Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20140118

Accidents just seemed to keep happening. Deadly ones. Thoughts kept coming up. Intuition that something just wasnt right. Wife number two had a growing suspicion, and she also had a plan. I had actually watched an episode of dateline and had this revelation. A dangerous mission. Was her own life at risk . This is a mystery novel that wont end. You couldnt write this storyline. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Tonight, Andrea Canning with a tale of deadly deceit. Snapshots of a time gone by. Capturing a life that could have be been. Youll thats left are the burned out remnant of a life thats gone. Ive seen the destruction to my family. Ive seen my parents fall apart. I didnt think my life was going to turn out like this at all. Had this not come to a head now, the mystery would have lived on. The Carlson Family would have always wondered what really happened. The story begins here around the finger lakes, a stunning part of upstate new york. This is where the Carlson Family put down its roots. All right its here that carl carlson brought his bride, christina, to meet his family in 1986. His brother, mike, took to her right away. She was small, tiny little girlment not very tall at all. A very simple sweetheart of a kid. Christina and carl had met in north dakota where carl was stationed in the air force. When he was discharged, they came to his home to make a life. Was she a good fit to the carlson tsunami. Absolutel carl dison famil . Will. Absolutely. She would give it as well as take it. Chris they were a cute couple, christina, the little cheerleader from california. Carl, the rough and Ready Country boy. Christinas sister, colette, liked the way carl made chris laugh. They would laugh and joke. He was this big barrelchested guy. My sister only 411. They got work in the stone quarry. It wouldnt be long before they had three kids aaron, levi, and katie. Shed be on the floor playing with them or teaching them or instructing them or coddling them. And it wasnt just her kids, it was all of our kids. Look at those two lovely people over there. Christina seemed happy. But carl wanted more than a life working the quarry, and christinas father, art alexander, offered a ticket out. The job was a future working in his heating and air conditioning company. If you ever need a job, come on out to california, and youll have a job. You can work with me. So they moved all the way across the country to murphy. An old mining town in the sierra foothills. Carl found them a ramshackle house at the top of this long, winding road. It wasnt much, but it was closer to colette. And christina made it special. So she went into like home decorator mode and started painting and sewing curtains. You know, every time id go up, wow, this looks really good. Thank you, darling. Christina and carl celebrated christmas with christinas family in 1990. Just a week later, their lives would change forever. It was new years day, 1991. I come outside, i saw the smoke from the house. I could see where the smoke was out there. Carl and christinas house was on fire. Carl said he had been in the garage, but he rushed to the house. He pulled the kids out of their bedroom windows where they were napping. But christina was trapped in the bathroom. Flames raging just outside the bathroom door. The window was boarded shut from the inside. By the time art arrived, the paramedics were already on the scene. Got in the ambulance and looked around i said, wheres chris . They told me one of the kids said, shes with god or the angels took her, Something Like that. Thats when i i dont she wasnt there. Art could only imagine the terror of her last moments on earth. He then placed one of the toughest calls hes ever made. I need to tell you something. Said, there was a fire at chris house. Everyone got out but chris. And i said, are you kidding me . He said, no. Back in upstate new york, the Carlson Family got the terrible news. Mike and his sisterinlaw flew to california to help carl and the children who were all under the age of 7. I said, ill help when i can help. Tell me what to do. And he was just numb. He was more of a zombie. He just said, i dont know. Are you thinking how in the world is my brother going to take care of these three little kids . Right. I had no clue. Carl spoke briefly with fire investigators. He said he wasnt sure how the fire started, but he knew why it moved so fast. The pets had knocked over a container full of kerosene a day or two before. Carl didnt share many other details with friends and family, and mike sensed it was hard for carl to deal with anything important. After a while, mike pressed him a bit. What are we doing . If were going to stay in california, you nationwide to arrange for an apartment. Youve got to get supplies, get the house settled, get the kids need some form of stability here. Thats when he said, i just want to go home. So four days after the fire, carl packed up his three children and flew back to upstate new york. It was yet another blow for christinas grieving family. My sister and i had made a commitment to each other that our kids were going to grow up knowing each other. And then it was stripped in five days. All christinas father had left of his beloved daughter was this box of charred photos that he rescued from the house. Reminders of her and the grandchildren he loved. After her death, i was probably more dead than alive. Didnt Pay Attention to a lot of things that i should have. But i did muddle through. I didnt care. Hobbled by grief, he also felt a helpless and maybe pointless anger toward his soninlaw and wondered why didnt carl do more to save christina that terrible day. There was a pick out in front of the window. If someone wanted to get in the window, all they had to do was use the pick. For the children, art would contain his anger and keep the family peace. But what happened in that little house on the hill would come back to haunt christinas family in the years to come. Another painful loss is about to hit this family. One that none of them expected. When we come back we just got home, and i dont think hes alive. You dont think hes alive . No. A now tragedy will launch a whole new round of questions. Need a spoon, dear . Not anymore. What . My silverware isnt good enough for you . Have have you seen it . Yes, i have seen it, and it looks you gotta look better. Ladies, breathe. Cascade kitchen counselor here. Its not your silverware. Its likely your detergent. See, over time, cascade platinums triple cleaning formula delivers brilliant shine finish gel cant beat. It even helps keep your dishwasher sparkling. Find something, mother . No. [ counselor ] cascade platinum is cascades best. [ male announcer ] to truck guys, the truck is everything. And when you put them in charge of making an unbeatable truck, good things happen. This is the ram 1500. The 2014 motor trend truck of the year. And first ever backtoback champion. Guts. Glory. Ram. On its under 550 calories menu i was like, what the what . then when i ordered it and actually tasted it i was like, whaaattt . so yeah, i really liked applebees under 550 calorie roma pepper steak. Just another reason to see you tomorrow. At lenscrafters we call it accufit. Applebees under 550 calorie roma pepper steak. A digital scanning system five times more precise. Helping you see perfectly. Accufit only at lenscrafters. What if we could keep that much mt. Rainieplastic waste out of landfills each year. By using just one less trash bag each month. We can. And glad forceflex bags stretch until theyre full. So you can take them out less often. Its a small change that can make a big difference. And for continuous odor neutralization. Use glad odorshield with febreze. Before mike could see his banking and investing accounts on one page. Before he could easily transfer funds between the two in real time. Before he could even think about planning for his daughters future. Mike opened a merrill edge investment account and linked it to his bank of america bank account to help free up plenty of time for the here and now. Thats the wonder of streamlined connections. Thats merrill edge and bank of america. The Finger Lakes Region of upstate new york was ca carl carlsons family home. And now he was back to stay. Here in Seneca County, he would rebuild his life among the farms, the fields, the vineyards, and old friends. Did everyone in this area know the Carlson Family . Probably most of Seneca County knows one or all of us. Carls wife was gone, but he still had his three little kids to think about. He went back to work at the stone quarry for a while. And then saw an opportunity at the local glass manufacturing plant that had just opened. Was there a lot of concern for carl having just lost his wife . I think everybody realized that this poor guy isnt going to do it on his own. So people helped out. Its that kind of place. Theres even some hollywood lore. The town of seneca falls is said to be the model for bedford falls. Remember the movie where a troubled George Bailey discovered that after all he really did have a wonderful life . Please. Please i want to live again. Here in Seneca County, Carl Quintanilla carl carlson was surrounded by a big extended family in a place where the carlson name really meant something. All seemed to come together for him when he met cindy best at a Line Dancing Party in 1992. He had told me that he lost his wife in a fire, and he was a single dad raising three kids on his own. Cindy got herself an instant family when she married carl in august of 1993. They bought a farm soon after that. Between the farm and the glass job, carl was busy. Cindy was desperate to have a child of her own, so she and carl went through in vitro fertilization. You were going to have the baby youd always wanted . Uhhuh. Happiest time of my life. Yep. And the big kids were happy, too, when their baby brother, alex, was born. Do you think, levi . As the years went by, alex says he and his big brother leave a developed a special bond. He was always there for me. Always loved to hang out together. Levi, aaron, and katies family stayed in touch. They even visited. Their aunt visited the girls and got a kick out of levi. Levi had this quirky personality. He was a prankster, but he also had my sisters very sweet spirit. Whats the matter levis life wasnt easy. He had problems in school, and he and carl began to butt heads. I think levi bucked the system a little bit. He was a typical teenage boy who knew all the answers. But it seemed the more levi struggled in his world, carl held him down. Rather than try to pick him up. The rift widened, and in may of 2002, when levi was only 17, he left home. His uncle mike watched it happen with a tinge of sadness. He dropped out of school which didnt help things at all. He jumped and didnt look where he was jumping to. And so he didnt have a job, and he floated from house to house. Different family members. Levi eventually met a girl named cassie and was living with her when disaster struck the Carlson Family again. It happened in november of 2002 as cindy remembers it, carl was just coming to bed. He sat upright and kind of looked out the window and said, you know, oh, my god. Call 911. The barns on fire. Cindy did call 9 111 and her brotherinlaw. What did carl say when you arrived . He mentioned that the horses were still in there. The carlsons had been breeding belgian horses. Their loss and the loss of the old barn was devastating to the family. Levi exploded. He said some terrible things, and he and carl came to blows. Levi got in his truck to get away from carl. And carl chased after him. I was yelling at carl, you know, just let him go. Leave him alone, let him go. But levi was never able to stay away for long. He and cassie included carl and the rest of the family in their wedding in 2003. The young couple soon had two daughters. But it may have been too much too fast. The marriage didnt last. It was just a bad divorce. Neither one of them was nice to each other. But like many kids, levi started to grow up. He got his ged, started working, and tried hard to be a good dad. And perhaps in being a father, his angle with his own father began to soften. I think he rounded the corner a little bit. Could see some sort of a path and direction for his life. Levi had his own place now, but he would drop by the old house to see the family and help carl with some work. On november 20th, 2008, levi came over to work on a truck in cindy and carls new barn. Cindy remembers she and carl had just come home from a funeral. Theyd been gone for about four hours. Carl told me that he was going to go out and let levi know we were home and check on him. Cindy went interest the house. Suddenly carl came rushing out of the barn. He came banging on the window and the door and telling me to call 911. Whats going on . The truck fell on my stepston. Coming up the truck was jacked in a very precarious, dangerous scenario. Yet another deadly accident . How could that be . The thoughts kept coming up just like an intuition that something just was not right. A private investigator is about to enter the picture when dateline continues. [ male announcer ] you may have heard theres a new rinse that talks about protecting, even after eating and drinking. Crest prohealth has always done that. And addresses all these other areas as well. Take your oral health to a new level. I am not gonna stop using prohealth. [ male announcer ] with the brand you can trust. Go pro with crest prohealth. Try new olay fresh effects everything off wipes to remove makeup. And bright on schedule eye roller to instantly depuff. For instant beauty sleep, no sleep required. New fresh effects from olay. Were gonna be late. Oh are we early . [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, allnew nissan rogue. Okay, are you with your son right now . He hes not alive. Is he breathing . No. He is not breathing . Okay. No. Another catastrophe had struck the carlsons. Levi was trapped under a truck in the barn. His chest is crushed. His chest is crushed . Theres no hes probably been under there for hours. Carls brother, mike, rushed over. They were just bringing levi out on the stretcher and putting him in the ambulance whether i got there. Levi was taken to the hospital, but the family knew it was hopeless. 17 years after his mothers terrible death, levi carlson had died at the age of 23. Cindy says carl came unhinged. He was actually like throwing himself up against the wall, and he was on the ground. So many tears and so many questions. How could levi have been so careless. We went in to the barn to see. The truck was jacked in a very precarious, dangerous scenario. No blocks under it. Flimsy little jack holding it were you thinking levi should have known better than this . Absolutely. He knows his way around. Absolutely. Now once again, carl carlson had to pull himself out of the depths of tragedy. It would take a while, but this time he seemed to come out of it a changed man. Carl got fired up by a new plan to start a gourmet duck farm and began raising thousands of ducks to sell to new york restaurants. Good morning. He and cindy even found themselves starring in an episode of pitchin in, a food new york canada series. I love my duck. They are pampered. They are bathed. Finally with the food network show, carls moment had come. I think he had these visions that he was going to be this famous person, rich and famous. Cindy watched her husbands ego swell with all the attention, and she worried. It had been less than three years since levi died. Yet carl seemed to be having the time of his life. Was that normal . Just like an intuition that something just was not right. She kept thinking about the day levi died. It turns out mike was uneasy about it, too. What did carl say to you after levis death . Not a lot. I went to the hospital, and i was in the room with levi. And carl came in the room. And i dont know what i wanted him to say, but he says, how do i explain this . What did he mean by that . No idea. Mike didnt share his misgivings about carl with cindy, but she had plenty of her own. She fought them for a while until one day she had to admit to herself oh, my god. I think he did it. You know, but then i would also talk myself out of it. I would tell myself, you know, youre crazy. We werent even home at the time. Officials called it an accident, and yet again, these thoughts kept coming up. Kept thinking more sinking more into a depression. And eventually ended up using alcohol as a way to cope. Cindy confided in a couple of friends. They dismissed her fear, but someone did suggest she call a private investigator. Thats how she met steve brown. She walked in the door and looked very frail physically, emotionally just sickly weak. Cindy told the private investigator about her crazy fear that her husband had killed his own son. Cindy proceeded to tell me what happened that day in 2008. And she remembered something. Before she and carl left for the funeral, he went to the barn to see levi. And for a few minutes, he was alone there with his son. Carl said he wanted to check on levi before they left. And carl had came back to the vehicle, and they drove off to the funeral. And you know, carl seemed fine the entire time. Normal behavior. But when they came home from the funeral, cindy noticed something else. We got out of the car, and the first thing that i heard was the radio in the barn. And it was very loud. And it was set on country music. And anybody that knew levi, he would not be caught dead listening to country music. Whoever turned the radio on, it probably wasnt levi. Could it have been carl . The private investigator found the story troubling, and it set his mind racing about carl. I was pretty quiet the rest of the night. Just dissecting how could that be, how could somebody do Something Like that. Cindy had thought no one would believe her, but now private investigator steve brown did. He set out to examine phone records and insurance policies. But he also wanted to meet carl carlson. So he and cindy came up with a plan. But it would require her to take a big risk. Coming up i had actually watched an episode of dateline. And i had this revelation could dateline somehow help in this case . 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New charmin ultra soft is still so much softer and more absorbent you can use up to four times less. I believe it, but i still gotta squeeze it. [ female announcer ] used by more plumbers charmin is now clogfree or its free. Questions are mounting, spoikz suspicions growing for Cindy Carlson. Two fatal accidents in the same family. Could there be something more than a deadly coincidence . Could her husband be hiding something . Now shes got a plan to get answers, and just maybe justice. Here again is Andrea Canning. In november, 2011, private investigator steve brown had decided it was time to meet carl carlson. So he and cindy came one an audacious came up with an audacious plan. I said, well, what if kind of go undercover and befriend carl, if you will, as a marketer, promoter for your duck business. It was a giant step for cindy and risky. What if carl found out who steve really was. No clue this was a private investigator . Correct. Right. When he came to the house, i had to pretend like i was just meeting him for the first time. I just said, you know, where are you now, where do you want to be in a couple years. Carl started telling his vision, his dream for the duck business, if you will. After that, he and carl would drive around the area talking business mostly. One moment stood out when carl was talking about killing farm animals. He said, i like the oldfashioned way, and he came up behind me and lifted my neck and went like this with his hand. He said, messy, very physical. I said, carl, were talking about ducks and chickens, arent we . Steve didnt want to contact the police until he had more evidence. But this february, 2012, the decision was taken out of his hands when cindy confided in her cousin. I told her my suspicions, but i asked her not to say anything. Despite that, the cousin promptly phoned the sheriffs office. Detective john clear who took the call wasted no time in phoning Cindy Carlson. How did that go . First thing she said was, thank god you called. Thank god you called. You know, i was so relieved. Detective clear met with Cindy Carlson and steve brown. He paid particular attention when they told him that levi, who never had much money, had taken out an enormous Life Insurance policy. The most useful piece of information was about a 700,000plus insurance policy that was paid out on levi carlson. Detective clear learned that on november 3rd, 2008, carl helped levi sign up for the policy. The beneficiary carl himself. He actually takes him to see an Insurance Agent and takes out approximately a 400,000 Life Insurance policy with a 300,000 accident rider. 17 days later, the fatal accident happens. The money was supposed to go levis two daughters. But detective clear learned the girls never got a dime. There was money spent on a lot a multitude of things. Home improvement, and carl spent a lot of money on the duck business. There were some huge payouts on that. As he dug deeper, detective clear discovered that ca carl carlson had collected on a number of insurance policies over the years. In 1986, carls new Dodge Charger caught fire. Carl collected 10,000. The fire that killed the horses and took down the barn paid out nearly 115,000. Clear also learned that carlson had taken out policies on levis two little girls. Carl had no idea he was being investigated. But cindy still wanted to get away from him. She moved out of the house. After she did, carl sent her a text saying that he had heard she had been snooping around. Highway is says it scared her she says it scared her. It was a threatening text. I cant remember exactly what he said. It was enough to make me feel like i just couldnt do it anymore. She immediately called her son, alex, then 16, and told him they had to leave town. She came and got me, and i came out to the car. I saw that she had packed all of our suitcases and our dogs were in the car. Highway is told me that there was she told me that there was an investigation going on because they thought my dad had killed my brother. They started living in hotels. Cindy dodged carls calls, and so did alex. After a few months of that, cindy decided to do something a little more proactive. And she had an inspiration. I had actually watched an episode of dateline where this woman was recording her mother. And i like had this revelation, and i said, you know, im going to Start Recording conversations with carl. I thought if i could just get him to confess about the barn fire that that would show his character. Cindy knew carl wanted to see her, maybe get back together. So she went to meet him at a local restaurant with a small voice recorder tucked under her bra. I just started telling him that i was considering getting back together with him, but that i couldnt even consider it unless he started telling me the truth of things that he did. And he said to me, it sounds like you want me to say that i had something to do with levis death. At that moment, i knew that we skipped right over the barn fire. I might be able to get him to confess about levi. Asked him, so did you push the truck, or it was hard to push . And he said, no, it wasnt. Was that a confession . Cindy felt like it was. She rushed the recording to the police, but it was inaudible and, therefore, useless. Still, detective clear believed her enough to ask her to do it again. At our request, she agreed to be wired up, to do a second interview under controlled circumstances. Now she was working with the police to take down her own husband. She got away with it once. Would carl catch on the next time around . Coming up part of me feels like im walking into a booby trap. Yeah, i can imagine you would feel that way. Had to convince him that it wasnt a trap. But could she . One intense interrogation leads to another. Go ahead and have a seat. 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Only clearblue advanced digital ovulation tests can identify your four best days to get pregnant two more than any other test. Maximize your chances of getting pregnant. I know, but better because its not thanksgiving. The hotel wasnt nice to your father. Were staying here. Whens dinner going to be ready . Ok, yeah. I think you would have a better chance of catching the football if you put the phone down ahh fivesecond rule. Ahh oh yeah, this is much better. [ male announcer ] slow roasted and carved thick. Oscar mayer carving board gives you all the taste of the holidays, without all the hassle. Its holiday, any day food. Its oscar mayer. Cindy carlson was willing to play the sympathetic wife with the man she had come to fear and hate. Thats how badly she wanted her husband out of her life and locked away. So when police asked her to wear a wire and meet him for lunch again, she jumped at the chance. I was actually calm because i knew that carl believed my story of wanting to get back together. Abigails restaurants near seneca falls would be the meeting place. It was midnovember, 2012. You had undercover officers in the restaurant . We had four in there. Were they diners, waiters . Diners. There was very little evidence against carl carlson. So the detectives desperate needed cindy to get him to repeat what she claimed was his confession to levis murder. Obviously carl was suspicious. Part of me feels like im walking into a booby trap. Yeah, i can imagine you would feel that way. I had to convince him that, you know, it wasnt a trap. I offered for him to check my purse. Then she got him back on the subject of that day in 2008. I asked you if you pushed the truck, and you said yes. I didnt push the truck, i said. No, i said i had nothing to do but i said, i took advantage of the situation when it happened. And that is exactly what happened. Carl, you told me that you didnt set it up that way, but when you were in there, you saw the opportunity. After it happened. Then i saw the opportunity. Detective clear was struck by that exchange. How could a father call his sons death an opportunity . At that moment i felt i understood him to a degree. This is someone who doesnt think like we do. That said, this exchange with cindy was no confession, and the evidence so far was circumstantial. The insurance, the radio, carls visit to the barn. Still, detectives believed they had enough to bring him in for questioning. Go ahead and have a seat, carl. It was the moment of truth. If carlson refused to speak or called in a lawyer, the case could evaporate. But carlson couldnt resist talking about himself. You know, you work i work multiple jobs and stuff like that. And i mean, i worked my ass off. We were talking about his favorite subject him. Carl said he found levi dead after returning home just like he told the police in 2008. Went out there and found him. And then we went to the hospital. What do you mean you found him . I found him dead. Okay. The truck was on him. Carlson insisted levis death was an accident. It couldnt have been anything else. You dont kill your son. You dont kill anybody for money. Detective clear decided to change tactics. Theres not a conscience at play. Theres not empathy to play to. What do we play to some what does he have . He has an ego, and its a big one. So thats the strategy that we shifted to which is i gave him sympathy and attention. It seemed to work. As the hours ticked by, carlsons story began to change. And then he dropped a bombshell. Version two came out where he was already dead before they left to go to the funeral. I made a decision to walk out on my son and not get out from underneath the truck. Why . I panicked. At that point, theres no doubt in my mind what happened here. Detectives continued to push, and as the interrogation stretched into its eighth hour, carlson finally broke. He admitted he didnt just find levi under the truck, he saw the truck fall, and he may have even caused it to fall. Opened the truck door because i had to get inside to move the [ bleep ] truck. When i did, it tipped it fell over. And then clear pushed a little more, and thats when carl admitted he left his son to die. The real truth is you did kill him. Whether whatever your intent was, the action you took caused the truck to fall on him the action yeah. The inaction of leaving him there right. Contributed or whatever. Yeah. He wasnt painting himself as a cold, calculated killer. No. He seemed to think it was a better picture to say that i accidentally caused this thing to fall and walked away and left him to die on the floor. Come with me, youre under arrest. Carl carlson was charged with seconddegree murder. Not long after that, he got a lawyer. And when they came to court, carl used a walker claiming old injuries were getting the best of him. His attorney said police coerced carl, and the cindy tapes violated spousal privilege. The judge denied the defense notion suppress, and the trial was sets for november 6th, 2013. All japanese years, mike carlson had mis all these years, mike carlson had misgivings about carls behavior. After watching the interrogation video, his worst fear was cemented that his own brother was a killerme. And now he had a new fear. As the trial approached, did you think that the evidence was overwhelming and that it was pretty clear carl was going to go away . I was probably more scared as the trial approached that it wasnt a slamdunk. Coming up, a surprise inside and outside the courtroom. Weve been waiting just about 24 years now for some closure. Now a haunting new question. Had carl carlson killed before. Telling me about a fire with your first wife. 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Actually, were kidding. When it comes to creating passwords, make them complex, but easy to remember. You wont make password your password. The more you know. In the winter of 2012, as the Seneca County District Attorney was preparing to prosecute carl carlson for the murder of his son levi, new york investigators had become deeply interested in that longago california fire that killed levis mother, christina. They were suspicious about carlsons behavior that day. Christinas family was more than suspicious. They were certain carl killed christina. And now new york state investigator jeff arnold thought so, too. Why did you take such an interest in tries tinas death when youre here in new york state that case is in california it became personal because shes just a great human being who had everything to to see look forward in life. Investigator arnold was asked it help out early in the carlson investigation and took a particular interest in christina and the fire that killed her. Just imagine yourself, youre in this bathroom taking a bath, and you smell smoke. And its coming through your door, and theres this inferno sitting outside the door. You turn to the only window in the bathroom, and its covered with a sheet of plywood. Investigator arnold says that pretty much everything ca carl carlson has ever said about the fire is a lie. Beginning with the kerosene that fueled it. He says that the kerosene got spilled in the house on sunday. That was a few days before the fire. A california arson investigator found carpet stains that showed a second kerosene spill happened moments before the fire started. Investigator arnold said that could only mean one thing carl poured the kerosene all over the clothes and all over the floor and ignited it. You know, within seconds after pouring it. Back in 1991, carlson told Law Enforcement it could have been a dryer, a heater, or a utility light that touched off the blaze. None of these happened. Arnold learned the arson investigator could find no accidental ignition source. The investigators conclusion the fire was deliberately set. The coroners report said christina died of smoke inhalation as opposed to burns, raising the question didnt carlson have time to save his wife. Hes standing on the porch within a foot or two from this plywoodcovered window where christine is in dire need of his help. He doesnt even reach for one tool. Arnold knew that christinas family had always wondered about that window and about some other things that happened after she died. Colette told Police Something christinas little daughter erin said right after the fire. She said, i heard mommy calling for daddy, but daddy just drove away. So within an hour, you know, im hearing my niece telling me, hey, mom was alive when he drove away. Just four days after the fire, carl carlson abruptly left california with his three kids. Erin, cateskatie, and levi. Sources tell us once carlson was back in new york, investigators begged their bosses to let them follow him for questioning. But they say they were told no. The county couldnt afford it. The investigators wanted to go to new york, Calaveras County wouldnt let them spend the money. Just weeks after they left, colette learned that carl had taken out a 200,000 insurance policy on christinas life. And the policy paid off. Colette came to believe that investigator arnold agrees that carlson killed christina for the same reason he killed levi money. Hey two decades after christinas death, as carl carlson duelled with detectives in that Seneca County interrogation room, he suddenly had to face questions about that longago fire from a wellprepared jeff arnold. He was telling me about the fire with your first wife, that concerned him. Arnold was looking for inconsistencies, lies. He asked carlson about the window. So what is it that you poured a months before. Months before . Months before. We have a witness that shows up at the house on the 31st of december, one day prior to the fire. And that window was not boarded up. Carlson also told arnold he suffered awful injuries as he rescued his children and that the fire was so intense he couldnt save christina. What happened is when the when i broke the window, i got hit with a fireball. It hit me right in the face. Blew me off the front porch, burned my eyelids, took burned skin off my face. Burned my mustache, any hairs. Did you get i dont know. Arnold had evidence that carlson escaped with only small burn. Now after listening carl talk about the fire, the window, and the rescue of his children, he fired back. Your wifes in a boarded up room and you hear her calling from it wasnt calling. It was screaming. Screaming your name. And yet youre able to get blown off the porch, open your eyes, your sons uninjured, youre able to grab your uninjured son when this explosion took place without a mark on him, take him out of the house, run around, miraculously save your two daughters and let your wife and let your wife perish in this fire i didnt let her with no time to rip the board off the house and get into that bathroom and help her . By that time the fire was all the way around. What am i going to do . Carlson insisted his first wifes death of a tragic accident. Thats the same thing he was saying about levis death on. November 6th, 2013, the very day his trial in levis case was supposed to begin, he surprised nearly everyone and took a plea. Karl karlson pled guilty to murder in the Second Degree in the Seneca County court. Taken responsibility for the death of his son levi. Its called depraved indifference murder Seneca County d. A. Barry porsche said karlsen would be given 15 years to life. At the same news conference, levis sisters, erin and katie, thanked the investigation team. But then erin turned to the tragedy that shattered her childhood and changed her family forever. Weve been waiting just about 24 years now for some closure for things that transpired in california. You know, things that i will never be able to forget, things that my family will never be able to overcome. Erins aunt colette believes Calaveras County has failed her sister and her family. She wants karlsen prosecuted for the murder of her sister. And shes keeping the pressure on in part with this Facebook Page devoted to christina and levi. I think Calaveras County needs to right the wrong. And someone may be listening. The Calaveras County d. A. , barbara youck, wouldnt speak with us on camera but told us her office is investigating christinas death as a homicide. She said she could not comment on the evidence but that they are committed to pursuing justice for christina if at all possible. The new york state investigators say they hope thats true and are ready to help. You dont get a free pass because you commit a second murder. And you dont get a free pass because 20 years has passed. Its time that karl karlsens held accountable for what he did to Christina Karlsen in 1991. How do you want people to remember her . If you go on the Facebook Page and read the comment business her, they all talk about how how she just had this incredible laugh. Thats how people remember chris. Thats the person that theyll never forget. What a wonderful, wonderful, sweet person chris was. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well be back again sunday at 7 00, 6 00 central. And ill see you tomorrow on today. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good. [breathing heavily] [winces] so the house in Southwest Hills i sell them a Security System for 10 grand. Wife calls me out there three times this week. Cant figure out the system. So this last time, she opens up the door. Shes wearing nothing but a poofy bathrobe. Okay. So im saying to myself, wifey shes a little bit lonely. I mean, this is what this is all about