there. all spruced up with a new lease on life. and may has a fresh new outlook on the rest of her life to. >> amir buddy. >> in 2011, may welcomed a new little guy in her life. a son she named him ben after the lost prince, the namesake he never got to meet. >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching. thank you fo i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is dateline! >> we were like sisters. we had chaired so much. they told me they had found her body and i collapsed! >> she's dead because she was my friend. >> first, melissa disappeared. >> where watch? a >> million dollar question. >> i knew right then that she

absolutely never made it in her house. >> left behind her garage, signs of a struggle and a strange orange mist. >> we did not know what it was. >> then her boss went missing to! >> who is he afraid of? >> he was might be afraid that he was next. >> someone would put a bullet in my head. >> he left behind a bigger mess. >> we kings be stealing the gold. >> a missing fortune. >> ballpark, a billion and a billion and a half dollars. >> a missing daughter. >> we have no clues, no leads. >> some wondered, was there a length? >> this had a twist to. it >> two crimes, supposedly for love. and behind both? a lingering mystery. >> it's just so ugly and so wrong. that i can't fix it. >> welcome to dateline! hot shot florida attorney melissa lewis was really large

in fort lauderdale. but then, her seemingly charmed life ended in tragedy. her body was discovered in a drainage canal. she had been murdered. but who would want her dead? with few clues, fewer suspects, and a scandal with the law firm. investigators had the work cut out to unravel the mystery of what had happened to melissa. here is dennis murphy with betrayed! >> if you ask someone in town where the busiest part of fort lauderdale lies, they will probably still hugh here. and way up here in this high rent district is the payoff of the street. once upon a time, was home to a high powered law firm. the connected lawyer players in south florida. the rothstein law firm. >> it had a gorgeous panoramic view out into the ocean. >> for these guys with law degrees, to a juggernaut.

led by scott rothstein. mike was a columnist for the fort lauderdale sun. >> he probably thinks i'm king of the world! >> and the firm was where melissa worked. -- she found great success for herself and her clients. she was by all accounts, a workaholic. who loved what she did. no shrinking violet either! she loved those boozy, flashy of this part is more than the other lawyers. she found herself a nice slice of the american pie. and that's the thing about 38-year-old melissa lewis. even if she raised her voice in class with the senior partners. her sad end was a fall off. and her unexpected death would be caught up in a chain of events right out of a john grisham novel. murder, the trail, and billions of dollars -- . melissa lewis, at the start of

everything. -- >> it ended up being the beginning of the end. >> missy, as her family called her, had come so far. penthouse lawyer-ing wasn't likely for a restless how school dropout. her mother, lisa. >> here was a kid who really didn't finish high school. she got the ged credit. >> correct. she was in a hurry to get on with life. >> and focused enough, finally, to finish college. and then in her late twenties go for a law degree. she breezed passed the younger students to become the prestigious editor of the law review. and she caught the eye of one of the professors, scott, who took her on as an intern. but deborah met her on her first day of work. >> what did she bring to the party? >> she was smart, capable. she was everything you wanted in an associate attorney. >> she was also one of the nicest people debra says that she ever met. the two became fast friends. >> we were like sisters, she

knew all of my flaws and she loved me anyways. >> debra and melissa saw the firm grow tenfold in just a few years. their gregarious boss, scott, was the front man. he hobnobbed with the who's who in sports, politics, business. even the future presidents. fund-raisers? scott was your man. >> once your name gets out there, you truly cannot imagine how many people knock on your door. >> and the door that scott knocked on was melissa's. >> melissa was the one who could handle it. she would not let anything fall through the cracks. >> she specialized in employment law, but volunteered her time for battered women and women's rights. she also worked on building a memorial garden for crime victims. >> she was also is a champion for the underdog. >> she eventually led a lawyer from another form and married. but after five years, her best

friends marriage had come undone and ended in a messy divorce. >> that divorce just devastated her. >> after melissa's divorce, she took on a second full-time job. best aunt ever! carrie is her sister. >> she did not have children herself? >> no. she did not want to have children. she had a career. >> and when her best friend, debra, has only marriage was on the rosc. separation. melissa was there for her to. playing sister and aunt for her two kids. they became set probable outside the office. >> she's cooking for me and the kids. and we have movie nights on saturdays. >> after her divorce, a still shaky melissa started dating a little. but work, not modulation ships, would occupy her front and center. eventually, her diligence paid off. in 2008, after seven years at the firm. the former intern was made for the first female partner. >> she shared with me early on

that she hoped to be a judge one day. >> and deborah had done well for herself to. after all those years working as a paralegal, and a keeper of the supply cabinet. her boss promoted her to chief operating officer. not bad for someone who never finished college. >> it's going really well at the law firm? >> yes. >> then came march 5th, 2008. just one week after melissa had been made partner. it was a wednesday night. debra tried to call her several times but got no answer. the next morning, when melissa was no-show at work, deborah called her friend repeatedly but to no avail. then she got a hold of her sister, carry. >> and carrie was like me. oh no. something is wrong. >> debra told her boss, scott, well connected attorney that he was. he called a police officer that he knew in plantation, florida where she lived. the officer agreed to meet deborah and carrie at melissa's house. when they got there, everything

seems to be normal inside the home. >> nothing was tossed? >> nothing. nothing. now. the only thing amiss was in her garage. >> melissa's car, her suv, was gone. and that's when they all clued into something bizarre. a fine mist of what it looked like orange spray-paint throughout the garage. >> whatever the stuff was in the garage affected you? >> i started looking and it was pepper spray. >> pepper spray, like many women she was known to carry a canister for herself protection. had she been attacked? has she use that? >> i knew right then that she absolutely had never made it into her house. >> something had happened in that garage. something very disturbing. and, it wasn't looking good for rising attorney, melissa lewis. >> coming up! >> where is melissa? >> that's the million dollar question at this point. >> the answer comes all too soon. when dateline continues! oint oint >> the answer comes all to

trelegy for copd. soon [coughing] ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ when dateline continues! breeze driftin' on by... ♪ if you've been playing down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day,... ♪ ...it's time to make a stand. start a new day with trelegy. ♪...and i'm 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, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, and save at trelegy.com. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, just between us, cleaning with a mop and bucket is such a hassle. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. stop cleaning. start swiffering nexgard is the flea and tick protection that's #1 with vets. your vet trusts it for her patients and her own dog. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. ask your vet about nexgard. enamel is the hardest tissue in the body. it's a protective layer outside your teeth. pronamel repair is our first line of defense. it goes deep into the surface of the tooth to actively repair it. i personally use pronamel repair every single day,

morning and night. (heartbeats) iintroducing icy hot pro. repair every single day, ice works fast... to freeze your pain and your doubt. heat makes it last. so you'll never sit this one out. new icy hot pro with 2 max-strength pain relievers. -well, i'm not 100% sold yet. -okay, have you considered -- it's fine, flo. she's not interested. i get it. not everyone wants to save money. -what's she doing? -i don't know. renters and homeowners can bundle and save. for what? a trip to bora bora? bora boring. okay, you know what? i'm in. she's all yours. want some tacos? -eh, i'm not really in the mood. -yeah, you're right. so messy, all the napkins, those different toppings. -actually, i'm in. -yeah, you are. >> fort lauderdale attorney,

melissa lewis was missing. and our friends and family were in a panic. she hadn't responded to phone calls and didn't show up for work. >> she is not want to take a mental health. day >> no. no. >> this is going to be a high profile case. >> melissa's boss, scott rothstein, was a powerbroker attorney who had a little extra juice with local police. plantation police detective, brian candle. >> he was our union attorney, they knew, him they were friends with his. >> at melissa's, house the mysteries piled up. her car was gone. and there was pepper spray all over her garage. melissa also had a dog, and

there was pepper spray on the dog's face as well. >> so you are in foul play country with this investigation. >> our concern is raised greatly at this point that she is in some sort of danger. >> detectives wanted to know what melissa had been wearing the previous day at work. debra knew exactly. a new brown pantsuit with pink pinstripes. sure enough, there she was, captured on security cameras, in our office lobby, talking with another lawyer at 7 pm. after leaving work, her sister carrie said she then went to the supermarket. >> how did you know she gone to the supermarket? >> shot she called my daughter that night, she was allowed to speak to her. and she said i'm going -- >> to get the candles checked store surveillance video. there was melissa in the cosmetics i are reaching for something on the shelf. later the camera shoulder leaving. documenting the start of her pathway to doom. >> you got a timeline and then you know what she is wearing. >> we are time stamp and which she believe she arrived home. based on the dozens of the -- and the distance of her house.

>> it was probably our browned 8:30. from the pepper spray on the walls and floor, it appeared melissa came home and was attacked inside the garage. >> the texas also found a small button on the garage floor. perhaps ripped from that pantsuit. then one detective had an idea. use the gps and security system in melissa's vehicle to locate. >> it's a cadillac, cadillac has on star. they are able to activate beyond star. tell us the location of the vehicle through gps. and brought us weight to this parking lot. >> the car was about a half mile from melissa's house and this medical office parking lot that melissa never went to. >> and through on, start you could remotely open the vehicle, right? >> they were able to unlock the vehicle for us. >> inside the suv, disturbing clues. >> what do you find? >> we find a suit jacket that she was wearing the night before. and on the suit jacket there was a missing button. and that is significant because of course corresponding

buttoned was found on her garage floor. >> the jacket smelled of pepper spray to. there were two shoes found in the car, but nothing else. melissa had been wearing a sterling silver ring, diamond earrings, and a 5000 dollar watch. she also had an expensive prada handbag and an iphone. >> could very be wheel target of something opportunistic grab and run. >> at the point that we find our vehicle, we have no clues, no leads, and we don't have any suspect to identify. >> police did find a tiny drop of melissa's blood in her car and on a tile in her house. but there were no fingerprints other than malicious in either place. dna testing would take longer. >> so the question is now where is melissa? >> that's the million dollar question at this point. >> two days after she went missing, a worker made a gruesome discovery as he was clearing debris from a water pump at a nearby canal. >> he's poking around with his rake. >> i guess the first thing that comes to his, might oh is just a mannequin, then he realizes as actually a body. >> it was 38-year-old melissa

lewis. the missing persons case was now a murder investigation. >> it's still a who done it. we have no idea. >> discovered her body floating in this plantation canal. >> the news media quickly picked up on the story. >> my husband told me. he cites on the news. >> how did he tell you? what was it? >> he came to my work and told me. and i just broke down. i couldn't believe it. >> police called the victims best friend debra. >> when they told me, that they had found her body, i just collapse of the ground. >> your friend melissa was dumped into a drainage canal. >> this beautiful, wonderful person, who was nothing but kind. >> when the medical examiner report was completed, it showed she had been strangled. >> that is such a personal thing to do to somebody. to have to look them in the eyes and do that. >> an up close and personal killing, no question.

but those timeless questions of all investigations went unanswered. >> who, and why? >> coming up, a person of interest very close to home. >> i said oh no, he better have not done anything to her. >> and, a missing cell phone, of great interest to police. when dateline continues. police. when dateline continues.

i know there's conflicting information about dupuytren's contracture. i thought i couldn't get treatment yet? well, people may think that their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. if you can't lay your hand flat on the table, talk to a hand specialist. but what if i don't want surgery? well, then you should find a hand specialist certified to offer nonsurgical treatments. what's the next step? visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started.

did you see a ufo in that cloud? nope. run! ♪ ♪ [ droning sound ] >> the hunt was on for a suspect and the strangulation

murder of melissa lewis. the lawyer's body was found in a canal two days after she went missing. as they always do, detectives look at the circle she moved in. >> was there something in the background of my victim here that accounts for what's happened to them? >> we don't think, so she lived a high-risk lifestyle. she was up a good attorney, she was safety conscious, she carries her pepper spray. >> melissa specialized in people with -- employment lawsuits. >> detectives couldn't find any history of bad blood between melissa and her clients, or people she had sued. detectives talk to the ex husband, but his alibi was solid. and, then they looked at the current meant in her light. >> what about boyfriends? >> she was a single woman who had been dating some guys. >> we have signed a tips to go out there talk to them, and they were alibied out pretty quickly. >> of course they also wanted to talk to melissa's coworker and best friend, debra. who better to talk to them the best friend to find out what their habits are with they like

to, do did she have strange men come to her home? >> far from it, deborah told detectives. most nights melissa was either at deborah's house, cooking dinner for her and her kids, or home with her dogs, george and grisly. still, they continue to pick deborah's brain. >> just 1 million, you can't even imagine the questions that they ask you. >> detectives also talk to melissa sister, carrie, when asked who she thought might have done this, her reaction was immediate. >> i said, oh no he better have not done anything to. her >> and who was he? >> my ex-husband. because we had just gotten a divorce. and you know my sister, he got hurt by her firm. >> she thought if she has gone missing, he might have something to do with it? >> she said that he had come to her house, just to kind of scare her. >> detectives find out he had a record. so they checked out the sister's ex. >> he was a subject of interest early on in the investigation. he came in, he consented to any

type of questions we asked of him. he voluntarily answered them. he had been released from prison in the past. >> so you have been with them out yet? >> not yet. with a list of possible suspects shrinking. >> detective shifted their focus on something that might provide their brought first break in the case. with melissa's iphone missing, detectives put in an emergency request to the phone company to see if it could help track her cell. when you got the report, detective candle couldn't believe what he saw. >> melissa's iphone had been active after the murder. and someone had actually gone into her voice mail and played back messages. brett texts. >> we tried to make sense of why he would want to do something like this. >> people were dumbfounded that someone would know that a smartphone was a detective's best friend. and police could track them using cell towers. it was either bold, or stupid, or both. >> people know their concept of pinging off towers, it's a cell

phone is telling the towers, here i am. >> yeah, so it's given us a general vicinity. of an area. where that cell phone communicated. >> and the phone records showed that person had been on the move from the believe time of the murder, into the next day. >> how important is the story told by the soften? >> very important. sounds almost like somebody dropping pieces of popcorn leaving a trail. >> both the trail was a wide one, supple and towers don't pinpoint exactly locations. >> we know from that saw where there is maybe 3 to 4 mile radius from that tower that we are looking for to try to figure out where that phone is. >> investigators believe that melissa was killed in her garage around 8:30 pm wednesday. that night her phone went south from her home implantation, eventually stopping in an area in miami gardens. >> from midnight to about 5 am, the phone is in one location. >> thursday morning, the phone went northeast to fort lauderdale, then went further north to pompano beach. shortly afterwards, it turned

back to fort lauderdale. but somewhere along the way, the signal was lost. either the battery died, or the killer dump the phone. all told by thursday, the day after the murder, the phone or whoever had it traveled a distance of about 60 miles. >> so obviously, who is with that cell phone, was most likely the last person that was with melissa. >> the texas also focused on those five hours the phone was stationary in miami gardens. was the killer home in that? >> we have to identify if melissa know somebody that lives in this area. >> is anybody come up at that point? >> no. we have nobody reason to believe anybody she's dating, anybody she knows lives there. >> melissa's family confirmed it. police asked everyone remotely involved in the case, and the answer came kept coming up no. by now, police had also cleared the ex-husband of melissa sister. didn't have a connection to the area either. but when they asked deborah, if she knew anyone who lived around their, her jaw dropped.

she said she did know someone. >> i was like, i just do not think it was him. >> but cops are funny, they don't just take peoples words for things. they check them out. >> police have identified and cleared a number of potential suspects. but now, there is someone new on their radar. the revelation would rock a melissa's friend debra. why would he want to kill her? >> coming up, she couldn't connect the dots, and put him in that garage with her friend. >> absolutely not. >> i remember that i couldn't stand up. wasn't even able to stand on my feet. >> when dateline continues. o stand on m feet feet >>tion. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? nurse mariyam sabo knows a moment this pure... ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin.

enamel is the hardest tissue in the body. it's a protective layer outside your teeth. pronamel repair is our first line of defense. it goes deep into the surface of the tooth to actively repair it. i personally use pronamel repair every single day, morning and night.

i was injured in a car crash. i personally use pronamel repair every single day, i had no idea how much my case was worth. i called the barnes firm. i'm dara, brown here is what is when a truck hit my son, i had so many questions about his case. i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made. your case is often worth more than insuran call the barnes firm to find out i could've made. what your case could be worth. we will help get you the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm, injury attorneys ♪ call one eight hundred,est resul eight million ♪ happening. there's a number to call if you need help, the national 9-8-8 suicide and -- went live saturday. people experiencing a mental health crisis can now call or text the three digit number. to reach the national suicide prevention lifeline, and connect with mental health professionals, trying to

respond to such emergencies. the hotline was designed to provide 24/7 free and confidential emotional support, around the country, and is made up of a network of 200 local crisis centers. now back to dateline. ters no >> welcome back. i'm craig melvin. that's better find melissa lewis's killer, police turned to technology to help unlock the secrets in melissa's phone. what they found sent them hurling in an unexpected direction. here again is dennis murphy with betrayed. >> melissa lewis's cell phone was looking to be the key to unlocking the mystery of what happened to her the night of her murder. >> the phone stayed with a person that we believe took melissa. >> now they were focused on miami gardens, where the phone had been stationary for several hours after the murder. police asked melissa's best friend, debra debra villegas if

she knew anyone who lived in that area. >> debbie said my husband tony, who i am going through a divorce. with >> debra was dumbstruck. tony, melissa? >> he had no reason to do this to melissa, he's never done anything to him. >> so you're telling the designs you look at the wrong guy. >> yeah. >> tony now melissa? >> he had met or a few times, over the years, but we weren't social. >> debra told police she and tony had been married for 17 years and had four children. they had separated more than a year earlier. tony had been moved into a house into miami gardens with a friend. for 20 years, he had worked for florida east coast railways, hauling fright. >> you know he basically drove a train for a living. >> police check them out on their computer. >> is he any priors? >> none. no priors. >> the tigers went to talk to toni, and recorded the conversation. >> how well did you, do you know this, deborah's friend? >> melissa, i know her from

her. i've seen her, a few times. >> you guys have any problems maybe? something like? that >> number, i don't think i ever spoke to her more than two words. >> do you know if she's had anything to do with what you are going through right now with debra and the divorce? >> i don't know. and i really don't, don't care. i mean i. >> that wouldn't bother you if she did? >> no, the things i did want to get away from my wife. i want to be a piece. >> and they asked him the question. >> did you have anything to do with melissa's death? >> no. >> but what tony didn't know was that before detective spoke to him, they had obtained a copy of the train route he drove the day after the murder. and guess what's? it matched the truth traveled by melissa's phone. detectives confronted him with the evidence. >> her phone after it was stolen drove to the area of your house, and stay there overnight. and came to work with you the next day and travel north with the train because the train has

gps on it doesn't it? >> of. >> and it was on the train. okay? and someone else here knows melissa, lives in your house, comes to work with you, you had the phone. okay? listen i'll be honest with you, this doesn't look very good for you. >> but i don't even know her. >> detectives searched tony's house. his car, his train, but never did find melissa's phone. and there was still a missing motivational piece to this puzzle. why in the world with tony kill someone he barely knew? and yet, tony said something during his interview that opened a window into what private side of his character. he was capable of intense jealousy when talking about his estranged wife. >> a few times that i picked up my kids, she has guys and they're so, i always told her, i don't like flies on my meat. and and i love her.

i gave all my life to her. >>. but it wouldn't bother you that if she was spending a lot of time with melissa? that wouldn't bother? you >> no no no no. >> despite what tony said, detective thought the crude comments had a broader meaning. speaking to the bff relationship of debra and melissa. >> does he feel like he's been tossed out of the house because melissa taken his place? >> i think he definitely believes that melissa was a catalyst to enable debbie to go forward with a divorce. he kills melissa lewis, to get back at debora for divorcing him. >> but if you are lethally angry about a pending divorce, why not kill the wife? >> if he kills melissa and he is caught, debbie is still there to raise their kids. >> although tony would later deny it, deborah told detectives he had been violent with her and her kids in the past. because of that debris said, she had to decide on our own that tony had to go. >> he thought he was physically gonna hurt the kids? >> all he's already physically hurting them. i thought he was going to go

too far. >> debbie was scared of tony. but didn't raise any suspicions as to why he would want to ever harm melissa. >> she couldn't connect the dots and put him in that garage with her friend. >> absolutely not. >> maybe senseless to the wife, but those dots were starting to connect for detectives. they eventually share their suspicions with debra. and now the evidence of the traveling iphone pointed to tony. >> i remember that i couldn't stand up. wasn't able to stand on my feet. >> melissa's murder was devastating and frightening for everyone at the law firm. especially it seems, for scott rothstein. only the week before, roth scene was toasting melissa after making her a partner. >> now he was helping her family with funeral arrangements. melissa's aunt lynn habre spoke at the church memorial. >> i could look out from the podium and see a sea of lawyers out there. >> including scott rothstein. >> including scott rothstein. >> who actually pay for the. service >> he paid, and he came to the funeral home, and paid

for everything. >> three days after the funeral, detectives arrested tony villegas. he was charged with first degree murder. >> he denied involvement in this. >> tony's attorney is bruce flesher. >> they salted the death penalty. >> police and prosecutors were confident they had a solid case against tony tony villegas but something haven't that throughout the whole investigation into freefall. that is because new crimes were about to be revealed and new questions were about to be raised about who really killed melissa. and in the midst of it, all strap raw stain, like melissa, would disappear. >> coming up, we're melissa and scott rothstein's disappearances connected? >> we three kings would be stealing the gold. >> the dark secret buried beneath all of those rothstein riches. >> he said if i don't get this taken care, up it's gonna put a bullet in my head. >> when dateline continues. t bullet in my head. bullet in my head. >>

in a clinical study, once-daily rybelsus® significantly lowered a1c better than a leading branded pill. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. need to get your a1c down? (♪ ♪) ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today.

just between us, cleaning with a mop and bucket is such a hassle. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. stop cleaning. start swiffering nexgard is the flea and tick protection that's #1 with vets. your vet trusts it for her patients and her own dog. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. ask your vet about nexgard. among my patients, i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? absolutely. sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the dual action effect

that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. there's no question it's something that i would recommend. with less moderate-to-severe eczema, why hide your skin if you can help heal your skin from within? hide my skin? not me. dupixent helps keep you one step ahead of eczema, with clearer skin and less itch. 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. ask your doctor about dupixent. >> debra villegas's world has

been turned upside down. her best friend, melissa lewis, had been murdered. and debra's estranged husband, tony, was charged with killing her. >> people thought deborah psycho ex-husband has murdered melissa, you know, it was just overwhelmed with guilt, and shame. melissa's murder weighed heavily on deborah's mind. >> well as the mind of our boss, scott rothstein. but scott seemed to be rattled by something more than just

melissa's murder. for some reason, after tony's arrest, rothstein beefed up his own security. >> who was he afraid? up >> obviously that he was next. >> but if melissa's murder had been solved, why was scott still worried? debra knew because she was to a secret that threatened to send even more people to prison. and to destroy scott rothstein's reputation. as a high-profile mover and shaker. >> he could pick up the phone and call, and make things happen. >> a walk to his office left no doubt. his hero wall was plastered. pictures of him with politicians, business moguls, and movie stars. the governor was on speed dial. it had been a heavy right for a boy from the bronx, by no means shy about his success, and who liked to joke about how we got there. >> that's when i like we're breaking the -- law. lawyers, we're not gonna break the law anyways. >> he had his trophies for sure. a waterfront mansion with an 87 year old footballer at outback.

his fleet of cars included 1 million dollar bugatti. a maserati. and a lamborghini. his wrist always flashing and expensive watch from his collection. >> why did he want all that stuff? >> he wants a people to look at him and say, that is a successful guy. and he knows everybody. >> rothstein's braggadocious success and conspicuous bling had already caught the eye of fort lauderdale sunset reporter mike mayo. >> i was asking, how is your firm making all this money? >> well i've got, we've come up with a formula where, we are not gonna go to trial, we are settling cases before trial. >> the cases were age and sex discrimination lawsuits. rossi and figure out a way to file the cases without the firm paying to do it. instead, he found investors willing to fund the lawsuits. they were promised a fantastic return for their investments once the cases were settled. attorney sam writer, represented a banker who did business with scott. >> the investor would give the $5 million to rothstein, in turn with turn the investor i'm

gonna give you $6 million in six months. >> but behind the scenes, there were big problems. as debra learned about a week before melissa was murdered. >> he told me that he was in trouble. he had gotten in over his head with some not so nice people. and said if i don't get this taking care of, these people are gonna put a bullet in my head. >> scott then asked her to cross the line and forged signatures on documents. >> i knew this was something i shouldn't be going on, but you know what, it's gonna be a onetime thing. >> it wasn't. scott asked deborah his chief operating officer, to do it again, and again. the reason? the cases were made up. ponies. and both forged documents were used to fool investors. >> the settlements were not real. >> there was no client? >> the cases were fabricated. >> it turned out, it was all a ponzi scheme. mr. highflier scott rothstein didn't use investor money to file lawsuits. instead, he used that money to fund his champagne and yacht lifestyle. >> we three kings be stealing the gold.

>> in the, and it will be the largest pawns game in florida history. >> how big did i get? >> ballpark, a billion, billion and a half dollars. >> and then, halloween eve 2009. more than a year had passed since melissa's murder. with tony villegas still sitting in jail awaiting trial. and another twist to the story. >> scott rothstein has disappeared. >> unlike melissa, scott was not a murder victim. but he was a fugitive. a burning made off figure on the run. he had left the country in a private jet from morocco with $16 million of cash, and his collections of watches, and jewelry. fleeing after learning unhappy investors had gone to the fbi. one month later, he was back in florida, but not under arrest. what no one knew was that scott had cut a deal with the fbi to act as an informant. >> this is scott rothstein, november 16, 1:33 pm.

>> he wore a wire and helped convict 26 people involved in his ponzi scheme. and despite his cooperation, in 2010, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison. but one big question emerged, speculation about that woman in the firm who had been killed. >> whether melissa knew about the ponzi scheme is one of those great mysteries. >> scott had started his ponzi scheme three years before melissa was murdered. >> is it time to take a fresh look at the whole melissa lewis murder? is there something more sinister? >> detective brian kendall, now had a whole new problem with his fairly straightforward case against tony. the jealous train engineer. >> is this woman melissa killed because she knew too much? >> after we think we had this solid buttoned up case, we do have the whole scott rothstein ponzi scheme comes into play. >> the fbi combed through the detectives files, looking into a melissa rothstein ponzi link. >> they spent a week going

through debris and of that case, to find out if there was a connection to scott rothstein. >> with all of these messy complications, tony's defense attorney -- thought about two words. reasonable doubt. >> a lot of people thought that because of the rothstein ponzi scheme, that he had something to do with the murder of melissa lewis. >> and debra vhs was back in the hot seat herself. being crowned by homicide detectives, who bluntly asked her about scott the ponzi scheme, and mostly murder, she had her lower with her this time. >> that was melissa aware of anything that scott was involved in using the term ponzi scheme? >> no. >> and then the questioning about more direct? >> are any discussions having melissa kills? >> absolutely not. >> are you aware of any discussion or conspiracy higher for the murder of her? >> no, i wanted to letter melissa, i wouldn't let him move back into my house. and that's the biggest regret that i have in all of this.

>> detectives did learn one new thing about melissa and scott. some dish. >> she had an inappropriate relationship with scott. >> melissa had a very, very brief relationship playing with scott. and i said god melissa, this is so doesn't matter. >> but it had been years before when melissa was first hired at a law school, detectives discounted it. saying it had nothing to do with melissa's murder, and was not relevant. and of course rothstein himself was grilled about melissa lewis's murder. during depositions in civil suits brought by the investors. >> we asked him directly whether or not he was involved in any way in the homicide and he denied it. >> how did he take? it >> he was indignant. but he was also a great actor. because he was a sociopath. >> in the, and neither the police or the fbi could connect melissa's murder to rothstein and his ponzi scheme. so what happened to his loyal aide debra? she pleaded guilty to money laundering, and the judge came down hard.

>> and you went away to pedal present? >> i did. with a ten year sentence. >> the sentence was later reduced to four years. >> meanwhile, years had gone by and debra's ex-husband tony still hadn't gone to trial for murder. he sat in jail, all but mute. his like acclaiming a malady that might prevent him from ever seeing a judge or jury. coming up, eight years after her death melissa, tony vhs would stand trial, but what will the jury make up such a strange murder? >> we have this domestic are all missiles all the time. but this one had a twist to it. >> when dateline continues. o it o it >> whe enter myfembree, a once-daily pill for women with heavy menstrual bleeding due to uterine fibroids. with myfembree, heavy bleeding went down by 84%. serious risks include heart attack, stroke,

and blood clots. don't take myfembree if you've had any of these, or have uncontrolled high blood pressure, are over 35 and smoke, could be pregnant, or have or had osteoporosis, liver disease, undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, certain cancers, or an allergic reaction to it. don't use longer than 2 years as bone loss may occur. pregnancy loss can occur, and changes in periods may make it hard to know if you're pregnant. if you think you are, stop taking it right away. other risks are depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, abnormal liver tests, high blood pressure, and passing of the fibroid. less bleeding, same life? i'll take it. ask your doctor about myfembree. my life, myfembree. so i said, "yeah you're saving hundreds with the home and auto bundle from progressive, but there's no saving that casserole!" [ both laugh ] i just love that word "bundle." it's so fun. two things coming together like a force of nature, like it was really meant to be, y'know? yes, yes, i do. and i'm so glad you wanna save money. rodney, set up a bundle for jon hamm. mm! of course! jon, is it still cool if i catch a ride home with you? i never said it was.

but technically you didn't say it wasn't. it's not. yet. welcome back, investigators

looking into melissa lewis's murder have been thrown a curveball. her boss had been running a giant ponzi scheme that also involved her best friend, debra. both denied melissa knew anything about it. then the massive fraud was ruled out as a factor in her death. now prosecutors are ready to bring debra's ex-husband to trial. here is dennis murphy with the conclusion of betrayed. >> a funny thing happened to tony villegas on the way to the courtroom. he exhibited bizarre behavior and stopped communicating with his attorneys and was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. still in custody, he was in and

out of treatment facilities for years until doctors found him competent again. >> finally in the summer of 2016 it years after the murder. tony went on trial. >> tony villegas, the defendant in this case, >> prosecutor shari tate, argued that tony, fueled by a jealous rage, waited in the bushes, for melissa to come home. fall into the garage, and then launched a brutal attack on his wife's best friend. >> it's a hands on, personal murder. it takes time, it takes premeditation, and why? because she was a friend. >> but the residue of pepper spray all over the garage was evidence that melissa had fought back. and some had apparently gotten on the killer. tony's housemate testified the night of the murder, he saw his roomy scrubbing his arms. >> he said that he got pepper

sprayed on him. and that is hands were burning and itching. >> then an expert on cell phone tracking told the jury, tony had both melissa's phone, and his own personal phone with him the night of the murder. and the next day, when he was driving his train. >> they moved north and then back south. along the rail word. >> but now, prosecutors had to tackle the head-scratching question of motive. why would tony kill melissa in the first place? >> debra villegas testified that tony became very jealous and angry with melissa because she virtually replaced him in the household. >> was melissa helping you through this difficult time in your life now through this divorce? >> yes ma'am. >> and that was the theory in order to get back at debora, he would kill her best friend. >> you have these domestic homicides all the time. but this had a twist to it. because he didn't kill debra. >> then tony and debra's 23 year old son, caleb, were called to testify, against his

father. the usual blank stare on tony's courtroom face changed as his son recalled how his father blamed melissa for the divorce. >> did he tell you that it was melissa's fault? >> he believed that she had a parts and it, yes. >> did he tell you that he was mad at melissa about this? >> yeah he was mad about the whole situation. >> oh, and there was one more thing. remember melissa's jacket the one found in her suv? tests showed tony's dna on the jacket. prosecutors believed tony went his nose with it after being pepper sprayed. >> the odds of finding an unrelated individual with a peripheral are rarer than one and 30 billion. >> you could have better evidence if you had a movie of him killing her. >> right. >> the defense had been dealt a poor hand to play. but attorney bruce fletcher chipped away at each state witness. starting with tony's housemate. the guy with the scrubbing away pepper's spray story. the defense said he had 250,000

reasons to make history up. >> there was a reward offered. >> yes. >> and who offered that reward? >> scott rothstein. >> and how much was the reward in the case? >> $251,000. >> ironically, he never got the reward. the collapse of rothstein's ponzi scheme put an end to that. and as for the prosecution's theory of motive, fletcher argued it was as thin as it was nonsensical. >> you would think that if you were so enraged that your wife were doing this, that you wanted to harm her, and not someone else. >> as for debra villegas, defense attorney flesher surprised everyone when he didn't ask her a single question. but he did go after the son, caleb, challenging him and to why he sat for so long on this story, about his father bad-mouthing melissa. >> you didn't tell your mother about when you first heard about that did you? >> no. i didn't see any relevance. >> and when you spend time with him, things were good?

>> yes. >> we love you that? >> yes. >> what's yours notice the tear rolling down tony's cheek, so on to the scientific evidence. the soften first. lawyer fletcher found a mistake in a chart that states expert had used. was the expert analysis in fact sloppy? >> if you're such a hot spot expert, how is this eric repent? >> and he said, well it was a mistake. >> the same one for the dna evidence. attack the credibility of the analysis. >> the defense said that dna results returned with a few days, were rushed through the police lab, because of rothstein's connections. attorney flesher also suggested there could've been caught crosscut time a nation to tout the scale. so the skate results pointed at tony. >> our goal was to educate the jury on the rothstein connections, and the rothstein influence. >> and meddle with the physical evidence? contaminated maybe? >> we can only speculate. but when a man is as powerful

of a guy as rothstein was, people would think that they can do things. they can conjure up dna. >> and use it to frame tony villegas. before the defense rested, the judge asked tony villegas if he wanted to testify? >> is your wish to testify or remain silent? >> silencer. >> in closing arguments, prosecutor tate said all of the evidence pointed to tony. the pepper spray, cell phone records, and the dna. >> there is not one other person on the planet earth that could leave the dna on this jacket. >> the defense reminded jurors that the proper spray evidence was weak. and they both phone records and dna results could be manipulated. >> the pieces of the puzzle do not fall into place. because reasonable doubt prevents them from falling into place. >> the jury now had the case. outside the courtroom, debra villegas saw melissa's family for the first time in eight years.

>> all of these years later, and i just watched over, me like it just happened, you know, that i have caused these people kind of pain that is unimaginable. >> later that afternoon, the jury sent out a note. verdict. as the verdict was read, debra sat with melissa's family, consoling her niece. >> tony villegas is guilty of murdering in the first degree. >> tony's face was blank. before sentencing, melissa's aunt lynn, address the court and said directly to tony, we forgive you. because we must. >> and release you into god's hands for all eternity. >> sentencing was immediate. >> spend the rest of your natural life in florida state prison. >> after tony was let out of the courtroom, melissa's family went to his people and hugged. they all cried together. >> my heart broke for them. it is a legacy for their family. >>. melissa's own legacy is something called the garden of

reflection. before her murder, she had worked for victims rights and raised money to build it. >> now, her name is inscribed there too. the victim as prosecutors told it, that in the, and had nothing to do with no in too much about a notorious scandal, but a victim simply of an all-consuming jealousy. that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching. ion of dateline, i'm crai i'm craig melvin, and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline". >> i fell to the floor. and i just remember, she is, that she is dead. and i was so confused. i was like what's going on? what happens? >> a small texas town,