Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20171117

Evette. Who wanted the doctor dead . Who has the motive . Its the person who isnt getting what they want. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with fatal attraction. Reporter there is a place in houston, texas, they call the mecca of medicine, m. D. Anderson cancer center. Their goal is making cancer history. And so the best and the brightest work there. Reporter a hive of toptier physicians researching, saving lives. I was never a number. I was never just a patient. I was a human being. Reporter but what happened when one of their own became dangerously ill . I was shocked. Its crazy things happening. I never imagined that that would happen to anybody that i know. Reporter not with cancer, but still something lethal and bizarre. It was the worst kept secret at m. D. Anderson. Hollywood couldnt write this script. Its unbelievable. And thats why its true. Reporter it was around midnight, january 27th, 2013. A 48yearold man wobbled through the doors of m. D. Anderson, slurring his words, disoriented. Keep in mind, he didnt go to the emergency room at a standard hospital. Reporter Ryan Korsgard is a reporter with nbc station kprctv in houston. He went to a cancer hospital. Reporter perhaps just where he felt safe . Perhaps. And his office was also there. Reporter maybe he felt safe there because the sick man was George Blumenschein jr. , a doctor specializing in neck, head and lung cancer at m. D. Anderson. Like many of his talented peers dedicated to researching and curing cancer, dr. Blumenscheins life seemed to revolve around his work. The people who worked with him said he revealed very little about his personal life. He didnt talk about anyone he was dating, anything along those lines. Reporter now, this very private man was at m. D. Anderson not to be examined but to research his own symptoms. Friends at the hospital urged him to go straight to the e. R. And it sounded like it was tough even to coax him into the emergency room. So im sorry, but im in a little drama. Reporter georges girlfriend, evette toney, a scientist, shot this video on her cell phone as they sat outside the e. R. She wanted to show george that he wasnt acting normally and convince him that he needed to check himself in. The video would later be crucial to solving a mystery. Ive gotten progressively discoordinated. Reporter to see the usually articulate doctor like this was a strange sight. Sandy molina is a friend and former assistant of georges. Whats george like . Very charming. Hes a great guy. Reporter she says that george was professional, friendly and always had a good bedside manner. Was it just the way he greeted you . Yeah, the way he greeted you, i thought he was very respectful, caring. Patients did call me and make comments about him that hes a great doctor and theyre so glad hes their doctor. Reporter but now the doctor was the one in need of care. Georges research partner, a doctor named ana Maria Gonzalez, was also with him outside the e. R. Ana had seen him at the office that day and later at a business dinner. That cell phone video documents her describing his symptoms. He was a little slurred. For people that know him, hes still slurred. Reporter finally, george agreed to be examined. And in the small world of m. D. Anderson, word spread fast that one of their esteemed doctors had checked into the e. R. Whats your gut telling you, though, when youre thinking about what he could be sick with . First thing was like, oh, my gosh, is it his high Blood Pressure . Is he having a heart attack . Or you know, what is it . Is he stressed . Reporter doctors suspected george might have suffered a stroke, but his mri was clear. Whatever was wrong, it was getting worse. Hes deteriorating quickly. His health is going downhill. Reporter just a few hours after arriving at the e. R. The doctor was unconscious, his organs failing, and he was rushed to the icu. There seemed to be concern that he might not make it. Reporter through the night, george lay near death as his loved ones stood vigil outside the room. Inside, the medical staff wondered exactly how had their colleague ended up here. And it wasnt long before police were wondering the same thing. When we come back, as doctors work to save one of their own, someone notices something strange. They started doing tests. And thats when they found these crystals. Youre a doctor. You know everything that goes into your body. How was this introduced . Reporter in the Early Morning hours after he was admitted to the e. R. , dr. George blumenschein lay unconscious. He was in Critical Condition in the icu of the very hospital where he practiced medicine. I was worried about him. Reporter were you just really praying that he would come through this . Oh, of course. Hes a great person. Reporter no one was sure why this perfectly healthy man in his 40s was working one day and on the brink of death the next. It was a race against time because no one knew exactly what it was. They knew that there was kidney failure. Reporter did they just start running a battery of tests . They started doing tests, and thats when they found these crystals. Reporter crystals in his system . That can be a sign of anything from dehydration to kidney stones. But looking at those crystals under a microscope, one of georges doctors made a startling discovery, an unusual chemical formation, a deadly one. It was Ethylene Glycol, most commonly known as the toxic ingredient in antifreeze. It damages the heart, attacks the kidneys, and just a half a cup can kill you. This must be just a shock to everyone when they realize that this topnotch doctor has taken Ethylene Glycol. Absolutely. Youre a doctor. You know everything that goes into your body. How was this introduced . Reporter george was in and out of consciousness and being kept alive on dialysis. Now that doctors knew what was making him sick, they called in investigators to figure how it happened. Its a poisoning case, which are very rare. We dont see those very often. Reporter assistant District Attorney Nathan Hennigan has a background in science and medical crimes. He and his partner, justin keiter, had to consider every possible way the poison got into georges system. He wanted to find out this was all a mistake. Maybe hes accidentally ingested something somewhere else. He would have preferred that than to know that someone did this to him. Reporter accidental poisoning was not so farfetched. In its pure form Ethylene Glycol is used in labs all over m. D. Anderson. Its colorless, odorless and has a sweet taste. But after checking out the accident theory, it seemed unlikely. George hadnt been in a lab recently. We couldnt establish that he had access to Ethylene Glycol at all. Reporter lieutenant mac sosa was a university of Texas Police Officer and part of the investigative team. The former houston homicide detective took his job at the Medical Center as a quiet retirement gig. You would deal with things like stolen lunches from the communal fridge, a missing dolly. Not exactly houston homicide. They have their own forms of crimes, but nothing on the same scale as municipal law enforcement. Reporter lieutenant sosa looked at georges case and found it puzzling. If this wasnt an accident, there were still other possibilities. Suicide came to mind. Did you ask dr. Blumenschein, did you try to take your own life . Yes, i asked him. There was no history of any Mental Health issues or conditions. Reporter he said, no, i take it. Yes, maam. Reporter satisfied that this was neither suicide nor accident, there was only one conclusion left, someone tried to kill george. Its starting to look like a prominent doctor was poisoned. Whats your gut telling you . At first the only thing that we can do is try to narrow down who was around the doctor. Reporter the first person they wanted to talk to, of course, was georges livein girlfriend, evette toney. The woman in charge of the emergency room that night had concerns about evette toney, and she told you that. She indicated that we needed to look at evette. She shared food with him. She shared wine with him the night before any of this. Reporter evette told lieutenant sosa she didnt have a clue why someone would want to hurt george. She suggested that maybe it was a random act. She was throwing out all kinds of hypotheses and hypotheticals. She actually tells detective sosa, well, i dont know, maybe he was an unintended victim and he was the victim of some psycho waiter that wanted to hurt a lot of people. Reporter there wasnt a psycho waiter. None of evettes theories made sense. Investigators wanted to know more about evette and her relationship with george. They found out that the couple dated on and off for about a decade. Theyd lived together, then broken up, and shed recently moved back in. So, dr. Blumenschein is somewhat of a commitment phobe . Dr. Evette toney said that she had real issues with the fact he didnt want to commit, and she said that her remedy for that was they were going to have a baby. Reporter now that they were trying to start a family, george the bachelor was also talking about marriage. Evette had once called herself georges commonlaw wife. Investigators wondered if she had anything to gain financially if george was killed. How much is he worth . Hes worth several million dollars. And that fact alone is motive. Reporter they pressed that lead, pulled his insurance papers, and requested georges will. Would she have been entitled to his money if he died . No, this man didnt even have a will. And everything was left on the insurance policies to his brother. Reporter dead end there. Still, lieutenant sosa put in a request to do surveillance on evette and georges house. Did you ask evette toney, did you have anything to do with this . Yes, maam, i did. Reporter what response did you get . She said, absolutely not. She offered her financials, she offered anything under the sun. She offered to submit to a polygraph. Reporter she even turned over the bottle of wine she and george drank the night before he got sick. Tests on the bottle came up clean. The lieutenant decided to call off the survellance. The cooperative, mildmannered girlfriend hardly seemed like a killer to him. So if not evette toney, who in the world wanted dr. George blumenschein dead . Did you worry there was somebody responsible out there . Yes. Reporter so . And if they didnt succeed, were they going to try again. Reporter thats exactly what investigators were thinking. They placed a guard at georges door. At that point, we didnt know if anyone would attempt to go into his room and try to do it again. Reporter you were concerned about his life . Yes, maam, very concerned. Reporter a second murder attempt . Yes, maam. Coming up behind closed doors at the hospital. The plot started to thicken. I think people started to realize and put pieces together. When dateline continues. You could save energy by weaving your own shoes. Out of flax. Or simply adjust your thermostat. Do your thing, with Energy Upgrade california. Reporter two weeks after he was poisoned, dr. George blumenschein was still suffering, his body ravaged by the toxic chemical Ethylene Glycol. After digging around in his personal life, investigators were no closer to figuring out who wanted george dead. So they turned their attention to his professional life. But to the investigators surprise, many of the brilliant scientists at m. D. Anderson were less than chatty. These doctors who you were dealing with are very private people. They are, yes. Reporter and very intelligent. Were they eager, willing witnesses . No. Reporter did they want to be part of this . No one wanted to be a part of this case. Reporter still, one of georges closest colleagues made herself available. Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez, georges research partner, the coworker who was by his side as he checked into the e. R. A fellow workaholic, ana knew the details of georges life at the hospital. How often were they together working . Seemed like all the time. I mean, they traveled together. They worked either in his office or her office. They were always on the phone. Reporter dr. Gonzalez, who was born in colombia, was a fastrising star in Breast Cancer medicine. Her research garnered international attention. The susan g. Komen Foundation Even produced this video about her work. I truly believe that she holds the cure for women in the world. Reporter as patients like Silvia Lieber saw it, dr. Gonzalez was nothing short of a miracle worker. She has this compassion and understanding about the disease and about the women she treats. Reporter dr. Gonzalez also treated nadine eidman. You know, i was never a number. I was never just a patient. I was a human being who had a full life. Reporter did she immediately put you at ease . She absolutely did. You know, shes really small of stature, but shes feisty. And she said, were just going to go after this. And i said, yeah, you and i are going to get along just fine. And we have. Reporter ana met george years earlier when she referred a patient to him. Soon after, she invited him to collaborate on a research project. Multiple studies followed. They were invited to lecture and travel around the world. After working for george, sandy molina took a job assisting ana. I know she was trying to get his career going, writing more grants, and helping him get promoted, and he wasnt the most organized person. Reporter so ana really had an impact on georges life . Yes. Reporter was he very grateful for that . I think he was. Reporter how eager were you to talk to dr. Gonzalez . Very eager. She knew his habits, his schedule, about the timeline that i needed information on. Reporter ana provided valuable details about the day george got sick. She told the lieutenant she and george worked in their offices at m. D. Anderson, then attended a business dinner together that evening. She witnessed his condition slowly worsen and even followed george as he drove himself to the hospital around midnight. And every minute that you can account for i would imagine helps you put together that crucial timeline. Yes, maam. Reporter what does she tell you . I asked her for an account of the week prior to him going into the hospital. Reporter ana told him all about georges week, the details of his busy schedule. She was sharing a lot. But as lieutenant sosa listened, he had a hunch she might also be leaving something out. So he went back and pressed george and anas reticent colleagues for more information. What was up with george and ana . Sosa starts to find out that there might have been something more than just a working relationship between doctors blumenschein and gonzalez. Reporter the plot started to thicken. I think people started to realize and put pieces together. Reporter even though the folks at m. D. Anderson werent so keen to talk to investigators, that didnt keep them from whispering about george and ana among themselves. Did ana know that people were gossiping . Im sure she did, and im sure some of it got to her, too. But she and i never really talked about it. Reporter lieutenant sosa asked ana point blank were she and george having an affair . She denied it. He also asked george the same thing, and george also said no. But the investigator wasnt convinced. The question nagged at him. Now, weeks since he was poisoned, george was out of the hospital, feeling stronger and back at work. The investigator decided to invite him out for a drive, away from his girlfriend and colleagues. In the car, george finally confessed. He and ana were partners in more ways than one. Were these quick trysts that they were having, or was this a deep, emotional connection . I never got an indication from dr. Blumenschein that it was a deep connection. It was just a fling. Reporter george told the lieutenant the affair went on for a year and a half. He said it was a casual thing, but sometimes when they traveled to professional conferences, theyd share a room. A sort of coworkers with benefits arrangement. In fact, the day he got sick, hed stopped at anas on the way to work. They go upstairs. They have a sexual liaison. Reporter he carried her up the stairs. That sounds like kind of romantic, not a casual, im not into this. They were having some sort of a romantic, casual, sexual, romantic thing going on. They split a shot of vodka before they left for m. D. Anderson. Reporter to investigators, this prestigious hospital was looking more and more like the setting of a soapy daytime drama, drama that changed the shape of the investigation. Any time you have a love triangle, the different points, the vertices of that triangle, are going to be the ones you look at. You have evette. Maybe shes mad because shes got a cheating boyfriend, and she wants to get revenge. And you have ana, whos the other woman. Reporter poking around George Blumenscheins professional life had led investigators right back to his private life, giving them a dramatic new theory of the crime. Coming up, one secret is out, but there are many more. Who has the motive . Its the person who isnt getting what they want, who has to have what they know they cant. Reporter the first big break in the investigation into who poisoned George Blumenschein came when the doctor finally admitted he was a cheater. He was carrying on an affair with his esteemed research partner, ana Maria Gonzalez, while going home to his girlfriend, evette toney. Investigators went back to talk to evette. Evette did have a motive. Her guy is having an affair with another doctor. The thing about evette is she didnt know about this affair until after blumenschein was poisoned. Evette toney is so naive and so clueless as to whats going on, she says, yeah, no, no, theres nothing funny going on. Theyre really good friends. Ive asked him before and hes told me no. She doesnt know whats going on. Reporter she told investigatiors that george only fessed up about the affair a few weeks after he was poisoned. So with evette essentially cleared again, investigators turned to the other sharp point of this love triangle, dr. Gonzalez. And george had some interesting things to say. As he told it, in the weeks before his poisoning, anas affections intensified. She called and texted him constantly, showered him with gifts, and even started buying the same things he owned. Buying the same type of car that he has, buying the same type of watch he mentions. She buys herself the exact same luggage. Reporter after he was hospitalized, george believed ana might be behind the poisoning, but he kept his suspicions quiet until pressed by investigators. George broke off the affair with ana, but never told her why. Instead, he decided to secretly record their calls. I feel that, you know, i helped you a lot. And i feel completely betrayed. The fact that you and i, you know, slept together, its out of the picture. Its the friendship that hurt, because i trusted you. Thats what hurts. Reporter george later gave the recordings to investigators, and in those calls, they heard a woman distraught over the lover she couldnt have and jealous of the woman who had him. Its just not worth it anymore. Its too late, you know. As i say, she won. You know, go have a kid, have a good life. Ill leave, youll be fine. You listen to that, you can hear it in her voice. She says, she won, she won. Its too late. She won. Reporter she needed dr. Blumenschein to continue her research. They had a special bond. Why would she want him dead . Little did dr. Blumenschein know how special that bond was that she wanted. Who has the motive . Its the person who isnt getting what they want, who has to have what they know they cant. Thats her. She wanted more. Reporter and it turns out, prosecutors thought ana had opportunity, too. She had access to Ethylene Glycol in her lab. And she and george had been together the whole day he got sick, giving her plenty of chances to slip him the poison. On may 29th, 2013, Police Arrested ana on charges of aggravated assault. Anas patients didnt believe it. I didnt understand it. That was devastating for me. She was what held me together. Shes incapable of that. She heals people. Reporter september 2014, anaa anas trial began. The courtroom was filled with family and patients there to support her. She is so highly accomplished, she is about 100 pounds, she doesnt exactly look like a killer. Did you worry that the jury would have a hard time convicting someone like dr. Gonzalez . Worried about it every night and every day. Holy smokes, this is a doctor. Who in their right mind can look at her and think this is someone that was capable of doing such unimaginable things . Reporter prosecutors told the jury how this socalled casual affair with George Blumenschein wasnt so casual to ana. And it led to her absolute obsession. Reporter a string of colleagues testified ana couldnt contain her feelings for george. It seemed like ana was very infatuated with dr. Blumenschein. Whenever we discussed any topic really, within a few sentences georges name would come up. She loved him. I think she loved dr. Blumenschein. Reporter the affair was the worst kept secret at m. D. Anderson, according to this doctor. Were you ever under the impression that there was more than just a work relationship between the defendant and dr. Blumenschein . I had heard rumors, yes. Reporter the doctor also said she and ana werent even close friends, but that didnt stop ana from volunteering details about the relationship. She told me a little bit information about their intimacy. Basically, she said that they were seeing each other. Reporter another doctor testified about a curious conversation with ana the morning after george was hospitalized. Ana told her that george was poisoned. The only problem, this was hours before doctors even confirmed it. She told me that george was very sick and he was in the icu, and he had ingested Ethylene Glycol. She told you that monday morning . Monday morning. Reporter and the witness also recalled a conversation with ana that sounded to her like a confession. She then told me, while quite tearful, that she had Ethylene Glycol in her labs, as did most m. D. Anderson. She said, im going to get in so much trouble for this. Reporter knowing the jury would wonder about the other woman in this love triangle, the prosecution called evette toney to the stand. She testified about how she only found out about the affair after george became sick. I felt so stupid. I mean i was i trusted her. I trusted him. Reporter the prosecution asked evette what everyone in court was thinking. Why was she still with george . Because i know the affair with the defendant is not the sum of who he really is. Were still working on our relationship. Its a work in progess. Reporter then evette told the jury about what happened when she confronted ana. Did she seem to care . No. Did that hurt worse . Yes, it did. What did you say . I said, why . She said, it was just sex, evette. Reporter but the prosecution thought it was about much more than that. Everything about this case is nuts. You couldnt write this script in hollywood. Its sex, lies and audiotape. Reporter the jury was about to go on a wild ride full of wicked plots and homicidal obsession. Coming up, ana is the one on trial, but george is the one in the hot seat. I was wrong. It was the wrong thing to do. When dateline continues. Grocery outlet is the home of wow savings. Wow means you save 50 or more. There are three stages of wow. Denial. Is this price right . Acceptance. And boooyah wait for it. Boooyah has three os. Grocery outlet bargain market assorted flavors of gourmet table talk pies are buy 1, get 1 free. Make no mistake about this. She is devious, diabolical and dangerously deadly. Reporter to the prosecution in the trial of ana Maria Gonzalez, the defendant was an increasingly unhinged lover. She became absolutely and totally obsessed with him and wanting him. Reporter they argued that ana, the successful doctor, had been on a downward spiral, doing crazy things to stir up trouble in georges relationship with evette. Things like sending evette an unsigned letter, declaring that ana and george were having a baby together. The anonymous letters shes dropping off, this is all an attempt to manipulate george away from evette. Reporter the prosecution said the manipulation didnt end there. Ana told george that evette was behind a series of threatening phone calls she received at her office. According to the prosecutor, those phone calls never happened. M. D. Anderson has an incredibly sophisticated phone system that tracks every single call, and we have all those records. And there aint any anonymous phone calls. Reporter and strangest of all, the prosecution contended, just a month before the poisoning, ana staged an assault on herself. She told anyone who would listen that evette orchestrated the whole thing. She said she worked with a private investigator to try to find out who it was. She said that they traced this person back to louisiana, and he was a relative, i believe she said a cousin, of evette toney. Reporter but investigator sosa told the jury he thought her wounds were actually selfinflicted. You felt that they were inconsistent with the supposed attack that had happened . Thats correct. Reporter the person whod seen anas apparent obsession up close was the object of it, a reluctant George Blumenschein took the stand. Are you a private person . I would say yes. How private . Very private. This is not easy. Reporter the prosecution needed george to rehash their relationship, how casual sex turned into something that almost killed him. Its hard saying no to her. She doesnt accept no. Would you often tell her that this was a bad idea . Regularly. Reporter george recounted how ana initiated their affair one day in his office. At some point, she sat on my knee. She said, just shut up, let me sit on your knee. Its not a problem. She started to kiss me on my neck. I remember what she said, she said, im going to eat your ear. Reporter but the prosecution didnt pretend their victim was an angel. Well you didnt stop her. I didnt, no. You cheated on evette. I did. I cheated on evette. It was the wrong thing to do. Reporter george said he was always clear with ana. He wasnt leaving evette, but ana was still demanding. She accused me of not returning phone calls. Reporter ana, according to george, went over the top with fancy gifts, like gold jewelry from columbia, and a 5,000 watch. She bought herself the ladies version of it, and then said, well, i can get you the guys version. Would you like it . Im like, you know i dont want that. Thats too expensive. I dont want it. And then suddenly, i bought it for you. Here it is. Reporter and he said she forced him to accept a thousanddollar suit. Im like, ana, i dont want a suit that i havent seen. No, no, no, you need a suit. I was like, fine. If thats what you want to do, go ahead and do it. I ended up giving it to goodwill, and i felt like it was again pushing the boundary. Reporter what finally pushed ana over the edge, claimed the prosecutors, was when george and evette started talking babies and marriage. George recalled ana made this bizarre offer. She said, you know what, id have a kid with you. Im like, well, thats kind of you to say. No, no, no, i can have a kid with you, and i could move to europe for a year, and i can come back and you could be the uncle. And i was like, no, thank you. Thats not what we want to do. Reporter the prosecution argued if ana couldnt have george, no one could. The defendant had a fatal attraction. Reporter is dr. Gonzalez glenn close . She fits the role, without a doubt. Shes a bunny boiler. Reporter and then the prosecution had george tell the jury about the day he almost died. The only thing that had been strange was that cup of coffee, the coffee that i had on sunday. Reporter and that was the key to the prosecutions case. Ana served george coffee during their morning rendezvous. It was the only thing he said he drank that day before he felt sick. When you started drinking it, did you notice anything about it . It was incredibly sweet. Reporter Ethylene Glycol has an intensely sweet flavor. George told the jury ana served the sweet coffee at her home and then brought more of it in travel mugs to the hospital. Within hours of drinking it, he was lightheaded and slurring. I couldnt even remember who i was talking to or why i was there. Reporter and by night, he was in the icu. Whats so hard about reliving this part . Because i almost died. Reporter to button up their case, the prosecution called a leading expert in Ethylene Glycol. Based on the time frame for when symptoms appear, i would conclude that he had ingested the Ethylene Glycol on sunday morning. The only thing he drank that morning was the coffee. And it was the coffee that strangely tasted sickeningly sweet. Reporter according to the prosecution, ana spent the day with the man she was trying to kill, watching him deteriorate and following him as he finally drove himself to the hospital. We were working. Reporter the prosecution entered that cell phone video into evidence and told the jury to take a good look. Ana was right there next to george, smiling, pretending to help when she knew full well what was wrong. Coming up now, its the defenses turn. The case against ana . Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nada. Will the jury see it that way . Reporter as the case against dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez unfolded, she stood stoic, in a suit that seemingly overwhelmed her frame. Nadine eidman, her former patient and now friend, came to court with ana each day. She just held on to her emotions, because she didnt want to fall apart in front of her family. But we get back in the car, and wed would cry. We would pray, we would id scream. Reporter but now it was anas defense teams turn to hit back. Derek hollingsworth, Andy Drumheller and billy belk were anas attorneys. They called her devious, dangerously deadly, diabolical. Fatal attraction. Do you think that that started to stick with the jury . Well, i mean, that was clearly what their goal was. I thought that the prosecutors theory of the case, this diabolical killer, was a bit of an overreach. Reporter certainly, the defense told the jury, ana cared for george, but not in the outrageous, homicidal way the prosecution claimed. This case is about a consenting, consensual relationship between two peers. Its not a case of fatal attraction. Reporter the defense argued ana wasnt obsessed. She bought george gifts because she was generous. All those alleged plots were just sheer speculation. And under crossexamination, george had positive things to say about ana. She was a dear friend and somebody i cared about. Reporter as for ana becoming increasingly unhinged . George told the jury how in the days leading up to his poisoning, their casual relationship showed no signs of trouble. This wasnt a relationship that was in any kind of crisis on the week of january 25th, was it . No. In fact, nothing had changed in your relationship with dr. Gonzalez at this point in time, had it . No. Reporter in fact, on the morning the prosecution said ana tried to poison george, he came on to her. You actually carried her up the stairs to the bedroom she has upstairs, did you not . I did. Surprise, you all have a romantic encounter when youre there, right . Yes, sir. And it was one you initiated, not one that she initiated that day. Yes, sir. In fact, everything that happened in your relationship with this woman was consensual, wasnt it . Yes, it was consensual. Reporter anas attorneys attacked the investigation, charging that investigators dismissed the most obvious suspect too quickly. There can be no doubt that dr. Evette toney would be a natural person of interest. And the fact of the matter is, she was never, ever investigated. Reporter the defense wasnt buying evettes story that she had no clue about the affair. Youre a smart woman. Right . Thank you for saying that. Arent alarm bells going off in your head . I asked him the few times that i thought maybe something was going on, and he said no. Theres nothing i can do if someones lying. Did you ever follow him . No. I would never do did you ever think about it . No, its just ridiculous. Did it ever cross your mind . No. Im sorry, im evette. Reporter then the defense flipped evettes cell phone video on its head, said it made her look suspicious. When she finally sees the man that shes in love with and wants to have children with, she takes a cell phone video. Shes not sitting next to the guy that shes been worried about all day but with her arms around him trying to comfort him and make sure hes okay. Shes videoing him. Its just weird. Reporter and when it came to anas behavior on that tape, the defense said she did something only an innocent person would do. She told the doctors about the coffee. He hadnt had anything to eat except for coffee and some cheese bread. Dont people who commit crimes run away from the crimes scene . Dont they clam up and be quiet . But shes on the video talking about what happened that day. Reporter but the defenses biggest target was the science or lack thereof. They went after the investigation for what they thought was a huge mistake never testing the coffee cups. Theres no scientific evidence. Theres no scientist who came in here out of their 22 witnesses who talked. Look, if theyre right, i guess you could call this the murder weapon, right . If theyre right, then this is the weapon, the Deadly Weapon that dr. Gonzalez used in this case, and you dont bother to test it . Give me a break. Reporter so they grilled that expert who testified that george could only have ingested the poison sunday morning. Turns out george had been drinking wine and vodka in the days before his symptoms surfaced. The defense got the expert to concede a big point. Alcohol, or in technical terms, ethanol, could throw off his findings. If it was demonstrated that he had been consuming a large amount of ethanol over a long period of time, that would probably change my opinion. Reporter in their final words to the jury, anas lawyers drove it home. What is the states case missing . This is overly simple, but one shred of direct evidence. And theres nothing, this is nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. Nada. Reporter after eight long days of testimony from experts, friends, and the wellrespected doctors of m. D. Anderson, the case against dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez was now in the hands of the jury. Both sides paced the halls of the courthouse waiting, hopeful and anxious. Everyone be seated. Reporter then after five hours of deliberation mr. Foreman, i understand the jury has reached a verdict. We, the jury, find the defendent ana Maria Gonzalezangulo guilty of aggravated assault of a person with whom the defendant had a dating relationship as charged in the indictment. Shes innocent. She didnt do it. Shes a good person. Reporter in texas, a defendent can ask the jury to determine sentencing, as ana did. She was extremely kind. Reporter anas patients filed in with pleas for leniency. She saved my life, and i always felt like shed save a whole lot of peoples lives. Reporter anas punishment could have been up 99 years in prison, but her character witnesses had an effect on the jury. You are sentenced in accordance with the terms of the jurys verdict to ten years in the Texas Department of criminal justice. Go with the bailiff. Reporter ana, once among the top Breast Cancer doctors in the world, was now just another convict in the texas prison system. The medical community has definitely lost a giant. But not just us, but future generations. Reporter one month after she was sentenced, anas lawyers filed an appeal. It contained statements from three women claiming theyd also had affairs with george, statements anas lawyers said the jury should have heard. There could be other suspects out there that the police never investigated. Reporter today George Blumenschein is back at m. D. Anderson, the world class cancer center, treating patients and researching cures for lung cancer. In prison, dr. Gonzalez is helping Cancer Patients in a support group. But she surrendered her medical license after the trial, and its uncertain if shell ever be able to Practice Medicine in the United States again. She took an oath to not hurt anyone, to do no harm. In the hippocratic oath, it actually says, you shall not administer poison. She violated that in the worst possible way. She spun a web of lies, of deceit, of manipulation. And in this case, now shes paying for it. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanks for joining us. For joining us. I m jessica aguirre. And i m raj mathai. It s been a wet and sloppy day and it s not over yet. The bay area hit hard by this luongo. Good evening and thank you for joining us im jessica aguirre. Im raj mathai. Its been a wed wet day and its not over yet. Jeff ranieri what do you expect as we head into friday morning . I think well get some dry weather in here, but this storm system is Still Producing some areas of scattered showers throughout the peninsula, also san francisco, the east bay and south bay. The storm is right now close to san jose,