>> she was family! a giant hole was ripped out of our hearts the first thing that you wan is, well police will look at the bad guys right i was not prepared for what'

happened >> professor, artist, mom. murdered >> primal scream came out of me >> she literally broke down. started crying and hollering. >> the police were quick t question her acts. maybe two quick. >> they focus in right from th very beginning >> has been always does it right? but what if the husband di not. >> they don't find any dna fingerprints nothing of his in the house. >> did someone else do the rea killing? >> i'm wondering what was this man capable of >> so much tragedy so much heartbreak >> it was very emotional for me >> we just kept waiting fo them to figure out that they had it wrong ♪ ♪ ♪

>> it was the 2nd of july, 2008 early evening at a fine ol town called prescott, arizona. some going down, air cooling down you'll find the evening warm here at the town's histori rodeo ground, refugees fro phoenix 2 houras away settle in the stands. to enjoy the cowboys at the very same time, at th few hours away on the very edg of town. a woman named carol kennedy, jogged along the well worn pat of credit mountain sometime after seven, sh turned in that are big backyar called bridle path trotted past the stone labyrinth, she had laid ou here years earlier to mark the turn of the millennium arriving at the back door of the house, that she intended t inhabit for the rest of he natural days but of course carol kennedy ha no idea that this was going to

be her last day. but now, it would not be natural at all >> it's the biggest loss of my life to this day it's profound, it is piercing. it's constant. >> carol kennedy was in, let's say, a good place in her life. this is her friend, catherine. >> carol was the epitome o kindness and living a life from a perspective of having an ope heart and being loving >> before she became a close friend, she was catherine' student at prescott college. >> she was very much respected and admired. the collapse was always very full, very difficult to ge into >> why would she like? >> she was magnetic. and always searching for the truth. and, you are just gravitatin to her >> the charisma that pulled he students in. >> yes, she was soft and inviting

>> i'm carole kennedy, i liv in prescott arizona. >> we got our sense of her personality in this interview. in which she was asked about her passion for teaching >> it's a gift for feeling tha you get to give seeds to thi first row, here. and then they turn around an give it to rows behind them. >> and in fact she shared thos passions with a man who was he husband for 25 years love of her life, steve. >> they were crazy for eac other. >> sharon is steve sister. >> she was easy to love. she was a natural fit in the family she was immediately as siste to all of us >> all of us being the democke family high achievers all of them sharon is a doctor >> it's an accomplished bunch. my friend said there is not weak link in this group. >> they got married in his parents backyard overlooking

lake ontario near rochester ne york an outdoor wedding for a coupl who loved -- >> steve was the one who started the adventuring. first there was hiking, skiing mountain climbing, kayaking. >> they moved around a bit a people do. and wound up, eventually, in prescott which proved to be the perfect place to raise their two right attractive daughters katie and charlotte. >> they're amazing and i think that is really a testimony to the kind of parents they were. but the girls where their firs priority >> steve became the dean o prescott college carol's taught psycholog there. but, life is a river never the same for long. steve decided to chang careers. left the academic life, became a financial adviser, ver successful to. and there were other changes more difficult ones. >> nobody knows all of wha goes on inside a marriage, but

i had to talk to both of the about it and their lives were moved i different directions >> as much as they still cared for each other, there wa infidelities steve had an affair. they decided to separate >> carol loved steve fiercely. she fought hard for he marriage until the end >> but in 2008, after more tha 25 years of marriage, five living apart steve and carol divorced it was a long, painful process and after it was final, caro went to a nearby lake where sh called catherine >> she was sobbing and at first when she called m it was like. oh no, and then i realize that the sobbing and then whaling o the phone was a mixture of things >> cathartic >> absolutely. >> time for a fresh start. carol had left seat teaching a

that time and was on a new passion. painting >> heart was flourishing she went really well with that and taking up for that >> she remained close to her daughters, fauci also stayed close to steve and, in fact just a few days before tha july morning the whole famil went to the airport together t see katie off on a study abroa trip to south africa charlotte was staying with her dad in press that. nothing ahead now but the long easy days of summer. as she jog the last few guards to her house carol passed by the gues cottage she had rented out as way to pay her expenses. >> it's 50 feet away from th main house it has all of its own kitchen, bath, shower, rooms. >> it was comforting in a wa to have someone with her on th property, on the edge of things the man's name was jim mack. divorced father, a bit of an odd duck but easy to get along with

at least that is what carrol told her friends the man did not cause an trouble. >> he was this free spirited surfer dude from hawaii who, hang ten >> but she took him in as border >> it was my understanding tha he was, had been diagnosed wit cancer i think they supported eac other through a lot of the painful times that they were both experiencing. >> once inside their house carol put together a salad for dinner, and answered a few emails, and settled in for a evening alone. she picked up the phone an called her mother ruth who lives in nashville tennessee >> she was an amazing daughter who still called her mothe every day. >> ruth was 83 and the call wa a nightly ritual and then at 8 pm, the line wen dead but not before ruth hear

something rather terrifying. ruth tried to call back, nothing. and there she was so far away. now worried! so she decided to call the sheriff's department whose headquarters is here, in downtown prescott. >> sheriff's office, how can i help you >> yes, my name is rut kennedy. and i am calling from nashville, tennessee. i was on the phone with my daughter and she screamed an said oh no and the phone has gone dead. is there anything that you can do can you go check >> oh no those words played back in rut worried brain. and so began a mystery and the story, to unbelievable even for some of its mos intimate participants. what happened to carole kennedy? >> coming up that question would take years to answer. not just what happened the carroll, but who was behind it >> she didn't have any enemies >> none!

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and become a st. jude partner in hope. >> carol kennedy, and he mother ruth, were having their nightly phone call suddenly, the phone line wen dead ruth tried back, and couldn' reach carroll. then, she called the sheriff's department >> she's out there, and sh screamed and said, oh no and then the phone rules dropped, and i'm just at m wits and >> did you call her, or did sh call you when this occurred? >> she called me tonight and when she calls me ever night. i'm 83, and she worries abou me so, we were just having ou conversation, then, all of a sudden, she described and said oh no. now, i haven't been able to ge her to answer the phone.

so, you know, i'm afraid something bad happened >> okay ruth who does your daughter liv with >> she's recently divorced she's alone. >> what's your daughter's name >> carol kennedy >> did you notice what she sai recently recently divorced? certainly, the operator hear it >> do you believe that there's any reason that should b concerned if her husband ex-husband, came back. >> oh, i don't think so. >> okay. >> no, i don't think it's that kind of thing. >> okay. >> family and friends all knew that even after their divorce, steve and carroll still care deeply for each other, and their two daughters. that connection between the tw of them interests me >> they took time to nurture their relationship, and to spend time together, and to do things that they enjoy doing and bringing up katie an charlotte. >> this was hardly the time fo reminiscing. carol wasn't answering her phone, and ruth was frantic. >> all right, we will send somebody out to check on her and we will have them give you a call >> you can imagine what that

was like for ruth. so far away, waiting for a phone call she knew carole had a border that offbeat guy, jim nap. but ruth didn't know how t reach him. steve would know i want to do, so she called him on his cel phone. when he didn't pick up, sh left him this message. >> hey, richard, hi, it' kennedy and nashville. i was on the phone with carole and she screamed and said, o no i can't get her to answer me back i'm wondering if you can see what you can find out, and let me know something. >> by that time, it was dark steve, and carroll's daughter, charlotte, her than boyfriend, jacob, we're, at that moment at steve's house waiting for him to come home jacob was living there while h tried to sort out a few issues with his parents >> what was your relation like with him, and what was charlotte's relationship like? >> charlotte was very clos

with steve he had offered me to stay with him before trying to figure something out just to make my situation with my parents better. so, i had a lot of respect for him. i definitely looked up to him. >> that evening, steve, an avi outdoorsman, was overdue from mountain bike ride it was getting late. really night, actually >> it was very, very on. he would usually have dinner pretty light there it was normal to have dinner a 9:00, 9:30 when he hadn't come home aroun that time was when we got to get a little worried maybe he had crashed, or gotte hurt, or something >> what did you do >> charlotte called his cell phone, and no answer >> no answer >> did it go straight to voice mail >> yes >> anyways, hungry for dinner, they went to the store for groceries. >> while we were at the store, it was probably around ten, or

10:15, is when we got a call from steve he told us, you know, he got a flat tire, and he was at the workout center and was going t finish up his work out there >> and what, his phone had bee off or something what happened to his phone >> he said his phone has died. >> while he was out ther having a flat tire >> right >> steve is in the shower when charlotte and jake arrive back at the condo they made a in or vegetable stir fry. it was late, but then again, i was a mild summer night. not a care in the world, i seemed no idea what was happening a the house on bridle path but -- >> coming up - >> i'm getting worried about you. >> panic begins. a daughter rushes to the scene what would she find? >> she immediately broke down. started crying pretty hard >> when dateline continues ong enamel- nothing beats it.

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stephen and his daughter charlotte, and her boyfriend jay, we're eating a very lat dinner >> he had taken a few more bites of his dinner. by that point, charlotte and i were pretty close to being finished >> that's when steve told them about a strange phone call tha she received from her brother. that said apparently her hom phone cut out while she wa talking to her mother ruth >> how did charlotte react t

that >> she was worried >> charlotte said she texted her mother earlier that weekend, and everything had been fine but now, she called her. >> voice mail. >> hey mom, it sure. i heard from grandmother tha something happened and she i kind of worried about you. so i'm just calling to see i everything is okay and i'm kind of getting worrie about you. so if you want to text me back or call me just let me know and let m know that you're okay. and everything is okay >> in the beginning, panic bobbled up in her brain. she and her boyfriend called around to local hospitals. but no one named carole kenned had been admitted anywhere >> so this is nighttime, any thought of going over there? >> yeah we talked about it >> steve was concerned about carroll, of course but as the national ex husband he had another concern to. >> steve express that he was not comfortable with it, because they had at finalize

their divorce. and she did not want to invade her privacy if she was on date, or something so we decided that charlotte and i would go out there and check on her see if anything was out of the ordinary >> it was around midnight when they drove to carole's place o bridle path. having promised to call stev the moment they got their. >> do you remember what it was like driving their >> it was very quiet i don't really think that we spoke very much at all on th way there. >> because >> just nerves >> little anxious? >> right >> do you remember pulling u to the house >> yes very vividly >> at that moment charlotte wa on the phone with her dad. >> seeing it at the top of the hill, you could see police, th sheriffs lights. all the cars the worst spots are goin through my mind at that point.

>> almost the kind of thing to hit you here, before here. >> yeah, you feel it in your stomach first for sure then we got closer to the house, so the caution tape. and all the people running around we pulled up and stabbed at th side of the road two sheriffs walked up on othe side of the car. we rolled the windows down >> did this person know who yo are? >> i think he had asked, the guy who is passing and sayin no this is my mom's house. he said i'm sorry to tell yo but, carol passed away at that point, she jus immediately broke down started crying, pretty hard. >> charlotte dropped the phone failed to pieces where you frightened >> scared. a little bit really more for charlotte. even now, i do not think i could figure out how to consol someone in that situation. >> maybe steve would know what

to do. >> i picked up the cell phon and told steve what ha happened he needed to come down and dea with charlotte >> and ski if >> he was taken aback it was almost kind of disbelie that he did not know what to say, really. heard him choking back som tears a little bit it is hard >> right away, steve rushed to carl's house a detective had a recorder rolling. you can hear charlotte sobbing and steve talking. >> the last time i was out her was -- i don't know i'm sorry. i don't know it's been a while >> someone else talk to th detectives, too. the man who showed up just minutes after the deputies got there. jim knack, carols border who had been living in the guesthouse

>> i can't remember anything >> and jim had a lot to sa about carole, and he didn' stop there coming up! >> it was, certainly, gruesome scene blood drops, shoe prints, they tell a story so what does this tell you about how she died >> she certainly died of violent death. >> and the man at the gues cottage has a story to >> i warn you guys, it's jus my intuitive take. >> when dateline continues allergies don't have to be scary. (screaming) defeat allergy headaches fast with new flonase headache and allergy relief! two pills relieve allergy headache pain? and the congestion that causes it! flonase headache and allergy relief. psst! psst! all good! watch how easy it is to put on new hands free skechers slip-ins. i just step in and go. sitting? doesn't matter. i don't even have to touch them. ooo, gangsta. in a hurry? there's not a faster, easier way to put on shoes. they know a 10 when they see it.

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teams are surveying the damage after major storm system rippe through the midwest and sout leading to the deaths of a least 25 people, the nationa weather service in arkansa said that the tornadoes caused high and ef3 damage with winds up to 165 miles per hour and in illinois, severe weathe there collapse the roof of the

historic apollo theater during a heavy metal concert. a 50 year old man was killed and dozens more injured, fiv people sustained serious injuries, for now back t dateline >> just before 9 pm, july 2nd. around the time caroline worried family members wer recording foreign messages t each other a county sheriff's deputy wa dispatched a carole's house on bridle path. found the home dark, eeril quiet. he shown a flashlight through window saw bookcase, toppled over, an blood everywhere that's one investigator, mike, was pulled into the stranges case in his career the kind of thing he had moved to prescott to avoid >> it's a quaint, little community, nestled in the pines, and not a whole lot of crime especially from when i was use to >> he put in 27 years in the

phoenix police this job, with the count attorney's office, was suppose to be an escape from big cit crime. here he was, and the middle of july 9th, looking at one ver brutal homicide. >> what did it look like >> certainly, it was a gruesom scene. not only a large amount of blood, on carole's body, but also, on the furniture that wa nearby blood spatter, that had been cast off, on to the walls, and other items as well. >> so, that tells you somethin about how she died >> she certainly died of violent death. >> something else. as he surveyed the room, he ca plainly see, whoever did thi is trying to fool them how did he know? when he looked past the obviou core, he couldn't help but notice things had been moved around after carole was dead

>> there was a ladder that was placed over top of her body. that, along with some of the blood that had splattered on t a bookshelf, and then, the shelf was knocked over obviously, several minutes after the blood hit it >> unlikely it was jus tottering, and eventuall collapsed? >> that could not have happened >> that's a pretty significant little until there >> absolutely. >> staging clear as day, said the detective. there were even some drops o blood just outside of the door the blood trail led detectives to another discovery shoe prints, outside the house >> there was a lot of tracks out there. >> the house was next door t ranch land, where lots o people went running, and ridin their. carol, to. >> horses, animals, people use that area. there were a lot of checks these tracks were unique they were fresh.

>> they found carols footprint from her job that very evening but, there were others >> her track, as it went out the suspects tracked, then stepped right on one of hers so, she went out, and then the suspect came into her house. >> you even had a sequence o tracks >> yes >> about 50 feet from the main house, you remember, was a guest cottage which carroll ha rented out to that tenant, jim >> jim was one of the firs ones to arrive at the scen after the deputies had arrived >> of course, the detectives asked him, where was he that night? and, he was ready with a story >> he had been babysitting one of his boys and his ex-wife' house when this incident actually, occurred >> you have to pin him down on that, and make sure he had proof of, it right >> that's correct. >> another detective, turnin on his recorder, as he rambled

on about his relationship with carole >> she and i, are, sort of committed to one another to be co-coaches to coach each other throug both our divorces. >> but, he didn't stop there oh no, he seemed very eager to tell them about carole's e husband, steve >> i'll warn you guys, it' just my intuitive take the guy comes off to me as a very sneaky, manipulative man. >> so, by the time steve arrived, detectives were already suspicious they asked him to come to th sheriff's department, where he told them the same thing he ha told his daughter. he was riding his mountain bik when he got a flat tire. >> i don't really mountain bik very often i'm starting to so, you know, do some on and off mostly on the trail running. i don't have a routine >> he drew a map of the trai

he followed. >> the trail goes up, an peters out, and there is the trial. >> at one point, the child got within a mile of carole' house. >> the detectives ears perke up, but steve insisted he neve went to carole's house >> i'm happy to give you blood and saliva i'm happy to give you anything you need >> so, there's nothing we will find that will tell you there? >> no, i wasn't there. i wouldn't do that >> steve told the detective he was tired, dehydrated. >> we can fix that if you need more water, i'll b back to get water. if you need food, giving food, i'll get you something you tell me what you want. i am just asking if you'd be a little bit patient with us and help us through this matter. >> yeah, of course, i want t do that. i'm happy to give you dna. i wasn't there so, i assume that will be good for me >> that is true. if it is like you say, the once we do our lab work -- >> i'm just, i'm cold, and i'm tired. >> steve asked, what were they thinking about him was he a suspect >> i don't know what's looking

suspiciously looks like. i don't, i didn't mean to ask, just about tired >> no, and, like, here is th whole thing with it. there are certain things i what's going on. like i said, we've got a suspicious death, and, right now, we don't have any other person >> and you're suspecting me? >> well, we have no othe person right now >> so, it was a long night i that little room the detective gave steve a blanket, and asked again about the trial, the proximity o where the trail is >> where the trail, is where you are writing. >> i wished i had chosen a different era. >> i wish you would have chose a different trail also because, and here's the thing, right now -- >> of course, if i had done it i probably wouldn't have chose to right near that the scene of what sounds like, maybe, a crime >> maybe so. but wherever he was, he picked up something that a detectiv simply couldn't ignore

>> very fresh, multipl scratches -- >> on his, arms and legs steve said he got those riding a rough mountain trail hones bike detectives photographed him, before letting him go home >> meanwhile, overnight, other detective searched steve's office, and his home, and hi garage >> they took pictures, lots of pictures after the autopsy next afternoon, the medical examine reported that carole died from blows to the head, administe by some blunt object seven times, in particular, had her. but with what? the medical examiner offered a opinion, that it looks like it might have been a golf club. and one more thing, caro herself might already be telling them who killed her. >> coming up - >> it's a homes like an ah moment, right? >> it's a moment where you say

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as catherine morris can tell you, no good way to find out your clothes find has been murdered especially when your friend is as incandescent as carol kennedy. >> it haunts my life to this day. it's profound, it is piercing. it is constant >> she didn't have any enemies >> none! none >> catherine, who by this time lived in atlanta, flew acros the country to prescott. >> i needed to see it. i needed to be in her home where she last was >> she joined other members of carols family at bridle path in the very room where carroll died blood still splattered on th furniture. the mess of what happened, everywhere in that room. >> maybe it's just, you can' imagine. painful. >> did it help >> it helped greatly. to put it into perspective o the absolute horrendou brutality. animalistic violence >> evidence of that was stil in the room?

>> oh yes! oh yes >> steve was there too, said catherine. and she remembers him saying something that, to her, did no make much sense. >> he put his arm around me an said, you just want to think i was an accident? don't you? >> and i turned him and said this is not an accident. >> but so soon after the murder, steve was the only real suspec in the investigation then, in the following weeks a friends and family mourned detectives peeled back the layers of steve and carols relationship and soon found evidence that the recent divorce was, well n divorces pleasant, but - >> we have emails, and w learned that carroll was ver unhappy with the outcome of th divorce. they argued heavily back and forth. up until the day of the murder >> steve made good money as

financial adviser, and agree to pay 6000 a month in spousal support. >> when you say somebody makes over $500, 000, you woul assume that a 6000 dolla payment a month is not a big deal but he was spending way more than he was making, he had t borrow money from his parent almost monthly >> when he is making half million dollars per year >> -- and the $6, 000, he wa going to be able to sustain hi lifestyle. >> mind you, those numbers wer for 2008 a year, like a lot of people people he hemorrhage money i the financial crisis still, that did not sound like motive it may have explained why th murder occurred, the way it di at the starting of july. >> and that payment starte june 1st the second payment was due jul 1st. she was murdered july 2nd, and that payment was never made. >> i wasn't there, i wouldn'

do that! >> again and again he denied killing his ex-wife, said he was out mountain biking when she died but look at this along with two prints near carole's house after the murder, police also found tire tracks. bike tires >> we were able to see that th bike had been stashed, and the the individual walked right to the back of her house. >> they did not take direc impressions of those shoe an tire tracks, as they frequentl do, but they did take pictures of the tracks. looked a lot like steve's tires, they felt. and while no matching shoes, they discovered that steve might have a pair that might match. and then, there was the curiou business of the murder weapon. or possible murder weapon. remember the coroner's repor suggesting she may have been hit with a golf club

when investigators heard that. and something clicked in their memories from when they firs search through steve's house >> there were golf clubs in hi garage >> so let's go back and sees them, right? >> yes seize them and examine them. to determine if these golf clubs were used as the murde weapon >> so it sounds like, like a "ah-ha" moment right? >> it's one of those moments that you go, oh my goodness! we may have overlooked something. >> so they return to steve condo. sees the golf clubs from the garage and tested them, but could n find any evidence that any o them was the murder weapon but there was something else in the first search of the condo, a detective remembere seeing a golf club cover, or a golf sock on a shelf and when they looked at th photos, there was. but when they searched the garage a second time, it was gone >> and the shelf itself had, apparently been rearranged

>> was it possible that no missing golf sock belonged to different golf club? when that was no longer around when used to kill carole kennedy? did steve knowing that he was suspect get rid of that becaus it was incriminating evidence? seems like every investigative trail that they followed lea right back to the person the had suggested all along. carol's friend catherine kne who that was >> i didn't believe steve di it, but i couldn't think o anybody else that coul possibly do any harm t carroll. >> and so, three months afte carole was killed, the arrested steve on the charge o first degree murder! steve sister, sharon - i'm trying to imagine what i was like for the family. this amazing, accomplished interesting, intelligent family

when, the -- was - a woman who you all loved! >> it was a total shock. they do not understand if they knew him, they would see how wrong and impossible this was >> even worse, prosecutors filed for the death penalty. any chance for bail for steve, given the charge, was remote still, the whole famil gathered in court for th hearing. which, coincidence, had been scheduled for christmas eve, 2008 and then, it was delayed >> it was this crushing blow to see the wheels turn painfully slowly in this process. so we left and we are standing out in the corridor. then they were just starting t bring steve out. and we were like, let's just sing a christmas carol

so, we, started singing we wis you a merry christmas! and, we could see that there were some tears in steve's face >> steve's family wept too they believe he was innocent that someone else must hav killed carroll and their belief only grew stronger after - >> 9-1-1 what is your emergency? >> a 9-1-1 call, this time, to the prescott police department >> the door is open. it looks like there is a gunshot hole in the window and there is a shell casin inside and the bedroom door is closed >> coming up husband always does it right >> they focus only on on person right from th beginning. >> a thumbprint, a smear o blood, and here's th bombshell. neither one belonged to steve. >> there were a lot of red flags that were concerning >> when dateline continues that could cause deadly heartworm disease for your dog. but not if you protect him every month with heartgard plus, the #1 choice of dogs. digestive and neurological side effects have been reported. ask your vet for heartgard plus.

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charged with first degre murder, for his ex-wife' violent death. he pleaded not guilty. private investigator, rich robertson, joined steve' defense team right away, saw what h believed, was an elemental mistake by detectives. >> they had put together their story, their version of events almost immediately >> husband always does it, right? >> in reality, they focused in on one person, and they had story, and that is what they moved on they zeroed in on stev democker, right from the beginning. >> roberts and said, detective should've taken a much close look at another man and carrol 's life. jim. the man who lived in the guesthouse, showing up at th crime scene within minutes o the officers, and, who was the first person to point th finger at steve. >> the fact that law enforcement viewed him in different way that they viewed steve democker that they saw jim as a friendl witness, and they say stev

democker as a suspect, frame the way they investigate so, anything having to do with jim becomes excusable. explained. it's just not something yo have to worry about, because he's not our guy >> and yet, look for example o these crime scene photos i carol's kitchen counter. the magazine, sitting on it. slip inside, between the pages were financial documents printed the very day carol was murdered >> that became important because his thumb print is o those financial documents. >> what was jim doing with those documents? and, something else. perhaps, very significant. >> there was blood on th doorknob of a door, that lea from the main house, into th backyard garage. >> the blood, becoming evidenc item number 805, collected day after carrol's death and, whose dna was mixed wit

carol's blood? jim's. >> just like the thumbprint, the question becomes, when did jim's dna get put on that door handle >> robertson, clearly, had his suspicions and, steve sister, sharon, did too. you felt, all along, that ji should have been the suspect and wasn't >> he should have been investigated there were a lot of red flags. it was very concerning >> they told him that he was a his ex-wife's place, miles away, babysitting his son. >> didn't they find out th alibi was, in fact, pretty solid? >> no. actually, it was not what the son said was that yeah, they had gotten a video, and the son was watching it. he didn't know where dad went. >> he wasn't sitting beside hi in the room? >> no, dad was not watchin with him so, he doesn't know where da was. the son got bored watching thi movie, and i believe he went and got on his computer.

so, there's a period of time that we don't really know. he might have been in the house, but nobody saw him >> so, maybe jim's solid alibi wasn't remember how he told everyon he had cancer? sharon, a doctor, discovered something about that >> i've seen the medical records. >> and >> he had a superficial type o skin cancer at one point, an it had been removed. so, no, he didn't. >> steve's family even recorde this video, after the murder in which jim said things about carole they found deeply disturbing >> because, carol and i lived life like an old married couple >> he was actually rathe obsessed with carol. i have emails that he's writte about how wet he and carol

share is more than anyone coul picture. that no one will understand th bond that they have, and how close they are to each other he referred to her, to som people, as his girlfriend, but she never had any romantic interest in him. >> and he had tremendous romantic interest in her >> very much so. >> thus, in your mind, a reaso to be angry one night? >> certainly >> was it possible carro rebuffed him, and he got angry the detectives didn't ask thos questions, said steve's family and soon, it was too late. six months after carrol' murder, a 9-1-1 call from condo, where jim went to liv after carole was killed. >> we came for a welfare check of a friend of mine. the door is open, it looks lik a gunshot hole in the window and there is a shell casin inside the bedroom doors closed >> who are you doing a welfare check on >> jim knapp >> jim knapp was dead. gunshot wound. the medical examiner ruled it suicide. >> i was stunned

then it was one of those moments where it just sort o took my breath away. and then, when i found out tha there was no note. and, as i learned about th details of what the scen looked like, it's still baffling death >> baffling, because, it simpl did not look like a suicide. there was multiple gunshot fired in that room >> there was furniture i disarray, there were drawers pulled out >> staging, in other words just as the investigator believe someone stage the scen of carol's murder. was jim knapp carrol's killer, or another victim of an unknow killer or, maybe, both?

couldn't have been steve, he was in jail. and then, the question multiplied in june 2009, almost a yea after carol's death, steve's attorney received an email the center, anonymous, the email read, i can tell you really what happened the night kennedy was killed the email said jim knapp was running his mouth to kennedy about a prescription drug deal he was in. it is said the murder was mean to look like home invasion robbery gone bad this wasn't one craze man with a golf club. when steve's attorneys told hi about the email, steve replied with a startling story he had heard the same thin just a month earlier in jail coming up. would this be the evidence tha steve had been waiting for >> well, i almost hate to as you this, but can you explai why you're emotional here today? >> because i spent a year no knowing what happened to carol and being accused of it. >> when dateline continues disease for years

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carol kennedy's deaf her e husband steve had been arreste charged with murder. but now, an anonymous emai sent to steve's attorney sai the killing was a result of drug deal gone wrong wit carole's neighbor jim knapp. steve said he was told a similar story. >> steve said that somebody wa communicating to him through the ventilation system, in the jail told him a story about how a drug ring out of phoenix had been trying to collect money o seek some retribution agains jim knapp for involvement in a prescription drug ring >> the attorneys arranged for meeting, an opportunity fo steve to tell law enforcemen what he heard so they coul investigated they showed him the mysterious

email. listen to his reaction >> i'm sorry >> well i almost hate to ask you this, but can you explai why you're emotional here today? >> because i spent a year no knowing what happened to carol and being accused of it, that's what's happening righ now. >> there was more than the email to go on, remember the dna the medical examiner found under carol's fingernail turned out it wasn't steve's or jim knapp's police call the dna, evidenc item 603 but to robertson it meant much more >> evidence item 603 became mr 603 it was a male's dna that was found mixed in with carol'

blood under the fingernail o her left hand. this wasn't a small amount o dna, reasonable person would think this probably could have gotten there during an attack. >> jim knapp, the anonymou email, mr. 603, steve's family and attorneys though investigators should focus mor on all of those things instead, seem to them, prosecutors had already made u their minds and steve would go on trial summer 2010. two years after carol kennedy' murder, american flags wer once again draped up around th prescott town square i anticipation of the annual rodeo. on june 3rd, inside the square historic courthouse, count attorney opened his case against steve democker,b taking off the reasons why, in his view, steve deserve to spend the rest of his natura life behind bars by this time, pretrial legal rulings had taken the deat

penalty off the table. even though the attorney tol the jury the case was no les condemning >> i will ask you to find th defendant guilty on the firs degree premeditated murder >> first, he said, steve had motives and not just that 6000 a month in alamo knee. no, carol said the prosecuto was worth a lot of money then - >> the evidence will show that at the time of her death, that steve democker was the owner and beneficiary of two lif insurance policies the total value of those life insuranc fuzz was $750,000. >> steven carroll's daughter were in court sitting behind and supporting their father. defense investigator ric roberts. >> to have your father accused of killing your mother, and fo them to not believe it, yo can't imagine what that must have done to how they view

things it just has to be a horrible experience >> in his opening statement, defense attorney john sears wa quick to address that life insurance money. >> you will hear from them tha their father told them from th beginning, this is your mone from your mother, it isn't mine he signed over any interest to the girls and the money was fo the girl that's what happens. >> the prosecutor called his first witness katie democker steve and carroll's firs daughter >> did she have something sh did after she came from work >> she did, she like to go for a run, four days a week out in the back land. >> and to your recollection di she leave the door unlocke when she would do that >> yes >> an unlocked door, opportunity for her killer t enter and wait on the stand carroll's mothe rose kennedy had to relive tha very last phone call with he daughter >> how exactly did it and so abruptly she told the sheriff's

department operator that carol had screamed, oh, no >> and you just said that oh no with a certain way, a certain emphasis, was that the way she said it to you recollection >> she said oh, no basically, that's the way it came out >> did she scream that >> it really was not a scream. i'm sure it was because i wa so rattled myself, she jus said, oh, no that's all she said. basically, in that tone of voice like it was more dismay. >> this was very difficult for ruth, as you can imagine >> she was everything a mother would want in a daughter, sh was a good mother. >> charlotte the younger democker daughter was living with steve that summer, wasn't steve's house the night of the murder when he was unreachable for five hours and said hi cell phone was dead.

>> your father, did he normall have spare batteries with him? >> sometimes in his car. >> that he carried him in th car and in his briefcase >> it's possible, i don't know >> normally he was reachable b way of his cell phone, right >> yes >> and when he finally got hom that night, she saw thos scratches. suspicious, according to the prosecution. >> did you ask him about thi crashes? >> i did >> what did he tell you? >> he explained that they were from branches from riding hi bike >> and then the prosecutor asked charlotte, by then forme boyfriend, jacob, about th weird business of the golf clu cover. the golf sock that appeared in a photo in steve's garage th night of the murder but wa gone when detectives returne with another search warrant. the implication of course wa that the cover fit the clu never found that killed carole jacob said after the detective left, he talked to steve >> what was our conversation >> the golf head saw cover was

found after they had left. >> he said he had found it >> yes >> did he say what he was goin to do with it? >> he didn't know whether or not to turn it into the police or give it to his lawyer >> implying, said th prosecution, that steve knew the golf song could incriminat him and didn't know what to do with it. but just as the case seemed to be booming momentum, two weeks into the trial, judge thomas lindbergh left the bench a lunch break and suddenly collapsed. it was a brain tumor and everybody waited for fiv weeks until a brand-new judg was appointed so they coul pick up with testimony right where they left off. and that's when the jurors finally got to hear what becam of the missing golf cover. >> go ahead and open the evidence bag >> detective showed it to th jurors and the judge explained a stipulation made by th attorney >> on july 5th - >> turns out days after carol'

murder he gave the golf sock t his attorney sears who kept it in his locked office until steve soares that's when h turned it over to la enforcement. so, was the curious case of th migrating golf sock and attemp to cover-up a murder or a bi of confusion and investigative dead end prosecutors warned dame, min you, they next tried to ti steve through the crime scene, they didn't find any of thes dna or fingerprints at carol's house but they did see those tire tracks. a criminalist compared the with the tires on steve's bike >> the tread on this tire is similar to the tread of this tire track >> did you find any discernibl differences between them >> no, i did not >> and the shoe prints, they brought in an expert from th fbi. >> did you find any issues tha seem to be comparable to the impressions that you observe in these photos from the crime scene?

>> yes, i found one shoe tha could have made thos impressions. >> - records show that steve brough a pair of the shoes two year before the murder, but whe detectives searched his house, they didn't find any suc issues so, intriguing but hardl proof. prosecutors knew they had a bi problem, that anonymous emai linking the murder, not to steve but to jim knapp, an illegal drugs. so even as the trial went on investigator mike's issue wa interviewing in ever interviewing witnesses including steve's girlfriend >> it was obvious to me that she was very protective of mr. democker >> steve began dating rene whe he was separated from carol, they were together during that tumultuous time steve divorced carol's murder, his arrest rene had always stood by him and his family, but he had a feeling. >> we were pretty convince that she knew more than what she was telling us >> he knew something else to

during the trial, rene broke u with steve so, a leave of her testimony he interviewed rene again abou that anonymous email what he discovered, explosiv is not too big a word. coming up! >> steve was terrified, we wer terrified. >> the email trail, the mone trail, a winding trail o surprises was about to chang this case. how is that, that was a dooz of a mistake >> yes >> when dateline continues ity, helps restore gum health, and rehardens enamel. i'm a big advocate of recommending things that i know work.

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[ ominous music playing ] [ engines revving ] here we go! ♪ ♪ >> mornings don cooler in th arizona mountains, some more flags in the town square wer stored away for another year the murder trial of stev democker went into its fifth month. the prosecution had amounted t circumstantial bits and pieces to that point. and investigator mike knew tha steve was likely to amount a strong defense >> mr. democker is a stron

individual, but he is also ver narcissistic personality, pu those together and you can mak a difficult to solve a crime >> narcissistic? that's what it seemed like t the detective. also seemed to him like steve' girlfriend renee gerard wa protecting him no more than she was telling then rene broke it off wit steve and he interviewed her one more time. and, remember the anonymou email that claimed carroll's murder was linked to an illega drug ring? oh, boy. >> she told me that mr democker hyde informed the during one of their in-perso visits at the jail to brin some pencil and paper, that wa a glass between them mr. democker had brought a document with him that h placed on the glass so tha they could view it >> according to rene, steve, himself, wrote that top huma and then asked his daughte charlotte, just 17 at the time

to copy it down. >> mr. democker asked them t send that document, whic became known as the anonymou email, to mr. sears and to the prosecutors office >> mr. sears was john's years, one of steve defense attorneys steve's reasoning according to sharon, he had heard that stor from an inmate in that air ven conversation, and desperatel wanted to get the story out an investigated >> the death penalty was still on the table, so, steve wa terrified, we were terrified i can certainly appreciate whe you are terrified, maybe you would do some stupid things. >> well, that's when you start making mistakes. that was a doozy of a mistake. >> yes >> and uncovering that fraud led investigators to what they thought was another even bigge one. remember carol's life insuranc money, $750,000 worth?

steve defense attorney talke about it during his openin statement. >> he disclaimed, he signe over any interest to the girls and the money was paid out t the girls. that's what happened >> that statement called investigators mics a shaped by surprise >> we had made contact with th life insurance companies multiple times throughout th investigation and we had bee informed that the life insurance had not been paid ou to anyone. >> so, at the insurance been paid out or had it he took another look, of muc harder look at the money trail >> not only was the insuranc paid out but it was paid to th two daughters who then transferred it to severa accounts including wir transfers to mr. democker' parents account in new york wh then wire transferred it bac to mr. democker's defense team

>> remember steve democker was a highly paid financial adviser, the prosecutors now believe he was using that expertise to tr to get away with murder. >> here is a person wh murdered his ex wife, then collected her life insurance o over $750, 000, and is using that life insurance to pay his defense team in the murder prosecution. >> so then, prosecutors adde fraud to the charges steve was facing, but fraud it's certainly not what it was said defense investigator ric robertson. >> these girls voluntarily, on their own believing in their father's innocence, dedicate money that they inherited to defend him how can that be wrong? >> the girls decided to us that money for their dad defense. there was no fraud or th

insurance company would've bee the first one to say, hey, w have a problem here. >> so is that just piling on o the part of the prosecution? >> yes >> the much bigger issue for the defense was that phony email, and email the attorneys presented in court as real because they said they too wer duped by steve >> suddenly the attorneys ar in an awkward legal, ethical kind of posture in relationshi to their client. age created an untenable situation for the defense team >> so, untenable for these highly defense defense attorneys that they no optio they said withdrew from th case and so, seven months in th judge was forced to declare mistrial >> we thought we were sprintin to the finish line, we thought that steve was going to be hom in time for thanksgiving and suddenly, the finish lin just moved off into th horizon.

>> gut wrenching said carol' friend, catherine. >> it was so emotional, no just a rollercoaster but the intensity of the emotion >> they would have to start al over again the money the girls received from their mothers insurance was gone now, gone to pay fo the first team of attorneys. so, said steve was pretty much destitute, court appointed attorney stepped in, and craig williams and - were impressed by how steve' family supported him >> it's a large family, very educated, very tight kni group. >> how uniformly did the support steve through this process? >> i would say very uniformly. >> they were all behind him? >> yes >> that one thing after anothe as steve second trial approach there was another huge surprise the source of the dna foun under carol's fingernails wa

finally identified that would be mr. 603. coming up! >> we exhausted so many me hours and looked at any and al alternatives, we finally wer able to discover and verify wh mr. 603 was. >> the mysterious mr. 603, not who anyone expected. how can you trust anything after that >> exactly >> when dateline continues (screaming) defeat allergy headaches fast with new flonase headache and allergy relief! two pills relieve allergy headache pain? and the congestion that causes it! flonase headache and allergy relief. psst! psst! all good! watch how easy it is to put on new hands free skechers slip-ins. i just step in and go. sitting? doesn't matter. i don't even have to touch them. ooo, gangsta. in a hurry? there's not a faster, easier way to put on shoes. they know a 10 when they see it.

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the death of a 22 year old a -- now back to dateline >> it had always been an issue the case against steve democke that one fascinating clue, tha could break the case wide open who was mr. 603? that's what people were callin the mysterious dna found under carol's fingernails after sh was murdered one thing for sure, it was not steve. >> we exhausted so many ma hours and looked at any and al alternatives >> and then, it was during the long months waiting for a ne trial to begin, the prosecutio had an idea. what if that 603 sample was simple mistake what if something got mixed up

in the lab so investigator mike looked up the autopsy done before carol' and submit a simple for that for retesting. and? nearly three years after carol 's murder, a call from the crime lab. >> the simple dna that we sent had matched the dna under caro kennedy's fingernail, we finally were able to discove and verify who mr. 603 was >> miss hundred 603, it turned out, was another dead soul, th man lying on the autopsy table before carol got there it wa his dna. maybe on one of the corner instruments that ended up unde carroll's fingernails. mystery solved one more doubt removed said th prosecution. before steve defense team, i was further proof of a shodd investigation. >> contamination, we found out not only potential

contamination, there is actual contamination in this case >> how can you trust anythin after that >> exactly >> defense attorney crai williams said the case against steve had an even bigger flaw. >> you cannot put stev democker in that house where there was a horrific murder, a bloody murder, you can't put him in the house - >> no dna at all >> no dna, no blood, you don't find any dna of carol's on him you don't find any dna fingerprints, blood anything o his in the house, how can yo convict him of murder? >> but in july 2013, by this time a full five years after carol's death, steve was still in jail. in the case, finally went to trial again, new defense attorneys, a new prosecution team who had soon -- during the long delay spen quality time honing thei argument against steve >> carol kennedy had no enemies, this was not a burger -- burglary or robbery, no things

were missing, everything point to the defendant, and the clos of that evidence we will ask you to return verdicts o guilty on all charges an especially first degree murder >> and now the prosecution had more evidence, like steve' google searches. during the month befor carole's death, damaging to sa the least. >> there are some informatio to determine how to kill and make it look like suicide an there was some information o the term how to make a homicid appear suicide >> those emails and text messages carol and steve arguing in the days before her death. we're read to the jury crime scene analysts claim the blood spatter indicated th killer was left handed >> with the position that think is the most comfortabl position i would think tha they're swinging from the left >> and steve he was left-handed remember the golf sock in th garage, it was made, said th

prosecution, for now missing left-handed club so here at last was the states theory about how steve kille his ex-wife. days before the murder, said the state, he dropped off that club at carols house supposedl for her to sell in an upcoming garage sale, but left the gulf sock in his garage and then, the night of the murder, he sneaked into he house and use that club to kil her. though, such a club was neve found, the golf stop was evidence it existed said the prosecution and the shape of carols wounds confirmed it then, they both turned an alib as his ex girlfriend ren gerard testified for the prosecution, steve allowed his cell phone battery to die, something he never normall did. >> in general, there was usually a battery in his phone and an extra battery eithe charged or being charged >> did you ever know him to be

to not have a phone at the ready if you needed to use it? >> i didn't. >> then -- they also reveal steve told he something that in hindsigh seem very significant. >> in the evening we will take a walk in the golf course an he picked up a back on the way out of the door one evening an as we were walking told me about the back and what he was going to do with it. >> a getaway bag which, she said, he buried on golf course. and sure enough, with renee' help detectives found the back on the golf course inside were cash in clothing i a cell phone and a pen like. also, after steve was arrested they conducted more searches i his storage unit they foun books about how to cover you trucks and live as a fugitive i didn't apartment he rented i scottsdale, arizona, they foun something interesting in the parking garage

>> i believe it was a bm motorcycle that the detectiv showed me that was in th parking garage, they believe that he had recently purchased it >> and inside these locked cases, they later learned stev had maps, clothing, hair dye makeup and $15,000 in cash charlotte, who still believe her father was innocent, reluctantly testified for th prosecution. put on the spot, she had t agree she knew he was thinking of running and, under a grant of immunity she admitted that she wrote to the so-called anonymous emai that claimed carole was killed by drug dealers and emai dictated by her father >> at one point, your dad held up a piece of paper to tha glass window and wanted you to write down bubbles on that paper -- >> yes >> and you did >> yes >> what were you supposed to d with that piece of paper >> i was supposed to write a

email with the same substanc that i had copied down, believe. in the hopes that it would b investigated further >> what did that mean to you did you believe it >> i did i believed that that was wha he had been told by someone in the jail and, you know, it was very emotional for me, i wante -- i want today to be investigated >> how did you get the information out? >> i sent an anonymous email >> anonymous so that it coul not be traced back to her or her father her older sister katie was not aware of the email coming from charlotte but she was at the center of the story about life insurance, steve had signed disclaimer stinky would no benefit from the proceeds of carols life insurance. but katie was forced to testify, that wasn't true

>> my father was just asking m for various things related t that money >> once carols life insuranc paid out, katie transferred he share to her grandparents. >> you knew that you grandparents were going to use that money for attorney fees >> that was my understanding some, or all of it >> the prosecution called clos to 50 witnesses to portray steve democker as a man wh plotted to kill his wife flooded his escape and used hi own children to fund his defense, and even hoodwinked his lawyers and the court. the case looks strong to prosecution. they rested. >> the case has arrested >> now it was time to hear fro the defense. and, no surprise, it had a quite the difference theor about carol kennedy's murder, theory that had nothin whatsoever to do with stev democker coming up! that man in the guest cottage. >> it wasn't a little bit of

evidence that we had on him, i was a mountain of evidence >> he got to the point where h was lying about having activ cancer, and asking people fo financial help >> i'm wondering, what was thi man capable of was he going to hurt me? heard my family? i was scared >> when dateline continues ngs are looking up ♪ ♪ i've got symptom relief ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements at 4 weeks. skyrizi is the first and only il-23 inhibitor for crohn's that can deliver both clinical remission and endoscopic improvement. the majority of people on skyrizi achieved long lasting remission at 1 year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease.

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no, they said. rather he was the victim o some detectives tunnel venetian, beginning with a slopp investigation. >> it was kind of a cavalcad of people roaming through th scene that they didn't loc down, trumping to footprints through the house, they didn't steal it off correctly to me, when somebody shows u on the scene and immediately pointing the finger at the ex-husband and that's all they ever did - >> it's always, boom, right on him? >> it was always on him. >> the jurors listen to steve' interview with the detectives, the night carol was killed >> we've got a suspicious deat and right now, we don't have any other person we don't have any of the perso right now. >> in which you can hear the suspicions said the defense. and steve, said the attorneys, we a cold fear overcoming him. >> he's afraid of what's happening, that th investigation is all him they're not focusing on anybod else, anything else, the focus

is on him and he is afraid tha no one will believe him. >> that's why he buried th getaway bag, they said wasn't a sign of guilt, but of terror in fact it didn't turn u months after steve was arrested >> you never had any evidenc that mr. democker try to use that back to flee? >> did he try to use the bac to flee? >> yes >> that is precisely what he did. >> he never flood? >> we arrested him before he could flee >> you're using awe term befor he could fully, my question is very direct, he didn't flee, did he >> he was not able to, no. >> okay, here's another turn o art. it's a very simple question. did mr. democker flee or not it's a yes or no question. >> no, he did not flee >> and steve's sister, sharon, had a simple explanation for those coincidences the night o the murder, the circumstantial evidence, like his dead cell phone battery. >> i think most of us was cell

phone can appreciate that late in the day, it's not uncommo for the battery to go. >> but the years perked up whe he - part of it came a mile from th house. >> but he lived out there fo many years, that was a favorit trail. >> they made a great deal of the trucks that they found i the property the shoe prints that must have been his, the tire tracks that must have been his >> nobody knows who's thos are. he did buy a pair at one point but he doesn't know if he kept them he said i never keep any shoes for more than six months, he ran all the time, no shoes lasted more than six months. >> he bought them a couple o years earlier? >> the bicycle tire, that's th tire that is on 80% of all the mountain bikes in the u.s. it's the most common tire. so there is nothing very distinctive about that they wanted to be able to tell the jury that it was a match they were not allowed to d that because as the experts say,

we have no idea if it's matter not >> something that has more les -- >> the defense called its ow forensic pathologist to ask if the medical examiner was correct in his conclusion that the murder weapon was a golf club >> with regards to sayin specifically this weapon, can't. >> the golf club is i don' furch hitchcock used to say is it's the magoffin, the magic device to tie it to stev democker, the golfer, th elitist, the rich guy who is pistole -- >> find! isn't there scientific evidenc to say it is a golf club hit >> no, i don't agree with an of that. not a single person can sa it's a golf club they all say, it could hav been a golf club but they also say it could'v been another weapon. >> the defense argued detectiv should've looked into othe suspects to, one person in particular jim knapp! the man who rented carol guesthouse and arrived at th

scene almost immediately after deputies why was he a potential suspect in your view >> well it's like the guy wh lights the fire and comes back to watch it burn that was our feeling about jim knapp, because it wasn't a little bit of evidence that we had on jim knapp it was mountain of evidence >> jim knapp, so the defense attorney was in seriou financial trouble and hooked u a seamless lie to persuade friends to lend him money. they told the jury how jim knapp faked cancer >> he got to the point where h was lying about having activ cancer and asking people for financial help so that he coul take care of his cancer, which he didn't have >> they said knapp desperately wanted to buy a franchis business movie store wit carol's divorce money. at one point, even introducing carol as his business partner. so was he obsessed with carol? his behavior with his former girlfriend, when she tried t break up with him, certainly seemed obsessive to her.

she said he wouldn't leave her alone. kept sending her emails. >> i'm wondering what was this man capable of was he going to come up an stop, was he going to do something mean was he going to hurt me, o heard my family? i felt threatened is what it felt like. i was scared >> more defense questions, how did jim knapp's fingerprints wind up on those financial documents that were printed th day of the murder and foun slipped inside a magazine, sitting on carol's kitchen counter? and how did's dna mix with carols dna - that was evident 805, they called a dna expert. >> you can see all across th top line the numbers are the same as jim knapp and are many points of difference with stev democker >> your point was that each of these analysis jim knapp

matches each one of these an steve democker doesn't >> that's right. >> in fact, neither stev democker dna or fingerprints were fined at the crime scen so had police focused on the wrong man all along? and because steve democker kne that did he make a foolish mistake, like a frightened man would? >> all of that occurs once h is placed in custody, lose hope and becomes desperate that should not, in our opinion, should not have been introduce in this trial. that's a whole separate trial, separate issue >> the defense tried to keep all of that out of the trial it did not succeed >> yes, because it makes i look like a bad, evil guy wh forced his daughters to us their inheritance money to pay for his attorneys. a low scummy thing to do >> but, none of that put him i the house, none of that put an dna on him in his house, car

person, anything along those lines. >> judge at this time th defense rests. >> thank you >> all along steve's famil remained rock-solid in his corner his sister sharon said - >> i want to think the best of my brother, but the other part of it is no one showed m anything that changed my mind. there is no evidence to say, well, you're not thinking abou this show me something. >> but do you see your own kind of, understandable family buys affecting your judgment about these things >> if you can prove to me that this is what happened, then, that's different but i am missing the big evidence that says that he was there. >> and now, five years after the brutal murder on bridl path, a jury would finally get to decide and steve woul finally get his say. coming up! >> can't sleep

>> it was rough on everybody >> you are on pins and needles >> the wait for a verdict, and a long awaited interview wit steve democker when dateline continues. for your dog. but not if you protect him every month with heartgard plus, the #1 choice of dogs. digestive and neurological side effects have been reported. ask your vet for heartgard plus. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ it's spring! non-drowsy claritin-d knocks out your worst allergy symptoms including nasal congestion, without knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. claritin-d. (bridget) with thyroid eye disease i hid from the camera. and i wanted to hide from the world. for years, i thought my t.e.d. was beyond help... but then i asked my doctor about tepezza. (vo) tepezza is the only medicine that treats t.e.d. at the source not just the symptoms. in a clinical study more than 8 out of 10 patients taking tepezza

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and lived to compare to th agonizing hours and days o family waits, and jurors, as 1 strangers sit in a locked room and prepare to dictate faith >> well, as anyone who has watched tv shows, i can tell you unfortunately the realit is really similar. you really are in pins and needles waiting for the verdic that you don't know what it is >> and you have no control ove it >> strangers were going to decide who don't know your brother. this family of highly educated professionals knew the case as intimately as any attorneys on the third day of deliberations

there was nothing for them t deposit together, watch thei phones, and then, as the prepared to leave the coffee shop in prescott, news that th jury had reached a verdict but, it was four in th afternoon, apparently quitting time, and the judge decide they would all have to wai until morning to hear what the verdict was. katie and charlotte comforte by steve parents, his siblings and another night to wait an wonder what did the jury decide >> it was rough on everybody >> it is, it's horrible, tha nervous energy, you can' sleep. >> we were thinking well the are stretching this out? >> was a torture >> sure. i mean, we just want them to let him go now >> then, the next morning th clock struck nine, it was time when they came back into the room could you tell? >> yes didn't have a good feeling it's never good when they come in the room i won't look at th

family >> we the jury, find the defendant steve democker guilt -- guilty >> guilty. on all counts. >> how did he feel >> we were just stunned. it wasn't the right verdict. the law didn't support tha verdict. >> defense investigator rich roberts and didn't think s either >> the biggest shock to me was that they came back unanimous, came back unanimous very quickly, it was disappointing, and still is >> how did steve take? it >> devastated >> steve is innocent steve wants to continue th fight and prove his innocence. that's what his mission is now >> but, is he innocent investigator mike. >> i believe in my heart and soul that steve democker kille carol kennedy. >> he thinks often about the daughters, about the impact on them >> while my heart goes out t

them, you know, you have t recognize that this is all because of one man's actions >> carol's friend, catherine >> i never wanted to believe that steve was capable of doin that, and the jury has mad their decision, i accept their decision, i agree with their decision i'm so glad it's over. i'm so relieved. so many of us have been dragge through the last five and half years >> katie and charlotte wer back in court at their fathe sentencing, and in spite o everything, the states cas against steve, how steve use charlotte to create the phon email and paid for his defense with life insurance money that carol intended for her daughters. in spite of all of that, a their father sentencing, the asked the judge for leniency >> i asked because i would lik the opportunity to someday wal again with my father, freely and outside. to speak openly and honestly with him and find ways to heal

the pain of this prolonged nightmare. i believe in healing and forgiveness because that is th way that i was raised. as for me, i can promise that will never forget the memory o my mother, she lives in me every day and will for the res of my life >> the additional pain of th reality that we now face i very difficult for me to grasp the knowledge that, like m mother, my father may neve attend my wedding or see m children born, or even watch m graduate it feels like losing a paren all over again this excruciating punishment i almost as difficult as me as i know it must be for him. >> steve professed his innocence. >> i did not kill carol. we loved each other for more than 20 years, our marriage wa over, but not our affection fo each other i would know more have harme

or by harming my daughter by taking her away from them. >> the judge sentenced steve democker to natural life plu 20 years, no parole, no hope o a life outside prison wall all along we've been asking fo an interview with steve. he was willing, the sherif wasn't but finally after th sentencing we were allowed a brief telephone interview from state prison >> the lengths that they wen to two string, to amplify, t exaggerate the evidence, t even misrepresented, that wa the only way they were able to achieve this conviction. and it's just wrong. keith. it's just wrong. >> you could be, in fact i prison for the rest of you life, are you prepared for that? >> i'm as prepared as anyone can be i mean, the part that's really hard is you become nothing but a burden and so, i guess, if i wind u here for the rest of my life,

will try to find some way to b of use in the world. >> interesting thing about steve democker, he's a extremely articulate man can he possibly be sincere a well all we can know, with certainty, is that carol will never again have the chance to be useful although, scratch that, mayb she will >> one thing that she always sort of said to us, as long as i'm living in this world, i am always here for you and with you. and i think she should hav rephrase that to no matter i i'm here, living, or in heaven i'm always here with you because i feel her in my heart i feel her when i'm doin certain things and her presence, certainly, lives on.

comic book archvillain.

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