mr. rosenfield letter and admitted to the throat cutting, stab wounds to the back and absolutely adamant that robert had nothing to do with it whatsoever. >> so jessica's affidavit was sent off to the governor too and everybody waited and waited and then on the governor's very last day in office, more than nine years into robert's sentence, a decision. denied. rosenfield devastated drove to the prison to tell robert. >> robert and i hugged. we cried. and probably about the most painful part of this process. >> robert's only door to freedom slammed shut. >> some of the -- >> but half a world away, someone else was watching robert's case. could his opinion make a difference? >> coming up -- >> isn't a confession the strongest evidence you can get? >> not always. >> the police detective in robert's corner when "dateline extra" continues. >>> welcome back. piece by piece, evidence mounted that robert davis may in fact be innocent. that confession, experts insisted, was coerced. even the admitted killer said he had nothing to do with the murders but his petition for clemency denied and then s