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.

provider, warm. >> so, it was puzzling and alarming when he vanished. >> to say craig is not. here i said that's weird. >> i didn't know what was. happening >> i know something is wrong. i don't know how wrong. >> a disturbing discovery in the basement. >> articles found on the walls. >> he appeared there was some kind of ambush. >> revelations about craig's wife. >> craig didn't want to be. there was a romantic relationship between them. it became painfully obvious that there was. >> and in the park, two young men had -- >> they identified alexander right out. >> the victims to? since >> the victims to. sounds >> finally, a string of security videos would lay their the bone chilling truth.

>> a diabolical plan is forming here. >> i we. >> i was stunned, absolutely stunned. stunned. >> remember just holding him, crying. >> this is a family divided like no other. >> yeah. >> hello, and welcome to dateline. the rideout appear to be a tight-knit family. so when parents craig and laura, told their seven kids they were divorcing, it came as quite a surprise. then craig went missing and a police investigation revealed that more surprises. it was a mystery that led police to a horrific discovery, and a family secret as dark as they come. here's andrea canning with devils bathtub. >> this is devils bathtub. a deep, dark pond form by glaciers millennia ago. it's hidden and secluded.

but beyond the tangle and the weeds, a secret was about to be discovered. >> we were ready for this. >> the sirens in my head, red lights going off in my head. >> the discovery would tell the tale of an all american family torn apart. and a twisted loyalty hard to comprehend. >> it was like taking hitting a brick walled. unlike just stopped. >> this is the ultimate story betrayal? >> yes. >> pittsburgh, new york. a pretty suburb of rochester. big houses, big families, and top ranked schools that make the people who live here want to stick around. >> this community, i grew up in

a bubble. this is the community is a bubble. >> the rideout family lived in that happy bubble. chelsea dated the whole this right out boy, colin. >> i when member one of the first time i went over to his house in high school, he was cooking dinner. and i was like oh, man, cooking dinner. very cool. >> irresponsible? >> oh yeah. that was one of the reasons why i fell in love with him. i loved his family. >> and it was a big one. three girls, four boys. the rideout household was always bustling. family dinners, holidays. colin's parents, craig and laura, embraced the chaos. this is craig, s sister, robbyn drew. clearly they like being player in this. they were enjoying this? seven. kids >> dad craig worked as a computer programmer and spent time entering kids at his church. >> craig is an outwardly personable person. you meet craig rideout, your like. him >> paul tucci, better known as "pj", was craig rideout's best friend. his pj was there when craig fell in love with laura. >> laura is compassionate, she's also really intelligent. she double majored in physics and english. >> as for the rideout kids, they were smart like their parents. hardworking, articulate.

but while they thrived, family life took a toll on craig and laura's marriage. laura had been on bed rest for some of her pregnancies. and money was tight. >> it circles i back i believe to some financial hardships. >> it's understandable, seven children, bills. >> yeah. >> these are real life -- >> real life issues. >> craig and laura separated in 2014. craig took it really hard. >> he said i sent an email to me saying, well, it looks like i'm getting divorced. because i don't think i can talk about it without crying. >> pj says he was surprised to see the marriages. >> sometimes you have a gut feeling. a lot of pauses that came out of that relationship. there is also a let north of negatives. >> oldest son colin was a mirror at maritime college when his parents split. >> i asked him if he was going to be okay. and his response was, i'm going to be okay. i have you, but i'm more

concerned about, you know, making sure my siblings are okay. >> he decided to put family first and help out his mother. he moved back to rochester and put aside college and his goal of becoming a navy seal. >> he loved his dream to put his siblings first. >> what is going to be the custody arrangements? >> the older kids were free to make their own choice. custody got sticky with the two youngest kids. >> their divorce still wasn't final in the summer of 2016. and robbyn says there was tension over this shared custody of the six the youngest. kids though greg craig told her he was trying to be the best of a difficult situation. >> one of the phrases that he used most recently was that he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. but it was stressing him out. >> and on top of that,

something weird happened to craig that summer. someone broke into the town house where he had recently moved. he thought it was no big deal. maybe one of his sons playing a prank. but his sister was worried. she urged him to report it to police. >> my name is craig rideout >> what happened? >> i wake up at midnight with a sharp pain in my arm. i jumped up -- this ill sound crazy. a hood black figure -- not a black man. was running out of the room. the reason i have to file a police report, is my blackberry. which was taken that night. >> robbyn made a point to talk to her brother every day. july 19th, just a few days after the break in, was no exception. >> i said i will call you in the morning. check in on you in the kids. >> but morning came and craig wasn't returning robbyn calls. >> if he had been in a meeting and felt his phone go off he would've sent a response. in a meeting, call you later. >> concerned, robbyn decided to pay a visit to craig's a town house.

inside that house, the beginning of a dark family drama that could never be unwritten. >> i know something is wrong. i don't know how wrong. >> what was going on with craig rideout? a discovery in the basement was about to provide an ominous clue. coming up -- >> we found will appear to be blood splatter on the walls. >> what they found next would change everything. >> this is a big moment in this case. >> it is. >> when dateline continues. . fire damage... wind damage... i'm not getting this metaphor. protect the home! -ready? -no. [ glass shatters ] [ vacuum whirring ] are we just cleaning your car? when you can take the ball from my hand you will be ready. you were always ready. then why'd i do that whole training? that was mostly for me. confidence booster. with less moderate-to-severe eczema, why hide your skin

if you can help heal your skin from within? dupixent helps keep you one step ahead of eczema with clearer skin and less itch. hide my skin? not me. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. need a backup plan? get plan b one-step. plan b helps prevent pregnancy before it starts by temporarily delaying ovulation—and you can resume your regular birth control right away. i've got this. ♪♪ >> robbyn drew couldn't imagine

where her brother craig was. it was a warm summer morning. wednesday, july 20th, 2016. >> you can't reach him at work. you can't reach him at home. >> right. i'm getting no response. >> that break in was fresh in robbyn's mind when she decided to leave work at lunch and head to craig's town house. his soon to be ex wife laura was there. she couldn't find him either. >> she says, oh i figured it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for him. i don't know where he is. >> laura told robbyn a had been craig's night with the two youngest children. but that morning, laura said the kids texted her to say dad was there when they woke up. she sent colin over to get

them. >> colin was always picking up his siblings. he would drive them places. >> robbyn decided to look around her brother's house. she went upstairs to his bedroom. the door was locked. >> i thought, that's really odd. >> did you worry that he might be in the bedroom? >> i was worried that he might have been in the bedroom. >> had it happened to him? >> yes. >> exactly what she didn't know. she called 9-1-1. >> my brother has not been answering texts or cell phone calls, or emails -- and i could be making a mountain out of a molehill. >> deputies from the monroe county sheriff's office arrived at craze. but they stayed outside. >> robbyn would need a warrant to search the harris. after all, her brother was a grown man and this was his private property. dave fulton was one of those investigators. he spoke to robbyn briefly. >> she called a number of times and this made her nervous. not being able to get a hold of him. by email or text. >> laura had gone home but came back to the town house with the two young kids to see what was going on. did she express that she has any idea where craig might be?

>> she didn't. she said that she had no idea where he might be. >> laura told the deputies craig was home when the kids were dropped off the night before. >> obviously we are little bit concerned about him, i guess? >> i don't know where to -- >> what to think -- >> because his personality wouldn't be the one to -- >> then the investigator asked the kids some questions. first, the six-year-old daughter. >> we'll see there when you woke up? >> no. that's when he will come and dad wasn't there. >> the last time you saw your dad was when, honey? >> a, yesterday. he was playing video games on the computer. he went to the bathroom and then he went downstairs. and then that night he was downstairs and then he disappeared in the morning. >> the 12 year old son told the same story. >> when was the last time you saw him? >> 11:30 last night, when he was going to bed. >> and then what happened this morning? >> he wasn't there. so, i was just guessing he went to work. >> no one could find craig. laura texted pj the tucci >> she said craig's not here.

i said that's weird. >> colin called chelsea. >> were you concerned just for him? >> yeah, i was concerned. you know? nobody wants to hear somebody went missing in their family. i just assumed he had to step outside, or go on a quick trip. >> late that night, investigators finally had their search warrants. >> you go inside. >> you can we go inside. what do you find? >> and initial walk through, the house was very neat, very well put together. it is a appear to be any forced entry. >> the investigators unlocked the monster bedroom. it was undisturbed. no craig. they looked around, how nothing, then headed to the basement. what do you find?

>> there is boxes on the shelves. everything is stacked. everything is kind of in his home. on the other side, is kind of disheveled. >> it was messy, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary for a basement. until they notice something alarming. >> we more closely examined the area and found will appear to be blood splatter on the walls and the shelving. >> crime scene techs spare spray the basement with luminol and found even more blood. blood that someone tried to wipe away. then a discovery inside a garbage bag. >> we find what appears to be a rod with two handles, knotted so that you could hold on to both handles and use it as a ligature. >> a weapon used for strangulation. the evidence was telling them a story. one that wouldn't end well for craig rideout. >> we were pretty sure we had our murder scene. >> this is a big moment in this case. >> it is. >> coming up -- a bombshell about craig rideout's soon to be ex-wife. >> craig didn't want to believe that there was a romantic relationship between them. i think overtime it became painfully obvious that there was. >> and then, just off a country road, a passer by sees

something that will transform the case. >> in the woods, there is a body under a tarp. >> when dateline continues. e 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. we're carvana we created a brand new way for you to sell your car go to carvana answer a few questions and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds we'll come to you pay you on the spot then pick up your car that's it at carvana >> it was late afternoon, july

20th, 2016. craig's rideout, father of seven, had been missing since early that morning. investigators had discovered a horrid scene in craig's basement.

a scene that told them he wasn't coming home. >> we're starting to find more and more blood on them. >> craig's sister robbyn was waiting outside, watching the police action unfold in front of her brothers town house. >> and then one of the monroe county investigators brought some buddy over to me saying, this is our crime advocate. >> did your heart sink when -- >> it did and they told me that they believed that he had been murdered. >> murdered in his own home? investigators surmised a happened overnight, while his young children's left. who would do such a thing? craig's sister told investigator bolton about that break-in at craig's home a few days earlier. >> i wake up at midnight with a sharp pain in my arm. >> he says that he was upstairs sleeping in his bed when in the

middle of the night, he was awoken by somebody pulling up here from his arm. a male ran out of the bedroom and ultimately out of the house. >> craig told his sister he thought it was a prank. didn't know what to make of it. nor did robbyn. but she had some other information for the investigator. details about her brother's marriage. how long had craig rideout and laura rideout been separated for? >> about two years. >> and it hadn't been a good separation? >> it hadn't been. >> the reason, laura had a new man in her life and it was well, awkward would be an understatement. her boyfriend was craig's old buddy pj tucci. paul tucci goes from being craig rideout best friend to being craig rideout's estranged wife boyfriend. so that doesn't always work out so well for relationships? >> certainly not between the two of them. >> craig and laura had been close friends with pj and his wife jennifer for many years. >> all of the kids, the tucci and rideout kids really grew up together. they would go out together. they had parties together. >> but around the same time that laura and craig's marriage was falling apart, his pj's

wife died from liver disease. pj says he leaned on more for support and laura began confiding in pj. his best friend? >> his former best friend. yes. >> in a romantic relationship now? >> at first craig didn't want to believe that there was a romantic relationship going on between them. and i think overtime it became painfully obvious that there was. >> i didn't know i was going to fall in love with laura. but that happened over time. >> this craig know about this? >> yes, craig sent me an email. >> what did he say? >> he says, i don't know if you found yourself in a damsel in distress situation or you just were helping, or you have a romantic feelings towards laura. either way, i'm happy. >> that's a big of him? >> i thought it was an interesting thing. i don't know what he was trying to illicit. >> it was certainly interesting to the homicide attempt of. but before investigator bolton could run down that juicy lead,

he got some news. two counties over, a shovel had been left by the side of a road. 50 feet into the woods, a man's body was discovered. >> yates county 9-1-1. >> we discovered that in the woods, there is a body under a tarp. >> okay. is it near your home? >> it's down the road. >> could it be craig? the victims identity was an obvious right away. the killer or killers had to use some kind of acid to intentionally disfigure his face. that sounds like someone had a major grudge with this person? >> it certainly seemed like they were interested in him being found. >> but even though the victim was unrecognizable, deputies were able to i. d. him pretty quickly. the answer was found in his pocket. when the body was found, the victims phone was ringing. the person popping up on the color i. d., it was robbyn drew,

craig's sister. >> as i was trying to reach in, the cell phone was ringing in his pocket. >> and your calling and the phone is ringing in yates county and your brother is -- >> and my brother is dead. yeah. >> sounds like some really dumb criminals to leave the cell phone in the pocket when they have gone to these great lengths of pouring, possibly acid on this man. >> it see, s that they look overlooked a pretty obvious thing. >> they had a crime scene, a body, and a marriage with a soap opera ending. and the next bit of evidence would leave this story to an even darker place. a place called devils bathtub. 1 million things must be going through your mind. >> and i get stranger quick. >> coming up -- a chance citing and a call to police. >> they saw a couple of males in the parking lot with what they believed to be garbage bags. >> when dateline continues.

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i'm craig melvin. detectives were looking into whether craig had been murdered, then a tip called into 9-1-1 led them to craig's disfigured body, his cell phone. still in his pocket. with it police quickly started connecting dots, and they were about to get another tip, one that would lead to two unlikely suspects. here again is andrea canning with devils bathtub. >> the case of the missing dad was now a murder investigation, investigator day fulton has been up for -- working critical scenes, the basement where craig was likely killed and the woods where his body was found. and now the investigator was about to be called to another

location, that place called devils bathtub. it is secluded pond set deep in the 2500 acre park. what is going on here? why are you called to the scene? >> there are some walkers in the park that saw something that they saw was suspicious. they saw couple of males in the park, in a car, parked up in the parking lot and they saw what they believe to be garbage got backs being thrown out. >> why was a homicide detective getting a call about suspicious littering? when deputies it on the scene detained the two young man's they recognize their last name. it rideout, the same name as -- they >> identify colin, and alexander rideout. >> the victims two sons? >> the victims tucson. >> colin was in the park with his 19-year-old brother alex watches graduated from high school. investigator bolton pulled his iphone pressed record and he and another investigator began to ask the brothers some questions. younger brother alex was first. >> what's going on? we are you in your brother out here for a walk? >> yeah basically. we were just out and people show up and it's like -- i've never really encountered police before, so it was like -- >> you've never been in trouble before? >> no i don't really do drunks, or drink or really party.

>> how old are you? >> i'm 19. >> investigate bolton's radar was up, he knew that craig for that one of his sons might be behind the break out. and now your were his sons. the investigator decided to ask what they thought happened to their dad, but not asking -- >> heat always, i could just disappear. i figured he was on the next flight to mexico. >> colin said he didn't know where his dad was either. >> have you heard anything from your dad at all? >> well, i emailed him last night. i didn't hear from him. i heard from him monday. he picked up my brother and sister, i think, tuesday. >> the investigator wanted to keep collin talking and he did. so what is called an opening up to you about? >> colin starts to talk about the family dynamic and how he believes his father might be having some sort of mental issue or breakdown. >> i've been kind of worried about him. stuff just been freaking me out. >> then the investigator asked him directly, what was in the garbage backs they were trying to get rid of? >> i'm worried about what's in that? bud >> i don't know what's in

the bag. >> investigators didn't think colin was being honest. >> do you believe in god? >> i do, yes. >> we seek truth. >> yeah. >> i'm hoping that maybe we can be a little truthful today, okay? >> yeah. >> all that talk about truth worked. the boys admitted something big. they'd been at their dad's house the day before, and listen to this. >> and is there anything you need to tell me about? >> while there was, there was a lot of blood in the basement. you know i was worried that, you know, something that happened. >> and there was a lot of blood in the basement? >> yeah. >> they just placed themselves at the scene of the crime, and when the investigator opened up those garbage backs -- >> bloody clothing, there was a bloody sneaker, some work gloves that had blood on them. what would appear to be evidence of a murder. >> calling the would-be navy

seal who always put family first, and his book smart brother alex with plans to go to college were taken down to the sheriff's office and arrested. they weren't charged with murder but with tampering with evidence. something to hold the boys as the investigation was pursuing. how do you process that? >> to be honest, the shell shock would be the best word for it. >> colin, called chelsea from jail. >> hey, hi. >> colin. oh my god. >> i was arrested, my lawyer says that i'm not supposed to talk about anything. >> what was his state of mind? >> he was confused. >> he loves his family. it was like hitting a brick wall and life stopped. >> was there any part that said maybe i don't know colin as well as i think? >> he's just a guy that had everything ahead of him. he wouldn't have thrown it away for nothing. >> so did you wonder, how did he end up with the garbage bags,

with that evidence? >> i think if you just paused to think about it and question -- but we also know him, we know the man he is. >> investigator bolton did not know the rideout kids but he knew there how to be more to the story than two nice boys deciding to kill their dad. his investigation turned to their mom, laura right out, the woman who had been married to craig for more than 20 years and who had raised those sons. robin had been telling investigators about the divorce, and it wasn't pretty. >> there is a contentious separation and custody battle going on, where they're not really supposed to see each other even a drop off. >> at the same time, laura and her new significant other, craig's former best friend, the pj were preparing for a big change. >> their intention was to move as a family down to north carolina, and that move was supposed to happen within a couple of days. >> but craig had primary

custody of the two youngest and wouldn't let laura take them out of state. so then how is laura rideout moving to north carolina? >> that is a good question. >> robin was suspicious of laura from the moment she arrived at her brothers town house. remember, the day craig went missing, laura was there. and, she was inside, tightening up. >> when i get in and i opened the sun glass door, it's laura. standing in his kitchen. >> that is -- that would be odd? >> it was odd. >> in my head, i'm thinking what are you doing here. >> cleaning up a crime scene, that is what investigated bolton suspected. in fact the boys admitted that it was their mother who gave them the bags of bloody clothes. >> it was just like something my mom told me -- >> when did your mom tell you to do that? >> it was this morning. >> okay? >> did you give you the bag? >> yeah.

>> hours after arresting to two sons, investigator bolton headed to the home that laura shared with us pj. >> i was stunned. i was absolutely stunned. >> security video from days before craig right outs murder leads to a sickening revelation. coming up. >> diabolical plans forming here? >> it appears that way. >> when dateline continues.

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deputies to show up at the front door that evening.

was interest for a trip to the county jail, but that's where she was going. >> so i told her to get shoes, and laura loves to wear heels, and they said where a different kind of shoe. so she throws up on some nike shoes, and i watched them arrest her. and our kids are there. our kids are sitting there watching their mother get arrested. >> did you say anything? >> she said would for, the arresting officer said, you've had to have been expecting this. >> and she said no what? she said if i were expecting this, i would have makeup on. >> boyfriend p. j. said he thought there should've been some sort of misunderstanding, a terrible mistake. >> had laura said, i just wish crack was out of our lives? >> no, she wanted craig to have a relationship with the kids, she didn't have animosity

towards craig. >> but when deputies searched the home where laura lived, there were clues everywhere, inside the master bedroom a key file to unlock craig's car, in another bedroom, blue tape, identical to the tape used to make that garage make in greg's basement. bits of incriminating evidence. when craig was killed, where were you? >> we were at home. you were with laura at home? >> i was with laura. >> the investigator believed he was with laura, but not innocently at home. six weeks after craig's murder, p. j. tucci was under arrest to. >> i could tell you this, i've never been in the guise house. i know where it is, drop kids off, never been in there. >> were you part of the overall plan to cover it up? >> there is no plan. >> four people were under arrest and all four let out on bail. >> they were only charged with evidence tampering while investigators try to figure out exactly who did what, no one was talking anymore.

>> anything to say? >> all four lawyered up and presented a united front. investigators still didn't know if this was a crime of passion or a conspiracy. and if it had been planned, who was the ringleader? investigator bolton said the answer to some of those questions came after analyzing items found on or around craig 's body dumped in the woods. >> we found bungee cords and we also found a tarp, and from backtracking receipts we were able to find some video in a number of stores, particularly walmart. >> when investigators pulled security video from walmart, they saw what appeared to them to be a murder plot in the making. july 18th, two days before the murder, laura, colin and one of the younger kids go shopping to buy drink cleaner, drink cleaner which was used to

disfigure craig rideout's face. the next day just a few hours before the murder, laura and p. j. are at a different walmart buying a large tarp, bungee cord and more drink cleaner. >> the tarp and the bunches matched up to the ones found on cracks body. >> and the day of the murder, here's colin buying a shovel, a shovel identical to the one left on the side of the road for craig's body was found. a diabolical plans for? here >> it appears that way. >> over a number of days? >> yes. >> there was laura on tape looking completely relaxed, a wife, a mother and now investigators believed, a killer. craig sister saw a woman who had somehow turn two sons against their own father. >> honest to god i don't know how that happened. what was said that could've turned the kids against him? >> this is the ultimate story of betrayal? >> yes. >> what do you believe happened that night? >> my belief is that the two younger children are brought over to craig's house that

evening, laura or paul go up to craig's room, to maybe talk about this move to north carolina. i think lowers the one that gets him to come down to the basement. >> it was in the basement, where investigators believe members of craig's own family and even his one-time best friend were there to do the unthinkable. >> i think the intent was to murder him with no blood at all. i think the victims started to fight. i think one of the suspects hit him in the head during that struggle in order to get control over him. >> is there anything you'd like to say? >> when the charges came down, all four including colin, who had just proposed to his girlfriend chelsea, were charged with murder. >> that was a surprise, you have to have 1 million questions? >> million and one. >> and as the investigation unfolded, authorities had more questions to, including a big one about p. j. tucci. it had to do with his first wife jennifer who died from

liver disease. he thought it was a suspicious coincidence that her death coincided with his new relationship with laura. >> we spoke with the district attorney's office because we said that this needs to be investigated. >> you learned that it would be possible to poison someone and it could look like sources of deliver? >> from talking with different people, that is a potential. >> did you think about that, maybe paul tucci poison his wife? >> without a doubt. >> both the sheriff and the district attorney wanted to exhume her body. but the medical examiner was satisfied with the original autopsy. >> the medical examiner wrote on the death certificate what happened, stop bringing her into this, she had nothing to do with it. >> the questions about jennifer tucci's death went nowhere. the prosecutor didn't pursue it. then, as the summer of 2017 approached, the craig rideout case was set to go to trial, and that pretty town of pits

furred, brace to hear the story of the rideout family. >> yeah we lived in a bubble, that doesn't happen in the bubble. we weren't ready for this. >> and no one was ready for what would happen in court. the families united front was about to implode. >> coming up. for defense teams about to throw each other's clients under the bus. >> everyone started pointing fingers at each other. >> and then, the jury speaks. >> i hear those words and i just blacked out. >> i had to take the verdict sheet to make sure i had heard it right. >> when dateline continues. ♪ ♪ from out of the blue, every room can be more innovative. with some of that. and a whole lot of this. meet our exclusive dent and scratch resistant

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years early the rideout families seemed happy, but now laura her sons alex and collin and her boyfriend p. j. tucci were headed to trial accused of murdering laura's ex husband, craig. to this point the four of them stood of them together, but that united front was about to be tested. whatever the verdict, one thing

was certain, the rideout family would never be the same. with the conclusion of devils bathtub, here is andrea canning. >> they all had big plans. colin rideout was looking forward to getting married, his younger brother alex was planning to go to college. and laura and p. j. were preparing for a fresh start in north carolina. but instead, in the summer of 2017, they were all going to court to stand trial for second degree murder. and in a highly unusual ruling, the judge decided all four would be tried together, for trials in one. it's just bizarre that this family would be on trial together? >> i don't think i've ever seen anything like that. >> everyone had each the -- >> collins atourney. >> there was no motive. >> alex is attorney. >> lack of evidence. >> p. j. tucci's attorney. >> lack of evidence. >> and two attorneys for laura. >> it was a circumstantial case. >> they were all prepared to argue that the prosecution had no idea what really happened in that basement. does anyone know who the real killer is? >> the real killer knows, it could've been one of many people.

>> this is a classic whodunnit. >> district tierney and assistant da, tim prosperity, admitted they didn't know who deliver the final blow. but that didn't stop them from saying all four defendants were responsible for craig rideout's death. you can charge them all with second degree murder even if not one of them provided the final blow to craig rideout? >> exactly. >> an example is up but the bank robbery, the writer is just as guilty as the one who goes in the bank. >> they told them about the purchase of the tarp, a city train cleaner and a shovel. when the jury learned about the garbage bag full of bloody clothes, they said that the jeans had the most amount of blood, putting them in the basement at the time of the murder, but dna from all four defendants was found on items in the bags in devils bathtub.

you had dna on all four -- >> exactly. and the motive behind it all? the prosecution said it was simple and obvious. >> we believe the motive was to allow the mother to take the younger children out of the state and start off with a new life with her boyfriend, p. j. tucci. >> it's just so hard to understand why the sons would want to do this for their mother? >> perhaps there was some underlying agreement between the sons and the mother that we were not aware of. >> it was now time for all those defense attorneys to have their say. >> who killed craig rideout? who did it? >> the defense said the walmart videos didn't reveal a murder conspiracy, the tarp, the bungee cord, the drink cleaner, all were purchased in preparation for that big move to north carolina. and that's what p. j. told us. >> we had trucks coming, and we had the foosball table, we had to deal with, i'm gonna need something to strap that, the wood things, so i need

something big to cover the floor because i'm gonna do the ceiling painting. >> why did you need a drink cleaner for? >> we have girls that have long hair, and they clogged up the shower drains and sinks all over the place. laura even said this works really well. >> the family on trial together sitting around that defense table went on the attack, against one another. colin's attorney started pointing fingers. >> who's getting divorced? colin's not getting divorce. >> that united front that help the family together came crashing down. >> we pointed the finger at the person that was closest to us in terms of items of evidence. >> who's moving to north carolina? collins not. collins not moving their. laura rideout, paul tucci are moving to north carolina. >> laura's attorney fought back. >> you can't get around the incriminating evidence against colin rideout.

>> so you're pointing the finger on call and is anyone else pointing the finger at anyone else? so you're pointing the finger at colin, on behalf of laura -- >> it affects the family dynamics during the trial. >> we have mother and son, and then paul -- >> i never said that it was colin, i never said that it was anybody, i just said that no one connected evidence to the scene to my guy. >> and we had to? >> after a month of testimony the case went to the jury, chelsea remained his biggest supporter to the very end. do you think that the way you described him as being this protector of the family, do you think that is optimally what might have gotten him in trouble? >> he's a smart guy, i don't think he would ever put himself in a situation, he had a life ahead of him. he had no need. >> after five days of

deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. >> we set a prayer. >> hearts racing, game face on. >> tensions were high for everyone as the crowd filed back into the courtroom, the verdicts were read, one by one. >> alexander rideout >> beginning with the suns. first younger son alex. >> you've been found not guilty of second degree murder. >> alex was acquitted of the murder charge but guilty of tampering with evidence. >> colin right out. >> then the eldest son colin. >> the jury found you guilty of murder in the second degree's. >> i hear those words and i was just the -- i just blocked it out. >> deputies lead calling away in handcuffs. >> chelsea was inconsolable as she left the courtroom surrounded by family. >> it was the grown-ups turned to hear their verdicts. the victims from her best friend, pj tucci,. >> mr. tucci, you've been found not guilty of murder in the second degree and tempering with physical evidence.

>> p. j. two she was acquitted on all counts. >> actually had to check the verdict sheet to make sure that i had heard it right. >> laura rideout -- >> but what about the mother at the center of it all? laura rideout. >> the jury has convicted you of murder in the second degree. >> laura rideout, guilty of murder. >> not surprised at all. >> what's that emotion like? >> relief. and justification. >> laura and her son colin were both sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars, younger son alex was sentenced to a maximum of eight years. alex and collin are appealing their convictions. p. j. tucci walked out of court a free man. prosecutors had no physical evidence to prove that he was ever in craig's house. did paul to get away with murder? >> i believe he did. >> there will be people who will say, he definitely had

something to do with this. >> have the people out there are gonna think one thing and you can change peoples beliefs that way, and have the people are going to think the other way. i'm not here to change your mind. it is a sad story. a murder did occur. but i don't think that the whole stories out there. i don't think the jury necessarily got it right. >> p. j. tucci was free, but now alone. a widower who once planned to make and new life with laura, and now, she was behind bars for would could be her rest of her life. does she want you to find love again? >> she always wants me to find love. sure. the question is, she set a really high standard. >> but she's been convicted of murder? >> but i know in my heart that she didn't do it. >> craig sister, robin, is left trying to make sense of it all. the darkness that destroyed that big family, of family that once had so much ambition and promise. >> it's just heartbreaking.

nobody wins. nobody wins in this. >> this is a family divided like no other. >> yeah. >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching. tonight, grass ushered in the show, if on presidents legal team divided against the mar-a-lago investigation. trump's legal team wanted to be last bat of, something that has never been in his playbook. plus, devastation across florida as hurricane ian makes landfall in south carolina, rescuers still underway for those stranded, the damage assessment begins. then, after a week of some major news, we will recap the latest headlines and get some new perspectives, as the 11th hour gets underway on this