He went under, and when he came up, he said he no longer saw his wife. He was just hysterical. They were never able to find her. It was a heartwrenching story. So why then were so many people so suspicious . No one knows exactly what happened on that boat. An accident . A disappearance . You thought, what . She faked her death . Or maybe a murder . Theres no way. Absolutely no way. I felt like the police were just trying to frame an innocent man. Now, she would be the one to unravel it all. I thought, i could do this. In a dangerous undercover operation. Tell them everything. What . My heartbeat was going so fast. I said, you need to tell me the truth. Welcome to dateline. They were a good looking couple with an expanding family and a booming business. But when he whisked her away on a birthday boat cruise, disaster struck and pegye was gone. Was it an accident or something more . Heres josh mankiewwicz with troubled waters. If you crave money or fame, or if you want to meet beautiful people, maybe even become one of them, you will find your way to southern california. Its where everything is possible, or seems to be. This is the story of two women, drawn for Different Reasons to the sun, to the bright lights, to the blue water. Both chased that promise of success. Both saw what can go wrong. It was a gorgeous summer day in Newport Beach, california, the last of fourth of july weekend. Some lucky tourists aboard an eight passenger boat called the Greene Machine were marveling at a school of dolphins playing in the water when they came across the unexpected. Weve got a loose boat out here about five miles out of Newport Beach. Reporter the captain radioed the coast guard that a small speedboat was circling, out of control. In the water nearby was a man holding on to a body board. I have a husband, apparently fell off the boat and the wife apparently fell off the boat. Reporter the man in the water was frantic. Copy. And does he still look like hes pretty distraught . Over. Absolutely, very. Reporter his name was eric bechler. His wife was pegye. But she was nowhere to be found. What is he doing at this time . Hes just kind of yelling out, just laying on his boogie board and yelling out. Roger. Can you make out any words that he is yelling out . Over. No, hes kind of slurring his words. Itll be anytime now a unit should be on scene. Reporter it was a stunning end to what began as a perfect day. This Newport Beach couple was celebrating their wedding anniversary and pegye just turning 38. It was her birthday, you know, so she was in good spirits. Reporter Glenda Slosser was one of the friends theyd invited to a big party a couple of days earlier. Shes talkin about how much she loves eric, how great life is. Reporter and maybe life was great, because pegye had it all. Her story begins in a small town, dexter, new mexico. This is where pegye made her entrance. Ive often said that she was born winking at the doctor and swingin on the chandelier. Reporter pegye was june and Glen Marshalls fourth child. And, june says, pegye was going places from the very day she was born. She was never still. Reporter she danced, sang, played sports and, it seemed nothing could hold her back. She had scoliosis as a kid. Young pegye had to wear a brace around the clock. Thats a terrible burden for a young kid like that to bear. But it also kind of ended up motivating her, didnt it . It really did. Reporter peyges doctor talked with her about a career in physical therapy. She volunteered and loved it. And she made up her mind right then that she wanted to be a physical therapist. And she wanted to move to california and be a beautiful blonde. And so she did. Reporter so pegye left the small town of dexter for sunny california. And settled in Newport Beach. Thats where she met glenda, who was also from new mexico and they immediately hit it off. Pegye was probably one of the most gregarious people that ive ever met. She was happy and she was always smiling. Reporter and, says glenda, pegye was driven to establish herself as a successful physical therapist. She had almost everything she wanted. She did wanna find a guy. And the clock was tickin a little bit. It was. And then one day on the beach, you found somebody for her. We did. So one afternoon on on a weekend, pegye called me and said, what are you doin . And i said, well, im gonna go down and watch dave play some volleyball on the beach. Reporter dave was glendas husband. I asked pegye if she wanted to come down with me and she said absolutely. She immediately spotted eric and said, whos that . Reporter eric bechler, then in his early 20s, was a walking commercial for the california beach life. Im going to guess when she notices a guy playing Beach Volleyball, hes good looking and in great shape. Indeed he was. And handsome. Reporter and he was available. He was also eight years younger. Was that a problem for either one of them . It was not a problem for either one of them. Pegye, you know, she when she sets her sight on something, shes going to make it happen. And it developed really quickly, really, really, quickly. Reporter within a year they were married. Within four years they had three beautiful kids. Pegye and eric went into business together. She opened up her own physical therapy business and eric, a computer whiz, managed the technical side of their venture which quickly became very profitable. Her business was doin good. And she was happily married. Reporter and the happy couple was also happily spending a lot of money. On a german sports car, italian clothing and a spectacular bluffside home in Newport Beach. They were the little dream story. Beautiful girl, goodlooking guy, drive nice cars, beautiful children. Reporter until that summer day in 1997, when the unimaginable happened. Male, kind of distraught, said that his wife fell overboard. Reporter it was a boating accident, said eric, and the coast guard agreed. Something they see all too often. But soon, secrets emerged that would make some people wonder what really happened to Pegye Bechler . Where was pegye . And what had gone wrong on that boat . Coming up, there would be a sea of questions to come. You thought, what, pegye faked her death . When dateline continues. Nds 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. The wind in your hair. The feeling of freedom that drives us to go out and discover. At chevy, were committed to getting you there with confidence and peace of mind. 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Reporter eric told june that pegye was driving the boat. Towing him on a body board when all of a sudden a wave wiped him out. When he came up from under the water, he said, he could no longer see pegye inside the boat. We thought they should be finding her because we really just thought she would swim out of it. Reporter you see, pegye was quite at home in the water. Growing up, it was the only time she didnt have to wear that back brace. And she became a very accomplished swimmer. She wouldnt panic. She would swim because she loved the water. Reporter the next morning june and Glen Marshall were on the first flight out to california. Pegye had been missing almost 24 hours. Of course, that ocean is just bigger, bigger, bigger than you think about if youre in new mexico. Reporter pegyes friend glenda tried to stay optimistic. Absolutely thought theyd find her. Maybe alive. Uhhuh. I did because she was a fabulous swimmer. Reporter glenda went to the bechler house to see eric. How did he look . Hysterical, a little bit. You know, hed been crying and, you know, his face is red and, you know, all of those things. He looked upset, as you should be, one would expect. The best. The best person. Reporter this video from local news shows a devastated eric. It was now day two of the search for pegye. Still nothing. The next day, the coast guard interviewed eric. Were just going to do an inquiry into the boating accident. Ok . Ok. Reporter eric bechler could barely speak. What did you take with you on the boat . We had a couple bags and a cooler. We wanted to see catalina, but it was so hazy. I told pegye that it was, you know, it was too hazy, we shouldnt go too far out. Reporter eric told the coast guard he tried to body board on their way out and said there was a pretty good swell in the ocean. Was it as high as the side of the boat . Probably. It was, you know, big enough to notice. Reporter eric said they stopped out here on the water to enjoy some margaritas pegye had made. And then later in the day they decided to try the body board again, this time on their way back to the harbor. Pegye was driving. Eric was being pulled on the board. Well, i mean theres a wave and all of a sudden it got real big, and of a sudden it just jerked out of my hand. Oh, ok. You know, i just couldnt hold on. So i came up. I thought pegye would be right there. She wasnt. The boat was just going in circles, and i couldnt see her. I could just see that pegye wasnt standing there on the wheel. And the boat kept going farther and farther away. And i couldnt see any other boat. I was screaming and looking around. It was my fault. If only i could see her right now. Reporter and so Pegye Bechler was simply gone. Maybe even within sight of the same beach that had spawned her marriage. Eric seemed devastated fearing his wife and Business Partner was dead,but erics mother, linda, saw things quite differently. I was sure that they would find her, that it would all turn out well. Reporter not just because pegye was a strong swimmer. Everyone knew that. Linda knew more. A secret about her daughterinlaw. Reporter and you thought, what . Pegye faked her death . Or disappeared deliberately . Uhhuh. Coming up, pegyes secret. What was it . She stopped me on the stairway and said, i have to talk to you. When dateline continues. You doing okay . Yeah. This moving thing never gets any easier. Well, xfinity makes moving super easy. I can transfer my internet and tv service in about a minute. Wow, that is easy. Almost as easy as having those guys help you move. We are those guys. Thats you . The truck adds 10 pounds. In the arms. Okay. Transfer your Service Online in a few easy steps. Now thats simple, easy, awesome. Transfer your service in minutes, making moving with xfinity a breeze. Visit xfinity. Com moving today. Reporter a brilliant Pacific Ocean sunset closed out day three of the search for Pegye Bechler. And even though pegyes family and friends tried to remain hopeful, reality was slowly starting to set in. And it was painful. At this point, you didnt think she was alive anymore . I kept thinking that she was. But how could she, you know, that length of time . Reporter unless, of course, what appeared to be an accident was not. The coast guard conducted a reenactment at sea to try to understand how pegye could have fallen off the boat. And they couldnt do it. They said it just it doesnt appear to be feasible to them, given the sea conditions. Reporter thats when the coast guard called the Orange County sheriffs office. Detective sean murphy was put on the case. They werent able to duplicate even close to what was alleged by eric bechler, that his wife was tossed off by a rogue wave. Reporter if pegyes disappearance was no accident, murphys job was to find out what did happen. Detectives started by reinterviewing eric and asking him about his relationship with pegye. He said his marriage was good. There was no problems with it. You didnt take his word for it . No. In our game, we dont take anyones word for anything. We look into it. And thats what we did. Reporter they met with the improbablynamed kobi laker, erics best friend. And kobi backed up eric. They had a terrific marriage. And there was no problems whatsoever. Reporter but if the marriage seemed solid, there were questions about pegye, at least according to linda bechler, erics mother. Linda says pegye told her something in confidence just before she disappeared. She stopped me on the stairway as i was leaving. And said, i have to talk to you. She said, im afraid im going to jail. Reporter according to court documents, about a year before pegye disappeared, the couple sold their physical therapy business to another company, but they stayed on as employees. Then, just four months before pegye vanished, the bechlers were fired. Amid allegations they had overbilled medicare for more than a million dollars. So when linda heard pegye had vanished i started thinking about how disturbed she was about going to jail. Reporter and she wondered if pegye had somehow staged her own disappearance. Pegyes friend glenda said no way. Was peggy bechler capable of committing White Collar Crime . Medicare overbilling . In my opinion, no. But if youre wrong about that uhhuh. Then maybe the idea that she faked her death to escape possible prosecution for that, maybe thats a little bit more plausible. But White Collar Crime and faking your death and leaving your children and your family are two really separate issues. Reporter glenda said pegye adored her children and would never abandon them. I will say that people who have never been in the inside of a courtroom or the inside of a jail cell uhhuh. Sometimes do pretty crazy things when they realize that might happen to them. I believe that, but not pegye. Reporter glenda did tell the detectives that pegye and eric were having some issues, like how pegye was busy with work and kids while eric seemed occupied on the volleyball court. She just confided in me that they were having some financial troubles because, you know, they had a pretty high lifestyle to keep up with. Reporter glenda said eric and pegye seemed determined to work everything out. But now pegye was gone, eric was a single dad with three kids under the age of four. And a new player was about to enter the story. You were drawn to eric right away . Yes. Reporter like countless young women before her, tina new had dropdead looks and hollywood dreams. Shed done some bikini modeling and had a small part on the tv show baywatch nights. I just saw, he went down right there. Reporter but that turned out to be the peak of her career. Soon tina found herself slipping into the darker side of showbiz. She started doing drugs and lost custody of her two Young Children because of it and fell for a succession of guys who did not treat her kindly. I mean, i had an exboyfriend put a gun to my head, play russian roulette between me and him. I was held over the balcony by my neck. Reporter tina, who was broke and near rock bottom, was desperate. I got down on my knees, literally begging. And i said, ill do whatever you want, lord. Just help me. I cant do this anymore. I need you to show me a sign. And the universe sent you eric bechler. And the next day i meet him. And then all my problems are gone. Reporter she had taken a modeling gig, eye candy at a trade show. Eric was there promoting his new business. It was three months to the day since pegye had disappeared. I just thought he was really handsome. So there was some serious chemistry from the beginning. Yes. We went out that night actually. He asked me out that night. And then i moved in the next day. Really fast. You dont wait, do you . No. Not then. Reporter eric lived in a giant house and drove a porsche. And he was a gentleman in her life after a long string of men who were not gentle. Id never been spoiled like that. I remember thinking i was, like, Julia Roberts in pretty woman. Reporter tina was moved by erics story. He said to me that his wife died in a tragic boat accident. And that they were never able to find her. Reporter she couldnt help noticing how great he was with his kids. He would sit on the floor and play with em. And i actually thought he was a great dad. Reporter and she was eager to help, taking care of the kids while eric went, as usual, to the beach to play volleyball. I thought they lost their mom, they need someone to step in and and not be their mom, but do things their mom would do for them. Reporter but when they took the kids to visit pegyes parents there was a lot of animosity towards me. And i understood why. All they saw was this hot young woman whod been brought in to replace their missing daughter. Right. Right. And exactly three months to the day. I cant even imagine what they were thinking. Reporter pegyes family wasnt alone. Detective sean murphy had also noticed the new woman in eric bechlers life. She was just a hot number, as they say. And she was cohabitating with him right after this horrible boating accident with his wife. Reporter so murphy arranged to bump into tina. And said, hey, if you have any information about this boating accident involving eric, your boyfriend, just give us a call. Reporter nothing came of it. Tina didnt call. But someone else did. Reporter coming up the best friend has second thoughts and goes under cover. I protected you. I basically made you look like a saint. When dateline continues. Every day and theyre able to recommend new sensodyne sensitivity gum. Its really good dentistry to be able to recommend one product that can address two conditions. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. Im dara brown. Nearly 100,000 people have died from covid19 in the united states. Over 1. 6 million confirmed cases of the virus. Despite these numbers every state in the country has at least partially reopened. Officials aim to lift lockdown in Los Angeles County by july 4th as they say its ready to begin economic recovery. Businesses required to submit safety proposals to protect customers and workers. Now back to dateline. Welcome back, im craig melvin. With a new livein girlfriend, eric bechler seemed to be recovering quickly. Didnt sit well with the family. But his best friend. Lets return to troubled waters. Reporter to detective sean murphy, it sounded more than suspicious. Eric bechler taking up with a gorgeous redhead just three months after his wife was lost at sea. But murphy didnt have much more than a gnawing in his gut until his phone rang. We got a call from kobis lawyer said he wanted to arrange an interview again with kobi. Reporter kobi laker, erics best friend and volleyball buddy, hed told sheriffs detectives the bechler marriage was great. Now he had a different story. Erics told me on several occasions that he was sick and tired of his wife. He would tell me that he just couldnt take it anymore. He was tired of it. Reporter about seven months before pegye vanished, kobi says he and eric had a conversation that kobi describes as haunting him ever since. Eric asked me about what he thought what i thought of the idea of him killing his wife. And i was pretty shocked and i didnt know what to say. He told me subsequently that he was thinking of taking her out to the ocean and dumping her into a barrel. He said that when he saw that there was a boating accident and erics wife was missing, he knew right then and there, he saw it on tv, he knew that hed killed his wife. And he lied to us, he said, because he panicked. And he was afraid. And he didnt know what to do. Reporter detectives convinced kobi to wear a wire and to meet eric at a restaurant in Orange County. Eric had no idea that police were listening in. Even so, he stuck to his story that pegyes death was a terrible accident. I was there i know what happened, and i its so hard for me to understand you know that there could be another people could think anything else. You never said, hey look man, i dont know what the you guys are talking about, but im innocent. You never said anything about anything. I have so. Do i have to say it every week . Kobi tried again. I protected you. I basically made you look like a saint in the interview i had with the detectives. I am. Reporter a dead end. But detectives were now convinced that eric killed his wife. Even though it didnt lead to anything, that conversation with kobi, that got you from suspicion to knowing . Yeah, it moved it all the way over. So we knew we had a homicide. Reporter but knowing it and proving it were two very different things. You didnt get to process that boat as a crime scene for, like, almost a week. Right. Right. So that that wasnt good. That hindered the investigation. Reporter the boat, said detective murphy, was pretty clean. Crime scene did find blood, just one drop, under one of the cushions. But not enough to determine whether it was human blood. It could have come from a fish. Not enough evidence to arrest eric for murder or even prove that a murder occurred. Pegyes close friend glenda didnt believe eric was a killer. Theres no way that eric would have done that. You know, i mean theres just absolutely no way. It was unfathomable to me. Reporter tina new felt the same way. I felt like the police were just trying to to frame an innocent man. I thought theres no way. The way he treats me theres no way he could have hurt his wife. Reporter tina also noticed that eric kept photos of pegye in every room of the house. She could not imagine that a man who had killed his wife would want to see her face everywhere. Eric was really the answer to all your problems for a while, wasnt he . Yeah, he was. So you werent too anxious to question him. No. I believed him. Reporter and after about six months he says, will you marry me . Yes. And you say . I said yes. You dont say no a lot. Yeah, i i mean, he treated me so good. Reporter she also admits she knew eric was due to collect more than 2 million in insurance money once he was cleared in his wifes disappearance. And everything would work out. Everything would work out, yeah. Well, you were wrong. I was definitely wrong. Reporter theyd been a couple for two years. Still not married but living together off and on. One night, tina was showing eric some of her old modeling shots and tv appearances. Well, we were looking at my pictures, but then i put the videotape in. And yeah, were im fastforwarding it. And it just stops. Reporter purely by chance, tina accidentally recorded a news report about pegyes disappearance. The whole screen was just a picture of her face. And i said, oh my gosh, what is this . Reporter then, she turned to eric. And i looked at him his face turned white. Like, he literally lost the color in his face. And he said to me, how did you get that . And i said, i dont know. Reporter his reaction troubled her, but she hit play and it just got worse. The news report did not match the story eric had told her about pegyes disappearnce. And he told me there was three to four foot waves. It was really choppy out there. Reporter but on the report they said on the day pegye went missing, there were only two foot waves and the weather was described as ideal. He lied. He lied all this time to me. You know, and he was just really quiet. Hes sitting right next to you. Sitting right next to me. How does eric look at that point . Flushed and stressed. I yelled at him and said, why is this different than what you told me . And he just, like, got really quiet. Reporter then, she says eric bechler told her a new version of what happened when pegye fell off the boat. He thinks she he hit a wake and she fell off. And he said, and i didnt get to her. And i said, you didnt get to her or you didnt want to get to her . And he said at first he said he told me that he didnt get to her. Then later he changed it and said, i i couldve helped her but i didnt. Now thats completely different from what he told police. Right. Reporter chilling as that sounded, tina feared it still wasnt the whole story. She was determined to get the rest. But like a career in showbiz, you have to be careful what you wish for. Coming up. Im not afraid of you. Nobody knows anything but you from model and actress to undercover agent. A secret operation to learn the truth. This is where it gets really scary. When dateline continues. Later in life. From an infection human papillomavirus. I knew how widespread hpv is. And while hpv clears for most, that might not be the case for her. I knew there was a vaccine available that could help protect her before she could be exposed to hpv. I knew. So i talked to my childs doctor. Now that you know that hpv can lead to certain cancers, dont wait. Talk to your childs doctor today. That hpv can lead to certain cancers, dont wait. How do you thrive while inside . Activia is here with billions of probiotics to support your gut health. And help you thrive while you stay inside. Activia. Thrive while inside. 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Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis, the number one cardiologistprescribed blood thinner. Ask your doctor if eliquis is whats next for you. Reporter tina new thought shed found happiness with eric bechler. Until he changed his story about what happened the day his wife disappeared in the ocean. You didnt think about going to police. No. Not yet. I just felt like he wasnt telling me the truth all the way. And i was really afraid because he was always with me. Reporter afraid. Yet they continued to see each other, sleep together and party together. About two weeks after eric changed his story, he and tina went to a club and took the drug ecstasy. We get home, we walk inside the house, and were just both laying on the bed, staring straight up at the ceiling together. All of a sudden as we were talking it just came to me, and i said to him, i said, oh my god, you hit her over the head. And he goes, how did you know that . Reporter the fact is, she hadnt known. Call it intuition. Or the effects of the drug. Or a random guess. But it was an opening. And tina barreled through. I said, you need to tell me the truth. Hes calmly talking to me and he says, i im going to tell you the truth. He goes, we had this huge party, so everybody could see how happy we were together. Reporter all their friends were there. Witnesses to the happy marriage. Then a couple of days later she says eric told her he took pegye out to sea on that rented boat. And although pegye didnt know it, he took along some weights. And he goes, then i walked up behind her. And he goes, tina, i hit her so hard she didnt feel a thing. And im just like, what do you mean you hit her so hard . And he goes, i hit her over the head with the weight. Reporter she said he told her there was blood everywhere. Then, tina says eric bechler told her how he got rid of his wife. He did some knot that he knows, and he he did her wrists and her ankles together so she was completely bent in half. He said he took the two trash bags that he had and put her body in it, and then he said he put the weights and tied it down to the rope and threw her in. Reporter two years after pegye vanished. A stunning confession. And then do you go to sleep next to a man that you believe is a killer. No. And no, actually then we have sex. And i felt like i had to do it because i think that made him feel like i was going to be quiet, and you know, that he was, i dont know, sealing the deal with me or something. Reporter but the deal was not sealed. The case was still open and detectives had been keeping an eye on eric and tina all along. They knew the relationship was growing volatile. We were excited about in a morbid kind of way, because we knew it was going to go sideways. Because when relationships go sideways, sometimes people Start Talking . Thats right. Reporter and thats what happened two weeks after erics apparent confession. A neighbor called 911 after hearing yelling coming from tinas apartment. When police arrived, eric was gone. But tina was angry. And she still had the Business Card detective murphy had given her almost two years earlier. I grabbed my partner. And we went out there in the middle of the night. And we met up with tina. Reporter she told detective murphy and his partner gary jones what eric had said. A big break, yes. But not nearly enough for an arrest. Remember, tina was pretty far from an ideal witness. Detectives knew theyd need more than her word against erics. So they asked tina. Will you be willing to wear a wire . And i said, yes, thats the only way youre going to get him. Why would you turn in a guy who had basically taken you from a terrible life and given you a great life . Because i couldnt live with myself. I mean, no way. Reporter police planted microphones in her car, in her purse, and on her body. And tina arranged a meeting. She told eric that after the Domestic Violence call, sheriffs homicide detectives came in to ask questions about eric. This dinner date tina told eric was to get their stories straight in case the cops questioned her again. Tina wired up picked up eric from his home and drove to a restaurant called el torito. Were you worried about this . Not really. I was more worried that i wasnt going to get him to confess it again. I have two stories in my head, i dont want to screw up at all. Okay, theres nothing. Theres no story to tell, you werent there, it was an accident. Lets go have some margaritas. Reporter once inside the restaurant, tina tried to get eric to repeat the details of pegyes death. Eric wouldnt go there. You dont need to worry about details, details are not important. Reporter so tina tried to get him to say why he did it. You could have just got a divorce, why would you go to that degree . I mean how do i know if you dont get so mad at me, and you wouldnt want to kill me . Tina, ive been way more mad at you than i ever was. I know so how could you do that . I dont know. Reporter its no confession but its not a denial either. Are you thinking to yourself at that point, thats it, i got him. I honestly thought that was good, but i still thought that wasnt enough. Eric you do know. So theres a reason was it because the money or is it just for reporter remember, pegye had a Life Insurance policy worth more than 2 million. Its partly money, partly about the kids. Reporter again, she tried to get him to give her a reason. What was it about the her that made you want to go to that extreme . I felt like i was backed in a corner like she was going to steal the kids away and id never see them again. Reporter and eric reassured tina. All i know is that i would never, ever do anything to harm anybody again. She she was good. She was really good. Reporter but the drama wasnt over. Tina left the restaurant with eric still wired up. And this is where it gets really scary. So were walking out to the car and he says to me, let me drive. Reporter that was not part of the plan. And we lose sight of them. Now, you know, in a movie this is where you hear the sound of gunshots. That would not have been good. Reporter in the car with eric now behind the wheel. Tina cranked up her acting skills and the tension. I cant live with the lie. Tell them just tell them i havent talked about it for over a year and half and you dont remember the details. You are making me lie and its not easy for me. Im not making you do anything you can turn me in if you want to. Turn you in for what . Turn me [bleep] in i dont care at this point. Turn me in for what . [ bleep ] tell them everything. What . Whatever you [ bleep ] want. Dont you talk to me that way. Reporter now tina tried to get eric out of the car. Pull my car over i will. Now. I dont trust you. Im afraid of you now. Im just, all im asking, you dont have to, nobody knows anything but you. You dont have to tell anybody anything. Reporter eric pulled over and got out. And tina hopped in the driver seat. If you guys can still hear me, meet me at my house thats where im going to be. Reporter just like that, tina new drove away from her old life. In the end you got enough . Oh, absolutely, yeah. You understand youre under arrest . Reporter eric was arrested and charged with pegyes murder. Well, what was it like to get the call that eric had been arrested . Well, i just trembled all over. I couldnt really couldnt really believe it. Reporter but two weeks after erics arrest made headlines, tina made some headlines of her own. That put the whole case in jeopardy. Coming up i did not commit this crime eric bechler on trial. And tinas credibility . Thats on trial too. Did you think anybody would believe you . No. Without that statement, they dont have anything that makes this a homicide. When dateline continues. N s 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. 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. 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Apoquel may increase the chance of developing serious infections and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or preexisting cancers to worsen. Do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. Most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. Feeling better . Im speechless. Thanks for the apoquel. Awww. Thats what friends are for. Ask your veterinarian for apoquel. Next to you, apoquel is a dogs best friend. Welcome back to dateline. When eric bechler confessed to his girlfriend that he had thrown his wife in the ocean, he condemned himself. But tina wavered, would she take the stand . Reporter Beach Volleyball is a kids game played by grownups. Murder for profit is played only by adults. And its for keeps. Prosecutors believed eric bechler was trying to be successful at both. Detectives had put him in jail. But then, two weeks after erics arrest, came this headline in the local paper. Witness in murder case doubts suspects guilt. Tina new, whod worn a wire and helped police nail eric, now said maybe he didnt kill pegye. I knew that the kids had lost their mom, and now theyre gonna probably lose their dad for a very long time. And so i felt guilty. Reporter guilty that shed helped jail a man she once thought shed marry. And i remember he called me from the jail and he told me that he had tried to hang himself with his sheets. It was erics frantic behavior from from the lockup, that was enough to make you think twice. I didnt want him to die. You felt guilty. I felt guilty. And you tried to roll the whole thing back. Yeah, i did. Reporter but, she says, she always believed he was guilty. And in the winter of 2000, eric bechler went on trial. The star witness, tina new. A witness who was, to be fair, compromised. Not just by her waffling about erics guilt and her own checkered past, but also by one detail in the story tina says eric told her, something defense attorney john barnett says is critical. Youd expect if pegyes head was caved in by 35 pound dumbbells, thered be blood. Quite a lot of it. Everywhere. And and there wasnt. Reporter on the stand, tina tried to defend herself. Im a horrible witness when it comes to looking at me on paper. Did you think anybody would believe you . No. You know, i knew that i told exactly what he had said to me and i knew that i was doing the right thing. And i honestly didnt care what anybody thought. Reporter then there was the conversation she had recorded at el torito. Erics own words. The jury heard all of them. Nobody knows anything but you barnett offered his own explanation. I argued that the reason he said it is to shut her up, to calm her down. In any event, the defense said eric never said on tape that he hit pegye. The only person who heard him say that was tina. A drug user. A woman with a fraud conviction on her record. Without that statement, they have a lot of circumstantial evidence and a lot of what ifs, but they dont have anything that makes this a homicide. Reporter the defense offered another theory about Pegye Bechler. She was under a great deal of pressure and could easily be distracted, and, in combination with alcohol which she rarely drank but she did on that day, could contribute to a lack of care in driving the boat. You dont think Pegye Bechler faked her death . You think shes dead . I dont think she faked her death. No, i do not think that. You think she died accidentally thats and her body still hasnt been found . Thats right. Reporter prosecutor debbie lloyd argued pegyes death was erics doing. He basically had 3. 5 million reasons to kill her. And thats about what he stood to gain if he had gotten away with it. Reporter and, said the prosecutor, the circumstantial evidence was compelling. Eric had a weight tree back at home that appeared to be incomplete. Investigators believed eric used the missing weights to kill pegye and then sink her body. And what about the blood . A luminol test conducted on the boat indicated there might have been a lot of blood in the boat, but that it was cleaned up, matching tinas testimony about blood everywhere. And of course, there was tina herself. Despite despite her past and her criminal record and her drug use, she rang true to you. Yes. Absolutely. Reporter who would the jury believe . And would tinas past make a difference . It doesnt matter what i did before or after i met him. You know, what i did with myself, has nothing to do with what he did. Reporter after seven days, the verdict. Guilty of first degree murder. Youre thrilled that the man who did it is behind bars, but nobody wins in this situation, nobody. The children now have no mother and no father. Reporter but the jury did not believe eric killed pegye for the money. He was found not guilty of murder for financial gain. At his sentencing, eric bechler addressed the judge, once again denying he killed pegye. The accident was a horrible tragedy that has befallen both of our families. As much as the marshalls are hurting, my family is also hurting because i did not commit this crime. Reporter the judge sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole. Erics mother, linda, thinks the verdict was wrong. Is it possible you dont know your son as well as you think you know him . Oh, bologna. I know that kid like the back of my hand. Look, i can understand a mother not wanting to believe her son committed a crime. Listen, if my kid was a druggie, doper, neerdowell, thief, rapist murderer . Well, yeah, but he isnt. He isnt. Reporter Pegye Bechlers body has never been found. You wanna know what happened. But you still dont wanna hear murder. But at least now you know. Thats still pretty hard to take. And even with all this information, we dont have a body. You all right . Yeah. You discover you were stronger than you thought you were . Oh yeah. Reporter pegyes mother and sister ended up raising her kids, and one more person who was stronger than she thought, tina new. Youre leading a different life these days. Completely different life now. Reporter she gave up drugs, married a nice guy and now shes a stay at home mom with five kids. A hollywood happy ending . No. Sometimes real life is better. Thats thats all for this e of dateline. Im craig melvin. Thanks for watching. Im craig melvin. And amy natalie morales. And this is dateline. He was definitely charismatic. He was the new kid in town. Superpopular. All about adventure. This kid was, like, awesome. He just jumped right into, like, the culture. Kind of liked to show off a little bit to the girls. They were the neighbors. Just down the block. A family in fear. They had had their vehicles broke into. She was scared. Someone had been sneaking