the with -- [interpreter] where it's sneaky in its fall through isn't taking away the remedies. >> michael waltman, thank you very, very much. appreciate it. i'm craig melvin, and i'm natalie morales. and this, is dateline. we heard all this talk around town that jesse was dead. to know that the last moment that she spent on this earth, she was in so much fear. it's not fair. if he saw out there, he could still be plotting. he could still be hunting. who is next? >> jessie gave her all. to everything she did. >> she's on a mission. >> her whole life. >> and then, someone took it

all away. >> and i was like, jessie? nothing? i juggled her a little bit. and then i knew, this is not. good >> my daughter, won't wake up. >> she had been murdered in her own bed after coming home from a pool party. a party that hadn't been all fun and games. >> she was 19 and these men were in their 40s. we wanted to talk to. them >> did something happen at that party? what was happening around this small town. >> i heard somebody running behind me. then i noticed he had a knife in his hands. >> someone was stalking young women. >> it was either, i try to save myself or i let this guy do whatever he wants to me. >> his dreams were there nightmares. >> the research is on -- search is on bond. could he be caught before he killed again? >> and then we knew he done it. now we just had to prove it.

>> hello and welcome to dateline. and a small wisconsin town, a 19 year old girl came home from a party, said goodnight to her mother and went to bed, safe for the night. but, the next day she was dead. and police were calling it murder. who would want to kill this talented young woman. and was it somehow connected to reports of an attacker on the loose? here is andrea canning with friends until death. >> she was a young woman who devoted her whole life to making music. an accomplished musician who played several instruments, acted even wrote her own songs. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> that was her biggest passion. she some music as a way to change the world. >> that was -- violent, piano. >> she had a unique sound. >> yeah. >> so who could've predicted that on july 15th, 2015, the

music and the young girls dream would and so suddenly. >> we were in shock, disbelief. >> it was hard to understand -- >> oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my god. >> ma'am, stay on the line with me we're going to get themself or you. >> a small town was faced with a mystery with police asking, what was real and was a performance? >> he's an actor. he's two different people. >> who is this guy. who does he think he is that he could go around doing this to women? >> ask anyone who knew jessie blodgett growing up in hartford wisconsin. they tell you she was happy, clash in, it full of life. her dad said she had always been that. way >> does she have a happy shot -- childhood? >> yes, i show you 600 photos of my computer. you could be able to count on one hand the ones that you could find where she's not beaming and smiling. she's a really happy kid. >> jesse, an only child, was

the light of her parents live. their miracle baby. buck enjoy blodgett thought they couldn't have children. so they cherished her little girl that much more. >> we bonded from day one with a little purple head came out. and every day since. we talked about drugs. we talked about sex. there is nothing off limits. >> and her mom says jessie's friends were like part of the family. >> they always seem to hang out at our house. >> yeah. we did. she would, like fight her to throw. party >> ian, jacqui and amelia were three of jackie's -- jessie's closest. calls >> -- >> hard not to, i mean she's a really contagious personality. but jessie also had a more serious side. one that loved to debate issues and fight for causes she believed in. jesse sounds a little bit like an old soul. is that fair? >> she liked old people stuff. >> yeah, she did. i don't really know much highschoolers that are super activists about animal rights. >> she made herself well versed and just, a lot of different

opinions and viewpoints. >> jessie wanted to make a difference. that much was clear. but what made her happiest was sharing her gift. >> every time i went over to jessie's house she would always be playing the piano. even when i was trying to talk to her she was like -- and i was like, hello, jessie? >> jessie's passion for music grew even stronger in college. in summer after a freshman year, she teamed up with an old boyfriend and theater pal, dan. and, together they wrote this heartfelt song. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we had a music room, he had a music room in his house. so, he'd bring his guitar and they both saying. >> that summer, jessie also won the title rolled in the local production, "fiddler at the roof", jerry becker directed the show. >> did she just fully embraced it? >> she, did she enjoyed being

the person who really opens the show and sets the mood, sets the feeling. >> it was july 14th, after the sunday matinee. jessie and the cast gathered for a pool party. >> we went out to a cast members farm, he had a pool and some llamas and other animals there. i left early with my family. and i remember her sitting there and said goodnight and thanked her for her performance. >> she came home around, what time? >> it was late. 12:30, i believe. >> you are still awake? >> i waited up for her. i couldn't go to sleep until i heard that she was in the house. >> they chatted briefly and said goodnight. the next morning, jessie's mom popped into her daughters room before work and saw jesse still fast asleep. >> nothing that you could ever think was odd when you left? >> no, no, and this was her first morning to sleep in for a very long time. >> joy returned home for lunch and saw that jessie wasn't downstairs, ready for her afternoon violin lesson. >> i went to the top of the

stairs and i was, like jesse? nothing. so, then i went in and -- i came around the bed and then i kind of juggled her a little bit and nothing. and then i knew. this is not good. this is not good. >> joy made a frantic call to 9-1-1. >> what's the problem? >> my daughter is blue. i want to wake her up and -- i just got home from -- for a lunch and she won't wake up. >> is she breathing? >> i don't think so, no. >> okay you're trying to do cpr? >> i'm trying to pump her chest. >> just hours before, she had seen her daughters sleeping peacefully. now, joy a chiropractor was fighting to save jesse's life. >> your mother instincts were kicking in -- >> yeah. i just kept thinking, she fell asleep and stopped breathing in the pillow or something. >> as joy moved jesse to the floor to better perform cpr,

first responders arrived. >> did you, at that point, start to feel her slip away that hope was -- >> i think that i just was thinking, do it. they'll take her to the hospital. they could do all kinds of stuff. you know? >> but they never took jesse to the hospital. it was too late. she was gone. a tragedy and now a mystery. what happened to jesse blodgett. >> coming up -- >> detectives here something from jesse's mom they find interesting and troubling. when jessie got home that night from the party, she was upset. >> what's going on, she said, oh, the guys you know? >> what about the guys? when dateline continues. when dupixent helps heal your skin from within keeping you one step ahead of eczema. hide my skin? not me.

and that means long-lasting clearer skin and fast itch relief for adults. with dupixent, you can show more skin with less eczema. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can change how your skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. okay, snacks and popcorn are gonna be expensive. let's just accept that. going to the movies can be a lot for young homeowners turning into their parents. bathrooms -- even if you don't have to go, you should try. we all know where the bathroom is and how to us it, okay? you know, the stevensons told me they saved money bundling their boat insurance with progressive. no one knows who those people are. -it can be painful. -hand me your coats.

there's an extra seat right here. no, no, no, no, no. we don't need a coat wrangler. progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home, auto, and more with us. no one who made the movie is here. ♪ ♪ when you bundle home, auto, and more with us. make way for the first-ever chevy silverado zr2. with multimatic shocks, rugged 33-inch tires, and front and rear electronic locking differentials. dude, this is awesome... but we should get back to work. ♪ ♪ this good? perfect. if you're gonna work remote... work remote. find new workspaces. find new roads. chevrolet. migraine attacks? you can't always avoid triggers like stress. qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks. you can't prevent what's going on outside that's why qulipta™ helps what's going on inside. qulipta™ is a pill. gets right to work to prevent migraine attacks and keeps them away over time. qulipta™ blocks cgrp,

a protein believed to be a cause of migraine attacks. qulipta™ is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta™. itchy allergens coming right at your eyes. and pills and nasal sprays don't target the source of the itch. but 24 hour pataday once daily relief extra strength does. it works right on the cells that make your eyes itch. with a single drop. it's the only over-the-counter, once-daily, eye allergy itch relief that works fast and lasts 24 hours. discover pataday. and discover eye itch relief beyond belief. make every day a pataday. see for yourself. joy blodgett had come home for

lunch, and discovered her 19 year old daughter, jessie dead in her own bed. jesse's father was at work. >> you had to call your husband. >> i wanted to let him know as soon as possible because i knew how much he loved his little girl. >> she said, honey, honey, honey it's jesse. and then she busted up crying and i knew something was really wrong. i said is she gone? and joy, no more words came, just tears. so i raced home. but when buck arrived home, police cars on a crime scene

truck were already in the driveway. >> i went in the door, through the yellow tape and when i saw joy's eyes in the living room, and then i knew that just was gone. >> puck wasn't allowed in jessie's rooms because police were in there, trying to figure out what had happened. detective richard thickens of the hartford police department were one of the first on the scene. he looked around, found typical t niger's messy because -- nothing strange there but when he found jessie's bodies, it was clear to the detective that jesse did not die of natural causes. >> the first thing i noticed is that there was red marks running pretty much all the way across the. nick >> did you need an autopsy to tell you what you are seeing? >> no. it was very apparent that this was a ligature mark at that point. >> jessie had been murdered, strangled. but inside her bedroom there was no murder weapon. no sign of a struggle. except one thing did seem odd about jesse sped. >> the covers were over the bed

in a perfect manner. and a kid who had stuff thrown all over the bed, there was nothing on the bench. >> it was very apparent that the scene had been changed. this was someone impossible trying to change that they did not leave anything of themselves behind. >> did they finally let you go upstairs when they had finished to say a proper goodbye? >> they released her room as a crime scene at the end of the day. and brought her down. and after waiting all day, and finally getting my moment to say goodbye until or i love, or tell her i'm sorry -- suddenly everybody is around watching the. and i never really had that moment with her, alone to say goodbye. >> that is heartbreaking. >> yeah. >> having barely digested the news of their daughter's death, still in shock, buck and joy sat down with investigators to tell them everything they knew. there was no sign of forced entry to the house. but they explained that most

people in this quite safe town, they often left the door unlocked. >> this individual found that one door -- the house wasn't ransacked. it looked to us that this person knew right were to go to find her. >> to the detectives, it didn't seem random, it was clear jessie was targeted. one of bucks first thoughts, a crew of tree cutters who recently worked outside of jesse's window. >> it made me wonder if they had had thoughts when they were in the trees -- about the bedroom when she was sleeping there. just wondered if they noticed that hears this teenage girls, sleeping home alone when joy and i are at work while there are. yard >> look also to the detectives that a problem that jessie was having -- trouble with a coworker. >> she had come home a couple of times and said that he was inappropriate with her. >> what was he doing that was inappropriate? >> he would often make sure that she had to rub against him as she passed him. >> that must make units as a

parents when you hear stories like -- >> when i heard that i was almost out that door to go over and talk to him. >> the restaurant was just down the road. it seemed possible that this coworker jessie found creepy knew where she lived, had been watching the house. >> -- we don't want to close in the evidence for the investigation, at that point. >> then, joy told the detective something that really caught their attention. jessie had come home from that fiddler on the roof cast party, clearly upset. >> i said, what's going on? she said, oh the guys, you know. they're always making passes and i don't know why they have to always turn it to their. >> jessie told her mom, to older and from the cast were flirting with her. and it made her uncomfortable. one pulled or on his luck, the other told a dirty joke. at the time, joy thought the flotation seemed harmless. and her young daughter simply did not know how to handle. it >> she didn't like men

taking, you know, privileges on her. >> but perhaps the incidents were more serious than her mother thought. jessie wrote about them in her diary that night. ending her final entry with god be with me. >> she was 19 and from what joy understood these were men in their 40s. >> is that a bit of a red flag for you? >> could be. we wanted to talk to them. >> detective thickens could see a pretty talented teenager could attract unwanted mail attention. now, he had to figure out if any of it had to do with jesse's murder. >> a party packed with older men but only one had raised eyebrows. at least found a possible suspect. >> coming up -- >> someone that was flirting with her less than 24 hours before her death. >> we thought it was him, who else could've been? >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues

for people living with h-i-v, keep being you. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take,

if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. (man) [whispering] what's going on? if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. (burke) it's a farmers policy perk. get farmers and you could save money by doing nothing. just be claim-free on your home insurance for three years. (man) that's really something. (burke) get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. (dad) bravo! (mom) that's our son! (burke) we should. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ we've been streaming all day from every room. the power and speed of this super-sonic wifi from xfinity is incredible. mom! mass speeds was my idea, remember? get minion net, with speeds of

up to one minion bite per hour. [ low screaming ] but that was an epic fail. with xfi we can stream, share, swipe, like... impress your mom with super-sonic wifi. it's unbeatable internet for a more unbeatable gru. it was hard to believe a murder i mean, you.

like this could have been impeached full hartford wisconsin. let alone to a warm and loving teenager like jesse blodgett. within hours of her death, word had spread. jessie's close friends, jackie and amelia, race to the blodgett house. >> we drove up to her driveway and her parents were sitting outside. and they said jessie is no longer with us anymore. >> was that when it became real for you? >> it was just we --

i don't know, it was just like really shocking i guess. so, it's probably the worst pain anyone could ever feel. >> jessie's theater director, jerry becker, was also stunned. having just celebrated with jesse and the cast of "fiddler at the roof" the night before. >> the best way to describe it is simply surreal. >> finding jessie's killer became the police departments number one priority. >> this is a girl that's been attacked in her home where she should be safe. and i think that that definitely put people on edge. >> detectives talked with cast members from "fiddler at the roof" and heard again how jesse had been upset after the cast party. in particular, with one man named randy tally. >> we made contact with him and asked him to come to speak with us. >> are you thinking that this could be the guy? >> he is significantly older. somebody who was flirting with her, less than 24 hours before her death.

so, he is certainly a person of interest. >> randi came in for questioning, and admitted to joking around playfully with jessie at the party. and swore that there was nothing more to it. but part of around the story did not sit well with detective thickens. >> where had he been during the time of the crime? >> he was working, or scheduled the work through a tempt agency, he did not actually go to work that way. >> so where was he then? >> he said he spent most of the day, actually, at his apartment by himself. >> did you just come right out with? it did you have anything to do with the murder of jesse? >> i asked him if he had any involvement in her death. he said, no. >> but, the detective wondering was his story straight out of a script? >> he's an actor. and it's hard for me, at that point, to gauge if he's acting or being truthful. >> investigators issued a search warrant for his phone records. >> we're going to verify where randy was and look at his alibi. was a cell phone anywhere near that house in this time period?

>> jesse's friends quickly heard the police were looking at a cast member. >> what was being said about the cast member? >> just that he was kind of creepy. and, we thought it was him. i mean, who else could've been? >> but, the place director, jerry becker, did not believe it. he couldn't imagine randy being responsible for jesse's death. >> did you pick up the phone and call randy when he was going through this? >> yes. he was saddened by all of this. >> how did that conversation leave you feeling? >> i was exceptionally confident by the end of that phone call that he was not involved in this in any way. >> and, when the detective got his hand on randy's phone records, he began thinking the same thing. did his phone records tell you anything of significance? >> no, he had been talking to her on the phone that we could see in this time period that we were looking at. and he hadn't been near the house. >> we hadn't eliminated him but we are looking at other options.

>> so, working day and night, they went over the other leagues from jesse's parents. they interviewed the tree trimmers who might have been peering into jessie's window. >> there was nothing of significance found as far as the possible involvement. >> and, they tracked down the restaurant coworker jesse had been upset with. >> he was actually out of the country, my understanding was at the time that they have been. >> so, case closed on that one? >> he's not gonna be involved in this. one >> and, then they remembered that they mentioned a second man from the party that made just uncomfortable. the one she claimed told an inappropriate joke. turns out that guy was not other than joey becker. >> i gotta believe it was some misunderstanding with regard to who jessie was talking about. >> so, it was a surprise to you that she had brought up your name specifically? >> absolutely. >> did you have anything to hide about that night? >> no. my daughter and my son were there at the picnic with me. >> jerry told us he had just a brief conversation with jesse

that night. there was nothing flirtatious about it. detectives didn't think it sounded like much of a lead and jerry never became a suspect. in fact, the investigation was going nowhere, leaving the town on edge. >> every time someone would come up behind me i would jump, even if i knew they were coming up behind me. >> then, news of another crime heightened everyone's fears. >> it was an attack so brutal she had to get 15 stitches on her hand. >> it happened in a neighboring town, another attack on a young woman close to jesse's age in a park less than ten miles from her house. >> did you think that there was any possible connection to the park attack? >> there were two similar. they were too violent. they were against young women. they must be connected one way or another. >> what had happened in the park and could it lead to detectives to jessie's killer? >> coming up -- >> a harrowing first person account of that vicious attack.

>> you grabbed the knife with the bare hands? >> it was either i tried to save myself or let this guy do whatever he wants to me. >> with someone stalking the young women around the small town. when dateline continues. when i thought online meant no one to help me, but susan from carvana had all the answers. she didn't try to upsell me. not once, because they're not salespeople! guess who just checked in on me? mom... susan from carvana! [laughs] we'll drive you happy at carvana. ♪ got my hair got my head ♪ introducing new one a day multi+. a complete multivitamin plus an extra boost of support for your immunity, brain, and hair, skin & nails. new one a day multi+. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn... claire could only imagine enjoying chocolate cake.

now, she can have her cake and eat it too. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? we hit the bike trails every weekend shinges doesn't care. i grow all my own vegetables shingles doesn't care. we've still got the best moves you've ever seen good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but, no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age increasing your risk for getting shingles. so, what can protect you? shingrix protects. you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering,

fever, and upset stomach. ask your pharmacist or doctor about shingrix. shingles doesn't care. but you should. >> i'm dara brown, from coast

to coast, passionate protest on the supreme court rules to overturn roe v. wade, a limiting abortion as a constitutional right. conservatives on the other hand are handling the decision is a major victory. the supreme court's decision to overturn roe infused many pride celebrations within a sense of urgency, the parade at new york city was both a party and a protest, planned parenthood was in front leading the march, a last-minute lineup change after the ruling. now back to dateline. afte the ruling no >> after the vibrant 19 year old with a passion for music was strangled in her own bed,

jessie blodgett grief-stricken parents could not stop thinking about the way that she died. >> that is such a dark place to go, to think about her last moments. >> it does not get any darker than that, i laid on her bed early on and held my breath as long as i could, longer than i ever could in my life. trying to block out. which is nothing like she went through. >> police thought that jesse had been targeted but now some of her friends thought her murder was the same person who attacked [inaudible] >> was like who is this guy. this is melissa richards, a victim of that attack. it happened three days before jessie was killed. her courageous story of survival is amazing. >> you arrive at the park and what is the first thing you see.

>> a blue mini van? >> anything out of the ordinary? >> now. >> melissa richards went for a walk-in ridgefield park and when they return. >> the guy was still parked in the car and what i noticed was him looking out of the drivers side window. >> did you seem weird? >> i thought he wanted his privacy. and about here, i hear somebody running behind me. so i look back and go, oh you scared me. then i noticed that he had a knife in his hand. and he was still coming towards me. >> before melissa could run, she was knocked to the ground and her attacker pinned her down on her stomach. but melissa fought back and did something almost unthinkable. she grabbed the knife by the blade. >> you grabbed the knife with your bare hands right? what possessed you to do that? >> it was either a try to save myself or let this guy do

whatever he wants to me. >> with melissa resisting, the attacker apparently panicked and seemed to give up. >> he finally was just kind of getting up off of me, was still holding on to the knife and was like can i just go. >> i said no. a defiant melissa wanted her attacker to stay put and answer for his crime. but instead, he dropped the knife and fled. >> he ended up running back to his car, i got in my car and i got out of here as fast as i could. >> wounded and bloody, melissa picked up the nice thing got herself to a hospital for stitches. there she was met by detective clawson of the washington county sheriff's department. >> this was not a robbery, he did not say give me a purse. this is not a dog napping, he did not say give me your dog. this was a vicious personal attack on a stranger. >> melissa had never seen her attacker before, but lucky for investigators, she had an

almost photographic memory. >> he was wearing glasses, he had blond shady hair, i would say he was about 62, 210 pounds. >> did he look like a normal guy? >> yeah, especially with what he was wearing, just normal clothes from kohl's. >> melissa could even tell police to make and model of his van. >> she knew that it was a blue dodge caravan. likely around 2000 to 2002. >> despite that great description, investigators could not identify melissa's attacker and he was still at large when jessie was murdered. and while some of jessie's had been speculating about a length, investigators disagreed. >> you are not liking the two crimes are trying to force them to fit together? >> not at all. one is in a park with a knife, the other one is in a private home with strangulation. >> so the two investigations remain separate and hartford

police continued to look for new leads in jessie's case. one by one, it called on her heartbroken friends to ask them what they knew. >> did you consider any of her friends as possible suspects? >> not for. >> not one friend? >> never. >> the interviews with jessie blodgett's friends revealed nothing new and then detectives in the park case got a huge break, one that would he change the course of both investigations. melissa's description of her attacker's van triggered the memory of a deputy who routinely patrolled the park where she was assaulted. >> the deputy had approached us and the detective bureau and said weeks ago i was in that parking there was a van parked in the exact same spot that you have described park the exact same way. >> at the, time the deputy thought the van seemed suspicious and ran its license plate, but he found nothing alarming and continued his patrol.

now his intuition is telling him that the van was the same one involved in melissa tack. he had no paper record of the plate, but in his squad car, the computer kept a log of old searchers and after hours of backtracking, bingo. >> wasn't a bingo, but it was very close. >> close? >> the van beau long today laura and melvin. records show that melvin was too old to be malicious attack or. but they learned that they bartelt's had a 19 year old son that matched the description perfectly. and when the detective called that someone's cell number, it rang somewhere that would surprise everyone. >> he answered, i introduced myself, i said i needed to speak with him, his name had come up in an incident and i asked him where he was. he told me that he was at the blodgett house. i said where? >> coming up, was this the break that detective so desperately needed?

or just a strange coincidence. >> we were saying no, not this good. >> there was no way he could've killed our friend. >> when dateline continues. killed our friend. killed our friend. >> for most, hpv clears on its own. but for others, it can cause certain cancers later in life. you're welcome! now, as the "dad cab", help protect them. embrace this phase. help protect them in the next. ask their doctor about hpv vaccination today. (vo) red lobster's seafood summerfest is fire! embrace this phase. turn up for the grilled lobster, shrimp and salmon trio ...and our hottest summer duo, steak and lobster! it's lit! don't miss red lobster's seafood summerfest. where does your almondmilk come from? almond breeze starts here, with our almond trees and our blue diamond orchards in california. my parents job is to look after them, and it's my job to test the product. try new almond breeze extra creamy,

our creamiest almondmilk ever. we're eating and drinking foods and beverages that are very acidic. try new almond breeze extra creamy, it can soften the enamel. pronamel repair, what it's doing is driving more minerals deep into the enamel surface, that's going to help actively repair. pronamel is taking it to another level. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn... claire could only imagine enjoying chocolate cake. now, she can have her cake and eat it too. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? ♪ got my hair got my head ♪ introducing new one a day multi+. a complete multivitamin plus an extra boost of support for your immunity, brain, and hair, skin & nails. new one a day multi+.

what can i du with less asthma? with dupixent, i can du more... crazy commutes... crowd control- have a nice day alex (thanks ms. ellen) ...taking the stairs. that's how you du more with dupixent, which helps prevent asthma attacks. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids. and here's something important. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. are you ready to du more with less asthma? just ask your asthma specialist about dupixent. >> it was a promising lead for

investigators searching for the young man who so brazenly attacked melissa with a knife. they had a suspect who matched her description, a suspect

whose parents owned a blue mini van just like the one that she had spotted at the scene. >> he was showing up in 15 minutes and so we are finding about how we are going to talk to him. >> their person of interest arrived friendly and cooperative. >> nice to meet you. >> almost immediately, investigators noticed suspicious cuts and bruises on his body. >> what happened on your thumb? >> got stabbed with a screw outwork. i move my stuff around. >> had a cut us, them had road rash on his leg. had injuries what consistent with the injuries that somebody might have had with attacking melissa richards. >> detectives were spectacle about the work injury story and in fact, they weren't sure that this 19 year old even had a job. >> we check with your employer, would they still have your job? >> no. >> that's what i thought. >> when did you lose your job?

>> a while ago. >> the first time we had him in a lot. picked up much air moved next to him and started a different phase of the interview. >> no more lies, it just makes things worse. >> after the detectives warning, the suspect tried another story. this time, he claimed he had cut his finger while cooking. >> nobody in their right mind would lie about cutting themselves if it happened that home cooking, okay? >> okay. >> what happened, just be honest. >> i've gone to the park before. i've been there. >> as the police continued to press the young man, he began to crack and quickly. >> and you are in your van, correct? >> yes. >> and you went after that girl, right? >> yes. >> he admitted to going after melissa richards with a knife

and then offered a bizarre explanation for why he did it. >> i wanted to scare someone else, because everyone else is so confident. i don't understand it, i need somebody to be like me. >> detectives placed him under arrest, but we're far from finished. the reason, remember what he told detectives when they reached him by phone. >> where you had? against >> a house in hartford, jessie blodgett's house. >> that's right, the confessed attacker was also a friend of jessie's. >> the girl that just passed? >> yeah, we are visiting her parents. >> his name was daniel barr tell, and the same friend that jessie had been writing music with that summer. >> detective called hartford

police right away. had a suspect in custody. jessie's parents refused to believe the news. >> they were saying no not this good. >> he's a little screwed, up just got back from, college does nobody's, doing but doesn't think it's dan. >> after all, daniel was more than jessie's friend he was her first love in high school. >> had everything going for him, a top notch, student straight a student. had gotten the lead role in most musicals. was very talented. >> i was like, i like this kid. he could make me laugh and he came from a nice family. >> we said that it is not dan, he is a good kid. >> jessie's friends agreed. when detectives called daniel's cell phone, they were with him at the house screaming together. >> we were all crying, my friends phone rang. and he was like i got called

into the police station for questioning. >> amelia and jackie were the ones who drove daniel into the police station that afternoon, assuming it was just routine questioning about jesse. and we were like they might question you as a suspect. that's what they've been doing to all of her male friends. he was like, i didn't even think about that. >> now, even with dan under arrest for the park attack, they could not imagine that their friend was capable of murder. >> i was thinking that it was a mistake, like yes, maybe dan did attack this girl and rich field, but there is no way that he could've killed our friend. >> but the detective who just interrogated daniel thought the opposite. >> did you believe that daniel could have killed jesse? >> yes, it was just a sense that you got, a feeling you. got >> that you were sitting across from a killer. >> yes. >> detective want to grill dan himself. >> i was hopeful we would get more information to advance our case. >> when was the last time you

saw her? >> last week i think. >> daniel admitted to having a romantic feelings for jessie, but swore through sobs that he had nothing to do with the murder. >> what do you think happened too jessie? >> i have no idea. >> do you think it could have been accidental? >> i don't know why somebody would do that to her. >> but detectives did not believe him and he fit the profile of the killer that they were looking for. someone who knew jessie and her habits. >> she usually wouldn't get up before 11 and 12, i would text or in the morning, asked her if she wanted to hang out or something and she would not respond. >> he knew where she was going to be. knew she didn't have a dog on the house, knew she didn't have siblings, and where her parents are going to be. >> and asked for her emotional denial, they thought it was an

act. >> he was making these noises, gulping, sobbing. as if he was crying. >> he did not shed a tear during that entire time we talk to him. >> i knew he had done, now i gotta go out and prove it. >> coming up, dan faces a jury and jessie's family. >> i can't give you the answers that you are looking for,. >> when dateline continues. ng for,. >> when dateline continues [ screaming continues ] that's cool. we'll finish up here. bye! [ roars ] [ screaming continues ] fore the movie starts. get epic protection for your dominion with progressive. migraine attacks? you can't always avoid triggers like changes in weather. qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks. you can't prevent what's going on outside,

that's why qulipta™ helps what's going on inside. qulipta™ is a pill. gets right to work to prevent migraine attacks and keeps them away over time. qulipta™ blocks cgrp a protein believed to be a cause of migraine attacks. qulipta™ is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta™. ♪ ♪ make way for the first-ever chevy silverado zr2. with multimatic shocks, rugged 33-inch tires, and front and rear electronic locking differentials. dude, this is awesome... but we should get back to work. ♪ ♪ this good? perfect. if you're gonna work remote... work remote. find new workspaces. find new roads. chevrolet.

♪ i'm the latest hashtag challenge. and everyone on social media is trying me. but if you don't have the right auto insurance coverage, you could be left to pay for all of this... yourself. so get allstate. so this is the meta portal plus. a smart video calling device that makes working from home, work. it syncs with your favorite vc apps so you'll never miss a meeting. and neither will she. meta portal, make working from home work for you. we've been streaming all day from every room. the power and speed of this super-sonic wifi from xfinity is incredible. mom! mass speeds was my idea, remember?

get minion net, with speeds of up to one minion bite per hour. [ low screaming ] but that was an epic fail. with xfi we can stream, share, swipe, like... impress your mom with super-sonic wifi. it's unbeatable internet for a more unbeatable gru. >> welcome back to dateline, i mean, you.

i'm natalie morales. as police searched for evidence against jessie blodgett's killer, they also looked for a motive and found something about jessie's friend daniel that sent chills throughout the community. here is andrea canning with the conclusion of friends until death war. >> daniel bartelt had confessed against a violent attack against a woman in the park. but after police spoke with him, they realize that he could also be guilty of something far worse. >> did you leave that interview having any doubt that dana was the killer? >> none whatsoever. >> daniel told investigators that on the morning that jessie was killed, he was in a park reading a book and when they checked the security cameras,. >> we found video that put him there. >> but that did not mean that daniel was innocent. detectives decided to search the park, combing through more

than a dozen garbage pins. hoping to find anything that linked daniel to jessie's murder. >> in one garbage, can this cereal box full of ligature's. >> ropes that were very likely the murder weapons used to strangle jessie, plus a whole lot more. bloody sanitizing wipes, tape, shoelaces. >> i guess he didn't believe that we would have made the effort to go through the garbage. to find anything. >> police sent the evidence for testing, and forensics showed that both and daniels dna were on the ropes felt in the park. the detective shared the incriminating discovery with her parents. >> i had trouble getting it, that it was dan, the realist in me knew that it was him. the other half of me was like, what happened to dan. >> daniel was officially charged with murder, buck enjoy trying to wrap their heads

around what had happened to the funny teenager. who had nothing but empathy for his parents. >> they did not do this, they did nothing wrong, they provided a great environment for him, for his sister, they're good people. >> i can't say that he is totally evil, but something went very wrong, i don't know what it, they also felt sorry for randy tally, the cast member briefly rumored to be involved, now completely cleared. i >> felt bad, more collateral damage from one person's evil choices, and though the dna evidence linking daniel to the murder seemed to give the da a slam dunk case, daniel pleaded not guilty. gary schmaltz was the attorney. >> some people might say that there was overwhelming evidence against daniel, why go to trial? >> you go to trial when your client in this case dan, denies having committed the crime. >> when daniels trial began,

the courtroom was full of conflicted hearts. supporters on both side, knew or cared for jessie and daniel. >> was it like watching one friend be tried for killing another? >> it's like i was watching a tv show. you are in the same room with the person who murdered your friend. it is crazy. >> it was the strangest mix of emotions. when he walked in from the back room of the courtroom, i wanted to hug him and make him feel better. i felt his humiliation and shame. i wanted to punch him. >> prosecutors said from the start that there was no easy explanation for why daniel did what he did. >> why did he pick jessie? was he mad jessie? now. he picked jessie because she was convenient. >> the da did say that there was evidence that the seemingly sweet young man had been

obsessed with murder. on his computer, police found disturbing internet searches. what >> does he do in the days and events leading up to this crime. a search for serial killers on which he. a little bit later, serial killers by a number of victims. >> their most alarming find was a violent pornographic film, with the plot seemingly similar to how jessie was killed. >> prosecutors say that daniel used as an instructional video. >> he pulls out a binding in places it around her neck, he then strangles her. >> there were searches on serial killers. there were surges on bondage. >> did dan then, who was big into theater, a straight a student, was he also a serial killer in training? >> i think that is the potential. >> these items. >> prosecutors showed the jury all of the physical evidence. the dna, the tapes, the wipes,

the likely murder weapons that tied daniel to jessie's. through it all, daniel sat quietly at the defense table, looking at no one, showing little emotion. >> even when the evidence that the public had never heard before. dna that the state argued showed that he not only killed jessie, but also raped her. >> daniels dna was found under jessie's fingernails and inside of her. that would've been must of the toughest pieces of evidence to come back from the jury. >> difficult. didn't have an alternate explanation that. and don't have one as i sit here right now. >> in any case, daniel was never charged with rape and for the murder, the defense rested without calling a signal witness to the stand. when the jury deliberated for just three hours. >> we the jury find the

defendant daniel bartelt guilty with intentional homicide. ladies and gentlemen, was a sheer verdict? >> not a good day for anybody. nobody won. >> months later at the sentencing, buck stunned the courtroom when he said this. >> dan, i forgive you. as i have every single day since we found it was you. >> in response to such unbelievable grace, daniel looked straightaway and buck and continued to deny his guilt. >> doc, joy, i can't give you the answers that you are looking for. i pray for you, for all of you, my hope is that i believe that someday i will be before a court that will know that my

conscience is clean. i love you and i am so sorry for your loss. >> he is such a liar. he looked right in our face, with all of this evidence. there is just no refuting it, then for him to still be looking at me and saying this, kid, do you honestly believe that i believe you with this? >> i think that dan is a sociopath, he does not seem to have the conscience, or if he does, he does not care. >> buck and joy have accepted that they may never hear the truth from daniel or know why he turned so violent. daniel was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. for the attack on melissa richards, he was sentenced to five more years. >> melissa is our hero, if it wasn't for her, they would not have caught him. we are forever indebted and thankful for that. >> the police and the blog jets

commend you. and feel other woman could've been murdered if it was not for you. >> i tried to help out as much as i could. i just wanted to help them out. i don't know, i tried. ♪ ♪ ♪ jessie's parents have started an educational campaign in their daughters honor, called love is greater than hate. >> i am doing it for the millions of people who will be jessie, if not murdered, sexually assaulted and have their lives changed forever because of. it >> those who loved jessie, say that verged zest for life changed them for the better and still lives on through her music. and her spirit. >> started thinking differently because of her, started acting differently because of her. >> have the tables turned? you are always the one proud of her? and now do you feel that she is the one proud of you? >> i feel like she is the one lifting me up and encouraging me through life where used to

be the other way around. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> that is all for this edition of dateline, i'm natalie morales, thank you for watching. natalie deep in the woods, a family lives in fear. >> what're you gonna do if they come back, a threat from strangers. >> danny will protect us. >> that he won't let anything bad happen to you. >> so when the strangers arrive, a father takes matters into his own hands. >> you hear crack, crack, crack. >> the terror, the bullets. this is like -- >> glass is exploding. >> the crime scene, caught on camera. >> anybody in the vehicle in bc are. hands