is dateline. >> one of the investigators o brought somebody over to me. i was steeling myself for it already because of the massive police presence, they said they believed that he had been murdered. for the dead of seven care deeply about his kids. >> he was a loving man, provider. >> it was puzzling and alarming when he vanished. >> she said craig is not here and i said this is weird. >> i know something is wrong. >> a disturbing discovery in the basement. >> it appeared there was some kind of ambush. for revelations about craig's wife. >> craig did not want to leave and there's a romantic relationship between them. >> in the park the two young man acting strangely. >> the victim's two funds. >> finally, a string of security ladies would lead to the bone chilling truth. >> a diabolical plan. >> i was absolutely stunned. >> this is a family divided like no other. so when parents craig and laura told hello and welcome to dateline. they appeal -- appeared to be a tight knit family so when they told their seven kids they were divorcing, it came as quite a surprise then a police investigation revealed more surprises, a mystery that led police to a horrific discovery in the family's secret, as dark as they come. here's andrea canning with the devil's bathtub. >> this is devil's bathtub. a deep, dark pond formed by great glaciers a millennia ago. it is hidden in secluded but beyond the tangle of the weeds, a secret was about to be discovered. >> we were not ready for this. >> the sirens in my head in the red lights going off in my head. >> the discovery would tell the tale of an all-american family torn apart and the twisted loyalty hard to comprehend. >> like hitting a brick wall. >> this is the ultimate story of betrayal. >> yes. >> pittsburgh, new york, pretty suburb of rochester with big houses and big families in top- ranked schools that make the people that made her want to stick around. >> i grew up in a bubble and the community is a bubble. >> the family lived in the happy bubble. jesse dated the oldest boy, colin. >> one of the first times i went over to his house in high school. he was cooking me dinner and i was like, that's pretty cool. >> very responsible week >> 103 since i fell in love with him. >> three girls and four boys. the household was always bustling, family dinners, holidays, and colin's parents embraced the chaos and this is craig's sister. >> clearly, they like being parents and enjoyed the seven kids. the dad worked as a computer programmer and spent time mentoring kids at his church. >> craig is an outwardly personable person. >> and pj was his best friend. pj was there when craig fell in love with laura. >> laura is compassionate and also really intelligent. she majored in physics. >> is for the kids, they were smart like their parents, hard- working, articulate but while they thrived, family life took a toll on craig and laura's marriage. laura had been on bed rest for some of her pregnancies and money was tight. >> it circles back to financial hardships. >> it's understandable with seven children, bills, these are real-life problems. >> craig and laura separated in 2014 and craig took a hard. >> he said in an email to me it looks like i'm getting divorced because i don't think i can talk about it without crying. >> pj said he wasn't surprised to see the marriage dissolve. >> there were a lot of positives that came out of the relationship but also negatives. >> the oldest son was away at maritime college when his parents split. >> i asked if he would be okay in his thought was i'm going to be okay because i have you but i'm more concerned about him and making sure my siblings are okay. >> he decided to put family first and help out his mother. he moved back to rochester and put aside his goal of becoming a navy seal. >> he put aside his dream to put his siblings first. >> what was going to be in the custody arrangements? >> the older kids would make their own choices. custody got sticky with a two youngest kids. >> the divorce still was not final in the summer of 2016 and robin said there was tension over the shared custody of the six-year-old and 12-year-old. craig told her he was trying to make the best of a difficult situation. >> one of the phrases he used the most recently was that he saw light at the end of the tunnel. but it was stressing him out. >> on top of that, something weird happened to craig that summer. someone broke into the townhouse where he had recently moved. they thought it was no big deal but his sister was worried and she urged him to report it to police. >> i wake up at midnight and i feel a pain in my arm and i jump up and this will sound crazy but a hooded like figure, not a black man was running out of the room and the reason i have to file a police report is my black bear was taken. >> a few days after the break-in -- >> i said i'll call you in the morning. >> the morning came but craig was not returning her calls. >> if he had been in a meeting and felt his funko off, he would've sent a response, in a meeting, call you later. >> concerned, she decided to pay a visit to his townhouse and inside the house was the beginning of a dark family drama that could never be unwritten. >> i know something is wrong. i don't know how wrong. >> what was going on with craig, the discovery in the basement was about to provide a clue. >> we found what appeared to be blood splatter. >> what they found next would change everything. when dateline continues. icy hot. ice works fast. ♪♪ heat makes it last. feel the power of contrast therapy. ♪♪ so you can rise from pain. icy hot. 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[traffic noises] so get allstate, save money on auto insurance and be protected from mayhem. yeah, like me. ♪♪ andrea canning: robbyn drew couldn't imagine yeah, like me. where her brother craig was. it was a warm summer morning, wednesday, july 20th, 2016. robin could not imagine where her brother, craig, was. it was a warm summer morning on wednesday, and july 20, 2016. >> you cannot reach him at work or at home. that break-in was fresh in her mind when she decided to leave work at lunch and head to his townhouse and his soon-to-be ex- wife was there and could not find him either. >> i figured it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for him and i don't know where he is. >> she told robin it had been craig's mind with the two children that the kids texted her to say dad was not there when they woke up and she sent colin over to get them. >> collin was always picking up his siblings and would drive them places. >> robin decided to look around and she went upstairs to the bedroom and the door was locked. >> i thought that todd. make were you worried he might be in the bedroom? >> i was worried. >> she called 911 >> my brother has not been answering text or cell phone calls or emails and i could be making a mountain out of a mole hill. >> deputies arrived at craig's but they stayed outside and told robin they would need a warrant to search the house. after all, her brother was a grown man and this was his private property. dave was one of those investigators and spoke to robin briefly. >> she called the number of times and it made her nervous not being able to get hold of him. >> laura had gone home but came back to the townhouse with a two in kids to see what was going on. >> did she expressed that she had any idea what was going on? >> she did and had no idea where he might be. >> she told the deputies that kids were dropped off and craig was home the night before. >> then the investigator asked the kids some questions. first, the six-year-old daughter. >> was he there when he woke up? the last time you saw your dad was when? >> yesterday. he was playing video games on the computer. he went to the bathroom and then went downstairs and that night he was downstairs and then he disappeared in the morning. >> the 12-year-old son told the same story. >> when was the last time you saw him? >> 11:30 pm last night when he was going to bed. >> what happened this morning? >> he wasn't there and i thought he went to work. >> laura texted pj. >> she said craig is not here. and i said that's weird. >> calling called chelsea. >> i was concerned, nobody wants to hear somebody went missing and i assumed that he had to step outside or on a quick trip. >> late that night investigators finally have their search warrant. what you find? >> on initial walk-through the house is very neat and well put together and it doesn't appear to be any forced entry. >> the investigators unlocked the master bedroom and it was undisturbed. they looked around and found nothing and then they headed to the basement. >> there are boxes on the shelves neatly stacked and everything is in its home and on the other side it is kind of disheveled. >> it was messy but nothing out of the ordinary until they noticed something alarming. >> more closely examine the area and found what appeared to be blood splatter. >> crime scene techs sprayed the basement floor and found even more blood, blood that somebody tried to wipe away and then a discovery inside a garbage bag. >> we find what appears to be two handles with the para cord nodded see can hold onto both handles and use it as a ligature. >> a weapon used for strangulation. the evidence was telling the story and when that would not end well for craig train 20. >> this is a big moment in the case. >> coming up, a bombshell about his soon-to-be ex-wife. >> craig did not want to believe there was a romantic relationship and over time it became painfully obvious that there was. >> and just off a country road, passerby or see something that would transform the case. when dateline continues. a slow network is no network for business. that's why more choose comcast business. and now we're introducing ultimate speed for business, our fastest plans yet. we're up to 12 times faster than verizon, at&t, and t-mobile. and existing customers could even get up to triple the speeds at no additional cost. from the company with 99.9% network reliability and advanced cyber security, it's ultimate speed for ultimate business. and it's all from comcast business. andrea canning: it was late afternoon, july 20th, 2016. craig rideout, father of seven, had been missing since early that morning. it was late afternoon, july 20, 2016 and the father of seven had been missing since early that morning. the investigators had discovered a horrid same in his basement. a scene that told him he wasn't coming home. >> we started fighting more items with blood on them >> craig's sister was waiting outside watching the police action unfolds. >> then one of the investigators brought somebody over to me sane, this is our violent crime advocate. >> did your heart sink? >> it did and they told me they believed he had been murdered. >> murdered in his own home? investigators surmised that happened overnight while his young children slept. who would do such a thing? craig's sister told the investigator about the break in a few days earlier. >> i wake up at midnight and i feel pain in my arm. >> he said he was upstairs sleeping in his bed when in the middle of the night he was woken up with someone pulling hair out of his arm in the mail ran out of the bedroom and out of the house. >> he said he thought it was a prank and did not know what to make of it but nor did robin but she had other investigation information. details about his brother's marriage. >> how long have they been separated? >> two years. >> it had not been a good separation. >> it had not been. >> the reason was laura had a man in his life and it was awkward. her boyfriend was craig's old buddy, pj. >> pj goes from being craig's best friend to being his estranged wife's boyfriend. so that doesn't always work out so well for relationships. >> certainly not between the two of them. >> craig and laura had been many friends with pj and his wife for many years. >> all of the kids really grew up together and would go out together and have parties together. >> but around the same time that laura and craig's marriage was falling apart, pj's wife died and pj leaned on laura for support and laura began confiding in pj. >> they are in a reliant district romantic relationship? >> at first, craig did not want to believe that there was a romantic relationship going on but over time it became painfully obvious that there was. >> i did not know i was going to fall in love with laura but it happened over time. >> does craig know about this? >> yeah, he sent the email. it said i don't know if you found yourself in a damsel in distress situation or you have romantic feelings towards laura come either way, i'm happy. >> that is big of him. >> i thought it was interesting . >> it was certainly interesting to the homicide detective but before the investigator could run down the juicy lead he got some news. two counties over a shovel had been left by the side of the road and 50 feet into the woods, a manns body was discovered. >> there is a body under a tarp. >> is it near your home? >> just down the road. >> could it be craig? the identity was not obvious right away. the killer or killers have used some kind of acid to intentionally disfigure his face. >> that sounds like someone had a major grudge with the person. >> it certainly seemed like they were not interested with him being found. >> even though the victims were not able to be recognized, they were able to id him and the answer was found in his pocket. the victim's phone was ringing when the body was found in the person popping up on the caller id was robin, craig's sister. >> as i was trying to reach him, the cell phone was ringing in his pocket. >> your calling and the phone is ringing. >> it sounds like some really den criminals to leave the cell phone in the pocket when they have gone to these great lengths pouring, possibly acid come on this man. >> it does seem to overlook the obvious thing. >> they had a crime scene my body into marriage with a soap opera ending in the next bit of evidence would lead the story to an even darker place a place called devil's bathtub. >> a million thanks must be going through your mind. >> coming up, a chance fighting in a call to police. >> they saw a couple males in the parking lot with garbage bags being thrown out. of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. tell your doctor right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines including steroids, without talking to your doctor. ask your specialist about dupixent. nexgard® plus helps you protect your dog from fleas, ticks, heartworm disease, and more... all in one delicious, monthly, soft chew. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. nexgard® plus: the one you want for one-and-done protection. 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(coughing) next! stuck at the dmv, and i think i'm late on my car insurance. good thing the general gives you a break with flexible payment options. let's get you a break while you wait. what is this place? this is our dmvip. vending machine charcuterie? is that guy getting a painted license? wait until the driving test. now that's a park job! for a great low rate, go with the general. when we're young, we're told anything is possible... for a great low rate, ...but only a few of us go out and prove it. witness the greatness of anna hall on a connection worthy of gold: xfinity mobile. only xfinity gives you the most powerful mobile wifi network, with speeds up to a gig in millions of locations. and right now, xfinity internet customers can buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. get the fastest connection to paris with xfinity. a dangerous heat wave bringing sweltering temperatures. more than 100 million across the country are under heat alerts with temperatures reaching triple digits. and in gaza, strikes on tent camps killed at least 25 people and injured another 50. this comes weeks after an idea bomb triggered a deadly fire for displaced palestinians. now back to dateline. welcome back to dateline. detectives were looking into whether craig had been murdered and then a tip called into 911 lead them to his disfigured body and his cell phone was still in his pocket and with it police quickly started connecting dots and were about to get another tip and what that would lead to two unlikely suspects. here again is andrea cannon with devil's bathroom. >> the case of the missing dad was now a murder investigation. the investigator had been up for 36 hours working two critical crime scenes. the basement where he was likely killed in the woods where his body was found and now the investigator was about to be called to another location called devil's bathtub . is secluded pond set deep in a 2500 acre park. >> why are you called to this scene? >> some people in the park saw a couple of mails in the park and the car in the parking lot and they saw what they believe to be garbage bags getting thrown out. >> why was a homicide detective getting a call about a case of suspicious littering? when deputies on the scene detained the two younger man, they recognize their last name, rideout, the same name of the murder victim in the case being worked by the investigator . >> they identify colin and alexander the victim's two sons. >> collin was in the park with his 19-year-old brother, alex, who had just graduated from high school. the investigator pulled out of phone and press record and they began to ask the brothers some questions. the younger brother was first. >> what is going on? >> we were just out and suddenly the police show up and i've never encountered police before. >> you have never been in trouble before? >> no. i've only called them. i'm 19 and him doing college next year. >> the investigator's radar was up and thought one of his scents might be behind the weird break-in and now here were the sons acting suspiciously. the investigators decided to ask what they thought happened to their dad without telling them that their dad had already been found. >> i think he might be on the flight to mexico. >> collin said he did not know where his dad was either. >> i emailed him last night and did not hear from him. i heard from him monday and he picked up my brother and sister on tuesday. >> the investigator wanted to keep colin talking and he did. >> he starts to talk about the family dynamic and how he believes his father might be having some sort of mental issue or break down >> i have been kind of worried about him and stuff has been freaking me out. >> and the investigator asked him directly what was in the garbage bags they were trying to get rid of? >> tell me what's in the bag before see what's in the bag and it will be better. >> i don't know what's in the bag. >> investigators did not think he was being honest. >> we seek the truth. >> all the talk about truth worked. they admitted something bud -- big and had been up there dad's test today before. >> there was a lot of blood in the basement and i was worried that something had happened. >> they just place themselves at the scene of the crime and when the investigator opened up the garbage bags -- >> bloody clothing, a bloody sneaker and some work gloves of blood on them and what would be evidence of a murder. >> the would be navy seal who always put family first in his book smart brother alex with pipes to go to college were taken to the sheriff's office and arrested. they were not charged with murder both tampering with evidence. something to hold them while the investigation continued. >> how do you process that? >> shall sock would be the best word for it. >> collin called chelsea from jail. >> i was arrested and my lawyer said i'm not supposed to talk about anything. >> he is confused and loves his family. like hitting a brick wall in life just stopped. >> was there any part of you that said maybe i don't know him as well as i think? >> he is just a guy that had everything ahead of him and would not have thrown it away for nothing. >> did you wonder how he ended up with the garbage bags with the evidence? >> i think it would give anyone a pause to think about and question but we also know him and we know the man he is. >> the investigator did not know the kids but he knew that there had to be more to the story than two nice boys deciding to kill their dad. his investigation turned to their mom. the woman who had been married to craig for more than 20 years and who had raised those funds. robin have been telling investigators about the divorce and it was not pretty. >> there was a contentious separation and custody battle. they were not supposed to see each other even a drop off. >> at the same time laura and her new significant other, craig's this friend, were preparing for a big change. >> their intention was to move to north carolina the family. >> but craig had primary custody of the two youngest and would not let laura take them out of state. >> so how is laura moving to north carolina? >> that's a good question. >> robin was suspicious of laura from the moment she arrived at her brother's townhouse, the day that craig went missing, laura was there and was inside, tidying up. >> when i opened the sliding glass door, it's laura standing in his kitchen, cleaning. >> that would be odd. >> in my head i'm thinking what are you doing here? >> cleaning at the crime scene is what the investigator suspect did. the boys admitted it was their mother who gave them the bags of bloody close. >> it was something my mom told us to do. did she give you the bag? >> hours after resting the two sons, the investigator headed to the home that laura shared with pj. >> i was stunned and was absolutely stunned. >> security video from days before the murder leads to a sickening revelation. >> a diabolical plan is forming. >> when dateline continues. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. nexgard® plus helps you protect your dog from fleas, ticks, heartworm disease, and more... all in one delicious, monthly, soft chew. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. nexgard® plus: the one you want for one-and-done protection. 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( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ [laughing] ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd because breathing should be beautiful, all day and night. ♪ ♪ because breathing should be beautiful, [ grunts ] [ laughs ] andrea canning: laura rideout wasn't expecting sheriff's deputies to show up at the front door that evening, wasn't dressed for a trip to the county jail. laura was not expecting sheriff's deputy is to show up at the front door that he be this evening and was not dressed for a trip to the county jail that that is where she was going. >> they told her to get shoes and laura loves to wear heels and they said you will need a different kind of shoe so she throws on a pair of nike shoes and they came down and i watched them arrest her. and her kids are there watching their mother get arrested. >> she said what for and the arresting officer said you had to have been expecting this and she was like no, what? she said if i were expecting this then i would've had makeup on. >> the boyfriend thought there must be some misunderstanding and a terrible mistake. >> laura ever said i wish craig was out of our lives? >> no. she wanted craig to have a relationship with the kids. she did not have animosity towards craig. >> when deputies searched the home where she lived there were clues everywhere inside the master bedroom a key fob to unlock his car and in another bedroom, blue tape identical to the tape used to make the murder weapon and bits of incriminating evidence in the home where pj also lived. >> when craig was killed, where were you? >> i was with laura at home. >> the investigator believed that he was with laura but not innocently at home. six weeks before the murder pj was under arrest too. >> i had never been in the guy's house. >> were you part of the overall plan to cover it up? >> there was no plan. >> four people were under arrest and are full check were let out on bail. they were only charged with evidence tampering while investigators tried to figure out exactly who did what. no one was talking anymore. all four lawyered up and presented a united front. investigators still did not know if it was a crime of passion or conspiracy and if it had been planned, who was the ring leader? the answer to some of those questions came after analyzing items found on or around his body dumped in the woods. >> we found a bungee cord and a tarp. from backtracking the receipts we were able to find video in a number of stores, particularly the walmart. >> when investigators pulled the security video they saw what appeared to be a murder plot in the making. on july 18, two days before the murder, laura, colleen and one of the younger kids go shopping to buy drain cleaner which investigators believe was used to disfigure craig's face. the next day a few hours before the murder, laura and pj are at a different walmart buying a large tarp, bungee cord and more drain cleaner. >> the tarp in the bench he matched up to the ones found on craig's body. >> in the day of the murder here is collin buying the shovel, when identical to the one left by the side of the road nearby where his body was found. a diabolical plan was for me never number of days. >> yes. >> laura on tape looking completely relaxed, a wife, mother and now investigators believed a killer craig's sister saw a woman who had turned toussaint against their own father. >> i don't know how that happened. what was said that could have turned the kids against him. >> this is ultimate story of betrayal. >> what you believe happened that night? >> my belief is that two younger children are brought over to craig's house. laura or paul go up to craig's room to maybe talk about the move to north carolina lure is one that gets him to come down into the basement. >> in the basement is where investigators believe members of his own family and one-time best friend were there to do the unthinkable. >> the intent was to murder him with no blood at all and i think the victim started to fight and i think one of the suspects hit him in the head during the struggle in order to get control. >> when the charges came down, all four including colin who had just proposed to his girlfriend, were charged with murder. >> that was a surprise. >> you have to have 1 million questions. >> oh yeah. >> as the investigation unfolded , the authorities had more questions too including a big one about pj and it had to do with his first wife who died from liver disease. the sheriff and monroe county thought it was a suspicious coincidence that her death coincided with his new relationship with laura. >> we spoke with the district attorney's office because we said this needs to be investigated. >> you learned it would be possible to poison someone and it would look like cirrhosis of the liver. >> that is the potential. >> may be pj poisoned his wife? >> without a doubt. >> they want to do exam her body but the medical examiner was satisfied with the original autopsy. >> the medical examiner wrote on the death certificate what happened. stop bringing her into this, she had nothing to do with it. >> the questions about her death went nowhere in the prosecutor did not pursue it then as the summer of 2017 approached, the case was set to go to trial and that pretty town of pittsburgh braced to hear the story of the family. >> this does not happen in our bubble. we were not ready for this. >> no one was ready for what would happen in court. the united front was about to implode. >> coming up, four defense teams about to throw each other's clients under the bus. and then the jury speaks. >> i hear the words and i black out. >> i checked to make sure i heard it right. >> when dateline continues. lin . 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[♪♪] your skin is ever-changing, take care of it with gold bond's age renew formulations of 7 moisturizers and 3 vitamins. for all your skins, gold bond. of 7 moisturizers a welcome back. just a few years earlier, the rideout family seemed happy, but now laura, her sons alex and colin, welcome back. just a few years earlier, the family seemed happy but now laura and her sons alex and colin and her boyfriend were headed to trial, accused of murdering laura's estranged husband, craig. to this point the 4 of them had stood together at the united front was about to be tested. whatever the verdicts, one thing was certain, the family would never be the same. with the conclusion of devil's bathtub come here is andrea canning. >> they all have big plans for calling was looking forward to getting married and alex was planning to go to college. laura and pj were preparing for a fresh start in north carolina but instead, in the summer of 2017, they were all going to court to stand trial for second- degree murder. in a highly unusual ruling, the judge decided that all four would be tried together, four trials in one. >> it is just bizarre that the family would be on trial together. >> each had his or her own attorney who sat down with us for colin's attorney. alex's attorney. pj's attorney and two attorneys for laura. they were all prepared to argue that the prosecution had no idea what really happened in the basement. >> does anyone know who the real killer is? >> the real killer knows. >> this is a classic whodunit? >> the district attorney and that then assistant da admitted that they did not know who delivered the final blow but that did not stop them from saying that all four defendants were responsible for craig's death. >> you can charge them all with second-degree murder even if one of them did not actually provide the final blow? >> exactly. >> in a bank robbery the driver is just as responsible as a person that goes into the bank. >> the prosecution showed the jury the walmart security videos and told them about the purchase of items like the tarp , drink cleaner and a shovel. the jury learned about the garbage bags full of bloodied clothing. the prosecution said colin and lore's genes have the most amount of blood, putting them squarely in the basement at the time of the murder but dna from all four defendants was found on items in the bags. >> you had dna from all four defendants on the gloves click close and craig's blood. >> exactly. >> in the motive, the prosecution said it was simple and obvious. >> we believe the motive was to allow the mother to take the younger children out of the state and start a new life with her boyfriend. >> it is so hard to understand why the sons would want to do this for their mother. >> perhaps there was an underlying agreement that we were not aware of. >> it was now time for all the defense attorneys to have their say. >> who killed craig? >> the defense of the walmart videos did not reveal a conspiracy in their all were purchased in preparation for the big move to north carolina. that is what pj told us. >> we've got the trucks coming and we've got the foosball table so i will need something to strap these wood things on the side of the u-haul. i said, i need something big to cover the floor. >> what did he need the drain cleaner for? >> we have girls that have long hair and they clog up shower drains and sinks all over the place. laura even said this stuff works well. >> and the family on trial together sitting around the defense table went on the attack against one another. colin's attorney started pointing fingers. >> who is getting divorced? >> united front came crashing down. >> we pointed the finger at the person who was closest to us in terms of items of evidence. >> who is moving to north carolina. calling is not. laura, paul, moving to north carolina >> laura's attorney fought back. >> you cannot get around the evidence against colin. >> is anyone else pointing the finger at anybody else? >> yeah. >> your pointing the finger at colin on behalf of laura >> it affects the family dynamics during the trial >> so we have mother and son i never said it was paul or laura or colin >> i think you need a football dry grand -- diagram. >> after a month of testimony, the case went to the jury colin's fianci remained his biggest supporter to the very end. >> do think the way you have described him as being the protector of the family, you think it is ultimately what might have got him in trouble >> he's a smart guy so i don't think you would ever put himself in the situation. he had a life ahead of him and had no need. >> after five days of deliberation, they reached a verdict. >> we said a prayer. >> hearts racing. >> tensions were high as the crowd file back into the courtroom and the verdicts will read one by one beginning with the sons. first, the younger son, alex. >> not guilty of murder in the second degree. >> alex was acquitted of the murder charge but found guilty of tampering with evidence. and then the oldest son, colin. >> guilty of murder in the second degree. >> i hear the words and i was sent back. i just blacked out. >> deputies led colin away in handcuffs and chelsea was inconsolable as she left the courtroom surrounded by family. it was the grown-ups turned to hear their verdicts the victim's former best friend. >> you have been found not guilty of murder in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence. >> he was acquitted on all counts. >> i had to check the verdict sheet to make sure i heard it right. >> what about the mother at the center of it all. >> the jury has convicted me of murder in the second degree. >> guilty of murder. >> not surprised of all. relief and justification. >> laura and her son were sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars. alex was sentenced to eight years. alex and colin are pealing their conviction. pj walked out of court a free man. prosecutors had no physical evidence to prove that he was ever in craig's house. >> did he get away with murder? >> i believe he dead. >> there are people that say he definitely have something to do with it. >> you cannot change people's beliefs. i'm not here to change your mind. it is a sad story, a murder did occur. but i don't think that the whole story is out there and i don't think the jury necessarily got it right. >> pj was free but now alone, a widower who once planned to make a new life with laura. now she was behind bars for what could be the rest of her life. >> does she want you to find love again? >> she always wants me to find love. the question is, she set a high standard. >> she has been convicted of murder. >> that i know in my heart that she didn't do it. >> craig's sister is left trying to make sense of it all the darkness that destroyed the big family. a family that once had so much ambition and promise. >> it is heartbreaking. nobody wins. nobody wins in this. >> this is a family divided like no other. >> that's all for this edition of dateline.