Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20240704

That this was actually a reality. We had concerns that there may be missing Classified Information. It could turn into an espionage investigation. Espionage . Was this some kind of International Spy caper or maybe it was something closer to home . What we got was the information that would break this case wide open. The case of a cia mom. Could a clue from her son help solve this mystery . Never going to give up. Never going to give up on anything. Hello, and welcome to dateline. For Marie Singleton, the sun rose and set on her boy marcus when the single mother met Andre Jackson, a solo dad with two kids of his own, marie thought she had found the man of her dreams and a Father Figure for her son. But that new life shattered when marie suddenly vanished, and police discovered there was a lot more to this mom and her marriage than met the eye. Heres Josh Mankiewicz with missing marie. . Secrets. We all have them. Some are small. Some large. Some professional. Others very, very personal. This is a story about secrets. About a woman who was very good at keeping them. And about what happened when that woman suddenly disappeared. She was beautiful. My mom was really beautiful. A great person. A nice person. As a little boy, Marcus Singleton couldnt possibly foresee the loss he would suffer or the terrible choice he would one day have to make. All he knew back then was his mothers love. I mean, she helped people, you know, if there was a kid in the street who needed something, she would pull over and see if they were okay, you know, she was she was that type of person that taught me to basically put others before myself first. Marie was single when she had marcus. He was the center of her world. Kelly clayton was maries hairdresser and good friend. She talked about him a lot, the things that he was doing in school. She got really excited about marcus. Maries friends and coworkers Bridget Harris and jean jones apthel. He was, like, the apple in her eye. She just sparkled every time he was around. She loved hugging him. We traveled a lot together so it was just us two. For her job . Yeah. Marie worked for the federal government in los angeles, but friends say she was driven and ambitious in other areas, too. She was an entrepreneur, thats what i know most about her, because she talked about owning her own business. But marie wanted more than work and success. I know that she wanted to have somebody in her life. What kind of guy was she looking for . Someone that will take care of her, love her, protect her. That was kind of missing. She didnt have that guy figure, the Father Figure from marcus. Then one day, marie told her friends i met this guy, you know, they had a lunch date and he was cute and just, you know, the excitement of meeting somebody new. His name was Andre Jackson. A handsome single father of two. Sparks flew immediately. I mean, she would just light up every time she talked about him just big smile. Oh, the glow. Uhhuh. He was he was her her her everything. The methodical Businesslike Marie seemed to change overnight. Were you privy to the courtship with andre . The Whirlwind Courtship . Yeah. Well, thats real quick. Thats the way we would put it because one day she was smitten. The next day she was in love. And then she was pregnant. Pregnant and having a wedding and no one knew about it. Marcus knew about it. He was there. Your mom was happy . Yeah. She looked happy. Andre was happy . Yeah. We all were happy. At age 8, marcus found himself welcoming a Little Brother named marquis. I think once my Little Brother came into the picture it was more, you know, i realized that it wasnt just the two of us anymore but were actually starting to become a family. And there were two other stepsiblings in the mix, andre jr. And andrea. And you get along with them . Yeah. It was pretty great. I had a brother and a sister at home, and it was a pretty cool experience. Another cool experience, for the first time having a dad. He taught me how to swim. He taught me how to throw a football. He even rode me on the back of his motorcycle a few times. It was good to actually have a male figure in the house that i could, you know, do stuff with. So andre was living up to his job as your father . Yeah. Yeah, he was. For marcus and his mom, everything seemed just perfect. Honestly, it was like a complete family. It felt like i finally had a complete family. It was the best feeling in the world. Like the ultimate high. And then suddenly, the ultimate low. The ultimate low because on november 11th, 1994, Marie Singleton, rock solid, wife, mother, businesswoman vanished. The local police investigated, of course, but so did an fbi agent named rick hadel. We had concerns that there may be missing Classified Information, u. S. Government information. Classified information . Yes. As we said before, everyone has secrets. And marie had a big one. One she had told very few people. Officially Marie Singleton worked for the department of defense. Thats what was publicly disseminated, yes. But she was really working for the cia. Thats my understanding, yes. Coming up it could turn into an espionage investigation, somebodys going over helping the russians, chinese, it could turn into that kind of a case. The mystery was just beginning. When dateline continues. Love can get a little messy. Good thing theres resolve. Love the love. Resolve the mess. Did you know most dish soaps dont remove all the grease, even with scrubbing . Whaaat . I just cleaned those. Try dawn platinum. It removes 99 of grease and food residue. Thats why dawn is trusted to save wildlife affected by oil. Dawn platinum cleans to the squeak. Im hearing different ways for me to screen for colon cancer. Its time to use my voice, ive got a choice, more than one answer. I sat down with my doc. We had a talk. Knew just what to say. I asked for cologuard and did it my way. Cologuard is a oneofa kind way to screen for colon cancer thats effective and noninvasive. Its for people 45 plus at average risk, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your provider for cologuard. I did it my way the day that changed marcus ask your provider for cologuard. Josh mankiewicz the day that changed Marcus Singletons life singletons life began like any other, except that he had the day off from school. It was friday, november 11th, 1994. Marcus then 8 years old was glued to the tv in his familys living room. I was watching a cartoon movie, bugs bunny movie. My mom comes up the stairs. She says something to me. Im thinking shes going somewhere, you know, im, like, okay, yada yada yada, i was watching television. You were zoned out. I was zoned out, and im so zoned out finally i fall asleep. Marcus woke up later that evening to the sound of his baby brother crying. So, i go downstairs, why is this little kid crying . Where is everybody at . Finally the phone rang. My stepfather calls me and he tells me, you know, hes saying, hey, is your mom there, is your mom home yet, whatever . And she and im, like, no, where the heck are you guys . Ive been here and marquis wont stop crying. He just wont stop. He says, okay, okay, ill be there soon. Andre said hed last seen marie around 5 00 p. M. Just before he left for his son andre jr. s football game. Now when he returned home, marie and her car were gone. Andre made a round of calls to friends, nobody knew where marie was. He then took all the kids to his mothers house and dropped them off. I remember somebody asked him where you going . And he says hes going to go check with my moms girlfriends to see if he can find out where shes at. Andres first stop was the home of maries friend Bridget Harris whom hed called earlier. First he called and then i didnt really think anything of it, because im, like, well, shell be back and then when he showed up, is when i got concerned. Shes still not back . Cell phones were still pretty rare in those days. So i paged her because i knew if i paged, she would immediately call me back. But marie did not call back. The next Morning Andre knocked on the door of another friend, jean jones apthel. He said they had an argument, i said, well, you had a little argument, dont worry about it. But the second he told me he had the baby, i knew something was wrong. You paged her how many times . I couldnt count how many times i paged her. And no answer . No answer. By now it was saturday, 10 20 a. M. , marie had been missing for almost 18 hours. Andre called the Inglewood Police. Police . Yes, id like to file a Missing Persons report. Okay. Who is missing . My wife, her name is Marie Jackson. An officer came out to the house and met with andre. You know, i see him talking to the cops but i still dont see my mom anywhere. And i think thats when i found out that my mom still hadnt come home yet. Had no idea where she was at. Police started interviewing witnesses, searching the neighborhood, but the weekend passed with no sign of marie. Thats when the phone rang on the desk of fbi agent rick hadel. We got the report i believe on a monday, maybe a tuesday, that she was missing, didnt report to work. Of course, they were concerned of her disappearance. And that was unlike her. Absolutely. Its unusual for the bureau to get involved in a Missing Persons case, but it turned out that Marie Singleton was no ordinary missing person. Not with her job. They called the department of defense. They didnt call it cia. But shes working for the u. S. Government for the Agency Working on communications for them. Unbeknownst to just about everyone in her life, Marie Singleton was a code clerk for the Central Intelligence agency. She wasnt a spy, but she did handle classified communications from agents overseas. Information that might be very interesting to enemies of the united states. Part of what the fbi does is investigate things like this, if a cia employee goes missing. Right, exactly. It could turn into an espionage case if you have Classified Information and somebodys going over helping the russians, the chinese, it could theoretically turn into that kind of a case. So now there were parallel investigations. The local cops looked for a missing person. The fbi covertly looked for an intelligence worker who might have been kidnapped or changed sides. Maries family, meanwhile, just wanted her back. They started making flyers for my mom. Do you remember the flyers . Yeah. Definitely remember the flyers. Soon a number of maries coworkers and friends were posting flyers on telephone and light poles, storefronts, and shopping centers. Kelly clayton remembers how she and a friend asked andre what they could do to help. He asked us to pass them out by the beach at this time i asked him why would we pass them out at the beach. And so then he said, well, you know, thats okay, you dont have to pass them out at the beach. Did he mention a specific beach or just anywhere in Southern California . No, Dockweiler Beach. Dockweiler beach is about eight miles from andre and maries home, near Los Angeles International airport, where flights leave daily for moscow and beijing. On tuesday, november 15th, four days after marie disappeared, andre himself went there to post flyers. He had an encounter with a Perfect Stranger and asked for help, and thats when this story took another strange turn. Coming up i couldnt believe that i was seeing the car that i was just looking for. A huge break in the case. When dateline continues. O ultimate endless shrimp is here with a limited time flavor drop. New crispy dragon shrimp. 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I saw a man posting flyers for a missing person. The man was Andre Jackson. He actually mentioned that he was doing this because it was his wife. And that shed last been seen on friday. And he was seemed very concerned and obviously worried about it. He asked me then if i would take one of his flyers, so i said sure. The flyer had a picture of marie, a description of her car, and the cars license number. Kiniff studied it and put it in his pocket. A short time later, he finished his walk, got into his car and started to drive home. I was parked here on vista delmar facing south. So, i got in my car. I made a uturn to head north, and as i started heading north, i saw the gray saab was parked here along the road. There was something oddly familiar about that car. So, i made another uturn, pulled up behind it, and then saw that the License Plate on the car was the License Plate on the flyer. A perfect match. What were the odds . I couldnt believe that i was seeing the car that this man was just looking for. Kiniff called police. The next day, november 16th, the gray saab was towed to the inglewood pd impound lot. Police looked it over, very carefully. There were several Parking Tickets under the windshield wipers. It had been there for a while. The battery had been removed. The drivers seat had been tilted forward and a cell phone, unusual at the time, was left in plain sight. After inspecting the Interior Investigators opened the trunk and made a ghastly discovery. Marie singleton was missing no longer. She had been beaten and strangled to death. Maries son marcus then just 8 years old knew something was wrong when he came home from school and saw that all over the neighborhood his moms missing flyers had been taken down. I walk in the room and everybodys in there crying. Everyone in tears. Everyone in tears. Finally i say what the whats going on . Whats going on . And my grand mom is just shes crying. And my stepfathers crying, too, but, you know, he grabs me and he pulls me and he hugs me. And, you know, he tells me straight up. He said they found your moms body in the trunk of her car. You know, shes dead. Maries sister, elaine roundtree, had just arrived from philadelphia. Like the rest of the family, she was devastated. Elaine was one of the few people who knew marie worked for the cia. But even she didnt know exactly what marie did. We loved her as a sister. We respected her as a sister. And with her job she traveled a lot. We knew she worked for the government, for the cia and that was it. And you never asked what she did. Never asked. But now elaine had a lot of questions. Starting with what could possibly have induced marie to leave 8yearold marcus and infant marquis home alone . That was preposterous. That would have never happened. So, elaine started to compare notes with friends and family. But the conversations werent about the cia. They were telling me different incidents and Different Things that they had with andre. Andre, maries husband, things he was saying and doing didnt add up. First, there was jeans story about what she saw that saturday morning when andre showed up at her home looking for marie. He had a bruise on his lip. Andre had a bruise on his lip . He did. He said, oh, i bruised it playing football with andre jr. Really . It looks kind of fresh. Then there was Kelly Clayton who spent the better part of sunday calling andres house hoping marie would show up. And with each phone call, andre seemed to have a new developing story. First, it was this she had drank a little and she wanted to go to her sons football game. He told her that he did not want her to go, and they had a argument and she stormed out. But during the next phone call, andre said one of her old boyfriends was in town, and she was with him. And then finally he let me know when she does get there, ill call you, ill have her call you, letting me know, dont call no more. Then on monday, when maries friends went to the condo to help pass out flyers, jean noticed something in andre and maries bedroom. It was a big hole in the wall. That was a Reality Check for me, because it wasnt where the doorknob was. It was above it like someone had put their fist through it. Big enough for, like, a head because it went straight through. Elaine heard all of this and contacted Inglewood Police and found out they were way ahead of her. I had spoke with the one detective over the telephone, and he said that andre was a suspect. I was also told that this would probably be resolved because they may arrest him at the funeral. You thought andre was going to be arrested . Yes. Pretty quickly. Yes. But andre wasnt arrested at maries funeral or the next day or the day after that. After the service, elaine and her relatives flew back to philadelphia. A few weeks later marcus joined them. Maries relatives still expected an arrest any day. But days turned into weeks, and then months, until a whole year had passed. And thats when a mysterious letter arrived for the singleton family, an anonymous letter that sent this investigation in a whole new direction. Coming up we didnt know where the letter came from. And because she worked for the cia, it opened up that door of suspicion. Was her death related to her job . The questions start all over again. When dateline continues. Looking for. Sotyktu is the firstofitskind, oncedaily pill for moderatetosevere Plaque Psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. Its like the feeling of finding your back. Is back. Or Finding Psoriasis cant deny the splendor of these thighs. Oncedaily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. 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Youll love swiffer. Or your money back tonya because i smoked, i have heart failure. I went from me being their caregiver to the husband and kids being mine. announcer the people you love are worth quitting for. You can quit. For free help, call 1800quitnow. Hi im katie phang, this is what is happening. Parts of Southern California will be under a Tropical Storm watch for the first time in 84 years. Hurricane hilary is making its way up the Baja Peninsula weakening from a category four storm, bringing with it lots of rain that could cause Flash Flooding and mudslides. And, former President Donald Trump has decided to skip wednesdays republican debate, he will sit down with former fox news host tucker carlson. And turn himself in at the Fulton County jail by the end of the week. Now, back to dateline. Back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Im craig melvin. Marie singleton, mother, wife and secret cia employee, im craig melvin. Marie singleton, mother, wife, and secret cia employee had been beaten and strangled to death. Police suspected her husband andre was to blame, but no arrests have been made. The case was growing cold. Then, maries family received a letter suggesting that investigators may have been looking in the wrong direction if they were looking at all. Continuing with missing marie, heres Josh Mankiewicz. It had been about a year since Marie Singletons body was found in the trunk of her car at a los angeles beach. Her son marcus, 8 years old at the time of her murder, was being raised by an aunt in philadelphia. But his mother was never far from his mind. We used to have a debate about who loved each other more, you know, i love you more, no, i love you more. No, i love you more. And sometimes i even go to sleep and i still say it, like, mom i love you more, you know, its thats the kind of stuff a kid never forgets. Ever. He also stayed in touch with maries husband, Andre Jackson. You still felt a connection to him. Yes. He was my dad. You know, that was the only father i had, and i missed him. Meanwhile, the rest of maries family wondered if andre knew more about her death than he was saying. They believed police had those same questions. But andre had never been arrested. And then came that letter, which changed everything. Handwritten or typed . It was typed. The unsigned letter read in part, it is very unlikely that the individual or individuals responsible for her death will be brought to justice. Although you may be receiving lip service from her former office, believe me when i tell you that the agency has literally placed her death on the back burner. The agency, of course, meant maries secret employer, the Central Intelligence agency. She worked for them, and they never offered a reward for her, any information regarding her case or anything. The letter continued, her former colleagues at work have been placed una by their office. They have ordered these people to cease all contact with you and maries family in pennsylvania. Someone in your family needs to stir the pot. We didnt know where the letter came from because it was anonymous and because she worked for the cia, so it opened up that door of suspicion that maybe they had something to do with it as well. Remember, when marie first disappeared, the fbi investigated on the theory it might have been espionage. But the family didnt know the results of that investigation and didnt know why police hadnt moved against andre. And since we didnt have the answers, it was always a wonderment to us on why it was taking so long. Maybe they all were working in cahoots with each other. Despite their dark suspicions, the family turned the letter over to Inglewood Police, but still, no answers. Not for years. I constantly called california to find out what was being done and what was happening with the case. You didnt want to give up. I couldnt give up. It was my sister. The family didnt know it, but there was someone else who refused to give up. Fbi agent rick hadel. He had never found any evidence of espionage in maries murder, but hed also never forgotten about her. So, here it is now january, 2002, im a Squad Supervisor now, im the guy that assigns the cases instead of investigating them. And im talking with an agent. I said, tony, how about reopening this case as an assault on a federal officer case. All just because you never stopped thinking about it. Exactly. I just i didnt like the the fact that you got a woman who has given her life, dedicated to the government murdered and just lying out there because nobody cares. And so i thought, well, lets give it another shot. So, eight years after the murder, fbi agent tony vasley called On Inglewood Pd and met Detective Russ Inard Who was a month shy of retiring. They started combing through the old files and were assisted by a new inglewood detective steve seyler. Technology advances so quickly that in 2002 i said to tony vasley, hey, maybe theres Fingernail Scrapings, maybe theres something of that nature. In fact, there were Fingernail Scrapings in this case. There was also a drop of blood on maries saab, but at the time of maries murder, dna analysis was still in its infancy. Those samples had never been tested. In 2004, Detective Seyler called john lewin, a prosecutor with the l. A. Das Office Major Crime division. Lewin specializes in cold cases. They had collected originally the Fingernail Scrapings. They had collected the blood, and the detective had been unable to get the lab tested. So when i first got on the case i started trying to cash in favors at the crime lab to get it done. But a tenyearold cold case was not a priority. Three more years passed before those samples were tested. Finally in november, 2007, the Fbi Crime Lab came through. What we got was the information that would break this case wide open. A new clue triggers a bold move from the cold case prosecutor, and someone close to marie is in for a surprise. Coming up it was very hard. I had to have marcus arrested. Marcus, maries own son, under arrest . When dateline continues. Shingles doesnt care. But shingrix protects. Proven over 90 effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. Shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. An increased risk of guillainbarre syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. Fainting can also happen. The most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. After years of murky Josh Mankiewicz after years of murky speculation speculation that Marie Singleton was targeted for her work with the cia, the case suddenly came into sharp focus. First, that mysterious letter suggesting maries death was related to her top secret job, that turned out to be a dead end, written by a coworker who just wanted to encourage police to work harder. Next, there was the dna. More than a decade after maries murder they tested both the bloodstain on the car and the scrapings under the fingernails. The dna found under maries nails and the blood found on the hood of her car were from the same person, a man, and police thought they knew who that man was, maries husband, andre, but andre had moved out of california. We did not have his blood test. How did you get a match . Well, what we did was, we tried to find him, and we couldnt locate him. We were finally able to track down his son, Andre Jackson jr. , and to get his dna. When we got his dna, we got what you would characterize as a near miss, a familial hit. A near miss, but still enough to get an arrest warrant. The fbis Fugitive Task force caught up with andre in tempe, arizona. He wasnt expecting it . No, he was not expecting it. Andre also said he didnt do it, didnt kill his wife. But he couldnt make bail, so he sat in a jail cell, even though prosecutor lewin knew the evidence was not as strong as it might be. Although andres inconsistent statements, the bruise on his face, his appearance at the very beach where maries car was later found all seemed suspicious, they might not be enough for a jury. We have to be able to say is a jury going to be able to look at the evidence we have and prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt, do we take this risk or not. Even the dna was not absolute proof. After all, andre and marie were husband and wife. To find his dna on her car or even under her fingernails was not necessarily evidence of murder. After andre had been in jail for nearly four years, lewin decided to offer a deal. We offered him voluntary manslaughter. He would have had to serve roughly another year, and he didnt want it. His attitude was you dont have any evidence. So, the case was going to trial. Lewin knew he needed more evidence to make the jury believe his theory of the crime. I believe that they had probably some kind of argument. I believe that marie said that she was leaving. I believe that an argument turned violent. And i believe that at some point during the argument andre hit her, and then he made the decision, you know what, i cant let her walk out of here. What lewin needed most was a witness, and no one had seen anything on the day of the murder. Yet lewin found there was a secret, buried in the memory of a grown man, who was all of 8 years old when a murder was being committed. Maries son, Marcus Singleton. We interviewed marcus in 2004, really the first indepth interview that had ever been done. Marcus was deeply conflicted between his feelings for his mom and the love he still felt for his stepfather andre. And at first, he had no intention of talking with investigators. But finally he broke down and told the story of what an 8yearold marcus had seen on october 1st, 1994, 6 weeks before the murder. Its a story he also told to us. I remember hearing them screaming and going into the bedroom and them arguing and her telling me to call the police, call the cops. What was happening . I had no idea, none. And i froze because my stepdad told me not to, and thats when she said, you hit me. And then he said, well, you hit me first. And she looked at him like he was crazy. She screamed call the cops, and then she moved towards the bed, and he grabs her. Tries to place his hands over her mouth. One hand over her mouth, one hand over her throat and they fall on the bed. Young marcus then ran for the phone in the hallway. At this point now im leaving to go call the police, and im guessing maybe he got off of her to come stop me or whatever because now my mom, she must have gotten free somehow, some way, brushes past me and runs up the stairs, i guess to the kitchen phone. He comes running past me to the kitchen phone. Now my stepsister is leaving her room coming out in the hallway like what the heck is going on. Then we hear the clatter like silverware is falling on the floor. We run upstairs and theres a whole bunch silverware on the floor. Theyre both still arguing. Marie ran to the bedroom and locked the door. He knocks on the door. She doesnt open it. He kicks the door in. And he walks in and puts the door frame back on the door and he closes the door, and then its just quiet for a while after that. Somehow during the struggle marie managed to call 911, but the call is cut short. Hello . And then after a few minutes the cops come. You know, i guess my mom told them everything was okay. They left. And six weeks later six weeks later, his mother was dead. I hate the fact that i didnt go and call the cops myself. You know, so the cops could have talked to me instead of her. Add to that the guilt he feels about the day she disappeared. I hate the fact that i can remember that it was a bugs bunny movie on the television but i cant even remember the last words my mom said to me. You were, what, 8 years old . Yeah i hate that, yeah. Because, why . You think this is your fault . Youve got to know intellectually it had nothing to do with you. I feel like i could have done something to protect my mom. I could have just changed up one thing. And yet even now marcus still couldnt accept the idea that the man he once considered his father had killed his mother. Marcus didnt want to testify against andre. Lewin had to serve him with a subpoena for a pretrial hearing. Marcus ignored it. I got subpoenaed to go to court and said, no, im not going. I ripped it up, threw it away. Lewin had to do something hed never done before. I had to have marcus arrested. It was very hard. Ive got to have him arrested when hes a victim. Its unpleasant. Very unpleasant. Lewin, the prosecutor, and marcus, the witness, were at odds. And if the prosecutors star witness didnt show up for trial, andre could easily walk free. Coming up did you kill your wife . No, i did not. The Case Heads Into Court and Andre Jackson heads to the stand. At last, he tells his own story. I approached her in the bedroom and embraced her and kissed her. When dateline continues. Feel darkest before dawn. With caplyta, theres a chance to let in the lyte™. Caplyta is proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. Unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and ii depression. And in clinical trials, Movement Disorders and weight gain were not common. Call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. 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Now get another real deal, unlimited medium 1topping pizzas for 6. 99 each. Marcos. Pizza lovers get it. The thought of getting screened for colon cancer made me queasy. But now ive found a way thats right for me. Feels more easy. My doc and i agreed. I pick the time. Todays a good day. I screened with cologuard and did it my way cologuard is a oneofa kind way to screen for colon cancer thats effective and noninvasive. Its for people 45 plus at average risk, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your provider for cologuard. I did it my way february 17th, 2012, nearly ask your provider for cologuard. Josh mankiewicz february 17, 2012. Nearly 18 years after Marie Singletons body 18 years after Marie Singletons body was discovered, her husband andre went on trial for her murder. It might be hard to accept, but that man murdered his wife, and he needs to be held accountable. In the weeks leading up to trial, prosecutor john lewin wondered if his star witness would show up. He wouldnt even come out here. Marcus was terribly conflicted over the guilt he felt at not speaking up sooner and the love he still felt for his stepfather andre. He didnt like the idea of testifying against andre . No, he did not. But a day before opening statements, much to lewins relief, marcus did show up for trial, but he was to say the least a reluctant witness. In the beginning when i first came to speak with mr. Lewin, i defended andre on my familys side and i didnt want to believe that he did it. Then i found out that im probably going to have to accept the truth, a truth that i really dont want to have to accept even today to be honest. Marcus told the jury his harrowing story of the fight he witnessed between his mom and his stepdad six weeks before her murder. They were frantic, and my mom was like, she was distraught i guess is the best word, like, she was just, like she was screaming, you know, she was, call the police, call the police compelling, damning, but it turned out the defense had a star witness, too. You think andre was going to take the stand . No. I was i was very surprised. I would say shocked. Andres Defense Attorney got right to the point with his first question to his client. Did you kill your wife, Marie Jackson . No, i did not. Do you have any idea who did . No, i do not. Then andre gave his innocent account of the day his wife disappeared. For starters, he said, though he and marie may have argued six weeks earlier, they didnt fight the day she vanished. When you got home, did you did you greet marie . Yes, i did. How did that go . I approached her in the bedroom and embraced her and kissed her. Then he said he left marie at home and drove to his sons football game. As for witnesses who said he had a bruised lip that day, andre said it happened at the game where he and his son accidentally collided. As i approached him, he was jumping around and he wasnt aware that i was near him, and he jumped and his helmet hit me on the on my mouth. Andre told the court he didnt know marie was missing until he returned home after the game. And did you try to page her or call her . I did. As for his decision to post flyers at the very beach where maries car was later found . I was in the area, picked up some lunch and went down to sit down by the beach, and just pray and try to figure out put things together what was going on at the time. Did you see maries saab . No, i did not. Did you know that maries saab was at or near Dockweiler Beach . No, i did not. Of course, Prosecutor Lewin Thought Andre was lying about everything. On crossexamination, he pointed out that when andre left the beach, he had to drive right past maries car. Is it fair to say that as youre driving, mr. Jackson, the main thing on your mind is looking for that car, where could that saab be . Is that fair to say . Not in that moment where i was driving on a scenic route at the beach. Wait, wait, a scenic route . Yes. Your concern was scenic routes when the mother of your 8monthold son is missing . Lewin also wanted to get andres thoughts about why marcus testified against him. Are you aware as you sit here of any motive that he might have for trying to say that youre responsible for his moms death . Yes. You are aware. And what is that . The influence by many who pretty much tainted him and telling him negative things about me over the years from his relatives to the Law Enforcement people who interviewed him. Finally, lewin asked a question that seemed to get under andres skin. Isnt it true, mr. Jackson, that marie told you that she was leaving you . Absolutely not. That same day . November 11th. Absolutely not. Had she ever after three months in court and 18 years after maries death, coprosecutor pat kerry gave the prosecutions closing argument. Theres only one person in this case who six weeks prior to the murder was observed choking marie. Theres only one person in this case who drove right past maries car when they were looking for it. Theres only one person who left a fresh drop of blood on maries car. Theres only one person that murdered Marie Jackson. And hes sitting right there. But the prosecution was pointing in the wrong direction, said the Defense Attorney in his Closing Remarks to the jury. The actual evidence does not support the allegation that andre killed marie. It certainly doesnt support it beyond or doesnt prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Why . Theres a simple answer. Andre didnt kill marie. Nearly two decades after maries murder, the case was finally before a jury. And just 2 1 2 hours later, there was a verdict. We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Andre Jackson guilty of the crime of firstdegree murder. Andre jackson was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. For Marcus Singleton, this victory was bittersweet. He still wants to hear the truth from andre himself. He knows he says that that may never come, but he hopes his mother would be proud that he finally spoke up. I try to live my life to make her proud of me. Im never going to give up. Never going to give up on anything that i feel is important. And and thats her. And thats her. Thats living for her. Thats honoring her and honoring her name. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im craig melvin. Thank you for watching. Thanks for joining us this evening, nbc news is reporting tonight a Law Enforcement officials expect donald trump to turn himself in at Fulton County jail in Atlanta Georgia late next week where he will be booked and processed on criminal charges brought by the d. A. Down there, bonnie wills. This is expected to happen no sooner than next thursday which is one day after the first republican president ial debate in wisconsin. On that note, nbc news is also reporting that after quite a bit of back and forth, donald trump has officially decided not to attend the first debate which is being hosted by