tv Dateline MSNBC May 8, 2022 12:00am-1:00am PDT
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a cause to help those kids that she wants new. >> hey, amanda. >> and the other is coming after her, and to forgive herself as well. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. i'm craig melvin thank you for i am natalie morales. and this is dateline. >> they told may that this vehicle had gone off the road, to the street. and that she was face up, in a puddle of water. >> she has severe injuries to her head. >> little did you know the mystery that was about to unfold. >> i went into the living room and i saw blood all over the place. i went into the bathroom, more blood. the whole time we were thinking it was a car wreck. and now, what happened. >> i told my brother, this is
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how people get away from murder. >> the rumor mill is in overdrive. >> there was gossip there was an affair. >> sex, lies in a christian by club. >> who would've thought. >> exactly. >> this was tearing us apart. >> you really can't make this. up >> there is no other way to describe a human being like that. say in spawn. >> hello and welcome to dateline. when this couple, met they swept off their feet. then jamie said, judy suffered two accidents in the same nights. and she was gone. detectives believed, the grieving husband. but her family launch their own investigation. their question, was this a case of bad luck? or the handiwork of a clever killer? here is andrea cannon, with, the black box.
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>> station, a standby for alert. >> we have a bad wreck on the old richburg road. we have one, dead they're calling for coroner. >> the slow moving water, chilled by the december, air trickled over her lifeless body. >> she was one of my biggest supporters and she is not here anymore. >> how this wife, mother and grandmother ended up in this, creek would consume her family for years. >> i'm not going to give up until i find what really happens. >> a >> do you get a lot of car crashes, as the coroner? >> we. do >> the coroner for chester county south carolina, had been called here, to the site of a fatal traffic accident.
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it was right before midnight on december 14, 2016. a husband and wife were in their jeep, when it ran off their, road ending up down by this creek. >> and when it got to the bottom, the nose of the jeep was right here. >> he was told the 53 year old woman had been ejected. >> and i saw her laying in the, cricket i knew she. was >> my friend. >> terry had no duty most of his life. >> that must have been such a shock to the system, to see that. >> it was. >> a longtime friend, laying in the creek. >> the corner notice some unusual markings on judy's face. deep dark, blacken circles around her eyes. >> i am seeing a lot of bulging eyes lot of people call raccoon eyes. >> how do you get those raccoon eyes? is there one way. >> probably a brain injury.
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>> driving the jeep was judy's husband, jamie. he suffered minor injuries. >> he told first responders they were traveling down this, road when he swerved to avoid hitting a. truck his out of control jeep went down the side of an embankment and crashed into the creek. he said he was knocked, out and when he came to, duties limp body was in the creek a few feet away. he called 9-1-1 >>. do you want to try cpr? >> you have already tried? >> oh god. oh god. >> jamie had already been taking away in the ambulance, when detective chris reynolds with the chester county sheriff's, office arrived on the scene. >> i actually took my flashlight, in looked, and in saw a cloth with blood on it. and blood on the seat. >> the detective saw the jeep's door open, where judy had apparently been ejected. >> what is your first instinct
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of this scene? >> this accident. it's until proven something else, it is an accident. >> that same night, judy's two sons, josh and chris, each got late night phone calls. they were only told their mom had been in a car crash and they needed to get to the hospital right away. >> i was the first one there, and i run into the emergency side, and i was like where is julia, and they said we don't have a duty. >> and i said is jaime baldwin here? >> josh found his stepdad jamie at a hospital room. >> i said where is my mom? he said, she did not make. it ice and what do you mean she did not make it? and he said, she's dead. >> chris arrive shortly after, and got the terrible news. he asked his stepdad what happens. >> all i said was, i wish it would've been me. >> it felt like a dream, i can't believe we're going through this again.
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>> because your dad died, tragically. >> their dad, judy's first husband, died in a motorcycle accident 12 years earlier. it just seemed unbelievable to now lose their mom, also in a crash. >> so here you are, having to say goodbye to your other parent. your mom. that is really a hard thing to do. lose both of your parents at such a young age. >> our family, we didn't have any problems, we were all happy. and you know, our parents were gone. >> around 6:30 that morning, judy's 23-year-old niece, jessie, was sound asleep on her phone rang. her dad gave her the tragic news that her, and known as little judy, because she was just four foot 11, had been killed. >> and he said, little judy is dead. and i said, what are you talking about? and he said little duty is dead. i just started screaming, and crying.
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i woke up everybody in the house. >> when judy's nephew heard the news, he realized his aunts beloved yorkie was all alone. early in the morning, he went over to her house. >> the whole time i'm thinking, i'm just going to the house to get the dog. rodney, was not prepared for what he saw, once he walked inside the house. >> it was a shock. i could not believe. it i went into the living room, and i saw blood all over the place. blood on the floor, blood into the bathroom. there's more blood. the whole time, we are thinking it is a car wreck. and now, what happened? >> a family, horrified, mystified, and looking for answers. investigators are about to ask questions, of the one person, who knows just what happened that evening. coming up. >> she was at the fireplace on the floor. >> what jaime says happened to duty. >> i got her up. i got her into the bathroom.
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and i cleaned her up. and it was bleeding that. >> and then the clue, that baffled the coroner. >> so this was going to be the key area in the autopsy? >> yes. >> when dateline continues. autopsy? >> yes >> yes >> ♪ breeze driftin' on by ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ copd may have gotten you here, but you decide what's next. start a new day with trelegy. ♪ ...feelin' good ♪ no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling,
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it's a buick. let's be real. don't make me turn this alexa around. oh my. it's painful. the buick enclave, with available alexa built in. ask “alexa, tell me more about buick suvs.” just a few hours after judy orr baldwin, was found dead at the scene of a car crash, her nephew was stunned to find blood in her house. a lot of. it he had no idea what was going. on >> it was so confusing. stuff to just not add up. >> it turns out there was an
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explanation, judy's husband told investigators there had actually been two accidents that night. judy had taken a terrible fall at, home the reason for all of that blood. they were on their way to the hospital when they crashed. >> i was incomplete, shocked that she was gone. >> now her family, including her niece, was grieving. >> she was the brightly in a dark, room she really was. >> was judy a romantic? did she believe in true love? >> she did believe in true love, because she had experienced it. todd was her one true love. todd was her first husband, who died in the motorcycle crash. >> i think after she passed, she was longing for that love. and she wanted to be loved like that again. >> was judy lonely? >> she was lonely. she wanted someone for sure. >> so judy's family was happy when she started dating jamie baldwin, a former police officer and 9-1-1 operator.
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the couple had a whirlwind romance, and after just eight months, they married in 2012. >> how did you feel, that your mom was with a former police officer? >> it was somebody that would protect her and help her if she was at need. someone who had her back. >> did they seem happy? >> yes, extremely happy. >> and when she's, happy i'm extremely happy. >> detective chris reynolds, who knew her personally, was looking into her death as part of a routine investigation. >> i knew miss judy for a very long time, since i was a child. >> did you laker? >> oh yes, everybody loved her. >> the detective had never met judy's husband. but wanted more details, on what happened that night. so about a week after her, death he asked jaime to come down to the sheriff's office. >> why do you bring him in, even though you believe this is an accident? >> we are crossing the tees and dotting our eyes. i wanted to make sure i had everything covered. >> she was just one of those people, as soon as you met, her
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you are a friend of her. you loved her. she had a smile on, she just loved life. >> jamie said he had mostly recovered from his minor injuries, emotionally, though he said he had a lot of healing to do. >> i.s. got 1 million times, why did you take me, and why jeff to take a woman like. that is there anything i have done to save her? i didn't. oh, god. >> jamie said the night judy, died he and his wife were decorating their christmas tree. he then briefly stepped outside, to put some tools away in his shed. >> when i came back in, she was on the floored front of the fireplace. i don't know if she decided to fix something on the tree. i do not know. i was in the shop. and, i didn't even ask her what she was doing. >> he said she is assumed he fell off a ladder, and hit her
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head on the mantle. on the floor were to stalking -- one of them was broken. >> i got a rug. and i cleaned her up. and it was bleeding that. >> jamie told the detective, he grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, to put pressure on the wound. but the bleeding did not stop. he thought judy needed stitches. >> i was like, i got to take you to the hospital. and she looked at me and said i am not going to chester. she hated gesture hospital. >> although chester hospital was a few minutes from their house. he said the couple got into their jeep, and started driving to a bigger hospital, 30 minutes away. >> i asked, or i said how are you feeling? she said my head is hurting. i said it's going to be okay. we're going to get you stitches. and she looked up at me and said i love you and i said i love you too. and, i looked up, and i am pretty sure was a truck. it was like three quarters of the way in our lane. and, i mean, if i won temps
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were of to the right to miss, it we would've hit head on. >> that's when he said, they went flying down the embankment. ending up in the creek. jamie said the impact of the crash, knocked him out. >> we hit something and there was a big, gigantic, just like a stop. so i reached over four judy, and she is not there. and i finally found her and she was laying in the creek. >> after about an hour, he was finished. jamie's story seemed to match with the detectives had seen for themselves. like that bloody washcloth in the jeep. when he went to the house, the night of the accident. >> i see blood around the mantle, and on the floor. and i did see the latter leaned up, toward the christmas tree at the time. >> does the blood look consistent, with a possible fall? from a ladder? >> yes. yes. as of right now, it's an
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accident. >> well detective reynolds was continues investigation, the coroner was still trying to figure out what caused judy's death. he wanted to know more, about the large wound on her forehead. >> there was no damage to her legs, to her arms, all of it was concentrated around her head. >> so this was going to be the key area, in the autopsy. >> he concluded judy died from a skull fracture, caused by some sort of blunt force trauma to her head. and those raccoon, eyes were a result of large amount of blood accumulated in her skull. but the coroner struggled to figure out, what caused that fracture. >> i needed to know, what do you think she fell against? what was told by mr. baldwin, that she struck her head on the mantle. she might have bald on the stocking holder. but all of this stuff has to be added up. >> he had to determine if the fatal injury had been on that fall on her, house or during the car accidents. even though judy had two autopsies, before she was buried. the coroner could not reach a conclusion.
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so her death certificate read, pending investigation. and police, are not the only ones investigating. judy's family and friends, have questions too. and what they discover, will cast doubt on jaime's story. coming up. >> i am surprised i did, it because i was in shut shock. but i knew in my, heart something also had happened. >> jesse become suspicious about her aunts death. and takes matters into her own hands. >> you decided to record the call. >> i did recorder. >> and then, was someone in this family harboring a secrets? an eye-popping story. sex lies in a christian bike club. exactly. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. >> here's candice... who works from home, and then works from home.
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been into accidents in the same night. most people, including detective reynolds seem to agree. sadly, it looked like judy was the victim of bad luck. one person, however, wasn't buying it. judy's niece. she thought about what happened, it seemed suspicious. >> i had a very weird feeling in my stomach. >> although jamie had an explanation on why he took his wife to that faraway hospital, it didn't make sense to jesse. >> i'm like, why would you not go to chester hospital, it's so
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close to the house, if you just bumped your head. >> and why did jaime take a dark road to the hospital, when he could've taken a much faster, nearby highway? >> do you think that was odd? >> that was super odd to me. >> so, jessie decided to take a bold step. she put her amateur detective hat on and called jaime. >> you decided to record the call that you had with him. >> i did report it. >> what in your gut was telling you to record this call? >> i'm not sure what's told me to do it. i'm surprised i did it because i was in such shock, but i knew in my heart that something else happened. i wanted to hear what he had to say. >> she asks jamie how he got knocked out when the jeep crashed. >> what did you hit your head on? >> probably the rule bar, most likely, or the door, i don't know. >> jesse was most concerned about her and's final moments. >> i just don't want her to
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suffer. >> she didn't. she didn't suffer, jessie. she didn't. you know how much me and her loved each other. >> yes, sir. >> i mean, we had an awesome life together. >> yes, sir. >> how would you describe his demeanor? >> i would simply say he had zero remorse. he was talking just how we're talking, no emotion really. >> she's in heaven. we both know shoes and have been. >> yeah. >> so, that's the good news. >> one thing that struck me was when he said, that's the good news. >> yeah. >> which seemed a little -- like the language was a bit odd. >> it didn't make any sense to me either. it was just an eerie feeling, like, why would you say that in this phone call. >> jesse couldn't get the phone call out of her head. >> i sat there and i really played that recording so many times. >> are you expressing your concerns to judy's sons, your cousins?
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>> i let them listen to the phone call, and i told them, this isn't sitting right with me. >> after judy's sons started to think about it, they too had serious doubts. >> we're sitting there trying to figure out what's really happened to our mom. >> nobody would tell us anything. >> soon, one of judy's friends would tell the brothers more than they ever wanted to know. -- and show the most personal secrets with each other. you said you were like sisters. >> we were. i miss her a lot. a whole lot. >> k, and her husband randall, consider themselves judy and jamie's best friends. the four belonged to a biker group called, the carolina thunder christian motorcycle club. helping hands in harley's. they spent nearly every weekend with a couple, and can you something about judy and jamie that almost no one else did. >> talking with judy, i knew their marriage wasn't when they
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made it seem like. >> jamie told others, including detective reynolds in that interview, he had a strong, happy marriage. >> is there anything that i need to know about that may come in the future? >> i mean, like what? >> i mean, just anything that i need to know? >> no. >> okay. >> nothing. >> we had a great life. we did. we never gotten arguments. >> everybody has disagreements. >> please go talk to some of my friends. you will find out that we were perfect. i mean, we were just perfect. >> nobody's perfect, jamie. everybody's issues. >> well, it's about as perfect as you could get. we had a great relationship. >> case says, a few months before her death, judy confided in her that her marriage was on the rocks. she thought something was going on with jamie and another woman. a single mom named, teri king, who also happen to be the bike clubs treasurer. she started having her
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suspicions. what is you thinking? >> she was thinking, jaime and terry were having an affair. >> the club treasurer and jamie. >> if one want to smoke, they get the other one and say, come on, let's go smoke. julie didn't like that. little things like that judy had started picking up on. >> we saw a lot of touchy-feely, stuff that didn't quite look right. >> and judy would ask me about it, and i'd say, maybe, maybe not, nobody knows for sure, but everybody is talking about it. >> so, judy decides to find out for herself. >> she even confronted terry. >> what did terry say? >> terry said, we're not doing anything. she confronted jamie, and he told me the same thing. she said, i know they're doing something. >> within about a week of judy's death, case absolutely sons down and told him everything. as they absorb it all, they were remembered something strange. teri king was at the hospital the night their mom died.
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in fact, she got there before they did. >> how are you here before us? it's our mom. >> it was one or 2:00 in the morning. >> there was another even more awkward story that k felt she needed to share with her sons. >> i don't want to tell you this, but jamie's been trying to get your mom to have a threesome with him and terry. >> why? this is not something your mom wanted. >> no. >> or something that you want to think about! >> i don't think about it. >> sex, lies and a christian by club. >> exactly. >> who would've thought? >> exactly. >> soon after, k opened up to julia's family. she called detective chris reynolds. >> i have some text from johnny, i think you need to see them, because she says that she suspected jamie and terry. he said, i'll get back with you, k. i said, okay, and i never heard from him again. >> the brothers in jessie also felt that they weren't getting anywhere with the detective. >> we have to find somebody to
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help us. we need some answers. >> i'm like, why? why is no one doing anything? it didn't make sense. >> soon, it would all start to make sense with some bombshell news. >> coming up -- >> that's where we're thinking, okay, the police is going to hit on this. >> a disturbing revelation about jamie's alleged girlfriend, and important evidence. did you say to your supervisor, i think we need someone to look at this blood? >> no, i didn't. >> what happened to the blood ads house? >> will we found out was that terry went to the house and cleaned up. >> is this the most bungled evidence collection that you've ever seen? >> bungled might be nice, because there was no evidence collection. >> when dateline continues. collection collection >> when or my money back... i love it!
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mass shooting on a brooklyn subway, car has been indicted by a grand jury. two counts including favorable terrorism charge, which could result in a maximum sentence of life in prison. the death toll in havana, cuba climb to 26 today, after an explosion at a five star hotel. at least 80 more people were hurt. rescue teams are still searching for survivors. -- said the cause is still under investigation. now, back to dateline. investigation. no welcome back to dateline. i'm natalie morales. detectives were convinced that judy or baldwin died after two tragic accidents in the same night. the coroner was not so sure. neither was judy's family, who suspected her husband, jamie, was having an affair. a rumored romance, they believed red to murder. now, a startling new revelation was about to raise even more
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questions. back to andrea canning, with the back box. >> two months had passed since judy's death, and her family was questioning jamie story about what happened. then, they heard something stunning about teri king and jamie. they moved in together. would you guys thinking? he's moving in quickly with her. >> yeah. >> that's when we're thinking, police is going to get on something. this somebody is looking into this. >> the brothers had been pushing the chester county prosecutor's office to look deeper into their mom's death. in fact, dq beauty prosecutor, candace lively, was keeping tabs on the sheriff investigation. >> we're being told to the sheriff's office that they were doing what they were supposed to do. >> turns out, they weren't. the prosecutor would learn that there were serious problems with the sheriff's investigation. they're basically saying, we got this, we don't need your help right now. >> exactly. and, we were hearing from the
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family that people hadn't been interviewed yet, they were considered evidence hadn't been collected. >> chris reynolds said that he truly believed that it was an accident. so, he just didn't feel the need to investigate this as a crime, a potential crime. >> that is something that, with his experience, he should have known that you don't make those kind of exceptions upfront. when someone dies, you treat it as a murder, until you know otherwise. >> we asked detective reynolds about how he handled the investigation. did you collect jamie's clothes, did you take judy's clothes, did you take your cell phone, did you take jamie cell phone? >> no. >> why not? >> we didn't collect anything at the house. that was a judgment call. >> some consider that a questionable call, because there was something else. early in the investigation, the coroner told a detective that he thought judy's death looked
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suspicious, that it might even be a homicide. wouldn't you, being overly cautious, as a detective, say, we should do a little more here, we should get evidence, even if it's not a murder, at least we have it, and we did our job. we don't need it, let's get. it >> i agree, 100%. >> those photos the detective took inside of judy's house, this is how a number of them came out. >> some of them were so blurry and bad. >> yeah, the camera we had wasn't good at the time. >> even if the cameras not that good, you can still take those shots. >> i struggle with the camera we have. >> he also filled to collect critical forensic evidence. did you say to your supervisor, i think we should have somebody look at this blood? >> no, i didn't. >> do you think you should've done that? >> absolutely, i've never denied that. >> reynolds never seagull the house after a photograph, so anybody could go in, and
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someone did. teri king. remember, she was in jamie's hospital room the night of question. what happened to the blood evidence and duties house? >> according to what we found out in our investigation, teri left the hospital, and she went back to the house and cleaned it up. >> with permission from detective reynolds? >> yes. >> not only did he give her permission to clean it up, he offered help. >> i gave her a number to accompany. they specialized in crime scenes and disaster restorations. i said, somebody has to clean it up. >> so you are giving her advice about how to clean up a potential crime scene? >> no, she asked. she asked for help. that's with anybody else in the case. if they ask advice on how to -- >> write. but your giving her advice on how to clean up a potential crime scene. >> at the time, the crime scene, we were done with. >> she's literally erasing the crime scene. >> that's exactly what happened. >> whether she was
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intentionally erasing the crime scene or not. >> exactly. >> is this the most bungled evidence collection, handling of the scene, that you have seen? >> yes. i think bungled might be being a little nice, because there was no evidence collection. >> even though there was a lack of evidence, the prosecutor spoke to the coroner about judy's severe head injuries and came to the conclusion, this was no accident. but, a murder. >> at some point, i'm gonna have to look at this family and tell them, we're not gonna have what we need to get justice for your family member. >> judy's family was losing hope. weeks are going by, months are going by. then, a breakthrough. eight months after judy's death, the sheriff's office agreed to -- slide to take over the case. that's south carolina's top law enforcement agency. with the slide to do, now they're the they're taking this over? >> they jumped in. >> ages one to judy's house and
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took hundreds of photos details measurements, and re-examine the autopsy findings. they came to the same conclusion as a prosecutor, it all added up to homicide. >> we said, we definitely have enough to present to a grand jury at this point. >> yes. >> an indictment for murder. >> for judy's family, it was a long time coming. in august of 2018, a year and a half after her death, jamie baldwin was arrested for the murder of his wife. you get a call, finally, that jamie has been arrested. were you shocked? >> we could breathe a little bit. he's arrested for the murder of my mom. >> but now came the hard part. how to prosecute a case with a little physical evidence. this was no slam dunk. >> it was far from it and the family knew going in that we
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had a real battle. >> coming up -- >> maybe her falling off the ladder isn't going to be a good explanation as to why she has this horrible injury. he comes with the idea that she was ejected from the vehicle. >> the jaw-dropping story told by the jeep. >> most people are aware that planes have black boxes, vehicles have them to, and in this case, judy's wrangler had a black box. >> it did. >> when dateline continues. dateline dad, it's a buick. i love that new alexa smell. it's a buick. we need snacks for the team. alexa, take us to the nearest grocery store. time. it's a buick. let's be real. don't make me turn this alexa around. oh my. it's painful. the buick enclave, with available alexa built in. ask “alexa, tell me more about buick suvs.”
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that gripped the people of chester county, south carolina. it had been almost three years since the death of judy or baldwin. her husband was about to go on trial for murder. were you worried that because the investigation wasn't handled the way it should've been, that that could impact the trial? >> i thought it would get thrown out. i thought it would have a huge impact. >> there is a plea deal. >> there was a plea deal, and he turned it down? >> yeah. >> jaime baldwin pleaded not guilty. >> it was probably the most substantially circumstantial evidence of every child in a murder case. >> with the little evidence that the prosecution had, she set out to prove that jaime killed his wife, and then tried
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to cover it up. >> he faked that car accident. this is, unfortunately, about somebody who wanted to get rid of his wife, who wanted to have control of what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it. >> lively told jurors that the couple had argued multiple times about teri king, and on the night of judy's death, she believed that judy demanded jamie and his relationship with teri. >> he got extremely angry. he has a temper, and he attacked her at that mantle. >> the prosecutor alleged that in a fit of rage, jamie took one of those stalking holders from the mantle and hit judy so hard, it caused her brain to bleed, leaving her with those raccoon eyes. when i actually hold it in my hand, this thing is heavy. >> yeah, it's very heavy. >> the stocking holder shape closely match the regular cut on judy's head. >> whenever you look at the picture of that santa stocking
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holder, it really fit the ridges in that unusual laceration. >> a medical expert for the prosecution testified that after judy was attacked, she probably died within five minutes. lively argued, that's when jamie came up with his elaborate plan to cover up his crime. >> he comes with this idea of, maybe her falling off the ladder isn't going to be a good explanation, as to why she has these horrible injuries. >> she said, jamie took his wife dead body, put it in the jeep, and then put -- when he stays the accident. >> he comes with the idea that she was ejected from the vehicle. he pulls her out, and stages her -- >> to prove the car crash was staged, to the prosecution -- brian trotter, an accident reconstruction -- who was on the scene that night. >> what this tells you -- >> he testified and showed us how a device in the jeep record
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of the last seconds of the vehicles movements. >> most people are aware that planes have black boxes, i personally wasn't aware that vehicles have them to. in this case, julia's wrangler, like this one, had a black box. >> it did. i took this one out of a retired police car to show you with a look like. >> in simple terms, when there's an accident, a car hits something, it triggers the black box to start recording information. what did you learn from julie's black box? >> the one for this case came back with no data. >> so, no data is actually really important. >> in this, case it is. >> no data means no crash. the corporal's theory is that jaime slowly and purposefully drove his jeep into the creek. >> this came -- >> the most surprising witness was teri king, the woman at the center of the alleged love triangle. >> i was hoping that when she finally was put under oath in
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court, that she would come clean. >> teri was no longer living with jamie. >> are you wanting to be here today? >> yes, ma'am. >> even though she was a witness for the state, the prosecutor immediately faced a big challenge, teri flat out denied having a romantic relationship with jamie. >> is it fair to say that you were both in love with each other? >> no, that is not fair. it wasn't in love with him, but i did love him. >> you weren't in love with him, but you did love him? >> yes. >> and how long had you loved him, but not been in love with him? >> i've never been in love with him. >> now, miss king, were you having a sexual relationship with the defendant? >> no, ma'am. >> but, the prosecutor did have text messages sent between terry and jamie. >> i'm going to show you this highlighted portion here. >> the judge ruled that she couldn't show them to the jury, but she could question terry about them. >> we'll kind of things would you say to each other about how
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you felt about one another? >> i will tell them i loved him. >> okay. >> he would say the same to me. >> he would say the same to you? >> not only did you say you loved each other, but that you missed each other? all >> yes. >> and did you ever tell him, you could tell me 1000 times a day and i'll never get tired of hearing it. >> i guess i did. >> terry testified that she and jaime were just platonic roommates, nothing more. you felt that terry was misleading the jury? >> absolutely. she tried to mislead us for months as well. >> lively said that she had suspicions that terry may have played a part of the murder, but never found any evidence to prove it. terry denies any involvement. >> the defense was up next, and they were ready to exploit all the holes in the prosecution's case. would it be enough to set jamie
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free? >> coming up, an expert witness says judy's blood in the jeep proves the prosecution is wrong about when she died. >> if she's actively bleeding, she's technically alive. >> after she left the house? >> after leaving the house. >> and then, the verdict. >> everybody was holding hands as tight as we could, you could hear everybody gasp. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues
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prosecutors accuse jamie baldwin of murdering his wife, judy, during an argument over his alleged affair. that, and they said, he stage a car accident to cover up the crime. but, the case was largely circumstantial. now, it was the defense teams turn, and they would start with who they thought was the states most problematic witness. back to andrea canning with the conclusion of, the black box. >> jaime baldwin, the former police officer was facing life in prison for the murder of his wife. his attorneys, philip jameson and brad jordan argue that terry kings as testimony undermine the state's entire case. >> she testified that there was no offender, and there was no evidence. >> the defense asked terry to further explain her living situation with jamie. >> when mr. baldwin moved into your house, did he have a separate bedroom? >> yes, sir.
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>> and if he stay in the several bedroom? >> yes, sir. >> she said that there was an innocent explanation for those text messages between her and jamie. the ones where she said she loved him. >> would you say to friends that you felt strongly about it? >> i say it every day, it's almost everyone to talk to. >> doesn't mean you're having an affair. >> no. >> did you ever told you loved her? >> every time we talk to her. >> not only that, but she told jurors that she would never betray judy. >> how would you describe the relationship with mrs. baldwin? >> she's one of my best friends i've ever had. >> you sometimes stay to their house, is that correct? >> yes, sir. >> was julia always there when you stayed? >> yes. >> most importantly, the defense insisted that there was no crime. just to tragic accidents, and they said, the state didn't have any evidence to prove otherwise. >> there was no dna, there is no fingerprints, there was no weapon. >> they called detective reynolds to the stand, --
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>> and what do you feel would've been better? >> the scene at home should have been processed a little bit more. >> how does that play into your defense? >> had they done a better job, we probably wouldn't find ourselves in the situation. they would've cleared up all those questions at that time, and this would've gone down as an accident, which is what it was. >> the defenses did agree to stocking holder may have caused huge fatal injury, but not because jimmy use it as a weapon. >> we believe that what happened was she was on the ladder, at the mantle piece, she fell and struck an ornament, which was sitting on the mantle piece, and then fell to the floor. >> ross gardiner, a crime scene analyst for the defenses testified and told us all the blood and found in judy jeep proved something crucial, that she was alive when they crashed. he pointed to the blood on the bumper, the passenger door, and the saturation of blood on her seat. >> we're looking at the
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passenger seat, and where we can see is the saturation throughout. >> gardiner says, contrary to the prosecution's theory that jody died within five minutes at her home, the evidence from the jeep proved that that was impossible. >> if she's actively bleeding, her heart is beating, she's technically alive. >> in the jeep, after she left the house. >> in the jeep, after leaving the house. literally, this tells us that she was bleeding while in the jeep. >> the defense also pointed to several experts, including the prosecutions, who all agreed, judy's injuries could've been accidental. >> having three medical experts, who can't say, hey, this is definite accident. in my mind, there is reasonable doubt. >> we don't have to convince one person. >> after seven days of testimony, the case went to the jury. prosecutor felt that there was a good chance jamie could walk. she turned to the family for
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support, and judy herself. >> i really felt like i had judy on my shoulder, i really did. i felt that family gave me a lot of hope and faith. >> less than three hours later, there was a verdict. >> we were all -- everybody was holding hands as tight as we could, and when they read that verdict, you could hear everybody gasp. >> we the jury find the defendant james baldwin junior guilty of murder. >> i just broke down crying. i couldn't believe it. we finally got justice for mom. >> detective chris reynolds was in the courthouse that day two. he believes the jury made the right decision. he wants the public to know that he did more than they think to look into judy's death. still, he realizes because of his incomplete investigation, a
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killer might've walked free. you get emotional over this. >> i do. i take it personal. this case was a big learning experience for me. i'll never dropped the ball on anything, and then i did it. and i'm sorry for it. >> jamie never took the stand, but he did speak at the sentencing. >> she fell from a ladder. that's why i was trying to get her to the hospital. i love my wife. i mean, more than anybody in this room. i mean, we had a great relationship. >> the judge sentenced the 60 year old to life in prison, without the chance of parole. jamie is appealing. is he evil? >> yes, he 100% as evil. satan spawn. 100%. >> judy's family says they can finally move on with their lives. and there's one thing that brings in peace. you are religious, does that
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give you any comfort to know that your mom and dad are not together? >> oh, yeah. they're in a better place and we are. >> why would you say to julia if she could hear you? >> i would just tell her a lover. i would give her the biggest hug. that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. thank you for watching >> i'm natalie morales, and this is dateline. >> rod colvin calls 9-1-1 and says his wife appears dead. >> he said that he had found her in the bathtub. >> i have never seen my son shell-shocked. >> it was a case tailor-made with the tabloids. >> we had this beautiful woman, a tall handsome guy, greed, infidelity. >> he is out with other women. >> a failing marriage with millions at stake. >> he didn't have any money of his own. >> this is getting ugly. >> yes.
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