We just had some bizarre things happening in the office reporter or maybe bad blood at home . My son texted me he was scared and he wanted me to come pick him up. Reporter danger was out there. Soon youre under arrest. Under arrest. Reporter arrest after arrest and twist after twist. Makes your blood boil. Its beyond comprehension. She was the flame. She was the ignition. Its the perfect storm. Reporter im lester holt. And this is dateline. Heres Josh Mankiewicz with secrets at the Sunshine Motel. Reporter its the pulsepounding start to a heartwrenching tale. Police in here back here. Reporter a Police Officer wearing a body camera running to face who knows what. 605 send in medical reporter a man down. A room awash in blood. Who found him here . I did. Reporter that would be the first of many questions. And the starting line of a race for survival. Severe assault. Massive head trauma. Reporter this was a mystery that, more than once, would appear to be solved here in this sleepy town. In the end, there were more twists than in the river that runs through it. The ripples and eddys would hold some disturbing secrets about family, about friends, about who will betray you and who wont. Just a little more than two hours from soggy seattle sits yakima in a valley where orchards and vineyards flourish in the abundant sunshine of South Central washington. And it was just outside yakima on a saturday in may 2013 that terra rockenfield was meeting her fatherinlaw. Id sent him some messages early in the morning asking if i could borrow his truck because i wanted to go to a nursery and hes like, well im going to be out there anyway showing a house so i can just meet you there. Reporter terras fatherinlaw, Vern Holbrook, was one of the bestknown and bestselling realtors in this part of washington state. The meet time at the nursery was set, 11 15 a. M. I sent him a message when i got there and he said clients running late. Just got here. See you in a bit. And about 30 minutes later i sent him a message and said that i was done. And i didnt hear anything. How much times goes by . Two hours. Did you think of going to look for him . Yeah, i did. Then i thought, well, no, i dont want to interrupt him if hes with a client. Do i regret that every second . Yeah, i do. Reporter so terra turned toward home and her husband. Verns stepson, andrew. When she got home she said, you know, its really weird. Your dad never showed up and i just told her, you know, he probably just got tied up in a deal. Reporter in fact, verns kids were used to this behavior. He worked more than 60 hours a week every week because he enjoyed it. He wanted to help people find a home. Reporter vern was not only the founder and owner of the family business, Aspen Real Estate, he was also the patriarch of a large blended family that included stepson andrew, his wife terra and their children. He was the leader of the family. Everyone looked up to him. Reporter along with stepson chad. I think he worked as long as he did because he enjoyed it. He was a real social guy. Reporter chad and his wife jill gave vern three grandchildren. Surprise he was a wonderful dad, wonderful grandpa, i could go on and on about vern. Reporter jill, celebrating at verns 75th Birthday Party remembers him as a constant presence. The anchor, ever present for his grandkids and even greatgrandkids. On Christmas Morning or their birthdays. Hes always been the stability of the family. Reporter in fact, when jills marriage to chad ended after nine years vern was still there for them. Vern helped out with essentials for the kids. Helped jill out with a job, and more. Thats the kind of man he was. He helps anybody out, it doesnt matter who they are. Big heart . Uhhuh. Huge heart. Reporter and using that huge heart to help family members or clients was what seemed to keep Vern Holbrook young. After andrews mom died in 2007, vern eventually remarried and kept moving whether he was catching fish or closing deals. He was a machine. Reporter vern had tried to slow down even selling his company in 2008 to an ambitious young agent whom vern had trained and taken under his wing, daniel blizzard, who was buying the business with his two brothers. I think that appeal of daniel and his brothers was that it would still be a family and a local business as opposed to becoming a chain. Reporter but vern couldnt stop selling. He kept wanting to retire, and it would get pushed back. And this wasnt because he was living hand to mouth. He had no money. It was because he loved it. He loved it. He liked being the best at it. Reporter so on that saturday in may when vern missed his meeting with terra, she and andrew simply dismissed it as vern being vern until terra got a phone call that night from chad. Hes like, have you heard from vern . Somethings wrong. Hes in the hospital or something. You got to go check. Then i like, instantly, im worried. Reporter terra is a physicians assistant and knew Memorial Hospital well. She was pointed to the er where a nurse delivered the devastating news. She proceeded to tell me that he had been beaten and that his throat was slashed and that they were getting ready to airlift him to harborview in seattle. Reporter and it happened, she soon learned, at that house vern had been showing to clients. Thats why vern hadnt shown up to meet her that morning. I walked up to the head of the bed and i just he was so swollen and disfigured and i went down to the foot of the bed and his feet were sticking out. Thats what looked like him. The rest of him was not was not the vern that i know. What did you think had happened . I wasnt sure at that point. The phone rings . She was hysterically crying. And she told me that my dad had been attacked. And i was in disbelief, too. I didnt think that it was real at first. Reporter but it was. Vern holbrooks life was dangling by a thread. He turned out to be the proof that you can be both beloved and still have mortal enemies. Enemies . Who might they be . When we come back my son texted me that he was scared. An entire family frightened. Who could have done this, and what were they after . Enter a mystery woman, with a secret. And it was a doozy. You ever seen anyone bring no. That was a first for me. Hold it come with me. New dannon oikos triple zero is my go to protein snack. Cam, protein from yogurt . Yup, this greek nonfat yogurt packs 15 grams of protein punch. But what else . Unlike some other protein snacks, it has 0 added sugar 0 artificial sweeteners and 0 fat. Mmm. Will it up my game . No man new dannon oikos triple zero official yogurt of the nfl. Mmm dannon. Even if its your last one always share the softness of kleenex americas number one tissue. Nexium 24hr. Its the purple pill. The 1 prescribed acid blocking brand. Available without a prescription for frequent heartburn. Get complete protection. Nexium level protectiontm. Man sternly where do you think youre going . Mr. Mucus to work, with you. Its taco tuesday. Man youre not coming. I took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. Im go od all day. [announcer ] mucinex keeps working. Not 4, not 6 but 12 hours. Lets end this wisest kid . The girls and i need. A new activity. [ giggles ] [ snaps finger ] [ wisest kid ] campbells tomato soup with grilled cheese. Perfect together. What should we do next . Im liking braids. [ gong ] mm mm good behind every open heart. Is a story. A story about finishing the race. No matter what the obstacles. About rebuilding the bond between a mother and a daughter. When you keep an open heart, Amazing Things happen. Thats what the open hearts rhythm collection at kay jewelers is all about. The constant motion of the diamond catches light from every angle. Right now, save up to 20 on all open hearts jewelry at kay. Keep your heart open. And love will always find its way in. Every kiss begins with kay. 7 cc3 the vern that we all loved died that day. Reporter verns former daughterinlaw jill remembers hearing of the attack and how it frightened the entire family. My son texted me that grandpa was attacked and that he was scared, and he wanted me to come pick him up. Reporter and the task of quieting the familys fears and finding out who had attacked vern was now in the hands of this man. Yakima county sheriffs detective sam perrault. Did you know Vern Holbrook . I knew of him. He was just known to be one of the big movers and shakers in the Real Estate Industry in the Yakima Valley. Reporter the detective had been called to the house where vern was found that saturday night. Hed heard from the responding officer, the one who wore this body camera and captured these scenes from the moment he arrived just before 8 p. M. , that a colleague had gone looking for vern when verns wife had become worried that he didnt return from the showing. The colleague had found him here lying in a pool of blood at this rural home near the small town of cowichie. The last people talked to vern around 11 15 and so we could surmise that he had likely been attacked sometime around noon. So hed been lying there, for what . Maybe seven or eight hours . Yes. Not a whole lot of evidence to go on at the beginning . No. Reporter verns truck, still parked outside, offered little. His wallet was in there with his id and his credit cards. So presumably not robbery . Right. Reporter in fact, as police inventoried the scene only one thing seemed to be missing. The only thing they take is his telephone . Thats what it looks like, yes. Reporter but verns missing cellphone didnt hinder the investigation. Within hours the detective had verns phone records in hand. And you go to what, the last person to call him . I was able to see the last number that connected, yes. Did you call that number . I did and i left a message just asking for a return call. Whod that phone number come back to . Adriana mendez was the name attached to the account. Reporter the detective soon learned that Adriana Mendez was a 23yearold mother of three with a minor criminal record for misdemeanor assault living with her kids in yakima at the Sunshine Motel. The next day, Adriana Mendez called back. We appreciate you coming down here today. Reporter and agreed to meet with detectives. I didnt mean to take so long in trying to give you a call. What kind of vibe you getting off her . She seemed excited and nervous. Talking fast. Reporter adriana admitted calling vern twice the day of the attack. She said she wanted to talk to him about selling a mobile home. But he couldnt see her. He told me that he was busy, that he was showing a house and to call him back. Reporter cell records confirmed adrianas calls to vern. But it was Something Else that convinced the detective that adriana wasnt telling the truth. She insisted shed never left yakima that day. I dont know what to tell you, i did not go out there. Reporter but phone records dont lie. People who forget about them do. And the detective had maps showing adriana had made the last call to vern from the same rural area where the attack took place. So she was pretty close to him when that call was made . Yes. You need to tell me the truth. Reporter over the next several hours, adrianas story changed again and again until she gave it up. She admitted meeting with vern said it was the idea of her boyfriend, luis. She told a story backed up by surveillance tape from the Sunshine Motel of luis picking up adriana and her three small children that morning at 10 45. She told detectives they drove to the house in cowichie. Met with vern. And while the kids waited in the car, she and luis went inside with vern to view the house. And in the back bedroom . What did luis do to vern . Hit him. Okay. And you saw him hit vern . While i was walking out. Through this eye. Out of the corner of my eye. And then thats the last i saw him. All i heard was the thump. You didnt walk back in there to see what was going on . No. I should have. Reporter adriana said luis came out moments later. They tossed verns cell phone out the car window on the way home before luis delivered adriana and her three kids back to the Sunshine Motel, again confirmed on video, by 12 31 p. M. To the detective, it was obvious. This had been a plot to set up a meeting with vern with the sole purpose of killing him. You ever seen anybody bring their kids to a murder . No. This is a first for me. Theres probable cause to think that you are an accomplice and thats why youre under arrest. I know. Within hours, detectives had adrianas boyfriend in custody as well. Through an interpreter, luis gomezmonges too initially told a story about adriana contacting vern to sell a mobile home. Thats [ bleep ]. Youre telling me lies. And adriana started off telling me the same lies. She said that you hit the guy from behind when he wasnt even looking. Translator no. I dont think that your story is going to hold up. You are under arrest for the attempted murder of vernon holbrook. Reporter detectives were convinced they had the two people whod attacked vern that saturday in may. But they also knew, or thought they knew, there was a lot more to the story. These suspects certainly werent trained hired assassins. They were so clumsy theyd even used their own phone. But where would this lead . Why would two people whod never met Vern Holbrook want to kill him . Coming up the bells and whistles definitely start going off. A sudden trail of clues. Security video. Text messages. A secret code. Was vern worth more dead than alive . All of a sudden i saw that he was fearful of his life. When dateline continues. Sir, were going to need you on the runway later. Dont let a severe cold hold you back. Get theraflu. With the power of three medicines to take on your worst pain and fever, cough and nasal congestion. It breaks you free from your toughest cold and flu symptoms. Theraflu. Serious power. Discover card. Hey so im looking at my bill and my fico® Credit Scores on here. We give you your fico® score each month for free awesomesauce wow the only person i know that says that is. Lisa . Julie . at discover, we treat you like youd treat you. Get the it card and see your fico® credit score. By 1914 the Dodge Brothers quit the Ford Motor Company and set out on their own. They believed in more, than the assembly line. They believed driving was a holy endeavor. A hundred years later, the Dodge Brothers spirit lives on. Im home. Everythings fine. Of all the things that happen on your wooden surfaces disinfecting has to be one of them. Clorox disinfecting wipes. What 8 grams of protein looks like when youre holding your own. Start your day with the power of protein. Milk life. Elevator music [upbeat] narwhals, narwhals, swimming in the ocean causing a commotion coz they are so awesome narwhals, narwhals, swimming in the ocean pretty big and pretty white. Check out sprints unlimited plan. Unlimited data, talk text for just 50 a month. Switch now and well even buy out your current contract. Visit us online or at a sprint store today. In a seattle hospital, Vern Holbrook hovered in that gray area between life and death savagely beaten, his throat slit, during a routine real charged with attempted murder 38yearold luis gomezmonges, who denied any part in the attack. And his 23yearold girlfriend Adriana Mendez who admitted luring vern to the meeting at luiss request and then witnessing luis assault vern. She said she had no idea why luis would do that. You believe that . No. Reporter and why did perrault not believe adriana . Because in that same interview, she had also unwittingly dropped a bombshell when asked how of all the dozens of realtors in yakima she just happened to call verns company, Aspen Real Estate. I know a couple people that used to work there. Whos that . Daniel . What goes through your mind when she says that . Well, the bells and whistles definitely start going off. Reporter bells and whistles because after vern had been assaulted, his family had flooded detectives with calls. So you sit down and you start thinking to yourselves, whod want to hurt him . One person. His name is daniel blizzard. Reporter daniel blizzard. That ambitious agent to whom vern was going to sell the company. Someone vern had once trusted. Did you think daniel had something to do with it . Well, yeah. I was pretty sure. Reporter why, with zero proof, would so many believe blizzard was behind the attack . Detective perrault soon heard a story that went like this. In the fall of 2008, vern called employees like bookkeeper judy craven to a meeting. He was selling the company. I think he wanted to spend more time with his family and just focus on the selling part, not deal with that day to day managing. Reporter no longer a rumor, said this email to announce the sale. Vern was selling aspen to daniel blizzard and his two brothers. Vern would stay on as the designated broker for one year. Vern held a barbecue and took this photo with the blizzard family to cement the new relationship. But the deal went south quickly. They made the first three payments and then they just stopped. Reporter it was the height of the great recession. Real estate was tanking. Vern was understanding. But then the blizzards approached vern with a request. They asked my dad to take out whats called a key man Life Insurance policy, him being the key person or the key man, in the organization. Because Aspen Real Estate really was just your dad. It absolutely was my dad. Reporter it made good Financial Sense at the time. Verns death would cripple the company. So the Life Insurance policy would pay 1. 58 million upon verns death. Vern knew they were taking that policy out on him . He did. And he was comfortable with it . I wouldnt say he was comfortable with it. Reporter the blizzards never missed a payment on the Life Insurance. But they never made another payment on the business. So in january 2010, just 16 months after selling the company, vern sent out another email to staff. This time to say daniel is no longer with Aspen Real Estate. Vern was taking back the company hed built. Its like if you cant make your payments, you cant keep it. And so, i think, you know, he had to. Reporter there were complaints filed with the real estate board, lawsuits, countersuits. And all the while, that Life Insurance policy seemed to weigh on verns mind. He went to the Life Insurance company and he asked them to remove it. No one in that company would remove the policy. Because somebody was paying the premiums . Thats correct. All of a sudden i saw that he was fearful of of his life. Reporter to detective perrault, this all added up to motive. 1. 58 million reasons that daniel blizzard might want Vern Holbrook dead. But what was the link between daniel and adriana and luis . Im guessing the holy grail at this point in the investigation would be to find some like provable contact between daniel blizzard and Adriana Mendez . Right. Reporter it turned out the holy grail was only a few blocks away at the Sunshine Motel. I went to the motel, and they told me that a big, white guy would come in occasionally and pay adrianas rent for her. So you get the security video. Right. And who is it . Its daniel blizzard. Reporter there he was. A week before the attack, blizzard paying adrianas bill at the Sunshine Motel. And perrault soon found more. Text messages between adriana and daniel. From the day vern was attacked. 9 24 a. M. Daniel texts adriana. Dont be late for shopping. Whats going on there . It appears to be code to me. What theyre talking about is the real estate appointment with vern. At 12 04 p. M. , presumably was right around when the attack happened, adriana texts daniel. We are going shopping. I believe that that is her way of telling daniel that the job is done. Reporter and that same afternoon, who pulls up at the Sunshine Motel to pick up adriana . You guessed it. Daniel blizzard. Possible that they were just talking about shopping . Anything is possible but its not very likely. Reporter finally, in september 2013, nearly three months after the attack, the detective went to pick up daniel. He didnt seem surprised to see me. And he didnt say, gee, detective, what could this possibly be about . No, he didnt ask. Im the detective whos investigating the attack on Vern Holbrook. Uhhuh. I heard about that. Reporter and it didnt take long for daniel blizzard to tell investigators how he really felt about vern and the business deal that had gone bad. He did a very elaborate, well, good job on screwing us over, so okay, how did he screw you over . Just lies. Deceit. I have nothing bad against vern at all. I mean, when i use these kind of words, its not like i have some kind of grudge or anything like that. Reporter and why was daniel paying adrianas rent and taking her shopping . Were you involved in a sexual relationship with adriana . No. No . No. Not at all . No. You were just helping her out of the kindness in your heart . Yeah. Im a good guy. Reporter detective perrault was having none of it. Youre obviously sticking to your story, but i do not believe it. So at this time im going to tell you that you are under arrest for the attempted firstdegree murder of vernon holbrook. Reporter and for the first time and stand up. Put your hands behind your back. Reporter daniel blizzards demeanor changed. He was definitely surprised and he looked like he might be ill. What went through your mind when police told you that they had arrested daniel blizzard . Thank god. Finally. Relief. Yeah. Reporter it sounded like a case neatly tied up. Two attackers linked to a man with motive and millions to gain. But that wasnt the whole story. There was someone else involved, the detective believed, someone else who had betrayed verns trust. And to say it was someone close to vern would be an understatement. In fact, its someone youve already met. Coming up arrest number four. Satisfaction . Huge satisfaction. Is about to split the family in two. Nice. Isnt good enough. And. Beautiful. Is better, but no. Its your engagement but this is my vow with up to 10,000 loose diamonds and our amazing settings i will help you create a oneofakind ring that can only be described as. Whats the word im looking . Perfect thats the word. Followed by one more. Yes and thats why he went to jared. The galleria of jewelry. At cricket wireless, we think you shouldnt have to worry about adding up all the taxes and fees to your monthly bill. Thats why our plans start at just 35 bucks after 5 auto pay credit all in. Cricket. Something to smile about. [ male announcer ] are you so stuffed up, you feel like youre underwater . Try zyrtecd® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. So you can breathe easier all day. Zyrtecd®. Find it at the pharmacy counter. At Kaiser Permanente everything you need is under one roof. Another way care and coverage together makes life easier. Okay, a little easier. Become a member of Kaiser Permanente. Because together, we thrive. Whats that thing . I moved our old Security System out here to see if it could monitor the front yard. Why dont you switch to xfinity home . I get live video monitoring and 24 7 professional monitoring that i can arm and disarm from anywhere. Hear ye the awkward teenage one has arrived dont be old fashioned. Xfinity customers add xfinity home for 29. 95 a month for 12 months. Plus for a limited time, get a Free Security camera call 1800 xfinity or visit comcast. Com xfinityhome. By the fall of 2013, three months after the attack, Vern Holbrook was in a coma. But somehow still alive. Did either of you hold out any hope for a recovery . I think you always want to believe and have hope that someones going to get better. I joked with hospital staff all the time. This guys ornery. If anybody can come out of this, its going to be him. Reporter and as the autumn winds rolled into the Yakima Valley detective sam perrault already had made three arrests. But there was one more to come. And to say it was a shocker would be an understatement. There was one more name the detective had been hearing from verns family. A lot of people have been saying a lot of different things. Reporter because it turned out that the plots alleged mastermind, daniel blizzard, had, for several years, dated and helped support financially a woman who had once been as close to Vern Holbrook, as a child. This woman. Remember her . He helps anybody out. Reporter mother to three of verns grandchildren. His former daughterinlaw. Jill taylor. What would her motivation be for sort of taking part in that plot . I suppose the only connection would be her relationship with daniel. And whats good for daniel is good for jill . I would think so. Reporter and, the detective found, that jill taylor was also the common link between daniel blizzard and another of the alleged participants in the plot, Adriana Mendez. What did Adriana Mendez and jill taylor have in common . Methamphetamine. They met through a common friend at a party using drugs. Reporter detectives say that friendship forged in meth became so close that jill invited adriana and her htree kids to move in with her. And it was at jills apartment where daniel met adriana and luis. Adriana wouldnt know daniel without jill. Correct. Reporter the detective was starting to get a clearer picture of how the alleged coconspirators came together. And he soon found another of jills friends who filled in some more blanks for him. Me and jill were really tight. Reporter nikki vargas came forward to say it was no secret what jill and daniel wanted done. Like, t day i met this bitch she was telling me about how she was trying to kill some guy, right . Her and her boyfriend. Did she say how . She had tried to poison him a couple times. Reporter and when that didnt work . Daniel was trying to pay jill 10,000 to kill this fool. Did you believe her . It was believable that they were going around asking people about a hit man for 10,000. Reporter and the proof that jill took part in the plot came from her own lips. If you believe the former family members who pointed fingers at her. Enter, once again, chad, jills exhusband. He said that six weeks before the attack jill said something strange when discussing supervised visits with their three children. She told me that vern may not be around that much longer to be supervising visits. And i said, well, why would you think that . And she told me that, well, you know, he makes a lot of enemies. And hes going to end up making the wrong kind of enemies. Reporter all of this eventually landed jill in the Sheriffs Office herself. Is it okay if we talk about this . Well, i would rather have a lawyer. Just because its such a delicate situation i need a im not trying to not, you know, cooperate. I dont take that personally. I do understand that, but i do need you to know you are under arrest for attempted murder. Relief . Satisfaction . Satisfaction. Huge satisfaction. You saw jill as being sort of what . A pawn of daniels . I think they used each other. No question she was involved . Not in our minds. Reporter four people were now charged with the attempted murder of Vern Holbrook. And then the case changed again. In january of 2014, eight months after he was attacked, Vern Holbrook died from his injuries. It was a sense of relief for him that he didnt have to suffer anymore. But it was really hard, really hard for the entire family to see him not with us anymore. It turned the attempted murder into a firstdegree murder. A premeditated murder. And it sort of raised the stakes all around . Right. Reporter but once again, what seemed to be and what would be wouldnt quite line up. There was one more twist in that long river of lies. Coming up the case heads into court. With a surprise on the stand. She said, were going to kill vern for daniel. Jill taylor, the accused becomes jill taylor, star witness. When dateline continues. In and stock up on savings. At the sears president s day event. Get up to 30 off kenmore appliances. And 10 off other top brands. Plus, use your sears card and get an extra 5 off all appliances or free delivery on all appliances over 399. Start your search at sears. What 8 grams of protein looks like when youre holding your own. Start your day with the power of protein. Milk life. Girls giggling girl hes so cute. What should we name him . mixed gasps snorting new pet . Get scrubbing bubbles. Kill 99. 9 of germs and destroy grime. With scrubbing bubbles for 100 problem solved. [reminiscing] started my camry remembered the choices ive made, to be bold where others are scared, to show her right from wrong and realized my little girl had become an amazing human being who will make choices of her own. Toyota, lets go places. My feet felt so heavy at the end of the day. They used to get really tired. Until i started gellin. I got dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles. When theyre in my shoes my feet and legs feel less tired. Its like walking on a wave dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles, im a believer please no. Please . No. For those headaches that just arent bad enough for a lot of please. Please. Please. Medicine, theres new excedrin mild headache. Please please 35 less medicine plus a booster to end everyday headaches fast. Wow, my headaches gone. Excedrin mild headache. These nuggets are good. Really good. You guys, i need some answers. What have you been feeding me my whole life . These dont even need ketchup. Shouldve known when those other nuggets were shaped like dinosaurs. What else havent you told me . Kfc popcorn nuggets. 100 white meat, extra crispy, and made from the worlds best chicken the way a nugget should be. Get them with all this in your next 5 fill up or try them in a go cup. These dont even come with a toy and i dont care. As the four people now charged with the murder of Vern Holbrook awaited trial in the yakima county jail, verns family and former colleagues felt a special sort of animosity for one of them, jill taylor. Jill had been verns daughterinlaw. How could she be part of the plot to kill him . How could you do this to someone who cared for you and took care of you and helped your kids . And you were a part of this family. How could you do Something Like that . Hard to believe that someone who had been sort of the beneficiary of verns generosity would be involved in any way in a plot like that. I dont know what was going on in jills world that she felt she needed to do that. Reporter jills arrest was especially troubling for her exhusband. Because chad says he tried to tell vern that jills behavior could be volatile and violent. I had tried to warn him a couple of times after our split up, you know, that shes dangerous and that he should be careful and he just kind of oh what . Her . No, whatever. You know. He wasnt buying it. No, he didnt think much of it. Reporter and then as the trials of the four suspects wound their way toward the courthouse verns family was blindsided yet again. Prosecutors called to say they were offering deals to two of the suspects. To make sure their cases were rocksolid against accused shotcaller daniel blizzard and the alleged attacker luis gomezmonges, the state would allow luiss girlfriend Adriana Mendez and jill taylor to walk out of jail if the two women would agree to testify against the two men. Did they ask your permission for this or were they essentially saying this is the way the cookie crumbles . We didnt have a choice, but we were made aware that this is what they were thinking of doing. Reporter why were those deals necessary . Deputy prosecutor alvin gusman. Its kind of trying to pick the lesser of two evils on that. Reporter meaning, you get the mastermind and you get the guy whose hand was actually on the knife and maybe the little fish swim away . Thats essentially what happened in this situation. Do you think you had a strong case against jill taylor . She was probably the weakest case we would have had compared to all four people that we believed we were involved. Reporter and so, in august 2014, the murder trial of daniel blizzard began, with a parade of lawyers, Life Insurance salesmen, and Law Enforcement taking the stand before the star witnesses began to appear. He would say, cant wait til the old mans gone. Reporter jill taylor claimed that daniel wanted vern dead so he could collect the 1. 58 million Life Insurance policy. And, that Adriana Mendez told her that she and luis were going to go through with the attack. She said, were going to do that for were going to kill vern for for daniel. Reporter when it was her turn, Adriana Mendez said daniel showed her a wad of cash to entice her. He told me, hes like this is the money that im willing to pay somebody 10,000 for to complete this job. Reporter in fact, after the attack was over, adriana claimed daniel gave her the 10,000, plus a 2,000 bonus. That money was never recovered. This is outrageous. Reporter blizzards defense attorney, peter mazzone, argued that adriana and jill would have said anything on the stand because of those get out of jail free deals offered by prosecutors. So long as you testify you will be let out. Yes. And you will be able to reunite with your kids. Yes. Reporter the defense argued jurors had to acquit daniel blizzard because of a lack of evidence. You will not hear of a single shred of forensic evidence of any kind linking this man or anybody else to that murder. Reporter after three weeks, the jury had the case. But it took less than a full day of deliberation to deliver a verdict. We the jury find the defendant, daniel blizzard, guilty of the crime of firstdegree murder. Yes. You know . What we wanted and what was right happened. It was a huge, huge relief that the jury found the truth. I think his color changed, but he did a pretty good job of maintaining his poker face. This was a guy who thought he was going to get away with it . I think so. Reporter the judge sentenced daniel blizzard to more than 34 years in prison. Were told he intends to appeal his conviction. A month later the trial of luis gomezmongez. He testified that it was not he but Adriana Mendez who had slashed Vern Holbrooks neck and struck him. Guilty of the crime of firstdegree murder. Reporter the jury didnt buy it. The judge sentenced luis to more than 26 years behind bars. The two men were going to prison. But what would happen to those two women who cut deals to help put them there . And what would jill taylor have to say about it all . Coming up he just set me up for everything. Daniel set you up . Yes. He set me up. Deeply involved or wrongly accused . We are about to hear from jill taylor herself. You are kind of the victim here, huh . I dont like to call myself a victim. When hollywoods premiere jewelry designer, neil lane, creates a ring for todays biggest stars. He designs it to look fabulous from every angle. And for his collection at kay jewelers. He does the exact. Same. Thing. Yes neil lane bridal. Uniquely beautiful handcrafted rings at kay the number one Jewelry Store in america. My collection is vintage inspired. With flowing lines that evoke a sense of timelessness. Because i want every woman to feel like a star. Every kiss begins with kay. coughing coughing disrupts everyones life. Thats why theres delsym. Delsyms advanced time release formula helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours. All night. Or all day. [prof. Burke] its easy to buy insurance and forget about it. But the more you learn about your coverage, the more gaps you might find. Like how you thought you were covered for this. [boy] check it out,mom [prof. Burke]when youre really only covered for this. Or how you figured you were covered for this. When youre actually paying for this. You might be surprised at whats hiding in your coverage. Talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. We are farmers bumpadum bumbumbumbum even if its your last one always share the softness of kleenex americas number one tissue. Fact. Fastacting advil is designed with an ultrathin coating and fast absorbing advil Ion Core Technology stopping headaches and other tough pain. Fast. Relief doesnt get any better than this. Advil. Introducing light fit protein shakes the new way to help make temptations shrink away on the go. A deliciously fresh and satisfying taste with 12 grams of protein 5 grams of fiber and 0 fat. New light fit protein shakes. Taste the power of satisfaction. Dannon 7 cc3 luis gomezmonges were sentenced for the murder of realtor vernon holbrook, it was time for the two women charged in the case to face the judge. And jill taylor . Vern holbrooks former daughterinlaw was set free, after spending about a year in the county jail. Charges of firstdegree murder were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors do have the option of refiling at some in the future. But at this point, jill has never been convicted of any crime in connection to verns death. Verns family is still bitter about jills deal. If it wasnt for jill putting it all together, helping daniel put the pieces together, this may not have happened. I think thats criminal. Its, you know, shouldnt have happened. She, in my opinion, definitely got away with murder. And when you walk out of this interview, she might be standing on the street. Yeah. You know, never know. It crosses my mind. Reporter we wanted to talk to jill taylor. And it turned out, she wanted to talk with us to tell a story of betrayal. But in her telling, shes the one who was betrayed. When we sat down with jill, shed been out of jail for about three months. Shes stayed in yakima, trying, she says, to get back on her feet, claiming she was caught in a web of daniel blizzards creation. When you heard that vern had been attacked and left for dead, howd you feel . That maybe you could have headed that off somehow . No, i wouldnt have headed it off anyhow because daniel was determined to do what he wanted to do. I really cared about daniel and i was just really hoping he was going to pull his head out of his rear. Maybe i have issues with letting people use me. He just set me up for everything. Daniel set you up . Yes. He set me up. It was a winwin for him. Reporter but remember, it was only through jill that daniel blizzard met adriana and luis. Jill admits thats true. Admits she knew blizzard had paid them. Admits she never told police. But told us something she never said on the stand, that adriana convinced her the attack would never happen. I went to her hotel. It was about in april. I just told her that, i dont care how much money hes already lent you or whatever, youre not obligated to do anything and she says, no, were not going to, you know. Im not going to do that, you know . Adriana specifically told you she was not going to go through with the attack on vern . Right. Right. Yes. You must have been surprised when it turned out they went ahead and did it after all. Yeah, i was really surprised. It caught me off guard. Reporter we asked jill about the death of a man whod been good to her and her kids. Her answer was that the financial help vern provided for her and her family has been overstated. I made 36,000 a year. Okay . I had a good job. I paid my own bills. He only helped me when i first split up with my exhusband and ive paid him back every dime that he had helped me with. Reporter jill blames verns family for making her look bad, particularly her ex, chad. Your exhusband wasnt the only person who thought you were a suspect. Pretty much everybody else in verns family mentioned you and daniel blizzard right away to police. Why i dont understand why they think that i would do anything to him like that. I mean, what would i be gaining from it . What would you gain . Yeah. If vern dies, daniel blizzard as your boyfriend, gets more than a million dollars. Well, good for him. That has nothing to do with me. Well presumably you might share in that, was the was the thinking. Dont you think if i was going to attack somebody that i would go attack somebody worth it . Well, a million and a half dollars is a lot of motive. I dont care about money. I dont get it, why people who are so shallow when it comes to money. Reporter jills story . She didnt want the money. Her boyfriend lied to her. The couple that lured vern to the home lied to her. But those claims that daniel blizzard had asked jill to poison vern . Well, those according to jill are true. Daniel gave you poison . Uh huh. I think so. I just dumped it out so do you know what kind of poison it was . Mmhmm. And he said, what . Put this in verns drink . Or uh huh. And you said, what . Im not im not going to commit murder . No. I just figured, whatever, you know . Im not going to do that. Youre stupid. And you called the police . No. You didnt call the police . No. Why would i . Well, someone had just asked you to commit murder. It couldve been sugar water for all i know. I come from a world that you dont go to police because someone sneezed wrong, you know . Why did daniel think that you would be willing to poison vern . I dont know. You know, i did love him and yeah i would have done a lot of things for him. So youre kind of a victim here, huh . I dont like to call myself a victim. I mean, by your definition, yeah. Reporter of course, theres one person here whos pretty clearly a victim. Vern holbrook built a successful business and loved his role at the center of a happy family. Did he trust too much . Should he have known what might be coming . Maybe. Those are tough questions to answer. Because the truth is no one wants to believe your Business Partner will betray you. After all, the idea is that theyre just like family. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Were off next friday but return on friday, february 27th for an allnew twohour mystery at our new time and dont forget to join us tomorrow night for the dateline saturday night mystery at 7 00 7 00 central. A friday night surprise. President obama rolls through San Francisco and makes an unannounced stop at a neighborhood restaurant. Good evening, everyone. Im jessica aguirre. And im raj mathai. Jeanne ellie is in San Francisco, and exciting night in a usually