Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20200628

Reunited at last, they celebrated. Then, on the drive home there was a car there, stranded. Vince tells his wife that hes going to go check on him. I heard two, three popping sounds. He was lying there with what appeared to be several gunshot wounds to the head. Her husband, a father of five, dead. I want my mommy. And i want my kids. No one could understand it. The type of person that he was, i dont think he ever had an enemy. Or did he . He said, we are now in debt to bad people. We knew that there was another person that needed to be looked at. A winding investigation, leading deep into the dark. This sounds like a love triangle. I believe it was. Its horrific. Brutal. I was like, why . Are you kidding me . Hello and welcome to dateline. Growing up, vince goslyn didnt seem destined for the military, but thats where he found his footing. His career was thriving and he had built a beautiful family. Then one night the father of five was gunned down on a lonely road not far from his base. Did his decision to help someone in need cost him his life, or was he targeted . Here is Andrea Canning with evil was waiting. Reporter hopkinsville, kentucky, corn fields, picket fences, and patriotism. Just to the south is Fort Campbell, home to more than 13,000 Army Soldiers and their families. After facing danger all over the world, soldiers return to a collective sigh of relief. After all, bad things arent supposed to happen here. But when one young sergeant returned from a tour in afghanistan, he had no idea the enemy would be much closer to home. My husband got out to see if some guy needed help. Multiple gunshots to his face and head. He had only been back from fighting in the war for such a short period of time, it was tragic. My heart sunk. Reporter Sergeant Vincent goslyn jr. , a 28yearold father of five, had served in the army for seven years as a quartermaster and mechanic. Did vince ever express to you what it meant to him to serve his country . He absolutely loved it. Reporter tim hamilton is vinces cousin. But as he explains it, they were much more than that. Were you kind of like a big brother to vince . Yeah. With him, it was i dont know how we had a bond. He had an outgoing personality. He had a crazy little grin. You always knew when he was doing something mischievous. Reporter and tim recalls the mischief he and vince got into growing up in a small Michigan Town called cadillac. Wed go play in the creeks, go fishing. We actually built a raft out of old barrels that we threw in the water and tied sticks to it. And it never floated but sounds like huckleberry finn. Yeah. Reporter but vinces childhood story wasnt always so idyllic. Vinces mom left at 8 months old. So he was raised with his dad. I think his dad was married six times. And so that was a little tough on him. Reporter Janet Mattison considered herself vinces surrogate mom. She says growing up, he spent a lot of time at her house. Her son was vinces best friend. He was just like one of the other boys. He was he was always there. We they did everything together. It seems like you two had quite a connection. We did. You and vince. What was that all about . Um, i think a lot of it was i never judged him. Vince was you know, he was the purist tattoo kid, the the the droopy pants, the spiked hair, the, you know and i just treated him just like me and you. Reporter and then one day he came to her with some lifechanging news. Was he scared, finding out he was going to be a dad . He probably was scared. But he was afraid that i would be mad at him. And i wasnt mad at him. Reporter vince had two sons from two relationships by the time he was 18. But janet says he only ever saw them as blessings. How was vince as a dad . He was awesome. Hed change that diaper. Hed clean up that puke. You know, he he didnt care. His kids were his world. Reporter then, someone else entered his world, a hometown girl named jessie hull. Vince loved jessie unconditional. And you could see it. He was happy. He loved her. Reporter and janet says he started to settle down, moved in with jessies family, and quickly bonded with her dad, a vietnam vet. He was the one who suggested the military might be a good way for vince to get on the straight and narrow. So vince joined the army in 2005. He was 21 years old. This is a boy whos gone from baggy pants and spiky hair, to now hes going to have the military cut and the uniform . Uhhuh. I mean, thats thats, like, a 180 that is. For vince. That is a 180. Its what he needed. You must have been really proud of him for making that step. I was always proud of him. Im still proud of him. Reporter with vinces career heading in the right direction, he took another big step and popped the question. Jessie said yes. There was a connection between them two that they loved each other to death. You know, they would argue. And i think they actually just argued so they could make up. Well, some people say thats the best part. It is. Reporter after the wedding, kids soon followed for the happy couple, two girls and a boy. As a sergeant in the army vince spent a lot of time overseas, so it was up to jessie to handle the home front and take care of the kids on her own. Its not easy having a husband whos away. It takes someone special to be able to endure that and get through that. Reporter tim says somehow jessie and vince made it work. When wed see him and jessie and them as a family, they looked like a great family. Reporter by 2012, vince and jessie had been married for six years. Despite some bumps, tim thought life was good for vince and his family. But shortly after returning from afghanistan, vinces second tour there, tim got an unsettling call from him. The sound of his voice, it was, if something happens, i wanted you to know whats going on. But he wouldnt tell me anything. Reporter a few days later, on february 3rd, vince and jessie went out to dinner to celebrate his safe return at a place called ocharleys. They started driving home, back to the base, then turned off the main drag onto this dark and winding road, fidelio road. Where evil was waiting. I dont know where my husband is. Coming up a wifes harrowing tale i just stopped on the side of the road. My husband got out to see if some guy needed help. Soon after, another driver makes an alarming discovery. I stopped and i tried yellin at him to see if he was awake, alert, somethin. When dateline continues. To go out and discover. At chevy, were committed to getting you there with confidence and peace of mind. Thats why your chevy clean dealers commit to using enhanced vehicle cleaning measures with cdcapproved cleansers. If you need a new equinox, get 0 apr for 72 months or, four thousand five hundred dollars cash allowance on most models. 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Talk to your doctor about dupixent. Introducing the future of 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 more. Its an interactive, goal crushing, whole family, whole body fitness machine. Its so cool the future of fitness is at home. The mirror. Frantic call came in to 911. Reporter it was a moonless, february night in hopkinsville, kentucky, around 8 00 pm, when a frantic call came in to 911. Yes, um, i just stopped on the side of the road. My husband got out to see if some guy needed help. Reporter Jessie Goslyn told the operator that her husband, Sergeant Vincent goslyn, had been shot when he tried to help a motorist stranded on the side of the road. Jessie was hysterical. Listen to me. Listen, listen, listen. I cant understand a word youre saying. Youre going to have to calm down and talk to me. Reporter as she tried to calm down, jessie told the operator after being shot, vince came back to their car but was unable to get in because a man was pulling him back. My husband tried getting in the vehicle. He couldnt get in the vehicle. He screamed for me to go. Reporter jessie says she drove away from the scene as her husband had instructed. I dont know where he is right now. Reporter minutes later, another 911 call came in. Theres a guy thats been killed. Hes dead down the road from my house. Reporter this is the man who made the call. Walter ferguson said he was getting ready to visit his cousin when he heard the gunshots. Living around here, we hear a lot of gunshots. So i didnt think nothing of it. I got in my truck, started to come down the road. And as soon as i crest the hill, i saw the trucks lights came on, and he just bolted off. Reporter so what did you do when you when you saw this truck . Well, i mean, i i went and turned around, and as i came back around, i made sure my high beams were on and i ended up seeing his body. Reporter there on the side of the road, walter spotted a man lying facedown in the dirt. So i stopped, and i tried yelling at him and talking to him to see if he was awake, alert, something. And i started lookin for my phone and i didnt have it on me, so i had to end up zoomin back to the house to call 911. Reporter Christian County detective ed stokes raced to the scene. We were just notified that there had been a shooting on fidelio road and one male possibly deceased. Reporter tell us what you see when you arrived here at the scene. The first thing i noticed was sergeant goslyns body laying here in the gravel with a large amount of blood around the body. Reporter could you tell if he had been shot . We found what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the head and the shell casings laying near the body inside the crime scene backed up the thought that he was shot. Reporter you say he was shot in the head correct. Reporter and the face . Correct. Reporter was this personal . Its personal to me because that person that shot him nine times wanted him dead. Reporter while detective stokes worked the crime scene, about a quarter of a mile down the road, deputies were talking to jessie. She was hysterical, crying, almost sometimes where you couldnt even understand what she was saying. Reporter theres jessie on her knees, collapsed on the side of the road. This was a wife who had clearly been through a traumatic situation . She had just watched her husband get shot multiple times, yes. Reporter detectives took jessie back to the station to get her statement. Her stomach, it seemed, couldnt take the horror shed just witnessed. Im going to be sick. Let me get a garbage can for you or something. Reporter by now, christian count commonwealths attorney lynn pryor, had been notified. What did you think when you heard that a soldier from Fort Campbell has been gunned down . Hes barely been home from his tour of duty. It hurt. We take a great pride in having Fort Campbell as part of our community, the fact that our soldiers protect us every day, and we wanted to make sure that we got justice for him. Reporter was jessie able to describe the person who shot her husband . She initially described him as a black man. And i believe thats pretty basically all the description she was being able to give. Reporter jessie also described the killers car. What kind of car . An old one. One of them big ones. What color was it . I dont know, like a reddish brownish color. Reporter it wasnt much for police to go on, and to make it even more difficult, the eyewitness, walter ferguson, had seen something different. Reporter describe the truck that you saw speeding off. Um, as he passed me, i could see that it was like a white truck. And i saw the fourbyfour on it, but that was about as much as i could see on it. Reporter so the witness had seen a white truck and jessie said she saw a reddishbrown car. Investigators had a lot to sort out a murdered soldier, a distraught wife, an unknown motive, and a giant secret about to be discovered. Jessie reveals a bombshell about her husband that could blow the case wide open. Coming up he had told me that we are now in debt to bad people. If this story checks out, thats pretty serious. If we could prove that, yes. When dateline continues. There are times when our need to connect really matters. To keep customers and employees in the know. To keep business moving. Comcast business is prepared for times like these. Powered by the nations largest gigspeed network. To help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. Tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. And a team of experts here for you 24 7. Weve always believed in the power of working together. Thats why, when every connection counts. You can count on us. Was this case a top priority . You have an american soldier gunned down and a shooter on the loose. Every detective we had was working this case. Did you worry about the safety of others . At first its always a thought through our mind is is this a, you know, serial killer . Because we had no motive yet. So, yes, it was very important. Reporter back at the Christian County Sheriffs Department, 25yearold Jessie Goslyn continued to speak to detectives. She was emotionally and physically distraught, and she kec kept asking about her husband. Jessie still hadnt been told if he was dead or alive. Stomach feel any better . Not really. Is there anything you need . No. Okay. My husband. Okay. Well, just sit there and relax. And i want my mommy. And i want my kids. Reporter finally, the detective came back and broke the news about vince. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Im really sorry for your loss. Reporter the tragic news of vinces murder spread fast throughout the base and to family members. Janet, vinces surrogate mother, got a call from jessies mom. And she just said, janet, theres been an accident. Vince has been shot. And i was devastated. I was like, what . What what do you mean hes been shot . Reporter vinces cousin, tim, immediately left his home in virginia and traveled to kentucky still in disbelief. How can he survive two times in afghanistan, come home to be shot by some worthless thug that didnt even know him . You must have felt so horrible for jessie and for the kids. Absolutely. I i must have called her at least 50 times, you know, trying to figure out whats going on and be there for her and the kids. Reporter by now, jessie had left the Christian County Sheriffs Department and headed home. Shes picked up by a friend, taken back to her house on Fort Campbell. Reporter the day after the murder, local police and agents from Fort Campbell were canvassing the goslyns neighborhood. This is now a mix of Army Investigators and local investigators . It is. Reporter they knocked on the door of kay and william ray, the couple who lived next door to the goslyns. What they had to say was so compelling, they asked them to immediately come in for an interview. You said you have some information about something that, uh, ms. Goslyn had told you pertaining to some trouble her husband was in . Somehow or another got involved with a drug dealer, at least 20,000 of meth. And got jumped and stole away from him. Well, being that happened, these guys were supposedly after him for the money. Reporter the rays explained to the investigators, jessie had told them about the drug dealers weeks before the murder. Did she seem worried at all about what was going on . Shes been pins and needles ever since this has happened. Okay. Shes been scared, shes feared for her life and her childrens. Okay. Did they ever say who these people were . No. Or where these people were from . Or anything like that . No, never said a word about that right there. Reporter later that day, detective stokes says kay ray convinced jessie she should talk to military investigators, tell them what she told local police. It turned out to be a fateful decision. Jessie gets in with the the friend and they go to cid headquarters. Reporter with kay ray sitting next to her for support, jessie gave a detailed explanation about why she turned down that deserted road. She said as they were driving home, she was at the wheel, and she started to feel sick. Vince suggested they pull over. And he said, theres a road. Turn down it. I turn down the road. He told me to drive until there was a spot we could pull off. Reporter she said thats when they saw the vehicle with the hood up and vince got out to help. Not long after, she heard gunshots. I heard, like, two, maybe three, like, like, popping sounds. And my husband had rounded the edge of the passenger side of the vehicle. He was trying to get in. And the guy was behind him and he kept pulling him back out. He was hitting him. All my husband kept saying was, go drive. Go, get out of here. Reporter she described a chaotic scene with a random motorist, but then investigators asked her about vinces involvement with those drug dealers, suggesting perhaps it wasnt so random after all. Jessie told them what she knew. He had told me that, he had bought a large quantity of methamphetamines. He said, we are now in debt to people, to bad people. About 20,000. We had to check into his drug usage, if we could find anything out from friends, family if he was using or even dealing drugs. If this story checks out i mean thats pretty serious. If we could prove that, yes. Reporter while jessie did her best to give the investigators leads, Police Working the case in the field got a new lead of their own and it sent them in a very different direction. Coming up did vinces killer threaten jessie too . She was getting Text Messages from this man . Thats when she indicated, yes, and that he would kill her and her children if she didnt comply with what he was telling her to do. When dateline continues. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. And my side super soft . Frontline plus. Yes, with the sleep number 360 smart bed on sale now, you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. Come on pup, time to go. Can it help me fall asleep faster . Yes, by gently warming your feet. But can it help keep me asleep . Absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. So you can really promise better sleep . Not promise. Prove. Its our weekend special, the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only 1,299, save 400. Plus 0 interest for 60 months on all smart beds. Ends sunday. Hello. Im dara brown. Two people were killed and four others wounded after a man opened fire in a Walmart Distribution Center in california. Police say they engaged in a shootout with the suspect, striking him. None of the officers were hurt. Mississippi lawmakers have taken a big step toward removing a confederate symbol from its state flag. The states house and senate both approved a resolution to introduce a bill that creates a commission to design a new flag. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Im natalie morales. Army Sergeant Vince goslyn had been shot nine times on a desolate kentucky road. At first his wife jessie told police the couple had stopped to help a stranded motorist who attacked vince. Later she told investigators that her husband was deep in debt to drug dealers. Now she was about to reveal a chilling new detail about that deadly night. Once again, heres Andrea Canning with evil was waiting. Reporter one day after the murder of Sergeant Vince goslyn, the investigation was unfolding fast. In the field, detectives were gathering evidence and talking to witnesses, and at Fort Campbell, the interview rooms were filling up. In one of those rooms, Jessie Goslyn. When you have drug dealers that are after you, you never know what the hells going to happen. Reporter jessie had given Law Enforcement a possible motive for her husbands murder. She said vince owed money to drug dealers a lot of money. Did you know who the drug dealers were . No, i dont. Reporter prosecutor pryor was getting regular phone updates about all the witness interviews. But to her, jessies was the most important. Jessie gave police a key new detail. She said on the night of the murder, one of those drug dealers contacted her. Did you have to talk to the drug dealers directly . Reporter she was getting Text Messages from this man, she said . Thats what she indicated, yes. And that he would do harm, or kill her and her family, her children, if she didnt comply with what he was telling her to do. Reporter thats when jessie admitted she didnt drive down fidelio road because she was feeling sick. I got a text that told me to turn on the road. What did the text say . Turn on this road, or turn on the next or what did it say exactly . It told me to turn on the road after the stop light. Okay. If you do not your whole familys dead. Reporter she said she felt she had no choice but to go through with what the man said, even though she suspected something bad was about to happen. I kind of figured it as were gonna down here and youre gonna get your ass beat. Reporter as jessies interview on Fort Campbell headed into its second hour, sheriffs detectives across town were working on tracking down the truck seen leaving the murder scene, figuring if they could find the truck, they would find the killer. I heard about three or four shots. Reporter walter ferguson, the witness who had described seeing a white colored 4x4 truck speeding down the road, gave police more distinctive descriptions about the vehicle. The headlights were higher than, like, my hood. So they were like in my eyes. Okay. So kind of a lifted truck . Yeah. Was it loud . It was like very loud. Reporter detectives quickly found neighbors who told them theyd seen a truck just like that many times in the neighborhood. They searched dmv records and found the truck. It was registered to a former soldier who had lived on base at Fort Campbell 24yearold jarred long. Jarred long was very much a person of interest at that point. Reporter hes not on base anymore . No. Reporter where is he . We didnt know. Reporter so detective stokes says Law Enforcement immediately got busy trying to find him. We actually put an attempt to locate out, all surrounding states and counties from here to colorado where he was from. And in fact, he was stopped by a trooper in colorado. Reporter he mustve really hightailed it out of kentucky to get to colorado that fast. Quick. Reporter when he was pulled over was he driving a raised white truck . He was in a light gray dodge pickup truck that was lifted with large tires and loud exhaust, matching the description of our witness. Reporter so youre thinking you might have your man here . Yes. Reporter he might have thought he had his man, but police decided the fact that jarreds truck matched the description of the eyewitness wasnt enough to arrest him. They stalled as long as they could, i think, and ultimately had to let him go. Reporter thats potential evidence driving away. Who knows whats in that truck, whats on his clothes . I mean, you have its all it could all be destroyed. That was all evidence, potential evidence, that we wanted to get our hands on and had no ability to do so at that time. Reporter thats tough. Very tough. Reporter but detectives pressed on, and while trying to figure out who jarred long was and why he would want vince dead, they uncovered new information about their main witness jessie. Coming up jessies neighbors reveal that they, too, had seen jarreds truck, outside jessies house. How often would you see that vehicle there over that period of time while vincent was deployed . Maybe two or three times a week . When dateline continues. You know, i talk to dentists 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. You know whats good about this . Your signs pointing at my sign, so people are gonna look at my sign. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says. Reporter at Fort Campbell, jessie gosyln was talking to a military investigator giving possible clues about her husbands killer. Meanwhile, detective stokes and others from the Christian County Sheriffs Department thought they were on to something. They believed they had located the truck from the crime scene and knew the name of the driver, jarred long. Now they needed to know why he would be involved in vinces murder. Our units, detectives along with the cid agents from Fort Campbell did a neighborhood canvass on post. Reporter and what they discovered was a bombshell. Neighbors said theyd seen jarreds truck, not just in the area, but parked in jessies driveway. Kay ray lived next door. I would see him driving the truck with her and the three kids. I would see her driving the truck with the three kids. Reporter and what she said next really got the investigators attention. Reporter how often on a weekly basis would you see that vehicle there over that period of time while vincent was deployed . Maybe two or three times a week . Reporter as you looked deeper into this potential relationship between jarred and jessie, how serious was it . From what we could gather, they lived together on base. And if sergeant goslyn came home for any reason, then jarred long would leave for a couple of days while he was here. Reporter it was stunning. Stokes was now convinced. Jessie was not the devoted army wife she seemed to be. Instead, she was at the center of a deadly love triangle. Both men in love with jessie. Correct. Jessie in love with one man . I believe so. Reporter to the detective, evidence that jarred and jessie were a couple was piling up, like when police ran the plates of the car jessie was driving the night of the murder. It came back to Jessie Goslyn and jarred long. Reporter they owned a car together. By now, police had had enough of jessies shifting stories and confronted her with what they knew. Jessie, we know there wasnt a black guy. There was, yeah. No, we know. Yeah, there was. That it was jarred. We know that his truck was there. It was not, no. Everything that witness has said has been true. No. Yeah, very true. No. Reporter he told her they knew all about her romantic relationship with jarred. Jessie admitted she and jarred hung out together but continued to deny there was anything sexual between them. She said they were friends, and he stayed there on the couch and that was it. Reporter jessie did admit she and vince were going through a tough time, but she claimed they were working things out. I always reassured vince that, im not just going to walk away from you. Im not that person. Im not going to leave you. We were planning on going to marriage counseling. He actually called friday before we left. Reporter and besides, she said vince knew all about jarred. Vince knew that he had been staying in the house. Reporter but investigators didnt believe her. More than three hours into jessies interview, after repeatedly denying she and jarred had a romantic relationship. We did not have sex. Reporter jessie finally changed her story. There was times when i was drunk. Yes, im sure we had sex. I knew that jarred loved me. Right. And i know he loves my kids. Ok. Reporter when investigators told prosecutor lynn pryor that jessie had admitted to having a romantic relationship with jarred, she knew this was a big moment. They were planning a life together. Reporter that could be a motive. Absolutely a motive. Because who was in their way of being together for the rest of their life . Her husband. Reporter and jessie had another possible motive. As a military wife, she would receive a big payout from her husbands Life Insurance policy, 450,000. She certainly could have benefited greatly from the death of her husband. Reporter before jessies eighthour interview was over, she had admitted to seeing jarred the day before the murder. He wanted me to meet him at the motel while he was in the town. I said fine. We had lunch, and we talked, and we did have sex. Reporter but it wasnt the sex investigators were interested in. Jessie had one more story to tell. She claimed that jarred had talked to the drug dealers and if he roughed up vince, somehow that would satisfy them. Then she said jarred told her what her job would be. He told me, you need to meet me on this road. You need to pull down to the shoulder where you can pull off. Im gonna set your husband straight. Reporter but the prosecutor and detectives werent buying it. Instead, without realizing it, jessie had finally given them what they needed. Reporter why is there now enough to arrest her . Because shes admitted her part in getting vincent to the location where he was ultimately killed. In kentucky, being an accomplice to murder is the same as actually committing the murder. Reporter that grieving wife, hysterical by the side of the road, getting sick in front of police, was charged with her husbands murder. Let me see your hands now step out of the truck reporter as for jarred long, because of jessies admission that she and jarred had a plan to harm vince, police now had enough to arrest him too. They tracked him down again, this time near his home in colorado. They did a felony stop, called him out, made him go prone on the ground and placed him in cuffs. Reporter they had a warrant to search his truck this time . Colorado authorities were able to obtain a search warrant for mr. Longs truck. They found a shell casing that ultimately was matched to the shell casings found at our murder scene. And they swabbed the truck, which eventually led to evidence that indicated gunshot residue had been left in several places around his vehicle. Can i ask you to take that seat over there . Yes, sir. Reporter Colorado Police brought jarred in for questioning. Unlike jessie, he didnt hesitate to talk about his romantic relationship with her. We hooked up a while back. It was sometime around september. We started going out. Then the next thing i knew, we were living together. I knew she was married. I knew it was horrible, but reporter he also admitted to being in kentucky on the day of the murder, but he says he left before dark. When do you think you left . About 5 30. Reporter what he didnt know was jessie had already pointed the finger at him. She has spoken with the detectives, and she has told them about the plan that you guys had. Excuse me . She puts her and vince and you at the scene, and the witness puts you and your truck at the scene. But you need to help us out at this point, jarred, and explain to us what happened there. I believe at this point, i need to say stop and that i believe i need a lawyer. Okay. Because this has gone well beyond what im capable of, so reporter they now had two suspects in custody. And as for that drug dealer story, detective stokes says that was just a hoax jessie cooked up to throw off police. And she told the story to several people, including her neighbors, the rays, who unwittingly corroborated her story. Reporter did you ever find any evidence that vince was involved in some type of drug deal gone bad . No. Reporter that men were were out to get him and his family . No, we did not. We couldnt find anything that that would take us there other than her story. Reporter janet, vinces surrogate mom, was horrified when she learned that jessie, the woman who had seemed so good for vince, was now implicated in his murder. I was devastated. I was like, why is she arrested . Reporter did you think she was capable of of killing vince . Never. Never. Why . Theres divorce. Why wouldnt she just get a divorce . Reporter but even with jessies story, and the evidence against jarred, the case was far from closed. An unexpected twist was about to put the whole investigation into a tailspin. Did you worry that one or both of them could get away with murder . Prosecutors face a major setback. Could Something Else that jessie told police be a lifeline for both the widow and her lover . Coming up i was livid. Is their case about to collapse . I was devastated all over again. When dateline continues. Tank was overweight and had no deaenergy. Pet, until freshpet. Put the puppy back in my dog. They use stamps. Com all the services of the post office only cheaper get a 4week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again. Get a 4week trial plus bbut what if you couldg a digido better than that . Like adapt. Discover. Deliver, in new ways, to new customers. What if you could come back stronger . Faster. Better. At comcast business, we want to help you not just bounce back, but bounce forward. And now, with one of our best offers ever, were committed to helping you do just that. Get a powerful and reliable internet and voice solution for only 29. 95 a month for three months. Call or go online today. Welcome back. Jessie goslyn and jarred long were charged with the murder of jessies husband, army Sergeant Vince goslyn. Jessies story about the night vince was shot had shifted several times. Finally she told police that she and jarred had hatched a plan to ambush vince. Her confession was the linchpin of the prosecutions case. Then the investigation took a stunning turn. Heres Andrea Canning with the conclusion of evil was waiting. Reporter prosecutor lynn pryor already felt she had a solid case against jarred long. And after his arrest, police found even more evidence in his truck. There was one spot of blood that belonged to Vincent Goslyn on the backpack of jarred long. This is bingo right here . This is more evidence than ive had in most of the murder cases ive prosecuted. How do you explain the victims blood on your backpack when youre hundreds of miles away . You cant unless youre the person that killed him. Reporter but pryor knew the case against jessie wasnt as airtight. It was very much a circumstantial case because there was no physical evidence implicating her. Did you worry that that would not be enough to get a conviction . Somewhat, yes. Jarred long was not willing to give us anything to help out with regard to implicating jessie. But we knew that it was her involvement that got jarred to where vincent was killed. How were you going to prove that . With her own words. Reporter but then entered defense attorney mark bryant. He represented jarred long, and he had a plan that could benefit jessie too. His strategy was to get jessies interview with police thrown out. And how would he do that . Mrs. Goslyn had told the local Police Department that she didnt want to talk, that she wanted a lawyer. I want an attorney, and i want to know where my husband is. And so under the law, you have to break up any questioning, and they did. And they sent her back home to Fort Campbell. Reporter but you might remember after that, her friend convinced jessie to go speak to the military police on base. Jessie goslyn spent eight hours with the police, after that very day she said she wasnt going to talk without a lawyer. So its just a Different Police agency. Reporter bryant argued in front of a circuit judge, since jessie had already asked for a lawyer, the military police should never have questioned her. The judge agreed. He made a decision that that confession that she made implicating our client should be set aside because the Law Enforcement agency for the military police should have followed the same rules that the earlier Police Department in Christian County had followed during that day. Reporter Jessie Goslyns statement was thrown out. The news hit vinces family hard. Hearing the news that vince was killed was horrible. But what the Justice System did was unfair. When they threw that out of court, i was devastated all over again. And we thought that she was going to walk away. We thought that they were gonna get away with it. Reporter but prosecutor pryor wasnt going down without a fight. She filed a motion with the Kentucky Court of appeals. Jessie and jared, meanwhile, were out and about, relatively free. How did you feel about both jessie and jarred being out on house arrest with just ankle bracelets . I was livid. I argued to the best of my ability to the judge about why someone that was charged with such a heinous murder should be out on an ankle monitor. And none of the arguments that i made were convincing to the judge. Reporter then everyone waited and waited. Four long years went by before the Appeals Court finally reached a decision and sided with the prosecution. Whats that moment like when you get word that its been overturned, and that the statement will be allowed . I was very much relieved. Reporter pryor considered her options and concluded that of the two, jarred deserved the harshest punishment. Jarred long was the one who pulled the trigger nine times. Jarred long was the one who took the life of Vincent Goslyn. So we wanted to make sure he received the maximum punishment that he could for this crime. Reporter to do that, the prosecutor needed not only jessies videotaped statement. She needed jessie to tell a jury the whole story, that she and jarred planned to murder vince. We needed her testimony about the reasons why they planned to kill vincent, and the way that they planned it out. Made an offer if jessie pleaded guilty to complicity to murder and would testify against jarred, she would recommend a sentence of 22 1 2 years behind bars. She agreed to this plea deal . She did after long talks, and very heated discussions. Reporter so now, with time served, the woman who had played the victim, betrayed her husband and lover, could spend less than 14 years behind bars. Some people think the sentence is too light. I dont disagree with that, that the sentence was too light. But after discussions with Law Enforcement, with family members, we determined that it was worth it to have her to be able to say in her own words what happened and why. Reporter a different prosecutor then took over the case against jarred long, his name was mark blankenship, and as he looked over the case, he came to a different conclusion about who was most responsible. I felt that the mastermind of the crime was jessie. She didnt pull the trigger. But without her, this doesnt happen. What bothered me was that the bar got set at 22 years for the mastermind of the crime. Reporter so blankenship did what he thought he had to do to be fair and offered jarred a deal too 30 years in prison for pleading guilty to first degree murder. Jarred agreed. Jarred at times is sort of being portrayed as this kind of victim, a little bit of jessie, that she was the mastermind. But vince was shot nine times in the head and the face. I mean you cannot discount that. No. For anything. No, it bothers me. He should have gotten more than 30 years. Reporter tim, vinces cousin, was torn about jarreds punishment. Jessie. She should have got more time than he did because she manipulated him. Is that the jessie you knew . This master manipulator . Obviously she mustve manipulated us because i wouldve never pegged her. I believe that she should do life. Reporter as for janet, the woman who stepped in as vinces mother, its hard for her to describe the pain she feels. She watched her surrogate son go from a tough kid to a tough soldier. He became a good and honorable man, only to have it all needlessly taken away. He wasnt my biological child. But my heart you cant tell that to my heart. I loved that boy. And its not fair that he was taken from his children or from his family. He had so much potential. He had gone so far. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im natalie morales. Thank you for watching. Im craig melvin. Im natalie morales. And this is dateline. It happens on tv. Doesnt happen to your family. To your brother. But it does. No one thought it could happen to him. He was a tough guy prepared for anything. He always would say, if anyone tries to break in here, ill kill them. Instead, he was killed, stabbed in his own home. Youre sure your dads cold to the touch . His son and daughterinlaw stumbled into a terrifying scene. Thats when i saw the gun. They want, were going to have to kill you now. A strange story that only got stranger. They had purple gloves on