it's a love that i never experienced before. oscar bolin is the love of my life. >> reporter: they'd probably call it a crazy kind of love. others might say it's a bad romance. >> is she crazy? >> reporter: but whatever you call it, it works for them. it has to. >> oscar has no one else but me. >> reporter: their marriage a leap of faith, a road best not taken. but she's taking it anyway. >> any idea how many times you have made this trip? >> i have been coming down this road for 20 years, twice a week. so roughly over 4,000 times. >> reporter: that's true dedication. devotion. and she always knows where he is at night. it's because he lives here, death row. florida state prison. rosalie's beloved husband is a

convicted serial killer, awaiting execution for the last 18 years. for him, orange is the old black. >> oscar ray bolin. >> a vicious murderer. >> convicted killer on death row. >> reporter: the onetime florida truck driver found guilty of the brutal 1986 murders of three young women. >> you are sentenced to death. >> he is the evil in this world. he is a cold-blooded killer. >> reporter: people look at you as kind of a crazy woman, being married to a man who is on death row. she believes her husband is innocent. and she says she can prove it. >> i've waited 20 years for this. >> reporter: a notorious story that began decades ago, but it's about to reignite. the fbi crime lab as a target.

were you for a second, worried, doubtful about whether he was innocent? >> never. not for a second. >> reporter: tonight, one woman. her four daughters. the death row step-father one of them finally meets. three grieving families. and the story that just keeps getting bigger. and more bizarre. >> this picture changed the course of my life in a split second. >> reporter: you say you're trying to free an innocent man. but some people would say you're trying to free a killer. >> i want him dead. if i could kill him myself i would. >> that's the key question, is she trying to free an innocent man or a killer? this is about to make headlines, with two new hearings coming. explosive allegations against the fbi crime lab that put her husband away.

once again, debra roberts. >> i've found myself in the last 18 years. >> reporter: you've found yourself? >> reporter: being married to oscar. >> yeah. he saved my life, actually. he really did. >> how could he save your life, though, when he's behind bars? to answer that question and to understand now, you have to understand then. the former rosalie martinez had everything she could want. marriage, motherhood, money. the triple crown, with a mansion on tampa's hickory creek boulevard. >> i had very expensive jewelry. three-carat diamond earrings on each ear. $500,000 house, mercedes. >> reporter: the wife of a prominent attorney, she lived in the lap of luxury with four beautiful young daughters. cameras recording every red-letter occasion. but rosalie says something was missing, as she first told us in 1996.

>> i wanted to break out. i wanted to be loved like i've never been loved before. passion. someone to put me on an emotional pedestal, not with material things. >> reporter: but how could she trade all those jewels for jail? that fur for a felon? rosalie remembers the moment she first laid eyes on oscar bolin. there was no spark at first. she was working in the public defender's office assigned to his case. >> there's this young man standing there. his back is towards me and he turns around. he says, "who are you?" i said, "i'm here to help you." and i think i said, "i'm your angel." >> reporter: over a two-year period, they grow closer. law comes before love.

but then rosalie comes to a seismic revelation, she believes oscar is innocent. >> the documentation that i've gone through and the reports are totally conflicting. i was sent there for a purpose, a divine purpose, and i became obsessed with it. i wasn't going to let anyone stand in my way. >> reporter: including her husband, who she says gives her an ultimatum -- it's the bolin case, or him. >> it was a knee-jerk reaction. don't tell me what to do. and here we are. >> reporter: would you say that you married oscar in a bit of stubbornness? >> i was going to take a stand. i didn't care what people thought. >> reporter: and that stand, marrying her client, is a jaw-dropping move, done almost solely to draw attention to his case. but along with that comes a wrenching decision, agreeing for her husband to have primary custody of their children. many people would say, come on. you've got to know, if you married a guy who was in prison,

that that's going to affect them. >> i wasn't thinking. it's still hard for me to admit that. >> reporter: but she can admit that her strategy pays off big time. even landing the happy couple on "20/20" in 1996. a tiny little wedding shown to an audience of 12 million viewers. walk down the aisle. the new mr. and mrs. bolin exchange vows over a speaker phone with a photo standing in for the groom. >> oscar, do you take rosalie to be your lawful wedded wife? >> yes, i do. >> rosalie, do you take oscar to be your lawful wedded husband? >> yes, i do. >> i now pronounce you husband and wife. congratulations. >> thank you.

>> oscar? oscar? >> hey. >> listen -- >> i'll blow you a kiss. >> you're blowing me a kiss? >> reporter: their "honeymoon" is in this courtroom just three would be given life or death for one of the murders. >> you are sentenced to death terry lynn matthews. >> reporter: rosalie is devastated. that was nearly two decades ago. and while some might be celebrating with the traditional anniversary gift of fine china, rosalie and oscar make do with prison cafeteria plastic. and not-such-fond memories of appeal after appeal, conviction after conviction, 11 trials all told. >> the biggest misconception of oscar is that he's a monster and that he's a murderer and he's not. he's a good person. >> reporter: though her husband is confined 23 hours a day alone in a 6x9 cell, rosalie insists he's a wonderful partner.

though not a traditional one. >> i can't ever expect him to change the oil in my car, or take the garbage out, or -- >> reporter: go to the movies with you, or hold your hand on a >> no, it's not, none of those things. pedestal, you know. he listens. he's there, completely, 100%. nothing's more important than i am. >> reporter: oscar sends his wife love letters and hand drawn cards practically every day. there's no hallmark shop on death row. he creates each one himself. >> you have been my dream girl from the moment we first met. >> reporter: what do you make of these? >> they're just so special. they're priceless. i wouldn't want anything else. not a diamond, not a car, not a fur coat. >> reporter: and you keep them all? >> yes.

i think the art of love making is in these cards. >> reporter: love making, a delicate subject in this relationship. people will ask, do you have conjugal visits? have you consummated your relationship? >> i find it very interesting why people would be interested in my sex life. it's no one's business, and you know, that's not part of our relationship. >> reporter: does it matter to you? >> no, not anymore. no. >> reporter: what does matter most, she says, is proving her husband's innocence. a licensed private investigator and mitigations specialist herself, rosalie is leaving no stone unturned. that there are innocent people who are wrongfully convicted. it happens. >> reporter: and she shows us an fbi agent that could lead her husband to a new trial. when we come back, a closer look at crime scene photos.

>> this picture changed the course of my life in a split second. >> reporter: what she's hoping will get him out and what the families of his three young victims are hoping will keep him in for death by lethal injection. >> 30 years is long enough for this insect, this subhuman to be alive. >> reporter: stay with us.ly only covered for this. hot dog? or how you may think you're covered for this... but not for this... whoa! no, no, oh , oh! ...or this... ...or this. ...or that... talk to farmers and see what gaps could be hiding in your coverage. my heaven! we are farmers bum - pa - dum. bum - bum - bum - bum where here to save stella's undies with this new incredible pad from u by kotex . the new xpress dri cover provides crazy fast absorption

to help stop leaks. code red! code red! go! your undies will thank you. amore. subito! nooooo! oooh. grrr. the all-new fiat 500x crossover. featuring an available uconnect system with a 6.5" touchscreen and available all-wheel drive, well-rounded has never looked so sharp. lease a 500x for only $179 a month for 36 months and get up to 34 mpg highway. in our house, imagination runs wild. but at my table, i keep the food real. like country crock's new recipe made with real simple ingredients. like delicious oils, purified water, and a pinch of salt. and no artificial flavors or preservatives. just real country fresh taste

from real ingredients. imagine that. welcome to crock country. now, liner intensity gets dramatic. new lasting drama gel pencil from maybelline new york. our first ultra-smooth gel in a pencil for an intense, smudge-resistant look. glides on... stays on... for all-day wear. new lasting drama in 5 intense shades. maybe it's maybelline. to the dodge ball bruisers, to the team rally cruisers, to the touchdown dancers, and the long distance chancers, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah be yourself. kohl's for over 30 years, in study after study, advil is unsurpassed in pain relief. nothing is proven stronger on aches and pains than advil.

not tylenol. not aleve. nothing. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil.

we continue with "20/20"'s evidence of love. here now, debra roberts. >> reporter: tampa, florida. a city of crisscrossing waterways and highways. today, a buzzing metropolis. but in 1986, this gulf coast city is a sleepy destination for retirees. it was in this slower, more quaint tampa that natalie blanche holley is growing up. >> and you can see blanche here >> reporter: anita holley,

blanche's older half-sister. give me a sense of blanche's personality. outgoing? >> she was quite gregarious. she was happy. somebody you'd want to talk to. and she was so beautiful, wow. >> reporter: "was," the key, heartbreaking word. on january 25, 1986, blanche leaves work from a local fast food restaurant and never makes it home. >> my ex-husband calls me, and says, "i have some news. your sister's dead." >> natalie blanche holley had been stabbed about 12 times in her upper torso and her body had been dumped about 12 to 15 miles from where her car was found. >> reporter: a stunning crime, but residents of tampa barely notice. that same day, a bigger story pushes blanche holley right off the front page. >> it is the worst disaster in the history of the american

space program. the space shuttle challenger is destroyed. all seven astronauts onboard are killed. >> reporter: 11 months pass and the holley case runs cold. then on december 5th, a second dead woman found north of tampa. 26-year-old teri lynn matthews, a bank clerk who never made it home either. >> right over here is where teri's body was dumped on the embankment. >> reporter: detective gary kling, of the pasco county sheriff's office. >> she was wrapped in a hospital sheet and we noticed that she had several stab wounds in the chest area. she also had blunt trauma, basically wounds to her head which was caused by a heavy object. >> reporter: teri lynn was last seen here, on a post office security camera, picking up her mail after work. >> her car door was open, lights were on, and she had mail that she had retrieved from her post office box scattered on the ground.

>> reporter: it's a mystery. but police have barely put up the crime scene tape when there's a third grim discovery. >> there was another young lady discovered in hillsborough county on the same day, stephanie collins. >> reporter: the 17-year-old high schooler was reported missing when she never made to church choir practice. a month later, stephanie's body is found. a half hour from where teri matthews was discovered. >> when teri matthews' body was found and subsequently stephanie collins on the same day, it was extremely shocking for our communities. it left a lot of people alarmed. a lot of people called in, frightened. >> reporter: blanche holley, teri matthews, and stephanie collins, three young women abducted, beaten and dumped, all within a 20-mile radius. could the murders be linked?

police have no way of knowing and the investigation stalls. even a reward for information goes unclaimed. what is it like for the family, all of these months, and months, and nothing? >> you try to tuck the pain away, and deal with it a little bit at a time. because it's -- it's paralyzing. >> reporter: then, after four painful years, a break. a crimestoppers tipster puts detectives in touch with cheryl jo coby who has an incredible story about her ex-husband. his name -- oscar ray bolin. >> cheryl coby admitted being home one evening when mr. bolin walked in and threw a purse down in front of her and then she saw a drivers license of a female that was in the purse. he told her he had killed a girl. and that was the natalie blanche holley homicide. >> reporter: but there's an even bigger shocker. cheryl coby also reveals that she was with oscar the night

stephanie collins went missing. this time, saying it wasn't just a purse she saw, but a person. >> she went with mr. bolin to an area in northern hillsborough county off morris bridge road and actually observed him dump the body of stephanie ann collins out of the truck on the roadside. >> reporter: but what about the third murdered woman, teri lynn matthews? police reach out to other bolin family members, including oscar's half-brother, phillip. >> when we met with phillip bolin, he told us of the night of teri's murder. when he walked out to where oscar was, he saw a body wrapped in a sheet, and at that point, oscar bolin struck her several times in the head. >> reporter: the noose seems to be tightening around one person, but its fibers found at all three crime scenes that ultimately tie oscar bolin to all three victims. >> we actually took evidence that we recovered at the crime

scene. different samples. and we sent those to the fbi laboratory in washington, d.c. and that's where the fbi laboratory was able to link forensically those cases. we've got a hair match from his head to the stephanie collins case that matches his head hair. the fbi laboratory also found wool fiber that connected the teri lynn matthews case, the stephanie collins case and the natalie blanche holley homicide case also. all three cases. >> reporter: finally police believe they've found their killer. a serial killer. >> there is no way oscar ray bolin is innocent. we've got overwhelming evidence. we've got him linked forensically with these homicide cases. >> reporter: oscar bolin was a trucker. but when police go to arrest him, he isn't traveling the open road. they find him here, in ohio's lebanon prison serving 25 to 75

years for kidnapping and rape. bolin is arrested and brought to tampa. by the time he stands trial years later, he says he can't remember where he was the nights of the three murders. >> this defendant oscar ray bolin caused the death of teri lynn matthews. >> there is no tie, there is no connection to oscar ray bolin to this offense. >> reporter: the defense goes on the attack, saying the evidence is circumstantial, witnesses lied, and that the state is setting oscar up. >> the prosecution will never admit what they did. i am innocent of the murder of teri lynn matthews. i have maintained my innocence all along. i don't feel you were fair or impartial at all. >> reporter: each murder is tried separately. yet through all the testimony, the grieving mothers of all three victims are banded together, sitting side by side every day. >> there was an amazing strength, though, in seeing the three of them together. i can't imagine how it would have been if they'd been alone. >> they were sisters in pain.

they were right there for each other. >> reporter: sisters in pain. >> sisters in pain. and they learned to love each other, and respect each other. they supported each other. >> reporter: after countless days of testimony, multiple trials and hearings, oscar's fate is sealed. >> advise and recommend to the court that it impose the death penalty upon oscar ray bolin, jr. >> three death sentences for oscar ray bolin. rosalie distraught. the victims' families elated. >> i believe there was one death penalty that came back in, like, less than ten minutes. less time than you would think it would take to make the vote and press the button for the bailiff. >> what went through your mind when you heard him say death? >> it was relief. and i felt that he got what he deserved. it's a great sense of relief. >> reporter: but that relief is short-lived. could the forensic evidence that helped to put oscar bolin away actually be his ticket to freedom, all these years later? was the fbi wrong?

>> this is what i've been waiting for. >> reporter: and while the verdict ends one nightmare for the families, another is just beginning. and the breaking news comes from us. >> you're telling me that his death is not imminent? >> reporter: no. not at this moment. >> what is wrong? >> reporter: stay with us. what makes a woman feel beautiful? it's about her presence. a radiance that shines, deep inside. a "je ne sais quoi"... a youthful aura. advanced g\nifique by lanc me. every serum drop infuses youthful radiance throughout the skin. patented until 2029. advanced g\nifique. lanc me. receive a free 7-piece gift only at macy's. your skincare destination.

what's going on? toaster's broken. which means no eggo waffles. something smells delicious. eggo! l'eggo my eggo breakfast sandwich. it's sweet, it's savory, it's in your microwave. l'eggo my eggo breakfast sandwich. me and you, and you and me. no matter how they tossed the dice. it had to be. the only one for me is you. and you for me. so happy together! now there's a rewards program that lets you earn points at one place and use them at another. introducing plenti. discover lots of ways to earn points fast and join for free at plenti.com. before fibromyalgia, i was the go-to person. i was energetic. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor and i agreed moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain.

she also prescribed lyrica. for some patients, lyrica significantly relieves fibromyalgia pain and improves physical function. with less pain, i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with lyrica i have less fibromyalgia pain and can keep moving forward. ask your doctor about lyrica. it's just a summer thing double it up this summer with a hot deal from mcdonald's. the $2.50 double combo, a mouth-watering double cheeseburger and small fries for just $2.50. (music)

a new season brings a new look. a chance to try something different. this summer, challenge your preconceptions and experience a cadillac for yourself. the 2015 cadillac srx. lease this from around $339 per month, or purchase with 0% apr financing. quilted northern works so well people can forget their bathroom experience. just like they forgot conductor randy, who sees all and forgets nothing. at least he's not constable bob.

"20/20"'s evidence of love continues. we're back with debra roberts. >> reporter: with a steel-trap mind and fierce devotion, rosalie bolin has spent the past 20 years on a mission. >> he's an innocent man and the truth will come out. >> reporter: trying to prove her

husband didn't do what a jury says he did, viciously murder three young women. rosalie, some people would say you're deluding yourself. you will find an explanation for everything in the face of this overwhelming evidence. >> the evidence to me doesn't support a conviction. it does not. oscar bolin, for me, has not received a fair trial. >> reporter: and she sifts through that evidence again and again, even if a jury has already considered it and convicted bolin anyway. no detail escapes this private eye, while walking us through her version of events. >> the shoe tracks were size ten. i know what size my husband wears. he wears a size eight. the shoes don't match. fingerprints don't match. there's tainted evidence in every aspect of this case, and i could pull it apart paper by paper, box by box. >> reporter: and witness by witness, starting with oscar's ex-wife, cheryl jo coby, in a wheelchair, suffering from diabetes when testifying against him. >> i noticed there was blood on

the curtains. >> cheryl bolin's testimony is incredible. it's not to be believed. >> reporter: it's wife against wife, as the current mrs. bolin says the ex had a case of show me the money. >> well, cheryl had motive to lie. she was in it for the reward money. >> reporter: $63,000 worth, to be exact, but only if there is a conviction. >> if there's reward money out there today, you want part of it, don't you? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: and rosalie contends cheryl used that same motivation, reward money, to entice oscar's half-brother philip to testify. brother against brother. >> oscar's half-brother, philip bolin, says he saw what looked like it was a body that oscar was handling. how do you discount that? >> i received two recantations from philip bolin. he said he never saw oscar bolin with a dead body. >> reporter: so he changed his story? >> yes, several times. >> reporter: three times in six months. and one of those under oath in

the murder case of bank clerk teri lynn matthews. >> i said what you wanted me to say, sir. >> so somebody put those words in your mouth? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: and that somebody, oscar's ex-wife, cheryl. in his recantation letter, philip bolin wrote, "i was told to and coerced into making false statements by cheryl jo coby." but later prosecutors and even philip say it was rosalie who coerced philip bolin into recanting, an allegation she strongly denies. >> i have no weapon to influence philip bolin into recanting his testimony. i don't carry a badge. >> reporter: a jury still convicted bolin of murder. >> reporter: "20/20"'s calls to philip bolin were not returned. cheryl coby died from diabetes in 1992. you're so close to it. are you able to really clearly

see the evidence and be able to look at it objectively? >> if you looked at the evidence and the testimony, the testimony doesn't comport with the evidence. >> reporter: evidence or just evidence of love? that's the key question. but rosalie may be looking at a game changer in her fight. and it's due to this man, fred whitehurst. for 20 years, he's been blowing the whistle on corruption at the fbi crime lab. and at the center of it all, a top forensic analyst who's helped convict hundreds of people, michael malone. >> anything that michael malone touched, any evidence that he it can't be. that. >> reporter: malone initially handled key evidence in all three of oscar bolin's murder trials. hair and fiber the fbi used to forensically link all three murders. >> when i was down in florida

a couple of analysts came out and said, you got to stop this michael malone guy. >> reporter: and now something has. just last year, the office of the inspector general blasted malone, releasing a scathing 135-page report discrediting his work. the government itself turning on one of its own. the report says michael malone repeatedly created scientifically unsupportable lab reports and provided false, misleading or inaccurate testimony at criminal trials. >> the culture at the fbi laboratory was one of, we have to establish guilt, plain and simple. >> reporter: just yesterday, "20/20" tracked down michael malone, the man fingered in those fbi accusations. now retired in virginia, we asked him about that report. >> no comment. >> in my mind, michael malone is a serial killer with a lab coat. there have been potentially people who have been executed based upon evidence that michael malone handled.

that's frightening. frightening. >> reporter: especially given that her husband could be next in line for execution. if what you say is true, then oscar bolin is the unluckiest man alive. >> i would say so. >> reporter: to have coincidentally been linked to three different murders and to have been convicted so many times. >> well, if you have an fbi agent who's making you a serial killer when actually, in fact, these cases are never been connected, yes, then that would be a very unlucky guy. >> reporter: but is the malone factor enough to throw out three murder convictions? but they're saying take malone out of it and there's still this man to these murders. >> then let's do it. if the evidence is so overwhelming, let's do it. see if they're correct. >> reporter: anita holley, the sister of one of the victims, is outraged at the possibility of a new trial.

>> oh, we're still playing games with this subhuman. games! >> reporter: holley thought all his legal proceedings had been exhausted until she got the startling news from us. >> you're telling me that his death is not imminent? >> reporter: no. not at this moment. >> what is wrong? >> reporter: take a moment, if you need to. >> 30 years is long enough for this insect, this subhuman to be alive. i hate him so much. >> reporter: when we come back, dead man talking. our cameras go where few are allowed, to death row. and there's a shocker about oscar bolin that could change everything you've thought until now. stay with us. >> our question for you tonight, what are you thinking?

you've seen both sides. let us know on facebook and on twitter. use #abc2020. when we come back, what her daughters think all these years later. >> a first meeting like you've never seen. visiting your stepfather on death row. coming up, on "20/20." she'll log in with her smile. he'll have his very own personal assistant. and this guy won't just surf the web. he'll touch it. scribble on it. and share it. because these kids will grow up with windows 10. get started today. windows 10. a more human way to do.

i'm ready to crack like nobody's watching. why? because it's red lobster's crabfest. and there's so much crab, so many ways. and with dishes like this luscious crab lover's dream or savory snow crab bake. i'm just getting started so hurry in and get crackin' yes, we are twins. when i went on to ancestry, i just put in the name of my parents and my grandparents. i was getting all these leaves and i was going back generation after generation. you start to see documents and you see signatures of people that you've never met. i mean, you don't know these people, but you feel like you do. you get connected to them. and go back 100 years, 200 years and just meet these people. being on ancestry just made me feel like i belonged somewhere. discover your story. start searching for free now at ancestry.com. where here to save stella's undies with this new incredible pad from u by kotex . the new xpress dri cover provides crazy fast absorption to help stop leaks. code red! code red! go! your undies will thank you.

are you still getting heartburn flare-ups? time for a new routine. try nexium 24hr. the latest choice for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. nexium level protection. pets are the best friends to have by your side when you want to get out and explore the paths less traveled! before fleas and ticks join in the action, petsmart can help protect your pet from infestations with a variety of flea & tick products. we make it easy to treat your pet monthly and all year round and to kill fleas and ticks that may carry diseases. right now, save up to $10 on select flea & tick products. petsmart . inspired by pets.

hey terry stop! they have a special! so, what did you guys think of the test drive? i love the jetta. but what about a deal? terry, stop! it's quite alright... you know what? we want to make a deal with you. we're twins, so could you give us two for the price of one? come on, give us a deal. look at how old i am. do you come here often? he works here, terry! you work here, right? yes... ok let's get to the point. we're going to take the deal. get a $1000 volkswagen reward card on select 2015 jetta models. or lease a 2015 jetta s for $139 a month after a $1000 volkswagen bonus. 130 yards now... bill's got a very tough lie here... looks like we have some sort of sea monster in the water hazard here. i believe that's a "kraken", bruce. it looks like he's going to go with a nine iron. that may not be enough club... well he's definitely going to lose a stroke

on this hole. if you're a golf commentator, you whisper. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. this golf course is electric... "20/20" continues with evidence of love. once again, here's debra roberts.

>> reporter: oscar ray bolin, convicted at 10 trials over the last 20 years for the murders of natalie blanche holley, teri matthews, and stephanie collins. >> i covered a lot of court cases, and sat across from a lot of defendants, but there was just something about this guy. just the flatness of his affect. who is this person existing in the world, and how did he get to be who he was? >> reporter: that's exactly what we wanted to know. "20/20" was offered a rare opportunity to go to death row, and meet oscar bolin in the place he calls home. oscar spends 23 hours a day in a cell like this one, counting down the minutes till he gets to see his legal aid and wife, rosalie, during her twice-weekly visits. here is 53-year-old oscar bolin today. rosalie is steadfastly committed to you, all these years. after 27 years for your being in here, >> well, i mean, this was not a situation where she came in

naive or ignorant to the system or the circumstances. >> reporter: is the relationship more business, or is it -- >> it's both. >> reporter: -- romantic? what is it, exactly? >> it's both. oh, i love her, i mean, there is no doubt about that. i mean, she is my best friend. >> reporter: and rosalie is as committed as any wife to her husband. believing he's no killer. but he does cop to another crime. you did plead guilty to kidnapping and raping a woman at gunpoint 27 years ago today. >> 27 years ago. that was totally unrelated, it had nothing to do with florida. >> reporter: right. but to some people, you are a convicted rapist. how can they believe that you are innocent of this other stuff? >> i was a very angry young man 27 years ago. 27 years later, would i do the same thing? no. i have learned a few things since then. >> reporter: he did admit that he was responsible for a brutal rape. how do you get that to sit well

with you? >> well, you have to understand -- i mean, i know oscar better than anyone. and he was also very young at the time. oscar did accept responsibility. he pled guilty to that crime. and i believe, if he had committed these three murders, he would have pled, and he never did that. he's always professed his innocence. >> reporter: in fact, rosalie and oscar blame investigators for putting him on death row. while he says he can't recall where he was on the nights of the murders, he still insists he's an innocent man. did you kill teri lynn mathews? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: did you kill natalie holley? >> no. >> reporter: did you kill stephanie collins? >> no. >> reporter: so how it that you could be here? >> one man. mike malone, the fbi. he manufactured the evidence to fit the crime. and everybody got onboard. >> reporter: michael malone, that discredited fbi agent who handled the critical evidence linking oscar bolin to the murder of stephanie collins.

now, in two weeks, could a new hearing lead to a new trial and another shot at dodging death? do you even dare hope at this point that this may change things for you in death row? >> of course. i mean -- i mean, yes. but at the same time, i know -- i -- i am a realist. >> reporter: but his wife has done the impossible before. >> i'm in the business of saving lives. if i have a bias against the death penalty, so be it. >> reporter: just ask 42-year-old seth penalver, a dead man talking. he spent three years on death row, living in a cell right next to oscar's, convicted for a triple homicide. now, thanks largely to rosalie, he's got a second lease on life. how did you get to know rosalie? >> i'd see rosalie in visitation with oscar. i said, "would you be willing to work on my case? because i really believe in you." >> reporter: rosalie dove into documents, and came out with a smoking gun. turns out a key witness was paid to testify against seth at trial. >> you know, they paid one of

the main witnesses with crime-stopping money and hid that from the defense. he was a drug addict, said whatever the cops wanted him to say. the jury found that very distasteful. that was a big thing in seth's case. huge. >> reporter: in the winter of 2012, a jury says he's not guilty, and he is acquitted of all chargers against him. do you think you'd be sitting here now if rosalie had not come onboard? >> oh, no. i wouldn't be. i would not be sitting here talking to you. i probably would still be over there next to oscar. yeah. she's just that good. >> reporter: but even with his miracle-working wife fighting at his side, oscar is far from tasting freedom. he's still looking at a number of legal hurdles, not to mention a life sentence for the murder of natalie blanche holley, and a death sentence for terri lynn matthews. she is determined to get you out of here. >> yes.

>> reporter: dough -- do you let yourself hope that one day you may get out of here? >> i can't imagine walking out of this place and not being with her, you know? >> reporter: and while he's dreaming of freedom, what about the equation -- rosalie's daughters? >> you're katherine, right? >> reporter: his step-daughter, meeting him for the very first time. >> we made the decision. it sounded like a good idea, we did it. but i never could have envisioned the collateral effect, how it would affect you guys. >> reporter: when we come back -- >> i hope you can accept my apology.et the latest iphone so you never have to wait to upgrade. no more waiting and no more being jealous of that guy who always has it. join the iphone forever revolution. now, get an iphone for $15/mo. and you can bring it back to us and upgrade to the latest anytime again and again. that's forever. it's included in your monthly rate. only from sprint. trouble hearing on the phone, visit sprintrelay.com at outback, steak and unlimited shrimp is back! for just $15.99! for a limited time...

try unlimited garlic herb butter... or crispy shrimp for just $15.99 and let the bold flavors... speak for themselves with unlimited shrimp at outback if you misplaced your discover card, you can now use freeze it to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds. and once you find it, you can switch it right on again. you're back! freeze it, only from discover. get it at discover.com. bring us your aching and sleep deprived. bring us those who want to feel well rested. aleve pm. the only one to combine a safe sleep aid... plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. be a morning person again with aleve pm. this thursday through sunday at kohl's, school savings are back in session. take $10 off your purchase of $30 or more. go to kohls.com and download your savings pass. plus, everyone gets $10 kohl's cash for every $50 spent. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah be yourself. kohl's what's going on? toaster's broken. which means no eggo waffles.

something smells delicious. eggo! l'eggo my eggo breakfast sandwich. it's sweet, it's savory, it's in your microwave. l'eggo my eggo breakfast sandwich.

since 1961, pearle vision has been providing expert eye care. today, we make caring for your eyes even easier. right now, buy one pair of glasses, and get another pair free. this is genuine eye care in your neighborhood. this is pearle vision.

now, back to "20/20" and debra roberts, with evidence of love. >> reporter: there's collateral damage in every divorce, but rosalie bolin's four daughters

are different than most. with a mother in the spotlight, and a stepfather on death row. were you worried or concerned at all about making that decision and how it would affect your daughters? >> i didn't think, 'cause they were so small at the time, that i thought that it would hurt them. >> reporter: so you weren't trading your love for your family and your daughters for the love of this man? >> not for a second, no. >> reporter: her daughters may see their complicated life differently. 25-year-old katherine sorted out her emotions in a short documentary. >> does he wear that gold chain? >> yes. >> still?

>> yes. >> reporter: she hit you with some probing questions too. did you think about them? >> well, i thought that you'll were going to be okay. >> i mean, did you ever think what we had to deal with? >> no, i didn't. i wasn't thinking that way, katherine. >> reporter: no tears, no screaming. but some 20 years later, still questions and confusion. >> i never thought what that was going to do to them. i really didn't. >> reporter: was it hard for you to admit that to her? >> absolutely. it's still hard for me to admit that. 'cause as a mother, you don't want to hurt your children. >> reporter: but maybe people would say, come on. you've got to know, if you married a guy who was in prison, that that's going to affect them. >> i wasn't thinking. that's an honest answer. >> reporter: in the film, christina relive their early years. >> did any of your friends say

anything to you? >> not really, i mean, people were probably really embarrassed or really uncomfortable to talk about it and everybody was just as shocked as we were. >> the most awkward part would be having them meet mom and then seeing their reaction to meet mom because you know they're judging her from the moment they meet her. >> i mean, everybody assumes that she's crazy. everyone can't believe you've forgiven her. forgive is maybe the wrong word, no matter what your mom does, you've got unconditional love. >> reporter: the documentary is called "it's nice to finally meet you," and katherine means that literally. she takes her camera and her courage to death row to finally meet her stepfather, oscar bolin, for the first and only time. >> you're katherine, right? >> yeah. it's nice to finally meet you. i've heard a lot about you. >> i imagine you have. >> reporter: she was a child when her mom and oscar married and is the only daughter to have met him. >> you could have a bond with someone for life, but really what does the marriage put into

it? do you think it was necessary? >> when your mother and i got married, i never envisioned the publicity would be so, i guess you'd say, so intense and how it would affect you and your sisters. and that part has bothered me, it's bothered me greatly. and i owe you an apology. and i do apologize. it was never my intent to cause you any personal harm, or hardship or emotional pain and i'm very sorry, katherine. i can only hope you can accept my apology. >> reporter: katherine agreed to make her film available to us, and though she and her sisters love their mother, they declined our request for an interview. they're reluctant to speak out

publicly. >> yes. >> reporter: why? >> they have their lives. it's unfair to make them have to go through the same things that i do. so i completely understand. >> reporter: that media attention surrounding oscar and rosalie will no doubt stir up again in the coming weeks, with two important new hearings about the fbi scandal. and the game-changing question, with the malone revelations, are new trials warranted? you want him to have three more trials. >> reporter: some would say enough is enough. it's been 20 years. for anita holley, it's more than enough. >> i think she's a sociopath to begin with. i don't think she understands the full range of human sensitivity. i really think she has a screw loose.

i really do. >> reporter: the longer this case goes on the more torturous the ordeal is for the families. >> absolutely. >> reporter: does that concern you? is that something that you think about at all? >> i feel really sorry for them. i really do. i feel them. i have four beautiful children. i can't imagine. but i want them to understand that i wouldn't have dedicated 20 years of my life on something i truly didn't believe in. >> reporter: but if all her efforts fail and her husband is executed? >> i would still fight as hard for him in his death as i do in his life. i'm just not going to sit down and be quiet because they can. i'm not going to do that. it's just not going to happen. you know, i will fight this till my last breath. >> in the next few weeks, two hearings coming up. the malone scandal, and another

to take on this bombshell. a supposed confession from someone that claims to be the real killer of matthews. the question tonight, do you think bolin has been kid if you can't stand the heat, get off the test track. get the mercedes-benz you've been burning for at the summer event, going on now at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. but hurry, offers end august 31st.

share your summer moments in your mercedes-benz with us. it's just a summer thing double it up this summer with a hot deal from mcdonald's. the $2.50 double combo, a mouth-watering double cheeseburger and small fries for just $2.50. (music)

for a complete eye renewing effect try new age perfect eye renewal from l'oreal. it renews eyes 5 ways. targets: puffiness crepiness under eye bags dark circles crow's feet new age perfect eye renewal from l'oreal skin expert paris. i need everything on this list so my kids will be ready for school. they'll be 110% ready. folders, rulers, crayons? 15 , 35 , 50 . good, no detail ever gets past me. wait, where are my kids? those aren't mine. make low prices happen. make 110% ready happen. staples. make more happen. before we go tonight, something special on sunday. robin roberts, going home to mark the tenth anniversary of hurricane katrina. and here's a first look. >> sunday night, out of

heartbreak comes hope and triumph. some stories just hit closer to home. >> i know i'm here to report, but i have to find my mom and sister. >> ten years after katrina, get ready to celebrate what makes the gulf coast so uniquely american. "katrina:after the storm," sunday night, 10:00 p.m. from elizabeth vargas and all of us here at "20/20," i'm david muir. have a g >> next on eye witness news, a deadly shooting at a federal