Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20140927

Go get him now reporter a neighbor with a gun and a grudge. I thought, they better get to him before i do. Reporter but some said this couple was having trouble. That seth had a secret. Did he tell you, she sent me some topless pictures . Yes. Reporter others said the real murderer was someone else, right under cops noses. Heres a legitimate suspect that should have been investigated. Reporter a case unfolding on camera, one that would test three juries, shatter two families. Just like somebody hit me in the stomach. Reporter and take one final twist that was her biggest secret. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Dennis Murphy with before dawn. Reporter the cornfields of iowa are a far piece from memphis. But it was here, in ottumwa, iowa, a baby girl was named after a princess. Lisa marie. Yep, that one. As a kid, i was pretty big into elvis. I knew that my first daughter was gonna be lisa marie because of elvis, of course. Reporter just as Todd Caldwell hoped, his little lisa lived up to her big name. She was just the life of the party. Once she started talking, she hadnt shut up. Reporter theyre divorced now but tracy and Todd Caldwell watched their girl grow up all but unstoppable. A vivacious, winning teen. Bowling, todd, were not just talking recreational saturday night now and then . No, were talkin about a state champion bowler. Anything she did, she had to be the best at it. Reporter lisa was a teenager when her parents divorced. Todd remained an active father to lisa and his three other children, all the while he was working a stressful and dangerous job as a deputy in the Wapello County Sheriffs Department. He found comfort in several ways. One was his occasional hobby. Hed take out his sketch pad from time to time. And then he met and fell hard for a nurse named amy. Before long, he was starting fatherhood all over again. With twin daughters. This time, he was getting lots of help from lisa. She was the twins default babysitter. She was more like a second mom to the twins than a big sister. She was just a caregiver to anybody. They had a very close relationship . Uhhuh. Very. I would get into bed with her. Wed watch old episodes of the golden girls. Thats a sweet relationship. Yeah. And she always says that i was dorothy, because im such a grouch all the time. But yeah, that was my favorite time with lisa. Im so lucky. Reporter but stepmom amy put on her enforcer hat when it came to lisas teenage romantic life. I wanted to know who the boyfriends were. I wanted to know who their parents were. I was the one that they had to pass the test with. Reporter the boyfriend who passed with flying colors was a kid named seth techel. He came from a longtime local family. His grandfather had been the umpteen terms mayor of ottumwa. Mom was a social worker. Dad owned a local Bowling Alley. And the Bowling Alley was where seth, as a young teen, began noticing lisa. His dad was her highschool coach and seth bowled almost but not quite as well as lisa. The two worked parttime together at the lanes. They were becoming boyfriendgirlfriend and that was fine with both their families. So you liked this young girl . Oh, a lot. Yeah. She was a part of our family. Yeah. Reporter the techels were a churchgoing family and seths mom lorraine remembers how the boys compassion for others shone on a Relief Mission to mississippi after hurricane katrina. He just stood and talked to these folks for hours and hours. And they just became very good friends. And i have a lot of memories like that of seth. Helping people . Yup. Reporter and lisa wanted to help people, too. She followed her father into Law Enforcement. First as a reserve deputy in todds Sheriffs Department and then as a jailer in a neighboring county. I told her that she would have my blessings if she wasnt just an average cop. I wanted her to be a really great cop, because i didnt wanna have to worry about, you know, her inefficiencies maybe endangering her life. Reporter after years of hearing patrons at the Bowling Alley joke about when the two of them were going to get married, seth and lisa made the inevitable official. How do you find out theyre gonna get hitched . Seth actually came to our house and met with us and asked us our permission to marry lisa. Old school . Old school. Reporter after dating for sevenyears, seth and lisa got married in october, 2011. She was 22; he was 21. I just told him that no matter what he did, to take care of her and protect her. And he said . He said he would. Reporter lisas sister another elvis namesake presley got much more than a brotherinlaw with seth. He was my best friend. He was just kind of that other person that i could always go to. He called me, dad. We told each other we loved each other. We hugged every time we left each other. I mean i felt as close to him as i did my son. Reporter for lisa it wasnt just gaining a husband, it was having all his buddies come along, too. A package deal. So how did lisa put up with you guys . She was kind of interested in the same things that all of us were. Like, she liked to go fishing. She liked to go hunting. She liked to shoot guns. Was she okay . Better than seth. It sounds like you guys all would have been happy if she were your girlfriend. Seth was lucky. Reporter lucky, for sure. But seth knew it was time to settle down and get a real job. Like lisa he was drawn to uniformed service. Hed signed on as a volunteer firefighter and drew a paycheck as a security guard. But his fatherinlaw todd was helping him get a higher rung on the ladder with a soontostart job as a jailer for the sheriffs. Reporter they were very close. Todd was a big influence on seth. Thats why i think he went into Law Enforcement. Reporter a new job, a young marriage and now more changes for seth. He was going to be a father. Theyd picked a name for the unborn girl zoey maria. In may 2012 they were halfway through the pregnancy. Seth and lisa, a baby on the way, were starting out their married life in this humble little trailer. It was a gift from his dad, perched on just a beautiful piece of property. It was a kind of starter home while they saved some money for the future. The only apparent cloud in the picture was an escalating feud with an across the fence neighbor here. There was bad blood. It happened at 5 00 in the morning. A sudden, horrifying sound that shattered two young lives. Wapello county 911. Whats your emergency . Reporter saturday, may 26, 2012. Memorial day weekend. Shes not breathing. Does she have any medical problems . No, shes been shot. Reporter a shotgun blast had ended all the plans of mr. And mrs. Seth techel. Newlywed, momtobe, and now out of the blue victim of a violent attack. Who would want to hurt lisa . When we return deputies race to the scene, where the shooter could be lurking anywhere. You didnt know if somebody coulda winged a shot at you . Yeah, that was possible the whole time. Applebees let the fans put their favorite dishes on the famous 2 for 20 menu. I put the wonton tacos on applebees 2 for 20 menu because i love them. And, i am old enough to know what love is were still talking about tacos. Right . Applebees. Where fans know best. Morning hank. Icks qlearquil what a day, huh . Hey morning hank. For people who dont have allergies every day, just on allergy days. sneeze new qlearquil. The powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can be you again, allergy medicine. Boo haha. All right, see you buddy and introducing qlearquil nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. Qlearquil, powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil. [music] jackies heart attack didnt come with a warning. Today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. If youve had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. So did you hear the new iphone is out . Im getting one sprint is offering this exclusive new plan with unlimited data. The plan is only 50 a month 50 . Unlimited iphone [glass shattering] so should we eat . The new sprint simply unlimited plan, exclusively for iphone 6. Unlimited data, talk and text for just 50 a month. Switch to sprint and well buy out your contract. Its the best value in wireless. Reporter it was the end of a long overnight shift for sheriffs Deputy Marty Wonderlin the only deputy on duty in Wapello County, iowa. All was quiet and with the first hint of daybreak that saturday morning, marty relaxed and turned up the music in his cruiser. The ragged end of the shift for you, huh . Yeah. Im takin my last little loop around the county and gonna watch the sun come up and go home and go to bed. Reporter that plan came to an abrupt end around 5 30 am, when seth techel made a desperate 911 call from his house. Shes been shot. Im going to [ bleep ] kill who i was getting ready for work and i heard a gunshot and i came running out and she was shot in the side. Reporter dispatch relayed the message to marty wonderlin. The young deputy had never gotten a call like this. I have a report of a lady not breathing. I have now been advised this ladys just been shot. Is your heart pounding a little . Oh, yeah. Thats an understatement. Reporter with his car and his mind both doing ninety, marty raced to the house in under 10 minutes. He slowed along the rise of the gravel country road and stopped in the driveway. He had no idea what hed be facing. His dashboard camera captured the scene as he approached the house. Heres how you get in the trailer. What do you see, right about here . You could see seth techel up on the porch. He was wearing cargo shorts and a belt, and he just bent over, you know . Whats he doing . Sounds like hes crying. Just sobbing. Reporter the toughest call of martys career was suddenly so much more complicated. He knew the grieving husband on the porch considered him a friend, knew his wife lisa too, and her father todd was a respected fellow deputy. The unfolding tragedy had just become very personal. Deputy, how do you set your brain in compartments, where you gotta be very professional . This is the first time youve had a major crime, and yet its also people you know . Its tough. Were you scared . Its okay if you were. Yeah, definitely was scared. You know, concerned about a lot of different things. You didnt know if somebody coulda winged a shot at you . Yeah, i mean, that was possible the whole time. Reporter as the only cop at a dangerous, chaotic scene the possibility of a live shooter still on the grounds martys adrenaline was pumping. When he entered the trailer, a paramedic was attending to lisa. She was lying in her bed. It didnt look good. Martys only thought was to help her but he had to secure his rifle, so he ran back to his cruiser to lock it up. I got on my radio and i think i told dispatch, get 58 out here. Call 58 and have him get out here. Reporter badge 58 meant deputy Todd Caldwell, lisas father. In hindsight, i wish i wouldnta done that. I wish i would why do you say that . Well, cause i saw a lotta things that morning and now because of me, because of askin him to, you know, come out there, hes gonna have to live with some of those same images that i do now. Reporter Todd Caldwell was asleep but his cell phone was plugged in next to the bed always ready for a middleofthenight emergency call. We get a call from, you know, a dispatcher ive known for 20 years and i can tell that his voice is different. And from what i remember, he just said, you know, you need to get out to lisas house. Shes been shot and isnt breathing. Reporter todds wife amy bolted out of bed. Her stepdaughter her best friend needed her. I kinda left him behind. I didnt put shoes on, didnt have socks on. I went in my pajamas and drove 90 mile an hour, you know . Im an e. R. Nurse. Im thinkin youre sort of in nurse mode there too . Yeah. I was i im thinkin, well, you know, maybe if i get there fast enough, that minutes matter . Therell be something i can do. Reporter todd raced behind in a separate vehicle. I just repeated over and over, you know, oh, my god, oh, my god, oh, my god. I just remember thats all i could think and say is, oh, my god, oh, my god, oh, my god. Reporter at the scene, deputy wonderlin ran back to the house and did what he could to help the emt. Started giving lisa cpr, so the paramedic could i think he was gettin, like, a defibullator ready. It felt like forever. You know, and im askin him, you know, you want me to do cpr still . He told me not to. Reporter there was nothing more to do. She was gone along with her unborn daughter. Lisa marie techel was just 23 yearsold. I ran in there and you could tell that she was gone. So you went into the bedroom . You saw her . Did you tend to her . Yeah. I hold her i held her hand and i rubbed her belly and and i just said, my lisa, my lisa. Todd, did you go into the house . I hope not. Yeah, i did. I went in there and i seen her layin there. And i seen the amount of blood that was on the bed and i knew, from my experience, that that was too much blood to sustain life. When i listen to like the tape recording of it, i hear myself bellowing. I dont know how to describe but i dont even remember doin that. What happened . Reporter it was a heartbreaking scene, but Deputy Marty Wonderlin had a job to do. End of your shift, your first homicide. So youre in the barrel here. Gotta start workin it. Reporter there was an immediate lead from, of all people, Todd Caldwell. The veteran cop, who had just seen his precious daughter lying dead in a pool of blood, said he knew who the shooter was. And in a voice filled with rage, he told his fellow deputies to take the suspect down. That [ bleep ] go get him. Go get him. Now. Reporter coming up who was Todd Caldwell talking about . Turns out there was someone in seth and lisas life who had everybody worried. Things were escalating. They were fearful. I was fearful. Reporter when dateline continues. A whole new way to treat sensitivity. Thats 1 strip. 10 minutes. And up to 1 month of protection. Satisfaction guaranteed. Life opens up when you relieve sensitivity. [ siri] hello. Wh[cortana] name . Hello siri. Im cortana. Weve already met. Im sorry. I dont remember. 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By the time i got there, they had stuff taped off. And i went up and i just gave seth, like, the longest it seemed like the longest hug ever. Your best friend. Yup. Reporter seth was inconsolable, and acting out. I went over to him when i first got there and i tried hugging him. He pushed me away. He punched his truck, and i said, dont do that, seth, you know, let me see your hand. Reporter todd offered to take seth back to his house, but doug techel knew this was a moment his son should be with him. Was just bad. I mean, it he was sobbing. And we just hugged and cried. Reporter marty wonderlin, working his first homicide, was the first deputy to speak to seth. Hows that go . You know, i ask him what happened. I came running out. And i looked in the bedroom and shes [bleep] laying there. Reporter through the overwrought husbands sobbing, a story started to emerge. He basically tells me that he was in the shower gettin ready to go to work, and he hears a gun go off. I ripped open the [bleep] shower curtain and i grabbed my towel and i came out. I didnt see anybody down the hallway. Im gonna kill whoever the f did this. Theres been some sort of an intruder. Yeah, thats what hes tellin me, that someone came in while he was in the shower, shot lisa and ran away before he could catch him. Well figure it out, brother. I cant [bleep] tell todd. Well figure it out. Reporter lisas father todd thought hed figured it out. And already had a suspect. Go get him. Go get him. Now. Reporter todds rage was directed at the neighbor on the other side of the fence topped with barbed wire. A 56yearold disabled army veteran named brian tate. I just remember saying, go get him. Go get him now, and i thought, they better get to him before i do. Reporter brian tate had been embroiled in an escalating feud with his neighbors lisa and seth. Todd knew all about it, and was certain his daughter was now dead because of it. This is this culmination of bad bloods been goin on for a months time or more now . Uhhuh. Reporter it started about two months before the murder. Seth pulled a dead deer off the road along the property line. Brian tate later tossed the hide onto seths property. Seth tossed it back, and the battle was on. Tate made several calls to the county, complaining about nasty acts of vandalism. Todd caldwell responded to one in april. And tate pointed the finger at his young neighbor. I cant remember names. Seth, seth techel. Seth techel . Yep. Torkel . Techel. Techel. Yeah, his dad owns champion bowl. Okay. And ill tell i just theyre good people. They really are. Now this guy, brian tate, does he know that youre the fatherinlaw of the neighbor . No, and i dont wanna tell him that because i dont want that to effect maybe what he does or doesnt do. And he thinks thats the source of his trouble . Right. Those people over in the trailer property across the way . Yeah. Well, if you can, let us deal with it. What if what if what if im the one whos gotta catch him . Reporter brian tate told todd that dog feces and rocks had been hurled at his home. He then showed todd the evidence. He described the vandalism of his home in stark terms. He says that he thinks these are acts of terrorism and, you know, kind of a bell goes off like, terrorisms kind of a weird word to use. And the whole time half the time, i guess, hes sitting there. Hes i s i notice a shotgun layin on the ground, you know . And im like goin that makes me feel a little does that make you a little twitchy . Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Reporter so twitchy that todd sent a headsup email warning fellow deputies about tate, that he might be dangerous. Im thinkin, i dont wanna be the reason a deputy goes out okay, if you go out there, be careful. Tate might be 1096 which means mentally, you know, challenged. Reporter in fact, tate did have a history of mental illness. Hed been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. Seths mother lorraine, a social worker, used to dealing with mental patients, was worried and talked to both seth and lisa about their neighbor. She was terrified. This was when things were escalating. They thought that they could, you know, handle whatever. And uhm but they they were fearful. I was fearful. Reporter on may 15th, just 11 days before lisa was killed, an agitated tate made another call, complaining that the vandalism the terrorism was getting worse. Todd responded again. This time accompanied by fellow deputy don phillips. Im trying to have a conversation with you. You know it . I dont wanna be yelled at either. Well im trying to have a conversation with you and i dont understand why youre walking. Youre raising your voice at me. I, youre right. I am. What im wondering because youre not listening. Oh, me too. But no im good i know where im headed. How about music . 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And now celebrex may be available for as little as 4 a month. Terms and conditions apply. To learn more, go to celebrex. Com. Reporter on the main street of tiny agency, iowa, bad news traveled fast. A pregnant woman was dead and a gunman was on the loose. Just as quickly, fear took to roost. The 23yearold reserve sheriffs deputy was shot and killed in her home in the town of agency. She was 5 months pregnant. Reporter lisas murder was the first in the farm town in 15 years. Deputy don phillips, seen here unspooling crime scene tape, had a personal stake in cracking the case. Lisas dad is one of his best friends. Todd and i began the same year at the Sheriffs Office together. Id watched lisa grow up. I just reassured him that well figure this out. Well find out who did this. So, whatevers happened here is really within your family, the Law Enforcement family the county . Correct. Were a small Sheriffs Office. We know everybody. We know each others kids and extended families. Reporter and they also knew something about that guy next door, brian tate. Ever since the first deputies arrived at sunrise, theyd been peeking across the barbed wire. Just how dangerous was this fussing neighbor . Were they another shotgun blast away from finding out . At 1 00 that afternoon, eight hours after lisa was shot, Deputy Phillips and a team of investigators were ready to confront the neighbor. So, the decision is made. We gotta talk to brian tate. Yes. He was definitely a person of interest that we need to go talk to. Did you put your body armor on . Yes, i did. Reporter marty wonderlin did, too. He was preparing for anything, even a shootout. We got strapped up. Were all ready. Ready for business. Reporter marty was in the backup car while Deputy Phillips and a partner drew lineoffire detail, approaching brian tate for an interview. Hes our prime suspect. Its very possible in all of our minds that he just shot and killed lisa. Reporter as the Phillips Team walked slowly up to the tate house, marty and the chief deputy provided cover in the driveway. I had my my rifle out, locked and loaded. Had the red dot turned on. If things popped off, we were ready. Reporter nerves screaming. Everyone was poised for battle. Everyone but, it turned out, brian tate. He wasnt armed or belligerent. They could all exhale. As we walked up there, he was accommodating, got some chairs out for us. This is brian tate, huh . Brian brian did. And we sat down in his front yard. Reporter in the front yard in lawn chairs, his mother and brother by his side. No shotgun in sight. So, the cops turned on a recorder and started asking questions. So, you asked him, 5 00 a. M. , where were you, huh . Yes. Reporter he said he was in bed in his basement bedroom, sleeping off a higher dose of medication for his schizophrenia. I went to bed about 8 30. Right after i did. Yeah, after mom did. Fell right asleep. Didnt hear nothing. Didnt get up until 11 00. Reporter he said he was still asleep when the shooting mustve happened before dawn. Tates mother corroborated his 15 hour sleep alibi. Though the cops knew full well that mothers can often be biased witnesses. Did you hear anything in the middle of the night last night or see anything . I was in bed and normally i wouldve been up doing guard duty with all this [ bleep ] that happened. But im schizophrenic paranoid. Reporter guard duty. The exmilitary man called himself a Sergeant Major and walked the picket on his property line. Vigilant ever since his property had been littered with dog feces, his barn pelted with rocks. Deputy don phillips knew all about the vandalism complaint tate had filed. He and Todd Caldwell were the deputies whod responded to tates house just 11 days earlier. Theyd downplayed his complaints then and thought he was a crank off his meds. You said earlier, brian, that you youd sit outside here. At night . At night. Yeah. Whens the last time you did that . Oh. Its been a good week or so. Week or so . They dont want me to do guard duty anymore. They want me to get sleep, take more medications. You were such a calm, quiet guy until this vandalism started, and then youre just like a different person. I was mr. Nice guy for a long time. It done me no good. People took advantage of me so im kinda taking a different approach to life right now. I mean, when being more serious and more not such a nice guy. Reporter after venting about the vandalism, the 40minute interview was over. But investigators werent done. Theyd be back to question tate again. So, whatd you think you had when you got back in your vehicle . We still had a whodunit in our mind. Reporter but lisas stepmom and sister had no doubts whatsoever. I thought it was brian tate. Reporter but investigators knew they still had to talk to the husband. When agents scheduled an official interview with seth for later that day, it didnt sit well with amy. Is this how you how you always treat grieving husbands . And i i started crying. Im there thinking, theyre being so mean to him. We kinda got into an argument cause im like, they have to do that. Reporter wouldbe cop seth techel agreed completely. He knew the spouse had to be ruled out. He said he was eager to get crossed off the suspect list as soon as possible. So, he went downtown and instructed his parents no lawyers. I remember sayin, do we need to go get a lawyer . He was adamant. He said, no. He said, i didnt do anything. I have nothing to hide. I dont need a lawyer. Reporter was that a mistake . Seth had told his story to one familiar face after another at the scene. But now, hed be talking to an elite state interrogator and the tone of the investigation was about to change. Coming up deputies learn that seth may be hiding something. I told em that seth had a trac phone. Some kind of secret phone, huh . Yeah. Reporter when dateline continues. Us 2 for 20 menu. Why did i put the bourbon street chicken and shrimp on applebees 2 for 20 menu . Because its the most beautiful thing ive ever seen. Hi. Oh, happy birthday. Applebees. Where fans know best. Dowlower. Thats more like it petsmarts prices on your favorite food brands just got lower shop a wide assortment of food and save 7 on select nutro® natural choice® dry dog food, and save 20 when you buy 2 bags petsmart®. And sneaking in without lifemoving the bed. Sounds. And sneaking in without lifemoving the bed. Sounds. Reporter todd and amy returned home. Destroyed. And the longest day of their lives, wasnt even half over. My remaining kids, i know theyre gonna be horrified and i dont even think about myself at that point. Reporter but todd was thinking about the soninlaw he loved like his own boy. Seth had agreed to go downtown for a formal interview, without a lawyer. By now, the county deputies had called in state agents from the dci, iowas division of criminal investigation. It became a shared investigation, the dci providing forensic resources and expertise, the deputies offering local knowledge and manpower. Dcis Tony Birmingham was lead agent. He handpicked fellow agent chris thomas to interview seth. There was no doubt in my mind that chris was the person that that needed to do that interview. We only get one shot at it. And we have to be prepared that this could just be information collecting or we have to be prepared that this could be our suspect. Reporter so, only eighthours after his pregnant wife was murdered, seths formal interview with dci agent thomas got underway. You can just call me chris, i guess. Youre free to, uh, go out of here at anytime. Reporter in the interview room, agent thomas was in the white shirt, back to the camera. To put seth more at ease, a deputy familiar to him, sat in. You have a job . Reporter it started routinely. Currently, i work out at uh job corps as security but actually next month im coming to work here in the jail. Reporter seth had already given his account twice to deputies at the scene, but this would be his first time on videotape. His story begins somewhere around 5 00 am. Exactly. I turned the shower on. I wasnt in there for more than five minutes and i heard this loud noise. Reporter he said he thought it might be a gunshot so he jumped out of the shower to check on lisa. He heard her moaning then made out another sound coming from possibly the back deck. He said he grabbed his handgun from the nightstand by the bed. I run down the hallway and i will be honest, i had every intention of shooting whoever it was. I dont see anybody. I dont hear nothing. I run back inside. I run into the bedroom. And i said, lisa, lisa, are you okay . And shes not breathing. Reporter during the interview, seth sometimes seemed overcome by emotion. I couldnt do it, i couldnt [ bleep ] protect her when im 10 feet away from her. Why cant they still be alive . Why . Why . Why couldnt i have done something to protect the woman that i loved . Reporter the agent asked seth what he thought had happened. Lets go with your theory here that it was an intruder, right . I mean, is that fair to call thats the only thing i can think of. What do you think this persons intent was . I dont know. Youd have to be a complete [ bleep ] jackass to walk into somebodys house and shoot them. Reporter seth then bolstered the cops leading theory of the crime so far that the neighbor, brian tate, had shot lisa. Who was the first person that came to your mind . Tate. My crazyass neighbor who thinks that were terrorists. Reporter seth went into detail about that juvenile titfortat dispute with tate that started over a deer hide. He suspected tate tossed it over the fence so he said he responded in kind. I did the immature thing, which i admit, i threw it back on his property. Reporter the dispute escalated for several weeks and intensified with the incident in which tate claimed dog feces and rocks were thrown onto his property. That brought seths fatherinlaw, deputy Todd Caldwell, out to tates house for that official visit over tates vandalism complaint. Todd said that tate, the whole time, was sitting on his front porch and he was rubbing a loaded shotgun. Reporter seth said he knew the tenor of the visit because todd had filled him in later. His fatherinlaw also gave him a strong warning hey, if youre doing anything to his yard, knock it off. If your buddies are doing anything to his yard, knock it off. Do not mess with this guy. Hes off his rocker. Hes going to be the next person sure. To shoot a cop. And i said, im not messing with him. Ill make sure nobody else is. Reporter the murder weapon hadnt been found so the state agent asked seth about the firearms he kept in the trailer. Maybe one of those had been used. Do you have any uh guns that are missing at your house . I havent looked. If one of those guns is used in the homicide, we wanna know where its at. Dont you agree . Oh, yeah. So i just ask him to write down the guns that are in his house. And he writes em all down. Reporter inevitably, the agent turned to the sharpedged, intrusive questions that all husbands with a murdered wife have to answer. Wannabe cop that he was, seth knew very well what was coming. Were going to ask you some tough things, okay . Thats fine. Okay. I know im, obviously, probably number one right now. Lets talk about, um, people that are in your lives, and lisas lives, um, was there any Extramarital Affairs . No. Reporter seth didnt hesitate. There were no other women. But out at the trailer, quite unexpectedly, someone was about to put the lie to that rosy marital picture. A good friend of seths named colton had walked up to the crime scene tape at the drive. He told the deputies and agents there that he was looking to pick up his puppy that seth had been boarding for him. The investigators began peppering the young friend for info about seth and lisa. A detail that tumbled out surprised them. What was the story you told em, colton . I told em that seth had a trac phone. Some kind of a secret phone, huh . Yeah. And he had been talkin to a girl. Reporter the investigators had no idea where this would lead, but the unexpected revelation that there might be a girlfriend in the mix meant that they had to get on the horn with agent thomas downtown and pronto. Seth was still in the interview chair but he could walk at any moment. Coming up more about seths secret phone. Seems it wasnt just for talking. Did he tell you, she sent me some topless pictures . 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Thats more performance, from the 1 appliance store. Sears. Reporter seth techel had gone downtown voluntarily but now his interview had dragged on for a couple of hours. His father grew concerned, so he called in a lawyer who said he would bring the questioning to a halt. And we had called the Sheriffs Office and said, we have a lawyer waiting to go see seth. Reporter but inside the sheriffs interview room, seth kept talking away. He was oblivious to the fact that the interrogator confronting him was getting real time bulletins from the crime scene. I got a text. Reporter the text was from a fellow agent at the scene who had spoken to seths best friend, the guy with the puppy. And this person had told him a story about a girl named rachel. Reporter but agent thomas held his fire at this point, in part because his information was still limited. Seth, however, likely could see the agent reading a text. The husband fathertobe, who had answered an emphatic no to the question about an affair then made an admission, perhaps a preemptive strike. There was a female from work that i was texting. Reporter he said her name was rachel mcfarland. But seth immediately downplayed her importance. He said even lisa knew about her. But i wasnt seeing her, it wasnt anything. It was just, hey, how was your day type of thing. Would it be considered sexting . No. No. None of that. What are you wearing . No, there wasnt any of that. Lisa found out. Everything was kosher. I stopped talking. You know, we got over it. We have to be honest about her, okay . Is there anything that you havent told us yet . No. Everything is going to add up the way i just told you. Rachels dna wont be maybe on your clothes or . I never had sexual, sex with her. No, nothing oral, nothing like that. Uh i gave her hugs, and ive kissed her. Reporter by now, seths father and attorney had arrived and were trying desperately to end the interview. But it was afterhours, and the outside door was locked. Bang, bang, bang on the door, doug. Is that you . Thats me. Thats me. They wouldnt stop they they didnt come out. Didnt stop. Reporter they didnt have to. Remember, seth was advised by agent thomas that he was free to leave any time. Everything was legal. Lead agent birmingham, watching seth on a monitor, simply ignored the commotion outside. I did get information that they were wanting to get in. And wanting to come in and tell seth to stop. Which would shut you guys right down. Seth is an adult. And he has the sole obligation to invoke his right to remain silent or his right to an attorney. And no one stopped him from doin that. Reporter so, thomas kept asking questions, and seth kept answering them. Have you ever lied to lisa about rachel . No. She found out and that was that was that. Reporter meanwhile, both dci agents, birmingham and thomas, had now learned more complete details from the scene from seths best friend, the guy with the puppy. The friend, colton, had explained that seth was using his special trac phone as a steamy hotline. I know they were exchanging photos. Did he tell you, she sent me some topless pictures . Yes. Did you see them . Yes. Reporter armed with this information, agent thomas decided to show his cards and see what happened. Weve talked to colton. Did colton know about you texting rachel . Uhhuh. Did you tell him about it . Yeah. This is an ongoing investigation. And its up to you to be honest. Theres obviously more to this rachel thing. She was under the impression that lisa was going to be packing her stuff up and leaving. When . Last night. Today. Reporter he said hed talked to rachel about him divorcing lisa as recently as the night before at work. She just asked if i was going to go through with it and i said, yeah. I mean, i shouldnt have lied, obviously. Reporter he admitted he liked rachels attention but said he really was just stringing her along. We were having a baby. I wasnt going to leave her. I couldnt leave. Reporter lying to rachel was wrong, he said. But he claimed that lying earlier in the interview was a way to spare his grieving fatherinlaw, Todd Caldwell, the embarrassment. This is something i didnt want todd to find out. Reporter the interview had been going on for close to four hours now, and agent birmingham was well aware that seths father and a lawyer wanted to shut it down. Agent thomas then took a break, leaving seth inside the room to stew. He met with birmingham, and they decided he had to go nuclear. Be confrontational, because the clock is ticking. And if were ever gonna be tough, now is the time. Now is the time. Heres the deal, okay . The facts right now, these case facts, show us youre responsible for killing your wife. No, no, im not. No, i cant kill my wife. I cant do it. What facts do you have that i killed her . Listen, ive seen rachel, okay . I know what guys see when they see her because i see the same thing. Okay . Im telling you, if i wanted to be with rachel, i would get a divorce. I would not [ bleep ] kill my wife over something that small. You know what . Right now, i guess i dont give a [ bleep ] what happens to me, okay . I know what happened, i know what youre trying to do. What am i trying to do . Youre trying to get me upset and its working. Congratulations. Reporter upset at this hostile line of questioning, seth said hed had enough. Got up and, strangely, shook thomass hand. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Reporter and then he walked out. In the end, what did the investigators have . That seth lied about sex. But was it even that . All he admitted to was making out with rachel. And on the big question, he insisted, over and over again, that he did not kill lisa. Even agent thomas expressed disappointment with the outcome of the marathon interview, nearly five hours long. You felt youd come out of a 15round fight . It was exhausting. Felt somewhat like a failure in some regards. Why . We didnt get the full confession. Reporter maybe thats because seth didnt do it. Agent thomas just didnt know. But the women in the Caldwell Family, without knowing any of seths admissions about rachel, believed with 100 percent certainty that seth did not kill lisa. Especially lisas sister and seths great friend, presley. I was never thinking that seth did it. Reporter only Todd Caldwell was no longer a true believer. The cop in him questioned why seth needed to lawyer up. His own investigative instincts also kicked in, though hed asked his fellow deputies not to tell him anything until they were ready to make an arrest. And late on day one of the investigation, they werent even close. I would say, at at 10 00 on saturday night, may 26th, that neither seth nor brian tate were completely eliminated as suspects. Reporter at that time, investigators were meeting at the Sheriffs Department command center to take stock. They knew they had a husband with a possible girlfriend and maybe a crazy neighbor with a vendetta. But they also learned by that night there was a missing shotgun. What did it all mean . Coming up one piece of the puzzle falls into place. Boy, that was a Huge Development in that case. It was. Reporter and then, another round of heartbreak for lisas family. This has gotta be more than your brain can absorb. Definitely. Reporter when dateline continues. Health can change in a minute. So cvs health is changing healthcare. Making it more accessible and affordable, with over 900 locations for walkin medical care. And more on the way. Minuteclinic. Another innovation from cvs health. Because health is everything. Do you have something for pain . 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Okay, this is for the game. The nfl trusts duracell quantum to power their game day communication. Flag nineteen, set hut abort abort hes keeping it. Hut duracell quantum. Lasts up to 35 longer than the competition. Lisa pregnant with her first child has been killed by a shotgun blast. Investigators have quickly zeroed in on two suspects. Lisas husband who may have been involved with another woman, and a neighbor who had an ongoing beef with the couple. Starting with a bombshell arrest and leading up to an explosive secret revealed from beyond the grave. Here again, Dennis Murphy. Reporter it was sunday, the morning after lisa techel had been shot to death. But it wasnt a day of rest for the techels and caldwells. They had to discuss arrangements. One of the saddest words in the language is, arrangements. We have to make arrangements, it must have been unreal. Yeah. I dont remember it. Reporter griefstricken, todd decided to stay home by himself while the rest of his family and the techels met in a park. Seth was there, but under instructions from his lawyer was not to speak about the case. He shared an emotional moment with lisas sisters and her mother, tracy. The first thing seth grabbed the girls and hugged the girls and said, they think i did it. We all hugged seth, you know, told him we loved him. Reporter when investigators finished their forensic work inside the trailer, tracy, seth, and his parents went out there to retrieve some of lisas things. It was very tough. I was just amazed, the way it looked. Crime scene techs have been all over it, hadnt they . All over it. I guess i went into dad mode and tried to protect seth a little bit. And i i wanted to cover up the bed. Reporter what was your thinkin there . I just didnt want him to see the blood. Reporter how was your boy dealin with all this, in these hours after . I think he was just shocked. Reporter that sunday wasnt a day of rest for the men and women trying to solve the crime either. Investigators were focusing on the murder weapon and were working a lead on a 12gauge mossberg shotgun. It belonged to seths friend, lucas howell, whod been rooming with seth and lisa, and had just moved out. We showed lucas this photograph, taken of seth at his home. If you look in the upper righthand corner, lucas, its the gun rack. Is your mossberg in that rack . Yes. Its the middle one. Reporter lucas talked to deputies about the gun on the day of the murder. Told em that i hadnt took it with me and it should be there. Reporter but his 12gauge wasnt there when crime scene techs scoured the trailer. And cops knew another place it wasnt on the list of guns kept at the house that seth had written out for the dci agent. Investigators felt certain the mossberg was used to kill lisa but a big question remained. Where is it . Thats what we wanna know. Where is the gun . Reporter that same sunday morning, a team began searching the big, beautiful piece of property where seth and lisa were starting married life and preparing to raise a family. Deputy marty wonderlin, working his firstever homicide case, was back at the scene. Reporter too long into this sunday morning search, over here by this big old tree, what do you hear . Weve got it. You know, shotgun here. They were goin nuts. Reporter there was the mossberg in the tall grass, about 20yards from the back door of the trailer. Reporter that was a Huge Development in that case. It was. I think everyones, you know, mood doubled or tripled when they found that gun. Reporter ballistics would later match the mossberg with the slug that killed the pregnant lisa. Investigators could fill in one big box on their checklist murder weapon. Next, they worked on possible motives was it a neighbor with a vendetta or a husband lusting after another woman . State agent birmingham and Deputy Phillips decided to have a talk with seths work friend, rachel. We interviewed her on tuesday, may 29th. Theres no tricks here someone has lost their life. Actually two people have lost their life. Reporter over the course of two hours, birmingham and phillips peeled back the layers of rachels relationship with seth. They were having, you know, kind of an ongoing relationship. There are sexually explicit text messages. There are pictures, sexually explicit pictures, sent back and forth. He kissed me, but it never led into anything else. He just used to tell me i love you. Thats about it. Reporter sounds like they were making out rather than having sex. Yes, thats correct. He always used to tell me how pretty i was and how hed like to be with me. But i always made it clear that he is married and has a wife, and hes having a baby and i dont wreck families. Reporter rachel told the investigators the seth she knew couldnt be a murderer. Reporter would it surprise you if he did this . Honestly . Yes, it would. Reporter but seth was a suspect and if he did fire that shotgun blast, that would place rachel at the heart of a murderous love triangle. I think thats why i feel so guilty, because i dont want it to be because of me. Reporter the next day, deputies phillips and wonderlin were back at the neighbor brian tates house. Deputy wonderlin and myself Deputy Phillips are pulling up here at the tate residence to reinterview mr. Tate. Reporter this time, they asked him point blank about the murder of his neighbor. Were just trying to figure this all out, you know . Did you have anything to do with lisas death . No, i didnt. Reporter tate stuck to his alibi home and asleep, after taking his medication. Lead agent birmingham thought he was telling the truth and crossed brian tate off his suspect list. Reporter so you only had one suspect at this point. Yeah. One suspect and only one suspect. Reporter that evening, lisas loved ones gathered at a funeral home for the visitation. The turnout was impressive and included many of todds friends in the Sheriffs Department. Reporter your fellow officers are there as they would be, you know, they, you know, want to show respect. Reporter the mood inside was somber and uneasy. The caldwells gathered near lisas coffin. The techels stayed in the back of the room. Seth was there. His sisterinlaw presley will never forget what happened next. He actually came up to me, kind of in the middle of it, he gave me a big ol hug, and he said, you will always be my little sister and i love you. And i was like, i love you back. Reporter when the last visitor was gone, only the two families remained still at opposite ends of the room. Then i saw the two dci agents come in and sit down behind me, a couple rows behind seth and i. I said, is this a personal visit or a professional reporter this condolences or somethin else, huh . And he said, its professional. Reporter marty wonderlin was there. We asked seth to, you know, come outside. And we we did it quietly, i thought. Reporter and when they were outside, deputy wonderlin carried out his orders; he arrested his friend seth techel. A fellow deputy put the cuffs on him they were lisas cuffs, the ones shed used as a reserve deputy. Reporter this has gotta be just more than your brain can absorb. Yeah. Little sister, ill always love you, and now, hes going downtown, hes about to be charged. Yep. I couldnt understand it. We wouldnt ever dream or ever understand that it could be him. Reporter seths dream was to drive a sherifffs car as a deputy. But now the wannabe cop was cuffed, riding in the back seat, and about to be charged with the murder of his wife. 3 f2 a continuacion, seth techels even starts, the prosecution suffers a major blow. Bad for us. Good for them. Its great for them. And then a clue you havent heard about could change everything. 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Now hed returned to lay her to rest. Lisa was buried in her jailers uniform. A special detail of officers served as pall bearers. Law enforcement had come out to honor one of its own. Lisa woulda thought, you know, this is all for me . I was so proud. I shouldve been able to be there and watch her become a mom. She was just a joy. Mothers shouldnt bury daughters . Never. Never. Reporter after the funeral, the caldwell and techel families turned their attention to the upcoming murder trial of seth techel. Lawyers started to plot strategy, with the neighbor, brian tate, expected to be right in the thick of it. Tates sister cheri says he never could shake the feeling that the authorities would come after him. He still feels like theyre saying hes a murderer. Brian had even seen in the paper that they were callin him a crazy and deranged neighbor. It just devastated him. Reporter that summer, brian tate tumbled into a downward spiral and never recovered. He died in september 2012, just four months after lisas murder. The coroner would think it was heart. Yes. Whats the family think it was . We think it was heart. A broken heart. Reporter and now prosecutors andy prosser and scott brown, from the states attorney generals office, worried that a jury might think the deranged, deceased neighbor did it. Their plan had been to call tate as a witness. On the theory that the the devil you know is always better than the devil you dont, we wanted the jury to see mr. Tate. Reporter but now with a trial date approaching, prosecutors had lost a key witness. Bad for us. Good for them. Its great for them. Reporter the longawaited murder trial of seth techel was in hometown ottumwa. Ready for the jury, gentlemen . February 2013, can you see yourself going into the courthouse . Yeah. I remember. What do you say to one another . We gotta stay strong. Reporter the caldwells never wanted to believe seth killed lisa. But, heading into trial, they were all now convinced that he did, even presley, once his staunchest supporter. Theres really no other explanation for what has happened. When you left the techel residence, who was there . Reporter two prominent families, the caldwells and techels, once close inlaws, were now fiercely divided, camped on opposite sides of the courtroom. Seth had pleaded not guilty. I was like, just look at me, like, i wanna see kind of in your eyes, how youre doing, but he doesnt look at you. She was like my best friend. Reporter prosecutors called to the stand their emotional trump card. Todd caldwell remembered his lisa. Everyone would tell me how much lisa and i are alike and i would just tell everybody that shes the best parts of me. Reporter the prosecution had the burden of proving the charges, firstdegree murder and nonconsensual termination of a pregnan pregnancy. What did you think your strongest fact was going forward, strongest part of your story for a jury . Probably the most important single piece of evidence was the shotgun. Reporter ballistics showed this mossberg 12gauge was the murder weapon, a firearm that seth kept inside his house, and only he had access to it that morning, prosecutors argued. No murderer who wants to kill lisa techel comes to the murder scene without the murder weapon. We argued the impossibility of his story. Some unknown assailant breaks into his house and kills the wife that he says hes gonna leave. Tyler batterson is our next witness. Reporter prosecutors called one of seths young friends to show the jury, they said, just how deceptive and manipulative seth was. This witness was one of the boys, it turned out, behind all the vandalism across the fence. He testified he was just following seths orders. He told us to go mess with his neighbor tate. How were you gonna mess with him . Fill five gallon buckets full of dog manure. And go dump em on his property. Reporter remember, seth had assured his fatherinlaw and the state agent who interviewed him the exact opposite. And i said, im not messing with him. Ill make sure nobody else is. Reporter looking back, that incident was what turned todd against brian tate in the first place, fixing the idea in his mind that his kids neighbor was a deranged, maybe dangerous crank. Im goin by what seth had told me about him. Reporter as for tates complaintcalls with deputies, as captured on dashcam video, it became evidence for the prosecution. We feed the squirrels, birds birds, and deer. We were hopeful that the injury woujury would see brian tate as we saw him. Reporter and they saw him as an eccentric, but harmless man, certainly not a killer. Then, at last, it was time for the states star witness, rachel mcfarland, the other woman, to show up and tell her story. Did you need the jury to like her . We needed the jury to believe her. Reporter rachel testified her relationship with seth started heating up in december 2011, which was two months after seth got married. It became more sexual. Asking me to send pictures. Or, i dont know, just showing off my body, i guess. Reporter on may 20th, 2012, seth and rachel met at a nature preserve, where they took this selfie to remember their time together. I mean he kissed me, touched me. He said that we had everything in common. And that he had tried working things out with lisa and they just werent working and i was exactly what he wanted. Reporter she said seth repeatedly told her he was going to divorce his wife. Did he say he loved you . Yes. Reporter but rachel was hedging her bets. She told seth she was also interested in a coworker named brandon, who just happened to call her during her tryst with seth in the park. He just started getting really jealous. And so on the 20th, when he learned that you were communicating with brandon, he said what . Just give me two more weeks did you ask him what he meant, just give me two more weeks . Yes, and he just repeated the same statement. Reporter six days later, lisa was murdered in her own bed. And here we have a motive that we can understand. Love. The whole relationship with rachel was evidence that was like a countdown to lisa techels death. Reporter but defense attorney Steve Gardner countered, arguing the motive of an affair falls flat without the essential element, sex. Seth techel was being accused of murdering his wife for an affair that he was hopin to someday have. You never had intercourse with him. No. Youve never had oral sex with him . No. Never had your clothes off . No, sir. And you kissed a few times . Yes. Is that a Fair Assessment of the extent of your romantic relationship with mr. Techel . Yes. Reporter the defense also didnt accept the states take on the neighbor as a harmless eccentric. The most compelling evidence as to how this occurred involved the neighbor, mr. Tate. He was mentally ill. Im done talking to you. Reporter and, according to the defense, dangerous, too. The defense then hammered home the portrayal of the unpredictable neighbor by using todds own complaint summary from that day. Youre in the awkward situation of being their best witness. Right. You believed he could become a danger. Anyone who should respond to that residence again should use extreme caution. That is correct, i did. Reporter the defense theorized that tate entered the trailer through an unlocked door and shot lisa for revenge. The key defense evidence that suggested an intruder was a stray Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich in a baggie left on the back deck. There was a sandwich that would not have been there the night before that was there. Reporter critters should have devoured it, he argued. He told the jury it must have been the killers snack. I believe it to be the most compelling piece of evidence in the whole case. Reporter it was now up to a jury to decide. But it wouldnt be easy. Coming up in the jury room, deliberations and drama. He started pounding on the door saying that he wanted out of there. And we were in tears. Reporter when dateline continues. Of what theyre looking for. Somebody who has sensitivity, they want relief from their sensitivity pain, but they also want the other things that are available in toothpaste. New sensodyne complete protection is designed specifically for sensitivity sufferers, but then, on the other side of the coin, its also delivering on the other attributes that Patients Want out of a sensitivity toothpaste, delivering a complete package. I think dentists are going to want to recommend sensodyne complete protection. Its going to be a breath of fresh air for them. Sensodyne complete protection. Take and. Exhale. In. Aflac and a gentle wavelike motion. Aahhh ahhhhhh. 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After weeks of testimony and 3full days of deliberations, the seth techel murder trial came to a sudden conclusion today. Reporter it was all over. The motion for a mistrial is hereby granted. Reporter the judge declared a mistrial because of a hung jury. Hung jury . Punch to the gut, andy . You ever have one . Well, i never had one in almost 30 years. Reporter prosecutors immediately decided to retry the case. The vote had been 10 to 2 for conviction. Of course were disappointed in what happened. Reporter the caldwells had lost a daughter and sister and, now, they couldnt even get the closure they desperately wanted. And theyd have to do it all over again. Its hard to know that youre gonna have to endure another one. Reporter a trial date was set for seven month ts s later, october 2013. And trial number two would be heard in a new courthouse. Thered been a change of venue to the town of mt. Pleasant. Making it even tougher on the caldwells the daily treks to court. Lives disrupted the new courtoom had a distinctive layout that put the Caldwell Family directly behind the defendant. Hes literally sitting right in front of me like you are. Reporter which only made it more frustrating for presley who was still trying for any kind of connection to someone she once loved like a brother. Im just staring at him, like, just glance at me, do something, and he doesnt. Reporter and even more painful for the family was having to sit through again all that heartbreaking testimony, and raw crime scene photos of their lisa, and the unborn baby girl. Other than the change of venue, seth techels second murder trial played out as a carbon copy of the first. Same lawyers, same judge, same arguments. A replay of two opposing theories brian tate, the other suspect, vs. Seth techel, the husband with the other woman. Rachel mcfarland was, again, the prosecutions star witness. Here on may 4th of 2012, he sent you a message with a picture of his his own smiling face saying, miss you bella. Umhuh. Is that a term of endearment that he called you, his bella . Yes, yes. You sent him a picture of you in either a bikini or your bra and underwear. Is that right . Yes. And then he says, well, wish me luck. I love you. At 10 51 p. M. On may 24th of 2012. What was he asking you to wish him well with . I believe that he was going to tell her that he wanted a divorce. Reporter two days later, lisa was dead. By now, her family had hardened opinions about rachel. I dont think too highly of her; i felt like she destroyed my sisters marriage and her life. Rachel, huh . Actually, im, im maybe not the most popular view. I blame her for what part she had to play with seth, but i think shes kinda been a victim as well. Hes manic, hes up all the time. He could become volatile and agitated. Reporter the defense offered the jury the same bogeyman as before. The defense went even harder at brian tate than they had the first time around. He could quickly become volatile and agitated. Reporter this time, the defense, over strenuous prosecution objections, got tates psychiatrist to testify. Hed treated him near the end of his life in a Hospital Mental Health unit. When you first saw him did you find him to be paranoid, paranoid delusional . Yes, sir. And was there a general topic of delusion of which he was paranoid . He seemed to make reference that there were some governmental conspiracies affecting him. Reporter after threeweeks of trial, a second jury had seth techels fate in its hands. And thats when things got deja vu all over again. The judge read a note from the foreman. The judge wasnt ready to give up. He told the jurors to keep trying. The emotions in the courtroom were raw. Presley and i werent crying, but you could hear us sniffling a little. I do not desire a jury to be influenced by the public. Now it was the prosecutors turn to see. The defense is making a speech about the Caldwell Family to try to influence the jury, which i thought was ludicrous. Ill take this. To stand up here and suggest that anyone in the courtroom is making an attempt to intenti intentionally influence the jury is nonsense. Reporter the courtroom started to settle down and clear. But seth remained at the defense table, his former fatherinlaw coiled behind him, ready to pounce. I was just praying, please just let me stand here. Reporter for more than a minute glaring, burning a hole in seths back. If looks could kill theres just kind of an urge to move forward. To jump the rail . Yeah. God please dont make me do that. Just let me stand. What were you doin in your mind . I dont really wanna even think of what i was doin in my mind but i was i was wantin to do somethin. Reporter two hours later, the jurors returned. But nothing had changed. A mistrial is declared. Unbelieveable. Veteran prosecutors whod never had a hung jury before, were now o for 2. Again, the state didnt hesitate. Seth techel would go on trial for a third time. Our intent is to retry it. That was an easy decision to make. Reporter even though the jurys vote was again in favor of conviction this time 9 to 3 lisas family was starting to have its doubts. Is there something that im just overlooking . Like did he not do it . Is there something that they just see and theyre like, hes not guilty . Reporter but just when they thought they couldnt suffer any more heartbreak, the caldwells would be devastated by new findings but a brandnew defense team. I heard it about a week before the trial and it just like somebody hit me in the stomach. Reporter coming up the defense comes out swinging. We chose to focus on the sloppy work done by the Law Enforcement. There was no dna, fingerprint, confession. Watch when hair loses protein, it splits and fails the needle test. But with pantene, the advanced prov formula helps prevent protein loss and stop split ends before they start. So your hair passes the test with ease. Put pantene to the test. For hair so healthy you shine. Dos familias, 2 juicios. To be different, starting with a new defense team. The previous trials were not successes. And seth came dangerously close to being convicted in in each of them. Reporter stateappointed defense lawyers roger owens and Jake Feuerhelm knew that, in two trials, 19 of 24 jurors had voted to convict seth techel. They didnt like those numbers, and decided to head in a different direction. We chose to focus on the sloppy work done by the Law Enforcement, there was absolutely no dna, fingerprint, confession. Reporter feuerhelm would argue it was a botched investigation. Why would crime scene techs do tests to match the slug to the murder weapon, but never check it for fingerprints or dna that might link it to the shooter . Did you test the bullet that was in the chamber that killed this woman . No, we forgot, or we didnt do it. Whoops. Whoops. Reporter the new defense team had a new story to tell. It was all a rush to judgment to blame seth, whod been in jail ever since his arrest two years earlier. And there was another big strategic shift. They would soften the focus on the bogeyman of the first two trials, brian tate. Our conclusion was after listening to the tapes of mr. Tate, that he wasnt the deranged person that they tried to portray him as being. The way he was speaking to Law Enforcement that afternoon would not seem like the person that would have walked into a trailer home at 5 00 in the morning and murdered his neighbor. Reporter the Defense Attorneys made a tactical decision. Since recordings of tate didnt make him look like a dangerous killer, they would not show tapes of him to the jury. And theyd roll the dice, hoping the prosecutors wouldnt either. We were going to stay on our path, doing that, we made the decision to drop out the brian tate video interviews that wed put in in the first two cases. Reporter the caldwells and techels had been put through the ringer for more than two years. Their once close relationship had frayed. And now the third trial was pushing everyone to the brink. It was an impossible situation, but somehow Todd Caldwell and doug techel managed to find a moment of grace. I went over to him and i just said, doug, i want you to know that i think youre a great guy. I think youre a good person. Did you really . No matter how this turns out, i just want you to know that. And he said, i think the same thing of you, todd. And i went to shake his hand and he just hugged me and we both just hugged. Reporter the two fathers then returned to opposite sides of a murder trial. July, 2014, for the third time, the state of iowa vs. Seth techel. Counsel, you ready for the jury . Reporter this time in davenport, threehours from the first courthouse in ottumwa. The prosecutors once again argued that seths story defied logic. He would have to be the victim of one of the largest coincidences ever known. And that is he told his girlfriend that he left his wife. And a little less than 17 hours later, some unknown assailant breaks into his house and kills the wife that he is says hes gonna leave. With a weapon which he hasnt brought with him. Correct. With a weapon which he hasnt brought with him. I had a mossberg model 500 shotgun. A 12 gauge. Yes. Reporter and seth, prosecutors said, had easy access to the murder weapon, the shotgun that his friend lucas kept in seths house. Is that the 12 gauge mossberg shotgun that you left behind in the techel residence when you moved out in may of 2012 . Yes. Reporter and, the prosecutors argued, only seth had a motive. They said seth and rachels steamy texts and cell phone photos played like a countdown to murder by seth. At 9 20 p. M. On the 24th, you ask him, do you really want to be with me . And he responds, forever . Right, yes. Reporter thats may 24th, two days before lisas death, and in a followup text, rachel asked seth if hed told his wife he wanted a divorce yet. And he responds, well we talked, i told her i wasnt happy, she got mad, then sad, then i slept on the couch, so hello mrs. Resuscitator. Correct. Reporter rachel told the jury that she and coworkers nicknamed seth mister resuscitator because he was a volunteer firefighter who often bragged about his lifesaving cpr heroics. So he was going to be mr. Resuscitator and you were going to be mrs. Resuscitator. Yeah. Reporter then to drive home their contention that seth chose murder over divorce, prosecutors called a coworker whod been a confidante of seths. I just expressed he just needed to either end his marriage or end it with rachel. And in saying that he should end his marriage with lisa techel, did he make any comment concerning Child Support . He asked me if i wanted to pay his Child Support. Reporter and then the witness recalled another remark seth made about lisa. He stated that it would be better off if she was in a car wreck and died. Reporter prosecutors hoped their third time would be the charm. But, the new Defense Attorneys would come at them with everything they had, and that included explosive new evidence. This time, it was about lisa. Coming up you found out the story that there was this guy, coworker . Yeah. Was there another man in lisas life, when dateline continues. Depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. 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They barely mentioned tates name. Rachel offered as seths motive for murder in earlier trials was also minimized this time. Good afternoon miss mcfarland. Hi. Reporter in crossexamination, rachel was on the stand for a scant seven minutes. Tick tock, theres the message on thursday. Mr. And mrs. Resuscitator, blue skies ahead. Were a couple. What do you do with Something Like that . I tried to be as straightforward as i could with the jury. Who in the world is going to murder their wife to facilitate a relationship that hasnt even turned sexual . Youre not having any sex with this man, right . Correct. And the only time youd actually seen him in person in your whole entire life was outside of work four or five times . Correct. I have no further questions. What we wanted the jury to think about her is that youre gonna shoot your wife for this . Reporter attorneys feuerhelm and owens then went on the attack, characterizing the work of investigators as woefully shoddy. The is have them inconsistent, incompetent, incomplete. Reporter the new defense thrust was on what the investigators did not do. This state criminalist had to admit they did not test for gunshot residue on seth techel. How many times do you think you testified in criminal trials that gunshot residue was evidence of a crime . A lot. But in this case, no, we cant argue it because we dont have it . Yeah, exactly. Well never know. Never know. Reporter and the defense said it was even more shocking that this state expert had to make a similar admission about the fatal shotgun shell. This is the shell that killed lisa techel . Yes. The very shell that killed this woman was never examined by the state. They just said, we, we forgot to do it. Reporter but the centerpiece of the defense case against the cops was Something Else they didnt do. Theyd been so busy investigating seth, whod been behind bars since his arrest two years before, that they never really paid attention to lisa. The new defense team would change all that, starting with her cell phone and the secrets it held. You found out the story told by the phone . That there was this guy coworker . Right. Reporter it was a bombshell. Lisa was having an affair with a fellow jailer. Lisas lover was a married man, a father of four. And this is not making out in the back of the car . No. He thought he could even be the father of her of the child. He thought that. Reporter so they called lisas lover, jason tinnes, to the stand. Back in may 2012, did you know lisa techel . Yes, i did. Reporter jason testified that the affair started before lisa married seth and ended just weeks before her murder. Mr. Tinnes, at some point did your relationship with lisa techel become sexual . Yes, it did. Now when we talk about a sexual relationship were not talking about texting, are we . No, sir. Were talking about actual sexual intercourse, correct . Yes, sir. Reporter for lisas father, the revelation that his daughter has a lover was the cruellest blow yet. The first emotion i had is, why . Why, lisa, you know . And my Second Thought is, i dont wanna tell amy cause i know shes not gonna be happy. Does it taint your memory at all . Really, what it did for me more than anything is, i have so many more questions that ill never get the chance to ask her. I mean, i love lisa and she was a human being and she made mistakes. Reporter the graphic testimony about lisas affair, and how police overlooked it, fit perfectly with the defenses theme of a botched investigation and a rush to judgment against seth. Heres a legitimate suspect that should have been investigated. Reporter investigators never spoke to jason while they were building their case against seth. Prosecutors finally contacted him just days before the third trial started. So between may of 2012 and sometime in june of 2014, no one talked to you, you didnt talk to anyone about this at all . No, sir. Reporter but prosecutors fought back. Jason had an alibi witness his wife. They called her to the stand. Do you have any memory miss tinnes as to the whereabouts of your husband on may 26th, 2012 at approximately 5 00 a. M. . He was sleeping with me at our house. Reporter and dna testing on jason, done right before trial, also proved he was not the father of lisas baby. But the defense still believed that raising the story of lisas affair, and how police never uncovered it, would give jurors reasonable doubt about the entire investigation. Cause this is the big part of your case in trial three. Jurors, youre seein some really shabby police work here in terms of investigation . It fell right into our theme, to our theory of the case. Reporter testimony in the third trial, streamlined by both sides, took half the time the others did. That was another part of the new defense teams revised strategy. Thered already been five holdout jurors in the previous two trials. Now Todd Caldwell worried that the new defense team had produced a cloud of even more reasonable doubt. You kinda think, okay. If i was on this side, thats kinda how i woulda handled it. Theyre doin a pretty good job. And im convinced its gonna be another hung jury. Why wouldnt it be . Coming up ed to and just about everyone else are in for a surprise. Allergy morning hank. What a day, huh . Hey morning hank. For people who dont have allergies every day, just on allergy days. sneeze new qlearquil. The powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can be you again, allergy medicine. Boo haha. All right, see you buddy and introducing qlearquil nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. Qlearquil, powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil. This is holly. 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Thats more performance, from the 1 appliance store. Sears. This time things were different. As seth techel walked into the courtroom and sat down, his face showed no expression, no hint of emotion. He didnt glance in any direction. Not at his family. And certainly not at todd, his former fatherinlaw. This is the young guy you used to clap on the back and say, i love you. Just take care of her. Thats all i ask. Reporter but todd was staring directly at seth, hoping to find something, anything. Now the moment was at hand. Has this jury reached a verdict . It has. Reporter the judge asked the Court Attendant to read the verdict. Lisas mother could barely contain her emotions. Lisas sister, a bundle of nerves. Count one, we the jury find the defendant Seth Andrew Techel guilty of murder in the first degree. Count the, nonconsensual termination of human pregnancy, guilty. Reporter the Justice System had finally spoken for lisa and unborn zoey. Reporter and then you hear the words . What do you see . I hear the words guilty. And i see nothin. Not one single emotion from his face. Reporter the jurors had taken four hours to convict. On their way out, several reached across to shake tracys hand. Presley still had one big question. I would love to ask him why. Theres seth before may 26th, and then, theres seth from may 26th on, and its almost like i dont know who that is. Reporter seths parents tried to fight back tears. Its heartbreaking. Reporter on the caldwell side, tears of joy and displays of overwhelming relief. There were hugs and more hugs, more than two years of pent up emotions finally coming out. The caldwells then walked across the aisle. The two moms embraced, united in tragedy. We know this family. I know its not doug and lorraines fault. Its not their familys fault that any of this happened. Reporter todd searched out doug. Only three years before, they were all celebrating their kids wedding together. Reporter doug and lorraine still support their son and say he didnt do what hes now convicted of doing. Reporter do you have a whisper of doubt, either of you . No, sir. None. Whatsoever. I never have and i never will. Everybodys a loser. Nobody wins. But i will say this. I think lisa knows somewhere that the system that she wanted to be a part of worked. Reporter the caldwells and techels werent the only ones with a stake in the verdict. Brian tates sister cheri had been waiting for this moment too. I started cryin. It wasnt tears of sorrow. It was tears of joy. They had finally gotten this sob. I hope he rots in prison. Reporter todd still carries the burden of helping to pin the blame on tate in those awful moments after lisas murder. I can never tell the family how sorry i am that they had to go through what they had to. Were going to have the last word on brian tate. This was an innocent guy that was made a victim by seth. All rise. Reporter a sentencing hearing was held on september 10th. The caldwells were given a chance to address the court, but talked directly to seth. You know how close lisa and i was. And you know what you took from me. Out of everybody in this room, you know. Reporter presley lisas sister walked up to take her turn. During all three trials, shed desperately tried to make eye contact with seth. Seth was my best friend, my brother, who i loved so much. Reporter now, she finally got what she wanted. As she spoke, she looked straight at him. And, for the first time, seth stared right back at her. Im going to leave you with one final thought, that im no longer your sister and i no longer love you. Reporter and then the judge handed down the sentence. Thank you, ms. Caldwell. Reporter life in prison with no possibility of parole. Reporter when it was finally all over, todd went to the cemetery for a private moment with his oldest daughter. I went out there and i just told her that we did it and she could be proud of everybody. Reporter todds been back many times since. Lisas grave is a special, deeply personal place for him. He designed her headstone. What are the figures in it, todd . Reporter first thing i would do when i started like sketching it is, i would just draw a heart out. For some reason in my head, it should be in the shape of a heart. The second thing i would put in there is a mother holdin a baby. And lisa and i had this thing that we would say to each other. We texted to each other and everything. Its from, the notebook movie and its weve always said, if youre a bird, im a bird. You know, i mean, whatev whew. Whatever you are, i am. So in the hair of this, i made two birds in there, by the time i got it done with, you know, we all loved it. And its kind of just, kinda bonded like, you know, hey, this is part of lisa now. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well see you next friday at 9 00, 8 00 central. Tomorrow music for change the Global Citizen festival, the concert headlined by jayz and featuring Carrie Underwood and no doubt, plus lots of surprises all celebrating citizens who care. Thats tomorrow at 9 00, 8 00 central. Im lester holt