Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20200816

Turned to infinite terror. I just hear her saying help, someones in trouble. I was scared. I was scared. Reporter a husband, found murdered in a closet. A wife, tied up in another. They found her on the ground, with her hands behind her back. She just had bruising on her arms and her face. Inconsolable. Screaming. Crying. Who could be behind this . Their only daughter, desperate for justice for her dad. Be careful what you wish for. Everybody gasped. Nobody could believe it. This terrifies me because this could happen to anybody. Hello and welcome to dateline. She was his teenage crush. Then, puppy love turned into a lifelong love affair. Eventually, high school sweethearts, jamie and Sandra Melgar got married and raised a daughter. They were celebrating a remarkable 32 years together, when jamie was brutally murdered. To crack the case, investigators would have to uncover the secrets of an illusion worthy of the great houdini. Heres Dennis Murphy with unspeakable. The Scented Candles were lit. The jacuzzi jets turned on high. It was a belated anniversary evening, but not some big blowout. Sandra and jamie really werent that kind of couple. They were just so kind to each other and always very respectful. They had raised a daughter. Juggled all the usual things that families do. And now, retirement for jamie was right around the corner. They sat there and talked about the future, and what they were hookilooking forward to. Reporter but the future for these two would last no longer than the flame on that candle. By the next afternoon, there would be blood. Lots of it. Somehow, someone had turned a cozy celebration into a monstrous crime scene. This was just it was horrible. What, in the world, had happened in that house . I have no idea. Reporter the story of the two begins as high school meet cute. Sandra, the new girl from laredo, assigned a seat in her houston classroom, just in front of jamie melgar. Their daughter, liz, doesnt know how many times she heard that story. He used to pull on her hair in the middle of class. Apparently, one time he invited her ice skating and when she showed up, it was one of his friends. And he left a little bit after that. So a little bit of a scheme. Yeah, but it ended well. And that was that. Sandra and jamie were a done deal. An inseparable couple. Sandra studied nursing, and jamie set aside whatever time he could for his family. While investing in real estate. Happy family . Very happy family. I was definitely a daddys girl growing up. And jamie carried himself with a certain, goofy joy as his niece Melissa Campos remembers it. Easygoing guy . Yes, very easygoing. Easy to talk to. Had the worst jokes. They were so bad that you would just stop and grown. And they became known as jim jokes. Melissas aunt sandra would roll her eyes, then laugh indulgently, at uncle jim. I remember her being like, your uncle. They joined the jehovahs witnesses, early in their relationship. But by her early 20s, daughter, liz, had left the church. Newly independent, she rushed into a marriage. A bad one. True that he was involved in heavy drugs . Yes. And that was the end of it . That was it. I didnt want to live that kind of life. Reporter but her parents marriage just kept going, through sickness and health. In fact, in recent years, jamie was looking younger than ever on a vegetarian diet and exercise regimen. Your mom, your poor mom, meanwhile, had a constellation of health problems, didnt she . Yes. Lupus. Chemotherapy. At times, yeah. But she also had the epilepsy. Did she have the seizures . Did you ever see her . Yeah, she did. Then, their 32nd wedding anniversary. Sandra was ill on the actual day so they went out ten days later on december 22nd. The next day, the 23rd, marissas family would join them to celebrate again, over a late lunch. On our way there, i remember texting him. Texting your uncle . Yes. I didnt get a sporesponse but was that unusual that he didnt text you back . Yes. They got to the house around 4 00 p. M. And knocked on the front door. Nothing. No answer. Marissas father, jamies brother, herman, checked around the back of the house. No seen of jamie or sandra. We thought, okay, maybe they left. Maybe they went to go get something. And my dads like, no, but his truck is out there. Finally, thats when my dad said im just going to go inside. Herman entered the house itself through an unlocked interior door. Then, he comes around to open up the front door. The visitors huddled in the dark entrance, expecting a greeting from sandra or jamie but none came. Just as they got ready to leave, they heard something. It sounded like sandra. It was mumbling. Where did the voice come from . We did not know. My dad, i just remember, just ran straight into the master bedroom. Marissa raced after her father. I just hear her saying help, someones in trouble. Were you really scared at this point . Yes, i was scared. The voice was coming from inside a walkin closet attached to the bathroom. Herman moved closer. Wedged against the doorknob was a dining chair. And there was sandra, on the floor, tied by her arms and ankles, but alive. He said that she did not look well, at all. As marissas mom cuts sandra loose, her dad spoke. Where is my brother . Where is your uncle . The answer to that, unspeakable. What had happened to jamie melgar and to his wife . Coming up. She looked like she had aged ten years, overnight. Just broken and lost. Sandra melgar, the only possible witness to a night of terror. What would she remember . When dateline continues. When dateline continues. And your health is key to that. Centrum supports your body with vitamin c and zinc to help maintain your immune system today and into the new tomorrow. Centrum. Thats why ive got the power of 1,2,3 medicines with trelegy. 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Trying to calculate her familys terrible new math. In the bedroom, opened drawers. A tossed wallet. Had this been a Home Invasion . And where was her uncle jamie . Then, she glanced to her side. And, there, about 20 feet away from the bathroom, next to jamie and sandras bed. I just saw his his ankles. And this was, what, in a closet area off the off the off their master, huh . Uhhuh. So, you just saw his feet. Uhhuh. I cant even know what had happened to him. I just knew his ankles were tied up. It was horrible. There was jamie, naked, covered in blood on the floor, not far from his safe. A red rope encircled his chest. A phone chord looped around his ankles. Sandra, now freed of her ties, sprang from her closet captivity. A nurse, she checked for his pulse and she found none. Your aunt was crying . Yes. Yes. Marissa, what in the world happened in that house . Im not sure. Who could have done Something Like that to them. First responders werent sure what they had been dispatched to, either. They told us two victims and thats all we knew when we got there. Stephanie robinson was the First Responder on the scene. She checked on jamie. He was clearly dead, huh . Yeah, clearly dead. You know gunshot wounds from knife wounds. You couldnt really tell, there was so much blood. I did notice down his neck. She was kind of balled up a little bit. And she was crying, hysterically. The emts started to assess sandra, who said her head hurt. But she said she has no injuries. Still, sandra seemed disoriented. What time was it . Morning . Or afternoon . Then, between gulping sobs, sandra said she simply could not remember what happened the night before. Shed been unconscious. Maybe, had one of her seizures. She said after a seizure, that its not uncommon that she falls asleep for several hours. By now, Harris County investigators had desended on a crime scene that was once just the melgars modest home. Jamie, they could see, had suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso. By the looks of it, over a dozen. Collecting evidence. Things like a bloody chair near jamies body. And a knife. Sandra declined to go to the hospital. Instead, she wept to talk with investigators. Sandra told investigators the last thing she remembered was her anniversary night with jamie. We went out to eat. And what time was that . I want to say about 8. I mean, im just guessing, i dont know. Sandra told them they stopped for mixers at a cvs on the way home. What time did you get home . Probably, midnight. She said they intended to share some latenitro manght ro candles, and strawberries. Went and got in the jacuzzi. In your master bathroom . Right. But was disrupted by the barking dog outside. When theyre too loud, you know, the neighbors complain. And he just, was taking a while. So i got out and was going to get dressed or change in my closet. Reporter maybe thats when she had the seizure. Thats all i remember, until i woke up. As they talked, sandra broke down. Who could have done this, she wondered . She recalled, for the detectives, a scary moment on their way home. I think when we were at cvs, there was a car following us because when we came in our neighborhood, it was still behind us and he was really close. Reporter something for the detectives to check out. After sandra was done talking, her cousin diana, who had rushed into town to help, met her at a friends house. She looked like she had aged ten years, overnight. And she couldnt stop shaking. And so, i didnt want to ask her too many questions. Reporter liz, remarried now, was an ocean away. Living in europe, when she finally got her mother on the phone. What did you hear in her voice . She was just broken. And lost. She was just devastated. And, at that point, you had very fragmentary information, huh . Yeah. All i knew is my dad was killed in a Home Invasion and, thankfully, my mom was still alive. Thats not any kind of news you should ever hear. Its shocking. It really doesnt sink in for a while. You just kind of go into crisis mode. Reporter liz booked the next flight back to texas. I just knew i had to get there. Had to get back. Back to a new reality, with a murderer father and a traumatized mother. Grieving would have to take a number, while the daughter held everyone together. Nothing made sense. Coming up. Were you worried about your mother . That whoever this person was, might come back for her . Absolutely. She was traumatized. Tips begin to trickle in. Who could have done this . You are getting information, right away, about kind of a sketchy neighbor. Thats right. Just getting out of jail, who was suspicious. When dateline continues. Businesses are starting to bounce back. But what if you could do 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, were committed to helping you do just that with a powerful and reliable internet and voice solution at a great price. Call or go online today. Two days after the bloody discovery in her childhood home, liz melgar landed in houston. A daddys girl. Shaken even more by the face that was missing. I think, at that time, it really hit me that i wasnt going to see him anymore. He wasnt going to be there to pick me up from the airport. A still very rocky sandra came with family to pick up her daughter. We both just broke down at the sight of each other. She had been through a terrible ordeal. You dont really know the whole story, yet. But did you see injuries on her . Just had bruising on her arms and on her face. Did she have a bump on her head . She did. She told me her head was hurting and i could feel it back there. Liz insisted her mom get some rest. So the next day, when detective came by the house where liz and sandra were staying, the daughter was the one to field their questions. And liz thought it prudent to record the conversation. She updated the detectives on her mothers health. Shes just in complete shock. And she has retrograde amnesia at the moment. She has a hard time remembering things, as it is, because of the seizures. Liz had witnessed her moms seizures before. And now, she theorized thats what kept her live during the Home Invasion. She probably had a seizure and it probably freaked out whoever was there. Because, if she could ever remember a suspect, thats the best thing for me and him. Because then, we have a description and everything else. Right now, we have nothing. Ive been asking. Ive been asking her. And then, detectives ask liz if she could pay a visit to her parents house. Anything you thinks missing . Because we need to start searching for the items that are missing. I cant imagine you going back to this house, where youve known your parents and happy times. And then, its a crime scene. Absolutely. Its the one place youre supposed to be safe. And its just been, i dont know, its been tainted. Reporter she went through the house, room by room. Cataloging what she thought was missing. A tv set. Jewelry. Cash. And medication. Last stop, the garage. The garage was full of things that could easily be stolen and pawned. Yeah. There, liz spied something to her eyes, oddly out of place. Her middle school backpack. Sticking out of it, an x box console. Could this have been the killers loot, dropped in a panic, as he ran from the scene . Liz called investigators. They returned to the house, snapped even more photos, and collected the backpack as potential evidence. Theyd later find, beneath that x box, some of sandras jewelry. And liz realized she had an idea for detectives, too. A possible suspect. Is it true, liz, that you even suggested they take a look at your ex, at that point . Yes, i tried to give them as much information as i could. Yes, the exhusband. In his last days of his marriage to liz, the melgars suspected he and a buddy lifted some medication. The same reported to be missing. But now, liz told detectives, talk to the ex. By now, the murder breakin story was all over the news. Deputies say melgar tell them she cant remember who tied her up. And neighbors start offering up crimestopper tips. One of them, amanda ore, then of reuters and the Houston Chronicle Affairs Reporter covered. A sketchy neighbor known to break in houses. Thats right. A neighbor who had just getting out of jail. Who was suspicious. Liz thought, add him to the histo list of potential suspects. Did you have ideas for them . I did. She also suggested they talk to one of her parents tenants. Someone who had disputes with her dad. And there was a coworker of jamie she got a bad vibe from. And again, she urged detectives to look at her ex. If not him, what about people in his circle . Months dragged by, without word on the investigation. You believe someone out there has gotten away with killing your father. Yeah, absolutely. It was hard to sleep at night. I was every little noise had me on edge. Were you worried about your mother . Oh, yeah. That whoever this person was might come back for her. Absolutely. I was constantly worried. And how was her health, at that time . She had started having seizures. And, you know, she was she was traumatized. She had posttraumatic stress. She had anxiety. She had depression. She was a mess. Liz clung to the hope that one of those leads she gave detectives would eventually pan out. But, for now, anyway, it looked like Law Enforcement was playing its cards close to the vest. According to prosecutor of the Harris County district attorneys office, that was because they had made some early observations about the crime scene. Officers have investigated burglaries and robberies for many years before they get in homicide. And they thought that the scene looked kind of suspicious. So, what was off kilter with this one . The fact that it didnt look burglarized. But drawers were open i think, right . They were open a little bit but nothing was tossed. But what about those items liz noticed were missing from the house . And the backpack of apparent burglars loot she found in the garage . Well, detectives took note of many other items, pricey things, that had been left untouched. Cameras. The bicycle. Painting equipment. And then, what was taken and put in a backpack was left in the garage. Doesnt make sense. The home, to investigators, showed no sign of forced entry. That opened garage door, the only way possible way in for an intruder. But Law Enforcement thought, that, too, seemed as though it could have been staged. To investigators, this didnt look like a burglary gone bad but more like a targeted killing. And they theorized their suspect was somebody already inside the house. Coming up. My memory is so bad. How murky was her memory, really . Investigators are about to listen, very carefully, to sandras story when dateline continues. s story when dateli continues. No matter how you stay fit keep it light with light fits rainbow of delightful, proteinpacked flavors. When you drink or eat something thats acidic everyone is at risk for enamel loss. It sucks the minerals out of the tooths surface. Pronamel is formulated to help deliver minerals to the tooths surface to help reharden and strengthen your enamel. brad apartmentsdotcom makes easier than ever. W home woman 1 how hot do you think it is . woman 2 a million. If only we had a c. Im so happy. brad apartmentsdotcom. The most popular place to find a place. woman chattering [narrator] ordering dinner for the family . family gasps rewarded with a side of quiet. baby murmuring grubhub rewards you, scooter horn honking get a free delivery perk when you order. doorbell rings [group] grubhub. For spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time on the couch with tacos from grubhub . Rewarded get a free delivery perk when you order. [group] grubhub. Hello. Im dara brown. The latest on the coronavirus pandemic. Texas becoming the fourth state in the u. S. To surpass 10,000 covidrelated deaths. This comes as a stark, new forecast from the cdc, predicting the u. S. Death toll could reach 200,000 by labor day. The tally, at this hour, more than 170,000 americans have died and more than 5. 3 million confirmed cases. Now, back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Im craig melvin. An anniversary celebration that began with candles and strawberries ended in murder. Sandra melgar told investigators she had no memory of the killer who had stabbed her husband jamie, and left her tied up in a closet. Sandras daughter liz offered several, potential suspects. Her exhusband, a former tenant, maybe a coworker. But investigators had a theory of their own. Here, again, is Dennis Murphy with unspeakable. Reporter december 23rd, 2013, the day before christmas eve. Also, the First Anniversary of jamie melgars death, was impossibly hard for his family. I mean, thats all we really think about. Should be Holiday Season but its that awful memory coming back, huh . Yes. Yes. So, i imagine the familys waiting for an arrest to be made in this inthing, huh . Yeah. We were anxiously awaiting that day to come. Doesnt matter if its ten years from now or tomorrow but we would like some answers. But Law Enforcement wasnt exactly forthcoming with the melgar family. Might have been a reason. Th th they there is always a first suspicion of family members if theres nothing that makes sense. And that suspicion narrowed down to the person inside the house with jamie. Sandra. Her account of a blacked out 14 hours after their anniversary celebration. To investigators, was just too weird to be believed. My memory is so bad. It seemed implausible to them that sandra really heard nothing the entire night. This is happening in a very small space. The husband is stabbed to death and found in mone closet. And shes been tied up in another. Thats right. Investigators closely studied that interview they had conducted with sandra. They found her more indifferent, than distraught. Do you know what has happened today . My husband was murdered. How . I dont know. And when sandra broke down crying, the detectives couldnt recall seeing any tears. Detectives believe sandras story morphed, over time. For instance, the part about how long she waited to get out of the tub after jamie fetched the dogs. At first, she was vague. Then, more specific. About 15 minutes. 20 minutes. Later, another revision. Maybe, about five minutes. Reporter and detectives were perplexed by what sandra claimed she did and did not hear that night. Did you hear anybody scream . No. Hear the dogs . Well, you could hear the dogs barking. Yeah, because they were right outside our window. But after almost two hours, as investigators pushed her, sandra seemed to tweak this key element of her story. Actually, i dont even remember hearing the dogs. My husbands the one that says hes got better hearing than i do. Of course, the changes in sandras story could be attributed to shock. But as the detectives viewed it, sandra was being deliberately evasive. Enhancing her story, to align with a conjuredup crime scene. It sounds like a bloody event. Was it . It was bloody, in the area that he was in. There was blood on the carpet. There was blood on a chair. He, himself, was very bloody and the closet. But nowhere else in the house was there any blood. To investigators way of thinking, Home Invaders would have dragged at least a trace of blood on their way out of the house but crime scene techs did not find any. When the rest of the findings came back, the findings had limitations. Reporter amanda ore. Although, they had the murder weapon. Its been washed in water for several hours. A large kitchen knife. It was found in the bathtub. And so, any dna that could have been on it from the murderer was gone. It was washed away. Whats more, no blood was detected on san trdra. In fact, no dna or fingerprints link sandras body to jamie oro sandras. As more time went by, it became clear to members of sandras family that Law Enforcement was eyeing her. Okay. Its okay for you to think that. Investigate her. And then, youll see that theres nothing there and move on. Reporter but as the investigation dragged into july of 2014, their worst fears were realized. Liz and her mom found out, in a most unusual way. I went to the mailbox. And it had been absolutely filled with flyers from lawyers trying to get our business for a pending case. Did you know what that was about . I had no idea what that was about. And so, i got on to the Harris County website. And i entered my moms name. And i saw that she had been charged with my fathers murder. A few days earlier, a grand jury had quietly voted to indict her. She turned herself in and posted bond. And then, she hired veteran attorney max seacrest to defend her. Quite frankly, i can smell bs from across the room. And when i sat down and spoke with her, her story was plausible. I didnt hear anything that rang kind of a false note. Allison seacrest, max niece, served as cocounsel. Shes a sweet person. She doesnt have a temper. And it was really apparent to us that she had a Good Relationship with her husband. They couldnt fathom how sandra was under suspicion for a crime that defied physical possibilities. After all, she was found, tied up, barricaded in her closet. She believes shes had a seizure. Or maybe, she was actually hit in the head, and was knocked unconscious. To these attorneys, the case seemed suspiciously thin. Where is the brief . Where is the crime . I guess, more importantly, wheres the investigation . Reporter it had taken more than a year and a half to indict sandra. So, what were the detectives doing all that time . Well, thats an involved story. Investigated by nbc affiliate, kprc tv, the lead detective on the case, reuben, seen here interviewing sandra, had become the center of a scandal. A controversy is growing tonight over a document falsified by a Harris County detective, now working for the district attorneys office. He got himself into serious trouble for falsifying a search warrant in a case not connected to sandras. And that cast a shadow on other investigations. That became really a big issue probably for the prosecution. And something that the defense would be able to definitely use against them. After the story broke, the detective left the sheriffs department. Would it end the case against sandra, too . Did your lawyers tell you this thing may never go to trial here . This things got so many holes in it. Thats what we believed, absolutely. By the summer of 2017, it had been three years since sandras react. Arrest. She had a right to a speedy trial. It was put up or shut up time for the das office. When you read all your stuff and you stepped back and you said what do i have here . What was the biggest problem . The biggest problem was that i didnt have that many affirmative acts, from her standpoint. How do you mean that . I couldnt put the knife in her hand. I didnt have any eyewitnesses that she killed him. She didnt confess. What did you have going for you . What was the best thing you had going . Her story was ridiculous. So, the prosecution made the call. The people versus Sandra Melgar would proceed to trial. Coming up. A deadly seduction . Prosecution thinks that Sandra Melgar lured jamie to the bedroom, under the guise of sex play. And then, she makes a strike, straight up. But where was the proof . This case ought to scare the hell out of all of you. When dateline continues. Of when dateline continues olds that selling cars 100 online wouldnt work. But we went to work. Building an experience that lets you shop over 17,000 cars from home. Creating a coast to Coast Network to deliver your car as soon as tomorrow. Recruiting an army of customer advocates to make your experience incredible. And putting you in control of the whole thing with powerful technology. Thats why weve become the nations Fastest Growing retailer. Because our customers love it. See for yourself, at carvana. Com. 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The cdc recommends hpv vaccination at age 11 or 12 to help protect against certain cancers. Hey cancer not. My. Child. Dont wait. Talk to your childs doctor about hpv vaccination today. Dont wait. And its negatively impacting your enamel. Eating and drinking healthy things that are acidic thinning and yellowing can happen as a result of that. Pronamel is a proactive solution designed to help protect your enamel. August, 2017. More than four and a half years after jamie melgar was murdered in what seemed, at the time, a brutal Home Invasion. But now, sandra, his wife of 32 years, was on trial for jamies murder. She had pleaded not guilty. It put daughter, liz, in a painful, judicial paradox. Theyre bringing victims family justice. Im about to lose my mother. This is supposed to be the Justice System that its just completely broken. Reporter prosecutor colleen barnetts message for the jury was simple. Sandra, and only sandra, could have done this. Theres zero evidence. No evidence that anybody else did this. The prosecutor set out to dismantle the idea that jamies death resulted from a botched robbery. First responder, emt stephanie robertson, told the jury that, to her, the crime scene just looked off. It was a little disarrayed. Nothing appeared to be missing. And the prosecutor used sandras own words against her. The jury heard that interview with the defendant. The one where detectives found her so oddly indifferent. Do you know what has happened today . My husband was murdered. And sometimes, her stories to the detectives didnt jive with what they believed to be the facts. Shes just trying to tell a tale so that she can go on with her life, without being in prison. Reporter for instance, her account of jamie getting out of the jacuzzi to quiet the barking dogs. There was a next door neighbor to the melgars, who constantly complained about the barking dogs. She said, that night, she didnt hear the dogs barking. Like, she slept wonderful. Of course, one of the main problems for sandra was the big picture. So, you want us to believe, the prosecutor argued, that Home Invaders were slashing your husband to death, just feet away from you, and you remember nothing . Really . Nobody running . Nobody saying anything . Shouting . No. Nothing. Sandras explanation was that she had suffered from seizures and memory loss, for years. Reporter amanda ore was in the courtroom as the prosecution introduced some of sandras medical history, refuting that. She did go to her doctors appointments but reported her medication, in fact, was controlling them pretty well. Then, she had plenty of time to pull herself together and make the house appear ransacked. She had a lifetime to get rid of the clothes. To wash herself up. To get ready for the the big finale. Reporter though, not required to prove a motive, the prosecutor offered one up for the jury, anyway. There was no evidence of infidelity or typical, marriage troubles. But their religion made it impossible to split up the usual way. Jehovahs witnesses dont allow you to divorce unless someones cheating, and jamie wasnt that guy. But if i kill him and nobody finds out, im not ostracized. But wasnt sandra too frail to commit such a violent, closequarters crime . Maybe not. The medical examiners report concluded jamie suffered 31 sharpforce wounds, but none very deep. So, kind of stab, stab, taupting kitaup taunting kind of injuries . Or maybe not much force used. Or maybe a weaker person. So, how did the attack go down . The prosecutor had a vivid scenario of a lethal seduction. The prosecution thinks that Sandra Melgar lured jamie to the bedroom, under the guise of sex play. So, she gets jamie to sit down in a chair. Maybe, shes massaging his neck. And then, she pulls it out. And while he isnt looking, she makes a strike, straight up, all the way to his neck. It was a dramatic show and tell, for sure. Then, it was show time for the defense. The prosecutions case was all invented nonsense, they said. Theory, strong. Evidence, light. This case ought to scare the hell out of all of you. Attorney max seacrest told the jury that sandra was the victim of a bumbling myopic investigation. This lady, falsely accused. And the defense said sandra was, so clearly, attacked herself, barricaded, and bound. Shes been tied up. Shes been left in a closet for 14, 16, 17 hours. They showed these photos in court. And told the jury sandra went to a doctor, who confirmed her injuries. When sandy went to the doctor, a couple of days later, she had a full examination. And of course, the hematoma was found on her head. As for that interview, the defense said the only thing it revealed was that the blinkered detectives thought sandra was guilty, from the getgo. You want us to find the killer . Of course. I dont think you do. And they said it showed, in the most trying of circumstances. Sandra remaining consistent and composed. I had a seizure. And so, i usually cant move, anyway. Another point. A forensic one. The defense told the jury about dna evidence that had been collected but not presented by the prosecution. There is unknown, male dna on various drawer pulls from the bedroom and door handles and also on that backpack. So, its huge because it points to a possible, other suspect. And the csis had photographed a bloody swipe on the handle of the closet safe. Just a short distance from jamies body. The defense told the jury how detectives never ran it for a possible print, nor had it swabbed for dna. Isnt that the kind of evidence youd want to have available to consider . Why wouldnt you at least test . The defense ticked off more examples of what they regarded as inept detective work. They never brought lizs exhusband in for questioning. Or that neighbor, the one with a history of petty burglaries, fresh out of jail. Right. And they never followed up on it. And the defense thought knew just how the investigation got so bungled. Look at the man who led it. What kind of Murder Investigation would you have where you knowingly, intentionally, and willfully, dont bring the lead investigator to court . Reporter the defense, not the prosecution, called the onetime lead detective. They werent allowed to tell the jury about the scandal involving that other case. But they asked him to account for a litany of perceived fumbles in this investigation. Case in point. A pair of sandras socks found, not in the Evidence Room but, instead, in a filing cabinet, long after he had left the job. Its a really horrible investigation. Its just inept. Theres no physical evidence in this case that points to her, at all. Reporter but there was another key element to this prosecutors case. She knew the jury had one big question. Was sandra a houdinilevel escape artist . Coming up. So, how do you tie yourself up with that . All you do is just put it on. A wickedly clever bag of tricks . Could Sandra Melgar really pull Something Like this off . The jurors would have a stunner of an answer. When dateline continues. Er when dateline continues. And geico loves helping riders get to where theyre going, so to help even more, geico is giving new and current customers a fifteen percent credit on their motorcycle policies with the geico giveback. And because were committed for the long haul, the credit lasts your full policy term. The geico giveback. Helping riders focus on the road ahead. The geico giveback. When you drink or eat something thats acidic everyone is at risk for enamel loss. It sucks the minerals out of the tooths surface. Pronamel is formulated to help deliver minerals to the tooths surface to help reharden and strengthen your enamel. Find your getupandgo. Find pants that arent sweats. Find your friends. Find your sense of wander. Find the world is new, again. At chevy wed like to take you there. Now during the chevy open road sales event, get up to 15 of msrp cash back on select 2020 models. Thats over fiftyseven hundred dollars cash back on this equinox. Its time to find new roads, again. Reinventing. Its what with comcast business, your Small Business can work faster, with powerful internet from the nations largest gigspeed network. Work safer, with all your connected devices automatically protected by securityedge. And work anywhere, with comcast business at home, our new businessgrade Internet Solution for remote workers. Whatever your business needs, comcast business has the solutions to help you not just bounce back, but bounce forward. Call or go online to find out more. Welcome back. Prosecutors in the Sandra Melgar murder trial claimed shed lured her husband, jamie, into their bedroom. Then, stabbed him 31 times. The defense countered that there was no evidence linking sandra to the crime. In fact, she was tied up in the closet, at the time. But, was she . The prosecution was about to unveil a stunning theory. How sandra pulled off an elaborate and deadly hoax. Here is Dennis Murphy with the conclusion of unspeakable. Reporter Sandra Melgars Defense Attorneys had tried to portray the Murder Investigation as seriously flawed. But, perhaps, their most persuasive argument was sandra, herself. She didnt testify. But Houston Chronicle reporter, brian rogers, said her muted appearance spoke volumes. You know, theres an old adage in defense law. If you can make your client look like a, do it. Kind of frail . Small. Youd have a hard time believing she could even yell, you know, much less, stab anyone. And how could that same, petite woman have managed, as the prosecution contended, to wedge a chair beneath the doorknob of the closet that she was already inside . And, beyond that, bind her own hands and feet. The prosecution had an answer for those houdinilike skills. She, definitely, prepared for this. Im sure she practiced the chair behind the door. Reporter the prosecutor said sandra had come up with an ingenious way to wedge that chair under the doorknob, from the inside. By sliding a pillow sham along the floor. How is that, you ask . Well, she played this video of investigators recreating the process. The detectives videotape themselves putting the chair on the pillow sham. And pulling the pillow sham underneath the door so you can pull it closed. From inside. Right. Thats right. Prosecutor barnett said it wouldnt be all that hard for sandra to tie her own hands behind her back. She showed us what she showed the jury. So, how do you tie yourself up with that figure eight, then . Its pretty simple. All you do is just put it on, put it in the back. And you just mess around with it, any kind of way. The point is that it looks legitimate. Not that it is legitimate but that it looks legitimate. Reporter the prosecutor argued sandra did this, just minutes before the tfamily discovered her, which would explain what the emt said she did not see on sandras wrists. She had no bruises. No ligature marks. Nothing. But the idea that sandra could have come up with these elaborate tricks. There is no evidence of that. A theory investigators didnt even try to corroborate with the eyewitnesses who had found sandra. Daughter, liz, said after that night, investigators never came back to ask the family what they saw. Never really spoke to your family again, is that right . Yeah. They never reached out to anybody. They could have asked them about, you know, the theory of the chair and the mat under the chair. You know, they could have asked them about the surroundings. And they would have heard how the family said they needed scissors to cut sandra free. Her wrists, so tightly bound. I have a big problem with them not following through and talking to witnesses, who had personal knowledge. Reporter the prosecution said investigators followed the evidence and did a thorough job. It was now up to a Harris County jury to decide sandras fate. The first day of deliberations ended with no decision. When the jurys out, do you go back to your office and pretend to work or what . You cant work. No. You try and work and do other stuff but you really cant. Finally, day two, there was a verdict. We were all everythings going to be fine. This is a joke. No worries. Surely, the jury will see it the way we, the family, see it. Exactly. We, the jury, find the defendant, sandra jean melgar, guilty of murder as charged in the indictment. Sandra collapsed into her chair, sobbing. Liz, beyond devastated, grasped for her mother as she was led away. It sucked the life out of me. I just felt the room spin. And i just felt like my world was collapsing. We just could not believe it. Could not believe that this was happening to her. Reporter to prosecutor barnett, this was justice. Both, for the state and for jamie melgar. Shes committed a crime and they found her guilty and im glad. Ive done my job and justice has been served. The jury sentenced sandra to 27 years many prison. Her lawyers have begun the yearslong appellate process. From behind bars, sandra wrote us this letter. Saying shes at peace because she knows she is innocent. Her family supports her, so she is not giving up. And liz . Well, she and her kids do their best to carry on, without jamie or sandra. My daughter just loves her nana so much. And it was so heartbreaking to tell her that nana wasnt coming home. When do you miss your dad, the most . Every day, when i look at my kids. Because i know what a wonderful grandfather he would have been. The jokes and the games. And probably, the toys he would have made for them. They never got a chance to roll their eyes at a jim joke. Yeah. Yeah. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im craig melvin. And im natalie morales. And this is dateline. No. It cant be. It cant be. He was so big in my life, the thought that anything bad could have happened to him, didnt make sense to me. Glamorous, good looking, golden, the dashing hollywood movie executive. He was more like a movie star in real life. Just so charismatic. Perfect Southern California family