turns out this was not bruce harkey's first rodeo. n years earlier bruce had done prison time for his role in another murder plot, an unsuccessful one that targeted one of his many ex-wives. >> i think there's a lot of things that are extremely similar in it. and the main one is that he gets somebody else to do what he wants done. and he does it through influence. >> i will simply say that that's a devastating bit of evidence. >> reporter: yeah, because that makes me think, well, they probably got the right guy. >> and just hypothetically speaking, let's say the case is purely circumstantial and looks kind of bad. and then there's proof in front of the jury that says, "and by the way, he did it before." that makes all the other evidence seem much more important. >> reporter: if you're a prosecutor -- >> that's great stuff. that's the end of the story whether it should be or shouldn't. >> reporter: it took the jury only one hour to reach a guilty verdict. bruce harkey received a life sentence, as did carl pressley. lillian king was sent