re still thinking about her all those years later. angie was really special. and i mean, she never left our hearts and minds. you still think about her. i do. you fought pretty hard to find out who killed her. i did. i did. you should feel some accomplishment at that. i feel that maybe she can rest in peace. she died such a horrific death that she deserved to rest in peace. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." boy'svoice: mommy. marcus singleton: i love you more. no, i love you more. and sometimes i even go to sleep and i still say it, like, mom, i love you more. thats the kind of stuff a kid never forgets. craig melvin: she was the single mom who kept him safe.

she was also keeping a secret. josh mankiewicz: she was really working for thecia. rick haidle: thats my understanding, yes. craig melvin: an undercover job handling classified documents, but the real intrigue started when she went missing. jean jones apfel: i knew something was wrong. bridget harris: i didnt want to believe that this was actually a reality. rick haidle: we had concerns that there may be missing classified information. it could turn into an espionage investigation. craig melvin: espionage? was this some kind of international spy-caper or maybe it was something closer to home? john lewin: what we got was the information that would break this case wide open. craig melvin: the case of aciamom. could a clue from her son help solve this mystery? marcus singleton: im never going to give up. im never going to give up on anything. craig melvin: hello and welcome to dateline.

for marie singleton, the sun rose and set on her boy marcus. when the single mother met andre jackson, a solo dad with two kids of his own, marie thought she had found the man of her dreams - and a father figure for her son. but that new life shattered when marie suddenly vanished, and police discovered there was a lot more to this mom -- and her marriage -- than met the eye. here's josh mankiewicz with "missing marie." josh mankiewicz: secrets. we all have them. some are small.... some large. some, professional... others ... very, very personal. this is a story about secrets...

about a woman who was very good at keeping them... and about what happened when that woman ... suddenly ... disappeared. marcus singleton: she was beautiful. my mom was really beautiful and a great person, a nice person. josh mankiewicz: as a little boy, marcus singleton couldn't possibly foresee the loss he'd suffer... or the terrible choice he'd one day have to make. all he knew was his mother's love. marcus singleton: i mean, she helped people, you know? if there was a kid in the street who needed something, she would pull over and see if they're okay, you know? she was-- she was that type of person that taught me to basically put others before myself first. josh mankiewicz: marie was single when she had marcus. he was the center of her world. kelly clayton was her hairdresser... and good friend. kelly clayton: she talked about him a lot, the things that he-- was doing at school. she got-- really excited about marcus.

josh mankiewicz: marie's friends and co-workers, bridgette harris and jean jones apfel ... jean jones-apfel: he was like the apple in her eye. he just sparkled every time he-- she was around. and she loved huggin' him... marcus singleton: we traveled a lot together so it was just us two. josh mankiewicz: for her job? marcus singleton: yeah. josh mankiewicz: marie worked for the federal government in los angeles. but friends say she was driven and ambitious in other areas, too. kelly clayton: she was an entrepreneur. that's what i know most about her 'cause she talked about owning her own business. josh mankiewicz: but marie wanted more than work and success. kelly clayton: i know that she wanted to have somebody in her life. josh mankiewicz: what kinda guy was she looking for? kelly clayton: someone that will take care of her, love her, protect her. jean jones-apfel: and that was kinda missing, she didn't have that guy figure, the father figure for marcus. josh mankiewicz: then one day, marie told her friends... bridgette harris: "i met this guy." you know, and then they had a lunch date and he was cute

and just, you know, the-- the excitement of meetin' somebody new. josh mankiewicz: his name was andre jackson... a handsome, single father of two. sparks flew immediately. bridgette harris: i mean, she would just light up every time she talked about him. i mean, just-- jean jones-apfel: big smile. bridgette harris: --oh, the glow. i mean, he was her everything. josh mankiewicz: the methodical, business-like marie... seemed to change overnight. josh mankiewicz: were you privy to the courtship with andre? jean jones-apfel: the whirlwind courtship? josh mankiewicz: yes. bridgette harris: it was quick. jean jones-apfel: well, that's what-- yeah, that's the way we would put it. because one day she was smitten, the next day she was in love, and then she was-- bridgette harris: pregnant. --pregnant and havin'-- a wedding and no one knew about it. josh mankiewicz: marcus knew about it. he was there. josh mankiewicz: your mom was happy? marcus singleton: yeah. she looked happy. josh mankiewicz: andre was happy? marcus singleton: yeah.

we all were happy, yeah josh mankiewicz: at age eight, marcus found himself welcoming a little brother... named marquis. marcus singleton: i think once my little brother came into the picture, it was more-- you know, then i realized that it wasn't just the two of us anymore but we're actually starting to become a family. josh mankiewicz: and there were two other step siblings in the mix - andre jr. and andrea. josh mankiewicz and you got along with them? marcus singleton: yeah. it was pretty great. i had a brother and a sister at home. and it was pretty cool experience. josh mankiewicz: another cool experience... for the first time, having a dad. marcus singleton: i mean, he taught me how to swim, he taught me how to throw a football, even rode me on the back of his motorcycle a few times. ... it was good to actually have a male figure in the house that i could, you know, do stuff with. josh mankiewicz: so, andre was livin' up to his job as your father? marcus singleton: yeah. yeah. he was. josh mankiewicz: for marcus and his mom... everything seemed just perfect. marcus singleton: honestly it was like a complete family. it felt like i finally had a complete family.

that was the best feeling in the world, like the ultimate high. and then suddenly, (claps hands) the ultimate low. josh mankiewicz: the ultimate low because on november 11, 1994, marie singleton ... rock-solid wife, mother, businesswoman... vanished. the local police investigated of course... but so did an fbi agent named rick haidle. rick haidle: we had concerns that there may be-- missing-- classified information, u.s. government information. josh mankiewicz: classified information? yes. as we said before, everyone has secrets. and marie had a big one...one she had told very few people. josh mankiewicz: officially, marie singleton worked for the department of defense? rick haidle: that's what was-- publicly disseminated, yes. josh mankiewicz: but she was really working for the c.i.a.? rick haidle: that's my understanding, yes.

craig melvin: coming up rick haidle: it could turn into an espionage investigation somebody's going over, helping the russians, helping the chinese. it could turn into that kind of case. craig melvin: the mystery was just beginning. when dateline continues. ok, noah's going to make a fire. our job is to let him do it...by himself. what kind of wood you got there? gregggg! it is important to challenge young homeowners turning into their parents. -mm... -oh! -not a great start. -you got to turn it. you got to turn it. doesn't look structurally sound here. tom! they can't help themselves. -a fire starter?! -you know cavemen, they built fires with nothing but their wits and their bare hands. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto -when you bundle with us. -can't watch this. gold bond believes touch says everything. it says... i see you. i feel you. and...i know you.

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except that he had the day off from school. it was friday, novermber 11, 1994. marcus, then eight years old... was glued to the t-v in his family's living room. marcus singleton: i was watching a cartoon movie, bugs bunny movie. my mom comes up the stairs. she says something to me. i'm thinking she's going somewhere, you know. i'm, like, "okay, yada-yada-yada, i'm watching television." josh mankiewicz: you were zoned out. marcus singleton: i was zoned out. and then i'm so zoned out and then finally i fall asleep. josh mankiewicz: marcus woke up later that evening to the sound of his baby brother crying. marcus singleton: so i go downstairs. i'm, like, "why is this little kid crying? where is everybody at?" josh mankiewicz: finally, the phone rang. marcus singleton: my stepfather calls me. and he tells me-- you know, he's saying, "hey, is your mom there? is your mom home yet," whatever. and she-- and i'm, like, "no, where the heck are you guys? i've been here and marquise won't stop crying. like, he just won't stop." and he says, "okay, okay, i'll be there soon. i'll be there soon." josh mankiewicz: andre said he'd last seen marie around 5-p-m,

just before he left for his son andre junior's football game. now... when he returned home... marie and her car were gone. andre made a round of calls to friends, but nobody knew where marie was. he then took all the kids to his mother's house and dropped them off. marcus singleton: i remember somebody asking him, "where are you going?" and he says he's gonna go check with my mom's girlfriends to see if he can find out where she's at... josh mankiewicz: andre's first stop was the home of marie's friend bridgette harris, whom he'd called earlier. bridgette harris: first he called and then-- you know, i was-- i-- i didn't really think anything of it, because i'm like, "well, she'll be back." and then when he showed up is when i got concerned. i'm like, "she's still not back?" josh mankiewicz: cell phones were still rare in those days. bridgette harris: so, i paged her, 'cause i knew if i paged she would immediately call me back... josh mankiewicz: but marie did not call back. the next morning, andre knocked on the door of another friend, jean jones-apfel. jean jones-apfel: and he said they had an argument

and and i said, "well, you had a little argument, don't worry about it. but the second he told me that he had the baby, i knew something was wrong. josh mankiewicz: and so you paged her? how many times? jean jones-apfel: i-- i couldn't count how many times i paged her. josh mankiewicz: and no answer? jean jones-apfel: no answer. josh mankiewicz: by now, it was saturday, 10:20am. marie had been missing for almost 18 hours. andre called the inglewood police. (audio: 911 phone call) operator: hello, police operator 4. aj: yes, i'd like to file a missing person's report. operator: okay, who's missing? aj: my wife. her name is marie jackson. josh mankiewicz: an officer came out to the house ...and met with andre. marcus singleton: you know, i see him talkin' to the cops but i still don't see my mom anywhere. and-- i think that's when i found out that my mom still hadn't come home, yet. had no idea where she was at. josh mankiewicz: the police started interviewing witnesses... searching the neighborhood. but the weekend passed with no sign of marie.

that's when the phone rang on the desk of fbi agent rick haidle. rick haidle: we got the report i believe on a monday, maybe a tuesday that-- she was missing, didn't report to work. of course, they were-- josh mankiewicz: and-- rick haidle: --concerned to her disappearance. josh mankiewicz: and that was unlike her? rick haidle: absolutely. josh mankiewicz: it's unusual for the bureau to get involved in a missing persons case... but it turned out that marie singleton was no ordinary missing person. not with her job. rick haidle: they called it department of defense. they didn't call it c.i.a. but-- she was working for the u.s. government, for the agency, working on-- communications for them. josh mankiewicz: unbeknownst to just about everyone in her life, marie singleton was a code clerk for the central intelligence agency. she wasn't a spy, but she did handle classified communications from agents overseas ... information that might be very interesting to enemies of the united states. josh mankiewicz: part of what the f.b.i. does

is investigate things like this, if a c.i.a. employee goes missing. rick haidle: right, exactly. rick haidle: it could turn into an espionage investigation, for example, if-- you have missing classified information-- and somebody's going over, helping the russians, the chinese, somebody like that. it could theoretically-- turn into that kind of a case. josh mankiewicz: so now there were parallel investigations... the local cops looked for a missing person... the fbi, covertly, looked for an intelligence worker who might have been kidnapped... or changed sides. marie's family, meanwhile, just wanted her back. marcus singleton: they started making fliers for my mom. josh mankiewicz: you remember the fliers? marcus singleton: yep. definitely remember the fliers. josh mankiewicz: soon, a number of marie's co-workers and friends were posting fliers on telephone and light poles, store fronts, and shopping centers. kelly clayton remembers how she and a friend asked andre what they could do to help. kelly clayton: he asked us to pass 'em out by the beach. at this time-- i asked him, "why would we pass 'em out at the beach?"

and so then he said, "well, you know, that's okay. you don't have to pass 'em out at the beach." josh mankiewicz: did he mention a specific beach or just anywhere in southern california? kelly clayton: no, dockweiler beach. josh mankiewicz: dockweiler beach is about eight miles from marie and andre's home... near los angeles international airport, where flights leave daily for moscow and beijing. josh mankiewicz: on tuesday, november 15, 1994, four days after marie disappeared, andre himself went there to post fliers. he had an encounter with a perfect stranger and asked for help. and that's when this story... took another strange turn. craig melvin: coming up tim cunniff: i couldn't believe that i was seeing the car that this man was just looking for! craig melvin: a huge break in the case craig melvin: when dateline continues.

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>> it's monday, it's monday everyone. >> we're happy to have you here on this monday night. >> how concerned are you about how we could use this proximity to power to benefit himself financially? >> is there room to do some oversight over the trump announced nominees? >> what would you do as dnc chair to better communicate with this generation? >> you feel like the u.s. government is starting to figure out how to do this. everything matters. >> lots to get to is every monday night like this. make way monday night like this. make way on monday night. josh mankiewicz: tuesday, november 15, 1994. marie singleton... wife, mother... and secret cia employee... had been missing for four days. police were looking for her. so was the fbi. she might have been a runaway... a crime victim... or a double agent. but tim cuniff didn't know any of that when he stopped by dockweiler beach near lax to take a short

walk and unwind after work. tim cunniff: i saw a man posting fliers for a missing person. josh mankiewicz: the man was andre jackson. tim cunniff: he actually mentioned that he was doing this because it was his wife, and that she had last been seen on friday. and, uh, he seemed very concerned and obviously worried about it.... he asked me if i would take one of his fliers and i said sure josh mankiewicz: the flier had a picture of marie... a description of her car and the car's license number. cunniff studied it and put it in his pocket. a short time later, he finished his walk, got into his car, and started to drive home. tim cunniff: i was parked here on vista del mar facing south. so i got in my car, i made a u-turn to head north and as i started heading north, i saw the gray saab was parked here along the road. josh mankiewicz: there was something oddly familiar about that car... tim cuniff: so, i made another u-turn, pulled up behind it

and saw that the license plate on the car was the license plate on the flier. josh mankiewicz: a perfect match! what were the odds? tim cunniff: i couldn't believe that i was seeing the car that this man was just looking for. josh mankiewicz: cunniff called police. the next day, november 16, the gray saab was towed to the inglewood pd impound lot. police looked it over very carefully. there were several parking tickets under the windshield wipers... it had been there for a while. the battery had been removed. the driver's seat had been tilted forward, and a cell phone, unusual at the time, was left in plain sight. after inspecting the interior, investigators opened the trunk and made a ghastly discovery. marie singleton was missing no longer. she had been beaten and strangled to death.

marie's son marcus, then just 8 years old, knew something was wrong when he came home from school and saw all over the neighborhood his mother's missing fliers had been taken down. marcus singleton: and we walk in the room and everybody's in there crying. josh mankiewicz: everyone in tears. marcus singleton: everyone in tears. finally, i say, "what the-- what's goin' on? what's goin' on?" and my grand mom is just-- she's just crying, and my stepfather's crying, too. but he grabs me and pulls me and he hugs me. and, you know, he-- he tells me straight up. he said, "they found your mom's body in the trunk of her car. you know, she's dead." josh mankiewicz: marie's sister, elaine rountree, had just arrived from philadelphia. like the rest of the family, she was devastated. elaine was one of the few people who knew marie worked for the cia... but even she didn't know exactly what marie did. elaine rountree: we loved her as a sister, we respected her as a sister.

and with her job, she traveled a lot. we knew she worked for the government for the c.i.a. and that was it. josh mankiewicz: and you never asked what she did? elaine rountree: never asked. josh mankiewicz: but now elaine had a lot of questions. starting with... what could possibly have induced marie to leave eight-year-old marcus and infant marquis home alone? elaine rountree: that was preposterous. that would've never happened. josh mankiewicz: so, elaine started to compare notes with friends and family... but the conversations weren't about the cia. elaine rountree: they were tellin' me different incidents and different things that they had had with andre. josh mankiewicz: andre, marie's husband. things he was saying and doing didn't add up. first, there was jean's story about what she saw that saturday morning when andre showed up at her home looking for marie. jean jones-apfel: he had-- a bruise on his lip. josh mankiewicz: andre had a bruise on his lip? jean jones-apfel: he did. he said, "oh, i bruised it playing

football with andre, jr." i'm like, "really? it looks kind of fresh." josh mankiewicz: then there was kelly clayton, who spent the better part of sunday calling andre's house hoping marie would show up. and with each phone call, andre seemed to have a new developing story. first it was this: kelly clayton: "she had drank a little and she wanted to go to son's football game. he told her that he did not want her to go. and they had a argument and she stormed out. josh mankiewicz: but during the next phone call andre said... kelly clayton: one of her old boyfriends was in town and she was with him. josh mankiewicz: and then finally ... kelly clayton: he let me know that, "when she does get there, i'll call you, i mean, i'll have her call you." lettin' me know, "don't call anymore." josh mankiewicz: then on monday, when marie's friends went to the condo to help pass out fliers, jean noticed something in andre and marie's bedroom. jean jones-apfel: there was a big hole in the wall.

that was a reality check for me, 'cause it wasn't where the doorknob was, it's-- it was above it, like someone had put their fist through it. big enough for, like, a head, 'cause it went straight through. josh mankiewicz: elaine heard all of this and contacted inglewood police--and found out they were way ahead of her. elaine rountree: i had spoke with the one detective over the telephone. and he said that andre was a suspect. i was also told that this would probably be resolved because they may arrest him at the funeral. josh mankiewicz: you thought andre was gonna be arrested? elaine rountree: yes. josh mankiewicz: pretty quickly. elaine rountree: yes. josh mankiewicz: but andre wasn't arrested at marie's funeral... or the next day... or the day after that. after the service, elaine and her relatives flew back to philadelphia. a few weeks later, marcus joined them. marie's relatives still expected an arrest any day. but days turned into weeks, and then months --

until a whole year had passed. and that's when a mysterious letter arrived for the singleton family, an anonymous letter that sent this investigation in a whole new direction. craig melvin: coming up elaine rountree: we didn't know where the letter came from and because she worked for the cia, it opened up that door of suspicion craig melvin: was her death related to her job? the questions start all over again. craig melvin: when dateline continues. when you live with diabetes, progress is... having your coffee like you like it without an audience. ♪♪ [silence] the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor tracks your glucose in real time so everyone else doesn't have to, and over time it can help lower your a1c confident choices for more control of your life. this is progress. learn more and try for free at freestylelibre.us

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resigned from the justice department ahead of trump's inauguration. he completed two criminal investigations into the president elect, including his alleged interference in the 2020 election. smith's findings are set to be released in the coming set to be released in the coming days. craig melvin: welcome back to dateline. i'm craig melvin. marie singleton, mother, wife and secret cia employee, had been beaten and strangled to death. police suspected her husband andre was to blame, but no arrest had been made. the case was growing cold then marie's family received a letter suggesting that investigators may have been looking in the wrong direction if they were looking at all. continuing with "missing marie," here's josh mankiewicz. josh mankiewicz: it had been about a year since marie singleton's body was found in the trunk of her car at a los angeles beach.

her son marcus... eight years old at the time of her murder... was being raised by an aunt in philadelphia ... but his mother was never far from his mind. marcus singleton: we used to have a debate about who loved each other more, you know? "i love you more." "no, i love you more." "no, i love you more." and sometimes i even go to sleep and i still say it like, "mom, i love you more," you know? it's-- you know, that's the kinda stuff a kid never forgets, ever. josh mankiewicz: he also stayed in touch with marie's husband, andre jackson... josh mankiewicz: you still felt a connection to him? marcus singleton: yeah, he was my dad. you know, that was the only father i had. and i missed him. josh mankiewicz: meanwhile, the rest of marie's family wondered if andre knew more about her death than he was saying. they believed police had those same questions. but andre had never been arrested.

and then came that letter which changed everything. josh mankiewicz: handwritten or typed? elaine rountree: it was typed. josh mankiewicz: the unsigned letter read in part: "... it is very unlikely that the individual or individuals responsible for her death will be brought to justice. although you may be receiving lip service from her former office, believe me when i tell you that the agency has literally placed her death on the back burner." josh mankiewicz: "the agency," of course, meant marie's secret employer...the central intelligence agency. elaine rountree: she worked for them and they never offered a reward for her in-- any information regarding her case or anything. josh mankiewicz: the letter continued..."her former colleagues at work have been placed under a "gag order" by their office; they have ordered these people to cease all contact with you and marie's family in pennsylvania. someone in your family needs to "stir" the pot ..."

elaine rountree: we didn't know where the letter came from because it was anonymous and because she worked for the cia, so it opened up that door of suspicion that maybe they had something to do with it as well. josh mankiewicz: remember, when marie first disappeared... the fbi investigated... on the theory it might have been espionage. but the family didn't know the results of that investigation... and didn't know why police hadn't moved against andre. elaine rountree: and since we didn't have the answers, it was always a wonderment to us on why it was takin' so long. and maybe they all were working' in cahoots with each other. josh mankiewicz: despite their dark suspicions, the family turned the letter over to inglewood police. but still... no answers. not for years. elaine rountree: i constantly called california to find out what was being done and what was happenin' with the case josh mankiewicz: you didn't wanna give up. elaine rountree: i couldn't give up, it was my sister.

josh mankiewicz: the family didn't know it, but there was someone else who refused to give up ... fbi agent rick haidle. he had never found any evidence of espionage in marie's murder ... but he'd also never forgotten about her. rick haidle: so, here it now january 2002, i'm a squad supervisor now. i'm the guy that assigns the cases instead of investigating them. and i'm talkin' with an agent and i said tony how 'bout reopening this case, let's open it as an assault on-- on a federal officer case. josh mankiewicz: all just because you never stopped thinkin' about it? rick haidle: exactly. i just-- i didn't like the-- the fact that you've got a woman who's given her life-- dedicated to the government, murdered and just lying out there because nobody cares. and so, i thought, well, let's give it another shot. josh mankiewicz: so, eight years after the murder... fbi agent tony vasley called on inglewood pd and met detective russ enyeart, who was a month shy of retiring. they started combing through the old

files and were assisted by a new inglewood detective, steve seyler. rick haidle: technology advances so quickly that-- in 2002, i said to tony vasley, "hey, maybe there's fingernail scrapings, maybe there's something of that nature." josh mankiewicz: in fact, there were fingernail scrapings in this case. there was also a drop of blood on marie's saab. but at the time of marie's murder, dna analysis was still in its infancy-- those samples had never been tested. in 2004, detective seyler called john lewin, a prosecutor with the l.a. d.a's office major crimes division. lewin specializes in cold cases. john lewin: they had collected, originally, the fingernail scrapings. they had collected the blood. and detective enyeart had been unable to get the lab to test it. so when i first got on the case-- i started trying to cash in favors with the crime lab to get it done. josh mankiewicz: but a ten-year-old cold case was not a priority.

three more years passed before those samples were tested. finally, in november 2007, the fbi crime lab came through. john lewin: what we got was the information that would break this case wide open. craig melvin: a new clue triggers a bold move from the cold case prosecutor -- and someone close to marie is in for a surprise. craig melvin: coming up john lewin: it was very hard. i had to have marcus arrested. craig melvin: marcus, maries own son, under arrest? craig melvin: when dateline continues. dupixent can help people with asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. and this. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. it's not for sudden breathing problems and doesn't replace a rescue inhaler. it's proven to help prevent asthma attacks.

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>> this show began and continues >> this show began and continues being the place josh mankiewicz: after years of murky speculation that marie singleton was targeted for her work with the cia... the case suddenly came into sharp focus. first, that mysterious letter suggesting marie's death might be related to her top-secret job ... turned out to be a dead end ... written by a co-worker who wanted to encourage police to work harder. next, there was the dna. more than a decade after marie's murder... john lewin: they tested both the blood, the stain on the car, and the scrapings under the fingernails. josh mankiewicz: the dna found under marie's nails and the blood found on the hood of her car were from the same person... a man. and police thought they knew who that man was... marie's husband, andre. but... andre had moved out of california. john lewin: we did not have his blood to test.

josh mankiewicz: how'd you get a match? john lewin: well, what we did was, we tried to find him. and we couldn't locate him. we were finally able to track down his son, andre jackson, jr., and to get his dna. when we got his dna, we got what you would characterize as-- a near-miss, a familial hit. josh mankiewicz: a near miss... but still enough to get an arrest warrant. the fbi's fugitive task force caught up with andre in tempe, arizona. josh mankiewicz: he wasn't expecting it? john lewin: no, he was not expecting it. josh mankiewicz: andre also said he didn't do it-- didn't kill his wife. but... he couldn't make bail... so he sat in a jail cell... even though prosecutor lewin knew ... the evidence was not as strong as it might be. although andre's inconsistent statements... the bruise on his face... his appearance at the very beach where marie's car was later found... all seemed suspicious... they might not be enough for a jury.

john lewin: we have to be able to say, "is a jury going to be able to look at the evidence we have and prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt?" do we-- do we take this risk or not?" josh mankiewicz: even the dnawas not absolute proof. after all... andre and marie were husband and wife. to find his dnaon her car... even under her fingernails... was not necessarily evidence of murder. after andre had been in jail for nearly four years, lewin decided to offer a deal. john lewin: we offered him-- a voluntary manslaughter. he would've had to serve roughly another year and he didn't want it. his attitude was-- "you don't have any evidence." josh mankiewicz: so the case was going to trial. lewin knew he needed more evidence to make the jury believe his theory of the crime: john lewin: i believe that they had probably some kind of argument. i believe that marie said that she was leaving.

i believe that an argument turned violent. and i believe that at some point during the argument, andre hit her. and then he made the decision, "you know what-- i can't let her walk outta here." josh mankiewicz: what lewin needed most, was a witness and no one had seen anything on the day of the murder. yet, lewin found, there was a secret... buried in the memory of a grown man who was all of eight years old when a murder was being committed. marie's son, marcus singleton. john lewin: we interviewed marcus in 2004-- really, the first in-depth interview that had ever been done. josh mankiewicz: marcus was deeply conflicted... by the love he still felt for his stepfather andre... and at first, he had no intention of talking to investigators. but finally... he broke down and told the story of what an 8-year-old marcus

had seen on october 1, 1994... six weeks before the murder... it's a story he also told to us. marcus singleton: i remember hearing them screaming and going into the bedroom, them arguing and her telling me to call the police, call the cops. josh mankiewicz: what was happening? marcus singleton: i had no idea. none. and i froze because my stepdad told me not to. and that's when she said, "you hit me." and then he said, "well, you hit me first." and she looked at him like he was crazy. and then she screamed, "call the cops." and then she moved towards the bed and he grabs her, tries to put his hands over her mouth, one hand over her mouth, one hand over her throat and they fall on the bed. josh mankiewicz: young marcus then ran for the phone in the hallway ... marcus singleton: at this point, now i'm leavin' to go call the police. and i'm guessing maybe he got off of her to come stop me or whatever because now my mom, she musta gotten free somehow, some way, brushes past me and runs up the stairs,

i guess to the kitchen phone. and he comes running past me, runs up the stairs to the kitchen phone. now my stepsister is leaving the r-- her room, coming outta the hallway like, "what the heck is going on?" then we heard the clatter like some silverware falling on the ground. i run upstairs. the drawer is out on the floors, a whole buncha silverware on the floor. they're still arguing. josh mankiewicz: marie ran back into the bedroom and locked the door. marcus singleton: he knocks on the door, i think. she doesn't open it. then he kicks the door in and walks in and he puts the door frame back on the door and he closes the door and then it's-- it's just quiet for a while after that. josh mankiewicz: somehow during the struggle ... marie managed to call 9-1-1... but the call was cut short. (audio: 911 phone call) marcus singleton: and then after a few minutes, the cops come, you know? i guess my mom told them everything was okay. they left. then six weeks later--

josh mankiewicz: six weeks later... his mother was dead. marcus singleton: i hate the fact that i didn't go and call the cops myself, you know, so the cops could have talked to me instead of her. josh mankiewicz: add to that... the guilt he feels about the day she disappeared. marcus singleton: i hate the fact that i can remember that it was a bugs bunny movie on the television, but i can't even remember the last words that my mom said to me. josh mankiewicz: you were what? eight years old? marcus singleton: you know, i hate that. yeah. josh mankiewicx: because why? you think this is your fault? you've gotta know intellectually, this had nothing to do with you. marcus singleton: i feel like i coulda done somethin' to protect my mom. i could've just changed up one thing. josh mankiewicz: and yet... even now... marcus still couldn't accept the idea that the man he once considered his father... had killed his mother. marcus didn't want to testify against andre. lewin had to serve him with a subpoena

for a pre-trial hearing. marcus ignored it. marcus singleton: i got subpoenaed to go to court and said, "no, i'm not going." i ripped it up, threw it away. josh mankiewicz: lewin had to do something he'd never done before... john lewin: i had to have marcus arrested. it was very hard. i've gotta have him arrested when he's a victim. josh mankiewicz: unpleasant. john lewin: very unpleasant. josh mankiewicz: lewin, the prosecutor, and marcus, the witness, were at odds. and if the prosecutor's star witness didn't show up for trial, andre could easily walk free. craig melvin: coming up john lewin: did you kill your wife? andre jackson: no, i did not. craig melvin: the case heads into court and andre jackson heads to the stand. at last, he tells his own story. andre jackson: i approached her in the bedroom and embraced her and kissed her. craig melvin: when dateline continues.

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witness would show up. john lewin: he wouldn't even come out here. josh mankiewicz: marcus was terribly conflicted... over the guilt he felt at not speaking up sooner... and the love he still felt for his stepfather, andre. josh mankiewicz: he didn't like the idea of testifying against andre? john lewin: no, he did not. josh mankiewicz: but a day before opening statements, much to lewin's relief, marcus did show up for trial, but he was, to say the least, a reluctant witness: marcus singleton: in the beginning, when i first came to speak to mr. lewin, i had defended andre on my family's side. and i didn't wanna believe that he did it... then i found out that i'm probably gonna have to accept the truth. a truth that i don't really wanna have to accept even today, to be honest. josh mankiewicz: marcus told the jury his harrowing story of the fight he'd witnessed between his mom and his stepdad six weeks before her murder. marcus singleton: they were frantic and my mom was-- like, she was distraught--

i guess is the best word. like, she was just, like-- she was screaming. you know, she was, "call the police. call the police." josh mankiewicz: compelling... damning. but it turned out... the defense had a star witness too. josh mankiewicz: did you think andre was gonna take the stand? john lewin: no, i was-- i-- i was very surprised-- i would say shocked... josh mankiewicz: andre's defense attorney got right to the point with his first question to his client. defense attorney: did you kill-- your-- wife, marie, jackson? andre jackson: no, i did not. defense attorney: do you have any idea who did? andre jackson: no, i do not. josh mankiewicz: then andre gave his --innocent-- account of the day his wife disappeared. for starters...he said... though he and marie may have argued six weeks earlier... they didn't fight the day she vanished. defense attorney: when you got home, did you-- did you greet marie? andre jackson: yes, i did. defense attorney: how-- how did that go? andre jackson: i-- approached her in the bedroom, and-- and embraced her, and kissed her. josh mankiewicz: then, he said, he left marie at home and drove

to his son's football game.as for witnesses who said he had a bruised lip that day, andre said it happened at the game... where he and his son accidentally collided. andre jackson: as i approached him, he as jumpin' around, and he wasn't aware that i was near him. and he jumped. and his helmet hit me on the-- on my mouth. josh mankiewicz: andre told the court he didn't know marie was missing until he returned home after the game. defense attorney: and did you try to page her or call her? andre jackson: i did. josh mankiewicz: as for his decision to post fliers at the very beach where marie's car was later found... andre jackson: i was in the area. picked up some lunch and went down to sit down by the beach and-- just--pray and-- and-- and try to figure out, put things together of-- what was goin' on at the time. mr. wigodsky: did you see marie's saab? andre jackson: no, i did not. mr. wigodsky: did-- did you know that marie's saab was at-- or near dockweiler beach? andre jackson: no, i did not.

josh mankiewicz: of course, prosecutor lewin thought andre was lying about everything. on cross examination... he pointed out that when andre left the beach, he had to drive right past marie's car. john lewin: is it fair to say that as you're driving, mr. jackson, the main thing on your mind is looking for that car, where could that saab be? is that fair to say? andre jackson: not in-- in that moment where i was driving on the scenic route at the beach. john lewin: wait, wait, a scenic route? andre jackson: yes. john lewin: your concern was scenic routes, when the mother of your eight-month-old son is missing? josh mankiewicz: lewin also wanted to get andre's thoughts about why marcus testified against him. john lewin: are you aware, as you sit here, of any motive that he might have for trying to say you are responsible for his mom's death? andre jackson: yes john lewin: you are aware of it? and what is that?

andre jackson: the influence by many who pretty much tended him and telling him negative things about me over the years, by relatives and law enforcement people who interviewed him. josh mankiewicz: finally, lewin asked a question that seemed to get under andre's skin. john lewin: isn't true, mr. jackson, that marie told you she was leaving you? andre jackson: absolutely not. absolutely not! josh mankiewicz: after three months in court, and 18 years after marie's death, co-prosecutor pat carey gave the prosecutions closing argument. pat carey: there's only one person in this case who six weeks prior to the murder was observed choking marie. there's only one person in this case who drove right past marie's car when they were looking for it. there's only one person who left a fresh drop of blood on marie's car. there's only one person who murdered marie jackson.

and he's sitting right there. josh mankiewicz: but the prosecution was pointing in the wrong direction, said the defense attorney in his closing remarks to the jury. defense closing: the actual evidence does not support the allegation that andre killed marie. it certainly does not support it- or prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. why? there's a simple answer. andre didn't kill marie. josh mankiewicz: nearly two decades after marie's murder, the case was finally before a jury... and just two and a half hours later... there was a verdict. woman's voice: "we the jury in the above entitled case find the defendant guilty of the crime of first-degree murder" josh mankiewicz: andr jackson was sentenced 25 years to life in prison. for marcus singleton this victory was bittersweet. he still wants to hear the truth from andre himself. he knows, he says, that that may never come. but he hopes his mother would be proud that he...

finally... spoke up. marcus singleton: i try to live my life to make her proud of me. i'm never gonna give up, never gonna give up on anything that i feel is important. and-- josh mankiewicz: and that's her? marcus singleton: and that's her, you know, that's living for her. that's honoring her and honoring her name. craig melvin: that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >> good morning, and welcome to this sunday edition of morning joe weekend. here are some of the conversations you might have missed from this past week. >> let me ask you the question that a lot of people would ask, and people ask me. after