>> that's all for this edition of "dateline extra." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. for watcg . test. a friend high school put something up on facebook. diana is one of my oldest friends. i just fell apart. i couldn't believe it. still doesn't seem real to me. >> the wedding was in the woods. >> a really nice outdoor forest wedding. >> a few years later, the marriage was in shambles. >> she wanted to just have a clean divorce. then a call out of the blue followed by a shot. >> the meeting was set up for

someone to get hurt. >> did they find the shooter? >> no. >> just vanished. >> vanished. >> who was this mystery man on a midnight mission? >> he brought everything that you would need to murder someone. turns out it was a man you maybe already know. someone was hiding a secret. >> where there is smoke, there's fire. >> someone else couldn't keep one. >> she just started crying and said it's all true. it's all true. >> and a conspiracy to kill is caught on camera. >> whether we opened that e-mail and saw that video, we were like, oh, my gosh. >> a shot in the dark and a stunner in court. >> every once in a while we get a doozy. this is one of them. >> the night of the new moon. >> greg and diana met, fell in love and had a beautiful baby.

there came a mysterious phone call that sent one of them to a dark isolated road at night where someone was waiting. who was it? and what did they want? here is andrea canyon. it's called the night of the new moon and the lunar cycle begins anew. some look at a new moon as a fresh start. if only the people we trust here on earth were as dependable as the night sky.

>> karldz bad, california. a tourist haven known for beaches, surfing, and breath taking views. this paradise became them to a woman named diana love joy. >> she's just really funny and silly and smart and really easy to talk to. >> all through high school we would pass hilarious notes to each other. we would chal each other like who could write the first sentence like of the worst romance novel. >> she says diana had a true gift for creative writing as well as music. something sarah now a professional bassoonist knows something about. the. >> she was a fantastic piano player from an early age. >> you shared a love of music.

>> we d we were in marching band together. it was really fun. >> she had a schedule. she would wake up and do her running. >> jennifer was her college roommate. >> she was extremely disciplined. >> and diana was passionate about staying fit. >> it was going for a walk, taking a hike, getting on her bike, going for a swim. >> diana's healthy lifestyle and good looks were hard to miss. >> it always seemed like guys always really, really like her. she wasn't trying to attract attention but she just is one of those people that people tend to notice her. >> she very pretty. >> super pretty. yeah. and she's got the long legs and, yeah. >> i think the complete package about diana. so smart, gorgeous, sweet, caring. >> she competed in several triathalons and also was a

personal fitness coach. >> she met someone that liked bike riding and soaking up the outdoors. a software engineer. >> he was really gracious and really -- very sweet guy. and very much like her. >> after two years of dating, diana and greg tied the knot in august of 2007. >> they just seemed like the right fit. she seemed really, really happy. >> the couple was eager to start a family. but that didn't come easy for her. >> no, it didn't. >> diana suffered multiple miscarriages. then had a difficult, high risk preg mancy which made september 2012 all the more special when diana gave birth to a healthy baby boy. >> i mean that must have been just an incredible day for her. >> to know that that baby was born. >> yeah. >> at last she had her happy familiarly. by the time her son turned, two

the marriage was falling apart. diana kicked greg out of the house and got a restraining order against him. in court documents, diana alleged that greg said he wished her dead. that he sexually molested her in her sleep and she suspected he also molested their son. greg denied all of diana's allegation ands fired back. he said diana had verbally and physically bee rated, tacked, and belittled him over the last several years. >> things were getting ugly. >> things were getting ugly. >> greg filed for divorce in august of 2014. and the couple fought bitterly over custody of their son. at first greg was only allowed supervised visits bought after numerous evaluation business therapists and law enforcement, courts found no evidence of abuse and ultimately awarded greg 50/50 custody with diana. but diana was scared for herself and her son. a fear that ultimately led her here, a shooting range.

>> i was surprised that when she was taking lessons in marksmanship. i thought wow this is more serious than i thought. she's actually concerned about her safety in a really, really real way. >> at the range, it seemed diana met just the man she was looking for. a former marine, skilled in self-defense, someone you might know too from "dateline." >> coming up, i've always been very protective person. >> we first met him when he helped rescue a woman from danger. >> this guy sounds hike he was looking out for you a little bit. >> yeah. he helped me so much. >> but when he met diana lovejoy, something changed. >> she would text him at all different times. i didn't like that. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues. moon" continues.

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welcome back. they were horrible accusations, diana lovejoy claimed her husband greg had sexually abused her and wished her dead. greg denied it all and made some ugly allegations of his own. determined to protect herself and her young son, diana sought the advice of a former marine, a man who dateline had met before while our team was covering another story back fwl 2013. here again is andrea canyon. >> when diana decided to take shooting lessons for self-defense, she went to iron sights. that's where she met a man she needed. >> i hate bullies. >> from an early age, he was passionate about protecting other people. >> i used to protect my friends on the way home from school. we had had a bully that tried and tried to start fights with us.

and then i found out that nicely applied arm lock would get that bully to kiss the street. we didn't have to run from him overnight. >> when he grew up, weldon enlisted in the marine core. off leaving the service, he worked as a firearms instructor. we met weldon back in 2013 when we covered the story of another woman he met at the shooting range. >> customer walked in. and i could tell something was wrong with herme. i couldn't tell exactly right. she was under some kind of stress sfwhchlt her name was crystal harris. >> he is like yeah, can i help you? i said, i need to buy a gun. and i said and it's not just for putting it away. my life is in danger. and he was like, well. >> crystal, a mother of two young sons, told weldon her husband was violent and abusive. she said she wanted to buy a gun for protection. >> so at that point i asked her, are you prepared to kill him?

and because that is a very real possibility. you know, if it's his life, your son's life or your life, then you have to make that decision. and after a few moments, she said, yes, if i have to. weldon took crystal under his wing. taught her to defend herself even in stressful situations. >> this guy sounds like he was actually looking out for you a little bit. >> yeah. somebody who's in the business of saving lives and, you know, a warrior and hero and that type of mentality. yeah, he wanted to help me. >> at home, crystal also helped herself, used a mini cassette recorder to gather evidence against her husband. >> oh, god. stop. please. please stop. >> one night crystal captured something horrible. she said it was audio of her husband raping her. >> you're choking me.

you're choking me. please! >> she walked in and visibly shaken. and i knew i knew something had happened. >> crystal played a bit of the tape for weldon. >> i've always been very protective person. if you're a friend or a family, i'll do anything for you. i really wanted to go and kill him. >> crystal later called police and had her husband arrested. when he made bail, she called weldon. who came to her house and helped crystal figure out the safest places to hide if her husband returned. >> checked out the entire house top to bottom. told her some defensible spaces. >> crystal never did need to use her new gun. her husband was convicted of a forcible sex crime and spent five years behind bars. but she was grateful for the sense of empowerment and protection weldon mcdavid gave her. >> he helped me so much. >> it's a very unlikely friendship. >> right. but if i needed him, if i was worried about something or

whatever, i could just call him. >> crystal embarked on her new life without her husband. and weldon moved on too. a few years after befriending crystal, he found romance when he met a woman named leah conan. >> i had decided to learn how to shoot and buy a firearm and lose how to use it. i was tired of feeling vulnerable as a woman. and being scared of noises at night. >> leah said weldon didn't make a huge first impression when he rang up her purchases at the shooting range but soon she realized -- >> he was interested and i was not at first. and he won me over. >> how did he do that? >> he is very witty. and has a very good intelligence and humor and just a really engaging personality. >> weldon told her about his work with crystal harris. >> it was just consistent with what i had heard about different

people that he had come alongside and helped them feel more confident and safe. >> and just like crystal before her, leah felt empowered around weldon. >> he's strong. and i enjoyed his strength. and i felt safe around him. >> on september 20th, 2014, leah became mrs. mcdavid. less than two years later sheshgs ga she gave birth to her son and somewhere in there weldon told her about another woman he was helping out at the range, a woman named diana lovejoy. >> he told me about her husband and she was afraid of him and that they were going through a divorce. >> once again, it seemed weldon assumed role of protector. >> something didn't seem right. >> she would text him at all different times about things and i didn't like that. i didn't think it was professional. and we disagreed about him

communicating with her and he saw the need of somebody both herself and even more so her child who couldn't protect himself. and felt like he needed to help. >> something weldon had done all his life. leah could understand that. what she could not understand was what came next. >> this is 911. >> all right. my friend has been shot. can you call a paramedic. >> yes. we're getting the paramedics en route. okay? >> a sniper waiting in the dark. but who was the target? coming up, they're hearing multiple bullets, multiple rounds whizzing past their head. >> did they find the shooter? >> no. >> just vanished. >> vanished. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues.

welcome back. weldon mcdavid played a key role in helping a woman named crystal harris escape her abusive husband. now diana lovejoy was also looking to weldon for self-defense skills, claiming that her husband was a threat to

both her and their 2-year-old son. but soon it would not be diana who found her life in jeopardy. someone else was in grave danger. with more of our store yes, here is andrea canyon. >> hello this is 911. >> late on a moonless night, on september 1st, 2016. >> hi. my friend had just been shot. >> the man on the line described as a scene that doesn't happen in carlsbad, california. multiple gun shots fired, an apparent snipe oe apparent sniper on the loose. >> he was hiding in the bushes. >> i'm at home and sleeping. >> carlsbad detective sergeant darby ernst was on call. >> it's all hands on deck and calling out every detective that is available to come in. >> sergeant learned the 911 caller was a man named jason covach and calling about his co-worker, diana lovejoy's

husband greg he said that his friend greg had been shot and they needed assistance immediately. >> he learned that when the first officer got to the scene, he found greg in his car bleeding from a gunshot wound. >> he was shot in the left side of his chest and the bullet went essentially in the front and out through the back. >> while greg was rushed to the hospital, a swat team combed the hillside where he was shot. >> did they shined the footer? >> no. >> vanished? >> vanished. >> but the sergeant heard a detail that was curious. . when the 911 call about the shooting came in, the situation immediately rang a bell with the dispatchers. >> greg had called our dispatchers earlier in the evening to ask their advice. he had received a phone call from an unknown person stating that that person was a private investigator and had some information.

>> greg said the mysterious caller was a man with a deep voice. who claimed to have documents that greg would want to see. >> greg got the impression it was evidence that could be used against him in his custody battle with dianne yachlt the man said he'd leave a package for greg to pick up. greg asked the dispatcher whether he should go. >> what was their response? >> probably not a good idea. but it was up to him. >> and went? >> and he went. >> this was the meeting spot. an isolated dirt road near a power pole. greg asked his boss, a neighbor jason, to join him on this bizarre mission. jason told police around 11:00 p.m. the men pulled up to the dirt road. the sergeant and detective scott stoleman took us there. >> the package is supposed to be taped somewhere up along the power pole. >> greg carried a bright bike light gaven his friend a child's baseball bat just in case. the men walked along the path and looked for the package but couldn't find it.

greg scanned the area with his light and then noticed there in the brush -- >> he sees it is actually a person laying on the ground holding a sniper rifle. >> that's terrifying. >> terrifying. >> the man appeared to be wearing camouflage. greg or jason yelled, gun! or maybe run. >> and they turned and took off back to the car. and that's when greg was shot. and as they were running back, they're hearing multiple bullets, multiple rounds whizzing past their head. >> they got in the car and took off. butten in greg realized how badly he was injured. he pulled over. >> 911. >> and jason called 911. >> greg was being hunted. >> correct. he just didn't know the trap he was walking into. nor who was hunting him. >> miraculously, greg survived his injuries. >> he was in the dark and didn't have any idea of who would have done this. or anybody that he could think of that would do this. >> greg did say he was nearing the end of a bitter custody

dispute with his wife diana lovejoy. but quickly dismissed the idea that she could have played any role in what happened. >> there's no way she's not that type of person. there is no way she could be involved in this in any way. >> of course, police paid a visit to diana. she said she had no idea who could have shot greg. >> there is nothing in his immediate history that would have led us to think that he was involved in any sort of krucrim activity or any acquaintance was have done him harm based on any sort of activities he was involved in. >> didn't have secrets from the job? high level job with computers. >> no. nothing. he brought his boss with him to the crime. >> sergeant did have one lead to follow. we knew we needed to get to the bottom of the phone number used to call him to lure him to the area that night. >> you have this phone number in greg's phone. >> yes. >> when that number was traced though -- >> it actually a trac phone, a burner phone. there is no subscriber information. >> but they were able to track

the purchase of the phone to this best buy about four miles from the crime scene. >> they still have the video surveillance of that purchase. >> best buy e-mailed sergeant some still photos from the surveillance camera. >> i had called in scott and a couple other detectives to be ready for who this mystery person was going to be that was buying this trac phone. >> who was it? >> coming up -- >> he gets into the car and states things went wrong. i had to shoot. >> a would-be killer caught on camera. >> is this a smoking gun? >> definitely points us in the direction. so there is a lot more to be done. >> when the night of the new moon continues. n the night of tw moon continues

here's what's happening. tens of thousands took to the streets of hong kong today. demonstrators threw bricks and debris and molotov cocktails.

more than 400 protesters were arrested. leblg end airy new york jafrpgees pitcher don larson pass add way. he pitched the only perfect game in 1956. he died of cancer. now back to "dateline extra." >> welcome back to "dateline extra." investigators believed greg was being hunted. he had received a mysterious phone call from a stranger who promised him information. but led him into an ambush. when police arrived, there was no sign of the shooter though they did track down a promising clue. it was about to lead detectives to a startling discovery. once again, here is andrea cannon. >> my friend has just been shot. >> greg had been shot and barely survived. someone had lured him to the scene of the crime with a call

from a burner phone. now police gathered around sergeant derby's computer screen to see security camera images of the person who bought the burner. >> who was it? >> it was diana lovejoy. >> diana lovejoy, greg's soon to be ex-wife. >> is this a smoking gun getting this photo i diana lovejoy? >> it definite points us in that direction. >> they searched for more evidence in diana's home. >> we were able to locate the clothing she was wearing when she purchased the phone. >> police had enough to arrest diana and bring her in for questioning. at first, she denied any involvement in the shooting. >> what is her alibi? >> that she was at home all night long. she never went out. >> and police realized she might be telling the truth about that. just because she bought the trac phone doesn't mean she was at the crime scene. >> because diana was most likely

not the person lying in the grass in camouflage with a rifle. >> fair to say. >> yes. >> fair to say. >> did you ask her if she hired someon someone. >> yes. no i did not. >> detectives pressed her and diana told them something they didn't expect. >> she starts to describe her relationship with her shooting instructor. >> die aprila told police her instructor's name, weldon mcdavid. >> he had volunteered to help her protect herself from her ex-husband. >> weldon mcdavid was the knight in shining armor to another woman in this area. >> right. >> yes. >> that woman, of course, was crystal harris. police knew about her situation but diana's story was very different. and it seemed to change as they questioned her. diana told police that weldon had agreed to help her win custody of her son by

intimidating greg. >> weldon was to scare her ex-husband and be a big breweding person over him to tell him he needed to drop all of his custody and just dispear. >> diana said that she paid weldon for his services. >> she gauff him $1,000 up front and another $1,000 is what was supposed to be paid. >> just for scaring him. >> yes. >> diana said on the night of september 1st sheshgs picked up weldon at this park and ride. >> he gets into her car carrying a soft rifle case and dressed in camouflage. and she asked him what was in the case. he said no the to worry about it. >> she said she gave him the burner phone, dropped him off near the dirt road, then waited for his call. but when she went back to pick him up -- >> he gets into the car and states things went wrong. i had to shoot. >> what did she say her reaction is to that? >> she didn't know what had happened. she didn't ask anything else.

>> that was diana's story. she hired her shooting instructor to intimidate greg. but that was it. >> so now police had another suspect. weldon mcdavid. his wife leah was home with her newborn baby when the phone rang. >> and i answered the phone. it was s.w.a.t. team. they were on smy street. did you have any idea why they were there? >> none. >> they were there to look for evidence that weldon shot greg. >> the most striking thing about the house is that mr. mcdavid had guns everywhere. >> san diego county district attorney jodie white said they found a number of guns in the house but none was connected to the crime. but then hidden in the garage -- >> they found the upper portion of an ar 15. >> police noticed there was a suppressor or silencer attached to the weapon. and a brass bag which catches shell casings so they don't fall

to the ground. >> and the brass bag happened to have seven spent shell casings in in it. which is the same number of shots that were fired that night in carlsbad. >> you think you found the weapon? >> without a doubt. without a doubt. >> but leah still had plenty of doubts. >> he has the skills to do that. but he doesn't have the personality or the heart to do that. >> police arrested weldon. at the station, he initially denied everything. >> the gentleman got shot. i'm asking where you you were at last week. what location? santa fe? soledad? >> and i don't know that location. >> but when police told him they had some potential dna evidence that would place him at the scene, his story suddenly changed. >> i have a feeling i'm being set up. >> by who? >> in fact, i know i'm being set up. >> who is setting you up.

>> i'm so stupid. >> prosecutor didn't believe weldon had been framed exactly but set up? in a way, yes. >> remember those horrible allegations of abuse diana made against greg? that he molested her and their son. they believe diana fabricated them. >> all the therapisted, physicians, everyone that was involved made the determination there was no truth in it. when the court system doesn't believe her. she decided to come up with a way to have him killed. >> and the perfect aror said that's where weldon came in. a self styled protector. a man prime to react to the exact type of allegations diana is making. >> no. oh, god, stop. >> remember what weldon said on "dateline" when he heard crystal harris' recording of her husband's abuse. >> i really wanted to go and kill him. >> the perfect aror believed diana viewed weldon as her way to get rid of greg. >> i think that she saw in

weldon the exact kind of person that she would need to carry this out. and it is somebody who has a hero complex. she needed somebody she could manipulate. >> the perfect aror learned something else. diana admitted she had slept with weldon. >> and i think she used her sexuality to get him to do what it is she wanted him to do. >> on september 12th, 2016, weldon mcdavid and diana lovejoy were both rained on charges of attempted murder haen conspiracy to commit murder. was diana a criminal mastermind who manipulated weldon, sent him on a mission to kill? was weldon a would-be warrior hired to intimidate greg but decided to murder him instead? the two would face trial together. and their defense, well, you'll just have to hear it for yourself. >> coming up, straight out of her second, i realized i was

looking at a barrel and scope of a gun. >> the victim. >> it felt hike i had been hit in the back. >> the shooter. >> as soon as he said those words, i decided i had to do something. >> and a surprising witness. >> diana said you need to promise not to tell my mom or my sister. can you promise me that? and i said yes. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues.

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investigators came to believe it was weldon who shot greg through the chest. as the trial got underway, prosecutors were ready to make the case that diana lovejoy wanted greg dead and custody was not her only motive. continuing our story, here is andrea cannon. >> late october, 2017, weldon mcdavid and diana lovejoy one time gun instructor and student, one time lovers, now on trial together. facing charges they conspired in the attempted murder of diana's husband. >> i'm going to ask that you find both of the defendants guilty of the crime. >> prosecutor jodie white knew she had a strong case. >> i was on a dirt road. >> weldon mcdavid had placed himself at the scene of the shooting and diana admitted to paying him to scare her husband. but she worried the defense would try to use diana's

unsubstantiated allegations of sexual assault against greg to try and sway the jury. >> they might see this as well she had a right to do that if her husband was doing something to the child? >> yes. so i had had to walk a balance of deciding whether or not i was going to let in the allegations that she had made or try and ignore them and ultimately, i decided to just take it square on. >> it was one of the first things she asked greg about when he took the stand. >> did you ever sexually assault your wife? >> no. >> did youiver molest your boy? >> no. >> greg said he had fought hard for 50/50 custody of his child and can't want to risk losing that. he felt compelled to see whatever information the mysterious caller had for him. i scanneded. >> greg demonstrated how he was holding the bright bike light in his hand when he noticed when he thought was a pile of clothes in the brush. >> straight out of a second i realized you was looking at a

barrel and scope of a gun. >> and then a gunshot. >> it felt like i had had been hit in the back. which was confusing to me because i knew i was looking at a gun but it felt like someone hit me in the back. >> in the confusion, greg said he or jason yelled run or possibly gun. >> and while we were running, i heard about six more rapid gun shots. >> the prosecution argued diana paid weldon mcdavid to kill greg that night. and it seemed weldon may not have been the only one diana approached with this goal in mind. there was an unlikely witness against dianne yashgs a woman who reluctantry shared her story with prosecutors, her own aunt, diana clark. >> diana said you need to promise not to tell my mom or my sister. can you promise me that. and i said yes. >> then aunt diana testified

that on christmas day, 2015, her niece asked her this. >> she said, can you help me find someone to kill greg? >> aunt diana did not help her niece find a hitman. instead, the state argued, diana lovejoy found weldon mcdavid. >> good afternoon, mcdavid. >> good afternoon. >> when it came time for the defense to make its case, he was the star witness. >> mr. mcdavid, you talked about -- >> according to weldon, the only plan the night of the shooting is to gather information for diana. >> how much information was she going to pay you? it was $2,000 much he called greg from the burner phone claiming he had evidence he abused his child. the idea said weldon was that if greg actually showed up at the location that proved his guilt. weldon said he planned to record greg so diana could take that information to court. >> anybody who is not guilty of

child abuse, in my mind, would not come out at night to meet someone or to pick up any evidence that they didn't know where it came from. >> weldon said he was not planning to fire any shots until he claimed he heard one of the men say i've got a gun. >> as soon as he said those words, i decided i had to do something. >> so weldon said he aimed his ar 15 at the flashlight and fired. he said he hit greg by accident. >> the shot that i missed was deflection. >> weldon's proof it wasn't intentional, he said he was such a good shot that if he had been shooting to kill, he would have. >> i did not miss a man size target. it just would not happen. >> in a well meaning way, he came up with a very stupid plan and brought a gun to it. >> rafael acosta is weldon's

former attorney. he did not represent him at the trial. he believes weldon acted out of what he calls a misguided hero complex. but never planned to kill or even hurt greg. >> there you go. the he said he thinks weldon's experience with crystal harris had a profound impact on him. >> that was the first case where he heard nobody was listening to this woman and ultimately that woman was born to be correct. and now he has a second woman who is saying nobody's listening to me. so what do do you when nobody else is willing to help? you help. >> did you, yourself, have any conversations about a plan to kill greg? >> no. >> the big question on cross-examination, why show up in camouflage with an ar 15 if the goal was just to record greg picking up the package? >> could you not have just accomplished the exact same goal

by sitting in your car and watching him walk down? >> that would put me out in the open and make me a potential target. >> you felt it was safer for everybody concerned for you to be dressed in camouflage with an ar 15 under the bushes. that was a safer thing to do? >> based on my training and my experience, yes. i thought that was the safest for everyone involved. >> but remember how dark it was the night of the shooting? the night of the new moon? the prosecutor said that was no coincidence. diana purposely chose a night when weldon could hide unseen. >> there were google searches that miss lovejoy made regarding the new moon and when it was and when the peak point of darkness was which happened to be at the same time that they lured him out there. and the prosecution had one more piece of evidence for the jury.

a potential financial motive for murder. as part of the divorce settlement, diana owed greg $120,000. the money was due three weeks after the date of the shooting. >> however, if he's dead, we'll go to his estate which would ultimately come right back to miss lovejoy. >> in closing arguments, the prosecutor said there was no doubt diana lovejoy and weldon mcdavid had conspired to kill greg. >> they didn't plan for jason. they didn't plan for a bright bike light to light up mr. mcdavid laying on his belly. and they didn't plan to get caught. no reason to kill. they had $120,000 reasons to kill. >> what would the jury think? first, let's see what you think. hear what weldon and diana had to say when we visited them in jail. >> coming up, a defendant's biggest regret, not what you might think. >> if i could only take back one thing, i would take that back.

>> and drama in court. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues. >> when "the night of the new moon" continues. it's time for the lowest prices of the season on

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welcome back. was the greg shooting an accident or an attempted cold blooded murder? the prosecution argueded diana lovejoy convinced weldon mcdavid to kill her husband as a way to gain full custody of the couple's child and to avoid a big payout. the defense claim that weldon and diana were on an information gathering mission that went awry. the jury was about to speak. but first, diana and weldon each share what they say happened with us. here's andrea cannon with the conclusion of our story. >> i want people to know that i did not attempt to murder anyone. >> we met with weldon mcdavid at

the vista, california detention facility where he had been since his arrest on charges that he and diana lovejoy conspired to murder her husband. >> you had an ar 15. you're lying on your belly in camouflage. you have a gun suppressor, a brass bag to catch the shell casings. this sound like a plan to kill someone. >> if i was going to kill him, i would have lit him at any point in that walk. that would have been easy. >> why did you keep firing? six times? >> i fired over their heads so they would start to run. if i wanted to kill them, i had more than ample opportunity. they were running. >> weldon told us it was ridiculous to believe he would kill someone for $2,000 and called having swecex with dianae biggest effect. >> it was holy unsatisfying. i would take that out of the equation. >> being with diana sfwh. >> yes. the. >> you wouldn't take back shooting greg?

>> if there is only one thing i would take away, i would take that away. i hurt my wife. and that means more to me than anything. >> weldon insisted the only thing that brought him to that dirt road the night of the shooting was a desire to help diana and her son. >> did diana lovejoy have a hold on you. >> no. >> was she manipulating you? >> no. >> it's been said you have a misguided hero complex. >> i'm no one's hero. not at all. and trying to help someone is misguided hero, then so be it. >> we went to diana's jail to speak with her as well. did you and weldon have a plan to kill greg? >> no. absolutely not. >> so then why lure him there? why put yourself in this position? >> i wouldn't even say that we lured him. i would say that he had a

choice. he set up a meeting with weldon. >> we didn't have much time at the jail. so we spoke again by phone. >> this time i wanted to ask her about aunt diana. >> your aunt diana was a key witness for the prosecution. she claims you two had that conversation that you were looking for someone to kill greg. >> right. she claims that, yes. and it's not true. >> diana said she was never close with her aunt. >> she is manipulative and selfish and i no he that my aunt has a motive to help greg's case, my ex, because she wants access to my son. >> but in a letter to the court, and diana wrote she was always general wrus her niece and supportive of her and her son. we then asked diana lovejoy did she mastermind a murder plot? >> there was absolutely no, no talk or no thinking about killing anyone or harming anyone. i have a huge heart. i would never -- i'm not capable of hurting someone.

>> would the jury agree? after about a half day of deliberations, a verdict. >> we the jury in the above entitled cause find the defendant diana lovejoy guilty of the crime of attempted murder. >> guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. then something unexpected happened. >> weldon k. mcdavid, defendant, verdict -- while weldon mcdavid waited to hear his fate, diana collapsed, seemingly over overcome with shock. >> help her! >> all right. we're going to be in recess. >> court was adjourned and diana was handcuffed to a gurney, wheeled out to an ambulance and brought to a hospital. wr she made a full recovery. when court resumed, guilty of the crime of conspiracy to commit murder. >> weldon learned he also been convicted on all charges. at their sentencing hearing 2 1/2 months later, weldon

addressed the court. >> i did not intend to shoot him. i am sorry that i shot him. it was an aiming error as i stated previously. >> and then diana spoke publicly for the first time. >> it's so painful that people -- some people in this world seem to think that i would have anything to do with this. i still care about greg and as much as he -- i did love him. i loved him a lot. i just hope that reality, the reality, the higher reality of what really happened that we really intended comes out. and i believe it will some day. thank you. >> weldon was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, diana 26 to life. both have appealed. >> did you ever think that your

friend could get wrapped up in a wild story like this? >> no. >> greg has full custody of their son. >> i actually had a lot of heart to hearts with greg and i do genuinely think he's a sweet, nice man. and he didn't deserve any of this. >> weldon's wife leah is now a single parent, too. >> he shouldn't be in prison. he should be home. weldon is a beautiful person that should -- my son should be able to have that in his life. >> weldon mcdavid, mat whon said he just wanted to help, would once empowered a woman caught in an abusive marriage, now the fallen hero, contemplating life behind bars. perhaps he sums it up best. >> there's no winners here. there's no winners at all. you know, this whole situation is a loss. >> that's all for this edition

of "dateline extra." thank you for watching. dition of "dateline extra." thank you for watching after a few days of clashing with american security forces, pro-erinian demonstrators have withdrawn from outside the u.s. embassy in baghdad but this morning the tension reese main high. >> plus we're following the latest on a stabbing spree that took place on one of the final days of hanukkah. one of the victims is reportedly still in a coma and family members say he may not regain consciousness. >> and new reporting that the trump administration is expected to announce a ban on certain flavored e-cigarettes, the move is meant to combat the surge in youth vaping. go