amply. make music, just like their mothers, years ago. and grace? >> i want to tell her all about her mom. it's one of those where i just -- i want to show her your mother really did love you. >> maybe someday she'll know about that uncontained-able woman, who will she stayed, brought joy, marie. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline". i'm natalie morales. thanks for watching. i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline". >> they, said we need you to get the car with us. they zip tied my arms and zip tied my legs, the tide my hair. duct tape my face. there's no words. i'm sitting, there i'm hysterical. it's terrifying. >> she thought he was mr. wright. comp confident, handsome

surgeon, until the good doctor tracy to turn sinister. >> he put his hands over my face and said, go ahead and try to leave. i do nowhere else to go. >> she broke down. she looked afraid. >> taunts, threats, then, something deadly. >> they said that he had hired somebody to get rid of me. >> a doctor plotting a murder. >> he's giving you a way to kill someone. >> very detailed, precise, instructions. >> investigators would launch a plot of their own and unravel not one murder scheme, but to. >> so now you have a man in woman both who want their ex's death. isn't that beyond bizarre? >> shocking. >> it just was unreal. i couldn't believe that this was happening. >> and unthinkable crime and an unbelievable twist. these detectives had a plan. and you are a big part of it. >> oh my god. >> it's just mind-blowing to most people. >> i said james, just tell me. it was the worst day of my life.

, >> hello and welcome to dateline. it looked like an ordinary lunch meeting for people having a conversation at a restaurant. except nothing was i like wet it seemed, and would be discussed would eventually be at the center of a court battle. but to explain how a nice couple ended up talking to people who were hit man, you have to go back to the beginning where day -- here is andrea jenning with "twisted in texas" in. >> in the beginning, it was heady and farm. >> he was very charming. >> she was swept away. >> i don't think i've ever had somebody tell me i'm beautiful that much. but >> without warning, it all turned from love story to crime

story. >> he is a relentless tsunami. >> he does not care who he effects. >> it's like out of a movie. >> it is. >> a thriller. >> i read across the street, yelling leave her alone! >> with secret recordings. >> i want her gone. >> a fake death. and another death that was all too real. >> it was awful. well it never should've happened. none of it. >> meghan verikas it's a pittsburgh girl, born and raised. tight-knit friends, a solid family. well >> i grew up with my parents who have been married for 35 years. >> megan's own love life was not so simple. she got married in her twenties, but she and her husband drifted apart. so she threw herself into work,

managing a busy hotel downtown. >> it is a fun job, you made a lot of different people. >> one of those people was a local doctor who checked in during the winter of 2014. his name was leon jacob. >> what was your first impression? >> he was arrogant. just, you know, i'm a doctor. give me whatever suite you have. >> what did you make of that, did you think to yourself, i want nothing to do with that? >> exactly. but he wears on you. >> leon came from a well to do family and attended an elite boarding school. now, he told, or he was a transplant surgeon. >> i think that anybody is enamored by somebody who can save lives. >> like meghan, leon was unlucky in love. he told her he was going through a divorce. the more meghan got to know, i'm the more approachable he seemed. >> he's very charming. >> soon enough, a romance blossomed.

and when leon moved back to his hometown of houston, he asked meghan to join him. >> he made me feel like i deserved something else. >> something better? >> yeah. >> houston was good for meghan, she found a job in hotels sales and found an apartment. leon moved. in >> that to me was very scary. and he opened an account and put my your name on it. and i thought, oh he really cares. and thought, okay. >> leon's family welcomed meghan like one of their own. did you start to envision the possibility of marriage with him? >> yes. at 30 years old you don't spend time with someone you're not gonna be serious with, that's not who i am. >> meghan settled, and she got a dog and made a new friend through work, aerial washington. >> we really clicked over being from out of town, transitioning into being one -- living in houston. >> what meghan's selfies showed

a loving you couple. but there was one spot on their life. leon didn't have his medical path -- >> you don't know what it's like to be a doctor. you can just take any. job >> meghan had to support both of herself and leon. >> it bore a lot of frustrations. >> but one night, everything changed. meghan expressed her frustration and friend of leon's high achieving family. >> i don't understand why he is not working. and he said we'll talk about this when we get home. and he tore my entire closet and through my stuff on the balcony. >> what did you stay back to? him >> i was shocked. i didn't want to say. i didn't want to, do here, i am i live with this person. >> that night started a downward spiral. according to meghan, soon, every day leon seemed to find a new reason to get angry. eventually, she says, his anger turned into abuse. >> it was always something

almost like clockwork. he would chew tobacco and he, i don't know what i, did or what happened, he took the thing of spit and threw it across the room at me. it was constant. >> humiliating? >> yes. and he didn't think it was a big deal. even though he would call me these horrible names and demeaning, and awful. >> then, she said, he would beg forgiveness. >> i'm sorry, you know, i love you. i have so many things going on, i need you in my, world you're the only thing that keeps me happy. >> would you forgive him when he would say? sorry >> of course. >> she says leon always promised to change, but never did. >> did you ask yourself how did i -- >> i didn't know him. i -- know one expects to be in a relationship like that. >> then came january 12th 2017. meghan got home late after a long day at work. >> we started throwing stuff out of the dishwasher.

he's throwing and throwing then he threw a glass of wine on. me >> meghan had to get out. >> i said, i'm done, i'm leaving. >> she rushed to pack a bag. >> he put his hands over my face and said, go ahead and try to leave you dame (bleep). >> megan made a run for it, she took their dog and got in the car. she said leon chased her down the driveway. >> he's pulling on the corridor and he's saying, if you don't give me the dog i'm gonna punch you through the (bleep) window. >> leon grabbed the dog but meghan got away, she was free, or so she thought. >> coming up -- >> i had pulled out the brake behind -- me >> she looked afraid. >> was meghan endanger? >> he, said she's got to be out of the picture. he hired somebody to do something, who knows what they're going to do? >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues pronamel repair, what it's doing is driving more minerals deep into the enamel surface,

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different. >> i was like, good morning. the next words out of my mouth were, what's wrong? her face was blotchy. marks and things like that all around. >> it was the morning after meghan's desperate flat fight from her boyfriend leon. >> she close the door, broke out. issues >> until that moment, ariel knew very little about's troubles with leon. >> she looked afraid and in disbelief that something like this happened to her. >> at the women top, meghan's cell paint and sensitively. it >> was just nonstop. emails, phone calls. >> all from leon. erratic messages from an account called leonlovesmeghan. >> it's like, i love you. here's this wedding ring i was going to buy you. then the next email would be, oh, you are so dumb. i want nothing to do with you. >> meghan texted leon to leave her alone. they were over. but there is more to come and it was infuriating. found meghan out that leon had withdrawn most of the money

from their joint bank account. when she went to her apartment to get her belongings, she was shocked by what she saw. >> i had no furniture left. nothing. he luckily i had gone there in time before he took my clothes. >> went meghan to the police and swore out a complaint against leon. i >> just sat in this filthy office, just crying and writing down everything i could remember. >> she told police leon had assaulted her. she applied for a protective order, but it didn't come through immediately. a few days later, -- >> i had pulled out of my work and he was right behind me. >> says meghan she sped through downtown, but she couldn't shake her ex. then leon cut her off with his car. >> he jumped in front of my vehicle telling me i'm making a huge mistake. and that he loves me. >> says meghan she managed to swerve around leon and escape. but he kept showing up at the hotel where she worked, asking to see her. >> his demeanor was very calm. a very but very persistent.

that's actually scarier, because you don't know what is going on in the back of their head. >> the hotel banned leon from the property. but coworkers still saw him lurking. >> we'd walk outside and see him standing there behind a bush, like you're invisible. i just remember the first words coming out of my mom mouth were, do you know we can see you? >> furious, ariel says she ran across the street, yelling. >> go away. get away from us. leave her alone. >> police arrested leon for assault. >> but that was very short-lived because he was out. i want to say it was within the next day. >> two weeks later, leon and meghan appeared in court. the judge granted that protective order. he then order to leon be arrested again on the spot. this time for stocking. as officers read leon his rights, was meghan surprised to see a familiar face in the gallery. >> i notice was valerie sitting in the stands.

which i thought was odd. >> valerie mcdaniel a successful veterinarian in town. recently divorced from her husband of 19 years, mack. >> meghan met valerie, mack and their daughter when they would come. over >> we would come over she would come over a lot. we went a couple nightclubs and things like that. she seemed like a nice person. >> how did leon act around valerie? >> like it was anybody else. >> but that was then, on this day in court, meghan thought leon and valerie looks like a couple. she learned later that valerie even posted's bond, with this man. a bill bondsmen named michael kubosh, who a couple of days later got an unsettling visit from leon. >> he shut the door behind. him >> was that? >> very odd. and he says, i'm here because i want to know one thing -- >> i leon asked the bail bondsman for help finding another client of his. leon said the client's name was zack. i >> said, i don't know a zach.

he said who you are you talking? about >> he said you know him, he's ex - military, ex-cia, he's middle eastern. >> leon said he would hire to zack do a job for him but now he couldn't find him. >> and then he said he's tells me he's paid him a lot of money to take care of. this he says she's got to go either back to pittsburgh. she's got to be out of the picture. i'm out of the i'm adopter i can't have her come to the court and testify against the. >> kubosh found leon's words frightening. >> i felt it was frightening much more sinister than wanting her to go to pittsburgh. >> what extent were you thinking? >> i didn't know if he had hired somebody to do something, who knows what they're going to do. >> turns out, the bail bondsman also happened to be a city councilman. and a friend of the houston police chief. so, he gave the chief a call and said they should take a closer look at leon and the mysterious zack. >> coming up -- an undercover mission to learn what leon was really up to. >> he's giving you a way to

kill somebody? >> very detailed, precise, instructions. >> and the real jaw drop or? was meghan the only target. >> we're taking care of brought problems? >> what both problems? >> both of the individuals that we're talking about. >> when "dateline" continues. heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus. prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release formula that helps it pass through the tough stomach acid. it then works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection. prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

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had been arrested two days before. megan verikas had a protective -- so for the next couple of weeks, she should've felt safe. but that evening, her phone rang. it was a police officer. >> he basically said that there was a credible threat to my life. >> police came to meet meghan the next morning. her friend aerial remembered meghan was so afraid, she wore a disguise. >> she's putting this wig on,

putting the hat on, jeans, tennis shoots, t-shirt, so she could be as encompass in conspicuous as possible. >> we then investigator shale shared the tip that they got from the -- one. >> they thought that my ex-husband wanted to wear her to me and that i should be left. alone >> usually i would say i that is shocking, were you surprised? >> i wasn't. >> the police suggested that she goes back to pittsburgh for a while. so she bought a ticket and flew back home. meanwhile, investigators jimmy turpin and george parnham looked into. this >> it was surprising to us. normally we don't deal with professional people looking to have somebody killed. >> their first priority, locate the elusive ask, the guy who

may have been a hit man. they searched out on the bases, knocked on doors, his real name was moataz azzeh or "taz" for shirt. >> and he said, we need to talk. >> we "taz" said they had them all wrong, he was not a hit man, but they were right about leon. he wanted to get rid of meghan. >> the main thing was that she that does not appear in court. that was fine with lee, on up till killing her. >> taz said that he gave her some fans see what things to -- >> his story was that he would play leon, he would never do the hit. >> but taz told police he had no doubt that leon wanted it done. taz also said, he was willing to work with them to help catch leon.

so, police told taz to call leon. they recorded the call. >> hey what's up man? >> how are you doing buddy? >> pretty good. listen. i'm going to set up a meeting with you tomorrow so we can finish this, okay? >> okay. >> taz told leon he is bringing a partner. >> i'm gonna bring with me another guy, because he wants -- so we can get this done. >> taz didn't tell leon that his new partner was an undercover police officer. >> then, leon said something taz was not expecting. >> and did you take care of the problems? >> what problems? >> what taz looked at me and and trucked's shoulders. >> a second potential one target. >> taz met with leon and another undercover cop named adam. >> what is the goal of this meeting? to make sure that this is a murder for hire and to gather

evidence. to see what it is that they want. also to discuss payment. >> when leon showed up, he was not alone. >> we followed leon to the table where we sat down. we were introduced to valerie. >> that's right, valerie was mcdaniel. the person who bailed him out of jail. >> when the conversation started, leon didn't sound like someone trying to hire a hitman. he said he would just be happy if meghan went back to pittsburgh. >> i don't want to hurt her. >> as they ate their pasta, leon stone hard. and >> make it very clear to her that if she doesn't listen this time, there is going to be some severe consequences. >> during the conversation, leon said that he wanted adam to try another tactic. plan some drugs on megan. >> if she gets pulled, over chest cocaine. she's not credible anymore. >> and leon had a more sinister

idea, which, to the undercover officers sounded like an invitation to murder. >> give her an injection -- >> it's up to. you >> do have that? stuff >> i can get access to. it yeah. i have access to a pharmacy. valerie owns a pharmacy. she has a pharmacy at her clinic. i preferred not to do that. but my survival is more important. >> he is giving you a way to kill someone. >> he gave me a really detailed, precise instructions on how to kill somebody. >> but it wasn't just meghan whose life was in danger. remember, leon had said something about both individuals. who was the other target? >> he really needs to go. i don't mind what you (bleep) do to him. he's the worst human being i've ever met. >> the yang clearly hated the guy. >> i have never met a human being like her ex husband and i have some pretty -- >> he met valerie's x husband.

this was a double plot. it seemed leon and valerie both wanted their excised ed. leon and taz left the table for a smoke. and valerie talked specifics of how he could bump over her ex husband. the undercover officers suggested some simpler execution options. >> take his car, leave him on the street. make sure he's dead. maybe put another bullet in his. had we will call that a double tap. they'll think it was a robbery. >> but first adam wanted to know, was she sure? >> you need to give me the go ahead. there's no going back on this, okay? >> but author option do i have? >> of course, explained, adam a second target would cost extra money. leon return to the table to negotiate a payment. plan >> $5,000? >> will take care of. it >> listening in from a nearby table was sergeant fly

quinn. . a >> son or you have a man and woman who both want their excess dead? >> yes. >> isn't that beyond bizarre? >> i've never seen anything like that before and it was really shocking. >> the making burrowed up. adam and taz promised to be in touch. but police thought that they had a case. but to make it stick, they needed money to change hands. and they had a wild elaborate plan to make that happen. >> coming up -- >> they said you need to get in the car with us. >> undercover seed number two. >> we zip tied her hands, her feeds, and duct tape to her mouth. >> i was sitting there, hysterical. >> when dateline continues. ontinues

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the gang has died. he played several instruments and served as the mc of the bands shows. fan favorites included to get down on it and celebration. a representative says he passed peacefully at the age of 70. another record for daily covid cases in florida. nearly 24,000 reported friday. this is the third time this week the state beat its new daily covid case record. now back to dateline. ecd.or>> welcome back to "datel. had meghan verikas been attracted to ex-boyfriend leon jacob in part because as a doctor he saved lives. now police officers were telling her he was trying to hire a hitman to potentially take years. and there was more. she wasn't the only target. but the police were putting the wheels in motion on a plan of their own. here's andrea canning with "twisted in texas". >> after some anxious days in

pittsburgh, meghan verikas got a call from investigators to come back to houston. soon after she arrived, they called again with a surprise. >> they said, were outside. we need you to get in the car with us. >> it's like out of a movie. >> it is. they take me to some law that looks like a junk yard, kind of. there is cars with bullet holes in them. >> just then, another car pulled up and a man got out. meghan recognize valerie's ex-husband, mack. and learned that he, to. was a target of a hate. >> he just hugged me and he was like, i heard about this like a day ago. i was like, yeah, i've known this for sometime. >> but neither meghan nor mack could have anticipated the incredible scheme police had in mind for them. and sgt. frank quinn his officers wanted meghan and mack to participate in, get this, a fake kidnapping and murder. what a bizarre request of someone who is a victim in a potential murder for hire plot,

to, hey we want you to pose and you're going to look dead. >> yes. >> quinn's plan was to show photos of the stage scenes to leon and valerie. he wanted them to have see the reaction and have a payment for the fake. it went mack first paying playing the murder victim. was he up for this? >> yes. >> they used pigs blood to simulate a head wound. they knew they had to make it look convincing to leon. when >> you're dealing with a doctor who's probably seen blood, then you'd need to be as realistic as you can. >> he's been shot? >> yes. shot in the head. >> yes. >> meghan's role was different. she played the victim of a kidnapping. >> we zip tied her hands, zip tied zip tied her feet, and then duct tape there around her mouth. for the us this is very clinical. but in meghan's case it hit her and tears were flowing and she just broke down. >> there's no words. and sitting there just

hysterical. but i guess it made the photos look better because it was real tears, real emotion. >> meanwhile, adam, the undercover police officer posing as a hit man, exchange texts and calls with leon. >> i want that to a concur of asap, to. this is got to be (bleep) fixed. >> most of the conversations have to do with leon asking me to hurry up and commence with the murder. >> we just want these two situations taken care of immediately. >> later that day, armed with the staged photos, the undercover officer adam went over to leon and valerie's home to tell them he had killed mack, and get them to pay. >> the male subject is, i'm sure you know i'm talking about, he's gone. he's done. >> but leon wanted to talk about meghan and how they were a bad match from the start. >> she grew up sort of middle -- lower middle class. this girl -- she doesn't understand my world. >> adam returned to the business at hand. said he planned to deal with the meghan next day.

she refused to leave town, he would kill her. >> tomorrow? >> more than likely, by tomorrow she'll more than likely be dead. and that's it. >> i'd rather not. >> i understand you prefer not. but i can't give you a 100% guarantee. >> leon should the undercover officer a pile of cash wrapped in a dish towel. a payment for homicidal services rendered. >> 1800 dollars in cash with the promise to pay me the remainder of the $10,000 at a later time. >> what does that say to you in that moment? like, this guy is obviously serious. >> that's what told me there was no going back. he was dead serious about it. >> the next day, adam texted leon that photo of meghan crying, zip tied and duct tape,. didn't respond, so the undercover officer called to tell him he had to kill meghan. >> there is no reasoning with her. she just put too much risk on us and she doesn't care about leaving.

that's pretty much it, man. she's dead. she's gone. >> she just like -- him? >> in so many words, yeah. yeah, she's dead. >> you already took care of? >> yeah. >> i was later, continuing the ruse, police arrived at valerie and leon's apartment with their body cams reeling. >> we're just coming to inform her that her husband has been killed. to get her reaction. >> your ex husband has been found. it looks like it turned out to be a fatality. >> what was their reaction? >> well, you know, they tried to feign some kind of surprise. and then we want to gauge his reaction, too. >> oh, my god. >> we were here all day with their daughter and we watched movies. >> he immediately offers an alibi. he's like, oh my gosh, we've been here all day. >> suspicious? >> very suspicious. >> one thing he's not, is an actor. a good actor. >> the police got the reaction

they were looking for. they had the money paid to the undercover officer. and so, the spring there. track >> right now, we're going to redo your. writes >> me? >> they arrested leon and valerie for solicitation of capital murder. and revealed there was no murder and no kidnapping. meghan and mack we're alive and well. >> they had no idea. they believed that their issues had been taken care of. they had no more problems. so immediately, go from the death notification to your under arrest for solicitation of capital murder -- >> that's ahead snapper? >> yeah, that will get your attention. >> was valerie mcdaniel a murderous mastermind or another victim of leon jacob? coming up -- >> couldn't believe that this was happening. to my sister. >> look could've driven salary to do this? >> i hate the idea that every everybody thinks i'm a monster. >> she tells her story and leon

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sensational, ritzy river oaks couple take hits on their axes. >> the murder for hire plot that sent ships shockwaves through river oaks. >> revelations about leon's past flooded with every

newscast, including and bc affiliate kprc. >> court documents show that leon wasn't exactly who he appeared to be. he got kicked out of residency programs. got convicted of trespassing. and there was another moment from leon's past who accused him of abuse, his ex-wife. >> the on was held without bail, but the judge did set bail for valerie, she was allowed to go home. her sister angela was in shock. >> it just was unreal. i could not believe that this was happening to my sister. the most kind, sweet, loving person. >> valerie's best friend, maggie, said valerie was caught scarred by her recent divorce. >> it left her extremely vulnerable to a predator like leon to come along and sink his teeth and. >> after the arrest, maggie

confronted valerie. >> and i just kind of, said listen, you are under some sort of spell right now. this monster has gotten you into some trouble and you need to fight like hell. >> what did she say? >> she did not understand. she didn't understand what was happening. she just seemed off. terribly, terribly sad. >> at home, alone, valerie recorded an audio diary on her ipad. >> hey it's valerie -- >> she recounted how back in her marriage to math was crumbling, she ran into her neighbor's son, leon. >> i was completely turned off immediately, by his attitude because you could tell he knew how beautiful he was. >> but overtime, valerie, like meghan before, her thought she saw something in him. and, as with megan, leon captured their budding romance in selfies. >> i got through that exterior and realized he was a nice person.

and i was lonely. and he kept me company. i fell deeply in love with leon. >> but valley said she never intended to have her husband killed. >> i hate the idea that everybody thinks i'm a monster. >> the audio diary turned out to be her final recorded words. >> i don't want to hurt anyone. just me. okay. thank you for listening. bye. >> a little over two weeks after her arrest, valerie mcdaniel jumped to her death from the seventh floor of her apartment building. >> it was the worst day of my life. >> valerie's friend blamed leon. i think he murdered her, he murdered her reputation and ultimately murdered her. >> even though she made that choice on her own? >> yes. it never -- none of this would've ever happened without him. >> leon jacob did not see it that way at all. we met him at the harris county

jail where he was awaiting trial, far removed from the promise of his early years. >> fanciful k shuns, nice house, top education, would you describe it that way? >> i can't say that i wanted for anything. >> and what drew him to medicine? >> i think, and a lot of ways, as a physician your public servant. >> he said meghan caught his eye in foresight. >> she was beautiful and five a shifts and smart. >> she thought you were obnoxious when she first met you. >> i don't know, i was just being myself. some people find me obnoxious or confident when they first meet me, but after they get to know me a little bit, i'm just an easy going, fun loving kind of person. >> after lyon was charged with soliciting meghan's murder, the old misdemeanor charge was dropped. he said he never physically abused. her >> i don't recall the relationship being like that. >> she said the final straw was you grabbing her face in the

bathroom and you physically assaulted. her that's when she finally left. >> her recollection of that night is different than mine. >> tell us what happened in your eyes. >> we were fighting, i was not going to restrain her in a new way. i had never physically touched her in any way. despite what she claims. >> he did admit he called meghan repeatedly and followed her around. he said he just wanted to talk things out. >> i went to work a bunch, i took out to lunch to since. are >> you making it sound like it's nothing, she was living in such fear that she didn't know if she was gonna live to see another day if you found her. >> that is absurd. absolutely absurd. >> leon insisted he didn't hire anyone to hurt meghan. he was just trying to help her return to her hometown. >> i never asked him to snatch anyone or kidnap anyone. but i was told was that meghan wanted to go back to pittsburgh. >> why did you want to be nice at this point, though?

megan wants nothing to do. >> the said the tapes don't prove anything. >> why go down this road, why do you hire a hitman? >> i never thought he was a hit man. you have to understand something, i never thought that these people were violent criminals at all. >> that's not how it appears on the tapes. >> if you pay attention to what's set, i never ask him to hurt anybody. i never asked him to kill anybody. >> but remember, he did offer suggestion on how to kill. her >> give her an injection of potassium chloride -- >> why are you telling him how to do this? >> i will talk about that one i am on the witness stand. >> so there is nothing you want to share? now >> no. >> we also asked how valerie's husband became a target. >> i had nothing to do with what was going on with matt. >> if leon told us he was being

kind to meghan, it was a different story with valerie. he shifted blame to his late lover, even as he tried to sound sympathetic. >> valerie was not a monster. she clearly had reached a breaking point and i can say that i condone that she what she wanted to have. done as a doctor, as a human being, taking someone's life is not okay with me. >> so you are saying that these two when -- you are not in on this together. >> not on having anyone killed. no. >> did you mastermind having meghan or matt killed? >> there was no plan to get anyone killed. so no, i did not have anything to do with that. >> do you think valerie had something to do with? it >> i don't think she masterminded it. i think that she progressively got there. >> convenient for leon, valerie

was not around to defend herself. then again, he was the one about to go on trial. >> the doctor takes the stand. will he be able to stay save himself? >> coming up. >> you need to restate your question. >> a suspect not as clever as he thinks or clever enough to convince a jury? >> i never asked to have anyone killed, harmed, kidnapped -- >> what will the verdict be? when dateline continues. ateline continues. if laundry stinks, it could be bacteria. detergent alone doesn't kill all odor causing bacteria. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9 %. lysol, what is takes to protect.

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samantha knecht and her co-council cameron calligan knew they had a strong case against leon jacob for solicitation of capital murder, and additionally, for solicitation of kidnapping. they also knew they had a potential problem. as you headed to trial, what was going to be the cornerstone of your case? the >> recordings. >> the recordings. there was no way that he was going to be able to get himself out of all of the things that he said. >> what would you say was the weakest part of your case? >> well, in the aspect of the recordings as well. the defendant is educated. he's intelligent. he was cautious in his approach to talking to the undercover officer. >> that was the problem. in all those recorded conversations, leon never said, kill meghan. yet, the prosecutors had to prove that's exactly what he

meant. >> the object does not stop until he gets what he wants. >> the trial began on march 20th, 2018. the prosecution called the bail bondsman, michael kubosh, who told the jury he had no doubt leon wanted to hire a hitman to kill meghan. >> i felt like i was talking to the double himself. >> the state then called the supposed hitman turned informant, taz, who testified that he too knew exactly what leon wanted done. >> i asked him to bring 2500 to see how serious he was. >> and he brought that many? >> yes. >> prosecutors played the tape were leon discussed in detail how he, as a doctor, might get rid of meghan. >> give her an injection of potassium chloride to and stop her heart. untraceable. >> i preferred not to do that. but my survival is more important. >> he might not have said murder. he might not have said kill. but he knew what he was asking for. >> one of the star witnesses was the man who plead dead. mack mcdaniel, alive and well,

told the jury that he didn't want, leon a man accused of stalking an assault, anywhere near his daughter. >> did you convey to valerie your wishes that natalie not be around the defendant? >> yes. >> motive, said the prosecutors, for leon to have mack killed. >> mack, if the courts get involved, are going to make valérie choose between her daughter and the defendant. she's going to choose her daughter. >> mack recode to the emotional moment when he learned about the murder plot. >> if they would've been successful, natalie would not have had any parents. >> then it was meghan's turn. no bags or deceptive's this time. she told the jury she had no doubt leon wanted her dead. >> were you scared? >> very scared. >> how did that affect how you felt about your safety around the defendant? >> i was terrified. >> defense attorney, george parnham, said the prosecution had it all wrong. didn't leon want anyone. killed >> he was at suggesting that this we done.

>> he argued leon was just a lovelorn ex-boyfriend who had gone overboard with big. top >> his braggadocio and then backtracks. >> you might think that would make him a risky witness. but wanted leon wanted to testify. >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed. kidnapped. we had multiple discussions, or multiple conversations about not wanting to harm or hurt anybody. >> the state said that was just semantics. on cross examination, the prosecutor samantha knecht pointed out that despite leon's claim he had explicitly asked for meghan or mack to be killed, he did exactly shy away from violent top. >> snatch her. put her in a room, and tell her if she doesn't (bleep) leave, i'm going to kill her parents. right? >> if that's what you say, i said. >> did you say, mr. jacob? >> sure. >> as for leon's claim he never

suggested killing meghan -- >> have you injected someone with potassium chloride it would hurt their heart and stop them? >> yes. >> you knew that as a doctor? >> yes. >> when we would ask him a question, if he did it feel like we freeze it right, he would re-freeze it for us. >> you need to restate your question and put it into context. >> i believe that he felt like he was smarter than cameron and i. >> did you just want to smack him? >> yes. [laughs] >> leon, they argued, didn't care who lived or die in his week. >> he did nothing to stop this. in his mind, his ex girlfriend is sitting by herself in a warehouse somewhere in the city, zip tied with deep around her mouth. he thinks he can just walk away from this. >> it took the jury all of an hour and 15 minutes to decide leon's fate. >> we the jury find the defendant leon phillip jacob guilty of solicitation of capital murder. >> guilty of all charges. and in texas, the jury can also

decide punishment. in the penalty phase, prosecutors called a new witness. leon's ex-wife, any. she testified in vivid detail that leon was abusive. >> what did the defendant tell you? >> that was my punishment for calling the police. was holding me in the bed with a knife to my throat. >> this defendant cannot be trusted to live among us. a guilty verdict without the appropriate punishment is hollow. >> there's something you want out of the punishment phase? >> i would never want him to be able to do this to somebody else. because if it wasn't me, it wasn't valerie, if it wasn't any, it's going to be somebody else. and that needs to stop. >> the jury sentenced leon to life in prison. afterwards, meghan addressed him directly. >> while you sit in jail i hope you think of me. the girl that you called poor and undereducated. this is because of me big you will be in prison for life. >> i was really proud of her. i think he took an incredible courage on her part to see this

through. >> meghan knows, in a way, she was lucky. >> every day there are women there are in situations like this that don't have the means to get out. i've had so many people help me and i just want to make a difference. for those who don't have a voice. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline". i'm natalie morales. thanks for watching >> >> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is dateline. >> >> i think i was just in shock to find out that she's gone and the cause is a gunshot wound. . you just wonder how this could happen. it seems very surreal. >> a quiet night at home shattered by a gunshot. >> she came out of the shower and i heard a pop. and there's blood.