but they also wanted ashlea's keys to the american eagle.ecause they were planning to rob the store again. those keys were the only thing missing from the murder scene. and when store manager chris cravey looked at his surveillance video from earlier that morning, he told police what they wanted to hear. >> reporter: describe what you saw on the videotape. >> somebody dressed in dark clothes with their face wrapped walk right up to the store and try to get in with keys. >> reporter: that, he said, was carter trying to pull off another, bigger burglary. police just knew -- one day after killing ashlea and taking her keys, carter was trying to break into american eagle where this time, tens of thousands of dollars -- the black friday profits -- were in the safe. but the key didn't fit, because after ashlea was murdered, chris cravey changed the locks. >> i wasn't gonna take any chance on whether it be a deposit or them harming somebody else in the store. we needed to lock them out. >> reporter: the detectives pulled the surveillance video, and

ashlea was the baby. their mom, monica, remembers how ashlea loved sports and music and art and bingo! >> it was our mom and daughter bonding time, and she'd just get all giddy and excited. >> reporter: by the time she got to high school, ashlea had lots of friends, even a boyfriend. and she was devoted to her two dads -- her father tommy and her stepfather, chuck, both retired police officers. didn't she talk at one point about getting into actually your line of work? >> she was interested in policing. i think that she took unique interest in it. >> reporter: but after high school she ended up working, for a short time, at blockbuster video. and that's where she met a customer named laura love. >> and i walked around the store for a little bit, and just kept lookin' at her, 'cause she was so beautiful. >> reporter: laura wanted to meet the girl behind the counter. they became friends. and then something more. >> we hung out for a few months, probably, like, eight months before it ever really got there. >

>> ashlea always felt like she was gonna die young. >> the call came on black friday. >> she said, "ashlea'slled up, my heart broke. >> and this fire was no accident. >> they had conducted surveillance at ashlea's apartment. >> reporter: they' gng

all together, ashlea is there too. >> announcer: that's all for this edition of "dateline." thanks for watching. >>> i'm craig mel. burn >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> they're flying up from florida, the black on os. at that point it got a little scary. they're here to coo dea job and they're d they're going to kill someone. this is crazy. >> in a marriage three a crowd. >> you're seeing another woman. what do you tung it was? >> chemistry. >> this is now the marriage from hell. >> enter the hitman. >> what you're asking to do is not cheap. two hundred thousand? >> here's a name. i'm going to bring you pictures of the person we want to have killed. >> you say you now feared for your own life? >> yes. >> a hit that couldn't miss? >> you're the boss at this point you know. i want to make sure you're satisfied. >> or a surprise to die for? >> what's that little thing between the seats there? >> he actually notices a camera inside the car. >> this was a big moment. >> a huge moment. everything just took off real fast. >> no fairy tale ending for this l