thman whose life was lost. ken dolezsar was a man who loved a woman just as chris loved bianca, who loved hockey, loved helping kids, and tried to do right by all that money, which is mostly still around, though he is not. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [music playing] he's just my first love. narrator: the guy who disappeared. except in her case, he really disappeared. woman: he's going to call me on a couple days. he never called. narrator: his family, in agony. i wrote letters to oprah winfrey, to "america's most wanted."

narrator: a rookie detective finally broke the case. i said, oh my gosh. i think i've hit paydirt. narrator: a strange phone call revealed a secret. david needed to be gotten rid of. now we got the real story. narrator: a bombshell revelation. was she really a bereaved ex? i'll always love david. narrator: or just maybe a black widow? barbara britton is in the middle. [music playing] hello and welcome to dateline. for years judy carlson lived in the most painful kind of limbo. her son david had disappeared without a trace. the case went unsolved, sitting cold for more than a decade before rookie detective donna velasquez was assigned to investigate. digging into david's past, she uncovered a twisted tale of love gone bad and a grisly family secret.

but the detectives still needed to know what motive was at the heart of this crime. here's keith morrison with "buried " keith morrison: it's a strange thing that happens among the bogs and marshes, the soft soil here in coastal florida. things have a way of coming up, things buried in the ground in the past-- or both. it was july 2003, beaches quiet, snowbirds back up north. so no one noticed at first what was starting inland a little in a town called pembroke pines, where donna velasquez, just three months a detective, a rookie really, had just been assigned to a brand new cold case unit. the sergeant came into the office and dropped a box of papers right on my desk and said, here, see what you can do with this. and i began to wonder, is this a test to see can she really do

this? keith morrison: that the case was a challenge was understatement. a now all but forgotten mystery, the disappearance 15 years earlier of a young man named david jackson. and the file offered no hints, no pointers, nothing really beyond the basic bio. to unearth the truth, even the rookie cop knew she'd have to learn about the victim. so she began with something easy. she found david jackson's mother, judy carlson, found judy's son, actually, who called his mom. and he said, are you sitting? i said, yes. he says, they reopened david's case. keith morrison: the detective and the mother talked about david for hours. wasn't a problem for judy, she loves talking about her boy, even now to us. judy carlson: david was my first child. he was just-- loved everything and everyone. group: (singing) happy birthday to you.

judy carlson: he would walk in the room and everyone would just be a magnet to him. keith morrison: david jackson is the oldest of judy's three children. and mark jackson idolized his older brother. he looked out for me. and he was way with his friends, with everybody. keith morrison: bill brown was one of those friends. in 1982, after high school, brown and david jackson worked together at a burger king, where david became a manager. brown also had a front row seat to the budding romance between jackson and a pretty 16-year-old coworker named barbara britton. they were together and that's awesome. i mean, if you can find love, i mean, that's what we all want. keith morrison: and so all these years later, detective velasquez paid a visit to the woman who'd been the girl who had fallen in love with david jackson. happy to help, she told the detective. same thing when we called on her to talk about the david she knew. he was a very good looking man. you know, we just had an attraction for each other and started talking. sweet, nice, kind.

swept me off my feet. he was a good guy. keith morrison: but as she talked it became clear, deep emotions would not stay beneath the surface. i was young. i was still going to school. this is my first love. keith morrison: two youngsters in love. and then, well, things happen, don't they? mom, i got something to tell you. i said, what? and he said, barbara's pregnant. keith morrison: judy was surprised. a little worried maybe, but nowhere near as worried as barbara's parents, particularly her dad-- an ex-marine who was not very impressed with young mr. jackson. or, so judy heard. mr. britton did not like him. i don't know why. keith morrison: still, david said his mother was walking on air. judy carlson: he came home one day and said, well mom, i'm gonna have to sell the truck. and i said, why? he said, i'm going to be a father and a husband, and that's not appropriate to have a truck and i'm gonna have them. keith morrison: so the pretty girl and the handsome boy got married. big wedding too, even though they were just kids.

and very soon, parents also to a son, john jackson. and they fought, made up, fought again. babies having babies is no easy thing. barbara britton: we were just too young. it was difficult for him and it was difficult for me. so who was the first person to say you gotta get a divorce? my dad. how'd david take it? he was kind of like, ok, let's just find somebody, some lawyers, and, you know, see what we have to do. and that was it. keith morrison: the two divorced in 1985. david arranged weekend visits with john. how were they together? judy carlson: oh, wonderful. johnny just clung to him. they loved each other. keith morrison: they all moved on. a couple of years later, barbara married again. michael wolfe, an ex-military man like her dad. about the same age as her dad too. your dad and your new husband probably saw eye to eye a lot.

they sure did. they had a lot in common. they would talk a lot. keith morrison: wolfe took barbara and john to live with him in arizona. but david wanted to be a part of his son's life, so he traveled out west to see the boy. he went up there with a friend of his and he saw johnny for three days. i got pictures of johnny in, like, an old western town and everything. keith morrison: and maybe it was something about the distance, said barbara. david and i became very good friends when i was out in arizona, and we used to talk a lot. keith morrison: in fact, what she felt deep in her heart, she said never did go away. i'll always love david. keith morrison: and then, it was june 25th, 1988, david's brother, mark, was flying into town to visit the family. david was to pick him up at the airport. but when mark arrived, he waited and waited. no david. and mark jackson had a terrible feeling. no matter what, he'd have been there for me. i knew something was wrong. i knew something bad happened.

keith morrison: oh, yes, very bad. and as the rookie detective, donna velasquez, poked around deep in the past, that something was reaching up through the mud to tell her its long neglected story. the case was both cold and baffling, but maybe nature in south florida could help the investigation. coming up. donna velasquez: with the crazy weather and the water table that we have, if he were ever buried anywhere, somewhere along the line you're gonna pop up. narrator: when dateline continues. [music playing]

on medicare? living with diabetes? progress is having your coffee like you like it. the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor is covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. this is progress. ask your doctor today. ♪♪ (♪♪) stay ahead of your moderate- to-severe eczema and show off clearer skin and less itch, with dupixent. the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists that helps heal your skin from within. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue, or throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing. tell your doctor of new or worsening eye problems like eye pain, vision changes, or blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma or other medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. money is tight, so we must make sacrifices. i give up my bespoke shaving subscription. ask your doctor and i'll stop ordering everything that's trending on instagram.

and i will no longer agree to the add-ons at the oil change place just because the mechanic called me "ma'am." it really is a top-of-the-line filter, ma'am. and of course, we'll downgrade our insurance -to get a lower rate. -well, you know, you don't have to make sacrifices now that you're saving money with the progressive home and auto bundle. you couldn't have said that like 6 seconds ago? my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis held me back. now with skyrizi, i'm all in with clearer skin. ♪ things are getting clearer ♪ ♪♪ ♪ yeah... i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin yeah that's all me. ♪ ♪♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ ♪♪ with skyrizi 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. and most people were clearer even at 5 years. skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb.

tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. ♪nothing and me go hand-in-hand♪ ♪ nothing on my skin, that's my new plan.♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ now's the time ask your doctor about skyrizi, the number one dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save. the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor tracks your glucose in real time, and over time it can help lower your a1c. ♪♪ this is progress. learn more and try for free at freestylelibre.us ♪♪

keith morrison: it was june 25th, 1988, fort lauderdale, learn more and try for free at freestylelibre.us the day the mystery began when a young man named david jackson failed to meet his brother, mark, at the airport. it was a gut feeling something was wrong, and i knew it. keith morrison: 15 years later, detective donna velasquez relived that puzzling time. david's ex-wife, barbara, by then remarried and living in arizona, as she told detective velasquez, got a call from david's worried mother. barbara said she wasn't worried. not then. i thought, ok, he was with one of his girlfriends. and she was like, no, we're doing a missing person report. and i said, no, he's going to call me in a couple days. i know he is. he's gonna call me in a couple days.

and he never called. he never called. keith morrison: one day turned into the next. police, family, everybody tried to find him-- couldn't. started looking, searching through canals, swam in through pipes, under the little bridges on the little dirt roads. anywhere. if you'd see a car that looked like his go by, you'd do a u-turn and you chased it. how long did that go on? that went on until they found his car. keith morrison: which, more than three months later turned out to be at the airport. so did he just take off? his close friend didn't think so. maybe he got on a plane, and maybe he wanted to do something different. and then it was like, no, he wouldn't do that. keith morrison: for one thing, david had been preparing for the arrival in two weeks of his five-year-old son, john. this was a big one. a month long summer visit. he was preparing for this visit. oh, yeah, for johnny, yeah. wanted everything perfect. keith morrison: now right in the middle of preparations he vanished? didn't make sense.

but the days turned into weeks, months, years. not a sign of david. the police went on to newer cases, but his mother never let up-- phoning, nagging, writing. she knew david was out there somewhere. i wrote letters to oprah winfrey. i wrote them to "america's most wanted." and then i thought, ok, maybe i can have the semis put a picture of him on the back of the semi. so i got a list of all the big trucking companies and did all the letters, but it took me a long time to finish any letter about him because i didn't want the ending to be like i thought it was. keith morrison: it was, she said, a horrible limbo. a little piece of her still hoping for good news. part of her mourning a loss. judy carlson: i found a therapist right away and she said, take, like, 20 minutes out of every day, either scream and cry in the morning or scream and cry at night. can anybody who hasn't been in your shoes understand what it's like for a mother to lead? no. keith morrison: now years later, the investigation was back in high gear.

judy told detective velasquez that in some corner of her heart she still hoped david might just turn up safely someday. the detective, however, was not inclined to false hope. she did not for a minute think he was still alive. had he died accidentally, surely a sign of him would have appeared. no, she believed when bodies aren't found it's because someone has intentionally hidden them. but david jackson might show up, just not alive. and my wheels started turning and then i started thinking, you know, we live in florida. with the crazy weather that we have and the water table that we have, if he were ever buried anywhere, somewhere along the line you're gonna pop up. keith morrison: maybe, the detective thought, remains had popped up. after all, it had been a decade and a half since he disappeared. and so she googled, unidentified remains. it led her down an endless internet trail.

donna velasquez: and it's probably going on 10:00, 11:00 and i'm sure my husband's saying, well where the heck is that ole' girl? keith morrison: one site after another, dead end, until she got to one created by a florida medical examiner-- promising, but exhausting. i'm there typing away and typing and typing and it pops up about 100 matches keith morrison: but she was determined. she finally whittled down to a possible three donna velasquez: one of them really stands out for me. it says, white male. and it says over six foot. david's a tall guy. he's a white male. possibly. keith morrison: those particular bones, just a few, a partial skeleton, turned up during construction of a walmart parking lot, not far from the place where david lived surfaced just a year after david died, had been gathering dust in storage for 15 years. the detective went to see a forensic anthropologist, but when the doctor measured the bones--

she comes out she says, no. she says, it's looking like he's only about 5 foot 9. keith morrison: still, velasquez had a hunch that she had finally found david jackson. and she wasn't the sort of person to give up on a hunch. and i said, can we please do this one more time? she comes back and she goes, honey-- she says, i was wrong the first time. she says, this person is anywhere between 5 foot 9 and 6 foot 1. i said, oh, my gosh. i think i've hit paydirt. keith morrison: she got dna from david's mother. waited for a lab to compare the samples. and 10 days later, detective velasquez called the testing facility. she comes to the phone and she says, i sure hope you're sitting down. i said, why? you got a 100% match. oh my gosh. i said, what? because i'm not believing that i'm hearing what i'm hearing. 15 years after he disappeared david jackson had finally been found. question now was, what happened to him?

how did he end up here? narrator: coming up, a strange coincidence, or was it? it's an eerie feeling, you know, that he was in that area that i didn't even know about. narrator: when dateline continues. [music playing]

jen b asks, "how can i get fast download speeds while out and about?" jen, we've engineered xfinity mobile with wifi speeds up to a gig, so you can download and do much more all at once. it's an idea that's quite attractive. or... another word... -fashionable? i was gonna say- "popular! you're gonna be pop-uuuu-larrr!" can you do defying gravity?! yeah, get my harness. buy one line of unlimited, get one free for a year with xfinity mobile. and see “wicked,” in theaters now.

keith morrison: it was good detective work that identified david jackson's earthly remains--

what was left of them, but pure chance that the partial skeleton was found at all, as david's brother, mark, found out. they were getting ready to build a walmart. a construction worker came across some bones. he reported it. they went out and they dug up a bunch of bones and put the bones somewhere and forgot all about it. they were found about a year after he disappeared. and they sat in the morgue for 15 years. keith morrison: sat there all those years, even as those who loved david held out a shred of hope that he was alive somewhere. far as i know, he was disappeared. he was missing. keith morrison: but now detective velasquez had a hard truth to tell. david jackson was dead, not missing. and the way he had been hidden made it perfectly clear he had been murdered all those years ago. most likely before his friends or family even noticed he was gone, which put a final period on his mother's lingering hope for his return, and apparently an ex-wife's what ifs.

were you seriously thinking, you know, maybe some day i'll get back together with him? when it's your first love, you always think, you know, well, could it work? what if? keith morrison: strange how things turn out. barbara had moved back to florida, remarried again, had a daughter, took a job at walmart, but still held a candle for david, even as he lay under the ground practically next door to the very walmart where she worked. what did that do to you? it's an eerie feeling, you know, that he was in that area that i didn't even know about. keith morrison: such an odd coincidence. too odd maybe. time for a chat. detective velasquez called barbara. got herself invited over to barbara's house. barbara seemed to have no problem talking about david. she said she cared about him a lot. and i say, well, how is david as a father?

well, david became abusive towards johnny physically and emotionally, verbally. keith morrison: wait a minute, this was a whole new wrinkle. up to now, everything about david's history had been squeaky clean. as an investigator and as a mom i begin to say, did you ever call the police? she said, oh, no. i never called the police. she says, i just thought he would change. she proceeds to tell me that, i documented the injuries with photographs. never produced any photographs for me. keith morrison: for us, by the way, barbara changed her story. said it was really her father, not her, who accused david of abusing his son. my dad was looking into counselors and having him evaluated and stuff like that because i would just be like, this is david, you know. what are you talking about? keith morrison: but of course, the detective couldn't talk to barbara's father about abuse or murder or anything else.

harry britton had been dead for years, but barbara had more information for the detective. she recalled a troubling conversation she'd had with david. at the time, said barbara, david was working for coca-cola, delivering the product. he told me that someone was placing drugs on his coca-cola truck. and through his route, they were being taken off of the truck. i said, wow. i said, that's pretty serious. and she says, yes. interesting. very. keith morrison: to detective velasquez, that sounded like a made up story. almost as if she was trying to divert suspicion away from someone. an ex-wife would qualify, of course, as a person of interest in this kind of case, but as velasquez and we learned, barbara had an alibi. she wasn't anywhere near florida, she said, when david disappeared. barbara britton: i was not in florida.

i was in arizona in the apartment i was nowhere around here. keith morrison: and lacking any further evidence, detective velasquez was with stalled, dead in the water. unless, maybe the man barbara was married to at the time knew something, michael wolfe. a little checking revealed wolfe had been married seven times. number six, a woman named nancy graham, lived in alabama. velasquez called her. i told her, i'm investigating getting the disappearance of david jackson. and she said to me, how much evidence do you have against him? and i said, i can't discuss the evidence with you, but i can tell you that it's enough for me to put him away right now. i was just totally bluffing. i had really nothing. i'm just throwing it out there, you know, fishing that long line. and if something bites, i'm reeling it in.

and she says, honey-- she says, let me call you back. keith morrison: the minutes ticked by. velasquez waited by the phone. and when nancy called back, what she said blew the case wide open. she started telling me about who was involved, how it happened, where it happened, what they did, how they did it, and how they planned it. keith morrison: they? why, yes, they. and by the way, beware of the sting of an ex-wife's tail. she says, i'm gonna tell you everything you need to know. michael wolfe's ex-wife, nancy, has a jaw dropping story to share. and it will send the investigation into overdrive. coming up. when dateline continues. [music playing] when you want something, you pursue it. and with vitiligo, the pursuit for your pigment is just the same. it's time you found a proven choice

to help restore what's yours. opzelura is the only fda-approved prescription treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo repigmentation. restoring what's yours over time. with a steroid-free cream that you can apply yourself. opzelura can lower your ability to fight infections. tell your doctor if you have or had an infection, tb, hepatitis b or c, blood clots in your legs or lungs, heart attack, stroke, cancer, high cholesterol, are a smoker, or pregnant. opzelura may cause serious lung infections, certain cancers, immune system problems, blood clots, and low blood cell counts. major cardiovascular events or death occurred in those 50+ taking oral jak inhibitors. the most common side effects were acne and itching where applied. ask your doctor about opzelura or book a virtual appointment at opzelura.com. repigmentation is possible. pursue it.

hi, i'm richard lui with a news update. frustration over drone sightings are reaching a boiling point as reports continue to pour in. the fbi is one of several agencies now investigating, asking residents to share any information they may have about these drones. and president-elect donald trump tapped harmeet dillon to lead the civil rights division. she is a republican lawyer known for championing conservative causes and the gop national committeewoman for california. for now, back to "dateline." fo. for now, back to "dateline." a shallow grave. then years later a stunning development. rookie detective, donna velasquez tracked down a woman who claimed david's killer had confessed to her in detail. but there was one staggering new wrinkle. was david jackson's murder a family affair?

once again, here's keith morrison with buried secrets. [music playing] keith morrison: david jackson was murdered in 1988 in florida. that much, detective donna velasquez could say for certain. but the rest-- after more than a year of phone calls and late nights, all velasquez had come up with was an increasingly complicated web of stories and relationships. david jackson was married to barbara britton. her father, harry, disliked david. barbara went on to become the fifth wife of a man named michael wolfe. they divorced and he later married two more times. i'm ready to talk. keith morrison: but now, finally, one of wolfe's ex-wives, woman named nancy, was sitting with detective velasquez, telling police she knew everything about what happened to david. can you tell me again? keith morrison: how did she know? according to the ex, michael drank a lot.

and the story wolfe told, according to the ex, implicated more than just himself. here's what happened as nancy heard it. wolfe and harry britton, barbara's father, rented a motel room on that long ago july night, invited david to a meeting there. donna velasquez: and when he gets at the hotel they have a very small conversation. and michael shot david in the head. keith morrison: after which, as nancy relayed the story-- he did not spare the detail, said nancy.

and sure enough, i mean, that was consistent with the investigation. keith morrison: along with that story came what sounded like a motive. david disappeared, remember, as he was preparing for a visit from his five-year-old son, john. donna velasquez: they decided that david needed to be gotten rid of because they never wanted david to be in johnny's life. keith morrison: david was murdered in cold blood just to keep him out of his son's life? and, boom, it clicked for me. all of a sudden i said, wow. i said, that's over child custody. that's why he is not here today. that was the motive. that was the motive. keith morrison: but was wolfe's confession to an ex-wife a true story or just alcohol fueled bravado? there was no way to know for sure. but it was enough to at least bring about the arrest in october 2004 of michael wolfe, now living in ohio. but an arrest is not a conviction made.

and as michael wolfe cooled his very sober heels in an ohio jail, he professed his innocence to anybody who would listen, including the local police, to whom wolfe sent a letter. in which he claimed all he knew of a crime centered on a conversation with his ex-wife barbara's father, harry, a few months before the murder. stefan kamph was a reporter with the broward-palm beach "new times" and read michael's letter. all michael would admit to is meeting harry in a park near the walmart overlooking the place where david's bones would later come out of the ground. stefan kamph: michael wolfe said that he had basically pointed over to that plot of land and said, well, if you needed to bury a body that would be a good place to do it. and then he concluded his letter with, "and i don't know if he had listened or not." keith morrison: apparently, he did. stefan kamph: if michael wolfe had really not known anything beyond that point, it would get him off the hook and it would leave it all in the hands of harry britton. keith morrison: so michael was pinning

the murder on no one but harry, who safely dead and could tell no tales. but now detective velasquez believed she had enough evidence to bring michael wolfe back to florida to stand trial for the murder of david jackson. we did the arrest warrants and within a couple of days we were flying out to kettering, ohio to extradite michael wolfe back to florida. how did he react? he said some pretty harsh words. it's not very ladylike if i say it, though. you can say it. he said, i'm [beeps]. keith morrison: this was it. velasquez had her moment. finally, after 15 years, she had made sure someone was going to be held accountable for the death of david jackson. it was the culmination of 16 months of such a long, grueling, up and down, tiresome investigation of nights of not sleeping, of days of going to work and living off of coffee. and i thought, you know what, this is what it's all about. keith morrison: it was november of 2007 when michael

wolfe went on trial for murder. after so many years, any physical evidence that might have tied into the crime was long gone. but what prosecutors did have was the verbal confession, the drunken story his ex-wife said he had told her. then, checkmate, another ex-wife told police virtually the same story. now she too was called to the stand. that was enough. the jury was out in less than an hour. the verdict was guilty. at the sentencing, life in prison, david jackson's family confronted michael wolfe. not just to condemn him, but to ask a question because there was still a piece missing. something that still didn't make sense. what was david doing in that motel room the night that killed him? why did he walk into that trap? why would he go to a motel to meet

mr. britton when mr. britton lives 10 minutes down the road? i mean, david is not a stupid child at 24. why would mr. britton want to see him in a hotel? keith morrison: tell what you know, they demanded. there'd be no justice, they told wolfe, unless everyone involved was held accountable. outside the courtroom, david's brother encountered the state's attorney and said-- he's going to tell you. he said, he's not going to tell me anything. i saw in his eyes. he'll tell you. and then we got the real story. keith morrison: in fact, it was just two days later when wolfe finally confessed the true measure of his guilt and gave police first hand his unedited version of events the night he said they buried david jackson in the shifting florida clay. was someone else involved? oh, yes, said michael wolfe. she certainly was. craig melvin: coming up. what made david go to that motel? it was a woman who was on the phone. david takes the phone. comes out a little while later.

he's all spruced up, ready to go out. craig melvin: when dateline continues. [music playing] why just give a gift, when you can give a gift with meaning? shutterfly, make something that means something. enjoy 40% off your order with code gifts40. order now for holiday delivery. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. and adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for type 1 diabetes or children. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take if you or your family had mtc, men 2, or if allergic to it.

stop taking and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or any of these allergic reactions. tell your provider if you plan to have surgery or a procedure, are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to be. serious side effects may include inflammation of pancreas, gallbladder problems, or changes in vision. call your prescriber if you have any of these symptoms. taking with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation. some side effects lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®.

(♪♪) when you have moderate to severe eczema, it's okay to show off. with dupixent, show off your clearer skin and less itch. because you have plenty of reasons to show off your skin. with dupixent, the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, you can stay ahead of your eczema. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema to help heal your skin from within. many adults saw 90% clearer skin. some even achieved long-lasting clearer skin and fast itch relief after first dose. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue, or throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing. tell your doctor of new or worsening eye problems like eye pain, vision changes, or blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma or other medicines

without talking to your doctor. show off to the world. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. keith morrison: in november of 2007, ask your eczema specialist the man who shot david jackson to death was found guilty of the crime and sent to prison for the rest of his life. but a couple of days after he was sentenced, wolfe said outward he was ready to tell the rest of the story. sure, he said, he was the trigger man, and, yes, his father-in-law was determined to get rid of david

permanently. but to set their trap to lure david to the kill site, the motel, they needed bait. and that bait, said wolfe, was barbara. barbara, who did not require persuasion. quite the contrary, said mr. wolfe. donna velasquez: barbara britton is in the middle. from what i was able to learn about david, he would have never gone to that hotel room to meet harry britton. he would have never gone to that hotel room to meet michael wolfe. he agreed to come meet barbara. keith morrison: the woman who wept tears of love for her long lost david, who professed to have held a torch all those years was the very same woman, said wolfe, who called david on the phone and enticed him to go to that motel room to be killed. they needed to use barbara as the lure because david still had feelings for barbara. keith morrison: evidence, david had a roommate, reported journalist stefan kamph, and that roommate heard david take a phone call just

before he went out that night. he was pretty sure it was a woman who was on the phone. david takes the phone. goes into his room. comes out a little while later. he's all spruced up, ready to go out. he's got a smile on his face. he's combing his hair. he's putting on his drakkar noir cologne. and david jackson left the apartment at that point. that was the last that any of his friends saw him at that point. keith morrison: what really happened to the motel? wolfe said he hid in the bathroom when david arrived. barbara answered and he was glad to see her. so they walked in. they sat down on the edge of the bed. and barbara had a stun gun. and barbara hit david with a stun gun. keith morrison: but the stun gun malfunctioned. so wolfe stepped out of the bathroom with his gun. donna velasquez: he said, so i had the gun wrapped in a towel. and he showed me like this. he said, i picked the gun up and i fired one shot. and about that time, harry britton came into the room and said, he's not dead yet. he's still breathing. shoot him again.

so he says, i shot him again. and said, that shot killed him. and they put david's body in the back of harry's vw and transported it to the site where they had already pre-dug the grave. so all they had to do was just lay his body in there and cover him up. keith morrison: but that wasn't the end of wolfe's tale. a year after the murder, he said he got a call from harry britton. he had learned that they were going to build a new walmart right there at the corner where they were-- where the bones were. where the bones were. and harry, michael wolfe said, told him, you have to come back down here and move the bones. almost as an order. keith morrison: wolfe flew back to florida. stefan kemph: michael says that he went out there in the middle of the night, collected what he could find, and put them in a trash bag. and then he went back to barbara britton's family's house and put the bones out for the trash in a plastic bag. keith morrison: michael wolfe's story seemed to tell it all and to cast barbara britton in a leading role. and once she heard that story, detective velasquez

was convinced, barbara, determined to keep david away from their son, was a full partner in his murder. what are the chances that either michael wolfe or harry britton forced her to take part in this scheme? forced? yeah. well, you don't have to force a willing participant. and you believe she was willing? yes. keith morrison: the detective couldn't help remembering she said what barbara told her when she heard that david bones had been identified. strangely enough, the first thing she said to me was, how many bones do you have? come on. she had participated in retrieving those bones. and they thought they had gotten them all, when they had left about 50% behind. keith morrison: all this time, said the detective, she just knew barbara had been lying. and now she had the goods. we asked barbara about all this, of course, about her ex-husband's allegations that she was deeply involved in the murder.

and she denied it. and you had no part in killing david? no, i did not. i had no knowledge and i had no part. and, you know, little lies here and there that mike keeps changing his story. i think it's just psychotic. i think it's just psychotic for the things that he has said. i was 21 back then. i was very, like-- i don't think i could plan much. you know, i mean, i'm not stupid, but i'm not that smart, you know. keith morrison: no, said barbara. it was all ex-husband, michael wolfe's doing. his guilt, she said, made sense of his strange behavior during their time in arizona. particularly, the weekend. david disappeared. a weekend when, barbara says, her ex-husband was not with her at home. he would always go on business trips. and every time i asked, he would tell me, don't worry about it. i got business to take care of. keith morrison: but she knew nothing at all about the murder, she insisted, until the penny

dropped during a conversation years later with her father. i'm like, i wonder what he's doing. i wonder if he's coming back. i wonder, you know, where he's at or what happened. and he would just be like, you don't have to worry. you know, he's not around to bother you. what was that like to deal with? very, very rough. you know, it's like, it's my dad. that's my dad. i couldn't accept it. and what satisfaction did it get? you know, i mean, did it satisfy him? because it sure didn't satisfy me. keith morrison: still in december of 2007, it was detective velasquez who got what she wanted. she'd worked hard to prove what she believed to be true, that barbara was an integral part of the plot to kill david jackson. and finally now, barbara britton was arrested and charged with murder. now perhaps the jury could answer the question, do you believe this woman, the woman whose hands literally shook, whose tears flowed at the mere mention

of her departed ex-husband? do you believe the things she said? all the time we thought-- it's always been he's missing. craig melvin: dateline returns after the break. [music playing] ooo! our car's value went up! maybe we should track all our cars' value on carvana? all of them? all of them. we need more trackers! i'll track the van! gotcha! is that my belt? ah, parts of it, yeah. oh! i'm getting a value update! do you see which one is going off? how's it trackin'? good! got some dips, some rises. now what? "hold?" sold. did we get a little carried away? noooo. room for more! track your car's value on carvana today. if you're living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis or active psoriatic arthritis symptoms can sometimes hold you back. but now there's skyrizi, so you can be all in with clearer skin. ♪things are getting clearer♪ ♪yeah, i feel free to bare my skin♪

♪yeah, that's all me.♪ ♪nothing is everything♪ with skyrizi, you can show up with 90% clearer skin. and if you have psoriatic arthritis, skyrizi can help you move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. skyrizi is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement, and that means everything. ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time ask your doctor about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. (tony hawk) i still love to surf, snowboard, and of course, skate, so i take qunol magnesium to support my muscle and bone health. qunol's high-absorption magnesium glycinate helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. qunol. the brand i trust.

craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. so he sublet half his real estate office... [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment!

there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to an incredible 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. keith morrison: barbara britton, the woman who sobbed at the mere mention of david jackson's name, was now in jail awaiting trial for killing him.

exactly where barbara belonged, said detective donna velasquez. she made it happen. she was the instigator, as well as just being the one in the middle? i had no doubt in my mind that she was the catalyst. keith morrison: barbara, meanwhile, maintained her innocence. claimed there was a certain reason michael wolfe lied about her that way. it was payback, she said, for something that happened when they were married. and here came another one of those odd stories. earlier, remember, there was the one suggesting drug running on david's delivery truck. now a story about michael and gun running. i was putting away laundry one day and i saw a bulge in a dress shirt pocket. and there was quite a bit of money there. and when he got home from work that night i confronted him on it. and he told me that he was doing gun runs to haiti. keith morrison: barbara said she told the police about wolfe's

alleged gun running. and he got mad. and he even told a cellmate of his that that's it. gonna make you pay the price? that i was-- yeah. keith morrison: interesting, true. wolfe hasn't commented. but keith seltzer, barbara's defense attorney, suspected wolfe had a much more practical motive. michael wolfe was initially offered a 15 year plea bargain to take 15 years and testify against whoever his accomplices might be. sure. and lo behold, a week after the jury convicts him of first degree murder, well, there was an option at that point to maybe get that 15 years back. that was his motivation. keith morrison: in other words, said barbara's attorney, wolfe would sell out barbara any way he could to get a reduced sentence. of course, there was the uncomfortable fact of the two unprompted confessions he'd made to his ex-wives. confessions in which he portrayed barbara as a sort of black widow intent on having david killed.

well, there are two versions that he gave to each of those ex-wives. the stories were not entirely consistent, said attorney seltzer. besides, he said, barbara was at home in arizona the night of the murder. how does he know that? a phone bill from her mother's home placing calls to her home in arizona that night, where nobody else could have been there. and what's a phone bill of that age doing lying around somewhere where it can be grabbed for evidence by the defendant? the father was a meticulous record keeper. what's to say that wasn't an answering service that picked it up? michael wolfe testified in his first deposition that they had no answer machine. could have been somebody else in the house. we question mr. wolfe about that and he said that there was nobody there. keith morrison: but as the defense prepared for trial in december of 2010, something changed. there was new evidence discovered. laney bandel was the prosecutor who inherited the case. and that new evidence was what we consider a jailhouse snitch.

and he came forward and stated that michael wolfe told him he had fabricated the entire story about barbara participating in the murder of david jackson. keith morrison: that particular jailhouse snitch was well known, the da said. mostly for the false information he provided. still, after three years in jail it was enough to get barbara released and placed on house arrest, pending trial. and then, prosecutor bandel met michael wolfe to ask him about testifying against barbara. didn't go well. the blow came to me when he said, what am i getting in return? what will my sentence be reduced to? keith morrison: now the state reassessed its options. i think with any case you're taking a 50/50 chance. the lack of forensics, the lack of physical evidence that a jury wants to see, but most importantly again, the fact that you have a co-defendant who is giving the testimony, which was the foundation of this prosecution,

who wanted something in return. the people who conducted the investigation, you know, deep down in their guts are sure that she was at the center of it. did you think so too? what i think as a person and what i think as a prosecutor, i have to keep them separate. and while i may have believed that barbara was a full participant in this, what i can prove is totally different. so you made an offer? we made an offer. keith morrison: barbara britain was offered two more years of house arrest and eight years of probation. she would avoid trial, but she had to plead guilty to accessory after the fact in david's murder, meaning she acknowledged knowing about the crime, but only after it occurred. something she'd always denied. you've got to remember, i had an option to go to trial and take it. it's just taking a chance with 12 to 14 other-- jurors who would hear a story about a mata hari control

freak who very cleverly manipulated men to get them to do this awful thing. right. they already know what you're there for. so they're already going to have somewhat of an opinion. keith morrison: even though she accepted the deal, barbara was not happy. true, there was no prison time, but she was a felon now. you have a title over your head. it's life changing. it's very life changing. man: do you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? yes, i do. man: ok. put your hand down. keith morrison: detective velasquez joined david's family at barbara's sentencing hearing. judge: you're ok with the stipulation and the fact that it's a guilty plea? woman: yes, judge. judge: ok. woman: and, judge, for the record, david jackson's mother would like to speak, judy. judge: of course. keith morrison: david's mother read a victim's impact statement. because of you, barbara, i cried endlessly for 24 years. i wanted to die myself to be with david. keith morrison: her gaze fixed on the woman

her son once loved. judy carlson: you are guilty. michael wolfe is where he should be, in prison. your father is where he should be. and you will join him one day because that is where you should be-- in hell. keith morrison: david's brother, mark, was not at all sure that justice was served. if you lose in trial, that's god's will. you can't control that. but i think it should have gone to trial. i think society, in two years when she comes off of house arrest, needs to worry. woman: we've got to have a picture of david. keith morrison: but his mother. judy carlson: there is justice. yes. and she's a felon now for life. she's gotta live with all that. i don't. oh my god, every time i get out of bed in the morning on leg says guilty and the other one says felon. keith morrison: and as for the detective who so doggedly pursued the case who now thinks a murderer got away. donna velasquez: at first i was disappointed.

so i had to make peace with it. and when i put my head down on the pillow at night, at the end of the day, she's a felon. mentally, when you're in prison here, do you ever escape that? keith morrison: as for barbara, she spent the remainder of her house arrest in her father's home. that old vw, the one that allegedly carried david's body the night he was killed, still parked outside. and that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [music playing] . i'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." day morning with the bird and the b. ms. sylvia nolan: i had a huge crush on him. (voiceover) he had this amazing voice. mr. john mckinney: (voiceover) very gregarious. very charismatic. mr. mckinney: and i think the passion that he had for people came through. craig melvin: (voiceover) he was the guy the whole town woke up to. morning deejay steven b.