>> i told myself the worst part of dying is being afraid of dying. and if i'm not afraid it won't so bad. i just couldn't believe this was the way it was gonna happen. reporter: she was a college student. found on a lonely road in texas. >> we figured she had been here. >> reporter: tough questions foror her boyfriend. >> where was i the night before? what had i been doing? when had i last seen her? >> i really thought he could be e e our killer. >> reporter: bututhile police try to prove it, another attack. >> he has got me by the throat and he's shaking me and he's yeg at me, telling me not to say a word. >> reporter: yououe a prisoner in his apartment? >> yes. >> reporter: a college campus

a growing list of suspects. a growing list of victims, too. >> her body had kinda been propped up o oo the bed. >> r rorter: even law forcement, they thought, "what do we have on our hands here?"?" >> reporter: there's growing dadaer because police are looking in the wrong p pce. >> i lived to tell and then nobody believed me. this monster is walking free while they're wasting their time on me. >> reporter: accountntiller be caught before he kills again? >> it makes you realize how fragile your life is, you know, and that anybody can take it. >> reporter: i'm lester holt and this is dateline. here's andrea canning with "the face of evil." >> looking back now, this woman almost d dn't make it. >> i said if you keep doing thth you're going to kill me. and he j jt said, do you think i actually care about that?? >> that when you feel like yoyore lookingngn the face of evil? >> i knew then completely in that moment that he intended on killing me. >> little did she know -- that in this college town-- she wasn't thehenly one. >> he said that he would go to jail for murder before he'd d er

>> what is going through your mind? >> i wish i had told all the people that i loved, you know, at i loved them. >> bututas their private horror connected to a very public mystery? >> everyone's saying, "what is going on in this communini it just had people asking what's gonna happen next. more women connececd by tragedy and -- by questions. could a killer have been stopped sooner? >> i was so angry that two peoplelead to die in order for someone to believe me. >> the story begins in a amall texas town. but it's n n just any town. texas a&m -- and in 1999 -- the home to 21 year old student jamie hart. >> i was immediately struck with her beauty. >> chuck crews was her boyfriend at the time. he says jamie was the light of his life. he remembers when he first laid

>> i could barely y eak when i saw her, she was so o etty. >> it was like when the color came on in the w ward of oz. i had been living in a darkk world and she showed me a world full of color. >> and she was a loyal friend, funny, outspoken. >> she would tell you exactly what was on her mind at all times. it was early one morning in may. jajae's roommatetecouldn't find her. they called chuck. >> i got a call asking me if i knew where she was.. and i said, no, she didn't come over here last night. i didn't know where she was. i hadn't talked to her the night before. and-- and i i nt to work. >> that same morning detective kenny elliot of the brazos county sheriff's offffe was summoned to the scene of a disturbing discoveve. >> there wasas young female, appeared to be in her early 20s. she was nude. she had exteteive road rash on her r tire body. and she was obviously deceased. >> reporter: a jogger spotted

>> when i arrived there was s probably half dozen officers here and they taped off the area, blocked. traffic, and at that point we started conducting a search of the area. we figured that she had been sexually y saulted and dumped here. less than a mile away, deputies discovered what was presumed to be the woman's clothininstrewn across the entrance to an oil field. another nine miles from there- an abandoned vehicle -- its engine still running. >> there wasaslolo on the car, and that raised suspicion. we sent a team over there to process the car. >> and inside the car, a drivers license thth belonged to jamieie haha. when detectives showed up at chuck's workplace that afternoon, he says his heart sank. >> there was this building sense that something was wrong.

officers is never a good sign. and when they told me that she had been found dead, it felt like i had been hit by a truck. >> reporter: so your sense of dread was coming true? >> yep. realized, fully realized. >> did fear spread throughout the campus? >> oh, yes. i meananit was front page news. >> kristin lancaster -- was a 19 yeaeaold freshman. >> my brother actually worked with jamie at the time i'll never forget him coming home devastated. >> reporter: a killer in a cocoege town is terrifying. very much so, yes. >> this is something that happens in chicago. it something that happens in houston. it's not something that happens in bryan college station in aggieland. >> kelly brown is the editor o o the eagle, the local newspaper >> i think at the time people were hoping this is a drifter that just kept on going. because the location of her body. >> sheriff's deputies canvassed the crime scene, searched jamie's car. and looked for eyewitnesses. >> talked to several hundred

ananhing. >> t tns out, there were no fingerprintstsnside the car. but during an autopsy the medical examiner did r rover dna from jamie's body, dna w wch likely came fromomererapist and killer. did y y put the dna into a database? >> we put it in codus. >> reporter: any hits? >> none. >> no eyewitnesses, no fingerprints, no dna matches. the inveveigation wasn't off to a good start. >> andndhat's when we e arted contacting people e her place of employment, friends, roommates. >> reporter: did she have any enemies? >> everybody seemed to love her. >> detective elliott began to retrace jamie's steps on the night of the murder. jamimiwas taking time off from her studies at texas a&m and was working at a pizza parlor. her shift had ended around midnight. we contacted everybody on-- that she delivered pizzas to,

>> after work, she'd headed over to a ariend's house. >> he said they were there watching movies and she left his house around 4:30 in the morning. >> reporter: what time did you think thth she was killed. >> we got the call, i think, at 7:15 a.m., so between 4:30 a.m. and 7:00. student, was the last knowow person to see jamie alive. the detective paid him a visit. >> he was upset, obviously. they were friends, and had been for some time. >> the friend's grief seemed genuine, but something was peculiar. when investigators asked for a dna sample. >> he said no. >> no? >> and of course we wanted to know why. was he the killer, or was he not? >> the detective was determined to anticipate that question. so he put the young man under surveillance, followed him to a local restaurant. >> repepter: and are you hidden somewhere in the restaurant? >> i'm kinda back in a corner, yeah. >> he watched ththstudent have a few drinks, and when he left, e detective snagged the dirty

dna testing. the results would take weeks -- leaving a town full of young people on edge. >> dads and moms were telling their college-age kids, "be alert everywhere you go." go with people when you go out. don't be alone." and that's a frightening-- order to give anybody. >> frightening but sound advice, becacae in this case, cocoecting the dots wouldn't be so easy. >> detectives have a possiblbl suspect in their sights. jamie's boyfriend is invited to sit down for a polygraph test. >> failed the test. >> bad sign for you, right? >> bad sign fofohim. but there's a difference between the omega-3s in fish oil and those in megarededrill oil. unlike fish oil, megared is easily absorbed by your body... ...which makes your heart, well, mega-happy.

omega-3 levels in 30 days. megared. the difference is easy to absorb. hello my love! the flame is out... ugh...today the flame is out, tomorrow my attitude... your mother... antotoo. antonio. que? the stove. it's not working. campbell's microwaveable soups. made for real, real life. aaaaaaaandnde're back at cricket wireless! switit and get a brara new lg risio for $19.99, or take a spin wititthe samsung galaxy grand prime for $29.99! cricict wireless. something to smile about. sfx: ziploc bag opening sfx: ambient schoooocafeteria sounds, children talking life doesn't cry over spilled milk.. it cheers. life needs ziploc.c.sfx: ziploc bag closing sc johnson i nevevereally gave much thought to the acidity in any foods. never thought about the coffee i was drinkingngaving acids.

it couou hurt your teeth. he told me to use pronamel. it's going to help protect the enamel in your teeth. it allows me to continue to drink my coffee, and it was a real easy switch to make. most people know the four c's of a diamond. now, kay jewelers brings you...the newest c: chocolate. levian chocolate diamonds. only levian, masters of jejelry design for centuries... ...makes jewelry with rare chocolate diamonds. save up to 20% on select leviannstyles, with dazzling designs that she's sure to loveveve at kay, the number-one jewelry store... ...in america. levian chocolate diamonds... ...for the sweetest thing in your life.

>> reporter: 21-year-old jamie hart had been sexually assaulted and left to die on the side of a busy roadway. >> i c c c barely function. i -- i -- all i could think about was loss, that she's gone from my life forevev. >> reporter: jamie's boyfriend, chuck cruz, then 24, says right after the murder he took offffo baytown texas, jamie's hometown. >> about the only thing i remember her father asking me isis"when are you coming down?" so i got some stuff together and drove down as soon as i could. and i spent most of the next week with them, mourning with the family.

r her funeral. >> reporter: back k college statioio detective kenny elliott was working the case. >> anynyme you have a killer out on the run it's frustrtring. you want to o tch the person responsible. >> reporter: o o possible suspect that male friend jamie visited the night of her murder.r. he'd refused to gigi police a dna sample for testiti. >> reporter: that's kind of odd, if he had nothing to hide. >> a lot of people will not t ve up dna. too much tv. >> reporter: but the detectiveve had snagged a sample from a beer mug and when the dna finally came back, he was not a match. reporter: you felt confident that you could rululhim out, sed on -- >> yes. yes. >> reporter: the dna not matching? >> yes. >> repororr: but even before the dna test cleleed jamie's frienen the detective was already looking for r her suspects. and his attention quickly landed on someone very close to the victim. her boyfriend. >> the questions that they asked, focused on where was i

been doing. >> reporter: looking at you as a possible suspect? >> it didn't really occur to me that that was what they were for ininrmation. >> reporter: chuck told the detective that before jamie was killed he hadn't seen her for two days. on the night of murder, he said he was at home. >> i was playiyi computer games like a good nerd. >> reporter: did yououave anyone there to corroborate your alibi? >> i thinknky roommates werere there but they were both asleep. i had nobodydyight there, sitting there with me. >> reporter: so the boyfriend's alibi wasn't solid. and as they spoke the detective was looking carefully for signs he might be hidingngomething. >> he was cooperative. apprehensive. he said everything wasasine in their relalaonship. >> reporter: the detective asked chuck for dna, and he said yes. and when they asked him for a polygraph he agreed to that too. but here's the thing with that last part, the polygraph.

>> reporter: that's a bad sign for you, right? >> also bad sign for him. yes. doesn't tell you that he's guilty. of interest. >> reporter: and what's more, the detective had been speaking with jamie's friends who said the relationship wasn't fine. in fact the couple had a f fht and were on the verge of a breakup. all of which just led to more >> basically, he went over every aspect of the relationship. just questioned him on his whereabouts.s. tried to get him to cocoess. >> r rorter: and if a failed polygraph wasn't suspicious enough, then listen to what the detective says chuck told him next. >> he said he had done some bad things, and wouldn't tell usus what. >> reporter: did you look him in the eyes say, "is one of those bad things killing jamie hart?" >> i did. he denied it. at that point in time, i -- i really thougug he could be our killer. started to think he e s the killer, how does he react to

>> he's very nervous. he just acted like -- as if he was guilty. >eporter: chuckckas free to go, but as authorities waited for his dna to be processed, the deteteive developed a theory of the crime that made sense to him. >> he was in love with her. he didn't want to lose her. and they were having somomissues in their relationship. >> reporter: so the boyfriend, a likely suspect w w in ththcrosos hairs. but when the dna results caca back -- >> the dna was not a match. >> reporter: so were you able to rule out chuck cruz, then, once you got that dna checked? >> i didn't rule him out completely, no. >> reporter: that was enough for you with -- with the -- the friend, who she was with the night before. you ruled him out, after you got the dna, correct? >> i didid the other guy y sn't her boyfriend. he hadn't flunked polygraphs. he wasn't in a bad relationship with her. chuck was. >> reporter: but they didn't arrest chuck. months went by and the detective kept investigating him.

searched his car. all the while chuck k s saying they were looking at the wrong guy. there's a lot of peopop that won't confess to a murder for obviououreasons. and at that point, he was a person of -- strong person of interest, but i still didn't know i ihe w w my killer, so we continued to search. >> reporter: the investigation dragged on, life for the students on campus began to go back to normal. parties every weekend. but when police were called to the scene of one house party, it wasn't because of noise or underage drinking. another woman was in a fight for her life. coming up -- >> a student at a party ends up p apartment. >> i screamed as loud as i can. immediately, he grgrs me and startstshoking me again. >> when "dateline" continues. hen your tax refund arrives,

from electronics, to home e cor, even tires, get low prices on everything u need to get more fufuououof your tax refund. walmart. (cafeteria noise) (flourish spray noise) (flourish spray noises) (school bell) (sigh)h) (flourish spray noise) share the e y of real cream... share the joy of real cream... (flourish spray noise) ...with reddi-wip. (dog) mmm, beneful healthy weight is s good... and low-calorie. keeps me looking good. hey, i get some looks, i hear the whistles. (vo) beneful healthy weight, a delicious, low-calorie meal your dog will love. with wholesome rice, real chicken,

cut! this is way too much. i just want to talk to w wen about my decision to use poise. i've had four kiki. ladies, who pees a little when they laugh? uh-uh, uh-huh. you see? switching to poise helps make life easier. roll that thing! get 3 in 1 protection for dryneses comfort, and odor control. and unlike period pads, poise thin shape pads have thin flex technology. seize your poise moment at poise.com. these are my dogs dusty and cooper. i work for the dogs twenty-four seven. i am the butler. these dogs shed like crazy. itit like being inside of a snow globe. it takes an n ful lot of time to keep the house clean.

(doorbell) what's this? swiffer sweeper and dusters. this is nice a a easy boys. it really sticks to it. it fits in all the tight spaces. this is really great. does that look familiar to you?

when chuck cruz's girlfriend was murdered, he was immediately a strong person of interest. >> reporter: they said that you were acting nervous, like you had something to hide -- >> they interprered all these things as signs of my guilt rather than a distraught boyfriend. at the time i had long hair and this was a cowboy town. that was considered to be weird and unusual. >> as for those e ad things" he told the detective he'd done-- explainin to us he was ferring to a petty argrgent they'd had just days b bore jamie's murder and the g glt he felt from not being with her the night she died. >> reporter: do you remember what you were arguing about? >> a loaf of bread the grocery sacker had put a cantaloupe on a loaf of bread.

and she was upset that the cker had squished the brbrd. and i told her it wasn't that bibiof a deal. and we had picked our sides and we argued about something as stupid as a loaf of bread. smiem and.d. >> and now he says he could hardly grieve with police breathing down his neck. >> reporter: what's it like waking up every morning and knowing that you're under a cloud of suspicion? >> incredibly depressing. >> he left college station -- moved home to be with his family near dallas ----ho spent money to hire a defense attorney. >> the biggest thing that was going through my mind the whole time was that i didn't do it, they don't know who did it, and the guy who did it is out wawaing around and likely to prey on more victims. this monster is walking free while they're wasting their time on me. kelly brown of the eaglgl newspaper was writing front page

in the college towow >> and it reallylyhook the community because e is is an area that isn't used to seeingnghis type of crime. >> and kelly was heaeang talk that the police had a suspect. but there was no arrest and that's what keptptverybody saying, well, then, okay. was it the boyfriend? was it-- you know, someone that's still out there?" is he going to strike again? >> it was scary of course -- and students like kristin lancaster followed the investigation? >> did people chchge their behavior patternrnbecause of this crime?? >> to a certain degree, but i think it was short-lived. >> i mean people went back to eir classes and their business, yeah. you start rationalizing that maybe, you know, she trusted the wrong person. >> reporter: this doesn't happen to you? >> exactly, yeah. >> and then it was late octotor -- half a year since the murder of jamie hart. kristin didn't know it yet, but she was about to become part of a chain of events that only deepened the mystery. >> i think maybe i went to classes that day.

i know that the e ening time rolled around. i ththk, was it a friday? >> a friend invited kristin to a party. >> and she said you know im having a little get t gether at my house. whwhdon't you come by? >> kristin drove over to the apartment complex in bryan texas -- that's the town next to college station. >> the door is open. there's a few people inside. there's some music playing andnd people having some driris. >> she struck up a conversation with her friend's upstairs neighbor. he wasas4, hadn't been to college, but mixed in easily with the students. >> reporter: was he kind of a likekele guy? >> he seemed, yeah, very likeable. yeah, he was verer approachable -- seemed verer nice. >> in fafa, he had no problem sharing intimate details with kristin about his personal life. >> he had been married and-- and somehow the conversation, you know, , es into o m telling me how he had fouou god. i made a lot of mistakes. i wasn't a great husband. >> reporter: yeah, you guys-- yeah, you guys got into quite the pepeonal conversation for r ving just met. >> well, i was young and i think that was normal, and he was drunk.

started it abruptly ended kristin's friend hosting the party got into a fight with her boyfriend. >> there was alcohol involved and so it was worried that it uld get out of hand. >> everyone left. but not kristin. she was concerned about her frfrnd and stuck around talking to the upstairs neighbor. >> so, you were feeling protective-- >> yeah. >> he said to me, "you know are you-- you know y y're worried about your friend? i said yes i am. and he said we can go to my apartment so you can be close to a phone to call. >> she and the neighbor walked up the staircase to his apartment. >> it's directlylybove her apartment. and he opens the door. i was barely a step into the door and he just sort of kind of pushes me in, slams the door shut. >> he locks the door and immediately grababa remote that was right there and turns the stereo up to this deafening volumemejust deafening. >> kristin reached for the door to leave. >> andnde pushes me back. and that's when he statas making some demands.

serious and aggressive. and i almost to the point where i thththt he w w joking. >> but he was serious. demanded she undress. >> i kept arguing, "i'm not t gonna do it." he's, like, "you're gonna do it. >> and that's when he runs over and he grabs me by the throat. he's choking me and choking me. and then the second he lets up i scream as loud as i can. and then immediatete he grabs me and starts choking me again.n. and this time he picks me up almost by the throat and sort of, like, pulls me back into the bedrdrm that's in the back. >> you're a prisonerern this apartment now? >> yes. >> and he putstse on the ttress. and this is the first timeme black out. >> i wondered if this-- for a second, this was it. i could die? >> yeah. he's like, has a hand still on my throat and he's s st of shaking me. >> kristin couldn't fight him ofofphysically, , she tried to talk her way out of a sexual assault. >> i said you dont want to do this and he stops and he says, "why don't i wanna do this?" and-- and i say, "well, because i have-- i have hiv. and you can tell he's thinking about it for a aecond. and he says to me, he says, "well, guess what, so do i." >> the lie didn't work.

>> i was, like, "well, what about, you know-- you know, you finding god, and, like, trying to work on yourself." i actually was able tototall him for quite some time. > must've gotten off the bed and we wererstanding talking. and i remember that's when i started to just stomp my foot. like, anani was sort of, like, trying to make it look like i was making a point and stomping my foot and then he grew angry again. >> he threw heheback on the bed-his grip on her neck tighter as he e xually assaulted her. >> he's squeezing so hard at this point in time that itit felt like the bones in my throat were cracking. >> i said, " " you keep doing this you're going to kill me." and he sort of looked at me and it was this half smile, and he looked at me for a second, and he just said, "do you think i actually care about that?" >> reporter: is that when you feel like you're looking in the face of evil? >> i mean, he-- i knew then completely in that moment that he intendedeon killing me. coming up -- >> a knock at the door. >> this is likika miracle. >> and doubt.

nobody believed me.rly unique to wear, go to your w wdrobe. your jewelry wardrobe... jared the galleria of jewelry... for the ultimate selection of levian. only levian, masters of jewelry design for centuries... makes jewelry with chocolate diamonds. gorgeous, trend-setting looks... like this limited edition pieceeyou can only find at jared. making levian the essential part of her jewelry wardrobe. that's why... she went to jared. chobanansimply 100 . it's the only light greek yogurt with zero preservatives.

>> reporter: 19-year-old kristin lancaster was preparing to die. moments of y yr life, when you think that someone is going to kill you, what is going througug know, that i loved them. >> reporter: she was in a stranger's apartment being sexually assaulted, drifting in and t of consciousness. >> i black out, but then i stata to come to again. and it's, you know, the scenes in the movies where the bombs explode and everything's really fuzzzz you can't hear, like, everything's, like, coming through this fog. >> reporter: suddenly, the man stood up and left the room. ordered her to remain quiet. >nd i scream as lououas i can, "call the police.

>> reporter: turns out, the bryan police were at the door. >> so my friend had heard me screaming and stomping and had called the police. >> reporter: this is like a miracle -- >> it was -- yeah. >> reporter: that in the nick of time the police show up. that -- that only happens on tv. >> i knono believe me, i know. >hey ran in. i was just curled in a fetal position on the floor just shaking, shaking uncononololbly. i remember them asking me what happened and i just -- the words were just comingngut so fast. >> reporter: the cops took the man away in handcuffs while kristin slept on her friend's couch that night. ththfriend called the police to see what would happen next.. >> she found out thahathey didn't book him for sexual assault charges. >> reporter: in factctkristin's attacker, the man she said almost killed her, had been released. that must've been a tough pill to swallow. >> it was terrifying. i just -- i thought he was going to come and find me and kill me. >> reporter: down at the police station, the man had given a wildly different version of events. eric buske is the current bryan

he wasn't with the department back then, but says the suspect told investigators that he and kristin had a fight over drugs. >> she got angry when he substituted aspiririfor cocaine, and she went off in a rage when that occurred. >> i ihink he had told them some story about how it had been a drug deal thth had gone bad. and so, then i was crying, "rape." >> reporter: after the attack police charged him with unlawfwf restraint. a misdemeanor. the next day, kristin and her dad went to the bryan police department to find out why her attacker wasn't charged with something more serious. >> i was furious. i had thought in this moment that i survived,d, survived. like, this is it... this guy is gogog down. >> reporter: she met with a detective who asked her questions. lots of them. >> i had bruises all up and down my throat. i couldn't swallow. and then at one point in time the detective asked me to place my hands on my own throat and i mean, whichchchn then -- >> reporter: why? >> like, psychologogally, like,

want you to do that? >> because i did that and he looks at me and he says, "well, those could've been self-inflictct." the detective who's comimi up with these theories?s? >> i mean, i was hysterically crying andndndling him, like, "this is -- this man tried to kill me." you know, and he would just say, "well, that's not what he says." i'm, like, "of course that's not what he says." >> reporter: kristin says thatat despite her bruises, police treated it like a "he said-she said" story. how angry were you getting? >> i was furious. i just couldn't believe, like, nobody believed me. >> reporter: chief buske maintains the detective was just doing a thorough investigation. >> everything i've read indicated the detectives did believe her. you know, sometimes when you're conducting an investigation, your job is to get to the truth as a detective you're going to have to ask some hard questions. >> reporter: they interviewed her atatcker again and a few months later did charge him with sexual assault. >> the unlawful restraint was still in place. and d en we booked him on first degree sexual asasult. >> reporter: the case went to a grand jury but it decided not to indict him. >> so the sexualalssault charges were dropped, bebeuse they felt

>> reporter: o o that must have been toughgho hear thaha >> it was very tough to hear that. and it was at a point in time ththgh when i found that o o i st didn't feel like i had any recourse. >> reporter: she did talk about the case later with reporter kelly brbrn. >> it bothered me at the time because i wondered, "why didn'n' the grand jury indict him for at least attempted sexual assault?" >> but it seemed a little troubling to me that -- what were we missing? what part of the story did we not have? did the detectives say something that made them think, "maybe it was consensual?" >> repororr: he was still facing the misdemeanor charge of unlawfwf restraint scheduled to go to court t wn the road. in the meantime, he was a free man. he's out walking around. >e's out walking around. >> reporter: in the next town over, detectives at the brazos county sheriff's office were

murder case in addititn to keeping an eye on jamie's s boyfriend chuck, they say they followed up on hundrdrs of other leads and tips. but no one in that department looked at kristin's case for a possible connection. >> reporter: you were sexually assaulted. jamie hart was sexually assaulted. did you start to think that thesescould be connectct? >> i didn't think they were connected. and that was primarily because, with jamie there was a boyfriend that may have been involved. it was a romantic relationship that went wrong. it wasast some random occurrrrce by a stranger. >> reporter: kristin was now living with overwhelming a aiety and dread, w wch she says nifested into dangerous behavior. >> instead of being afraid of everything i became afraid of nothing. i, you know, i just became completely risk seeking. >> reporter: what kind of things would you do? >> i think i started drinking heheily for a while after that. you know, i'd d p ononhe back of a stranger's motorcycle after r he'd had three beers and it took

that hole. >> reporter:r:ust as kristin was starting to turn a corner her attacker was due in court t that misdemeanor charge. but nothing came of it. he didn't even s sw up. >> i'd done what i needed to do. and part of me just wanted to forget it ever happened. >> reporter:r:ut she couldn't. kristin was about to walk right into another crime scene in college station. coming up -- felt what do we haveven our hands here? >> a shockingly brutal murder, >> the clothing that he was wearing was diffffent than what he had just told us. you get hungry. and you cocot the seconds until red lobster's lobsterfest is back with the largest variety of lobster dishes of the year. like newewueling lobster tails with one tail stuffed with crab, and the other with langostino lobster mac-and-cheese, it's a party on a plate!

lives up to its name. hey, eating is believing. so stop dreaming and start eating. in a world full of dictates and conventions, could there be another way? la vie est belle vie est bellelele the eau de parfum, lanc me receive a free gift. only at t cy's your fragrance destination y have your glasses fit manually, when there's the lenscrafters accufit system. replacacg basic handheld measuring tools

i've smoked a lot and quit a lot, but ended up nowhere. now i use this. the nicoderm cq patch, with unique extended release tetenology, helps s event the urge to smoke all day. i want this time to be my last time. that's why i choose nicoderm cq. what if one pipie of kale could protect you from diabetes? what if one sit-up could prevent heart didiase? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is onenetepp yoyocan take to help prevent t t her serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13 vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia,

coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may evev put you in the hospital. even if you have already been vaccinated with another p pumonia vaccine, prevnar 13 may help provide additional protection. prevnar 13 is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13 if you have had a a vere allergrg reaction to theheaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune sysysm, you may have a lowereresponse to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist

>t was may of 2000, six months since kristin had been assaulted. her attacker had failed to show up to court and seemed to have just disappeared. >> reporter: he juju didn't show up? >> didn't show up. >> in the next town over, detective kenny elliott murder case. he'd spent the last year casting a wide net for possible suspects. >> repepter: you took dna from 70 people? >> i thihi 77, mainly peoplele for violent crimes. anyone that was in the area that just didn't want to talk, we

>> but he also had never taken his eye off of her boyfriend -- chuck cruz. >> reporter: there was jusus somethininthat was bothering you about chuck cruz? >> there was a lot bothering m m abouououuck cruz. >> so the brazos county sheriffs office kept investigating chuck -- even communicated with the da about possibly convening a grand juryry chuck and his lawyer spoke to o the detectivivon many occacaons. and the detective continued to think chuck's behavior was suspicious. and he still seemed nervous. >> reporter: did you ever think that maybe the reason that chuck cruz was acting this way was that you guys were coming down pretty hard on him and he's lost his girlfriend. i mean, is this a way to act? >> i don't know, but he had-- he had several things goin' against him, and we just couldn't walk away from him. we either had to prove that he did it, or prove that he didn't do it.

>> reporter: so even though the dna didn't match -- >> there was no match. but they insisted on targeting me as the prime suspect. they were trying to build a case at wasn't there. >> while chuck's life had been on hold for a yearar- kristin was starting to feel like her old self again. ininhe six months since her attack she'd t ten u urunning -- had a new boyfriend. and though kristin hoped the in of that horrible night was behind her for goooo it wasn't. >> and there's police tape everywhere. >> may 28 2000. kristin had just arrived to visit friends at an apartment complex. there was no reason, not then anyway, to think her case was connected to the scene unfolding there. >> police cars and ambulances and all kinds of, you know, vehicles, like, emergency response vehicles everywhere.

tape sent memories rushing back. >> it was juju, you know, fear. >> firefighter leon moore had arrived at the apartment early that morning, after a neighbor reported smoke in one of the units. >> the bedroom door was open and we could see some flames. they were on the carpet so-- we had-- a water extinguisher that we used and-- ananput the small fire out. >> there on the floor -- a body >> we backed out and made sure at we preserved as much evidence as we could. >> he sensed foul play-- not just a fire. and called for detective jeff capps of the cololge station police department. >> it looked like her body had kinda been propped up-- onto the bed. >> she was nude from the waist down. >> reporter: this is really didiurbing. >> it was. >he victim was 21 year old carolyn casey-- a day care worker. her parents anita and larry- so proud of their eldest daughter. >> she was wononrful with kids. l the kids loved her. everyone loved her. >> never could they have epared themselves for the dreadfdf phone call they received.

casey?" i said, "yes." i think he said, "well, there's been an accident a a your dadahter's dead. fire." >> when n rolyn's younger sister amanda learned the news, she collapsed with grief. >> and i just-- i screamed really loud, made my ears ring from my screaming. >> they've got this wrong? >> yeah. somethinins wrong. she didn't-- she didn't die. and i said, "no, she's not dead. >> what was the turning popot? >> i called her apartment. and she didn't answer. >> detective capps did say it was homicide. >> i think we-- we had a strong feeling that possibly there was some type of sexual assault that occurred and that somebody w w trying to cover up some evidence. >> kelly brown of the eagle newspaper had another story to write. >> this is a community that's not used to a lot of murders.

like this. and it certainly wasn't used to having a murder victim be set t firere even law enforcement, they thought, what, what do w whave on our hands here? >> on the night of carolyn's murder, there had been a small party in one of the apartments. and now the detective was canvassing theheomplex. looking for leads. >> reporter: you're literally dock knockininon doorsrs >> yes. >> in one unit, two men answered. one of them had been to the party. his name was ynobe matthews he >> he mentioned that he did attend this party. she was there. >> likikmany peoeoe who'd attendededynobe agreed to an interview, his down atathe police department. he was friendly, and cooperative -- said carolyn had left the party before he had. >> he later left the partyty went w wh another female that was at t t party over to a convenience store that was close by and bought some cigarettes. >> ynobe gave the detective a dna sample, and supplied the clothes he'd been wearing.

detective pulled surveillance video from the convenience store and noticed something. >> the clothing that h hwas actually wearing was different than what he had just told u u and why is he not telling us the truth? >> ynobe clalaed he'd simplyly forgototn-- and then handed the detective the proper clothing. no forensic evidence found on the clothes connected him to the crime e ene. >> so this wasn't your big moment. >> no. it wasasas >> the "big moment" did come though, just a few n nhts later when the pieces of this puzzle finally came together. coming up -- >> an arrest of a familiar suspect. >> i was certain that he had done this before. but at theheame time, i didi't think he would do it again. abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. it could be ibs-d new prescription xifaxan is an ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of

or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea wowoens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or aree taking othth medications, because these mamaininease the amamnt of xifaxan in your body. tell your doctororf you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. if you think you have ibs with diarrhea, ask to your doctor about new xifaxan. sfx: ziploc bag opening sfx: ambient office sounds, a phone rings, laughter life makes you deal with things far outside your j j description. life needs ziploc sfx: containers stacking sc johnson come on! don't drop your phonon drop your network. bring your phone to o icket wireless. we have more 4g lte coverage nationwide than t-mobile or sprint.

you mind helping us out with a littleleaste test? which one of these do you think is v8? the red one. red. definitely the red one. gugus what, they're all v8! really? (laughs), yea. y'all came out with some new flavors. do you want totoheers? here's to v8! brininng veggie power to the people. v8 veggie blends. veggies for all! there's no one i'd rather... share with. no one i'd rather have dinner and a movie with. no one i'd rather lean on. ing in love is an amazing thing. being in lovovwith your best friend... ...is everything. introducing the ever us two-stone ringng one diamond for your best friend ... one for your true love. for the one woman in your life who's both. ever us. new this valentine's day at jared, kay and zales. lysol disinfectant spray kills 99.9% of bacteria on more than just the trashcan. it's the "pungent gym bag stink" neneralizer. and the "prevent mold and mildew on the shower curtain for up to 7 days" spray.

and even the "athlete's foot fungus" killer. discover more ways you can use lysol disinfectant spray

>> reporter: it was two ninits dedective capps made a discovery one that would f fally connect the dots in n e series of crimes that had terrorized this college town. >> i spent that evening basically reading through all ththe reports. >> reporter: theheetective had ordered background checks on some of the people who attended ththparty ininarolyn's apartment complex, including ynobe matthews. it turns out, there were several police reports in the file accusing ynobe of a number or crimes. >> mr. matthews had a tendency

females, and in the process ofof that he would choke them if they wewe not willing to have sex with him. >> reporter: how did carolyn die? >> her death was ruled a strangulation. so things started kinda matchin' . >> reporter:r:nobe had neverer been convicted of seseal assault, but in the files the detectcte read the story one particularly brutal assault.t. a case ended up being charged as a misdemeanor unlawfululestraint it was kristin's. ynobe was the man she says most killed her. >> i was certain that he had done this s fore. but at the same time i didn't think he wouldldo it again. >> reporter: the detective called ynobe matthews back down to the station for another terview decided to pull a fast one with his suspect telling him he was about to get dna results from the crime scene. >> reporter: what were you really about to get it that ickly? >> we weren't gonna get it that quickly that day, but tryin' to get him to believe that we had that information, that we had everything that we needed.

earlier. and d told him, if he would pagege me just say put in type in the words that says dna matches. >> reporter: and right on cue, the detective's pager went off. >> and i showed it to mr. matthews. it said "dna matches." >> reporter: so what's his face like when he l lks at that match? >> he became pretty emotional. and he said -- he -- it was an accident but he had killed her. reporter: the detective called carolyn's parents and gave them the news of the confession. him." i said, "well, how s se." he said,d,i'll bet the farm on it. >> reporter: it was the next morning when kristin lancaster opened up the newspaper and learned her attacker had been charged with murder. >> i felt overwhelming guilt, just overwhelming guilt knowing that he'd killed somomne and that, you know, perhaps i hadn't tried hard enough to make people >> reporter: did you feel like a

seriously? >> oh yes, carolyn would still bebeere. i mean, there's no doubt. >> reporter: and what about the woman n thehetart of our story? jamie hart's case had been handled by the brazos county sheriff's office. bubuafter ynobe was s s sted, it didn't take long for the college station police department and the sheriffs officicto compare the dna. what they found? ynobe was also jamie's killer. >> reporter: what's that moment like? >> i r rember the feeling of wanting to feel relieved. but all i could think was, "this is -- this is exactly what i knew was going t thappen. he struck again, another girl is dead, and another family hasas lost their precious daughter." >> reporter: chuck says to this day he misses jamie and has never gotten over being viewed

>> having to spepe such a long time under investigation for the death of a lovededne. it hurts a lot. >> reporter: it's -- it's like a scar?? >> very much so. very much so. >> r rorter: do you feel bad about that at all, that he was put through that? >> i'm sorryryhat he had to gogo through thatatyes. but if i had to do the investigation over, i wouldn't change anything. i'm sorry he lost the love of his life. but we hadad job to do, and we d to either arrest him for murder, or clear him. we cleared him. >> reporter: but before jamie, before kristin, before carolyn, there was another victim who soon learned she was also connected to this horrifying series of events. her name is misty johnson. >> if i didn't let him rape me, he would have e lled me. >> reporter: like kristin, misty reported her attack to the bryan polili department. but ynobe denied it, claiming it was consensual, and misty was

in the investigation. >> it was probably within a ek, i quit my job and left up to. i i s scared. >> reporter: she now regrets that decision. her attack happened first. months before jamie was murdered. >> i feel like if i would have stayed and fought him through the police department that possibly he wouldn't have been able to go on to hurt anyone else. >> reporter: and k kstin, is leftftith the memory of an assault, that, according to the law, never really happened. >> i was so angry that two people had to die in ordrd for someone to believe me. >> reporter: did the system fail? >> it failed me. it failed carolyn. it failed jamie. >> reporter: you think about them a aot? they were total strangers toto you. >> but they're my alternatate future. i mean, thth're what could've happened to meme i mean, they're what could've

>> reporter: a jury convnvted ynobe matthews of carolyn's murder and sentenced him to death. he also pleaded guilty to jamie's murder. kristin faced him in court ring the penalty phase. >> it was terrifying. i hahato testify and i met carolyn's family and -- and jamie's family they y l came out afterwards and gave me a hug. it helped me realize that their families didn't hold any grudge ainst me, you know. >> it's not her fault that my sister died. and kristin should have no guilt over that. >> reporter: with the cacay family as witnesses, ynobe matthews was executed three years later. if there is a lesson to take from this story, it is one that comes directly from a survivor herself. someone who has learned the hard way to cherish life's moments eachchnd every one. >> it makes you realize how fragile your life is, you know, and that anybody can take it, you know, in a moment's notice.

that's it. that's their life story. the final chapter's been written. but for me i get to keep going on. >> reporter: what would you call yourself?? >> i mean, people have called me a survivor, i would call myself lucky. thth's all for this edition of "dateline." we'll see you tomorrow at 8:00, 00 central with a date looip saturday night mystery and sunday at 7:00, 6:00 central. i'm lester holt. for alalof depupues make a harrowing arrest near a school. plus new stats reveal a racial trend when it comes down to drug ararsts. why the chief says the numbers

storor-- the whole story. but first we begin with breaking news. a gagaline severed in north charlotte leaving 300 homes without heat. this is the e scene. piedmont charlotte tells us that a crew member severed the line but heat will be not be restored for several hours. we'll continue to watch this and track it for you and bring u updates as they become available.e. tonight we're tracking a major winter storm alert for the charlotte region as the system gets set to move in. that could bring snow, sleet,t, ice, and a lot of other things for parts of the area. frigid arctic r is coming down on us. people are gettttg ready for the single digit lows aid of the weekend. >> let's begin with brad panovich.