. >> alvin's defense attorney, mccracken poston, knew that the case against his client wouldn't be easy. alvin's reputation and behavior after his wife's death made his defense a unique challenge. >> several members of my family just said, he's crazy, he's capable of anything. >> poston visited alvin's rundown house on the edge of town, and amid the cockroaches and broken windows saw something he hadn't expected. the walls of the house were plastered with handwritten notes. >> some were letters to congress that alvin had written. but i began to notice a distinct handwriting that i knew was not alvin's, and i asked him, who wrote this? he said, well, virginia did. and i grabbed a piece off the wall and said, alvin, this will save you. i've got to have all of this. >> there were hundreds of notes, all apparently in virginia ridley's handwriting. some dealt with everyday matters like what she had watched on television. in notebooks, entire chapters of the bible had been transcribed repeatedly. but most were love letters to alvin. ken poston did not believe the love notes were the writings