Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20150209

But detectives . Reporter they decided the killer wasnt out there, but inside the house now, with one of their own under arrest the family was furious. You see these people . This is love. This is love and belief in this human being. Please listen to us. Reporter did investigators rush to judgment . How do you have any idea, beyond your own fevered imagination, that thats what happened . you dont have a clue i think that i do have a clue reporter was the real killer still out there . Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Tonight, keith morrison, with a killing in cottonwood. 3 f2 en esta muerte. Here in northern california. His senior year was almost done. This was the place he loved. The game he loved. People sometimes talk about having premonitions of things. Did you have anything like that at all . It was just another day. Just another one of my countless baseball games. Reporter it wasnt of course. Though no one knew it, as they whiled their way through a golden afternoon redding, california with its famous sundial bridge, its parks, its Middle America feel, is a whole different place, a different life, than the california whose reputation blares technicolor from the botoxed and tmzd narcissism 600 miles to the south. Drive a few minutes from redding, and youre on the ball diamond in a little place called cottonwood. Here, in the shadow of mighty mount shasta, an anchor. A constant. Just like the people casey knew would be in the stands. So, were they there . Yep, both there. Always there. Always there. Never missed a game. Reporter his parents, mark and karen duenas, side by side by the dugout as always. You know, they were together since they were what, 17 years old. They practically lived in each others skin. Exactly. Reporter his mother had brought the chocolate chip cookies she passed out to the players after every game and for which she was justly famous. His father had made sure he finished work in time for the opening pitch. What kind of parents were they . They were the best parents that you could ask for. Reporter this is jason, their eldest son. And here the photo of jasons graduation, with his proud parents, the day he became a fireman. They would do anything for us, and they did. Reporter mark and karen were from big mormon families. High School Sweethearts who married as teenagers and watched their own brood quickly expand all boys. Jason, jacob, tyler, troy and casey. Boys bursting with testosterone. It was a rowdy house. We had Football Games inside the house. We were egged on by our parents and they loved it. Reporter karen was a full time mom and, once the boys were old enough, taught part time at nearby shasta college. For decades, mark got up at 2 am to drive for ups just because it freed him to coach his sons teams come afternoon. And to spare his wife middle of the night disruption, mark slept in a separate bedroom. Had for years. My dad treated her better than, you know, anyone could treat their wife. My mom was the queen. They lived simply. They lived paycheck to paycheck. They never had a lot extra. Reporter son tyler. For them it was all about family . Yeah, always. Reporter and they all stayed as close as any family could be. When jason got married, he moved into the house right next door. Helped celebrate mark and karens Silver Wedding anniversary, as they all did. By 2012, they were grandparents many times over, had been married nearly 33 years. One thing i always looked up to and loved about their relationship was that they still dated. Reporter tylers wife tina. After that long sometimes you can lose that, and i i never saw them lose that. Reporter but change does come for everyone. And by 2012, in their early 50s, mark and karen were making some changes. Karen went back to school, nursing school. This was a plan they had talked about . It was the perfect situation. She got to stay home with the kids all growing up and now she was ready to start her career. If you think about it, a pretty dang good plan. He worked his whole life, you know . He could start his own business while collecting a pension. And then she would, you know, start her career in nursing. Reporter not so easy of course. Nursing school is a tough thing. Not just for karen, either. Her brother joe and his wife jackie. Well, her commitments changed. Having grandma here when you need or having mom there when you need her, she was going to have to study she was struggling with the classes. She felt like she should be doing better. But i remember a text that said, you know i just got back from the er and got a chance to work with people finally and i love it. And so she was on her way. She was really on her way. Reporter and so, that may the 4th, casey joined his parents at home after his ball games. Then, it being friday night, he and a friend went to see a movie the avengers. I think started at 9 15. And told my parents everything was fine. Do you remember the last thing to said to your mom . She handed me a 20 bill. And i thanked her and hugged her goodbye. Reporter it was late when casey returned. And almost immediately fell asleep. Then, what do you remember next . It literally felt like i put my head on the pillow and two seconds later doors open, dads at the door freaking out reporter and seconds later 911, whats your emergency . 3 f2 familia duenas estaba a punto when we return, a dad devastated. Is one tragedy about to become two. I remember him coming in and collapsing. Falling to the floor. Over weight for a really long time. And now im not. Im a Weight Watchers coach, all of us have lost weight with Weight Watchers and are now helping others do the same. You can log into your computer or your phone anytime and you can chat with me. We understand, weve been there. Were still going through it. You are not alone and you can do it. You can definitely do this. I know you can do it because i did it. Lets get you feeling awesome join for free and lose 10 lbs. On us. [ aniston ] when people ask me what im wearing, i tell them aveeno®. Because Beautiful Skin goes with everything. [ female announcer ] aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion has active naturals® oat with five vital nutrients naturally found in healthy skin. Where do i wear aveeno® . Everywhere. Aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion. And try the body wash too. Aveeno®. Naturally beautiful results™. Its the time of year to bundle up. Now at at t, when you buy any smartphone for 0 down you can get an lg tablet for free. Because two devices are cozier than one. Kmart has great deals so you can get more this valentines day. Like this 1 5ct diamond Heart Pendant with free chocolate truffles for 99. 99 and 25 off plush toys. Kmart. Where members always get more. Okay, you ready to go . I gotta go dad okay lets go go, go, go. Woah go right, go left, go left stop now go. shouting lets go i gotta go can i go . Yup you can go. beeping alert woah there you go way to go lets go buddy, lets go anncr the ford fusion. We go further, so you can. [rob] so weve had a tempurpedic for awhile, but now that we have the adjustable base, its even better. [alex] when i put my feet up on this bed my stress just goes away. [evie] i go up. Heeeeyyy. [donna]our tempurpedic is the best thing in our house, cept for my husband. [lauren] wait,wait,where are you going . [announcer] visit your local retailer and discover how tempurpedic can move you. Reporter it was 12 30 am. Now, may the 5th, 2012. Casey duenas, home from a movie and late dinner with friends, opened the front door, unlocked as usual and moved quietly down the little hallway toward his bedroom. Had it not been so late, he might have stopped by his mothers room to say goodnight. But the house was dark. Everyone asleep. Or so it looked to an exhausted casey, who fell into bed and almost immediately into a deep sleep. And then, 25 minutes later dads at the door freaking out. Go next door go next door go get jason somethings happened to your mom. Go get jason go get jason go get jason reporter casey did as he was told. Running next door to his oldest brother jasons house. 911, whats your emergency . Reporter while his father mark, beside himself, called for an ambulance. Tell me exactly what happened . Shes i just came in the room. I heard her. And shes got blood everywhere everywhere. I dont know. I have no idea. You have no idea what happened . No. You dont know where shes bleeding from . No, i know. I mean, theres blood everywhere. Are you with her now . Yes. Oh, its in her chest theres a gash in her chest reporter and jason woke up to the horror two ways at once. Fire department alarm. Brother alarm. I was asleep. As a volunteer firefighter, i have a pager. The pager went off. And i could hear casey coming up the stairs yelling at me in a panic. Theres something wrong with mom. You got to come next door right now. Did you have any sense of what it was . I had no idea what i was going to walk into. Reporter what he walked into was a nightmare beyond dreaming. There was his father in full blown panic. And lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, was his mother. And the rookie firefighter, for an instant to his eternal regret, froze. If i wouldve come on that situation now, i wouldve immediately started cpr. There was a great deal of blood, so for somebody to live through that, that much blood, i didnt think it was going to happen. I believe i just missed her last couple of breaths. Reporter minutes later, the emts arrived and karen duenas was pronounced dead. The cause . Multiple stab wounds, including a massive gash to her chest. Not long after that, the young detective arrived. Logan stonehouse, a year under his belt as an investigator. But this would be his first big homicide case as lead detective. And lo and behold i didnt know what was i walking into until i saw a picture on the wall and realized whose house i was in. Yeah, you knew these people right . I did. I went to high school with the second oldest son, jacob. Reporter and here he found himself looking at the bloody body of jacobs mother karen. The lady everybody loved. The one who brought cookies to all the games at school. Who could have done this . Detective stonehouse had been on the force long enough to be well aware that Violent Crime was up around here. Some said significantly. Ever since californias overcrowded prisons nearby had to release potentially dangerous offenders, like drug addicts, desperate for money for a fix. So, was this a Home Invasion robbery gone wrong . The detective took a look around the house. He and fellow officers fanned out around the neighborhood. There were some footprints outside the property, right . There was. Theres a wood fence that surrounds that piece of the property. Theres a back gate back there. And there was a little trail that led out to a canal area. Reporter and the first patrolman on the scene told them he had seen a car speeding away as he raced toward the duenas house. Neighbors reported seeing two strangers nearby that evening. And here, in this crime scene video taken the next day, a screen on the window in karens bedroom that looked suspiciously like it had been cut open. Had intruders entered here . Was anything disturbed around the house . No, actually the bedroom was pretty much intact. There wasnt drawers taken open like someone had burglarized the place. Reporter also, even though the screen appeared to be cut, didnt look like anybody had actually gone in that way. And so the detective had some questions for the only man known to be in the house all evening the husband, of course. Mark duenas. What was his story of what happened that night . He told us that he had been up with karen. They were watching a movie and then once karen went to bed, he tried to stay up a little bit longer to watch a giants game. He was falling asleep during it, so he decided to go to sleep himself. Reporter mark in his room, karen already down the hall he said in hers. The detective took mark to the Major Crimes Unit where mark, whod been awake more than 24 hours by now, finished the story himself. Im in my room asleep. I hear crazy noise. And you, you know, you hear what cats sound like . Uhhuh. It wasnt cats. It was a weird scream. Hear any talking or no, i just heard some weird screaming type stuff. And then whatd you do from there . I ran. I got up and cause i didnt want those, whatever was going on to wake up my wife cause i you know, im sensitive like that. And i went to the door by the kitchen, opened it up and looked out there. I didnt see any cats. Shut it, walked down the hallway, looked under, the lights were on. So, i figured shes up. Opened the door and thats when i found her. Reporter the detectives questioned mark for more than 3 hours, had him change so they could keep his shorts and tshirt for testing, then sent him home to his children. I remember him coming in the door and just collapsing. Falling on the floor. We were really worried about him because he kept saying like, his heart. And so we thought maybe he was having a heart attack. I mean, he was a mess. Reporter as the duenas family planned a funeral, their big extended family, including karens brother joe and wife jackie, descended on cottonwood. Ive never seen a person more broken. What was your perception of how he took it . Hes taken it incredibly hard. He still does reporter and along with unbearable grief for the family, came anxiety. I live next door. Im worried for my family. Im putting alarms on every door because somebodys out there. Reporter but the police did not seem to think that. In fact, within a day or two, one of the detectives announced no need to worry about some unknown killer stalking the town. Now, why would he say that . 3 f2 y por que lo diga . Veremos what did his story mean . When dateline continues. On the back of your shoe there. A price tag danger price tag alert oh. Hey, guys. Price tag alert is this normal . Well, progressive is a price tag free zone. We let you tell us what you want to pay and we help you find options to fit your budget. Where are they taking him . I dont know. This seems excessive decontamination in progress. I dont want to tell you guys your job, but. Policies without the price tags. Now, thats progressive. It may seem strange, but people really can love their laxative. Especially when its miralax. It hydrates, eases, and softens, to unblock your system naturally. So you have peace of mind from start to finish. Love your laxative. Miralax. Lifes morning multitasking. Its multiple ideas for growing families and drawers with many layers to show exactly what you need. Lifes the food that brings us together. And kitchens where every meal is the most important of the day. Murdered. The best way i can explain my mom is, she was pure of heart is the best way to say it reporter the whole big family, marks relatives,as well as karens parents, brothers, sisters, gathered to support each other and mourn and struggle with the question that hung in the air. Who did this . But the word on the street was that there was no question at all. We immediately heard rumors, outlandish rumors, and youre just going i dont know where youre getting this. Reporter the boys heard them too. Rumors that detectives knew the killer was mark to which the family said its ridiculous i know theres no way possible he couldve done it. My parents were best friends, from as long as i can remember. Reporter but if that was true then why would detectives be so suspicious of a husband married to his High School Sweetheart for almost 33 years . A man without so much as a traffic ticket on his record, let alone a violent act . Well, its true that when wives are murdered, husbands are frequently implicated and mark did discover the body. But there was another reason. Just minutes after mark sat down to talk to those detectives he volunteered information that sounded to them like a motive for murder. This is, its, what was going on in our life. And its it scares me when i think about it. Reporter it was an odd little story. One day at work toward the end of 2010, said mark, a ups coworker asked him if he had ever gone on facebook. No, said mark, he hadnt. Well, asked the colleague, havent you ever wondered what happened to people you used to know . Facebook might tell you. And mark thought about it and said, well, there was this girl he used to talk to back in high school. Wasnt a girlfriend or anything, but he was curious about whatever happened to her. So, sure enough, the colleague found the woman on facebook. And pretty soon she and mark were texting and talking on the phone. Catching up. We talked and we visited you know we kinda got carried away with a little texting here and there. Reporter carried away . Well, that may be a little strong. In this age of sexting and lurid electronic dalliances they didtalk and text, yes. For several months. Even said i love you a time or two, but was it some kind of affair . Well, judge for yourself. Was there ever any pictures sent or anything like that or was it always just theres pictures of just maybe, me or her, yknow just little, innocent, yknow were not into any of that nasty porn, none of that. It was just, what do you look like now . yknow its she had sent a picture of her and she goes your turn. she does a quilt or she took a picture of her quilt, showed it to me innocent stuff. She had a picture of her and grandkids and stuff like that. Reporter and, not once did they try to see each other, in fact, when an opportunity came up, they decided, no, it wouldnt be fair to their respective spouses of more than 3 decades. Or their kids. Or grandkids. So they didnt. But, as mark told the detectives, karen found what hed been doing when she went through a phone bill. And it hurt her feelings. So he promised hed stop. Except. He didnt. Mark went and bought a secret phone to continue that communication that karen wasnt aware of. Reporter it was the woman who put a stop to it. And she sent karen this letter, postmarked just a little less than 3 months before the murder, asking for forgiveness, promising it would never happen again. Karen told a couple of her kids about it all oh, she was pretty upset for a while. Reporter how important was that . I would definitely say everything together showed that karen was not happy in their relationship. Reporter mark told them otherwise, that it was a happy marriage, the texting thing just a blip, but the detectives didnt believe it. So they confronted mark. When did you find out karen was gonna leave you mark . Leave me . Uhhuh she was never gonna leave me. Never gonna leave me. Honestly reporter in fact, investigators believed it all backed up what they suspected from that very first night. Here, just hours after the murder, when they first accused mark of killing her. I didnt do it. And i i mean its crazy okay. And its just like o. J. We need to be out there finding the real killers, right . Lapd they didnt have to go find the real killers. I know youre doing your job. But i would never lay a hand on my wife. I did not hurt her. I did not kill her. I walked in and found her in her condition. Reporter marks family, by the way, said he told them all about that texting relationship. They said it didnt seem like such a big deal. It sounds to me that it was just them confiding in each other about their marriages and their families and yknow just an outlet. Reporter for youngest son casey, it explained why thered been some tension between his parents a few months before the murder. There was a good span where they didnt get along. But it was awhile before. Yeah. And they seemed to be back together again . They seemed better than ever. Reporter and those claims by investigators about a pending divorce . Not a chance, said the boys. They never were gonna give up. They taught us that im sure a little bit of trust was lost. Someone keeps something from you but yknow it was something they worked on and they got over. Reporter all that grief infected summer, a cloud darkened over the duenas family. When casey graduated from high school in june i remember walking in to where wed be seated and seeing ykow, dad, along with other family members. But you know of course there was one spot missing. Reporter and five months went by that way as if those early police suspicions had faded away. But of course, we know better. Dont we . Coming up, mark duenas was in for a bitter shock. He was upset. Are you kidding me . What his family did next would surprise everyone. It hardly ever happens . Like never. It was hard enough finding the right girl. But the perfect ring . Theres no pressure there. Finding the ring is the first step. Thats why i partnered with the diamond experts at zales. To create. The vera wang love collection. Its got to be special. Modern interpretations of. Timeless designs. Bring out the beauty in every bride. Its got to say yes. The vera wang love collection. Exclusively at zales the diamond store. [epic music] introducing aleve pm. The pm pain reliever. That dares to work all the way until. [birds chirping] the am. New aleve pm. Its the first to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. For pain relief that can last all the way until morning. 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The more you know. 3 f2 ha sido ases nada su esposo mark text with a woman who was once his teenage crush. Mark insists it was innocent, certainly not a motive to kill his wife. Hiss believe him, but what about detectives . Again, keith morrison. Reporter it was evening in cottonwood, california, october 5th, 2012. Five months to the day after the murder of karen duenas. Her widower mark and their son casey were watching tv. There was a knock at the door. And when mark saw the detectives he was upset. Couldnt believe it. Like, are you kidding me . Reporter they were not. Detectives had suspected mark all along and now they had a warrant for his arrest. Mark duenas was charged with first degree murder, held on a Million Dollars bail to await trial. To see him in that situation is surreal. Man, you hope the system works because theres an innocent man up there having to go through this. Reporter the whole extended clan, including karens family, told anybody who would listen that the police made a huge mistake. Ive never heard him call anybody a name ive never he just isnt that type of guy. I cant think of one time where he raised his voice to anybody reporter that Family Support was what persuaded an attorney 600 miles away in Southern California to take the case. Ron powell is his name. At first, im not thinking i want to go up there. But you know, when i saw her family saying, well, can you help us, that type of stuff and us meant mark. Thats when i started to think, you know the victims family wants the accused represented by you because they believe hes innocent . Correct. Thats sort of a once in a while thing, hardly ever happens. Yeah, like never. Reporter but 14 months after the murder, when mark went on trial the family, his, karens and theirs, filled the galleries every day to support him. You are there because you know that person. Reporter the judge allowed cameras in court but no audio. So, we cant play you the testimony of that woman from idaho and decided to conceal her identity. Thats the one hed texted and phoned but hadnt seen in more than 3 decades. Still, it was to be with her, said the state, that mark killed his wife. And on the stand at one point, she said mark had mentioned that if they were meant to be together, something bad would have to happen. Reporter the woman didnt seem to know what mark meant by that. But the prosecution claimed he meant hed have to kill karen. Not just so he could be with the idaho woman, but so that he wouldnt have to share his pension with karen, his wife of 33 years. Anyway, said the state, karen must have been angry at mark and might have told him that night she intended to leave him. She wanted a divorce. The facts of the case showed that something happened that night between mark and karen, whether that be her discussing divorce or whatever the case may be. And he became upset and murdered karen. Reporter the prosecution based that theory around a story told by some teenagers 2 or 3 blocks away, who said they heard a scream between 10 and 11 pm. The pathologist testified karen could have been killed as early as 10 30. The state said it must have been 10 30, after which mark must have washed his clothes, slashed the screen to make it look like an intruder came in. Then went to bed and waited for son casey to come home from the movie. One of the theories that we did have was that he wanted casey to find karen. And hes sleeping peacefully. Is that the idea . Having covered his tracks . Correct. Reporter except of course, casey didnt discover the body. So, said the state, about 1 am mark had to make the 911 call himself. And when detectives went back and listened to that call, they heard what sounded to them like an incriminating mistake. 911, whats your emergency . I got to i killed my wife. [ bleep ] i mean, blood everywhere. Reporter what did he say . I killed my wifethe state claims. Then, a sound they say is a well known barnyard expletive. Listen again. I got to i killed my wife. [ bleep ] i mean, blood everywhere. Reporter an unintended confession caught on tape or so said the prosecution. So, he got it all together and all planned, then he blew it on the 911 call . I believe so. Im sure if you just killed your wife, youd be pretty stressed on the inside, which would make some things come out that you didnt mean to have come out. Reporter but, to the defense, it was quite simply bunk. Ive listened to it, i dont know, 100 times now . I dont hear that. Reporter defense attorney ron powell told the jury mark found his wife just after someone attacked her and told 911 this 911, whats your emergency . I got to i found my wife sick. I mean, blood everywhere. Reporter i found my wife, then that sound the state claims was an expletive, the defense said was really the word sick. So, i found my wife sick. Listen again. I got to i found my wife sick. I mean, blood everywhere. Do you think if they heard it that clear that this guy says i killed my wife, and hes the only one home, you dont think theyre arresting this guy if that had happened . What are they waiting for . They didnt arrest him until four months later. Reporter and meanwhile, said the defense, police failed to follow up plenty of evidence that in a town plagued by drug related crime. Intruders intent on theft could certainly have been surprised by karen, then killed her, then fled, there was an unidentified car parked nearby the time of the murder. Another car seen speeding away from the neighborhood as the cops raced to the duenas house. The two strangers seen in the neighborhood. And a trail of footprints leading away from the duenas back yard. And as for those screams, heard by teenagers a couple blocks away . The entire block where mark lives hears nothing. The woman next door sleeps with her window open, hears nothing. The person on the other side of the house is jason duenas who has his window open. He hears nothing. Reporter the defense put on a witness who said karen told her the very week of the murder that she and mark were making plans for a Bright Future together. And the idea that mark would kill karen so he could pursue a happily married woman from idaho he hadnt seen in more than 30 years was simply ridiculous, said the defense. It sounds like a great motive when you look at it from a distance, but then when you get to it, it sounds like puppy love. Reporter the defense rested its case in a matter of hours. When it went to the jury, howd you feel about it . Oh, i was pretty confident. You could see in the jurys face that they werent buying this. Reporter then, something odd happened. The day the jury went out, a female juror overslept. And rather than delay the case, the judge replaced her with an alternate. And yes, on such tiny wheels fates turn coming up, jurors get the case and are not impressed. The Sheriffs Department did a terrible job. Terrible job . Terrible job. When dateline continues. What if one push up could prevent Heart Disease . [man grunts] one wishful thinking, right . But there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease pneumococcal pneumonia. One dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you. From pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain difficulty breathing and may even put you in the hospital. Prevnar 13 ® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. You should not receive prevnar 13 ® if youve had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. Common side effects were pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site. Limited arm movement, fatigue, head ache muscle or joint pain less appetite, chills, or rash. Even if youve already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. Get this one done. Ask your healthcare professional about prevnar 13® today. But because several of them had spent careers dealing with the justice system. And they certainly knew what was at stake. This is something that we all had to take very serious. Reporter here are three members of the jury. This one is a retired chief probation officer. And former cop. He was surprised by the case, he said. And not in a good way. I thought the Sheriffs Department did a terrible job of investigating. Really . Terrible job . Terrible job in their investigation. Reporter in fact, the jurors we spoke to said that feeling was pervasive in the jury room. And the 911 call that prosecutors claimed was a confession . The jury couldnt decide what he said. We listened to it many, many, many times. Twenty times at least still couldnt tell, really . No. Reporter the jury took vote after vote. Ten to two for aquittal at one point. But one juror in particular was adamant about his guilty vote. Which one . The alternate who replaced the woman whod overslept. That juror said, hes guilty and hes gonna have to prove that hes not guilty. And im not gonna change my mind. Im gonna hang this jury. Reporter the judge declared a mistrial. What was that like . It was heartbreaking. We thought my dad would be home that day. Reporter afterwards, mark and karens extended family publically pleaded do not retry mark. Let it go. You see these people . This is love. This is love and belief in a human being. Please listen to us and know we love this man. And hes a good man. Reporter so was it over . Oh no. Not even close. Instead, shasta countys d. A. Assigned a new prosecutor to the case stephanie bridgett. Something to know about ms. Bridgett. Up to this moment, she had never lost a case. Not one. Her secret . Preparation, she said. She is very thorough. By the time you finished reading through it in your preparation, what did you think . I didnt have any doubt that mark was the one that killed his wife. Reporter one big change at trial number two the very first words out of the prosecutors mouth were the states version of that 911 call. I killed my wife. Blood everywhere. No jury, she declared, could doubt the content of that call. And prosecutors offered yet another possibly damning statement from mark himself. During his first of three tape recorded interviews with detectives which, again, he willingly submitted to, without the presence of an attorney. In his very first interview, claimed the state, mark slipped and made an admission. While describing the wound he said he found on wife karens chest like the guy knew what he was doing or something. Because the way he cut her, thats the only cut i saw. And theres tons of blood. Mmhmm. But there was none there coming out when i whoever did it. Reporter what was that again . Listen carefully. There was none there coming out when i whoever did it. Reporter when i found her . Or when i did it . No way to know what he might have said. But the state claimed it amounted to another quasiconfession. The second prosecutor also presented evidence the first prosecutor chose not to use testimony, for example, from a criminalist who examined the clothes mark wore that night. And who found, karens blood, though not visible to the naked eye, all over. There was a big area on the front of his shirt that covered all the way down. There was blood on the back of the shirt. There was blood all across the waistband, down the sides, different spots throughout the shorts. Even blood on the inside of the boxer shorts which you dont think he couldve gotten there by touching with his hands, moving, changing, adjusting . Absolutely not. Not in all those locations. Reporter the prosecutor claimed mark mustve washed off some, but not all the blood after the stabbing, had a shower in his clothes or something. And then she claimed shed found the murder weapon. Or what could be the murder weapon. A knife, found in the wrong slot in the kitchen butcher block. Mind you there was no blood on it. But its handle was bearing a substance identified as either animal fat or some kind of cleaner. What it tells us is that he had something in the home available to him that could have caused that murder. Reporter so means, motive and opportunity for premeditated murder. But would a second set of jurors agree . Coming up, they would want evidence, but just how much was there . Do you have any idea thats what happened . You dont have a clue. Amope and its premium foot care line. The new amope pedi perfect foot file gives you soft beautiful feet effortlessly. 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Hey guess what day it is . . Hump day hummmp daaay its hump day yeah hey Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike mike mike. Hey he knows hey guess what day it is hey camel guess what day it is its not even wednesday. Let it go, phil. If youre a camel, you put up with this all the time. Its what you do. sigh if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Ok. Its the time of year to bundle up. Now at at t, when you buy any smartphone for 0 down you can get an lg tablet for free. Because two devices are cozier than one. We come by almost every day to deliver your mail so if you have any packages you want to return you should just give them to us i mean, were going to be there anyway why dont you just leave it for us to pick up . Or you could always get in your car and take it back yourself yeah, us picking it up is probably your easiest option its kind of a no brainer ok, well, good talk redding and inside, defense attorney ron powell fretted that hed been shorn of a certain advantage because now, the prosecution knew his case and besides had added these new wrinkles. The blood on marks clothes, and the knife in the kitchen butcher block. Remember this is a retrial now, they felt this time that they needed to show a possiblity of a knife. They never said this was the knifetheyre just showing this knife couldve done it. reporter in fact, said powell, the new evidence was no more persuasive than the old, no blood, but animal fat found on the knife . And some sort of soap . How about somebody used the knife to cut a steak, then washed it . Reporter could you wipe all the dna off a knife if you put it in the dishwasher. You washed it . Good question. Ive learned now after this trial that blood will never leave clothes. But itll go right off a knife reporter as for the blood on marks clothes, of course there was blood, said the defense. He handled her body and police didnt see the blood at first because his shirt was red, and his shorts were black. And then there was the new prosecutors insistence that karen was very unhappy in her marriage, and wanted a divorce. Was it true . No. Theres nothing to support it. Theres no facts to support it. No evidence to support it reporter this was the issue that went right to the heart of the prosecutors case, and her contention that the state had developed a clear idea of just what happened the night karen was murdered. I believe that most likely karen confronted him with information that she had about the affair he was having with the lady in idaho she probably said that was it, she wasnt gonna have it, she was gonna get a divorce. Thats when he decided, im going to get the knife. Im going to go in there and kill her. reporter how do you have any idea, beyond your own fevered imagination, that thats what happened . You dont have a clue. Well, you know, all the evidence points to that so yes, i think that i do have a clue. Reporter how does all the evidence point to that . we have a person who has been in a relationship with a lady in another state. Reporter let me stop you for a minute. First of all you saidaffair, now youre saying being in a relationship. He was doing what millions upon millions of americans have been doing since facebook came along they hadnt seen each other for 30 years. You cant really call that an affair, can you . Heres the big difference. It becomes an affair and crosses the line, when you dont tell your spouse about it. Reporter you believe that he was obsessed with this woman. I believe he wanted a lot more out of that relationship than she did. Reporter was that pure fiction or what was it . I mean in your view . What else could it be . I mean, i know shes got a law degree. But i never saw a psychology degree. Reporter for mark and karens sons, the prosecutors psychoanalysis of their mother amounted to an insult. The da said things about my mom that were untrue do they know my mom better than i know my mom . Better than any of us . They act like they do theres no evidence. Reporter what do you say to people whose reaction is, well yknow of course theyre gonna feel that way. This is his family. Theyve just lost their mother. They dont wanna lose their father too . Life is so much harder protecting my dad we would be moved on. We would know what happened, if we thought that was the truth but we all know with our hearts thats not what happened. Reporter the jury in the first trial had been hopelessly deadlocked came so close to acquitting mark and sending him home to his family. The second jury was back in less than a day. And their verdict was written on family faces in the gallerys first row. I still hear the sounds of the boys right behind mark, the crying. I still hear that. It was very tough. Guilty of first degree murder. Youre sick i felt like throwing up to be honest. I was sick. I feel bad for the family members because theyre the family members and theyre not gonna be happy with the verdict. But at the end of the day, its karen who was killed. And karen who that verdict was for. Reporter what would you say to them in this big extended family out there that doesnt think it got justice at all. I would tell them im confident that the right person was convicted. Reporter mark duenas was sentenced to 25yearstolife in prison. Hes already filed an appeal. And his family . Will go on believing what they have always believed, that late at night on may 4th, 2012, unknown intruders, probably drug addicts intent on theft burst in, were surprised by karen, killed her, and then, realizing what they had done ran away, without taking a thing. Jason and his growing family still live right next door to the home he grew up in the place it happened. And casey, until just recently, still went to bed every night across the hall from his mothers bedroom. Reporter and how is that to do . I mean, it was always oh we live in cottonwood. Small town, nothing happens here. And then the worst you can imagine happened. Reporter casey and his brother troy no longer play baseball for the local college. The days when they looked toward the bleachers where their parents always sat side by side are gone forever. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanyou again. Male narrator tonight, there is no money no personal glory at stake. Theres only a collective goal world domination. A shocking disappointment for team japan. Last years competition was so embarrassing. Oh, no hes out team japan have stumbled again. We had to come back. Our pride is at stake. Im not scared of either teams. I dont think youll find a better team than what we have. Team europe is going to take hope the trophy. The American Team is the cream of the crop. Team u. S. A. Is having an incredible night. Team u. S. A. Is planning to take it home. They have come to fight. Jump up lets get down its our job to protect this town them other boys that are coming in with fire in their eyes