victims of an improbable crime. mother, father, son, shot, in the dead of night. >> it felt like an ambush. >> investigators, searching for clues, but what they found were secrets. a forbidden love affair, right in the family. one son, sleeping with the other son's wife. >> he said, if i would have an affair, he wish it would be anyone else, except his brother. >> bad blood between brothers. that meant, a motive for murder. and, did one kill the other to

steal his wife? >> i wouldn't do that to my brother. >> in, course it all came out. scandalous passions, jealousy, greed, lust. >> he said, he was the black sheep of the family. >> a family saga, turned riveting courtroom drama. >> i cried the whole time. >> the time we received the call was around three. >> i think him 9-1-1? >> help, please. >> what's wrong? >> gun. shot. >> your shot? >> yes. >> were you at? >> the sheriff's office 9-1-1 operator, could barely understand the voice on the other end of the call. >> how did you get shot ma'am? >> i don't know. >> you don't know? >> no. >> andré, get james, 10:18,

hurry up. >> the dispatcher, calling for sergeant james to help out. >> where did you get shot at? >> face. >> in your face? >> yes. >> it was difficult to hear what she was saying. you could hear her gargling, due to blood in her throat. >> it sounded as though, she was not the only victim. >> husband. shot. to. >> your husband shot too? >> yes. >> okay, is there anybody else in the house with you besides you and your husband? >> yes. >> who else is in the house with you? >> sun. >> your son? >> yes. >> to, possibly, three adult shot in a home, in the middle of the night. >> did he get shot to? or do you know? >> i don't know. >> you don't know? >> no. >> the female survivor had no idea if the assailant was in the house. >> we weren't sure if it was a home invasion, we weren't sure if it was an accidental discharge of a firearm. >> what is your name sweetie? >> linda. >> linda? >> sergeant, and other deputies,

we're racing to the location. a one storey ranch house, and a heavily wooded area, of side of town. >> little to no light outside. it was pitch black. our weapons were already drawn. we weren't sure if the suspect is in the area, still in the woods. we approach the door, and we could hear the sound of a female moaning, what appeared to be pain. >> they could hear her, but were delayed and finding her, because something stop them in their tracks as they entered the kitchen. >> there was an overwhelming smell of gasoline emanating from the house. it was extremely noxious, hard to breathe. the deputy hill slipped on the gasoline, and i caught him, preventing him from falling. >> why hadn't the gasoline been torched? was someone trying to lure the cops inside, before striking a match. >> it felt like an ambush. >> they found the woman, slumped on the kitchen floor, behind a table. the woman, linda, still holding

her cell phone. the distress call was genuine. and, her injuries were grave. >> she had some sort of, fabrication at, a towel, on her throat, and it was soaked in blood. i asked her to remove the cloth from her throat so i could get a visual of her injuries. the entire area of her neck here was missing. and she swallowed, you could see her throat moving. >> one victim, accounted for. where were the others? >> she didn't know if anyone else was still on the residents. she didn't know if her son, and husband, are still alive. >> with guns drawn, deputies, continued clearing the residents. the information that they yelled back down the hall was as bad as it could get. linda's son, shot dead, in one bedroom. >> he was in the bed, still under the covers. he had an obvious gunshot wound to the face. >> linda's husband, philip, shot dead in their bedroom. >> he had pulled a sheet above his face, and a defensive stance. there was a gunshot wound through the sheet. >> an explosion of horror.

three people, gunned down, to fatally, in a quiet road, in a quiet georgia town. now, linda, the lone survivor, was on route to the hospital in grave condition. what had happened in the dark hours of monday morning in that modest house? peeling back the layers of the mystery would take years. it would leave a family torn apart, and a community, devastated but to begin to comprehend. , what happened, you need to roll back the clock, back to 2008, to a town called springfield, and a family named the heights. >> if i were to ask you what the height family was like, in 2007, what would you say? >> great family. spiritual family. pillars of the community. >> the high family, in 2011? >> destroyed. >> what had happened on springfield road? who would want to god fearing people like the heights, dead? coming up --

>> he was a go getter. he was going to get out, and he was going to go after it. >> he was a player? >> he was. he would get the job done. >> the hard charging businessman, with a deal gone bad. had the neighbors been ruled out? and urgent investigation begins. when dateline, continues. dateline, continues refresh! unlike many other products, downy rinse & refresh doesn't cover odors or leave residues... it helps remove them. it's safe on all fabrics and gentle on skin -- just add to your fabric softener tray. downy rinse & refresh helps remove odors up to 3 times better than detergent alone, so fabrics look and smell clean. try new downy rinse & refresh. guaranteed or your money back. find it in the fabric softener aisle or online.

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news here, it's a family, and they're all gone? >> it was just one of those. a sinking feeling. to know that something like this has happened. >> you have seen a lot of bad stuff, and this was enough to sicken you? >> it was. >> philip was a large-scale real estate investor and a prominent name across the town. someone who counted's sheriff mcduffie as one of his best friends. but now he was dead. mysteriously and beautifully cut down in his own home in the

middle of the night. along with his son, and his wife who was the lone survivor. >> i hadn't been friends with these folks. and it was just bad. >> that's part of the country, southeast georgia, isn't used to waking up to grisly news like this. that just isn't supposed to happen in effingham county, only 45 minutes from downtown savannah but a world away from its mom and pop shops, cattle farms. and cotton fields. it's a place where people go to church, work hard, and know their neighbor. >> in this community, family sticks together. just the nature around here. >> james had lived here all his life and like anybody born and raised in effingham, he knew the family. >> that family is a good family. well known family. they respect everybody. >> james grew up with the three boys. billy heckman know their father, philip. >> they are a family that loved their family and i think you

can see that throughout the old hike land that there is a lot of love that goes through them. >> devout, rock-solid people led by the family patriarch. philip i. and as a major real estate developer in the area he was very much a big deal around town. >> we have numerous commercial sections that philip really close and he was a go getter, he was going to get out and if there was a bill to be made. he was going to go after. it >> so he was a player? >> he was a player. he was going to get the job done. >> it was a terrific salesman snack he had, even if he got the better part of a deal, he left you feeling good about it. >> philip was a guy that loved people, he was a guy that people loved him. he just always made people feel good. he always made you feel like you are special. >> when he wasn't putting in long hours at the office. or serving as president of this board, or director of that bank. he took pure delightin raisingyl

springfield egypt road. but above all, philip like to spend time with his family. linda, his wife of 40 years and his three sons craig chris and carrie. >> the most important thing is that it was his family. he always wanted his family to be close to each other. he always wanted his family to love each other. >> then came that horrific night in august of 2008, when philip, carrie, and linda were shot in the height home. only linda survive to call 9-1-1 but now she was in serious condition in the hospital. >> i could not believe it because this linda and mr. philip, they were really nice people. >> none of the locals wanted to think it had anything to do with the nearby people suspected of cooking meth. and with whom they shared fifth springfield, egypt road. there had been some arrests a wild back.

residents felt helpless behind crime scene tape, including a cousin. mark. >> it was a horrible day. >> down the road, hundreds gathered for philip and harry's funeral. cousin mark was a poll bearer for philip. >> it was a whole house, we had standing room. but people couldn't get it. it showed how much we were loved, how much people thought of the family. >> the tear streaked faces of mourners drawn taught with grief. no one wanted to send the father and son off like this. >> it was terrible, i lost the best friend and a person to talk to. we >> james had known carry so while, and for so long. >> he basically was the person that was always worried about everybody else, i think. he made time for you. >> carrie was the babble in the family, there were two older brothers. chris. and craig. they'll carry would be the one to follow his father into real estate and like his father,

carry shared a zest for work and i love a family. >> busy all during the day, meetings at night. running late, watching home. getting the kids baths. but he did looking forward to going home and giving the kids baths. >> he was proud of always being there for his three children, and his wife. someone he had known since high school. >> the only real girlfriend he had was robin. that i'm aware of. >> in high school, robin had been voted class clown. and when the vibrations girl started dating the quiet, street laced, carrie. some did not see the match. but it worked for them. they got married a year after graduation. >> he loved her from day one. he did everything he could for her. sure did. >> and now carrie and his father phillips violent deaths were a mystery. if only carries mother, linda, miss linda to one and all. could help with crucial details. but she could not speak. her lower jaw and neck had been

torn up by a shotgun blast. it was questionable whether she would make it. >> based on what we saw on scene, we did not believe that she was going to survive those injuries. they were that a grievous. >> had she seen the person, or persons who had shot her? would she be able to give a description that could help authorities apprehend the killer, now on the loose? >> coming up! >> something seemed fishy right from the start. >> was it obvious what had gone on there to you? >> after looking at the scene, it became obvious. that this scene was staged. >> staged? >> yes. >> when dateline continues! teline continues 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.

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linda. the modest red brick house where they had raised three boys was now a stomach churning crime scene. philip in his father, kerry, dead, shot at point blank range. linda in grave condition after taking a buck shot to the face. crime scene had them coming through the place inch by inch. the team, led by case agent eugene at the georgia bureau of investigation. >> was it obvious what had gone on there to you? >> after looking at the scene, it became obvious that the scene was staged. >> staged? >> yes. >> it was meant to look like a robbery. however, nothing was taken of note. there was money left, keys left. >> stuff that would've been

easy to grab and get a little money? >> yes sir. >> nothing was disturbed other than the bodies found. >> and the csi team found something else. the way that the intruder may have entered the home. >> the point of entry you found to be? where they wanted you to believe it was where? >> the garage door had a pain glass inside of it. and the gas was broken. and it was made to look like someone had entered the residence through that door. >> it may have looked like the intruders way in, but the curtain on the glass panes was undisturbed. it looked as though no one had pushed inside to grab the door handle. there was a much simpler explanation for how the killer, or killers had gotten in or out. they found the families outside key. it was kept hidden, and was missing from its usual place. >> and there was a key inside the doorway. >> the key that was in the doorway was probably the one that was kept outside? >> yes. >> so you're looking at somebody who has at least good working knowledge of that house. >> yes sir.

>> strange clues, and a grim scene. in those early morning hours. nothing seemed to be adding up. >> you have no idea who the shooter is? >> right. >> if there is a loan, if there is more than one. >> correct. >> and the one who might know was the wife, linda, who had somehow survived the gunshot to her face. she was recovering, but it would be weeks before investigators could elicit her story. >> her mouth was wired sharpshooter injuries. i believe she had some bone graft reconstructive surgeries. skin grafts. it took her a long, long time before she was able to talk to anybody. >> it fell to abort georgia bureau of investigation special agent john barry to ask the question. are there any cracks? any secrets in the esteemed family? >> at this time you call victimology. and victimology is something where we look at these peoples lives, and try to determine what put them at an added risk to that evening? >> he had to learn more about

the patriarch, phillips business and household affairs. he started by looking at the core of things, the immediate family. they would be a prime source of information, but something else to. >> part of the investigation is, everyone is a suspect at this point. >> barry began his interviews that morning after the murders. sitting around the kitchen table at the home of the middle son, chris. chris told the detective that he had been home with his wife the previous night. she was questioned, and the middle son story checked out. by then, the crime scene analysts believed the murder weapon was a trump 12 gauge stop gun. agent barry searched chris's home looking for a fire arm. >> he had several guns there. but nothing in my training, or experience, that indicated that any of them had been recently fired. >> next up, the detective. the older brother. craig. >> craig stated that he was watching television shows. hunting and fishing shows. he >> he told the man that he had spent the night at himself

at a place a half an hour drivers away. owned by a friend. agent berry drove up to the cabin to search it as well. >> the search of the cabin resulted in not finding any 12 gauge shotguns. >> but investigators did find 12 gauge ammo in the back of the truck. three inch magnum shotgun shells. >> he didn't tell me anything because craig height was identified as an avid hunter. and was known to turkey hunt. >> two days after the murders, the agent sat down again, with craig height at the sheriff's office. >> how is your mama doing? >> she is doing wonderful. >> she is? >> wonderful. >> after the polite formalities, barry pose the difficult question. who would want craig's family dead? >> craig offered this clue. >> the only thing that my father and carry has remotely said anything to me about anything,'s finances.

>> craig may have been referring to the fact that his father philip, and brother carry, like so many others. had recently been spreading the plunging value in the 2008 real estate market. >> investigators would learn that the father son team of philip and carrie ran a business worth millions. but they were heavily invested. land rich? maybe cash for. had something gone dangerously downhill in the empire? there were some complicated partnerships to examine. >> once this happened, there were numerous rumors about who did it. and if the market can do it or was it a professional hit? or did someone local do. it >> and he was a player. he had a lot of interest. how to state money? >> he did. >> and it's not unreasonable for investigators to get a deal to go south there? >> exactly. was this a bad deal that somebody got mad about and came to retaliate for. >> and craig had perhaps another clue to offer detectives. he had been after the family

property after the shootings and said that he noticed some of his things missing's in the shut out back. including, a 12 gauge firearm. >> the 12 gauge is not there. i have one pair of snakebite boots. that are not there. >> could the assailant had stolen those items to commit the crime? but, there was something else gbi agents was starting to get rid of. rumors around town of a possible skeleton in the family closet. investigators knew it could be nothing or something. but they would have to run down the scuttlebutt before they could move on to other leads. if only one family member would be more candid with them. after all, the rumors were about him. >> can view been totally honest with me throughout this entire investigation? >> yes sir. >> about everything? >> yes sir. >> coming up. >> maybe if i had went in april, to miss london, mr. philip, and

carrie. this is what's going on. you should do something now. maybe it would not have went to the limit. >> someone who had been keeping a secret. and it was about to come out. when dateline continues! en dateline continues! it, are you my blind date? dancing crew. trip for two. nail the final interview. buy or lease? masterpiece. inside joke. artichoke. game with doug. brand new mug. come here, kid. gimme a hug. the more you want to do, the more we want to do. boosters designed for covid-19 variants are now available. brought to you by pfizer & biontech. oh, davante adams! what's up, man? we need to talk about that lucky jersey. haven't washed it in years. multiple years? i don't see any stains. it's lucky. mmm i don't see any luck. it's dirty. - lucky. - dirty. but we just scored a touchdown. - yeah! - not we. me. ohhh! touche. you need to deep clean that.

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what's happening. hurricane in was pulled into a post tropical storm and it's headed to west virginia today. it cause more damage in south carolina on friday. it hit the coach just south of myrtle beach as the capital gory one hurricane destroyed fishing piers and flooding streams. meanwhile, a barrier island in sanibel, the scale of the doesn't station when he and first made landfall in the u.s. on wednesday. they're expected to fall into the tens of billions. now back to dateline! now back to dateline two of the heights were gone. killed in the middle of a late

august nights in 2008. philip height, a prominent real estate developer shot bed dead in his bed. his son, and business partner, carrie, also shot to dead in his sleep. phillips wife linda had an injury, but would recover. a deadly three that had investigators working around the clock. while some detectives were interviewing those surprising next of kin in the family. others contacted his friends and associates. including the oldest son's craig's, one time we live in companion. a woman named tina williams. >> i got a call from the sheriff's department saying they needed to talk to me. >> detectives were intrigued right away by the girlfriends sense of remorse. >> maybe if i would have went in april. to miss london and mr. philip, and carrie, and said this is what's going on. you need to do something now. maybe it would not have went to the women. >> what could she be talking about? this story that she hadn't told?

>> i wish to the stay that i had. maybe they still would be here. >> tina didn't know anything about phillips financial pressures. or a missing gun from the property. but she did know something about bottled up secrets. some people would later call it, scandalous, what had happened behind their closed doors. she had began her story with only good things to say about the parents. people she'd known for several years. >> miss and mr. philip were very nice people. very carrying people. >> she met the son craig at the veterinarians office where she worked laid back in 2003. they chatted about the hunting dogs, and she was struck by well mannered he was. >> very nice guy. very polite. just did the svm no man, thank you for helping me. that kind of person. >> craig and tina began going out. and when craig went on disability, after hurting his back at work, he had plenty of free time to drive the hour from effingham county, to the town where tina lived.

he was there when she needed him, she recalls. came to leave on him for support. because at 42 years of age, tina was battling breast cancer. >> if i had a treatment, and i was very sick, he would be there with me. hold my hair if i was sick. he really was very supportive at that time. >> after nine months of dating, craig and tina started making wedding plans. >> we talked about who was going to stand up with us. and who would want to come. and, just had really set a date. and, we really were serious about having a life together. >> but a month before the wedding day she found out something disturbing. really disturbing. tina was on her way to a chemotherapy treatment when she got a phone call. on the other end of the line, and another woman's voice. >> she said, you are seeing my husband. >> and i said no man i'm not, i'm not dating anyone's

husband. and she said, yes you are. and i said tell me what your husband is? and she said craig height and i said, well wait a minute. i guess maybe i am. >> whoops! a controlled craig soon showed up on her doorstep. professing his love for her and saying that he foolishly hoped that he would get a divorce before she found out he had a wife and two kids back in effingham county. >> and i told him, you need to go home. take care of your business. get your divorce, stay with your wife. do whatever you're going to do. >> craig left tina's house, and within a few months he did get divorced. soon, he and tina were back on course. and he asked her to move up to effing to in county. >> you won't have to work and i can take care of you. and, i know your health is bad. and we can't have this life. and things will be better. >> but in fact, things were about to get a whole lot worse. and not just for tina and craig. back in effingham, craig's younger brother carry, was

having his own relationship problems. carrie told his friend james that his wife robbyn wanted a separation. >> it hurt him. he was torn up. he had made the comment to me about, you don't know how it feels to live inside someone in the bed that doesn't love you. >> rob had found that carrie was sent too much time at work. so good husband that he, was he cut back his hours and went to counseling. anything to make it work. >> he would do what it took to keep the marriage together. especially for the kids. i mean, he wouldn't want to see his kids grow up like that. >> but just as much as the kids, he didn't want to lose the wife that was his first and only love. the light of his life. >> they still don't have a -- he loved her dearly. last that i work, he still tried to make his marriage work. >> and while they were trying to keep their banged up

marriage together, carries older brother, craig, and his girlfriend tina, we're going through pretty much the same thing. tina had moved in with craig, but then he stopped coming home. and then one day, his stuff was just gone. >> i called him and i said have you moved out? what's the deal? your clothes are gone? and he said, well what do you think? and i said, well where you living? and he said, at a fox pen. and i said, okay. >> a fox pen? he wasn't exaggerating by much. craig had moved into this rustic cabin set deep back on some land, owned by a hunting buddy. tina said that she was left high and dry. no job, no cash. >> there would be days i didn't even eat because i didn't have money to eat. >> come summer, tina was very early scraping by. and she said she had no idea that around this time, craig went shopping for a new house. he contacted realtor, kristen.

>> personality? how did he come across. >> he was a little quiet. he was just a nice guy. he was meek. >> craig told christie that he was interested in buying some property. kristie said that she showed him a nice house with acreage. and it was going through for a quarter of a mill. >> and he wanted to move up there. and so start behind horses. and training them. >> when she asked craig how he was gonna pay. he says he talked about sending some timberland that he owned. >> the land was being sold, that he would know something in a couple of weeks. and he had also told me that he had a girlfriend. and if they moved to this county, could her kids still get -- >> that girlfriend wasn't tina. she hadn't seen him since he moved out. so who was? a month before, tina had noticed something in the mail that caught her eye. craig's phone bill. who were all those calls to? >> i started watching the cell phone bill, for a couple of months. because i had a suspicion that

he was seeing somebody else. >> and what an incendiary story those phone marks with hint at. it was like something out of the bible. taboo behavior, and a game-changer in this murder investigation. and when police figured out what was going on behind those closed doors, they'd have some pointed questions prettiness ex-boyfriend. craig hunt. coming up! >> craig. have you've been totally honest with me throughout this whole investigation? >> yes. or >> about everything? >> yes sir. >> what was the secret that craig was guarding sir closely? as shattering surprise was in store for folks in emington county. >> robin said she was having sex with you? >> when dateline continues! ne continues i recommend cascade platinum and a new routine. let's watch it work! only cascade uses dawn... as a built-in pre-rinse system. it rehydrates dried on food... ...lifts it off... ...and breaks it down. for sparkling clean dishes the first time. ok, who wants to start?

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clock. to find out what went on here. >> detectives working the case of the deadly shootings in the home of philip and linda height. i've been canvassing the neighborhood and searching phillips office. but they've also been looking into something closer to home, rumors about a scandal within the height clan. there's been a flurry of cell phone calls between the oldest son and his now dead brother's wife were robbyn in the months before the murders. and now, detectives were being led in on the secret. close friendly and friend such spectate that there was more than mere title with between brother and sister in law. they believe that craig and

robbyn may have been having an affair. >> the information is related to us that there may have been an in inappropriate relationship between robin and craig. and in particular we wanted to explore this. >> gbi special agent john barry went back two days after the murders. and question him in a taped interview. was he sleeping with his brothers, wife robbyn? >> craig. have you've been totally honest with me throughout this whole investigation? >> yes sir. >> about everything? >> yes sir. i've tried to be. i mean, i've been mine boggled. but, what do you think of been dishonest about? >> while, fair one, i think you've been dishonest about your relationship with robyn. >> it being a sexual relationship. >> no sir. >> craig insisted that there was nothing going on between them. >> i know that it looks bad, but i'm going to tell you something, i couldn't do that

to my brother. if i do that to my brother. >> but agent barry knew something that craig didn't. robbyn had already spilled to the illicit relationship with her brother in law. the agents confronted clegg. >> and what if i said robin said that something had happened? >> that's not true. >> please be truthful with me. >> i'm being truthful with you! >> someone's not being truthful with. me >> i'm being truthful with you! >> the agent was not satisfied with the answers that he was getting from craig. and he still had an unsolved murder on his hand. agent barry tried a new tactic. tell craig that the detectives were honing in on robin as the prime suspect and killer. >> if she loves you, wouldn't it be for her to just kill carrie and you can be with her forever? >> there is no way that robin had anything to do with this. i swear to you on my love mama's life. she had never said anything like that.

never. >> but craig had strong words from whomever did kill his family. >> what do you want me to do. >> i want you to. >> when we catch this person? >> i want you to put them away. >> put them away? >> yes sir. >> that's your wishes? >> yes sir. from the bottom of my heart. put them away. >> even if it's robin? >> even if it's robin. >> telling craig that robin was a lead suspect was actually a fake out. in fact, authorities worst zeroing in on craig, not robbyn. due to his inconsistent statements. and while in the interview, craig had not fallen for the ruse to confess to the crimes and protect his lover. the investigators still believe that something was not right about the oldest son story. and they kept craig on the radar. >> we are keeping tabs on craig at this time. and he began to live with robin at her residence. drive his brother's truck. >> detectives quietly continue

their investigation, running down trip line leads. following the money trail of philip and karen's bills nurse. the other residents, meanwhile, worried the case would never be solved. but nine months after the deadly break-in after the high manchin's been field agent road. authorities made their move. >> at approximately 8:35 this morning, craig, 41 of springfield was arrested. >> he was arrested and charged with the murder of his father and brother. and the aggravated battery of his mother. relatives were naturally shocked and distraught. some like his brother. his cousin, could not make hills or tails of the investigation. and because craig was as flabbergasted as everyone else. >> i said craig, i never would've thought we would be talking like this through a glass. and he said, i would not have either. craig was really scared. he said, mark when they pulled me over and they arrested me.

he said that he could not believe, he was shocked. >> mark says to know craig is to love him. and to know that he could not have done this. >> he was like a data. when he came into the room he would make a point to speak with you. shake your hand. >> mark and craig grew up like brothers. >> growing up, if he wasn't at my house spending the night or recants. i was at his house on weekends. always together. >> mark says just like the rest of the heights, craig was raised to be an actively involved citizen. >> we farmed dreamed about farming together. >> as teams, mark and craig held possessions in the future farmers of america charter. they were involved in the local church. and in school, he, says craig was never some rocky loner. >> he had a tremendous amount of friends. he always had a part in school. everyone loved him. >> and they say that craig was close to the family. authorities believe that he had ruthlessly killed.

so maybe he wasn't cut out for the family business like his brothers, but nevertheless, he still made his father proud. >> craig was always working. i never remember him not working. >> when we spoke, mark said that he vividly remembered seeing craig for the first time after the horrible murders. and insisted that craig's reaction with that of an innocent man. >> he and us held each other and cried. it was a horrible thing. it was killing him. he said, he seen her denies. >> as for mark, there was not a shred of doubt that craig's emotions that day where the real deal. >> that's as genuine as it gets. i'm tearing up. >> mike believes authorities felt pressured to make an arrest. and so they targeted the easiest person in their midst. namely the one relative with a healthy blot on his reputation. the one who was rumored to be having sex with him sister in law. >> definitely, he made some bad

decisions. we've all done that. but that has not made him a murderer. >> but investigators were talking evidence, and timeline. just look, they tell you. in what craig was doing on the day he was arrested. it was may of 2009. the last day of school before summer vacation in effing tint county. when police pulled him over to arrest. he was driving his dead brother's white truck. he had his brother's children's i.d. cards in his wallet. the truck was full of craig's belongings. and when school got out, craig and his brother's wife and kids were all going to move to south carolina. to the cops, this was more than just a flaying. this was coveting. biblical stuff. jealousy. anger. last. and greed. >> he had just stepped right into his brother's life? >> exactly. >> took the wife, the house, the truck, the kids. >> the money. he had become his brother. >> coming up! a son and brother on trial.

>> i see no evidence in this house of multiple shootings of one person taking three shots is what i see. >> and a mother takes the stand. the dramatic tale about that deadly night. >> and i heard a very little noel's, a blast. and i must have blacked out. i woke up praying. i said god if we're gonna do this then i need your strength. because i have none of my own. >> when dateline continues! when dateline continues to see the signs of hope all around you? what if you could let in the lyte? discover caplyta. caplyta is a once-daily pill, proven to deliver significant relief from bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and bipolar ii depression. and, in clinical trials, feelings of inner restlessness and weight gain were not common. caplyta can cause serious side effects. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts right away.

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because, the type of person he is. because of the conflicts that was taking place. >> craig, on trial in a georgia courtroom for shooting to death his father and brother in their beds. and gunning down his mother with the intent to kill. >> the murder, of your daddy, your brother. >> the prosecution called the

motive as old as the bible. to his loss for his brother's wife. and greed fooled by the last. they begin by bringing to the stand the one witness in the case. who asked not to have her face shown on camera. the defendants old mother linda. >> he came up to the house, he was going to spend the night with us. >> speaking hesitantly after several surgeries to her face. she told the story of that harrowing night her quiet world was ripped apart by three gunshots. it was august 25th, 2008. she and her husband philip had an extra gas that night. their son carry. >> he and his wife or having problems, and he came to our house. >> they had all gone to bed. but linda had recently become absorbed with puzzles called word find books. she was doing one of the bathroom, off the bedrooms, to not disturb her husband. when she heard a sound. >> and i heard a very loud noise, a blast. so i went out and went in the

bedroom. and i said philip! and when i said that, i saw a blast. when philip was shot. and then, i saw the blast as i was shot. and i must of blacked out. i remember waking up and i was laying on the floor, and i saw my teeth laying on the floor. and i must of blacked out again. and i, woke up praying. i said god if we are going to do this. i need your strength. because i've none of my own. >> linda tried to call for help on the bedroom phone, but the line was dead. by now, she was bleeding profusely. she grabbed a piece of clothing and held it to her face. she doesn't know how she made it to the kitchen. but she was able to get her cell phone out of her purse to 911 dial. >> effingham, 9-1-1. >> help, someone? >> hello? >> help. help. help. hope. please. >> officers came in, i think it was about three share up

deputies. and they were flashing the flashlights. and they said man put down the weather. but i was sitting there, holding my cell phone. and one of the officers went back to the bedroom and they said there's two back here dead. and pretty well after that, i don't remember anything for about four weeks later. >> what, if anything could she tell authorities about the assailant? >> do you remember giving a description of the person that you saw in -- >> a slender man? >> you weren't able to give any other better decisions or more detail than that? >> no. >> linda's son craig hardly look slender in court. but the state said if you put all the pieces of the crime scene together, the shadowy figure in the bedroom that night had to be craig. first, a crime scene analysts concluded only once assailant

entered the home. >> i see no evidence in this case of multiple shooters. one person taking three shots is what i've seen. >> and the analysts said the crime scene did not look like a robbery gone wrong. jurors were shown the jewelry and cash left in plain sight. the key, the underserved curtain on the door. signs, said they lead case agent. that the scene was staged to deflect attention away from the traitors real motive. >> it was cleared to designed to break in, and kill every soul in the residence. >> once more, the only things that were supposedly missing from the residents all belong to craig. his boots, his coveralls, and his 12 gauge shotgun. the ammunition likely used in the attack. he was -- and it was the same kind of animal that it was found in the truck. michael prosecuted the case. >> when they found the shotgun. >> live? mo >> three inch shelves.

>> when? chester >> winchester. >> and yet, the question remained, what would make read even consider putting a shock into his family? what could've driven him? >> the state would call to the stand craig sister-in-law, robbyn. for the first time, she would reveal the full story behind what, until now, had only been rich grist for the effingham county rumor mill. >> surname for the record please. >> robin height. >> all eyes were glued to the witness box the day that robin took the stand. jurors had already heard from the prosecutor about an inappropriate relationship between craig and robin. and now, they were gonna hear from robin herself. about what exactly had been going on in the family behind closed doors. and between brother and sister by marriage. >> are you married? >> no sir. i'm withered. >> and who are you married to? >> i was married to carry. >> how long were you married? >> 13 years. >> robbyn told the jurors about

her life with harry. >> we had a very good, very prosperous living. >> did you ever like -- >> no. >> was he always able to provide? >> yes he was. >> what kind of husband was he? >> a very good husband. >> and how carrie was good with the three children as well. >> he was the best father, a wonderful father. >> but then, she explained, that in 2008. things got rocky between her and a husband. >> he spent a lot of time at work. a lot less time at home. he became very distant with me. i wasn't really sure why, i didn't realize that the real estate business was not going as well as it had been going. and knew there was some problems but, there was a lot of problems and he didn't discuss them with me. so we became pretty distant. as far as our marriage, and relationship. >> the strain in their union was enough to cause driving to stray from carey. and in a shocking way.

>> yes, in april of 2008, i engaged a relationship with his older brother, craig. >> coming up. >> i take my vow about the affair. >> i told him. >> you told him? >> he was upset. he said if i was gonna have an affair he wish it would've been with anybody else besides his brother. >> details of the affair laid bare. was that a motive for murder? when dateline continues! eline continues! like that cardboard tv. i told props to switch that out. okay, everyone, that's a wrap. [ bell rings ] wait, you faked this whole thing? i knew it was the quickest way to see you. i'm sorry, jon, but i'm already in love with insurance. you know that's weird, right? well, any weirder than faking a burst pipe? got a little carried away. yeah. peaceful state. full plate. wait, are you my blind date? dancing crew. trip for two.

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started one night after a family gathering. where she confided in craig about the troubles in her marriage, and about something else. >> i just told craig that there was something i needed to fill him. and, he listened. and i told him that i had feelings for him. and he said that he had feelings for me. and that was about as far as the conversation went that day. >> the next night, robbyn

stayed over at her in laws, philip and linda, because she was scheduled to take him to a doctor's appointment in the morning. and craig was at the house to. >> do you and craig have an internment relationship that night? >> we did. >> where was that? >> that was in philip in linda 's living room. >> where were philip and linda? >> they were asleep. >> that relationship continued from that night forward. robbyn said that craig would call her, often using a cell phone that a friend had gotten for him, to set up a rendezvous. they would often meet at the hunting lodge that craig was cashing at, after moving out of his girlfriend, tina. >> how many times were you intimate? >> probably 20 times. >> a few weeks into the affair, robbyn said that she told her husband carry what was going on. >> how did he find out and know about the affair? >> i told him. >> how do the act when you told him? >> he was upset. he was very upset. and he said that if i was going

to have an affair, he wishes it would've been with anybody else except for his brother. and he was very upset about it being's brother. >> and the prosecution asked robbyn, what did she see in her brother in law? robbyn already had carey, who by all accounts, wasn't devoted husband. doting father, and solid provider. why would she step out on him with craig? where the state portrayed as someone who did not once much out of life, except for time to hunt. craig, who is out of work on disability. and was squatting at a friends hunting cabin. >> i didn't think your life was going to improve by engaging in this relationship? >> at the time, i felt like craig was giving me some attention. and giving me some things that carry wasn't giving me. that at the time, i felt like that was where i need to be. with craig. >> but what were craig and robbyn going to do when word got up to the family? because we're did get out to

craig and jerry's father philip, and fast. >> philip was very angry and upset with me. >> and philip wasn't going to take the destruction of his family, and his family name lightly. jurors would next here from friends and colleagues of the lip, that when it came to the embarrassing relationship between the son and daughter in law. philip was gonna do anything he could to stop it. >> he said i'm gonna take craig out of the well. >> coming up! word of a fight in the family. bad blood, beginning to boil. >> the range was still filling up. and he knew that if he was ever gonna do something, now is the time. >> when dateline continues! when dateline continues the dark. but what if you could begin to see the signs of hope all around you? what if you could let in the lyte? discover caplyta. caplyta is a once-daily pill, proven to deliver significant relief from bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i,

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♪ i mention. you know. he was a good friend. >> memories of philip resonated with his business partner,

harvey. >> philip and i were probably as close friends as each one could have. >> a man was as proud, as he was private. philip would only open up about his troubles, to his most trusted associates. and the problem that he had on his hands in late august, 2008. was a doozy. >> the friday before, his death, while we were going to our meeting he says. sometimes i think i just want to jump off the bridge. and i said, philip. i said, it's not that bad. >> harvey thought philip was referring to the unnerving downturn in the 2008 real estate market. but no, phillips ed that his problem stemmed from turmoil within his family. and now philip was gone. and his son craig was on trial, for shooting both him and his father, and wounding his mother. >> the prosecutor will tell the jury not just the story of a

taboo relationship between the man and, his brother's wife. but also about an emotionally complicated position involving the blind cheap son, and the father, dead set against the affair. >> -- a few months before his death. a revelation with friends said board into his very soul. >> he was rarely mad, very upset. he just did not stand the idea that this would be in someone's heart. this marital affair was driving him up the wall. >> philip simply could not let this affair run his course. his friend said. because more than real estate, philip live for his family. and his good name. it meant everything to him to keep all the heights living in harmony. working hard to preserve the essential land for future generations. but when philip confronted his son craig about the affair. craig had a surprising response, according to his mother. >> what did craig say about the

affair? >> that if he wanted robbyn. he would have robbyn. >> and what was that for you at the time in regards to that? >> it was kind of arrogant. >> he told his mom a few weeks before, if i want her i will have her. and i can't even imagine that you have a conversation like that with your mother. anyway, how are you gonna have thanksgiving dinner? >> for instance. >> with these dynamics. you can't. so he knew that mom and dad he would never accept it. >> the bad blood between craig and his family members quickly worsened, according to the prosecution. jurors heard about a heated argument craig and his brother had gotten into outside a sonic restaurant. and craig didn't seem to care who knew that things were toxic inside the family. real estate agent, kristie. >> he sent a, did not get along. that he was a back sheep of the family. and he wouldn't his on them if

they were on fire. >> craig said that he said the same sentiment to her. >> craig said that if his father was on fire, he would not put egg on his father to put him out. >> father and son, brother and brother, a husband and wife all square it up in the court. the story being told in the court was of the height family destroying itself. a match had been lit, as the prosecutor told him. and cut late august, and the explosion was about to go off. >> robbyn told the jurors about a driveway altercation a week or two before the shooting. between her and her father in law. an argument that became physical. >> philip said, you know look around you. these are things that craig cannot give you. these are things that only carry can give you. and he said you don't understand how craig's. he has issues that you don't understand. and that upset me. i said, i'm leaving. i'm getting in the car and i'll even. so i got in my suburban, the

window was roared down, and i went to crank my car. and mr. philip my keys and push my arm away. >> robbyn says that she told her about the incident with his father. the state theorize that it was about then that the tensions in the family became unbearable. of family friend named loretta recalled that carrie told her about the fight between the two brothers that turned ugly. >> he said they surprised him at the house. and craig brings in the run. and he just threatened to shoot carry. and his daddy grabbed the gun. to the gun, and took it away. >> jurors sound photos of damage to the house caused by the two brothers. a damage, wall damage furniture. in court, loretta testified about what else she said carrie told her. that during that fight, philip, the father, had given craig an ultimatum. >> if you don't leave robbyn alone, i'm gonna cut you out of the will.

>> and in fact, phillips accountant testified that he and philip did discuss taking craig out of the whale. and philip sun, carrie, had already taken his life name oft or 3 million dollar trust he had set up for his children. it's not clear what craig or robbyn did or did not know about these papers. but then, prosecutor michael said financial concerns were definitely on craig's mind. >> money is not a small factor here? >> money is a large factor. meaning, he knew he had to provide for carey's wife like carey had been providing. and the only way that he was going to get any financial means to live the life that he wanted to live with robin was through an inheritance. and he knows that he's not going to inherit anything if both parents are dead. >> they also heard the realtor christy campus story, of craig asking to show him some territory. >> i showed in the house. he said he was going to purchase some more horses to

start training them. so he said, he's asking how much more land he can buy with the house. >> but state suggested that craig's house hunting showed premeditation. he never did own any timberland to sell off, as he told the realtor. so other than the family for the inheritance, how else would he get the money to close in on the new house and live with robin? the prosecutor asked her just that. >> to your knowledge, did you have any means to go by a quarter million-dollar piece of property? >> no. i don't think so. >> where was he going to get the money for you to live together? >> i couldn't answer that. he would have to. >> but did he have the money? >> not myself. no. >> then came that day in late august, the week before the murders on early monday morning. the countdown to a double homicide was about to begin as the prosecutor sides. that friday night, robbyn had

been with craig at the hunting cabin. >> that night, while i was there. he made the comments that if carrie and philip weren't careful, that he would plan old-school on them. >> do you know what he meant by? that >> i do not. >> the next morning, an odd thing happened at the cabin. craig and robbyn noticed a low flying helicopter that looked as though it was spying on them. robin asked her husband about it later that day. >> carrie told me, that i need to remember he had friends in high places. any pointed up at the sky. and he didn't actually come out and tell me about the helicopter. i said i believe that was you. >> in fact, philip asked a friend to see if the suv was at the cabin. and if so, to take some four photos. he did locate this white suburban park next to craig's truck. my she -- >> he had a very, very angry look on his face. >> ever seen that mad before?

>> no. >> that surveillance by the friends of the helicopter, taking pictures of the cars. is that abuse here do you think? >> the views was burning. and, that just helped it burn faster. you have to remember that the opportunity did not arise until that sunday night, when robbyn informed craig that carrie was going to be over there. >> that sunday, carrie took the children to church. when they got home, robbyn made them lunch. and then she and kerry got into what would be one final arguments. >> he was very upset because he had proved that i spent the night with craig on friday night. so he said he felt like it was best since he was so angry and upset that he would stay with his mother and father that night. so he practiced things and left around four. >> it would be the first time that carrie would stay over and his parents house in 13 years.

robin says she called craig and told him that carrie had left. and where he was headed. she says she spoke to craig on the phone one last time before going to sleep. but, later that night, craig did one make more phone call to the old girlfriend, tina williams. >> i'm sorry for ruining your life. i'm sorry i can't help you financially. i'm sorry for involving you in my life, in my drama. and i'm thinking, okay. and i thought it was kind of strange. >> tina said she got the eerie sense that craig was fixing to do something. but she couldn't tell why. that's why she had wondered with regret later whether she could've prevented what was about to happen to the heights in the next few hours. should she have told philip and miss linda early on about the disastrous affair. if they lifted in the bud, with maybe the murders never have taken place? >> for the next several hours or so. what happens? >> i think the rage is still building up. and he knew that if he was ever

gonna do something, now is the time. and he had all the people that stood between him and what he wanted. >> it was after midnight. husband, wife, and son in a modest house at the end of a quiet road, settled in for the night. their final night, as the esteemed height family. coming up! after the crime, frank on tape. what may be the breakthrough clue in the case. >> as an investigator, some evidence stood out. >> as dateline continues! >> as dateline continues

i'm dara brown, here's what's happening, nearly three dozen deaths have been confirmed so far in the aftermath of hurricane ian. most of them in florida. authorities expect that number to rise as they make their way to some of the hardest hit areas in the islands. and russian president vladimir putin announced the annexation of four territories in ukraine.

after holding internationally condemned referenda in those regions. at a rally in moscow, he said the people who live there are quote, becoming our citizens forever. now back to dateline! now back to dateline it was around five in the morning on august 20th of 2008. and robin height wife of carey heights, heard a loud knock at the door. it was two officers in a champion. who told her that her husband carrie and his parents had been shot. >> i said some how is carrie killed and they said that he was shot in the head. >> the news left her numb. she told the jury, she could not breathe. a few hours later, craig called. >> he was crying really hard and said he couldn't believe what happened. and i said, are you okay?

and he said no. and i said, craig, did you have anything to do with this. and he said no. >> she confronted him again when they were all gathered at his brother chris's house. >> and i saw craig there and i went over to him and i said, you know i want you to look at me and tell me if you've done this or not. and he said no. >> robbyn says that she saw craig at the funeral. and within a week, he asked her if they would be together again. >> he asked me if our relationship was gonna remain how it had been. i told him i wasn't sure at that time. >> in those tumultuous early days. the two kept it cool. and so did the detectives that came across what they considered a big clue. the significance of which they could keep quality about four months. it was a breakthrough that followed a simple f question. if craig had fired a shock on that night, would he have some telltale bruises from the recoil of the weapon? agent howard asked craig if he

could tagalog. >> i asked him, do you mind taking -- he said yes he complied. and i was able to see two distinct bruises on his upper bicep in this area. >> but it wasn't just the fact that craig had the bruises where you would expect it. they said he already had a story to account for them. >> craig started to explain away, before he even took his shirt off. that, i fell yesterday. as an investigator, hair is on the back of my neck stood up. >> bruises, the sizeable area on the right bicep in the smaller one on the left were photographed. >> i stepped out of this and after craig was asked to explain it where it occurred. looking noticeably more slender on tape, then he did sitting in court. craig described how he slipped to get out of the shower. >> i stepped out like this.

and my right foot came out and felt like that right there. and landed on the toilet. right there right there. when i landed, i kind of landed hugging this right here. type of thing. >> he said he had the toilet so hard that it shifted. i tried to keep my head from busting this. >> cutting my head, it just all happened so fast that's just how i wound up. >> the states medical examiner took the stand and said craig's bruises look to him like a lot more like the kick from the shock, and then they did the injuries from afar. and once more, while craig said he's fell just one day before the photos were taken. the medical examiner said the bruisers did not look fresh. >> they had to be at least about three days old because of the gold coloration. in order for the human body to get that gold color with a bruised takes at least three days. >> in the larger theory of the crime, the one involving the old testament russ. the prosecutors argue that craig pull that trigger three

times so that he could have it all. robin, the mother to be with her, and the freedom from his parents disapproval. and they said that he thought he was getting away with it. for a while. >> he needed me. and i was there for him. and i needed him for support so we had each other. >> a few weeks after the funeral, robin and craig visited the cemetery together to throw away the dead flowers on philippine carries graves. like christmas, they were back together as a couple. and in january, craig moved in. taking carries old side of the marital bed. he started taking his brother's children on ovens with robin, but looking back, the sister in law said it just didn't feel right. >> we did look like a family, we were acting like everything was right. and it was wrong. >> robbyn said that she would try to end it. and craig would talk or out of. it's the two even started planning a wedding. robbyn tried on address at this local boutique. and they bought these rings.

>> we went and looked at rings one-time. and when we went to look at them, they were on sale. so, we went ahead and approaches the rings. >> [inaudible] >> i did. >> and when craig needed an attorney it was robbyn who pony up $60,000 for legal counsel. money, she says she got from the insurance payout following her husband's death. >> i offered to pay for it at that time. i believed in craig and i wanted him to have good representation. >> did you expect him to pay that back? >> yes i do. >> even after craig's arrest, robin said that they tried to keep the relationship going. jailhouse visits. correspondence. >> we wrote letters back and forth. >> and where those letters today? >> i don't have those letters anymore. >> what did you do with them? >> i burn them. >> but the jury had only heard

half the case. the defense was about to say, hang on. look at the prosecutor's case very carefully, and you won't find a shred of hard evidence trying craig to the awful crime. >> no dna linking him. no blood. >> coming up! family members come to craig's defense. where police a bit too eager to wrap up this case? >> they were basically trying to convince me that craig did it. >> when dateline continues! ne continues car vending machines, and now putting you in control of your financing. at carvana, get personalized terms, browse for cars that fit your budget, then customize your downpayment and monthly payment. and these aren't made up numbers, it's what you'll really pay, right down to the penny. wheather you're shopping or just looking, it only takes a few seconds and it won't affect your credit score. finally, a totally different way to finance your ride only from carvana. ah, these bills are crazy. she

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oh... but everybody's online during the day so we lose speeds. we've become... ...nocturnal. well... i'm up. c'mon kids. this. sucks. well if you just switch maybe you don't have to be vampires. whoa... okay, yikes. oh sorry, i wasn't thinking. we don't really use the v word. that's kind of insensitive. we prefer day-adjacent. one flight's day is innocent of i'll go man-pire. these charges. >> craig said in a georgia courtroom accused of gunning down his father, brother, and mother. two of them dead. the state argue that he wanted to be with his brother's wife, and his brothers. life craig's defense attorney was about to present his case. craig's relatives, and, some,

culls cousins have been listening for five days to the prosecutions arguments against one of their own. and where it was at least some of the extended clan did not know exactly where they stood. >> sheriff, you weren't so clear as to where to put the family. they were divided on what they believed had happened in that house and whether craig was the killer. >> i don't think they knew everything. here's my nephew, here's my brother here, is my cousin and here is my son. >> maybe you can persuade me of the evidence, mister prosecutor. but there's still this hole here is my blood his mic can? >> i'm. >> for those closest to craig, his brother linda and -- linda asked not to be shown on camera but told the jurors that she didn't think that craig had anything to do with the shootings. >> was he in a position to judge his general from meaner towards you? >> yes. >> and how would you describe that? >> worried about me. as protective as he could be.

and love towards me. >> has he said anything to you throughout those meetings or in your time with him to give you any reason after this factor that he was involved? >> no. >> if a mother's love wasn't enough to convince the jury of craig's innocence jurors also heard from craig's surviving brother. the middle hudson, chris. his territory would call into question the prosecutors story of an air double sun and the combustible family dynamic that he ruptured. chris told the jury that over the years there was no history of bad blood between craig in the parents. >> i wouldn't say anyone was specifically a back sheep of the family we, all have our own interests. >> and chris explained that while the affair between craig and robbyn had cause friction in the family. craig in the father phillips relationship was far from over. >> there was a little tension, to what was going on in our family and my dad was upset. with that situation.

but. no, there was no. their relationship was still close to my knowledge. >> and one of that violent tussle over a gun that supposedly broke out between craig and his brother kerry, close to the time of the murders? chris now cast doubt about whether the fight maybe even happen at all. >> did he ever tell you about any type of confrontation in the family home where guns were polled and where your father allegedly wrestled a gun away from somebody? did he ever tell you about that? >> no sir. >> chris said his mother never told him about any fight either. and that the damage to the family's home, caused by the scuffle was really just normal weather and tear. >> it was almost 40 years old 39 years old at that time. but three boys grew up in a dwelling. with seven grandchildren. >> next chris explained that is early as that first morning of the crime. he got the sense that

authorities were targeting craig. for instance when detectives searched the hunting cabin where craig was staying. >> when they came out they actually had bags of clothes and shoes. and they had taken the shoes that he was wearing. so, at that point i probably started feeling that they were focusing on him. very heavily. >> and when chris later spoke with detectives, he said that his hunch was confirmed. >> they were basically trying to convince me that craig did it. >> and the defense said if you want proof that authorities had blinders on about craig from day on, just look at all the stories that they did not overturn when it came to other family members. >> at the time i did attempt to get carry phone records. but did not receive them from the phone company. >> what about chris hunt? >> did not get crist heights phone records. >> what about allen? >> i did not get allen's phone records.

>> and he did not ask you to lay all your guns out or identify your residence? >> no sir. he did not. and i did not show them to anyone. >> they cross over other hike family members says the defense. but truly disturbing where the very real, legitimate, and possibly dangerous suspects outside the klan. that the defense said worn properly investigated. the jurors weren't next hearing about those potentially dropped leads. and the biggest problem of all in the states case, according to the defense. the total lack of physical evidence tying craig to the crime. >> no hard, concrete evidence in this case. which is i think what we should demand. >> coming up! emotion in the courtroom. the defense steps forward with some surprises. was there a mishandled crime scene? was there more than one gunman? >> that is possible. >> was craig really behind this? when dateline continues! when dateline continues! a once-daily pill.

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had a couple of drug bust, but that's it. >> when philip, his wife, and son were all shot in the home in 2008, neighbors were surprised but perhaps not shocked. that treeline but lane called springfield egypt road might look bucolic. but it had seen the chair of visits from law enforcement. >> we have a certain element in this neighborhood. and a lot of things happened that surprised me. >> now on the stand for the defense in his brother craig's murder trial, chris told the jury about the potentially dangerous elements who lived on his parents road. >> there had been a methamphetamine lab. they had actually went in and prosecuted this guy twice for having the lap there. >> chris said that before his father died, philip expressed concern that the man was getting out of prison. could fill open carries deaths have something to do with these country drug manufacturers? it was just as likely as the murders involving craig, the

defense had argued. and one of the many avenues pointing away from craig that investigators chose not to go down. the defense attorney would argue in court that once the investigators learned about that affair between craig and robin, they decided that they had their man. when in fact, the defense would say that the true killer may have been trumped someone involved with philip heights real estate dealings. a business center that had taken a swamp that. if jody was in for the defense. she was phillips longtime assistant. and that testimony suggested that if elected and tell her something, then it probably did not happen. >> he told me so much sometimes, i you know what how you want to stick your finger in your ear? >> joanne said philip never told her either about a physical fight in his home between the sons, craig and carrie. and once more, to hear joe and tell it. detectives may have overlooked the real power tank about to explode in phillips life. >> he had a lot of pressure on

him. business wise. >> joe and describe to the jury just how big and varied phillips impressive business holdings were. two from his real estate investments,. >> there was a probably 18 entities he was involved in. >> two is connections with cattle investors across georgia and beyond. >> there was someone georgia, but he had them in kentucky, he had cows all over. >> now joe and told the story that by the summer of 2008's the real estate bubble bursting her boss stop selling and the banks began calling. second and third demands for past two payments of 50 and $60,000. the defense suggested had someone been on the shorthand of one of phillips dealings? and for reasons of money, and revenge, had wanted him in his family dead? there was evidence to suggest, that said the defense. >> i know this one in particular that got pretty irate. >> joanne told the jury about

one strong armed banker that according to testimony, had rattled philip to his core. >> he was really upset, i mean, when he came in his face was real radiant. he talked about it for a couple of days. i mean, that's how upset he was. >> and yet jurors were now heard testimony of business records of philip and carries, that may never have been scrutinized by authorities. >> did he ever ask you to provide any business documents in particular for them to have all been in? >> no i did. not >> another witness had already testified about information left untouched by detectives. >> the interview, i don't think i gave him any financial advice. >> but if anybody in the professional pass was trying to make a statement by killing him and his family, the defense said, we may never know. because of its next the. the crime scene was mishandled by police on several fronts. for one thing, the defense pointed to a list which

authorities had kept showing who entered the crime scene. and answer the question, how could anyone trust a crime scene that was visited by 179 people? do you think that it's a good thing or not so good thing? in a lot of crimes? i have kicks play that the struck just weeks of time. >> what about a potential that howard and his team might not have burned down completely? some tire tracks authorities believe were made by a car emergency vehicle, but the defense argued weren't fully vastly gated. >> if it were hypothetically tire trucks, could you or could you not take photographs to determine the possibility? >> it's possible. >> even more intriguing will look like a footprint by this crime scene photos. investigators said it most likely was the shooters. but instead might have been made by the first responder to the scene.

at times, it seemed that the authorities didn't remember the bloody printed all. >> i don't buy the shoe print. >> were you aware of any photograph taken of the bloody footprint? >> where of. one >> overlooked clues in the investigation might be one thing, said the defense lawyer. but the true sign of his innocence was this, in all of the volumes of files, dozens of interviews, hundreds of man hours generated in this case, there was not a single piece of physical evidence tying him to the crime. >> no footprints. no fingerprints and any of these crimes. no surveillance video. no dna linking him. no blood. no hard, concrete evidence in this case. which is what we should demand. >> defense attorney chipped away at what he said the state had tried to pass off as physical evidence in the case. shotgun shell in his truck

might link into the crime, defense said that type of emma was so common, it is used by 40% of hunters. what about those bruises on craig's arm? which he supposedly got from the oil that he's to shoot his family? the defense brought its own firearms expert to the stand who put everything into question. >> are you aware of what shotguns do? >> yes. >> it is difficult for me to put a full-size shotgun in position and get it on its right arm. it's not a ballistic of the gun. it is unusual. >> not only that. defenses expert turned on its head the state's theory of the sequence. >> it was shot i. the mother was shot second. philip was shot third. >> defense experts also said that the shooter or shooters would likely have had a back spatter spirit of blood. don was found on greater his clothes. lastly, the experts said that

there might have been one or more shooter. >> someone else could've been in location and shot her for that matter that location, is that possible? >> that's possible. >> in one final move before craig's defense attorney rested his case, chris returned to the stand. linda once again chose not to have her face shown. you could hear her read a letter of love and reconciliation, which the father wrote to craig. it was dated a few weeks before his death. some of the best evidence, so the defense, that the bond between father and son was a strong as ever. it was never a motive for murder. >> sun, i appreciate everything you do and have done. you're my man i love you. we are all going through a difficult time. don't be distant and let life pass you by. >> the letter brought craig to

tears. if anyone wondered if craig himself will speak, they soon had their answer. >> your name is craig? >> yes. >> with the jurors removed from the courtroom, craig was asked whether he was satisfied with his defense council. >> absolutely. 100 percent. >> craig chose not to testify. and doing so, craig passed up the chance to give jurors his side story, also the opportunity for the prosecutor to at some point to questions. >> would you like have cross-examined craig? >> [inaudible] >> now, it was up to the jury to use what they did here to decide craig heights faith. >> you have to sleep at night once you make this decision. >> coming up, deep divisions, difficult deliberation. >> i can't imagine him doing that out of just anchor. i don't think he hated his family. >> but richard, they did. what would it be? when dateline continues.

day seven of craig heights murder trial. close to 30 witnesses had taken the stand. it was almost time for the jurors to deliberate. first, the attorneys presented closing arguments. the prosecution -- >> they want you to think somebody did this harmful crime and made a statement? there was a statement made, all right. he was made by craig height, who murdered. that's who made the statement. >> and the defense. >> the bottom line is, they do not have any physical evidence that directly links this crime to craig height. >> craig height attorney reminded the jury just what was at stake. >> this is a court of law. this is not a time to take a leap of faith on another man's life.

>> and in the final dramatic courtroom moment, prosecutor reenacted with the state believed really happened in the white family home when the crimes occurred. starting with the moment they said craig heights sneaked in the dead of night and aimed shotgun at his sleeping brother. >> here he opened his eyes. boom! it's off to the races. he then turned around, stepped forward to his bed. his daddy is lying there, second shot. boom, but at the bed. mama is not there. drops the gun, and then he hears her voice. phil! he flings it up, third shot. >> a vivid image with one last question. the reason why he didn't like the gasoline he said he poured all over the house. prosecutor said after the shootings, craig thought his

mother was dead and was shocked to hear her on the phone with 9-1-1. >> getting ready to light it, here's his mom's voice, panics. >> eight women form and that would decide craig heights they had the case. >> it was very nerve-racking because you know this family has already been through this tragedy and the other person and their family was going to be, you know, possibly, put away for life. >> first, they elected a four person. >> a vote. >> a vote? >> see where brad. >> show of hands? >> show of hands. >> what did you come up with? >> 48. >> what was the divide? >> mostly not guilty. >> eight not guilty? >> it was a lot of ground to make up in one direction or the other. the biggest thing craig had going for him about the jury, the lack of physical evidence. >> would bring me back was a smoking gun. it's a dna, fingerprints,

murder weapon. >> where is it? >> exactly. i think that brought a lot of people back. this guy didn't do it. there's nothing that says he, yeah, he did it. >> in the absence of physical evidence, the jurors were left to ponder the less tangible aspects of the case. like, just who was this person sitting before them? >> what sense did you have a craig? >> he seem like a nice guy. >> could a match and him doing that out of just anger. i don't think he hated his family. i don't think he hated his brother. >> the jurors weren't sure that the affair along between robin and craig was enough to push him to murder. >> sleeping with your brothers wife doesn't necessarily make you a killer. >> not at all. we talked about that in deliberation. he's a cheat. sleeping with his, wife like he's a. >> i don't think he was the person who are in the relationship. that he had with robin. i felt like she pursued him. >> she was the aggressor? >> yeah. i think robin gave him something to hold on to. something that was real in his mind. >> and your deliberations, did you talk about robin? >> yes.

>> yes. >> but she wasn't charged with anything. >> no, we would get into a discussion. wait a minute. >> we are talking about it and like, she's not the one here on trial. let's go back to the focus of craig. he is the one that is here. >> the 12 jurors who had started as a deeply divided group, we're nearing consensus. jimmy, the four person, urge each of them to stand their ground until they felt sure. >> you got a problem, bring it up. you know, we have all night. we can come back to. you gotta sleep at night. let's make this decision. >> as night fell, the judge was given word that the jury had reached a verdict in the double murder trial of crick heights. >> count one, we the jury find the defendant, greg height, guilty. >> craig height, guilty on all counts. convicted of murdering his father and brother and shooting his mother with intent to kill. >> i cried the whole time it was being read. i knew it was going to take

another son away from linda. that was really hard. >> did everyone get a good night sleep after this? >> i don't think i slept good for another week and a half. >> looking back, the jurors said it was the sum of all of the things they heard and all the evidence they saw that got them to guilty. >> it wasn't any one specific piece of evidence. everything, all together, came to him. >> some among craig's friends and family, like craig's cousin, be mentally disagree with the jury's decision. >> if craig had came to me and said, mark, i didn't. i wouldn't believe it. i know he didn't do it. you know, that's exactly how much i believe the. >> mark believed the real killer was still on the loose. >> there's no closure. there's still the murder that is still out there. nobody feels any safer, any better, at this point. >> even the jurors feel there is a piece of the puzzle still missing. >> do you think it is the whole story? >> now. >> no. >> do you think there are more

people involved here? >> i think there are more people. >> behind the current. >> i think there more people who knew about it. >> as you know very well, there are a great number of people waiting for the other shoe to drop in this case. are they kidding themselves? >> i can tell you this, if there was anybody else involved with the murder of philip and carrie hyde, it is against linda hug. craig hyde holds the key. >> it has been years since the terrible events on springfield, egypt road. linda, the matriarch, made a remarkable recovery. inspiring so many with her grace and grit. >> linda is the strongest person. an incredible person. i didn't know she had it in her to be that strong. >> i think philip would've been very proud of linda. for happy with her. >> philip is gone now. carry, to.

craig is locked away. to life sentences, plus another 85 years. i think i'm county had never seen what happened to the highs and hopes to never to again. >> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is dateline. >> one of the investigators brought somebody over to me saying this is our crime advocate. i was stealing myself for it already, because of the massive police presence. >> they said that they believe that he had been murdered. >> craig rideout, that of seven, care deeply about his kids. >> he was a loving man.