it's the thing that most people would fear too, be home asleep in your bed and have intruders come in and do the unthinkable. >> i felt like a hound being placed on my mouth. i started telling him please don't kill me, please don't kill me. >> an attack in the night. >> i was like really freaking out. what's going on? what's going on? >> a mother murdered. >> look like two ghosts had committed the ultimate crime. >> he lived to tell police a harrowing story. was it true? >> he's the only one that survived.

he's practically unharmed. >> are they treatediing you lik suspect or a witness? >> now an undercover plan to solve the mystery. >> he's stepping out of the car right now. >> who was the real mastermind. >> we all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. >> i really wanted to be wrong. >> the american dream. so many of us want it. the loving family. the honest job, the home you can afford. the idea that you can start over here. and in this new country, that better life will be yours. this is a story about that dream. about a family that worked for it, won it, and then what happened to them?

this wasn't part of anyone's dream. >> someone just robbed our house. they broke in. they tied me and my mom up. >> how could it happen in this safe, gated community, in this home they worked so hard to have. >> is everybody okay? >> i don't know. they just beat me up. i don't know where my mom is. >> and who deserved it less than this woman? ♪ >> my mom brung the heart to the family. >> ryan gerges was the baby of the family, spoiled rotten by his mother. >> we couldn't function without my mom. she's the chef of the household, the counselor. >> full-service mom. >> yeah, she did it all. she was a nice, sweet lady. >> she was one of those mothers

who showed her love through food. her bakes were legendary, making every birthday that much more special. >> she made this really good upside down pineapple cake. it was phenomenal. i always remember cake and ice cream at the birthdays. >> growing up he was inseparable from his mom. was she like your other friend's moms? >> no, she was on the conservative side. >> reporter: she was born in egypt and came to the u.s. when she was 29 years old. her family settled in northern california. she led a comfortable, all-american life. but cultural ties are strong and in 1980, she was called back to egypt to meet a nice young man named magdy. >> when my mom went out there and ended up meeting him, she really liked him. >> years later she would

reminisce about how their romance would blauszm. >> in egypt, you can't go out n ondates and stuff. they went to a movie theater and my dad kissed her on the cheek. >> which was a big deal? >> for her t was. i think it sealed the deal. >> they married just two weeks later in egypt and moved together to california. in 1981 richard was born. five years later came ryan. richard was delighted to have brother to play with and watch over. >> so, you were his protector, big brother? >> i was there to keep an eye on him. i love my brother with all my heart. >> how did you and your brother get along? >> like best friends. i always looked up to him. >> their dad was the classic hard-working immigrant. he earned his license to become a respiratory therapist, then

put in endless hours to keep a roof over his family's head and clothes on their backs. >> he came from a poor country. so, for him t was like too, come here, he was working real hard to build things up and establish a life. >> magdy emphasized education, teaching both his sons math at an early age. he stroev and saved to help them all prosper. and they felt he would do anything to keep his family safe. >> you didn't want your family to get pushed around? >> not at all. >> it took many years of hard work, saving and investing. but he finally put together enough money to buy this home in a gated community in the city of westminster. a quiet town in orange county, california. they were well on their way to living out the dream magdy and

a ariette had worked so hard to build. but then it all came crashing down. ryan, then 17, was out with friends and stayed out later than he was supposed to. when did you get home? >> like 1:00 to 1:30 that night. i slept the back door open and i went upstairs. >> his dad was not at home. his brother at work. his mom asleep. >> i remember i was fixing up my i pod doc and next thing i know i hear my door open and first instinct is it's my brother. >> his best friend and protector coming home, or so he thought. but it wasn't richard. >> kind of looked back and that's when i felt like a hand being placed on my mouth. and it was a hand with some type of cotton glove.

>> can you see who this is? >> i know this is a black male that was heavy set. i was yelling for my brother or mom to help me and i was really scared. >> ryan says he fought the intruder. >> i bit down on my hand and rolled off the bed and then i popped up and i was shoved into, like, the wall. he was telling me to, like, shut up and calm down. >> the man put duct tape over ryan's mouth and started taping his hands and feet together. >> right after that a second suspect comes inside. and he starts making threats to me like don't get your moms killed. >> don't get your mom killed. that had to be terrifying to hear. >> yeah, i was really terrified. >> what did you think was going on? >> i didn't know. i thought a robbery or something. >> a terrifying situation was about to get worse.

>> i saw my mom yelling take anything you want. and after that, i just noticed that the guy was taking my mom away, like, towards her bedroom. >> ryan's attacker dragged him into the closet but then noticed the duct tape was slipping around ryan's hands. >> i heard him taking shoe string off one of my shoes. >> using the shoe lace, the man tied ryan's hands behind his back. through the closet door, ryan pleaded with his attacker. >> i started telling him please don't kill me, please don't kill me and i started praying. and during that time, he was like i know your circumstances, i know what you're going through. i'm not going to kill you. >> i know your circumstances. strange as those words sounded, ryan found them somehow comforting. >> and after that, i started feeling a little bit of a sense of relief. >> but then he would hear a sound that would come to haunt him.

>> i heard cutting of sheets. i didn't know what was going on. >> and what was going on was worse than anything he could have imagined. >>ing up. >> they're like don't make me have to kill you. i will kill you. >> a panicked call to 911 and another to his brother. >> i was really freaking out. i was like what's going on? what's going on? >> what really happened inside that house, when "dateline. "dar with cascade platinum. and save water. did you know certified dishwashers... ...use less than four gallons per cycle, while a running sink uses that, every two minutes. so, do it with cascade. the surprising way to save water.

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ryan girgis had just been through a terrifying ordeal. two men breaking into his home in a gated community in the middle of the night. >> both black guys, they were really huge to me. their whole persona was gangsters and thugs. >> you'd never seen them before? >> never ever. >> they tied him up, threw him

in a closet, but not before he saw one of the men drag his mother into her bedroom. he says he thought he heard the men walk out, thought he heard a car drive away, but for a few more moments, ryan sat in that dark closet, heart thumping, afraid, he says, to come out. it was now or never. ryan says he managed to untie himself and grab his cell phone. >> i went down the hallway, i looked to the right really quickly. i noticesed that the door was in like a closed position. >> to your mother's bedroom? >> to my mother's bedroom. >> why didn't you check on her? >> i wanted to get out. i thought i need to get out of this house and come back with someone. i already got overpowered by myself. >> he ran outside the house and called 911. >> what happened? >> two black guys just jump in the my house.

don't make me have to kill you. don't make me have to kill you. i will kill you. don't get your moms killed. >> ryan called his dad magdi. he was shocked and asked two things. if ryan was okay? and where ariet was? and ryan didn't know. he also called his older brother richard who was working the night shift at the queen mary hotel. >> what did richard say? >> he questioned if i was all right, he questioned where was mom, and he said who do you think it is? someone you know? >> why would richard think that you might know the people who broke into the house? >> he felt like i was the one who got tied up and they came into my room. so he was just questioning, is it something having to do with you? did they have a personal vendetta on you or anything? >> as you'll see, that is a

question that would come up again. after the call, richard left work and drove to the house but the police tape was already up and they wouldn't let him through. >> i was really freaking out. what's going on? what's going on? i was asking him, where is my mom at? where is my mom at? >> police took richard and ryan to the station. the boys were surprised to find themselves split up and sitting in separate interview rooms. ryan's hands were bagged to preserve any evidence. but before detectives could ask too many questions, richard asked one of his own. >> can i talk to my mom, please? >> mom is dead. >> oh, no. no, she's not. i didn't hear that. i didn't hear that. >> ryan said he didn't know what was happening right then but he could tell it was bad.

>> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> i just heard like a scream. and i'm like, what just happened? it sounds like richard, my brother, and he is screaming to the top of his lungs. >> no, she's not. she's not. >> you can't see richard. you can just hear him. >> could i hear him in the other room and he was going hysterical. i never heard him scream like that in my whole life. >> oh, my god. does my little brother know? >> police soon told ryan the same awful news. their mother ariet had been murdered. now, the cops started asking questions. that wasn't all they did. >> the police took my fingerprints, cotton swabs, dna, you name it. they did it. >> are they treating you like a suspect or a witness? >> they are treating me like a suspect at this point. >> did you have a chance to

check on your mom? >> no. i just ran out. [ inaudible ] >> richard was facing questions that were slightly different but just as skeptical. >> why would someone break into your house? >> i don't know, man. i wish i knew. i don't know. >> did the cops take your finger prints? >> yeah. >> and your dna? >> yeah. >> did you think they were looking at you as a suspect? >> yeah. it was scary. i had never been in that situation with police. >> but the focus seemed to linger on his brother, ryan. >> this wasn't directed against him that you know of. >> i don't know, dude. the first reaction was, is that one of your friends? did someone break in? >> that was your first reaction?

>> my first reaction was that. >> as police continued their questioning, one question stood out above all. why would these two thugs come into your house, basically, not hurt you, and then really brutally kill your mother? and leave behind a witness? >> yeah. >> this investigation was about to take a turn that no one expected. >> coming up. >> looked like two ghosts had just walked in and committed the ultimate crime. >> dna and csi. what will the evidence reveal? what's inside airborne? a blast of immune support and the confidence to take on the day. that's why airborne is the only #1 pharmacist recommended immune support brand.

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stay at a universal hotel starting from $79 a night plus tax. restrictions apply. ryan girgis was attacked in his own home and hours later, given the worst news imaginable. while he had managed to escape, his mom ariet had not. she was dead. all of which begged a pressing question. >> why would they kill her and leave me? >> police and even his own brother were asking the same thing. >> how many murders do you get in westminster? >> not that many, really. >> she was a deputy d.a. in orange county, california. the ariet girgis case landed on her desk. >> it's a nightmare. the thing most people would fear, to be home in the sanctity

of your home, asleep in your bed, and have intruders come in and do the unthinkable. >> police found ariet's body near her bed. she had been stabbed multiple times. that odd tearing sound ryan said he heard? investigators believed it was the sound of the knife ripping through the mattress as ariet's killer slit her throat. >> was that knife found at the scene? >> it was not. >> james wilson was a patrol officer at the time of the murder. wilson said the details of the crime scene pointed to something other than a home-invasion robby. in part, because nothing appeared to have been stolen. >> this was an burglary in which she was collateral damage. >> definitely not. >> cash was in plain sight. jewelry, too. even ryan's ipod and new dock, all untouched. >> the house wasn't even rummaged through as if they were looking for something. >> what's more, this was a gated community. the killers would have needed a gate code to get in.

>> it starts getting more interesting as to who could have done it. >> crime scene investigators collected mounds of evidence and surprisingly, with all that blood, not a single trace of unknown dna. all the dna results matched all the people who lived in the house, ariet, richard, magdi, and ryan. a witness who for some reason was left alive. >> two guys came into the house, beat up ryan, tie him up and kill ariet in a brutal hands-on way and leave no trace? >> that's what it looked like. it looked like two ghosts had just come in and committed the ultimate crime. >> it seemed improbable and it encouraged detectives to look closely at ryan. he claimed to be a victim. but was he really? police learned the friend he was with the night of the murder had offered ryan a knife for

protection. just hours before ryan's mother was brutally killed with a knife. a knife that had not been found. they also learned ryan smoked marijuana and not just at the occasional party. he smoked every day. and he wasn't just smoking. >> i was hoping someone would, like, have narcotics or something. >> what kind of narcotics? >> marijuana. >> police found small amounts of marijuana in ryan's room along with a bong, baggies and tin foil and there was more like the description ryan had given detectives about the two suspects. >> both male blacks, he said they were large. he said they acted like they were from a gang but that was something that we still didn't know 100% sure if that was true or not. >> claiming two black men committed the murder seemed almost too convenient.

and more troubling, if ryan had been beaten by gang members much bigger than he was, why didn't he look like it? >> there's no question if ryan had been in a serious duking it out fight with a couple of guys, that he would have ended up much more battered than he was. >> if they wanted to hurt him worse than they did, definitely so. yes. >> and remember, ryan had told police that one suspect said, i know your circumstances. i'm not going to kill you. was that true? and if so, what did it mean? and then there was issue of ryan claiming to have left the house before he so much as took a peek into his mother's bedroom. >> did that strike anybody as odd? >> i think so. as a detective, you have to consider why someone would do that. >> soon detectives found out. ryan had more dark secrets than they'd realized. coming up -- >> he's the only one who survived. he is practically unharmed.

>> new questions for ryan. and a new clue. had he received a warning before the attack? >> better watch your back. i know where you live. i know where you live. alright, everyone, we made it.

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hello. president trump says he plans to hold his first in-person event since being diagnosed with covid-19 at the front lawn of the white house today and he will address the crowd from the balcony. on the second debate, set to take place in miami next week is has been cancelled. now back to "dateline." now back to "dateline.

investigators looking into the savage murder of ariet girgis naturally took a hard look at the only other person in the house when she died. her 17-year-old son, ryan. >> he's the only one who survived. he is practically unharmed. he was selling a small amount of drugs. we had to pursue that. >> police still have a lot of questions with ryan's story but they haven't yet found any evidence to suggest he killed his mom. for now, at least, they had to take him at his word. >> until you can find a reason not to believe that person, you climbed of have to go with what they say unless they're lying to you. >> as far as you knew, he was not lying to you. >> yes. >> but the investigation was just starting and police couldn't discount another possibility. that ariet was killed because of ryan.

detectives learned a year before the murder, ryan had confront another kid at school who had not paid him for some weed. later, that killed's friends jumped ryan. >> it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would spark a homicide but i'm guessing you've seen homicide that's were sparked by a lot less. >> it is typical for especially gang-related homicides to be something just as small as that. >> remember, ryan described his assailants as sounding like gang members. then there was this bombshell. a message ryan received on his aol instant messenger just weeks before the murder. >> about a week ago -- >> he brought it to detectives' attention during interview. >> you'd better watch your back. i know where you live. i've never even seen this person. that's why i didn't pay attention. it seemed like key evidence except ryan had not saved the message.

no way to tell now who had sent it. >> any idea who was from? >> no. >> aol able to help with you that? >> no. >> a frustrating dead end but by now police were looking at other possibilities. they dug deeper into the american dream the girgis family seemed to be living. and interviewed the man of the house. magdi. >> how did you feel about your wife? >> i am devastated. we've been together 24 years. she's the mother of my kids. >> he really didn't have any vices. he didn't spend any money on any hobbies of any sort. so he was a guy who went to work and went home. >> but their father wasn't just a hard worker, said his sons. he was more like a workaholic. >> i think my mom felt neglected. he wasn't affectionate toward

her. it was like all he would do was just work. >> i played sports all my life and he never, ever came to watch any sports that i played. >> a lot of childhood growing up, i can remember a lot about my mom but not about my dad. it is not because i don't want to. it is because he wasn't there. he would get up, to go work. come go to sleep, gets up, go to work. >> that was because for magdi, the american dream was all about the green. >> he was work, work, work. >> money, money, money. >> exactly. >> after a rare outing to the beach one day, ryan said he and his father dropped by mcdonald's. >> i asked him if i could borrow a dollar to buy a 99 cent burger. not only did he ask for it back. he asked for the attach will money on it. >> what kind of father asks a 13-year-old to reimburse him for

$1 hamburger? >> my dad. he was always trying to hustle somebody for some type of money. >> it didn't take the prosecutor long to learn about magdi's obsession. >> this is the united states. everybody goes to work. everybody tries to make money and provide for themselves and their family. he's different? >> yes. he's very different. he is in a category of very few people who have an unhealthy relationship with money. it drives everything that they do. >> we're not talking about thrifty? >> no. >> we're talking about squeezing every dollar until it bleeds. >> yes. i mean, to the point where you have a house paid off but you can't run the electricity for more than one room at a time. >> even though you have the money? >> absolutely. he has food that expires and he hoards it. it is about collecting money. >> and never paying out.

>> correct. >> his sons described magdi as not only obsessed with work and money but also a strict disciplinarian. >> did you love him? >> yeah, i did love him. >> were you scared of him? >> yes. from when i was a kid. i felt like there was a line and i didn't want to cross anything. >> the brothers say they saw what could happen when they crossed that line. one night when ryan was 14 and came home past curfew, they say magdi simply lost it. >> he threw me on the floor and started kicking me. my brother had to pull him off me. >> your brother kind of shielded you? >> did he. >> it sounds like you were closer to your brother more than your father. >> very much so. >> ryan rebelled staying out late. smoking weed. richard was more dutiful but he, too, felt his father's wrath. >> a punch, a kick, kind of name it depending. i would find the sooner i would

cry, the sooner it would stop. >> a tough lesson to learn from your dad. >> yeah. he was a very harsh person which made it more fortunate to have my mop will in my life. she was the complete opposite. >> as tough as he was on his sons, they say magdi was just as tough on his wife. ryan and richard say they never saw their father hit their mother but they say they heard the yelling and they did see the bruises. >> we never ever called 911. we had the sense of fear that we didn't want to cross the line. >> you were more afraid of what your dad would do to you if you did call 911 than what might happen to your mom if you didn't? >> yeah. we were scared of my dad. we were just like so petrified. >> did you know your dad was more than capable of just hitting people? >> i always felt like you didn't want to mess with that guy. you didn't want to push him to the other level.

>> so, the boys stayed quiet, but a storm was brewing. in the end, ariet would give investigators their best lead. coming up -- a transformation -- >> i really felt like my mom was empowered. >> and a confrontation. >> my mom told him, he punched me in the face. that started the whole cascade. >> there is no going back. >> so the life you had before -- >> was never going to be the same. >> when "dateline" continues. ♪ you can go your own way

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as investigators worked the murder of ariet girgis, they heard disturbing information from her sons. most disturbing by far was what happened seven months before the murder in february 2004. on the eve of magdi and ariet's 24th wedding anniversary. >> so she starts talking on magdi. can we go out to dinner? that's what starts this fight. >> doesn't sound like a very long fight. >> no. he punches her in the face.

>> richard remembers arriving home that evening and seeing his mom. >> she looked very subdued. her face was swollen. her nose was still bleeding. so i went upstairs and i confront my dad. >> what was his response? >> he told me to stay out of it. >> but richard in nursing school at the time worried his mom could have a concussion or worse. he rushed her to the emergency room. they had kept their family secret for so long but that was about to change. >> the nurse asked her what happened. >> and your mom said? >> my mom told her that he punched me in the face. that started the whole cascade. >> police went to the girgis home and arrested magdi. >> that was really scary. >> that was scary. not thrilling. >> it was terrifying. >> not the moment you'd been waiting for? >> no, no, no. there was no point of return. somehow i knew immediately after that that it was --

>> there is no going back. >> no going back of the. >> so the life you had before -- >> was never going to be the same. >> a court issued a protective order and magdi moved out of the house he worked so hard for to an apartment complex he and his brother owned nearby. after more than two decades of marriage, it seemed magdi and ariet were headed for divorce. it was a thought that seemed to terrify ariet. >> i think she was scared and had a lot of cold feet. >> about striking out on her own in the world. >> exactly. >> ariet was totally dependent on magdi. she had never written a personal check. didn't even know their mortgage was paid off. >> she had expressed to me, i wish all this would just not be here. i wish everything could go back to the way it was. >> magdi, too, seemed frightened and perhaps chastened. >> he was definitely trying to get back with my mother. >> did it seem like your mom was wavering at all? >> yeah.

there was a limbo period where my mom was considering taking him back. >> richard, who had stepped up during his father's absence as the man of the house, overheard a strange conversation between his parents. >> he was like, oh, i love you. >> had you ever heard your dad say i love to you your mom? >> i can't really recall that. >> until that conversation when he needed something from her. >> yeah. >> what did magdi need? it turned out he was more worried about himself than anyone else. a domestic violence conviction might cost him his respiratory therapy license which would cut off his income. and magdi knew, a divorce would force him to split his hard earned money with ariet. >> he had his back to the wall. >> yeah. >> so magdi came up with a plan. a letter in which ariet would say she wasn't sure what happened. that her injuries could have

resulted from a fall. magdi and ariet weren't speaking at the time so magdi convinced richard, the dutiful older son to transcribe the letter and persuade ariet to sign it. thus getting her husband off the hook. >> do you feel bad at all trying to get your mom to change her story of something that you knew she was telling the truth about? >> yeah. back then, i felt like i was just trying to help. >> and maybe the price of saving your family is convincing your mom to lie about something that's true? >> he really just manipulated me. >> he knew his mother had mixed feelings about the break-up of her marriage. richard told himself, he was doing the right thing. >> i was trying to support my mom. at the same time, i still felt that he was my dad. i felt really pulled. >> ariet agreed to sign the letter. magdi, no doubt, came relief. but then the preliminary hearing. ariet did something quite unexpected. she took the witness stand and

she told the truth. >> she felt enough was enough. she went and she really laid everything out. >> not just about the night magdi gave her a black eye and bloodied her nose. but about abuse ariet described as stretching over two decades. >> did your dad feel betrayed? >> my dad was, i can't believe what she said up there. >> ariet girgis had finally stood up for herself. it might have been the manifestation of her own american dream. ariet hired a divorce attorney and began planning a new life. >> i really felt like my mom was empowered. she just wanted to be happy

shelf felt like there was happiness coming. >> instead, the next month, she was murdered. and to investigators who heard ariet's story, it now seemed obvious her husband magdi was the prime suspect. >> everything pointed at magdi. >> except for the fact the phone records proved that magdi was at his own apartment when ryan called him that night. and according to the only witness, two black men committed the murder. and there was still the question of why that witness, ryan, was left alive. and just a few days after his mother was killed, the rebellious son, ryan, received another anonymous message on his computer. how did you like your gift? lol. lol. >> how did you like your gift? >> yeah. >> coming up, an hah moment for police. a new look at that old interrogation of ryan. could it lead to the break they'd need? >> you don't have to be a detective to think that might have some d.a. on it. to what's next. and i'm still going for my best. even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib

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investigators were zeroing in on magdi girgis as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife ariet. the two had been going through a domestic violence case and were divorcing. >> you know, he's an obvious suspect. that doesn't mean he did it. >> no matter how obnoxious he may have been during the marriage, maybe he's not the guy you're looking for? sure. you have to explore every possibility. >> especially after the can you please's son reason received a taunting message on his computer days of a the murder. how did you like your gift? lol lol. >> it didn't make any sense to me. >> police looked into it. but just like the threat he'd received the weeks before the murder, they weren't able to

track down the sender. >> do you wish more work had been done on that? >> older brother richard it's came under scrutiny. >> richard had stuck up for him. may be even could have had up for his father during the domestic violence investigation. did you think he might be doing that again? >> initially they believed there was a possibility. yes. >> soon after the murder, the brothers left westminster and moved to northern california and they did so without telling magdi. as police continued to dig, richard and ryan say they worried. whoever killed their mom was still at large and knew reason was a witness to the crime. >> i have recollections. i have nightmares. i also get chills. i don't like to be home by myself. i have trouble sleeping. i mean, the list goes on. >> ryan and richard say they had a growing suspicion their father was responsibility for their mother's murder. they said they were too scared to confront him.

but in the months that followed, the investigation seemed to stall. it seems leak like you had a lot of leads that didn't go anywhere. >> we had a lot of leads to go down, yes. >> remember there was no physical evidence linking magdi to the murder. >> ryan said it was two black men who broke into the house and killed his mom. police never found those mention or any trace existed. and those threatening messages sent to ryan? still no idea who sent them. >> it is hard to think that way when you desperately want to solve it but yes. >> so the years rolled by. richard became critical care nurse. ryan, the self-admitted stoner, says he stopped smoking. he was working toward a

bachelor's degree in business and had started his own events and enter tape couple. magdi would have been proud of his boys if he knew how far they'd come but richard and ryan said they never got a call from him in all those years and they made no effort to contact him. they did call the westminster police department again and again urging detectives to investigate their father and each time, they heard the same response. >> you know, we're still looking into it. we don't have any new leads. there is nothing -- >> depressing. >> it was. >> they made endless cause, enlisting family and friends to write america's most wanted and they raised the $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspects. all of it led to nothing. >> how many a cases did you do in those years? >> a lot of murders. >> something about this one stuck with you.

>> absolutely. >> there is something about ariet that made you not want to quit? >> you never want to quit on any case but i think the fact she came so close to being an independent woman, to standing up for herself, to being the kind of mother that she wanted to be to those boys. and she did everything right and she died on our watch. it was a terrible feeling. a terrible feeling. >> it was 2010, nearly six years after the murder when richard made another of his many phone calls to the westminster pd. this teem it was james wilson who answered. he had been a patrol officer at the time of the murder bust in the intervening years, he had worked his way up to detective. >> i really didn't have very good answers for them. what's going on with my mom's case?

what are you doing on my mom's case? and there is nothing going on in the case, so i started looking at it. >> out of guilt? >> i think obligation. it is one of the reasons you become a police officer. to help people like that. >> as they poured over the case, he came across the interview detectives had with reason right after the murder. reading through transcripts, he saw a key detail that no one had noticed. >> you say you bit this guy? >> yeah. >> on the hand? through a glove? >> i think it was through a glove. he had to take off the glove to put on the tape. >> ryan was telling detectives, the intruder took his gloves off before handling the duct tape, and also, the shoelace used to tie him up. >> you don't have to be a detective to think, maybe that had some dna on it. >> the detective checked to see if the shoelace had ever been tested.

it had not. so he sent it off to the crime lab. and one afternoon, eight years after ariet's murder, detective wilson's phone rang. >> the crime lab did call me and tell me they got a hit. >> and no one could have predicted the name police were given. >> hit to be our suspect, agent least one of our suspects. >> and the name the crime lab gives you -- >> anthony bridget. >> was that in any of the case files? >> no. >> not someone who had been talked to at any stage of the investigation. >> wasn't even in our inhouse computers as person contacted by police. >> and yet the dna proved anthony bridget was the attack here had tied up ryan. detective wilson entered the information into the computer. >> so who is he? >> a member of the crips. >> the crips. one of the most notorious and violent gangs in the u.s. and mr. bridget, street name little shotgun, was by any standard, a professional

criminal. coming up -- >> he had the resume you would expect who came to kill ariet would have. >> the kind of guy you would hire to commit murder. >> that's right. >> a whole new suspect. >> did you know where he was? >> i knew exactly where he was no. in the basement. why can't we just get in the running car? are you crazy? let's hide behind the chainsaws. smart. yeah. ok. if you're in a horror movie, you make poor decisions. it's what you do. this was a good idea. shhhh. i'm being quiet. you're breathing on me! if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. let's go to the cemetery!

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and your mindset. it's really cool. every time i learn something new, it just fuels the curiosity to explore more, to learn more. there's anything and everything. for a limited time, prime members, save $50 on your first year of audible. text listen17 to 500500. straining, and bloating, again and again. no way. more exercise. more water. and more fiber is the only way to manage it. is it? maybe you think... it's occasional constipation. maybe it's not. it could be a chronic medical condition called ibs-c, and time to say yesss! to linzess. linzess works differently than laxatives. it helps relieve belly pain and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements. do not give linzess to children less than six and it should not be given to children six to less than 18, it may harm them. do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual

or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach area pain, and swelling. change your thinking to ibs-c. if your constipation and belly pain keeps coming back, tell your doctor and say yesss! to linzess. it was 2012, eight years after the murder of ariet girgis, when detective james wilson got his first solid break. home invaders had tied up ariet's son, ryan, with a shoelace. the detectives submitted that shoelace to a crime lab, hoping for a long-shot dna hit, and the results were in. the dna belonged to anthony bridget. >> he had numerous violent conduct, including prior conviction for manslaughter.

so, this was no novice. >> long, violent rap sheet. >> absolutely. >> bridget also had a drug conviction. and remember, ryan girgis admitted he sometimes dealt weed. could ryan and anthony bridget have known each other? is that why richard immediately wondered if ryan was the target of the attack? police considered that theory and dismissed it. in fact, for police, anthony bridget and his gang affiliation confirmed ryan's story. for one, bridget matched ryan's account that the man who tied him up seemed like a gang member. >> it looked like he was one of those guys that just came out of the pen and stuff and just, like, wanted revenge on someone. >> and two -- bridget's prior booking photos matched the sketch ryan had given police. and so, investigators developed a different theory about bridget's involvement. >> he had the resume that you

would expect the intruders who came to kill ariet to have. >> the kind of guy you'd hire to commit murder. >> that's right. >> and they suspected the person who hired him was magdi girgis. but of course, there was no proof of any of that. i'm guessing one of the things you did pretty early on was subpoena magdi's bank records. >> oh, yes. >> looking for that big chunk of money that he took out a few days before his wife was killed. >> you could hope, but -- >> but it wasn't there. >> it wasn't there. >> maybe he's innocent. >> maybe he's just careful. >> careful? perhaps. but in what universe would magdi girgis and anthony bridget's paths cross? one way to find out, they could ask anthony bridget. did you know where he was? >> i knew exactly where he was.

>> he was in soledad state prison. prosecutor balleste and wilson paid him an unannounced visit. and there you are in a little room. >> yes. >> a table like this one. >> yes. >> between you. and you say? >> i want to talk to you. >> and he's a little surprised, right? >> he's a little surprised, yes. >> but anthony bridget was hard to rattle. >> he's been involved in gang-related homicides in the past. pretty experienced at the prison system. >> so, saying to him, "hey, the guy that hired you, magdi girgis, just rolled over on you," that's not going to work. >> right. >> this is not a virgin. >> exactly. >> but they did get something. you said to him, "i have your dna at a murder scene." >> yes. and he said, "where?" >> he said, "where?" not, "i haven't committed any murder." did you ask him whether he knew magdi? >> no. we never got that far.

>> here's what bridget didn't know. the prosecutor and the detective didn't really care what he said. their target was magdi girgis, and all they wanted was to prove a connection between him and anthony bridget. that's why before they left orange county, they'd set up a wiretap on magdi's phone. he was back living in the house where his wife was murdered. he even had a new girlfriend. and now, investigators listened to see if bridget would tip off magdi. >> i was hoping that at least my visit would inspire him in some way. >> didn't happen. >> no. it didn't. >> so, game over? >> he stepped out of the car right now. >> no. it was just starting. coming up, a return to the scene of the crime. >> what's up, man? >> a dramatic confrontation at magdi's house. >> check it out.

me and my homie locked up in the pen right now. >> who were these men? and what did they want? when "dateline" continues. ♪ for skin as alive as you are... don't settle for silver ♪ gold bond champion your skin

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january 30th, 2013. the home where ariet girgis had met her awful death was suddenly once again the scene of an unexpected confrontation. >> saw my [ bleep ]. >> two men showed up on magdi girgis' lawn. >> let me holler at you for a few ticks. let me holler at you for a second. >> and it was all caught on camera. >> check it out. me and my homie locked up in the pen right now. police approached him about him killing his wife for you in this [ bleep ] house. >> interesting, because prosecutor sonia balleste and detective wilson had just returned from visiting crips gang member anthony bridget in prison.

they suspected magdi had hired bridget and another as-yet-unknown man to kill ariet. and now, apparently, here were a pair of gangsters on magdi's property. the more talkative of the two called himself d. money, and money is what he wanted from magdi. >> you know what i'm saying? we don't care about it. but the thing is, we want to get paid for it. we're not going to say [ bleep ], you know what i mean? >> what are you talking about? >> good question. and who better to answer it than d. money himself? you're a born actor. >> i believe i am. >> he's not a gangster. he's an officer from the long beach police department who was working under cover, which is why we are concealing his identity. are you a little nervous going in? >> not at all, no. >> the role he played at magdi's home that day was part of a war game sonia and detective wilson had set in motion, even before they met anthony bridget.

tell me about this scheme. >> you call it a scheme. i call it a plan. >> by any name, it was an attempt to trap magdi. >> the only way anthony bridget or somebody like him commits a crime like this is some kind of gain, financial, primarily. so you develop that kind of individual and you come up with a way in which they were able to contact magdi and demand more money. >> let me holler at you for a few ticks. >> in other words, these two undercover officers posing as gang members would approach magdi and hit him up for some hush money. since investigators knew that money was magdi's particular obsession, they hoped they were about to strike a nerve, but they had to be careful. if the killers were working for magdi, it wasn't clear if he knew them directly or hired them through a middleman. so, you couldn't have these guys claim that they were the actual guys in the house. >> correct. >> because possibly, he knew them.

>> possibly he knew them. >> so, you have them pose as friends of the guy in the house. >> yes. >> and he's now in jail. >> in prison, which as we knew, that was true, because anthony bridget was in prison. >> and so, his friends are, what, trying to leverage that knowledge into some extra money for them. >> correct. >> operations like this are especially tricky. there's usually only one shot to get it right. if the phony gangsters threaten magdi, the sting wouldn't hold up in court, and magdi could walk free. and at the same time, one thing had to be crystal clear. >> you want to make sure that everybody knows that we're talking about the crime that occurred about his wife being murdered in that particular house. that couldn't be left ambiguous. >> a risky plan, and no guarantees it would work. true that a lot of das might not

go for an operation like that? >> yes. >> sonia wanted a win. >> she wasn't scared to fail. >> did you think you were going to fail? >> i was very nervous, to say the least. >> it had taken nine years to get to this moment. a team of cops watched and video-taped as the undercovers approached magdi. >> he's stepping out of the car right now. >> everyone was on edge, except for the man cast in the role of d. money. you had to be going over in your mind, like, you know, if he says this, if he does this, i'm going to -- >> no. things come out spontaneously. >> really? >> you have to be quick. you say "a," i say "b," you say "c," i say "d." you have to have something out there. there's nothing you can rehearse, nothing you can write down. you either can do it or you can't. >> still there was cause for worry. while these officers looked the part, they had never done anything like this before. were you worried at all about sort of their acting ability? >> i was concerned. >> too late now.

it was on. coming up, a surprise snafu. >> his cell phone dials the number of undercover, and they tell me he didn't answer the phone. >> an undercover officer misses the call, and that was just the beginning. >> i think we all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. >> when "dateline" continues. ♪ [yawn] you. look. stunning. want the truth to why i wake up feeling... [growls softly] ...so darn awesome? [makes playful sound] i take care of my skin. not this skin. that skin. and when you've got incontinence, you sure need to. tena intimates pads lock liquid in, and are now 100% breathable to care for your intimate skin. are you still here?

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here's what's happening. hurricane delta paid landfall in louisiana friday as a category 2 storm. wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour. the storm will make its way north towards mississippi and tennessee bringing heavy rainfall and possible flooding through sunday. and president trump said that he plans to hold an in-person rally on the south lawn of the white house later today. the president who was infected with covid-19 just last week is expected to address a crowd of up to 2,000 people from one of the balconies.

now back to "dateline." e b. now back to "dateline." magdi girgis didn't know it, but he was the target of a sting operation. he had just arrived home. the undercover officers approached, and the camera was rolling. >> check it out. me and my homie locked up in the pen right now. police approached him about him killing his wife for you in this [ bleep ] house, you know what i'm saying? we don't care about it, but the thing is, we want to get paid for it. we're not going to say [ bleep ], you know what i mean? >> what are you talking about? >> what's his reaction when you make it clear that you know about his wife's murder? >> he appeared to be shocked. you could tell it was something he wasn't prepared for, he never thought was going to happen. >> we want five racks, $5,000, you know what i'm saying? we ain't gonna say [ bleep ]. we ain't going to the police. we ain't gonna say nothing else. you understand what i'm saying? all right. give me a call, man. take my number. that's me.

call me tomorrow by 10:00. i'm d. money. give me a call by 10:00. $5,000. hit me up tomorrow. >> almost as soon as it began, it was over. magdi left standing there with d. money's phone number, with instructions to call the next day. and in terms of oscar-winning performances, they did a pretty good job. >> i think so. they did a great job. >> now police waited and wondered, what would magdi do? if he doesn't call, this all is for nothing. >> it's a done deal. case is over. >> more than eight years after the murder, here was the make-or-break moment. >> he was either going to ignore them, he was going to contact them, or he was going to call the police, say, guess what, i think the guys involved in my wife's murder just came to the house. >> which is what an innocent person would have done. >> yes. >> but he didn't call the police.

>> he did not. >> and he didn't ignore them. >> very true. >> the next day, the surveillance team tracked magdi driving. and just at that time -- >> his cell phone dials the number of undercover. and i'm notified immediately by the wire room. and they told me he didn't answer the phone. >> the undercover officer missed magdi's call. >> so, i had to call the undercover and -- >> say, the target of the investigation is trying to reach you. >> he was in a bad area for reception, so he had to move. and then -- >> that's like a nightmare. >> so, we were hoping he'd call back. >> the undercover, as usual, was confident. why were you so convinced he'd call back? >> because he called the first time. to me, in this type of deal, when you call the first time, you know, you're over the nervousness and they're going to call back. >> and magdi did call back. the surveillance team caught him on camera, this time from a place that doesn't get a lot of

traffic in the 21st century. >> we know he's at a pay phone. that got really interesting for me right there. >> i'm sitting in the car, and the cell phone went off. let it ring a few times, then answered the phone, you know? this is d. money. what's going on? >> from yesterday? >> yeah, i came by yesterday. >> yeah, i have a problem -- >> what's that? >> what's up? >> the problem is my boy's locked down in the pen, like i told you yesterday. we know what's going on, you know, my boy took care of a little business, you know? so you know, we're just trying to get paid just to keep it hush, you know what i mean? >> you got paid everything. >> once he told me, i thought i paid you guys everything. >> it's one of those feelings where you've known this all along, and then you actually hear it from him. and so, i think it was overwhelming feeling of confirmation.

>> and then, just as quickly, it all threatened to blow up in their faces. listen carefully. [ inaudible ] >> what? >> who was the middleman? >> middleman? the undercover had no idea. magdi had just asked a question that none of the investigators could answer. when magdi says, tell me who the middleman is, so i know i can trust you, that was something the undercover officers i think weren't ready for. >> no. i think we all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. >> investigators had considered the possibility that magdi might have hired the killers through some third party. and now this conversation seemed like confirmation that he had, but who was it? it seems to me that the middle man for this would have to be somebody that magdi really trusted, somebody he knew well. >> he would have had to trust this person, yes. >> somebody who would stick up for him. >> yes.

>> any thoughts on who that might be? >> i do. i do. >> there was no way to tell the undercover that, so d. money just stayed in character. >> i don't -- you know, everybody knows who the middleman was. i ain't worried about that. people talking -- >> how can i trust you? >> people -- because the information that i got, player, i can go to the police, but i'm not. i'm just -- i'm just trying to get my money so i can go. >> so, the conversation about hush money continued. magdi, true to form, haggled over the price. >> $5,000 ain't that much, man, i, you know -- >> i don't have it, that's the problem. i have some, but not the whole amount. >> it just goes to show the true character of this man. i mean, here's a guy who will negotiate with thugs ten years

later because he feels like he already paid. i mean, it's just -- that's what i mean, he's not in a normal range of thrifty. >> $1,500. >> what's that? >> $1,500 i have on me. >> police probably had enough to arrest magdi right then and there, but they waited. now you want to do the actual exchange of money? >> got to get the money. >> that meant a second meeting, but would magdi even show up? and if he did, would he come with a plan of his own? coming up -- >> nerve-racking. >> and nail-biting. one more hidden camera moment. >> you bring me a check? no. >> when "dateline" continues. up at 2:00am again?

tonight, try pure zzzs all night. unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. i love awhatever question's chai have i feel likehe better. there's an avenue to seek the answer. hit that app and you start a story, you're on an adventure. download a new book within seconds and it's ready to go. there's something for everybody on audible. i like short stories. short stories are easy. they're quick. i like long and like intricate stories, that's what i really love. audible originals. i like biographies. self-help. fantasy. true crime podcasts. i love it so much. i can literally listen to anything. i can do it any time. and any place. and you know, for as long as i like. getting really into a story can totally transform where you are and your mindset. it's really cool. every time i learn something new,

it just fuels the curiosity to explore more, to learn more. there's anything and everything. for a limited time, prime members, save $50 on your first year of audible. text listen17 to 500500.

magdi girgis had just been caught on tape, apparently admitting to hiring thugs to kill his wife.

>> i thought you got paid everything. >> he seemed willing to pay even more to keep things quiet and made a date to do it. >> $1,500. >> what's that? >> $1,500 i have on me. >> the next day, officers secretly trailed magdi leaving his home, driving on the freeway, and pulling into this home depot parking lot, the meeting point chosen by magdi. everybody's out of sight, except you. >> everybody's out of sight, plain clothes, unmarked vehicles, except us, the two of us. >> i'm no police officer, but this is starting to feel like fun. >> oh, definitely fun. it's a rush. i would do it all over again. >> prosecutor sonia balleste was nearby, watching it all unfold. tell me what that was like. >> nerve-racking. it's exhilarating. >> did you see magdi? >> not at first. >> but soon enough, he came into view.

the undercovers approached his car. >> what's up [ bleep ]? what's going on? what's happening? did you bring me a check? no. cash. 15? >> yes. >> so i took the envelope, basically snatched it from him and counted the money right there and put it in the envelope. >> that was what, $1,500 in $100 bills? >> $1,500 in $100 bills. >> gonna be over, you ain't gonna see us no more, man. everything good? >> yes. >> so, this was not some sort of frightened, little mouse who was doing what he was told by you guys. this was a guy who was poised and kind of in control of the situation. >> oh, yeah. i'm going to get it done and this is going to be it. and it will be over. >> but before it was, the undercover dropped one more line to see if magdi would bite. >> what the [ bleep ] did your wife do so mother [ bleep ] bad to you to make you want to kill her ass? >> he didn't take the bait. >> he almost did. >> magdi probably thought he was

home-free, but as he drove away, officers swarmed in. you arrest him. and you guys are all feeling like wyatt earp. >> we're feeling pretty good, yes. very good, actually. >> ryan girgis, of course, had no idea any of this was happening. he had moved back to southern california and was completely unprepared for the call he received from detective wilson. you come to the station. the cops bring you in, and they say? >> your father has been arrested. and i couldn't be more happier. i really felt like my dreams and my prayers had been answered. >> richard, once their dad's loyal and trusted confidante, was not as thrilled. >> i was happy that the arrest was made, but then on the other end of it, i mean, i was sad in a way, too, because even though i knew in my heart he had something to do with it --

>> it's still your dad. >> it's still my dad, and i always had some deeply wedged fantasy that maybe one day the cops would arrest someone else completely and end up actually telling us, like you know what, your dad ended up not having anything to do with it. >> you wanted to be wrong. >> i wanted to be wrong on that. i really wanted to be wrong. >> have a seat over there for me, magdi. >> sure. >> i'm detective wilson. >> detective wilson brought magdi to the station and sat him down in the interview room. his tactic was an old one in small rooms like this -- play dumb and see where magdi took him. >> basically, what i need to know is what was going on in long beach there by that home depot center? looked like there was a money transaction there or something going on? can you explain that?

>> two days ago, on wednesday, i was coming from costco. i find two guys approaching me. i never saw them in my life. >> mm-hmm. >> they are black guys. this is the truth. >> but his account differed in key ways from what detective wilson already had on tape. >> they told me, your lady get killed in this house, and you have to pay us $5,000. otherwise, we're going to hurt you and hurt your kids. >> that's lie number one. there are no threats on the tape. >> well, how did you get to be with them today? >> yeah. they throw telephone number on the lawn. >> like on a piece of paper or -- >> small piece of paper. >> they threw it on the lawn? >> on the lawn. >> hit me up tomorrow. >> lie number two. the tape clearly shows magdi taking the number.

then, detective wilson asked magdi the million-dollar question. >> why didn't you call us? you had a phone number -- >> my kids and myself. >> are you scared of the police? is that why, or -- i mean, i don't understand. >> no, not scared, but my wife probably was not so -- and they considered the husband as a suspect. >> those tears had no effect on wilson, who now had magdi on tape paying hush money. >> and we know you paid them, okay? >> yes. >> wilson bored in. >> i'm here to find out one thing -- what kind of person are you? because right now, we don't know. is magdi the type of guy that's a hard, cold, calculated murderer, that pays someone to kill his wife? what kind of person are you? >> i'm just innocent person, just simple person, believe me. >> okay. >> magdi pleaded for sympathy. detective wilson was not

sympathetic. >> i lost my wife. >> no. >> but it's your fault. you hired somebody. >> i not hire anybody. >> we recorded it. >> oh. >> we recorded the conversations with these guys. i'm not lying. i'm not lying. >> no, no, i need a lawyer to talk like that. no, you guys are going to trap me and stuff. no, no. >> magdi had said the magic word, lawyer. he was done talking. there would be no confession. you didn't expect that he was going to admit it. >> no. the lies were good enough for me. >> good enough to make the case. but wilson thought he'd try one more time to crack magdi, this time by making him face his own son. ryan wasn't so sure at first. >> i called my brother, as i normally do as a younger one, and i told him, "what do you think?" he was like, "do you feel like you want to talk to them?" i was like, "yeah, i want some questions answered." >> so he walked into that little room and saw his father for the

first time in more than eight years. >> what's wrong with you? you forget dad? >> you don't even look the same. >> and ryan had a lot to say. >> you had a choice not to hurt me and richard. you had a choice not to hurt your wife. why did you do that? >> i didn't test anybody. >> look at me right now. >> i'm looking at you. i'm looking at you. >> i can't believe you, man. >> my son. i don't believe -- >> don't call me your son. i don't want to hear that. you're a horrible person for what you did. i just want you to know that you're a horrible person. >> i didn't do anything. >> yes, you did. >> i did not! >> was it hard to tell your dad that you thought he was involved in your mom's murder? >> yeah. it was definitely very, very hard. >> it's hard for you to talk about it now. >> yes, it is. it is. and the person that i had nightmares over was right in

front of me, and i was scared. >> and soon, ryan would face his father again, this time in court. coming up -- >> the killing of ariet girgis was because she interrupted a robbery or a drug transaction between ryan and these two suspects. >> a father-son showdown. but exactly who's on trial? >> the evidence suggests that he was involved with people that were dealing hard-core drugs. >> when "dateline" continues. yo. spray and scrub anything with a stain. soak your nasty jersey. it stinks! wash the really dirty clothes separately. remember -hard work builds character! tide pods with upgraded 4-in-1 technology unleash a foolproof clean in one step. aww, you did the laundry! but you didn't fold it. oh, that wasn't in the note. should have sent a text. #1 stain and odor fighter, #1 trusted.

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march 2014. magdi girgis had been sitting in jail for about a year after an undercover sting led to his arrest for the murder of his wife, ariet. it was a case prosecutor sonia balleste couldn't wait to try. nearly a decade in the making.

and as it turned out, it would be her last. sonia had been promoted to management. >> it's my swan song, yes. >> so you wanted to go out with a win. >> prosecutors don't like to lose. >> yeah, i've noticed that. >> despite what you've seen, the case still wasn't a slam dunk. there was no proof magdi knew the alleged killer, anthony bridget, no evidence he'd paid bridget any money. and while detectives had their suspicions about the involvement of a middleman, they still couldn't prove it. and, as you'll see, even that undercover tape could be seen through a different lens. >> who was the middleman? >> on the eve of the trial, richard and ryan got ready for the big day. their suits were pressed. they reviewed their prior statements. and they weighed the consequences of what this moment meant. >> i'm happy that we will get closure, but then it's just sad, because it's like, we lost our

mom, and then in the same light, it's like, we lost our dad, too. >> their only surviving parent, the one they'd lived in fear of for years, would be the one they had to face in court. >> part of me is scared of him, but also, part of me wants to stand up and let my voice be heard after all these years. so, i want to be strong. >> and so, the brothers walked into court together that first day of opening statements, standing strong, united in their quest for justice for their mom. >> magdi girgis conspired to have his wife murdered. she was an inconvenient woman to him. and people are disposable to this defendant. >> our cameras were not allowed to record witness testimony inside the courtroom, where sonia balleste stacked up her evidence against magdi. she showed the jury how, in the months leading up to the murder, magdi slowly drained his joint

accounts with ariet, leaving her with almost nothing. and, sonia said, the crime scene evidence showed this wasn't just some random murder. >> it was about silencing somebody who defied him. >> but then on the witness stand, richard, who had once helped his father persuade ariet to back off her story, now defied magdi just as ariet had done. richard testified about the abuse his mom had suffered at his father's hands. he testified about coming home and finding his mother battered and bruised. richard recounted the story to the jury, but it seemed he was really speaking to his father. we caught up with richard after court. >> it was really a good experience for me just to be able to actually finally face him, face-to-face, and be able to look him in the eyes and actually, like, you know, be able to confront him for what he's done. >> but magdi faced an even tougher confrontation from the words of his now-dead wife.

ariet's testimony from the preliminary hearing in the domestic violence case had been saved. and now the prosecution read it into the court record. how important was ariet's testimony from the previous case? >> it was huge. it was as if an afternoon, she came back to life and took the stand. >> ryan would need to channel that same strength of his mother's for what came next. he took the stand with magdi just feet away, a father's eyes bored into his son. >> i really felt if he had me one on one, he would beat me down. he just wanted anything to get me to shut up. >> this time, ryan refused to keep quiet, telling the jury and his father about that terrible september night when two men broke into his home, beat him

up, and repeatedly stabbed his mother in the next room. then ryan faced cross examination, and defense attorney rudy loewenstein had already told the jury he planned to put ryan on trial. >> the killing of ariet girgis was because she interrupted a robbery or a drug transaction or a collection of a debt of some kind between ryan and these two suspects. >> the defense argument -- ariet's murder was tied directly to ryan's criminal activity. >> i think that the evidence suggests that he was involved with people that were dealing hard-core drugs. >> ryan admitted that he smoked and sold weed, but loewenstein told the jury ryan was doing much more than that. he'd pointed to the drug paraphernalia police found in ryan's room -- tin foil and what loewenstein said was a pipe with

white residue, which he said was consistent with heroin and methamphetamine use, evidence that police had failed to test. the defense said it showed ryan's drug dealing was bigger than he'd let on. then, the defense directed jurors to those threats ryan had received on his computer just weeks before the murder. "you'd better watch your back." "i know where you live." and the taunting message that came after the murder, "how did you like your gift? lol. lol." >> did anybody follow up? not really. they just said, oh, well, we know who did it, magdi did it. they focused on magdi. they never left magdi. >> could the threats be the reason ryan's friend offered him a knife? >> the fact that he was offered a knife for his protection by his drug-dealing friend just minutes, or at the latest, hours before the murder of his mother

by someone using a knife suggests to me that there was some reason for him to be afraid for his own safety in his own home. >> the defense also attacked ryan's credibility. remember what ryan told us, that one of the intruders said -- >> i know your circumstances. i know what you're going through. i'm not going to kill you. >> it turns out, ryan did not tell that to the 911 operator. why? the defense argued because those words were never spoken and said ryan made them up later to deflect suspicion from himself and his drug connections. one thing was irrefutable and hard to explain, the defense told the jury -- ryan did not check on ariet before he fled the house. >> how does a young man whose mother has come to save him not look in and check to see whether or not he could save his mother before running out of the house? what does that say about his character? >> after two days of brutal

cross examination, ryan says he felt dejected and betrayed. >> i feel like i'm getting back-stabbed by my own father, that he's claiming that his son is such a troubled youth. >> take my number. >> of course, the defense also had a huge problem, those videotapes of magdi taking the phone number from the undercover. >> hit me up tomorrow. >> calling them the next day. >> i thought you got paid everything. >> and then showing up with $1,500. all of it made magdi look very, very guilty. >> i would like him to get up there on the stand and try to explain what he meant when he said, i already paid everything off. >> it turns out, the defense did have an explanation and documents, too, which might prove magdi's innocence. coming up, would that undercover tape convict him or clear him?

a defense surprise. >> he's playing along with them in order to be able to apprehend them. >> and the verdict, would that be a surprise, too? >> this is it. >> i didn't want to let those boys down. >> when "dateline" continues.

in spite of the damning testimony against magdi by his own sons, defense attorney rudy loewenstein tried to show jurors magdi did everything to provide a better life for them and his wife, ariet. >> his life was dedicated to his family and to making the american dream work for him. he was an immigrant who came with nothing and made something of himself. >> magdi had his flaws, and he had done some bad things, the defense said, but he did not have ariet killed. but then, what to make of those

undercover tapes and magdi's apparent admission. >> i thought you got paid everything. >> would magdi take the stand to explain what he meant on those tapes? no. apparently, he felt he'd done enough talking. instead, the defense attorney showed the jury evidence which he said proved magdi was not guilty. magdi had written down the serial numbers of the 15 $100 bills he had given the undercover officers, and he tried to write down the license plate number of their vehicle, which, said the defense, casts that undercover video in a whole new light. >> he's playing along with them in order to be able to apprehend them. >> and so, when he says to them, just tell me the name of the middleman so i know i can trust you, he's bluffing. he doesn't really know the name of the middleman. he's just trying to get that information out of them. >> absolutely. >> loewenstein said the only thing magdi was guilty of was trying to play detective.

the police have never left their vision of him as being the suspect. and because of that, he's got to essentially solve the case on his own. >> what would the jury think? on the day of closing arguments, richard and ryan walked to court together. they had brought something for prosecutor sonia balleste, a religious tile belonging to ariet. >> sonia wanted me to bring like an item like from our mom and stuff to have right there that she could hold onto. >> they learned the evidence-driven prosecutor had a superstitious side. she wanted to have something of ariet's to touch during her last closing argument, to channel ariet's spirit and courage. >> she took the witness stand in the preliminary hearing and faced evil, and for the first time in her life, stood up to him. she knew exactly what he would do to her for it.

>> he had done some bad things in his life, but he didn't hire anybody to murder ariet girgis. he's innocent. >> there was nothing left to do now but wait. >> a lot of anxiety built up right now. just wondering when the verdict's going to come in. i mean, it's going to be like any moment. >> sonia, already at her new job, waited for the phone to ring. she had played the waiting game numerous times. it wasn't any easier this last time. >> i didn't want to let those boys down. so, yes, i was probably a little bit more nervous than usual. >> it was definitely agonizing. >> after two days they finally

reached a verdict. were you worried there was going to be a not guilty verdict? >> the only thing that had worried me was, all it takes is one person to not see things the way that everyone else sees it. >> you never know what a jury's going to do. >> never know what a jury's going to do. >> all right, counselor, i'm going to bring the jury in. >> and when they filed back into the crowded courtroom, ryan didn't look at his dad. instead, he held onto his brother. >> i was just embracing the moment, the, this is it, this is all riding on this. >> we the jury in the above-entitled action, find the defendant, magdi faiz girgis, guilty of the crime of felony conspiracy to commit a murder. >> oh, it hit, it hit us. it's what we've been waiting for, for 9 1/2 years. >> in the gallery, the brothers cried. and as the hearing continued, richard's sobs grew louder and louder, until he couldn't contain himself any longer. >> why? why? >> i couldn't hold myself back. i was trying not to, like, say anything, but it just was

pouring out. i told him in arabic, i was like, why, dad, why, why, dad, why? like, i just -- i still can't fathom the reason of why he would do such a thing, why he would throw away our family, why he would throw everything away. >> what was magdi trying to tell his son? we'll never know. magdi's thoughts at his sentencing were somewhat clearer. >> i have nothing to do with the killing of my wife. i did to my best ability to work hard, secure future and advise my kids not to get involved with all of this gang activity or anything. i'm not a bad father. and maybe i am strict, but i love them. they are my kids. >> magdi girgis was sentenced to

life in prison without parole. if magdi had not taken the bait, if he had gotten the phone number from your two undercover officers and thrown it away and just said, i don't know who you are, i don't know what you're talking about, and if you call me again, i'm going to call the police, would he be in custody today? >> probably not. >> so, he ended up giving you your whole case. >> his greed gave me my whole case. >> magdi girgis had worked tirelessly to build the dream, and then, by his own hand, destroyed it. well, perhaps not all of it. these two brothers may have lost both their parents, but they still have each other. >> it's my little bro. >> yeah. >> in april 2018, accused hit man anthony bridget was found guilty on several charges, including the murder of ariet girgis.

in august, 2020, the two most serious convictions, conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder were upheld on appeal. the court reversed two others, aggravated assault and false imprisonment because the statute of limitations had one out before bridge g jet was brought trial. he is serving life without pennsylvania parole. the second attacker has never been identified and neither has the mysterious middleman. you never found out who that was? >> not yet. >> been ten years. >> that's true. took me nine to get magdi. you have to be patient in this line of work. >> there's still a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the remaining suspects. richard and ryan hope someone will come forward. in the meantime, they're keeping their heads down and working hard, just as their father always taught them to do. when we last interviewed ryan,

he said he planned to do some things differently. do you picture yourself as a dad some day? >> i do. >> what kind of dad are you going to be? >> i'm going to be the opposite of my father. i'm going to be there when my >> and that's the beauty of the american dream. there's always a new beginning no matter where you came from. >> i'm craig melvin, and i'm natalie morales, and this is "dateline." >> did you shoot your parents? >> no. >> either one of them? >> no. >> you're not a murderer. >> i'm not a murderer. >> madison holten, high school senior, accused killer. >> i literally got chills. this is a huge deal. >> the father had come home