Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20130909

Murder . Police learned this case was far more complicated than that and this mystery not so easy to solve. She grabbed his throat, and i dont think she realized what she was doing. He couldnt take it anymore. The entire situation. Its just heartbreaking. Tonight, the troubling truth about the family next door. Im lester moment, and this is dateline behind closed doors. Heres dennis murphy. Reporter it was a drippy friday morning, the start of memorial day weekend. Bernie pine usually took that day off work for a welcome seasonal chore, getting the back yard pool cleaned up. The unofficial start of summer at his familys home in michigan. He told his wife, ruth, it didnt make sense, though, with the weather. I remember that morning i said hon, im not going to open the pool today, its kind of soggy out there, theres no sense wasting a vacation day on a day like this. Reporter so bernie took off for his job as a test engineer for a car manufacturer. I remember hugging her and kissing her goodbye. Reporter for ruth, his wife of 32 years, it was about to be her favorite time of year. Summer in the back yard. One of ruths favorite pastimes were tang. She liked to be by the pool and tan. Reporter julia, their little 10yearold at school. Jeffrey, their quite a bit older boy, 21, a college student, was hanging around the house before heading off for his parttime job. And that was the start of what should have been a nothing special day for the pine family of highland, michigan. It would turn out to be, of course, nothing of the sort. That rainy friday was the end of everything theyd known. Picked up jewel yar from school. We went to the back door like we always would. Reporter the back door was the Side Entrance to the garage. Julia was the first in the door. I was behind her. And she dropped her book bag and said, dad, mom . Dad, mom . And i said which one of us you want . Reporter julia had opened the unlocked door. Behind it was a leg and a hand covered in blood. And thats when we found ruth. Reporter bernie ran to a neighbors to call 911. Theres blood everywhere. Youve got to calm down so i can understand you. Reporter when the Emergency Services people arrived, they found ruth pyne, 51 years old, dead in a pool of blood. Jeffrey was called home from work, and bernie broke the news. I told him that mom had died. Of course tears welled up in his eyes, and he said, what . No. He was upset. How did you find out . Bernie called me, and he said, i dont know what happened, but your sisters gone. Reporter susan showerman is ruths sister. And i jut thought, oh, my gosh, she committed suicide. Reporter suicide . To get some understanding why anyone would even think ruth could kill herself, we have to roll back the years and meet the pynes as they were. I dont think ive ever met anybody whos so unabashedly devoted to his wife. He goes, im the luckiest guy in the world, i cant believe that she married me. Reporter caroline and john stako had been friends with bernie and ruth for 30 years. I think she felt fortunate to have bernie because you know, bernie agreed that she should stay home with the children. Reporter the stakos daughters, katherine and elizabeth, spent time at the pynes at girls and adoshd ruth. She was always there playing in the pool. She would sit and watch us. Very attentive mother. Like she always had to make sure we were okay. Reporter and ruth welcomed guests oher table. Shed have dinners all the time. Ruth could always get something cute at like a crafts store and shed put candy in it. She always made a homecooked meal every night, too. They didnt even have a microwave. Reporter the pynes daughter julia was a bright adorable work in progress, and their firstborn, jeffrey, turned out to be just one of those golden kids. A star athlete and an Excellent High School student. The kind parents brag about on their bumper stickers. Talented, smart, charismatic. And i feel like everyone felt that way about jeffrey. He was one of those people you could always count on. Reporter and ruth was one of his biggest supporters. She never missed a basketball game. She was very involved as far as that. And parentteacher conferences. She would volunteer to go on field trips. Reporter but behind closed doors the family was struggling with a private sorrow. When jeffrey was just 8, ruth began losing her grip. Shed go for days without sleep. She became reclusive, paranoid. A Mental Illness was taking hold. Ill never forget, i got home from work, she said ive got a tracking device in my bloodstream, and she really thought she was being monitored. Reporter the family tried an intervention. Sister susan knew bernie was overwhelmed. He needed help to convince her that she needed to see a doctor. You know, maybe think about medication, that her thoughts werent right. That something was wrong. This is tough. Youre all sitting around, what, in the kitchen or at a table in her living room. And she just got up and walked away. And she wasnt accepting it. She didnt believe she was ill. Reporter in 1998 bernie went to court to have his wife hospitalized. Ruth stayed there for two weeks, then was released with orders to take her medication. Ruth never wanted to take the medication. She would take it, and then she would go off of it. Reporter there were long stretches when shed take her medications and things would be okay. But sooner or later, ruth would fall off the wagon. She would hide the medication under her tongue. Bernie would leave for work. And then she would spit it out. Reporter by 2009 ruth was spiraling out of control. Shed been diagnosed as bipolar with psychotic features. Bernie had her hospitalized three times over the next year. He had to call for police help in getting her there. Refusing her meds, increasingly manic, ruth even lashed out at her 9yearold daughter. Ruth did not look well. And julia simply reached over to say mom, mom, how are you all right . And she actually swatted julia pretty hard on the hand. Reporter a year later it happened again with her son. It was early one morning. Bernie had been pleading with his wife to take her medicine. She was still in bed. And she motioned her finger for me to come over there. And i leaned over, and she spit in my face. Reporter he saw that jeffreys bedroom door was open and called for his son to reason with his mother. And thats when she launched out of the bed at him and, you know, grabbed his throat and tried to hit him. Reporter bernie told jeffrey to call the police. His intent, he says, was simply to get the cops to take her to the hospital. Instead they charged ruth with assault and put her in jail. Her only way out was to take her meds. She refused and spent 17 days behind bars before finally being sent to the hospital. But this time after her release the cycle appeared to be broken. Ruth stayed on her meds. Our home was actually in the best place that it had been in a long time. Ruth was doing very well. Reporter her sister susan noticed the improvement too. She was taking her medication. I noticed that in particular because i called her and she was busy with dinner and she said, ill call you back. I thought, mm, i dont know if shell call me back. She called me back. And that was big. Your sisters back. Well, it was really exciting for me that she was talking to me. Reporter but just weeks after the sisters talked on may 27th, 2011 came that awful sight. Ruth behind that door. And the pyne familys tragedy was about to take a much darker turn. When investigators arrived at the garage, they determined this was no suicide. Ruth pyne had been murdered. And when a wife is murdered, well, you know whos usually the first suspect. When we come back, detectives decide that in this case theres a good reason to take a hard look at her husband, bernie pyne. Live girlfriend, dead wife. Not a good set of facts. It definitely threw another cast on things. [ female announcer ] its time healthy gets a dose of happy. New yoplait greek. Byebye, stir. So long, sour. Hello, happy. Its time to lick the lid again. When sheriffs deputies entered the garage at the pine family home, they knew right away they were working a crime scene. The back of ruth pynes head had been bashed in by multiple blows. There were more than a dozen stab wounds to the neck. It was a case of murder, and a violent one. Veteran homicide officers like greg glover and David Hendrick call savagery like this overkill. Its something that involves a lot of rage. Typically in homicides we dont see injuries to that magnitude. The intruder, for instance. The hypothetical intruder. Unlikely to inflict that kind of injury to a victim . Very unlikely. This was something that was more intimate. There were no signs of forced entry to the home. The front door was locked. The home was not ransacked. It was apparent that this was not a robberytype situation here. Detectives did find one door in the house unlocked. The side door entry to the garage. Ruth was found sprawled there on the floor. The door tight against her wrist. It told detectives whoever the killer was, he didnt leave that way. If her hand was laying there, she was freshly killed. The blood on her hand is wet. For that door to have been opened up, someone leave, close the door back, and then open the door it would have been a telltale swipe of fresh blood. You would have had swiping of the blood on her hand. Reporter and yet the front door, the only other way out, they thought, was deadbolted shut. Could the killer have had a key and locked it after he made his escape . It didnt seem logical if he was an intruder. But then of course bernie pyne had a house key. Was the husband perhaps the killer . Typically in these types of cases its normally somebody thats directly involved. Somebody thats inside. Reporter so the night of the murder the detectives talked to bernie and his son jeffrey in a routine interview. Bernie was up first. And he told detectives about ruths medical history. We talked about the Mental Illness. Of course many of the detectives or i dont know, many of the Police Officers had been out to the house with medical pickups for ruth. Reporter but he says he was stunned when detectives revealed to him that his wifes death was a homicide. I could not believe, one, that ruth was dead and, two, that anyone would harm her. Reporter then as the detectives questioning went on bernie said something that piqued their interest. Detectives asked me was if i had had sex with any other women besides my wife in the last six months. That immediately caused me to be uncomfortable because i had to answer yes to that question. And i gave them the details. Live girlfriend, dead wife. Not a good set of facts. No. It definitely threw another cast on things. I mean, as far as how the marriage was. Does bernie become a suspect to you . Absolutely. It did not appear that this was committed by a stranger. Reporter bernie says now that the stress of being ruths care giver drove him not only to threaten divorce but also into the arms of a girlfriend. I couldnt take any more. I couldnt take battling over medication anymore. I couldnt take wondering what she was thinking, whether or not julia was going to be, you know, cared for well or something was going to happen. Reporter ruth discovered the affair one night when she and her daughter walked into the same restaurant where bernie was having dinner with his girlfriend. The mistress broke off the affair. And ironically, being caught redhanded that way, bernie says now, not only saved his marriage but brought ruth around to taking her meds. Ruth i think realized maybe that she had pushed me too far. And thats when she told me, she goes, bernie, i will do anything to save my marriage and to save my family. And i said that means you will take your medication and youll let me watch you take it. Reporter but now his wife was dead and bernie was giving police an alibi, accounting for his time the afternoon his wife was murdered. Bernie was at a restaurant with coworkers and friends. Bernie gave us the times that he had left there and that he had went to pick up his daughter, julia, like he always did. And to the point of when they arrived home. Reporter ruths sister, susan, didnt believe bernie could possibly be involved. After her initial shock she began to wonder whether some mental patient from ruths trips in and out of hospitals over the years had developed an obsession with her. Ruthie was so beautiful that i could see someone being infatuated with her. And she did give her address and phone number and things out to some people. So it wouldnt have been hard to find her. Reporter an interesting theory, maybe, but the detectives experience with killings like this told them to first keep looking at people who knew ruth very well. Coming up Police Investigate ruths family and friends, including her son jeffrey. Everyone liked him. The teachers loved him. Parents loved him. Every moms dream kid. What did he know about his mothers death . Was your mom very upset or anything today before you left . So what can i get you . Well take something tasty and healthy. If you wanna go and fly with me its buzz the bee on your tv oh how did i get this way . Hey must be the honey theres a party going on in your cereal bowl os can help lower cholesterol oh why does it taste so great . Hey must be the honey hey must be the honey hey must be the honey ruth pyne had been found beaten and stabbed to death in the garage of her home. The detectives had just interviewed her husband bernie. And he knew his son jeffrey was up next. I knew that jeffrey didnt do this. My concern was that this didnt look good simply because ruths Mental Illness painted a big target on both of us. Reporter jeffrey, 21, a biology major at the university of michigan, was the pynes muchadmired son. He was once the valedictorian at his small christian academy, where he excelled in just about everything. Katherine stako was a close friend. Everyone liked him. He got along with everybody. The teachers loved him. Parents loved him. You know, its like every moms dream kid to date their daughter. Reporter jeffrey was a role model for his friend steven krieg. He was one of those guys that was intelligent beyond his years, i think. He was the kind of person who i dont really know who didnt look up to him. Reporter as he was interviewed by detectives, jeffrey was the polite, respectful young man everyone knew him to be. He had an unblemished record. Our goal is to figure out what happened. Reporter he told detectives about his day. That he was home alone until his mother came back from Grocery Shopping around 11 30. A little later, he recalled, she went upstairs to lie down. He left the house, he said, about 1 30. There was no altercation or your mom was not upset or anything today before you left . No. She was fine. Reporter at this point all jeffrey had been told about his mother was that she was dead, not that shed been murdered. The son continued his account of the afternoon. Heading out for the first of two parttime jobs. Your mom was upstairs in bed when you left . Yes. I told her i was going to the ladys house. Reporter the ladys house was mrs. Needhams, a former teacher jeffrey did yardwork and chores for. What all did you do over there today . I went over there, transplanted her lilacs. How many did you transplant . Five. Reporter and after he left mrs. Needhams he said he went to his second job at spicer orchards. He clocked in there around 3 00 p. M. As they were speaking, the detectives noticed jeffreys hands were bandaged. Whats wrong with your hands . This is from work today. Reporter he scraped his hands at the orchard, he said, when he tried to pick up a wooden pallet. The detectives took pictures of the injuries and then asked jeffrey to explain in detail how he got them. I picked it up like this. Used my foot to kind of give a boost. There was a stack of pallets. Gave it a boost. And my hand got caught in there and just kind of stuck. And i caught it and shoved it back on there. And it stung really bad. I pulled my hands off quick. Did it pull the skin off your hands . It tore it up. The whole time im thinking theres just no way thats possible. Reporter the detectives were now just as interested in the son with the raw blistered hands as they were with the father, whod admitted to an affair. And they became even more interested as they watched jeffreys reaction to the disclosure of the brutal truth about his mother. Your mom was murdered. Someone killed your mom. So if theres anything else that you know about, that youve been holding back, that you were afraid to tell us, nows the time. Okay . I dont know what to tell you. There wasnt anyone who would want to hurt reporter jeffrey claimed to know nothing about his mothers death. But oddly, they thought, he never did ask detectives just what had happened to his mother. He never asked us one question at all about his mother. During the entire interview. What person wouldnt ask something . Anything. If youd just been told a loved one was killed. Unless you knew the answers. Reporter the detectives then moved on to talk about his mothers arrest for assaulting jeffrey the year before. She came at me, she launched out of the bed and grabbed me by the throat and started hitting me and stuff. But, i mean, she didnt hurt me or anything. Was she upset with you because she was in jail for a long time . No. I didnt have a problem with my mom. Never had a problem with her. The only issue i had was i wanted her to take medicine and she by the nature of the illness she didnt want to take it. Reporter then jeffrey echoed what his father and aunt were saying. In recent months things were getting better. Yeah. S she would come to my dad and show him, see, i took my pills every night. Reporter the questioning continues for over an hour until the detectives asked the inevitable proktive one. Did you do anything today to hurt your mom . No. In any way, shape, or form . Nothing. Did you have any arguments with your mom . I didnt say anything hurtful to her. I did nothing. No idea who would . I have no idea who would. I cant even because somebody did. Im having a hard enough time. Reporter so father and sons stories were now on the record. Each had given reasons why the detectives should keep looking at both. Coming up with no witnesses and no weapon, investigators cast a wide net in the search for a killer. Were looking at any suspect information such as this mysterious person that had been seen cutting through a neighborhood to the landscaping crew to this former workman. In the days and weeks following the murder of ruth pyne detectives say they scoured the area for both suspects and a ditched weapon. We canvassed the neighborhood even as far as to drain the pool out looking for a possible weapon. Wed searched the yard. We had officers talking to neighbors. Reporter the sheriffs tip line was ringing. Were looking at any suspect information that we get from any source such as this mysterious person that had been seen cutting through a neighborhood to the landscaping crew to this former workman. Anytime anybody gives us anything were running it down. And we were able to clear those things. Reporter so they put together what they had. A family dealing with Mental Illness. A mother bludgeoned to death. A spouse whod been unfaithful. A son with injuries to his hands. And Something Else detectives noticed the night they interviewed jeffrey. Im having a hard enough time. That tearful quivering voice. The sobs. The head in the hands. To the detectives it all came across as an act. At no time in any of our interviews even when we tell him your mother has been interviewed there are no tears. Theres no watery eyes. Theres no what appeared to us real emotion. Faked emotion. Trying to pretend. But nothing that appeared to be real. So jeffrey, the beloved friend, the good son, had become a suspect in his mothers murder. I just think its impossible. Reporter jeffrey had lived with his aunt susan, ruth sister, for several weeks after his mothers murder. I did try to pull information from him. I just said i know youve had difficult times. His reaction was what i would think was normal. I dont feel jeff did this crime. Jeffrey never raised his voice at his mom, ever. Certainly never raised his hand but never showed any anger towards ruth whatsoever. He just loved her. I can tell you right now, im a better suspect than jeffrey could ever be. What are you finding out about bernie . Because hes definitely a trail youre following. We took a strong look at bernie. We were able to clear bernie through his alibi. As we put our case together, more and more things are focusing on jeff. And less and less is focusing anywhere else but jeff. Reporter so five months after ruth pynes death her 21yearold son was indicted on a firstdegree murder charge. All rise. Reporter jeffrey pyne pleaded not guilty and last november stood trial. The onetime valedictorian faced a life sentence if convicted. And he hit her again. And again and again and again and again and again and again. Reporter prosecutor john skrinsky opened by outlining the states theory. This was an angry, angry killing. It was the result of years and years and years of things that had built up living with a difficult person who was bipolar. Reporter to support that theory, that jeffrey snapped, a string of witnesses described what theyd been told about things that jeffrey had had to endure over the years. He told me one night that his mother tried to kill his little sister. When she spit in his face, jeffrey stated that he told his mom, mom, you need to take your medication. Reporter jeffreys exgirlfriend, holly freeman, gave the jury a closer look at just how eccentric and maybe dangerous his mothers behavior had become. She had been storing knives in the headboard of her bed. Reporter jeffrey, she said, wanted to move out but didnt have the money. And he was also concerned about leaving his little sister with a mother whod been violent with both of them. He felt that leaving julia there, and he was worried for her. Reporter and she also testified jeffrey told her if his father didnt get a divorce by summer he would finally do it, move out on his own. He couldnt take it anymore. Just the entire situation was weighing too much on him. Reporter but there was little physical evidence to support the prosecutions theory. No murder weapon was ever found. And there was no blood in jeffreys car, no blood anywhere on him. The best the prosecution had was just a single drop of ruth pynes blood on a handle in the laundry room sink. That would be the place to wash up. Yes. He had plenty of time to clean up. He had plenty of time to bag up whatever he had to do and get it out of there. Reporter prosecutors theorized he washed his bloody hands in the laundry room sink and then showered upstairs, secure in the timetable of the family that day. Knew that julia was at school, bernie was at work, and what time he would return home, you know, with julia from school. Reporter next, prosecutors attacked jeffreys alibi. On the friday afternoon of the murder he claimed that he was planting lilac bushes at mrs. Needhams house. But she testified jeffrey had done that gardening but four days earlier than he told police. Those bushes were there on monday may the 23rd and they were there because you mulched them on may the 24th. Yes. Was he supposed to transplant lilac bushes anywhere else . No. Reporter and the prosecution pointed to the unusually long and detailed Voicemail Message jeffrey left mrs. Needham that day. I was just over there about an hour or so just kind of sweeping up, kind of checking things out. Ive still got some planting and stuff to do. But just stopped over there a little bit before i had to go to spicers. In listening to the voicemail it appears to be just a rambling message. Almost as if a way to start an alibi. Reporter prosecutors believe rather than transplanting lilacs jeffrey was actually using that time to conceal the murder weapon and bloody clothing. Then he showed up for his job at the orchard. And thats where the prosecutors asserted he made up another story, a lie about how hed gotten raw broken blisters on both his hands. This is from work today. I was flipping over a pallet and as i was flipping it over a hand got caught in there. Reporter the medical examiner testified, highly unlikely. I cant envision the capability of inserting the hands in those slats in the way to create these injuries. Reporter and when the police lab tested the very pallet, no skin or dna from jeffrey was found. So how did jeffrey tear up his hands . Is it possible that those blisters could be created by the number of blows that were applied to mrs. Pynes body with a rectangular object . Yes. Reporter and about a week after the murder the young mans father, bernie, said hed noticed a scrap piece of twobyfour missing from the garage. So you believe a twobyfour was the bludgeoning weapon here . We believe so. Reporter but without rock solid physical evidence, jeffreys behavior in the hours and days after his mothers death became part of the prosecutions circumstantial case. Someone killed your mother. Reporter that perceived false show of grief detectives saw when they questioned jeffrey the night his mother was killed. The arriving emts that afternoon agreed. They testified to witnessing some bad acting. What was he doing . Making crying sounds. Okay. Distraught crying sounds. I noticed there was no tears. Reporter but in fairness, people react in different ways to very emotional scenes. Sure. But when you just find out that your mother is dead and you go out there and the people that are standing around appear to be faking what youre doing, thats important to us. Reporter finally, the prosecution argued it came down to character. And they used holly, the exgirlfriend, to tell the jury about the time that jeffrey had cheated on her and then lied about it. He lied so effortlessly to me. To my family. To my friends. Just he had a whole elaborate story to cover his tracks. Theyre young kids. Yes. And you know, you cheated with another guy, that sounds like teenage stuff. It is. But why should you put weight on that . What bothered holly was how effortlessly he lied to her. Once she saw that side of him, which she had never seen before, she became very suspicious of him. Reporter after 11 days of testimony the prosecution rested. The defense was up next. And the lawyer for the accused son elected to take a path less traveled. Very gutsy. Very risky. May we approach . Coming up, jeffreys lawyer tries a highstakes gamble. The prosecutors case was running out of gas. We were ahead. That was the mentality. But would it work . That was the mentality. But would it work . When uhoh guess what day it is . . That was the mentality. But would it work . When guess what day it is huh. Anybody . Julie hey. Guess what day it is . . Ah come on, i know you can hear me. Mike Mike Mike Mike mike. What day is it mike . Ha ha ha ha ha ha leslie, guess what today is . Its hump day. Whoot whoot ronny, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico . Id say happier than a camel on wednesday. Hump day yay get happy. Get geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. As a parent, you always want to know where your kids are. Especially when they are on the web. So ask them about the sites they visit, the social networks theyre on and help them monitor what they post. You can help them stay safe. The more you know. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury jeffreys attorney, james champion, argued that the case against his client wasnt based on any hard evidence but was simply a grab bag of prosecutors hunches. We utterly, categorically, absolutely reject any notion that jeffrey pine is responsible for the death of his mother. Somebody else committed this crime. There was no proof in this case, no direct evidence. And the circumstantial evidence had too many holes in it. Reporter it all began, the lawyer said, with a slipshod investigation. Why, for instance, werent ruth pynes clothes sent to the lab for test pg. Wouldnt you start by submitting the clothing that the victim was wearing . I mean, thats where hairs are. Thats where blood is. Thats where any other type of dna is going to be. Reporter as for the prosecutions theory that jeffrey showered in the upstairs bathroom, who knows . No evidence was taken. Did you collect that shower curtain as evidence . No, sir. Reporter did you take the faucets from that tub . No, sir. Take the drain trap from that tub . No, sir. Do any tests from the faucets or the drain trap . No, sir. Reporter and in crossexamination the defense got the crime scene technician to concede that a trace of ruth pynes blood on a laundry room sink didnt really mean much. Theres no way to time stamp when that blood was left there, correct . Correct. Its not evidence that jeffrey or anybody else cleaned up in that house. Reporter another defense point, that same tech was so inept that he actually used bernie pynes own tools to remove the drain trap from the laundry sink and the bloodstained door. Is that common, for you to use the homeowners tools . No, sir. Why did you do it that day . My toolbox i noticed was missing when we went to get the tools. So you have your own toolbox . Correct. Csi just bungled that case. If youre using tools other than your own, theyre not sanitized, they could contaminate the scene. Reporter it was all, the defense argued, simply a rush to judgment. But what about jeffreys interview with the detectives . He answers all of their questions and every single answer he provides checks out. In fact, it didnt all check out. The story of mrs. Needham and the lilac bushes collapsed almost immediately. Well, if you believe her. Reporter mrs. Needhams testimony, adamant that no, jeffrey did not plant those lilac bushes on the friday his mother was murdered, had scuttled his alibi. The lawyer went after her on crossexamination. And youre certain your memory is infallible . Yeah, i definitely remember. Do you remember everything . Oh, no. Do you have any difficulties with your memory . I tend to forget things and remember other things. In order to believe her youve got to put aside the fact that she admitted on the stand that she forgets some things and she remembers other things. Reporter the defense lawyer also disagreed with the medical examiners opinion that the young mans explanation for shredding his hands on the wooden pallet was phighly unlikely. No one could prove you couldnt shear off the skin from a pallet to me. Seems plausible. Also couldnt find any skin or traces of blood on it. Nothing was found on it, but that doesnt mean that jeffreys story doesnt pan out. Reporter and then there was this theme running through the trial. [ bleep ]. Reporter the perception that jeffrey was faking his grief. People show emotion different ways. To say that he didnt show enough emotion is not evidence of a crime. Certainly not proof that he killed his mother. Reporter was jeffrey even a fundamentally honest person . His former girlfriend holly had testified no. Kid lies. Because jeffrey lied about a relationship some time prior he killed his mother . The two just dont equate. Holly has been jilted. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Reporter the defense attorney believes his crossexamination of holly revealed that jeffrey was a young man without a violent streak. Did you ever see him hit anybody . No. Reporter he even kept his cool, his lawyer argued, the time his mother tried to choke him. He did not retaliate. He didnt hit her back or anything like that. Reporter and even holly, now no longer a friend to jeffrey, testified that the only thing he ever wanted was for his mom to get better. So it seems thats the most important thing to jeffrey . For her to take her medication, yes. Reporter the defense lawyer rejected out of hand the prosecutions big theory, that jeffrey simply reached his boiling point over his mothers Mental Illness and snapped that day in the garage. Jeffrey could have left and gone and done his own thing at any given time. He didnt have to stay there. When ruth took her meds, it was one happy family. There was no reason for him to do this. The people have rested. Reporter when it came time to call his own witnesses, though, the defense lawyer made a risky calculation. Your honor, at this point the defense rests. Reporter he rested his case without calling anyone to counter the prosecutions version of events. Not so much as a character witness to speak well of his client. We got all the character evidence we needed from the witnesses the state called in. But very often in these kinds of cases you have a counterscientific expert, an alternate medical examiners report up and didnt do that here. No. We had experts lined up to do that work, but the prosecutors case was running out of gas. We were ahead, took a knee. Ran out the clock. We took that mentality. Reporter a son who was at the end of all patience . It would be up to the jury to decide. Coming up i didnt know what to think. The agonizing wait for a verdict. One day, then two. You always wonder if the longer theyre out is it the worse for the prosecution. The jurys decision. [ superfan ] were hitting the road to help america discover the new helper. Youve got to try this sweet sour chicken helper. I didnt know they made chicken. Crunchy taco or four cheese lasagna . Can i get another one of those actually . [ superfan ] hey, america, were here to help. [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. Some are giant. Some not so giant. When managing your weight, bigger is always better. Ho ho ho green giant and it just happens to be the defendants house. Render the only verdict this case requires. A verdict of not guilty. Thank you. Reporter as the trial came to an end, Jeffrey Pynes family hopes and even believes that he would be home for christmas. I thought that we had a real good chance. I thought that the jury would come back with a not guilty verdict. Reporter jeffreys aunt susan remains certain he is innocent. Whats more, she says, there was just no evidence to convict him. I cannot see him doing that and coming away with no evidence. It should have been somewhere. It should have been on him somewhere. The blood. Something. Is he that good . I mean, really. Reporter as jurors retire to deliberate they face three choices guilty of firstdegree murder, which meant a life sentence. Guilty of seconddegree murder, which could mean as little as 13 1 2 years, possibly even less. Or not guilty. Waiting for that verdict was tough. I didnt know what to think. Reporter day one, no verdict. Then a second day. You always wonder if the longer theyre out is it the worse for the prosecution. The verdict is reached by the jury. Reporter finally, on the third day came the news. A verdict. The courtroom was hushed. We the jury find the defendant guilty of seconddegree murder. I went over to bernie, and i hugged him and i apologized that i didnt get the job done. A very good closure for us, but at the same point also, you know, sad. Theres a dead woman here, and theres a family thats destroyed. Reporter outside in the hallway jeffreys father was numb. I wasnt there to protect my wife when i needed to be, and i wasnt able to get my son first of all, i believe in my sons innocence. And i wasnt able to get him home for his sister for christmas. Julia broke. And she said, no, dad, no. And she said that over and over again. The pain that she felt was like nothing shes i think that was harder on her than losing her mom. Reporter bernies friends, carol and john stako, were stunned. She criticized the defense for not calling witnesses. She believed it might have swayed the jury. You know, the prosecution did a great job of building this case about this poor abused child. That wasnt his whole life. It wasnt his whole life. It was a small part of his life really. There were good times and there were bad. And you can say that about any household. I dont understand why his attorney did not put people on the stand to testify about the pyne household. I have a statement id like to read, your honor. Reporter weeks later on sentencing day jeffrey pyne spoke up for the first time. I continue and will always maintain my innocence in this crime. I hope and have faith that one day the truth will be made known and i will be acquitted. Reporter and he asked for leniency. I do, however, ask you for compassion in my sentencing. In doing so considering that i have no previous criminal record, no history of violence, that i was a productive member of society. Reporter family members added their pleas for compassion. I am ruth pynes sister. Reporter believing in jeffreys innocence. I feel that this case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I am sure that my son had nothing to do with this but must try to live with the verdict. Reporter jeffrey so stoic throughout the trial began to quiver and finally broke down when his father read the judge a letter from his little sister, julia. My name is julia pyne. I am 12 years old. And i am a victim of this crime. I miss my mom, ruth, very much. My brother jeffrey and i are very close, and i miss him very much as well. He is a great big brother, and i ask you to send him home very soon to me and my dad because we love him very much. Reporter the judge wasnt swayed. I believe that until jeffrey acknowledges his role in this crime and finds a way to deal with the anger and rage that caused him to do such a horrible act it is not safe for him to be free. Reporter he sentenced jeffrey to 20 to 60 years in prison. This is beyond surreal. I know that jeffrey didnt harm his mother. And yet he sits in prison for a crime he didnt commit. Reporter bernie pyne will proclaim his sons innocence until the day he dies. His pinning his hopes on an appeal for a new trial. On a daily basis i think about all aspects of this. And it just doesnt make sense. The court stands adjourned. I mourn not only for my wife but my son. It is a pain that doesnt go away. Its a livinging an. Reporter jeffrey once told his teacher he wanted to study medicine to find a cure for his mother. He told others that hed trade places with her if he could. Now jeffrey pyne, the onetime valedictorian, will spend at least 20 years behind bars for ending her life. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanks for joining us. That breaking news is in the east bay where a large brush fire continues to burn tonight and dozens of homes are threatened. Crews are bracing for a very long night. Im diane dwyer. Terry mcsweeney is off tonight. The fire on mount diablo is burning out of control. Broke out on the eastern side of mount diablo. The fire has burned between 800 and 1,000 acres. It will be a long night for firefighters and a long night for the people forced out of their homes. We have Team Coverage tonight. Reporter flames lit up the