and i'm natalie morales. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> horrible, knowing the person you love is dead and you're being looked at for it. >> imagine you're shaken in the dead of night. >> my ears were ringing, i thought i was dreaming. >> in bed right next to you, your husband murdered. >> hard to get that one out of your head, isn't it? >> yeah. >> and here's the twist, you're the suspect. >> worst feeling to hear you're being blamed for your husband's death. >> could she have been the killer? or was someone keeping a secret?

. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> you had the good cop. you had the bad cop and the polygraph. it felt like "law and order." >> the fire broke out before dawn. in the daylight they found this mother is of two young children dead. >> she lived a very courageous life. she was very bold in the things she did. >> after the smoke cleared, a priss tree lingered. >> we knew she did not die in that fire. she died before the fire. >> who do you look to as the suspect? >> obviously the spouse is the first person you look to. >> but her husband had a clear alibi, and he passed a lie detector test. eventually the case grew cold until this witness came forward with a tale of love and lust gone wrong.

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> he wasn't my biological child. but my heart -- you can't tell that to my heart. i loved that boy. it's not fair that he was taken from his children or from his family. >> jessie fell for vince, a man in uniform. holding the fort during his long deployments. >> my hat goes off to all military wives. it's not easy. >> it's not. she was a good mom. she loved the kids. >> reunited at last, they celebrated. then, on the drive home -- >> there was a car there, stranded. >> vince tells his wife that he's going to go check on him. >> i heard two, three popping sounds. >> he was lying there with what appeared to be several gunshot wounds to the head. >> her husband, a father of five, dead. >> i want my mommy. and i want my kids. >> no one could understand it. >> the type of person that he was, i don't think he ever had an enemy. >> or did he? >> he said, "we are now in debt to bad people." >

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> he was my superman. he was always my protector. >> my fiance, i think he's been killed. i think he's been shot. >> this is the man i'm supposed to marry. this was just not possible. >> she found him on the floor, the fiance who was the love of her life. >> i zeroed in on him, and he was just laying there. >> it's a stone-cold assassination. >> nick, the marine, a tough vet-turned-target. >> somebody hated nick so much that they shot through his window. >> then came in through the window and shot him some more. >> yes. >> angry colleagues at work. >> people complained of how nick talked to them. >> which was, let's go. >> get the job done. >> and some angry exes too. >> i know he was cheating on me. >> he's dated a number of women. >> bullet casings, carpet fibers, bloody clothes. who was the killer? >> it's somebody full of hatred. >> we wanted answers. >> there needs to be justice.

i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> she was so alive. to hear that news and realizing that it is amber, how could that be? her life was just beginning. >>> amber made friends for life. >> there was just no trying with her friendship. it just was. >> but that life didn't last long. >> amber is on the floor, face down, and she has a plastic bag wrapped around her head. >> the pills open, the doors open. most people that rob a store don't kill anybody. >> my whole world just died right there. >> for months the murder stayed cold. >> didn't have witness, didn't have video, didn't have dna. we had everything going against us. >> we would go down and talk to the detective. we wouldn't let it go. >> then a break, another victim. >> he would duct tape me, duct tape my mouth. >> and she knew a secret. could she risk revealing it? >> something is going to happen tonight. >> a killer ready to run, face-to-face with the one person who might be able to stop him. >> he just reached over the glove compar

we are delighted to be joined by natalie morales, is the west coast anchor at nbc today show. a host of dateline and anchor of behind closed doors with natalie morales on reels cello. she served as host of nbc's access and cohost of access live as well as news anchor of today which she cohosted the shows third hour. she joined today in 2006 as national correspondent and reports were all npc platforms including "nbc nightly news," dateline and msnbc. we are really grateful, natalie, for your excellent reporting during these tumultuous times your we are delighted you have made time for this fascinating talk today but i want to point natalie has a special connection to this. she has a book called simple recipes for healthy living from my families kitchen to yours where she shares her favorite recipes and tips for a healthy lifestyle. welcome natalie. thank you so much for being here with us today. >> it's my pleasure, peggy. thank you so much for the one introduction and a wonderful topic and an opportunity for us to really focus on her health especially right now. dr. mosconi, t

natalie morales (voiceover): what had happened to ray? soon it wasn't just doctors and his family asking that question, it was detectives.

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> i believe that he had an old soul. beautiful soul. i know he's my son, but he was the kindest person i've ever met in my life. he was definitely god's gift to me. >> a beloved teenage boy who disappeared. >> i have to report my son missing. >> they saw his truck with caution tape around it. the police told my father that he was gone. >> are you sure? what are you talking about? >> grieving alongside his family, his girlfriend. >> she sent messages of condolences. we all need to be strong. >> she gave a lot of support. just there when i needed her. >> was there something about these two that no one knew? what are you seeing? >> a series of messages. >> i had to read them a couple of times to take it in. >> utterly shocking. >> a trail of text messages leading to the darkest of discoveries. >> keeping all the lies straight is difficult. she did it masterfully. >> that's not normal. >> i

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> there was a party. there's a u.k. football player. he had been shot. >> he's killed on his birthday. >> i was, like, "it's who?!" that can't happen. why him? >> no one saw a thing. >> it's at night, it's dark, nobody knows where the bullet comes from. >> reporter: nothing's making it any easier. >> if you don't have a motive, it's hard to know which direction to go. >> we were just never going to know. >> reporter: but someone knew. >> she called me and she said, "i think i know something about a murder." >> we never could find out why trent was killed because it was something this weird. >> she became the key. >> reporter: would she also become the next victim? >> she was scared to death to confront him. >> let me ask you a question, you're not setting me up, are you? >> she knew what he was capable of. >> reporter: and thus she was terrified. >> and thus she was terrified. ♪ >>> h

and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> she was beautiful. her eyes were remarkable. i was going to be there for her and she was going to be there for me. it didn't matter what it was. i thought maybe she'd been kidnapped. no one knew what was happening. there is nothing i could have done or anyone could have done. >> skyler, rachel, sheila. total bffs. >> they hung out all the time. >> you always thought of them as a team. >> the three of them became inseparable. >> then one ended up missing. >> nobody's heard from her. nobody knows where she is. >> something's wrong. something's bad wrong. >> where was skyler? someone was hiding something. >> i was like it's the fbi. like, they're serious. >> twitter. instagram. facebook. you just see things start to get ridiculously out of control. >> a click of mean girls. were they mean enough to kill? >> she was like well she'll blackmail me. >> it was such a shocking end. scandalous ki

and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> i didn't see it coming. it was shocking. >> i had a bad feeling. >> she did say, he has a gun and i'm afraid he might use it. >> a story of sand, sunsets, and fatal attraction. she had so much to give. >> she would make everybody feel special. >> successful at everything except love. then she found him. >> she said she felt so good in his arms. >> he was handsome, sophisticated, and crazy about her. there was talk of marriage. then suddenly there was talk of trouble. >> she was frightened enough not to go home. >> she had fear that something would happen to her. >> it did. >> my sister, she's not answering her phone. >> how did love go so wrong? in a surprising twist, it would take not one, but two trials to discover the truth. >> all of a sudden he wasn't convicted of killing my sister anymore. >> hello and welcome to "dateline." beth locktefeld was a savvy entrepreneur who built her o

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> she is and will always be my sister. i don't know what happened to her. i don't get to say good-bye. it's so awful. it makes your whole world fall apart. >> if you took her, please, just let her come home. >> her name is heather elvis. it was news nationwide when she vanished. >> she had a new job. she was going out of state. >> it was all so overwhelmingly horrible. >> she's missing, where is she at? >> police worked the clues. her car abandoned. >> i was scared to death. >> a mysterious caller captured on camera. >> why would this person call from a pay phone in the middle of the night? >> then came the secret. >> she was married. >> rumors about her being pregnant. >> she truly believed she was his wife. >> anger, betrayal, revenge. >> a bomb exploded. world war iii. >> this kidnapping, potential murder? >> this is heather's life we're talking about. >> terrifying. >> when you see your parents hurtin

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline". >>> someone just sucks the life out of you and tells you your dream life isn't going to happen, that wedding you're planning, you don't get to have it. evil exists. evil dwells in people. >> it was a night like this just before halloween, a killing that still haunts. >> found him, he's lying there and i couldn't feel a pulse. >> the young dad, engaged to be married, dead on the ground. >> they determined that it was a murder. >> and here is what made this mystery so chilling. the possible suspects were all in costume. >> the cattle boy and the penguin, everybody is dressed as somebody else. how are you going to be able to identify people in? >> cowboy? penguin? costumed killer? sounds like something ripped from the pages of stephen king. but in this case the horror was real. >> we had this piece of a costume. we didn't know what it was. >> a halloween crime that will send shivers down

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> free meek mill! >> how do you explain why your case has become so important? >> this is the same thing that thousands of minorities are going through. they just don't have anybody to speak on their behalf. >> now they do. >> yeah, now they do. >> rap star, hashtag, symbol, meek mill inspired a movement. >> he's been wronged by the criminal justice system for a decade now. >> we have been conducting criminal justice with a chainsaw. >> in his first post-prison interview, he tells his powerful story. >> my father was murdered in south philly. you ever seen somebody get their brains blown out? i've seen it multiple times. >> how he rose from the streets to the charts. >> he has this energy about him. >> sentenced to prison for a probation violation. >> being locked away is just like a mental torture. >> it's affected his life, my life too. yeah, it affects all of us. >> and why he rose

i'm natalie morales. and i'm craig melvin. and this is dateline on mynetworktv. the floor, and then i kind of got myself together. i said, we have to go over there. i have to go over there. natalie morales: she was a commander who cared. i was like, what are you doing? and she says, i'm writing birthday cards to all my soldiers. natalie morales: her husband was a charming sergeant and devoted dad. he was just as loving and doting as lynn was. natalie morales: no one could believe it when this decorated officer was found dead in her own home. an army commander being murdered was unheard of. natalie morales: the first suspect, as usual, the husband. but this one had a rock solid alibi.

a host of dateline and author of behind closed doors with natalie morales. she previously served as host of nbc access and cohost of access live well as news today where she cohosted the shows serious hour and she joined today in 2006 as national correspondent and course all platforms including nbc nightly news, daline andmsnbc . we are real grateful natalie for your excellent reporting during the semester was timeso we are delighted you came to ta today but i want to point out talie has some connection to this. she has a book call simple recipes for healthy ving where she shares her favorite recipes and tips for a healthy lifestyle. welcome natalie,e are delighted to have you with us toy. >> it's my pleasure peggy, thank you so much for this rm introduction and a wonderful topic and an opportunity for us to focus on ourealth especially right w. doctormoscow any , this book "t xx brain: the groundeaking science empowering women to maximize cognitive heal and prevent alzhmer's disease" is fascinating and is imptant for women to understand th significance of t

i'm natalie morales.d this is "dateline." >> we were going to work behind closed doors, after hours, wherever the case was. >> one of the most extraordinary cases in lapd history. >> toto, we're not in kansas anymore. >> a newlywed murdered just months after her wedding. >> as she walked away, she gave me a big smile and i relived that smile for years. >> all the time, the killer was hiding in plain sight. >> no indication she had ever spoken to him? >> no. >> then old detective looked at old lead and person no one suspected of murder was suspect number one. >> perfect murder. almost ♪ >>> hello and welcome to "dateline. she was a new bride, married just three months, then she was found murdered what happened to her remained a mystery for decades, partly because police mistakenly believed she was killed during a break-in gone bad. but when detectives finally reopened this case, they discovered it wasn't a burglar but a suspect whose trail led right to their own front door. here's josh mankiewicz with "the

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> what'd you hear? >> uh, laughing some -- almost screaming. >> you heard screaming? >> i've known these kids their whole life. i don't believe for a minute that they made any of that up. >> like screaming noises or something else? >> like -- like laughing, screaming. >> they believe their father killed their mother. >> they found her in the bedroom. a young mom stabbed to death. >> i can see her fighting, fighting for her life. >> i was so distraught. she was gone. >> she was your wife, mother of your children. >> it's awful. i wouldn't wish that on anybody. >> her ex had been to visit the day she died. a trip with the kids. and just like that, he was suspect number one. >> they had no evidence. >> i was absolutely flabbergasted. >> how can anyone think this? >> police said they were a key to the mystery, his own young children. >> she says she peeks through the mail slot. >> she lo

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. craig m. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> i got a call from allison, she told me that he was missing. >> why would anyone want to hurt him? i knew that my dad had been on match.com. >> this is not going to end well. this is a crime scene. >> miles of nothing up here. it's an easy place for a man to go missing. >> what do you mean you can't find my brother? >> he was the superintendent. not the type to play hooky. >> he really loved teaching and working with kids. >> turns out he wasn't missing, he was dead. >> your missing person case has become a homicide. >> correct. >> that solved one mystery but left another. why would anyone want to kill him? maybe it had something to do with a woman in his life. he'd broken off his engagement with one. >> i just found out he was dead this morning. now i feel like i'm a suspect. >> and there was somebody else nobody knew about. >> i was lonely, just needed someone to talk to. >> did it also get a l

natalie morales: and this fire was no accident.y had conducting surveillance at ashlea's apartment. keith morrison: they're going back to the place where ashlea worked? yes, sir. chris cravey: they were going after tens of thousands of dollars. natalie morales: but was money the only motive? or was there something else? there were a lot of rumors going around that ended up being true. chris cravey: i couldn't believe that somebody

natalie morales: his target-- a doting young mom. she was a gorgeous strawberry blonde who loved her son more than anhing in the whole world. she was so scared. natalie morales: he struck once. would he kill again, and would she be next? you're just so shattered and hurting so bad. natalie morales: imagine being hunted iyour own home,

natalie morales: a beloved couple found murdered. their bodies discovered inside their home, along with a lifetime of valuable curiosities they had collected. he was big into civil war guns, coins of all kinds. natalie morales: was there any connection between the memorabilia and the murder? question is, who's gonna benefit by these two deaths? jessica was the only child. she was the sole heir. sole heir. natalie morales: or was there someone else who stood to gain? investigators would discover a clue. it was, by far, the most important piece of evidence in the case. natalie morales: that would reveal a mind blowing betrayal.

and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> it's not a play, isn't it? >> are you sane? >> sane? that's relative. >> guilty, hmm. i wouldn't do anything i felt guilty about. >> you may think you know the charles manson story, but not like this. >> things that police had never seen before. >> sharon tate begged her, please don't kill me. >> he was trying to take advantage of peace and love, flower power. >> even now, decades later, the world is still fascinated by charles manson and his crimes. we take you inside his world of drugs. >> he would dose them with lsd. >> sex. >> he slept with all those girls. >> and rock 'n' roll. >> they really did listen to the "white" album over and over. >> with new interviews. >> he says, gary, this is your last chance. >> and new details. >> he would always frame his statements. this is what i believe and the girls all believed it. >> the murders. >> these people were brutally butchered. >>

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> it's pitch black. >> we locked eyes for a split second. he was stunned. he was frightened. he had no idea what hit him. i knew that he had him. >> he was untouchable, ruthless, lawless, murderous. >> he was willing to kill whoever he needed to kill. >> the drug lord el chapo. >> the most wanted fugitive behind osama bin laden. >> everybody said no one will ever catch him. >> but he and this team did it in the most astonishing way. >> surprise you? >> i couldn't believe it. >> the american agent who helped capture el chapo comes out of the shadows. >> i didn't know who we'd be able to trust. >> exclusive deals of the manhunt. >> we jump out of the helicopter pure cues haos. >> video seen tfor the first time. like harry houdini. he would escape. >> it was beyond imagination. >> to catch the bad guy, you got to become the bad guy. >> you're inside this real-life thriller. >> this is it. >>

were also delighted to be joined by natalie morales.alie as many know she's the west coast anchor of nbc today show. she is the host of dateline and anchor behind closed doors with natalie morales. she previously served as host of the nbc and cohost of accent life as well as news anchor of today when she cohosted the show third hour. she was joined today and 2006 as a national correspondent reports for all nbc news platforms including nbc nightly news, dateline, and msnbc. we are really grateful natalie for your excellent reporting during these tumultuous times. we are delighted you made time for this talk today. i also want to point out that natalie has a special connection to this. she has a book called simple recipes for healthy living. for my family to yours where she shares same her favorite recipes and tips for healthy lifestyle. welcome natalie we are delighted to have you with this. thanks much for being with us today. >> it is my pleasure, peggy. thanks so much with a warm introduction. it's a wonderful topic and opportunity fo

we are delighted to be joined by natalie morales, the west coast anchor of nbc's today show.he is the host of dateline an anchor of behind closed doors with natalie morales on real channel. she previously served as host of nbc's asset and cohost of access live as well as news anchor of today where e cohosted the show's third hour. she joined in 2006 as national correspondent and reports for l nbc news platforms including nbc nightly news, dateline and ms nbc. we are grateful for your excellen reporting on to modulus times. we are delighted you made time for this fascinating talk today but natalie has a special connection, and from my family's kitchen to yours. for a healthy lifestyle. thank you for being with us today. >> thank you for the warm introduction. a wonderful topic and opportunity to focus on our alth especially right now. lisa mosconi, this book "the xx brain: the groundbreaking science empowering women to maximize cognitive health and prevent alzheimer's disease" is fascinatinand it is important for women to understand t significancef the research but also the pr

and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> this is "dateline." >> we were going to work behind closed doors. we were going to work after hours. we were going to go wherever the case took us. >> one of the most extraordinary cases in lapd history. >> told we're not in kansas anymore. >> a newlywed murdered just months after her wedding. >> as she walked away she gave me a big smile and i relived that smile for years. >> all that time, the killer was hiding in plain sight. >> no indications she was ever spoken to? >> no. >> then a new detective took a look at an old lead. >> he said it's a match. >> and a person no one would have ever suspected of murder. >> we were going to end this. >> was suddenly suspect number one. >> a perfect murder. almost. >> hello. welcome to "dateline." she was a new bride, married three months, then she was found murdered. what happened to her remained a mystery for decades partly because police mistakenly believed she was kille

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. a >> and this is "dateline." >> anytime a child goes missing, it's a scary thing. you know there's evil out there. >> reporter: first, michela. then, jenny. >> bloodhounds came, police were there. >> this is a little girl that was doing nothing more than riding her bicycle in a park. >> two young girls taken. >> the similarities. blondeme blonde, blue-eyed, riding a bike. >> somebody who is targeting little girls. >> exactly. as a little kid, it definitely scared the heck out of me. >> she was a girl then, too. solving these mysteries became her mission. >> so, how many names did you have? >> about 2,300 names. >> reporter: could cutting-edge technology crack an ice-cold case? >> i was like no way. >> i believe in the devil. and people that don't believe in the devil, i think they're in for a big surprise. >> hello and welcome to "dateline." michela and jenny were just like most kids their age. they loved riding bikes and playing outdoors. the fun-loving girls didn't know each other,

the host of dateline and behind closed doors with natalie morals on reelz channel.nd access, co-host of access live and new anchor today and she co-hosted t third hour. she joi today as a national correspondent and reports for all nbcews platforms including nbc nightly news, dateline and we're grateful natalie, for your excellent reporting during these tumultuous times and we're gla that you made time for this fascinatg talk today, but i want to point out that natalie has special connection to this. she has a book called "simple recipes for healthy living, from my family's kitchen to yours" where she shares her favorite recipes and tips for a healthy life style. thank youor being with us here today. >> it's my pleasu, peggy. thank you so much for the warm introduction and it's a wonderful topic and an opportunity for us to really focus on our health, especially right now. dr. mosconi, this book tt you ote, "the brain" is fascinating and i thinkt's so important for women to understand the significance of the research, but also the preventative tips that you put t in

natalie morales: his target-- a doting young mom.s so scared. natalie morales: he struck once. would he kill again, and would she be next? you're just so shattered and hurting so bad. natalie morales: imagine being hunted in your own home,

i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> he said, christy's been murdered. she was taken so soon and so violently. i couldn't stop shaking. >> a young teacher leaving for school murdered before she could get out the door. >> this was a horrific scene. >> it was a nightmare scene. she had christmas presents that she was taking to her students that day. >> i was petrified. i just thought, who, why? >> we looked at suspect after suspect after suspect. >> the crime was a mystery for decades. >> we were still with no answer. >> i mean, this poor family. we thought we might be able to solve this case. >> could cutting edge science yield a new clue? >> this was a huge lead. >> absolutely. this wasn't someone that they had had a reason to look at or talk to before. >> he was he. he was here the whole time. >> you were li'il literally talo her killer? absolutely. face to face. >> evil comes in all packages. >> it certainly does. >> hello, and welcome to "dateline." christy mirack always knew she wanted t

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> she was more than a high-powered businesswoman. she touched a lot of people's lives. >> no, no! >> i was devastated. i couldn't really go back there. >> he was rich. she was richer. the lawyer and the tycoon. lavish didn't begin to describe it. >> diane was very flamboyant. >> she was the life of the party. >> a good mix of wealth and power. they knew how to live life. >> then came that deadly night. >> i hear a big explosion. i just knew immediately that i had to get out of there. >> a single gunshot, and she was gone. >> the love of my wife. >> you said tex was emotional and distraught. >> yes. he's never been the same since. >> what happened in that dark suv? and what was hiding beneath the surface? >> trying to cover up something. >> i just took my breath away. >> she said, i cannot trust anyone else. >> power and privilege. love and greed. >> she was in control of the money. >> th

i'm natalie morales. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>she said it looked like she might have slipped in the shower. >> she was in the fetal position in this bathtub. >> you could see marks on jessyka's neck. >> they said, "we're going to rule this as a homicide." >> detectives using new technology to view this crime scene in extreme detail. >> there was no forced entry, no tool marks. >> there was blood on the couch. >> who could have done this? >> they say that usually someone close. >> an inve

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> i knew she would never leave her kids in the middle of a hurricane. i always knew it wasn't going to be good. >> crystal was gone, and there were lots of reasons to worry. >> she had numerous lovers, men and women. >> you have both the husband and the boyfriend failing their polys. on the same day. >> what the hell is going on? >> the answer would have to wait. >> hurricane harvey is moving this direction. >> we're stuck in the house. immediately we went to social media. >> what kind of things did you put? >> pictures of her. her license plate. >> someone knew who she was. willing to trade one night of freedom. >> he said i'm ready to talk. >> let me go home. tomorrow morning i will tell you everything. >> in exchange for the terrible truth. >> he couldn't have her, nobody could. >> hello, and welcome to "dateline." crystal mcdowell was a divorced mom itching to start a new life whe

i'm natalie morales. thanks for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> he told me he loved me. i told him i loved him. he said he'd be right back. i could hear a commotion of some sort and then i remember hearing gunshots. >> to see him lying there, it was bad. >> it's the website where lovers go to meet and cheat. >> this was someone looking to have an affair. >> but this affair was about so much more than deceit. >> you couldn't write this as a movie. you couldn't write this as a okay. >> this affair became a game. a wife and her lover spying on her husband and his lover. >> he would just say, well, what else have they done. >> and then this spy game turned deadly. one of the four lovers was gunned down this obviously was not something that was random. >> waiting at the scene, a man with a strange story and waiting for detectives, a strange video. >> how creepy was that video. >> it was very creepy. >> an affair to remember. >> he was the one. >> an aff

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> he's a monster. he's evil. he's pure evil. he is that character in those horror movies. >> he hid in the shadows. a killer in a mask. >> he's clearly a brilliant individual. a brilliantly scary individual. >> his target, a doting young mom. >> she was a gorgeous strawberry blond who loved her son more than anything in the whole world. >> she was so scared. >> he struck once. would he kill again and would she be next? >> we were just so shattered and hurting so bad. >> imagine being hunted in your own home, held a virtual prisoner, your children in danger from a man with a blueprint for murder. >> i was terrified. >> she will face down evil and come forward with a new revelation that will make your jaw drop. >> what i did is wrong. there are no words. i have everything to lose. >>> hello and welcome to "dateline." it was a brutal crime and right away one woman said she knew what hap

i'm natalie morales.and this is "dateline." >> my mom -- my mom is lying here on the floor. there's blood everywhere. >> a stuping twist on a family's desperate search for justice. >> nothing has turned outright. >> she was in a casket like position. her jewelry boxes untouched. >> did someone have a bigger prize in mind? a family farm worth a fortune. >> i did not shoot my mom and i would never shoot my mom. >> two trials. >> every emotion hit. >> two verdicts. >> there were only two people who knew what happened that day. one of them's dead and the other one is sitting in that chair. >> too much to bear. >> it's just been a hell on earth. >> hello and welcome to dateline. bill and shirley carter built a comfortable life and raised a family. as their golden years approached the couple fell into a routine. daily coffee, working the fields and spending time with the grandkids. but one morning gunshots rang out leaving shirley dead and planting the seeds of a mystery that would turn one family member agains

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. natalie. thank you for watching. morales.. and this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> it's shocking. you just kind of go into crisis mode. i don't think they knew, exactly, what had happened other than that he was covered in blood. she was just broken and lost. there is a murderer out there, and it's terrifying. >> reporter: it was supposed to be an anniversary celebration. 32 years together. >> they were in love, even after all those years. they were very happy together.

and with this they say i'm natalie morales. and i'm craig melvin.nd this is dateline on mynetworktv. n't look like a 15-year-old boy. he didn't act like a 15-year-old boy. he said that they were friends, but that nothing had happened. the text messages are the truth. natalie morales: she was a 33-year-old high school tutor. he was her 15-year-old student. he was in love. natalie morales: but after his mom found this on his phone, police knew this was no innocent teenage crush. he said that they had sex on several different occasions. it was an illegal relationship. natalie morales: a horrible crime to be accused of. but she insisted he wasn't the victim-- she was.

and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline."-i always told myself she didnt see it coming natalie morales: a mother at work in her office: -murdered-. vicky- someone shot her and just let her die! keith-four bullets making sure she was dead edith-who wanted this very nice professional woman dead? natalie morales: police start to dig: her new fiance. david-he was like i have to move on heidi-it was just very suspicious natalie morales: her final client.

i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> hello. 911. >> i think there's a body out here. please send somebody, hurry! >> they had the body of a young woman who matched the description of reagan. and i just kept saying, "that has to be wrong." >> reporter: who would want to hurt reagan? investigators would start with those closest to her. >> is your gut telling you this is someone you knew? >> we were figurin' that it was probably somebody that she knew, an ex- boyfriend or a current boyfriend. >> reporter: but, miles away, a string of alarming encounters. >> he had a knife. he put it to my neck. >> i heard a voice say, "don't turn around or i'll shoot." >> this was somebody that wanted to do evil. >> reporter: could there be a connection to reagan's murder? the answer would leave an entire city infuriated. >> how the heck does this happen? how does this happen? >> they could have connected the dots way sooner. >> this system failed reagan terribly. >> i think it's outrage times 1,000. ♪ >>> hel

i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> my friend called me and she was hysterical. she said sandra's been killed. i was like, oh, my god. as soon as she was killed we all knew who did it. as the months went on we realized this guy is going to get off. how is this happening? just keep praying. that's all we can do. >> there aren't a lot of murders in paradise. people still talk about this one. >> just a darling girl with two darling children. >> it is a story keith morrison followed for nearly ten years. >> how? when? >> i get a call from her boss, said she hadn't showed up for work. >> they found her in the car. >> i saw in the back of her neck some ligature marks. >> just didn't deserve that. >> a small island, a small pool of suspects. ryan, her lover with the past -- >> i had no idea he was a drug dealer. >> and darren, the soon-to-be ex-husband. >> that morning he called in sick. >> was darren polygraphed? >> he didn

and i'm natalie morales. this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >>> in the pit of my stomach i knew something is not right here. i felt something bad must have happened. >> he must have been so, so scared. >> they were so happy at first. >> kevin just felt morgan was very, very charming. >> but when the marriage went bad he went missing. >> he just disappeared. >> was this a husband who didn't want to be found? was this a wife who had something to hide? >> they're getting in the truck. they're leaving. >> what happened behind closed doors? >> she laughed and said, "no, there's no affair." >> someone was keeping secrets, and even police couldn't wrap their heads around this one until they found it, a trail of texts. >> we were like, holy smokes, it is right there. >> it sure was. every stunning detail. >> snapple iced tea seemed the perfect tool to put the poison inside. >> was this a loving spouse or a lethal one? police were in for a killer surprise. >> i feel like the gates of hell are opening. >> i don't know what they were

i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> i caught something out of the corner of my eye. it was my mom. she was laying on the ground. i went over expecting her to get up or to say something. i put my hand on her shoulder. i kind of turned her. and i could see blood everywhere. >> reporter: their family always made the best of bad times. >> my mom always looked for the good in everything. >> reporter: but no one could fix this. >> the autopsy showed a total of five shots. >> she didn't deserve to die that way. >> reporter: detectives had a suspect. but not much of a case. >> i was told unless they can find the proverbial smoking gun, they will not take this case to trial. >> this case did not have a lot. >> everything just kind of like went cold case. >> reporter: blow off the dust. fan the ashes. and even an ice-cold case can heat up again. >> when i read the file, my response was, oh, my gosh. how's this guy walking around? how is he not in custody? >> reporter: some worried answering that ques