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tv   Dateline NBC  NBC  October 22, 2012 2:50am-3:30am EDT

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more cleaning versatility. also don't forget to ask your operator about the shark dust eliminator kit-- great for pet owners and allergy sufferers. you get all this plus the v.i.p. service guarantee that includes a five-year, full-service in-home warranty plus the free steam mop. and remember, you get to keep the $100 steam mop even if you return the lift-away. shark will even pay the return shipping. with a full 60-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose. that's a total value of nearly $400 all yours for just four payments of $49.95. the new shark rotator-- the next generation lift-away. save big, clean better. call now. [♪...] [music changes] >> i vacuum at least twice a week.
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for me, a big thing is dust. because my husband has a lot of allergies, i really try hard at keeping my home clean and making sure that he is not having any breathing issues. with the rotator i'm able to use the attachments and that seemed to pick up everything. ...using the turbo brush attachment i'm able to clean up pet hair and dander that has collected on the couches. >> i like it just 'cause i can switch and push a button from hard surface to carpet. i like that, it's easy. >> with this new rotator he'll be able to help with more of the chores around the house. >> mark: with the new shark rotator's anti-allergen complete seal technology 99.99% of all dust, dander, pet hair and other allergens that you vacuum up stay locked inside the lift-away so they don't escape back into the air you breathe. >> well, every vacuum with a hepa filter says they do that, right? >> they say it, but unless your vacuum has a sealed system, all
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kinds of dust and allergens can leak around the hepa filter and escape back into the air you breathe. and now you can actually see it for yourself with the help of our black light revealer. we tested two different brand-name vacuums with a special dust that glows under black light. i think you're going to be shocked by what you're about to see. this is the dust going into a popular vacuum and this is the dust coming out of that same vacuum. >> oh, my gosh, that is unbelievable. >> now, we did it again with another brand and look: the same thing happened. the dust is leaking around the hepa filter and pouring out of the vacuum. now, when we tested the lift-away with the same exact dust, we didn't see a speck of dust escaping. that's why our anti-allergen complete seal technology is so important for everyone. >> announcer: so what does that mean for you and your family? >> mark: we had an independent lab test how many more particles escape from these unsealed hepa
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vacuums compared to sealed hepa vacuums like dyson and shark. i wanted to show everyone what that could look like in an actual room in their home. this animation represents the number of particles in the air after vacuuming with shark or dyson. not many at all. now this is a relative comparison of what it would look like after using this vacuum. [scoffs] well, now, that's a lot of dust and allergens. here's the second competing vacuum. whoa! imagine all this in your air. now here's the third one, and keep in mind, all three of these have hepa filters. but clearly... they don't have sealed systems. >> the complete seal technology was important to me because i have severe allergies to dog dander. the shark has been a big help to us because whatever we vacuum up
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stays in the vacuum. >> so the fact that i can keep all of the pollen and the dust and the allergens in this canister is just a real benefit, and i just feel better knowing that my air is cleaner, my carpet is cleaner, it's not getting kicked back up. it's the best vacuum i've ever used. >> one of the things we really like about the rotator is the complete seal technology. my kids have allergies and when i started using the shark rotator i noticed the dust is not coming back into the air after i vacuum. we love our rotator vacuum. >> announcer: people all over the country are falling in love with the shark lift-away, making shark america's most recommended vacuum brand. now shark presents their latest and greatest innovation in vacuum technology: the all-new shark rotator lift-away! call or go online now and order your shark rotator lift-away at the discounted, special price of just four payments of $49.95.
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that's an incredible value! along with your rotator you'll also receive this onboard crevice tool, dusting brush and the premium pet hair power brush. plus we'll include a five-year v.i.p. service guarantee. if anything goes wrong shark will take care of everything, including any shipping costs, both ways. you pay absolutely nothing, guaranteed. and if that's not enough to convince you, order immediately and shark will also include their bestselling steam mop, a $100 value, and it's yours free just for trying the new shark rotator lift-away. when you call ask about a very special offer on the incredible shark caddy, giving you even more cleaning versatility. also don't forget to ask your operator about the shark dust eliminator kit, available only for your shark rotator lift-away. you get all this plus the v.i.p. service guarantee that includes a five-year, full-service in-home warranty plus the free steam mop. remember, you get to keep the $100 steam mop even if you
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return the lift-away. shark will even pay the return shipping. with a full 60-day money-back guarantee you have nothing to lose. that's a total value of nearly $400 all yours for just four payments of $49.95. the new shark rotator-- the next generation lift-away. save big, clean better. call now. [♪...] >> amy: you say your new rotator lift-away never loses suction, but it seems every vacuum claims to have big suction or no loss of suction these days. >> that's true, amy. but you know what? i can prove my new rotator lift-away has huge suction power and it doesn't lose it. we vacuumed up about six months' worth of industry standard extra-fine dust with my new rotator and this competing upright. so let's empty this other competing vacuum... >> o.k.
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>> and to make it more challenging for the rotator, let's leave all that dust and dirt-- remember, that's six months' worth inside the rotator. now let's see how many pool balls we can each suck up. ready? >> ready. >> let's go. one... >> one. >> two. >> two. >> three. >> three... four... >> four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15... 16! look at the weight of this! look at this-- i'm holding the pool balls! shake yours! look at that! look at that suction power! now that's an incredible suction demonstration for you, amy. >> that's the kind of dependability you want in a vacuum, isn't it? you want to know when you turn it on it's not gonna let you down. >> you really don't expect that much power from this small of a vacuum. even with the canister full, it still kept its suction power. >> this is my new turbo brush.
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>> o.k. >> check out how quickly and easily it makes fast work out of this pet hair mess. look at that-- the pet hair is gone from the surface in seconds, but i'm also pulling out all that fine dust and pet dander from inside the sofa. it's incredible! >> wow, that's fantastic. that's something every pet owner will love. >> i've had my dog 8-1/2 years so he's definitely a part of my family, and i can't keep him off the furniture. it's a little embarrassing to have someone come over and when they get up, there's some dog hair. ...it's amazing when you can see what it's lifting up. and the pet hair's gone. i think the shark rotator, in my mind, is the ultimate pet vacuum. >> amy: why wouldn't you take advantage of this incredible offer? mark is giving you 60 days to try the new rotator lift-away right in your own home. if you don't love it, no problem, send it back. shark will even pay return shipping. >> call now. i guarantee you'll be happy
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you did. >> announcer: we've taken the most recommended vacuum in america and made it even better. introducing the shark rotator lift-away. better suction power. better multi-surface cleaning. better cleaning capacity. it's an upright with enhanced swivel steering and superior maneuverability. it's a portable lift-away so you can use the rotator's unbelievable cleaning power wherever you need it. and with the optional caddy now you can even put the rotator on wheels-- talk about convenience! just like higher priced vacuums such a miele and dyson, the shark rotator lift-away is engineered to have a completely sealed system and it's scientifically proven to reduce exposure to allergens. for years the vacuum industry has claimed that having a hepa filter was the best way to trap dust and allergens. it's time to clear the air about this dirty little secret. the truth is, if your vacuum does not have a system that is
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completely sealed, then the dust and allergens you vacuum up escape back into the air before they even reach the hepa filter. that's bad news because allergy and asthma experts such as the american academy of allergy, asthma and immunology agree, even low levels of particle pollution can be damaging to people with allergies and put children, teens and seniors at risk for things like asthma. but the shark rotator lift-away's complete seal technology locks in 99.99% of dust and allergens. that's great news for pet owners and people with allergies. so it's no wonder the shark rotator has been certified by the british allergy foundation. compare the dyson to the new rotator lift-away. both have completely sealed systems. both provide powerful pet hair cleanup with superior no loss of suction technology and swivel steering. but the new shark rotator lift-away gives you so much more because all this no loss of suction power is portable!
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it has more cleaning capacity, and if that's not enough, the new rotator lift-away actually deep cleans carpets better than the latest dyson dc41. but, perhaps shark's most amazing breakthrough: they give you all this new and improved cleaning power but haven't raised the price by one penny. shark consistently earns four- and five-star ratings. in fact, online surveys show 95% of lift-away owners say they tell friends and families to buy a lift-away, making shark america's most recommended vacuum brand. why would you use any other vacuum when you can swivel, lift and seal with the incredible shark rotator lift-away? >> i would've expected it to cost upwards of $500. >> announcer: but you won't pay $500... or $400... not even $300. are you kidding me? at five payments of $49.95 it's a tremendous value. along with your rotator you'll also receive this onboard
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crevice tool, dusting brush and the premium pet hair power brush. but wait-- it gets even better! call or go online right now and we'll make one payment for you. that's right-- the new shark rotator lift-away can be yours for just four payments of only $49.95. >> i know you're going to love my new shark rotator. but if you're not happy for any reason, just send it back and i'll even pay the return shipping. but if you do order direct from shark, i'm going to give you my incredible v.i.p. service guarantee. if anything goes wrong in the next five years, we'll take care of everything-- even the shipping cost both ways. you pay absolutely nothing, guaranteed. but if that's not enough to convince you, today i'm also giving away my bestselling shark steam mop for free, just for trying my shark rotator. and the best part? it's yours to keep even if you decide to return the rotator.
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>> announcer: when you call ask about a very special offer to turn the lift-away into a canister vacuum to give you even more cleaning versatility. also don't forget to ask your operator about the shark dust eliminator kit-- great for pet owners and allergy sufferers. you get all this plus the v.i.p. service guarantee that includes a five-year, full-service in-home warranty plus the free steam mop. and remember, you get to keep the $100 steam mop even if you return the lift-away. shark will even pay the return shipping. with a full 60-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose. that's a total value of nearly $400 all yours for just four payments of $49.95. the newshark rotator-- the next generation lift-away. save big, clean better. call now. [♪...]
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the preceding has been a paid presentation for the shark rotator lift-away.
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of. they never wanted him to be in johnny's life. >> david was murdered to keep him out of hisson's life? >> boom, it clicked for me. wow. that's over child custody. that's why he is not here today. >> that was the motive. >> that was the motive. >> was wolf's confession to an ex-wife a true story or alcohol-fuelled bravado. >> no way to know for sure. it was enough to bring about the arrest on october 2004 of michael wolf, now living in ohio. an arrest is not a conviction. as michael wolfe cooled his heels in a jail, he protested innocence to anyone who would listen, including the local police. to whom wolfe sent a letter and
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claimed all he knew centered on a conversation with barbara's father, harry a few months before the murder. a reporter writes for the broward palm beach new times read the letter. all he would admit to is meeting harry in a park near the wal-mart overlooking the place where david's phone would later come out of the ground. >> he said he pointed over to that plot of land and said if you needed to bury a body, that would be a good place to do it. he concluded the letter with i don't know if he had listened or not. >> apparently he did. >> if michael wolfe had really not known anything beyond that point, it would get him off the hook and leave it in the hands of harry britton. >> michael pinned the murder on no one but harry who was safely dead and could tell mow tales. now the detective believed she had enough evidence to bring michael wolfe back to florida to
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stand trial for the murder of david jackson. >> we did the arrest warrant and within a couple of days, we were flying out to ohio to extradite michael wolf back to florida. >> how did he react? >> he said pretty harsh words. >> you can see it. >> i'm [ bleep ]. >> velasquez had her moment. after 15 years, she made sure someone would be held accountable for the death of david jackson. >> it was the culmination of 16 months of a long, gruelling, up and down, tiresome investigation and nights of not sleeping and days of going to work and living off of coffee. i thought you know what, this is what it's all about. >> it was november of 2007 when michael wolfe went on trial for murder. after so many years, any physical evidence that might have tied him to the crime was long gone. what prosecutors did have was
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the verbal confession, that drunken story his ex-wife said he told her. then, check mate. another ex-wife told police virtually the same story. >> he said he shot him in the head. he told me that he had a silencer on the gun. >> she too was called to the stand. that was enough. the jury was out less than an hour. the verdict was guilty. after sentencing, in prison, david jackson's family confronted michael wolfe. not just to condemn, but to ask a question because there was a piece missing. something that still didn't make sense. what was david doing in that motel room the night they killed him? why did he walk into that trap? >> why a motel room? he was ten minutes down the road? david is not a stupid child at 24. why would he top the see him in a motel? >> you know what they demanded? there would be no justice unless
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everyone involved was held accountable. outside the courtroom, david's brother encountered the state's attorney. >> he said he is not going to tell me anything. i saw it in his eyes. then we got it. >> in fact it was just two days later when wolfe finally confessed the true measure of his guilt. he gave police firsthand his unedited version of events the night he said they buried david jackson in the shifting florida clay. was someone else involved? oh, yes, said michael wolfe. she certainly was. coming up, what made david go to that motel? >> it was a woman on the phone. david takes the phone and comes out and he is spruced up ready to go out. >> when are dateline continues. what's a powerful way to cut through everyday greasy messes? [ male announcer ] sponges take your mark. ♪ [ female announcer ] one drop of ultra dawn
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this one feels fantastic for me. and combined... ohh, it's a completely new sensation for us both. it's opened a whole new door for us. i've come to clean your pool. but we don't have a pool. i'll come in anyway. next week i'm going to be a maid. [ female announcer ] k-y yours & mine. his excites. hers delights. together feel them ignite. keep life sexy. . >> in november of 2007, the man who shot david jackson to death was found guilty of the crime and sent to prison for the rest
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of his life. a couple days after he was sentenced, wolfe sent out word he was ready to tell the rest of the story. sure, he said he was the trigger man and yes, his father in law was determined to get rid of david permanently, but to set the trap and to lure david to the motel, they needed bait. that bait, said wolfe, was barbara. barbara who did not require persuasion. quite the contrary, said mr. wolfe. >> barbara was in the middle. he would have never gone to that hotel room to meet harry britton. he would have never gone to meet michael wolfe. he agreed to meet barbara. >> the woman who wept tears of love for her long lost david and held a torch all those years was the same woman who called david on the phone and enticed him to go to that motel room to be
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killed. >> they needed to use barbara because david had feelings for barbara. >> evidence? david had a roommate and that room maid heard david take a phone call before he went out that night. >> he was pretty sure it was a woman on the phone. david takes the phone and goes to his room. comes out a little while later all spruced up and ready to go out with a smile on his face. combing his hair and putting on his cologne and david jackson left the apartment at that point. that was the last his friends saw him. >> what really happened in the motel? wolfe said he hid in the bathroom when david arrived. >> barbara answer and he walked in and they sat down on the edge of the bed. barbara had a stun gun and hit him with the stun gun. >> the stun gun malfunctioned. wolfe stepped out of the bathroom with his gun. >> he had the gun wrapped in a towel and he showed me like this
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and i fired one shot and about that time, harry britton came into the room and said he's not dead yet. she still breathing. shoot him again. i shot him again and he said that shot killed him and they put david's body in the back of harry's vw and transported it to the site where they predug the grave and all they had to do was lay his in and cover him up. >> that was not the end of wolfe's tale. a year after the murder, he got a call from harry britton. >> here learned they were going to build a new wal-mart at the corner where they were there. >> where the bones were. >> harry told him you have to come back down here and move the bones. almost as an order. >> wolfe flew back to florida. >> he said he went out in the middle of the night and collected what he could find and put him in a trash bag and then he went back to barbara's family's house and put the bones
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out for a trash in a plastic bag. >> michael wolfe's story seemed to tell it all and cast barbara britton in a leading role. once she heard that story, the detective was convinced barbara, determined to keep david away from their son was a full partner in his murder. >> what are the chances either michael wolfe or harry britton forced her to take part in the scheme? >> forced? >> yeah. >> we don't have to force a willing participant. >> you believe she was willing? >> yes. >> the dkd couldn't help remembering what she said when she heard the bones were identified. >> strangely enough the first thing she said was how many bones do you have? >> come on. >> she had participated in retrieving the bones and they thought they got them all when they left about 50% behind. >> all this time said the
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detective, she knew barbara had been lying and now she had the goods. we asked barbara about her ex-husband's allegations that she was deeply involved in the murder. she denied it. >> you were no part in killing david? >> no, i did not. i had no knowledge. i had no part. little lies here and there that might keep changing his story. i think it's psychotic. it's psychotic for the things he said. i was 21 back then. i don't think i could plan much. i'm not stupid, but i'm not that smart. >> now, said barbara, it was all ex-husband michael wolfe's doing. his guilt made sense of his strange behavior during their time in arizona, particularly the weekend david disappeared when barbara said her ex-husband was not with her at home. >> he would always go on
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business trips and every time i asked, he would tell me don't worry about it. i got business to take care of. >> she knew nothing at all about the murder. she insisted. until the penny dropped during a conversation years later with her father. >> i wonder what he is doing. i wonder if he is coming back and where he is at. what happened. he would be like you don't have to worry. he's not around to bother you. >> what was that like to deal with? >> very, very rough. he was my dad. my dad. i couldn't accept it. what satisfaction did it get? did it satify him? it didn't satify me. >> detective velasquez got what she wanted and worked hard what to prove what she believed to be true that barbara was in the plot to kill david jackson. now barbara britton was arrested and charged with murder.
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now perhaps the jury could answer the question. do you believe this woman? the woman whose hands literally shook and tears flowed at mere mention of her departed ex-husband? do you believe the things she said? >> all the time. it's always been he's missing. >> coming up, could barbara's ex-have a reason to lie about her role in the murder? she said yes. he held a grudge against her. >> they make you pay the price? >> then her day in court. >> i do.
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>> barbara britton, the woman who sobbed at the mere mention of david jackson's name is now in jail awaiting trial for
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killing him. exactly where barbara belonged, said donna velasquez. >> she made it happen. she was the instigator as well as being the in the middle. >> no doubt in my mind she was the catalyst. >> barbara meanwhile maintained her innocence, claiming there was a certain reason michael wolfe lied about her that way. it was pay back, she said, for something that happened when they were married. here came another one of those odd stories. earlier, remember there was the one suggesting drug running on david's delivery truck. now a story about michael and gun running. >> i was putting away laundry one day and i saw a bulge in a dress shirt pocket and there was quite a bit of money there. when he got home from work that night, i confronted him on it and he told me he was doing gun runs to haiti. >> barbara said she told the
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police about wolfe's alleged gun running. >> he got mad and told a cellmate of his that's it. >> interesting, but true. wolfe has not commented. barbara's defense attorney said wolfe had a practical motive. >> michael wolfe was offered a 15-year plea bargain to take 15 years to testify against whoever the a comp polices might be and after he was convicted of first-degree murder, there was an option to get the 15 years back. that was his motivation. >> in other words, said barbara's attorney, wolfe would sell out barbara any way he could to get a reduced sentence. there was the fact of the two unprompted confessions he made to his ex-wives where he portrayed barbara has a black
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widow intent on having david killed. >> there two versions that he gave to each ex-wife. >> the stories were not entirely consistent. besides, barbara was at home in arizona the night of the murder. how does he know that? >> the phone bill from her mother's home placing calls that night where nobody else could have been there. >> who is a phone bill of that age doing around where it can be grabbed for evidence? >> the father was a record keeper. >> what is to say that wasn't an answering service? >> michael wolfe testified they had no answering machine. >> could have been somebody else in the house. >> we questioned mr. wolfe about that. he said there was nobody there. >> as the defense prepared for trial in december of 2010, something changed. >> there was new evidence discovered. >> lany is a prosecutor who inherited the case.
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>> the new evidee is what we consider a jail house snitch. he stated that michael wolfe said he fabricated the entire story about barbara participating in the murder of david jackson. >> that snitch was well-known for the false information he provided. still after three years in jail, it was enough to get barbara release and placed on house arrest, pending trial. then they met michael wolfe to ask him about testifying against barbara. didn't go well. >> the blows came to me when he said what am i getting in return. what will my sentence be reduced to. >> now the state reassessed its option. >> worry any case, you are taking a 50-50 chance. the lack of forensics and the lack of physical evidence that a jury wants to see, but most importantly again the fact that you have a codefendant who is giving the testimony which was the foundation of this prosecution who wanted something
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in return. >> the people who conducted the investigation, deep down in their guts are sure that she was at the center of this. did you think so too? >> what i think is a person and what i think as a prosecutor, i have to keep them separate. while i may have believed that barbara was i full participant in this, what i can prove is totally different. >> you made an offer? >> we made an offer. >> barbara britton was offered two more years of house arrest and years of probation. she would avoid trial, but she had to plead guilt to accessory after the fact in david's murder, meaning she acknowledged knowing about the crime after it occurred. something she always denied. >> you have to remember, i had the option to go to trial and take it. it's just taking a chance with 12 to 14 others. >> jurors who would hear the
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story about a control freak who very cleverly manipulated men to get them to do this awful thing. >> right. they know what you are there for. there you are going to have another opinion. >> even though she accepted the deal, barbara was not happy. true, there was no prison time, but she was a felon now. >> you have a title over your head. it is life-changing. very life-changing. >> do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> yes, i do. >> the detective joined difd's family at barbara's sentencing. >> you are okay with the fact that it's a guilty plea? >> for the record, david jackson's mother would like to speak. >> david's mother read a victim's impact statement. >> because of you i cried endlessly for 24 years. i wanted to die myself to be with david. >> her gaze fixed on the woman
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her son once loved. >> you are guilty. michael is where he should be in prison. your father is where he should be and you will join him one day because that is where you should be. in hell. >> david's brother was not at all sure that justice was served. >> if you lose in trial, that's god's will. you can't control that. i think it should have gone to trial. i think society in two years when she comes off of house arrest needs to worry. >> we have a picture of david. >> his mother -- >> there was justice. she is say felon now for life. she has to live with all that. i don't. every time i get out of bed in the morning, one leg said guilty and the other says felon. >> as for the detective who pursued the case who now thinks a murderer got away --
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>> at first i was disappointed and i had to make peace with it. when i put my head on the pillow at night, she is a felon. >> mentally in prison here, do you ever escape that? >> as for barbara? she is spending her house arrest in her father's home. the old vw where they allegedly carried off the body the night he was killed is still parked outside. her days surrounded by the curse of her father's alleged sins and many still feel cursed by the part she played in murder. >> so the allegations that you took part would suggest that the two of you were living together and equally aware of your mutual guilt. >> that's what it would suggest, but that's not how it is. >> it would occur. you are surrounded by it. >> i am surrounded by it. my dad passed on and moved on. i'vi

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