keith morrison: julie harper was walking on air, acquitted of first degree murder, a jury deadlocked ictory, as keith watanabe julie harper was walking on air. acquitted with first degree murder. a jury deadlocked on second degree, it tasted like sweet victory. as key watanbe bent down on frustration -- >> images of her, walking out of that courtroom as a free woman was tough for me to swallow. >> still, what he could do was try again. of course, first degree murder was off the murder -- table, nobody could go for a lesser charge of second degree murder. which he did. a new trial date was set for six months later, april 2015. and then, one month before that trial was to begin, surprise! julie had some astonishing news for the judge. >> the re-trial to a woman accused of killing her husband, the attorney said she is pregnant. >> seven months pregnant. >> she intentionally got pregnant in order to interfere with the retrial. >> really, that devious in your mind? >> she is really that devious and well-planned and manipulative. >> what's more, julie's pregnancy was highly intentional, in

here is keith morrison. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our story begins with this much mother of a teenage daughter. had spent much of her life trying to figure out who she was. what was her name? where did she come from? we will tell you about her long search, her discovery, finally of what's felt like truth. but as you will soon see, real truth can be elusive. it can hide. let's begin at the beginning. but at the beginning, all she had was a memory. >> a twin canopy bed, with pink ruffles around it. it kind of waved, over the top of it. >> really, it was dream like. and for years, it was all that felt real in her upside down life. >> and it was all pink and white. everything matched! >> the closet, full of dresses. the dolls, the teddy bears. >> actually, there was a little old-fashioned where he would put the baby in the wagon. >> and the reason for those tormenting memories? >> it is a lot of hurt and sadness. sadness for the little girl who did not have a life. >> for most of her, life apart after that little girl's bedroom, she has been pepper, and the baffling terrifying story of what happene

keith morrison: a spouse is late for dinner. a teenager stays out all night.ling when a loved one is out of touch. >> a spouse is late for dinner. a teenager stays out all night. the awful, sinking feeling when a loved one's out of touch. usually of course, everything rights itself. but not for the family of brittany tavar, in july of 2010 they found themselves stuck fast in a purgatory of missing persons. the place where families must go to wait. for what? they do not know. >> you alternate between it is not real, is it really happening? to having these terrible, terrible moments where you realize it is something irreversible that has happened. >> brittani's to little got dogs had been found abandoned by the road three states away, in south carolina. brittani love those dogs, would never abandon them. and yet? the credit card record made it look like she had done exactly that. that she had been driving her car clear across the country. at last, a nationwide alert was issued for brittani's car. now, with the whole nation's law enforcement on watch. the answer

keith morrison (voiceover): a loving pastor's family instant targets.eard the first shot go off and said, i love you, mom. i love you, dad. keith morrison (voiceover): they were the only ones who survived, and no one knew then how long justice would take >> i heard the first shot go off and i said, i love, you i love you dad. >> they were the only ones who survived. and no one knew then how long justice would take or what it would cost. were you frightened, terrified that they would come back and it up? >> absolutely. >> a chilling man hunt, a young survivor, driven to become a state senator. >> he was very, very passionate. >> what they ever come out the dark? >> i always get a little emotional and can't believe it's [inaudible] >> 30 years later, an answer. >> the power of forgiveness. this is what my dad and my mom taught me. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> in his 40s and married again, he started fresh, here in the beach, in malibu. it was time, finally to put it to rest. ali use hollywood to release those demons, get that in the rearview mirror. >> i look back and it was

keith morrison : october 2002.d and a hundred miles >> october 2002, months before laci peterson disappeared, 100 miles away in fresno, california, a woman named amber fryee got a phone call about a woman about a guy. >> i was doing really well getting my career started in massage therapy, single mother. i was told about a great guy my friend wanted me to meet. >> so to set you up on a date. >> a blind date at first. i said okay. a little, like, i wonder who she sees as a good fit for me. >> he sounded perfect. >> she had said he had a good sense of humor, good-looking, had a career, he was single and looking for the one, like, soulmate. >> he was serious about this? >> yeah. >> his name? scott peterson. it was late november when they met in person and it was electric. >> we had a really great first date, really good. >> you meet someone, you feel like there's no wall between the two of you. was it like that? >> yeah. >> was it like he was immediately attracted to you, you to him? >> when we met, we were chuckled a

keith morrison (voiceover): ait was a disturbing time on anna maria island.happened to sabina? when they found her car, there was blood in it, and the felon who'd stolen it kept changing his story, >> it was a disturbing time on anna maria island. what happened to sabine? when they found her car, there was blood in it. and the fellow who had stolen it kept changing his story. so, the logical conclusion was dark indeed. but still -- she could've gone back to germany to see her family, or something? >> right, and there was extensive leads and investigation to determine that. >> in fact, apparently she had been seen alive and well at the local airport. her friend chris tollette heard the story. >> there were two women at the sarasota airport, who said they were sure they saw her up ahead in line to get onto an airplane. >> but when detectives checked out the tip. >> her passport wasn't used, checking surveillance cameras in the sarasota airport, the tampa airport to make sure that she did not leave the country or fly out. >> a couple of weeks went by that way, l

>> if you ask me, i'm sure he'll never see the light of day again. >> keith morrison "dateline," nbc., thank you and right now we're following a christmas eve mall shooting that killed one person in colorado last night. colorado springs police responded to report of gunfire at citadel mall moments before service scheduled to close. it started as a fistfight and escalated when the gunfire broke out. two people are recovering in the hospital, two are critically injured. police say it was not an active shooter situation, and right now there is no ongoing threat. >>> still to come here, the surge of congressional retirements and departures happening ahead of the next session of congress. what it means for that electoral map for 2024. plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon. the subway series is taking your favorite to the next level! like the #20. the elite chicken and bacon ranch. built with rotisserie-style chicken and double cheese. i love what i'm seeing here. that's some well-coached chicken. you done, peyton? the subway series just keeps gettin' better. l

[music playing] keith morrison (voiceover): when he was about seven years old, jesse valencia asked hissit down. linda valencia: and he told me, i'm not going to-- i don't want you to get upset, and don't cry. >> when he was about seven years old, jessie valencia asked his mom to sit down. >> and he told me, i don't want you to get upset. and don't cry, don't get emotional. and this is a little kid now, i'm talking. and he said, mom, i'm not going to live to be very old. i'm going to die at a very young age. >> why would he say -- >> it's like he knew. and he told me that for years. he was constantly telling me that. because he said he was trying to prepare me for his death. >> did he tell you where that thought came from, or why he thought that? >> he never did. he just said he knew he was going to die young. >> and now, the age of 23, jessie's awful prediction had come true. it's half naked body found lying in a lowly patch of grass, so far from home. >> i never dreamed that he was going to die that way. >> whatever happened to him, the investigators figured, must have started here be

keith morrison: on a friday afternoon, october 2013, a sheriff's deputy raced 20 miles from the smallna, >> on a friday afternoon, october 2013, a sheriff's deputy raised 20 miles from the small town of augusta, montana. to the edge of a bog marshall wilderness. >> clark county sheriff--'s >> there had been a 9-1-1 call. reports of shots fired, a man down. when the deputy finally pulled to a stop, he found joe campbell standing behind the gate he built to block the trail to public lands. just ten feet away, sprawled in the dirt, there was tim newman. the deputy ripped open newman shirt, saw a gunshot wound to the chest and that it was too late. >> my phone rang. she's, like christy, i need you to sit down. >> tim's daughter got a call from her aunt. >> i'm like, oh, no, this is never good thank. i just immediately said, no. no, i don't want it, i don't want you to tell me what you're about to tell me, no. like, no. she's like, i'm sorry. your father shot. tim's death. >> tim knew it was 53 when he died beneath the big sky he loved. >> i was floored. i was stunned. >> we always knew wi

>> if you ask me, i'm sure he'll never see the light of day again. >> reporter: keith morrison, datee, nbc. >>> and coming up, no white christmas here in, no, but is there snow in the forecast somewhere out there? what kind of weather is coming your way? next. your way next the subway series is getting an upgrade. the new #33. the teriyaki blitz. with double cheese and teriyaki-marinated meat. it's like a perfect steak spiral in the double cheese coverage. if you say so, peyton. who knew the subway series could get even better? ok, someone just did laundry... no, i add downy light so the freshness really lasts. yeah, most scented stuff gives me a headache, but this is just right. and i don't like anything. but i like this. get a light scent that lasts with no heavy perfumes or dyes. it■s beginning to look alot like savings! blendjets holiday sale is on now! give the gift of convenience the blendjet 2 portable blender is perfect for everyone on your list. even that picky relative who hates everything. and dont forget the accessories! theyre all on sale! dont wait! our most popular col

here is keith morrison with a perfect spot. >> a winter's night in a southern forest.nk black darkness parted briefly to their headlights, then closed around them like a shroud as they made their way in separate cars in the foggy overcast. but then, there it was, the ragged clearing, the muddy patch of sand and dirt away from the whole world, what a place for their valentines tryst. as if they could see without the artificial light so much as a -- or the faith marking that day in the dark. waiting, lurking. but, what a way to begin a love story. better, probably, the hot air balloons the man so loved. and the motorcyclists on which together, in daylight, they discovered their own special place in the remote forest clearing in the place called belton bridge park. though park is much too grand word for them to pull out beside the chatahoochee river in north atlanta, georgia. >> i knew them both very well. >> they were richard and stacey schoeck. and it was another. their love of scouting. >> how did you meet him? >> both our sons were cub scouts. >> with kids, boys espec

keith morrison has more. ♪ ♪ >> disturbing details in the killing of four idaho students. >> accusedach killer. >> reporter: every year across this great land, there are stories which we cannot simply look away. and this year was no exception. >> alex murdoch, why did you kill your wife? >> reporter: in january, all eyes turned to a south carolina courtroom for one of the biggest trials in decades. once powerful attorney alex murdoch stood accused of killing his wife and son. >> we have reached the conclusion that he murdered his wife and son. >> he didn't do it. >> reporter: the case hinged on one piece of evidence, cell phone video that proved he lied about where he was when the murders took place. >> come here. >> reporter: alec took the stand for two days of riveting testimony and admitted he hadn't told the truth about that night. what is a tangled web we weave. >> reporter: but he said he was not a killer. >> are you a family annihilator? >> you mean, did i shoot my wife and son? >> yes. >> no! >> do you think putting him on the stand hurt their case? >> i don't think it helped

keith morrison (voiceover): a loving pastor's family

dateline's keith morrison looks back at the stories that grabbed our attention in 2023. >> reporter:g to light in the alex murdaugh murder. >> the killing of four university of idaho students. >> rex heuermann accused of being the gilgo beach killer. >> every year across this great land there are crimes that draw our attention, stories which we simply cannot look away. this year was no exception. >> alex murdaugh -- why did you kyle your wife? >> reporter: in january all eyes turned to a south carolina courtroom for one of the piggest trials in decades. once powerful attorney alex murdaugh stood accused of killing his wife and son. >> we're going to reach this inescapable conclusion that alex make sured maggie paul, that she was the storm. >> he didn't do it. >> reporter: until one key piece of evidence, a cell phone video that proved alex lied about where he was when the murders took place. >> come here, dog. >> get. >> reporter: alex himself took the stand for two days of riveting testimony. and admitted he hadn't told the truth about that night. >> oh, what a tangled web we weave.

here's dateline's keith morrison with a look back at the year in true crime. >> disturbing new detailsgh trial, the killing of four university of iowa. rescue, man accused of being the beach killer. >> every year across this great land, there are crimes that draw our attention. stories in which we simply cannot look away. this, year it was no exception. in january, all eyes turned to the south carolina court for one of the biggest trials in decades. once powerful attorney alex murdaugh stood accused of killing his wife and son. >> we are going to reach the inescapable conclusion that alex murdered maggie, that she was in the store. >> he did not do it. >> the case hinged on one key piece of evidence, the sofa and video proving that alec lied about where he was when the murders took place. he himself took the stand for two days of riveting testimony, and admitted that he had not told the truth about that night. >> what a tangled web we weave. >> he said that he was not a killer. >> are you a family annihilator? >> a family annihilator? like did i shoot my wife and son? no. >> do you thi

there is my favorite keith morrison he does state line and he's got this wonderful voice and he doeseadings each of every year. if you ever get a chance at a podcast, that's the guy to listen to. it was an honor and a pleasure to read to your. >> that was the moment the art world was transformed and went from that baby in a manger to g on to die for our sins and give up the gift of eternal life which is the greatest gift of all. you did a wonderful job of reading that. timothy cardinal dolan also stopped by to share his christmas message. >> hi every body of a blessed christmas. i appreciated the opportunity t walk down the block. and it's an honor and a joy for me to actually be in the living rooms and the kitchens and the homes of america's family. this is a day where families ar together where people are smiling. where people are hugging. where people are getting gift set. this is a day where everyone deep down says it, i think it's the way it's supposed to be all the time. this is the way god intended it. if we can kinda of use at this christmas day to call us back t the divine i

. >> reporter: keith morrison, "dateline," nbc. >> we have a lot more coming up. our second hour starts right now. ♪ ♪ thankful if your sticking with us. merry christmas to all those celebrating. the war is raging on in israel. with christmas eventually cancelled in bethlehem, we'll get a live report from that region coming up. >>> former president donald trump releasing a new ad in states where primaries are set to begin in weeks. could he be worrying about his opponent's gaining ground? >>> plus, 2023 was a year of weather extremes. record heat across the country, with phoenix sweltering for 31 days with temperatures over 100 degrees. >>> and from blue ivy to "barbie," some of the moments that blew up on social media this year. all that coming up. >>> we begin with the escalation in the israel-hamas war. right now, the israelis are fighting on multiple fronts. first in gaza, where idf forces are taking casualties as ground and air operations killed dozens of palestinians, including civilians caught in the cross fire. israeli troops are also taking fire to the no

"dateline's" keith morrison. >> disturbing new details coming to light in the alex murdoch murder trialat draw our attention. this year was no exception. in january, all eyes turned to a south carolina courtroom for one of the biggest trials in decades. once-powerful attorney alex murdoch stood accused of killing his wife and son. >> alex murdered maggie and paul. >> he didn't do it. >> the case hinged on one key piece of evidence, a cell phone video that proves alex lied about where he was when the murders took place. alex took the stand and admitted he hadn't told the truth about that night, but he said he was not a killer. >> are you a family annihilator? >> you mean did i shoot my wife and my son? >> yes. >> no. >> do you think putting them on the stand hurt their case? >> yeah. i don't think it helped it. >> it took just three hours for the jury to convict him.case? >> yeah, i don't think it helped it. >> reporter: it took just three hours for the jury to convict him. >> i sentence you for a term of the rest of your natural life. >> reporter: this year also brought us face to face

. >>> next up, keith morrison is back for season 2 "morrison mysteries.arly low as if instead of being so close beside him, it were at a distance who and what are you, scrooge demanded i am the ghost of christmas past >> this is a hit, if you haven't checked it out scan that qr code or search "morrison mysteries" wherever you get your podcasts. >> he did legends of sleepy hallow for halloween. >> yes it was a hit. >>> finally, how about christmas cookies, everybody monmouth university has published its report for america's favorites. here are some of the top contenders snicker doodle, gingerbread, chocolate chip, oatmeal and the classic butter cookie. do you guys have any idea which cookie came out on top as the number one choice for voters for america? >> you can do the frosting and the decorations.ats won 32%, a long way ahead of the second place, the gingerbread cookie >> it is the sugar cookie. these tasty treats won 32%, a long way ahead of the second place, the gingerbread cookie which only took 12% of the vote. >> wow they look real good. >> this i