the bleachers where their parents always sat side by side are gone forever. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. test. i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." no one's going to get murdered in my family. that's in the movies. who would want him dead? someone came here with the intention to murder him, and then i'm thinking this person is still on the loose, you know. are we safe? >> she was a southern belle -- >> little lady. very fun. just someone you could have a good time with. >> and he was her longtime beau. >> he adored her, and she adored him. >> united in life, divided by

murder. >> it's just nothing but lights. that's when you know that ain't goo good. she was with him, found bruised and e was with him, found bruise ed in ductan tape. >> if you say anything, i'll kill you. >> what was the motive? was it money, or maybe revenge? there was a thick file of suspects. >> he could definitely have a laundry list of people who would want to kill him. >> but was his killer an enemy or a friend? >> those could be fighting words for someone. >> pretty strong words. i could see where somebody would get quite upset. >> and the mystery that aunts a small southern town -- is a killer still walking free? >> i would say tiktoick tock, w coming. we ain't giving up. >> hello, and welcome to

"dateline "dateline." melvin roberts was and his girlfriend seemed inseparate rabble. then a murder shattered their love affair and exposed the dark underbelly of a zip code where it's considered polite to smile at your friends and your enemies. here's andrea canning with "death in the driveway." >> reporter: york, south carolina, a town steeped in american history and southern manners. its charm as deeply embedded as the pride of the people who live here. >> it's a nice southern town. very quiet. >> reporter: not the sort of place you'd expect evil to come knocking. >> my life changed ever. >> reporter: and these are not the sort of people you'd expect to be victims of a vicious crime. >> he's a prominent man in a small town. >> she's a good christian woman,

sweet southern belle. >> reporter: and in the end, what would forever haunt this peaceful place was the who and the why of it all. >> shock. complete shock. >> reporter: it all started around dinnertime february 4th, 2010, on the outskirts of town at the end of a long, winding driveway. >> 911. do you need police, fire, medical? >> reporter: it was :30 p.m. when the call came in to police dispatch. >> i've been robbed. he tied me up -- >> reporter: between sobs, a female caller described her brutal attack. she begged for help. >> oh, please. please come help me. [ siren ] >> reporter: police on duty raced through the rainy night. dashboard cam rolling, expecting to investigate a robbery. what they found had detective billy mumas' phone ringing as he

sat down to dinner. >> i was called at home and was told that i needed to come in. there was a robbery that had occurred. >> reporter: when the detective went up the driveway to the back of the house, he discovered a woman huddled in her car. she'd been bound in duct tape. >> i walked up to the car and noticed she duct tape around her head. she also still had duct tape around her wrists. >> reporter: and not more than a few feet from this blue and white suburban, police found a bloody and lifeless man. a bit of a shock -- the victim was someone he knew well. >> it was pretty surreal. >> reporter: the man on the ground was mefl is roberts, and everyone knew him. he was a former mayor of york and legendary defense attorney. >> i'd had a few cases with him. kind of a stern man. but always friendly. >> reporter: the woman who called police to the scene was julia phillips -- melvin's longtime girlfriend. >> she was worried that melvin

was dead. she said she didn't know what it happened. >> reporter: investigators told julia the devastating news -- melvin had been murdered. was that a jolt, melvin roberts, the victim? >> yeah. melvin's not the type of a person to be a victim of anything. >> reporter: melvin was the longest practicing lawyer in south carolina. he had defended both the rich and poor for 55 years. >> he almost sounds like a small-town celebrity whether he liked it or not. >> the thing about melvin is he was into everything. >> reporter: so influential, the street where he lived was named after him -- roberts avenue. a true renaissance man devoted to his family. >> he was everything to me. he was my best friend. he was my mentor. >> reporter: melvin had two sons -- david and ronny. >> he was instrumental in making me into who i am. >> reporter: the three men shared an unusually strong bond. >> dad, david, and myself. it was our normal routine to

have lunch every day. >> reporter: you sound thick as thieves. >> absolutely. the last thing i did before i went out, gave dad a hug and kiss on the cheek and told him i loved him. he did the same thing every single day. >> he loved to take me out to the farm. >> reporter: his only grandchild, emily roberts, recalled how he family close. >> we would go fish flooding costa rica. from my graduation from college. scuba diving and just really bonding together. it was quite an amazing relationship. >> reporter: then there was julia. she and melvin started dating ten years earlier. he was divorced, and she had recently been widowed d. they quickly become a fixture around town? >> yes, immediately. he -- he adored her, and she adored him. she loves to travel. she's spunky.

she's fun. what he thought was his perfect match. >> reporter: she fit into this tight-knit family. >> she was bubbly. she was a good cook. that's a place -- rain t >> reporter: the way to a help's heart. they became a team. mefl yip even helped -- melvin even helped her start her own business. >> he bought her her own store so she could sell her cosmetics and women's growthing. >> reporter: she called it julia's. she started to become kind of part of the family. >> yeah. yeah. >> we were really happy for dad. >> reporter: but now everything had changed as investigators work the crime scene. tommy jenkins, then york police captain, knocked on ronny's door. >> he says, ronny, i got to tell you something. he said, your father's dead. i said, no, tommy. that's not true. and he said, no, ronny. it's your father. i've known him most of my life, and it's him. >> reporter: ronny and his

brother david drove to their father's house hoping it was all a mistake. >> i look over to the side, and i see coroner written on the back. you know, that's when you know that -- he ain't coming back. >> reporter: as the news of julia's attack and melvin's murder spread, so, too, did fear. if it could happen to this prominent couple, who might be next? >> someone came here with the intention to murder him. and then i'm thinking this person is still on the loose. you know, are we safe? coming up -- police had one thing going for them -- a witness. >> he pushed me back down to the ground and said, "if you say anything, i'll kill you." >> reporter: but there was a lot investigators did not have. this would not be an easy murder to solve. >> everything was taken from the scene. there was no cutting instrument, no rolls of tape, no gun, nothing. it was all gone. (sneeze)

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detective billy muma stood on the driveway that cold february night trying to figure out who killed prominent lawyer melvin roberts and brutally attacked his girlfriend, julia phillips. he got a close look at melvin's body. could you tell immediately what had happened? >> he had a couple of abrasions.

one on the top of his hid heads and one next to his ear. they were good licks with a metal object. >> reporter: the detective could tell that melvin had been shot ad. the bullet grazed his ear putting holes through his jacket. what killed him? >> he had a zip tie around his neck cinched down pretty well. >> reporter: 79-year-old melvin roberts had been strangled. police quickly searched the scene and spotted their first clue -- for prosecutor chris hodge, who would happen the case, it was a big one. >> they were able to find footprints back to mr. roberts' house. the footprints were in mud and muddy water, and they still had tread. so that tells us they're super fresh. >> reporter: investigators believed the footprints most likely came from a man. they quickly called in the k-9 unit hoping dogs could track down the killer if he was still in the wood around melvin's house. >> the dogs have picked up on fresh scent. they go out to an adjoining

neighborhood where the dog loses the scent which implies the person took off. >> reporter: that's where the trail vanished leaving little else for investigators. >> everything was taken from the scene. there was no cutting instrument, no rolls of tape, no empty tape, certainly no zip ties, no gun, nothing. it was all gone. >> reporter: but detectives did have a witness -- maybe she could help solve the crime. julia was gently escorted away, still wrapped in duct tape. >> have a seat for me, miss julia. >> reporter: she arrived at the police station -- >> you okay, sweetheart? >> cold and shaken with cuts on her arm and elbow and bruises on her hands and face. despite all the trauma, julia told investigators she was ready to help find melvin's killer. >> she's your best witness at this point. >> correct. and at this time, she's our only witness. >> i can see that man --

>> reporter: she too long detectives through the -- she took the detectives through the details. it began here behind melvin's house in the large cirque lash driveway surrounded by a red brick wall. she was getting groceries out of the back of her suv when she realized she was not alone. >> that's when me and -- he came and grabbed me. put his hand over my mouth and shoved me to the back of the car and shoved me up against the car. >> reporter: then he made a demand -- >> he kept saying, "money, money." >> reporter: the next thing she knew, he was tying her up with duct tape. >> and then he taped up my eyes, my mouth, and put my hands together. >> reporter: she said she dragged her 60 feet to the back of the parking area behind the brick wall. >> she drug me to the brick wall. he pushed me down. >> reporter: lying on the wet ground, she soon heard melvin's car pull up. >> i could see -- he pushed he

back down on the ground and said, "if you say anything, i'll kill you." >> reporter: a short time later, she heard a violent struggle. >> i thought i heard something like a pipe or something -- somebody picked up. >> you think you heard something that sounded like a pipe? >> i don't know because i heard it hit the ground. >> okay. >> and then i heard a shot. >> you heard a shot? >> it had to have been a shot. >> reporter: after that, julia didn't hear anything else. she stayed behind the brick wall hoping the killer was gone, then made her escape. >> if the tape hadn't got wet from the rain, i don't think if i -- i don't know if i would have gotten it off. >> reporter: with the duct tape loose, she was able to use a key to break free. >> i never let go of my car keys. >> reporter: she explained she wanted to get help for melvin, but a part of her knew it was

too late. >> he was laying on the concrete, and i knew that was him. and i knew in my heart that he wasn't alive, but i didn't want to believe it. >> reporter: still wet and muddy, she told the police she'd stay as long as they needed her. she was just grateful to be alive. >> i'm the type of person up at 5:00 a.m. reading my bible, and i honestly believe god protected me. i do. >> she stayed a good bit into the name. i think she left 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 in the morning. >> reporter: a few days went by, and the cops were no losser to finding the killer -- no closer to finding the killer. they did something unconventional. since julia was ready and willing, they took her back to the crime scene. >> i'm putting my car here. >> what we believe is we could get a more clear and concise picture of exactly what

happened. >> reporter: they wanted julia to show where her assailant had thrown her in the mud. >> he pushed me into the position like this. >> reporter: maybe they'd missed clues behind the wallment they also wanted to revisit the sound of that pipe she heard. detectives asked her to close her eyes and just listen. >> was that the kind of sound that you heard? >> not exactly. >> reporter: they were hoping it might unlock any suppressed memories from that night. she did remember more details about her attacker's voice. >> he said, you want to marry him like i am speaking english -- >> reporter: detective muma continued to gently guide julia through the crime scene. but she often became emotional. it all seemed to be taking a toll. and melvin's family worried about her. >> i called julia on several occasions to check on her. and she was shaken up a bit. >> reporter: she was worried that someone was still out

there? >> yes, to the point that at her store they would leave the door locked and would not let anybody in until they saw who was at the door. >> reporter: who could have done this to julia and melvin? detectives were about to discover the number of possible suspects was daunting. >> turns out melvin was a man with a lot of friends and a lot of enemies. coming up -- >> put a list together, anything that anyone could have had a conflict with that about over whatever. >> reporter: how long was the list? >> at least 75 names. >> was melvin's killer on that list? list

. >> reporter: the attack on julia phillips and murder of her boyfriend melvin roberts looked like a robbery gone wrong. once investigators took a closer look, the clues at the crime scene told a different story. >> no money was taken. the money bag that julia had brought with her had roughly $80 in it. also, melvin, i believe he had in the neighborhood of $400 in his wallet still. >> prosecutor chris hodge believed this was a premeditated hit. >> we had to figure out who would have any motive. so you had to really hone in on people that knew melvin, anybody that had a beef with him. >> reporter: that wouldn't be

easy because melvin was no ordinary man. as detectives started looking into melvin's relationships with people around town, they learned he had two sides. he could be incredibly kind and generous. he also had an edge. >> he had no problem telling you what he thought of you or what you should do or what you could do better. he's known to have a little bit of a temper. >> reporter: police wondered if that temper might have given someone a reason to kill. they also took a close look at melvin's business dealings. besides being a defense attorney, melvin owned multiple rental properties and a used car lot. police asked melvin's sons, ronny and david, to come up with a list of potential suspects, anyone who might have a grudge. >> i had all the people who worked for dad put a list together of clients that he had represented or had a case against him. rental properties, eviction,

repos, anything that anyone could have had a conflict with dad about over whatever. >> reporter: how long was the list? >> it was at least 75 names, at least. >> he's been an attorney for 55 years. he has made people pay child support who may not want to pay child support. >> lose their children -- in a divorce. >> reporter: there were people who may want to see harm to your dad potentially. >> potentially. >> potentially. >> reporter: working from that list, police began knocking on doors and bringing people in for questioning. detectives also pursued a promising lead from their only witness, melvin's girlfriend julia. they focused on a key detail she'd given them. the accent. >> he couldn't speak good english. >> one of the descriptions that julia had given us was that it was an indian type with an acce accent. >> reporter: that:ed with detective billy muma. he had learned about a couple who had rented a house from melvin. the husband had an indian

accent, and his wife had a nasty fight with melvin. >> i had found out that about a week before that melvin had an argument with the fairly large female tenant. >> reporter: she had complained that the floor was cracking near the kitchen sink. >> melvin told her if she wasn't such a fat ass that she wouldn't be breaking the floor. >> reporter: those can be fighting words for someone. >> pretty strong words for a husband to take. and i could see getting pretty upset with that and maybe going overboard. >> reporter: when the detective went to the house to speak to the husband, the man told muma he was at work at the time of the murder. investigators set out to check his story. police were also very interested in someone else -- melvin's handyman, gene moss. david said he walked in on his dad and moss having an argument in the office conference room on the night of the more. >> dad had been having issues with gene. and so i thought they were in a private conversation.

i looked in -- bye, dad. i'll see you tomorrow kind of thing. that was -- i walked out the door. >> reporter: it was the last time david saw his dad alive. >> gene wasn't doing what dad wanted him to. >> reporter: was gene about to get to the boot? >> i thought so. i thought dad was being a little bit too hard on gene. you know, dad, you out to back it down a notch or two. if you're going to get rid of the guy, go ahead and fire him. >> gene was one of the main suspects. >> reporter: police got a break. they discovered dna on the zip tie around melvin's neck. they immediately started swabbing suspects hoping to find a match. >> i have over 80 dna sample that's i've collected from anybody and everybody from the case. >> reporter: did you interview all thouse people -- >> interviewed by me or two, three, four, five secretaries associated with the case. >> reporter: 80 people? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: clearly it would be a tough case to crack. it was like finding a suspect in a haystack?

>> a stack of suspects probably, yeah. >> reporter: but were they looking in the right haystack? coming up -- a secret kept in a bedroom. >> we found a lot of empty prescription pill bottles and a lot of pharmacy receipts. >> reporter: had the police also found the motive for melvin's murder? ready to face the proof? just one jar of olay regenerist has 4x more hydrating power than the $400 cream. for skin results you'll see, or your money back. olay. face anything. for even more hydration, try olay serums. car vending machines and buying a car 100% online.vented now we've created a brand new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old, we want to buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate, answer a few questions, and our techno-wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot, and pick up your car. that's it.

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hello, i'm dara brown felt here's what's happening -- movie legend sean dconnery has died a the age of 90. he was born in consolidascotlan starred in seven james bond films. connery had more serious roles later in his career in movies like "the rock." in 1988 he won for best suppo supporting actor for "the untouchables." he passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family. now back to "dateline."

welcome back to "dateline." i'm craig melvin. melvin roberts was murdered outside his secluded southern home, and investigators believed he had been targeted. police quickly learned melvin had plenty of enemies. now, they're about to uncover a suspect hiding in plain sight. here again is andrea canning with "death in the driveway." >> reporter: four days after his murder, melvin roberts was laid to rest in the town he'd called home for the last 60 years. did it feel like the whole town came to the funeral? >> did it. everybody was there from all over. >> he's the guy to go to in york. if you needed something, help, he wasn't afraid to take on anybody. he never backed down. he always looked out for the little guy. i think he always saw himself as the little guy. >> reporter: but as hundreds

gathered to say good-bye to melvin, an odd feeling settled over the mourners. was it fear, was it suspicion, could someone amongst them be the killer? melvin's granddaughter emily started looking over her shoulder. >> who could this be? how could this have happened? who would want him dead? >> reporter: was it putting the town on edge? >> yeah. there's a killer on the loose. we've got to figure out who this is. >> reporter: detectives were working around the clock trying to narrow down the long list of potential suspects. they learned that the angry tenant who fit the description of the man they were looking for couldn't possibly be the killer. he was at work. prosecutor chris hodge -- >> had to clock in and clock out. his employer verified the time he was there, and that he had not left. and stayed until his shift was over. he had an airtight alibi. >> reporter: then there was the handyman, gene moss, who had had an argument with melvin before

the murder. when he was questioned he said he was at home with his wife. >> reporter: that could be a shaky alibi, with your wife. >> yeah. a phone call was made to him by another fellow that i interviewed. he said he had heard his wife in the background. >> reporter: on the home line? >> correct. that was just after -- after the murder. >> reporter: moss was crossed off the list. detectives were running into nothing but dead-ends. they had spent a lot of time delving into melvin's life. now detectives wanted to look for clues in julia's background. they took a ride 40 minutes west to check out her business. as they poke around her store, things weren't exactly what they seemed. >> it started out as a big, fancy store. and then basically had just declined into a thrift store. >> reporter: perhaps even more concerning was the reason julia's store was failing -- investigators learned julia had a problem with pills. >> she was taking money out of the till. she was buying prescription drugs off people off the street.

>> we found a lot of prescription, empty prescription pill bottles. and a lot of pharmacy receipts. >> reporter: this was a woman with a serious addiction? >> she was. >> reporter: but it turns out julia's financial troubles and pill addiction were no secret. a few years earlier, emily said her grandfather had even stepped in to help. >> he sent her to rehab. >> reporter: she willingly went? >> correct. >> reporter: that must have made melvin happy. >> that he could help change her life and spin it around to be a positive, yeah. >> reporter: when word got out to that cops were asking tough questions about julia, many around town thought the police were wasting their time. >> everybody thought there was an outside person. there's no way that julia would kill melvin. he was the love of her life. >> reporter: and julia said that was the case right up to melvin's death. she told police she had planned a celebration for that night, turns out it was her birthday. and julia had a few surprises for melvin. >> melvin clenollected matchboo

covers, and she had gotten a few of those and a fraternity for her birthday. >> reporter: she also bought mike's hard laemonade and was wearing special underwear. julia painted the picture of two people in love. >> how was your relationship? >> great. it was a private thing, you know, but, he was physically active in every way. >> reporter: sure enough could detectives found evidence to back that up. >> during the investigation, we did locate a few items that suggested that their sex life was quite active. >> reporter: still, detective muma's radar was up. he thought back to the first moment he saw julia huddled in her suv. there was something about the way she'd been wrapped in that duct tape that didn't sit right. >> the duct tape that went around her hands it basically looked like someone -- she had held her arms out. and it all looked like it was placed there with care as to not hurt her.

>> reporter: right away you could tell this wasn't a typical duct tape wrap? >> it was odd. the amount of duct tape around her feet did not match somebody who would be normally duct taped. it just wasn't enough of it. >> reporter: this got the detective wondering, was there anything else about julia's story on that fatal night that didn't make sense? coming up -- a strange reaction to a simple request. >> can i get pictures right quick -- >> going too use these for "playboy?" >> no. >> reporter: did julia just reveal the naked truth? ♪ [ sneeze ] skip to cold relief fast with alka seltzer plus severe powerfast fizz. dissolves quickly. instantly ready to start working. ♪ oh, what a relief it is! so fast! another bundle in the books.

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and now, during our veterans day sale, save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, now $1,799. only for a limited time. to learn more, go to sleepnumber.com >> reporter: on the night of the murder, julia phillips, the sassy southern belle, sat in the police station and was gently asked a routine question. >> now, i really don't want to ask it -- >> go ahead -- >> did you do anything to melvin? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: still, investigators were bothered by a few things. besides the way julia had been gingerly wrapped with duct tape, detective muma also wondered about the amount of mud on her clothes. during one interview, she said she dragged 60 feet and forced facedown into the ground. >> he's taking my face and literally pushing it down into this mud.

>> reporter: you would expect mud like head to toe? >> correct. and basically what we got was if she would have sat down in the grass, her butt and her pantlegs at the bottom of the pant legs were muddy like she would have sad down. >> reporter: the police weren't the only ones growing suspicious. melvin's granddaughter looked back at something that happened at the funeral home. julia who was there with her son hunter approached emily. >> immediately she wants to tell her story about what happened that night. >> reporter: the timing was inappropriate, emily thought. more disturbing, julia's son knew the story better than she it. >> she toefld us her hands were bound -- told us her hand were bound from behind. and she'd, no, mama, your hands were bound in the front. >> reporter: she understand -- why julia maybe forget about details. but one thing he was crystal clear on -- she said she heard a

gunshot and was nowhere near the gun. forensic evidence told a very different story. but a gunshot residue test i imagine the moment you got to the police department? >> correct. her hands were negative. >> reporter: but you found it office sleev her sleeves. if she's behind the wall and the assailant is shooting him -- >> gunshot residue is not going to travel 60 feet. >> reporter: an aha moment for the deptective. when he added the gunshot residue to all of the other parts of the story he found questionable, he was convinced that julia wasn't the victim but the plastermind who arrange -- mastermind who arranged the murder. three months after that cold, rainy night, police arrested julia phillips in the parking lot outside her store and charged her with murder. >> probably the best day of my life. my dad call wanted and said, "they got her." >> reporter: police and prosecutors didn't think julia actually killed melvin.

that she hired someone else to do it. >> the fresh opposite prin-- fr footprints. that's how we knew there was someone else. >> reporter: it painted julia as pure evil. the reason she was relatively dry, they surmised, is because she was watching as her accomplice struck, shot, and killed melvin before carefully wrapping her in duct tape. >> we always assume thursday was a second person for the hands-on part of the murderment. >> reporter: who could it be? there was one person who was close to her, had a criminal record, and like julia, had a drug problem -- her son, hunter. >> he was a suspect just for the simple fact that he was most likely to help her. >> reporter: was he kind of a shady character? >> she was always involved with scams to get his pills. >> reporter: drugs drove him? >> correct. >> reporter: but hunter had a solid alibi.

he was with a former cop at thetime time of the murder 40 minutes away repairing his home computer. >> he could not put him in york at the time of the murder. >> reporter: hunter was never charged. in fact, investigators couldn't find anyone to charge. the prosecutor worried that would make this murder-for-hire case a tough one to prove. >> there's no evidence whatsoever linking julia to a hit man? >> that's right. nothing. we tracked her bank records. we so no exchanges of any type. she kept her phone clean. there were no odd calls. there was the hurdle -- that was the hurdle i face having an empty chair. you're trying julia and the empty chair. >> reporter: after working to build a case, in august, 2013, julia phillips went on impeachment trial for murder. the once-polished belle of york was a shell of her old self. the year since her arrest had

taken a toll. hodge urged the injury not to be fooled by the frail woman in the courtroom. >> if you believe that the defendant is guilty of doing one thing, just one thing on the might melvin roberts was murdered to aid in that murder, then she is guilty. >> have a seat for me -- >> reporter: the prosecutor began by showing the jurors julia's interviews with police. hodge wanted them to hear one of the first things julia said on the night of the murder. >> there you go. >> reporter: they put a blanket on her, and asked if they could take some photographs. >> can i get some pictures right quick while -- >> going to use these for "playboy?" >> no. >> the first thing the woman says -- "are these going to be used for "playboy?" boom. no. that was totally inappropriate. >> reporter: then the prosecution dropped a bombshell. they'd found a witness to testify that this was not the first time julia had melvin's murder on her mind. a police informant named guy

blankensh blankenship, a man with a criminal past, claimed that a few years before melvin died julia tried to hire him to do the hit. >> we had now an actual person who had heard her say that and offered him money to kill mr. roberts. >> reporter: hodge built her case leading to one main question most jurors want answering -- what was the motive? melvin's granddaughter thought she knew the answer to that one. it could be found in melvin's will. what did he leave her? >> the building and any car that she wanted from his car lot. >> reporter: the building was worth about $150,000 and housed her store, julia's. >> in south carolina in a small community, that would take you far. it was $150,000. >> reporter: the state believed julia was worried she was never going to see that money. the reason -- the relationship between julia and melvin was over, said prosecutors. and she knew it. they put a friend of melvin's on the stand to back up their

claim. >> he wasn't paying her bills anymore. he wasn't having anything to do with her. he wouldn't even touch her. >> reporter: in what prosecutors believed the final straw -- that witness told the jury melvin had let julia know he had booked a cruise with another woman. that must have gotten under julia's skin. >> i would think. he made it clear to her she was being replaced. >> reporter: and it was no coincidence, the prosecutor argued, that julia had melvin killed on her birthday. do you think there's a possibility that this was julia's birthday present to julia? >> absolutely. >> reporter: melvin's family now thought so, too. ronny and david sat in the courtroom every day hoping for one thing -- >> i wanted to hear one word. i thought, you know, 3.5 years of work comes down to hearing one word. >> reporter: guilty? >> guilty. >> reporter: but would they get their wish? now it was the defense's turn. they had an explanation for the

duct tape, the mud, the gunshot residue. in the end, they said the state's indicates was all smoke and mirrors. coming up -- another twist. authorities wonder was there one murder or two? >> there was enough suspicion presented to me that i wanted the body exhumed. . this is the ? i think you mean the new alexa. it's a buick. it's an alexa. check it out. alexa, turn on the outdoor lights. ok. that's cool, but i'm pretty sure it's a buick. clearly an alexa. alexa, get directions to the 8-18 grill. getting directions. it's a buick. the first-ever encore gx, available with alexa built-in. nice buick. it's an alexa. now get nearly 3,300 purchase cash on the 2020 encore gx. ask: alexa, tell me about buick suv's your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a

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>> reporter: the trial of julia phillips had people talking and had melvin's sons worried. could julia's defense team convince the jury she had nothing to do with the murder of her longtime love? her attorney, bobby frederick, and his wife, joy, a pair legal on the case, said they had no doubt julia was innocent. >> we believed in julia from the beginning. she is kind and caring, and there was no question in my mind that she was in love with melvin. >> reporter: the defense set out to show the jury a very different version of julia. her comments that seemed inappropriate, they argued, were just part of her quirky personality. >> we're going to use these for "playboy?" >> no. >> reporter: after the man you loved you died, you're going to be making jokes about "playboy?" >> i can tell you that she was traumatized. it's just how she is and how she talks. >> reporter: they told the jury

that julia was weird. >>ler conversation style is unlike most people. weird was something to open the jury up to she might be weird, but she might be inconsistent, but look, you know, she's not a killer. >> reporter: the defense also reminded the jury julia was a victim. she'd been attacked. and as she told police, there was a perfectly good reason why that duct tape was loose -- >> if the tape hadn't got wet from the rain, i don't know it i'd have gotten it off. >> reporter: wouldn't it still have pulled some skin or hair? >> it was raining the night of the incident, so as it's raining it's getting wet, it's not sticking as much as it usually does. >> reporter: and since it was raining that night, the prosecution had asked why wasn't julia wet and mud? easy, the defense said, she was. >> on the video you can see her jeans are soaking wet. she's not dry. she's got mud all over her pants. which was from the rain and the

dirt. >> reporter: they told about her story of being behind a wall, 60 feet from where the gun went off. julia's lawyer argued there wasn't enough residue found on julia to an accurate test. >> if this had been the fbi lab, any of our military labs, they could have testified there was gunshot residue because the number of particles found did not meet the threshold. >> reporter: julia's defense team continued to pound home the notion that there was no physical evidence linking her to the murder. if this was a murder-for-hire they asked, where was the killer? >> they built the case based on motive, not evidence. they want to say to you we have no idea what happened, but we want you to guess and convict her. that is not how it works. >> reporter: next, the defense attacked the prosecution's star witness -- guy blankenship. the man who said julia tried to hire him to kill melvin.

they said he was a criminal and a liar, not to mention a police informant motivated by money. you went so far as to call guy blankenship a maggot. >> i don't remember. >> reporter: does maggot fit? >> at the time i'm sure it did. >> reporter: finally the defense had to counter the heart of the prosecution's case -- motive. the state claimed julia feared she was about to be dumped and written out of melvin's will. but her lawyer said they were still a happy couple. just look at the lingerie julia was wearing and the booze she brought with her that night. >> she picked up mike's hard lemonade and went to meet melvin at the house on her birthday. >> reporter: supposed to be a hot and steamy night? and the idea that julia was broke and needed melvin's money also not true, said the defense. julia's lawyer argued her family had plenty of money and was willing to spend it. >> her family came and paid substantial attorney fees.

>> reporter: her family is paying her medical bills. her family is bringing her food, taking care of her, taking her where she needs to go. >> reporter: in the end, the defense decided not to call julia to testify. they said she was suffering from dementia. after seven days of testimony, both sides rested. >> by the end of the trial the question was not was she noveled but how -- officer-involved shooting -- involved but he could she not be involved? >> the bailiff said a verdict's been reached. >> reporter: did your heart kind of -- >> i thought i was going to throw up. i was almost hyperventilatinhyp. >> reporter: melvin's granddaughter wasn't in the courtroom with the rest of the family when the verdicted was read. >> he said she's guilty, murder. >> reporter: julia phillips, the belle of york, was now a convicted killer. >> i was jumping up and down.

i remember waking up the next morning, and there was double rainbows. and i just thought, this is -- this is awesome. >> reporter: julia has been called an ice queen, a femme fat la e, cunning, greedy woman. not really what comes to mind when you just look at her. >> right. when you look at her, you think, oh, she's an attractive older lady. then she opens her mouth, and you can see what's in there. >> reporter: julia's arrest for melvin's murder triggered questions about another death. julia's stepdaughters from a previous marriage don't blow she just murdered -- didn't believe she just in ordered one man but two. >> my father's not here because of her, as well. >> reporter: the daughters insist their father, bryant phillips, didn't die of a heart attack. they think julia poisoned him. when the daughters heard about julia's arrest, they took their suspicions to county coroner dennis faller. >> there was enough suspicion that was presented to me that i

wanted the body exhumed. >> reporter: were there concerns revolving around julia fill snips. >> there were concerns. >> reporter: she denied killing him and was not charged in the case. three years after her conviction in 2016, julia died in prison. she was 72. for the family, that wasn't the end. ronny says the investigation is far from closed. >> now we've got to go after the next one. >> reporter: the family believes there's a hit man still out there and is offering a $10,000 reward to help catch him. lieutenant rich cadell headed up a new investigation team that took they fresh look at the case. >> we're confident it's going to be cracked one of two ways. someone's going to tell us something, or it's going to be through digital evidence. the phone records, computer records, something like that. >> reporter: for melvin's female, only partial justice has -- family, only partial justice has been served. >> i will not give up until we know everybody that was involved and what that son of a bit ds k

needs to understand is it will be worse if they find him. >> i say tick tock, we're coming, and we ain't giving up. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." i invests my room, it was all dark, and everything was just spinning away from me into like blackness. it was terrifying. >> reporter: it was a whirlwind romance with mr. right that morphed into a mindbending mystery. >> my loved one called. >> she was like, i feel like i'm being watched. >> my phoneou