>> reporter: this case was different from the start. it had sex, religion -- you have this victim that so many people love. it will really had everything. their friends said rob and sabrina were the perfect couple. >> they called each other "bear" and "pooter." just happy, happy, happy. >> reporter: two shots ended that. >> do you see any breathing? >> no, i don't. i don't see nothing. i think he's dead. >> i started thinking who wanted rob out of the picture -- >> then the text messages started coming -- this tiny town had a big secret. >> sabrina and rob had an open relationship but someone wanted even more. >> she couldn't stay away from

they could not stay away from each other. >> i asked him are you having an affair with sabrina? >> the perfect marriage may not have been that perfect? >> yes, first one betrayal. >> good morning my lover. >> well, good morning. >> they talked about god, god is so good. yes, god is so good. then a deadly one. >> this starts to seem more like a hit -- >> whoever did this to rob needed to pay. >> reporter: what was really going on behind closed doors? >> that was the bombshell of all bombshells. no one could look away you just couldn't look away. i'm lester holt and this is dateline. here's josh mankiewicz with "secrets in silver lakes." >> reporter: trackless dry and desolate. the mojave desert fits almost no one's image of the california lifestyle. unless, that is, you stumble

silver lakes, a community of 5,000, impossibly built in the desert on the water. the lakes are artificial, of course. the houses look solid enough, stucco and red tile, along with churches, a golf course, and parks for the kids. wholesome, anywhere, main street usa. but what if that's a mirage, too? turns out, behind some of these doors, there are secrets. about religion -- about friendship -- about sex -- and about murder. >> reporter: rob and sabrina limon were just one of those magical couples. >> you wanted to invite them to every barbeque you had, and you wanted to make it to every -- every barbeque, or -- or every time they were gonna go out on a lake. and -- and they attracted people

>> reporter: friends jason and kelly bernatene say the limons were irresistible. >> they had two beautiful kids, and a great family. and just always happy. >> that's so sweet -- >> how did they get along with each other? >> oh, gosh. they never fought. they -- they were like -- they called each other "bear" and "pooter." and -- hugs, and kisses, and high-fives all the time. just happy, happy, happy. >> reporter: their happiness was all the sweeter because rob's own parents had split up when he was a child. >> divorce is hard on kids. and it was hard on -- on -- on my brother. mom worked a lot of nights, you know, being a single mom. so i would take care of robert. >> reporter: after graduating high school, rob lived with chris here in prescott, arizona. it's where he met sabrina, just about everyone called her "brina."

our home. and -- introduced us. and he said, "i think i'm gonna marry her." >> reporter: chris could tell this was serious. >> she loved my brother. and i could -- i could tell she did. >> reporter: rob adored both sabrina and her family says lydia marrero, another of rob's sisters. >> they were very warm and welcoming. and they did things together. and that's what he wanted for himself and his family. >> reporter: rob and sabrina married in a beautiful church wedding on august 19, 2000. rob thought about becoming a firefighter then landed a job as a mechanic for a railroad company. >> he loved his job just like everything he did. he put 110% into it. >> he'd always take pictures of himself at work, you know, see the trains in the background and robert with his thumb up and, you know, just enjoying life. >> reporter: sabrina and rob

california. in a community called silver lakes, some people call it the happiest place in the high desert. their house was on strawberry lane. they had two beautiful children robbie and leanna. almost 3 years apart. kelly bernatene is a hairdresser in town, that's how she and sabrina met. >> she made an appointment, came in, was super nice. friendly, like, over-the-top friendly. i did her hair. she told me about her family. she talked to me the whole time, nonstop. >> she was hard to resist. >> yeah. she was. >> reporter: kelly's husband, jason, is a firefighter. soon the limons invited them over for dinner. >> you -- you remember that first dinner? >> yeah, i remember the first time i met rob. he's actually kind of a scary dude. he's -- he's really big. he's got tattoos all over his arm. and he's got his last name tattooed on the back of his

so, his -- his appearance was not like his -- his personality. it only took a minute to realize he was the nicest guy in the world. >> reporter: jason and rob became fast friends. so did kelly and sabrina. >> we used to joke that sunshine was coming out of their -- their butts, they were such happy people. and you just wanted to be around 'em. >> reporter: the four became inseparable. they would often get together with a handful of other young couples. they all called themselves the 'wolfpack.' >> it's a big group when we all get together. and our -- our little -- our little pup's runnin' around too. >> reporter: the wolfpack spent just about every holiday and birthday together. but one couple was always the center of gravity sabrina and rob limon. >> i would look at rob, and i -- and i would watch him, you know, with sabrina. and i'd like, "that's the guy that -- that i need to be like." like, you know, and -- all the

and -- and it was hard to compare to him. >> yeah, everybody'd be like, "why can't you be more like rob?" >> yeah. be more like rob. that -- that's what everybody said. and -- and, as a guy, you're just like, "i -- i can never be like that." >> reporter: on august 11, 2014 rob turned 38. he celebrated his birthday with his family and his wolfpack friends. and then just a week later everything went off the rails. rob was working the day shift at an isolated railroad office in tehachapi, about 90 miles from helendale. sabrina worked part time serving food samples at costco, and the couple often talked or texted during the day. this day was no exception. >> "call me bear. i'm home now. getting the kids dinner and ready for school. yay!" >> reporter: but rob didn't respond. and he didn't call on the way homeas

sabrina texted him again. >> "babe i'm worried about you. call me. leanna wants to say good night." >> reporter: that was a little after 8:00 p.m. rob limon never did call. instead, this call came in. >> tell me exactly what happened. >> i -- opened the garage door, and there's a light bulb busted out. >> uh-huh. >> he's on the ground, bleeding out of his head. >> okay. >> oh my god. >> reporter: what had happened? when we return. >> i looked at her sister and i said, "is this -- is it true?" an apparent burglary and a mystery. >> we didn't know what was going on and it didn't make a lotta sense. . abetes

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>> reporter: it didn't take long for bad news to spread in silver lakes. kelly bernatene got the call in the middle of the night and immediately drove to sabrina's home. >> she comes to the door, but she was wearing a railroad jacket. and little leanna was wearing a railroad jacket and holding a picture of her dad. and then she said something like, "oh, my kelly." and she just, like, reached her arms out and fell on me and cried. and then i looked at her sister and i said, "is this -- is it true?" and she said, "yeah." d

>> reporter: it was true. big rob limon, the nicest guy in the world, had been shot to death at work. >> but i still didn't believe that. because rob was so strong, and i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: sabrina's older sister, julie cordova, says they were both stunned. >> she was crying and just pacing and trying to be strong for the kids all at the same time. so i laid with brina that night, and rubbed her head. >> there was hardly any information at that point. we didn't know what happened. >> nightmare. >> we didn't know what was going on. and it didn't make a lotta sense. >> reporter: making sense out of rob's murder was the job of kern county sheriff's detective randall meyer. he got the call and headed for the industrial complex in tehachapi where rob was working on the last day of his life.

>> not typically. >> reporter: a co-worker called 911 after finding rob's body and seeing the blood inside the shop. >> did you see any breathing? >> no. i don't see nothing. i think he's dead. >> it appeared that he'd been shot twice. >> reporter: once to the upper right chest. and again to the left lower chin. which meant, rob had been facing his killer when he died. detective meyer inspected the crime scene. >> one of the computers from the desk was missing. and several drawers were open. and there were files that were strewn about the office. >> reporter: it looked like a burglary. an odd place for one because it was a railroad warehouse. no cash normally kept here. there were tools and train parts, but not much a thief could easily fence. and what's more -- >> burglars usually don't kill people. >> only in tv do shoot-outs happen as the result of somebody

interrupting a burglary. usually the burglar runs out of there as quickly as possible. >> yeah, that's correct. >> reporter: there was something else that didn't fit the burglary theory. >> we did not locate any shell casings on the ground. >> meaning he was either shot with a revolver or someone was careful enough to pick up the shell casings afterwards which would suggest what? if that's the case. >> it would suggest that they had planned and prepared to commit the murder. >> reporter: rob's killer did leave behind a critical piece of evidence, a bullet lodged in rob's head. that went to the crime lab, while meyer rethought the case. >> after looking at the scene, we thought somebody was upset with rob, and was looking for him. >> reporter: soon there was reason to doubt that theory too, after the detective spoke with rob's co-workers. >> they told me that rob limon was a very kind loving person, a good friend. he was somebody who would help anybody out ify

at any point in time. >> good guy. >> good guy. >> and everybody said that he never had a problem with anyone at work. >> reporter: which raised yet another possibility, maybe rob was not the intended target. a check of the schedule revealed rob was covering someone else's shift that day, a co-worker named corey hamilton. >> so if anybody outside that office was looking for corey hamilton, they might have shown up and seen rob limon instead. >> yes. definitely. >> reporter: meyer interviewed cory, who told him that a couple of nights before rob was killed, cory went to a bar with some friends and got into an argument there. >> how many times you see an argument at a bar end up with somebody being charged with murder? >> just a couple. not very common. but i've seen a few. >> reporter: and after questioning the patrons at the bar, meyer decided it was unlikely that the argument led

to murder. so far the investigation was not moving quickly. in fact, it was barely moving at all. the railway company put out a $100,000 reward for more information. and detective meyer's phone started blowing up with tips, each of which had to be checked out. meanwhile, friends were trying to make sense of it all. >> was it possible that he could have gotten into something -- involved with somebody that he shouldn't have been involved with? >> you worry that you never really know anyone. so that was definitely a worry of ours, it crossed our minds. >> reporter: of course, they didn't want to believe that about their friend rob. they just wanted answers. >> we've actually asked the homicide detective multiple times like, "have you found anything? another girlfriend, and they haven't found anything." >> he was who he seemed? >> he worked hard.

working for his family. >> reporter: in those first few days meyer questioned sabrina limon about the couple's marriage. she said what everyone else seemed to know, rob was a good husband and a terrific dad. he was as well-liked in his personal life as he was at work. and their marriage was great. >> she said that everybody loved rob. >> reporter: and that seemed to be whole, puzzling story. but then there was this. a security camera captured someone entering the complex, limping across, carrying a bag. and then later, look closely at the upper edge of the screen. that same person exiting the scene. who was this man? and did he kill rob limon? >> reporter: coming up. a suspect on foot. caught again on wheels? >> when you look at the motorcycle and the rider, are you thinking, "there's our killer?" >> it was soin

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>> reporter: august 19th 2014. rob and sabrina limon should have been celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary. instead, sabrina was preparing for her husband's memorial service. rob's co-workers, friends and family packed the church. >> his son stood up and spoke ar

and just sobbing and sobbing of how much he loved his dad. and he missed his dad. >> reporter: sabrina's best friend, kelly, spoke on her behalf. >> i also read a letter that sabrina had written him, like, in 2009 that i found in a scrapbook. i wanted to read it to all of you. i figured if she-- if she didn't have the strength to talk, that i would try to speak for her in some way. so i read that. you have worked so very hard, above and beyond what most men do. >> reporter: sabrina sat in the front row next to her two children. >> all the friends rallied around sabrina and the kids and did everything they could to support her. you know, people donated money, people, you know, made sure there was food there every day. everyone wanted to make sure she was taken care of. >> reporter: meanwhile, kern county sheriff's detectives were busy tracking down leads. the biggest so far, security video showing a man limping into

the complex, and then later leaving the crime scene. finding him wouldn't be easy. and then someone called the tip line. >> they knew of a subject who was younger, who walked with a limp. and-- they provided the-- the subject's name. >> reporter: his name was joshua wehust. he lived near the complex and would often walk thru it to get to and from his home. that was interesting to detectives. so were the shoe prints found in the vicinity of the crime scene. this guy have a criminal record? >> a small criminal record mostly public intoxication type cases and that type of stuff. >> reporter: and mr. wehust owned several guns. so you bring him in. >> we did. we had our surveillance team pick him up and bring him into the tehachapi substation so i could speak to him. >> reporter: they checked his shoes and those matched the shoe prints at the scene. so, the prime suspect -- no. he had a solid alibi. >> he said he was with his pa

and we were able to speak to the parents. and said that he was with them at the residence at the time the murder was occurred. >> reporter: so joshua wehust was cleared. and then came another tip. detectives received a call from a local gunsmith. >> he'd said that he received a firearm revolver from a gentleman who was having issues with the firearm. and asked the gunsmith to change out the firing pin. >> reporter: i'm no gun expert. but how often do people change out the firing pins in their guns? >> not very often. >> reporter: police can sometimes use the mark a firing pin makes on a shell casing to later match that casing to a particular gun. so changing a firing pin could very well be an attempt to throw them off track. >> it was very suspicious. and the subject also owned a business within that same complex. so i immediately went up to tehachapi, seized the firearm, and sent it to our local lab here in kern county. >> reporter: a firearms analyst

to one of the bullets recovered at the scene. >> and the results were negative. it was not the gun that was used to kill rob limon. >> reporter: disappointing? >> it was disappointing at first. back to the grind -- >> reporter: detectives exhausted lead after lead. nothing was panning out. they did find more security cameras at a business down the street. the cameras captured vehicles coming and going from the industrial complex on goodrick drive. including this work truck which detectives believed had to be rob returning from a call. they made freeze frames of the vehicles. >> we spoke to all the business owners. i went door to door showing them a packet that i had created of all the-- the vehicles that had traveled east and west. >> reporter: and everybody identifies either their car or somebody else's car. and they all should have been in the area at the time. >> yes. yep. >> reporter: except a motorcycle. >> except a motorcycle. >> reporter: there it was. the one vehicle no one was able to identify.

the one that seemed to have no business being there -- when you look at the motorcycle and the rider, are you thinking, "there's our killer?" >> it could have been somebody who was driving down the street. it was a sunday afternoon. they were out for a motorcycle ride. but it was sumthin' we needed to definitely look into to try and let-- eliminate. >> reporter: trouble was they couldn't eliminate the motorcycle rider. couldn't find him, either. so you're kinda nowhere at that point. >> yes. we're looking for anything to lead us in the right direction. >> reporter: and then you get a phone call. >> yes. >> reporter: coming up, strange vibes from one half of the "perfect couple." >> she was like, "oh." like, a fake surprised look. i was like, "oh. that was weird." >> reporter: had someone been keeping secrets? >> rob says, "i know, buddy. i know. i found out the other day." .

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♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: rob and sabrina limon were living a picture perfect life, or were they? >> i feel numb. and kn

and he has gotten my attention. >> reporter: almost two weeks after rob was shot to death, his best friend jason received a voicemail message. >> i am begging you on my knees right now, that i could, perhaps meet with you and your wife and say sorry for, um, the hurt that i caused you -- >> and it's jonathan apologizing not only to me, but to my wife and he wants to be right with god. >> reporter: wait. back up a second. who's this guy jonathan? >> i used to work with -- with jonathan, in the fire department. and he was an apprentice. and he was a paramedic. he was a very good paramedic. and a really smart individual. >> reporter: and handsome -- and young. jonathan hearn was only 24. this is his oldest sister

>> my brother was the gentlest and the kindest person that i had ever met. >> reporter: one of six siblings, all raised in hesperia, california, another desert town 25 miles south of silver lakes. jonathan grew up in a christian household where the emphasis was on helping those in need. >> our faith was always -- not really a supplement to our life, but it was the foundation of our life. >> reporter: jonathan was homeschooled and later went off to the fire academy. when jason met him he was in training, but soon after jonathan became a full-fledged firefighter. one of his responsibilities was to buy food and supplies for the fire station. which made him a frequent customer at costco. the same costco where sabrina limon worked, passing out free samples. >> sabrina told us, like, "hey, i met one of the guys you used to work with." >> and i'm like, "oh, that's gotta be jonathan hearn. smartest guy." one of the smartest guys i've

>> reporter: that was 2012. early the following year jason and kelly ran into jonathan at a wolfpack party. >> and i was like, "oh, you know sabrina." so, i called at her from across the bar, and i said, "hey, brina. jonathan's here." and -- now, sabrina's normally like a -- "oh, hi!" like, very animated kinda person. and this time she was like, "oh." like, a fake surprised look. and -- >> and you noticed that. >> and i noticed it. and i was like, "oh." that was weird. >> reporter: just about then, rob came by. >> and i said, "hey, rob. do you know jonathan? sabrina's told me about him at work. she knows him from costco." and he looked at me, like, confused. and he goes, "yeah. yeah, kel." but, like, he really didn't. >> reporter: something was up, but kelly couldn't figure out what it was. >> i had no idea. but something wasn't right. something was not right. >> reporter: nevertheless, the wolfpack partied on. >> jonathan hung out with us,

talking to 'em. >> reporter: then in the days following the party. >> i started getting text messages from jonathan. you know, you guys are so cool. i would love to come hang out with you guys, and -- i was, like, oh, okay, yeah, sure. some -- someday we can do that, jonathan, cool. but then the text messages started coming -- every couple days. and then to the point where they were coming every day. >> he's like doin' everything he can to become part of your circle of friends. >> yes. and -- it was to the point where it was obsessive. >> reporter: one day, rob was helping the bernatenes remodel their home. jonathan kept texting jason, which by now seemed almost routine. until jonathan sent a text that did not seem routine. >> "jason, i really need to talk to your -- your buddy rob. i need his phone number." i went outside. and i called jonathan. and i asked him, like, "jonathan, what's up man? why-- why do you wanna talk to rob?" >> now it's your radar that's goin' off. >> yeah. my radar finally goes off. and he says -- "jason -- i --

my life wrong." >> reporter: jonathan spilled it. he wasn't just a would-be wolfpacker. this deeply religious man had something to confess. >> so, i go inside the house, and i tell rob -- "i don't know how to tell you this, rob." but i got jonathan hearn on -- on my phone. apparently he's been having an affair with sabrina." >> reporter: an enormous surprise to jason. but not, it seemed, to rob -- who had already figured out that his 33-year old wife was having an affair with a 24-year old firefighter. >> and rob says, "i know, buddy. i know. i found out the other day." >> reporter: rob told jason he'd discovered texts jonathan had sent sabrina. and became so angry he broke sabrina's phone. then rob agreed to talk with jonathan and walked outside. >> when he came back in, i -- i said, "what's up, rob? do we -- do we need to go handle this? and he said, "no. no. i got it, buddy.

we're good." >> he said that, you know, we're -- "sabrina's really embarrassed. you know, please don't tell anybody." >> reporter: jason and kelly promised to tell no one, not even their wolfpack friends. >> nobody wants to be embarrassed. particularly in front of your friends, who sort of look up to you, as the perfect couple. >> exactly. we didn't wanna, like, damage their reputation, or anything. i mean, we loved them. >> reporter: jonathan's text messages stopped. life went back to normal until about a year later, kelly made a quick stop at the costco and spotted jonathan talking with sabrina. >> i was upset. i think she could tell i was upset. >> reporter: kelly told jason. >> i was -- >> reporter: jason called jonathan. >> and i said, "jonathan, what the heck are you doin' in costco talkin' to sabrina?" and he starts sayin' -- you know jason i'm sorry, it's not like that. sabrina and i are just friends now. we have a spiritual relationship." and i told him, "well, jonathan,

woman. you've caused damage to this family. in the end i tell him, "never go into her costco again." and i'm yelling at him, emphatically. and -- he agrees. he says, "okay. i won't." >> reporter: a few months later, rob limon was shot and killed. by someone who was standing right in front of him. twelve days after that jonathan left his cryptic voicemail. >> god needs me to have a clear. and i wanna -- i wanna fix this with you -- >> reporter: fix what? what exactly was going on? >> reporter: a surprise visitor at sabrina's door. >> kelly says, "well, you'll never guess who just came and visited sabrina last night." and, more secrets behind bedroom doors. >> sabrina and rob had invited another -- married couple into their -- group -- for -- an open relationship when dateline continues. .

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ralphcandidate for governor,rtham, and i sponsored this ad. they're studying for 21st century jobs. but ed gillespie supports donald trump's plan to take money out of virginia public schools and give it to private schools. as a washington dc lobbyist, ed gillespie worked for lenders trying to keep student loan rates high. and ed gillespie's plan to cut taxes for the wealthy could cut virginia school funding, too. ed doesn't stand for education.

>> reporter: the sudden loss of a spouse, a life partner is devastating. and it always brings up a question, when is it okay to move on and try to find happiness again? after rob limon was murdered his wife sabrina faced that question. and to her best friends kelly

that someone was all too willing to help her answer it. >> "well, you'll never guess who just came and visited sabrina last night." and i said, "please no." she says, "yes, it was jonathan. this is two weeks to the day after rob's murder. >> reporter: jonathan hearn brought sabrina flowers. >> and we're not talking, like, a little thing of flowers. i mean, we're talking, like, a huge bouquet of flowers that just happened to be the flowers that were in her wedding bouquet. >> reporter: jonathan also wrote a letter to sabrina. sabrina read it to kelly. >> and it talked about what a wonderful man rob was and how he wants to be the kind of person that he was and all these things. >> and she's reading the letter like, "can you believe this jerk?" or she's reading you the letter like, "isn't this sweet?" >> isn't this sweet? listen to this. listen to how sweet jonathan is. so i'm trying not to throw up. i'm trying not to scream. i'm just, like, frea

>> reporter: jonathan had already admitted he'd had an affair with sabrina a year earlier, but said they'd broken it off, their relationship now, purely spiritual. the bernatenes thought it was tasteless at best for him to be hanging around sabrina just days after rob was murdered. >> i said, "how did that make you feel, the letter?" >> and she said? >> and she said, "well, i don't feel like he has any bad intentions." >> reporter: the bernatenes thought otherwise. jonathan's obsessive interest in the wolfpack, his affair with sabrina, his weird voicemail. >> i started thinking -- who would want rob dead? who wanted rob out of the picture? and the only person that popped into my mind was jonathan hearn. >> reporter: jason called the sheriff's department. >> i tell the cops my story, i let 'em listen to the voicemail. they're concerned, but at the end of everything, they're like, "well, you know, it sounds like they had an affair. that's f -- pretty far from

"maybe this guy is just trying to move in on -- on your -- your dead friend's wife. definitely doesn't mean he killed your -- your best friend. and this might be a guy you have to learn to live with." >> reporter: and so jason wondered if maybe he'd misjudged the whole situation. after all, jonathan was intelligent and had his whole life ahead of him. >> why would he murder for sabrina? why would he -- why would he throw away his life? why would he risk that for a married woman with two kids? >> he's young, he has a good career as a firefighter paramedic. >> and he's no murderer? >> and he's not a murderer. i've known him for a long time. he -- he did some bad stuff, but an affair is very far from murder. >> reporter: and in this case even farther than usual. because detective meyer had learned something else about rob and sabrina. >> a few years prior sabrina and

rob had invited another married couple into their group for an open relationship between the four of them. >> and that that was something of a way of life with those folks? >> i'm not sure if exactly a way of life, but you could say they had met before. and -- swapped partners -- for the evening. >> reporter: so if rob and sabrina already had an open relationship, maybe sabrina's affair with jonathan was no big deal. maybe jason and kelly just needed to get over it. >> i mean, look, okay, the guy's presumptuous, okay, he's a snake. okay, he wants you to sort of absolve him of this burden of guilt for having had the affair. but none of this makes him a killer, just makes him a kind of -- >> a creep. >> a guy you'd rather stay away from. >> absolutely. >> reporter: still, jason felt he had to talk with sabrina about the situation. >> i explained to her in detail all the reasons i didn't like jonathan and the conversations i'd had with him and how he was

closer to her. and at the end of my speech, she says, "well, jason, you know, i get that guy. you don't have to worry about him. i feel like everybody was brought into my life for a reason." >> reporter: what reason would that possibly be? coming up, rob limon was killed by a large caliber gun. >> jonathan hearn have a gun like that registered to him? >> yes, he did. >> reporter: coincidence? .

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>> reporter: ever since sabrina limon got the news of rob's death her big sister julie cordova hardly left her side. >> brina stayed in her room a lot. she just was in -- >> sabrina was trying to cope with the loss of her husband, and having to raise their two kids on her own. >> she's like, i don't-- i don't know what i'm going to

she couldn't make decisions, think, or anything. >> reporter: that worried julie, but even more worrisome, she says was a certain someone who was coming around sabrina and the kids way too soon. jonathan hearn. >> he would just show up random, you know, at times, and he wouldn't leave. julie, unaware of the affair would see him at sabrina's house, praying constantly, but she says what really caught her attention was this -- >> he was cooking in the kitchen, and that's what rob did. it was like he was moving in, and was feeling right at home. was i uncomfortable with it? yes, cause that was robert's place, you know? >> and now this guy's taking his place. >> uh-huh. yes, and brina didn't, she didn't like it either. >> reporter: who was this guy? and what was his reason for coming into sabrina's life?

wondered the same thing. jason bernatene thought the detective had discounted his suspicions about jonathan hearn, but meyer had not. in fact, he wanted to learn much more about this young firefighter from hesperia, california. >> no criminal record that we were able to locate. >> reporter: but this was interesting, the bullet recovered from rob limon's head was tested and -- >> the results from the lab was somewhere -- like a .44 caliber to a .45 caliber bullet that killed rob limon. >> big bullet, big gun? >> yes. >> jonathan hearn have a gun like that registered to him? >> yes, he did. >> reporter: and they found something else registered in his name, a yamaha motorcycle. >> we -- went to the yamaha website, checked out some other motorcycles, similar in the same year, and was able to look at those motorcycles compared to the video that we captured from goodrick road, and they were very similar.

an intersection in the middle of nowhere. >> what made you look at video from that gas station? >> that would be the -- the easiest path of travel from tehachapi to hesperia, california. >> where jonathan hearn lived. >> yes. >> reporter: the video showed a motorcyclist pulling up to the gas pump and then walking inside the store. this was on the same day rob was killed, the time stamp was about an hour after a similar motorcycle was picked up on security footage near the crime scene. >> appeared to be the same motorcycle with a clothing change, same stature, knees very high on the gas tank, wearing a backpack, which the subject was wearing a backpack on goodrick road. so at that point in time, we believe same motorcycle, same subject, but with a clothing change. >> so this person stopped somewhere to change clothes. >> yes. >> reporter: once inside, still wearing a helmet, the biker grabbed a drink then appeared to notice the security cameras and looked down. detectives by now thought that ha

>> i'm sort of hearing the word search warrant here. >> yes. we started looking into phone records. when they did they found thousands of calls and texts between jonathan hearn and sabrina limon. no surprise, since detectives already knew the two had had an affair. >> can you tell what the text messages were, or you just know that there were text messages between them? >> not at the time. they were having some text conversations back and forth, but the content we did not know. >> reporter: the communications seemed to stop four months before rob's death, but this was interesting -- jonathan's phone didn't ping anywhere near rob's shop the day of the murder, and registered zero activity at the time of the murder, but in the days before and after, there were thousands of texts, and calls to and from a number that detectives did not recognize. >> when you run that number, who does it come back to? >> it came back to no subscriber information found. >> meaning it's a pay as you go phone, a burner?

>> reporter: detectives decided to keep a close eye on jonathan, and when they tailed him, they watched jonathan throw something away. >> he had driven to a target and dropped some motorcycle pipes off into the dumpster. >> reporter: meyer thought perhaps jonathan had changed out his exhaust pipes to make his bike look and sound different. >> it sounds like you're becoming more and more certain that not only did jonathan hearn kill rob limon, but that he used that motorcycle to get to him from the murder? >> yes. >> and now he's trying to cover his tracks? >> yes, cover those tracks. >> reporter: kelly and jason never did tell sabrina that they talked with detective meyer and meyer asked them to please not say anything to anyone. >> it was extremely hard. it was -- it was hell, it was absolute hell. >> reporter: detective meyer was looking hard at jonathan hearn. there was that unfamiliar number that showed up in jonathan's phone records.

meyer requested the location of that phone, and he got it, and that's when the secrets of silver lakes really started to emerge. coming up -- the lovers caught on tape -- >> good morning my lover. >> well, good morning. >> reporter: and feeling guilty about, something. >> i have been a bad girl, i feel like the most horrible person in the world. >> i do too. >> reporter: when dateline continues. . all projects have a starting point. start with lowe's. hurry into lowe's and get 15% off all disney magic holiday items.

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>> reporter: continuing our story, rob limon, one half of a so-called "perfect couple" has been murdered. >> do you see any breathing?

i think he's dead. detectives were stumped until they learned that rob's wife sabrina had been having an affair with a much younger man, jonathan hearn. >> the perfect marriage may not have been that perfect? >> yes -- >> he was the only person that i'd ever met that -- would rather rob not be there. >> reporter: but suspicion is one thing. what detectives need now is proof. >> i was able to -- get a -- wiretap authorized. and so we were able to listen to their conversations. and instead of catching one fish, it looks like they may net two. >> i have been a bad girl. i feel like the most horrible person in the world. >> was sabrina in on her husband's murder? >> "i'd bet my life she's not involved. absolutely not, no way." >> reporter: here again is josh mankiewicz. >> reporter: weeks had passed since rob limon's life was violently cut short. detective randall meyer and his team were zeroing in on jonathan

hearn as a possible suspect. and now, in jonathan's phone records, they found a lot of calls and texts to and from a burner phone. >> the kind of phone that somebody would use if they were either committing a crime or having an extramarital affair? >> tryin' to definitely avoid law enforcement detection. >> well, or -- or husband detection? >> yes, yes. i was able to -- get a -- wiretap authorized. and so we -- we were able to go up on the phones and listen to their conversations. >> reporter: when they finally listened, their suspicions were confirmed. >> hello? >> reporter: jonathan was on one end of the call. and on the other, sabrina limon. >> hey. >> hey. >> were you resting? >> no, it's ok. >> reporter: it was immediately obvious the two were lovers -- >> i love you so much, my girl. >> i love you. >> i love you so much. >> i love you, too -- >> how many hours of conversations do you think you listened to between sabrina limon and jonathan hearn?

>> hundreds. >> reporter: jonathan often spoke with sabrina from the fire station. >> what are they talkin' about for most of that time? >> they talked about their future together. they talked about god a lot. about god's plan for them. >> reporter: they also talked about detective meyer. >> i just got a text message from detective meyer, and he wants me to call him. so i'm going to. >> ok. >> and, um -- >> i'll -- i'll pray. >> ok. ok. i just wanted you to keep praying. you can pray, and i'll call him right now -- >> god, please help us. god, please help, uh, us to be wise. help sabrina to have the right words. >> reporter: a couple of minutes later sabrina called meyer. she asked about the investigation of her husband's murder. >> so, there's no -- there's no information at -- at all? >> honestly, i don't have anything. and i wish i did. but i think we're kinda getting

>> reporter: which, was not true. minutes later, sabrina called jonathan. >> everything's fine. >> did he ask you any questions? >> no. no questions at all. >> reporter: meyer was "tickling the wire," it's an expression police use, giving wire-tapped suspects something to talk about while the cops are listening. meyer often found himself in the mood to tickle. like when he told sabrina police had found dna at the crime scene -- >> it's the best news we've gotten so far. >> really? oh, gosh. that's great. >> that was not true. that was -- a ruse we were using. >> and what happens as a result of that? >> another immediate phone call -- to jonathan-- to talk about the possible dna. >> reporter: sabrina and jonathan did not exactly rejoice over this apparent break in the case. instead, it sounded as if they suspected meyer was playing them. jonathan even knew the right

terminology. >> officers are allowed to use ruse. meaning -- they're allowed to -- if -- if you wanna get information, you're allowed to lie to get information. >> oh, no. no, i mean, i -- yeah. >> that's kinda -- that's kinda what i feel like. >> it didn't appear that that would be a normal conversation you would have - - in hopes that the suspect would be caught. >> reporter: the calls continued. >> good morning my lover. >> well, good morning. >> reporter: they talked about the bible. >> there's a lot of good stuff in there. >> god is so good. >> yes, god is so good. >> reporter: including the old testament story of david and bathsheba. >> david is a lot like you and i, sabrina. >> yes. >> reporter: it's the story of king david and the affair he had with bathsheba, who was married to another man. after bathsheba became pregnant, david tried to cover up the affair, but failed. >> then he even went on to kill

the guy. like, sent him into battle, and pretty much had him killed off. >> reporter: in the bible, david and bathsheba eventually married. david suffered the consequences of his sin, but repented and god forgave him. >> he was someone who committed adultery, who had an affair and so he went way out of his way to cover his sin. >> reporter: sin was a recurring theme for jonathan and sabrina. >> i have been a bad girl. i feel like -- i feel like the most horrible person in the world. >> i do, too. i -- i do, too. i feel like i see all of my sins, and who i've been. i see it all laid out in front of me. >> reporter: exactly what sins were they talking about? by now, detectives had shared with kelly and jason some details of the investigation. so they knew jonathan hearn was the prime suspect and detectives suspected sabrina as well. it was something jason couldn't imagwh

police. >> and i told 'em, "i'd bet my life she's not involved. absolutely not, no way, no way. if jonathan did this, he did it on his own." >> you know sabrina better than he does. would you have bet your life that she wasn't involved? >> probably not my life. i did not want her to be involved at all. i prayed she wasn't. but would i bet my life on it? no. >> reporter: meanwhile, detective meyer continued to tickle the wire. and while listening to the lovers talk in real time, he texted sabrina a photo. and she read the text to jonathan. >> sabrina we think this is our guy. do you recognize this person on the motorcycle? >> reporter: jonathan heard that and prayed. >> help me to be strong. help me to live freely. please god. oh baby. >> i -- i hate this.

>> i -- i don't like it either. >> you were playing sabrina and jonathan like a couple of violins. >> yes, that's what we were doing. >> i'm surprised you didn't have sheet music. >> reporter: jonathan seemed to realize police were closing in yet was trying to convince himself they were not. >> all they have is a dead husband, and a guy having an affair. >> reporter: sabrina seemed to suspect her phone was being tapped. >> there's a clicking on the phone. do you hear it? >> reporter: when the lovers said goodbye that night it sounded as if they thought it might be for the last time. >> i love you sabrina. >> i love you too jonathan so much. >> i'll try to -- i'll try to get in touch with you, obviously, if i get contacted first. >> i love you, too, baby. i love you so much. never forget that, ok? >> reporter: two days after that phone call, three months after rob limon's murder, sabrina and jonathan were placed und

>> reporter: detective meyer called jason and kelly. >> "we got 'em. everything looks good. the evidence looks good." >> and you think, well, this is finally over? >> that's what we thought. >> well, you couldn't have been more wrong. >> nope. >> reporter: coming up, sabrina limon in the hotseat. >> did you plan to kill rob? >> no. oh, my god, no. >> but not for long. >> detective meyer called me and said that he's got some really bad news -- . because the things you love the most can stink. and try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up to 30 days.

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>> reporter: in late november 2014, jonathan hearn pleaded not guilty to the murder of his married lover sabrina limon's husband, rob. sabrina had been arrested too. by now, her friends jason and kelly were convinced she belonged behind bars. >> it was by sabrina's own actions. she let him in-- into her life, into her house. >> reporter: and then, on the day sabrina was scheduled to be arraigned. >> detective meyer called me. and said that he's got some really bad news, that they're gonna release sabrina. >> reporter: the d.a. decided there was not enough evidence to charge her. good case against jonathan, not as good a case against sabrina? >> yes.

>> reporter: how did that feel? like, that's literally, like, defeat from the jaws of victory. i mean, you think you got it. and then she's turned loose. >> that was a tough feeling, obviously. >> reporter: there was circumstantial evidence against jonathan, like the security video showing a motorcycle that looked like his. but the best evidence against sabrina came from the wiretap. and in all those hours of conversation, she never once said that she conspired with jonathan or even thought he might be the killer. and in hours of intense questioning by detectives, sabrina never budged. >> did you know that he had planned to murder your husband? >> no. no. >> you didn't know that? >> no. i did not know that he planned on murdering robert. >> 'cause he did -- >> i -- i can't. i --it's like i want it to just be a lie. you know? like there's no way. >> did you plan to kilb?

oh, my god, no. >> when did jonathan tell you he did it? >> he never told. he never came out and said -- >> yes, he did. you guys are doing nothing but hiding this thing the whole time. yes, he did. >> no. >> well, what are you trying to hide? >> i know i -- ok. i know it -- it doesn't look good. >> no, there's a difference between doesn't look good and absolutely is not good. this is absolutely not good. >> i understand that. >> reporter: kelly and jason were devastated when the d.a. turned sabrina loose. we first spoke with them three months after her release. do you think right now what? she's gettin' away with murder? >> yes. she's gettin' away with murder right now. >> reporter: the next time we sat down with the bernatenes, they told us their tight circle of friends had all turned on sabrina. after she was released, what was the effect on the wolf pack? what'd the other wolves think?

nothing's been the same. >> reporter: were there people in the-- in the pack who supported sabrina who thought that she wasn't guilty of anything? >> no. >> reporter: so really, there was, like, sorta unanimity among your friends. >> yeah. >> reporter: sabrina told her sister julie that the wolf pack was mistaken and so were detectives about her and about jonathan, too. she thought jonathan hearn couldn't be involved. >> mm-hmm. she just couldn't believe it. could not believe it -- >> reporter: her "pack" gone, julie says life grew miserable for her sister. >> the people out in silver lakes were so cruel. and brina and the kids couldn't go anywhere. she had to home school them. >> reporter: because the other kids were talkin' about it. >> yes, the other kids would say things. the parents were brutal. >> reporter: and she was, what? sort of a pariah in that community -- >> yes, she was. >> reporter: sabrina took her children and relocated more than

at the same time, jonathan hearn was preparing to face trial on charges he'd murdered sabrina's husband, rob. months went by. and then years -- kelly and jason never wavered from their belief that sabrina limon had been involved in her husband's murder. >> i always had hoped that they would-- that they would get her somehow. i didn't know how or when. but, like, i definitely had that hope. >> jonathan still hadn't been tried. he was still awaiting trial. we always knew that there was a chance that he might decide to tell the truth, and hoped for that day. and it finally came. >> reporter: more than two years after rob's murder and just weeks before his own trial was about to start, jonathan hearn who referred to himself as 'david' from the biblical story, told investigators he was ready to talk about sabrina. his modern day bathsheba -- coming up --

>> from that moment, we knew that this was real. >> reporter: jonathan's story eagerly awaited by almost everyone except sabrina. it must have felt like vindication for the two of you. >> definitely. >> reporter: when dateline continues -- . tylenol can't do that. aleve. all day strong. all day long. also try aleve direct therapy with tens technology for lower back pain relief. our bodies grow babies... ...we run marathons... ...companies... ...solve problems. how? we eat. we eat almonds... ...strawberries... ...quinoa. and yeah...we eat chocolate.

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>> reporter: late 2016. firefighter jonathan hearn was just weeks away from trial. when detective randall meyer heard some unexpected news. >> jonathan's attorney approached the district attorney and said that jonathan could provide information that would lead to the possible prosecution of sabrina limon. >> reporter: jonathan made a startling confession.

yes, he had fired the gun that killed rob limon. but he hadn't acted alone. sabrina, he said, wasn't there when the murder occurred. but he said she'd helped him plan it every step of the way. >> he gave her up? >> he did. >> reporter: jonathan said sabrina wanted rob out of the picture so she could be with jonathan. and he said, she did not consider divorce to be an option. >> she was concerned about the perception of the community that she lived in. >> so murder is better than the stigma of divorce? >> yes. >> reporter: jonathan had no hard evidence to prove sabrina's involvement. remember, those wiretap recordings certainly proved an affair. >> i love you baby. >> i love you. >> goodnight baby. >> goodnight. >> reporter: but there was no explicit mention of a murder plot. this would be jonathan's word against sabrina's. the district attorney offered jonathan a plea agreement. in exchange for testifying against sabrina in court, his murder charge would be reduced to voluntary manslaughter. jonathan took the deal. his sister nicole said the family believed jonathan was

planned to confess until they got a call from his attorney. >> and i felt like it was -- so surreal when i heard it. i was shaken to my core. >> reporter: sabrina and rob's former best friends kelly and jason bernatene were in the courtroom when jonathan pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. >> from that moment, we knew that this was real. that he just pled guilty and was gonna implicate sabrina. it was a relief, and sickening all at once. >> reporter: jonathan had faced a possible sentence of life without parole. if he lives up to the terms of the plea deal he'll be out in less than 25 years. >> he'll be under the age of 50. he shot a man in the face. i-- i have a hard time with that. >> it's hard. because if that's what we needed to get her, and-- and we knew that it-- that she was behind this, then what do you do? what do you do? >> reporter: detective meyer drove more than 100 mile

sabrina's new home to arrest her for the second time. >> she was confused. 'cause she was scheduled to testify in the trial of jonathan hearn. >> reporter: instead, she was a defendant charged with murder. >> now we're at the point where our story strays a bit from the biblical tale of david and bathsheba. because there was never any suggestion that bathsheba played any role in the plot to murder her husband. and in the bible, david does not roll on bathsheba in return for a reduced sentence. >> what was it like to see her in court in shackles? >> it was awesome. >> it must have felt like vindication for the two of you. >> definitely she was always very into, like, her hair and makeup and her clothes, and-- superficial things like that. so knowing that it was probably killing her to not-- to be in that state in front of people and cameras was very satisfying also, very satisfying. >> reporter: sab's

anywhere but jail. >> is it conceivable to you that sabrina played any role in her husband's murder? >> no -- no. >> she couldn't be talked into it. >> no. >> she couldn't be persuaded to do it. she couldn't be manipulated to do it. >> no -- no. for what? there is no way she would want that for her husband. >> good morning. >> reporter: sabrina's trial began in september 2017. >> it had everything. it had sex, religion, the seemingly perfect, beautiful family that had all these secrets. >> reporter: olivia lavoice covered the trial for nbc station kget in bakersfield. her station made a last-minute decision to stream the trial live on its website. >> we were blown away by, literally, thousands of people, during the day, all day, were just glued to it people who were

typically watching soap operas now were watching this trial. >> so bakersfield probably took a big hit in productivity during this trial - - >> yes. >> throughout this trial you will hear from the mouth of sabrina limon and jonathan hearn that they had a purpose. >> reporter: prosecutor eric smith laid out his case for the jury. >> they had a plan and that plan was to get rid of robert limon. why? so they could be together. >> reporter: the state presented mountains of evidence of sabrina and jonathan's communications before and after the murder including letters. >> my jonathan. i love you. i love you for the hopes and faith in our future together. i love you for giving me a new perspective on life. >> reporter: text messages. >> i am in love with you deeply. a love that i have never felt before. >> reporter: and of course those wiretapped phone calls which often centered around god. >> god, please help us. god,as

wise. help sabrina to have the right words. >> it appeared that they were justifying all of their actions through -- through religion, through prayer, and through this promise that they were going to live for god and that god had a purpose for them that they were going to fulfill. >> reporter: according to the state, sabrina and jonathan's purpose was to eliminate rob limon so they could embark on a new life together. of course there was no smoking gun. the state's case centered on the testimony of an admitted killer, who was about to tell the jury everything or so he said. was he making a true confession? or spinning a tale to save himself? >> it was the moment everyone was waiting for. >> swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the

truth so help you god? >> coming up: >> i fired the first shot from within the bag. he fell seemingly mortally wounded. would jonathan hearn really turn on the woman he said he loved. . in improving your depression. tell your healthcare professional right away if your depression worsens, or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. do not take with maois. tell your healthcare professional about your medications, including migraine, psychiatric and depression medications, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. increased risk of bleeding or bruising may occur, especially if taken with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin or blood thinners. manic episodes or vision problems may occur in some people.

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>> reporter: it's not every murder trial. where the prosecutor asks the jury to believe the words of the admitted killer, but here he was the star witness for the state, jonathan hearn. who would spend the better part of seven days testifying against his former lover, sabrina limon. >> she seemed very friendly, very, very nice. >> reporter: jonathan talked about meeting sabrina at costco, and asking for her number. he told the jury he didn't learn

fact he said didn't mesh easily with his conservative christian upbringing. >> i enjoyed spending time with her, but then there was also the, the guilt of recognizing that i was doing something immoral. he said there was just something irresistible about this older, married woman. >> i know in most affairs you would assume it's -- it's a sexual draw or something along those lines, and with her while we were engaged in that there was there was a lot more than that. >> reporter: in time, he said, sabrina revealed to him a deep unhappiness in her open marriage to rob. >> she expressed to me that he was pretty exploitative, and objectifying her. he was willing to pretty much pass her off to any other guy, and not really leave the doors of their marriage closed. >> reporter: jonathan listened, absorbed and, he said, his

disgust for rob limon grew. >> her frustrations with rob became my frustrations. her demons became my demons. >> reporter: jonathan told the jury they spoke about how much easier life would be without rob. >> you know, i distinctly remember it coming up in conversation as a joke at first, >> a joke that quickly took a dark turn. >> that progressed from humor towards what? >> towards an actually -- a plot to kill her husband. >> what was the plan for your relationship once he was gone? >> to, in time, marry and continue to live our lives together. >> reporter: jonathan said sabrina did not want to simply divorce rob, and marry him. >> she expressed that he would honestly rather be dead than divorced, and losing her would essentially kill him. >> reporter: he said they discussed several waysge

on poisoning. the proof, jonathan told the jury was in the pudding. banana pudding, to be precise, laced with arsenic he'd purchased. it happened in april of 2014. >> i made a pretty large batch of banana pudding with nilla wafers. >> reporter: he said he put a small portion into a plastic container. >> and in that stirred in the -- the arsenic into the pudding. >> reporter: he said sabrina kept the poisoned pudding in her refrigerator. the plan, he said, was for her to put it in rob's lunch, but jonathan testified, they lost their nerve. >> she had told him to not eat the pudding because, i think she said that she told him the bananas had gone bad in it. >> reporter: by august 2014 he said they had a new plan. jonathan said sabra

the location of rob's workplace at the railyard. he even did a drive by one day to check it out. sabrina, he said, told him rob would be at work on august 17. jonathan testified he packed a mask to disguise his face, and modified his motorcycle, too. >> which included using some adhesive flashing to change the color of the tank, the exhaust pipes, and the rear fender. >> reporter: jonathan said he rode his disguised motorcycle out to tehachapi. that was him on the security cam video. he told investigators he faked a limp to throw them off, but he said once he saw rob opening the shop's garage door jonathan said he felt conflicted about becoming a killer. >> obviously there's some apprehension in the thought of senselessly taking someone's life. >> reporter: jonathan said he paused before enteri

could pray. >> there'd been sort of an ongoing narrative of, uh, sabrina and i and seeking purpose in our lives. >> reporter: if a murder could have a catchphrase, said jonathan, seeking purpose would be it. >> it was a tagline that essentially we gave to, ultimately seeing this relationship through, and living the lifestyle that we wanted. >> after praying, jonathan said he entered the shop. >> i fired the first shot, he fell, seemingly mortally wounded. >> reporter: jonathan said he then tried to make it look as if there had been a robbery, opening cabinet drawers, pulling out papers, and stealing a laptop computer, and then before he left -- >> i really didn't want to leave him if he wasn't entirely dead. >> reporter: so he fired a second shot into rob's head.

and called sabrina to tell her. >> i had done it, and that, uh, everything was about to change. >> reporter: jonathan told the jury he knew from the start the affair would be found out, and he would become a suspect. >> did you trust sabrina to speak appropriately with law enforcement? >> i did. >> why? >> frankly, this was the culmination of something we had essentially planned together, and so perhaps my weakness, my trust, was pretty strong in her. >> reporter: the defense had its own cross-examination of jonathan, and right off the bat sabrina's attorney richard terry questioned jonathan's credibility, like the claim she'd held the poisoned pudding in her refrigerator. >> potentially putting her children in danger of eating that pudding, right, if you actually delivered it to her, and she knew about it, right?

>> you don't know who's going to get into it, or who's going to have access to it, right? if you'd actually given her anything like that, right? >> yeah, i was not overseeing the status of her refrigerator. >> reporter: the defense attorney reminded the jury no one benefited more from blaming sabrina than jonathan hearn, who could have received life in prison without parole. >> and now under the plea agreement you've entered into, you're only getting 25 years, and a few months. right? >> yes, sir. >> means you'll probably be out before you are even 50 years old then, sir, for -- after having murdered a man in cold blood. is that right? >> that was definitely cold blooded, sir. >> my question was -- is you would be out before you were 50 years old. is that right? >> that was part of your question.

yes, sir. >> reporter: jonathan's attorney, clayton campbell sat next to him during his testimony, and campbell insisted to us that jonathan's confession was genuine. >> jonathan wanted to come clean about what he did from very early on. he knows what he did was wrong, and he felt that maintaining a not guilty plea was dishonest. >> reporter: challenging jonathan's credibility was just the start -- the defense had its own case to present, and wait until you hear it. >> that was the bombshell of all bombshells. >> reporter: who exactly was on trial here? >> did you and ms. limon, and her husband, and your husband, engage in sexual activity together? >> reporter: when dateline continues. .

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>> good morning ladies and gentlemen. >> reporter: when it came time for the defense to present its case, sabrina limon's attorney richard terry didn't even try to convince the jury that his client was as wholesome as apple pie. >> you weren't claiming that sabrina had been the perfect wife to -- >> nope. >> rob? you weren't claiming that she had never cheated? >> nope. >> you weren't claiming that there had never been an affair with jonathan hearn? >> nope. >> you weren't even claiming that jonathan hearn hadn't killed rob limon? you weren't just claiming she didn't have any part in it. >> right. because beyond jonathan hearn, there was nothing else that said she was. >> reporter: this case, said attorney terry, was really all about jonathan hearn -- what he saidat

>> he's highly intelligent and he manipulated sabrina limon. and he decided he knew sabrina was never gonna divorce robert, but he had to have her. she had to be his. and in his mind the only way to get that, to have her, was to get rid of robert. >> reporter: the defense portayed jonathan as a gifted, master manipulator. who had taken advantage of an older, but much less sophisticated woman -- >> reporter: and perhaps, terry told the jury, sabrina wasn't the only older married woman to catch jonathan's eye. >> he was very smart and just seemed way older than he was. >> reporter: jennifer lentz

online, they chatted by text and on the phone. >> and it was kind of flattering to have someone who was focusing so much attention on you, would that be right? >> of course. >> reporter: attention jonathan continued to lavish on jennifer, even after he started sleeping with sabrina. >> even during the time that he's supposedly so madly in love with sabrina, he's still constantly texting her, sending her pictures, communicating with her -- >> reporter: the defense argued jonathan hearn was a slick, bible-quoting predator, sabrina his innocent victim. the real head snapper came when the defense argued sabrina was also a victim of her own supposed best friend. kelly bernatene. remember she'd suspected sabrina before almost anyone. >> because she'd already lied to me once. >> reporter: on the witness stand, kelly was forced to admit she didn'tus

limons' open marriage. she and her husband jason participated. some of her testimony was for mature audiences, only. >> did you and ms. limon and her husband and your husband engage in sexual activity together? >> yes, we did. >> reporter: i'll admit, when i approached this issue with the bernatenes, i was in uncharted territory. >> you said the two of you had a sexual relationship with rob and sabrina? >> yes. >> but you never had sex with sabrina, and you n -- you were never with rob? >> no. >> what am i missing here? >> without goin' into -- any more detail, that's about as much as we'll tell you. >> reporter: kelly cleared things up a bit on the witness stand. >> it was usually sabrina and i. and then we would go have sex with our husbands. >> quite the seething cauldron of passion out there -- >> well, what else are you gonna do in the desert? >> rep

defense attorney suggested kelly had a grudge against sabrina because kelly was in love with rob limon. >> you've pointed a finger at your best friend and believe that she's a killer. >> i do. it's a horrible thing. >> as far as you know, sabrina may not have known anything about jonathan's killing her husband, right? >> no, i know she knew. i know she knew by her behavior. >> and because of that feeling you want to get sabrina, right? >> i believe -- i believe she should pay for his murder. >> because you believe she was involved. >> yes. >> and that's because you cared about her husband so deeply, right? >> i believe i cared about him more than she did. >> reporter: how did sabrina really feel about rob and jonathan? there was only one way to find out. calling a defendant to testify is always a risk. sabrina's attorney felt it was one worth taking. >> she's not, slick like hearn

is. the jury needed to get a better picture of who sabrina limon was -- >> my name is sabrina limon. >> reporter: sabrina told the jury what had attracted her to jonathan hearn. >> he was like nobody i'd ever met before. he was very uhm, very intelligent. i felt like i was with a human dictionary. >> reporter: sabrina said at the time she met jonathan, her husband had been inattentive, she said he was hooked on watching porn and overly fixated on sex. and she said she felt some guilt about their lifestyle. jonathan, she said, offered something different. something appealing. >> he would pray with me and be very -- caring and spiritually, uh focused -- >> reporter: jonathan used religion, sabrina said, to give himself power over her. >> jonathan controlled me

with him everywhere that he went and using that um to -- to guilt me but also make me feel safe and secure. >> reporter: she admitted it was true that she dreamt about a future with jonathan. >> i definitely uhm fantasized with him a lot. >> were you in love with jonathan hearn? >> yes. >> did you still love your husband? >> yes i did. >> were you wanting to give up your life with rob to be with jonathan? >> no. i had the best of both worlds right there. i didn't -- i guess i didn't want to give up either one of them. >> reporter: after rob's death she said jonathan was there for her. someone to lean on. >> he was like my -- he felt like my rock at that moment in time -- >> reporter: so then why, asked her attorney, sh

her affair with jonathan from investigators? >> because i was embarrassed. i didn't -- that's something that -- robert and i didn't want exposed. >> reporter: sabrina insisted she never planned to poison her husband with arsenic-laced banana pudding. and when rob died, she said she had absolutely no idea jonathan was the killer. >> would you allow someone who killed your husband around your children? >> no. absolutely not -- >> had you ever discussed any time from the time you began being involved with jonathan, until the day robert was killed and after robert was killed, discussed with him killing your husband -- >> no. i did not. >> at any time did you discuss about wanting robert to be gone or dead? >> no, i never said dead or gone.

no, i did not want robert gone. >> reporter: kelly and jason did not buy sabrina's defense. and as to rob and sabrina's open marriage? >> as far as i know, it was sabrina's idea, not rob's. >> i think sabrina was usin' that as an excuse. and she used it against jonathan to manipulate him. >> reporter: the prosecutor was equally skeptical. >> good afternoon miss limon. and now it was his turn to cross examine sabrina. >> reporter: coming up was sabrina limon just a cheating wife? >> it's a lifestyle that i don't >> or a calculating killer? .

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>> reporter: sabrina limon told the jury she'd had no knowledge of or involvement in, her husband rob's murder. now it was prosecutor eric smith's turn to cross-examine her. he used the huge trove of phone records, wiretapped calls and texts to find plenty of evidence which he said undermines sabrina's story. including all the time she spent on the phone with her lover jonathan hearn on the very day he murdered her husband. >> i added it up. 223 minutes, three hours and 45 minutes, you talked with jonathan hearn prior to him leaving to go kill your husband. >> i did not know he was leaving to go kill my husband.

claimed she never wanted her husband gone. she said she had the best of both worlds, a good husband and a younger lover. >> i guess i didn't want to give up either one of them. >> reporter: ok but then why in her texts did she seem so happy to embark on a new life with jonathan just after rob's murder? like when she wrote to him, "i feel super blessed." >> so 25 days after your husband was killed, you felt super blessed. >> no. i didn't. >> well, what you wrote at the time, you felt super blessed. >> well, i wasn't. >> reporter: and another text on that same day. >> "i got something practical for you today in town. it will one day be something we share in our home." >> i don't remember what that

>> well, wouldn't it make sense that you wrote that because you bought something to share in your home with jonathan? >> that's what it sounds like there. >> reporter: according to the prosecutor, there was only one explanation for those texts. >> from all the texts we've just gone through recently, you had replaced robert, in essence. >> no. there's no replacing robert ever. >> reporter: the prosecutor asked why -- considering the relaxed rules of their marriage, she'd have to lie about her affair with jonathan. >> silver lakes is -- small community. is it not? >> yes. it is. >> everybody knows everybody's business. do they not? >> yes. everybody's -- >> so this concept that somehow you were concerned that other people would find out about it, everybody already knew about your lifestyle in silver lakes. did they not? >> well, they weren't in the bedroom with us. >> okay. >> we didn't invite all of

>> reporter: in her corner of silver lakes, she said, marriages may have been open but affairs needed prior approval. >> i didn't have permission to go astray from our group of friends. >> so now, it's your testimony that you had to be given permission to sleep around? >> yes. >> who had to give you that permission? >> robert. >> he controlled you? >> he was my husband. but he did not control me. it's a lifestyle that i don't expect people to understand -- >> well, your testimony is that everybody else decides everything that you do. is that your testimony now? >> no. >> okay. jonathan hearn controlled you. that was your testimony yesterday. >> no. jonathan hearn was controlling. >> okay. now, your husband controls you, that's your testimony today? >> no. my husband was my husband. >> okay. do you make decisions on your

own at any point? >> yes. i sure do, apparently many bad ones. >> reporter: was sabrina limon guilty of nothing more than colossally poor judgement? or of something much more sinister? each side made its closing arguments -- >> good morning ladies and gentlemen. >> defense attorney richard terry reminded the jury the d-a didn't have enough to charge sabrina with anything until jonathan hearn pointed the finger at her. >> and that's when they made their deal with the devil, he to save his own hide, came in and spun his story. >> reporter: prosecutor eric smith begged to differ. >> this is not a case of he said, she said. this is a case of he said, she lied. that's what i'm calling it she needs to be held accountable for what she did with jonathan hearn. she needs to be held accountable

for letting her husband suffer. >> reporter: it took the jury less than seven hours to decide sabrina's fate. >> we the jury impaneled to try the above entitled case, find the defendant, sabrina limon, guilty of a felony to wit murder of robert limon. >> reporter: guilty of first degree murder. and a litany of other charges: conspiracy, accessory, and solicitation to commit murder her only break, the jury found sabrina not guilty of attempting to murder rob with arsenic-laced banana pudding. >> reporter: sabrina's former best friends, kelly and jason, say they felt satisfaction after a long fight to prove sabrina's guilt. >> i would do it all again for rob. he -- he didn't deserve what happened to him. >> rob would have done the same for us. >> yeah. >> we -- we know he would. >> reporter: sabrina limon is

next year, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars. while her former lover jonathan the man who pulled the trigger. is expected to be out in less than 25 years. sabrina and rob's children now live with julie. what do sabrina and robert's children say about this? >> they don't believe it, that brina had anything to do with it. they know more than we -- >> wish they did. >> exactly. yes. >> reporter: kelly and jason are now divorced. the "wolf pack" still exists -- still hangs out -- video here of the memorial at the lake and still gathers to remember rob limon the lake remains their little oasis. but it's no longer the happiest place in the high desert. >> i look back at pictures, and i see, like, how much -- we were -- we were just such a fun-loving group of people. and -- after this, it's, like, you know, you don't -- you --

and, you know, things -- things just change. i mean, she -- she broke all of our hearts. not only were we just so devastated finding out who she really was, but we miss rob so much. >> reporter: that's all for this edition of dateline. we'll see you again next friday at nine, eight central and of course, i'll see you each weeknight for nbc nightly news. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, goodnight. .

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