>> it was the strangest call of my life. she just said, is linda with you? she's messing. we can't find her. that's all she kept saying. everything changed from there on out. and it just got uglier and uglier. >> a loving mother one day just disappears. >> her heart was there, and she wasn't home. >> blood. >> we all know, there's something very wrong here. >> nobody, no evidence. and no suspects. no arrests. >> the ex husband and the ex-boyfriend both had alibis. >> then, lightning strikes again. >> i, drove into the driveway. >> someone's been shot. >> how often are a mother and

daughter killed at the same house? >> who would steal so much from the one family? >> was she afraid of him? >> she was afraid of him. >> i just found out there are me again. >> motive validated everything in this case. >> miles away, buried in the sand. lay one place of the puzzle. >> i know where she's at. period. >> the rest of the mystery. hiding away in a woman's heart. >> she couldn't keep it inside anymore. >> the killer thought his secret was safe. he was wrong. >> this is, as they say, a game-changer. >> our prime suspect no longer has an alibi. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it's a timeless old west beauty as the setting sun graces the mountains. and the vast desert fades to dark. covering secrets and old bones for another night.

it's as unchanging out here as the heart aches that all those people in the valley below sometimes seem to make for themselves. with their jealousies, the rages. >> i need someone to come out and take a report my daughter is missing. >> when daily routine without warning gives way to stark terror. >> she's an adult, but the backdoor was found unlocked and the door is in the entryway. >> a young woman vanished. >> what is your name? >> i'm errol cox. i'm her mother. >> that was the start of it all. an anguished mother's cry for help in that case that would take 15 years to untangle. >> you don't even have a witness? >> that's correct. >> before that was then, there would be multiple murders. >> they put someone who does not like to be pushed. >> and maddeningly, for law enforcement, suspects that just did not quite fit. >> the two key people had alibis. >> a daughter ensnared in a

family tragedy like few others. >> did you understand what happened? >> i don't think i really understood it fully. but something that happened. >> it all started here, tucson arizona. the old pueblo. that's what they called. it nestled in the desert at the foot of the santa carolina mountains. dave watson spent 20 years here with the fire department. he fought fires, and was trained as an emt. eventually he made captain but he never forgot the camaraderie of his early days at the firehouse. >> going through a lot of journaling together? >> on occasion. yes. >> that was terror? >> pretty much. >> it seemed like everything he needed until in 1993, she came along. >> i was out with a friend, it was his birthday. and met her at an eastside nightclub. and so, i walked up to her and asked her to dance. >> her name was linda. >> she was spontaneous, spunky. cute.

and we just seem to hit it off. >> she was very funny, and just very sweet which is always the word i think to describe her. >> she was one of linda's best friends. dave's two. she was also dating dave's best friend. the two couple soon made a young, fun loving for some. >> we didn't have kids yet, we didn't even have a house. none of us had a mortgage yet or anything. so it was pretty carefree looking back. >> lots of barbecuing, swimming, and yes, a fair amount of drinking to. this was a hard partying crowd. but there was no denying that dave and linda were in love. >> they were the ones that were ouellet liked. a cute couple. >> mike bratton was another close friend of dave's. >> kids afloat in high school? >> yes. exactly. >> so it wasn't a surprise in 1994, they married. >> good match? >> oh yeah. it was a party. it was a party. >> bartender was busy that night? >> oh yes.

>> dave and linda scraped together enough money to buy their first home. and take on that first mortgage. >> it was not in the best neighborhood, for sure. but very cute, it had a lot of character. >> somewhere between a dumping of fixer upper? >> yes somewhere there. >> linda and dave were up for the challenge. they worked to transform that rundown house into a loving home for themselves. and after two years of marriage, baby jordan came along. at first, dave wasn't so sure about having kids but. >> when linda gave birth to jordan? it was just, all that nervousness was gone. so yeah. it was nice. kids make a world of difference. >> jordan's grown-up now, but remembers fine details of that little house and the mom. >> we had a strawberry patch outside of the house. i remember i was picking strawberries one morning before breakfast, or cooking breakfast.

>> how was linda as a mother? >> she love that little girl. that baby was her whole world. >> bobby and pat were linda's aunts. >> she's very attentive, that little girl. loved her to pieces. >> with jordan's arrival, dave and linda got another visitor to high. >> they came out to be the nanny because they both worked. >> marilyn was linda's mother. >> was that an sos that went out from linda marilyn? mom come. i need some help here. . >> yeah. exactly. >> not an unusual request from a new mother. but maryland's response was unusual. >> she sold her house, and drove her car, and headed out. >> she did all that for her girl and her grandkids? >> she did that for the family. yeah. >> where would living? >> dave built a little guesthouse out in the back. for, specifically for maryland. >> not every young husband likes to have the mother in law, round let's face it. >> it's funny that all the guys that work said that's a big mistake.

they said it's gonna end up in divorce. >> what would she like? >> very pleasant. polite. and as time went on? you live with someone for 24 hours at a time and you get to know more about them. and our relationship got strained. >> and soon that wasn't the only relationship suffering. linda's friend who was by then married and living in burnaby notice the change when she invited dave in linda of her visit. >> you are seeing the cracks right before your eyes? >> absolutely. >> coming apart was a hard reality for dave to accept. >> i plan on staying married forever, that was the deal, but it just didn't turn out that way. i was no longer in love but i still love her. she's the mother of my child. >> in 1998, dave and linda separated, sharing custody of jordan and that same year, dave met someone new. >> i saw him in his body and i

nudged my friend and settlement ago ask him to dance. and i'm gonna be like. >> her name was more rosemary, and she ran a successful karaoke business in town. >> and she is quite an entertainer i guess? >> yes. she says if you want to be successful in this business, you have to sell it. >> they fell for each other hard and fast. their shared love of music. the outdoors. and, little jordan. >> he loves jordan. very much. i knew when i met him he definitely had, you know, parenting time with her. and it would go back and forth between linda and dave. >> rosemary also had a daughter from another relationship. and in june of 2000, she and dave took the big step of blending their families. >> had my daughters by my side, he had his two good buddies and we took our vows and celebrated with everyone around us. >> linda also seemed to find happiness in a new

relationship. his name was carl broughton jr.. though most people knew him as jr. he was a firefighter to, for the international guard in tucson. >> what do you think? >> he seemed nice. i met him a handful of times. but more than skin deep i did not know much about him. >> linda called marvell and gust about her new flame. >> he was older and i remember her commenting about how he was sexy or something like that. >> she was busy juggling family and career but didn't pay much attention. if her friend was happy then so was she until the phone rang one morning in august of 2000. >> this phone call i think was one of the lines in the sand where your life was different thereafter? >> absolutely. change their. everything changed from there on out. and just got uglier, and uglier. >> coming up! on the phone, linda's mother with a question.

>> she said, marnell it's marilyn. is linda with you? >> with you? why would she be with you? >> strangest call of my life. >> but things get much stranger! >> the backdoor was found unlocked. and broke in the entryway. >> we got there. the car is there. she was not home. >> when dateline continues! there it is. that feeling you get... when you can du more with less asthma. it starts with dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. can you picture it? dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs.

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2000. started out like any other. until, morales phone rang. it was maryland, her friend linda's mom. >> she called and said now, it is maryland. is linda with you? >> with you? why would she be with you? >> strange call of my life. >> she says that she and her had gone to church. but the next morning maryland couldn't find her. >> she sounded very stressed. very stressed. >> marilyn also calls the pima county sheriff.

>> she is an adult, but the backdoor was found unliked. there is a broken cup of the entryway. >> detective anderson wasn't on the case back then, but remembers it well. >> there are not that many adult missing persons because, frankly, an adult can go anywhere that they want to. and they don't need permission. or to tell anybody. >> still, a deputy was dispatched to the house. >> doesn't see anything that would indicate foul place. >> nothing's been tossed in the house? >> no. he doesn't see any blood. any indication of violence, or a struggle. the only thing he notices is the broken coffee cup. and some property that linda has left behind, that maybe a little bit suspicious. >> linda's bible was on the counter-, her jeep in the driveway. and perhaps most telling, her pager was left behind. remember, this was the year 2000. >> when she didn't have her daughter, she would keep her pager so that if anything happened with her daughter, that was the way to communicate with her. >> it was important, that's a

link to the daughter. >> that's a link to the daughter? >> doesn't mean anything's happened yet though. >> not yet. her purse is gone. so the deputy tells miss cox, let's just wait. >> marilyn did not want to wait. she called her younger sister, pat. >> she tells me pat, linda is missing. of course, you know, this doesn't happen to your family. it happens other people. >> marilyn also called linda's ex husband, dave. >> maryland says that linda's not home, she's missing. she sounded panicked. and i was like, give it some time. it's monday morning. maybe she went somewhere? >> three days past. it was linda's turn to take jordan. dave and then, four-year-old jordan drove to linda's house. >> we got there, her car was there, she was not home. and so, he was like so that's weird. she's probably just out with a friend, or something. >> it didn't sound that farfetched to many people who knew linda. >> she always like to party. supposedly she had a couple of relationships with that some

crazy people? >> maybe under the wrong track after some crazy drinking? >> that was the assumption at the time. >> investigations continued to poke around anyway. they wanted to talk to the boyfriend, jr. marilyn brought him up when she reported him missing. >> linda live near? they're >> no. >> silver bell road, a two plane back top that is from tucson all the way to the basque desert. a tip went to jr's home. >> he cooperated in every way that was asked of him. >> jr told the same story that others dead. that linda was a heavy drinker. >> we had a seriously rocky relationship for over two years. all about all of our problems, revolved right to her alcoholism. >> the drinking was why, jr said, he recently broke up with her. >> she wigs out bad. and things are right now rougher than i've ever seen for her. she just lost her job. >> he said too much alcohol cost linda her job.

and jr said, she faced a bigger loss. >> she's looking at losing her daughter. >> turns out, linda and dave had not yet come to terms on custody of jordan. and they had an important court hearing coming up. >> are you going for full custody? >> i did. one, to take the rights away from linda. by no means. because every child needs both parents. >> but after the break up with linda, jr did something unexpected. he agreed to testify on the cause of the hearing on dave's behalf. >> so here's a strange thing. he now has your back in family court? >> not much mine. i'm sure he could give two shakes about me, but he cares about jordan. so he was doing it for her. not me. >> more pressure on linda. she had joined a toiled step program. but still, shortly before she disappeared, she went out drinking with her cousin. at a place away from the bright

lights of tucson, at a bar called the circle as saloon. >> jay was over there, and she was needing to get around some family. because it was a little tougher. so he told her, come on out. >> linda tried to climb back on the right again. about 10 pm, the night she disappeared. she called her church sponsor and as to meet them the next morning. but she did not show up for the meeting and had not been seen sense. there seem to be every reason to believe that she was on another bender. except for one thing. something marilyn mentioned in that initial 9-1-1 call. >> yeah, he's thrown her before. he's threatened me too. >> coming up! did linda ask for help too late? >> he was over here this morning. beating on my windows, calling me. i need to know, should i go down and put a restraining order on him? >> there was a domestic incident that they were involved in, shortly prior to this. >> and someone else felt threatened to. >> it made me nervous enough to protect myself and the kids. and everybody involved.

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investigators learned that linda was facing the most trying time of her life. >> she was broken up. she was upset at jr, she was going through a custody batter. >> jr told detectives that the cause city issue was weighing heavily on linda. >> she's told me more than once that, and this is the scary

thing, if she lost her daughter, she would shoot herself. >> so jr said. linda's mom shared her doubts with her sister pat. >> what did maryland think about this guy, jr? the boyfriend is in and out of the picture? >> she didn't like him. she said that he is very controlling. >> which is why, when marilyn couldn't find linda. her mind immediately jumped to jr. that very first day, she told her suspicions to the 9-1-1 operator. >> she's been threatened by this guy that she broke it off with. i called him, and i said that's my daughter. >> investigators learned that after marilyn called jr to ask about linda. jr called linda's attorney from her custody case. and left this message. >> she's probably out on the drunken bench, and her mom is blowing this all out of proportion. you know, i had nothing to do with anything. and, i don't know what to do. i was hoping maybe you know where she is. >> he phoned someone else as

well. >> he called me up, and told me that maryland had called him. accused him, blamed him, and asked him where is my daughter? >> was jr protesting too much? detectives learned, while he was dating linda, he sometimes went with her to pick up or drop of jordan. that's how he knew dave. >> he was also a firefighter. he had met dave, not through firefighting, but while he was with linda doing child custody exchanges of jordan. he had met david, and rosemary watson at that point. >> rosemary, dave's new wife of two months. >> keep your eye on that name? >> keep your eye on that name. yes. >> what is jr's alibi for that night that she goes missing? >> on the night that she went missing, jr was with his girlfriend. >> his new girlfriend. jr was already moving on, he said. but he still seemed concerned about linda. >> jr was very helpful. offering very different ideas for people to talk to. >> but i think cynically,

sometimes detective guys in bagel themselves into an investigation and make themselves part of the scheme. >> that can surely happen. >> detectives also have more concrete reasons to suspect jr. >> there was a domestic incident that they were involved in. shortly prior to this. >> just two days before linda disappeared, she had called the county sheriff's department. >> she made a report that jr had come to her house and was banging on the windows. and banging on the doors. >> jr said that he was trying to pick up some of his belongings. but, it prompted linda to call her attorney the weekend that she disappeared. >> hey david, it's linda. jr will not leave me alone. he was over here this morning, beating on my windows. calling me. and the tunnel, should i go down and put a restraining order on him? >> she wasn't the only one. rosemary and dave also had a restraining order against jr. it stems from an incident when

he was still -- and came to pick up jordan at their home. >> i was holding alone with the kids. and, just banging on the doors. the big heavy, not just a knock knock. it was a boom. and it was more his tone at the time. it made me nervous enough to protect myself. and the kids. and everybody involved. >> of course, after jr and linda broke up. things changed. >> jr came to us and said that he had concerns for linda, and her drinking. and he said that he would testify about her drinking in order to protect jordan. he made a very clear it wasn't for dave. and it wasn't for me. it was because he loved jordan. >> he's gonna tell the judge this child should be with a father? >> or at least that she needs to get some help. >> the hearing happened right on schedule. just four days after linda disappeared. dave and rosemary where there of course. jr to. linda was still nowhere to be found. but her mom arrived, spoiling for a fact. >> jarred was in the courtroom. and she accused jr of harming

her daughter. >> she thinks this is how? play. >> yes she does. >> with linda no-show, the judge awarded temporarily focused city of temporary custody to dave. >> were you -- >> i was happy having jordan in my life. yes. >> linda went back to check. not in defeat. and that's when she made a discovery that changed everything. >> coming up! >> maryland calls us and says that she found blood in the entryway to linda's house. >> it all these little fragments of estimations suggest -- >> something violent happen in this area. that someone had cleaned up. >> so now you have a theory of foul play? to explain the disappearance. >> now we have a theory of foul play. >> but what police did not have as a suspect. >> the only two people that might be looked at, both had alibis. >> when dateline continues!

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here's what's happening. phoenix arizona is one of southwestern cities under excessive heat warning. as the latest heat wide wave intensifies. so far the city has had 15 days with temperatures over 110 degrees. the worst of the heat is expected to hit in the weekend. highs will remain well over 100 into next week. and as the cleanup continues in vermont after historic flooding damaged thousands of homes and businesses, the state is preparing for more heavy rain on sunday. president biden has issued a statewide disaster declaration in preparation. and now back to dateline. dateline >> linda watson had just vanished. she didn't even show up to a custody hearing involving her four-year-old daughter jordan. >> did you feel abandoned? jordan?

>> no not really. my dad was always right there if i needed anything. >> linda's mother, marilyn, however was very worried. especially when she returned to linda's house after the custody hearing. >> maryland calls us and says that she found blood in the entryway to linda's house. >> the blood was under a trash bag hidden from view. the deputy who responded to maryland's 9-1-1 call had not seen it. now, investigators came back and did a luminol test. >> it lit up blue. and turned out to be positive for, not only human blood, but matching dna to linda watson. >> now that they were looking for blood. they found more. on the vacuum cleaner cord. >> it was apparent from the blood pattern that it wasn't dripped, it wasn't smeared, it wasn't wiped. the court had been laying in a pool of blood to get that pattern. and then dried. >> did all these little fragments of observations suggest a narration detective? >> something violent happened

in this area. and someone had cleaned it up. >> so now you have a theory of foul play to explain the disappearance? >> now we have a theory of foul play. >> where investigators looking at jr as a potential suspect? >> he was looked at as a person of interest. mostly because marilyn said, this guy could've done it. >> but jr also had a defender. linda's ex-husband, dave. >> could you personally feel, if jr would be somebody that could do something your being accused? >> no. i strongly believe he, he didn't do a thing. he is the only one that's tried to help her. and marilyn's the one pointing the fingers at him. >> of course, investigators had to wonder. after all, jr had backed dave in the custody dispute with linda. could dave be covering for him now? for that matter, where was dave the night linda disappeared? >> from what time to what time were you home? >> sunday i was here all day long.

>> and you never left your daughter or your other daughter? you just took care of them all day on all night? >> yeah. >> the detective also interviewed rosemary, dave's wife. >> i have a karaoke dj business. and sunday night, i was working. >> dave, she, said was home with the kids. >> so you got home about one or 1:30 and he was home? >> yes he was sound asleep. >> so both dave's wife and gianna's girlfriend said the two men were at their own homes the night that linda disappeared. and despite all that blood, there was still no conclusive proof that linda was even dead. >> we have no body, we have no evidence of anything outside of the entryway. and certainly the only two people that might be looked at the ex-husband in, the ex-boyfriend both had alibis. >> kind of clinical in terms of suspects that you can pick at this point? >> there would've been nothing to separate the strength of their alibis at the time and the reason to distrust the rosemary and no other evidence

to point to any other person or thing or reason. >> and you have a very distraught mother? >> a very distraught mother who all she knows is that her daughter is missing and stays missing for a long time. >> the investigation had stalled. and linda's case landed in the place that no victims family wants. >> it's the vault. >> and what is that? >> our administration building, many years ago, before we occupied it was a bank. and on the second floor, there is an actual vault. and that is where we keep the cold cases. >> locked away, a tomb of sorts where mysteries lay buried. and forgotten. but linda's mom would not forget. would not give up. >> i want to find her. if nothing, else i want to take her home. i don't want her in this desert. i wanted to come home. >> that sprawling, big desert. what secrets could it be hiding? >> marilyn paid for billboards. raised ward money. organized vigils. >> this was the start, i think,

what you would come to regard as the steel strength of maryland? >> absolutely. yeah. >> and even if she couldn't find linda, she would continue linda's fight for jordan. >> marilyn sought a lawsuit for grandparents visitation rights. >> marilyn filed a lawsuit seeking unsupervised visits with her granddaughter. she made her case in court, and in the media. >> i owed it to linda, and i ordered to jordan, and i ordered to myself. to do as much as i could. >> dave and rosemary fought back. for fear of what marilyn might say. or even do, to little jordan. >> she is flat out told me as soon as she finds linda, gets jordan. she's leaving this god forsaken place. >> amidst their legal dispute, dave and roseberry glued their family. in 2001, they had a little boy. and then, a year later, rosemary took a bold step and adopted jordan.

>> i sent out birth announcements. it's a girl. three foot two. 68 pounds kind of thing. i was ecstatic. >> for jordan, the feeling was much more muted. >> it seemed like what my father wanted to happen. i didn't want to displease anybody. so i just said yes. >> with three kids, the court battle and work, the watson's had their hands full. but they've always made it a point to check in with jordan. >> when i was little, and even now, when you go to work. i still kind of worry. >> to calm her nerves, dave make sure to tucker in every night. >> even if he's at work, he will still call. and say goodnight about in the same tie every night just in case. >> does he still do? that >> yes he does. >> last night you got a talking call from? him >> i did. >> in january of 2003, two and a half years after linda vanished. the court finally issued a

ruling. marilyn sent linda's friend an email with the news. >> and in big bold letters, she wrote, i've got jordy. >> after a two-year legal battle. marilyn won the right to have supervised visits with jordan. >> i always thought that linda must be, must have given her a little bit of peace to know that jordan was with her mom. >> rosemary and dave were not happy. rosemary spoke to nbc affiliate, k v eight o tv about the ruling. >> not the states place to decide where my children stay. they're turning parents into babysitters. >> at first, maryland said, the watson's resisted the order. >> she attempted to have her visitation, but dave watson made it difficult by not answering the phone. by not being available.

>> maryland took them back to court for contempt. and once again, she won. on may 7th, 2003, maryland was due to have her first, unsupervised visit with now seven year old jordan since the contempt hearing. >> do you remember seeing her off that? day where you object? >> yeah. i wasn't shift. booted out the door. >> have fun? how >> yeah. >> marilyn and jordan spent the day together. >> do you remember what you did that day? >> i don't remember. >> maybe the movies? maybe some shopping? >> maybe? something like that. but i don't remember it. >> maybe not, but what happened next, was unforgettable. coming up! >> i said. is that my sister? and he said yeah. and i said is she dead? and he said yeah. >> lightning strikes twice. >> this is incredibly rare. to have a random act of violence to two women who have done nothing to anybody. >> how quickly, detective, do

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we moved out of the city so our little sophie for free help could appreciate nature. but then he got us t-mobile home internet. i was just trying to improve our signal, so some of the trees had to go. i might've taken it a step too far. (chainsaw revs) (tree crashes) (chainsaw continues) (daughter screams) let's pretend for a second that you didn't let down your entire family. what would that reality look like?

well i guess i would've gotten us xfinity... and we'd have a better view. do you need mulch? >> may 7th, 2003. what, we have a ton of mulch. linda and maryland's friend had just moved back to tucson. she made plans to catch up with maryland. who was elated, just having been afforded unsupervised visits with jordan. >> what were the plans with

jordan? >> just a stop at the house and see her and see jordan. and then possibly, go with her to take jordynn home. >> but by the time martinelli made it over to the house on curtis road. >> i, drove into the driveway at seven. about 7:45. and it was dark. nobody was there. >> marnell must of just missed marilyn, who was supposed to have jordynn back at even rosemary's home back at 8:30. that's when marnell remembered something. a tv apartment. >> i thought, if i go now i can still catch the bachelor. >> just a short time after she left, calls started pouring into pima county dispatch. >> dispatch? >> there's two people on the ground. >> yes. someone around way. >> in a black sweater with a hat on? >> maryland's sister pat was getting ready to turn in. when the tv caught her attention. >> it was a 10:00 news, and

right at the, how they roll something across there. they said, two ladies shot on curtis road. >> marilyn street! pat rushed over and saw an active crime scene. she saw an officer she knew. >> i said, is that my sister? and he said yeah. and i said if she does? and he said yeah. and i asked him, would he please let me go to her? and he says, no i cannot let you do that. so i just kind of, what can i do? i just lost it there. >> it was nearly incomprehensible. two tragedies in the same family. first, linda disappeared. now marilyn, having just returned home from dropping jordan off, murdered. >> and the renee farnsworth also. she was an innocent neighbor lady. doing marilyn of favor. >> renee farnsworth the second victim. maryland's favorite neighbor

who had gone with her to drop jordan off. someone had ambush the two women in the driveway. rene had been shot, once maryland twice. the second shot at close range to the head. >> this is incredibly rare. to have a random act of violence to two women who have done nothing to anybody. >> how quickly, detective, do you start to connect the dots? and say that this is the mother in the same house of the missing woman? >> immediately. immediately! >> several hours later, pima county sheriff's investigators went to the last place that the two woman had visited. >> two detectives came over and had told us that they were there to do a we'll check on jordan. and they started talking to us. >> investigators told them that there had been a shooting at maryland's home. they wanted to know where the watson's had been. >> when she dropped her off, you are here.

>> yeah. >> i had a union meeting. i came home. i got home about a 15. 8:10, avian. jordan came home about a 30. >> the investigator asked if they had any contact with maryland? >> did you ever make any contact with her at all? >> she pulled up. and i was in the restroom. >> so dave said, rosemary came to the door. >> what did she make of what's going on? >> same as me. just, kind of speechless. just taking it all in. trying to process it all. >> the investigators never told dave and rosemary exactly what happened that night. gabe said it wasn't until the next day that he saw the news, and learned that marilyn had been murdered. >> did you feel bad about marilyn? >> heck yeah. i mean yeah. how could i not? this is jordan's grandmother. >> there was someone else that detectives needed to talk to.

jr. well linda's ex boyfriend who marilyn had accused of murdering linda. >> where were you on the 7th of may, 2003, before the hours of approximately six 6:00 and 9:00? >> i was at home. >> jr told investigators that he spent the evening with his fiancée and his kids. and for some reason, he felt the need to tell marilyn family to. >> i got a call the next morning from jay are telling me that he had an alabama. >> kind of a strange thing? >> i never cared for the man. i just said, why do you need an alibi jr? >> well i just wanted you to. now >> i said okay bye, i just hang up. >> the don had risen on the longest day of their lives. marilyn, the matriarch of the family. the one who fiercely fought to keep linda's case alive was gone. for a family friend, mark, now the heartbreak was twofold. >> i didn't realize until then that i had never truly let go of the idea of linda coming back until they were killed. and that's when i, realize she is gone. she is dead.

>> so this is a double migraine? >> yeah. >> had you agreed to take jody home for the drop off. you would've been in this. >> most likely, yeah. >> three years after linda's disappearance, investigators had a whole new deadly mystery. and the key to unlocking it, just might be a voice from the grave. coming up! >> she let him in the house, which just blew me away. >> did marilyn know what was coming? >> she took him towards a little bedroom and said that's a gun laying right there i will be taking this with us. >> when dateline continues!

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>> for years, marilyn cox had been an advocate for her missing daughter, linda. with maryland's murder, that role fell to her sister pat. >> i felt like literally, she handed me the baton. i told her, you know, i might not do as good a job as you.

but as long as there's breath in me. i will do my best to try to find linda. and i will try to find who killed -- . >> pima sheriff's county detectives were working to do the same. for maryland's family, and for the family renee farnsworth of. >> renee is as much a victim as is anybody else. >> she was moral support? >> she was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. >> investigators compiled a preliminary evidence from eyewitness accounts. >> we know that as soon as they got out of the car, they are attacked, accosted by a lone gunman. six feet, to six to. slender, well built. something covering his face. probably a hoodie. >> it look like a targeted killing. >> there is no other murder of. there is no burglary, no sexual assault, no car theft. nothing. >> but there was potentially, valuable physical evidence. >> the bullet cases from the scene where i'm 9 mm. and when you combine the bullet casings with the bullets from the victims, it was consistent with a ruler 9 mm 85 semi

automatic handgun. >> handing over everything was the question. who would've wanted marilyn dead? detectives knew from the moment linda disappeared, they had accused the ex-boyfriend, jr, from harming linda. it became a nasty feud. they even tried to get restraining orders against one another. but the judge denied their request. which was when, maryland's attention, seemed to shift. >> after about january 2001, when jr and her had no more contact with each other. and she totally focused on dave. >> detectives knew that the whole time knew, that she had been feuding with dave and rosemary over visitation with jordan. pat said the reason that marilyn asked her friend renee with her to drop jordan off. is that she filled a confrontation with dave. >> she felt there was safety in number. >> she recalls an earlier issue when she was on the phone with marilyn, and dave showed up unannounced at her house. >> she let him in the house. which just blew me away. but she wanted him to feel better. having jordan over there. so he could say, this is nice.

not dangerous. i'm not planning on taking off. >> but pat said, the visit turned tense. >> she showed him, through the house and took him towards a little bedroom that is just off to the left there. and she said, that's a gun laying there. i won't be as easily taken as linda was. >> marilyn warned everyone around her, that if anything happened to her. there was one person that they should look at. this is a letter that she wrote to the sheriff's department in february of 2003. shortly after she won visitation case. just months before she was murdered. >> this is just to let you know that if i should suddenly disappear, that i am not on vacation as they've told jordan linda was. i hope you keep this on file somewhere, because dave has now lost some major control.

and he's having a hard time with that. >> she was nervous, and she was scared of david watson. >> now, marilyn was dead. detectives couldn't dismiss the strange coincidence of two tragedies happening at the same place, to the same family. >> how often are a mother and daughter killed at the same house, three years apart? that does not happen. >> when linda went missing, two men were on the investigators radar. first, her ex boyfriend jr. with whom she had a tumultuous relationship. jr insisted that he was at his house the night that marilyn and renee were murdered. and his alibi checked out. plus, said detective kelly anderson. >> there is nothing evidentiary at the scene that would indicate that jr had any involvement. and he doesn't even match the physical description of the person, the eyewitness site at the scene running away. >> but then there was linda's ex husband, david. he to of course had an alibi. he said he was home that night of the murder and his wife backed him up. rosemary had an alibi to.

she had been at home with the kids, when marilyn dropped jordan off. >> ever look at morals mary as a coconspirator here possibly? >> she had custody of the child to. they could've been in on it together? >> sure. but just because she is who she is, doesn't mean she's excluded as being looked at. obviously, she is not the man running from the scene. we know that. but could she be involved in? it could she be planning it with them? >> detectives had already talked to rosemary, of course. but there was another potential witness at that house. what did she know? >> how old are you, jordynn? >> seven. >> seven years old. my goodness, you're growing up quick. >> they sat down for an interview the day her grandmother was killed. she told the detective that her mom, rosemary, greeted her at the door when marilyn dropped

her off at home. >> where was your dad? >> he was outside. >> how do you know that? >> he came in and he told me, because, everyone thought that he was still at a meeting. >> a curious response from the little girl. that dad told her that he had been outside. >> he just came in the bedroom to say goodnight. >> the detective prodded further. >> when you came home, and your mom let you in, did you ask her, you know, is that here? or where is that? did you want to see your? that >> yeah. >> did you ask or anything about that? >> yeah. she said i don't know. >> okay, tell me exactly what you astros best you can remember. >> i said, is dead at this meeting? he says i don't know.

>> she does not know where dad was at 8:30. >> detectives wanted to speak with dave watson again. coming up! police have tough questions for dave. >> and to be point blank, did you kill marilyn cox? did you have any reason to kill rene farnsworth? >> and a disturbing discovery. >> a reflection caught my eye. i said look at this, look at what i found. i picked it up. and it said be the w. >> anyone you know? well we know dave watson. and his middle name is dwayne. >> when dateline continues! ♪breeze driftin' on by...♪ ♪...you know how i feel.♪ you don't have to take... [coughing] ...copd sitting down. ♪it's a new dawn,...♪ ♪...it's a new day,♪ it's time to make a stand. ♪and i'm feelin' good.♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd... ...medicine has the power to treat copd... ...in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler,... ...trelegy makes breathing easier for a full 24 hours,

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house with another round of questions for danny. >> you think i'm in trouble?

you guys looking at me this? >> no. now. i just figured they are a check mark on their list. people to go talk to. >> once again, they told the detective he was home for his -- at 8:30. remember, the night of the murders, he said he was in the bathroom when jordan was dropped off. now, his story was a little different. >> and what they're messing with the, dog so as a back. >> small inconsistencies. but detectives also wanted to ask about the strongest piece of evidence, bullets and shell casings consistent with a nine millimeter. did dave on that type of gun? >> you have a rocker? >> the robe, or no, i saw that during the divorce. yeah, i do the quick cash. >> which is a lot to? >> i don't know. >> a coworker? some down the street?

>> no. off the street. put it out in the paper. >> we ended up looking for that ad and we were never able to find any ad for a nine millimeter by gabe watson. >> but when they looked in dates gun safety, they found nine millimeter ammunition. why would he have that if the gun was long gone? they asked the big question. >> and to be point blank, did you kill whelan cox? >> no, i did not. >> did you have any reason to kill rene farnsworth? >> no. >> do you know where linda watson is? of what happened? or >> no. still don't. >> a from denial. and they had nothing at either crime scene. detectives talk with two whistle men who confirmed what she said. >> i didn't look, but it was shortly before jordan came home. there was either a 15 or a 20

-ish, something like that. >> which means dave couldn't shoot. a few weeks after madeleine's death, her sister, notice something and maryland's backyard. >> i came back towards we and a reflection caught my eye. look, i picked it up. still, i think i said some of the many cut. it's a d d w. we >> know dave watson and his name is joint. >> there is no proof it was days. no fingerprints or dna. even if it were dates, it didn't necessarily mean anything sinister. after all, he once lived in that home. we except we -- >> after morales's disappearance, everything days was got rid of. anything that belong to dave was long gone. >> what do you make of initial club? is it evidence? something interesting? what? >> it's beyond interesting. that is evidence. dtw goes beyond coincidence. >> and there were something else. i don't usual common dave's front overheard. >> dave allegedly says, someone brings that balance murder. he's, as attorney would happen. she probably deserved it. >> i did hear him say it. i don't think that's a good

comment. i don't have an answer to that. you don't like to hear something like that about anyone. but thousands saying it. >> bad blood, contradictory statements, shock asians, and a muddy clip. >> i imagined in your world of homicide, you're betting ideas back and forth. you look at the bottom of this. >> absolutely. >> this is a guy who killed over child custody. >> those similarities became glaring. >> it doesn't seem to go anywhere investigatively. >> it does not. there is a lack of the sickle evidence in this case we. the suspect has an alibi for both nights. >> three women, gone. no answers on the desert horizon. >> all three investigations revolt. >> all three go cold. >> coming up, for some people, cases never go cold. >> i was always just shocked that there wasn't outrage in the community. i just couldn't believe that

these innocent women were murdered and no one was talking about it. >> apparently, somebody was. >> i just found that they're investigating me again. have the detectives came talk to you yet? >> now. >> when dateline continues. once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back. or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks

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women in dave watson's orbit were either missing or dead. detectives had their suspicions, but no hard evidence dave had committed any crime. so, the cases of linda, marilyn and renee sat quiet, collecting dust in cold case vault in the sheriff's department. >> we keep waiting and listening and hoping that something will come up. that they'll find something that proves that dave did this. >> all the while, dave continue to climb the ranks at the tucson fire department. even if he couldn't quite shake the shroud of suspicion that surrounded him. i mean tongues are wagging in tucson. they were all riding horses with dave and worked with him at the tucson fire department. >> i went into the station

where dave was working and the phone rang. well the guys picked up the phone. they go, hey, killer, phone's for you. yeah. tough with one of ours. >> someone called him cold case, is that you're? >> yeah. i did. >> one day, his friend, matt, decide to ask day point like it had anything to do with the murders. >> he was very candid with me. case for hours that morning. >> did he answer anything? >> he did answer. >> his buddies were convinced that dave had done nothing wrong. >> i never had any doubt that he was innocent. >> -- >> i never called about it because i never suspected have. >> despite their whispers around town, they've never left. and jordan says he remained focused on his kids. >> my dad really try to make everything normal, so that we could have normal childhood. >> but the ongoing

investigation took its toll on dave and rosemary's marriage. >> i said, i can't do this anymore. he said, okay. he said is there anything he could do. i said, i don't think so. >> by 2007, dave divorced and moved on. rosemary worked as a radio to treasure, supporting her family and her dad active daughter, jordan, who looked primarily with her. dave was promoting the fire department. >> he earned it. it wasn't given to him. he earned it. >> time we kept moving on. here in the cold case falls and those three cases. linda was officially declared dead in 2006. marylin and renee. >> i think my biggest concern was always them be forgotten. >> linda's friend did what she could to keep that from happening. >> for years, i sent letters to all the media to say here's the

story. i was just shocked that there wasn't outrage in the community. i couldn't believe that these innocent women were murdered and no one was talking about it. >> but by december 2007, it seemed as though there had been a huge break in the case. the local papers reported with the sheriff's department had new evidence. information in this case is snowballing and we have to pursue that, said an investigator. in reality, it was all a bluff. the cops part of the story hoping to pressure day. tapped his phone and recorded the call he did rosemary. >> i just found out there investigating again. >> what? >> the detectives came talked he had? >> no. >> i just wanted to let you know, because i just found out. if they decide you knock on your door or come to the radio

station, tell them to [bleep] off. >> someone close to him was talking to the cops. >> when i got into his truck, he asked me if i was wired and he felt me out. >> detectives interviewed a friend of davis named luis who told investigators about something dave said at a party one night. >> he said, i know where she's at. period. >> and when he said she did he say i know where linda's at, you know where she's at? >> well, obviously, the conversation was about linda. i. think >> it was about her. >> that's a said james best friend's wife. she said dave's wife -- talking about was a dog not linda. just missing misunderstanding or a slip updates tongue that indicated something was sinister. the mystery of linda's disappearance and maryland and the nays murders, no closer to being solved. no way of knowing that out there and the desert, the answer had already been found. coming up, >> it wasn't aha moment for me. >> somewhat like a horse right out of the middle of nowhere.

what was he looking for? >> i think he was going back to the scene to see if we were there. if we've been poking around. this is very coincidental that he would ride it there when at that point in time, no one else knew. >> when dateline continues. health meds. and it's unlikely to improve without treatment. i felt like my movements were in the spotlight. ingrezza is a prescription medicine to treat adults with td movements. ingrezza is different. it's the simple, once-daily treatment proven to reduce td that's #1 prescribed. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose of most mental health meds. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. it's nice people focus more on me.

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here is what is happening, protesters marched on friday after the high court struck down the biden administration student loan forgiveness plan last month. on friday the administration announced new plans to cancel 39 billion dollars of loans, for more than 800,000 borrows nationwide. the race in 2024 is well underway, six republican presidential candidates traveled to iowa on friday for conservative leadership summit where they were question on everything from abortion, to how they plan on challenging the current gop front runner, donald trump. and now back to dateline. and now back to dateline

>> linda watson had been declared legally dead, but nobody had ever been found. so there is no proof of a crime. and no case to make against her ex husband dave watson, not for linda's disappearance, nor for the subsequent murder of her mother. all that changed because of a random discovery and a long, delayed lab results. >> where are we, detective? why here? >> we are outside the mine area. that being the mine. very remote area, the northwest side of tucson and fema county. >> remember, jr had lived off of silver bell road. silver bell mine was near the same road, but 20 miles from where jr lived. way back in october of 2003, not long after marilyn and renee were killed. hunters found a partial human

skull here. >> this is a high traffic area for undocumented border crossers. unfortunately, many in the summertime, in the hot summers of arizona, do not make it and perish in this area. >> the medical examiners office in tucson runs a unique program to identify such remains. but it takes time. so, a small portion of the cranium was removed for dna testing at a later date. much later. >> eight years later in february of 2011, we finally get a dna match back from that skull that was found in 2003. it had the same match for linda watson. >> suddenly, the skull was a big priority. there is no sign of trauma, no evidence of how she died. still, 11 years after linda watson disappeared, at last, here was proof she was no longer alive. >> that's when you have a case. >> that's when i have a case. >> indeed he did have a case. three of them, in fact. detective anderson took over as

lead detective after linda's skull was identified. >> by the time i got the case in 2011, it was 11 years old. there is 11 years of investigative work that had been done. i had to start piecing it together. >> it took him a year just to read through it all. there were so many things that stood out, but one in particular caught his eye. it happened years before linda 's remains reidentify. >> it was an aha moment for me. >> back in 2007 when detectives punted that new story about the case heating up, we also put a gps tracker on dave's vehicle. >> i discovered gps coordinates that indicated on december 31st 2007, he drove his truck and horse trailer and rode a horse within hundreds of yards, at least no further than 1. 1 mile, of where linda watson's skull was found back in 2003.

>> speculate, what was going on? >> i think he was going back to the scene to see if he saw anything, if we were there, if we had been poking around. if nothing had changed. it seems very coincidental that you would ride there one at that point in time, no one else knew that linda watson was out there. >> after studying every detail of the case, detective anderson bounded convincing. >> it was obvious to me and everybody i presented this case to, that the only person who committed the three murders was dave watson. >> he had a theory about how linda's murder went down at her house. >> manner of death? >> i have no idea. something that creates a great amount of blood. i think that he takes land in the very early morning hours out towards the silver bell mine and buries her in a shallow grave. >> as far as detective anderson is concerned, dave was the only

person who had motive to kill marilyn too. >> motive outweighed everything in this case. we have two women who took him to court over his daughter. he got what he wanted as a result of these homicides. >> enough to go forward? maybe. but this wasn't the only high-profile cold case being rescued from a vault at the time. dateline covered the case of david triana who was killed when his car exploded in a parking lot of an upscale tucson country club in 1996. >> they had new leads on that one, thanks to fellow and do right now. >> another four years past. that other case was solved. and then, in 2015 -- >> bam, bam, bam. on my front door. i thought they were gonna break in. and there's cops out there in

tactical wear. they asked me to step out. they reach my gravel driveway. i said, i think you guys have the wrong person. >> i told him, you're under arrest for the murders of linda watson, raleigh cox and marilyn. >> now. i told you before. and into this. you know, i told him, i didn't do this stuff. i'm innocent. i told you. i said, you guys never think about me. you guys can check me out. you asked me questions. because it didn't think. i don't believe tampa. i'm always here. i've nothing to hide. >> linda watson's friend saw the news on tv. >> we arrested david dwayne watson for three counts of first degree murder. >> all the sudden, i just can't breathe. i said, oh my gosh, this is it. i started trying to call her aunt, patty. she said, this is it. i was like, are you sure? we sure? i just remember screaming and crying. she said, they just arrested

him. >> i--. but i just can't believe it. >> this was 15 years. >> 15 years just--canvassing >> yeah. i just could not. i still had to pinch myself. >> dave's daughter jordan couldn't believe this day had come either. but for very different reason. she believes supported her father, believed there was no one knows where he killed three women. >> while they really had was, you know, that he wasn't [inaudible] and it seemed like a business custody battle. >> when it came to a climax, someone died? >> yes. that's all they had. there was no hard evidence putting him somewhere, you know? no murder weapon in his hand. nothing like that. they never found anything. his dna isn't anywhere they wear. >> remember, dave had a solid alibi. his wife at the time, rosemary, told detectives she was with

him at home when all three women were killed. he pleaded not guilty. in a recorded call from jail, told his friend mike that he was counting on his daughter and wife to defend him. >> i want jordyn to be a witness on my behalf. and i need rosemary. i really need rosemary to be my witness to. otherwise, you know, we were team once, we need to be a team again. >> dave had a big surprise coming. did he ever. coming up, rosemary dark and dangerous secret. >> how do i look my daughter in the eye and love the rest of my life knowing what i know? >> when dateline continues. every day i prayed that they would remove it. my tip is be careful what you wish for. that chest tube hurt a lot more coming out... then it did going in. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now new emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? [sfx: video game sound] new emergen-c crystals. throw it back.

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and when you have a deep dark secret, you don't tell people. >> for seven years, rosemary watson carried the knowledge. very down deep. it festered. eight away at her. >> if i never said a word to

anybody, how do i look my daughter in the eye? and live the rest of my life? knowing what i know. and keeping that. >> rosemary said that the seeds of this dark secret first took root in august 2000. the night linda disappeared. she of course had been her husband's alibi. told investigators that he was home with her all night. but she told us that that wasn't entirely true. in the middle of the night, she said, she actually woke up. >> and dave was not in bed. and i got up and i walked through the house and i did not see him. and i went and i laid back down. i fell back asleep. >> sometime later, she said, she woke up again. >> and he was not in bed with me again. and i was looking for him, and through the house, peeking out into the backyard. and then i saw him. >> where was he? >> he was standing at the back of his jeep. i could see him through our kitchen window. he appeared to be, he looked as though he was just cleaning out the back of his deep. >> and then he comes in?

>> he does come in. and he said i want for a walk. and i asked him if he was okay. and he said yeah, i just need to clear my head. >> does that make sense to you? >> it did make sense to me. i had no reason to doubt him at all. none. >> and then, rosemary said, dave handed her something. >> he actually handed me a box of latex gloves. and said, put these away. which, you know, i didn't think anything of it at the moment. >> this is your new husband, you're in love with? >> absolutely. >> you don't know all his habits? >> no. still learning. >> and wake up and talk to the birds? you don't know right? >> he was an early riser. >> so when investigators showed up and asked where dave had been the night that linda disappeared. >> i didn't mean to lie. that wasn't my intent. was to lie to law enforcement. >> did you say that dave is in a jam? you're gonna cover for him? >> i said i love my husband. he went for a walk. it looks really bad, and very suspicious that he went for a walk.

now suddenly all this is happening. he said i'm home, and i'm like. he's home. >> so no walk. he was home all night. that was her story and she stuck with it. although, privately, she said. she couldn't help but turn things over in her mind. and at one point, even confronted her husband. >> what i said was please tell me that you are not involved. that -- that this has nothing to do with you. >> what do they say? >> i didn't do anything. and that was enough for me. and i said, okay. >> and so, three years past. rosemary gave birth to her son. adopted jordyn. and battled over visitation rights with marilyn. and then on may 8th, 2003. the investigators were at the door again. marylin and renee had been shot. where they asked, had dave been about 8:30 that night? dave and rosemary as we know said he had been at home. but, the truth?

>> at that moment, rosemary, was dave home? >> dave was not home. >> according to rosemary, dave did not get home until after jordan was already tucked into bed. that sometime after 9 pm. >> and he walked in. and, i saw his face. and that is something that nobody will ever take away from me. >> tell me. >> panicked! which panicked me. and quite as a ghost. sweating. his eyes were huge. and just instantly, it scared me. to where the first thing, the very first thing i said to him was what's wrong? and he didn't say anything. and i said dave, what is wrong? and he didn't say anything. and he leans down, kisses jordan. and shut off the light. and he kind of pulled me around the corner. and i kept asking him, what is wrong. what is going on? there was a lot of what the hell is happening? he started to take off his clothes in the kitchen.

and quickly. and he said wash those. i'm getting in the shower. and he made a beeline for the shower. >> and then when the investigator showed up at the door? >> he clearly stated. been home. >> and they ask you directly, was dave here? >> yes. >> you told him a lie? >> i absolutely did. i followed dave's lead. >> but rosemary said her insides churned. >> it really took a took on me, physically and mentally. just everything terrified me. gave terrified me, he handed me knowledge that i didn't want to know. i didn't ask for it. i didn't want it. and he left me there, holding it. and it became a very heavy burden. >> is this where your marriage becomes unraveled with dave? >> it definitely starts. there it never was the same after that. it never was the same. >> the dominoes, said rosemary, quickly began to fall. dave's behavior changed. and he had an affair.

months after marilyn's murder, rosemary confronted him again. >> and i said, i think you killed three women. and his response to me was. are you afraid of me? >> that's how he responded? to that confrontational question? >> that's how he responded to me. there was no, there was never any reassurance. >> i would've done nothing like that. none of that. >> there was nothing. it was are you afraid of me? and you trust me? >> dave she said, blame her. for the suspicion that it fallen upon him. >> he had made statements saying people are saying that your telling this town that i did it. and what he told me was, you need to shut your mouth. and what i said was, i am your [bleep] alibi! and that was a quote. and it was kind of left at that. >> a few years later, rosemary and dave were divorced. and it was in the midst of an

argument over childcare arrangements, that rosemary said that everything came to the surface. >> the moment that it hit me, was when i said please don't make me take you back to court. and when i said that, he took off his sunglasses and said don't [bleep] with me rosemary. and it did. it scared me. >> did you feel scared for your life at that point? >> i-- >> linda, marilyn, i might be next here. what's going on this guy? >> there was a moment yes, i did. >> after the confrontation. she confided in her best friend. who urged her to call the sheriff's department. she met with an investigator. >> and i told him straight out, i said i lied. both times. and i think as we went through a conversation, you know, it kind of ended with i never believed you anyway. >> but the alibi had gone up in smoke? >> yes. and there was no turning back. it was the truth.

>> detectives kept rosemary's confession secret as they slowly build their case against dave. when he went on trial, she would be the star witness. but, by her own admission, rosemary had lied for years. why would a jury believe her now? >> coming up! >> did any of that get to you? >> no. knowing my father. i really don't feel he could go as far as kill a woman. >> a daughter defends her father. and explain to yourself. >> being a seven year old, i probably wasn't very clear. >> and an ex wife takes the stand. >> i knew that i could not hold this in any longer. >> when dateline continues! ♪ non-drowsy claritin knocks out symptoms from over 200 allergens. without knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. trelegy for copd.

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spends his weekends about as far away from a courtroom as one can get. >> i need a way to get it out of my head. rock climbing, you have to be completely

present in the moment. not worried about you, your life, your self. >> all the chatter in your head stops? >> it's liberating. it scratches my head so i can go back and do the next case. >> and there were so many cases, like the one he took on in 2014. tucson fire captain, david watson, accused of killing three women. >> this is the pinnacle for a prosecutor to take the challenge, make the challenge almost him insurmountable. make it big. and overcome it. >> him and his counsel felt they were up to the challenge. >> we had no doubt, no doubt that david watson killed the three women. we just wanted a chance to put it in front of a jury. >> that chance came in october of 2016. >> two women battled david dwayne watson for control, and custody, of jordan watson. two women who are both dead. >> the prosecution called jordan, who still believed her

dad was innocent. to testify about that interview that she gave at age seven. >> i said, is dad still at his meeting? she says i do not know. >> that is number one cooperation for when rosemary comes forward later and says that david watson was not home. >> being a seven year old, i probably wasn't very clear. of course. but, i have no memory of that. at all. >> and she told us, her relationship with rosemary was never the same. after rosemary started expressing doubts about dave. >> did any of that get to you jordan? did you start to turn these ideas running your head? or is there something to this? >> she really tried, i'll give her that but no, knowing my father i really don't feel good to go as far as to kill a woman. >> don't let the helpful, fire kept an image full uses the ross occasion. dave's training, they, said was exactly why he is capable of killing three women.

>> what does a paramedic do? responds to bloody scenes. they remain calm in certain circumstances and this was david watson's key attribute. >> that, along with a mountain of other circumstantial evidence. the money clip. the nine millimeter shell casings, dave statements to his friends. the horse ride near silver bell mine in 2007. all pointed to a guilty man, according to the state. >> you prove this case by 1000 cuts. 1000 little cuts. and there is not going to be the one aha moment that comes down that solves this case. >> wrong, said the defense. there wasn't an aha moment because dave did not do it. representing dave watson, husband and wife legal team, michael story and natasha ray. much like their prosecution counterparts, not one to shy away from the challenge. >> this was the most monstrous undertaking that we've ever had in our careers together. >> according to the defense, there were any number of reasons why linda, marilyn, and renee died. reasons that had nothing to do with dave watson.

>> as much as the state says, dave watson, dave watson, dave watson. you're going to see it going in another avenue. of people, and circumstance. >> other avenues? such a suicide. whether linda's. >> with the drinking, the ex-boyfriend testifying against her, losing her job. >> or even rene's. the defense said that marilyn's friend had once discuss suicide. and they suggested that she may have chosen an unusual method. >> we all know that insurance won't pay if you commit suicide. >> is your theory, or at least you're willing to consider that rene, the friend, has somehow commissioned her own murder? >> that was something that we had thrown out in theory. >> natasha, what movie or you seeing? >> there is some crazy people out there. >> then there was this idea

that maybe linda's ex boyfriend was the culprit here. dna consistent with jr and not dave, was found on a trash bag that had linda's blood on it. although jr himself testified, nothing surprising about that. he said he had been helping linda fix of her house. and that he had nothing to hide. >> i have corroborated with the sheriff's department in their investigation 100 and 10%. >> and remember how linda went out drinking with her cousin a few days before she disappeared? the saloon isn't far from a rural part of town called green acres. a witness testified that she had heard someone in green acres talk about moving linda watson's body. >> she reports that that body was being moved to silver bell road. and that is within four miles of where this girl was found? >> so the geography matches. >> it fits it. >> so linda might have gotten into a pick up truck? >> right. >> they said --

had written near the silver had ridden out near the silver bell line before. but as for that specific trip, on new years eve 2007. >> i don't think that happens. >> you don't think he went? there >> the defense highlighted that while pima county sheriff's investigators provided a print out of the coordinates, they never save the raw data. and, what about that money clip with the and the sholes dtw? the defense theorize that maybe marilyn's family planted it. >> ludicrous said marilyn's sisters. >> we have our theories that this family was looking for a scapegoat. and they believed that dave did it. so they planted the money clip. >> ludicrous, said maryland sisters. >> it made me -- if i was gonna do something that stupid, i would've taken it from the crime scene. why would i put it here in the back? >> the defense also pointed out that there was no probable link between the ruger that day once owned, and the mare magnet that killed rene. >> it wasn't conclusive that it was a ruger.

>> but at the end of the day, the prosecution and the defense agreed. the case hinged on the believability of one witness. rosemary watson. >> if you don't believe rosemary, you don't have a case. >> it just chilled me to the bone. >> rosemary explain to the jury why she decided to come forward in 2007. >> and i knew that i could not hold this in any longer. because three women lost their lives. their lives matter. >> and then there was a critical detail. rosemary testified that on the same day that linda disappeared, they found his own mother was planning to testify on linda's behalf at the upcoming testify hearing. >> he begged her not to. >> did he succeed? >> no. she was very adamant about testifying for linda. >> the prosecution said, everything was coming to a head that night. >> it's about control. and that is a man who is seething inside. the night that he finds out that he can't get his mother, not to testify against him. and his own mother.

and that's how vicious it had to be done. >> so you see the fuse being lit here? >> yeah. i mean. i don't know when the fuse was lit, but it was getting down close to the explosives at that night. >> but according to the defense, rosemary watson was just not credible. >> she was a liar, back when she gave the alibis. or she's a liar when she's giving the -- >> so the jurors? >> no they shouldn't pick up because they should say she doesn't know what they believe. >> so you have this story that you're calling ally now? right? >> it is a lie. >> and in the last seven years is the truth, right? >> i came forward. and told the truth. >> i understand they are completely different versions of that night. yes? >> they are. >> one of them is a complete lie? yes? >> yes. >> the defense in a nutshell,

hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. >> so she's wanting to stick it to her ex? that's your theory? >> exactly right. >> appointed defense drove home in closing arguments. >> she's a liar! when you have a blatant, full face liar like that. you cannot consider the testimony. you have to throw it out. >> the prosecution argue that the jury should believe rosemary. and not the wild theories floated by the defense. >> the truth is, folks, august of 2000, that man killed linda watson. in 2003, that man killed marilyn cox. and killed rene farnsworth. there is no other evidence, based in reason, to any other answer than that. >> and now, it was in the hands of 12 jurors. and right before thanksgiving, they surprised everyone. coming up! >> we the jury to find the

defendant david dwayne watson. >> after so many years, and one last twist. a verdict! >> there is no way. no way beyond a reasonable doubt you could think i would've done any of this. >> we were all pretty positive that, this is gonna be over. he's gonna come home. >> my hands were sweating. i was nervous. because i know the victims families are behind me. and this is everything to them. >> when dateline continues! i got a new credit card, and i'm even finding ways to save. finally getting smart about money feels really good. see all you can do with the free experian app. download it now. we planned well for retirement, but i wish we had more cash. you think those two have any idea? that they can sell their life insurance policy for cash? so they're basically sitting on a goldmine? i don't think they have a clue. that's crazy! well, not everyone knows coventry's helped thousands of people sell their policies for cash. even term policies. i

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[ tires screeching ] jordana, easy on the gas. i gotta wrap this commercial, i think i'm late on my payment. it's okay, the general gives you a break. yeah, we let you pick your own due date. good to know, because this next scene might take a while. for a great low rate, go with the general. jordan watson firmly believe

that her father was innocent. and expected to have him home for thanksgiving. >> we were all pretty positive that this is going to be over. he's going to come home. >> then three days after deliberations began, the jury came back but it wasn't what anyone expected. >> was there any possibility that the jury would want to

consider further discussions ? >> not at this time. now. >> the jury was hung. dave watson soon learned that he had just been a few votes shy of walking out of jail a free man. >> it was 10 to 2 for acquittal in the case of linda. and 8 to 4 for acquittal in the case of marilyn and renee. >> yeah, it brought tears in my eyes that it was even a hung jury. >> the defense contain their excitement, and brace themselves. >> the only conviction is a when but it's a hollow win in that the state can come right back and target again. >> which is exactly what happened. the real trial began on january 25th of 2017, the prosecution led with its star witness. >> the state calls rosemary watson. >> but this time they retool their case of it. >> i read the transcripts from the first trial and one thing that i saw too much of was me speaking. and so, i doubled down on the

idea that the jury had to hear from rosemary. so i got out of the way, i asked shorter questions. >> did anything unusual happened that night? >> yes. i woke up in the middle of the night. and dave was not there. >> the second time around was different for rosemary too. >> now i'm a little mad, not only is he lying, he is making me out to be just a bold faced liar. >> she testified about how she had lied to protect her family. and about what coming forward with the truth had cost her. >> does jordan call you mom anymore? >> she doesn't speak to me very often anymore. >> is that since this case? >> correct. >> the prosecution called jordan next, so the jury could hear how her interview at age seven, backed up rosemary's claim that dave was not home. not so fast, said the defense. >> i can only imagine if my seven year old was interviewed about a key fact that would decide a guy's life. it would be scary.

>> the defense maintain that day was home the night in question. he didn't kill anyone, they said. they once again considered multiple other scenarios of what could've happened to linda. she died by suicide, she was murdered by a mysterious killer from green acres, or by the one suspect who stood out for the defense. if not dave watson, then who? >> it would be carl. >> carl barton junior, jr. nonsense, said the prosecution. >> there is no evidence linking jr to any of these three murders. none. >> after seven weeks of testimony, dave's faith was once again in the hands of a jury. >> we were getting indications from questions out of the jury that they might actually go into the next week. i was thinking that they were pretty hung. >> but then after a day and a half of deliberations, the jury buzzed with a verdict. it was st. patrick's day. detective kelly anderson hoped lucky would be on his side. >> my hands were sweating. i was nervous. i'm nervous over every verdict. but i'm more nervous now.

and it is because i know the victims families are behind me. and this is everything to them. >> the stakes were high for him personally too. he was retiring. and this was his last homicide case. the moment of truth, the one that had taken 17 years to arrive was finally upon them. >> we the jury, defend the defendant david dwyane watson, guilty of the offense of second-degree murder of linda watson. >> when he said linda. i didn't even have to listen to the rest of it. we know if we got him for linda, the other two was an automatic win. >> david watson. father, friend, and fire captain. was also convicted for the first degree murders of marilyn and renee. the loyal friend, who didn't even play a lead role in her own murder case. >> she was forgotten a lot.

but my mom was kind of meek, mild quiet person in the back. and she's kind of just go with the flow. and she was always there for anybody that needed everything. >> jordan was heartbroken. dave says that he could not believe it. >> i would've never imagined that in millionaires. from what was being presented in court? i would've thought, there is no way. no way beyond a reasonable doubt that you can think of. would've done anything with this. >> did you go over to linda's house? to kill her? dropped her -- silver bell? >> no. not at all. >> did you get a nine millimeter, a ruger, did you put on a hoodie and go kill

marilyn and her friend on the driveway range? point-blank range? >> nope. >> but the jury believed otherwise. and the man who made a career out of saving lines, is doing time for taking one. he was sentenced to life in prison. >> is it a nice, sentimental ending? for your career as a homicide detective? >> it's bittersweet. it's a little bit that makes me want to do it again. >> the fault is three cases lighter now. and the families of linda, marilyn, and rene have some measure of closure. thanks to an enemy turned ally. >> one of the ironies here is that you ended up delivering for women that you had been fighting earlier in your life? you delivered for linda. you delivered for marilyn and her friend renee. >> ultimately i did, didn't i? >> she hopes jordan will one day come to understand that. >> speak to her directly now. >> everything that i didn't want for her has happened. and so speaking to her, i guess the only thing that i could say, is that i'm sorry. but i am always here for her. >> we are sorry but you say that you also did the right thing. >> i did do the right thing. if this was me? and i died fighting for justice for my daughter, i would hope that everybody would just tell the truth. >> but the truth, sometimes as murky and hard to see, as the

desert with night closing in. what with all of those secrets, and old bones scattered about. unchanging. >> i'm craig melvin, and this is dateline. >> my father always told me keep an eye on her. >> you made a promise to him? >> yes. to make sure she was okay. i was going to find her. >> you just knew, as her mom that something was very wrong. >> yes, i did. >> there was a report that she had been in the silver car, i knew that she was probably in trouble. >> you get a call from a blocked number. >> yes. >> you need to be honest with me, because i'm done playing. >> well, i've been only honest with you. >> she would turn it on and try to get some truth of him. >> i'll keep digging, and digging. >> there are so many unsolved cases out there. >> indigenous woan