what happens if something happened tomorrow and you got hit by a car and he looked at me and he said, i don't know what i would do without you. i don't know -- you know. i looked at him and said, i will tell you what you will do. you are going to find somebody and you will live your life. >> you get up in your morning and shaking your fist. pedro, why did you do this to me? not just christian. you become a victim also. >> it is so difficult sometimes to think of it that way. i would still give anything for christian to be here. there will not be another joke or a smile when i look up from working or something. it is not going to happen again. they are just memories. >> thank you for watching. this is "dateline".

>> no one will get murdered in my family. that is in the movies. who would want him dead? someone came here with the intention to murder him. and that i'm thinking, this person is still on the loose. are we safe. >> she was a southern bell. >> fun. >> and he was a long time boyfriend. >> he adored her and she adored him. >> reporter: uniting in life, divided by murder. >> nothing but blue lights. and that is not good. >> reporter: she was with him that night found bruce, crying and wrapped in duct tape. so what was the motive? was it money or maybe revenge. it was a thick file of suspects. >> he could have a laundry list of people who want to kill him.

>> reporter: but was his killer an enemy or a friend. >> those could be fighting words for someone. >> strong words. were someone to get upset. >> reporter: and the mystery that haunts a small southern town. is a killer still walking three? >> i would say that clock is ticking. we are coming. and we ain't giving up. hello and welcome to "dateline". melvin roberts was a vip in his tightknit community. and julia phillips was the light of his life. the couple seemed inseparable. then a murder shattered their love affair and exposed the dark underbelly of a zip code considered polite to smile at your friends, and your enemies. here is in tray with, 'death in the driveway".

>> reporter: your, south carolina. the town steeped in american history and southern manners. it is time, is deeply embedded as the pride of the people who live here. >> it is and i southern town and very quiet. >> reporter: it is not the sort of place you would expect evil to come knocking.>> my whole life just changed forever. >> reporter: and these are not the sort of the people you would expect to be victims of a vicious crime. >> he is a prominent man in a small town. and a good, christian woman. sweet southern belle. >> reporter: and in the end, what would forever hot this peaceful place, was the who and the why of it all. >> shock. complete shock. >> reporter: it all started around dinnertime, february 4th, 2010. on the outskirts of town at the end of a long, winding driveway. it was 7:30 p.m. when the call came into police

dispatch. between sobs, a female caller described her brutal attack. she begged for help. police on duty raced through the rainy night. dashboard camera rolling, expecting to investigate robbery. what they found. >> i was called at home and i was told that i needed to come in and it was a robbery that occurred. >> reporter: when the detective went up the driveway to the back of the house, he discovered a woman huddled in her car. she had been bound in duct tape. >> i walk up to the car and i noticed she had duct tape around her head. she also still had duct tape around her wrists. >> reporter: and not more than a few feet from this blue-and- white suburban, police found a bloodied and lifeless gray- haired man. it was a bit of a shock for the

detective, the victim was someone he knew well. >> it was real. >> reporter: the man on the ground was melvin roberts and everyone knew him. he was a former mayor of york, one of the town's wealthiest businessmen and a legendary defense attorney.>> i had a you cases with him. kind of the stern man but always family. >> reporter: and the woman who called police to the scene was julia phillips, melvin's long time girlfriend. >> she was worried melvin was dead and she said she did not know what happened. >> reporter: investigators at the scene told julia the devastating news. melvin had been murdered. is that a jolt? melvin roberts is the victim? >> melvin is not the type of person to be a victim of anything. >> reporter: melvin was the longest practicing lawyer in south carolina. he defended the

rich and poor for 55 years. he a massage like a bit of a small-town celebrity. whether he liked it or not. >> the thing about melvin is he was into everything. >> reporter: he was so influential, the street where he lived was named after him. roberts avenue. a true renaissance man devoted to his family. >> he was everything to me. he was my best friend. he was my mentor. >> reporter: melvin had two sons. david and ronnie. >> he was instrumental in making the into who i am. >> reporter: the three men shared an unusually strong bond. >> dad, david and myself, it was our normal routine to have lunch every day. >> you all sound thick as thieves the three of you. >> absolutely. >> the last thing i did every day as i gave dad a big hug and kiss on the cheek and tell him i love him. he told me the same thing, every single day. >> he loved to take me out to the farm.>> reporter: melvin's only grandchild, emily roberts number recalled how her granddad had way of keeping his family close. >> we would always go vacationing two different countries. fishing in costa rica.

for my graduation from college or scuba diving and really bonding together. it was quite an amazing relationship. >> reporter: and then it was julia. she and melvin started dating 10 years earlier. he was divorced and she had recently been widowed. to the quickly become a fixture around town? >> yes. immediately. he adored her and she adored him. she loves to travel and she is spunky and fun. what he got was his perfect match. >> reporter: she fit right into this tightknit family. >> she was bubbly. she was a good cook. >> that is a plus. >> a man's heart. >> that's right. >> reporter: they became a team melvin even helped julia start her own business. >> he eventually bought her her own store so she could sell her cosmetics and women's clothing. >> reporter: she opened the store in a nearby town where

she had grown up. she called it, julius. she started to become part of the family. >> yet. >> we were happy for dad. >> reporter: but now everything changed as investigators work the crime scene, the police captain knocked on ronnie store. >> you said ronnie, i have to tell you something, your father is dead and i said, no tommy. that is not true. he said, no, ronnie. it is your father and i have known him most my life and it is him. remix ronnie and his brother david drove to his father's house hoping it was a mistake. >> i look over to the side and i see corner written on the back. and that is when you know. that he ain't coming back. >> reporter: as the news of julius attack and melvin's murder spread, so did fear. if they could happen to this prominent couple, who might be next? >> someone came here with the intention to murder him.

and i'm thinking, this person is still on the loose. we safe. coming up. police said one thing going for them. a witness. but there is a lot investigators did not have. this would not be an easy murder to solve. >> everything was taken from the scene. there was no cutting interment. no rolls of tape, no gun, nothing. it was all gone. when "dateline" continues. ur 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. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid before it begins.

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the detective stood on the driveway that cold, february night, trying to figure out who called -- who killed prominent lawyer melvin roberts and brutally attacked his girlfriend , julia phillips . he got a close look. >> he had a couple of abrasions. one on his head and one next to his ear. somebody lit him up pretty good with some sort of metal object. >> reporter: the detective to tell that melvin had been shot up the bullet had grazed his ear, punching holes through the back of his jacket. so what killed him? >> as a looked down at him. >> reporter: 79-year-old melvin roberts had been strangled. police quickly searched the

scene and spotted their first clue. for the prosecutor, who would handle the case, it was a big one. >> they were able to find footprints back to mr. roberts house and the footprints were in mind and muddy water and they still had tread so that tells us they are super fresh. >> reporter: investigators believe the footprints most likely came from a man. they quickly caught in the k-9 unit, hoping dr. track down the killer if he was still in the woods around melvin's house. >> the dogs have picked up on fresh scent and they go out to and enjoy neighborhood where the dog loses the scent, which implies the person got into a car and took off. >> reporter: and that is where the trail vanished, leaving little else for investigators. >> everything was taken from the scene. there was no cutting instrument, no rules of tape. no zip ties, no gun. nothing. it was all gone. >> reporter: split detectives had a witness. maybe she could help solve the crime. julia was gently escorted away.

she had cuts on her arm and elbow and bruises on her hands and face. but despite all the trauma, julia told investigators she was ready to help find melvin's killer. >> she is your best witness at this point. >> correct. and are only witness. >> reporter: she took detectives through the details of the attack. it began here behind melvin's house in the large circular driveway. surrounded by a red brick wall. she was getting groceries out of the back of her suv. when she realized she was not alone.

and then he made a demand. >> he kept saying money. money. >> reporter: the next thing he knew, she was tied with duct tape. she said he dragged her 60 feet to the back of the parking area, behind the brick wall. >> he drug me to the brick wall and pushed me down. >> reporter: lying on the wet ground, she heard melvin's car pull up. a short time later, she heard a violent struggle.

>> reporter: after that, julia did not hear anything else. she stayed behind the brick wall. open the killer was gone. then made her escape. with duct tape lose, she said she was able to use a key to break free. julia explained to police she wanted to get help for melvin, but a part of her knew it was too late. still wet and muddy she told the police she would stay as long as they needed her. she was just grateful to be alive.

>> she said at the police station for good bit into the night and i believe she left sometime between 1:00 to 3:00 in the morning. >> reporter: a few days went by and the cops are no closer to finding the killer. so they do something unconventional. since julie was ready and willing, they took her back to the crime scene. >> we believe if we take her back to the scene, that we could get a picture of what happened. >> reporter: they wanted julia to show where the assailant through her in the mud. maybe they missed clues. he also wanted to revisit the sound of that pipe she heard. detectives asked her to close her eyes and just listen. they were hoping it might unlock any suppressed memories from at night.

she did remember more details about her attackers voice. the detective continued to gently guide julia through the crime scene but she often became emotional. it all seemed to be taking a toll and melvin's fellow emily worried about her. >> i called julia on several occasions to check on her and she was shaken up a bit. >> she was worried that someone was still out there. >> yes. to the point that at her store they would leave the door locked it would not let anybody in until they saw who was at the door.>> reporter: who could've done this to julia and melvin? detectives are about to discover that the number of possible suspects was a daunting. >> it turns out melvin was a lot of friends and a lot of enemies. coming up. >> putting this together.

anything that anyone could of had a conflict with dad about over whatever. >> how long was the list?>> at least 75 names. >> reporter: was melvin's killer on that list? when "dateline" continues. (man) mm, hey, honey. 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

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the attack on julia phillips and the murder of her boyfriend melvin roberts looked like a robbery gone

wrong. but once investigators took a closer look, the clues at the crime scene told a different story.>> no money was taken. the money bag julia had brought with her had roughly $80 and it. also, melvin i believe he had in the neighborhood of $400 in his wallet. >> reporter: the prosecutor believed this was a premeditated hit. >> we had to figure out who would have motive you had to really hone in on people that knew melvin and anybody that had a beef with him. >> reporter: that would not be easy because melvin was no ordinary man. as detective started looking into melvin's relationships with people around town, they learned he had two sides. while he could be incredibly kind and generous, he also had an edge. >> he had no problem telling you what he thought of you or what you should do or what you could do better. he has known to have a little bit of a temper. >> reporter: police had wondered if the temper may have

given someone a reason to kill. they also took a close look at melvin's business dealings. besides being a defense attorney, melvin owned multiple rental properties and a used car lot. police asked melvin son, ronnie and david to come up with a list of potential suspects, anyone who might have a grudge.>> i had all the people who worked for dad, putting this together. of clients that he represented or had a case against him. rental properties. evictions. repose. anything that anyone could of had a conflict with dad about over whatever. >> how long was the list? >> at least 75 names. at least. >> he has been an attorney for 55 years and has made people pay child support, who may not want to pay child support.>> these are children. a divorce. >> there were people who may want to see harm to your dad, potentially. >> potentially.

>> reporter: working from that list, police began knocking on doors and bringing people in for questioning. detectives also pursued a promising lead from their only witness. melvin's girlfriend julia. they focus on a key detail she had given them. the killer's accent. >> he could not speak good english. >> one of the descriptions that julia had given us was an indian type with an accent. >> reporter: that clicked with the detective. he learned about a couple who had rented a house for melvin with an indian accent and they had a nasty fight with melvin. >> i found out a week before they had an argument with a fairly large female tenant. >> reporter: she complained the floor was cracking in the kitchen sink. >> melvin said if she was not such a fat -- she would not be breaking the floor. >> those could be fighting words for someone.

>> pretty strong words for he has been to take and i can see getting pretty upset with that. and maybe going overboard. >> reporter: when the detective went to the house to speak to the has been, the man said he was at work at the time of the murder. investigators set out to check his story. police were also very interested in someone else. melvin's handyman, jean moss. david city walked in on his dad and moss having an argument on the night of the murder. >> that had been having some issues. and i thought they were having a private conversation and i said goodbye and i will see you tomorrow and that was when i walked out the door. >> reporter: it was the last time david saw his dad alive. >> gene was not doing what dad wanted him to. >> was he getting the boot? >> i thought so. i thought that was being hard on gene. dad, you want to back it down a notch or two. if you're going to get rid of him, fire him. >> he was one of the main suspects.>> reporter: police got a break and they discovered

j dna on the zip tie found on melvin's neck. and immediately started swapping suspects, hoping to find a match.>> i have over 80 dna samples that i have collected from anybody and everybody connected to this case. >> did you interview this people? >> all this people have been interviewed by me or one of the other detectives that assist with the case. >> 80 people. it is like finding a suspect in a haystack. >> in a stack of suspects, probably. >> reporter: were they looking in the right haystack? coming up. a secret kept in a bedroom. >> we found a lot of empty prescription pill bottles and a lot of pharmacy receipts. >> reporter: had the police found the motive for melvin's murder? when "dateline" continues. d older.

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are on strike and it is not clear whether the labor stoppage will have an impact for the flying public. the previous strike was in 2008 and lasted nearly 2 months. just in time for college football, directv and disney say they reached a deal that brings disney's espn and other channels back to customers. both sides accused each other of holding up an agreement. for now, back to "dateline". welcome back to "dateline". melvin roberts was murdered outside his secluded southern home and investigators believe he had been targeted. police quickly learn melvin had plenty of enemies. now they were about to uncover a suspect hiding in plain sight. here we are with 'death in the driveway".

>> reporter: 40s after his murder, melvin roberts was laid to rest in the town he called home for the last 60 years. did it feel like the whole town came to the funeral? >> it did. everybody was there from all over. >> you need to figure something out or you needed help, he was not afraid to take on anybody. he never backed down. he always looked out for the little guy and because he saw himself as the little guy. >> reporter: says hundreds gathered to say goodbye to melvin, an odd feeling settled over them. was it fear, suspicion? could someone amongst and be the killer? melvin's granddaughter, emily, started looking over her shoulder. >> who could this be? how could this have happened? who would want him dead? >> was putting the town on edge? >> there is a killer on the loose and we have to figure that out. >> reporter: detectives were working around the clock to narrow down the long list of potential suspects.

they learned that the angry tenant who fit the description of the man they were looking for could not possibly be the killer. he was at work. prosecutor -- >> you have to clock in and clock out and his employer verify the time he was there and he had not left and stayed until the shift was over. he had an airtight alibi. >> reporter: and then there was the handyman, gene moss . you had an argument with melvin shortly before the murder. the detective question moss, he said he was at home with his wife. that could be a shaky alibi. >> a phone call was made to him by another fellow that i interviewed and he said he had heard his wife in the background. >> on the home line? >> correct. that was just after the motor. >> reporter: moss was crossed off the list. detectives are running into nothing but dead and they spent a lot of time delving into melvin's life, now detectives wanted to look for clues in julia's background. we took a ride 40 minutes west to check out her business.

and as they poked around the store, things were not exactly what they seemed. >> it started out as a big fancy store and then basically it had declined to a thrift store. >> reporter: perhaps more concerning to detectives was a reason julia store was failing. investigators learned that julia had a problem with pills. >> she was taking money out of the till.

>> he was the love of her life. >> reporter: julia said that was the case right up till melvin's death. she told police she had planned a celebration for the night. it turns out it was her birthday. and julia had a few surprises for melvin. >> melvin like a matchbook covers and she had gotten a few of those and gotten him a present for her birthday. >> reporter: she also bought mike's hard lemonade and was wearing special notorious secret underwear. julia painted a picture of two people in love. sure enough, detectives found evidence to back that up. >> during the investigation we did locate a few items that suggested their sexual life was quite active.

>> reporter: still, the detectives radar was up. he thought back to the first moment he saw julia huddled in her suv. was something about the way she had been wrapped in the duct tape that did not sit right. >> the duct tape around her hands, it basically looked like she had held her arms out. and it all looked like it was placed on with care as to not hurt her. >> right away you could tell this was not a typical wrap. >> it was odd. the amount of duct tape around her feet did not match somebody who would be normally duct tape. it was just not enough of it. >> reporter: this got the detective wondering, was there anything else about julia's story on that fatal night that did not make sense? coming up. a strange reaction to a simple request.

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make it arexvy. on the night of the murder, julia phillips, the south sea southern belle sat in the police station and was asked a routine question.

but still investigators were bothered by a few things such a way julia had been gingerly wrapped with duct tape, the detective also wondered about the amount of mud on her clothes. what interview she said she had been dragged 60 feet and forced face down into the ground. >> he is pushing my face down into this mud. >> you would expect mud head to toe. >> correct. basically what we got is if she sat down in the grass, her rear and pant legs at the bottom more money like she would've sat down. >> reporter: the police are not dealing once growing suspicious. melvin's granddaughter looked back on something that happened at the funeral home. julia, who was with her son hunter, approached emily. >> immediately she wants to tell a story about what it happened that night. >> reporter: the timing was a bit inappropriate, emily thought but more disturbing,

julia son knew the story better than she did.>> she tells us she was -- you know, her hands were bound from behind and she says, no mama, your hands were in the front. >> reporter: suicide surprised that julie may be confused about the details from that night but when detectives went to verify one thing she was crystal clear on, alarm bells went off. julia had told police she heard gunshots and said she was nowhere near the gun. but forensic evidence told the detective a very different story. >> you did a gunshot residue test in the moment and you got to the police department. >> correct. her hands come back negative. >> but you found it on the sleeves. >> reporter: a moment for the detective. when he added the gunshot residue on julia's clothes from all the other parts of the story he found questionable. he was convinced julia was not

a victim, but the mastermind who arranged and helped carry out melvin's murder. three months after that cold, rainy night, police arrested julia phillips in the parking lot outside her store and charged with murder . >> probably the best day of my life. my dad called me and said they got her. >> reporter: police and prosecutors did nothing julia actually killed melvin. that she hired someone else to do it. >> the fresh footprints. that was really how we knew that she absolutely had someone else. >> reporter: spirit theory painted julia as pure evil. the reason she was relatively dry they surmise, was because she stood under an umbrella watching as her accomplice shot and strangled melvin before carefully wrapping her in duct tape. >> we assumed that there was a second person assisting. the

hands-on part of the murder. >> reporter: who could it be? there was one person police learned was close to her. had a criminal record, and like julia, had a drug problem. her son, hunter. >> he was a suspect for the simple fact that he was most likely to help her. >> was he a shady character? >> he was always involved with scams to get his pills. >> drugs really drove him. >> correct. >> reporter: but hunter had a solid alibi. he was with a former cop at the time of the murder. 40 minutes away, repairing his home computer. >> we could not put him in york at the time of the murder. >> reporter: hunter was never charged . in fact, investigators cannot find anyone to charge. and the prosecutor worried that would make this murder for hire case a tough one to prove. >> there is no evidence whatsoever linking julia to a hitman. >> that is right. nothing. we tractor bank

records and saw no exchanges of any type. she kept her phone clean. there were no odd calls. that was the hurdle that i felt like we faced, having an empty chair. you were trying julia in the up to chair. >> reporter: after 3 1/2 years working to build a case, in august, 2013, julia phillips went on trial for murder. the once polished bill of york was now a shell of her old self. a year since her arrest had taken a toll. but they urged the jury not to be fooled by the free a woman in the courtroom. >> if you believe that the defendant is guilty of doing one thing, just one thing on the night melvin roberts was murdered, to aid in that murder, then she is guilty. >> reporter: the prosecutor began by showing the jurors julia's interviews with police. he wanted them to hear one of the first things julia said on the night of the murder. >> they put a blanket on her and asked if they could take some photographs.

the first thing woman says are these going to be used for playboy? i am like, no. that was totally inappropriate. >> reporter: in the prosecution dropped a bombshell. they found a witness to testify that this was not the first time julia had melvin's murder on her mind. a police informant named guy blankenship, a man with a criminal past claimed that a few years before melvin died, julia tried to hire him to do the hit. >> we had an actual person who heard her say that and offered money. >> reporter: she built her case leading to one main question most juries want answered. what was the motive? melvin's granddaughter said it could be founded melvin's will. what did he leave her? >> the building and any car

that she wanted from his car lot. >> reporter: the building was worth about $150,000 in houston or store, julia's. in south carolina in a small community, that would take you far. $150,000. estate believed julia was worried she would never see the money. the reason, the relationship between julia and melvin was over, said prosecutors and she knew it. they put a friend of melvin's on the stand to back up the claim. >> he was not paying her bills anymore and he was not having anything to do with her and would not even touch her. >> reporter: see what prosecutors believe was the final straw, that witness told the jury that melvin had the julia know he had booked a cruise with another woman. that must have really gotten under her skin. >> i would think. he made it very clear to her that she was being replaced. >> reporter: said it was no coincidence, they argued, that melvin was killed on her birthday. do you think there is a

possibility this was julia's birthday present to julia? >> absolutely. >> reporter: melvin's family thought so also. ronnie and david sat in the courtroom every day, hoping for one thing. >> i wanted to your one word. i thought three and half years of work comes down to hearing one word. >> guilty. >> guilty. >> reporter: with the get their wish? now it was the defense is term. they had an explanation for the duct tape, the mud, the gunshot residue. in the end, they said the states case was all smoke and mirrors. coming up. another twist. authorities wonder, was the one murder or two. >> there was enough suspicion presented to me that i wanted the body exhumed. >> when "dateline" continues. re. that's why we've gifted over a thousand vehicles to veterans ,

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the trial of julia phillips had people talking. and had melvin sons worried. could julia's defense team commits the jury she had nothing to do with the murder of her longtime love? her attorney and his wife, a paralegal in the case, said they had no doubt that julia was into sent.>> we believed in julia. from the beginning. she is kind, and caring. and there is no question in my mind that she was in love with

melvin. >> reporter: the defense set out to show the jury a very different version of julia. her comments it seemed inappropriate, they argued, which is part of her quirky personality. >> after the man you love just died you would make jokes about playboy. >> i can tell you that she was traumatized. it is just how she is and that's how she talks. >> reporter: even told the jury that julia was weird. >> her conversation style is unlike most people. weird was something to open the jury up to, she might be weird. she might be inconsistent. but look, she is not a killer. >> reporter: the defense also reminded the jury that julia was a victim. she had been attacked and she told police there was a perfectly good reason why the duct tape was loose. wouldn't it have still pulled some skin or hair?

>> it was raining the night of the incident. as it is raining it is getting wet and it is not sticking as much as it usually does. >> reporter: since it was running that i come the prosecution of asked, why was not julia wet and muddy? easy, the defense that. she was. >> on the video you can see her jeans are soaking wet. she is not dry. she has model over her pants. just from the rain in the dirt. >> reporter: the defense also address the gunshot residue found on julia's clothes which seem to undermine her story that she was behind the wall, 60 feet away from where the gun went off. julia's lawyer argued there was not enough residue found on julia to do an accurate test. >> if this had been the fbi lab, any of our military labs, they cannot have testified there was gunshot residue because the number of particles found did not meet the threshold. >> reporter: julia's defense team continued to pound of the nation there was no physical

evidence linking her to the murder. and if this was a murder for hire, they asked, where was the killer? >> they built a case based on motive, not evidence. they want to say to you come we have no idea what happened. but we want you to guess and convict her. that is not how it works. >> reporter: next, the defense attacked the prosecution's star witness. guy blankenship, the man who said julia tried to hire him to kill melvin. they said he was a criminal and a liar. not to mention a police informant motivated by money. you went so far as to call guy blankenship a maggot. >> i do remember. >> does maggot fit? >> at the time, i'm sure it did. >> reporter: finally the defense had to counter the heart of the prosecution's case. motive. the state cleaned julia feared she was about to be dumped and written out of melvin's will. but her lawyer said they were still a happy couple, just look at the lingerie julie was

wearing and the blues she brought with her that i. >> she picked up mike's hard lemonade and went to meet melvin at the house on her birthday. >> it was supposed to be hot and steamy night. >> the idea that julia was broke and needed melvin's money come also not true, said the defense julia's lawyer argued they immediately had plenty of money and was willing to spend it. >> her family came and paid substantial attorney fees. >> her family is paying her medical bills. her family is bringing her food and taking care of her and taking her where she needs to go.>> reporter: in the end, the defense decided not to call julia to testify and said she was suffering from dementia. after seven days of testimony, both sides rested. >> by the end of the trial the question was not, is she involved? but how could she not be involved? >> reporter: the jury took less than four hours to reach a verdict. >> we are all sitting around in everybody's kind of killing time.

in the bailiff comes out and says a verdict has been reached. >> did your heart -- >> i thought it would throw up. i was almost hyperventilating. >> reporter: melvin's granddaughter was not in the courtroom with the rest of her family when the verdict was read. her dad called her with the news.>> he called me and said she is guilty. murder. >> reporter: melvin roberts, the bill of york was now a convicted killer. >> i was jumping up and down and i remember waking up the next morning and there was double rainbows and i thought , this is awesome. >> julia has been called an ice queen. >> you think she is an attractive, older lady. and then she opens her mouth. and you can see what is really in. >> reporter: julia's arrest for

melvin's motor question questions about another death. they believe they did not murder one man but two. >> my father is not here. >> reporter: the daughter since is there father did not die of a heart attack, they think julia poisoned him. when the daughter said about julia's arrest, they took their suspicions to county coroner, dennis fowler. >> there was enough suspicion that was presented to me that i wanted the body exhumed. >> were their concerns around julia phillips? >> there were concerns. >> reporter: julia denied she killed him and was not charged in the case. three years after conviction she died in prison. she was 72. for the family, that was not the end. ronnie said the investigation was far from closed. >> now, we have to go up to the next one. >> reporter: the family believe the hitman was out there and

offered a $10,000 reward to help catch him. the lieutenant headed up a new investigation team that took a fresh look at the case.>> either someone will tell us something finally or it will be through digital evidence. phone records, computer records or something like that. >> reporter: for melvin's family, only partial justice has been served. >> i will not give up until we know everybody that was involved and what that person needs to understand, it will be a lot easier on them if they come forward instead of the police having to find them. >> i would say, the clock is ticking. >> you are coming? >> we are coming and we ain't giving up. strike that is all for this edition of dateline. i am craig melvin. thank you for watching.