Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20150509

He said, oh, god, no, no, kay. The dead womans husband had the perfect alibi. But he also had a secret. You were intimate with her in your home . Two times. Someone else on this street liked to break the rules. It was a real, real strange mother son relationship. All the rules. It was that hey, im gonna need something from you. Heres an envelope full of money. And as police got closer to the truth he says, i think i know who did it. The truth got closer to home. He just told me, hold on. Its about to get a lot more crazy. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Dennis Murphy with secrets on hot springs drive. Reporter you wont find mayberry r. F. D. On the map. But if close neighbors, good schools, and just plain, old civility is what youre looking for in a place to call home, you could do worse than settle in grovetown, georgia. Tamara baldwin has lived here for 14 years. You see the children outside playing, having a good time. Just a nice, quiet place that you wanna move and take your family to. Reporter the way we think america used to be, and seems to be harder and harder to find, huh . Yeah. The armys ft. Gordon is just down the road and a number of the citys 12,000 residents are active or retired military. Crime stats can be measured in stolen bicycles. Great place to raise a family. Reporter heres a veteran investigator for the county. Whats your crime rate . Its not that high. We dont have too much violent crime. Reporter dozens of homicides a year, would you say . No, not at all. We might have one a year. Reporter one a year . Yeah. Reporter and in march, 2009, they did have one a homicide. A bad one that sent neighbors shopping for burglar alarms and maybe fresh ammo. You wonder, whats going on . Whats happening . Reporter so many terrible things happened so quickly. So many taboos were broken on an anywhere suburban street that the mind reeled. We were so confused. We just kept praying for the families. The whole neighborhood was shocked. Reporter it began here with two houses, two best friends on a street called hot springs drive in grovetown. Kay parsons had moved into the neighborhood in 2005. She was a devoted wife to her husband, david, who worked down at ft. Gordon. And an active Little League mom cheering on her 12yearold son derek. Tamara lived just down the street. Kay was a sweetheart. You never saw her upset, never saw her mad, always smiling, just a joy to be around. What kinds of things did she like to do . Well, mostly anything dealing with her son and her husband. She was very supportive, always being with them. Reporter next door to kay lived becky sears. Becky had her hands full, too. She and her husband tony had five kids, including two older sons from beckys first marriage. Shes one of those people whos very outgoing, one of those, hey, how you doing, type people. Reporter tamara got to know both, but says kay and becky really hit it off. They were best friends. They were basically inseparable. And they were together 24 7 almost. Reporter the two neighbors became peas in a pod. They worked at the same physical Therapy Center called Healing Hands. Theyd go on vacations with each other. Reporter jurgen cowling was their boss. When you think of them being around your office, what do you see them doing . Well, we all get along. You knew they were best friends because they were cutting up on each other. And then they would also tell stories about their sons baseball, especially during the baseball seasons, cause they were best friends, the sons. Reporter kay and becky even joined Weight Watchers together. And the two of them were pretty competitive at the weight watcher thing, huh . Yes, yes. Reporter whos up a pound, whos down a pound . Yes. Every day. Reporter and one day in march, 2009, began like any other. Kay, the Little League mom, got up to take derek to school, and becky, the mother of five, left her house a few minutes later to drop off her kids before her work day began. All very routine. Until 8 30 a. M. , when contractor mitch cozart showed up to do some Maintenance Work on kays back door. Youre coming around the corner. You lift up the latch gate. And tell me what you see. Okay. When i walked back into the into where the back door was, it was the glass was busted out. And i i immediately knew they had been broken into. Reporter did you put your head inside the house and look around or call all i did reporter call out her name. I just i just stuck my head just inside just enough to holler out for her. And i i didnt get no response. Reporter he tried calling kays phone. No answer there either. He came back out front and noticed a young man sitting on a rock across the street. His name was michael, the oldest of kays friend beckys five kids. Michael had overheard the contractor talking on the phone. I walked up to him. And i said, hey, did you Say Something about this house being broken into . And he was, like, yeah. And i was, like, well, mine has been, too. Reporter so now two broad daylight breakins of across the fence neighbors. Was the thief still lurking . I carry a firearm in my vehicle. So and so actually i i went out and got one just in case. You know, the i mean, the somebody could run out or whatever. Reporter he called 911. Yeah, the back door is broke in and the next door neighbors door is broke in. Id called the owner, but shes not here. And i dont think if shes gone. I mean, i hollered into the door. Uhhuh. And i didnt get no response. Yeah, i dont want you to go in. Reporter the contractor followed instructions, and within minutes, Law Enforcement responded to the scene ready to investigate two potential burglaries right next door to each other. Police taped off the area. Now tamaras neighbors were calling her at work, including kays husband david. He was traveling on business. He asked me, have you spoken to kay . And im, like, no, not today. Im at work. And he says, okay, im just trying to get in touch with kay. Im in california. Reporter First Responders at the scene alerted investigator Jimmy Edmunds with the Columbia County sheriffs office. Its very unusual to have have two houses side by side, you know, hit it one time thats, you know, that same way. Reporter so are you thinking, wheres this guy gonna go next . Correct. Im definitely thinking, wheres he at . Reporter but as edmunds turned his attention to the breakins at these two homes, he and his team discovered something ugly. She was in a pool of blood. Reporter this wasnt going to be a simple burglary. This was a violent attack with a bloody trail between the homes of two best friends and a female body lying in the garage. She was beaten so severely you couldnt even recognize her. Reporter what had happened on hot springs drive . And whose sanctuary was about to be violated next . Its a crime that would spread beyond one family. When we come back, a badlyinjured victim in one house. What was waiting for Police Next Door . We could see the back door there and spots of blood on the back door. Own as the perfectionist. I will help you create a oneofakind ring that can only be described as. Perfect create your own, oneofakind ring at jared this thursday through sunday and receive get set in diamonds rewards up to a thousand dollars toward a beautiful setting when you buy your diamond at jared. Choose from thousands of diamonds and hundreds of settings. And thats why he went to jared. The galleria of jewelry. Why weigh yourself down . Try new aveeno® sheer hydration. Its active naturals® oat formula. Goes on feather light absorbs in seconds. Keeps skin healthy looking. And soft. Aveeno®. Naturally beautiful results. I think the reception for this product is overwhelmingly positive. This toothpaste, sensodyne repair protect can actually repair and protect sensitive teeth. And as long as they brush twice a day, everyday, then they can expect to continually have that reparative layer of protection. Against sensitivity. Sensodyne repair and protect has Clinical Evidence showing how effective it works. I know that dentist recommend sensodyne repair protect. Reporter march 25, 2009. Just after 9 00 a. M. Sheriffs deputies had rushed to this quiet residential street in grovetown, georgia to investigate not one, but two burglaries. Worried about her friends and neighbors kay and becky, Tamara Baldwin left work and headed home to what shockingly had become a crime scene. Did you see lots of vehicles and uniforms and a lot of police cars, the entire corner was all taped off with crime tape. Now you see two houses that i have to pass to get home, and you wonder whats goin on. Reporter and what the responders found inside these homes would put this neighborhood into fullon panic mode. Investigator Jimmy Edmunds entered the home of kay, the Little League mom, through that shattered glass back door, the one the contractor first noticed. Then edmunds saw it a trail of blood. Immediately, i could start seein spots of blood on the floor. I could see an empty coffee cup that had spilled right there on the floor from, from mcdonalds. There was a mcdonalds bag on food bag on the floor and a purse. And i started seein signs of blood on on the sofa in the living room, on the on the carpet. And then you go into the foyer area, where there was a lot of blood on the walls, on the door, on the floor. So this is suggesting a moving struggle. Definitely. It looks like the homeowner came home and surprised a burglar in her house, and a struggle ensued where she was beaten. Reporter the bloody path led edmunds further into the house, to a bloody hand print on the door out to the parsons garage. And you can tell there was there was more beating goin on in the garage. There was blood spatter on the walls. So she was already bleeding before she got into the garage. Reporter and thats where this apparent struggle had ended. The deputies found 41year old kay parsons lying there on the floor. Had you ever seen a scene like that . Nothing nothing that drastic, no. She was beaten so severely in her head, it was pretty bad. Reporter but amazingly, kay was alive. Emts hurried her to the hospital, her life hanging by a thread. She still had a heartbeat. But she was in a very bad way. Very, very bad way. Reporter investigator edmunds made the call to alert kays husband. He was in los angeles for work. I was able to talk to him on the phone, let him know he needed to come back here as quick as possible. So how did he take that news . He was pretty devastated. I tried not to tell him on the phone. I tried to tell him, you know, i need you need to come back. Theres been an accident, you know . But he he guessed pretty much what was going on. Reporter kays husband david booked a flight home, as investigators turned their attention to the house next door. Thats where kays friend becky the mother with five kids lived. Could there be another victim there . The point of entry we could see was the backdoor also there, and we found spots of blood on the back door. Reporter inside, beckys place was ransacked, but, quick relief, as they looked around there were no new victims. The blood smears theyd noted appeared to be from the crime scene next door. That means you have somebody that is brave enough, or just or just cruel enough to just just beat this woman so severely, and then is gonna go next door and commit another burglary . Reporter becky had been at work that morning with her 19year old son christopher. The two of them raced home to the scene and met up with her older son michael. Theyre both there, so your mother and christopher are there . Yeah, they pulled up together at the same time, with Columbia County officer. We all walk around back to kays house, and my mom, she sounds very distraught. Shes shes screamin kays name. She shows up at her house while you were all in the backyard there . Right. They show up on scene and and theyre, wondering whats going on, and theyre theyre pretty pretty shaken up. Reporter everyone else in beckys family was accounted for, her husband tony, a long haul trucker, was away on the road, her three younger children were fine at school and day care. The investigator said beckys focus then turned to kay. Understandably she was upset. You know, she didnt know what happened to her neighbor. She just knew her neighbor had had left in an ambulance. Reporter and in fact, edmunds says, becky was less concerned about that burglary in her own home and more anxious to get to see her neighbor. Michelle amerson is a longtime friend of becky who also lived nearby. Her sister drove becky to the hospital. She got to the hospital, you know, she was demanding to get to see her friend. She go to bedside for kay, huh . Yeah, she wanted to get there. I said, what hospital did they go to . Reporter news of the attack quickly spread to another close friend of kays, Suzanne Frazier. I hung up the phone and i was shakin, and so, i called my boss and i said, i gotta go, i gotta go. And i left. Broke some broke some laws, huh . I ran red lights, i flew. I mean, i just went. Reporter tamara rushed to the hospital too. Did you get to her bedside or no. Be able to take a look in . I did not. I i just stayed in the waiting room. There were a whole lotta other people in the waiting room. But the prognosis was very bad, wasnt it . Machines were yeah. Keeping her alive at that point even, huh . Yes. Reporter the friends all kept an edgy vigil for news about kays condition, waiting for her husband to get to her bedside. Lives all changed in an instant. A Home Invasion and burglary in broad daylight. A woman fighting for her life. And now a perpetrator on the loose. You dont know whether you have a guy on the move who could be ready to bust into another house along here, right . Exactly, exactly. We dont know if we had a mad man on the loose here, you know . You settin up security on these streets . On every one of these streets, were goin to every one of these houses. Were stoppin anything that comes in or comes out of this whole neighborhood, were talking to everybody. Its your neighborhood. And yeah. Theres somebody out there whos apparently a very violent person. Yes. You gotta be terribly scared. I was. Im thinking that theres someone whos walkin around the neighborhood watching and seeing when people are leavin and basically attacking or reporter on hot springs drive, the investigators knew they had a serious crime on their hands, but as they learned more from that bloody scene, the shockwaves only kept rolling. Coming up he said, oh god. No, no, kay. Reporter a husband returns home to tragedy and suspicion. I just got a weird feeling. Something wasnt right. Reporter when dateline continues. Rning a living. Its just what you do for family. But its hard to build a future if you cant see past today. Thats why walmart is investing in the most important part of our company our people. Because a raise in pay, raises us all. Who does this kinda thing online . Iii clicked on some links, ugh the kids werent even home. Wait, wait, wait, this changes everything. Its cars. Com Service Repair feature. So well never pay more than we should. Well done. Research, price, find. Get the right Service Without all the drama. I know what youre thinking, but this is the improved i cant believe its not butter 100 taste, 0 artificial preservatives. Made with a blend of delicious oils, purified water, and just a pinch of salt. Two, please. I cant believe its not butter. 100 taste, 0 artificial preservatives. Reporter friends and family gathered at the hospital keeping a vigil for kay parsons, a suburban mom whod been brutally beaten that morning in a Home Invasion. And while her nextdoor neighbor beckys home had been burglarized too, becky didnt seem to care as much about that. Good friend tamara says that for becky, it was all about getting to see kay. She continues to ask if well, can we go in and see her . Can we go in and see her . They tell us no. Reporter eventually, one of kays closest friends Suzanne Frazier did get back to her bedside. Could you recognize her if you didnt know that it was her . Not really, not really. All puffed up . Very very face was very full. Head wrapped. So i asked the nurse, said, is she brain dead . And she didnt answer me. Reporter kay was just clinging to life, some wrenching decisions had to be made. And doctors were waiting for guidance from her husband david, who arrived back from a business trip in california. How did david seem, the husband . He seemed very distraught. He seemed very upset. You could hear him screamin through the double doors. And he said, oh, god, no, no, kay. Reporter investigator edmunds saw david too. And Law Enforcement tends to see things a little differently, especially with husbands. At the hospital, you meet him in person, you see him . Right. His wifes on life support, you know. And hes pretty distraught. But i just, still, i just got a weird feeling. Something wasnt right. I couldnt tell if it was, overboard or if it was just i couldnt put my finger on it but there was something that was bothering me. Reporter so even though the husband had an alibi, that out of state business trip. Hes on your radar and you both know that . Yes. So im watching him pretty, pretty close. Reporter by that point edmunds was trying to determine exactly what had happened on hot springs drive. He had his team take pictures of kay, collecting any physical evidence from that confrontation in the house. And they came up with something, a bit of human hair found under kays fingernails. It just might be from her attacker. She had defense wounds to her to her arms, to her hands. She was you know, bruises everywhere, all over her body. Reporter all indicating Something Else, kay had fought back. And whoever assaulted her had been on the prowl for something. Deputies shot video of the upstairs bedroom. It had been looted, with jewelry and other valuables missing. And they found what seemed like a similar m. O. In beckys house next door. The master bedroom in that residence had been ransacked. So both houses had been tossed. Both houses. Reporter beckys most valuable necklace and rings, gone. And as edmunds kept examining that grisly scene in the parsons garage, he determined how the burglar had assaulted kay, with a hammer, found underneath the car, and a baseball bat. So the way the weapons the appeared just describe a horrendous attack . Yes, it appeared that this this hammer, you know, was used in in. There was so much blood, it it slipped outta the attackers hand. And, you know, the baseball bat, which we were able to determine belonged at that house, was was a weapon of opportunity after he lost the first weapon. Reporter it looked like the Little League mom was beaten with her own son dereks baseball bat. It really touched my soul knowing how much derek loved baseball. And im, like, how in the world could someone take a baseball bat and, you know, beat her . Reporter an oldfashioned dragnet remained drawn around the subdivision. Find the attacker. You got a crazy guy on your hands. Yeah, yeah. I mean, he he he beat that woman severely, and we need to find who it was and where he was and and get him off the street. Reporter some residents mentioned a mysterious figure they had seen recently. We heard about a guy that that supposedly a homeless guy that was livin in the woods around there somewhere. Reporter so the investigator dispatched some deputies to check out the area just a few hundred feet from kays house. We checked the woods. We didnt see any signs of anybody livin there, anything of that nature. And we really couldnt prove or disprove there was anybody that was livin in the woods there. Reporter so a potential lead, dashed. But investigators had another. Unlikely as it may seem, tiny grovetown, georgia has a few usual suspects, including a young man who lived just around the corner from kay parsons home. We look at our neighborhood and see whos livin around there. And we, you know, we had a frequent flyer in there that a who . A frequent flyer, you know. That thats somebody that we deal with all the time. You know, that that commit the same type of crimes, you know. We knew this guy. We weve arrested him several times for burglaries. And he lives close by in the area. So if a computers missing or a piece of jewelrys gone astray . If theres cars broken into you go to your frequent flyer and ask him what he knows about it, huh . If hes close by, we we definitely talk to him. So in this case, on that day, you do that, huh . We do. But we were we were able to quickly rule him out. He he had an alibi. There was no way he could be there. Reporter then from the hospital, the news everyone feared and expected. Doctors determined kays injuries were too severe for her to make it. The family decided to take her off life support. Kay parsons, devoted wife to david, loving mother to derek, was gone. And so then they let me know that she had passed away. You lost your friend, kay. Yes. Yep. A beating death, a breakin. Yes. How horrible is this for you, suzanne . One of the worst days of my life. I didnt expect it. 41 years old. I mean, you can see somebody dying of cancer or, you know, in a car wreck or Something Like that, but to be beaten beyond anything. Did you go back . Yeah. Yeah. You said goodbye to kay . As much as i could. Reporter now the stakes quickly became much higher for this investigation. Kay parsons had been murdered. And edmunds started thinking this killer might just be someone who knew both women, becky and kay. Someone who had been right there at the scene of the crime. Coming up police take a closer look at beckys son michael. He discovers his mothers house broken into. Hes on the scene when we get there. That raised a lot of red flags. But why would michael murder his mothers best friend . The morning, it takes me forever to get dressed. I just like wearing a lot of black. I dont have the time to be gassy and uncomfortable, when im trying to get out of the house. Those are the days you wear sweatpants. I love activia. That is so good. I eat activia every day. Enjoying activia twice a day for 4 weeks may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive issues. Feeling good, looking good. Activiaaaa. My husband has been singing that to me for two weeks. Recently weve noticed some ads created by these two birds inviting you to stay away from the streak free shine of windex. Well dear windex users these ads are false. Sfx squeaks from Window Cleaning clean glass is better than dirty glass. Dont stand for dirty. Use windex. Behind every open heart. Is a story. A story about finishing the race. No matter what the obstacles. About rebuilding the bond between a mother and a daughter. Or about helping build homes for others. Because you remember what it felt like. Not to have one. When you keep an open heart, Amazing Things happen. Thats what the open hearts rhythm collection at kay jewelers is all about. The constant motion of the diamond catches light from every angle. Keep your heart open. And love will always find its way in. Every kiss begins with kay. Reporter investigators in grovetown, georgia now had a murder case on their hands. Kay parsons had been assaulted and killed in a Home Invasion. And the house of her good friend becky next door had been ransacked too. Is your door to door, your canvassing, coming up with anything . No. Nobody nobodys seen anybody, you know, out of the ordinary in the neighborhood. Reporter so they turned to the first person in the neighborhood to notice something was wrong the contractor whod alerted 911 first man on the scene. Investigators had to wonder why he was really there. At this point everybodys a suspect, you know . You know, and logically hes the first one. Reporter edmunds brought him down to the substation for questioning, and they went through the story he had told at the scene. It was an and i walked down to the hall and i said, hey, is anybody in there . And anyway i didnt hear nothin. Reporter but you also have to ask him if thats really what happened. Yes. Reporter i mean, hes the guy who discovers this violent criminal act, and you wonder if he knows more than hes saying. Oh, definitely. Reporter they pressed him to find out more about just what work he was to do there, and whether he had worked for kay parsons before. Did you have the key have the door open to the house . To do the work . Well, we we was mostly outside. The only time that we was really on the inside is when she called me up and said, i need a little bit fixed on the inside. Reporter you had the bad luck of bein the person to find this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Reporter so, that put you on the list also, mitch, of sure. Sure, yeah reporter people they wanna get a full story from. Exactly. Reporter maybe with some sharp questions, huh . Yeah, exactly. I i knew better to walk in that house, you know . Because i did not want anything my fingerprints anywhere in that house. Because i just, you know, watched enough tv to know better. Reporter whatd you whatd you see in him in terms of demeanor . He seemed pretty genuine to me. He was pretty shaken up. Reporter so investigators knocked the contractor off their list but in his interview he helped point them to someone else that boy on the rock. Then i seen that boy sittin the nextdoor neighbor sittin down on a rock across the street. And that made me kinda suspicious right there, cause i be i said i said, i wonder if this guys a lookout. Right . I mean, he might be still you know, somethin is goin on here. Reporter michael, beckys 22 year old son from next door. Remember, he was also on the scene that morning when deputies arrived. A neighbor and familiar face to kay, the victim. That got edmunds thinking. I thought, you know, if she came home and surprised this burglar and she knew who this burglar was, he couldnt let her get away. Reporter you can almost see that little movie play out, the motivation, what happened. Exactly, exactly. So we started lookin at michael pretty hard. Reporter michael told them hed gotten there around 8;30 that morning only to find his house had been burglarized and hed promptly called his mom. But he hadnt called the police, which seemed a bit strange to investigators. Whats more there was no forced entry to that residence. Reporter there wasnt . There was no forced entry. Reporter that was odd too, and they were about to learn a lot more about michael. He was beckys oldest son. He and his brother chris were from a prior marriage. And michael came with a history of trouble, mostly drugs. So, thats gotta make your nose twitch a little bit. Most definitely. Hes on the scene when we get there. Hes had a lot of problems in the past with drugs. So that raised a lot of red flags. Reporter opportunity to get quick cash . Most definitely. Drug habit . Make a buy . You know, they gotta get money. And the best way to do that is is burglaries, you know . Get the quick cash. Reporter did you have trouble with drugs at the time . I wont say trouble, but it was reporter you were a regular customer, huh . I mean, it was a social thing. Wed be being dumb and young, thats all. Reporter smokin weed, or harder stuff, michael . Ah, smokin weed and a little harder stuff, pills, things like that. Reporter this is methadone . Yeah. Uhhuh. Yes, sir. Reporter with michaels presence on the scene, and drugs now in the equation, edmunds team brought him down to their substation for questioning. Now, im gonna be pointblank with ya, if you knew anything about this you would tell me right . Absolutely. When was the last time you took some methadone . Today. Today . Uhhuh. Reporter so michael had used methadone on the morning of kay parsons murder. Now investigators wanted to know more about where exactly he was when the assault happened. Michael said his mom becky had dropped him off at a jobsite just before 7am to do some house painting. When did ya tell your mom you had this paint job . When did you tell her you were told her a little while ago. This mornin. Reporter but heres the thing. He didnt do any house painting that day. And he initially lied to his mom and investigators about working. And the whole reason you lied to us was because you didnt want your mom to find out that you didnt really have a job . Yes, sir. That just that blows my mind. Reporter and there was Something Else that really troubled investigators. If michael was the attacker, he had cleaned himself up before deputies got there. He had no blood on his clothes or visible wounds. But he did have Something Else. I asked him to let me see the bottom of his shoes. And as he lifted his shoes up, i saw small pieces of glass stuck in the bottom of his tennis shoes. And that glass was the same type of glass from the back door at kay parsons house. Reporter in the Interrogation Room michael couldnt explain how the glass from the murder scene got there. As far as glass that was found in your shoes, how can you explain that . Glass in my shoes . Uhhuh. I guess i dont know. Maybe i guess i dont know. I really dont know. Reporter so, whats he doin with that glass under foot, huh . Thats what i want to know. Thats what i wanna know. Reporter investigators talked to michaels brother chris the son whod arrived at the scene later with their mother becky. Chris seemed to have his life together in a way that michael didnt. He had a job, even his own house. That morning he was helping his mom at the Therapy Center where she worked. Your mom picks you up about what time . I got up at 7 00, brushed my teeth. She she pulled up 7 10. Then you go to work with her . Yes. Reporter then they asked him about michael. Chris said he knew his brother took drugs but he said michael wouldnt have killed anyone. Do you think your brother did this . Or do you think somebody . Absolutely not. I dont think my brother has it in his heart. I just want to make sure that that that at this point, brotherly love is not outweighing common sense. Well because i just saw some stuff in your brother just talkin to him for about 20 minutes. And im sittin there goin, what . People get on methadone. They dont have any money. And they not workin. Well how they gonna get money . I i i agree on that. Well, out of everybody that your brother hangs around with who would be the most likely to do somethin yes, uhhuh. Yeah, yeah. Like that . You might need to get a bigger piece of paper. Because of those drugs, man. Id go for seventeen hours. Reporter so michaels brother confirmed the troubled young man ran with a shady crowd. Investigators were all ears. Reporter does his association with the house, his back story, make him a person of interest to you . Hes definitely a person of interest. Reporter the deputies kept michael at the station for nearly three hours but they didnt hold him that day. He gave them a number for his alibi witness that friend hed gone to see that morning. Would he vouch for michael . Coming up another mystery. We had some blank checks in one of our offices that disappeared. And a new theory of the crime. You didnt even come close to we didnt know in they were in this together or what. When dateline continues. You forgot the milk thats lactaid®. Right. 100 real milk just without the lactose. So, no discomfort . Exactly. Try some. Mmm, it is real milk. Lactaid®. 100 real milk. No discomfort. Reporter sheriffs deputies were now zeroing in on Michael Bowers as a person of interest in the murder of kay parsons, his mothers best friend. With the glass in his shoe, him being the one showing up at the house, finding the burglary and his past history of drugs. And you know, drugs and burglaries go hand in hand. Reporter investigators believed that kay was beaten at her home in a narrow window of time between 7 10 and 7 20 that morning. But michael said he didnt arrive at the scene until 8 30. And said he had an alibi for the time before that. Hed been hanging out, he said, with a friend named anthony. Reporter whats the story he tells you about that day . We pull anthony in and we interview him. Anthonys a character. He hes pretty lively. Hes very talkative. He hadnt had time to talk to michael. We knew michael hadnt talked to him. Reporter so you got two unvarnished stories, this might work out. They havent had a chance to compare notes. Exactly. What time michael get to your house . 6 45 roughly. You awake, sleep, what . I was up. I was up. Well, i was laying back down. I was laid down on the couch, getting ready to go back to sleep. I didnt expect him that early. But but you were expecting him . Yeah. He said he was gonna come over. How long was he there . Till from when he got there, which was roughly 6 45 till 8 27 on the dot. They were pretty consistent. You know, anthony was his his time was pretty consistent with with michaels. But we still, you know, we we didnt know if they were in this together or or what. Angel was on. Thats what i watch in the morning. And some you watch you watch the episode of angel wednesday morning . That hour . Tell me what you no, actually, i talked to michael for pretty much the entire hour. But angel was on the boob tube. Reporter as he sat in the interview room, investigators didnt know what to make of this talkative character. So they hooked anthony up to a polygraph machine. And asked him again where he and michael were that morning. You didnt even come close to passing that polygraph. Im sorry. But im not lying about it. I told him id take another one. I mean im, if i was lying, why the hell would i have said id take it . The more important part is well, Stranger Things have happened. Im sure. Yeah. Well, im telling the truth. So it is what it is. I mean i i dont know what to tell you, sir. But you can ill give you whatever you want, you know, blood. They already took my mouth, so yeah. But i didnt do any of this, man. Reporter anthony repeated over and over that he had nothing to do with kay parsons murder. Didnt even know her. Dude, im trying to be as straight up with you guys as possible. I mean well, and that and thats what i want. Yes, sir. Im im not gonna lie about it. I want you to catch the guy. I just i dont want you looking at me like i did the [ bleep ]. cause i aint dude, i aint real cool with you. I dont think its a really you know, if you or me or or some guy got hurt, thats one thing. You know . But not a lady. You know . Not somebodys mom. Reporter and he started to put the finger more on michael. He knows something. Well, i dont but i dont rightly know. What do you mean . What does he know . I dont know what he knows. Dude, look, youre not catching me up in something. He knows something. What does he he saw something, he did something, one of the above. I would assume if michael or any of his people had something to do with it, its for dope. Theyre gonna have enough sense to [ bleep ] be able to beat, what, an entire team of investigators . I doubt it, dude. I doubt it. I figure, by the time everybodys d. N. A. Comes back, cause i know im not the only swab you got, somebodyll get caught up. So you you youre completely confident your d. N. A. Is not in that house anywhere . I know its not. I know its not. He he keeps saying, you know, i i didnt do anything so i dont have anything to worry about. Reporter but was he in fact on your list at that point . Oh, he he was, you know. He was, he put himself with michael. Well, i think you know a little bit more than youre telling me. Sir, i dont. I i ive im giving you pearls, man. Im giving you all i got. I ive told you guys everything i know. I know that he came over. I know exactly when he left. I know i was at my house. Thats all i know. Reporter for all his questions, investigator edmunds ultimately had nothing on anthony. A failed polygraph isnt evidence, and nothing connected him to the crime. But they were still looking at michael, and there was the inevitable question of motive. Sure, michael was open about his drug use, but that didnt entirely explain why he would savagely beat his moms best friend. My bookkeeper came to me and said weve got some issues here. Reporter jurgen cowling has a story to tell about michael. Becky and kay both worked for him at Healing Hands physical Therapy Center, and sometimes michael would do odd jobs at the office too. Michael would come in and do some more, we had some flooring thatd be put in, some carpet. And then he would come in and assist. Reporter but after a while people in the office started to notice something. We had some blank checks in in one of our offices that disappeared. Reporter becky and kays boss says the checks went missing while michael had been doing some cleaning in the office. So i i pull becky in. She said she sat down with michael and talked about it. And, of course, michael said, yes, it was me. Reporter how much money was stolen in that incident . About 800 bucks. Reporter 800 bucks . Yeah, three or four checks, about 800 bucks. Reporter and it was all michael. And he fessed up to it, huh . Yes, sir. Reporter so becky must have been, what, em embarrassed . You could tell she was really distraught. Reporter the Healing Hands boss agreed with becky that he wouldnt report the incident to police, as long as michael never came back there. But had beckys friend and coworker kay found out about the stolen check funnybusiness . Could that have led to a conflict between michael and kay . But, heres the thing, the authorities wouldnt even learn about the Healing Hands theft for months to come. Even without that story about the theft, michael was shaping up to be a prime suspect in the murder. It wasnt looking real good for him. Things started started piling up. Reporter then something happened that would stand the investigation on its head more violence, more mayhem, with another sudden attack. Coming up who was the victim this time . Was someone stalking women in this small town . Somebody came out by the trees and he shot me. Ex and its got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress. You sink into it, but you can still move it around. Now that i have a tempurflex, i can finally get a good nights sleep. When i flop down on the bed, and its just like, ah, this is perfect. Wherever you put your body it just supports you. Like little support elfs are just holding you. I can sleep now through the night vo change your sleep. Change your life. Change to tempurpedic. We need snacks in here. Do you have any . Pretzels, granola bars energy bars, trail mix. Nuts . Cashews, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, almonds. Cost a lot . Peanuts. [laughs] maybe not your best. No. Make onbudget happen. Make breaktime happen. Staples. Make more happen. [announcer ] what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer . 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. Reporter two neighbors. Two breakins. A gruesome murder and one son under the white hot spotlight of suspicion. But there was at least one person who stood squarely behind michael. Beckys good friend, Michelle Amerson, knew all about michaels struggle with drugs. Still, she wouldnt accept that he had anything to do with kays murder. Did you wonder, well, i wonder whats going on . Is there something about this boy i didnt know . No, i didnt really. Because, knowing michael i didnt i knew that, you know, he wasnt wouldnt do anything like that. Reporter then just 36 hours into the Murder Investigation another attack. This time a shooting. Just ten miles from the crime scene on hot springs drive. 911. Somebody came out from behind the trees and he shot me. Reporter Sergeant Steven douglas was dispatched to the scene. My partner and i received a phone call from the Road Patrol Division in reference to a woman who had apparently been the victim of an Armed Robbery as she was leaving work that evening. And had apparently been shot in the process. Do you know where youre hit at . My legs. Reporter the location of the shooting sounded familiar. Whats the name of your office . Its Healing Hands physical therapy. Reporter so did the name of the victim. Whats your name . Becky sears. Reporter becky sears, the best friend and coworker of murder victim kay parsons. That is kind of a holy cow moment. This is the same woman next door to this house where thered been a vicious beating. Yes. It seemed an odd set of coincidences. So this is the back door of Healing Hands . This is the back door of the business that we got called to. Reporter as the sergeant pulled up to the scene, he learned becky had been working late on the company payroll. She was heading to her car when she was jumped. Apparently when she had turned around, an unknown male subject wearing dark clothes and a white baseball cap rushed out of the bushes at her, with a firearm, demanding his money or next time it was going to be her face. Reporter thats when the assailant shot becky in the legs. The subject apparently didnt rob her, didnt take anything from her, but turned around and ran back into the bushes the way that he came. Shes not known for doing the night deposits with cash. Theres no cash here. Exactly. Not at this time of night. Whats the target, what are you going to get . Has to be personal. I would think so. Reporter emts transported becky to the local hospital. It didnt take long for the troubling news to reach beckys friend michelle. Did you talk to becky on the phone after shed been shot . I did. I just asked her, was she ok . And she said i am. She said, you know, just tryin to get thru this. Shes your friend, youre worried, huh . Yes, worried about her. Reporter so was Tamara Baldwin. First kay now becky . It just, it did not make sense to me. What in the world was goin on . Thats what i wanted to know. Reporter sheriffs deputies immediately canvassed the neighborhood, looking for anyone matching beckys description of the shooter. So you have a gunman on the ground on the loose. Right. What are you doing on that score . We had started sending units out to see if anybody had seen anything, see if anybody heard any gunshots. See if anybody saw anybody matching the description of the suspect. And we were not able to find anything. Reporter the only forensic evidence douglas could find in the parking lot was the. 25 caliber slug that grazed beckys legs. Her shoes were still laying there. We found a spent shell casing, and then we had also found the actual projectile itself, right on the edge of the sidewalk. And you didnt find a tossed weapon in the vicinity . No, no weapons. Reporter the shooter had vanished without a trace. But you had more questions, didnt you . We did indeed. Reporter but those questions would be left for Jimmy Edmunds, whose investigation into kay parsonss murder had suddenly become a lot more complex. Here ive got two neighbors, you know, one has been beaten to death and the other one has just gotten shot. And they both worked at Healing Hands. Do you believe that the gunman who has wounded becky is also the person whos broken in and fatally beaten miss parsons . Of course that comes to mind. I mean, of course it does. Its just too much of a coincidence. Reporter and nothing about this shooting took the heat off beckys son michael. Whats the working theory . The working theory still is, michaels still pretty high up on the list. Somebodys looking for some money. Somebody owes somebody some money. Reporter edmunds had some tough, personal questions for becky about her son michael. Thankfully the wounds to beckys legs were superficial. So edmunds grabbed his note pad, and his tape recorder, and headed to the hospital. Becky, shes in the hospital bed. Right. Not too badly injured. Not too badly injured. When im talkin to her, shes, you know, shes really hurting. Reporter the investigator then asked becky for details about the shooting. What did he say to you . Who . The guy that shot you . He wanted his money or next time it would be my face. What money is he talking about . I have no idea. We did not owe anybody any money. Does michael . Not that i know of. I dont want you dead next. I dont think michael knows. Unless he owes money from the past, i dont think he owes any money now. Reporter to edmunds, becky sounded like a mom unwilling or unable to wrap her head around the possibility of her sons involvement in a murder. I think hes trying to stay away from all of that to get out to better himself. Reporter edmunds spun through the possibilities was becky in denial . Was she covering up for her son . Or was he heading down the wrong path with michael altogether. He decided to cast a wider net. Is there some any relationships youre not telling us about . Like . You havent had any problems with anybody . No, nobody. Family problems . Reporter thats when becky revealed an intimate detail from her recent past. She and her husband tony had gone through a rough patch in their marriage. I mean my husband and i were having some problems, which we were thankfully working out. Do you have any relationships on the side . I did. How long has that been . How long has it been over . Yeah. Three months. Reporter suddenly, added to the mix of a brutal murder and a bizarre shooting was this admission of an extra marital romance. I mean it wasnt like it was a long lasting thing. It was just a couple of months long. Reporter edmunds didnt press becky any further about the affair. A hospital room immediately following a shooting was neither the time nor the place. But the investigator was intrigued. He left becky wondering who the other man was. I knew there was somethin there. I just couldnt just couldnt figure out what yet. Turned out there was . There was. Yeah, there was. There was some secrets. Reporter coming up in a love triangle, someone always ends up hurt or worse. Why would you cheat on someone that loved you so much and was always there for you, to be with someone or to just to have sex basically . Why . Reporter when dateline continues. Sale. Go to kohls dot com to get your extra 20 off Friends Family savings pass then, shop for mom and find the latest styles from her Favorite Brands at 30 to 50 off. Gift her something gorgeous classic handbags are 40 60 off. Or, surprise her with fine jewelry shell adore at 60 off. Save even more late friday early saturday. And dont forget to pick up your Friends Family savings pass. Youll get kohls cash too. This thursday through sunday. Find your yes. Kohls. The taste of light and fit greek non fat yogurt gives you the power to help make temptation shrink away with irresistible flavors never have 80 calories tasted so satisfying light and fit greek. Taste the power of satisfaction. Back to our story. An investigator searching for the killer of a young mother. But hes no closer to finding the killer or discovering who shot and wounded her neighbor. Hes about to uncover one more big, dark and shocking secret. Here again is Dennis Murphy. Reporter the story of kay parsons and becky sears had now become a strange and complicated case for investigators. Two best friends, victims. One killed, and the other shot outside the office where they both worked. It was juicy enough to keep this usually sleepy town wide awake for the late news. It was definitely the lead story. Reporter Ashley Campbell is a reporter with nbc affiliate wagt near grovetown. After becky was shot, she was working her contacts. I placed a call to one of the Columbia County investigators and just to find out, you know, what is going on, like, whats the connection here . And he just told me, hold on. I cant tell you anything quite yet, but its about to get a lot more crazy. Reporter the source wasnt kidding. At the hospital after shed been shot, becky revealed shed been having an affair. But she didnt say the other mans name. Then, the very next morning, in what could only be considered a lucky break deputies got a tip from someone close to the family, and learned just who that other man was. How about David Parsons, kays husband . That was a shock. Reporter beckys friend michelle could not believe it. David and she have had an ongoing fling . Uhhuh. Reporter david, the investigators learned, had carried on the affair with his wifes close friend and nextdoor neighbor becky for about six months prior to his wifes death. The revelation of a love triangle would send the investigation into the realm of soap opera. And raise all kinds of new questions. You have these nextdoor neighbors, theyre best friends, theyre going on trips together. And then behind the scenes, youve got love letters being written between, Rebecca Sears and David Parsons. Reporter notes like these. Uncovered later by investigators which showed things were getting pretty steamy on hot springs drive. In one david wrote rebecca, i hope you like the picture frame. I wish i could had given it to you before i went to pa. I love you baby. I miss you so much when we arent together. And in another rebecca, i just wanted to let you know that even when you dont think i am thinking about you i am. I cant wait to see you and becky wrote to david being apart from you is very difficult, but being in love with you and knowing that you love me makes all of the time that we are apart bearable. It was a secret love the two had kept hidden in this small town, where gossip tends to travel at warp speed. It was shocking more than anything. Wouldve never expected it. Did you know anything about david philandering, messing around, infidelity . Not till i heard. A friend of mine called me on the, on my cell phone and asked me, he said, did you hear about david havin an affair with becky . And i said, theres no way. Theres no way. Reporter the news about the affair didnt surface until after kay had been buried. David was still seen then as the grieving husband. If i woulda known about that affair, i dont think there woulda been as much support for david at the funeral or at the hospital. Why would you cheat on someone that loved you so much and was always there for you, to just have sex basically. Why . It it wasnt worth it. Reporter tamara thought back to davids behavior in those days after kays death, including an odd exchange between them at the memorial service. David went up to me. And again, being very close with kay, he hugs me. And he hugs me really, really tight. And hes boohoo cryin and he tells me, im sorry. I never meant for this to happen. And i didnt know thats kind of what that meant. A funny thing to say. What do you think he meant . I dont know. I didnt mean for this to happen . I i didnt know what he meant. I just you know, i was thinking, he didnt mean to leave her while he was in california. Or, i didnt mean to have that affair. It coulda meant a lotta things. Reporter tamara also recalled that Early Morning phone call she received from david on the day kay was found beaten. He was asking me if i had talked to kay. And the thing about it is, hes never called me during the day, so it was just very unusual for him to call me and ask me if i had talked to kay. Reporter it seemed strange to tamara then, perhaps even stranger now in light of the new questions about david. People in town whispered and wondered, did david somehow have a hand in kays murder . A way perhaps to avoid and ugly and expensive divorce . She said, well, if i ever found out that david was havin an affair on me, i would be gone. She said, i would take derek, i would get half of what is in his retirement from the military. Yeah. And id get what i could get out of the account. Did the community really turn on him . They did after they found out about the affair. I think theres more to the story. So now youve got a very lethal soap opera in the midst of this thing, huh . Oh yeah. You know, things things start start comin together. Now you gotta wonder whats going on with david, the husband. I definitely do. Is he involved in this . Does he want his wife gone . You know . We gotta look at all those angles. Reporter all predictable questions. But in an investigation that was never less than startling, more twists awaited around the bend. Coming up a tale from jail. He looks at me and he says, i think i know who did it. And i said, really. Tell me. Reporter and this guy wasnt just your ordinary jailhouse snitch. Family of jeweled feline treasures. 100,000 to the lady in the leopard print. Sprint told us theyd cut our verizon bill in half. Oh yeah. Wed save a bunch of money on our rate plan by switching to sprint. But we dont need to save money, do we mama . Oh, no. No we do not baby. To the other lady in leopard print. Like daddy always says money doesnt spend itself. 1 million oh, look at that. Oh oh wow. Look at that muscle baby. Its like a workout. Some people are stupid rich. Look at my muscle. For the rest of us sprint will cut your verizon or at t rate plan in half. Just turn in your old phone. Or now, sign up for sprints unlimited plus plan and get a Samsung Galaxy s6 edge for 0 down and just 5 a month. Milk has 8 grams of highquality protein. Which could be the difference between just living life. And milking it. Start every day with the power of protein and milk life. [sfx bell] [burke] the more you learn about your insurance the more gaps you may find. [burke] like how you may be covered for this. [burke] but not for Something Like this. [burke] talk to farmers and see what gaps could be hiding in your coverage. [sfx yeti noise] we are farmers bum pa dum bum bum bum bum for soft beautiful feet, i have a professional secret. Amope and its premium foot care line. The new amope pedi perfect foot file gives you soft beautiful feet, effortlessly. Its micro luminor rotating head buffs away hard skin even on those hard to reach spots. Its amazing, you can see it and feel it. My new must have for soft beautiful feet. Amope, love every step. And this mothers day give the gift of soft beautiful feet with amope pedi perfect. Reporter by now, Jimmy Edmunds had no shortage of leads to work in the pair of crimes he was trying to solve, the murder of kay parsons, and the shooting of her neighbor becky. And then, another new lead. A big one. I get a phone call from our jail. They have an inmate that is requesting to speak to me. So i pull mr. Jacobs, jerry jacobs, out of his cell and take him to an interview room. Youre jerry, right . Is that what you go by . Yeah. Reporter jerry jacobs was serving time for a misdemeanor parole violation. Whats his story . He was pretty upset. Jerry tells me that as he was in the jail he saw the news and he saw what happened to kay parsons. And at the time he looks at me and he says, i think i know who did it. And i said, really. Tell me. He says, i believe my sister had something to do with it. Reporter and who was jerry jacobs sister . Well, becky sears. Kays best friend and neighbor. I think my jaw dropped right then. Wasnt expecting that. He dropped a bombshell. Reporter beckys brother said he knew all about the affair between his sister and david. He told the investigator becky had once confided in him that david was trying to end it. Shed come and meet one day or there in the parking lot crying. And i was like, you know, whats wrong . And thats whenever she told me she was having the affair. He then goes on to say that becky was, had been pretty upset, crying because david wont leave kay. He wont leave his wife to be with her. Reporter jacobs then revealed his sister had no intention of giving up on david or letting him stay married to kay. She had asked me if i knew of anyone or if i knew a way that we could do this to kill kay and make it look like an accident, like cut her brake line on her car and make it look like an accident, or do something in that effect. Reporter jacobs said at first he thought becky was joking. Id be like, well becky, thats okay. You know, sometimes we all feel that way about people. You know, shes like, no. Shes like, i really want her dead. She said, she said, can we do this . You say, i mean, she was serious . Yes. Wantin somebody to kill her . Yes. She wanted me to. And i told her i wouldnt. So shes shopping around for someone that can do in kay . Yes. Her romantic rival. Reporter it was a stunning revelation. A real doozy. A love sick woman plotting to kill her best friend and next door neighbor so she could have her friends husband all to herself. Youve got a wild story and a wild theory on your hands. Most definitely. I mean this case has taken so many twists and turns its unbelievable. Forget about the smash and grab and go robbery, thats gone out the window. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Were looking at some premeditation and some planning here. Reporter but edmunds had to consider the source of the story. Of course, jailhouse stories are always troublesome because theyre trying to do themselves some good. Definitely. Reporter one thing the brother said was easy to confirm, he didnt do the hit job. He was in jail at the time of the murder. So if becky was behind it all, who helped her . Jacobs said there was another member of the family investigators should look at, beckys son chris. The young man with his own house. Jerry had been staying there before he was behind bars, and said chris also knew about beckys affair and how desperate she was. Would call christopher almost every night and cry and tell him stuff. And he would get off the phone. And im like, is that your mom . And like, yeah. Whats wrong with her . You know what it is. You know whats wrong. Im like, yeah. I was like, david again . Hes like, yeah, david again. Hes like, she just needs kay out of her life bad. You know . Stuff like that. Reporter now that was a shocker. Investigators had had their eye on beckys other son michael from the getgo. I was surprised to hear it that way. I was expecting to hear that it was michael, really cause, you know, ive been learning so many things about michael and and his past and all of that. You havent had any discussions with michael about like youve had with with christopher . Not like with christopher, no. No. cause me and christopher are a little bit closer than me and michael. Do you know if she ever talked to michael about it . No, i dont. Have a seat right here. Reporter still, edmunds decided it was time to bring in michael for a second round of questioning. And this time, the investigator turned up the heat. Michael, its over, okay . Im not playing games anymore. Reporter at first, michael said he didnt even know that becky and david were having an affair. I know about the affair with your mom and david. My mom and david . Dont play stupid with me. Dont play stupid with me. Im telling you right now. Itll get ugly real quick, okay . This is your one and only chance to get yourself out of a whole load of trouble. It gets pretty hot and heavy in that interview room. Listen to me. Listen to me. I know whats going on, okay. I know your mom wanted kay dead, okay . Do you want to go to prison for the rest of your life . No sir. You need to Start Talking here and now. I didnt know it was david. Bulls. I swear to you. Bulls. Reporter then edmunds moved on to the Million Dollar question did becky ever ask michael to kill kay. She has asked you specifically if you would kill her. No, she has not. I know its your mother and i know you want to protect your mother, all right . Youre 22 years old, right . Yes sir. You might want to look out for number one right now, okay . Shes never come to me and said, would you kill kay for me . Shes never said, would you kill someone for me . Reporter even after a three hour grilling i will burn you. I am telling you. Reporter michael never cracked. Edmunds had to face the fact that michael was in all likelihood telling the truth. By then, theyd come to believe his albi was solid. And theyd figured out that the glass from the crime scene that had so suspiciously turned up on michael shoes, could be easily explained. Michael had gone to look at the smashed in back door with the contractor just before police arrived. Did you have anything to do with that day . If i did, i wouldnt be sitting here. Did your mother ever ask you to kill kay . Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Only thing shes ever done is just like anybody else, you know . Riding in the road, somebody cut em off. Oh, i wish youd drive off the face of that cliff. Thats the only thing id ever heard her saying about harming anybody. Did you think that your mother could possibly have done the thing that they were accusing her of . No. And i dont think she could do it. Reporter Jimmy Edmunds wasnt so sure. And he still had to wrestle with the vexing problem of beckys shooting. Who was behind that and why . It was time to go talk to the object of beckys affection, david, and find out what he knew. Coming up a guilty man . Or just a worried one . We get up and briefly walk out of the interview and he starts talking to himself, you know, what have i done . Oh man. Theyre gonna blame me. Reporter when dateline continues. Youre gonna need a bigger car. Were gonna need a bigger family. Were gonna need a bigger game room. [angry knocking at the door] not in this lifetime manny. Youre gonna need a bigger everything. Except a wallet. The big flavor dipper pizza. Almost two feet, four flavorful sauces, and a free pepsi 2liter with online orders. Just 12. 99. Only at pizza hut. [car alarms blare] are you so congested. It feels like that bricks on your face . Try zyrtec®d to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. So you can breathe easier all day. Zyrtec®d. Find it at the pharmacy counter. Chase freedom. The card is for the essentials. The cash back is for the fun. Chase. So you can. Oh, i love game night. Ooh, its a house and a car so far, youre horrible at this, flo. Yeah, no talent for drawing, flo. House car oh, raise the roof no one . Remember when we used to raise the roof, diane . Oh, quiet, richard im trying to make sense of flos terrible drawing. Ill draw the pants off that thing. Oh, oh, hats on hamburgers dancing drivein Movie Theater home and auto. Lamp squares. Stupid, dumb. Lines. [ alarm rings ] no home and auto bundle from progressive. Saves you money. Yay, game night, so much fun. Reporter for investigators in grovetown, georgia, it had been one wild story after another now they were hearing becky orchestrated kays murder, all for the love of kays husband, david. The next question was the logical one what did the husband know . Youve obviously got to talk to the husband. You know, shes havin an affair with the husband. The wifes dead. You know, you gotta look at the husband as well. Reporter reporter Ashley Campbell said the community was thinking the same thing. And david being away in california at the time of kays murder, didnt seem to absolve him. You know, oh, how convenient. Hes in california. And his wife is brutally beaten. Did he hire somebody . We just dont know. Reporter of course, david had been on edmunds radar from the moment investigators first met him outside kays hospital room and thought he was acting strange. I knew there was something there. I just couldnt just couldnt figure out what yet. Reporter but after finding out about his affair with becky and hearing that becky could be behind the murder, edmunds called david in for his first formal interview and got it on tape. What i need you to do is tell me about your relationship with becky. Okay. Reporter david came clean he admitted to being an unfaithful husband to kay and explained how it all began. We had been playin tennis. You know, workin out. The four of us. We would go play it would actually be becky and i against her and tony. One day she she said, you know why i suck so bad at tennis is cause you distract me out there. You know, kind of, you know, a little flirt thing goin on. Reporter a flirty game of mixed doubles that turned into a hot and heavy affair between next door neighbors. You were intimate with her in your home . Two times. Twice. Where would the other locations be . Most of the time in one of our two vehicles. Um, at her moms house. Reporter but david insisted hed decided to end the affair. He told becky it was over. Im like, look, this is getting too close. I dont want kay to find out. Im, you know, im done with it. You know, im done with it. You know, im done with done seein each other. Reporter at least, that is, until his young son derek went off to college. Ive told her multiple times that i did not, you know, want the situation to change at home. Because of derek . Right. Reporter right after david called it quits one month before the murder becky decided to confess to her husband tony sending aftershocks across the lawn to kays house. She told tony everything . Yes. And tony picked up the phone and called kay . Yes. Reporter the secret was out. I know that hurt her so bad and i apologized to her so much. She said shed forgive me and wed work through it together we were just going to move away from that and put it behind us and move on. He said theyre gonna try to make it work. Theyre gonna sell their house. They immediately put a for sale sign in front of the house and theyre gonna move and be away from becky. Reporter david told edmunds an icy chill fell on hot springs drive. Kay quit the job at Healing Hands and quit talking to becky. But that didnt stop david and becky from continuing to communicate. They would still talk and they would still meet for five minutes here and there. Reporter david insisted it was all above board. Nothing physical. Yeah, we did a little bit of email and talked on the phone, but i was, you know, just checkin to see how she was doin and you know, et cetera. Reporter but as edmunds soon learned, that wasnt entirely true. As the interview continued, david revealed he called becky from california, the night before kay was killed. And it wasnt just to ask how she was doing. Tuesday night we had a long conversation. About . Nothing in particular. We just talked for a little while about what was goin on and then we got involved in, you know, phone sex over the phone. This is the night before kay is killed . The night before kay is killed. Theyre havin phone sex for an hour. Reporter then the next morning right around the time of kays murder david called becky again. This time because he said was worried about kay. Is it weird that the husband should be calling the mistress . Oh, definitely to check on his wife. Asking her to look in on his wife . You know, i whats up with that . Thats what im thinking. I mean, is he calling to say, hey, is it done, you know . You gotta wonder, right . Oh, definitely. Are these two in cahoots . Most definitely. Most definitely. You guys gotta believe me. This is the last thing so far from the last thing i wanted. To take her and all that away from my son. Away from her family and all of her friends. Reporter throughout the interview, david repeatedly denied having any involvement in kays murder, or being a part of some plot to have her killed. Never once has there been any kind of insinuation, not even insinuating, that i would ever want anything to happen to her. Reporter as for those repeated calls from california the morning of the murder, david insisted he was genuinely concerned about kay. Is it normal for you to call her that early in the morning, call kay, you know, 7 00 in the morning . Always. I always call her cause i, like, talked to derek before he went to school. I started gettin worried. I thought maybe she was in an accident or somethin out on columbia road or somethin. Reporter edmunds started thinking david was telling the truth. So he changed course and asked david whether he thought becky had it in her to mastermind kays murder. Deep down inside, do you think she could do this . I thought never. I never thought that she would be like orchestrator or set something up like this. I did not think that. Desperate people do desperate things. How, see, desperate for what . Shes you. You. To hurt my wife . Kill my wife . To have my wife killed . Im not i do not believe that. Reporter edmunds kept pushing. Eventually david revealed that more than once hed wondered just how desperate a housewife becky had become. He told edmunds a month before kays murder, someone sent bizarre texts to her that hinted of the affair. David now suspected those texts came from becky. Did it ever ever run across your mind at that time that maybe the Text Messages were comin in because your time table and beckys time table werent the same . It crossed mind. She was trying to let kay know cause she thought that if she found out that kay would leave. Reporter davids interview went on into the night. We get up and briefly walk out of the interview. And hes still there, still being recorded and then he starts talking to himself, you know, about what have i done . Oh, man. Theyre gonna blame me. This cannot be real. Reporter but davids interview wasnt over yet. He had more to share including a clue that would bring edmunds and his team of investigators one step closer to the truth. Coming up investigators learn more about another man in beckys life. It was a real, real strange mother son relationship. When his mother called, he would drop anything and go to mom. Whatever she wanted, he was there. chocolate. Levian chocolate diamonds. Only levian, masters of jewelry design for centuries. Makes jewelry with rare chocolate diamonds. Dazzlingly decadent designs that shes sure to love. With these exquisite levian limited editions at kay the number one jewelry store. In america. Levian chocolate diamonds. For the sweetest thing in your life. Every kiss begins with kay i know what youre thinking, but this is the improved i cant believe its not butter 100 taste, 0 artificial preservatives. Made with a blend of delicious oils, purified water, and just a pinch of salt. Two, please. I cant believe its not butter. 100 taste, 0 artificial preservatives. Who does this kinda thing online . Iii clicked on some links, ugh the kids werent even home. Wait, wait, wait, this changes everything. Its cars. Com Service Repair feature. So well never pay more than we should. Well done. Research, price, find. Get the right Service Without all the drama. Reporter after almost three and a half hours of questioning about his wifes murder, David Parsons sat alone and wept. So sorry, derek. Reporter it wasnt the first time edmunds heard tears coming from his interview room. But to this veteran cop, davids emotions seemed real. And in the end, edmunds had no reason to believe that david played any role in a plot to kill kay. We had no evidence whatsoever to prove that he knew or was involved in any of this. I really dont wanna come have to come back, you know . Come back to you with somethin else that comes out that you havent told me. You know what im saying . Oh, well, you can ask me anything. I dont know what else you need to hear from me. Im not tryin to keep anything from you guys. I promise. Reporter before edmunds turned off his recorder, david did share one tidbit. Something that linked up with what beckys brother had told edmunds earlier. It was the name of the other person becky had confided in about her affair with david. Beckys son, chris. I asked her who knew. You know, who else knew. And she did tell me that christopher knew that she was with somebody else. I dont know if that means anything or not. Reporter sheriffs deputies spent a lot of their investigation looking at the relationships in beckys life. First her son michael. Then david. But it was beckys relationship to her other son chris that would prove to be the most intriguing. It was a real, real strange mother son relationship. When his mother called, he would drop everything and go to mom. Whatever she wanted, he was there. Reporter becky, investigators discovered, doted on chris and showered him with extravagant gifts money, a motorcycle, a car. Nothing was too expensive for chris. Not even the house he lived in. It was a house purchased by his mother. Eighteen year old kid with his own house . Correct. Thats kinda strange, you know. Was he a mamas boy . Well, i mean, i guess he was a mamas boy, you know. Anything he needed, he got. Reporter but according to michael, beckys overthetop generosity always seemed to come with strings attached. It was that, hey, im gonna need something from you. Heres the keys to your new car. Hey, im gonna need something from you. Heres your house. Hey, im gonna need something from you. Heres an envelope full of money. Reporter and whatever becky asked for, chris would eagerly deliver. He said, it may be very hard for you to understand, but i would do anything in this world for my for our mother. Reporter could anything have included killing his mothers romantic rival . Michelle amerson, who knew the family well, says over the last several years chris had grown distant. She worried he was heading down a dark path. He had changed a lot. So we were we werent around him a lot. When you say, he changed a lot, michelle, what are you thinkin about . I hate to say, but you know, he just appeared to be in a different type of crowd than we were hangin with. So you know, he mightve had some issues goin on. Reporter remember, investigators did interview chris right after the attack. They were looking for dirt on his brother michael. Do you think your brother did this . Or do you think somebody absolutely not. But something about chris struck them as odd. Right from the get go, we sit down with christopher and he is trembling. Youre sittin here shakin like a dog tryin to crap out persimmon seeds. Okay . I understand its traumatic, but youre extremely over nervous. Immediately we ask him, we said, whats wrong . Why are you shaking that bad . Honest to god, i think i have parkinsons. Ive always shake like this. Parkinsons disease . I was like, christopher, youre 19 years old. That makes no sense. Reporter it was a bizarre little detail they tucked away while they focused on other suspects. And when they went back over that interview, something jumped out the only alibi chris had for the time of the murder, was becky. You and your mom are at her work, which is Healing Hands . Healing hands therapy. Christopher says that he didnt go to work at his regular job that morning, he was supposed to go to his mothers work. She picked him up. Reporter so a conspiracy that morning between becky and chris seemed plausible even if it didnt explain the later shooting at Healing Hands. Now edmunds looked for a way to link chris to the murder scene. And he got another helpful call from beckys brother jerry jacobs in jail. They had shown jerry photos of the murder weapon before. Does that look familiar to you . No. I mean its brand new. Reporter then in a follow up interview jacobs came back and told investigators he recognized the hammer. He said it came from beckys garage, a place chris often went to borrow tools. Ive seen the hammer in the toolbox in the garage. What toolbox . Where are we talkin about . In my sisters garage. Reporter sheriffs deputies found chris in front of the home becky had bought for him packing his truck for a weekend getaway. Did he ask what was going on . No. Didnt really say anything. Put him in the car, we take him up to our office, and put him in the interview room. Everythings not happened the way you said it happened, so i want you to really think long and hard and tell me youre a young man, right now. Basically you just called me a liar. Reporter chris, no longer shaking, defiantly asked for a lawyer. I want to speak to a lawyer right now. As soon as we read him his rights, he clammed up. So hes lawyered up, chris. Hes lawyered up. Reporter for investigator edmunds, the puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place becky had the motive to kill kay and chris, with his devotion to his mother and access to the murder weapon, was her means. Go ahead and stand up place your hands behind your back. Youre under arrest for murder. Chris would do anything for his mom and she knew it. Including kill the lady next door. And he did. Reporter and the woman behind it all . They arrested her and charged her with murder as well. Where do you take down becky . She was staying at a hotel, at a holiday inn. We took her down in the hotel room. Reporter Tamara Baldwin could not begin to comprehend the news of their arrests. The becky with the murderous plot and the becky you knew from sports games and on your cruise and backyard gettogethers, how do you put those two halves of becky together . You cant put em together. Its like a square and a circle tryin to fit together. I didnt see the square. All i saw was the circle. Reporter it didnt make sense to tamara and it didnt make sense to becky and chriss Defense Attorneys either. As they saw it, the states case was riddled with reasonable doubt. What was the weakest part about it . The weakest part about it was the lack of physical evidence connecting them to the crime. Putting them in that house. Right. Reporter and they were just itching to get into the courtroom to try to tear apart the states case. Coming up if as prosecutors allege becky plotted to kill kay then who shot becky . He was the guy in the bushes he was the guy in the bushes with the gun. Reporter when dateline continues. [announcer ] what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer . 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. Hold it come with me. New dannon oikos triple zero is my go to protein snack. Cam, protein from yogurt . Yup, this greek nonfat yogurt packs 15 grams of protein punch. But what else . Unlike some other protein snacks, it has 0 added sugar 0 artificial sweeteners and 0 fat. Mmm. Will it up my game . No man new dannon oikos triple zero official yogurt of the nfl. Mmm dannon. There are no medals won for earning a living. Its just what you do for family. But its hard to build a future if you cant see past today. Thats why walmart is investing in the most important part of our company our people. Because a raise in pay, raises us all. Reporter becky sears and her son chris had been charged with the murder of beckys neighbor and romantic rival kay parsons. And theyd hired a pair of veteran attorneys to prepare a vigorous defense. It was a tough situation. Reporter brothers vic and jacque hawk saw a prosecution case full of titillating soapy drama. But when they started looking at the actual evidence, they were unimpressed no forensics linked their clients to the murder. When you think about it, there were, they did all kinds of, um, csi type of testing within the house. Nothing connected either becky sears or chris to the offense. Reporter no dna, no fingerprints, no eyewitnesses. And that one hair recovered from under kays fingernails didnt match either one. The crime, they said, looked like a botched burglary, not a premeditated plot. You think about it. If youre gonna go, commit a murder, you know, what are you gonna pick. Youre gonna pick a gun, youre gonna pick a knife. Youre gonna pick some sort of weapon that you can dispense with somebody fairly quickly. Okay, what are we gonna do this murder with . Lets get a hammer and a bat. That seems crazy. How did you feel about your case, jacque . Oh i felt great. I felt like this was a very winnable case. Reporter they did what lawyers do. They went through the case file, pestered the state to turn over evidence, and then they saw it. And it was devastating. It made it much more difficult, yes. Reporter the piece of evidence in the case file was a recorded interview with becky. A surprise to the defense. I mean, i was floored. Because, i was under the impression that she hadnt made a statement. And then, we find out not only was it a statement, it was a fivehour statement, and with every kind of detail that that messed the case up. Reporter right after her arrest, becky had spoken, and what a story she had to tell. She began by insisting her relationship with kays husband was over. David was gonna make his marriage work and i was gonna make my marriage work. I dont love him any more. I love my husband and my husband and i are trying to make our marriage work out. Reporter but she admitted she did talk with david on the night before kays murder. Whatd you talk about . We talked about ballgames, the kids, and sex over the phone. Which is somethin that, i mean, we had never done that before, and i dont even know how it ended up that way. But but you basically had phone sex . I guess thats what youd call it. Did you ask her bluntly, did you kill kay, or did you cause her death . We did. She denied it. Reporter but other details came spilling out when investigators challenged her. You have asked people, more than one person, on more than one occasion, to kill her. I have never asked anybody to kill her. The only thing i have ever done is say i well, i take that back. I did say to my brother one time, i wish that she was just gone. So she admits to wanting to have kay gone. She does. But she she does but she doesnt say that shes the no. She says she shes the person who does it. Right. Reporter and as she kept talking, she admitted she wasnt quite so vague about her wishing ill on kay. Her story started changing slightly. Maybe she did talk to her brother about hiring a hit man. I was upset one day and my brother came over to my office and i was like, you dont know anybody thatll take anybody and i didnt even say kay. I just said, you dont know anybody thatll take anybody out, do ya . But you were talkin about kay. I was. Reporter then came another revelation, this one about her son. She starts tellin us that uh she knew that whatever she was sayin, that that she wanted kay gone and and that would make her happy, that christopher was listening. And that she knew what he wanted to do was make her happy. Reporter becky began pinning it all on chris. Turning on her boy. Her own son. Reporter she admitted that on the morning of the murder she picked up chris and drove him to her house on hot springs drive. She just hedged a bit on the reason. The implied reason was he was going to go next door. To kays house, to do what . We didnt talk about it. It was an implied reason, he was going to go to kays house to to because he was going, in his mind, to do whatever it took to make me happy. And and that would be to get rid of kay. So shes the puppeteer, putting all of these things in place for him to be tempted and act on it. Shes pullin all the strings. Im not saying do this, but you and i both know what youre supposed to do here. Yes. Reporter in her interview becky continued to insist she didnt know what happened in kays house, that is, not until chris called her later that morning and asked for another ride. When he got in the vehicle, could you see blood on his clothes and stuff . I didnt see any blood on his clothes, but he had blood on his i think he had blood on his face. And i asked him, what did you do . I said, oh my god, what did you do . And thats when he said he beat the [ bleep ] out of her. And i said, christopher, please tell me that she is okay. Please tell me that you did not do this. And what did he say . He said, i beat the [ bleep ] out of her. Shes giving up her son as a killer here. Shes shes throwin him under the bus. This is extraordinary. It is. Do you realize how extraordinary it is as youre takin the story down . Oh yes. Shes groomed him as her little killer. Most definitely. He was he was her little monster. I messed up because i made christopher think that i wanted him to do something that was horrible, when i didnt want him to hurt anybody and i made him think that i did. Becky, becky, becky. And he was convinced that he was helpin me. Reporter becky told investigators that chris got rid of his bloody clothes, stuffed them in his backpack. And she drove him back to her office. And then they later showed up together at the crime scene, pretending to know nothing, but alarmed that kay was still clinging to life. The next conversation that christopher and i had was at the hospital. When i talked to him and i was cryin and he said not to worry about it, that everything was gonna be okay. And i told him i didnt know what to do to help him. He said i didnt need to do anything, that he was gonna take care of everything. And i told him i was scared. Reporter after that, becky said she and chris worked together to throw investigators off the trail. Which meant that shooting at Healing Hands was a total setup. It was christopher. He was the guy in the bushes. He was the guy in the bushes with the gun. Reporter chris had shot his own mother. A ruse to throw off the cops. And a bumbling one at that. Becky said their plan was for chris to shoot and miss. He didnt mean to shoot me. He was just going to shoot at me to scare me, for me to say that somebody chased after me wantin money. Your own son shot you. He didnt mean to. Reporter becky sears had told investigators quite a story in a version that showed her slightly less culpable than chris. The legal fight now had shifted to mother against son. And becky had one more card left to play. Coming up its the question everyone was asking. Who is this woman . Evil. Introducing new flonase allergy relief nasal spray. This changes everything. New flonase outperforms a leading allergy pill so you will inhale life. When we breathe in allergens our bodies react by overproducing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. Most allergy pills only control one substance, flonase controls six. And six is greater than one. So roll down your windows, hug your pet dust off some memories, make new ones. New flonase. Six is greather than one. This changes everything. Wish your skin could bounce back like it used to . New neutrogena hydro boost water gel. With hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. For supple, hydrated skin. Hydro boost. From neutrogena. Take a deeeeep breath in. And. Exhale. Aflac and a gentle wavelike motion. Ahhh ahhhhhh. Liberate your spine. Ahhhahhhhhh. Aflac and reach, toes blossoming. Not that great at yoga. Yeah, but when i slipped a disk he paid my claim in just one day. Ahh so he had your back . Yep. In just one day, we approve and pay. One day pay, only from aflac. [duck snoring] want to take everything you love with you . Do it in style on your pandora charm bracelet from jared the galleria of jewelry. Jared has an incredible selection of the latest pandora charms bracelets and jewelry including charms you will only find at jared. Telling her lifes story with just a turn of the wrist. We are gonna need a bigger table. Thats why he went to jared. Reporter becky sears and her son chris were both facing the Death Penalty for conspiring to murder kay parsons. But their attorneys vic and jacque hawk suddenly had a colossal problem on their hands. I didnt want him to hurt anybody. Reporter beckys allbuta confession on tape. Vic represented becky, and jacque represented chris. Facing this tough new set of facts, the brothers decided to sever their cases. Mother would now be pitted against son in two separate trials. I didnt have any question in my mind that his mom would testify against him if it benefited his mom. And chris is gonna go to trial first here . Yes. Does that make a difference in the scheme of things . Well, i think it puts pressure on her. Because then that gives him some reason to maybe, if he is hit with a significant sentence, Death Penalty, whatever, a good bit of impetus to come and testify against his momma. Reporter the state still didnt have any physical evidence against chris, but that was about to change. I get a message that that a box of bloody clothes and shoes had been turned over. Reporter becky had an 11th hour reveal she told authorities where to find the clothes chris wore during the murder. Shed stashed them in her mothers attic. Turning them over was a play to get herself a better deal. So she can do herself some good and get the Death Penalty off the table . I think thats the obvious. Whatd you see when you opened it . I saw the backpack, black backpack just like she described. We found the jewelry taken from the parsons home. We found the jewelry taken from the sears home. It was all there. Signed, sealed, and delivered. That was it. There was nothin else they could do. Say goodnight, there was nothin else to do. No, not at all. Reporter there would be no trial now. Instead, a plea agreement, in may 2012. Becky sears and her son chris bowers pleaded guilty to murdering kay parsons. They were spared the Death Penalty, but in the end, becky didnt get a better deal than chris. The judge sentenced them both to life in prison without parole. Becky appeared in court that day looking hardly like the wellputtogether suburban mom from days past. Do you remember seeing becky on the news when she came to court . I did. What did ya think . I was, like, wow, i understand why she was goin to Weight Watchers. Um, she had gained so much weight. And, you know, really no remorse either. Reporter even her defense attorney, who withdrew from the case before that plea deal, said he could not fathom the taboos broken in this case, the families ripped apart. Shes turned the motherson relationship upside down. No mother would do what shes done. No real mother. And to have turned on her own son, that says more than anything else about becky sears. Reporter and even as she headed off to prison this saga wasnt over yet. Her old boss at Healing Hands says that while she was working for him, becky had her hands in the till. How much money, jurgen . About 250,000. Was stolen by becky from your Healing Hands account . Yeah. So nice, friendly, gregarious becky out front has been stealing from you with both hands. Im guessing she was your best paid employee and you had no idea. And you would guess right. Thats before you even get to the whole other thing of the business with kay. So who is this woman . Evil. Reporter becky was never charged with the theft. The da says they had the evidence, but with her guilty plea and life sentence it all became a moot issue. And remember how michael was blamed for stealing checks from Healing Hands . He told us what really happened. It wasnt me. That was my mother. She blamed you and you took the heat, huh . Well, yeah. She basically told me, hey, if i didnt do that for her, all the money she was making, she wouldnt she couldnt make no more. But you had nothin to do with it . Nope. Sure didnt. Reporter its been years since he spent all that time in the Interrogation Room taking the heat for his mother and brothers crimes. Michael told us he still has nightmares about it all. Im torn up inside. Youre still part of the wreckage of this whole deal . Yeah. Have you talked to or seen your mother since . No. I sure havent. Sure havent. Do you want to . Do you have questions for her . I do. I sure do. Shes sittin here. What do you ask her . What do i ask her . I would like to ask her what happened, you know . What happened to the mother i had, you know . Reporter but michael is looking forward, with a new job and a new home. And his family friend Michelle Amerson says shes looking out for him. Youre still kind of a second mom for michael . Yes. Hows he doin, in your opinion, michelle . Michaels doin better. You know, we have had a lotta heartache over his loss and, you know, what hes been through. But hes a trooper, and he has a lot of people standing behind him. Reporter becky sears and her husband tony are now divorced. And kays husband david . Hes remarried, still living in the house where it all happened. Derek, just 12 years old when he lost his mom, is now serving in the marine corps. Its been six years since kays death. For her friends it seems like yesterday. What were your last words to her . And you know theyre never gonna be the last words, but they were. I said im sorry. I said, you know i love you, girl. And she says, i know, i know. And i said, ill talk to ya later. And that was it. Reporter today grovetown quietly bustles along, with few traces of the tragedy that happened on hot springs drive. But tamara says that for her, kays spirit is still there, right down the street. Do you offer up a little prayer to kay when you drive by her place . Of course. And also also to derek. It has to be hard on him. And so i always i always pray to make sure that he knows that even though his mothers not there, she loved him more than anything. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well see you sunday at 7 00, 6 00 central. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good i threw it on the ground. New at 11 00, a girl says her iphone exploded in her back pocket. What she noticed just before she says it burst into flames. But first wrs new clues after a duck boat hit and killed a woman in philadelphia. Witnesses tell us she might have been distracted. Good evening, im jim rosenfield. And im jacqueline london. Nbc 10s keith jones is live at the scene. Reporter let me show you how this thing happened. In is the crosswalk. The husband and wife were walking across here with a duck boat coming in this direction struck them. Police say it appears that that signal up there were green, just like it is now. Looking for anything wrong that might point to why the driver couldnt stop before fatally hitting the 61yearold woman right in front of her husband both visiting from texas. There was a lot of people crying