They said he had hired somebody to get rid of me. A doctor, plotting a murder . Hes giving you a way to kill someone. Very detailed, precise instructions. Investigators would launch a plot of their own and unravel not one murder scheme, but two. So, now, you have a man and a woman who both want their exes dead. Is that beyond bizarre . Shocking. It was just unreal. I couldnt believe this was happening. An unthinkable crime and an unbelievable twist. These detectives had a plan . Uhhuh. And you were a big part of it. Oh, my god. Its just mindboggling to most people. I said, just please tell me. It was the worst, worst day of my life. Hello and welcome to dateline. It looked like an ordinary lunch meeting. Four people having a conversation at a chain restaurant. Except nothing was as it seemed. And what was being discussed would be at the center of a court battle. But to understand how a nicelooking couple ended up at the table talking with two people they thought were hitmen, we need to go back to the beginning, when meghan had just met a charming doctor named leon jacob. Twisted in texas. Reporter in the beginning, it was heady, fun. He is very charming. Reporter she was swept away. I dont think ive ever had somebody tell me im beautiful that much. Reporter but without warning, it all turned from love story to crime story. Hes a relentless tsunami. He doesnt 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. Its awful. It never should have happened, none of it. Reporter Meghan Verikas is a pittsburgh girl born and raised. Steeler games, tightknit friends, a solid family. I grew up with my parents whove been married for 35 years. Reporter meghans own love life wasnt 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. Its a fun job. You meet a lotta different people. Reporter one of those people was a local doctor, who checked in during the winter of 2014. His name was leon jacob. Whats your First Impression . He was arrogant. Oh, im a doctor. Give me whatever suite you have. Reporter what did you make of that . Did you think to yourself, i dont want anything to do with this guy . Exactly. Exactly. But he wears on you. Reporter leon came from a welltodo family and attended an elite boarding school. Now, he told her, he was a transplant surgeon. I think that anybody is enamored by somebody who can save lives. Reporter like meghan, leon was unlucky in love. He told her he was going through a divorce. The more meghan got to know him, the more approachable he seemed. He is very charming. Reporter soon enough, a romance blossomed. And when leon moved back to his hometown of houston, he asked meghan to join him. He had made me feel like i deserved something else. Reporter Something Better . Yeah. Reporter houston was good for meghan. She found a job in hotel sales and signed a lease on cool, new apartment. Leon moved in. That to me was really scary. Im very independent. And hes like, i opened a bank account and i put your name on it. Reporter thats quick . But i was like, oh, he really cares. Like okay. Reporter leons family welcomed meghan like one of their own. Did you start to envision the possibility of marriage with leon . Yeah. At 30 years old, you dont spend time with somebody that you dont wanna be serious with. Thats not who i am. Reporter meghan settled in. She got a dog and made a new friend through work, arial washington. We really clicked over just being from out of town. Both transitioning into houston, and were both steelers fans. Reporter leons selfies showed a loving couple. But there was one trouble spot in meghans new life. Leon didnt have a texas medical license yet. Why dont you go work as a surgical assistant . He was like, you dont understand what its like to be a doctor. You cant just take any job. Reporter meghan had to support both herself and leon. It really just seemed like frustrations within a normal relationship. Reporter but one night, everything changed. Meghan expressed her frustration in front of leons highachieving family. Like, i dont understand why hes not working. And he was like, were gonna talk about this when we get home. And he just tore up my entire closet and just threw all of my stuff on the balcony. Reporter what did you say back to him . I was, like, shocked. And i didnt know what to say. And i didnt know what to do. Like, here i am, i live with this person. Reporter that night started a downward spiral. According to meghan, soon, every day leon seemed to find a new reason to get angry. Eventually, she says, his anger turned into abuse. It was always something, almost like clockwork. He used to chew tobacco. I dont know what i did or what happened. He took the thing of spit and threw it across the room at me. It was constant. Reporter its humiliating . Yeah. And hes just didnt think it was a big deal, even though he would call me these horrible names and just demeaning and awful. Reporter then, she said, he would beg forgiveness. Im sorry. You know, i love you. I have so much other things going on. I need you in my world. Youre the only thing that keeps me happy. Reporter would you forgive him when he would say sorry . Of course. Reporter she says leon always promised to change, but never did. And did you ask yourself, how did i i dont know how i ended up there. Reporter get under this mans spell . Exactly. No one expects to be in in a relationship like that. Reporter then came january 12, 2017. Meghan got home late, after a long day at work. He started throwing stuff out of the dishwasher. Hes throwing it and throwing. And then, he, like, threw a glass of wine on me. Reporter meghan had to get out. And i was like, im done. Im leaving. Reporter she rushed to pack a bag. He put his hands over my my face and said, go ahead and try and leave, you dumb reporter meghan made a run for it. She took their dog and got in the car. She said leon chased her down the driveway. Hes pullin on the car door. And pullin on the car door. And he was like, if you dont give me the dog, im gonna punch in your window. Reporter leon grabbed the dog, but meghan got away. She was free, or so she thought. Coming up i had pulled out and he was right behind me. She looked afraid. Was meghan in danger . He said, shes gotta be out of the picture. If he hired somebody to do something, who knows what theyre going do. When dateline continues. E o when dateline continues hin. Your happy place. Find your breaking point. Then break it. Every emergenc gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best, with emergenc. We need a solution. Ut their phones down. Introducing. Smartdogs. The first dogs trained to train humans. Stopping drivers from liking. Selfieing. And whatever this is. Available to the public. Never. Smartdogs are not the answer. But geico has a simple tip. Turn on do not disturb while driving mode. Brought to you by geico. Every morning around 8 30, arial washington had a sales meeting with her friend and coworker Meghan Verikas. But january 13, 2017, was different. I was like, good mornin. And i was the next words out of my mouth were, whats wrong . Her face was blotchy. Marks and things like that around. Reporter it was the morning after meghans desperate flight from her boyfriend, leon. She started crying. I closed the door, you know, broke out tissues. Reporter until that moment, arial knew very little about meghans troubles with leon. She looked afraid, and in in disbelief that Something Like this happened to her. Reporter as the women talked, meghans cell pinged incessantly. It was just nonstop. Emails, phone calls. Reporter all from leon. Erratic messages, from an account called, leonlovesmeghan. Hes like, i love you. Heres this wedding ring i was gonna buy you. Then the next email would be, oh, youre so done. I want nothing to do with you. Reporter meghan texted leon to leave her alone. They were over. But there was more to come and it was infuriating. Meghan found out that leon had withdrawn most of the money from their joint bank account. And when she went to her apartment to get her belongings, she was shocked by what she saw. I had no furniture left. Nothing. He luckily i had gotten there in time before he he took my clothes. Reporter meghan went to the police and swore out a complaint against leon. And i just sat in this filthy office, just crying and and writing down everything i could remember. Reporter she told police leon had assaulted her. She applied for a protective order. But it didnt come through immediately. A few days later i had pulled out of my work. And he was right behind me. Reporter meghan said she sped through downtown, but she couldnt shake her ex. Then, leon cut her off with his car. He jumped in front of my vehicle, telling me im making a huge mistake and that he loves me. Reporter meghan says she managed to swerve around leon and escape. But he kept showing up at the hotel where she worked, asking to see her. His demeanor was very calm but very persistent. Thats actually scarier because you dont know whats going on in the back of their head. Reporter the hotel banned leon from the property, but coworkers still saw him lurking. We walk outside and see him standing there behind a bush, like youre invisible. I just remember the first words coming out of my mouth were, do you know we can see you . Reporter furious, aerial said she ran across the street yelling. Go away. Get away from us. Leave her alone. Reporter Police Arrested leon for assault. But that was very shortlived because he was out i want to say within the next day. Reporter two weeks later, leon and meghan appeared in court. The judge granted that protective order. He then ordered leon to be arrested again, on the spot. This time for stalking. As officers read leon his rights, meghan was surprised to see a familiar face in the gallery. I noticed valerie was sitting in the stands, which i thought was odd. Reporter Valerie Mcdaniel, a successful veterinarian in town, recently divorced from her husband of 19 years, mack. Meghan met valerie, mack, and their daughter when their marriage was falling apart. She would come over and have martinis. And she would be over a lot. We went to a couple nightclubs and things like that. Seemed like a nice person. Reporter how did leon act around valerie . Like it was anybody else. Reporter but that was then. On this day in court, meghan thought leon and valerie looked like a couple. She learned later that valerie even posted leons bond, with this man, a bail bondsman named michael kubosh, who a couple of days later got an unsettling visit from leon. He shut the door behind him. Reporter was that odd . Very odd. And he says, im here because i wanna know one thing. Reporter leon asked the bail bondsman for help finding another client of his. Leon said the clients name was zack. And i said, well i dont know a zack. Who you talking about . He said, you know him. Hes exmilitary, excia. Hes middle eastern. Reporter leon said hed hired zack to do a job for him, but now couldnt find him. And then he tells me that hes paid him a lot of money to take care of this. Reporter take care of what . He said, shes got to go either back to pittsburgh. Shes gotta be out of the picture. Im a doctor. I cant have her come to this court and testify against me. Reporter kubosh found leons words frightening. I felt like it was much more sinister than just wanting her to go to pittsburgh. Reporter to what extent were you thinking . I didnt know. If hed hired somebody to do somethin, who knows what theyre gonna do . Reporter turns out, the bail bondsman also happened to be a city councilman and a friend of the Houston Police chief. So, he gave the chief a call and said they should take a closer look at leon and the mysterious zack. Coming up an Undercover Mission to learn what leons really up to. Hes giving you a way to kill someone. Very detailed, precise instruction. And the real jawdropper . Meghan wasnt the only target. Were taking care of both problems . What both problems . Both of the individuals were talking about. When dateline continues. Atf fitness. Its every class you can imagine. Live. Welcome back to the mirror. Youve got this, john. And on demand. Its boxing, cardio, yoga, and crushing, whole family, whole body fitness machine. And its the best gift youve ever got. Its so cool the future of fitness is at home. The mirror. Sleep this amazing . Thats a zzzquil pure zzzs sleep. Our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no nextday grogginess. Zzzquil pure zzzs. Naturally superior sleep. February 23, 2017. Leon jacob had been arrested two days before. Meghan verikas had a protective order against him. So, for the first time in weeks, she should have felt safe. But that evening, her phone rang. It was a police officer. And he basically said that there was a credible threat to my life. Reporter police came to meet megan the next morning. Her friend, aerial, remembered meghan was so afraid she wore a disguise. You know shes putting this wig on, putting a hat on, jeans, tennis shoes, tshirt, so that, you know, she could try to be as inconspicuous as possible. Reporter meghan and aerial checked the officers i. D. S once by one. Then investigators shared the tip they got from the bail bondsman, michael kubosh. They think that my exboyfriend may have hired somebody to have me hurt. And that i, need to be surrounded by people 24 hours a day and not be left alone. Reporter normally i would say that must have been shocking. Were you all that surprised that i wasnt. Reporter the police suggested meghan go back to pittsburgh for a while. So she bought a ticket and flew home. Meanwhile at the Harris County d. A. Special crimes bureau. Investigators jimmy turpin and mike mauldin started looking into leon. Were you surprised to see a doctor involved in this . It was surprising to us. Normally we dont deal with, professional people lookin to have somebody killed. Reporter their first priority, locate the elusive zach, the guy leon asked the bail bondsman about. The guy who may have been a hitman. They searched databases knocked on doors and they found him. His real name was moataz azzeh, or taz for short. And he said, we need to talk. Reporter taz said they had him all wrong. He was no hitman. But they were right about leon. He wanted to get rid of meaghan. His main goal was that she not appear in court. Whatever means that required that to happen, that was fine with leon, up to killing her. Reporter taz said leon gave him 9,980 in cash and a couple of fancy watches to do the job. But taz said he had no intention of doing it. His story was, he was playing leon. He wasnt ever gonna do the hit. Reporter but taz told police he had no doubt. Leon still wanted it done. Taz also said he was willing to work with the them to help catch leon. So, police told taz to call leon. They recorded the call. Hello . Hey. Whats up, man. How you doing, buddy . Pretty good. Hey, listen im going to set up a meeting with you tomorrow, so we can finish this. Okay . Okay. Reporter taz told leon he was bringing a partner. Im gonna bring with me the navy s. E. A. L. Guy because he wants, you know so we can this done reporter taz didnt tell leon. His new partner was really an Undercover Police officer. Then leon said something taz wasnt expecting. Were taking care of both problems . What both problems . Both of the individuals that were talking about. Taz looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. Reporter a second potential victim has just been added to the mix. Yes, right. Yes. Reporter leon agreed to meet at an olive garden restaurant with taz and the undercover officer, who went by adam. Weve agreed not to show his face. What is the goal of this meeting . Make sure that this really is a murder for hire and to gather evidence. To see what it is that they want, also to discuss payment. Reporter when leon showed up, he wasnt alone. We followed leon to the table where we sat down. And we were introduced to valerie. Reporter thats right, Valerie Mcdaniel, leons new girlfriend, the woman who bonded him out of jail. Here was valerie meeting two supposed hit men. Hey, valerie. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Reporter when the conversation started, leon didnt sound like someone trying to hire a hitman. He said hed be happy if meghan just went back to pittsburgh. I want her just to leave. Yeah. I dont want her hurt. Reporter but, as they ate their pasta leons tone hardened. Make it very clear to her that if she doesnt leave this time, theres gonna be some severe consequences. Reporter during the conversation, leon said he wanted adam to try another tactic, plant some drugs on meghan. She gets pulled over, she has a little cocaine. Shes not a credible witness anymore. Reporter and leon had a more sinister idea, which to the undercover officer sounded like an invitation to murder. Give her an injection of potassium chloride to stop her heart, untraceable. Its up to you. Do you have that stuff . I can get access to it, yeah. I have access to a pharmacy. Valerie owns a pharmacy, she has a pharmacy at her clinic. Id prefer not to do that. But my survival is more important. Reporter hes giving you a way to kill someone. He gave me very detailed, precise instructions on how to kill somebody. Reporter but it wasnt just meghan whose life was in danger remember. Leon had said something about both individuals. Who was the other target . He needs to go. I dont mind what you [ bleep ] do to him. Hes one of the worst human beings ive ever met in my entire life. Reporter leon clearly hated the guy. So who was he . Ive never met a human being like her exhusband, and ive met some pretty bad people. Reporter her exhusband. He meant valeries exhusband mack. Thats right, this murderforhire was a double plot, a twofer. It seemed leon and valerie both wanted their exes dead. Leon and taz left the table for a smoke and valerie talked specifics with adam about how he could bump off her exhusband. He could have a boating accident. Harder . Reporter the undercover officer suggested some simpler execution options. Take his car, leave him on the street. Make sure hes dead. Maybe put another bullet in his head. We call that a double tap. Theyll think it was a robbery. Reporter but first, adam wanted to know, was she sure . You need to give me the goahead. Theres no going back on this, okay. What option do i have . Hes gonna take my daughter. Reporter of course, explained adam, a second target would cost extra money. Leon returned to the table to negotiate a payment plan. 5,000. After everything is done well take care of it. Reporter listening in from a nearby table was Sergeant Frank quinn, who was in charge of the undercover operation. So, now, you have a man and a woman who both want their exes dead. Yes. Reporter is that beyond bizarre . I hadnt seen anything like it before. And it was really shocking. Reporter the meeting broke up. Adam and taz promised to be in touch. Investigators thought they had a case but to make it stick, they needed the money to change hands. And they had a wild, elaborate plan to make that happen. Coming up they said, we need you to get in the car with us. Undercover sting scene number two. We zip tied her hands, zip tied her feet and, then, duct taped around her mouth. Im sitting there just hysterical. Theres no words. When dateline continues. When dateline continues the good news . Our protection is guaranteed. The bad news . The perfect photo is not. Depend® fitflex underwear offers your best comfort and protection guaranteed. Because, perfect or not, lifes better when youre in it. Be there with depend®. Needs somebody Everybody Needs somebody to love someone to love someone to love i got a little message for you. When you have that somebody, hold on to them, give them all your love. Wherever they are i need you, you, you i need you, you, you i need you, you, you i need you, you, you check your free Credit Scores at creditkarma. Heres to progress. This is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12hour. And this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. Delsym 12hour. Nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. Im dara brown with the hours top stories. The fbi is confirming it is operating on the assumption the deadly attack on the pensacola Florida Navy Base was an act of terrorism. He killed three people friday before he was killed by a sheriffs deputy. And House Judiciary Committee will hold its second impeachment hearing today. Chairman jerry nadler says he expects his committee to be presented with articles of impeachment some time this week. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Meghan had been attracted to exboyfriend leon jacob in part because as a doctor he saved lives. Now, Police Officers were telling her he was trying to hire a hitman to potentially take hers. And there was more. She wasnt the only target. But the police were putting the wheels in motion on a plan of their own. Heres Andrea Canning with twisted in texas. Reporter after some anxious days in pittsburgh, Meghan Verikas got a call from investigators to come back to houston. Soon after she arrived, they called again with a surprise. They said, were outside. We need you to get in the car with us. Reporter this is, like, out of a movie . It is. They take me to some lot that looks like a junk yard, kinda. Theres cars with bullet holes in them. Reporter just then, another car pulled up, and a man got out. Meghan recognized valeries exhusband mack, and learned that he, too, was the target of a hit. He just hugged me. And he was like, i heard about this, like, a day ago. And i was like, yeah, ive been dealin with this for some time. Reporter but neither meghan or mack could have anticipated the incredible scheme police had in mind for them. Sergeant frank quinn and his officers wanted meghan and mack to participate get this in a fake kidnapping and murder. What a bizarre request of someone whos a victim in a potential murderforhire plot to it is. Reporter hey, we want you to pose. And youre going to look dead. Yes. Reporter quinns plan was to show photos of the staged scenes to leon and valerie. He wanted to see their reaction and also have them make a payment for the fake hit. Mack went first, playing a murder victim. Was mack up for this . Yes. Definitely. Reporter quinns unit used pigs blood to simulate a head wound. They knew they had to make it look convincing to leon. When youre dealing with a doctor whos probably seen wounds, then, you need to be as realistic as you can. Reporter hes been shot . Yes. Shot in the head. Reporter in the photos . Shot in the head. Yes. Reporter meghans role was different. She played the victim of a kidnapping. We zip tied her hands, zip tied her feet and, then, duct taped around her mouth. For us, this is very clinical. But in meghans case, it hit her. And the tears were flowing. And she just broke down. Theres no words. Im sitting there just hysterical. But i guess it made the photos look better because it was real tears. It was real emotion. Reporter meanwhile adam, the Undercover Police officer posing as a hitman, exchanged texts and calls with leon. I want that taken care of asap, too. This has gotta be fixed. Most of the conversations have to do with leon asking me to hurry up and commence with the with the murders. We just want these two situations taken care of immediately. Reporter later that day, armed with the staged photos, the undercover officer adam went over to leon and valeries home to tell them hed killed mack and get them to pay. The male subject, im sure you know who im talking about, hes gone. Hes done. Reporter but leon wanted to talk about meghan, and how they were a bad match from the start. She grew up sort of middle, lowermiddle, class. This girl, she doesnt understand my world. Reporter adam returned to the business at hand. Said he planned to deal with meghan the next day. If she refused to leave town, he would kill her. Tomorrow . More than likely by tomorrow shell more than likely be dead, and thats it. Id rather not. I understand that you prefer not, but i cant give you 100 guarantee. Reporter leon showed the undercover officer a pile of cash wrapped in a dish towel, payment for homicidal services rendered. 1,800 in cash, with the promise to pay me the remained of the 10,000 at a later time. Reporter what does that say to you in that moment . Like, this guys, obviously, serious. Thats what told me there was no going back. He was dead serious about it. Reporter the next day adam texted leon that photo of meghan crying, zip tied and duct taped. Leon didnt respond, so the undercover officer called to tell him hed had to kill meghan. Theres no reasoning with her. She just put too much risk on on us and she doesnt care, uh, about leaving. Uh, thats pretty much it man. Shes, uh, shes dead. Shes gone. She was just like, you . In so many words, yeah. She yeah, shes dead. You already took care of it . Yeah. Reporter hours later, continuing the ruse, Police Arrived at valerie and leons apartment with their body cameras rolling. Were just coming to inform her that her husband has been killed to get her reaction. Your exhusband has been found. It looks like it, uh, turns out to be a fatality. Reporter what was their reaction . They try to feign some kind of surprise. And, then, we wanna gauge his reaction, too. Oh, my god. We were here all day with their their daughter, and we watched movies. He immediately offers an alibi. Hes like, oh, my gosh. Weve been here all day. Reporter suspicious . Very suspicious, yes. The one thing hes not, is an actor. A good actor. Reporter the police got the reaction they were looking for. They had the money paid to the undercover officer, and so they sprang their trap. Right now, were going to read you your rights. Me . Reporter they arrested leon and valerie for solicitation of capital murder. And revealed, there was no murder and no kidnapping. Meghan and mack were alive and well. They had no idea. They believed that their issues had been taken care of. They had no more problems. And to immediately go from a death notification, to youre under arrest for solicitation, to capital murder reporter thats a headsnapper. Yeah. Thatll get your attention. Was Valerie Mcdaniel a murderous mastermind or another victim of leon jacob . Coming up i couldnt believe this was happening to my sister. What could have driven valerie to do this . She tells her story. And leon tells his when dateline continues. E continus the headline was just so sensational ritzy river oaks couple take out hits on their exes. The murderforhire plot that sent shockwaves through river oaks. Reporter in the days following the arrests, revelations about leons past flooded in with every newscast, including nbc affiliate kprc. Channel 2 investigates is digging up new details. Reporter Court Documents showed leon wasnt exactly who he appeared to be. Hed been kicked out of residency programs, convicted of attempted cyberstalking and criminal trespassing. And there was another woman from leons past who accused him of abuse, his exwife. One count of solicitation of capital murder. Reporter leon was held without bail. But the judge did set bail for valerie. She was allowed to go home. Her sister, angela, was in shock. It just was unreal. I couldnt believe that this was happening to my sister. The most kind, sweet, loving person. Reporter valeries best friend, maggie, said valerie was scarred by her recent divorce. It left her extremely vulnerable to a predator like leon to come along and sink his teeth in. Reporter after the arrest, maggie confronted valerie. And i just kind of said, listen, you are under some sort of spell right now. This monster has gotten you into some trouble and you need to fight like hell. Reporter what did she say . She did not understand what was happening. She just seemed off. Terribly, terribly sad. Reporter at home alone, valerie recorded an audio diary on her ipad. Hey, its valerie. Reporter she recounted how, back when her marriage to mack was crumbling, she ran into her neighbors son, leon. I was completely turned off immediately by his attitude, because you could tell he knew how beautiful he was. Reporter but over time, valerie, like meghan before her, thought she saw something in him. And as with meghan, leon captured their budding romance in selfies. I got through that exterior and realized he was a a nice person. And i was lonely. And uh, he kept me company. I fell deeply in love with leon. Reporter but valerie said she never intended to have her husband killed. I hate the idea that everybody thinks im a monster. Reporter the audio diary turned out to be her final recorded words. I dont want to hurt anyone. Just me. Okay, thank you for listening. Bye. Reporter a little over two weeks after her arrest, Valerie Mcdaniel jumped to her death from the seventh floor balcony of her apartment building. It was the worst worst day of my life. Reporter valeries friend, maggie, blamed leon. I see it as murder. I really do. I think hes murdered her reputation. And he ultimately murdered her. Reporter even though she made that choice on her own . Yes, yes. It never, ever, ever none of this wouldve ever happened without him. Reporter leon jacob didnt see it that way at all. We met him at the Harris County jail where he was awaiting trial, far removed from the promise of his early years. This was a privileged life. Top boarding school, fancy vacations, nice house. Would you describe it that way . Yeah. I mean, i cant say that i wanted for anything. Reporter and what drew him to medicine . I think in a lot of ways as a physician, youre a public servant. Reporter he says meghan caught his eye at first sight. She was beautiful and and vivacious, and smart. Reporter she thought you were obnoxious when she first met you. I dont know. I was just being myself. Some people find me obnoxious or confident when they first meet me. But after they get to know me a little bit, im just an easy goin, funloving kind of person. Reporter after leon was charged with soliciting meghans murder, the old misdemeanor assault charge was dropped. He told us he never physically abused her. I dont recall the relationship being like that. Reporter she said the final straw was when you grabbed her face in the bathroom and you physically assaulted her. And thats when she finally left. Her recollection reporter couldnt take it anymore of that night is different than mine. Reporter tell us what happened, in your eyes. We were fighting. I wasnt gonna restrain her in any way. I mean, i never physically touched her or hurt her in any way, despite what she claims. Reporter he did admit he called meghan repeatedly and followed her around after their breakup. Said he just wanted to talk things out. Id been to her work a bunch. I went to take her out to lunch to sort of say im sorry. Reporter youre making this sound like its nothing. She was living in such fear that she didnt know if she was gonna live to see another day if you found her. Thats absurd. Absolutely absurd. Reporter leon insisted he didnt hire anyone to hurt meghan. He was just trying to help her return to her home town. I never asked him to snatch anybody or kidnap anybody. What i was told was what meghan wanted to do was go back to pittsburgh. Reporter why would you wanna be nice at this point, though . Meghan doesnt want anything to do with you. It doesnt make any sense. I was told thats what her wishes were. Reporter and what about those tapes that sounded so damning . You already took care of her . Yeah. Reporter leon said the tapes didnt prove anything. Why go down this road . Why hire a who you think is a hitman . I never thought reporter if you dont want meghan dead . He was a hitman. You have to understand something. I never thought these people were violent criminals at all. Reporter thats not how it appears on the tapes. If you really listen to whats said, i never asked him to hurt anybody. I never asked him to kill anybody. Reporter but remember he did offer a suggestion on how to kill her. Give her an injection of potassium chloride and stop her heart. Untraceable. Reporter why are you telling him how to do this . I will talk about that when im on the witness stand. Reporter so theres nothing you wanna share now. No. Reporter we also asked how valeries husband became a target. I had nothing to do with what was going on with mack. Reporter if leon told us he was being kind to meghan, it was a different story with valerie. He shifted blame to his late lover, even as he tried to sound sympathetic. Valerie wasnt a monster. She clearly had reached a breaking point and i cant say that i condone what she wanted to have done. As a doctor, just as a human being, you know, taking someones life is not okay with me. Reporter so youre saying you two were not in on this together. Not in on having anybody killed. Absolutely not. Reporter did you mastermind the plan to have meghan and mack killed . There was never a plan to have anybody killed. So, no, i did not mastermind a plan to have meghan and or mack killed. Reporter do you believe valerie was the mastermind behind this plan . She asked for something to happen that she clearly wanted to have happen. I dont think she masterminded. I think that she progressively got there. Reporter convenient for leon. Valerie wasnt around to defend herself. Then again, he was the one about to go on trial. The doctor takes the stand. Will he be able to save himself . Coming up you need to restate your question. A suspect, not as clever as he thinks . Or just clever enough to convince a jury . I never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. What would the verdict be . When dateline continues. Flushing too much toilet paper, will back up our system. But dad, ridx contains billions of enzymes proven to break down even paper to keep your whole septic system healthy. For paper, grease or waste breakdown. Use ridx. You have fastacting power over pain, so the whole world looks different. The unbeatable strength and speed of advil liquigels. What pain . Lowes helps you do hosting right with the best prices of the year on appliances to help you handle anything and everything. Skip to the good part with alkaseltzer plus. 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Reporter what would you say was the weakest part of your case . Well, an aspect of the recordings, as well. The defendant is educated, hes intelligent, he was cautious in his approach to talking to the undercover officer. Reporter that was the problem. In all those recorded conversations leon never said, kill meghan. Yet the prosecutors had to prove thats exactly what he meant. Reporter leon jacob does not stop until he gets what he wants. Reporter the trial began on march 20, 2018. The prosecution called the bail bondsman, michael kubosh, who told the jury he had no doubt leon wanted to hire a hitman to kill meghan. I felt like i was talking to the devil himself. Reporter the state then called the supposed hitman turned informant, taz, who testified that he too, knew exactly what leon wanted done. I asked him to bring 2,500 to see how serious he is. And he brought that money . Yes. Reporter prosecutors played the tape where leon discussed in detail how he, as a doctor might get rid of meghan give her an injection of potassium chloride to stop her heart, untraceable. Id prefer not to do that. But my survival is more important. He might not have said murder, he might not have said kill, but he knew what he was asking for reporter one of the star witnesses was the man who played dead. Mack mcdaniel alive and well told the jury that he didnt want leon, a man accused of stalking and assault, anywhere near his daughter. Did you convey to valerie your wishes that natalie not be around the defendant . Yes. Reporter motive, said the prosecutors, for leon to have mack killed. Mack and maybe even the courts may get involved, are gonna make valerie choose between her daughter and the defendant, shes gonna choose her daughter. Reporter mack recounted the emotional moment when he learned about the murder plot. That if they would have been successful, natalie wouldve not had any parents. Reporter then it was meghans turn. No gag or zip ties this time. She told the jury she had no doubt leon wanted her dead. Were you scared . Very scared. How did that affect how you felt about your safety around the defendant . I was terrified. Reporter defense attorney George Parnham said the prosecution had it all wrong. Leon didnt want anyone killed. He wasnt suggesting that this be done. Reporter he argued leon was just a love lorn exboyfriend, whod gone overboard with big talk. Hes braggadocios and, then, backtracks. Reporter you might think that made him a risky witness, but leon wanted to testify. I never asked to have anybody hurt, killed, harmed, kidnapped. We had multiple discussions, or multiple conversations about not wanting to harm or hurt anybody. Reporter the state said that was just semantics. On crossexamination, prosecutor Samantha Knecht pointed out that despite leons claim he hadnt explicitly asked for meghan or mack to be killed, he didnt exactly shy away from violent talk. Snatch her, put her in a room, and tell her if she doesnt [ bleep ] leave, im gonna kill her parents, right . If thats what you say i said. Did you say it mr. Jacob . Sure. Reporter as for leons claim he never suggested killing meghan. If you injected someone with potassium chloride and stopped their heart that it would hurt them . Yes. It would kill them . Yes. And you knew that as a doctor. Yes. When we would ask him a question, if he didnt feel like we had phrased it right, he would rephrase it for us. You need to restate your question and put it into context. I believe that he felt like he was smarter than cameron and i. Reporter did you just wanna smack him . Yes. Reporter leon, they argued, didnt care who lived or died in his wake. He did nothing to stop this. In his mind his exgirlfriend, is sitting by herself in a warehouse somewhere, in this city, ziptied, with duckttape around her mouth. He thinks he can just walk away from this. Reporter it took the jury all of an hour and 15 minutes to decide leons fate. We the jury find the defendant, leon phillip jacob, guilty of solicitation of capital murder. Reporter guilty of all charges. And in texas, the jury can also decide punishment. In the penalty phase, prosecutors called a new witness, leons exwife annie. She testified in vivid detail that leon was abusive. What did the defendant tell you . That was my punishment for calling the police was being held in the bed with a knife to my throat. Reporter this defendant cannot be trusted to live among us. A guilty verdict without the appropriate punishment is hollow. Reporter theres something you want out of the punishment phase . I would never want him to be able to do this to somebody else because if it wasnt me, if it wasnt valerie, if it wasnt annie, its gonna be somebody else. And that needs to stop. Reporter the jury sentenced leon to life in prison. Afterwards, meghan addressed him directly. While you sit in jail i hope you think of me, the girl that you called poor and uneducated. Its because of me, you will be in prison for life. I was really proud of her. I think it took incredible courage on her part to see this through. Reporter meghan knows, in a way, she was lucky. Every day, there are women that are in in situations like this that dont have the means to get out. Ive had so many people help me. And i just wanna make a difference for those who dont have a voice. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im natalie morales. Thanks for watching. Were heading into what could be a pivotal week in the impeachment probe. House judiciary chair jerry nadler says his panel will presumably present articles of impeachment against the president in the coming days. Plus President Trump says his personal attorney, rudy giuliani, wants to go before congress and the attorney general to present his findings related to the ukraine scandal. And the fbi is investigating last fridays shooting at a Pensacola Naval base as an act of terrorism. Officials are trying to determine the motive of of the 21yearold Saudi National who opened fire killing three people