ouould talk to her right now? i'd talk to her all the time. that i miss her. you know, tell her i was sorry. sorry that i let her down and that i loved her. but i think she knew that because i told her every day when she was here. [theme music] hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." of what they did to her and, hear details of how it was carried out. it's just-- it's devastating.

craig melvin (voiceover): shauna tiaffay, loving mom by day, vegas cocktail waitress by night. stephanie vargas: i was at one of the bars, and i saw her walk by. every single head turned. craig melvin (voiceover): it was after her shift that they found her, the victim of a ruthless attack. i mean your heart just drops to your stomach. craig melvin (voiceover): potential suspects? how about a casino's worth of costumers. we didn't know if there was some psycho watching us girls work at the palms. craig melvin (voiceover): or did the answers lie in the dead woman's past? shauna started thinking, i have got to get out of this situation. craig melvin (voiceover): from out of the blue, a tip. he had some information that was connected to our murder. craig melvin (voiceover): that would reveal a diabolical. i just could not understand how this was reality. craig melvin (voiceover): but was this killer too clever to be caught? he is extremely smart, smarter than we all are.

[music playing] welcome to dateline. shauna tiaffay hit the jackpot in las vegas, a handsome husband, adorable daughter, and a good job. but there is a dark side to sin city. and sadly, the beautiful cocktail waitress became its victim. in cases like this one, the husband is often a suspect. but the crime scene was telling investigators something else. and they got a hot tip. but like so many things in vegas, nothing was as it seemed. here's keith morrison with "under a full moon." keith morrison (voiceover): she was finished now, tired, wrung out, must have been as she walked away from the incessantly chirping machinery and the bleary eyes of the gamblers on holiday from real life who

called out for her again and again and again. outside in the night, a full moon bathed the great houses of delight and sin in an unaccustomed shade of pale. it was september 29, 2012. at precisely 3:00 in the morning in the backroom of the palms casino, the cocktail waitress named shauna tiaffay inserted her time card in the stabbing machine and set out to break a little rule. shauna had parked her car in the back lot, a practice discouraged because surveillance cameras were unable to track her all the way to her car. still, easier this way, quicker. and after all, would a stalker really been waiting for her here under a full moon? it was absolutely horrible. and we felt so helpless. it's every woman's worst nightmare. we didn't know if any of us were next. keith morrison (voiceover): it never occurred to shauna to become a cocktail waitress when she moved to vegas as a 20 something back in the mid-90s.

what she wanted then was to be closer to family, meaning big sister paula. she originally just thought, oh, there's no way i could be a cocktail waitress. i don't even drink. keith morrison (voiceover): but in a casino town, a cocktail waitress could make good money. so now at 46, she was a veteran. she would laugh at yourself and say, i still don't know what these cocktails are. i just order them give them to me and i go take them to the people. keith morrison (voiceover): but she was good at it. everybody could see that. kelly chapman: all the customers love shauna so much. keith morrison (voiceover): why? she was a sweet person. beautiful. keith morrison (voiceover): she made close friends, a work family really, including kelly chapman and stephanie vargas. i was at one of the bars and i saw her walk by. every single head turned on that bar, watching her walk by. and i remember thinking, like, why don't i look like her? because men, women, they just loved her.

keith morrison (voiceover): but no one loved her quite the way he did, a handsome boy scout and a firefighter, named george tiaffay. george was the genuine article, an all-american good guy. he had overcome early obstacles to become a top notch student in high school, a star athlete. this is his sister, maria mcgrew. and valedictorian, on the football team. yeah, you'd think just be just a jerk, just kind of a jock, mean-spirited sort of, who knows, "stereotypical." keith morrison (voiceover): but it was quite the contrary, said maria. maria mcgrew: he was always the calming force amongst family and friends. you know, he was the gentle speaker. he had this outlook in life where i want to go out and make the world a better place. keith morrison (voiceover): so george did. he earned a prestigious appointment to west point and after graduation became a combat engineer served as a nation builder in panama his childhood friend aaron solano went down for a visit.

the stories he told me about the missions that he accomplished, building schools, clinics, roadways, and bridges, really had an impact on his life. he finally felt like, hey, i'm getting to do something. keith morrison (voiceover): when george left the military with the rank of captain, he took a corporate engineering job but soon realized that life in an office building wasn't for him. he wanted to work for real people, which is why george put aside that fancy degree of his and went to vegas to train as a firefighter emt. focusing on himself is not how he wanted to live his life. he wanted to serve. that was a favorite word to his, to serve. keith morrison (voiceover): so while shauna's served drinks at the palms , george served as a firefighter and found time to volunteer. do what he could for the down on their luck souls who live on the fringes of so much glitz here. in 2004, they had a baby. here's daddy and momma. paula stokes-richards: she loved it. her daughter was the most important thing to her in this world, and everything she did

revolved around her daughter. and they're dancing to everybody's favorite. keith morrison (voiceover): and then two years later a marriage in hawaii. mom and dad just got married. what do you say? keith morrison (voiceover): just the three of them. see my beautiful ring. keith morrison (voiceover): back in vegas, it was a busy, complicated life, what with george's 24 hour shifts and shauna's night-times at the casino. and then it was september 29, 2012, 3:00 am. she walked the empty lot to her car, started it, pointed away from the strip, and under that full moon, headed home. no idea what was waiting for her. it was 9:00 am when george arrived with their daughter. she'd spent the night at grandma's, he at the firehouse. but why was the garage door open? and what was that inside? george had grown accustomed to trauma and death.

but this? george (on telephone): i think i need to report a break-in and a murder. it was a chilling discovery, shauna tiaffay found beaten to death inside her home and then some of his personal items found outside the house. what might they reveal? coming up. what crosses your mind when you realize it's somebody walking away from the scene, discarding things? is this something a stranger or a predator? absolutely, a predator, sexual predator, craig melvin (voiceover): when dateline continues. (♪♪) ♪ (slow down) ♪ (♪♪) cut!!!! i get it! slow motion. slow down geographic atrophy. but we don't need gimmicks. stick to the facts. ga, the advanced form of dry amd, can irreversibly damage your vision. but syfovre is an fda-approved eye injection

that gives you the power to slow ga. syfovre was proven to slow ga lesion growth over 2 years with increasing effect over time. it's the only treatment to slow ga in as few as 6 doses per year. don't take syfovre if you have an infection, or active swelling in or around your eye that may include pain and redness or are allergic to it. syfovre can cause severe allergic reactions. other serious side effects are eye infection and retinal detachments, severe inflammation of vessels in the retina which may result in severe vision loss, wet amd, eye inflammation, and an increase in eye pressure. most common side effects are eye discomfort, wet amd, small specks floating in vision, and blood in the white of the eye. tell your doctor right away if you have any side effects. act on facts to slow ga. ask your retina specialist about syfovre. nope! just the facts. (♪♪) aarp for $11 per year

with a five year. >> term and your second membership is free. get access to discounts on everyday. >> purchases, eye. >> care and prescriptions. >> and programs. >> tools and tips. >> to help manage your. >> money and. >> maximize your health. plus, aarp. >> fights to protect your social security. >> medicare, and more. join and get an. >> insulated trunk. >> organizer free. plus aarp the >> organizer free. plus aarp the magazine. call or go to join. on medicare? living with diabetes? progress is having your coffee like you like it without an audience. ♪♪ [silence] the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor can help lower your a1c over time. covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. ♪♪ this is progress. ask your doctor about the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor. ♪♪ it's fresh pet.

>> real meat. >> real veggies for my boy junior. >> what are. >> we. >> we. >> doing here? (music plays throughout) there it is. all the parts you need, guaranteed to fit every time. ebay. things. people. love. being sneezy without feeling sleepy. get 0% brain interference for fast. non-drowsy allergy relief. with allegra, it's a no brainer. disney's snow white, in theaters march 21st. >> imagine a switch that could wipe your personal data off the internet with one click. incogni stops identity thieves and protects your privacy. turn on one switch to limit unwanted robocalls and spam emails, and

to reduce exposure to data breaches. switch on peace of breaches. switch on peace of mind. go incognito and get keith morrison (voiceover): part of what made it so incomprehensible was where it happened. shauna tiaffay lived in a good, safe neighborhood, a part a town where vegas does not party. the part of town where the people who work the casinos raise their families and live ordinary, quiet lives. but this is where they found her, george and their 8-year-old daughter, inside her own house. not so safe after all. keith morrison (voiceover): george would have known, even if he hadn't been an emt-- keith morrison (voiceover): she'd been dead for hours. we got a call in the morning.

keith morrison (voiceover): detective dan long has been in homicide a long time. and god knows, vegas has kept him busy, him and his partner terri miller. when we arrived there were fire department personnel everywhere. keith morrison (voiceover): it was all too obvious, shauna had been attacked probably as she walked into her house, had been beaten with something blunt and hard. and there was things done with the body that made us think that there was possible sexual assault of some type. and there was posing of the body. keith morrison (voiceover): some kind of predator at work here? a predator who escaped with a good chunk of cash from the looks of it. shauna's purse was missing. cash and casino chips, they'd get tipped with casino chips quite a bit. they're known to make $300, $400, $500 a night. they make a lot of money, especially if they're good. and we did send detectives over to the palms. they talked to them. they said shauna's one of the best employees they had.

keith morrison (voiceover): but something happened after she left the palm. so, what? terri miller: shauna was very beautiful. is it someone that saw her at work and followed her home? keith morrison (voiceover): of course, as the husband, george would have to be considered a possible suspect. so detectives pulled him aside, interviewed him right on the spot. keith morrison (voiceover): george told the detectives that when he saw the garage door open, he had their daughter hang back, while he went inside. feet. >> just laying there, frozen, keith morrison (voiceover): their daughter, thank god, didn't see anything, said george. he rushed her out to the street.

keith morrison (voiceover): he had taken the little girl to shauna's place, he said, because it was shauna's turn. keith morrison (voiceover): and meanwhile, they have this complicated arrangement shauna worked 7:00 pm to 3:00 am at the casino. george, as a firefighter, worked long shifts and got lots of days off. their daughter shuttled back and forth between them. and when they were both at work, the girl spent nights with george's mother. keith morrison (voiceover): so he was at work when shauna was killed. of course, they did some checking just to be sure. you know, if he was there on every run. you know, if he had left for any reason. keith morrison (voiceover): but he was on every run, did not leave work at all. so, not the husband this time. he had nothing to do with the attack of shauna.

but george did offer a possible lead. open, which was unusual, keith morrison (voiceover): the thief in that earlier burglary, it appeared, used shauna's bathroom to take a shower and left with several pairs of shauna's panties and some jewelry. he left behind a pair of boxer shorts, size small. back then, shauna immediately suspected some neighborhood teens, said george. so she had discussed it with several people, including george, and decided that maybe that she left something unlocked and it could be maybe some kids that live in the neighborhood. keith morrison (voiceover): so is that who killed her? looking around the crime scene, the detectives realized that shauna's killer or killers had been into her booze, had taken not just her purse, but like in that earlier

burglary, her underwear. so they set about checking out every one of the neighborhood boys. and they had solid alibis, all of them. they were not involved in the break-in. they were not involved in shauna's death. now things get even more scary, because we don't know what we have. keith morrison (voiceover): once that word got out, it could very quickly spread the terror around, like it already had among shauna's coworkers. we didn't know if there was some psycho watching, you know, watching us girls work at the palms. and we didn't know if any of us were next. keith morrison (voiceover): the predator theory got a boost that second day, when on a walking pass near shauna's house, someone found bits from her purse, id, makeup kit, personal things. what crosses your mind when you realize it's somebody walking away from the scene discarding things? a stalker. stalker?

absolutely, a predator, sexual predator. keith morrison (voiceover): so they spread out, got the rest of homicide involved, days off were canceled, everybody out. they looked everywhere. there was considerable pressure, pressure from media, pressure from our administration. everybody wants this thing solved and put away quickly. keith morrison (voiceover): and then quite suddenly, a break, a tipster on the crime stoppers line with a story to tell. he had some information that he thought was connected to our murder. keith morrison (voiceover): a wild goose chase? maybe, and maybe not. craig melvin (voiceover): coming up, the tipster mentioned a detail about the crime, one that gets everyone's attention. no one knew that, but the two of us. craig melvin (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. >> hi, i'm ellen. i'm portia.

we're talking to cameras. >> that are in our. >> living room about. kind science. i used to think. >> the more. >> money i spent on my skincare. >> the more. >> effective it would be. the better it would be, the better i'd look. but it's not true. >> with kind. >> science. >> my skin feels cleaner. >> it feels. more hydrated. >> i notice a difference in my skin. i noticed a difference in yours. people see you and they make a big deal about your skin. and it. feels really good. and that's all thanks to kind science. tons of customers have. seen results. the bags. >> under her eyes. >> yeah. >> it looks smooth. yeah. >> smooth. smooth. >> well. >> who doesn't. >> want smooth? >> who doesn't? so here's what i'm going to do. something i've never done before. >> i am going. >> to give a kind science. generous deal. clever. yeah, because my name. i got it, yeah. >> okay. what are you offering? >> you'll get four of my favorite products. the gentle cleanser, the. micro exfoliant, which i love. i use it as a mask. and then the firming serum. they're going to get that. >> i love the firming.

>> serum so. >> much because it firms. >> it up. firms it up. keep it firm. the hydration cream is amazing. >> because. >> it really does feel like your face just took a drink of water. >> yes, but it does. >> yeah it does. >> it actually does. >> a clinical study of kind science. users 94% had less visible lines and wrinkles. that's so great. well. >> because it's great product. >> so i'm also going to give some gifts. you know, the brush that you love so much. the. >> yeah. >> so the brush, the radiance oil which is a really great product and free shipping. that's $200. >> worth. >> of products for 49.95. this whole. >> thing is under 50 bucks. >> yes, 49.95. that's amazing. >> really? i know. >> 60 day money back guarantee. >> you guys. >> this. >> generous deal won't. >> last forever. >> scan the. >> code. >> go. to science.com, or call 856. ellen. that's 850. >> 6elen to.

>> as the trump administration forges ahead during these

critical first 100 days, rachel maddow is on five nights a week. >> more than ever. this is not a time to pretend this isn't happening. >> the rachel maddow show weeknights at nine on msnbc. msnbc presents a new podcast hosted by jen psaki. each week, she talks to some of the biggest names in democratic politics, with the biggest ideas for how democrats can win again. the democrats can win again. the blueprint with jen psaki. good job, good singing. keith morrison (voiceover): it's a terrible thing, to bury a young mother in the prime of her life, especially in the shadow of murder. big sister paula had felt somehow frozen in a terrible dream that refused to end or make sense ever since her mother called with the news about shauna. what's it like to hear someone like that? i don't know that you can describe it, you know. i mean, your heart just drops to your stomach. keith morrison (voiceover): paula and shauna's family and friends gathered to mourn and remember

how much they cared about her. the funeral itself was standing room only. it was a beautiful tribute to shauna. keith morrison (voiceover): george's big sister maria. i could see george was heartfelt and did what he could to express himself at a terrible time. it was all about showing that shauna was loved and cared for. keith morrison (voiceover): meanwhile, las vegas homicide detectives worked diligently to identify and track down whoever killed her. did we have a predator? did she come home and they were burglarizing the house? is there an enemy somewhere that she made that we need to find? keith morrison (voiceover): then they got lucky. a man who called himself big will pennix called the crime stoppers hotline. big will had a story to tell. dan long: he had spent time in prison, and he worked as a maintenance man.

but he found satisfaction in helping others coming out of prison and helping them find the right path. keith morrison (voiceover): one such man, said big will, was a homeless handyman who lived out in the desert, went by the name greyhound. he did a lot of drugs, drank a lot of alcohol, and was volatile. keith morrison (voiceover): according to big will, this greyhound told a lot of told tales. but will called police this time because greyhound bragged about killing someone, a woman, and said he used a hammer to do it. and we had just come from autopsy that morning, marks that were seen on shauna's body, we thought, that it was possibly a hammer. so no one knew that, but the two of us. keith morrison (voiceover): but this guy brings it up, that's-- exactly. keith morrison (voiceover): a homeless, drug addicted, ex-con with a volatile temper, said big will.

certainly seemed to fit the profile of a potential predator detectives were looking for. he told us that greyhound walks everywhere. he lives out in the desert. keith morrison (voiceover): but big will wanted to help, he said. and so he agreed to take them to some of the places where he thought greyhound like to hang out. and what do you know? they ran into him in the parking lot of a gas station. detective long approached him. sweet as pie greyhound was. said he'd be perfectly willing to go to the station, have a chat. his real name was noel stevens. what did he tell you? he knows shauna. he knew where they lived. said he did yard work and handyman work for george and everybody else in the neighborhood. keith morrison (voiceover): so someone seana knew, someone george the do-gooder had tried to help, a thing not out of character for george. but greyhound, or noel was adamant that he had nothing to do with shauna's murder. then he agreed to show the detectives

his campsite out in the desert. what do you find? swimsuit bottoms that in our search of shauna's house appeared to me that matched the top that i had seen in her bedroom. keith morrison (voiceover): so greyhound was the burglar poking around shauna's personal things. and in fact, her friends recalled shauna had grown uncomfortable with this particular charity case, who'd been doing work around the house. she didn't want noel in the house anymore. and she said, you know, you better get out of this house or i'm calling the police on you. keith morrison (voiceover): so was he the killer? out at the campsite, detectives did not find any evidence linking him to the murder. so they kept looking. one of the other things a big will told us was that noel had a campsite number one and campsite number two. keith morrison (voiceover): a second campsite, out there, somewhere. but where? and what if, anything, was hidden there?

craig melvin (voiceover): coming up. dan long: under the bush, he saw a pair of jeans that appeared to have blood on them. craig melvin (voiceover): when "dateline continues. ♪♪ life with norman is fun and full of adventure. he just started to slow down a little bit on walks and seemed like he had some discomfort. his doctor diagnosed him with osteoarthritis pain and recommended that we try librela. veterinary professionals administering librela who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding should take extreme care to avoid self-injection, which can cause allergic reactions like anaphylaxis. librela has helped norman get back to his old self. ♪♪ ugh, when is my allergy spray going to kick in? -you need astepro. -astepro? it's faster, bro. 8x faster than flonase. it's faster, bro! it's faster, bro! it's faster, bro! it's mom to you. astepro starts working in 30 minutes.

astepro and go! gold bond believes touch says everything. it says... i see you. i feel you. and...i know you. gold bond. get in touch with irresistibly touchable skin. (auctioneer) let's start the bidding at 5 million dollars. (man) robinhood gold members get a 3% ira match. bond. while the wealthy hoard their perks, our retirement contributions are boosted by 3%. now with robinhood gold. >> climbing up on. >> solsbury hill. >> i could. see the city light. >> my heart. >> going boom, boom, boom. >> hey. >> you said grab. >> your. >> things, i. >> want to. >> take you. >> so come on. >> take me home.

>> back in. >> so come on. >> take me. >> some people. like doing. >> things the. >> hard way. >> like doing their. >> finances with. >> a spreadsheet. >> instead of using quicken. >> quicken pulls all your financial info the way i approach work post fatherhood, has really trying to understand the generation that we're building devices for. here in the comcast family, we're building an integrated in-home wifi solution for millions of families like my own.

in the average household, there are dozens of connected devices. connectivity is a big part of my boys' lives. it brings people together in meaningful ways. 1-800-403-7539. >> that's 1-800-403-7539. >> i'm richard. lui with the news update. a white house. official tells nbc news direct negotiations between the trump administration and ukraine are on hold after friday's tense oval office exchange. trump said zelensky must want to make peace and stop criticizing putin to restart talks. and former. >> new york governor andrew cuomo. >> has officially launched his campaign. >> for new york city mayor. >> cuomo was teasing. a return to politics for weeks, and he jumps back into the limelight just four years after resigning the governorship amid sexual harassment allegations. for now, harassment allegations. for now, back to

keith morrison (voiceover): it's not on any sightseeing itinerary, not this way, but this too is las vegas, rugged desert terrain, that is a kind of refugee hiding place for the desperate and troubled. believe it or not, that whole area has homeless people that are up there. keith morrison (voiceover): this is where greyhound took them. this is where he lived, he said. but out there somewhere, they were convinced there must be a second campsite with possible evidence about the killer of shauna tiaffay. so detective miller went up with the police air unit to have a look around. terri miller: those two pilots decided that they were going to fly that whole area for us. and they actually located the second campsite. dan long: and we entered and we found a citation in the name of noel stevens. so we were at the right place. keith morrison (voiceover): so they spread out, kept looking, and pretty soon, one of them called out. about 175 feet from the tent, he found a bush,

and under the bush he saw a pair of rolled up denim jeans that appeared to him to have blood on them. we put those in for immediate dna testing. how did that come back? it was shauna tiaffay's blood. and the pants were worn by noel stevens. that's kind of your story there. it's kind of our story there. keith morrison (voiceover): proof the homeless handyman george and shauna tried to help was a murderer. but could the story be that simple really? listen to shauna's sister paula, for example, and things start to sound a bit more complex. i just think that he always loved himself more than he loved anyone else. and that was all about him and what he wanted. keith morrison (voiceover): that was george she was talking about. the selfless firefighter had another side, said paula. the verbal abuse, the intimidation, the control, i mean, george was always a controlling guy. hold the camera in your hand.

keith morrison (voiceover): according to paula, george had become ever more control, judgmental, especially about shauna's spending habits. first time at the beach. keith morrison (voiceover): only got worse when she told george the marriage was over. paula stokes-richards: he said, you know, if you don't come back to me, and we can sort this out, you're going to lose custody of your daughter. and that-- that was his threat-- was her number one fear. oh, absolutely. he used their daughter as a way to manipulate shauna time and time again. keith morrison (voiceover): shauna had been letting her workmates read the text messages george sent as things got worse in the marriage. one text, it would be nice, you know, short and sweet, like i love you. i've been thinking about you all day. we need to work things out. and then we would be working. she wouldn't be able to text him back right away. and 10 minutes later, he's blowing up her phone, cussing her out, calling her names. keith morrison (voiceover): shauna's supporters

remembered her funeral more differently than george's people did. he had no emotion, no emotion at all. he did a eulogy talking about how much money shauna liked to spend and that there was one time she was at the gas station and accidentally left the pump in the car. in the eulogy? in the eulogy. keith morrison (voiceover): paula watched george and his daughter at the cemetery and fumed. they hadn't even lowered her in the ground yet and he said, come on, and took her hand, it's time to go. and i watched him walk off with my little niece, eight years old, just lost her mom. and i watched him walk off with her. and i thought, you know, this is exactly what he wanted. he wanted all the control over my niece. keith morrison (voiceover): paula told the police her suspicions, even before they began chasing down leads on greyhound. so even though they had their killer, the idea that george was involved somehow

was already in the back of their minds. on the other hand, george's family was just as eager to assure the police that those attacks on george's character from shauna's side were complete nonsense. i never saw shauna act cowed or afraid of my brother. maria mcgrew: she had an equal footing in the way they interacted with one another. so that's why i still can't believe the insinuation, the allegations that he was abusive or even controlling. keith morrison (voiceover): george's friend aaron solano couldn't agree more. no matter where he finds himself, what challenging situation he finds himself in, he has always been consistently kind, consistently caring. keith morrison (voiceover): so which george was the real one? the detectives decided to pay george a visit at his house, though they didn't tell him what they'd heard about him, the good or the bad.

keith morrison (voiceover): george said, sure, he knew greyhound, but said he'd never heard him called noel stevens before. keith morrison (voiceover): george told detectives how he had befriended this neil smith, tried to help him get back on his feet. keith morrison (voiceover): by now, the detectives knew greyhound was an addict and a big drinker. so they asked george-- keith morrison (voiceover): that raised the antenna a bit. in his interview with the detectives, greyhound said he and george were great friends, worked out together, drank together, a lot. but then listen to this. as george kept talking, the man he said he knew as neil

became noel. keith morrison (voiceover): remember, george said he'd never heard the name noel stevens before. knew greyhound only as neil smith. so was it an honest little slip? or was george hiding something? is it possible he was confused about the name? that you know, greyhound used several different names. when you get nervous, you're going to revert back to whatever's natural. and he reverted back to noel. he just got done telling us, i've known this man for years as neil. and then noel help me move. so that's a tell. keith morrison (voiceover): why would george admit to knowing greyhound and then lie about the name? detectives left george at home and made a plan they hoped would shake out the truth. we decided to amp up the pressure.

craig melvin (voiceover): coming up, a bold calculation by detectives was about to trigger a stunning chain reaction. dan long: he was forcing vehicles off the road and then plowed straight into a cement barrier. the officer following said he just committed suicide. craig melvin (voiceover): when "dateline continues. 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®. (luke) so why can't we say we're the best home shopping site? (lawyer) because while true, you just can't say that legally. (luke) so i can't say... “homes-dot-com is the best!” (lawyer) no. (marci) what if we jumbled up the words? (luke) homes best is com dot the. (lawyer) no. (luke) what if we said it in spanish? (marci) homes-punto-com es el mejor. (lawyer) no. (marci) what if we whispered it? (luke) homes-dot-com is the best. (lawyer) no. (luke) fine! what if he said it? (morgan) homes-dot-com. it's the best.

(lawyer) mr. freeman, i'm sorry, but we can't say that. (morgan) say what? (lawyer) homes-dot-com is the best. (morgan) ah-ha! (luke) homes-dot-com. (morgan) it's the best. >> refreshed for a more. >> productive day. >> get 24. >> hour continuous. >> relief that does not fade bewise all take. >> xyzal. >> at night. >> i had over. >> $36,000 in debt. >> i didn't even know how i was going to. >> buy food for. >> my kids. >> i picked up the phone. >> and called. >> national debt relief. they were my savior. >> national debt relief can significantly reduce the amount you owe. >> now that i'm out of debt, i feel free. >> i feel powerful. >> i'm doing. >> the things i want to do. singing in a chorus. >> i'm traveling with my husband. >> i'm thriving. our family. >> is thriving. congratulations. here are the keys. >> is thriving. >> congratulations. here's the water heater that somehow passed inspection

but will definitely flood your basement. -wait. -congratulations. here's your first year's supply of nitrogen fertilizer. remember, not too little or too much or you'll kill your lawn. -okay. -congratulations. here's progressive's homequote explorer. -uh-oh. -you're good. you can quickly compare insurance options and find the right coverage even if it's not with us. what's the bad news? [ indistinct conversations ] i skipped the line. capitol hill. >> mounting questions over the future of tiktok in the us. >> reporting from philadelphia. >> el paso. >> in the palisades, virginia. >> from msnbc world headquarters >> from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. [theme music] >> from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. keith morrison: it's an old police tactic to stimulate, maybe upset the suspect you haven't quite cornered, hoping for an overreaction. sometimes it works.

sometimes not. so even though they didn't have a solid case yet, the detectives let word slip that they intended to arrest george, charge him with murder, hoping he'd do something rash and maybe incriminate himself. he was told by his former attorney that he was going to be arrested. at the same time, police officers were showing up at my mother's doorstep. keith morrison: what did george do? got into his truck, raced over to his mother's house, dropped off his daughter, roared off again-- police watching. man: he was driving extremely fast. he was forcing vehicles out of his way, forcing vehicles off the road, and then plowed straight into a cement barrier. the officer following said he just committed suicide. keith morrison: so what did you think when you got that report, when you heard about that? well, i think it was a very good indication to us that we were definitely on the right track. keith morrison: but if suicide was his intent, as the detectives assumed, it didn't work. his injuries were not severe.

still, it looked to detectives like a guilty george would rather kill himself than face a murder charge. and as george lay on a hospital bed recovering, noel stevens gave police the final piece they needed. he confessed that he killed shauna, and said his good pal george asked him to do it. woman: so we went to see him at the hospital. we went in and told him that he was under arrest. did he say anything? he asked to speak with his attorney. i just knew that george had something to do with it. keith morrison: both george and noel were booked on murder and conspiracy and burglary charges. george is the one that wanted shauna dead. george is the controlling man that needed that control of shauna, and he had a tool at his disposal that worshipped him, that loved him, that would do what needed to be done. keith morrison: noel stevens pleaded guilty and spent the next three years cooperating

with the investigation. while george, who pleaded not guilty, set up a ministry in the clark county detention center. he looked his family, including his sister maria, square in the eyes and swore he did not do this. by the age-old conclusion, the husband always does it? he was a statistical suspect from day one, for sure. keith morrison: why, she asked, would anybody believe an addict and known liar over george? and the detective's theory that a guilty conscience led to a suicide attempt? but let me tell you-- he has been on suicide prevention squads. he is an emt. he is quite knowledgeable about what it takes to kill yourself in a vehicle. so driving that large vehicle into a k-rail with your seat belt on is not how an expert tries to commit suicide. he did something stupid, but he didn't try to kill himself. keith morrison: [inaudible] firefighters came to his defense too, fellow west point grads,

childhood friends. i truly believe he's innocent. he gives too much of himself, and i think that that is one of the reasons he finds himself in this situation he's in. keith morrison: were you surprised at the amount of support that george got? no. no. george-- he makes lifelong connections. it's part of his generosity. keith morrison: and so on a searing hot summer day in late august, 2015-- good morning. keith morrison: --those lifelong connections sat on one side of a las vegas courtroom. woman 2: george was adamant that this go to trial. he would not accept any plea deals, anything. keith morrison: and on the other side, a sea of hot pink. paula stokes-richards: there were just an outpouring every day-- you know, lots of people that showed up wearing pink, and-- why that? paula stokes-richards: pink was shauna's favorite color. and not pale pink, hot pink. keith morrison: ex-workmates were there, too. i wanted the jury to see that she wasn't just a vegas

cocktail waitress, you know, that she was a good person, a beautiful person, a good human being. keith morrison: prosecutors marc digiacomo and pam weckerly told the jury that while noel "greyhound" stevens was the admitted killer of shauna tiaffay, he never would have done it had george not put him up to it. he's got this singular goal of i need to kill my wife, and he has to keep pushing noel to do it. please be seated. keith morrison: shauna's sister, paula, testified that she encouraged her sister to move out. i told her that based on things she was telling me that had been going on for quite a while, that i believed that she should separate herself from george and move to a different home. keith morrison: so she did, and george increased his contact with noel. his phone calls to stevens in the month before the murder proved a conspiracy, said the prosecutors. they showed the jury george's phone records.

if you looked at how much he called noel, there's 87 phone calls. three, four calls a day. yeah. his mother is about once a day. keith morrison: then they said, look at this. here are george and noel shopping together, buying gloves, dark clothing, a knife, and on four different occasions, they bought hammers. this ends up at mr. tiaffay's house, where he happens to have two other perfectly good hammers in the garage. keith morrison: what else could all of this have been, they asked, but a murder kit? one final thing-- "greyhound" told the cops that he got into shauna's place with a key george gave him. and look at this-- here's george at the hardware store buying a key just like the key noel used. only one possible conclusion, said the prosecutors. noel stevens used the hammer. the person who used noel stevens is george tiaffay. keith morrison: ah, but--

it's a good story. it's real interesting, but it's not evidence, yet-- keith morrison: this is george's defense attorney, robert langford. there's absolute reasonable doubt as to george tiaffay's involvement in this case. keith morrison: those surveillance videos, for example, that the prosecution found so damning-- none of the hammers they bought was the actual murder weapon. and besides, most of what they bought together was simple and innocent camping gear. george helping a man in need-- as usual. he thought he was helping out noel stevens to live out where noel wanted to live, which was outside of town. keith morrison: as for the 87 phone calls, the prosecution said, prove george and "greyhound" conspired to kill shauna. there was nothing sinister there, said the defense-- just a man trying to contact his charity case handyman. i live out in that area, and cell service is notoriously bad.

on top of, have you ever tried to call a handyman in this town? it is ridiculously difficult to get hold of those kinds of workers to come do work. keith morrison: in fact, said the defense, the only thing the state had tying george to the murder was noel stevens' word. without noel stevens' statement to the police, george is an innocent man. keith morrison: and how could the jury believes stevens, said the defense? but even his own friend, the tipster big will, said-- in court-- that the man was an habitual liar. honesty, i would put him at-- at a scale of 1 to 10, i would put him at a scale of maybe 1 and 1/2. 10 being very honest and-- 1 and 1/2 meaning not honest at all, that's correct. keith morrison: george's attorney was itching to cross-examine the habitual liar who condemned his client, which presented the prosecutors with a dilemma. the man at the center of their case against george

might just destroy it. could be a real problem. he could be a real problem, and there was a substantial amount of discussion between pam and i over whether or not we're calling him or not. does that imply that you disagreed? oh, yes. we disagreed. craig melvin: coming up, a risky decision looks like it might just backfire. do you hear voices? yes. do you remember saying to that person that they sounded like monsters? yes. craig melvin: not just voices, hallucinations too. what kind of hallucinations? i see shadows sometimes. 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 ♪♪ not dog food. >> it's fresh pet. >> real meat. real veggies. >> for peter. >> that's. >> peter should. >> have known. >> i do make a pretty cute couple with allegra. >> i hope you can. >> stop being sneezy without feeling sleepy. get 0% brain interference. for fast non-drowsy allergy relief with allegra, it's a no brainer. disney's snow white in theaters march 21st. it's here at secrets we love. >> becomes something. >> that much more, more. >> breathtaking, more heart

racing. more soul mating. it's here. >> where that all consuming, life giving, full body butterfly thing called love just is be more where love is. be more more where love is. be more here. eggs make all our family moments better. especially when they're eggland's best. taste so fresh and amazing. deliciously superior nutrition, too. for us, it's eggs any style. as long as they're the best. eggland's best. ♪♪ my husband dean has always worried about his diabetes. he was afraid that once he reached retirement he wouldn't be able to enjoy it. but getting dexcom g7 has put dean in control of his health. wherever we go... he can easily manage his sugar levels and make sure he is staying in range. dexcom g7 has given us confidence in the future... wherever it takes us. where to next?

♪♪ doing. things the hard way, like doing their finances with a spreadsheet. >> instead of using quicken. >> quicken pulls all your

>> calm. >> calm. >> welcome back. noel stevens murdered shauna tiaffay. he confessed to it. but he also claimed he was told to do it by her husband, george. prosecutors had a tough decision to make, and their case hinged on the outcome. here's keith morrison with the conclusion of "under a full moon." keith morrison: prosecutors marc digiacomo and pam weckerly had a big problem, and they knew it. the problem had a name-- noel stevens, "greyhound." noel is a very important piece of information-- keith morrison: sure. --but he's also the biggest risk.

in the credibility sweepstakes, he's way down here somewhere-- absolutely. keith morrison: --and your defendant is way up there. and so they argued, these two prosecutors. she said, put him on the stand. my thought was you don't understand who george is and how sinister this was until you meet noel and say, this is the person that he gave access to. keith morrison: he said, don't take the chance. they could say, this crazy, psychotic, homeless man did it on his own. keith morrison: who prevailed? she did. man 2: they called noel stevens. keith morrison: and so up went "greyhound" to the witness stand, and offered his grisly story. i hit her in the head. robert langford: when you hit her in the head, what happens? she hits the floor. robert langford: and after she hits the floor, what do you do? i jump on top of her. robert langford: and after you jump on top of her, what do you do? keep on hitting her. robert langford: how long do you hit her for? i hit her until she doesn't move anymore.

keith morrison: why? because, he said, someone told him to. defense attorney: who told you to kill shauna? george. keith morrison: but was it true? now the defense got to ask "greyhound" about-- well, for starters, his addictions. wild turkey 101? and [inaudible] yes. a [inaudible] whatever i can get my hands on. you drink it every day? every day. just one, or two? i drink until there ain't no more, until i don't have anymore money, i drink. keith morrison: yes, and he smoked weed, he admitted, and did speed. but it got worse. do you hear voices? yes. do you remember saying to that person that they sounded like monsters? yes. keith morrison: hallucinations, too. what kind of hallucinations? i see shadows sometimes. robert langford: sometimes? yes. robert langford: do you see other people?

sometimes. well, i think everybody agreed that noel stevens is crazy as an outhouse rat. keith morrison: how could you believe a man as crazy as that? you are outside of reality at that point. keith morrison: so a man who hears voices? that got the jury's attention. one juror even submitted a question, read by the judge. did the voices you said you would hear from time to time ever tell you to kill shauna? no. keith morrison: there was the choice for the jury. george used noel as a murder weapon, or the drunk who heard voices killed shauna and blamed an innocent man. the lawyers, the friends, the family from both sides could only sit and wait. that was nerve-wracking. keith morrison: for three days, they waited. the prosecutors, once confident, worried. it's a hung jury. it's a hung jury. it's the hung jury situation. and so by day three, you think, uh-oh-- do we have a holdout?

--is there a hold-up? woman 3: count one-- keith morrison: and then finally, here it was. woman 3: --guilty of first-degree murder. keith morrison: guilty. george tiaffay, his face almost serene, absorbed the verdict. it was just this big weight taken off my shoulders, you know, because i have felt this entire time that shauna hasn't had a voice in this, and i've been so worried about representing her right and saying the right things and making sure that i portray her as the wonderful person that she was. keith morrison: both george and noel were sentenced to life. george has no chance at parole. woman 4: that was so much relief. closure. mm-hmm. keith morrison: george began serving his life sentence, and then in july 2017, he filed a handwritten petition asking to be released from prison, and it included

an explosive admission. he told the court, "my wife, whom i truly loved dearly, is dead, brutally murdered, and it's my fault." after denying it for six years, george finally confessed. but he did not take full responsibility for what happened. instead, he explained that prescription drugs caused him to hallucinate, that god was directing him to perpetrate a crime to protect his child. protect her from what, exactly, he did not say, and he blamed his attorney for not for not bringing up the drug-induced hallucinations at trial. george's family felt blindsided by the confession, said his sister maria. and now she feels he's where he belongs, behind bars. george's petition was denied, and the young girl at the heart of the tragedy. i really do feel that my niece is the true victim in all of this.

it's so tragic, and i just don't have words for what she's going to have to come to terms with and understand as she gets older, you know. it's really tough. reporter: paula plans to make sure the daughter of shauna tiaffay never forgets. we talk about her mom and how much she loved her and what we think her mom would want for her now. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [theme music playing] >> good morning. >> and welcome. >> to this sunday. >> edition of morning joe. >> weekend. >> it was another. fast moving newsweek. >> here are some of the conversations. >> you might have