that in a situation that you're in? >> haven't even looked at it. >> where do you put it? >> it's in my mom's basement. she's moved a couple of times and it's in her basement. 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 mind boggling 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 "twisted in texas." >> 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? >> yeah. at 30 years old, you don't spend time with somebody that you don't wanna be serious with. that's not who i am. >> reporter: meghan settled in. she got a dog and made a new friend through work, aerial washington. >> we really clicked over just being from out of town. both transitioning into houston, and we're both steelers fans. >> reporter: leon's selfies showed a loving couple. but there was one trouble spot in meghan's new life. leon didn't have a texas medical license yet. >> why don't you go work as a surgical assistant? he was like, "you don't understand what it's like to be a doctor.

you can't just take any job." >> reporter: meghan had to support both herself and leon. >> it really just seemed like frustrations within a normal relationship. >> reporter: but one night, everything changed. meghan expressed her frustration in front of leon's high-achieving family. >> like, i don't understand why he's not working. and he was like, "we're gonna talk about this when we get home." and he just tore up my entire closet and just threw all of my stuff on the balcony. >> reporter: what did you say back to him? >> i was, like, shocked. and i didn't know what to say. and i didn't know what to do. like, here i am, i live with this person. >> reporter: that night started a downward spiral. according to meghan, soon, every day leon seemed to find a new reason to get angry. eventually, she says, his anger turned into abuse. >> it was always something, almost like clockwork. he used to chew tobacco. i don't know what i did or what happened. he took the thing of spit and threw it across the room at me. it was constant. >> reporter: it's humiliating?

>> yeah. and he's just -- didn't think it was a big deal, even though he would call me these horrible names and just demeaning and awful. >> reporter: then, she said, he would beg forgiveness. >> i'm sorry. you know, i love you. i have so much other things going on. i need you in my world. you're the only thing that keeps me happy. >> reporter: would you forgive him when he would say sorry? >> of course. >> reporter: she says leon always promised to change, but never did. and did you ask yourself, how did i -- >> i don't know how i ended up there. >> reporter: -- get under this man's spell? >> exactly. no one expects to be in -- in a relationship like that. >> reporter: then came january 12, 2017. meghan got home late, after a long day at work. >> he started throwing stuff out of the dishwasher. he's throwing it and throwing. and then, he, like, threw a glass of wine on me. >> reporter: meghan had to get out. >> and i was like, "i'm done. i'm leaving." >> reporter: she rushed to pack

a bag. >> he put his hands over my -- my face and said, "go ahead and try and leave, you dumb --" >> reporter: meghan made a run for it. she took their dog and got in the car. she said leon chased her down the driveway. >> he's pullin' on the car door. and pullin' on the car door. and he was like, "if you don't give me the dog, i'm gonna punch in your window." >> reporter: leon grabbed the dog, but meghan got away. she was free, or so she thought. coming up -- >> i had pulled out and he was right behind me. >> she looked afraid. >> was meghan in danger? >> he said, "she's gotta be out of the picture." >> if he hired somebody to do something. who knows what they're gonna do? >> when "dateline" continues. p. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them before they start with downy wrinkleguard. ladies, my friends and i are having a debate. -i have a back rash. -alright.

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who wants to party? without smiling. the world premiere is in your home friday. every morning around 8:30, aerial washington had a sales meeting with her friend and co-worker meghan verikas. but january 13, 2017, was different. >> i was like, good mornin'. and i was -- the next words out of my mouth were, "what's wrong?" her face was blotchy. marks and things like that around. >> reporter: it was the morning after meghan's desperate flight from her boyfriend, leon. >> she started crying. i closed the door, you know, broke out tissues. >> reporter: until that moment, aerial knew very little about meghan's troubles with leon. >> she looked afraid, and in -- in disbelief that something like this happened to her. >> reporter: as the women talked, meghan's cell pinged incessantly. >> it was just nonstop.

e-mails, phone calls. >> reporter: all from leon. erratic messages, from an account called, leonlovesmeghan. >> he's like, "i love you. here's this wedding ring i was gonna buy you." then the next e-mail would be, "oh, you're so done. i want nothing to do with you." >> reporter: meghan texted leon to leave her alone. they were over. but there was more to come -- and it was infuriating. meghan found out that leon had withdrawn most of the money from their joint bank account. and when she went to her apartment to get her belongings, she was shocked by what she saw. >> i had no furniture left. nothing. he -- luckily i had gotten there in time before he -- he took my clothes. >> reporter: meghan went to the police and swore out a complaint against leon. >> and i just sat in this filthy office, just crying and -- and writing down everything i could remember. >> reporter: she told police leon had assaulted her. she applied for a protective order. but it didn't come through immediately. a few days later --

>> i had pulled out of my work. and he was right behind me. >> reporter: meghan said she sped through downtown, but she couldn't shake her ex. then, leon cut her off with his car. >> he jumped in front of my vehicle, telling me i'm making a huge mistake and that he loves me. >> reporter: meghan says she managed to swerve around leon and escape. but he kept showing up at the hotel where she worked, asking to see her. >> his demeanor was very calm but very persistent. that's actually scarier because you don't know what's going on in the back of their head. >> reporter: the hotel banned leon from the property, but co-workers still saw him lurking. >> we walk outside and see him standing there behind a bush, like you're invisible. i just remember the first words coming out of my mouth were, "do you know we can see you?" >> reporter: furious, aerial said she ran across the street yelling. >> "go away. get away from us. leave her alone." >> reporter: police arrested

leon for assault. >> but that was very short-lived because he was out -- i want to say within the next day. >> reporter: two weeks later, leon and meghan appeared in court. the judge granted that protective order. he then ordered leon to be arrested again, on the spot. this time for stalking. as officers read leon his rights, meghan was surprised to see a familiar face in the gallery. >> i noticed valerie was sitting in the stands, which i thought was odd. >> reporter: valerie mcdaniel, a successful veterinarian in town, recently divorced from her husband of 19 years, mack. meghan met valerie, mack, and their daughter when their marriage was falling apart. >> she would come over and have martinis. and she would be over a lot. we went to a couple nightclubs and things like that. seemed like a nice person. >> reporter: how did leon act around valerie? >> like it was anybody else. >> reporter: but that was then. on this day in court, meghan thought leon and valerie looked

like a couple. she learned later that valerie even posted leon's bond, with this man, a bail bondsman named michael kubosh, who a couple of days later got an unsettling visit from leon. >> he shut the door behind him. >> reporter: was that odd? >> very odd. and he says, "i'm here because i wanna know one thing." >> reporter: leon asked the bail bondsman for help finding another client of his. leon said the client's name was zack. >> and i said, "well i don't know a zack. who you talking about?" he said, "you know him. he's ex-military, ex-cia. he's middle eastern." >> reporter: leon said he'd hired zack to do a job for him, but now couldn't find him. >> and then he tells me that he's paid him a lot of money to take care of this. >> reporter: take care of what? >> he said, "she's got to go either back to pittsburgh. she's gotta be out of the picture. i'm a doctor. i can't have her come to this court and testify against me." >> reporter: kubosh found leon's words frightening. >> i felt like it was much more sinister than just wanting her to go to pittsburgh.

>> reporter: to what extent were you thinking? >> i didn't know. if he'd hired somebody to do somethin', who knows what they're gonna do? >> reporter: turns out, the bail bondsman also happened to be a city councilman and a friend of the houston police chief. so, he gave the chief a call and said they should take a closer look at leon and the mysterious zack. coming up -- an undercover mission to learn what leon's really up to. >> he's giving you a way to kill someone. >> very detailed, precise instruction. >> and the real jaw-dropper? meghan wasn't the only target. >> we're taking care of both problems? >> what both problems? >> both of the individuals we're talking about. >> when "dateline" continues. psh ps

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february 23, 2017. leon jacob had been arrested two days before. meghan verikas had a protective order against him. so, for the first time in weeks, she should have felt safe. but that evening, her phone rang. it was a police officer. >> and he basically said that there was a credible threat to my life. >> reporter: police came to meet megan the next morning. her friend, aerial, remembered meghan was so afraid she wore a disguise. >> you know she's putting this wig on, putting a hat on, jeans, tennis shoes, t-shirt, so that,

you know, she could try to be as inconspicuous as possible. >> reporter: meghan and aerial checked the officer's i.d.s once by one. then investigators shared the tip they got from the bail bondsman, michael kubosh. >> they think that my ex-boyfriend may have hired somebody to have me hurt. and that i, need to be surrounded by people 24 hours a day and not be left alone. >> reporter: normally i would say that must have been shocking. were you all that surprised that -- >> i wasn't. >> reporter: the police suggested meghan go back to pittsburgh for a while. so she bought a ticket and flew home. meanwhile at the harris county d.a. special crimes bureau. investigators jimmy turpin and mike mauldin started looking into leon. were you surprised to see a doctor involved in this? >> it was surprising to us. normally we don't deal with, professional people lookin' to have somebody killed. >> reporter: their first priority, locate the elusive zach, the guy leon asked the bail bondsman about.

the guy who may have been a hitman. they searched databases knocked on doors and they found him. his real name was moataz azzeh, or "taz" for short. >> and he said, we need to talk. >> reporter: taz said they had him all wrong. he was no hitman. but they were right about leon. he wanted to get rid of meaghan. >> his main goal was that she not appear in court. whatever means that required that to happen, that was fine with leon, up to killing her. >> reporter: taz said leon gave him $9,980 in cash and a couple of fancy watches to do the job. but taz said he had no intention of doing it. >> his story was, he was playing leon. he wasn't ever gonna do the hit. >> reporter: but taz told police he had no doubt. leon still wanted it done. taz also said he was willing to work with them to help catch

leon. so, police told taz to call leon. they recorded the call. >> hello? >> hey. what's up, man. >> how you doing, buddy? >> pretty good. 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. this is my body of proof. proof i can fight moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...with humira.

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i'm tara brown. here is what is happening. the cdc is urging americans to wear nonmedical or homemade face masks during trips outdoors. medical grade or surgical grade masks should be reserved for professionals. the captain of the "uss roosevelt where was greeted by his sailors after being relieved of command of his ship. 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. >> coming up -- >> i couldn't believe that 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. eline" cons ready or not, here i come! eww! gotcha! hide-n-stink protection. lysol spray kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria at the source unlike air fresheners. lysol. what it takes to protect.® and i like to question your i'm yoevery move.n law. like this left turn. it's the next one. you always drive this slow? how did you make someone i love? that must be why you're always so late. i do not speed. and that's saving me cash with drivewise. my son, he did say that you were the safe option. and that's the nicest thing you ever said to me. so get allstate. stop bossing. where good drivers save 40% for avoiding mayhem, like me. this is my son's favorite color, you should try it. [mayhem] you always drive like an old lady?

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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. days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424.

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harris county prosecutor samantha knecht and her co-counsel, cameron calligan, knew they had a strong case against leon jacob for solicitation of capital murder, and additionally, for solicitation of kidnapping. they also knew they had a potential problem. as you headed to trial, what was gonna be the cornerstone of your case? >> the recordings. >> the recordings. there was no way that he was gonna be able to get himself out of all of the things that he said. >> reporter: what would you say was the weakest part of your case? >> well, an aspect of the recordings, as well. the defendant is educated, he's intelligent, he was cautious in his approach to talking to the undercover officer. >> reporter: that was the problem. in all those recorded conversations leon never said, "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 march 20, 2018.

the prosecution called the bail bondsman, michael kubosh, who 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 "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 told the jury that he didn't want leon, a man accused of stalking and assault, anywhere 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 that made him a risky witness, but leon wanted to testify. >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. we had multiple discussions, or multiple conversations about not wanting to harm or hurt anybody. >> reporter: the state said that 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 room, and tell her if she doesn't [ bleep ] leave, i'm gonna kill her parents," right? >> if that's what you say i said.

>> did you say it mr. jacob? >> sure. >> reporter: as for leon's claim he never suggested killing meghan. >> if you injected someone with potassium chloride and stopped their heart that it would hurt them? >> yes. >> it would kill them? >> yes. >> and you knew that as a doctor. >> yes. >> when we would ask him a question, if he didn't feel like we had phrased it right, he would rephrase it for us. >> you need to restate your question and put it into context. >> i believe that he felt like he was smarter than cameron and i. >> reporter: did you just wanna 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 duct tape 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 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 appropriate punishment is hollow. >> reporter: there's something you want out of the punishment phase? >> i would never want him to be able to do this to somebody else because if it wasn't me, if it wasn't valerie, if it wasn't annie, it's gonna be somebody else. and that needs to stop. >> reporter: the jury sentenced leon to life in prison. afterwards, meghan addressed him directly. >> while you sit in jail i hope you think of me, the girl that you called poor and uneducated. it's because of me, you will be in prison for life. >> i was really proud of her. i think it took incredible courage on her part to see this through. >> reporter: meghan knows, in a way, she was lucky. >> every day, there are women 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. first up on msnbc, aboutface. new official government guidelines on wearing masks to stop the coronavirus spread. we talk to a medical expert on why the sudden change and whether it will help. >> we are afraid for our patients. we are afraid for our families. we are afraid for our lives. >> on the front lines, a new look inside hospitals and how doctors and nurses are dealing with a lack of perso