gosh, what sin do i commit to in this spot? what would you say? >> i trust in a con artist. i trusted a sociopath. since i married a monster, people think i should be one too, but i'm not. >> wreckage, much of it. once upon a time, in a flat, the gracious land, where tough men wrestled for oil, murderous ambition bubbled up with the crude and made a plate as old as humankind. >> what was it all about me really? why? >> greed, plain and simple, just came out to greet. it was all about money. i'm craig melvin. >> and i am natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." my question is, why? i did not mean, who, my only

question was, why? >> they were beautiful people, in miami's sizzling south beach, singles who became lovers , and the newlyweds. they were still on their honeymoon, only married four days when this young bride was murdered. >> i get a phone call, screaming, crying. >> no murder weapon, no dna, but no shortage of suspects. >> you've got to prove it. >> did the red-hot miami lifestyle have something to do with their death? >> did admit to having encounters with other couples there. >> or was it simple jealousy? >> are you still intimate with yolanda? >> yes, we are. >> say that again! >> the trail. >> he said, he did not love her, he loved me. >> finally, a verdict. >> the years of waiting, the years of riding her, we needed

justice. hello, welcome to "dateline." wendy trapaga telehealth head over heels for michel escoto, an older man with a string of admiring girlfriends, although wendy was his prized catch, the couple quickly married. then, just days later, the young bride was found dead in a parking lot. the mystery of her murder with investigators for years. but the truth would prove more cold- blooded than even they could imagine. here is dennis murphy with, "mystery in south beach. if you spend any time down here, you probably sensed, there are really two miami beaches. you know this one by reputation, anyway. south beach, a pulsating

playground with energy that surges out of the ocean, and exhausts itself in the all-night columns. and then, there is the old miami beach. here are the sunburned streets of apartments, with decades past , the old people used to sit out in aluminum chairs. that is where a young couple, wendy and michel were trying to make it. the whitbread was cheap and the air conditioning, good enough. if you thought all people catch the brakes , listen to the story of 20-year-old wendy trapaga, because she may be the most gorgeous, doomed young woman to ever walk the streets. >> she was model pretty. >> i don't think she thought of herself as anything spectacular. >> her much older sisters and brother never used the qualifier , stepsister, when they spoke of

wendy. they will tell you, she's a bit of a daddy's girl, an international airline pilot who died, sadly, in a crash when wendy was just 6. >> i guess i was like that other mother for her to me because i was pretty much by material's side, raising her. >> a love of animals was always a part of wendy. >> she was always rescuing a dog, kitten, anything. i kept telling her, don't give up your passion, don't give it up. >> wendy did have another passion . it was for fashion and other takeovers. at easter, she memorably dolled up her nieces for a living room fashion show. how nice a kid was this churchgoing, slightly sheltered girl? well, there's this story of a classmate without a dress.

>> one girl cannot afford to go to prom and wendy got this girl prettied up, got her a dress, everything. >> after graduation, two cousins who owned their own salons, urged wendy to follow in their footsteps. >> she had a therefore it appears >> yes, she did appear to maxima 21, after a brief marriage she enrolled in beauty school. in 2002, that is where she first saw michel escoto rumble up on his fire engine red ducati motorcycle. michel was a self-taught web designer and sometimes a teacher of computing. by his early 30s, he was looking for a career change. he thought he would try hairstyling. he enrolled, as fate would have it, in the same cosmetology school is wendy. michel 's friend, ramon santa cruz. >> when i met wendy, he was on a motorcycle . i told myself, a beautiful girl, i don't know what he did to get this girl. >> whatever he did, it worked. the pair falling quickly and deeply. within six months, they were living together on south beach.

wendy gave michel a makeover dying his hair blonde, perfect for the club scene. they lived for the day and then came unexpected news for these two butterflies. wendy was pregnant . her mother, muriel, had feelings. >> how did she feel that her baby was having a baby? >> delighted with the fact of being a grandmother, not delighted with the circumstances. >> wendy have to be church wedding for her first marriage. this time around, she and michel got hitched at miami beach city hall. >> congratulations. >> the next day, wendy and michel set out for a brief weekend honeymoon, a drive down to florida keys to key west . sunset drinks, dinner, and a hotel room. three days after the wedding, they were back in miami beach sunday evening.

wendy called her mother to say, they were going to a movie and dancing later at a club. the mother urged her pregnant daughter not to drink. and then, in the middle of the night, the wee hours of monday morning, wendy's mother got a call from her new son-in-law, michel , saying, they had gotten into an argument. and wendy stormed off then, she was once were mother's house. since then, the bridegroom said he had repeatedly called wendy without success. right around then, in a bleak warehouse district, hours and hours after the bars in miami, a sanitation worker was startled to see the body of a young woman in a blue dress, slumped between two vehicles. it was the newlywed, wendy. news traveled fast. >> i get a phone call from my stepmother, screaming, crying, wendy is dead, they took her from me. she told me, it is on the news. i went looking, there is my sweet little sister being put on a gurney.

and it is just so surreal. >> this desolate warehouse place . >> all i kept taking about was her being alone there by herself and frank to god she did not suffer. >> the killer, who bludgeoned her to death, also erased the beauty of her young face. a honeymoon weekend for the new bride had ended behind yellow police tape. coming up, who killed wendy, and why? did it have something to do with miami's wild nightlife? >> he did admit to having encounters with other couples there. >> when "dateline" continues. but i'm protected with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious for those over 60, including those with asthma, diabetes, copd and certain other conditions. but i'm protected.

arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv and over 94% effective in those with these health conditions. (♪♪) arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. one thing we know is true: no matter race, gender, ethnicity... the need to screen when due... for colon cancer's a priority.

indeed! everyone 45+ at average risk should screen for colon cancer. these folks are getting it done at home with me, cologuard. cologuard is a one-of-a-kind way to screen for colon cancer that's effective and non-invasive. it's for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. i did it my way.

pete g. writes, "my tween wants a new phone. ask your provider for cologuard. how do i not break the bank?" we gotcha, pete. xfinity mobile was designed to save you money and gives you access to wifi speeds up to a gig. so you get high speeds for low prices. better than getting low speeds for high prices. right, bruce? -jealous? yeah, look at that. -honestly. someone get a helmet on this guy. xfinity internet customers, ask how to get a free 5g phone and a second unlimited line free for a year. switch today!

miami-dade police detectives, maria medeiros and best buy is at talk to them for their monday morning shift, when working down of a homicide of a blank warehouse district. it is where they found in a parking lot, the body of wendy trapaga , line between a car in a van. >> we could see the's letter of blood on the van, meaning, whoever did this to her, did it right here. >> this was the place where she was killed? >> correct. >> her head had been bashed in me but there was no weapon to be found. >> what type of a homicide is this? is this a robbery, maybe a drug

deal gone bad? >> tell me what you think about the victim? >> she's a young girl, just like she may have gone out the night before. she did not have her shoes on, which is unusual. why is this young girl in this industrial parking lot? >> no reason to be in this for the part of the county? >> no, unless you met someone. >> so the detectives headed out of the parking lot. >> amid their shock and tears, detectives pieced together a sense of who the victim was an what her final hours had been about. sunday evening, wendy sounded okay, detectives were told . the next call at 5:48 a.m., the one from michel , asking if she was at her mom's , was worse. a few hours later, michel was waiting for wendy's mother where she works. >> he met her at her job and tells me, he was very disheveled and worried about where she could be.

>> michel escoto, it turned out, was about to get an official answer to his where is she question. >> we are talking, the phone rings it is michel escoto. >> again, asking his mother a lot if she heard from wendy. they headed over to michel 's apartment to deliver the news about his girlfriend of eight months and his bride of four days. >> we walked into his apartment and he blurted out, is she dead? and we explain, we are investigating the death of wendy, et cetera. he started calling out. >> doubled over, crying. police gave him a few minutes to compose himself before asking them to come to headquarters to answer more questions. there, he recounted the brief honeymoon. michel told detectives that wendy added had the idea of a little spice before rejoining their work lives. >> we had not had much of a honeymoon, that's extend the honeymoon. >> as michel escoto told it,

around midnight, they checked into a hotel that features fantasy suites with a private pool and jacuzzi . he says, they had six, slept a little, and wendy goes off in the jacuzzi . around 4:00 a.m., michel says, they checked out and headed home. that is when they said, the newlyweds have their first argument. michel says, he walked in the apartment, leaving wendy in the car. >> three minutes later, he says he comes out. he says, when he comes out, the car is gone, wendy is gone. detectives spoke with michel for 14 hours and asked him repeatedly if he could identify anyone with a motive , he said he couldn't. after leaving police headquarters, he saw his friend, ramon santa cruz. >> he was looking depressed. he looked down, maybe tired. >> five days after her murder, wendy was laid to rest. and then, rinse and family gathered at her parents' home. detective was there as well and he learned something about the couple that would send the investigation down another

path. >> and threats of this investigation takes you into the swinger lifestyle. what has been going on with michel and wendy in this club scene two marks >> after i am informed of this, that wendy was a part of a swingers club , a place called the miami velvet in the south miami, the first thing i did was i called michel . he did admit to having encounters with other couples there. >> now you have to wonder if someone had a thing that developed about wendy, and is that person the killer? >> it turns out, the club was within a mile and a half of the scene. so, i wanted to explore that. >> a swingers club was cooperative and detectives took dna samples from a few employees and members. they would have to wait for the results. in the meantime, the investigation was turning up a new lead. a former girlfriend of michel 's. her name, yolanda surreal. >> this is the person that had a relationship with michel before he met the victim.

according to her, michel left her for wendy. she loved michel escoto, she was very much in love with him. >> a single mother, was she also a woman scorned to mark michel left her six months earlier, and to add insult to injury, asked her to watch his dog while he was on his honeymoon with wendy. >> to to the extent of taking care of somebody's dog during their honeymoon, as a woman it is very strange to me. >> does yolanda become a suspect? a woman that feels she was cashiered, fired because of this younger woman, nobody gets away with that. >> a lot of bad if you ask ramon santa cruz. >> she was very evasive. her apartment was always dirty. she was never a good person to begin with. >> detectives met with yolanda cerrillo, who freely admitted she had been devastated michel dumped her, but she had no idea who beat his wife to death.

>> she said she did not know anything about it. >> detectives noticed something else about yolanda. she lived a few minutes from the parking lot where they found wendy. >> when you start adding all the little things together, her proximity to the crime scene, i'm very interested in yolanda cerrillo. >> no one knew yet what yolanda was hiding. that would come later. some so with the revelation of a motive that seemed to explain every violent little thing. coming up, 1 million reasons why someone wanted wendy dead. >> i asked him how much is the life insurance policy? >> when "dateline" continues. air wick. every year millions of noses are ghosted by their plug-ins. new air wick advanced. our ground-breaking plug-in that pulses scent for staying power, up to 60 days. plus a fragrance boost button.

our noses won't be ignored again. with the freestyle libre 3 system know your glucose levels. no fingersticks needed. all with the world's smallest and thinnest sensor. manage your diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c. try it for free at freestylelibre.us looking for a smarter way to mop? try the swiffer powermop. ♪♪ an all-in-one cleaning tool, with a 360-degree swivel head that goes places a regular mop just can't. ♪♪ mop smarter with the swiffer powermop.

who would want to murder pretty wendy trapaga? did her killer meet her at the sexual swapping club that her boyfriend, michel escoto took her to ? the cops ran down those leads in the swingers club. went nowhere. what about yolanda, the husband's ex-girlfriend, enraged, perhaps, to be traded in for wendy, the younger model . detectives fill dirt that yolanda way more, but if so, how to cracker? and then, there was the husband himself. they kept going back to their notes from their 14 hour interview with him. at times, it had been pulling teeth. >> once we asked them over and

over again, is there anybody with a motive, anything, anything at all you can tell us? and i bring up the point, don't you have a life insurance policy? and he says, yeah, we do. >> a hefty one it would seem to a hefty 21-year-old woman he was not married to at the time of purchase. >> i asked him, how much is the life insurance policy? and he said, $1 million. he said, million dollars, and i said, you don't think that is important to tell us? and he said, no, i don't. i have a million-dollar life insurance policy on myself too. and i said, that's not in question because you are here, you're alive. >> one thing michel escoto did reveal, wendy wasn't pregnant. he said that was the cause of the argument that night. he said that wendy lied about the whole thing. michel shutdown. will you take a polygraph? no. can we photograph the bruises on your arm? no. take a dna swab? again, no. >> he didn't talk himself off your suspect list? >> he did not. >> he bashed in her skull with

a billion-dollar insurance payout. a tire iron was missing from her car, eight likely weapon, but nowhere to be found. >> two go to the state attorney prosecutor and say, we've got it, let's get a grand jury. >> no. it's not that easy. you've got to prove it. >> so the police let their person of interest go. in the meantime, wendy's family had huge suspicions about michel . sister, rita, was not crazy about him from the moment she met him. >> calling that energy, i should that's head hand and i was wiping it right after i let it go. >> the revelation he bought a million-dollar policy on wendy only confirmed their belief that he'd killed her. two months after wendy's death, michel file for his beneficiary payout. her murder would remain

unsolved for a long time. >> we would be frustrated the family of the victim, we were sitting there waiting, and waiting. >> and then michel did something bold . he actually sued the insurance company to pay him his $1 million. with a guilty man be so reason to try that? absolutely, the family said. by then, they'd had enough. the family got a lawyer, and together, they went after michel escoto. >> we believed he was the killer. >> two years after the murder, the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against michel . metlife put the insurance money in escrow and waited on the sidelines as michel and wendy's family fought it out in court. if michel wanted to see so much as one cent of that money, he would have to do something he'd never done before. >> he has to testify coming cannot plead the fifth, especially since he is pursuing the claim. >> at this point, police and

prosecutors were happy to up the family's attorney prepare the case, sharing statements michel made to detectives after wendy's death. >> they call you and say, take a look at what we've got, is that right? >> we asked if we would be allowed to look at the statements and we were. we took his deposition and his story just kept changing. >> so the story about a right and she takes a hike-- >> no, it doesn't add up. for instance, he testified that wendy, it was her idea all of a sudden at night to go to the miami executive hotel. >> however, back in 2002, yolanda, the ex-girlfriend, told police that michel asked her to make the hotel reservation . it was not wendy's idea at all. a factual discrepancy, also known as a lie. during the deposition, michel also admitted that yolanda was no longer his ex, he had moved back in with her after wendy's death.

>> are you still intimate with yolanda? >> yes, we are. >> do you have any plans of marrying yolanda? >> plans of such, no. >> there had been one question about michelle and yolanda that had nagged a detective since 2002. they learn through phone records that on the night of the murder, michel page yolanda at 3:00 in the morning, but why? both michel and yolanda told police at the time, he wanted to check on her daughter. >> he claims of course that he beeped her because he thought yolanda's daughter was sick. we later found out, she was not fit. >> there is no reason for the communication? >> no reason whatsoever. >> when the civil case went to trial, michel escoto got so roughed up, on the second day, he was a no-show in court. wendy's mother got the insurance money and prosecutors got to hear firsthand about the constantly shifting story. >> estate attorney said in the

court room and was taking notes. >> you have a little chitchat in the hallway outside? >> we did. >> what did he say? >> it's your case. you have all the evidence right now and we will begin the deposition testimony and we had everything already outlined. >> michel escoto was arrested three days after his court no- show and was charged with the murder of his bride, wendy trapaga . police still thought they needed more. so they fixed their eyes on the girlfriend, yolanda cerrillo. >> i knew that eventually as time goes by, that relationship would deteriorate. >> why do you think that? >> because of they have that secret amongst each other, that was going to be a friction point in their relationship. >> how do you real her in,? >> with time. time changes relationships. >> and it did. in 2006, one year after michel was arrested, yolanda and her attorney went to prosecutors and said, let's make a deal.

she got full immunity in exchange for telling how she helped michel that night. >> she came into the state attorney's office and explained that she did take him away from the crime scene. >> that is a great story to tell the jury. >> yes, that is it. >> police may not have had a murder weapon or helpful forensic clues, but now they had yolanda, was about to give her version of that night. it was coldhearted and calculated. coming up, a scorned lover takes the stand. >> he said to cool down, it was all a plan, that he did not love her, he loved me. >> when "dateline" continues. . no tunes today? no. my apartment was robbed last night. took my cable ready tv, vcr, portable cassette player. yup. all the latest tech. if only progressive had renter's insurance like their home insurance. then we could bundle our cars and get the same 24/7 protection.

-i think we just invented that. -huh. this is the best day ever. well i still got robbed. well still pretty good day. what can you do with sensitive skin? ( ♪♪ ) cetaphil moisturizing lotion hydrates for a full 48 hours. because a lot can happen in 48 hours. cetaphil. we do skin. you do you. ♪ upbeat music ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ when your child has moderate-to-severe eczema, it's okay to for them to show off. show off their clearer skin and noticeably less itch with dupixent. because children 6 months and older with eczema have plenty of reasons to show off their skin. with dupixent, the #1 prescribed biologic

by dermatologists and allergists, they can stay ahead of their eczema. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema to help heal your child's skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. show off to the world. ask your child's eczema specialist about dupixent.

ryan t. writes, "moving is stressful. ask your child's eczema can you help me take one thing off of my to do list?” ugh, moving's the worst. with xfinity, you can transfer your internet in just a few taps. just a few easy moves. did somebody say “easy moves”? ♪ ♪ oh no. no, i was talking about moving your internet. this will move the internet. ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh. -let's keep it professional. professional dancers! -ok! stay connected during your move with the best in home wifi. easily transfer your services in the xfinity app. bring on the good stuff. hi, i am richard lui with the news update . president biden meeting with reddish prime minister to it discussed the possibility of allowing ukraine to fire western made weapons inside russia. the decision has not yet been made.

russian president vladimir putin warns, any such move would be viewed as an attack by nato. a decision by the pennsylvania supreme court would effectively reject any mail in ballots with incorrect or missing dates. the ruling on procedural grounds leaves leaves open the possibility for voting rights activists to challenge that again. now, back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline." i'm craig melvin. investigators believe michel escoto had a million- dollar motive to kill his young wife, wendy trapaga, but they lacked a murder weapon or any forensic evidence tying michel to the crime scene . what they did have was a witness who was about to offer a chilling account of what happened on wendy's last night alive. back to dennis murphy with "mystery in south beach. "

nearly 12 years after the murder of wendy trapaga, her husband, michel escoto, was finally on trial for her murder . he pleaded not guilty to first-degree charges. >> money is the root of defendant's evil. >> prosecutors offered the most chilling detail to the case that michel escoto picked wendy to be his bride so he could ensure her life and kill her. >> he would pray on an unsuspected, 21-year-old girl and marry her. four days. four days after that marriage, this defendant bludgeoned and strangled wendy trapaga to death. >> among the first witnesses, wendy's hard-working mother. speaking through an interpreter, the mother says, she was shocked when she learned the couple had taken life insurance policies out on one another just before their marriage. >> translator: i did not feel good. i expressed to her, why

insurance? are not even married. they did not have children. why insurance? >> on the stand, detective maria madero said, she zeroed in on that insurance policy when she questioned michel escoto a day after the murder . >> i told him, he could not muster up a tear of his wife of four days, to muster up a tear from the $1 million he would never see. >> what was his reaction? >> that lack of emotion was an indifference to wendy or a disregard for women in general . detectives say, michel escoto was a man with a history of itching off girlfriends. his former lover testifying she supported him for years. >> how much money did you give a month? >> approximately, navy $1500. >> go figure, the state said to me but for whatever reason, women through gifts at escoto. one bought the ducati motorcycle, another a car.

still, another former lover also supported him for years, would be the prosecution's star witness. yolanda cerrillo . prosecution argued, she was the girlfriend with intimate knowledge of how escoto carried out this brutal crime. she had been given immunity in exchange for her testimony here. wiping away tears, she recounted how it all started, how she fell hard for the defendant she thought to be a charmer. >> have you ever had a man you could share your life with? i thought it was michel . >> only to realize he was dumping her for the younger and more attractive wendy. yolanda says, she been confronted escoto in this restaurant parking lot and heard for the first time she says, his impending marriage to wendy was all a sham , that in the end he would come back to yolanda with pockets full of cash. >> he said to calm down, that he did not love her, he loved me. he was going to hurt her, they

were have would have an insurance policy and she would die. >> he told you he had a plan? >> yes. >> the plan was murder. it was during that conversation, yolanda told jurors, she became a co-conspirator, not only helping escoto cover up his crime, but also help him carry it out . this was the plan, on his wedding night, yolanda said escoto would drug and drown wendy peer to make sure you got it right, yolanda says, she took part in a grim dress rehearsal in what was made to look like an accidental death. >> we filled up my tub, and i got in the water and he pushed me down with his hands. >> you let him push you under the water? >> yes. i told him that wouldn't work. >> why? >> because the force of him holding her down in the water would leave bruises. >> so what did you suggest? >> i suggested he use a towel to hold her down.

>> yolanda said, she even helped him with of the drug laced concoction to knock wendy out. >> he came over and he brought some percocet pills. he and i started squishing them in i think it is a motor and pesto thing. >> what was he going to do with the percocet pills that you ground you marks >> he was going to give it to her so she would be drugged. >> and then drowned, said yolanda pierce she added the plan to kill wendy hit an uninspected snack. at the honeymoon hotel in key west, wendy balked at the taste of the drug cocktail. this time, she drank the cocktail, but for some reason, he could not manage to drown her. that is when yolanda recalled, escoto showed up at her place in the middle of the night with a dazed wendy in the front seat of a car. >> iso movement, somebody inside the car. >> wendy was still alive.

yolanda said, escoto ordered her to follow him in her car. >> he got out of the car, walked over to my car, and he told me, drive around, give me 225 minutes. >> eventually, yolanda said, she spotted escoto again, walking down the street, splashed down in blood and carrying a tire iron. she said, she drove him to the bay in downtown miami, we got out of the car with the weapon. >> and as he's walking, i saw him when he put the thing in the water. >> after dropping him off at his apartment, she said, she took his bloodied clothing and threw him in the dumpster. >> happy with yourself? >> no. i'm worthless. that's how i feel right now. >> is this about you? >> no, it's not. it's about a mother who lost her daughter and i had something to do with it.

>> and yolanda's time on the witness stand would get tougher still. two old lovers were about to face off in court, one defending himself, the other testifying against him. a roiling, boiling drama in real time. coming up, michel escoto's ex-lover , now the star witness against him in wendy's murder. >> did you wish he was dead? >> i wish he would go away. >> when "dateline" continues. v in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. ♪ it wasn't hard with cologuard®, ♪ ♪ i did it my way! ♪ colo-huh? ♪ cologuard! ♪ cologuard is for people 45+

at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. screen for colon cancer in your home, your way. ask your provider for, ♪ cologuard ♪ (man) mm, hey, honey. ask your provider for, looks like my to-do list grew. "paint the bathroom, give baxter a bath, get life insurance," hm. i have a few minutes. i can do that now. oh, that fast? remember that colonial penn ad? i called and i got information.

they sent the simple form i need to apply. all i do is fill it out and send it back. well, that sounds too easy! (man) give a little information, check a few boxes, sign my name, done. they don't ask about your health? (man) no health questions. -physical exam? -don't need one. it's colonial penn guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. if you're between the ages of 50 and 85, your acceptance is guaranteed in most states, even if you're not in the best health. options start at $9.95 a month, 35 cents a day. once insured, your rate will never increase. a lifetime rate lock guarantees it. keep in mind, this is lifetime protection. as long as you pay your premiums, it's yours to keep. call for more information and the simple form you need to apply today. there's no obligation, and you'll receive a free beneficiary planner just for calling.

-cologuard®? -cologuard. cologuard! -screen for colon cancer. -at home, like you want. -you the man! cologuard is for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪ i did it my way ♪ the state of florida had succeeded in painting michel escoto is a man who abused

women for many, in other words, a cad. and then, again, a cad is a far cry from a killer. >> i think there is problems with this evidence. i'm not just saying that here there is problems with this evidence. >> attorney serve as escoto's standby counsel . he says, despite the pediatrics, the state's case against michel escoto was weak from start to finish. there was, as he pointed out, no blood, no murder weapon, no dna linking the defendant to the crime, which is maybe why michel escoto, who had already pleaded not guilty to the charges, did what so many men raising a life in prison sentence would never dream of doing, he defended himself in court. >> i believe the evidence will show that only an imbecile, and an imbecile who is in love with money, would kill somebody four days after they were married to that person.

>> is it lincoln's advice about food is a client, those who represent themselves? >> we will see. >> wearing glasses, khakis, and a sweater, and speaking in a soft voice, escoto seemed less like a killer and more like a geek, a hopeless novice hitting pummeled by the execution prosecution. one time, the newbie scene near tears, another, overwhelmed. >> this is harder than i thought it would be. >> was this klutzy moment all about winning sympathy from the jury, the tiny stubble? and one particularly ones where the moment came when civil attorney jorge perrone, his nemesis from the failed insurance trial took the stand. under cross-examination by escoto, he explain just why was he expected escoto of killing his wife. >> you had been married to her

for 3 days before you killed her to get the life insurance. to me, that was very clear. >> judge, give me a second, because i want to say something i shouldn't. >> escoto lost it. >> say that again mark >> objection, judge. >> all of those guys. >> had mr. nerd inadvertently shown the lava boiling within? that threat with an contempt of court citation from the judge. but what appeared to be near disaster for the defendant could be spun as a play to his advantage. >> i think one of the important advantages he has here is that human connection he is getting for standing up there and with every witness who says, you're a murderer, your this, your that, him not backing down. he has never backed down. >> but, escoto, the headless underdog still needed to convince jurors he was not violent especially when it came to women, wendy and particularly. he cleverly questioned his former mother-in-law.

he may at one point had gotten her to admit that wendy had once confided to a friend. >> she told her friend she was content, that she loved you, esther escoto. >> so did i hear it's >> likewise, these former girlfriend and the professed sugar mama had to admit, escoto was never a violent bully. >> did i ever throw anything at you, punch you, snap at you, throw you on the ground? >> no. >> reporter: more reportedly, escoto wanted to show that the state's theory of the crime was a fairytale, starting with the idea that he drugged wendy. pharmacologist testified that wendy only had a small about of prescription drugs in her blood at the time. >> toxicology reports are consistent with normal doses you would take of any of these medications. >> she was not heavily drugged, as the state argued. >> she was not as incapacitated as you may have been led to leave.

>> there was another problem with the state's eerie, and it had to do with how wendy died. >> asked the assailants, left- handed, began to strike her. >> a medical examiner for the defense believe that wendy's killers injuries independent indicated two killers, both right-handed. >> which, in an altercation suggests to me that the assailant is right-handed. >> and since michel escoto is left-handed, the implications of the jury was clear, he could not be the killer. once, a dna expert said, she expected to find escoto's dna on the victim's clothing, but she found something more. >> several markers where his unit is not represented. >> dna traces for 2 different males and traces for a female. to standby lawyer, that could mean only one person. yolanda cerrillo, escoto's

old girlfriend who said she was with escoto before and after the murder. since, the first thing to know about yolanda is that she is a liar. first, she knew nothing about the crime, and then she said, she did, but only after the fact. the final story, he said, put yolanda front and center in planning the murder. >> lo and behold, we have the story that comes about about the drowning, the drugging, and all of this drama that i believe is rubbish. >> so what did make? a killer, he said, you hated wendy enough to pummel enough that she was unrecognizable. when a beyond, we courtroom exchange, escoto cross-examined and to his former lover, yolanda cerrillo, who admitted her resentment of wendy. >> i hated what she stood for, i did not know what she was. i

did it. i hated the whole situation, i hated that you left. >> and you wished she was dead? >> i wish she would go away. it's >> so you see yolanda's hand in this directly? >> she is lying because she feels it is in her best interest. i don't put it past her as being a person who would've committed this crime. >> but would jurors see it that way? here is the critical moment of the trial, a chance for each side to some of its case. in this potential tipping point, even michel escoto gray, with no time for amateurs. coming up, the verdict. >> the years of waiting, the years of mourning her. we needed justice. when "dateline" continues. your skin is ever-changing, take care of it with gold bond's age renew formulations of 7 moisturizers and 3 vitamins.

for all your skins, gold bond. air wick. every year millions of noses are ghosted by their plug-ins. new air wick advanced. our ground-breaking plug-in that pulses scent for staying power, up to 60 days. plus a fragrance boost button. our noses won't be ignored again. herbal essences is a force of nature. made with supercharged botanical blends, our sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate to boost hair health. without the salon naturals price tag. herbal essences. [coughing] copd hasn't been pretty. it's tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets.

but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups. and with one dose a day, trelegy improves lung function so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd because breathing should be beautiful.

is it possible to count on my ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd internet like my customers count on me? it is with comcast business. keeping you up and running with our 99.9% network reliability. and security that helps outsmart threats to your data. moaire dida twoo? -your data, too.

there's even round-the- clock customer support. so you can be there for your customers. with comcast business, reliability isn't just possible. it's happening. switch to reliable comcast business internet with security and get started for $49.99 a month. plus ask how to get up to a $500 prepaid card. call today! after a seven week trial and testimony from almost 40 witnesses, the prosecutor and the defense attorney, in this case, michel escoto himself, would get one last chance to talk to the jurors in closing arguments. prosecutor gail levine acknowledged that her office had to hold its nose in order to get escoto's girlfriend, yolanda, to testify against him. >> i can't charge her, i'd love to, but i can't. and she came in here, and she

filled in the details. she gave you the answers to questions that you had. >> when it was the defense's turn, terry liniment surprised the courtroom. >> i'm ready to proceed, judge . >> for the first time in this trial, backup counsel, terry liniment, seasoned defense account attorney testified. he attacked what he called the prosecutor's overselling of a mostly circumstantial case. >> this is a court of law, and no matter how much i scream, that is inadequate. no matter how much i wave my hands, or say,, dylan, dylan, dylan,, dylan, dylan, it does not make

it so. >>'s strategy was to plant a seed of doubt in just one juror's mind. >> if there is a hung jury, you will have to start over again. >> ended the case with two the jury. wendy's family gathered together once again and prayed. her mother hugged the prosecutor, who pursued escoto so ferociously . >> she is my hero. she is without a doubt my hero. >> one half hours after the jury went out, cell phones started buzzing in the courthouse. so many years since wendy's murder, and now in moments, her family would know. >> the years of waiting, the years of mourning her, all of a sudden we are told, the verdict is in. before i got to the courtroom, i was already crying. i was shaking. >> wendy's family members held their breath. escoto appeared to do the same . >> with the jury in miami-dade county, florida, this 22nd day of april, 2014, find the

defendant michel escoto guilty of first-degree premeditated murder . >> michel escoto set stonefaced in his chair, his lips down turn in a grimace, nodding. for the family, there were more tears but of a different kind, sorry mixed with relief and satisfaction. wendy's mother dropped to her knees and gave thanks. for detective, a 12-year-old case was now officially stamped closed. >> he'll never do this to another woman again. his life, his charming, is planning an evil plan will not affect another person. >> but there was someone the family felt had gotten away with murder, escoto's girlfriend, yolanda cerrillo. her immunity deal meant she would never spend a day in jail. >> they are both monsters here they are both psychopaths. >> i don't care at all how desperate, how insecure, how lacking in self-respect you have, you are a mother, and you went ahead and planned out the

death of another mother's daughter. >> but investigators said, without yolanda, things might have turned out differently. >> people are going to be throwing their shoes at their tv screen at this point, detective. >> she gave us the additional thing to charge, keep, and bring michel escoto to justice in this case. >> he gets a life sentence and she gets, have a nice day. >> that is how it appears. in lieu of not having anybody held accountable for this, i'll take that. >> but the family wasn't going to let yolanda off so easy. they sued her for the wrongful death of wendy and were awarded a 40 million dollar judgment. no, they had no expectations of seeing that kind of money. >> if she has to pay one cent a week, it is well worth it. as a reminder for the rest of her life, she assisted that monster. >> two weeks after his conviction, michel escoto was sentenced for wendy's murder. at the hearing, he proclaimed

his innocence to her family. >> matter how much satisfaction this verdict has given any of you, an innocent person was convicted in this case. >> ali, the family had an opportunity to address the man who killed wendy. >> justice served, off to hell with you, and good riddance. >> when wendy's mother, miriam, spoke through a translator, there was not a dry eye in the room. >> translator: sunday is mother's day. many of you have daughters or sons and you will receive gifts from them. i have to go to the cemetery to put flowers on my daughter's to . >> the judge gave escoto the mandatory sentence. >> life in prison without the

possibility of parole. >> the only way he leaves prison is in a pine box. on the day escoto was found guilty, the family went to the cemetery to visit wendy. they sat on her grave and talk to her. >> i kind of sat back and felt that i could breathe for the first time in so long. i felt that she was finally at. she can rest now. >> rest for wendy, the kind of a young woman who loved animals and enjoyed playing dress-up, and who fatally married a stranger, until death he did part. that is all for this edition of "dateline." on craig melvin, thank you for watching. watching. good morning, welcome to the saturday edition of "morning joe weekend. " it was an