you shouldn't be. that trifecta of love, money, and murder isn't new to hollywood. neither are stories about beautiful women who turn out to be as tough as a five-dollar steak and the men who somehow find it in themselves to forgive them. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [music playing] ateline." i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline."nge . i'm andrea canning, and this is dateline. you get a knock at your door that would change your life? >> yeah, it was a pretty dark time. >> she was shocked. the last thing that you expect to hear is police officers telling you that somebody's trying to kill your husband. >> it's a murder for hire.

it's very serious. >> you offered me $50,000 to do this, i was not going to let this happen. >> you were an undercover officer? >> the undercover hitman. i had to totally change how i acted, talked, everything. >> you sure you want this done? >> i'm positive. i am positive i want it. >> one mistake could blow this whole operation. >> absolutely. >> the seconds are ticking away. >> it was all or nothing. >> this isn't a hardened criminal, this is a soccer mom. >> it was hell. it was hell. hello and welcome to "dateline." memorial day weekend in the town of east lake, ohio, is blissfully traditional. barbecues, boating, parades. in 2011, there was something evil lurking neeltss the

surface, and it began with a startling 911 call. a hot tip about a monday for hire plot. here's the east lake conspiracy. along the shores of lake erie is east lake, ohio. >> more of a suburb. you've got nice properties with decent-sized yards. >> gorgeous waterfront views. the kind of place folks settle to raise a family. quiet and safe. >> you never hear about murders or stuff like that. >> but that wholesome image was about to be shattered. >> basically, the gist of it was, he wants this guy dead. >> someone had murder on their mind, and a deadly plot was brewing. >> one of the things that you see on tv.

>> you have to be evil to want to murder somebody else. >> it would all come crashing down on one family. >> it was hell. it was hell. >> would those responsible slip through detectives' fingers? >> put your hands in the air! >> it all began memorial day weekend 2011. >> east lake police, stephanie. >> it was a friday evening when an unusual 911 call came into dispatch. >> i was approached at the captain's club -- >> okay -- >> to murder somebody for $50,000. so, i need somebody out here. >> a murder for hire in east lake? it was hard to believe. >> okay, what is your name? >> patrick sabo. >> the dispatcher recognized the caller's name. patrick sabo had lived in east lake for years, was a former army ranger, and was known to

everyone at the station, including the chief of police, larry reich. how did you know the caller? >> he's been involved in a couple of minor incidents in our city. somebody we'd dealt with this the past. >> so police were surprised about the reason pat was calling. he wanted to report that someone was planning a murder. it's extremely bizarre. we're pretty surprised by it. this is the land of soccer moms and children and families and not something that you would expect. correct. we don't deal with stuff like that on a normal basis. did you believe it? did you think that this was possible? well, we definitely knew it was worth looking into. andrea canning (voiceover): police knew pat well enough to know he wasn't lying. so the dispatcher wanted to know more about this man offering pat money to kill someone.

andrea canning (voiceover): zombory. whoever he was, perhaps his desire to have someone killed was just a moment of anger or a crude joke taken wrong. but investigators needed to be sure. we definitely didn't want to ignore it and, god forbid, let something bad happen. that's no joke when you hear something like that on 911. no, it's not. andrea canning (voiceover): detective christopher bowersock, now retired, was assigned the case, and he sprung into action. police called pat sabo to come down to the station. and i interviewed him. andrea canning (voiceover): bowersock recorded the audio. andrea canning (voiceover): the detective wasn't sure what to expect, but it didn't take long to see that patrick believed zombory was serious about his offer. andrea canning (voiceover): kill who?

pat said he was given few details about the target. andrea canning (voiceover): no name, but he said zombory did give him the target's photo and home address. did you have any fears about telling the police? no. i fear no man on this earth, no woman, no creature. was this a believable story he was telling you? well, anybody is going to have a little bit of skepticism when you hear something like this. andrea canning (voiceover): after all, pat was a colorful character. but if detectives had any doubts about pat's story, they didn't last long. as soon as i handed him the picture and the address, and i said, this is how serious they are, the cop went, ok, now that changes things. andrea canning (voiceover): to investigators, pat's story was so detailed, it seemed clear this was no hoax. so they had to move fast.

a man's life could be in danger. if we delay our own investigation and it would be carried out by a third or fourth party, then it would just be tragic. you wanted to take control of the situation. absolutely. andrea canning (voiceover): and that meant finding the target before it was too late. the first piece of the puzzle falls into place. but just how swiftly could detectives assemble all the clues? andrea canning (voiceover): coming up. we found out that he was a prominent businessman. andrea canning (voiceover): target identified. a devoted husband and dedicated dad of six. just completely selfless. he was going to do whatever it took to make sure that they were ok and that they were taken care of. andrea canning (voiceover): why would anyone want him dead? just spite, hate, venom, vitriol. andrea canning (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. ooo! our car's value went up! maybe we should track all our cars' value on carvana?

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eastlake police had let's reason to believed roll. a man's life was at risk, but they needed more evidence to be sure. it's a "murder for hire." it's very serious. andrea canning (voiceover): serious and also a puzzle. investigators were missing key pieces about the target. andrea canning (voiceover): detectives ran a background check. and they learned the person who lived at that address

was named david metter. david was the target. we found out that he was a prominent businessman. andrea canning (voiceover): a businessman who lived nearly 1,000 miles away in gwinnett county, georgia. from what detectives could tell, david seemed to have it all-- a good job, a nice house, and a happy marriage with a new wife. it was a small wedding, intimate wedding. andrea canning (voiceover): loni and david metter had been married less than a year. but loni already felt like she'd met her soulmate. and we had a really nice connection. andrea canning (voiceover): it was a second marriage for both loni and david. and they each had kids. david, four girls. loni, a son and daughter. we are both in the six children club. not always easy, but a lot of fun. yeah, i'll tell you, it was super fun. i loved having kids. andrea canning (voiceover): loni described her life with david as wonderful, but says she never could have imagined

the challenges they'd face together as a couple. andrea canning: how did you meet david? we met at a work function. andrea canning (voiceover): they both worked in the automotive industry and were attending a conference in las vegas when a mutual friend suggested they meet. there was an instant connect that was a bit shocking, i'll tell you. i had been on my own for just about two years and was pretty well settled in that. you knew early on that david could be the one. yes, i knew early on. not to mention that i'm sure you must have found him handsome. oh, super handsome. i wasn't sure if i could talk about that. yes, very much so. great smile, great eyes. but just an instant-- like instant soulmate. andrea canning (voiceover): but once the conference ended, reality quickly set in. you look at a map, and you go, oh, you live in baltimore, and i live in atlanta. you know, how does that work? andrea canning (voiceover): david was also separated, going through a messy divorce and figuring out

a custody arrangement for his girls, who still lived with his ex. you had been through a divorce yourself. i had. did that help in giving him, david, advice about how to navigate these waters? i think so. early on in the friendship, i can remember encouraging him to try again, to do everything they could to fight for the marriage. andrea canning (voiceover): but loni says david assured her there was no hope for a reconciliation. so the next time he was in atlanta for business, they went on their first date. we went to my church. wow, that's a very wholesome first date. yeah, i knew that if that wasn't a connect, then it would be very difficult for us. andrea canning (voiceover): it was a match made in heaven. a year and a half later, david and loni got engaged. my ring was very special. he and the kids all went to pick it out. there are six baguette diamonds around the center of it to represent each of the kids because this was not just a marriage for us.

it was a marriage of our families. andrea canning (voiceover): after they married, david and loni moved in together in georgia. david won custody of his oldest daughter, but his three other girls continued to live out of state with their mom. visitation in general was difficult from day one. andrea canning (voiceover): things weren't easy with david's ex. but loni says david flew to ohio to see his daughters whenever he could. he still went for every school event, every weekend that he could get time with them. did that make you fall in love with him more, his dedication to his children? oh, yeah. yeah, just completely selfless. and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure that they were ok and that they were taken care of and supported and loved. absolutely. andrea canning (voiceover): great father, loving husband, successful businessman. it all seemed ideal. so why did david have a price on his head? that was a question the police were asking.

and patrick sabo had the answers. he was about to tell detectives the rest of the story, including why the man named zombory wanted david dead. just spite, hate, venom, vitriol coming out of him. andrea canning (voiceover): coming up. he wanted him dead. he didn't care how i did it. he didn't care what it was going to cost. did he bring up how you would be paid and how much? yeah, he offered me the $50,000. andrea canning (voiceover): who was this mysterious man named zombory? and who else was in on this murderous plot? i mean, this isn't a thug. this isn't a hardened criminal. this is a soccer mom. yeah, this is somebody who goes about their day, like everybody else. she just wanted him dead. andrea canning (voiceover): when "dateline" continues.

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pat sabo was in shock. he'd been asked to do the unthinkable and was still trying to wrap his head around it. i was like, i cannot believe this is going down. andrea canning (voiceover): a man named zombory had offered pat $50,000 to fly to georgia and kill david metter. but pat sabo was no hitman. i could not let anything happen to this man. they were serious. and no, it wasn't going down like that. andrea canning (voiceover): he says that's why he called the police. if i said nothing and did nothing and saw,

tomorrow, david on the tv dead because i didn't do anything, that would be just as bad as me pulling the trigger. andrea canning (voiceover): pat wanted to save david metter, not hurt him. and as he continued his interview with detectives, it was clear there was much more to his story, especially when it came to zombory. now i'd never met this man. there was no reason for me to meet this man. andrea canning (voiceover): nevertheless, pat told detectives he'd agreed to the meeting as a favor to an old high school classmate named chrissy. al zombory was her dad, a 76-year-old widower. in fact, zombory lived with his daughter and her children. how good of friends were you with chrissy? not very. we didn't run in the same groups. andrea canning (voiceover): so it was no surprise when they lost touch after graduation. pat joined the army and became a ranger, while chrissy went to college, got married, and had children. she was fun. she had a contagious laugh.

she was just somebody that i wanted to be around. andrea canning (voiceover): karen snyder was one of chrissy's closest friends. for years, they lived on the same quaint cul-de-sac and raised their kids together. how was chrissy as a mom? she was awesome. andrea canning (voiceover): and she was also a compassionate friend. karen says chrissy was a shoulder to cry on when her marriage fell apart. i would call her crying. she would come over. and she was just my rock through the whole thing. andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy, now a divorced mom of four girls, needed a rock of her own. so she reached out to pat on facebook. it had been 20 years since they'd last seen each other. the chrissy he talked to online seemed to be unraveling. it would always turn into a "poor me" pity party. andrea canning (voiceover): pat says she spent most of their chats venting about her ex. every conversation would end up with her complaining about how much her ex abused her mentally, physically. andrea canning (voiceover): pat told detectives he didn't know much about the ex,

but he did know chrissy's married name, christine zombory metter. turns out, david metter was her ex-husband. my advice to her was always move on, but she never wanted to listen. andrea canning (voiceover): pat says chrissy's continuing bitterness started to grate on his nerves. my ex-husband this, my ex-husband that. he's this, he's that. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. just, in a joking manner, said, save your money. hire a hitman. you obviously have a unique sense of humor. a little bit. andrea canning (voiceover): pat assumed chrissy got the joke. but hours later, she talked to pat on skype. this time, she asked him to meet her father for lunch. and when zombory picked up pat for the meeting-- before we even get out of the parking lot, he looks me dead in the eye. and he says if i could shoot straight, i'd kill the son of a bitch myself already. so why do you go forward? if there was any serious thought given to it because of what i said, well, i got to know. andrea canning (voiceover): pat told police his worst

fears were confirmed at the restaurant when zombory offered him money to kill david. it was nothing but spite, hate, venom, vitriol coming out of him. he wanted him dead. he didn't care how he did it. he didn't care what it was going to cost. did he bring up how you would be paid and how much? yeah, he offered me the $50,000 to do this. and he offered it from the life insurance settlement that's payable to chrissy upon his death. did he say why you were the chosen one? they knew i was hurting for money. did chrissy know you were a former army ranger? yeah, i was pretty proud of getting into the rangers battalion. most people knew. an army ranger is trained to kill. do you think that chrissy looked at your background and thought maybe this is the right guy? she knew i had the capabilities to do it. her biggest mistake was thinking i would. i mean, this isn't a thug. this isn't a hardened criminal. this is a soccer mom. yeah, this is somebody who goes about their day

like everybody else. she just wanted him dead. andrea canning (voiceover): but the only proof police had was pat's word. and that wasn't enough to arrest chrissy or her dad. we didn't have enough evidence to go forward. andrea canning (voiceover): so investigators came up with a clever plot to catch chrissy and her dad conspiring to kill david. and they'd have to act fast. the father and daughter wanted david killed right away. what we want to do is get a conversation on tape. that's the most important thing. andrea canning (voiceover): but that could be difficult because chrissy's dad wasn't just some guy angry with his ex son-in-law. he'd spent 26 years in law enforcement. he was a policeman. it must have been surprising to you to learn that he was a former police officer. surprising is a good word, but a little bit worried because he could see through what other people couldn't see through. so we had to really be careful in how we handled the investigation. andrea canning (voiceover): one mistake,

and the entire case could be ruined, or worse, someone could get hurt. would detectives be able to pull this off? it's time for police to flip the script. a new hitman enters the scene and takes center stage. andrea canning (voiceover): coming up. who was the hitman going to be, the new hitman? that would be me. so detective and playing the role of hitman. yes. one mistake could blow this whole operation. absolutely. something said wrong, an action done wrong. i had to totally change how i acted, talked, everything. andrea canning (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. (cough cough) (sneeze) (♪♪) new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy chews. chew. fizz. feel better fast. no water needed. new alka-seltzer plus fizzychews. why pay more for an effective daily body lotion?

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the death toll is rising after a plane ran off the runway

in korea's southwest. south korean officials say 174 of the 181 people on board are dead. two people were rescued alive with injuries. officials say the pilot declared mayday after issuing a bird strike alert. a passenger train collided with a fire truck in delray beach, florida, saturday. three firefighters and 12 others were hurt. thankfully, nobody was seriously injured. the cause of that crash is still under investigation. and now let's go back to "dateline."" welcome back to "dateline." i'm andrea canning. david metter, a devoted father of six, was the target of a "murder for hire" plot, or at least, that was the tip handed to investigators, who believed there was more to this unusual story. now, to unmask the people at the core of the diabolical plot. police were about to launch a daring undercover operation.

continuing now with "the eastlake conspiracy." andrea canning (voiceover): eastlake detectives needed to catch chrissy metter and her dad on tape planning the murder of her ex. and they knew the only person who could record that conversation was pat sabo. andrea canning: how important was patrick sabo to your plan? patrick was instrumental. was there a risk putting him in the middle of this? absolutely. there's always a risk. andrea canning (voiceover): but pat made it clear to investigators it was a risk he was willing to take. i've jumped out of planes. what's the difference? you know, you hop in your car, you got a danger of dying. at least, this way, if i go during this, i went doing something pretty darn interesting. andrea canning (voiceover): no longer just a concerned citizen calling 911, pat was now a police informant. and his mission was clear. with a recording device in hand, keep chrissy and her dad talking about the murder plot. you need to record every word that is spoken.

yes, ma'am. and you're doing this on your own. yeah. and then i just call them when i have a recording, and they come pick it up. andrea canning (voiceover): but before patrick did anything, detectives needed to be sure david metter was safe. so they asked police in georgia to check on him. we had been contacted by the eastlake police department. and they notified us that they were midway through an investigation. andrea canning (voiceover): steven shaw, then a major with the gwinnett county police department, sent officers to the house to observe from a distance. david was alive and well. but investigators didn't want him to know there was a threat against his life. not yet, anyway. they had more work to do. and they were concerned that notification to the metter family would have, at some point, got back to christy metter, and the case would have been concluded prematurely. andrea canning (voiceover): so they didn't say a word and kept an eye on david. it was very important for us to get the information and, at the right time, make contact with him. andrea canning (voiceover): before they launched

their sting, detectives felt there was still one thing they had to do-- replace pat sabo as the hitman. police wanted one of their own on the inside, working undercover. and who was the hitman going to be, the new hitman? me. that would be me. so detective and playing the role of hitman. yes. andrea canning (voiceover): detective bowersock would play the role of vincent, a hitman with mob affiliations. it's like a movie script. it is a movie script. everything, everything has to be laid out. you know, you have to know what you're going to say before you say it. one mistake could blow this whole operation. absolutely. something said wrong, an action done wrong, anything that makes you look like a policeman. i had to totally change everything and how i acted, talked, all my mannerisms, everything. andrea canning (voiceover): it was now up to pat to convince chrissy and her dad to outsource this murder to a professional hitman. armed with a recording device, pat

says he skyped chrissy and told her all about vincent and his fee. so it really implicated her. andrea canning (voiceover): but when he handed the recording over to detective bowersock, there was a problem. i forgot to hit record. [laughs] oops. andrea canning (voiceover): it was a disappointing setback, but pat rallied and called again the very next day. andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy seemed unfazed by the idea of a new hitman. and when pat mentioned vince wanted to meet her elderly dad, that seemed fine, too.

andrea canning (voiceover): later that night, pat spoke with chrissy's dad and played up all the reasons vince was the perfect choice to carry out the plan. andrea canning (voiceover): and just like that, vince was in. they discussed his retainer.

andrea canning (voiceover): so far, everything was going according to plan. detective bowersock was about to meet chrissy's dad face-to-face as vince the hitman. everything had to be realistic, even bowersock's appearance. you look very nice and clean-cut right now. how did you look? i was in, you know, a harley-davidson t-shirt, a pair of jeans. you looked the part of a hitman. yeah. i think i was pretty convincing on my look. andrea canning (voiceover): bowersock needed to convince chrissy's dad, enough for zombory to implicate himself on tape. the pressure was on. andrea canning (voiceover): coming up. he's saying "have fun"? basically, yeah. he just wanted to have me do it. andrea canning (voiceover): a high wire

sting with sky high stakes. he wants you to pretend that you're dead. right, i'm thinking to myself, i can't make these believable. how do i act dead? i'm not sure what i would look like dead. andrea canning (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. let's monopoly go! friends are like money. keke, i won again? they make everything more fun. and you can never have enough! toodaloo. my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me.♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve

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stomach pain, flu, or upset, headache, feeling tired, dizzy, or bloated, gas, and heartburn. some side effects lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. with wegovy®, i'm losing weight, i'm keeping it off, and i'm lowering my cv risk. ask your prescriber about wegovy®. detective chris bowersock had set the stage for his undercover operation. he was about to meet chrissy's dad for the first time, posing as vince the hitman. and he needed two things to happen. the first element was to meet with al zombory to make the hire for the hit.

the second one was the transfer of money to me to solidify the deal. andrea canning (voiceover): the meeting was in detective bowersock's car, which was wired and parked in an empty lot. andrea canning (voiceover): pat sabo arrived with zombory to make the introduction, then stepped away to let the two men talk alone. andrea canning (voiceover): zomboory's only focus was finalizing the contract on david metter's life.

the father of his grandchildren, and he's saying, "have fun"? basically, yeah. he just wanted to have me do it. why not arrest him right then and there? the case wasn't as solid as as i wanted it. i wanted chrissy because chrissy is the one that set this up. you believed chrissy was the mastermind? oh, there's no doubt in my mind. andrea canning (voiceover): but the time to prove it was running out. chrissy and her dad wanted david killed in the next few days. both had agreed to meet with vince once it was done. they had to establish proof that mr. metter had been killed and that that contract had been completed. andrea canning (voiceover): detectives knew there was only one person who could make that happen-- david metter himself.

eastlake police sent major shaw of gwinnett county to the metter home to finally break the news that there was a price on david's head. but there was a problem. i said, i'm sorry. he's out of town. he's gone to florida for business. at that point, we were forced to to loop her in as to what was going on in order for her to make contact with david for us. andrea canning (voiceover): loni called david immediately and told him the horrifying story. and it was horrifying. just ask david. why would my ex-wife ever do this? i know that she hates me, but i can't imagine being hated so much that something like this could be real. andrea canning (voiceover): david's 17-year marriage to chrissy flashed before his eyes, a once happy household that had turned so bitter. where we started to falter was when my career started really taking shape, and i had opportunities to leave ohio.

andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy hated living far from her parents. and the marriage eventually fell apart. david says they separated, and that's when things turned ugly. i immediately became a wife beater, a child beater, and pretty much anything else that the chrissy could accuse me of. andrea canning (voiceover): david says her accusations against him are completely untrue. according to david, chrissy was the one who tormented him. he recalls a phone call from her at the height of their divorce and custody battle. it's a call that still haunts him to this day. i was living in this apartment building that was up on the 10th floor. i remember the words that came out of her mouth during this conversation. "we don't miss you. the girls don't need you. and you're worth more to us dead than you are alive.

you should just jump." wow. i fell to my knees. i remember praying and hoping for something to change. andrea canning (voiceover): david remarried. by then, chrissy had moved back to ohio with the kids. but david says the problems with his ex got worse, especially between chrissy and their daughters. so he and loni decided to fight for primary custody. i told her that there was a high likelihood that i was going to get the girls. andrea canning (voiceover): now, david was left to wonder, was this "murder for hire" some sort of custody revenge? with the clock ticking, there was no time to process it all. major shaw needed david to do something crazy-- stage his own death. the detective gets on the phone. and his words were, "i need you to take pictures of yourself." andrea canning (voiceover): pictures the police planned to photoshop to make it look like david had been shot in the head.

he wants you to pretend that you're dead. right. i'm thinking to myself, i can't make these believable. how do i act dead? i'm not sure what i would look like dead. we needed to expose certain parts of his head in order to place the gunshot wound on it. andrea canning (voiceover): david needed to hurry. chrissy and her dad were supposed to meet the hitman vince in a few hours. so david snapped some photos in his hotel room on his phone and sent them to major shaw. it was then up to a csi tech to make the images believable. we have a crime intelligence analyst that was fairly proficient at photoshop. andrea canning (voiceover): the tech added a fake gunshot wound and blood spatter to the pictures. but they were far from perfect. it was a rushed job, after all. major shaw sent them off to eastlake police. andrea canning: were they happy with it? i don't really know if they had a choice. they were scheduled to meet. andrea canning (voiceover): back in ohio, adrenaline was high as detectives prepared for their final undercover sting. this was high stakes. this had to work.

yes, this had to work. andrea canning (voiceover): but bowersock says chrissy suddenly got cold feet. she told pat she wanted to back out of the meeting. there's a huge problem. my job is to make sure she's there. now she doesn't want to be there. what kind of guidance do you give him to get things back on track, to get chrissy there? to make her believe that once she hired somebody to kill somebody who just did, and this killer is telling her she better show up. i put the fear of jesus in her. well, i put the fear of vinny in her. and she's like, yeah, you're right. andrea canning (voiceover): the plan was back on track. unmarked cars were stationed near the parking lot-- andrea canning (voiceover): --ready to swoop in if needed. and it's all coming down to this moment. one moment. i was holding my breath in the car. andrea canning (voiceover): would chrissy show, or would she slipped through detectives' fingers? coming up.

andrea canning (voiceover): the big photo finish. would this picture convince anyone? do you worry that he's going to look at this and say, "uh-uh"? well, yeah, if he's seen crime scenes before. so i did it as quick as i possibly could. i was holding my breath in the car. andrea canning (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. long after guests leave, viruses and bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent. but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize. lysol can. my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me.♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi,

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welcome back. an elaborate sting was underway. chrissy metter believed she was meeting with hired assassin vince to obtain proof her ex-husband was dead. what she didn't know? vince was an undercover police officer posing as a hitman. the outcome of this risky operation hung in the balance. and it hinged on a single photoshopped selfie. now, the conclusion of "the eastlake conspiracy." andrea canning (voiceover): it was the moment of truth for eastlake detectives-- the final undercover meeting with chrissy metter and al zombory. detectives had plenty of evidence on chrissy's dad, but in order to get chrissy, they needed her to show up, too. i was holding my breath in the car when they were showing up and making sure that i could see three heads in the car. andrea canning (voiceover): father and daughter had already been told david was dead. and they arrived at the parking lot with pat to see the proof, that doctored photo of david. as we pull in, i said, well, i'm going to go over there.

you guys do what you got to do. andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy and her dad got into bowersock's car. it was the first time the detective was meeting her. andrea canning (voiceover): police needed chrissy to admit that she was the one who would pay the rest of the hitman's fee. so right off the bat, bowersock asked her about the life insurance policy she had on david. andrea canning (voiceover): al zombory wanted to see the photo, the proof that david metter was dead. do you worry that he's going to look at this and say, "uh-uh"? well, yeah, if he's seen crime scenes before. so i did it as quick as i possibly could.

andrea canning (voiceover): the photo worked. zombory believed his former son-in-law was dead. he didn't want his daughter to look at the picture. chrissy was interested in the details of the murder. andrea canning (voiceover): "he's done." and with those two words, the sting was over, and the cavalry rushed in. andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy and her dad were handcuffed and taken to the station. and when they sat down with investigators, al zombory started talking.

andrea canning (voiceover): the interview quickly ended after zombory asked for a lawyer. and when it was chrissy's turn, she acted oblivious to it all. andrea canning (voiceover): but seven months later, when it came time for chrissy's trial, her defense strategy was simple. chrissy blamed her father. judge eugene lucci presided over the trial. the defense tried to show that this was all al zombory's doing. he snooped in christine metter's unsecured laptop.

andrea canning (voiceover): the defense said zombory saw that facebook conversation between chrissy and pat, the one where pat joked about hiring a hitman. they said it was zombory who wanted to arrange the meeting with pat. christine said she didn't know the purpose of the meeting. and all she was doing was her father's bidding. andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy took the stand to tell the jurors exactly that and that she never wanted to meet the hitman, but was pressured by pat sabo. andrea canning (voiceover): if chrissy sounded guilty in that undercover recording, she said she was playing along out of fear of what vince might do.

andrea canning (voiceover): but prosecutors said chrissy knew exactly what she was doing. they said the proof was in that undercover recording from the final sting. andrea canning (voiceover): the state closed with this. killing david was a win-win for chrissy. she would get the proceeds of his insurance policy and something else-- custody. she'd get to keep her four girls. were you concerned that there was a chance that chrissy would be found not guilty? we were still both very anxious. andrea canning (voiceover): after weeks of testimony, the jury started deliberations. and in just a few hours, the verdict was in. andrea canning (voiceover): guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. what is that moment like for you after everything

that you've been through? it was vindication. relief. she scared us. and she wasn't going to be able to do that for a long time. andrea canning (voiceover): nor was alombory. he took a plea deal and died in prison after serving five years. chrissy declined our request for an interview, but in a statement that unexpectedly read like a confession, she wrote in part, "i was very wrong in my actions, and i'm paying dearly. anyone who has been through a divorce that never ends can understand i was at the end of my rope." chrissy was sentenced to 10 years. her approaching release date seemed to weigh on david and loni. my hope is the prison system has done its job. and she'll try to be re-acclimated into a normal life. loni, you're getting upset just talking about it. yeah. i don't think that she's learned anything from this experience. andrea canning (voiceover): chrissy was released

from prison in 2021, but loni and david aren't dwelling on this chapter of their past. they know the challenges they faced are unusual, but they use their story to counsel other couples facing obstacles. and they say they are stronger today as a couple and a family. when you talk with each one of the girls, their mother is loni. andrea canning (voiceover): after the trial, david had chrissy's parental rights terminated. loni, you go on to adopt these girls and welcome them into your heart with open arms. yeah. i mean, you know, i always actually wanted a lot of kids. and here, i get to have four more. andrea canning (voiceover): david and loni say this chapter of their lives may not have been possible without pat. i think the best way that i can show thanks to patrick is to show how our family has risen far above this

from a moment in time that he had control of. i've seen the beauty of these two people, especially loni. she adopted those girls. good people. it does my heart good to see that. i know i did the right thing. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. [theme music] [music playing] hello, i'm andrea canning, she's like poison candy. attractive on the outside, but deadly on the inside.