Transcripts For KSNV Dateline NBC 20160111

Warehouse . There were pry marks on her office door. Somebody moved her body. Room to room, coworker to coworker, suspect to suspect. The perpetrator could still be there. Youre a suspect and so are your friends. The detective asked me if there was any trouble in their marriage. Whodunit . Sometimes desperate people do desperate things. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres josh mankiewicz. Reporter they call it the early shift for a reason. It was still an hour before dawn in this small town in Northern Kentucky, and in a few hours a local warehouse would become an anthill of activity, as the first employees of the morning arrived. But who among them could predict that before the first coffee coworkers would be dead . I just walked in our office, and i think somebody has killed somebody upstairs in our office. Okay. What makes you think somebody killed somebody . Shes laying there on the ground, and theres blood all over. Reporter impossible to believe in this tightknit workplace, where everyone knows everyone, but there was Michelle Mockbee, 42, wife and mother, face down in a pool of blood. The Sheriffs Department would launch an investigation. You know that your suspect is one of those people in the building . Thats right. Reporter probing for clues in the victims own private life. The detective asked me if there was any trouble in their marriage. Reporter eliminating suspect after suspect until there was one. He was never on our radar until we saw his truck leaving. Reporter if you give Michelle Mockbees siblings a sister, they cant say enough good things about her. I dont think theres enough tape to talk about michelle. She was our big sister, our role model. Michelle was just the most amazing sister that you could ever ask for, very loving, caring, giving person. She would do anything for anyone. She always had a big smile, and her laughter was contagious. Reporter michelle carried her positive spirit into the workplace. She was head of payroll at that warehouse owned by Thermo Fisher scientific, a worldwide supplier of laboratory equipment. It was also where she met her husband, dan mockbee. What was she like . What drew you to her . Michelle was funny, attractive, intelligent. Reporter ive heard you say that pictures kind of dont do her justice. No. No. No. Michelle was much more there was a vibrantness to her. Reporter it was at a Thermo Fisher Christmas Party back in 1999 that dan first summoned the courage to ask her out. Youd been thinking about michelle . Oh, absolutely. Id been working on her for a year, so. Reporter he asked michelle to stick with him that night. And she did. And then everything went sideways. It was the worst date in the world. Reporter what went wrong . I dont know. I was totally off my game. I couldnt speak. And i thought, oh gosh, ive done screwed this up totally. This was terrible. But then i asked her out again and she said yes and reporter well, maybe you did something right. I must have. I dont know. Or she felt sorry for me, gave me another chance. I dont know. Reporter michelles family soon met him. Next thing you know, theyre seeing each other and getting pretty serious. Reporter after she came along . Oh, my gosh, world totally changed. I mean, sun got brighter. It was just a totally different reporter michelle and dan married in 2001 and continued to Work Together at Thermo Fisher. Not long after, along came two daughters. But even as busy parents, dan and michelle always planned a date night every other monday. Memorial day 2012 was no exception. How was she that night . Happy . Absolutely. Reporter normal . Uhhuh. Normal. Reporter the next morning, michelle got up to go to Thermo Fisher even earlier than usual, to wrap things up before enjoying some staycation time with the family. Dan stayed at home. Hed already started his week off. She wakes me up, kisses me goodbye, says, i love you, and went to work. Reporter and that was the last you saw of her . Thats the last i saw of her. Security camera captured michelles car as it arrived at the parking lot. She stopped by the warehouses time clock and headed upstairs to her office. About an hour later, a supervisor named ed yuska noticed a big stain on the upstairs hallway carpet. He started looking around the area, with help from a coworker, the janitor, david dooley. Ed was out on the mezzanine just part of the ways, and i was holding the door. And there was just he said, theres a dead body laying there. Reporter what did it look like . I just saw from the knees down. I didnt see the whole thing. But honestly im glad i didnt look because id never been around anything like that. It was kind of frightening for me. Reporter someone inside Thermo Fisher had killed Michelle Mockbee. But who . And just as puzzling, why . When we come back, lockdown. The hunt for a killer begins. Be there. In this giant warehouse, a giant question had someone carried out the perfect crime . Theres actually industrial strength bleach there. Rubber gloves everywhere. If you needed to commit a murder, this place had it. Does your carpet ever feel rough and dirty . Dont avoid it, resolve it. Our formula with a special conditioning ingredient, softens your carpet with every use. Its resolve, so you know it cleans and freshens. But it also softens. Resolve. A carpet that welcomes you. And to clean pet messes, try resolve pet expert. Here in the city, parking is hard to find. Seems like everyone drives. Because you could save hundreds on Car Insurance. Ah, perfect. Valet parking. Hello heres the keys. And, uh, go easy on my ride, mate. Hm, wouldnt mind some of that beef wellington. To see how much you could save on Car Insurance, go to geico. Com. Ah car alarm sounds its ok oh my gosh, stephanie were, like, so goth. Sfx knocks on door. Honey . 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Breathe right parents help their children discover the world animals, seen those before but sometimes they do it on their own mmm foot wow food for giants kids discover the world with their mouths detergent is harmful if swallowed, so keep laundry pacs up and away from children brought to you by tide reporter Tuesday Morning the boone county Sheriffs Department responded to a call of a person down at the Thermo Fisher warehouse. They rolled up to the front door and were directed upstairs. Deputy joe gregory was with them. We went over to the victim, assessed that she was dead. There was plastic wrapped around her head. There was plastic wrap around the back of her hands. Reporter the deputies did a tactical search of the area to secure it. You definitely have your guns drawn because the perpetrator could still be there. Reporter there was no sign of anyone upstairs, but the csi team that arrived soon after found hints of what had happened. A trail of blood in the hallway. A larger blood stain showing smears when lit up, as though someone had attempted a cleanup. The body itself was found in an unused mezzanine area where someone had also stashed michelles purse and a bag Holding Employee time cards. Obviously we felt like the reporter putting the story together was now the job of lead investigators bruce mcvay and everett stahl. Tell me a little bit about the building where this takes place. Thermo Fisher Scientific is a company that ships medical supplies. Kind of like an amazon for medical supplies. Its a large warehouse. Reporter how large . Try the size of four football fields. Thats ulcerinducing acreage for an investigator searching for clues. But on the plus side, the warehouse was also a secure facility. Detectives say its pretty hard to get inside if youre not an employee. So you know that your suspect is one of those people in the building . Thats right. Reporter the Sheriffs Department put Thermo Fisher on lockdown. No one allowed in or out. Deputies took a head count. There were 13 workers on site. Detectives began interviewing them one by one. Im sitting actually closer interviewing. And i can see with each person i talk to, theres no blood, theres no evidence that they have been involved in anything. Reporter if its one of these people youre interviewing, theyve disguised it well . They have. Reporter dan mockbee says back at home, he started hearing about an incident at the warehouse. They werent letting people into the building. They were turning them away. Reporter dan says he tried calling his wife and other coworkers, but no one was picking up. And thats when i started getting nervous. Reporter he drove over and was escorted inside by detective stahl. Everett stahl sat me down at a table and started to ask me a few questions. And i looked at him and i said excuse me, officer. My wife works here. I really need to know that shes all right. And thats when he told me that she was deceased. His reaction was pretty excruciating to watch. Still had to move forward with my looking at him as a possible suspect. Reporter while dan mockbee was being questioned, michelles family was starting to get word from the scene. I think i threw the phone down. And im just like no, no, this isnt happening. This isnt real. Reporter by dusk, the lockdown at the warehouse was lifted. I had each person walk through their day and it seemed like a normal day for everybody. Nobody stood out. Reporter and then, every Thermo Fisher employee was sent home. As investigators wrapped up their first major sweep of the building, they were puzzled. There was really nothing out of place in this facility. After all the searching, the offices, the warehouse, there was just nothing. Reporter it didnt help that Thermo Fishers shelves seemed perfectly stocked for a criminal. Tyvek suits, which are what you would see in some murder investigations the detectives wearing, so they dont contaminate scenes. Theres actually industrial strength bleach there. Reporter thats stronger than any you could buy in a store. Thats right. Rubber gloves everywhere, plastic bags. I mean, if you needed to commit a murder, this place has it. Reporter the only sign of anything amiss in the entire warehouse . Michelle, as head of payroll, had a locked office, and it looked as though someone had tried to break into it. You could tell that because . There were pry marks on her office door. Reporter what was in that office that anybody would want . Thats the mystery. You know, we talked about money, but there was very little money if any at all. Reporter the following morning, Thermo Fisher employees came back on the job, shellshocked about the death of theicoworker and jittery about possibly working alongside her killer. At a command Center Meeting at put their Heads Together and drew up a list of potential suspects, based on the last people to see Michelle Mockbee alive, or the first to find her dead. Ed yuska, the supervisor. He was one of the two that found the body. Reporter dave dooley, the janitor. Dave dooley was with ed yuska when the body was found. Reporter doug tungate, a temp employee, and joe siegert, a warehouse worker. Doug tungate and joe siegert were the two that saw michelle when she came in. Reporter and dan mockbee. Of course, dan mockbee because hes the husband. Reporter a short list of potential suspects for prosecutor linda tally smith. Ive referred to this case as almost being like the game of clue because you have a very small group and its a matter of accounting backwards and excluding people. Reporter so thats what faced investigators. With what weapon . And finally, who . Coming up the questions begin. Where was michelles husband dan the morning of the murder . I was sleeping. What a great alibi, right . Couch and she sleep on the bed . Reporter Michelle Mockbees siblings remember her as the big sister who literally couldnt lose. She was the contest queen. She won every contest there was for like a twoyear run. Yeah. You name it. She won tvs. Flat screen tvs. Tickets to everything, gift cards, you know, everything. Super bowl parties. Lucky. She loved it. It made her so happy. And it made her even more happy to share her winnings with other people. Reporter but now it was michelles family that had lost so much. We were completely dumbfounded as to why anyone would want to hurt her. Reporter as investigators worked through their list of one, like the prosecutors game of clue, they started at the most obvious square one, the victims husband. First couple of days police werent letting you out of their sight. No. Reporter were you worried youd be put in jail . Absolutely. You know youre as innocent as can be, but theres always a possibility of something. Reporter dan was a suspect almost from the getgo. Were you guys aware of that . I was aware of it. Because the detective that came to my house asked me if there was any trouble in their marriage. To which i replied no, not at all. I not for one Second Thought that dan would be responsible ever. And i dont think any of us did. Never. Reporter but detectives werent so sure. They peppered dan with questions. Including the big one. When police asked you where you were at the time your wife was killed i was doing what most sensible people are doing at 6 00 in the morning if they dont have to get up and go to work. I was sleeping. Im home in bed. Its not a very good alibi, but its the only one i had. Reporter but exactly where he was sleeping that night raised a red flag for detective stahl. Dan volunteered he was downstairs on the couch. Was that a sign of trouble in the marriage . I said, well, whyd you sleep on the couch and she sleep in the bed . And he said, well, you know, typically the girls sleep with her and i get off of my shift late. By the time i get home, shes already in bed for the next day. So he had just made a habit to sleep in on the couch. It made us want to take a closer look at dan. Reporter detectives werent the only ones interested in the husband. A cadaver dog named little joe had been called in to search outside the warehouse. The dog searched two cars with no success, but then he went up to a third vehicle, a silver minivan. The dog did have some interest in the back of that vehicle. What the dog handler didnt, that the silver minivan belonged to dan mockbee. After the dogs up in the vehicle searching, he was finding nothing. There was no findings of human remains or blood. Reporter a disappointing dead end. Investigators have been in and out of this place all day long. Reporter but the cadaver dog was then sent over to the mockbee house to join a search in progress. One dan had consented to. Whatever we asked of dan, he was willing to do. Reporter suggesting either that he wasnt guilty or that he was supremely confident he wasnt going to get caught . Thats right. Reporter while dan was feeling the heat, detectives were pulling numbers off michelles cell phone and tracking down truckers who had delivered to Thermo Fisher. And of course, stahl and mcvay were taking a hard look at the other four names on their initial suspect list. Two men who were the last known to see Michelle Mockbee alive. One, a warehouse worker named unusually unemotional about michelles death when he was first questioned. He was one of the ones that made it to the top of the list. Joe presents himself as a loner. Kind of a dry, dark sense of humor and personality. Reporter the other guy at the time clock that morning was doug tungate. Doug was a temporary employee. A newcomer to Thermo Fisher and an outsider. We started looking into his past. Saw that he had a couple felonies and some alcohol issues. So we thought, this might be a good guy to look at. Reporter then there was david dooley, the janitor. He and his wife janet had cleaned at Thermo Fisher for years. David was one of the two to find michelles body. Detective mcvay interviewed him the day of the homicide, and really nothing that put him to the forefront of anyones mind. Reporter and last, there was ed yuska. He was the supervisor who called 911 after finding michelle. Office door. It looks like she never got in her office. Reporter detective stahl found out that ed yuska had some health issues. The thought that ed could do all this to michelle, drag her down the hallway and get her to the mezzanine logically to us says eds not our guy because he physically probably couldnt have done that. Reporter which made detectives feel comfortable eliminating ed yuska from their suspect list. And so then there were four. Now, how to rule out the next one . The csi team had collected some dna from michelles body and belongings, but detectives knew it would be months before a forensic lab could report whether any suspect was a match. Meanwhile, investigators were starting to scan through a promising new piece of evidence, security video from the warehouses parking lot. Could the clue they needed be frames of footage . There it is. Coming up it was nerveracking. Another elimination round. This time the lie detector test. And police soon detected something was up. He stops himself at the door and says, no, no, no, im not doing this. Even if she gets a stain shell wear it for a week straight. So i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. And since im the one who has to do the laundry, i do what any expert dad would do. I let her play sheriff. I got 20 minutes to life. You are free to go. Tide and downy. Great on their own check this out, bro. Whats that, broheim . I switched to geico and got more. More savings on Car Insurance . Yeah brofessor, and more. Like renters insurance. More ways to save. Nice, brotato chip. Thats not all, brotein shake. Geico has motorcycle and rv insurance, too. Oh, thats a lot more. Oh yeah, im all about more, teddy brosevelt. Geico. Expect great savings and a whole lot more. Oh my gosh, stephanie were, like, so goth. Sfx knocks on door. Honey . Im dying my hair, mom. Hair dye . Honey. Its just purple. Teenage daughter . Get scrubbing bubbles. Kill 99. 9 of germs and destroy grime. Everyone loves the way dark clothes make them feel. And no one wants that feeling to fade. Thats why theres woolite darks. Its free of harsh ingredients, keeping dark clothes looking like new for 30 washes so your love for dark clothes will never fade. Mother of two michelle mock bees family funeral brought her family some comfort. In your mind, youre like, she touched this many peoples lives. Soon red ribbons popped up in honor of michelle. But still couldnt answer the i feel like were kind of in limbo. We didnt know what this was all about. We didnt know if it was somebody after our family, why they would be, we dont know. Early on, the investigation had yielded frustratingly few clues on the four remaining lead suspects, but the detectives commander kept up hope. I knew once we can get that just one little bit of lead on this investigation it would open, many, many doors. Hov and his team of detectives were hunting for the next lead, by scanning through hours of security footage of the thermofisher parking lot. We had several eyes on this video. And stahl decided to turn up the heat on the four, starting with the husband, dan. We asked him, would you take a polygraph for us . You agreed to take the polygraph. Yes, sir. Thats a scary thing. Of a sudden theres a case against you. Right. It was nervewracking. I mean, i took a deep breath like this an the guys like hold on, hold on. You cant do that. You know, its registering on the sensors. And youre like what if i took a deep breath at the wrong time . Reporter but dan told detectives he was eager to be put under the microscope. Please. Do all this stuff so you can figure out that i have nothing to do with this so you can go find whoever did this. Reporter dan mockbee passed the polygraph. And this time, the husband didnt do it. And so then there were three. And around that time, major huff and his team spotted something they thought was unusual on the security footage. There it is. Reporter a vehicle in the parking lot, not entering, but leaving, around the back of the building. A bright red, fire engine red, chevy pickup truck, twodoor. Thats not a normal route for any employee to take. Reporter detectives matched dooley, the janitor. Dave dooleys truck is seen leaving the parking lot at 6 31 that morning. Reporter right after the murder . Thats right. Thats right. Reporter and detectives could tell from the security tape that dooley had returned to the warehouse around 7 00 a. M. , in time to be with ed yuska when he discovered michelles body. Detectives went to the apartment david dooley shared with his wife janet to ask where he went during that halfhour trip. They got there at 6 00 about 6 30 in the evening. And i kind of figured it would happen just to do a followup. He told me why he left the building. That he was trying to call his wife. She wouldnt answer the phone. My wife does take ambien to help her sleep at night and i went home to check on her, make sure she was okay. Reporter his wife, janet, said her husband often worried about her health and would check in on her. He drives me crazy with, janet, did you take your medicine . Janet, did you take your vitamins today . Thats just the kind of person he is. Hes a very sweet guy, a loving guy. Wondered, did he really come home to check on his wife . Or to get rid of evidence . We started working on a search warrant for the residence and for the truck. Reporter you execute those search warrants and you find bloody clothing . No bloody clothing. Reporter bloody foot prints . No. Reporter stuff taken from the crime scene that shouldnt be at the house . No. Reporter some kind of murder weapon . No. Reporter are you thinking now, okay, maybe this isnt the guy . While theyre searching the house, they collected some clothing, and then, just some other odds and ends. But nothing that directly tied Michelle Mockbee to him. Reporter so investigators kept working. They asked two other suspects, joe, the warehouse worker, and doug, the temp employee, to take polygraphs. Both men agreed. Both passed. Two more names scratched off the listst detectives had also asked david dooley to take a polygraph. And he said, yeah, ill take one. Brought him down to headquarters we walk him in, and detective mcvay says, this is our polygraph operator. And he stops himself at the door and says, no, no, no, i did not agree to that. I did not agree to this. Im not doing this. There was no asking me to do it. It was sit down and do it. I said, well i want to do this with an attorney. Reporter dooley didnt take a polygraph at a later time either, but he says that wasnt his fault. I did offer to take the polygraph, and they said its too late. Reporter over the next few months, detectives focused in on dooley. Significantly for detectives, he was the only one they could ever identify who left the building around the time Michelle Mockbee was killed. After eliminating other suspects, detectives now believed theyd cracked the case. In september 2012, the boone county Sheriffs Department arrested david dooley. Just very glad hes behind bars. Thats where he needs to be. No idea. Reporter and then there was one. I didnt know what to say. I didnt know what to do. I was never going home. Reporter you want to stop a minute . Its fine. I knew i was never going home, and i was upset. Reporter did you tell them they had the wrong guy . Yeah, i did. Reporter didnt do any good . No. Reporter but then, the longawaited results from the dna found at the crime scene came back from the forensic lab. It turned out, david dooley was not a match. And in the local media, janet called for him to be freed. Weve been telling everyone he didnt do this. Nobody deserves to be accused of a crime of this magnitude without something to prove that he did it. Reporter but even without forensic evidence tying david dooley to the crime, prosecutor linda tally smith remained forward with the case. In september 2014, david dooley went on trial for murder. The truth is, there is no smoking gun. There is no one fingerprint. Theres no eyewitness. So what did the prosecutor have on david dooley . Coming up our belief has always been that david dooley was in the middle of breaking into her office when she came up the steps and surprised him. Abreakin . What was he after, and how could he have managed a spotless escape . Got a clean pair of jeans. Clean shoes. When dateline continues. Well the squirrels are back in the attic. Mom . Your dad wont call an exterminator. Can i call you back, mom . He says its personal this time. If youre a mom, you call at the worst time. Its what you do. If you want to save fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance, you switch to geico. Where are you . Its very loud there. Are you taking a zumba class . Recently weve noticed some ads created by these two birds, inviting you to stay away from the streak free shine of windex. Well dear windex users these ads are false. Sfx squeaks from Window Cleaning clean glass is better than dirty glass. Dont stand for dirty. Use windex. So how ya doing . Enough pressure in here for ya . Ugh. My sinuses are killing me. Yeah. Just wait til we hit ten thousand feet. Im gonna take Mucinex Sinusmax. Too late, were about to take off. These dissolve fast. 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We were below the 88th southern parallel. We had traveled for over 850 miles. My men driven nearly mad from starvation and frostbite. Today we make history. Bienvenidos welcome to the south pole if youre dora the explorer, you explore. Its what you do. What took you so long . If you want to save fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance, its what you do. You did it, yay reporter Michelle Mockbees favorite color had always been red, and since her death her family has worn red in her honor. Youre all wearing your red wristbands today. Yes. They say, michelle ann mockbee, in our hearts. 19692012. Reporter that was your idea . Yes. Just a Little Something to remember her by. Reporter there was a sea of red each day, as michelles family and supporters flowed into this Northern Kentucky courthouse where david dooley faced trial for her murder. Mockbee lost the love of his life, and two little girls lost their mom at the hands of a man who couldnt even keep his story straight from one day to the next. Reporter prosecutor linda tally smith began by telling the jurors they wouldnt hear about any smoking gun, but they would hear david dooleys own words which she said had made him the last man standing in the detectives process of elimination. It was through this process that the path kept turning back to one person, the defendant, david dooley. Reporter the prosecutor explained that at Thermo Fisher, warehouse employees used handheld scanners like this one on the job, and the scanner data could help locate where employees were around the time of the murder. We were able to create, where everybody was and what they were doing at different points during the morning. Reporter jurors heard that almost all the employees were working on the warehouse floor, far away from the upstairs office area where michelle was killed. But where was david dooley . Because he was the janitor, he didnt use a scanner. Which meant, said the prosecutor, he could have been upstairs near michelles office during that critical time. David dooley was captured on security video that morning. Theres the red pickup truck. Reporter his red truck was seen leaving the Thermo Fisher parking lot. The defendant actually left the building that day at 6 31 a. M. , which was about a half hour after michelle walked into the building. Reporter the prosecutor filled in what she believed happened between the time Michelle Mockbee arrived and when david dooley left. She entered the warehouse, gathered the time cards from the into the offices to do her work. Reporter the prosecutor showed the jury a photo of fresh pry marks on michelles office door, which she said indicated an attempted breakin. Michelle, youll remember, had come in earlier than usual that morning. Our belief has always been that david dooley was in the middle of breaking into her office when she came up the steps and surprised him. And ultimately she was assaulted and restrained. Reporter because she was a witness the a crime in progress . Absolutely. Reporter the medical examiner said michelle was bludgeoned to death with something similar to an industrial packing tape gun. But after such a violent attack, why was no blood evidence ever found on david dooley . And why wasnt any of his dna left at the scene . The prosecutor argued thats because the janitor worked every day with cleaning supplies and plastic bags. Perfect for removing evidence of a crime. At the time david dooley attacked michelle in that him . A rolling crime scene cleanup cart with a trash bag in the middle of it. Its my personal belief that when he left that building he took with him a bag containing all of the evidence that was missing from the scene. Reporter but you never found any of that stuff . Never found any of it, no. Reporter and once dooley was back at the warehouse, detectives recalled, he looked noticeably fresh. This guys the janitor, but hes really clean. Hes got a clean pair of jeans, clean shoes. Reporter a coverup so spotless only a janitor could manage it, said the prosecutor. It was only his story, she said, that was a mess. Its very hard for a person to explain how they cant tell the same story twice. And in these circumstances we had four separate statements from him. And he never told the same story twice. Reporter detective mcvay testified it was what dooley interview on the day of the murder that made them take a hard look at him. At any time did he tell you that he left that building . No, he did not. During that first interview, did he tell you that he was one of the people who found Michelle Mockbees body . No, he did not. Reporter mcvay says it was only in dooleys second interview at his apartment that he first mentioned leaving work and going home. And i came back here. Okay. What time did you come back here . 6 30. I couldnt get hold of my wife. I came home to make sure she was okay. Reporter but detective stahl says dooleys wife janet told stahl something different. I ask her specifically if dave ever came home that morning, and she says no. Reporter in a later set of his and hers interviews, janet did say david did come home to change a pair of ripped pants. He had to come home and, you know, just grab a pair of pants. Reporter it sounds like an alibi. Except david dooley adamantly denied doing that. I never said that. Okay. You didnt rip your pants . Reporter however, jurors heard that a warehouse coworker also remembered dooley talking to him the morning of the murder about ripped pants. He had a conversation in which he said that he had to go home and change his clothes because he had ripped his pants. Reporter while the prosecutor had focused on david dooleys own words and that suspicious drive away from the murder scene, next the defense was about to point out to the jury all the hard evidence investigators didnt have on david dooley. Dna evidence, murder weapon, blood evidence, marks on david dooley. Reporter and the defense would ask who else might have more of a reason to want michelle dead. Coming up did you have anything to do with the death of Michelle Mockbee . No, i did not. I did not kill her. Mystery dna. A possible intruder . A husband on the stand. So many questions. Prosecutor. Reporter jurors had listened for twelve days as prosecutors laid out a very circumstantial case against david dooley. So circumstantial that his Defense Attorneys chris roach and tom pugh say they sometimes wonder why dooley was even on trial. We were trying to figure out exactly what they were saying linked david to this murder at all. The one thing that we could see that was bad for him at that point was just that he went home that day. Reporter in Court Prosecutors had focused on that trip home and, according to detectives, that dooley never mentioned the trip in his first but the defense said because that interview wasnt recorded, what can anyone really know about what was or wasnt said . Without actually having his interview, now were going based on one detectives notes saying that he didnt go home that day. Reporter david dooley says he knows what he told them. I did tell them i went home. I was always very adamant about that. Reporter dooley never testified in front of the jury, but he did talk to dateline about the case against him and his story that differed from his wifes. You say you went home to check on your wife. They talk to your wife, and she says he never came home. Then later, in a separate interview she says he came home because he tore his pants and he came home to change his pants. So whats the truth and why cant you and your wife agree on the same story . We do agree that i came home. I have never heard an interview where she said that i did not come home. This was his testimony. Reporter the detective . As far as im concerned, yes. Not the truth if it cannot be factually proved. Reporter did you go home to change your pants . No, i did not. Reporter why would your wife say that you did . I do not know. Weve talked about that a couple of times. And the only thing we can come up with is she didnt hear me properly. Reporter janet says shes been diagnosed deaf in one ear. On the day of the murder, she says she only saw a pair of ripped pants in the house and thought david said thats why he came home. I told them what i thought i heard him say. So a person that cannot hear, they put things together themself through their eyes, and i did. Reporter in court, the defense sought to set the record straight for the jury. Dave didnt change his clothes, and dave didnt change his story. Reporter as for that coworker who also had a story about dooley telling him he ripped his pants . Why did he wait five to seven days later on to all of a sudden recall, oh, yeah, and david said this . Posed the Million Dollar question to the jury who would want Michelle Mockbee dead . Is money a motive . For whom . Not david dooley. Reporter the jurors heard that the mockbees had around 25,000 in credit card debt. Dan said he had no idea. I never took care of the finances at all. She wanted to do it, and i was more than happy to let her. Reporter the defense then asked dan about the insurance payout he received after his wifes death. Do you recall the amount of that payment . Mm, 700 grand, Something Like that. Were not saying that we know or believe whether or not dan mockbee killed his wife. But its about reasonable doubt for our client, david dooley. Reporter but more significant to the defense was the unknown dna found at the crime scene. Dna was found on michelles body five different places. We heard testimony that there were many unknown dna profiles. Could one of these unknown profiles have been the killer . Reporter the defense also disputed that Thermo Fisher was a secure facility and noted that something had set off the warehouse alarm system just three days before the murder. And you think thats significant . Yeah. Yeah, its significant. That means that someone could have gained access to Thermo Fisher. Reporter after both sides had presented their cases, it was time for closing arguments. Now each side would have its last opportunity to speak to the jury. The defense went first. No one could think of any reason to kill Michelle Mockbee. So what motive would david dooley have to kill Michelle Mockbee . Reporter but it was only after the defense had wrapped up its closing that the prosecutor gave her answer to that question, laying out her theory i would suggest to you that the evidence is right in that stack of stuff over there. You have time cards, you have invoices, all kept in michelles office. Reporter you think the motive was the time cards . Yeah. I believe that michelle had actually discovered the fact that he had actually been tripledipping by clocking himself in, clocking his wife in and getting paid hourly to do a job that they were already being paid a monthly salary to do. Reporter that feels like a thin motive. Sometimes, desperate people do desperate things. Reporter the Defense Attorneys never had a chance to challenge that theory in court, but they say there was zero evidence presented by the prosecution to prove it. The thing about it is if there was some evidence, they would have put it in there. Reporter what about the theory that you were doubledipping your pay . It is not true. Reporter you were not doubledipping your pay or tripledipping or stealing . No, we were not. Reporter but the jury would have to render its decision in court. After deliberating for some 16 hours over two days, word came there was a verdict. We the jury find the defendant, david dooley, guilty of murder under instruction number five. Reporter guilty of the murder of Michelle Mockbee. The jury foreperson told dateline that in the end david and janets own statements, which jurors felt were inconsistent, helped them reach their verdict. David dooley was sentenced to life in prison. He says he regrets not taking the stand and has filed for appeal. Did you have anything to do with the death of Michelle Mockbee . No, i did not. I did not kill her. Reporter you know getting convictions reversed on appeal is a long shot. But when youre innocent, it does happen. And it will happen just like it always has. Reporter you think youll be yes, i do. Reporter michelles family believes strongly that the jury got it right, though the aftermath is bittersweet. Nothings going to bring michelle back. There is no justice that is good enough. Reporter now their focus moving forward is on giving love and support to dan and the girls. What did your daughters say to you about this . Neither one of them want to talk about it to this day. Because theyre just too sad. Reporter dan is hoping the two young women hes raising will carry the spirit of the one he lost. Weve talked about mom and things she liked to do. She just exuded personality and fun and happiness. Thats what michelle was. Thats all for this edition im lester holt. Thanks for joining us. Political gravity and every prediction of his imminent collapse. And whos going pay for the wall . And he now says hes in this race for long run. Im not leaving. Going straight to the white house . Going all the way. And hes ready to use bill clintons personal past as a weapon. I dont want to say its a threat, but its a threat. My sitdown with donald trump. Plus, the republican circular firing squad. I dont care if your name is barack obama, ted cruz, marco rubio, youve never run a thing of consequence in your life. While the candidates fight, the establishment frets. Who should they be worrying about more . Trump or ted cruz . And with three weeks to go before the voting begins, polls in New Hampshire and iowa are out, and dont look now but we have a real race on the democratic side. Joining me for insight and politico and the daily beast. Helene cooper of the new york times. Jennifer jacobs of the Des Moines Register and robert costa of the washington post. Welcome to sunday. Its meet the press. Good sunday morning. Apologies for all of you that didnt win powerball, but weve got a huge show for you today, includeing my sit down with donald trump and the struggling everyday by some in the socalled republican establishment to figure out some way to stop either trump or ted cruz from becoming the partys nominee. We can say this theyve got their work cut out for them. According to our brand new nbc news wall street journal marist poll out in iowa, ted cruz holds a slim lead over donald trump, 28 to 24 , marco rubio and ben carson fighting far distant third. As well show you later, if trump manages to bring in new voters, he does much better. We did two different electorates in iowa to test this phenomenon. Here are the singledigit