s knew personally. she's being known to tons of people out there as kind of a savior. and so that, to me, is-- it's eternal. [cheering] josh mankiewicz: "katie sepich told her parents, she wanted to change the world. in the end, her whole family did. that's what he was trying to do, was protect his family. that's all he ever wanted to do. even when the man was dying, that's what he was doing. josh mankiewicz: a quiet family night at home shattered by intruders. the gun was like right here. josh mankiewicz: a devoted father and husband dead.

she just kept saying, they killed him. josh mankiewicz: someone murdered her husband, but left her alive. and that left police suspicious. was it possible she was involved in her husband's murder? the indicators are in cases like this, that it's the spouse, not a random act. josh mankiewicz: but why would she kill a man she obviously loved? they never fought. they always were very happy. josh mankiewicz: this was a family affair all right, but it was another family that was keeping secrets. you ever seen anything like that before? no. josh mankiewicz: one father who fought to save his son, another who used his son to save himself. he's a monster. [music playing] craig melvin: hello, and welcome to "dateline." joe morrissey was a respected scientist who loved his work. that's where he met kay, who shared his passion

and would eventually become his second wife. then late one night, joe, kay and their young son were attacked inside their florida home. investigators did not know what to make of the strange circumstances surrounding this brutal crime, or the stunning betrayal that followed. here's josh mankiewicz with "broken bonds." [music playing] josh mankiewicz: what would you do for your family? would you lie? would you walk through fire? could you ever accuse them of something terrible to save yourself? this is a story about two very different families. it's about loyalty, terror, deception and love. and for one of the families, it begins with a late night phone call. i was about to not answer it. and something told me to pick up the phone. josh mankiewicz: christina llanos says mother was on the line. christina lannos: you could just hear the sirens and she just kept saying you have to come here,

they broke into the house and he's dead, they killed him. josh mankiewicz: he was joseph morrissey, who'd been married to christina's mother kay for 12 years. their suburban florida home documented by police video, was now a crime scene. christina lannos: there was so much chaos going on. the whole street was blocked off. there was tons of police cars and the sirens and you could smell the smoke. and i just remember running down the street and the police officers were trying to stop me. and i just kept going, and she was just standing there in the middle of the street and she just looked so small and so hurt. i just ran up and gave her a big hug she was covered in blood and she just kept saying, he's dead, he's gone. she said, why would they do that? he's gone. when i arrived at this house, it was about 1:30 in the morning. josh mankiewicz: detective brian kendall of the plantation, florida police, quickly learned the key facts.

joe morrissey had been brutally stabbed to death in his own home, while his wife kay and young son had escaped. the detective spoke briefly with kay. she gives me a brief synopsis of what happened that night. believable? at that point, yes. that's the only thing that i had to go on at that point. josh mankiewicz: kay told the detective that a man had entered their home sometime after 11:00 pm and began a reign of terror that started with tying joe and kay's hands and feet with zip ties, and ended with the murder of her husband, and their house on fire. kay's story suggested a robbery gone bad. to figure out for himself what had happened, detective kendall worked from the outside in. what'd you see as you got here to the front of the house? the screen to the window right over here was leaning up against the house. there was a vertical slice down the middle of the screen, and this window was wide open. and that's how kay told you the guy

first came into the house. that was the entry area where the suspect came in, correct. i walked down this hallway here. on the ground, there was a pair of red-handled scissors, one of the long plastic flex cuffs was on the ground, a zip tie. when i walked into the master bedroom, another was zip tie was on the ground at the foot of the bed. there were bath tiles laying on the ground. on the bed itself was a wedding ring, which i thought was unusual. kay had said that the man who came in asked for jewelry, or asked for valuables. detective brain kendall: demanding cash, valuables. but he didn't take them. at this point, he didn't take the ones that were in this room at least, because when i looked at the closet, there was also a large significant amount of jewelry. josh mankiewicz: so if this is a robbery, it's kind of a strange robbery. because they didn't take the stuff they supposedly wanted. then he sees the blood. detective brain kendall: right down on the floor here, large amounts of blood. and i could see a man's feet outside the sliding glass door. this is where joe morrissey was

killed, right here in his room. detective brain kendall: he was murdered and stabbed right next to the sofa in this room. josh mankiewicz: kay said she dragged his body out of the fire and onto the patio. and that's where joe morrissey's body lay in the wee hours of april 6, 2010. stabbing, always personal. detective brain kendall: they are. they're up close. there's no way to do it from a distance. josh mankiewicz: so everything about that says this wasn't a robbery. this was somebody who wanted to kill joe morrissey in particular. in addition to that, joe morrissey still had his wedding band on. he still had his watch on. valuables, that if it was a robbery, it would've been taken out of the house. josh mankiewicz: what's more, his wife kay was still alive, not stabbed, not even once. they do a brutal, vicious murder to joe morrissey. why leave her alive? why leave a witness alive? josh mankiewicz: why, indeed. in murders like this, the spouse is often the first suspect, sometimes the only suspect. all of that became clear that night

to kay's daughter, christina. i remember when they took her to the police station, she asked me to stay and watch the house. and i remember sitting there and they would come up and ask me questions, the different detectives and the police officers, and they asked me, you know, did they ever fight? or you know, where they are arguing? or was there a tension between them? josh mankiewicz: absolutely not, said christina. they never fought. they always were very happy. nobody, nobody goes through life and never fights. everybody fights. i mean, i remember they would fight over, you know, him leaving socks on the floor or a wet towel or something like that. but i mean, if they ever had any arguments, they were few and far between. they were a very good match . josh mankiewicz: joe and kay started dating when christina was a young girl. both were divorced single parents at the time, but it was science that brought them together. they met at a cancer research institute. kay was a biomedical grad student back then, while joe was a respected molecular biologist with a phd

from stanford university. he conducted research into whether there was a connection between cell phones and cancer, among other things. and his work had taken him across the globe. he was a lot like my mom. he's very hardworking and he was very, very humble. the most humble person i know. he never bragged about anything. he was just always trying to be a good guy and teach us to do the right thing. josh mankiewicz: joe and kay dated for a year, and then joe popped the question on a roman holiday. i thought it was so cool that he proposed on the top of the vatican. and she was just so excited, and it was fun to plan a wedding and they made sure that the kids are all included. josh mankiewicz: that meant not only christina, but also a son of joe's from his previous marriage. it wasn't just a wedding between the two of them. it was like all of us becoming a big family. joe morrissey: do another somersault so i can take a picture. josh mankiewicz: it wasn't long before kay and joe wanted a child of their own, and decided to adopt patrick,

a baby boy from south korea. he was a very hands-on father. he was always doing something with patrick, all the time. it was either baseball lessons or hockey practice or going fishing. i mean, they were together all the time. josh mankiewicz: but now joe was gone. patrick and kay had survived. and detective kendall had some questions for kay. how do you know he came through the window? craig melvin: coming up, kay describes in horrifying detail a night of terror. he goes, remember, if you do anything stupid, i have the gun and i'll have you killed and i'll have your husband. craig melvin: but does her story match the evidence, when "dateline" continues. [music playing] a perfect day for a family outing! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose.

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josh mankiewicz: joe morrissey had been savagely stabbed everywhere. to death in his own home. now his wife kay was being questioned by detective kendal at the police station in plantation, florida. kay, it might be just easier to start with what happened from the beginning last night. i was in my craft room, which is the room in the front of the house. and the tv was on. and i heard a noise like something fall down. i thought it was my husband going to bed. josh mankiewicz: she told police her husband had been watching tv in the family room. their five-year-old son asleep in the master bedroom.

then suddenly, kay looked up. i saw him. he, and the gun was like right here. and he was right there. and i couldn't believe it. i was like, i could not believe that this was happening to me. josh mankiewicz: there was a young man in the room pointing a gun right at her. kay said the man asked her where her husband was. she told him she thought he was sleeping in either the family room or their bedroom. and he kept saying, if you lie to me, i'm going to shoot you, i'm going to kill you. what's your radar said at the beginning? is she telling the truth? initially, i want to believe her. but, the indicators are in cases like this, that it's the spouse or domestic issue or some other personal issue, not a random act. josh mankiewicz: then kay told police the man took her into the family room where her husband was. and he yelled, wake up, real loud to joe. joe, of course, jumped up. and said, joe, i said just calm down, it's ok.

wake up. don't move, just do what he tells you to do and we're going to be ok. and, and then he said, i don't want you guys looking at me. don't look at me or otherwise i will shoot you. so i said, ok, we won't look at you. josh mankiewicz: kay told police she heard the intruder talking to someone she never saw via walkie talkie, someone elsewhere on the property. were there people talking to [inaudible]?? he didn't let them. he said just listen to me, don't talk to me, just be quiet. josh mankiewicz: she said the assailant, a young man with a gun, then tied their wrists with zip ties. i thought he was going to shoot us. and then he kept, he was saying, where's the wallet, i want the wallet. and then he started on, i have no money then joe only had $2. and then i said, well, we don't use cash. i don't have any cash. at that point he said he wanted to go to the atm to get money out.

josh mankiewicz: according to kay, the gunman cut their hands free and the three of them got into one of the morrissey's cars, leaving their five-year-old son asleep in the house, along with whoever had been on the walkie talkie. on their way to the bank, joe drove. once there, kay managed to get them to park in view of the atm camera, as you can see on this tape. then the assailant told kay what to do next. get out of the car, go get the money, go get the money. he goes, remember, if you do anything stupid, i have the gun and i have your kid and i have your husband, and your kid's with people back there. josh mankiewicz: the man wanted $5,000. so i tried the $5,000, i tried $2,000. and it didn't let me. and then i tried $500, and then i was trying for $100 more. and it kept saying, no, that was it, and i wasn't going go be allowed any more money out of that card. that's what the machine said? yes. and how much did you end up getting? $500. josh mankiewicz: after that, kay said they drove back to the house, frantic to see their son. was he still asleep?

was he ok? as they enter the house, the gunman barked out orders. he walked behind us and said, don't do anything stupid, and then joe and i were kind of like looking at each other, saying why is he coming back? at that point, i thought he was going to kill us. i really did. - ok. josh mankiewicz: once back in my house, the gunman took them back to the master bedroom, and kay said, tied their hands and feet with zip ties and put towels over their heads. why would they put towels over their head if this person's already seen them? josh mankiewicz: then the gunman told joe to come with him. so joe goes, i can't walk. and he goes, well, i want to see you hopping. hop, hop, hop. and then all i heard was that joe said, oh please, please, don't do it. and i saw the fire. please don't do it? - he said please don't. - joe did. yes. i thought he was talking about the fire, but i guess he was talking about him shooting him or stabbing him. josh mankiewicz: it was a horrifying story.

and if she's faking this for some reason, it's pretty elaborate. and she's doing a good job at it. she's quite an actress if she's not telling the truth. josh mankiewicz: kay's daughter christina was there when the q&a at the police station was over. we went back to my house, and she didn't really say much. she was just quiet. i think she was just letting it all sink in. josh mankiewicz: now, police were trying to determine whether the evidence matched kay's story. craig melvin: coming up, kay tells her story to us. and this part is really strange. kay morrissey: he started singing and taunting. they're coming for me, i'm going to kill you. craig melvin: when "dateline" continues. (♪♪) “the darkness of bipolar depression made me feel like life was moving on without me. then i found a chance to let in the lyte.” discover caplyta. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i,

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ask your doctor about caplyta. i could believe that this was happening to me. josh mankiewicz: police investigating the home invasion murder of joe morrissey had to consider whether his wife kay had somehow been involved. we conducted a comprehensive background investigation on kay. we went through all her phone records, who she's friends with, and to find out if she maybe had a boyfriend or was dating somebody. josh mankiewicz: police found no evidence that kaye had strayed in her marriage. what's more, they were finding plenty at the crime scene to support her story. the broken window screen, zip ties and towels.

kay's story seemed to be holding up. christina had believed from the beginning that her mother was innocent, purely a victim. but what she didn't know, was how brutal the murder was. she didn't want us to know. i remember sitting in the funeral home and she was very firm. you know, she just kept saying, it's going to be a closed casket. no one's going to see him. i want everybody to remember him as the lively person that he was. and i knew then that it was, it couldn't have been good. josh mankiewicz: and when i sat down with kay, she told a story filled with love and courage on that awful night. you're surrounded by evil. my insides were shaking. i was just thinking about patrick. josh mankiewicz: and that was the theme of the story kay told me. how her five-year-old son patrick was foremost on her and her husband's minds. that's why kay says she became especially panicked when she and joe were forced to go to the bank by the man with the gun.

and then i said, we can leave patrick by himself here. he goes, no, he stays and he told us that there were people there and that they had guns. and there you are getting in the car with your husband and some guy with a gun, and leaving your five-year-old at home with. we don't even know. we don't even know who that was. it's just crazy. i mean, i'm just, i'm crying hysterical. josh mankiewicz: in the car kay feared for her and joe's lives as well. as they returned from the bank to their home, they heard a siren. kay thought help was on the way, they would be saved. the gunman thought this might be the end of him and of them. when he heard the siren he becomes very strange. he started singing and taunting us. they're coming for me, i'm going to kill you. i was just so horrified. josh mankiewicz: but help did not arrive. once at home, when the gunman forced kay and joe back

into the master bedroom, at least they found patrick, thankfully still asleep. and in that moment, kay says, a father's love came shining through. that's when joe morrissey, tied up and helpless, made a move to save his young son's life. patrick is now awake, and he's now sitting on the bed. so joe says to him, patrick, do it for daddy, please do it for daddy. just lay down and pretend you're asleep. do it for daddy. do it for daddy. and he just lays there and pretends to be asleep. josh mankiewicz: kay says the man with the gun forced joe to go to the other side of the house. in his final moments with his attackers, kay says family was first in joe's mind. he starts pleading, please, you know i have kids, please. josh mankiewicz: their home was on fire. the attackers have fled, and now she had to get patrick and herself out of the house. but her ankles were still tied and she could barely move.

desperate to find something sharp to free her feet, kay hobbled to a nearby bathroom. i took everything under out of the drawers. i mean, i just created a humongous mess, but i couldn't find the scissors, so i called patrick. and i said to patrick, you have to be a big boy. you have to help mommy. josh mankiewicz: and he did. kay told him where to find a pair of scissors, and patrick brought them to her. cutting the zip tie it was difficult, but kay was finally able to do it. the five-year-old boy had saved his mother. then she had another job for her son. so i said, patrick, please just go across the street, knock on the door. mommy's going to stay here. do it for mommy. please, i need to go help daddy. remember your karate moves, remember your kung fu kicks, please just kick the door. josh mankiewicz: kay saw the neighbor's door open and patrick run in. she knew he was safe, one family member taken care of. now kay was on a mission to save joe. she would not leave him behind, no matter what the risk.

and then you run back into a burning house. yes. i went back in there. and when i saw joe, it was so hard to pick him up. i remember seeing so many wounds, so much damage to his body. i couldn't even think anymore. josh mankiewicz: kay managed to drag joe out of the burning house and onto the patio. she held out hope that while joe was clearly badly injured, he was still alive. paramedics arrived, but there was nothing they could do for joe morrissey. kay's beloved husband was gone at the age of only 46. and that was the last time i saw him. you saved yourself, you saved your son. but i didn't save joe. i just couldn't. it was the most horrible thing that ever happened to me to learn that he was dead.

josh mankiewicz: it was a heartbreaking story, and one that police came to believe. they cleared kay. we found no evidence that would support us to believe that she was involved in any way in this murder. josh mankiewicz: now it was up to investigators to find out who had done such horrifying things to this family. a family, detective kendall believed, that had been targeted. but so far, it wasn't making any sense. if it was just something personal in nature, why not just come in and kill him and leave? josh mankiewicz: the search for answers was on, and it would lead to a very different kind of family. police close in on a suspect who seems to know a lot about the crime. coming up. honestly, i think you may be involved in it. ok. i never thought that it was somebody who they knew. craig melvin: when "dateline" continues.

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hi, i am richard lui with a news update. israel launched intense tracks on lebanon. local officials saying, the bombardment killed more than 2000 people and displaced more than 1 million. some of those seeking safety in syria can no longer escape now that a key road was blown up. more than 220 people died in the aftermath of hurricane helene, and half 1 million are still without power. it is trickling into parts of western north carolina where homes were destroyed. vice president kamala harris will see the damage firsthand on saturday. for now, back to "dateline." "" . they were starting to believe the family had been targeted. but it was still a mystery why joe was the only one killed. who might want him dead? once again, here's josh mankiewicz with "broken bonds."

josh mankiewicz: joe morrissey had been savagely stabbed to death in a home invasion that ended with his family's house set ablaze. now police were trying to figure out who could have committed such a brutal crime. kay's daughter from her first marriage, christina, first thought it might have something to do with the renovations her mom and joe were having done at the home. i honestly thought maybe it was the contractors, because they had had a lot of people coming in and out of their house doing work. i never thought that it was somebody who they knew. like some random thing in which people came in to rob the house. yeah, that was my first. and everything went wrong. yeah, that was my first guess. who didn't like joe? the only person that i knew of that did not like him was his ex-wife and her family. it was a nasty divorce. it was just bitter feelings there. josh mankiewicz: police looked at a joe's previous marriage, but determined it had nothing to do with the crime. investigators did have one narrow thread to pull on,

something kay had mentioned to them. the only thing she was able to tell me was a brief description of what the suspect who first entered the house looked like. josh mankiewicz: kay had not recognized that man at the time. only later did she realize she might have seen him once several months earlier. joe had been a scientist, a husband and a father. but he was also a landlord. and kay thought the man might be related to the tenant at a townhouse they owned. i found a family member who could match the description of what kay gave me in her initial statement. checking more into this person, i found he had a warrant for his arrest. what was his name? randy tundidor jr. josh mankiewicz: and with that name, the investigation was now heading from the loving morrissey family to the other family in this story. randy tundidor jr. was 21 and into drugs, with an arrest warrant for violating his probation on a burglary rap.

did you go talk to him? we couldn't find him. josh mankiewicz: but detectives could find his father, randy sr. at the townhouse. randy sr. said he hadn't talked to his son in a while. and when police went looking for randy jr. at the family window tinting business called gator tint, an alert officer noticed something suspicious. a canine sergeant sees stuck between the lid of the dumpster and the dumpster itself, a zip tie. i drive down there. i immediately identify it as the same make, size of the ones used in the murder. that's a solid piece of evidence. that's your first break. yeah. randy sr. allowed police to search the business without a warrant. detective brain kendall: immediately we say there's a bag of the same type of wire ties that were used to tie up joseph morrissey. they also sell knives at the business. there's a empty box that holds a 15-inch bowie knife. when he's asked, where's the knife that belongs to this box,

he tells us it should be there. he doesn't know where it is. you think at this point he's covering up for his son? i think that he's aware that things are not going good for his son, but it doesn't seem like he wants to cover for his son. so this is a good citizen letting the police do their investigation. correct. and if the chips fall on his son, then they do. correct. ok, randy josh mankiewicz: the investigators eventually located randy jr. and brought him in for questioning. randy jr. seemed composed, very interested to know what information i had about the case. very, very willing to talk to me. if i didn't have a warrant, i want have freely talked to you guys. - ok. - no problem. ok. i don't have no connection with this murder. i don't know who did it. i want to clear my name, because i did not commit this murder. josh mankiewicz: and as for that knife that

was missing from his dad's shop, randy jr. had an explanation for that. he had stolen that knife weeks earlier and had sold it to a friend of his that he knows on the street. i used to buy dope of of him, so i'm positive he still has it. i ask him to further describe the knife, and he draws a picture, and it's an exact replica of the knife that we believe to be used in the murder. josh mankiewicz: over the course of two days of interrogation, randy jr. denied any involvement in the murder. it could have been a random hit. you never know what it is. it's not random. it's couldn't be a random place? it couldn't be a random time? a random anything? it's not random. josh mankiewicz: but, he seemed to know details of the crime that only someone involved would know. so is randy jr. trying to cover his own tracks or somebody else's? i think he's trying to do both. josh mankiewicz: as investigators continue to focus on things found at the tint shop, including a large burn mark behind it, and what looked like burnt scraps of evidence

from the crime, randy jr. went out of his way to keep his father out of it, to protect him. he's been a good father. like he's really a good man. he's a very hard worker. he's a stand-up guy. like, he tries directing me the right way and i go the wrong way. he would never do nothing like this. honestly, i think you may be involved in it. ok. that's why we've got to, got to clear the air. and i understand. you know what i mean? then we definitely got to clear the air. yeah. josh mankiewicz: detective kendall really suspected randy jr. and one of his buddies had committed the murder. you or this other person are looking to make some money. quick money. you're desperate. all right. you're high on crack. ok. you confront the people at the house, because you think maybe they have money. things get a little out of control. all right. and someone ends up being stabbed. ok, you said-- josh mankiewicz: then the detective pulled out the heavy artillery. he tried to crack randy jr. by telling him

his own father thought he did it. everything you [bleep] say's been a lie. your dad's [bleep] out there crying. why was my dad crying? because of what you did. come on, dude. i feel bad for your dad. josh mankiewicz: if police thought they had this case solved, if they thought randy jr. and a drug buddy had committed this crime, they were in for a shock, thanks to a most unusual informant, randy jr.'s brother, randy sr.'s other son. craig melvin: coming up. you fix this or i will. that's what you said to your father? i told him straight up. fix this or i will. yeah. craig melvin: when "dateline" continues. *air wick* how far would you go to set your home ambiance? try air wick essential mist diffuser. it's perfectly portable and glows with a fragrant mist. transform your space with air wick essential mist.

josh mankiewicz: as police investigated the home invasion murder of joe morrissey, his widow kay was dealing with not only her own grief and trauma, but also with her son patrick's. when patrick would ask you what happened to his father, what would you tell him? i tried to answer him thinking age appropriate, because he was five-years-old. and i would say, you know daddy had a little boo-boo on his heart and he died. josh mankiewicz: kay was still trying to protect her son, just as joe had done on that terrible night. and even when the man was dying, that's what he was doing. he was fighting for his life and trying to protect my mom and patrick. josh mankiewicz: in the days after the murder, police were zeroing in on randy tundidor jr. when they received an unexpected phone call from his younger

brother , shawn tundidor. he tells us his brother is not involved. he actually provides his brother with an alibi. randy jr. was with me, he didn't do this. you're about what? 99% or 100% convinced that randy jr. was, in fact, at the morrissey house that night. oh definitely, yes. so shawn's lying to you. we know shawn's lying about that part of it, yes. josh mankiewicz: police knew shawn had an alibi for the night joe morrissey was killed. he was not his brother randy's accomplice. it turned out that shawn came in not only to give his brother an alibi for the murder, but to tell a story that shocked the officers. he wasted no time. basically, i'm going to tell you straight up, my dad did it. josh mankiewicz: his father, randy sr. it was a bombshell. we were surprised that we were hearing the father was actually at the residence. josh mankiewicz: and then shawn tundidor proceeded to tell a chilling story about his father.

how his dad felt wronged by his landlord, joe morrissey, and went to joe's house to kill him. he had tried to shoot joe, but his gun wouldn't go off. so he repeatedly stabbed joe. shawn said his father was even able to recite joe's last words. said, i got kids. i think i'm dying. josh mankiewicz: according to shawn, randy sr. wore shawn's brand new white sneakers during the murder. and he said, trust me, they weren't white when i was done with them. shawn painted a very different picture of his dad than his brother had. shawn said his dad was a violent man. my father used to be us bad. mm-hmm. i mean, really beat us. josh mankiewicz: with a violent past. my father father's just known to be one of the craziest guys you ever met. they used to call him rampage. they used to call him scarface, because he had a big ass scar on his face. and shawn said his father had been trying to scam joe morrissey out of money

by breaking light switches at the rented townhouse, and by faking a slip and fall injury so he could sue joe. but there was nothing wrong with that light. and-- so this fall down the stairs was a bunch of [bleep].. it was, yeah. josh mankiewicz: despite all that, shawn said his brother, who he describes as having the mind of a child, looked up to their father and would do anything for him. he's going to do anything and everything he has to do to make sure my father doesn't go to jail, because he loves him. josh mankiewicz: but if his father loved randy jr. back, then why would he get him involved in the crime in the first place, and even go a step further, let his own son take the rap for it? my son's already caught [bleep] me, so i won't go to jail and we just throw everything on him. mm-hmm. josh mankiewicz: shawn says he was more than disgusted. he loved his brother, and had been protecting him since they were young. now randy jr. needed protection more than ever, which shawn felt required him to turn in his own father

for a crime of which he was not even suspected. he went there to kill him. josh mankiewicz: shawn says the murderous scheme was set in motion when his dad received a letter from joe morrissey. it informed him that he owed just over $1,600, and his lease would now be month to month. that letter arrived the day of joe's murder. how'd your dad react to that letter? like, i'm not going to let him do it. because it was like an insult to him. he took it like that. it really wasn't. it was a man wanting his money. but your dad saw it as provocation. yeah. and i'm going to teach him a lesson. yeah. josh mankiewicz: then he says his dad roped in randy jr. my brother didn't know whose house he was going to. and my brother didn't know that somebody was supposed to die in that house. josh mankiewicz: only to turn his back on him afterward, and let randy jr. fall under suspicion for the murder. he says he, they caught him, not me.

i said, you fix this or i will. that's what you said your father? i told him straight up. josh mankiewicz: fix this or i will. yeah. josh mankiewicz: and that's when shawn turned his back on his father and went to police, trying to save his brother by informing on his dad. if that didn't stun the officers, then what shawn did next did. before we could even ask him to wear a wire, he offers to wear a wire. he wants his father to be held responsible for this. josh mankiewicz: you ever seen anything like that before? no. josh mankiewicz: this son was going to become a police informant, wear a wire, and try to get his own father to admit to a murder. the sound quality on the wire is poor, but for police, randy sr.'s guilt came through loud and clear. what's the part of that conversation that says to you, guilty, we got him? i think when he tells shawn that we have no case, our case is weak.

he tells shawn that she can't identify me. she can't even identify randy. putting himself there. josh mankiewicz: what's more, this security video from the business next door to randy sr.'s window tint shop shows a man behind it, tending a big fire a couple of hours after the murder, exactly where police had found burnt evidence from the crime. you can't make out the person's identity. it's definitely a large person. randy sr.'s well over, you know, probably 300 pounds. we suspect it's him. josh mankiewicz: by friday night, four days after the murder, both randy sr. and jr. had been charged with a slew of crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and arson. that randy sr. would let his son take the fall, was all the evidence kay's daughter needed. he's a monster. if you don't care about your own kid, you're not going to care about somebody else's life. josh mankiewicz: case closed?

not by a long shot. craig melvin: coming up, two very different families meet in court for justice. he wanted to kill miss morrissey and her son. he said they got to go too. i told him no. i believe god has a plan for us, and that's why we survived. craig melvin: when "dateline" continues. new mr. clean ultra foamy magic eraser? with the scrubbing power of magic eraser and the cleaning power of dawn. watch it make soap scum here... disappear... and sprays can leave grime like that ultra foamy melts it on contact. magic. new ultra foamy magic eraser. take an ekg from anywhere, but with 6-times the data. can your smartwatch do that? introducing kardiamobile 6l, the fda-cleared ekg that provides six-times more heart data than any smartwatch. and it detects three of the most common arrhythmias in just 30 seconds, including atrial fibrillation, bradycardia and tachycardia. kardiamobile 6l,

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were both charged with murdering joe morrissey. but a second son, shawn, told detectives junior was an unwitting accomplice. shawn claimed his father was the mastermind behind the crime. now father and son were about to face trial. a tragic tale of two contrasting families was nearing its bitter end. here's josh mankiewicz with the conclusion of "broken bonds." josh mankiewicz: on a quiet april night in florida, intruders that invaded the home of kay and joe morrissey and committed unthinkable crimes. the worst case scenario you can imagine. you're living your life the way you think you're supposed to and evil just walks in and rips your life apart. josh mankiewicz: tom coleman and steven zaccor prosecuted the case against randy tundidor, sr. and his son, randy junior. there are no circumstances you can look at and say maybe if this had gone differently or they had done this differently it would a had a different result.

there's nothing the morrisseys could have done that would have prevented this, other than never meet the tundidors. josh mankiewicz: but these two families did intersect, with disastrous results, all prosecutors say because a tenant got angry at a landlord. who is this little scientist to think he's gonna mess with me? and no one was going to mess with his family. and i was gonna take care of it. that's what this was. josh mankiewicz: but in the end, randy tundidor didn't seem to care about his family. in fact prosecutors say he tried to pin the blame on his son, randy, jr. just the phone calls to detective kendall about, you know, test his shirt for dna and that's your killer, and, i mean, just piling on him, just trying to get himself out of trouble. randy, jr., won't give him up. nope. doesn't give him up. randy, jr., stuck by his dad even though his father pretty much throw him under the bus as soon as he came under suspicion. and never stopped.

backed that bus over every time he could. so the son's loyal to the father, but the father's not loyal to the son. absolutely. josh mankiewicz: prosecutors thought it might be a tough case against randy, sr., but then something surprising happened. after swearing to police that his dad was not in any way involved, randy, jr., took a deal and agreed to testify against his father. as did sean. --for a murder charge. josh mankiewicz: randy, sr.'s trial was held two years after joe's murder. he faced the death penalty. kaye desperately wanted to make sure he received it, and her testimony in court was powerful. and i was like so scared. he never answered me. i kept calling him and he didn't answer me. josh mankiewicz: on the stand, randy jr. told the jury how his dad intended to inflict even more harm on the morrissey family. he wanted to kill ms. morrissey and her son. he said they got to go too.

i told him no. i just told him not-- you can't-- can't do that. can't do what? can't kill a little kid, you know, and his mom. josh mankiewicz: randy, sr.'s, primary defense was that he was not involved. but the father went far beyond that. we went to trial and he buried both of his sons-- or tried to. because it wasn't just junior once we got to trial. it was that sean was the other person involved. and it was sean trying to steal my business. he can't ever accept responsibility for anything. josh mankiewicz: in court, randy, jr., lashed out at his father. the fact that he would sit here and say that it was me and my brother who did this and planned this, i feel like that's wrong. you shouldn't-- you shouldn't do anything to hurt your kids. i think that a father's job is to protect his kids, not to hurt his kids. josh mankiewicz: after 5 and 1/2 hours of deliberation-- --finds the defendant is guilty of first degree murder.

the jury convicted randy, sr., on all charges. when they said guilty, i felt-- my heart-- i couldn't breathe. i was very overwhelmed. josh mankiewicz: the jury later voted unanimously to give randy sr. the death penalty. the judge agreed. on appeal, the florida supreme court ruled that randy, sr.'s, convictions for attempted first degree murder and attempted felony murder amounted to double jeopardy. the attempted felony murder convictions were thrown out, but his conviction for first degree murder and his death sentence remain in place. randy, jr., who pleaded guilty to second degree murder and cooperated with prosecutors, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. kaye morrissey is angry about that. i believe that the crime wouldn't happen one without the other one. they both deserve are the death penalty. josh mankiewicz: kay morrissey says

she's not imprisoned by fear. instead, she says the nightmare has made her fearless she even sent a letter to randy, sr., saying as much. you are a coward, and i am not afraid of you. yes. i am never leaving, and will always be here. so like you're saying come and get me-- right. --tough guy. uh huh. i am not going to be fearful. i mean they attacked us in our house, which is your safest place to be. and so i started to become extremely fearless. josh mankiewicz: but she's also struggled to put her life back together. kay's daughter says she can see the pain, even as her mom holds patrick close. it's hard to watch my mom with patrick, because you can tell they miss him. and they should have him. they shouldn't have to figure it out without him. josh mankiewicz: they still have each other. i believe god has a plan for us, and that's why we survived.

josh mankiewicz: and she has many memories of her dear joe. after he died, kay wrote about him, and to him, in a letter. "joe, i know we will see each other again. in the meantime, please do watch over our children and do protect them from harm. joe, i thank you for being such a great, loving husband and loving father. i love you so much, and will love you forever." that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [music playing] good morning and welcome to the saturday edition of "morning joe: weekend." it was a really busy week , so let's get right to the conversations you might have missed. david, you wrote about the debate in