He completely dropped off the face of the earth. Reporter a baffling disappearance, where was he . My dad is not just a missing person, he has three sons, he has a wife. I was very afraid that something terrible was wrong. And i got scared. Reporter the clues, a missing mercedes. A handprint in blood. And a Musical Chairs of secret affairs we have multiple love affairs . Yes. Theres more women, theres more lovers involved in this whole thing. Reporter was this beauty hiding something deadly . I wanted to get away. I was scared reporter how would this hollywood story end . I would just fear for my family. I didnt want to lose my dad. Like who are these people . Dark valley. Hello and welcome to dateline extra. Im craig melvin. Success seemed to find gavin smith. He was a star athlete in college. Then an actor turned hollywood movie executive who always made time for his adoring kids. When gavin vanished, his loved ones were at a loss. At first, investigators were, too, unsure if he up and left or if gavin was a victim of foul play. Soon, his wife revealed that the missing father held dark secrets and all was not as sunny as it might have appeared. Heres Keith Morrison. Reporter there is a kind of peace here, here in her own chosen exile. The vast pacific for company. How else to live with whats impossible to understand or forget. What began that Sunny Afternoon far away in southern californias san fernando valley, early may 2012. Something was really wrong, but a lot more wrong than i could imagine. Reporter it was the boy who knew it first, knew something was wrong. His dad was supposed to take him to school that morning. But after school i was to go to the school and pick him up after basketball practice. When i showed up, he said, daddy didnt pick me up this morning. And i said, what . He said, daddy didnt show up this morning. Reporter it can happen. Busy families. People forget. The boy got to school some other way. He said he called a friend from around the corner. Reporter or sometimes things fall apart. The situation sounded too crazy. Love affairs, love triangles, drug dealers. It just sounded too outlandish. Reporter once those stable, loving pieces have flown apart, how do they come together again . Somebody is going to walk away from this who maybe you wish wasnt going to walk away. Exactly. How do people sleep at night . How do they live with themselves . Reporter but that afternoon lisa smith knew instantly, something must be wrong. Her husband gavin was a dedicated father. Nothing that would keep him from picking up his kid ever. Reporter because gavin was so good at these things, said his sister tara addeo, he was so impressive, so tall. You both got the tall gene, right . We did. Whole family. Whole family. Reporter gavin was the tallest, 66. He walked in a room, you noticed him. You wanted to gravitate to him. He was a magnet. Reporter he played basketball for legendary coach john wooden, ucla, 1975. He was a forward. It was woodens final championship team. Just to be on that team was pretty fantastic. It was a once in a lifetime. Reporter and then he drifted a bit. Worked as a golf caddie and this being los angeles and he a goodlooking, towering athlete. People noticed him, movie people. They gave him a couple of roles. And he got the bug. Reporter the acting bug. First as a body double back on the Basketball Court in the movie inside moves and then as a bartender in cobb. Congrats, al reporter when he met lisa, he was acting, but also waiting tables. He twinkled. He was just charming. I was thrilled that he asked me for my number. Reporter they married. Had three sons together. And with a growing family to support, gavin gave up acting and took a job on the business side at Twentieth Century fox, eventually as a Film Distribution executive. Fox is a Wonderful Company to work for, and he loved it. It was film. Reporter first place lisa called when gavin failed to pick up their son. Was he at work that day . They told me he just hadnt shown up to work. Gavin, in 18 years had never ever not shown up to work. Reporter so then lisa, very worried now, went to the lost hills sheriff station to report gavin missing and waited and waited. Days later, gavins family went on nbc4 in los angeles to plead for help. Im not going to stop until i find him, so please help me find him. If you guys just want to each pick up one of these streets. Now im in panic mode, weve got to do something. What did that feel like being in that spot . Oh, it was surreal. Reporter the smith family put together a 20,000 reward for any information leading to gavins whereabouts. Nothing turned up. And i would think with every hour that went by, it would be more and more dire and darker for you, right . Its very dark. Its very, very dark. Reporter it wasnt just the family having dark thoughts. They dont normally call a couple of seasoned homicide detectives to look into a missing persons case. They do when there are some suspicious circumstances. Reporter and in this case, they called in sheriff detectives ty labbe and his partner john obrien. His phone was missing. There was no use of it. We checked his Bank Accounts from the time that he was missing. We checked his medical insurance to see if he had checked himself into a hospital. That never showed any activity. He was completely dropped off the face of the earth. Reporter but then, out of nowhere, a sighting. Hundreds of miles north of los angeles, a businessman visiting californias Central Coast said he saw gavin smith and a beautiful woman at a cashonly taco restaurant in morro bay. I happened to click on the link, saw the photo, and i said, oh, boy reporter the waitress corroborated the story. He was sitting here, she was sitting right here. Reporter gavins sister tara raced up the coast to the restaurant. And i said, heres my brothers picture. Did you see him . And . No. That was truly heartbreaking to me. Reporter it was all a big mistake. But it wasnt the last of the sightings. People seemed to see gavin smith everywhere. Because he kind of stands out in the photo, you know, big, white smile, tan face, tall guy, pretty much every tall, tan, blondehaired man was getting spotted as being gavin smith. Reporter weeks, months passed. No sign of gavin. And with no answers, lisa was forced to reveal something publicly, something painful and maybe crucial. Coming up what had happened to gavin smith . It didnt make sense to me. And so i just kept no, it cant be. It cant be. We said, i think this is a suicide. And then we go i think this is a murder. Our gut instincts are going different ways. You wondered if she had something to do with this . It crossed our minds all the time. Somehow, it kept playing back, why wont you search . Why . When dark valley continues. [sneezing] you dont want to cancel your plans. [sneezing] cancel your cold. The 1pill power of advil multisymptom cold flu knocks out your worst symptoms. Cancel your cold, not your plans. Advil multisymptom cold flu. burke at farmers insurance, weve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Even a threering fender bender. clown 1 sorry about that. clown 2 apologies. clown 1 . Didnt mean it. clown 3 whoops. stilts sorry clowns were sorry scary hey, were sorry [man screams] [scary screams] burke quite the circus. But we covered it. At farmers, we know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum welcome back to dateline extra. Gavin smiths family was distraught after the 57yearold larger than life dad vanished. How could the hard to miss 66 hollywood executive disappear without a trace . Detectives were about to discover hidden secrets gavin had a troubled past. Continuing our story, heres Keith Morrison. Reporter gavin smith, as just about anybody could see, was his familys golden boy. His sister tara grew up in his aura, idolized him. He, of all people, should not just up and vanish. It didnt make sense to me. And so i just kept, no, it cant be. It cant be. I just kept hoping. I did everything i could. Reporter but even as she ran down leads herself, it seemed to tara that lisa, her sisterinlaw, gavins wife, wasnt searching. So he disappeared, and you couldnt give up on the possibility he was out there somewhere, and lisa could. And i wondered whether there were ever sort of dark nights to your soul where you thought i wonder if she had something to do with this. It crossed our minds all the time. It just did. I mean, did i think that she could ever be the one responsible, the physical . No. But somehow it kept playing back, why wont you search. Why . The only way somebody doesnt look for you is if you already know definitively yeah. Theyre no longer living. And you must have a reason for knowing that. Thats what i would assume. Reporter and it turned out lisa did know something, just not what tara suspected. There were secrets, which lisa and gavin kept hidden. I was the love of gavins life. He adored me. Our family was exactly what he wanted to have. He just got lost. Reporter lost. It all started in the early 80s, even before she met gavin, when he was a stuntman on the tv series remington steele. He played a shooting victim falling from a second story window. The stunt went wrong, and he broke his back. He would get pain pills for his back. So usually percocet, Something Like that for pain. When that didnt work anymore, he was prescribed oxycontin, and he was addicted to it. Reporter he went to a Drug Rehab Center called the Matrix Institute here in the san fernando valley. He clearly stopped using. He was feeling healthier than he had felt in years. Reporter but when detectives john obrien and ty labbe learned about gavins addiction, they had to consider a raft of new possibilities. He disappeared. Maybe he overdosed. We didnt exactly have any of those answers. Driving all over the valley, we would have moments in the car of where we looked at each other and said, i think this is a suicide. And then an hour later, wed interview somebody or something would happen, and wed go, i think this is a murder. And our feelings and our gut instincts were going different ways very early on very fast. Yeah. Its got to be pretty unusual though . It was very confusing. Reporter confusing for lisa, too, because here was another secret, the smiths were underwater on their mortgage. On the verge of losing their home. We were in a horrible position financially. Reporter lisa discovered that before he disappeared, gavin had been taking money from his retirement account and recklessly blowing through his sixfigure salary. And there were other signs of strain in the family. In april 2012, a month before gavin disappeared, his son evan wrote this message on twitter. Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing mom and brothers please. My dad decided to leave the family last night. Real family sticks together. Sister tara spoke with gavin at the time. He was struggling with losing what he had come to know and love for so many years, and that was his family unit. Uhhuh. And he didnt want to hurt those boys. And thats what he kept saying, i dont want to be without them. Reporter but as much as he loved his boys, detectives learned gavin had been unfaithful to his wife, had been seeing a woman named melanie, and now that gavin had disappeared without a trace we went to talk to her and to see if she had any information. Did she . No. The relationship had ended, and she had not talked to him, and she had no idea where he was at. Reporter but though melanie was the reason gavin moved out of his house a month before he vanished, she was not his first affair. There had also been a woman named chandy. That relationship was years in the past, but phone records showed gavin called her on may 1st, the day before he disappeared. Cops tracked her down, too. What did she tell you . She acknowledged the prior affair, and she said that she had not been in contact with him for some time, but then they started communicating via email. And that would explain the fact that he called her on the phone . Yes. Reporter but chandy said she didnt see him may 1st, hadnt heard from him since. Last sighting . A colleague saw him driving his black mercedes. We felt that the vehicle was still out there somewhere. Reporter so find the car and maybe find out what happened to gavin. And nine months after gavin vanished, they finally got the break they were looking for. I said, im here to talk to you about your daughter. And he started crying. And he said, she saw everything. Coming up we just waited until she showed up and kind of surprised her. She was very nervous, startled. A new witness and the gamechanger of a clue. I kissed my partner on the cheek. It was pretty exciting. It was a big piece of evidence. You think that you cant be shocked, but you can be. When dark valley continues. at chevy, were all about bringing families together. This time of year, thats really important. So were making it easier than ever to become part of our family. Man thats why our chevy employee discount is now available to everyone. The chevy price you pay is what we pay. Not a cent more. Family is important to us. And wed like you to be part of ours. So happy holidays. And welcome to the family. The chevy family get the chevy employee discount for everyone today. Thouwhich is Breast Cancer metastthat has spreadcer, to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. 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Common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. Be in your moment. Ask your doctor about ibrance. Did you know that feeling sluggish or weighed down could be signs that your digestive system isnt working at its best . Taking metamucil every day can help. Metamucil supports your daily Digestive Health using a special plantbased fiber called psyllium. Psyllium works by forming a gel in your digestive system to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. Metamucils gelling action also helps to lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. So, start feeling lighter and more energetic by taking metamucil every day. Welcome back. As california investigators tried to make sense of gavin smiths mysterious disappearance, they learned that gavin had troubles he kept hidden. The man who seemed to have it all struggled with addiction. He also had serious financial problems detectives were far from answers, but that would change when someone gave them a name that led to a crucial discovery. Heres Keith Morrison with more. Reporter like it or not its a fact, an element of human nature. Some people have affairs. Some of them just flings and others a lot more. As detective ty poked through gavins life, one name kept popping up, chandy. Her full name, Chandrika Creech. Shed already told the detectives that she and gavin had an affair years earlier and that he called her right before he vanished. But now, nine months after gavin disappeared, the detectives got a tip. Her father knew more. Chandys dad started telling a tale about something his daughter may have seen, and he was distraught and wanted to talk about it. And he said, well, you know reina . I go, yeah, i know the name. Reporter reina lim . She lived with chandy. She took care of chandys grandmother. Chandys dad said reina knew something, something important. And he goes, i think she knows where the car is. Reporter the elusive mercedes. Detective labbe and his partner john obrien drove out to see reina. We just waited till she showed up, and we kind of surprised her. Thats what you guys do, right . You know sometimes it works better that way, yeah. She was very nervous and startled and wasnt quite sure what to do. But ultimately she provided us with the paperwork for the storage locker. Reporter reinas storage locker. It was a big one, ten feet by 20. We rolled the door up and the only thing in it was a black Mercedes Benz with no license plates on it. Wow. Huge moment. Reporter a black mercedes sedan. Had to be gavin smiths. I kissed my partner on the cheek. Thats a true story. It was a big piece of evidence. And we were able to get closer and saw that our entire crime scene, in our opinion, was inside that car. Reporter crime scene . Yes. Suddenly all other theories seemed to fall away. The passengers seat was completely covered in blood. And at one point it was very eerie when you looked at the blood and you could see a handmark of gavin smith as he died in that seat. Reporter soon the news reached gavins family. Tara was devastated. Theres no going back from that. There is no going back. You accepted it . You know, youre forced. You know, trauma happens to people all the time. You dont think its going to happen to you, but it does. You know when you already expect the worst, you think that you cant be shocked, but you can be is all i can say about that. Reporter but if gavin was dead, and certainly it looked that way, where was his body . How did his car wind up in the storage locker . And above all, who would have wanted him dead . Reina lim certainly seemed an unlikely suspect. She told them she had rented the storage unit for someone else. Meanwhile, detectives looked further into chandys affair with gavin and discovered the two had met in rehab. And in december 2010, less than two years before gavin disappeared, lisa found out about it. I was heartbroken. Reporter so she took an extreme step to save her family. She and two of her sons, then 14 and 20, went to the creechs house to speak to them, family to family. And i was really upset when we were driving there. So i stayed in the car, and i let my sons go in the house. Reporter but they didnt meet chandy in there. They met her husband. His name was john, john creech. Not pleasant. When they came out, they were both crying. Reporter they told their mom creech threatened to kill gavin if he didnt stay away from chandy. So 17 months later, he vanishes after calling chandy . Lisa had a very bad feeling. Everything changed right then for me. Reporter detectives were suspicious too. Remember, chandy told them she didnt see gavin that night. But there was evidence to the contrary. Cell phone records showed gavins phone and chandys were in the same place that night. A little triangulation narrowed down just where. We came upon this street here, and we thought this was a good spot. This was a likely spot. Yeah. Reporter a likely spot for a tryst, that is. Parking lot though would be empty at night . Yes. Yes. And so this is a pretty lonely spot. It is. Reporter so it seemed that on the night he disappeared, gavin smith met Chandrika Creech for sex, or comfort, or just to talk. Something. Quite a lot to learn from those phone records. But there was more. A third phone. John creechs phone. In the same spot, on the same night. And this was eerie, creechs phone seemed to be moving in sync with gavins. John creechs phone and gavin smiths phone paralleled each other. Together together. Together. Sometimes hitting off the exact same towers or parallel towers. Wow. What was that like . That was an eyeopening moment. Reporter but when they interviewed john creech he denied ever meeting gavin smith. He said he knew who he was, that he was having an affair with his wife in the past. Reporter so, despite their suspicions, there was not much police could do because one thing we didnt have was gavin smith. Reporter that is, they had no body. No way to prove who killed gavin or that there was a murder at all. That is, until a dog named buddy went for a walk. A real life dog detective who makes a deadly discovery on a deserted trail. In coming up i go, buddy, stop. And he is just looking at the bush. So we go up there and were looking and its like, wow, what is that looks pretty strange. And a young woman suddenly finds herself in the middle of this mystery. I discovered he had scrapes on his hands and on his arms. When dark valley continues. Until i found out what it actually was. Dust mite droppings eeeeeww dead skin cells gross so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavyduty dusters. 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Im dara brown with the top stories. A group of freshmen in the Democratic Caucus are trying to convince Speaker Pelosi to select justin amash to serve as an impeachment manager for the expected senate trial. Sources tell nbc news that pelosi is unlikely to select amash. A new college poll shows senator Bernie Sanders enjoying a surge in iowa. Sanders is only trailing frontrunner joe biden within the margin of error in the state up nine points since october. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline extra. Im craig melvin. Once Police Located gavin smiths missing black mercedes, their story began to come together and it pointed to foul play. They found gavins bloody handprint in the car and also started to piece together his whereabouts on the night he went missing. It looked like someone had attacked him. But the trail had not led them to gavin. That is, until one curious dog picked up a scent. Heres Keith Morrison with more. Reporter rocky ramos liked to drive his truck up to the outskirts of the Angeles National forest. A place where people tend to toss things like old tvs. Maybe some furniture. Rocky liked to poke around up here. Always with his dog buddy by his side. Hed be mad if i didnt take him. Reporter in october 2014, they were just five minutes into their hike when something curious happened. We were walking up this little area right here, and he runs to a bush, and i go, buddy, stop. And hes just lookin at the bush. He wont leave it or anything, so we go up there, and were looking, and its, like, wow, what is that looks pretty strange. Reporter buddy had made a grim discovery, a human skull. I was just totally amazed. I was without words, you know . I didnt know what to think. Reporter when police arrived, they found a shallow grave nearby. Thats where they found him. Reporter him. The coroner soon confirmed it. After 2 1 2 years, here was the body of gavin smith. The clothing was still intact. And he had been wrapped in his own blanket that he had in the trunk of his car. Reporter the coroner also found the cause of death, and it was grim. Blunt craniofacial trauma, that is multiple blows to his face. He was beaten to death. It was repeated hitting in order to do that much damage. Very violent. Reporter there were also fractures to the right forearm. Possibly defensive wounds. Gavin had tried to fight, but clearly he was no match for his killer. Whoever did this was strong, very strong. Powerhouse gym was very gossipy. So if you told the wrong person something, your secret would be all over the gym. Reporter lauren, just 18 years old back then, asked us not to use her last name. Not after she found herself in the middle of a Homicide Investigation when police came across her while doing surveillance on john creech. Lauren used to work at the pro shop of the powerhouse gym in chatsworth, california. And thats where she first met creech. He was beautiful. He was tall, and he was muscular. And a lot of women especially wanted to date him, a lot of men wanted to be him. Reporter lauren fell for him. He told her he was separated from his wife chandy, but that didnt stop chandy from calling lauren. She texted and called me and was very belligerent and rude. Reporter angry, perhaps, that her husband, then 39, was dating a high school girl. In fact, sheer coincidence, lauren went to high school with gavin smiths sons. So she knew when he disappeared in may 2012 but made no connection between that and something she noticed about her boyfriend john creech. I discovered he had scrapes on his hands and on his arms. She didnt think he had anything to do with the disappearance. Reporter but when detective obrien heard about creechs scrapes, he immediately thought of gavin smiths wounds. He needed to talk to john creech again, and he found him in jail serving eight years on a cocaine charge. His second conviction for dealing drugs. Not exactly an upstanding citizen. But could they prove he murdered gavin smith . We went to him, didnt ask him any questions, just put a picture down in front of him of the shallow grave with the wrapped up body. How did he react to that . Very wide eyed, and the first phone call he made was to his attorney. Thats hardly a surprise . No. Reporter but other phone calls were surprising. Like the record of calls the detectives found in creechs cell phone from the night gavin vanished. John creech was on the phone a lot. He was calling multiple people very intensely. So like three or four or five calls to the same person over and over. Exactly. Reporter some of those calls were to creechs buddies from the powerhouse gym. We did a multilocation search warrant, and we hit everybody that we believed might have helped on that evening. We hit all those houses all at once. Reporter one by one, those buddies turned. They told detectives how a frantic creech showed up late that night. How he persuaded one friend to get rid of gavins cell phone. Got another friend to hide gavins car and body in his garage. And yet another told detectives she saw chandy and john creech burning their own clothes in the fireplace after gavin was killed. This was a strange case. Reporter prosecutor bobby grace. You dont normally find a body two years later after somebody is killed. You dont normally have key witnesses who dont come forward until years later. Reporter in january 2015, nearly three years after gavin smith disappeared, creech was charged with first degree murder. He pleaded not guilty. And chandy, well we didnt know if she set it up or if she had something to do with it. Coming up an undercover sting and chandys the target. And i was like, stop it. I was like screaming my head off. And then he comes out of the car and hes like, youre next then, a stunning moment in the courtroom. I wanted to get away. I was scared. I was afraid of what i would see. When dark valley continues. Itheres my career. s more to me than hiv. My cause. And creating my dream home. Im a work in progress. So much goes into who i am. Hiv medicine is one part of it. Prescription dovato is for adults who are starting hiv1 treatment and who arent resistant to either of the medicines dolutegravir or lamivudine. Dovato has 2 medicines in 1 pill to help you reach and then stay undetectable. So your hiv can be controlled with fewer medicines while taking dovato. You can take dovato anytime of day with food or without. Dont take dovato if youre allergic to any of its ingredients or if you take dofetilide. If you have hepatitis b, it can change during treatment with dovato and become harder to treat. Your hepatitis b may get worse or become lifethreatening if you stop taking dovato. So do not stop dovato without talking to your doctor. Serious side effects can occur, including allergic reactions, liver problems, and liver failure. 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Didnt mean it. clown 3 whoops. stilts sorry clowns were sorry scary hey, were sorry [man screams] [scary screams] burke quite the circus. But we covered it. At farmers, we know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum welcome back. Nearly three years after gavin smiths disappearance, john creech was charged with his murder. Police believe john carried out the ragefueled killing as revenge for gavins affair with johns wife chandy. Several of Johns Associates admitted they helped john hide evidence. But investigators did not think they had the whole story just yet. And there was one person who could give it to them directly. So they figured out a way to get it. Once again, heres Keith Morrison. Reporter detectives john obrien and ty labbe had a problem. An important witness who wouldnt talk. Chandrika creech had clammed up. But theres more than one way to get a story. They found an associate of john creechs, someone who knew chandy. They convinced him to wear a wire and meet with her. It worked. Do you want the whole story . Yeah. Reporter once chandy felt safe, she spilled it. All of it. How she and gavin met in secret at that secluded culdesac, got close in gavins car. And then all of a sudden the door opened, and johnny just goes like and i just like pushed myself out this way. Got out the drivers side. Reporter creech burst in like a machine, said chandy. Started slugging, wouldnt quit. And i was like, stop it, youre going to kill him i was like screaming my head off. And then he comes out of the car and hes like, youre next. And then i drove off. Reporter she was terrified, she said. Afraid hed kill her too or tell the cops she set the whole thing up. So, did she . Again and again the detectives listened to the undercover tape. I believe 100 that she did not know that was going to happen, and she did not set it up. Reporter but, they wondered, did she help cover it up . Its a serious business, covering for a crime that awful. But chandy had a card to play. She agreed to testify. Members and alternate members of the jury reporter and in june 2017, john creech went on trial. On the face of it, it looked like a solid case. The phone evidence, the coverup, the truly appalling crime scene in gavins car. But did it add up to first degree murder . Gavin smith had been dead five years. He was killed in his mercedesbenz in an act of almost stunning brutality by the defendant john creech whos sitting here in the courtroom. This became gavin smiths tomb. Reporter but what happened wasnt merely an outburst of rage, said prosecutor bobby grace. No, he said, creech had been plotting for two years ever since he found out about chandy and gavin. After that day back in december 2010, when at their mothers request, gavins sons met with john creech at his house. We just wanted to make sure that my dad was not in harms way. Were you sobbing and crying . Yes. And what were you saying to the defendant . I was just begging him not to harm my family. Reporter but they testified creech told them that they did the right thing. He ended up saying that we saved his life by coming that day. Reporter but there were rules. Thats what chandrika, now divorced from john creech, said when she finally took the witness stand. As long as their father stayed away from me and had no communication whatsoever, their father would be fine. Did he say what would happen if he did . That he would kill gavin smith. Reporter the affair ended. But, chandy said, the threat remained. He did not want me to see gavin ever. Reporter still, attraction is a powerful thing, isnt it . Early in 2012, john and chandy were separated but still living together. And gavin and lisa were separated, too. And that old magnetic force, gavin met chandy on that secluded road. Did the two of you become romantic . Yes. Did that include kissing . Yes. And while you were kissing gavin, did something happen that caught your attention . Yeah. What happened . Just Something Like popped up, like appeared. Was that something the defendant, john creech . Yes, yes. Reporter gavin didnt have a chance, she said. He repeatedly punched him in the face. Reporter so then she ran back to her car, terrified. I wanted to get away. I was scared. Reporter but before she drove away, she looked back. John had gavin pinned down. Reporter later, she said, creech wanted her to drive him back to the crime scene, help him take gavin to the hospital. A block and a half away, she refused to go closer and dropped creech off. Why didnt you take him all the way back to the scene . Because i was afraid of what i would see. Reporter gavin was dead by then. And the prosecutor told the jury creech wasnt going to any hospital. He was setting out to recruit help for his coverup. So the first person he calls is jorge valles. Reporter jorge valles was the first of a series of friends who told an incredible tale. Did you ask any of these people a central question, what were you thinking . They all ultimately said that they were trying to help johnny. Because hes such a nice man. Because he was a nice guy. Reporter nice . When creech showed up at jorges house that night, he was driving gavins black mercedes, and jorge saw something in the passenger seat. It looked like a body. It was just stiff, like a stick, you know, a long stick. And you said it was wrapped up . Wrapped up in a blanket. Reporter eventually jorge got rid of gavins cell phone, but that very night, said the prosecutor, creech called a friend from the powerhouse gym, stan mcquay. He asked if he can come over and if he can park his car in my garage. Was the body still in it at that point . Yes. Reporter mcquay allows creech to keep the body and the car at his house for five to six days. Really . Yes. Reporter and thats when creech turned to reina lim, the nurse who lived with them and took care of chandys grandmother. Creech got reina to rent a van. And then he uses the van to drive up to the Angeles National forest, and he finds a secluded area to bury gavin smiths body. Reporter where buddy the dog later found it. But the mercedesbenz was still in stans garage. And did that upset you . Very much so. Reporter so weeks later, two men arrived with a trailer. And did you watch them take the mercedes out of your garage . Yes, i did. Reporter that, said prosecutor grace, is when they moved the mercedes into reinas storage locker. Where, months later, detective labbe noticed one crucial little detail that survived the attempted coverup. I was looking at the license plate, and i see that its not there. There should be a california license plate. Its not youd kinda think. Its gone. And i also see that theres one screw missing and one screw screwed back in halfway, and that screw came back positive dna to john creech. Reporter bingo. The unassailable link to pull together all that evidence phone records, chandys testimony, the friends, the dna, and it all condemned john creech. But a surprise was coming for everyone. Raise your right hand. Coming up i was scared for my life. A dramatic tale from the stand. He punched me, pulled me in by my sweater, put his hand on my throat, hes choking me by my throat who attacked who . And who would the jury believe . My skin was just crawling it was really hard. It was really hard. Hes a cruel man. When dark valley continues. Mornings were made for Better Things than Rheumatoid Arthritis or Psoriatic Arthritis. When considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz xr, a oncedaily pill for adults with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis or active Psoriatic Arthritis for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. It can reduce pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb; dont start xeljanz if you have an infection. Taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra can increase risk of death. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. As have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, and changes in lab results. Tell your doctor if youve been somewhere fungal infections are common, or if youve had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Dont let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. Reporter and two years later, when it all happened, he, and chandy were separated, he said. Though they still lived in the same house, and he still worried about her, thought she might be drinking and driving. So he installed an app on his phone, he said, that allowed hil to track her phone and followed her only because he was worried he said. And then he saw her car parked near gavins and thought it best to talk to them, but he didnt sneak up on them, he said. So i knock on the hood of the car. Was chandy sitting on the lap of this guy . She was sitting on his lap. They just kept talking, so i la walked over to the passenger t side door, and i knocked on the window. Er what did they do . Chandy opened the door. Dir. And what did she say to you . What the [ bleep ] are you doing here . He reporter he started to argue with chandy, he said, and then gavin joined in. A i walked around the door, and im leaning down to tell him to mind his own business. As im leaning down to tell hima that is when he leaned up and punched me. He punched me. Pulled me in by my sweater. Put his hand up on my throat. Hes choking me in my throat. Reporter it was gavin who threw that first punch, he saida so, of course, he fought back. S do you recall how many times you hit him . Four, five. And when you were doing that, what were you thinking . Im just thinking how in the [ bleep ] did i get in this situation. You know, i was scared for my life. S reporter and then gavin got out of the mercedes, said creech. R and there was something in his hand. It was like a ten to 12inch stainless steel thing that at the time i thought was a knife. We fell in the ground, and we went at it for about ten or fifteen seconds exchanging punches. 12 at some point did you get that weapon . E se i kept punching him until heo let go of it. Il okay. And whatd you do with the weapon . I threw it over the back wall of my property. Reporter such a weapon was never recovered, by the way. Y. But creech insisted there was one, a multipurpose tool of some kind, and it was gavin who provoked the fight. Chl i was defending my life. I didnt go there looking for a fight. Fo i was just defending mine. I think he lied about everything that he said. Reporter on t crossexamination, the am prosecutor went straight for that socalled multipurpose tool. E so tell us why in the world would you get rid of this weapon that gavin smith had used to attack you with . Why would you get rid of it . Well, i didnt get rid of ito i threw it behind my house wherf i knew it would be all right. Why would you do that, sir . Wo why wouldnt you just leave it where it was . E well, i can play armchair quarterback all day about i things, but at the time it seemed like the right decision. U reporter creech admitted he made some wrong decisions too. Ed like asking friends to help him dispose of gavins phone and car and body. I take full accountability for everything after the fact. If i could change it, i would. Sir, actually you never took full accountability because youl never came forward to the police, did you . Not on advice of counsel, no, and i still take accountability, for that. L reporter lisa smith was in the courtroom to hear creechs testimony. My skin was just crawling. It was really hard. Ng it was really hard. Hes a cruel man. Reporter jury deliberations stretched across two days. Then, the verdict. We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant john creech not guilty of the crime of firstdegree murder of gavin smith. Reporter not guilty of firstdegree murder but the jury wasnt done. Guilty of the crime of y voluntary manslaughter. Reporter the verdict, guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Te in other words, they believed john creech killed gavin smith in a moment of blind passion. I was devastated by the verdict. I am still devastated by the verdict because he did absolutely plan on murdering my husband and thought about it for years and did it. Reporter what about creechs friends jorge and stan, who te helped creech cover up the killing . Ec they both had significant criminal liability. So why werent they charged . Because we needed them to be able to tell the story about ho this man was killed and what happened to him. T reporter so they both got immunity. Same thing with chandrika, who helped burn bloody clothing andg never called the police. G it seems to me that everybody got deals and everybody got off. And that gavin was a victim long after he was murdered, and so were we. W reporter john creech was sentenced to the maximum for manslaughter. 11 years in prison. The d. A. In detroit, michigan, indicted mr. Creech on federal Drug Trafficking charges. If icconvicted, his exposure is anywhere from 5 to 40 years in prison. In june 2019, john creech was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He was given ten years, ten months, a sentence hell serve concurrently with his remaining time fornc manslaughter in a california state prison. And s lisa smith has done her bt to restart life. She and the boys are in hawaii now, far from the wreckage of that california life. It never was quite as perfect as it looked. Its painful to remain there so its starting fresh. Feels like sanctuary. Thats all for this edition of dateline extra. Im craig melvin. Thank you for watching. Talk about shutters going down your spine. A crime like this doesnt happen. This wasdo just a lightning bol. She was found laying face down with a large amount of blood. Whatam does the scene tell y . What do your victims tell you . You have a killer loose here who is specifically targeting people. Yeah. She was somebody that he really thought was too hard on him. Was the h cause of his determination toof begin with a really had b some animosity towards her. This at a doctors house. Somebody is after those doctors