the things i did wrong. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. eyes, you think about everything that happened in your life and you wonder, am i ready to die? >> he was a hollywood stuntman but this was no hollywood stunt. >> this was a hit. >> shot, four times and left dying on the floor. >> somebody definitely wanted him dead. >> but who and why? you'll meet lots of possible suspects. >> oh, my gosh. >> including his ex-wife, an actress once movied to joe pesce but she had a strong alibi. >> do you know who shot eric? >> i don't know.

>> that's only the start in the twists to this hollywood mystery. s >> this is one of those stranger than fiction type things. certainly nobody would write a script like this. >> the most stunning of all is what didn't happen -- >> my mom said don't shoot [ bleep ] that hit me harder than the bullet. that hid me the hardest. my mom never swore. >> hello and welcome to "dateline." garrett ward was a mollywood stuntman who made his living pulling off death-defying acts. then one night he opened his door to a stranger and found himself in a terrifying scene that was all too real. garrett was looking down the barrett of a gun. moments later, four shots rang out and soon investigators would be embroiled in a who done it with more twists than a feature

film. here's josh mankiewicz with the "the plot thickens." >> action. it ranked second only to money. as the single most important word in hollywood. and here in l.a. where life and art are often the same thing, there's a real life drama that rivaled any action movie, with a plot that includes all of the elements of classic film law. a mystery, featuring an assassin, a femme fatale and a hollywood star and a stuntman whond takes the fall. as for the money, we'll get to that. let's start with the biggest name on the marquis, joe pesci, famous for his role as a cold blooded killer.

this drama would co-star his ex-wife claudia hara, a model and actress who appeared in the gangster film "casino." it includes claudia's brother, not an actor but a tough guy who did time in prison and who harbors a terrible secret in his past. h and finally, claudia's second husband, garrett warren, a hollywood stuntman and martial arts expert, a man very familiar with danger. early evening in the quiet townn of west lake village, california, outside of l.a., stuntman garrett warren heard a knock on his door and a voice on the other side asking about his new silver volvo parked in the driveway. garrett answered and then comes

our first plot twist. three shots into his body. one more into garrett's right eye.ot the dare devil's luck had run out. >> i called and his mother answered the phone. screaming, crying, just distraught, wally, you're not going to believe what happened. what? garrett has been shot. >> wally was a fellow stuntman and garrett's good friend. >> garrett was one of those men that you could count on you hear in life that you're very lucky if you have five friends or count a friend or one hand, garrett was that friend to me. >> wally had been in the business for more than 30 years. >> garrett warren was probably the finest fight man you could ask for. i had hired him on several shows and got to know him, watched his

expertise, phenomenal athlete, stuntman. >> you've probably seen garrett's work but didn't know. his stunt work was featured charlie's angels. and double teamed with jean-claude dam. >> he was a focused individual. people think of dare devils as stunt people, crazy people. that's the last person i want on my job.he >> wally says the focus shifted the minute garrett warren meant dlaud a claudia hara. >> beautiful woman. we wanted garrett to be happy. he had found somebody that he sounded like he genuinely loved and wanted to start a life with. >> there was something special about her.ou people who got to know her, a beautiful soul. men were attracted to that as much as to her beauty. >> claudia's good friend julie h remembers when claudia and ia garrett first got together. >> one day she says, i met this

guy. y. >> she was very excited. i was a big fan of garrett's, he was sweet and funny and she seemed so happy with him. i should say joe and i both were very supportive. >> by joe, she is referring to claudia's ex-husband, a ex character actor who became a star by playing mafia tough guy joe pesci. >> it sounds like her marnl to joe pesci didn't end badly? >> not at all. they are like family, they are very close. >> claudia stay closed to joe >k pesci even after she started to date garrett who came from a different part of the movie business. garrett loved action and adventure.ress but when he met claudia, he was ready to settle down. >> we felt this would be the gal that garrett would end up with, no more dating or running around. i'm going to end up with claudia.ar >> garrett and claudia were married less than a year after they met. a >> in the beginning, i think it was a very good relationship.

>> oh, my gosh. >> they soon had a beautiful daughter, kyla. >> look at that hairdo. >> the new couple enjoyed being parents. >> i love you guys. >> love you too. >> but happy scenes like this one did not last. claudia and garrett couldn't make it work.an >> with a series of events, it wasn't the right marriage. >> once the relationship went south, it went fast. less than two years after their wedding claudia and garrett split up for good. >> divorce is never easy but in the long run, it was two parents trying to figure out a way to live and both see their children. >> garrett went back to his old life as a stuntman, back to the set in the world of make believe. so then how did his life go from playing dead to bleeding out at

his home shot four times at close range? >> someone wanted him hurt or dead at that time. >> but who? detective mark gamen of the l.a. county sheriff's department said investigators looked at every angle. remembering how the gunman at first asked garrett about his er brand-new volvo. they wondered if this could be road rage, someone garrett tangled with on the l.a. freeways. >> mr. warren is a stuntman. >> yes. >> i'm guessing he doesn't always drive the speed limit or use his blinker when it's time i to change lanes. >> that could be possible. >> or it could be personal. >> could have been an ex-business partner or somebody he was dating that was jealous,s maybe an ex-husband, or an ex-boyfriend. there was an array of possibles on who could have done this. >> possibilities that led from a bloody crime scene to the bright lights of the movie business. all the way to the parts of l.a.

that the tourists never see. so who did want garrett warren dead? thereet seemed to be an entire cast of suspects. coming up -- getting ready to say good-bye to a friend. >> i'm going to lose my friend.m he's not going to make it. >> when "dateline" continues.

oh, come on. flo: don't worry. you're covered. (dramatic music) and you're saving money, because you bundled home and auto. sarah, get in the house. we're all here for you. all: all day, all night. (dramatic music) great job speaking calmly and clearly everyone. that's how you put a customer at ease. hey, did anyone else hear weird voices while they were in the corn? no. no. me either. whispering voice: jamie. what?

i wanted more from my copd medicine that's why i've got the power of 1, 2, 3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved once-daily 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy ♪ the power of 1,2,3 ♪ trelegy ♪ 1,2,3 ♪ trelegy man: with trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works three ways to open airways, keep them open and reduce inflammation, for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush,

pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3. ♪ trelegy, 1,2,3 man: save at trelegy.com. too shabby! too much! i can rent this? for that price? absolutely. it's just right! book your just right rental at thrifty.com. ♪

fade in, north ridge hospital daytime. waller rushed to the bedside of his buddy garrett warren a movie stuntman shot with real live bullets. >> i run into garrett's mom and realized i'm going to lose my friend. he's not going to make it. >> garrett was in critical condition. >> all these things run through your head, the time you spent together, the things that maybe you should have said that you didn't. it was rough. >> shot three times in the body and once through the eye, all at close range. hard to imagine anyone surviving it. ready for our second twist? it's one that neither garrett's family nor the gunman saw coming. this is garrett warren today. >> thank god i'm still here. i mean, i was very fortunate. i was very lucky, very blessed. >> to the surprise of the

doctors treating him, garrett warren pulled through, and he lived to tell the story of the night he was almost murdered. a flashback as vivid now as it was then. here's bullet one. >> to be honest with you, when a bullet hits you, you don't know it hits you. it's not like you see in the movies. as i flip to the side and it hit me center mass, it went right in front of my chest and passed by my heart and stuck in my rib cage right here and still there. >> then bullet two. >> so i look down and look back up and here came another one. i slipped my head to the side when that happened, the bullet hit me in the deck and went straight up my back. >> bullet three. >> then i realized it was for real. i went to close the door and he shot center mass. he hit me here in the hip and straight out my back and past my hip. that one hurt.

that one hit my bone. >> if that sounds gruesome, then hang on for what's next. >> i fell back behind my door to the ground and went the gun to my head. when the gun was placed to my head, i saw him squeeze the trigger, flinched like this, like a fighter would. the bullet hit me through the eye, came out my ear and got stuck in the wall behind my head. >> those are some pretty good reflexes. >> but if it was the reflexes, that wasn't very good. that's like going back and the bullet hits him. as much as i moved, i still got hit. >> somehow the bullet that went through garrett's head missed his brain. >> you know when they tell you your life passes before your eyes, it doesn't pass before your eyes. you run through it. you think about everything that happened in your life and you wonder, did i do anything wrong? did i not make up for it? am i ready to die? >> at the time of the shooting, garrett's mother was at his home helping with baby kyla.

garrett's mother ran to see what was happening and the gunman took two shots at her but he missed and then out of bullets he fled. >> i looked at her and said, i love you mom. i'll see you on theeer side. my mom said, don't you [ bleep ] die. i was shocked. that hit me harder than the bullets. my mom never swore and she says don't you [ bleep ] die. you've been a fighter all your life, fight one more time. i looked at her and said, you got it, i'm not going to go. i'll stay. >> as garrett ran through his life, he looked back on his failed marriage to claudia haro. >> it was true love. it was the things that poetry was written about, the thing movies were made of. >> hi, daddy, what's up? >> that brief marriage produced their daughter, kyla. even though the marriage didn't last, the bond both parents felt

with kyla surely did. >> my daughter being born was amazing, most amazing parts of my life and greatest things that i can leave for my legacy, i guess. >> when the marriage broke up, there was a nasty fight over who would get custody of kyla. in the midst of it, claudia made perhaps the worst accusation you could make. she claimed garrett had sexually molested their daughter. after a thorough investigation, a family court judge ruled that there was no evidence of abuse. but it was shortly after that that the gunman showed up at garrett's home. so naturally detectives brought in claudia for questioning. >> it was just another road we went down. during the investigation you know, it's like, could it be an ex? >> claudia was cooperative and didn't appear to be any ties to the shooting and had a strong alibi for that evening. she even expressed concern for garrett. investigators were satisfied she

wasn't involved. so they kept talking to garrett, who had gotten a glimpse of the man who shot him. >> it was very difficult to decipher what his ethnicity was because i was looking through a peephole in my door. >> not somebody you knew. >> never knew him before. >> as garrett recovered from his wounds, the sheriff's department tried to piece together some theories. i'm guessing detectives asked garrett if he was carrying on with someone else's wife or girlfriend? >> yes, everything was being looked at in his life and lifestyle and his business. >> an exciting high energy lifestyle, from the gym he owned to the film circle he ran in. garrett warren had no shortage of adventures. but investigators received a tip suggesting that garrett also had enemies. >> sheriff's received an anonymous letter advising there was people involved at the gym that garrett was having some kind of relationship with, people that might be of interest to detectives that they might

want to question these people. >> detectives checked out every name that came up and followed up on every lead but hit a dead end at every turn. >> depressing? >> very depressing. sometimes you need that one break. you need a phone call that somebody wants to really give up some information and give us another road to go down and adventure to try. >> it took almost two years before that break arrived. that's when police in another county, searching a car for drugs, instead found a note and photo that would make clear just what kind of danger garrett warren was facing. coming up -- was garrett warren's would be killer about to try for take two. >> i'm scared he's going to come back and finish me. >> when "dateline" continues. ins i wanted them to know that innovation is not just about that one 'a-ha' moment.

science is a process. it takes time, dedication. it's a journey. we're constantly asking ourselves, 'how can we do things better and better?' what we make has to work. we strive to protect you. at 3m, we're in pursuit of solutions that make people's lives better.

at 3m, we're in i don't use some waxy cover up. i use herpecín l, it penetrates deep to treat. it soothes moisturizes and creates a spf 30 barrier to protect against flare ups caused by the sun. herpecín l. it does more for a cold sore.

♪ close up, garrett warren, a stuntman was gunned down in his own home but lived to tell the tale. he knew his would be killer was still on the loose and garrett was looking over his shoulder. >> i have a bullet proof vest on. i have invested whatever money i possibly can into all sorts of security around my house. i'm scared to death someone is going to come back and finish it. >> did you ever think there was

ever going to be an arrest. >> no. chalk it up to experience and move on with your life and that's it. >> and you did move on with your life. >> i did. >> a year after his shooting, garrett still faced multiple surgeries and painful rehab. he was back at work as a personal trainer at the gym he owned, and that's where he met isa. >> she was also a client of mine that i was the personal trainer to, so while we were first training, she said, you know, i really like you. i would like to date you. >> i said. i have a rule, i don't date clients. >> so isa quit the gym. she came back, i'm not in your gym anymore. i'm not your client. let's date. >> they married two years after the shooting. maybe the happiness brought along by garrett's second wife made it easier to get along with his first, claudia. the anger that had marked their divorce had faded. >> we're back to our visitation schedule again, back to shared custody and we're on speaking

terms. we're actually friendly. >> it was about 18 months after garrett was shot when detectives got that lucky break. in an unrelated case, san barn dee know police served a search want on a car to a man named miguel kiros. they were looking for drugs, but they found something else, a photograph of garrett warren with a circle drawn on it and garrett's home address, which very few people knew. so detectives showed garrett a six-pack, a photo lineup that included a photo of miguel curos. >> by all means that's the guy i recognize. >> that's the guy that shot snu. >> yep. >> no doubt in your mind? >> no doubt in my mind. >> in 2003 detectives arrested miguel for attempted murder. he was neither a gang banger nor

a hired gun. instead he owned a pizza parlor. sheriff's detective mark gamen. >> it seemed he was your middle class nice guy that everybody in the community loved. >> and yet garrett was identifying him as the shooter? >> yes. >> other than garrett's i.d., there was nothing to suggest they had ever met. >> they never done any business deal before? >> no. >> connected in any way to the gym? >> no. >> any chance he was driving a car near garrett that night? >> no, none whatsoever. >> what their connection was or why he would kill him, not clear? >> there was no direct connection whatsoever. >> and as detectives soon learned, proving an attempted murder charge against miguel kiros wouldn't be easy. multiple witnesses said they saw and spoke to him at the pizza parlor on the night of the shooting.

>> these witnesses weren't really beholden to mr. kioros in any way. they weren't members of his families, they were customers. >> yes, they were frequent customers of that establishment, plus he had receipts. it was a pretty good alibis. >> so at kioro's preliminary hearing, evidence pointed both ways. witnesses put him 80 miles away from the scene of the crime on the night it happened. but then why did kiros had garrett's picture hidden in the car. how and why would garrett finger kiros as the shooter. the deputy was brought in from the major crimes unit and he knew he had more work to do. >> you got a guy stopped for drug charges. >> right. >> he has a map hidden in his car of somebody who was nearly a murder victim >> sure. >> and a photograph of that guy. >> right.

>> and guy picks him out. >> you think what's the question, right? >> aren't there people on death row for more than that? >> sometimes there's more to the story than meets the eye, which is the case here. investigators discover another picture of garrett warren, this one of him and the man he accused of shooting him. coming up, this is one of those stranger than fiction kind of things. certainly nobody would write a script like this. >> when "dateline" continues. 12345

1234507. 1234507. when i rent a car, i never compromise. too shabby! too much! i can rent this? for that price? absolutely. it's just right! book your just right rental at thrifty.com.

we have the hours top story. nbc news exclusive the trurp administration tends to announce the withdrawal of 4,000 troops from afghanistan as early as next week. the move would leave roughly 8 to 9,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan. new details about a deadly robbery that left a new york city college student dead. a 13-year-old has been arrested in connection with the crime. police say a group of teens attacked tessa majors. now back to "dateline."

♪ welcome back to "dateline" i'm craig melvin. police had just arrested suspected drug dealer miguel kiros for the attempted murder of garrett warren. they were serving a search warrant on kiros' car when they found garrett's address and picture in the trunk. the case against kiros wasn't adding up, then a closer look at the evidence led to a stunning discovery. garrett warren wasn't out of danger yesterday. here again is josh mankiewicz with, the plot thickens. garrett warren was gunned down, shot four times in his own home but somehow survived. it fit his character.

not only did he survive, but he was able to identify his shooter a man who had been caught with what looked like a hit note in his car. >> and they tell you his name is miguel kiros. >> yes. >> that name mean anything to you? >> not at the time at all. >> it sounded at first like a strong case, but the more law enforcement and prosecutor investigated, the weaker it seemed to become. >> so you've done a lot of work, and mostly what you've done is help prove yor defendant's alibi. >> sure, so far. and eventually it really proved the alibi that he didn't do this. >> remember, multiple witnesses put miguel kiros about 80 miles away from garrett's home on the night of the shooting. and then, like a scene from culumbo came this latest twist, something the prosecutors saw during a court hearing. >> i'm noticing something. first of all, miguel kiros is left-handed. the shooter was described by the witnesses, the victim and his

mother as right-handed. and that's a little odd. >> odd because what left-handed person would try to commit murder with the gun in his right hand. that's like out of a movie. >> it's out of a movie, right. real life this didn't make any sense. >> and then, prosecutor saw this photo taken at a party, a barbecue. >> in this photo you have garrett warren, and he is facing miguel kiros and they're kneeling down. their children are in front of them. we can tell from the scar on garrett warren's face underneath the left ear that this is post shooting. we can tell from the ages of the children as well as the laker's championship t-shirt that mr. kiros is wearing that this is very sloihortly after the shoot. >> the two men were both guests at the same party after the shooting but before garrett made his eyewitness id of kiros. >> so you think this is where

garrett knew miguel kiros from. >> right. >> you think that's why he identified him as the shooter because he remembered this from this party? >> right classic trance feerns. >> the photo explained the id. >> for some reason when i saw him in the photo line up it clicked. that must be him. i recognize him. obviously it wasn't him. >> and garrett was wrong in picking quiroz as the man who shot him and that left prosecutors with two questions. who did shoot garrett and since he had garrett's photo and address in his trunk, could quiroz still somehow be involved? prosecutor chun began to rethink the case. >> the defense attorneys agreed that we could talk to mr. quiroz and they let us talk to them and the detectives and i keep coming back to the hit note, to where it's found. he doesn't know garrett warren. their interaction was brief at that barbecue.

>> detectives kept after quiroz, they knew who ordered the hit wanted garrett dead because here's one more twist, the postmark on the note is from after the shooting, meaning it's not so much a hit note as a note explaining to someone how to go back and finish the job. >> it's a re-hit, if you want to call it that. >> that finish the job note started to unravel the mystery. that was really kind of what broke the case open. that was quite frankly the lifeline we had on this case. >> the one unavoidable piece of evidence that finally cracked miguel quiroz. >> reble lock ind on round and round and he admits he was one of the hit men. >> he admitted that while he wasn't the shooter, he was in on the plot and that he was caught by his own carelessness. >> he explained that that hit note had been sent directly to

him, that he had put it under the spare tire in the trunk of his car and literally he said he had forgotten about it. >> the reason you end up finding that hit note under the spare tire in the trunk of mr. quiroz's car was that he put it there for safekeeping and then forgotten it? >> this was one of those stranger than fiction type things. certainly nobody would write a script like this because they would have the kind of look that any self-respecting director or producer would have, the look that you're having, in any hollywood movie and say, come on, that's ridiculous, but people forget things. >> disorganized crime. >> luckily for prosecutors, miguel had never sworn a blood oath to never rat on his friends, quite the opposite. he rolled over like lascy and cut a deal and agreed to wear a wire and collect evidence on his coconspirators, and some as they say around here, "the pot

thickens." coming up -- the world's worst hit man. >> i apologize i'm not a good shot. >> we'll finish it off if that's what you need. >> when "dateline" continues. on. on. yeah, and he wanted someone to help out with chores. so, we got jean-pierre. but one thing we could both agree on was getting geico to help with renters insurance. ♪ yeah, geico did make it easy to switch and save. ♪ oh no. there's a wall there now. that's too bad. visit geico.com and see how easy saving on renters insurance can be. you have power over pain, so the whole world looks different. the unbeatable strength of advil. what pain?

thenot actors, people, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. and, had significantly less itch. that's a difference you can feel. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes,

or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. so help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. ♪ fade in, los angeles county, nighttime. a police informant wears a wire

as he talks to partner in crime. >> i don't got to worry about you and i don't think you have to worry about me. >> yeah. >> the informant, miguel quiro is the pizza parlor owner turned small time drug dealer and the man found with a hit note in his car targeting garrett warren, now he was cooperating with investigators. detectives already knew quiroz wasn't the shooter. he told them the man who actually pulled the trigger was an old friend of his named jorge hernandez, heard here. >> you don't say nothing. i don't say nothing. >> as part of his deal with prosecutors, quiroz wore a body wire and approached hernandez at a party. he said he hired hernandez for $10,000 to kill garrett warren. on the tape, he makes clear he didn't waste any of that money on transportation. >> i used my own car. >> hernandez is said he's sorry

he didn't manage to kill garrett warren. >> i apologize if i'm not a good shot. >> and hernandez made clear he was ready to try again. >> just get the guns or whatever and i'll get -- we'll finish him off if that's what you need. >> speaking to the prosecutor, quiroz explained his own involvement that he had been paid to hire hernandez as a hit man and he explain wrd the trail led. >> mr. quiroz told you that he didn't do it but that he was in on the planning. >> right. >> and that he did it at the behest of his friend, man well hera. >> this was miguel quiroz long-time friend. they worked together in the pizza business and in the drug business. and if the last name haro sounds familiar, it should. manny's sister claudia is garrett warren's ex-wife. prosecutor chun says that explains mr. haro's involvement.

>> manual haro was doing this for his sister claudia. >> who was married to garrett. >> who was once at the time married to garrett going through a contentious divorce. on a scale of 1 to 10 this was 11. >> this was about custody of the daughter. >> exactly. and she had a lot of antipathy expressed towards garrett warren. >> she said you're going to bleed, right? >> yep. >> generally when one spouse says to the other you're going to bleed, it's a sign there are bad times to come. >> you're right. >> prosecutors believe they were beginning to understand the outlines of the plot to kill garrett warren. infuriated by a bitter custody battle. they believe claudia haro set it all in motion, but proving that wouldn't be easy. investigators began by looking at how claudia might be persuaded her brother to get involved in a murder. detectives arrested jorge hernandez and mani haro and charged them with attempted murder and conspiracy.

when they questioned manny, they learned about a secret of his that might explain why manny might want garrett warren dead. >> talk about me getting molested until i was at least 22. >> manny told investigators he had been molested as a child and, remember, manny's sister claudia during her divorce from garrett warren claimed that garrett had molested their daughter. those allegations were thoroughly investigated. a judge said they were unfounded. but now investigators had to consider another plot twist because of something else manny said, that not only had he been molested but that the only other person in the world who knew about that secret was his sister claudia. >> being that i've been through certain things in my childhood, as far as like molestation and my sister was the only one that i confided in, told her about my

what happened to me when i was younger. >> had claudia manipulated manny by telling him only part of the story. >> she ever let you know that the judge, someone independent in her child custody case had found that the allegations that she was making against garrett were false? did she ever tell dwlu? >> she -- i never asked and she never told me. so i think she knew how to hit the nerve bad. he was molesting her. so i think she knew it was hitting a nerve that way because i never really talked about it. >> manny said his sister's exact language was that she wanted garrett taken out. >> i don't -- i'm almost positive to use the word murder, kill, but it's like me telling you i want you to take him out, you know what that sland means take him out, kill. >> manny heros is pointing the finger straight at an actress,

mother, who had never had a problem with the law, married to hollywood stardom. it was hard to believe except for the intended victim of the murder plot, who believed claudia was behind it from the get-go. >> i knew there's only one person that wanted this done to me. >> he felt that way even as the investigation pointed in every other direction. until finally, five years after the shooting, detectives arrested claudia haro. >> i did think to myself, you know, thank god, you know, finally i don't feel crazy anymore. >> but he was in for another shock. prosecutors did not feel the case was strong enough because manny haro had not agreed to testify against claudia. and the d. a's office declined to press charges. >> i was proud to call garrett and tell him, guess what i arrested claudia haro for hiring

a hit man to kill you. >> then you got to call him back and say -- >> you're not going to believe it, but i have to let her go. >> 48 hours after detectives arrested claudia, she was back on the street, completely free once again. >> but i guaranteed him i would not stop. >> what would it take to write a new ending to this story, with a new role from the beauty that investigators believed was their femme fial or would claudia haro escape prosecution simply from denying she was involved. >> the bottom line principle is this, lying isn't just about saying the words and mouthing the words, the words have to make sense. and when they don't make sense, you can have a problem. >> lying is tougher than people think it is. >> oh, it's a lot tougher than people think it is. coming up, claudia haro tells her story. >> all right. go ahead. >> do you know who shot garrett warren? >> i don't know. >> do you know why he was shot? >> no, i don't know.

>> when "dateline" continues. tis ( ♪ ) at chevy, we're all about bringing families together. this time of year, that's really important. so we're making it easier than ever to become part of our family. that's why our chevy employee discount is now available to everyone. the chevy price you pay is what we pay. not a cent more. family is important to us. and we want you to be part of ours. so happy holidays. and welcome to the family.

all: the chevy family! get the chevy employee discount for everyone today. so chantix can help you quit slow turkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease . s cigarettes goodbye. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life-threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. tell your doctor if you've had mental health problems. the most common side effect is nausea.

talk to your doctor about chantix. the most common at chevy, we're all about bringing families together. this time of year, that's really important. so we're making it easier than ever to become part of our family. that's why our chevy employee discount is now available to everyone. the chevy price you pay is what we pay. not a cent more. family is important to us. and we want you to be part of ours. so happy holidays. and welcome to the family. all: the chevy family! get the chevy employee discount for everyone today. some things are too important to do yourself. ♪ get customized security with 24/7 monitoring from xfinity home. awarded the best professionally installed system by cnet.

simple. easy. awesome. call, click or visit a store today. closeup. claudio haro. she once played a showgirl in a gangster movie. once was married to a gangster.

was married to a -- she was arrested. prosecutor chun did not file charges. he needed stronger evidence. >> i did not think there was a fileable case at that point. but her brother manny changed that. he took a plea deal from prosecutors and finally agreed to testify against his sister. >> at some point did somebody approach you to kill somebody? >> yes. my sister claudio approached me. >> that made the difference. detectives rearrested her. she was charged with two counts of attempted murder and one of conspiracy to commit murder. claudia denied everything.

>> do you know who shot garrett warren? >> i do not know. >> do you know why he was shot? >> no, i don't know. >> while there was evidence enough to charge claudia, was there enough to convict her? >> you've got mr. quiroz's admission and mr. howl and hernandez on tape but you don't have anything claiming claudia set this in motion. >> we have the motive, the divorce proceedings and the timing of this. the judge finds the child abuse allegations to be false on april 12th, i believe of 2000. the hit occurs about a month and week after that on may 20th of 2000. >> all of that is circumstantial. >> i agree. >> but soon there was more. prosecutors said the handwriting on the hit note matched claudia haro's. and when prosecutors compared samples of claudia's letters to garrett with the hit notes, they noticed the misspelling of this word, agora, the location of garrett warren's home. on the hit note found in his car

and in claudia's letters, the word is misspelled the exact same way. augora. claudia insisted she had never given any notes or maps to miguel quiroz. >> did you give him anything on paperwork? >> not that i can think of, no. >> if we have some of the address written in your handwriting -- >> i don't know. not from me. i don't know. >> she claimed to know very little about what her brother manny haro may have been up to. >> why would your brother who never met garrett want to kill him? >> i don't know. it's not -- >> why would he tell us you're the one that asked him to be killed and arrange it? >> i don't know. >> did you ever give your brother a large amount of money? >> no. >> any amount whatsoever? >> i don't think i ever had a large amount of money. >> as we said, every hollywood

story eventually comes back to money. if claudia haro paid somebody ten grand to ice garrett warren, where did she get the cash? detectives took a good look at her other ex-husband, tough guy actor joe pesci. remember the party snapshot? it was garrett and miguel quiroz. that was taken at the hollywood hills home of joe pesci. >> we interviewed joe pesci and asked if he gave her a large sum of money at that time. he denied it and there was no evidence to indicate he had any involvement. >> claudia haro said she wanted to do an interview with us but we were not able to speak with her in jail. we spoke with her defense attorney mesereau, best known for defending michael jackson. >> the picture drawn of her is sort of this vengeful woman who would stop at nothing to keep her daughter away from her

ex-husband. >> whoever gave that information doesn't know claudia haro. >> he says if she's guilty of anything, it's guilty of having a career criminal for a brother. >> i believe manny haro was angry about being abused and molested as a child and desperate to maintain his street credibility as a drug dealer and then when he got caught tried to blame it on his sister to gain freedom for himself. >> not only that but the hit notes written by claudia. >> i'm convinced these are forgeries, she never wrote a hit note to anybody, nobody talked to her about whacking someone or murdering someone or shooting someone. >> he was ready with those arguments and more and who knows what a jury might have done. remember, my cousin vinny when he got his client acquitted of murder charges.

this movie didn't end that way. on the eve of trial, claudia haro decided not to fight the charges and pleaded no contest to two counts of attempted murder. she received a sentence of 12 years and 4 months. claudia's friend julie -- >> the deal she was offered, she'll be out in eight years and gets to see her daughter grow up. >> that's why she took it. >> at her sentencing, joe pesci showed up to support his ex-wife. as for the others, miguel choir quiroz and many haro took plea deals. haro was sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole. he was released in june 2017. the hired gunman hernandez was tried and convicted on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy. he's serving a sentence of 77 years to life. inform total, she served just

more than nine years before getting parole in august 2019. if claudia did mastermind this murder, she got a good deal. her brother many who set it up and the actual shooter, both pretty much got maxed out object their sentences. you know, the amount of time you spend behind bars is nothing to what i believe will be eternity afterwards. and i believe we all pay one day no matter what. >> you seem remarkably free of anger. >> i am. >> and everyone should be in this world. she made a mistake. i've made mistakes. no one is perfect. >> surprised? you shouldn't be. that trifecta of love, money and murder isn't new to hollywood. neither are stories about beautiful women who turn out to be as tough as a $5 steak and the men who somehow find it in themselves to forgive them.

that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. good morning, i'm keir simmo simmons. it's 6:00 in the east, 3:00 out west. here's what's happening. nbc exclusive. the trump administration making another move on afghanistan. why now and what's next? ahead. a full house vote. impeachment. new clarity today on where some key figures stand as the process moves forward. an alarming declaration from one senator. more panic. gunshots send shoppers scrambling in the middle of the day. some of what happened remains shrouded in mystery. more details. campaign 2020. joe biden with pointed words for donald trump.