Everyone, maybe. But their own daughter, who admitted to a bitter simmering dispute family feud. Bamby needed her stepmother and dad dead. He was there. Or was he . No hair, no fingerprint, no dna. Nothing. A once loving family now gripped by suspicion. I had a lot of people in my ear saying she did it. Would the terrible truth rip them apart . This cannot be happening. Welcome to dateline. A daughter, battling her demons and her mother and stepfather for control of a Million Dollar property. After their double murder, police started to wonder just how far Bambi Bennett would go to get what was hers. They followed a bloody trail of evidence deep inside the familys dispute, exposing ugly secrets and suspicions. But unmasking the murderer would prove far more complicated. Heres Dennis Murphy with the deed. The old barn is a shambles now. The fields back in the day so lush and productive, gone to seed. The farmhouse empty. Time was, the farmland in horry county was some of South Carolinas finest. Bambi bennetts granddad owned a big spread and created a legacy for the generations to come. That barn used to be a tobacco barn. And my granddaddy built that. Reporter so it was a tobacco property, huh . Uhhuh. He did farming and tobacco. Reporter bambis roots here are as deep as the old oak tree draped in spanish moss that still stands tall in the front yard. They say land is worth dying for because its the only thing that lasts, and truer words might never have been spoken. In this case, a beautiful piece of land turned out to be nothing but trouble. This is where Bambi Bennetts family was ripped apart by an act of cruel, unspeakable violence. Bambi, her given name, was a fun, feisty, good ole girl, country through and through. I was at my grandparents a lot growing up. We gardened and we had a big yard. You know, a huge yard. Reporter youre a country girl. Uhhuh. Reporter but shed endured her share of heartache, even at a tender age. Her parents divorced when she was just six. Mom remarried. Then a few years later came that terrible day she will never forget. My daddy and my granddaddy passed away on the same day. I was 12yearsold. Reporter so all of a sudden youd lost the two important men in your life . Uhhuh. Reporter it was a bewildering and tragic day. There was so much sudden loss to absorb, that young bambi, not yet a teenager, paid no mind to her grandfathers and fathers wills. But it turned out shed been left the entire homestead, all 240 acres of it, to be held in trust until she turned 18. Not long after bambi inherited the farm, her stepfather charlie moved the family onto the property, her property. Most everybody called him big charlie. Bambi called him daddy. Daddy loved hunting and fishing and he always had fish fries and oyster roasts. There was always people down at the barn. Reporter you call your stepfather daddy. Uhhuh. Reporter easily do that, huh . Uhhuh. Ive always called him daddy. Reporter big charlie was a deacon at church. And he started a Small Business selling and installing glass, converting the old tobacco barn into his shop. Bambis mom diane worked as a secretary in the public schools. They were a respected, happy couple, salt of the earth. She was the backbone of that family. Reporter bambis cousins jessica and amy loved their aunt diane. If your car literally stopped in front of their house or broke down, she would go and make sure you had a meal or you were warm. And while she was doing that, big charlied be, like, fixing the car. Reporter good mom . Fabulous mom. Outstanding. I mean, her biggest thing was she wanted to make sure her kids were protected and their hearts were protected. Reporter and her daughter bambi would need a lot of protecting. The girl was growing up in a rush. Married to her High School Sweetheart and divorced after a few months. By the time she was just 24yearsold, she had another failed marriage and was struggling as a single mom, trying to raise two boys, cody and nathan. Reporter that had to be tough. Keep your household going, huh . Yes. Reporter and things went from bad to worse. Bambi started popping painkillers. Reporter the old story, huh . Yes. Reporter just gobbled em down when you could get em, huh . I liked the way it made me feel. Reporter bambi was a single mom hooked on pills and sitting on a piece of land worth a small fortune. Diane decided it was time to intervene before, say, another whirlwind husband du jour got half the property. Mama said, if you put it in my name, it will be protected. Reporter and so she signed the deed to her property over to her mom. And then bambi signed over her heart, sending cody and nathan to be raised by their grandparents. She calls it her lowest point. I didnt want to do it, but i knew it was the right thing. She wanted to take care of them. She loved those children. Reporter it was a crushing loss, no question, but bambi agreed at the time the boys were better off. They loved diane and charlie. Theyre just very loving. Like, did a lot of outdoor stuff. I mean, they spoiled us to death. Reporter nathan, how about you . Yeah, they were the most loving individuals ive ever met in my life. My grandmas the most sweet woman and everybody says so. Reporter with the boys living at their grandparents, bambi tried to get her own life back on track. Thats when she met rick gagnon, a new hire at charlies Glass Company. There was an instant attraction. Ive always liked the bad boy image, you know, i guess. Like, he had the goatee and the shaved head. I dont know. We just had a good time together. Reporter was it a serious relationship . Yes. It was. Reporter rick was serious too. He confronted bambi about her demons. I told her, if she wanted to be in a relationship, she had to do something about the pills. Reporter by the spring of 2005, bambi felt she had turned the corner. She and rick found a home of their own in myrtle beach. After a long struggle, she was ready to be a mom to her boys again. I was getting on my feet. And and i just i wanted cody and nate there with us. Reporter grandparents charlie and diane agreed, very reluctantly, to let the boys move in with bambi and rick. But no sooner had the boys moved then diane was making the case to get them back. Mama was concerned. Reporter did she want to hold on to the boys . She said that she would like for them to, you know, continue to stay with her. Reporter boyfriend rick thought bambi couldnt catch a break with her family. Everybody pretty much treated bambi like crap. It stemmed from, you know, issues that diane, charlie, and bambi had. Reporter those issues were simmering into an angry family drama. Then just a few weeks after the boys were turned over it happened. It was april 12th, a tuesday morning. Bambi called her mom. No answer. Big charlie was late for work. One of his barn employees went up to the house to look for him. Moments later, he called 911. 911. Shes laying on the floor. And theres blood everywhere. Theres blood everywhere . Yes, maam. Oh, my god. Reporter inside, things were chaotic, an appalling sight. Big charlie and diane were dead. And the Old Farmhouse they loved so well was now a crime scene. That small stray drops of blood may just provide a huge clue. Coming up it appeared that someone involved in the crime was a bleeder. Thats great evidence. It is if you can match it up. When dateline continues. N. When dateline continues s i. whimper breathe right strips open your nose up to 38 more than Cold Medicine alone. deep breath breathe better, sleep better. Breathe right. Theyre out there. Thousands ofr allergensyes know sleep better. In each cubic yard of air. No wonder you rub your eyes hundreds of times a day. But now, relief is just one drop away. Introducing pataday® full prescription strength pataday works right in your eyes. Right on the cells that make them itch. Fast. Just one drop, once a day means relief that lasts all day. So turn your day, into a pataday. Now get pataday without a prescription. Everywhere. With this one little nexgard chew comes the confidence, youre doing whats right, to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. Its the 1 vet recommended protection. And its safe for puppies. Nexgard. What one little chew can do. Ill start. Oh, do you want to go first . No, no i dont. You go. I was just going to say on slide 7, talking about bundling and saving. Umm. Jamie, youre cutting out. Sorry im late hey, whoevers doing that, can you go on mute . Oh, my bad i was just saying theres a typo on slide 7. Bundle home auto for big discosnouts. I think thats supposed to say discounts. You sure about that . Hey, can you guys see me . Whove got their eczema under control. Rs, with less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within. And talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. Steven could only imaginem 24hr to trenjoying a spicy taco. Burn, now, his world explodes with flavor. Nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for allday allnight protection. Can you imagine 24hours without heartburn . The horror discovered inside that farmhouse confused both the caller and the 911 operator. But what happened to charlie and diane was all too clear. She was found lying next to her bed. Big charlie sprawled on the bathroom floor. Each had been shot multiple times, both by then dead for hours. Horry county sheriff phillip thompsons cell phone erupted with calls about the shooting and he rushed to the scene. Not to investigate. Charlie and diane were his best friends. They werent just mine. They were everybodys friends. What we remember is how good they were. How kind they were and what good people they were. Reporter down at her house in myrtle beach about 30 minutes from the crime scene, bambi was getting ready to go antiquing with her mom. She called her cell. One of charlies Glass Company workers answered. I said, can i speak to my mama, please . And he said, bambi your mama and daddys dead. Reporter just like that. Yes. And i said, what . He said, bambi, somebodys broke in here and killed them. Shot them. And i just dropped the phone and started crying. Reporter when bambi arrived at the house, yellow caution tape blocked her way. Police were everywhere. My mom was like freaking out. Reporter rick tried to comfort bambi. Young cody turned to him too. And then i remember rick, he was near me, and i was crying on his shoulder. And everybody was just kind of it was a madhouse out there. Reporter in those moments, it seemed the whole county had gone mad. The murders of diane and charlie came hard on the heels of two other vicious killings nearby. The suspect, a man all over the news named Stephen Stanko was still at large. They were looking for Stephen Stanko when charlie and diane parker were discovered. Reporter vivian skipper was charlie and dianes neighbor. She runs a flower shop nearby. Reporter so tell me about the fear, vivian. Is this a kind of thing you could feel in the air or what . You could feel it in the air. I was at the flower shop. Reporter probably not too thrilled with the idea of getting in your car and driving away. I didnt even want to go home. It was pretty bad in horry county that day. When i first arrive, what im looking at is is an opportunity to get oriented to the crime scene. Reporter the man responsible for making sense of the crime scene was prosecutor Fran Humphries, then deputy chief solicitor for horry county. Reporter had the house been tossed, rifled . It had. It appeared to be a Home Invasion burglary. Reporter first take on it . First take reporter Home Invasion no question. Reporter it was a gruesome crime scene. The bathroom awash in charlies blood. There was blood spatter in the bedroom where diane lay. But several feet from diane, there are notably a few small droplets. It appeared that someone involved in the crime, not the victims, was a bleeder. Reporter why couldnt that be from one of your two victims . It was apparent that big charlie had never left the area of the bathroom. And it was apparent that that diane died where she lay. Reporter so it looks like your shooter, your intruder is has reporter bleeding . Is bleeding. Reporter so thats great evidence. It is if you can match it up. Reporter while crime scene techs processed the house, investigators started taking statements. Big charlie and diane had a large family and knew a lot of people. We talked with everybody. The list of people that we talked to is exhaustive. Reporter a parade of friends, employees, and family was brought down to headquarters for interviews, including bambi and her boyfriend rick. They did gunshot residue test on all of us. Reporter including you . Uhhuh. They had me remove my shirt, lift my pant legs up. They took my shoes, took pictures of my shoes, tops, bottoms. Reporter both bambi and rick told police theyd spent the night at home. Never left. With the interviews complete, police drove rick and bambi back to the farmhouse. Everyone was gone. Bambi says she realized shed left her purse with her phone and car keys in the detectives cruiser. She decided shed take her mothers vehicle to get home. We didnt have any way to get in touch with nobody. We didnt have anything. And i told rick, i said, see if you can find mamas purse or cell phone. And so he went in the house. Reporter police had released the crime scene. But it still looked like one. Detectives told the family they would have to clean it up. So when rick says he went in to fetch dianes car keys, he found himself tiptoeing through a bloody mess. Reporter what were you seeing . All the blood and just one of the most horrible things id ever seen. Reporter rick approached the bathroom where charlie had been killed. He says he noticed bambi through the window, pacing in the backyard. She was calling out, you know, mama, mama. She was crying, screaming. And i stepped into the bathroom. Tried to step around the mess as best as i could. And i shut the blind. Reporter and you closed them because you didnt want bambi to see the blood and gore. Thats right. I remember saying to bambi, i think i stepped in the some blood in the bathroom. And i was, you know, wiping my shoe off on the sand. And she was telling me to wash my shoe so i didnt get blood in her moms truck. Reporter man, that must have been eerie being in that house that night, huh . Yeah. Extremely. Reporter it was an eerie moment. One that would haunt bambi and rick for years to come. Coming up, bambi makes a stunning admission. Thats been like a long family feud. When dateline continues. Reporter the coldblooded killing of big charlie and diane parker had a great many people in and around conway, South Carolina, bolting their doors and locking their windows. Had you had any trouble in that neighborhood, out in countryside with breakins . Not that i know of. I mean, its always been a wonderful place. It just doesnt make any sense. Reporter was this more of the murderous rampage of the notorious Stephen Stanko who was all over the news . No, said prosecutor Fran Humphries, who knew stanko had been sighted in georgia at the time of the murders, 200 miles away. Reporter so this awful thing at the farm house, you werent associating that with stanko . I was not. Reporter even in the public mind, they might have made that connection, huh . Oh, they did. But truly at that time Law Enforcement knew that he was physically in augusta. Reporter rather, humphries focused on the evidence coming from the parker crime scene. He quickly came to believe this was more than just a bungled Home Invasion. It was apparent that nothing had been taken. Or at least nothing that you would suspect to be taken in a burglary. Reporter humphries thought back to some curious statements bambi had made in her interview with police, which she said she had given willingly. Okay. All right. You sure youre okay to sit down and do this . Im not okay. But i want to help you. Reporter soon after the interview started, bambi, he said, began describing in detail a feud with her family. At issue was the land bambi owned and that her parents were living on. Has been a long, like, family feud. Right. For a long time. Over the land . Yeah. A long time. Reporter according to humphries, bambi and diane argued over who should control that property. Diane wanted to make sure that that property was there for the kids. I think she had become convinced that, you know, bambi was not going to be in a position to to manage that property i love this girl, my daughter, but shes beyond hope. Is that the kind of the feeling that well, she just cant be trusted with it. Reporter bambi didnt agree. She wanted the property back. I had a lot of anger about that. Reporter but humphries learned the land wasnt the only hot button between bambi and her mother and stepdad. Bambi admitted they also argued over the raising of bambis boys, nathan and cody. Was there any issues where they didnt where your parents didnt want the kids to go back to you guys or anything like that . Well, yes. I understand my mom had cared for them and all and that was hard for her to give them back. At first we were angry, you know, at each other and being ugly to each other. Diane just wasnt comfortable with bambi having custody of those children. Reporter in fact, just four months before the murders, a motherdaughter shouting match over the care for the boys got so out of hand that diane called 911. Reporter the responding officer arrived with his dash cam rolling, just moments after bambi had stormed away. Im sorry to bother you. No. Youre not bothering me at all. Reporter diane explained the argument to the officer. She usually does what she wants to do. Picks them up when she wants to. She doesnt do anything for them. Reporter diane went on to say she felt threatened by her daughter. She scares me. She got in my face and jerked the phone out of my hands when i was calling. Reporter and then came this chilling pronouncement. Its just but if anything happens to me, youll know that shes the responsible person. Reporter how telling is that . She was in fear, in grave fear. Reporter humphries by now suspected bambi was somehow involved in her parents murders. But he was skeptical she could commit a double homicide on her own. So the prosecutor turned his attention to bambis boyfriend, rick gagnon. He was aligned with bambi. He was extremely faithful to bambi. Reporter and according to humphries, willing to do anything for her. Reporter you got the daughter and the boyfriend who seem to be in some sort of a conspiracy the theory goes . Well, an agreement to accomplish a goal. Reporter the alibi bambi and rick gave detectives that they were at home during the hours leading up to the murders was difficult to prove. Each gave the other as a witness. She said, we were at home. You know, rick was there. I was there. My boys were in the other room. Reporter the prosecutor began to wonder, could those mysterious blood droplets at the crime scene be linked to rick and bambi . The dna results had not come back. We didnt know whose blood that was. Reporter you didnt know whose blood it was, but you knew somebody else was in that house . We didnt know. It could have been Richard Gagnon. Reporter while humphries waited for those results, he obtained a search warrant and took another look at some of rick and bambis belongings, including their shoes. There is blood on his shoe. Reporter what did the lab analysis say about that . It was big charlies blood. Reporter the prosecutor didnt buy ricks story about having stepped in blood while looking for bambis mothers car keys. Detectives also found what they thought was blood on one of bambis boots. Reporter so now you have two persons of interest, fair to say . Oh, no question. Reporter ten days after the murders, humphries asked both rick and bambi to take polygraph tests. Both agreed and both showed deception. Rick gagnon in particular showed deception. Reporter police then sat both rick and bambi down in separate rooms for another round of questioning. This time the gloves were off. Do you want to be charged with something . Are you charging me with anything . Answer my question. I didnt do anything. Reporter they hoped for a confession or at the very least, that shed give up rick. She didnt do either. You dont want to be charged . No. Im not going to be charged because i didnt lock her ass up. Do anything. We done. Lock her ass up. Cause youre not going to tell us anything. Put some handcuffs on her. Take her to jail. Charge her with two counts of murder. Reporter but the detectives werent done yet trying to break bambi. On her way to her booking, bambi said the hammer came down hard one more time. They surrounded me like a pack of wolves. They said, go get these crime scene photos of her mama and daddy. And i said, no, no, no. And i was trying to cover my face and he was pulling my hands off of my face. And he said, you did this. You. Reporter detectives said the same thing to rick gagnon. They arrested me. Thats pretty much it. If bambi did it, then i had to be a part of it. Reporter so there it was, a daughter and her boyfriend, partners in love and suspected of murder. The alleged motive was basic. Get the deed to the land and resolve the custody issue of the boys in one bloody rampage. Horry county could sleep easier at night with case closed. But was it case solved . Coming up, a new family feud breaks out between bambi and her sons. I had a lot of people in my ear saying that she did it. I resented her. Dear freshpet, tank was overweight and had no energy. Until freshpet. Put the puppy back in my dog. And beverages that are very acidic. It can soften the enamel. Pronamel repair, what its doing is driving more minerals deep into the enamel surface, thats going to help actively repair. Pronamel is taking it to another level. Thats going to help actively repair. Across america, Business Owners are figuring things out. Finding new ways to serve customers. Connect employees. And work with partners. Comcast business is right there with you. With a network that helps give you speed, reliability and security. And enough bandwidth to handle all your connected devices. Voice Solutions Like remote Call Forwarding and readable voicemail. And safe, convenient installation. When every connection counts, you can count on us. Get the connectivity your business needs. Call today. Comcast business. Heel lhello, im dara brown. Heres whats happening. The death toll has surpassed 89,000. Italy announced plans to ease travel restrictions in place since early march. Starting june 3rd, people will be allowed to travel across the country and internationally. Those entering italy will be asked to quarantine upon arrival. Italy was the country hit the hardest by covid19. Now back to dateline. Covid1. Now back to dateline. Welcome back. Im craig melvin. Investigators charged bambi and her boyfriend with two counts of murder. Her own sons didnt believe in her innocence. But there was one man who did and he was prepared to fight for her freedom. Returning to the died ing tini Dennis Murphy. Reporter Bambi Bennett sat in a Horry County Jail cell stunned. She had just been charged with two counts of murder. I thought, im just having a bad dream. This cannot be happening. Not only were my parents just murdered. Now im being accused of being the one that killed them. I said, yall have lost your mind. I said, this doesnt make any sense. I didnt do anything wrong. Reporter but to prosecutor Fran Humphries, it made perfect sense. The motive is unavoidable in this case. Bambi needed her stepfather and mother dead so she could get her property back. Reporter property valued at north of a Million Dollars. The classic question that people in your line of work pose is well who benefitted . Bambi. Reporter as for bambis boyfriend rick, humphries believed bambi persuaded him to help her carry out the murderous deed. Both rick and bambi said the prosecutor had it all wrong. They insisted they would never do anything to harm diane or charlie and bambi downplayed the family drama over the land despite calling it a feud deering her deer i during her investigation. It was given to my daddy to begin with. Even though it was in mamas name, if i wanted the land back, all i had to do was tell mama that. Reporter also absurd, the allegation she would kill her parents over disagreements about how to raise her boys. Who does not have disagreements ever with their mother or their father . Me and mama didnt always agree on the upbringing of cody and nate. But that doesnt mean im going to kill my mama because we dont agree. That is ridiculous. Reporter but by now, even some of bambis family believed she was responsible for her parents murders. Including bambis own sons nathan and cody. You lost your grandparents in the most awful fashion. And then your mom is swept away from your life within minutes. Its just crazy. Like, you dont know who to turn to. When did you come to the idea that she maybe she was the one that did this . It was a mixture of things, like i had a lot of people in my ear saying that she did it. What i came to the conclusion was that she basically, like, put it in ricks head for rick to do it. I only thought she had something to do with it from what i had been told. I resented her. I hated her. I didnt want to see her face ever again. Reporter it seemed bambis supporters were few and far between. But one who did believe in her innocence was her attorney jim irvin. Everybody rushed to judgment in this case. Reporter the way jim irvin saw it, the prosecutions case against bambi was a weak, circumstantial one that hinged on a bunch of theories as to motive. What always bothered me about this case, when you look at the gunpowder residue, there was none on bambi. Reporter he said that one bit of hard evidence detectives thought they had against bambi, what they thought was blood on her boot, turned out to be nothing. The detective said, we got her. The dna on this boots going to belong to one of the two people. They couldnt even say it was dna. Reporter as for the polygraph test detectives said bambi failed to pass. According to irvin, those results were suspicious. The last question they asked her, have you told me everything you know about this case . If i asked a detective that same question, he couldnt pass it either. Its just too broad a question. Reporter bambi sat in jail for six months. They were hoping shed flip and tell them the story. Thats exactly what they were hoping. Reporter finally the judge said enough is enough. Prosecutor humphries had to let bambi go. It became apparent the evidence was not sufficient to bring her case to trial. Didnt have the goods. Just wasnt there. Wasnt there. And yet, shes the foundation of your theory . Theres no question about it. Reporter for the time being bambi was able to put Horry County Jail in her Rearview Mirror and with it rick. By now, bambi had cut ties with her old boyfriend. Sounds like she had your back, rick, and then she didnt . Yeah. What had happened . Jail changed people, you know. Reporter rick was hoping it would just be a matter of time before he too would be released. The forensics they had against you. No hair . There was no fingerprint . There was no dna . Nothing. Reporter but he did have charlies blood on his shoe. To humphries, that evidence was part of a bloody trail from the crime scene that was about to lead both the prosecutor and rick gagnon into a courtroom showdown. Coming up, one of rick gagnons fellow inmates comes forward with a damning story. Hes given a fairly detailed account of what occurred that evening. Steph that wasnt in the newspaper steph that wasnt in newspape thats why centrum contains 14 key nutrients to help feed your cells,. Out so you c on what matters most. Centrum. Feed your cells. Fuel your life. With this one little nexgard chew comes the confidence, youre doing whats right, to protect your dog from fleas and ticks for a full month. And its the only chew, fda approved to prevent infections that cause lyme disease. Nexgard. What one little chew can do. Theyre out there. Thousands ofr allergensyes know in each cubic yard of air. No wonder you rub your eyes hundreds of times a day. But now, relief is just one drop away. Introducing pataday® full prescription strength pataday works right in your eyes. Right on the cells that make them itch. Fast. Just one drop, once a day means relief that lasts all day. So turn your day, into a pataday. Now get pataday without a prescription. Everywhere. [mother giving birth] from the firstloving touch. Everything that touches your baby should be this comforting. Thats why pampers, the 1 pediatrician recommended brand, wraps your baby in breathable softness to help keep their skin dry healthy. So every touch is as comforting as the first. Pampers. The 1 pediatrician recommended brand. So to breathe better, i started oncedaily anoro. Copd tries to say, go this way. I say, ill go my own way, with anoro. Oncedaily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators that Work Together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. Do not use anoro if you have asthma. Anoro wont replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma. Prostate, bladder or urinary problems. These may worsen with anoro. Call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain. Mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes or eye pain, while taking anoro. The most common side effects are sore throat, diarrhea, and pain in the arms and legs. Ask your doctor about oncedaily anoro to start treating your copd. Were here for you during this challenging timeand always. Find support at anoro. Com. Reporter rick gagnon was in a world of pain. Locked up in the county jail facing two murder charges. He shared his woes with another guy in a jumpsuit, two inmates power walking together around the yard. We would walk around the the the pod, do laps. Reporter the jail yard buddy was named Robert Mullins, a petty crook who seemed strangely interested in ricks troubles. Reporter did he want to talk to you about the case . Was he grilling you . Yeah, all the time. All the time. Reporter but then, it seemed everyone in this part of South Carolina wanted to know more about the case and its two beloved victims. It took three years, but in 2008 the state was ready to try rick gagnon for the murders of charlie and diane parker. A camera was rolling as prosecutor Fran Humphries began his case. So this is purely motive evidence which establishes a motive for Richard Gagnon to end the lives of these two people. Reporter as humphries recalls, the case against rick was always motivation strong, evidence weak. Not much more than a drop of Charlie Parkers blood on a shoe when i came right down to it. Even so, humphries told the court the blood put rick at the murder scene. Reporter but he had a story for it, didnt he . He did. It didnt it didnt hold water. But it he had a story about it. Reporter humphries recited ricks version of how blood got on his shoe. He had gone into the parker house to get a set of car keys, sometime after crime scene techs had finished up. He looked to his right, which was the window leading in to the bathroom where big charlie had died and noticed the blood. Reporter rick said he worried bambi, pacing outside, might look in the window and freak out all over again. He went in and stepped through the bathroom and closed the blind. Reporter and whoops, i stepped in the blood. Thats his story though, right . Yeah. Yeah. Reporter but it didnt hold up . No, because it was already they were already closed. Reporter that was the gotcha. This crime scene photo, said the prosecutor, was taken hours before rick supposedly stepped inside that house. Notice the bathroom blinds are drawn. Humphries argued that rick could not have closed the blinds because they were already shut. The prosecutor said the defendant was lying, though he believed rick had told the truth about the murders to at least one other person. The states star witness, Robert Mullins. Reporter the witness i call the jailhouse snitch and you probably call a jailhouse informant. Oh, hes a snitch. No question about that. At the end of the day, what we learned from Robert Mullins is that hes been given a fairly detailed account by gagnon of what occurred that evening and what the crime scene looked like. In fact, he said mullins was the first to tell police this piece of bombshell news, gagnon had mentioned an accomplice in the killings. The only way you can have that information is from someone who was on the crime scene and participated in the crime. Reporter and then the prosecutor tried to spin an inconvenient fact in his favor. Those mystery blood drops found at the murder scene had been tested. The dna was not a match to rick but to an unidentified male. That said the prosecutor actually supported what mullins said, that rick had an accomplice. Humphries believed the evidence was enough to put the defendant away. He only wished he could make the same case against ricks old girlfriend. Reporter what about bambi . I mean, she wasnt being tried in this courtroom. No. I think its a travesty. Reporter her fingerprints are on this . All over it. Figuratively. Reporter and thats just how he laid it out in his closing. He told the jury this was a story about a spoiled woman, Bambi Bennett, whod manipulated her boyfriend rick gagnon into doing her murderous dirty work. Get back the deed, get her mother off her back. He had heard from bambi how, you know, her parents were not fair to her, that they have her land. My parents are horrible people and theyre taking advantage of me. Reporter to make things right, argued the prosecutor, the dutiful boyfriend and his right hand man entered the house and hunted down bambis parents in their nightclothes. The jury had just heard a drama of southern gothic proportions, dripping with family greed and hatred. Now it was time for an entirely different story. None of the puzzle pieces fit. Reporter ricks defense team, including attorney barbara pratt, told the court that the states case was heavy on fiction, light on facts. They had a puzzle. They had neat little pieces, but the pieces werent exactly right. Reporter the state was so desperate to prove its case, she said, it clung to the word of a jailhouse snitch and career criminal. The fellow is there to cut himself a deal and get himself some assistance, i guess, in his own case is not likely to be credible. Reporter not only was the snitch not to be believed, the defense told the jurors, but the state was also trying to confuse them about the mystery blood found at the crime scene. The bottom line, said pratt, the dna from that blood cleared their client of the murders. The dna didnt match and we knew it was not going to match rick. Reporter and they knew that, she said, because rick had an alibi for the night of the murders. Hed been asleep in myrtle beach with bambi. The way pratt saw it, the most challenging part of the case was the blood on ricks shoe. To explain how it got there, rick took the stand. He pointed out that on the morning the bodies were discovered police had examined him thoroughly and found nothing. If there was blood on my shoes that morning, id have been arrested right then and there. There was no blood on my shoes that morning. Reporter that came later, he said, when he stepped into the blood soaked bathroom. Despite that police photo, he insisted the Window Blinds were open. Hed worried simply that bambi might see the horror inside. And i shut the blind. I didnt think she needed to see that. Reporter he testified the blood got on his shoe at that moment, not before. Did you go into the house and kill big charlie and diane at the instigation of bambi . Were you two absolutely not. Reporter in a conspiracy to kill those people . No, sir. Reporter so who did kill the couple . We dont know, said the defense, but it wasnt rick gagnon. With that, the jurors filed out to deliberate. Rick waited with his attorneys. And the woman many felt to be at the heart of it all held her breath. Coming up, the jury renders its verdict. I didnt know what to think. But this isnt the end of the case because finally investigators learn who left those mystery blood drops at the crime scene. You said they identified the killer. Happen every day. People are surprising themselves the moment they realize they can du more with less asthma. Thanks to dupixent, the addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. Dupixent isnt for sudden breathing problems. It can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. Its not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. Dont use if allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor right away about signs of inflamed blood vessels, such as rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection and before stopping any asthma medicines, including oral steroids. Du more with less asthma. Talk to your doctor about dupixent. And beverages that are very acidic. It can soften the enamel. Pronamel repair, what its doing is driving more minerals deep into the enamel surface, thats going to help actively repair. Pronamel is taking it to another level. But when allergies and congestion strike, take allegrad. A nondrowsy antihistamine plus a powerful decongestant. So you can always say yes to putting your true colors on display. Say yes to allegrad. Welcome back. The jury was about to decide ricks fate, but the verdict would not be the end to this twisted tale. Could the resolution to this case finally put a bitter family feud to rest . Heres Dennis Murphy with the final chapter of the deed. E final chapter of the deed. Reporter jurors in rick gagnons murder case deliberated for only a few hours. When they filed back into the courtroom, he read their faces and knew. Theyd found him guilty. Two counts of murder. Received two life sentences. Reporter thats called a pine box sentence. Pretty much. Reporter youre going to get out of the system in a pine box when youre dead. Yeah. Reporter Bambi Bennett said she didnt want to be in court for the verdict. Her attorney, jim irvin, called her with the news. Here i am thinking, oh my gosh, could he have done this . And then im going in the back of my head, theres no way he could have did this. Reporter rick felt as though hed been sandbagged. I believed if god saw fit to have me go home, id go home. Reporter and that, thought rick, was about all he had left. Faith in god and a good appellate lawyer. In this case, bob dudek. In my 22 or 23 years of being an Appellate Defense attorney, rick gagnon was only one of about two or possibly three people that i genuinely believed was innocent. Reporter that certainty would mean exactly nothing to an appeals judge, unless bob and rick could come up with new evidence. Then in 2009, a year after his verdict, rick had an encounter in prison with yet another inmate. And was all, like, excited about something. Reporter authorities in tennessee, the prisoner told rick, had just arrested someone for a Home Invasion there. He told me. He said they identified the killer. Reporter that mans name was bruce hill. When tennessee authorities ran his dna through the database, they had a match to the mystery blood found at the parker crime scene. In 2011, a jury convicted hill of the murders of big charlie and diane. His motive for the crime was never firmly established. Reporter whos bruce hill . Did you know that name . No. Reporter did you ever see him at the farm property on job sites . No, never. Reporter but ricks lawyer needed proof that there was no connection between the two men, so he paid hill a visit. Bruce hills shown a picture of rick gagnon and and his words were, yeah, ive ive never seen that cracker, mother [ bleep ] before. Bruce hill had been unambiguous and was very blunt that he did not know rick gagnon. Reporter all hill had to do now was admit that in open court and gagnon might go free. Hill flatly refused. Once again, rick was out of luck, but not hope. It was the first piece of good news id had in a long time, you know . I was excited to see what god was getting ready to do. Reporter and there were developments . Yes, sir. Reporter namely, the arrival of a new inmate. And i was in the chapel at the time. It was my job assignment. And he was brought into the chapel. Reporter one day the man opened up and stunned rick. He said hed known a guy in jail named, wait for it, Robert Mullins, the very same whod testified against rick. The man then said that mullins had shared a secret. He had lied about ricks involvement in the murders. I mean, i already knew it, you know . But to hear somebody else say it, you know. Reporter that mullins had lied . Yeah. Yes, sir. Reporter was kind of proud of what he was able to do . Yeah. Reporter now this snitchonsnitch story had the appeals judges attention. The judge had to make a determination that the result of the trial would probably have been different. Reporter because mullins story was that important in getting the conviction . Right. Reporter the judge vacated ricks conviction, saying the new county solicitor, the one who had replaced humphries, could refile charges if he wanted. The solicitor said he did not. So in 2013, after eight years inside, rick gagnon walked out of prison. Hes settled on the carolina coast now, married with children. Just the smell of the ocean, you know . Its like freedom. It was a terrible thing that, you know, i went to prison for something i didnt do. Its changed my life. Reporter his old girlfriend believes her life was upended too. Bambi says shes cut ties with most of the people she grew up with. The tobacco fields she still owns are pretty much her only connection to the place. I didnt want to be there anymore. That was my home. But my home that i had known just falsely accused me and destroyed every destroyed me. Reporter but there is something shed like from the people of horry county, South Carolina. Reporter do you want an apology . Would that go anywhere for you . I do want an apology. No, it doesnt change what they did. And its not going to fix what they took away. Reporter shed like nothing more than an apology from you for the heartache youve caused her. Yeah, shes not getting that. No, shes entitled to something from me. But an apology is not it. Reporter what should she expect . I would have liked for her to have received justice in the case. Reporter meaning, he would have liked her charged, tried and convicted. And i would have liked to been an agent of that justice. Reporter all but forgotten amidst all the finger pointing are bambis sons, cody and nathan, reeling from hating their mom to now believing completely in her innocence. I dont think she had anything to do with it. Reporter as a testament to that change of heart, theyve joined their mom in the place she now calls home, florida. For the first time in a long while, they feel like family. It just took a while before you really were able to trust her with all your feelings and really tell her you loved her and hugged her and mean it, every bit of it. Reporter you can be her sons again . Right. Definitely. Reporter for that, at least, bambi is grateful. For the future, shes hopeful, even if every once in awhile she looks back in anger. I lost my mom and dad. My children lost their grandparents. Our family still has no answers. Theyre still saying the case isnt completely solved. Maybe if they took their time in the beginning we wouldnt be in this predicament today. Reporter maybe there are no more answers, no reason to keep digging up the past. Just leave it rooted right where it is and let the spanish moss grow. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im craig melvin. Thank you for watching. Aig melvn thank you for watching im craig melvin. Im natalie morales. And this is dateline. He said he couldnt handle talking about it. I was angry at him. If youre not going to tell me what happened, then youre going to dance around the issue and tell three different stories, what are you hiding . It started as a teen romance. Two of my girlfriends are like, theres this guy, and you need to meet him. I was in love, yes. It ended in one of the strangest love stories youll ever hear. I felt like i got hit by a bus. Right before their wedding,