some people were trying to tie joe to the murder of judy whitley four months earlier. >> people were out about it, so he had to kill her too. >> rumor went around that the girl cleaned house for them, which was false. but they got it all bundled up in a neat little package, so nobody had to be afraid. >> out of jail on a $50,000 bond, and adamant that he didn't do it, joe said that he was trying to figure out who did. >> i'm thinking, how did someone get in our house? and i immediately thought someone could have made copies of the keys and gotten in the house. >> one thing that he says is that he had this seemingly innocuous interaction with a security member of the hotel by the name of jack shaw. >> tell me about jack shaw. >> this gentleman walks up with a hyatt regency name tag on and tells me they've been reported that their maids are taking things from the rooms and would i work with them to try to catch somebody. >> joe said, yeah, he'd be willing to do that. >> he tells me just leave your keys and some money on the dresser. later that afternoon i went back upstairs, and he met

and in 1999, they publicly named dennis dunlap responsible for the death of judy whitley. >> reporterto the defense team, the interview with the ex-wife seemed to offer a clue. >> did he mention any other murders or any other cases? >> he -- the lady, the principal murdered her? all he told me was that he dated her. he was dating that lady. i want to say, i'm not for sure, he dropped her off that night or that evening. >> not only do you have another alternate, much more viable suspect, but even if you don't count him as a suspect, the entire narrative of the state's theory has to change. >> reporter: by 2018, joe bryan had been incarcerated for 30 years. by all accounts, a model prisoner. >> you have to accept the fact, whether you like it or not, you're in prison. you can either make the most of it and be the person you always were, or you can be someone who acts out, is rude, crude, disrespectful. i chose to be me. >> reporter: always maintaining his innocence, he had been denied parole since 2007. >> joe told me when i visited him in jail, if i have to die in prison, i'll just hav