i just think -- i just hope it does. i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> how am i doing right now? if i had to put it into one word -- numb would be the closest. >> she was a young actress starring in the role of a lifetime. a mystery. >> you never heard a gunshot? >> no. >> one of her friends was dead. >> there's been a bodice covered in sam's apartment. >> it's so hard. she was 23. >> another friend was missing, and wanted. >> you've got a dead woman in his apartment. this guy is potentially very dangerous. >> we were pretty confident he

was our guy. >> two mysteries to solve, but one evasive witness. >> rachel didn't tell us the day before. >> i told the truth to the best of my capability. >> police wondered had another murder been planned? >> they said if he would have gone back that day, they wanted to kill him. >> did rachel have a secret and would she keep it? >> this is as diabolical as any case i've ever seen. >> or was the curtain about to close? >> rachel is kind of the last piece? >> correct. >> they're trying to say somebody i'm not. this is my life. this is my entire future. i'm innocent. >> hello and welcome to "dateline." rachel buffett and daniel wozniak war struggling actors. money was tight but they were in love and about to tie the knot. but those plans were interrupted when someone was found dead at their apartment complex. at the center of this mystery,

police wanted to know were the actors telling the truth or reading from a script? here's josh mankiewicz with "final curtain." >> hello? >> hi, baby. >> hey, what's going on, what do you want me to do? >> i don't know. leave me. >> reporter: the woman on the phone was just hours away from walking down the aisle, to marry the man on the other end of this call, to pledge her love, until death did them part. >> i'm going to go do something right now, and you're not going to see me for the rest of your life. >> reporter: instead, she found herself in the middle of a twisted murder plot that would change her life forever. >> what did you do? >> i think you know what i did. >> reporter: she knew. or did she? her name is rachel buffett. you may remember her from a

story we first reported in 2016 about her then fiance, dan wozniak. and about two families in search of the truth. >> i know a lot of answers now. a lot more than i had the last time we met. >> reporter: now, the final curtain. >> i believe with all my heart they were trying to get me back and kill me. >> reporter: new information. >> there's things people need to know, things that need to be said. >> reporter: and a question, what would you do for love? we'll get to all of that. but first, let's go back to where this story began. ♪♪ orange county, california. not too far from the coast you'll find the camden martinique apartments. >> we had the pools and hot tubs.

>> reporter: back in 2010, violet randolph lived there with her then husband. that's where they met a 20 something couple named dan wozniak and rachel buffett. >> a couple a little more mature, the wine drinkers opposed to the hard liquor and met them and thought perfect. how could we go wrong? >> reporter: rachel and dan acted in community theater. that's how they left. a few years later they reconnected. >> he had become my best friend and i was hanging out with him. >> reporter: and you thought what? >> i don't want to lose my best friend. >> were you in love? >> shortly after we moved in together, that's when i realized, oh, yeah, i am in love with this person. >> reporter: and when he proposed, she said yes. they moved to camden martinique four months before their wedding date. life wasn't easy. >> throughout our whole relationship, money was always somewhat of an issue.

>> reporter: rachel picked up work here and there. once she said as a princess at disneyland. >> they seemed to struggle financially a lot. you know, if anything, you felt sorry for them, because they seemed like they were so excited to get married and start their life together. >> reporter: and at the apartments they settled right in. >> everybody was hanging out with each other every night. >> reporter: part of that circle was 26-year-old sam herr, an army veteran who had fought in afghanistan and made it home to california. >> there was a couple of things that set sam apart from the other guys there. he seemed more responsible. >> reporter: sam was intent on earning his college degree, and that's how he met julie kibuishi. julie helped sam with his school work. >> she got after him if he

wasn't studying because his grade reflected her tutoring. so she took it seriously. >> reporter: julie's mom, june. >> she told me about sam. he's like a big teddy bear, always nice to everybody. that's why we get together at his place, you know, a lot of times. >> reporter: julie, who lived at home, got to know everyone at the complex. and rachel connected with julie. they were both dancers. >> we had like done some ballet moves in our bathing suits at the tool and talked about how we should take a couple of dance classes together. >> reporter: that chance never arrived. on friday, may 21st, 2010, julie was at home with her mom. >> i was cooking in the kitchen and she said bye, mom, i'm

leaving. >> reporter: sam had been texting julie throughout the day. can you come over tonight at midnight alone? going out for a bit. very upset. need to talk. then -- please, no sex. i need to talk to someone. julie texted back, lol, sam, we're like bro and sis, no sex. then sam texted again, i'm hurting with some bad fam crap. i can't be alone, no sex. please, i'm begging as a brother. as always, julie was ready to help. she went to sam's place. the next morning, june realized julie had not come home. >> i started to feel like okay, something is wrong. >> reporter: across town, sam's parents also worried because they couldn't get ahold of their son. >> i drove down there. i knocked on his door, no answer. i had the key to his apartment. so i walked in there. >> reporter: and that's when he saw it. >> what the hell is that? what's going on here? i freaked out. >> what had happened in sam's apartment? coming up -- >> my phone rings, and it's my

husband asking me if i'm okay. and i'm like, yes, why? he said, track down everybody. >> but not everybody could be found. >> he's missing, he had been accused of this before and you say, okay, this guy is very dangerous. >> when "dateline" continues. all of that extra toilet paper was a good idea, but now you've flushed it all. and it's building up in your septic tank. but monthly usage of rid-x is scientifically proven to break down waste.

maintain your septic tank with rid-x. nope - c'mon him? - i like him! nooooo... nooooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less. bounty, the quicker picker upper. ♪ when i was young ♪ no-no-no-no-no please please no. ♪ i never needed anyone. ♪ front desk. yes, hello... i'm so... please hold. ♪ those days are done. ♪ i got you. ♪ all by yourself. ♪ go with us and find millions of flexible options. all in our app.

expedia. it matters who you travel with. [swords clashing] - had enough? - no... arthritis. here. new aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme.

after sam's dad, steve, called 911, the news spread quickly at the apartment complex. >> my phone rings and it's my husband asking me if i'm okay. i'm like, yes, why? he said, there's been a bodice covered in sam's apartment, track down everybody. >> reporter: rachel and dan had just returned from the theater, where they were co-starring in a play. >> dan's, you know, wondering was i the last one to see sam? oh, my god, oh, my god. and rachel is sitting on the chair next to me and she's squeezing her head and she's got a terrible headache. >> all of your new best friends you hang out with every day, one of them is missing. a body was found in one of their apartments. this is something that was affecting the whole atmosphere. >> reporter: costa mesa police

detective ed everett responded to the call. >> we have a 20 something year old female on the bed, and she's in a position that appears that she was sexually assaulted. >> reporter: police soon i.d. the victim, sam's tutor and friend, julie kibuishi. they had to tell julie's parents. >> i think i was screaming like no, that's not my daughter, that's not my daughter. >> reporter: julie had been shot twice in the head. her pants were down and someone had written on her sweatshirt the words "all yours, f-u." police found her phone in the apartment and saw those weird texts sam had sent her. they learned about his combat tour and how sam sometimes had night terrors. and when police searched his name in their database, they found someone sam's friends already knew. >> he had done some jail time.

>> reporter: back in 2002, at 18, he was charged in the murder of another teenager. he was acquitted, but sam's dad knew that in hindsight, it didn't look good. >> didn't buy you a lot of rhythm from law enforcement. >> no, and i understood that. that's why it was imperative to start looking immediately. >> reporter: steve wanted to find his son to prove he was innocent. orange county prosecutor matt murphy also wanted to find sam quickly, for an entirely different reason. >> you've got a dead woman in his apartment, he's missing, and then you factor in afghanistan and you start thinking, okay, he's a trained killer. he had been accused of this before and you think this guy is potentially very dangerous. >> reporter: the detectives and the dad hunted sam independently. but on parallel tracks. detectives spoke with sam's neighbors. >> i saw sam that day and had a short conversation with sam. >> reporter: rachel and dan said sam was with another man they didn't know.

a man in a black hat. it seemed a potential lead. meanwhile, steve found there were recent transactions on the bank account he and sam shared. the trail led to long beach, where sam's atm card was used to order a pizza. cops staked out the delivery address. >> guns out, ready to hit it like someone had committed a murder inside. >> and that someone is sam herr? >> yes. >> except it wasn't. instead, the cops found this guy, 17-year-old wesley frylick. >> sitting in front of officers of the law, handcuffed, i'm obviously literally -- i'm sorry i can't say this, but my balls were inside of me. i was [ bleep ]ing myself and i was nervous as hell. >> he said he had no idea who sam was. he got the atm card from a guy he knew, who told an elaborate story. >> that he worked for a bail

bondsman agency and he wanted me to withdraw money from an atm for legal reasons. >> reporter: leslie said he believed the guy because it was a fellow actor he looked up to. rachel buffett's fiance, dan wozniak. coming up -- detectives want to talk to dan. >> what's going through my head is shock, this is probably a huge mistake. >> and dan has quite a story to tell. when "dateline" continues. you've been taking mental health meds, and your mind is finally in a better place. except now you have uncontrollable body movements called tardive dyskinesia - td. and it can seem like that's all people see. some meds for mental health can cause abnormal dopamine signaling in the brain. while how it works is not fully understood, ingrezza is thought to reduce that signaling.

ingrezza is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with td movements in the face and body. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose of most mental health meds. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. shift the focus more on you. ask your doctor about ingrezza. it's simple. one pill, once-daily. #1 prescribed for td. learn how you could pay as little as $0 at ingrezza.com this shot is our shot. the covid-19 vaccines are ready. and so is walgreens, with pharmacists who you know, who know you. so, when you're ready, they'll be ready to give it to you safely, for free. this is our shot at bringing our communities back together. providing healing, not just for some, but for all. this is our shot.

this is our shot. this is our shot. this is our shot. this is dr. arnold t. petsworth, he's the owner of petsworth vetworld. business was steady, but then an influx of new four-legged friends changed everything. dr. petsworth welcomed these new patients. the only problem? more appointments meant he needed more space. that's when dr. petsworth turned to his american express business card, which offers spending potential that's built for his changing business needs. he used his card to furnish a new exam room and everyone was happy. get the card built for business. by american express.

wondering what actually goes into your multivitamin? at new chapter, its' innovation, organic ingredients, and fermentation. fermentation? yes. formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness, well done. the boss is back baby! the difference in try and triumph... is just a little "umph"! upsees, i need upsees. i'm sure this isn't something money can't solve? what the frittata? [ screaming ] oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!

welcome back. police believe sam herr murdered julie kibuishi in cold blood, then went on the lam. it was an all-out manhunt. that's when the story took a turn. detectives discovered that sam's neighbor, dan wozniak, might be wrapped up in the mystery. now they were about to bring dan in for questioning, where he would make a stunning admission and change the course of the entire investigation. once again, here's josh mankiewicz with "final curtain." >> reporter: detectives on the hunt for their prime suspect, sam herr, traced his atm card to rachel buffett's fiance, dan wozniak. they found him at his bachelor party.

>> immediately when he saw me, he turned pale. you could see the blood draining from his face. >> reporter: he hauled dan to the station and charged him with accessory to murder. he said while drunk and on drugs, sam asked julie for sex. >> reporter: an then dan said sam threatened him and his wife-to-be rachel buffett. so dan agreed to help sam escape. according to dan, sam offered him money and dan took it to help pay for his wedding. but as to the anonymous man in the black hat, dan had a confession to make. >> he doesn't exist, that's a lie. >> reporter: detectives went to the camden apartments to tell rachel dan was in custody. >> what's going through my head

is shock, this is probably a huge mistake. this is going to be dropped and everything in time for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. >> reporter: detectives didn't fully believe dan's story, so they brought rachel in to see him. >> she's on the side of the angels when you put her in that room, thinking she's going to get daniel to tell me everything. >> that was our goal. >> reporter: dan told rachel the same story, sam killed julie, and then dan helped sam escape. >> reporter: then detectives spoke with rachel alone. rachel told them she and dan had received an eviction notice. dan had to borrow money to make rent. dan had told her only recently he borrowed the money from dangerous people. >> reporter: she said on the day

dan was supposed to pay the leg breakers $2200 or else. sam stopped by. >> he came down to the apartment, because he was going to give dan a ride. >> reporter: she said dan and sam left together. then dan came back alone. but with money. >> he had $400 somehow on friday. >> reporter: rachel said she couldn't believe that dan was somehow mixed up in julie's murder. >> is that when you start to think to yourself, this guy i'm about to marry is somebody that i don't know? >> i was still thinking i knew his heart, and those crimes that he was saying he did, at least that still lined up with someone who would do anything to help somebody in need. >> did he tell you about this, you know anything about this? >> hell, no.

>> reporter: in the early morning hours, detectives drove rachel back to the apartments. >> i go to my friends and knock on the doors and then at that point, just start bawling. >> and she's shaking violently and says dan's been arrested and she's just a met. >> with violet at her side, rachel went to her parent's home to tell them dan was in jail and the wedding was off. >> and my mom lost it. she can't speak. >> reporter: the day was about to get a lot more traumatic. back at the police station, dan asked to speak with detectives again. and this time, he said something that blew the case wide open. >> you didn't see that coming. >> no. >> reporter: dna wozniak suddenly confessed he didn't help sam herr, he killed him. dan said they drove to a theater where he had performed. and dan asked sam to help move something from the attic.

>> reporter: so, wozniak said, he fired again. >> reporter: dan then drove to a different theater later that evening to appear on stage, with rachel, in the musical "nine." in this video of the performance, dan showed no signs of stress, as he played the starring role. dan told police that during the show, he texted julie from sam's phone, pretending to be sam. after the play, dan said he went to sam's apartment and lured julie into sam's bedroom. >> reporter: dan admitted scrawling those nasty words on julie's back and to splitting

her pants with a pair of scissors. the next day he disposed of sam's body and then gave another pitch perfect performance. captured on videotape. detectives asked -- why? >> reporter: sam had more than $60,000 in the bank, his saved up combat pay. and julie kibuishi -- dan said he killed her to cover his tracks and to frame sam. >> this is as diabolical as any case i've ever seen. >> reporter: police delivered the news to sam's parents. their son had been murdered. >> for whatever reason, i said at least he wasn't dismembered. the next morning i get a call that steve, before you find out,

we just want to let you know sam was dismembered. that's just when i lost it. >> reporter: dan wozniak was charged with two counts of first degree murder. the news hit the wire. and at the police station, the phone rang. the caller had a story to tell. one that cast a whole new light on dan's leading lady. rachel buffett. the room. i just wanted out of there. >> and a new suspect. >> we're shocked to learn it. we went back, rachel didn't tell us any of this the day before. >> when "dateline" continues. ti, but we also bundle outdoor vehicles with home and auto to help people save more! [ laughs ] ♪♪ [ humming ] [ door creaks ] oh.

[ soft music playing ] what are you all doing in my daydream? it's better than that presentation. a lot better. you know, whether it's a fraction or a decimal, it's still fun, you know? why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me.

don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. this summer your backyard will be the place talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, where everyone comes together to celebrate. home to great savings this 4th of july. lowe's. home to any budget. home to any possibility.

u.s. military vacated bagram airfield in afghanistan effectively ending prayings in

the country after nearly 20 years. president biden's deadline for a full withdrawal with the exception of a small u.s. presence is september 11th. and the president delivered remarks from the white house celebrating the latest jobs report. biden touted the 850,000 jobs added to the u.s. economy in june the biggest gain in ten months. now back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline." i'm natalie morales. dan wozniak confessed to police that he killed sam herr for his money and later shot julie kibuishi to muddy the investigation and point police towards sam. the actor's admission turned the case on its head. now a witness was about to step forward with information that would push dan's fiance, rachel, to the front stage. once again, here's josh mankiewicz with "final curtain."

♪ ♪ >> reporter: california draws people who want to perform. >> it sure does. etch is pursuing kind of the same dreams. >> reporter: chris williams moved from canada to california for school. >> i ended up falling in love with jazz music and falling in love with california. so i've been here 20 years, and perform and love it. ♪ you inspire me ♪ >> reporter: in early 2010, chris was undergoing some serious health problems. the working musician didn't have insurance. so his friends organized a benefit concert. >> a couple thousand people showed up. it was pretty amazing.

>> raising money to keep you healthy? >> yeah, yeah. >> and it worked, here you are. >> it did. it sure did. it changed my whole life. >> reporter: chris, who had been keeping to himself, began to socialize again. and he met two struggling young actors. dan wozniak and rachel buffett. dan was very charming. >> he was. very open and personable and i felt like we had a lot in common. and rachel is obviously beautiful and they were just very welcoming to me. >> reporter: chris soon learned his new friends had financial troubles. and he offered to help by lending them money. >> all of my friends had just done this big benefit for me. >> time to give back. >> yeah. >> reporter: chris also wanted to make sure he got his money back. so chris told a story that was 100% false. >> so i said, well i can't lend you the money personally, but i know people i could get it from. but they're not good people, so we've got to get it back. >> reporter: he lent dan and rachel $2,000 cash. dan promised to pay him back by the end of the week, friday, may

21st. on the appointed day, chris drove to dan and rachel's apartment. who is there beside dan and rachel and you? >> i didn't know his name at the time, but it was sam. >> reporter: dan left with sam and told chris to hang back with rachel. >> in my mind, this is going to be like a ten-minute thing. >> reporter: meanwhile, said chris, rachel seemed stressed. >> she's on the computer trying to look for other work and ways to get money. >> reporter: three hours later, dan wozniak returned without sam. >> and he throws $400 down right in front of me, and he's like, shaking, and there is this wild look in his eyes, and he's breathing, almost this like giant panic attack, i'm sitting there and i go, hey, everything is okay, man. like everything is okay. he's like, and he slumps down in the chair and i said, is this

every penny that you have? >> reporter: chris says he handed dan a $20 bill and noticed that rachel was visibly angry. >> things were tense. >> so that relationship was like a clinched fist. >> yeah. i mean, something was terrifying in that feel of the room. i just wanted out of there. >> reporter: he left. around 20 minutes later, said chris, rachel calls. >> and rachel goes, i think you left a $20 here. i think you dropped some money. you should come back. and i said, i'm not coming back. i didn't drop a $20, i left a $20 so you guys could get dinner. and she goes no, no, you should come back. >> reporter: chris did not return. a week later, as he was getting ready to attend dan and rachel's wedding, he heard and the murders of sam and julie. and realized they happened on

the same day as his weird meeting with dan and rachel. chris immediately called police. >> we were shocked to learn it. again, we went back and said hey, rachel didn't tell us any of this the day before. >> reporter: so detectives interviewed rachel again. this time not as a witness, but as a suspect. >> reporter: remember, chris had told dan and rachel the money he lent them came from other people, dangerous people. so was it her safety rachel was worried about? detectives didn't think so. >> she's giving herself more time to think about what she has to tell us. >> and she's protecting dan. >> protecting herself and dan. >> reporter: they asked her to take a voice stress analyzer, a kind of lie detector. rachel agreed, and the cops hit her with an aggressive question. >> reporter: the results came quickly.

coming up -- is the curtain about the close on rachel? >> i think she may have been present when julie was killed. i don't think julie would have gone into the apartment with daniel by himself. >> when "dateline" continues. nus not touching is still touching protection. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria. detergent alone, can't. lysol. what it takes to protect. get great values like $650 off exclusive samsung refrigerators

at the home of great appliance brands. lowe's. home to any budget. home to any possibility. you've been taking mental health meds, and your mind is finally in a better place. except now you have uncontrollable body movements called tardive dyskinesia - td. and it can seem like that's all people see. some meds for mental health can cause abnormal dopamine signaling in the brain. while how it works is not fully understood, ingrezza is thought to reduce that signaling. ingrezza is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with td movements in the face and body. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose of most mental health meds. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. shift the focus more on you.

ask your doctor about ingrezza. it's simple. one pill, once-daily. #1 prescribed for td. learn how you could pay as little as $0 at ingrezza.com ♪all by yourself.♪ you look a little lost. i can't find my hotel. oh. oh! ♪♪ this is not normal. no. ♪♪ so?

♪♪ right? go with us and find millions of flexible options, all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with.

welcome back. chris williams had just told investigators about a bizarre enter action he had with rachel buffett and dan wozniak. chris loaned dan some money, and on the day he came to collect, he said the feeling in the room was terrifying. turns out, that was the same day julie kibuishi and sam herr had been killed. rachel never told police about the meeting with chris, so now they wanted to know why. once again, here's josh mankiewicz with "final curtain." >> reporter: a reluctant rachel buffett took a voice stress analyzer. the results were less than encouraging. >> reporter: maybe. now detectives smelled blood. they circled back to that friday when dan left with sam and came

back without him. >> reporter: rachel insisted she had known nothing about the murders, until dan confessed to them. detective ed everett suspected otherwise from the moment he brought her into the interrogation room to see dan. >> it was almost like they were looking at each other feeding off each other, and she was waiting for her next line.

>> reporter: remember, rachel and julie had been friends. her reaction when she heard what sam supposedly did to julie did not seem to match that. >> reporter: the young actress was not convincing her audience. everett learned dan had called rachel from jail before his confession. the jail, of course, recorded those calls. >> she doesn't say, what is it? her response is, no, no, no. i think she realizes that her world has the potential to come crashing around her. >> reporter: in other words, maybe rachel already knew what dan had done and what he might tell detectives. or was it that rachel was figuring things out. >> reporter: dan didn't answer that. instead he asked rachel to come

down to the station so she could be present when he spoke to detectives. as she drove, dan continued to call her. >> reporter: as rachel got closer to the station, she was in tears. >> reporter: before rachel arrived, dan sat down with detectives and confessed to the murders. then he called rachel again and told her what he had done.

>> reporter: as rachel got closer to the station, she was in tears. >> i lot of you, sweetie. >> reporter: before rachel arrived, dan sat down with detectives and confessed to the murders. then he called rachel again and told her what he had done. >> i shot him two times in the back of the head. and then i grabbed his credit cards and i grabbed wesley and we took money out of his account. >> how -- how was wesley involved? how did you get him involved and why? >> reporter: rachel didn't seem to react. instead she asked about wesley. and when dan described killing julie, she focused on details. >> i opened the door of sam's apartment and shot her twice in the back of the head. >> how did nobody hear the gun?

>> i don't know. i got lucky. >> reporter: detectives wondered, did rachel know about the murders before they each happened? and more disturbing, did she participate? >> i think she may have been present when julie was killed. i don't think julie would have gone into the apartment with daniel by himself. >> reporter: hard even for a homicide detective to imagine. >> you don't look at a disney princess as a hardened, cold blooded, callous murderer. >> reporter: of course, thinking it and proving it were two different things. and perhaps rachel was another victim of dan's murder plot. there was no physical evidence placing her at the scene of either murder. and she and dan both insisted she didn't know about them in advance. >> two years into the investigation, we made a determination, we didn't have enough to charge her for murder. >> reporter: instead, on november 20th, 2012, rachel was arrested and charged as an accessory to murder after the fact. >> the only case against her is that she didn't tell the truth. >> that's right.

>> reporter: according to the d.a., rachel lied about two important figures in the case. the man in the black hat, who wasn't there. and the jazz musician, chris williams, who was. >> you did catch daniel, you did find out about chris. so what effect did rachel's lies really have? >> so, yes, in the end, we got some heroic police officers who solved the case any way. but is it okay for her to lie to the police? the law says no. >> reporter: like police, sam and julie's parents also thought rachel was more involved than she was letting on. >> they're like literally 24/7 together. how could you not know if your fiance committed that kind of a crime? how could you not notice? >> i wanted them to charge her with murder. but i'm not the one who has to prove it to everybody. that's not my job. >> reporter: rachel pleaded not guilty. she posted bail and was

released. >> yeah, i'm still in shock. >> reporter: later that day, she held a press conference. >> are you saying you're innocent? >> i'm completely innocent. >> reporter: she was willing to bet that a jury would agree. coming up -- rachel on trial. >> you an honest person? >> i think so. >> there's not a doubt in my mind that rachel knew. >> when "dateline" continues.

hey shaq. remember you were talking about the general being great insurance and we stopped letting you sit with us at lunch? i do. well turns out you were right. they're actually a quality insurance company. that's what i've been telling you. -can we sit with you? -(sips) ahhh. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage, go with the general. our new scented oils give you our best smelling scents. now crafted with more natural ingredients for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years and infused with essential oils that are 100% natural. give us one plug and connect to nature.

feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day.

welcome back. dan wozniak confirmed the killings and told police he acted aloeng. there was no physical evidence tying rachel to any killing. detectives believed she had lied to them to protect dan. now the couple wants the toast of their community theater circle face separate trials with two grieving families finally learn the truth. >> reporter: five years after sam and julie's murders, the lives of two young actors were playing out not on stage but here in court. dan went on trial first.

it didn't take long for a jury to convict him of murder and sentence him to death. he is appealing his conviction. sam and julie's parents confronted their children's killer. >> you, dan, are a coward and a poster boy for the need of the effective death penalty in california. my only regret that in this state won't let me kill this coward myself. >> you took advantage of my daughter's kindness and her care for her friend. you took her precious life and then you disgraced her by pulling off her pants? to you, my daughter was just a decoy. nothing else. >> reporter: the spotlight then turned to rachel buffett. she faced a felony charge, accessory after the fact. >> police and prosecutors don't

believe you were honest with them. were you honest with them? >> i was. i know my heart and god knows my heart, and that's my comfort is god's in control, and god knows i'm innocent. >> you an honest person? >> i think so. to the best of my capabilities. i told the truth to try to help the police get to the bottom of things. my heart was always in the right place. >> dan kills sam. dan disposes of sam's body. dan lures julie to sam's apartment using sam's phone. dan kills julie. during all that time, you never suspect a thing. >> not a thing. >> reporter: in september 2018, eight years after the murders, the aspiring access went on trial, accused of lying to protect the man she loved. >> this is my name. this is my life. this is my entire future. and i have nothing to hide and i'm innocent. >> reporter: some of her former

friends did not agree. violet testified against her. >> knowing all the details they unraveled and the lies over time, and looking at her and going, how dare you. >> reporter: violet told the jury the night they learned sam had disappeared, while dan was wondering if he was the last person to see sam. >> rachel is telling dan to shut up, shut up. that's not what happened, dan. you messed up, your memories are screwing up my story. >> reporter: the jury also heard from chris williams, the jazz musician who spent hours with rachel the day of the murders. and like detectives, chris thinks rachel was an accessory before the murders, not just after them. >> there is not a doubt in my mind that rachel knew. >> ahead of time? >> not a doubt. >> reporter: chris also came to believe when rachel called him that day and asked him to come back to the apartment, it was not to return his $20. >> that's what the police told me.

they said, if you would have gone back that day, they wanted to kill you. >> because you're a loose end? >> what i believe is that when dan got back, rachel said, chris saw you with sam. >> reporter: of course, that was suspicion and not evidence. the trial focused on false statements rachel made to detectives. statements her attorney argued were easily explained. >> anyone who has ever experienced planning a wedding, knows the extreme pressure and stress that goes along with that. >> reporter: add murder to that equation, he said, and then an arrest of rachel's soon-to-be husband -- >> the incredible stress that she was under, with all of these things occurring, is it possible she's not entirely accurate about certain things? of course it is. >> reporter: rachel's actions could be explained, he said, but dan wozniak's could not.

>> wozniak is a monster. he's a psychopath. he's a pathological liar. what he did to those two is unthinkable. but rachel had nothing to do with that. >> reporter: yes, she did said prosecutor matt murphy. she lied trying to help dan get away with murder. >> everything that he just said about daniel wozniak is accurate. he is a pathological liar, he is a monster. but he's her little monster. she knows him, and all of the stuff goes on right under her nose. >> reporter: the jury took five hours to reach a verdict. >> we the jury in the above entitled action, find the defendant, rachel buffett, guilty. >> when you heard the sounds of the clicks of the cuffs, to me it was a sweet sound. because her arrogance and her lies are now caught up with her. >> reporter: sam and julie's

parents spoke at rachel's sentencing. >> as part of my son's body lie dead and dismembered in the attic of a theater, rachel buffett was spreading lies, as julie kibuishi was lying in my son's apartment, rachel buffett was deliberately deceiving the police, attempting to throw them off the trail of her lover, dan wozniak. >> to me, you and that monster are two peas in a pod. you're both self-centered and truly heartless. and i hope you live every day regretting your disgusting decisions. >> reporter: the judge sentenced rachel to 32 months behind bars. it was the final scene of this real-life drama. chris williams always wondered, should he have seen the warning signs? could he have stopped the murders from happening? >> i spent all those years wishing i could have done

something, and then i walked out and i did something, i did something to help. that's all i wanted. >> reporter: what two families wanted were some answers and some relief from their pain. those answers finally came. >> i'm pretty much satisfied with the answers right now. never prove 100% everything, josh, but i'm not going to get much more. >> reporter: unfortunately, the criminal justice system has never doubled as a grief therapist. some wounds are too great to be healed in a courtroom. >> the day that she left the door and her voice and what she was wearing, i'm getting old and you forget a lot of stuff, but those things -- >> not that. >> i don't want to forget her image and her voice. it's hard.

no matter how many years pass by. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. first up, florida officials keeping a close eye on hurricane elsa as it barrels toward the u.s. potentially complicating search efforts at the site of the surfside condo collapse. the death toll continues to rise. a nearby building has been evacuated. dozens already lined up for donald trump's florida rally today. where he could address the bombshell indictment against his organization and its chief financial officer. allyn weisselberger remains loyal to trump. the former president's niece predicts his kids could throw him under the bus. >> i think he would be surprised to learn that i don't believe my