>> he doesn't care who he affects. >> reporter: this is, like, out of a movie? >> it is. it is. >> reporter: a thriller. >> i ran across the street yelling, leave her alone. >> reporter: with secret recordings -- >> i want her gone. >> reporter: a fake death. and another death, that was all too real. >> it's awful. it never should have happened, none of it. >> reporter: meghan verikas is a pittsburgh girl born and raised. steeler games, tight-knit friends, a solid family. >> i grew up with my parents who've been married for 35 years. >> reporter: meghan's own love life wasn't so simple. she got married in her 20s. but she and her husband drifted apart. so she threw herself into her work, managing a busy hotel downtown. >> it's a fun job.