our government. just think of what might happen if trump openly tells his legions of followers that the same democrats who claims stole the election are also involved in an insidious plot to drink the blood of children. that does it for us tonight, rachel will be here on monday, and i will see you on tuesday. now it is time for a field report [interpreter] >> i'm andrea canning, and this is dateline. >> i walk in the front door, and i can see the victim get in the back door area to the hallway. >> are there many more murders like this in morris, alabama? >> no, it's rare. >> it was devastating. he was just a console. >> -- >> i really don't know. >> we had some complaints that people were having sex in the parking deck -- >> i said, ergonomically, that's not even possible. >> this is the woman in charge of the fire at church. >> she told me that none of it was true. here in alabama, there is milo's hamburgers, absolutely some of the best french fries. >> that was the red flag moment

for you, that city didn't stay and eat her fries. >> as bizarre as it sounds, yes. >> jeff, how do you feel about michael being dead? >> i don't have words. >> he wasn't around when this murder took place. >> that's what he said. >> who do you feel like you are looking in the eyes? >> a cold blooded killer. >> hello, and welcome to dateline. cindy henderson and michael reese needed the same thing -- change. the relationship was a second chance at love for both and they fell hard. but after five years of marriage, tragedy struck. now investigators would have to sort through small town gossip to sift out the truth and uncover a killer. here is, even the devil went to church. out here in rubble, sweet home

alabama, where churches outnumber street lights, faith is a way of life. >> i grew up in the church. everyone that i knew went to church. >> sunday sermons, when they services, church picnics -- >> faith is a huge part and always has been a huge part of southern life. >> it is how the people of mauritius, a small town outside of birmingham, come together to celebrate life and the word. >> the values are integrated into every bit of southern society. >> so, when salacious rumors involving a church started swirling, the god fearing folks who lived here hoped the -- were not true. but i had to wonder. >> even the devil went to church. and on a cold february night, in 2015, the truth began to emerge. >> police department. >> hey, i just got home and walk in the front door. and i don't know if my house

has been broken into or what. the table has been knocked over. >> okay. >> let's back up a little bit. >> who are you? >> cindy henderson reese. >> cindy reese? >> -- very quickly. the station was right across the street. small town, remember? officers entered the home and then made a call of their own. >> we have been called for assistance by the morris police department. sergeant detective streit was on call that night for the sheriff's department. >> you arrived on the scene. what do you see? >> -- whole scene taped off with crime scene tape. i walk in the front door and there is a table turned over inside, right inside the door. i could see the victim lying in the backdoor area, to the hallway. >> a victim.

yes, a man, it was clear to the detective he had a murder on his hands. are there many murders like this in morris? >> no, it's very rare. morris it's a small town. >> this must have been a big deal. >> for morris, yes it was. >> so, who were you told was the victim? >> michael reese. >> michael reese, just 40 years old, had been killed in his own home. the only potential -- she was outside being cared for by police officers while detective streit took in the crime scene. >> i need to see what the scene looked like and wanted to see where the body was, where the position was, anything that i could tell right away. >> where was the body? >> there was a new construction area that was built on to the existing house. his feet were right at the back door. and he was leaned forward into the unfinished room.

>> michael had been shot once in the back of the head. >> does that say anything to, when someone is shot from behind like that, in the head? >> it gives us an indication that -- self inflicted. >> was how telling anything? >> when we walked in the house it was consistent with what cindy had reported on the 9-1-1 call. there were things turned over. >> did it look like a burglary? >> yes, ma'am. >> whatever happened, it was soon after michael got home. investigators noted that his dinner, a burger and fries from a popular fast food joint, that hunched on the table. detective streit had to wonder if michael had surprised a burglar and paid for it with his life. or did someone have it out for him? >>with what do you think told at michael reese? >> nothing at this point. the mars police officers, they knew him, from across the street, but not on a personal basis. >> michael's friends and family

would fill in those gaps for the detective. and in the process, labor secrets that would rock this small, religious community. could one of those secrets lead to michael's killer? coming up, michael, it seems, was loved by everyone. >> he was a huge part of so many peoples lives. and then he was just gone. >> he was just a console >> investigators wonder if his wife knew something different >> was this about figuring out if there was anyone that they had issues with, that kind of thing? >> absolutely. >> -- no, i really don't know. >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues who have become their parents. hey, what's the lowest you'll go on one of these mugs? ah, remember -- no haggling in stores. oh, yeah, chapter six, yep. they may have read the book, but they still have a long way to go. was hoping to get your john hancock on there. well, let's just call it a signature. i noticed there weren't any refreshments, so i'm just gonna leave a couple of snackies. folks, the line's in shambles, let's tuck it in.

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michael's murder was just hours old. but news of his death was already spreading. >> i couldn't even really fathom what was going on. >> josh was one of the michael reese best friends. >> he was an uncle to my kids. he was a huge part of so many peoples lives. such a rock to so many people. and then, he was just gone. nobody had a chance to say goodbye. i talk to him three days before he died. he never faked, you never think that that is going to be the

last time that you talk to him. >> josh had known michael since the seventh grade. he says his friend was smart. a computer ways that worked at a hospital in birmingham. >> he was our computer nerd as we called him. >> more than that, says josh, michael was funny and kind. and was always there if you needed him. >> i think the fact that he is not going to be there anymore. you don't know how to work that out. >> dwayne mullins, a cousin to michael's wife, cindy, was also reeling from the nose. >> he was just the console. >> dwayne's heart broke for city. her husband was gone. and it was a tragedy that she had experience before. she lost her first husband to suicide eight years earlier. >> she just sort of withdrew within herself. more than anything. i think that she just didn't have any motivation, or any hope that life was going to get any better anytime soon. >> but all that changed in the spring of 2008. dwayne and a mutual friend of

michaels thought he might be a good match for sandy. the first marriage had ended in divorce. leaving him shattered. >> my best friend said hey. he is a good christian guy. he is very involved in the church. very family oriented. >> the two started eating. much to the delight of their family and friends. >> were you happy for? them >> absolutely. if anybody deserve to be happy it was michael. >> these were two people who were now coming together for us fresh start. >> absolutely. they both had their bad times in their lives. so we thought that this was good. >> the couple married a little more than a year later. with the blessing of her younger brother. chris henderson. >> how did you feel when she said she was going to marry michael? >> he was a great guy. i wouldn't want to not have him as a brother in law. every action i've had with him, has been great. so yes that was exciting. >> does she seem happy?

>> absolutely. my husband even said that he had not seen her that happy and many, many, many years. >> but many couples in this community thought faith was the cornerstone of the relationship. soon after they married, she asked him to join her church. sardis baptist. where she served as music director. he did not hesitate. >> he decided to get baptized even though he had grown up methodist. >> i think that was what was going to allow them to grow closer. but as their marriage, and as christians. >> but five years later, the love story had ended incident, and shocking violence. it was destructive streit who told her the awful news of her husband's death. how he needed her help solving her husband's murder. >> -- >> detective streit, and the colleague spoke to her just five hours after the murder.

>> was this about just figuring out if there was anyone that they had issues with? that kind of thing? >> absolutely. we went over what they did that day. >> cindy told a detective that the day had started like any other. michael dropped her off at the courthouse where she worked as an accountant for the county while he had his i.t. job. he after work, swung by the pick her up. >> -- >> when michael pick-me-up, we went by my my mom's house. because it was trash day. >> cindy said after helping her mother, her and michael went to church from 6 to 7. >> where did she go after that? >> we stopped at milo's. to get something to it. >> my lows is an alabama fast food chain. known for its seasoned french fries. as soon as the couple got home with their food, cindy said that she realized that they needed a few things from the grocery store. >> she went outside and set the

food down. and hollered at michael saying, i'm going to run to piggly wiggly and get some items. >> and when she returned? >> i just saw the mess. and grabbed the landline. the cordless phone. >> did you holler for michael? >> i did holler for michael. >> the detectives asked cindy if she had any idea who could've done this? >> i really don't know. >> did he have any enemies? >> i don't know. i really don't know. >> there had been a contractor at the house, she said, building the extension. she doubted it was him, but it was a potentially for detectives to run down. and there was somebody else that detective streak needed to ask cindy about. they heard rumors, gossip, people had seen things. things that might reveal the motive for michael's murder. >> he was a pastor at sardis baptist. we're >> coming up! ugly rumors about cindy. >> she told me that none of it

was true. i believed her. >> this is a woman that is in charge of the choir at church. >> it was the kind of goff said that spreads fast. especially a small town. >> we had some complaints that people were having sex in the parking deck. >> when dateline continues! when dateline continues when it comes to giving your home a fresh spin, wayfair makes it easy to refresh or remodel. so you can switch up your style. get an upgrade.

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had michael reese investigators scratching their heads on the

sides didn't happen in morris, alabama, especially not across the street from a police station. >> i remember helping them get the milo's in >> detective spoke to cindy reese for hours, taking it step-by-step through the murder. >> when i saw the table and the stuff in the floor, i didn't walk past that but there was something on detective streit's mind, something delicate he needed to talk to cindy about it had to do with her and a man who was not her husband. >> we had some complaints that people were having sex in the parking deck. the >> county employee parking deck -- with a man in a pest control truck, of all things. it was a lead the detective immediately shared with his partner, sergeant ellen schrier. >> sergeant streit -- woke me up and said, you are never going to guess who is homicide i'm working. michael reese and then told me

that cindy is the one that is in the parking deck. >> investigators soon learned that -- cities cousin delano an's head roundabout from cindy herself. >> she told me none of it was true and i believed her. >> this is the woman who is in charge of the choir at church, who spends many days a week going to church. >> yes, and always had. everything about her life up to that point was completely pure. >> and what was even more outrageous, delaying thought was who cindy was accused of being -- the pastor who baptized michael. his name was jeff brown. >> the elders of the church said that they had seen him in the car together and they were accusing them of an affair. and i said, well, ergonomically, that is not even possible. >> the two of them could not feet in the car? to have a sexual act? because of their size >> yes,

yes. it did not even make sense >> at the time, jeff had gotten a job at a pest control company. the truck had a small, two seater cab. cindy and her cousin agreed that the rumor was laughable. >> did you ask how michael was handling the rumors? >> i did. and she acted like he didn't believe them either, that they were working through things. >> but soon delane started here things that made her wonder if cities relationship with pastor jeff had crossed the line. >> did something start to feel a little off? >> cindy started telling me that she had started working out. she said, i'm working with jeff and i said, that's when i started thinking, this doesn't feel right. >> these two feel closer than pastor and parishioner? >> right. >> now, cindy's husband was dead, shot in the back of the head and sergeant streit was looking for answers.

looking using a gentle touch, he asked cindy about the most gentle intimate details of her private life. >> i'm so sorry to have to talk about it, again, so intimate things to a stranger -- >> cindy quickly admitted that she michael had been having marital problems. >> we start having sex, making love with each other, he started playing the computer over. >> told me he doesn't love me anymore, started saying it was time for me to leave. >> she revealed he turned to pastor jeff for solace. i asked for the -- the more i opened up, the more he was seeing. >> with him helping you through what you are going home is -- do you think that that's how y'all became closer. >> probably.

>> she said the relationship started off innocently enough. >> the more we talked, the more we just kind of fell in love with each other. >> so you did fall in love with jeff? and he you? >> yeah. >> still, she was adamant the rumors about them having sex in the parking deck were not true. but she said the elders in her church could not be convinced otherwise. >> the more we tried to fight it, the worse it got, so i just resigned. >> she left the church and her position as music director. the detective knew there had to be more to the story. >> when did y'all's relationship actually -- excuse me -- progress to the point of physical, or whatever else? >> it was around the time i

resigned. >> okay. we >> -- started having an affair. >> and there it was. >> what are you thinking when she tells you this? pretty scandalous. >> absolutely. an affair in a southern baptist church is bad enough. ch is then it's coming in in the middle of the homicide. it makes a suspect. >> and that led the detective to his next question. >> did you see michael? >> no. i couldn't do it. i would not be able to do that. i can't even shoot an animal when it's dying. >> she admitted she was an adulterer, not a murderer. she told the detective there was no reason to kill her husband. michael already knew about everything. >> i had a lot of guilt and -- i told michael that i had an

affair. >> so you did tell him about jeff? >> yes. >> she said they were trying to make their marriage work and had even gone back to disney world for a second honeymoon >> we just went back for a fifth anniversary, our fifth anniversary. i don't even have the picture yet to put it in a frame. >> of the three people in this love triangle, michael was dead, city claimed she was innocent that left pastor jeff. what would he say? investigators were about to find out. >> i'm going to come out and ask you, did you shoot michael in the head? >> what is this affair a fall from grace or a motive for murder. tough questions ahead for the pastor. >> coming up, jeff brown seemed as shocked as anyone by the death of his rival. >> jeff, how do you feel about michael being dead? >> i don't have words. i just don't have them. >> this guy turned up dead, shot in the back of the head.

and the only two people that have motives are you and his wife. >> but this is what mattered most. he claims to have an alibi. >> he wasn't around when this murder took place. >> that is what he is saying -- >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues from over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens, day after day. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. [coughing] hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry. girls trip. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ robitussin.

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hour's top stories. declassified, as opposed cyclone where it reached a category four hurricane earlier this week. puerto rico was hit particularly hard and suffering a power out during the storm. the entire country is underwater. more than 5000 consumers in atlanta, canada, saturday after -- and heavy rain as it made landfall as a big, powerful, s a big, powerful, welcome back to dateline, i'm andrea canning. michael reese had been shot dead in his home. his wife cindy admitted having

an affair with pastor jeff brown. next up! police were about to put the pastor in the hot seat. where it wasn't his answers, but his body language that spoke volumes. continuing now with even the devil went to church. >> less than an hour after police left the interview with cindy reese about her husband, jeff brown, the man who had been cindy's pastor and her not-so-secret lover. >> how did you feel about michael being dead? >> i don't have words. i just don't have them. >> but detectives had words. they consider jeff a suspect and told himself. >> you are preacher with two kids. you're also having an affair with a married woman right? >> you're absolutely right. don't hate the center, hate the said. >> this guy turned up dead. shot in the back of the head. and only two people that have motives are you and his wife.

sounds like a lifetime movie, doesn't it? >> it sounds like a horror movie. >> as you're watching it, he seems nonchalant as you bring up the affair. >> he was very defensive about the affair. was grabbing the arms of the chair so tightly that his knuckles were white. and trying not to give away any indicators of deception. >> are you in love with cindy? >> i am. >> still? >> absolutely. >> do you see yourself with cindy? >> absolutely. >> at this point, jeff had been fired from his job as pastor because of the affair. and he said him and his wife are getting divorced. >> did it bother you at all that you are actually following through with your divorce and cindy was not? >> it concerned me. >> he also admitted it more than concerned him that cindy and markle were still sleeping together. >> i'm not gonna lie to you, it's sickened me. that he would touch her. because she would describe some

of it to me. and it was just nasty. >> but he said it wasn't a motive for murder. besides, he seemed to have a good alibi. he said he was 50 miles away at the time that michael was killed. >> i was headed up carson road. and i was trying to get to my buddies house. because i wanted to go out of my storage unit. >> so jeff had no problem answering detectives next question. >> did you shoot michael in the head? >> no i did not. >> do you know cindy shot michael in the head? >> i do not have a clue. >> after more than an hour, detectives let him go. >> even though i had suspicions, i did not have enough probable cause for arrest. >> but the investigation was just getting started. so many leads to follow, questions to answer. like who was pastor jeff brown? detectives learned this married father of two, with one on the way, had an eclectic past. >> where had he come? from what kind of drops already been? he was driving up has control

truck. >> he was driving a truck, he was also a marine. >> he was also working for a moving company, and he was a hairdresser. >> so he's a jack of all trades and good at none i guess. >> as you can imagine, in tiny morris alabama, michael reese's murder was the top of the town. everyone had an opinion. the town's business -- he said that jeff was obsessed with cindy. >> i saw him on the park all the time. looking at sandy's house. was he waiting for michael to go to? work or city to come out? what was he doing down there? >> there was even one story about jeff literally getting between michael and cindy. it happened after they move to a new church. >> what happened to pastor jeff? >> he start showing up at the church and there were even elders at the church that said when he would arrive, if cindy

and michael were already seated. he would even come and zip tween them. >> what? >> yeah. that is what i had heard. >> the more police looked into jeff. the more they found people who just did not like him. >> what had you heard about jeff brown around town? >> can you say man her? [inaudible] [laughs] >> it is dateline. we have heard worse. >> doug he was a cat! >> cindy's uncle agreed. >> the only opinion that i had from the very beginning is that this is the kind of man who tries to worm himself into environments. and to make himself look better. and to get what he wants. >> and what he wanted was cindy. according to her mom, julie. michael knew all about it. >> he said, jeff is trying to take my wife. >> what advice do you give your son in law? >> well.

i said. michael are you sure? and he said yes. and he said, i am afraid of jeff. and i said, do you think jeff might hurt you? and i said, yeah i know he would be if he got the opportunity. >> the son-in-law may have been rights. detectives were surprised to learn that a month before the murder, jeff allegedly asked two of his coworkers at the moving company to kill michael. >> he was all about his, car and some possible money after the deed was done. >> the man reported jeff to a different police department. not the jefferson county sheriff's office. that's why the detective was only hearing about it now. >> this is a nice gift to your investigation? >> absolutely. >> things weren't looking good for pastor jeff. but he did have that one thing working in his favor. >> he wasn't around when this murder took place? >> that's what he said. >> so detectives waited on his cell phone records. hoping to prove, or disprove his alibi.

in the meantime, they turn their attention back to cindy. there was something that they needed to clear up. >> one of the clues that i know that really stuck out to you, involved food. >> correct. >> as bizarre as it sounds yes. >> an unusual clue involving fast food gives investigators something to chew on. and the money trail reveals new details about sandy's affair. >> coming up! >> she's basically laying out the love triangle right there in her office? >> that is correct. >> was jeff brown a kept man? >> there was a file. and inside of it was the apartment that she had rented for him, the car note. >> she's paying for? everything >> she's paying for everything. >> did you hope that at this point that one would turn on the other? >> we would count on. it >> absolutely. >> when dateline continues! when dateline continues

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this painful, blistering rash can disrupt your life for weeks. it could make your workday feel impossible. the virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older, ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles. a week into the murder investigation of michael reese, detectives had questions for his wife cindy. things that she told them we're not adding up. beginning with the 9-1-1 call when she said that she could not find her husband. >> stuff has been dumped around in the house, and i can't find my husband. >> what was strange to me is, as soon as i walked in the house, i could see the victim lying in the back door. which was standing wide open.

it would've been hard for her to be looking for her husband, and not have seen him laying there. >> and her description of the possible burglary gone wrong? on closer expectation, the detectives were not so sure. >> was the burglary making some sense? >> while the first thing that i notice was there was no force entry to the residents. >> and fast for the construction worker who had access to the house? he had a solid alibi. >> his alibi was that he was actually in church. and we were able to verify. that >> police were becoming more suspicious of cindy. they even wondered about the death of her first husband of suicide. a gunshot to the head. >> we did reopen the case and look at it, but we did not find anything to validate that she was responsible. >> but the list of clues in this case was growing. including a highly unusual one. >> well here in alabama, there

is milo's hamburgers. and they have absolutely some of the best french fries. i have to say in the world. >> and everyone around here knows that you have to eat those fries while they are hot. so police were puzzled when cindy said, on the night of her husband's murder, she dropped off the bag filled with burgers and fries and told michael she was off to buy groceries at the piggly wiggly. >> before? >> we hadn't eaten. >> that was a red flag moment for you that simply did not say and eat her fries. >> as bizarre as it sounds, yes. >> and not only that, cindy said that she raised off without eating because she said she needed orange juice and lunch made for the next morning. >> there was actually orange juice and months made inside the fridge. there was no need to go to the store, immediately. >> and what happened next also may detectives ears perk up. she told them as she was headed to the grocery store that her phone rang. >> to have called and said that he left his wallet at home. and he needed some gas.

so, i met him at the gas station. i gave him $15. >> if cindy was claiming that she was trying to make her marriage work, detectives wondered why she was meeting up with her ex lover to give him money. >> the wheels must be spinning now. as these stories are not completely adding up. >> right. >> with a warrant in hand, they searched's in these office. >> we walked in and the first thing that i saw was a picture of her and michael reese. and then eight by ten frame. and underneath it was an eight by ten frame with her and jeff brown. >> she's basically laying out the love triangle right there in her office? >> that is correct. >> and detectives found more. >> there was a file that was labeled, jeff brown, and inside of it was the least for the apartment that she had rented for him. the car note. >> and she is paying for everything? >> she is paying for everything. that is correct. >> throughout the investigation, detectives were giving

prosecutors in the loop. it was coming clear to everyone in law enforcement, to people, cindy and jeff might be guilty of murder. >> i think there was an idea that they wanted to be together. and the way for them to be together was to eliminate michael reese. >> so prosecutor set out to build a case against the former pastor and his music director. sometimes, they said, the work was disturbing. >> i don't know how many naked pictures i have to look at on a phone dump from jeff or fits in these phone. >> sexting between each other? >> yes. >> sexting that continued right up until the murder. but what was important for the prosecutors was the cell record showing that michael was shot. while cindy sat next to michael in church, jeff sent her a text that said keep me posted. >> and i think at 6:57, so right before church lets out. >> prosecutors believe that tax that the two were plotting to kill michael that night.

and they had even more proof. >> after they leave the church, she is immediately contacting him again. >> they assume that cindy called jeff and sal secretly left the line open to see what was happening between her and her husband. >> at some point, there is an open line of communication for 30 minutes. that stays open all the way through, the presumably, until michael was killed. >> and then they had evidence that cindy was home after going to the grocery store. she was still on the phone with jeff even after she is the house phone to call 9-1-1. >> what she doesn't know is that 9-1-1 call start recording as soon as the ring starts. and you can see her talking to jeff. >> cell phones armistead. >> and it is a very calm, my phones about today, right before she's acting hysterical to 9-1-1. >> so while the phone is ringing to 9-1-1, it is recording? >> yes. >> i had no idea! >> well prosecutors were able to gather a wealth of

information from the cell phone records. they could not tell who actually shot michael. they could tell, however, contrary to his alibi. jeff was not 15 miles away. >> it's not specific enough to say that it was inside of the recess house. but it was specific enough to say that within hundreds of feet. >> since they had no evidence placing jeff at the house. the best gas? cindy was the shooter. >> most likely, he was lying in wait. either around the corner. or close on a nearby street. >> because the takeout dinner had not been touched, they believe the murder happened as soon as michael and cindy came home. michael headed to the back of the house to let their guard again. and that's when they think that cindy shot him in the back of the head. >> and even though they could improve who pulled the trigger. they were not worried. >> under alabama law, it does not matter. if you are involved and take substantial steps in the process, you are in for the whole deal. it does not matter who pull the trigger. >> it was now time to get these disgraced lovers behind bars.

the detectives arrested them at the same time. outside of cindy's office. they had just come back from lunch together. >> did you hope at this point that one of them would turn on the other? >> we were counting on it. >> absolutely. >> with a trial on the horizon. two lovers stay tightlipped. but what they remain in lockstep? >> there is no reason to believe that it's going to end that way. >> it doesn't sound like anybody is going to squeal. >> she looked me in the eyes. dead in the eyes and said, my lawyer says i have nothing to worry about. they cannot prove a thing. >> when dateline continues! n dateline continues ♪ ♪ this is how it feels to du more with less asthma... ...thanks to dupixent.

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police thought that solving michael reese's murder was a simple case of geometry. and in this deadly love triangle, the two surviving members were to blame. now, with trial dates looming. tensions were mounting. prosecutors hoped one of the defenders would make a deal, would pressure strengthen the resolve or was one of them about to crack? now, the conclusion of, even the devil went to church! >> less than a month after the murder of michael race, all eyes were on his wife cindy. >> what's that saying? if the spouse is killed. talk to the one that is breathing. >> and the one she sleeping with. police had talk to cindy and

her lover, former pastor jeffery david brown, and now both have been charged with murder. and as he followed the case. morris resident jerry, wondered if one would fit under the other. so he saw cindy when she was out on bail. >> i said cindy, i want to squeal gets the best deal. and i think you know who squealing. she looked me in the eyes, dead in the eyes and said, my lawyer says i have nothing to worry about. they cannot prove a thing. >> who do you feel like you're looking in the eyes? >> a cold blooded killer. >> so prosecutors, the notion that cindy or jeff would squeal for the best deal had all but that operated by august of 2013, when jeff trial was set to start. >> there was no reason that they knew he was going to -- >> but just minutes after they started picking a jury, jeff told his lawyer in court that he wanted to make a deal. >> i just feel like this is one of those tv moments where you are ready to go. you have been prepping for months. and then suddenly, this thing

is flipped on its head? >> there is some peace and knowing that he is going to take some responsibility for his part in his murder. >> jeff brown finally admitted that he had a hand in michael reese's death. he pleaded guilty to a man slider, and agreed to testify against cindy. her murder trial started in november, 2016. michael's family and friends, like josh freeman where there. >> we had a large group of people that were there, just for michael. to make sure that he got the justice that he deserved. >> but there were others in the courtroom, like cindy's uncle roy and her mother judy who held a very different view of what justice should look like. >> in my heart, in my heart of hearts, i know that she could not have done it and she is not a murderer. >> you believe that you knew who murdered michael? >> beyond the shadow of a doubt. yes ma'am. >> who was that? >> jeff brown. >> prosecutors believe that both were involved in michael's death but they were convinced

that cindy was the mastermind. her motive? >> getting a divorce in this community is really looked down upon and rather than her looking like somebody who was having an affair and got a divorce. she was looked at as the victim if her husband is killed. >> right off the bat. prosecutors knew they needed to shatter the image of cindy reese. the god fearing, music the director. >> this christian lady, grieving widow image. she was working so hard to portray, it really made sense to show that she was not that person. >> to prove it, they laid out all the evidence that had been gathered against cindy. the paper for the -- >> the cell phone that, at the cold milo's fries. and of course the affair with the star witness, jeff brown. who told the jury and astonishing story. >> i think what jeff did as it relates to see in these trial. is, it filled in a major piece

of the puzzle. the major piece? how the murder actually went down. >> while he was on the phone with her. he heard a pop. and after the murder, at a local cast asian, she told him that it is done. she is gone. >> cindy shot michael, jeff claimed. he was not even there. jeff then testified that cindy gave him the murder weapon that the cast asian that night and told him to get rid of it. >> a pretty much was the final nail in her coffin so to speak as far as her child went. >> or was it? >> we hope that the jury would see that he was a liar. >> cindy's defense attorney told the jury that cindy could not have killed michael. it was impossible. he was three inches taller than cindy but the trajectory of the bullet says the killer was above him. >> the angle of the bullet is in a downward angle and cindy is too short to create that angle. >> not too short? jeff brown says the defense.

they also reminded the jury that there was no physical evidence linking her to the crime. no blood, no john shot resolute. no one only that he said, jeff had the motive and not cindy. >> would you characterize jeff in sunday's relationship that jeff was obsessed with cindy? or was it vice versa? >> i would think that jeff was obsessed with cindy because she was his gravy train so to speak. >> do you think that gave jeff the perfect moment that he needed michael out of the picture to continue the gravy train? >> it certainly is the motive isn't it. >> and in an effort to arrest control from cindy's image in the state the defense took a calculated risk and put her on the stand and she told the jury that she did not shoot her husband and while she and made that her marriage was rocky, she did not want him dead. and was adamant that she knew nothing of dust planned to kill him.

>> why did you decide to have cindy testify? >> i think she, one she wanted to, and two is i think that with jeff on the witness stand i think she had to. >> which image of cindy what the jury believe. the church going agreeing row widow or the cheating widow? it didn't take long to find out. the jury deliberated for just 90 minutes. and the verdict? guilty of murder. >> how are you feeling in that moment? >> it was great. that she was found guilty. but, she was still alive. so, she eventually will probably get out and live her life. and michael does not get that chance. >> on the other side of the courtroom, there were different emotions for sandi's family. >> heartbroken. destroyed. >> in a state of shock. really not believing what i had just heard. >> she was convicted for being an adulterous and sentenced as

a murderer. >> but cindy's cousin thinks the jury got it right. >> there was overwhelming evidence that cindy was definitely involved. >> the y is something that she continues to struggle with. >> did she just get consumed by the moment and get called up emotionally and it got out of hand? or is she a monster? and did she planted? get >> important questions that are unlikely to be answered. as part of his pearly deal. jeff received a 20-year prison sentence. cindy got 40 years. as for michael race? the unwitting victim of a live trial that he wanted no part of, all that is left of him now are memories. memories of the kind and gentle soul. with a big laugh and an even bigger heart. >> how do you want people to remember michael? but >> he was just a funny guy. he enjoyed life so much. he was just a good person and

anybody that ever knew him would say the same thing. >> that is all for this edition of dateline and i am andrea canning. thank you for watching! u for watching i'm andrea canning, and this is dateline! doug >> you don't go without your children. she would never leave her children. >> what do you think happened to her? >> i'm scared to even say. when people have power and money, you get afraid. >> startling developments in the headline making mystery. >> you can see the blood spatter very very compelling. >> the disappearance of jennifer dulos. >> what do you think happened that garage? >> a serious violent assault happened in that camera. >> finger-pointed started immediately. >> was a husband involved? >> i was not involved. >> did you have anything to do with the disappearance? >> i did not. >> investigators speak