happened, in your eyes. >> we were fighting.

i wasn't gonna restrain her in any way. i mean, i never physically touched her or hurt her in any way, despite what she claims. >> reporter: he did admit he called meghan repeatedly and followed her around after their breakup. said he just wanted to talk things out. >> i'd been to her work a bunch. i went to take her out to lunch to sort of say i'm sorry. >> reporter: you're making this sound like it's nothing. she was living in such fear that she didn't know if she was gonna live to see another day if you found her. >> that's absurd. absolutely absurd. >> reporter: leon insisted he didn't hire anyone to hurt meghan. he was just trying to help her return to her home town. >> i never asked him to snatch anybody or kidnap anybody. what i was told was what meghan wanted to do was go back to pittsburgh. >> reporter: why would you wanna be nice at this point, though? meghan doesn't want anything to do with you. it doesn't make any sense. >> i was told that's what her wishes were. >> reporter: and what about those tapes that sounded so damning? >> you already took care of her? >> yeah. >> reporter: leon said the tapes

didn't prove anything. why go down this road? why hire a -- who you think is a hitman? >> i never thought -- >> reporter: if you don't want meghan dead? >> he was a hitman. you have to understand something. i never thought these people were violent criminals at all. >> reporter: that's not how it appears on the tapes. >> if you really listen to what's said, i never asked him to hurt anybody. i never asked him to kill anybody. >> reporter: but remember he did offer a suggestion on how to kill her. >> give her an injection of potassium chloride and stop her heart. untraceable. >> reporter: why are you telling him how to do this? >> i will talk about that when i'm on the witness stand. >> reporter: so there's nothing you wanna share now. >> no. >> reporter: we also asked how valerie's husband became a target. >> i had nothing to do with what was going on with mack. >> reporter: if leon told us he was being kind to meghan, it was a different story with valerie. he shifted blame to his late lover, even as he tried to sound sympathetic.

>> valerie wasn't a monster. she clearly had reached a breaking point and i can't say that i condone what she wanted to have done. as a doctor, just as a human being, you know, taking someone's life is not okay with me. >> reporter: so you're saying you two were not in on this together. >> not in on having anybody killed. absolutely not. >> reporter: did you mastermind the plan to have meghan and mack killed? >> there was never a plan to have anybody killed. so, no, i did not mastermind a plan to have meghan and/or mack killed. >> reporter: do you believe valerie was the mastermind behind this plan? >> she asked for something to happen that she clearly wanted to have happen. i don't think she masterminded. i think that she progressively got there. >> reporter: convenient for leon. valerie wasn't around to defend herself. then again, he was the one about to go on trial. the doctor takes the stand. will he be able to save himself?

coming up -- >> you need to restate your question. >> a suspect, not as clever as he thinks? or just clever enough to convince a jury? >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. >> what would the verdict be? when "dateline" continues.

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harris county prosecutor harris county prosecutor samantha knecht and her samantha knecht and her co-counsel, cameron calligan, co-counsel, cameron calligan, knew they had a strong case knew they had a strong case against leon jacob for against leon jacob for solicitation of capital murder, solicitation of capital murder, and additionally, for and additionally, for solicitation of kidnapping. solicitation of kidnapping. they also knew they had a they also knew they had a potential problem. potential problem. as you headed to trial, what was as you headed to trial, what was gonna be the cornerstone of your case? >> the recordings. >> the recording >> the recordings. >> the recordings. there was no way that he was there was no way that he was gonna be able to get himself out gonna be able to get himself out of all of the things that he of all of the things that he said. said. >> reporter: what would you say >> reporter: what would you say was the weakest part of your was the weakest part of your case? >> well, an aspect of the >> well, an aspect of the recordings, as well. recordings, as well. the defendant is educated, he's the defendant is educated, he's intelligent, he was cautious in intelligent, he was cautious in his approach to talking to the his approach to undercover officer. >> reporter: that was the problem. in all those recorded in all those recorded conversations leon never said, conversations leon never said, "kill meghan." yet the "kill meghan." yet the prosecutors had to prove that's exactly what he meant. >> reporter: leon jacob does not stop until he gets what he wants. >> reporter: the trial began on >> reporter: the trial began on march 20, 2018. march 20, 2018. the prosecution called the bail the prosecution called the bail bondsman, michael kubosh, who

bondsman, michael kubosh, who told the jury he had no doubt told the jury he had no doubt leon wanted to hire a hitman to kill meghan. >> i felt like i was talking to the devil himself. >> reporter: the state then called the supposed hitman turned informant, taz, who testified that he too, knew exactly what leon wanted done. >> i asked him to bring $2,500 to see how serious he is. >> and he brought that money? >> yes. >> reporter: prosecutors played the tape where leon discussed in detail how he, as a doctor might get rid of meghan -- >> give her an injection of potassium chloride to stop her heart, untraceable. i'd prefer not to do that. but my survival is more important. >> he might not have said >> he might not have said "murder," he might not have said "murder," he might not have said "kill," but he knew what he was asking for -- >> reporter: one of the star witnesses was the man who played dead. mack mcdaniel alive and well mack mcdaniel alive and well told the jury that he didn't told the jury that he didn't want leon, a man accused of want leon, a man accused of stalking and assault, anywhere stalking and ass near his daughter. >> did you convey to valerie your wishes that natalie not be around the defendant? >> yes. >> reporter: motive, said the

prosecutors, for leon to have mack killed. >> mack and maybe even the courts may get involved, are gonna make valerie choose between her daughter and the defendant, she's gonna choose her daughter. >> reporter: mack recounted the emotional moment when he learned about the murder plot. >> that if they would have been successful, natalie would've not had any parents. >> reporter: then it was meghan's turn. no gag or zip ties this time. she told the jury she had no doubt leon wanted her dead. >> were you scared? >> very scared. >> how did that affect how you felt about your safety around the defendant? >> i was terrified. >> reporter: defense attorney george parnham said the prosecution had it all wrong. leon didn't want anyone killed. >> he wasn't suggesting that this be done. >> reporter: he argued leon was just a love lorn ex-boyfriend, who'd gone overboard with big talk. >> he's braggadocios and, then, backtracks. >> reporter: you might think >> reporter: you might think that made him a risky witness,

that made him a risky witness, but leon wanted to testify. but leon wanted to testify. >> i never asked to have anybody >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. we had multiple discussions, or we had multiple discussions, or multiple conversations about not multiple conversations about not wanting to harm or hurt anybody. wanting to harm or hurt anybody. >> reporter: the state said that >> reporter: th was just semantics. on cross-examination, prosecutor samantha knecht pointed out that despite leon's claim he hadn't explicitly asked for meghan or mack to be killed, he didn't exactly shy away from violent talk. >> "snatch her, put her in a >> "snatch her, put her in a room, and tell her if she room, and tell her if she doesn't [ bleep ] leave, i'm doesn't [ bleep ] leave, i'm gonna kill her parents," right? gonna kill her parents," right? >> if that's what you say i said. >> did you say it mr. jacob? >> did you say it mr. jacob? >> sure. >> sure. >> reporter: as for leon's claim >> reporter: as for leon's claim he never suggested killing he never sugges meghan. >> if you injected someone with >> if you injected someone with potassium chloride and stopped potassium chloride and stopped their heart that it would hurt their heart tha them? >> yes. >> it would kill them? >> yes. >> it would kill them? >> yes. >> yes. >> and you knew that as a >> and you knew doctor. >> yes. >> yes. >> when we would ask him a >> when we would ask him a

question, if he didn't feel like question, if he didn't feel like we had phrased it right, he we had phrased it right, he would rephrase it for us. would rephrase it for us. >> you need to restate your >> you need to restate your question and put it into context. question and put it into context. >> i believe that he felt like >> i believe that he felt like he was smarter than cameron and i. >> reporter: did you just wanna >> reporter: d smack him? >> yes. >> reporter: leon, they argued, didn't care who lived or died in his wake. >> he did nothing to stop this. in his mind his ex-girlfriend, is sitting by herself in a warehouse somewhere, in this city, zip-tied, with duckttape around her mouth. he thinks he can just walk away from this. >> reporter: it took the jury all of an hour and 15 minutes to decide leon's fate. >> we the jury find the defendant, leon phillip jacob, guilty of solicitation of capital murder. >> reporter: guilty of all charges. and in texas, the jury can also decide punishment. in the penalty phase, prosecutors called a new witness, leon's ex-wife annie. she testified in vivid detail that leon was abusive.

>> what did the defendant tell you? >> that was my punishment for >> that was my punishment for calling the police was being calling the police was being held in the bed with a knife to my throat. >> reporter: this defendant cannot be trusted to live among us. a guilty verdict without the a guilty verdict without the appropriate punishment is hollow. appropriate punishment is hollow. >> reporter: there's something >> reporter: there's something you want out of the punishment you want out of the punishment phase? >> i would never want him to be >> i would never want him to be able to do this to somebody else able to do this to somebody else because if it wasn't me, if it because if it wasn't me, if it wasn't valerie, if it wasn't wasn't valerie, if it wasn't annie, it's gonna be somebody annie, it's gonna be somebody else. else. and that needs to stop. and that needs to stop. >> reporter: the jury sentenced >> reporter: the jury sentenced leon to life in prison. leon to life in prison. afterwards, meghan addressed him directly. >> while you sit in jail i hope >> while you sit in jail i hope you think of me, the girl that you think of me, the girl that you called poor and uneducated. you called poor and uneducated. it's because of me, you will be it's because of me, you will be in prison for life. in prison for life. >> i was really proud of her. >> i was really proud of her. i think it took incredible i think it took incredible courage on her part to see this courage on her through. >> reporter: meghan knows, in a >> reporter: meghan knows, in a way, she was lucky. way, she was lucky. >> every day, there are women >> every day, there are women that are in -- in situations that are in -- in situations like this that don't have the means to get out. i've had so many people help me.

and i just wanna make a difference for those who don't have a voice. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm natalie morales. thanks for watching. hey hey there, good morning, i'm i'm alex witt here in newark at msnbc headquarters. trump in tokyo. the president arrives less than two hours ago in japan's capital but new problems today on the domestic front threaten to overshadow his trip. new powers. bill barr now has a wide berth to look into spying claims during the 2016 election. why a former cia director is sounding the alarm. swing states could suffer the most in the tariff row with c why why the trump administration is putting the brakes on