Somebody is out there. Detectives they decided cameras were not out there but inside the house. The family was furious. This is love. This is belief. I am just human being. Please listen to us. Did investigators rushed to judgment . Do you have any idea beyond your imagination that this would happen . I think i do have a clue. Was the real killer out there . I am lester holt and this is dateline. Tonight Keith Morrison with a ki killing. On the afternoon of may 4th, 2012. Kasey duanest walking out on the field for high school football. A double hitter and spring was in its full glory in northern california. His senior year was almost done, this was the game he loved. Did you have anything like that at all . Just another day and another one of our count less baseball games. Of course, though know one knew it as they whine their way through a glory afternoon. Redding, california, with its famous sun dial bridge and its parks and midded amerile field. It is a whole different feel. Kind of few minutes from redding, you are on the ball diamond in a little place called cotton wood. Just like the people kasey knew would be in the stands. So, were they there . Always there. Always there. His parents side by side by the dugout as always. Theyre always together since theyre 17 years old. Practically each others skin. His mother brought chocolate chip cookies for every player every game. His father finished work in time for the opening pitch. They were the best parents that you can ask for. This is jason, their eldest son and here is the photo of jasons graduation with his proud parents. Today he became a fireman. They would do anything for us. Mark and karen were from big mormon family, High School Sweethearts and married as teenagers. Quickly all boys, jason, jacob, tyler, troy and kasey. The boys bursting with testosterones. It was a rowdy house. Our parents loved it. Karen is a fulltime mom and once the boy were old enough, she taught part time. Sparing his wife a little of in nights disruption. Mark had separate bedroom for years. My dad treated her better than anybody can treat their wife. My mom was the queen. They lived simply and they took pictures. Theyre always family. They all stayed as close as any family could be. When jason got married, he moved into the house right next door, help celebrate mark and karens Silver Wedding anniversary as they always did. In 2012, they were grandparents. They have been married for 33 years. One thing i always look up to and loves about their relationship was that they still dated. After that long, sometimes you can lose that and i never saw them lose that. The change does come for everyone. By 2012 and their early 50s. Mark and karen were making some changes, karen went back to school, Nursing School. It was the plan they talked b about. It was a perfect situation, she got to stay home with the kids all growing up and now shes starting her career. It is a pretty darn good plan, worked her whole life and she would start her career as nursing. Not so easy, Nursing School is a tough thing and not just for karen, either. Her brother joe. Having mom there when you need her. Shes going to have to study. If shes struggling with the classes, she felt like she should do better. I remember i texted dad and saying i just got back from er and i love it. Kasey joined his parents at home and being friday night, he and a friend went to see a movimovie,e avengers. It started at 9 15 and i told my parents everything was fine. Do you remember the last time you talk to them . She handed me a 20 bill. It was late. Then what did you remember . I felt like, dad was at the door freaking out and seconds later. 911 emergency. The family is about to discover a perfect evening ended in tragedy. When we return a dad devastate, is one tragedy is about to become two. It was 12 30 a. M. , now may 5th, 2012. Kasey duenas home from a movie and opened the front door, unlocked as usual and moved quietly. If it is not so late, he may have stopped by and conversation with his mom. The house was dark and everyone is asleep. Kasey went into bed and immediately, he went into a deep sleep and then 25 minutes later. Dads at the door freaking out. Going next door to next door, go get jason. Go get jason. Kasey did what hes told, running next door to jasons house. His father, mark, besides himself called for an ambulance. Tell me what happened . Shes got blood everywhere, everywhere. I dont know. You have no idea what happened . You dont know where shes bleeding from . No, there is blood everywhere. Are you with her now . Yeah, blood in her chest. And jason woke up to the horror. The Fire Department alarm, brother alarm. I was asleep and i can hear kasey yelling at me in a panic, somethings wrong with mom, you got to come next door right now. Did you have a sense of what it was . I had no idea what i would walk into. What he walked into was a nightmare beyond dreaming. There was his father in fullblown panic lying in the floor of a puddle of blood was his mother. The rookie firefighter regret and froze. If i would have come on that situation now, i would immediately start cpr. There was a great deal of blood. For somebody living through that much blood, i didnt think it would happen. I believe i just missed her couple of breaths. Emt arrived and karen was dead. No longer after that, young detective arrived, stonehouse, this would be his first case as lead detective. I did not know what i was walking into until i saw pictures on the wall and realized you knew these people . I went to high school with the second oledest son. Here he found looking at karens body. Who could have done this . Detectives stonehouse has been on the force long enough to know what wild crime is well aware here. Probably desperate money for a fix. So, was this a Home Invasion robbery went wrong . Detectives took a look around the house. He and fellow officers found around the neighborhood, there were some footprints outside. There was a wood fence that surrounds the piece of property and there was a back gate out there and a little trail that led to the channel area. The first patrolman on the scene told them he had seen a car speeding away as he raced into the duenas house. Here in this crime scene video taken the next day is a scream on the window in karens bedroom. They looked suspiciously thats opened. W was there anything disturbed around the house . No, the bedrooms were intact. There was not drawers taken open. It did not look like anybody had gone in that way. Detectives had questions for the only man in the house all evening, the husband, of course, mark duenas. What was his story of what happened that night . He told us he had been up with karen and watching a movie and once karen went to bed, he stayed a little longer watching the giants game. He falls asleep so he decides to go to sleep. Mark in his room and karen is down the hall. I hear crazy noise. You know, you hear a cat sound, right . It was not cats. It was as weird talking . I heard weird screaming type. Then what did you do from there . I ran and got up. I didnt want those whatever that was going onto wake up my wife because i am sensitive like that. I went to the door by the kitchen and opened it up and looked out there, i didnt see anything, shut it and walked down the hallway and looked down there and the lights were on. I opened the door and thats when i found her. Detectives questioned mark for more than three hours. Had him change so they can keep his tshirt and shorts for testing. I remember him coming through the door and collapsing. He kept on saying like his heart we thought maybe he had a heart attack. He was a mess. As the duenas family plan the funeral. Their big extended family. I never seen a person more broken. What was your perception of how he took it . He took it incredibly hard. He still does. Along with unbearable grief for the family came i live next door, i put alarms on every doo because somebody is out there. The police did not think that. In a day or two one of the detectives announced, no need to worry of unknown killers stocking the family. Why would he say that . Coming up, investigators were about to be hear a strong tale from none other of karens theyre in a surreal minutes and hours and days after, karen duenas, was murdered. The best that i can explain my mom is purest of hearts is the best way that i can say it. The whole big family, karens family as well as marks, parents and brothers and sisters, gathered to support each other and mourned. The word on the street is there is no question at all. We had rumors, out lan dilan rumors. Rumors that it was mark. Ridiculous. I know it is no way possible. May parents were best friends from long as i can remember. Why would detectives be so suspicious of the man married to his High School Sweet hard for 30 years and led alone a violent act. It is true when wives are murdered, husbands are i am p implicated. Minutes after mark sat down to talk to detectives, he volunteered that sounded like a motive for murder. What was going on in our life and it scared me when i think about it. It was an odd story. Towards 2012, a u. S. Coworker if he had ever gone on facebook, no, he has not. Have you ever wonder what happened to people that you used to know . Facebook may tell you. Mark thought about it and said well, there was this girl that i used to talk to back in high school, was not a real girlfriend or anything, but he was curious to see what happens to her. Pretty soon she and mark were texting and talking on the phone and catching up. I was talking and we kind of got carried away of texting here and there. Carried away . That maybe a little strong in the age of sexting. They did talk and text for several months. Was it some kind of affair . Well, judge for yourself. Was there any pictures sent or anything like that . There is pictures of may maybe me or her, you know just looking innocent, not those nasty it is like what do you look like now . She sent a picture of her and she said your turn. Just innocent stuff. She had a picture of her grand kid and stuff like that. And not once did they try to see each other. In fact, whether an opportunity came up, they decided no, it would not be fair, because of their kids or grand kids. Karen found out what he had been doing when she went through his phone bills and it hurt her feelings and he promised her he would stop it. Mark went to buy a separate phone. He sent her a letter asking for forgiveness and promising it will never happen again. Karen told a couple of her kids about it. She was really upset. Everything together showed that that karen was not happy in her relationship. Mark told them otherwise that it was a happy marriage and texting was a bliss. The detective did not believe it so he confronted mark. In fact, investigators believed it all backed up what they suspected from the first night. Here just hours after the murder, when they first accused mark of killing her. I didnt do it i mean, it is crazy. Just like oj, we need to find the real killer, right . Lapd, they did not have to go find a killer. I would never lay a head on my wife, i did not hurt her or kill her. I walked in and found her in her condition. Mark family, he told them all of the whole text messaging but it was not a big deal. It sounds to me they were confiding in each other of their family. Their youngest son kasey explained there was some tensions between his parents. There was moments where they did not get along but it was a while before. They seem back together again. They seemed better than ever. The claims of pending divorce. What were the chance of that . They would never get divorce. Someone keeping something from you but, you know, it is something that they worked on and they got over it. All that grieve, a cloud darken over the duenas family. Kasey graduated from high school in june. I never walked into seeing my dad along other family members. Five months went by as if early Police Suspicion had faded away. Of course, no better away. Coming up, mark duenas is in for a bitter shock. Elves upset. Are you kidding me . What his family did next would surprise everyone. Certainly never. Yeah, like never. News. Moving forward. In the fire zone. The massive effort getting underway tomorrow. And what it means for the rebuilding process. Also a dangerous situation in the south bay caught on camera. How police managed to stop it. And a hollywood star. In the bay area. For a good cause. The message actress glenn close has for local teens. Plus. Tonight at 11 karen duenas, the mom of five boys have been murdered. Her husband volunteered to police letting them know that he was carrying a relationship of texting by phone and text. His sons believed him but what about detectives . Again, key points. It was evening in cotton wood, california, five months after the day of the murder, their sons were watching tv. There was a knock at the door. And when mark saw the detective. He was upset. He was like are you kidding me . Detectives suspected mark all along and now they had a warrant for his arrest. Mark duenas was charged with first degrees murder held on a Million Dollars bail to await for trial. To see him in that situation, is surreal, man, you hope the system works because there is an innocent man out there having to go through this. The whole extended clan including karens family told anybody that police made a huge mistake. I never heard him calling anybodys names or hes just not that type of guy. I cannot think of a time where he made any remarks. At first, i am not thinking i want to go up there. When i saw her family saying well, can you help us and that type of stuff. Thats when i started saying. Mark. Once in a while. Yeah, i am like never. But, 14 months after the murder, the family and his and theirs filled the gallery everyday to support him. We were there because we know the person. There is no audio so we cannot play you the testimony from idaho and decided to conceal her identity. Thats the one that he texted and had not seen until decades. At one point she said that mark had mentioned that if they were to be together, something bad would have to happen. The prosecution thinks that it meant he would have to kill karen, just so he could be with the idaho woman. Karen must have been angry at mark and later told him that night that she attended to leave him if he wanted a divorce. The fact that she showed something happened that night between mark and karen whether it is her discussing divorce or whatever the case may be. He became upset and murdered karen. The prosecution based that theory thoe theory told by some teenagers two or three blocks away who said they heard a scream between 10 00 or 11 00 p. M. The pathologist could have been killed at 10 30. Afterwards mark must have washed his clothes and slashed the screen to make it look like an intruder came in and went to bed. The theory that we did have was that he wanted kasey to find karen. Hes sleeping peacefully. Was that the idea. Correct. Kasey did not discover the body. So at 1 00 a. M. , mark had to make the 911 call himself. When detectives went back and listen to the call, it sounded of an in criminating mistake. Again. What did he say . I killed my wife the tape claims. Then a sound they say wa was listen again. I killed my wife blood everywhere. Or so, said the prosecution. He got it all together and blew it on the 911 call. I believe so. You just called your wife, you would be stressed on the inside. But, to the defense, it was quite simply bunk. I listened to it hundreds of times now, i dont hear that. Ron powell told the jury mark found his wife after someone attacked her and told 911 this. 911 emergency. I found my wife and then that sounded defense says i found my wife sick. Listen again. I found my wife sick, i mean, blood everywhere. Do you think if they heard it that clear that this guy says i kill my wife and hes the only one at home, you dont think they would arrest this guy. What are they waiting for . They did not arrest him until four months later. Police failed to follow up on evidence. Intruders and thefts could certainly would have been surprised by karen and kill her and fled. There was an unidentified car marked near by and time of the murder. The two strangers seen in the neighborhood, had a trailer footprint going away from the duenas backyard and the screams heard by teenagers. The woman next door sleeps with her windows opened and did not hear anything. Duenas hears nothing, he had his windows opened. The week later, she and mark were making plans for a Bright Future together. The idea that mark would kill karen so he kanpur sue a happily married woman in idaho he had not seen for 30 years is ridiculous. It sounds loo i cike a greate when you look at it from a distance. When you get to it, it sounds like pub ppy love. How did you feel . I was confident. You can see in the jurys face they were not biassed. Then something odd happens. The judge replaced one of the jurors. Yes, on such tiny wheels fates turn. Coming up, jurors got the case and are not impressed. I thought the Sheriff Department did a terrible job. Terrible, teible. Rr the jurors in the duenas case were unusual. Several of them dealt with careers and dealing with the justice system. This is something we all had to take very serious. Here are three members of the jury. This one is a retired officer and former cop. He was surprised by the case he said and not in a good way. I thought the Sheriff Department did a terrible job. Terrible job . Terrible job in their investigation. The jury we spoke says that feeling was persuasive in the jurors room. The 911 call, the jury could not decide what. We listened to it many, many, many times. 20 times at least. Still no. The jury took ever vote after vote and 102 for acquittal at one point. One juror in particular was adamant of his guilty mode. Which one . The alternate who replaced the woman who over slept. That jury says hes guilty and hes going to have to prove hes not guilty. I am not going to change my mind. I am going to hang this jury. The judge declared a mistrial. What was that like . My dad would be home. Do not retry mark. Let it go. This is love. This is belief and this is human being. This is a not question in our hearts. Please, listen to us and know that we love this man. So was it over . Oh no. Not even close. Instead the da signed a new prosecutor to the case. Stephan stephanie bridget, up to this moment, she never lost a case, not one. Her secret, preparations, she said. Shes very thorough. By the time you finish read through your frpreparations, wh did you think . I did not have any doubt that mark was the one that killed his wife. One big change that trial number two, the first word out of the prosecutors mouth was the version of the 911 call. I kill my wife. Blood everywhere. No jury would doubt the content of that. Prosecutors offered another damming statement from mark himself during his first of three tape recording interviews with detectives that he submitted without the presence of an attorney. His first interview, mark slipped and made admission while describing the wound he found on karens chest. The way he cut her, thats the only cut i saw and there is as ton of blood and there is none in there coming out. Whoever did it what was it again . Listen carefully. There was none in there coming out and i when i found her or when i did it . No way to know what he may have said. The state claimed it amounted to another quasi confession. There was a big area to the front of his shirt that was covered all the way down and blood on the back of his shirt and blood all across the waistband and down the sides and different spots. And there is blood inside of the boxer shorts. Which you dont think he would have gotten by touching her . Not in all those locations. Mark washed some but not all the blood. She claims, she found the murder weapon or what could be the murder weapon. A knife found in the wrong slot. It is no blood on it but its handle was identified as animal fat or some kind of cleaner. What it tells us that he had something in the home, available to him that could have caused that thmurder. So it means, motive and opportunity for three premeditated murder. Withbut, would a second set jurors agree . Coming up, they would want evidence but just how much was there . They dont have a clue. Fire zone. Plus a chaotic night in the south bay. The dangerous stunts. That forced police to move in. Plus heating up. A big change in the forecast for much of the bay area. Next at 11. November 2013, chilly autumn wind played around the courthouse. Now, the prosecution knew his case. And decides, added new wrinkles, of the gloves on marks clothes. Remember this is a retrial now. They felt this time they needed to show a possibility of the knife. They never said this was the knife. They just show that this knife could have done it. The new evidence was no more persuasive than the old. No blood of animal fat down the knife and center to soap. How about somebody using knife to cut the steak and watch it. Could you wipe all the dna off the knife . Good question. I learned now of this trial that blood will never leave clothes but it will go right off of knife. As for the blood of marks clothes, of course, there was blood. He handled her body and police did not see the blood at first because his shirt was red and his shorts were black. Then there was a new prosecutors assistant that karen was unhappy in her marriage. Was it true . No, there was no facts to support it. Her contentious i believe that most likely karen confronted him with information that she had about the affair he was having with the lady in idaho. She probably said that was it and she was going to get a divorce and thats when he decided i am going to get a knife. Do you have any idea beyond your own fever imagination that thats what happened. You dont have a clue . All the evidence points to that, yes, i think i have a clue. We have a person whos been a relationship with a lady and another state. Let me stop you for a minute. First of all, you said a fair and now you are saying beg in a relationship. He was doing what millions and millions of americans are doing it since facebook came along and they have not seen each other for 30 years. Here is a big difference, it becomes an affair when you dont tell your spouses about it. I believe he wanted a lot more than he did. I know shes got a lot i never saw a psychology degree. The da said things about my mom were untrue. Did they know my mom better than anybody of us . They act like they do. There is no evidence. What do you say to people whose reaction is well, of course, you are going to feel that way, this is his family. They just lost their mother and they dont want to lose their father, too. Life is harder protecting my dad. We would be moved on and would not know what happened. If we thought that was the truth. But, we all know with our hearts, thats not what happened. The jury in the first trial have became a deadlock and sending him home to his family. The second jury, the words were written on their faces. I still hear the sound of the voices behind mark that was crying. Guilty of first degree murder. I felt like throwing up, to be honest. I felt bad for the family members. Theyre not going to be happy with the verdict, but at the end of the day, it is karen whos killed and karen who that verdict was for. What would you say to them . The family did not take justice at all. I will tell them that i am confident that the right person was convicted. Mark duenas was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He filed an appeal and his family, late at night on may 4th, 2012, unknown intruder bursted enain and surprised my karen and killed her and ran away without taking a thing. Jason no longer lives right next door to the home he grew up in. The family recently sold the home, too much to bear. There is always cotton wood and small town and nothing happens here and the way from many things can happen. Kasey and his brother troy, no longer played baseball for the local college. The days when they look towards their bleachers where their parents always sat side by side are gone forever. Thats all for now, i am lester holt, thanks for joining us. A massive cleanup effort. Abot to begin in the north bay fi z right now at 11, a massive clean up effort about to begin in the north bay fire zone. Good evening, and thank you for joining us, i am vicky nguyen. A period of calm in santa rosa. Two weeks ago people woke up to the flames raf vishing their communities nbc thom jensen is live in the Fountain Grove neighborhood. We have seen the debris first hand throughout santa rosa. Tomorrow the work begins in ernest to finally clean it up. Reporter very