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. i'm natalie morales, this is dateline. >> is it tied my arms and sit tight my legs, stuck tape my legs, are no words. i'm sitting there hysterical, it's terrifying. >> she thought he was mr. right, confident search until the good doctor seemed to turn sinister. >> he put his hands over my face and said go ahead and

leave. i did know or else to go. >> she broke down, she looked afraid. >> chance, threats and something deadly. >> he said 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 an investigation and would find to murder scenes. >> now you have a man and woman who both want their excess dead, is that beyond bizarre? >> sure. >> it was unreal, i couldn't believe that this was happening. >> an unthinkable crime and an unbelievable twist. >> these detectives had a plan and you were big part of it. >> oh my god. >> it's just mind-boggling to most people. >> it was the worst. the worst day of my life.

>> welcome to dateline. it looked like an ordinary lunch meeting, for people having a conversation at a chain 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 the beginning, it was heady and fun. >> 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 is a pittsburgh girl, born and raised. tight-knit friends, a solid family. >> 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 sweet 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

license. yet >> why don't you go be another doctor, you don't understand, you can just take any other john? >> it seemed like frustrations within a normal relationship. >> one night everything changed. megan expressed her frustration in states -- in front 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 say back to? and >> i was shocked. i don't know what to say. here i am, i love with this person. >> that night started a down ward spiral. according to megan, soon, every day leon seemed to find a new reason to get angry. eventually she says, his anger turned into abuse. >> it was always something, almost like clockwork. he used to treat tobacco and 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. he didn't think it was a big deal, even though he would call me these horrible names and demeaning and awful. >> then, she says, he would beg for forgiveness. >> i'm sorry, i love you, i have so many other things going on, 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. and did you ask yourself how did i -- >> know one expects to be in a relationship like this. >> then came january 12th 2017, meghan got home late after a long day at work. >> i started throwing stuff out of the dishwasher, he's throwing it and then he threw a glass of wine at me. >> meghan had to get out. >> and i was like 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 and leave. >> meghan made a run for it, she took their dog and got into the car, she said leon dropped chased her in the driveway. >> he was pulling on the car door and said if you don't give me the dog i will punch the window. >> leon grab the dog but meghan got away. she was free. or so she thought. >> coming up -- >> i had pulled out and he was right behind me. >> she looked afraid. >> was megan in danger? >> she has to be out of the picture, who knows what they're gonna do? >> when dateline continues. teline continues attack, and the itch can stay with you 24-hours a day. get pataday once daily relief extra strength. the first and only 24-hour eye allergy itch relief drop without a prescription. a single drop of pataday once daily relief extra strength

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ariel washington had a sales meeting with her friend and coworker, meghan verikas. but january 13th, 2017, it was 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 closed the door, broke out tissues. >> 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. >> as the women talked, meghan's cellphone rang incessantly.

>> 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, when she mack and their daughter when they would come over. >> they would would come over a lot and we would drink wine. 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 looked like a couple. she learned later that valerie

even posted's bond, with this man. a bail bondsman named michael kubosh, who a couple of days later got an unsettling visit from leon. >> he shut the door behind him. >> was that? >> very odd. and he says, i'm here because i want to know one thing -- >> 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 zack. 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 had hired zack to do a job for him, but now he couldn't find him. >> and then he 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. but she's got to be out of the picture. i'm a doctor. i can't have her come to the court and testify against me. >> kubosh found leon's words frightening. >> i felt it was frightening more sinister than wanting her

to go to pittsburgh. >> to 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.

february 23rd 2017, leon jacob 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. >> "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. we've agreed not to show his face. what is the goal of this meeting? >> make sure that this really is a murder for hire and to

gather evidence. to see what it is they want. also to discuss pavement. >> when legan showed up, he wasn't alone. >> we followed leon to a table where we sat down and were introduced to valerie. >> his new girlfriend, the woman who bonded him out of jail. here was valerie meeting to supposed hitmen. >> nice to meet you. >> when the conversation started, leon didn't sound like someone who hired a hitman. he said that he just wanted to go back to pittsburgh. >> but as they ate their pasta, leon stone pardoned. >> make it very clear to her that if she doesn't listen this time, they're going to be severe consequences. >> during the conversation, leon said he wanted adam to try another tactic. plant some drugs on meghan. >> she gets pulled over, she has cocaine, she's not a credible witness anymore.

>> leon had a sinister idea, which to the undercover officer sounded like an invitation to murder. >> give her an injection of potassium chloride and stop her heart. >> it's up to you. do you have that stuff? >> i can get access to, yeah. i have access to a pharmacy. valerie owns a pharmacy. she has a pharmacy at her clinic. at prefer not to do that. but, my survival is more important. >> he's giving you a way to kill someone. >> he gave me very detailed, precise instructions on how to kill somebody. >> but it wasn't just mccain whose life was in danger. remember, leon had said something of that both individuals. who was the other target? >> he really needs to go, i don't mind that you -- >> he's the worst human beings i've ever met my life. >> leon hated the guy, who was he? >> i've never met a human being like her ex husband, and i've met some pretty bad people. >> her ex husband, he met

valerie's ex husband. >> this murder for hire was double plot. it seemed leon and valerie both wanted their exit. leon and taz left the table first smoke, he spoke specifics about how he could off his ex-husband. >> harder? >> the undercover officer offered some simple execution offers. >> take his car, leave him on the street, make sure he's dead, maybe another bullet to his head. they'll think it was a robbery. >> the first adam wanted to know, was she sure? >> we you just need to give me the go ahead, there is no going back, okay? >> what other options do you have? i have a daughter? >> of course, a second target would cost extra money. the own return to the table to negotiate a payment plan. >> $5,000? >> yeah after will take care of it. >> listening in from a nearby

table was this sergeant who was in charge of the undercover operation. now you have a man and woman who both wanted their accessed that? >> yes. >> is that beyond bizarre? >> i hadn't seen anything like it before. it was really shocking. >> the meeting broke up, they promised to be in touch. investigators thought they had a case but to make it steak they needed the money to exchange hands. and they had a wild elaborate plan to make that happen. >> coming up -- >> they said we need you to get into the car. >> under cover's stage c number two. >> we zipped had her hands and feet and duck taped her mouth. >> i'm sitting there hysterical, there are no words. >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues

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the strike occurred during the spring training game between the newer ganges in the allana braves. both victims were taken to a hospital and stabilized. the stage is set for the ncaa men's basketball final. kansas and north carolina will face off in the national championship game on monday. kansas defeated villanova and unc past duke in the final four matchups. now, back to dateline. >> welcome back to "dateline". 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 targets. 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, too was a target of a hit. >> he just hugged me and he was like, i heard about this like a day ago. i was like, yeah, i've known about this for some time. >> 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 say, hey we want you to pose and you're going to look dead. >> yes.

>> quinn's plan was to show photos of the staged scenes to leon and valerie. he wanted them to see the reactions and have a payment for the fake hits. mack went 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 her feet and then duct taped around her mouth. for 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. i'm 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, exchanged texts and calls with leon. >> i want that to occur of asap, too. this has 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 showed 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 taped. when leon didn't respond, the undercover officer called to tell him he had had to kill meghan. >> there was 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 --

>> in so many words, yeah. yeah, she's dead. >> you already took care of? >> yeah. >> hours later, continuing the rules, police arrived at valerie leon's apartment, with the body cameras rolling. >> we're just coming to inform her that her husband has been killed. to get her reaction. >> your ex husband has been found. it looks like it 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, they sprang their trap. >> right now, we're going to read you your rights. >> 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 a head-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 tells his. when "dateline" continues.

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sensational. this couple take out x on her their exes. >> in the days following the arrest, revelations about his past flooded in with every newscast. including nbc affiliate.

>> there are digging up new details. >> court documents show leon wasn't exactly who he appeared to be. he'd been kicked out of residency programs. convicted of cyber stalking and criminal trespassing. and there was another woman from lyon's past two accused him of abuse. his ex-wife. >> one count of solicitation -- >> leon was held without bail. they did set bail for valerie. she was allowed to go home. her sister angela was in shock. >> when it just wasn't real. i couldn't believe that that was happening. to my sister. we the most kind, sweet. loving person. >> valerie's best friend, maggie said foolery was scarred by her recent divorce. >> it left her extremely vulnerable to a predator like lyon to come along and sink his teeth. >> after the arrest, maggie confronted valerie. and i just said listen, you are

under some sort of spell, this monster has gotten you into some trouble and you need to fight like hell. >> why did she say? >> she did not understand what was happening. she just seemed off. terribly, terribly sad. >> at home, alone, valerie recorded and audio diary on her ipad. >> hey, it's valerie. >> she recounted how back when her marriage 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 experience realized that he was a nice person. and i was lonely.

he kept me company. i felt deeply in love with leon. >> valerie 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 anymore, okay, thank you for listening, by. >> a little over two weeks after her arrest, valerie mcdaniel jumped to her death from the seventh floor balcony of her building. >> it was the worst day of my life. >> valerie's friend maggie blamed leon. >> i see it as murder, i really do. i think he has murdered her reputation, and ultimately murdered her. >> even though she made the choice on her own? >> yes. never, ever, ever, none of this would've ever happened without him. >> leon jacob didn't see it that way it'll. we met him at the harris county jail where he was awaiting trial far removed from the

promise of his early years. this was a privileged life, top boarding schools, fancy vacations, nice house, would you describe it that way? >> yeah. i can't say that i -- >> would dreamed medicine? >> a lot of ways, you are public servant. >> he said megan caught his eye at first sight. >> she was beautiful and by vases 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 of noxious or confident when they first meet me, but then they get to know me and i am an easygoing, fun loving guy. >> after he was charged with soliciting her murder, the misdemeanor assault charge was dropped, he never physically abused her as he said. >> i don't remember the relationship being like that. she said the final straw was when you grabbed her face in the bathroom and you physically assaulted her, and that's when she finally left.

>> her recollection of that night is different than mine. >> tell us what happened in your eyes? >> we were fighting, i wasn't going to restrain her in any way, i never physically touched her or her turn anyway. despite what she claims. >> he did admit he called meghan repeatedly and followed her around after their breakup, he said he just wanted to talk things out. >> when i wanted to take her out to lunch to say sorry. >> you're making this seems like it was nothing? she was living in fear. she didn't know if she was gonna live to see another day if you found her. >> that is absurd. absolutely absurd. >> he 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 anybody or kill anybody. what i was told is what meghan wanted to do is go back to pittsburgh. >> why would you want to be nice at this point. meghan doesn't want anything to do with you. it doesn't make any sense.

>> i was told that swat her wishes work. >> what about those tapes that sounded damning. he said the tape didn't prove anything. why go down this road, why hire who you think is a hitman -- >> i never thought he was a hitmen. you have to understand something, i never thought these people were violent criminals at all. >> that's not how it appears on the tapes. >> if you listen to what is that, i never asked him to hurt anybody, i never asked them to kill anybody. >> but remember he did offer a suggestion on how to kill her. >> give her an extension of potassium chloride and stop her heart. >> why are you telling him how to do this? >> i will talk about that when i'm on the witness stand. >> there is nothing that you want to share now? >> no. >> we also asked how her husband became a target? >> i had nothing to do with what was going on with mac. >> leon told us he was being kind to meghan, it was a different story with valerie.

he shifted blame to his late to love for even as he tried to sound sympathetic. >> valerie wasn't a monster, right she had reached a breaking point. i can't say i condone what you wanted to have done. as a doctor, as a human being, you know, taking someone's life is not okay with me. >> so you're saying you two were not in on this together? >> not in on having anyone killed, absolutely not. >> did you mastermind plan to have meghan and mac killed? >> there was never planned to have anybody killed, so no i did not mastermind a plan to have meghan and mac killed. >> do you believe valerie was the mastermind behind this? >> she asked for something to happen and she clearly wanted that to happen. i don't think she masterminded it, i think that she progressively got there. >> convenient for leon, valerie wasn't around to defend

herself. then again, he was the one about to go on trial. >> the doctor takes the stand, will he be able to save himself? coming up -- >> you need to restate your question? >> a suspect not as clever as he thinks or just clever enough to convince the jury. >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. >> what will the verdict be? when dateline continues. when dateline continues. blurry near vision. wait, what? it sounded like you just said an eye drop that may help you see up close. i did. it's an innovative way to... so, wait. i don't always have to wear reading glasses? yeah! vuity™ helps you see up close. so, i can see up close with just my eyes? uh-huh. with one drop in each eye, once daily. in focus? yep. [laughs] like, really? really. vuity™ is a prescription eye drop to help you see up close.

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samantha and her co-counsel 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? >> the recordings. >> there was no way he will be able to get himself out of all the things he said. >> what would you say was the weakest part of the case? >> an aspect of the recording, 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. >> leon jacob does not stop

until he gets what he wants. >> the trial began on march 20th 2018. the prosecution called the bail bondsmen michael who told the jury he had no doubt leon wanted to hire a hitman to kill meghan. >> i felt like i was talking to the devil himself. >> the state called the supposed hitman turned informant who testified that he too knew exactly what leon wanted done. >> i asked him to bring 3500 to see how serious he was. >> did he bring the money? >> yes. >> prosecutors played the tape where leon discussed in detail how he, as a doctor, might get rid of meghan. >> give her an injection of potassium chloride and stop her heart. i'd prefer not to do that. but my survival is more important. >> he might not have said murder, he might not have said kill but he knew he was asking for. >> one of the star witnesses was the man who played dead. mac mcdaniel, alive and well told the jury that he didn't want leon, a man accused of

stalking insult, anywhere near his daughter. >> did you say to valerie that you don't want your daughter to be around the -- >> mac we'll make valerie choose between the daughter and the defendant, she will choose her daughter. >> he recounted the emotional moment when he learned about the murder plot. >> if they had been successful, natalie would've not had any parents. >> then, it was megan's turn, no gag or zip ties this time, she told the jury she had no doubt leon wanted her dead. >> were you scared? >> very scared. >> how did that affect how you felt about your safety around the defendant? >> i was terrified. >> defense attorney george says the prosecution had it all wrong. leon didn't want anyone killed. >> he wasn't suggesting that this be done. >> he argued leon was just a

love warren ex-boyfriend who went overboard with big talk. >> he's braggadocious and then backtrack. >> you might think that could make him a risky witness, but leon wanted to testify. >> i never asked to have anybody hurt, killed or, 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, prosecutor samantha connect pointed out that despite lyon's claim, he hadn't explicitly asked for meghan or mac to be killed, he didn't exactly shy away from violent talk. >> snatch her, put her in a room, and tell her if she doesn't leave, i will kill her parents. right? >> if that's what you say i said. >> did you say at mr. them? >> sure. >> as for leon's claim he never suggested killing meghan? >> if you injected someone with

potassium chloride, would that hurt them? >> yes. >> would it kill them? >> yes. >> you knew that as a doctor? >> yes. >> when we would ask him a question, if he didn't feel like we had phrased it right, he would rephrase it for us. >> you need to restate your question and put it into context. >> i believe he thought that he was smarter than us. >> did you just wanna smack him? >> yes. >> leon, they argued, didn't care who live or die in his way. >> 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 duct tape 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 feet. >> we the jury find the defendant 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, and. she testified in vivid details of leon's abuse. >> what did the defendant tell you? >> that was my punishment for calling the police when he held 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 someone again, because if it wasn't me, if it was in valerie, if it wasn't any, it's going to be someone else. and that needs to stop. >> the jury sentence leon to life in prison. afterwards, megan addressed him directly. >> while you sit in jail i hope you think of me. the girl you called paul in an educated. because we will be in prison for life. >> i was really proud of her, it took an incredible courage to see this through. >> megan knows, in a way, she

was lucky, every day there women that are in situations like this and don't have the means to get out. i had so many people help me and i know that i can make a difference. i can 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. >> a young life dying on the floor. >> she wasn't talking at all.