Burglaries and assaults. Investigators also dug into a favored theory. The husband did it. I was angry. I felt that the detectives were on a manhunt and after my dad. Anyway, he was in another state. He was over 200 miles away. Then a popped up text that might just be a clue. You could say shes driving events here. Thats correct. The truth beyond twisted leaving behind smoking ashes and burning questions. I physically started shaking and i started crying. I want to know why. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Dennis Murphy with consumed. Reporter the Canterbury Hills subdivision in paducah, kentucky, is a good place to raise kids. Tidy homes kept up by neighbors living ordered lives. So as the front porch lights winked out on just another day, what happened one cold january night in the wee hours was especially alarming. Orange flames were licking the tree tops. A roaring, all consuming fire, was devouring one of the nice homes. It was awful, half of the house was gone. Reporter what would rise from those ashes was far more than a fire marshals investigation into cause. There would be a probe into the deepest roots of a treachery beyond most peoples comprehension. Its not true. No way. Reporter what had they all missed . A monster. A liar. A cheater. Hes destroyed my entire family. Reporter before it became charred rubble, the house was home to a longtime paducah couple, keith and Julie Griffith. Church going, golf playing Highschool Sweethearts 36years into a marriage that had produced two sons. Aaron the older. They were very supportive parents. They were loving. They loved my kids. Reporter aaron took after his dad, athletic, easy going, levelheaded. Younger brother zach was more of a firecracker like his mom. There was the time, for instance, in the sixth grade, zach grabbed a shovel and started digging a hole for a koi pond in the backyard. My parents come home. Theyre, like, what are you doing . Im, like, were gonna have a pond. Reporter were they okay with it . Yeah, they were fine. And they were kind of, like, well, this is gonna be a nightmare. Reporter when aaron and zach flew the nest, the griffiths lives seemed to get only busier. They joined a motorcycle class through their church and frequently were a golf foursome with friends, craig and temple bradley. Everybody that knew keith loved him. Great guy. Reporter did he become your best friend . Yeah, definitely. One of my very best friends. Reporter temple felt that way about julie, too. She had a heart of gold. She would do anything for you. But she also wasnt afraid to tell you exactly how it was either. Reporter did she get peoples feathers ruffled . Oh yeah. Yeah but everybody loved her. Reporter after early retirement from the water company, keith found a second career as travelling lawnmower salesman. Which left julie to spend a lot of nights alone in the house. But keith never worried for her well being in a safe neighborhood, their own door watched over by their beloved great dane cleo. Aarons wife, ali. I know that for a long time, they didnt even lock their door. They would leave and go to dinner or go to town and leave the door unlocked because cleo was the guard dog. Reporter fulfilled as the griffiths lives seemed to be, keith and julie were transformed when aaron and ali brought into the world their first daughter, aria. When i had that first child it was the greatest day of her life, i think. Julie lived for my little girl. She wanted to be a part of everything that she did. Reporter and julie was there for ali when she went into labor with their second daughter, analiese. Her white knuckled dash to the hospital earned julie the affectionate nickname, nascar nana. The flashers were going and she was honking the horn and we reporter and what is she saying to you . Is she talking you through it . She says, dont have a baby in my car. She says, keep your legs crossed, dont have a baby in the car. Reporter everything seemed to be going great for the griffiths in 2013. Keith had weight loss surgery and dropped more than 100 pounds. Julie was over the moon with two granddaughters. But also that year came the rift. Zach disclosed to his very religious, conservative parents that he is gay. It was definitely hard. I mean, it went from my mom was my best friend and calling up and talking to her multiple times a day to just being completely just completely shut off. Reporter julie visited zach that fall. They tiptoed around the elephant in the room but the time together gave zach hope. Reporter was that the step, as you look back, to patching things up between you and your mom . Yeah. Reporter there was a way forward. There was definitely a way forward. We just needed more time. Reporter but then, came that cold night in january. 911, where is your emergency . Uh. Yeah. Theres a house on fire in canterbury and theres not a fire truck here reporter a deputy drove toward the griffith home, his dash cam recorder catching this quick glimpse of the blaze. Then, the fire trucks arrived. Mccracken county sheriffs detective matt carter received a call in the middle of the night. Reporter this is a bad fire . Very hot. That whole left end of the house was just completely consumed with fire. Reporter it took about an hour for firefighters to knock down the flames. Hours more for them to make their way through the blackened wreckage of the house to what seemed to be the heart of the fire, the master bedroom. Ghastly, what they would discover. What they found in the embers would rattle the neighborhood and shatter the family. Everything was just consumed by fire to the point that things were unrecognizable. When we come back, investigators make a pair of discoveries and realize theyre dealing with both a tragedy and a mystery. He had recovered a projectile. 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I know you asked me to call you the at t hostess with the mostest okay, shut her down. Turn it off. Right now, buy an iphone and get another one free when you add a second line. Reporter daybreak revealed the grim aftermath of the blaze. Wisps of smoke rose from the black watersoaked wreckage that was once the griffith home. Detective matt carter. This entire structure had crumbled. It was a pile of ashes that was on the ground. We didnt even know if anyone was home or not. We knew that they were in and out of town a lot. Reporter as firefighters carefully walked through what appeared to be the fires epicenter, the master bedroom, their worst fears were confirmed. Julie had, in fact, been home that night. It was to the right of the box mattresses that we found the remains of of julie. They were unsure, initially, that it was human remains. We knew that there was reporter even with all their experience . Yes. Everything was just consumed by fire to the point that that things were unrecognizable. Reporter as for keith . He was away, calling on customers in indiana. Word of julies death spread almost as fast as the fire had raced through the house. Im getting ready for work, have the tv on in the background. We are live in the Canterbury Hills subdivision on tudor boulevard. Reporter then, temple bradleys phone rang it was a friend, who also knew julie. She said, you know theres the fire. And i said, yeah, i saw it on tv. And she said, its keith and julies house. And i just sat there. Reporter did she know at that point that julie in fact was gone . She knew, and so she told me. Reporter temples husband immediately tracked down keith as he was making the threehour drive home from indiana. He said, im on my way. Im probably, you know, two hours away. I said, are you all right. He goes, yeah, yeah. I could tell he was in shock. Reporter the news hit Zach Griffith particularly hard. Since coming out to his mother, his relationship with her had been strained, and now this i guess youre just beating yourself up something terrible, that youd been sideways with her yeah. And i know that if we were just given more time, that we wouldve been close again, that we wouldve been, you know that mom and son duo that we were. But we just we didnt have the time. It was ripped away from us and never get it back. Reporter aaron, the elder son, had more of a take charge reaction. I gotta take care of my brother. I gotta take care of my dad. Reporter you got logistics before grief . Yeah. Reporter the news didnt even get absorbed . Yeah. Yeah. For me thats just kind of the way my brain is wired, i guess. Reporter within hours, the griffiths would head from all directions toward what used to be an anchor in their lives the family home. I just gave my dad a big hug, and we were both crying and we were like, i cant believe this. What happened . Reporter keiths good friend Craig Bradley was there to lend his support. And how was he doing . This is the first time you have a chance to see him eye to eye . I could just tell he was shaken. Reporter as if the news couldnt get any worse, the griffiths great dane cleo, along with the second pet daisy, had also perished in the flames. Craig and keith walked the property surveying the damages. We get to the koi pond and hes like, gotta get gotta get those fish outta there. Julie would kill me if something happened to those fish. I was like, you know, lets not worry about that right now. Reporter overwhelmed by loss, the griffiths were faced with the question how could this have happened . The first thought was that it was the new heating and air unit, it had just gone in. Reporter the unit had been installed just days before the fire, adjacent to the master bedroom. That was my very first thought. That somehow the new heating and air unit wasnt put in properly. Reporter faulty installation . Yeah. Reporter as for the cause of julies death, that was left to the county coroners office. Deputy coroner ben bradford. What were you working with . A very, very charred body. I could not very well identify it being a person. Reporter the cause of death seemed obvious. But just to be sure, julies remains were sent onto the medical examiner for an autopsy. What he discovered was as deeply troubling as it was unexpected. He had recovered a projectile in the the remains. Reporter a bullet . Yes. Reporter suddenly, what was thought to have been death by smoke inhalation was now a homicide. Closer examination revealed three bullet holes in all in julies torso. The deputy coroner immediately called the sheriffs office. I said, we need to get some people back to that house, because this is going to be a homicide. Reporter whatd you think . Wow . Absolutely. Reporter lady in a nice neighborhood, good house . Right. Reporter and now shes got three Bullet Wounds . Thats right. On a who did it crime. Reporter back at 307 tudor boulevard, Fire Equipment pulled out as sheriffs cruisers pulled in. Would the charred wreckage of a home, once filled with joy and laughter, now hold clues pointing to a killer . Coming up could julies murder have been a burglary gone bad . Somebody looking for the laptop or whatever jewelry. Right. Then this detective spies what could be a critical clue on someones phone. Ping, up comes the text message. Thats correct. When dateline continues. When dateline continues. Single from the dizzcounts. Cash money the Biggest Discount and understand. The dizzcounts. Safe driver, paperless, paidinfull, multicar and joey fatone. Savin you five hundred im savin you five hundred we have autotune, right . Oh, yeah. Thats a hit all yeah you can help prevent blindness in undernourished children all over the world. 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The new money Monopoly Game at mcdonalds. 100 million prizes. 1 in 4 wins you could be the one reporter the theory that julie died by accidental fire had collapsed as suddenly as the griffith house itself. For detective matt carter, a 45 caliber slug recovered from Julie Griffiths torso turned the charred rubble into the scene of a homicide. So im guessin your days changed a whole lot here, detective, huh . Its changed a lot. Reporter despite more than a decade on the job, the detective had his work cut out for him. No hair, fiber, bloody footprints, none of that stuff. Right. Youve got an arson thats destroyed any chance of obtaining any of that from the scene. Reporter for detective carter, the most obvious theory this homicide was the work of a home intruder. A burglary gone bad. Reporter somebodys lookin for the laptop or whatever jewelry and thing goes down. Right. We had had some burglaries within a few miles of this area. Reporter what . Within weeks or months or within weeks. Within weeks. Reporter as police canvassed the neighborhood for leads and witnesses, the investigator also had to consider the perpetrator may have been someone julie knew. Youre not ruling anyone out or in. Youre simply going through the motions. Youre speaking to immediate family and first. And workin your way out. Reporter the Sheriffs Department did not tell the Griffiths Julie had been murdered. We were not told anything by the police at that point. Reporter but anyone at the scene might have guessed foul play was somehow involved. There was just cops all over the property. Reporter so you said, why are the cops here . Exactly. Yep. Reporter naturally, the first person detective carter interviewed was julies husband keith. First of all, we are, are sorry for your loss. I appreciate that. Reporter at first, keith talked about what everyone perceived was the cause of the inferno an accidental fire set off by a newly installed heating unit. You had a new gas pack put in tuesday . Mmm hmm. Okay. I mean it was a whole new system. Reporter keith explained the contractor was a friend of his whod done the work just a few days earlier. They put a rush on it. I mean, you know, thats kind of what friends do for each other. Okay. And i hope to god that this problem is not his. Reporter but eventually, without giving details, the detective revealed julies death was no accident. The investigations showing that, that foul play is involved. Okay. I do not believe at this point in time that this was any kind of an accident. Im going to ask for your cooperation on, on several things. Okay . Okay. Reporter one of the first things detective carter asked about was how keith and julie were getting along. Any problems at all that yall had or anything like that whatsoever . No, shes my best friend. Okay. I mean i know i mean that woman loved everybody. Reporter the investigator also asked keith for details about his business trip to indiana. What hotel . Comfort suites. Comfort suites . Okay. Didnt leave the hotel . I did leave the hotel, about 11 00 i went and got something to drink. And i left again about 4 00 and just went and, and got a doughnut and a coke. Like i said, i get up pretty early. Reporter and what about weapons. Did keith own a gun . I have a. 45 acp in my work truck that i just got, and its never had any, i mean its never been loaded. Reporter as part of standard protocol, the detective asked for keiths clothes. They would be tested for gun shot residue. What youre wearing now, is that, was that fresh clothes from this morning whenever you . This is what i wore yesterday. Reporter before wrapping up the interview, the detective took a look at keiths cell phone. While im reviewing this phone, i see that he obtains a text message, an incoming text message from a lady by the name of deanna jaynes. Reporter ping, up comes a text message . Thats correct. Reporter the message read did you make it home okay . Keith was quick to point out, his relationship with deanna was completely platonic. Shes more like a guy friend. Reporter no big deal . Nothing sexual . No big deal, thats right. Reporter after that, keith was released to go and grieve with his family. Detective carter, meanwhile, set out to verify keiths story. He had a receipt where he had stayed. Reporter so that puts him three hours away from this house fire. Correct. Reporter the death of his wife . It showed his checkin time and checkout time. Reporter a quick check of keiths gun showed he was telling the truth about it as well. The gun looked like as though it had never been fired. So maybe hes not the guy. He may not be. Reporter so then who was . Coming up the detective sits down with deanna. Was she really like a guy friend to keith . You could say maybe shes driving events here. Maybe she wants to get rid of the wife. Thats correct. Hats correc. With flonase allergy relief, they wont. 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I couldnt imagine anyone that would ever want to hurt her, much less set the house on fire, the dogs perished, i i had no idea what could have happened. No enemies. I mean, it made no sense. It just who would wanna kill her . Reporter after keith was released the night of his interview with detectives, he headed straight to his friends, the bradleys. They were floored to hear the line of questioning that he recounted. What was up with his marriage, his alibi, the gun he owned . He had been questioned to the point that he almost felt like that they thought he did some that he had done this. Reporter son aaron also got called down to the station that same evening and he, too, was questioned about his parents marriage. Noticed anything lately in their relationship as far as any problems or anything like that . No. That youre aware of . No, no, nothing. Was there any money troubles . Was there any relationship things that we knew of . Reporter but to a person in the griffiths circle, the very idea that keith might know something about julies death was, well, just flat out crazy. I knew he didnt do it. There wasnt any way that keith was involved in this. I remember sittin there and lookin over at keith and just watching him for a while and finally i just said, you cant even grieve, can you . And he said, no, theyve taken it all away. Reporter the friends working theory was a botched breakin. Theyd heard about the neighborhoods recent rash of burglaries. Maybe thats what happened to julie . Theyd come in and they startled cleo. Reporter dog started to bark and go for them . Uhhuh. It caused julie to wake up and they got scared. And they shot her. It made perfect sense. Reporter but for detective carter, the burglary theory of the crime wasnt panning out. Even as they sorted through the rubble, detectives at the scene found untouched valuables. Two safes, a cache of guns and julies purse sitting in plain sight. Reporter you think an intruder would have grabbed it . You would think so. Reporter so carter set out to follow the most promising lead he had. Who was this woman deanna . The text messager who wondered if keith made it home ok. He had described her as a guyfriend. There was just somethin about that text message that seemed to stick out. And it and it seemed to create that question of, you know, whats missing here . Reporter carter had called ahead to the authorities in the indiana town where deanna lived. Theyd arranged to bring the woman down to an interview room. She was waiting. My names matt carter. Matt. Reporter deanna was about to tell the detective a story that would dramatically reshape his investigation. Reporter was she a guy friend . No. It it was more than that. Reporter deanna shared the same story with us. He wanted me to love him. Reporter deanna says she and keith first met years earlier at a vendor fair. She was the cfo of an i. T. Company. Keith, the roadwarrior lawnmower salesman, had a booth there. Keith was sitting there. And i guess i caught his attention right away. Reporter youd noticed he was eyeing you, huh . Right. I noticed he was staring at me. And so i kinda, you know, just smiled. Reporter she says he asked her to dinner. They quickly discovered how much they had in common. He talked about both his sons and being a grandpa. So i just really connected, because i had grown kids, too. Reporter after several dates, deanna says, keith expressed interest in a relationship, but she wanted to keep it justfriends. They stayed in touch but didnt see each other for awhile. Then, just a few months back, he sent her a flirty text message. The text just said, did you cast a spell on me . And im like, i looked down at my phone, im like, what . He says, well, i was in a party last night, and this woman was chattin me up. He goes, and all all i could think about was you. Reporter deanna, who was in the throes of a traumatic romantic breakup, agreed to start seeing him again for dinners. And, she says, he seemed excited to show off the new postsurgery keith. He goes youre not gonna recognize me. And he goes, ive lost over 100 pounds. And i said, you have . Reporter did he look okay . He looked fine. I mean he felt i think he was more confident, as well. Reporter deanna says keith now began aggressively courting her. Showering her with gifts, flowers, notes of affection. It was all, she said, a bit much. He kept pushing for more. And i kept telling him, you need to back off. You need to slow down, because im just not there. Reporter deanna says she couldnt put her finger on it, but there was something about keith that was holding her back. Maybe it was the fact that he still seemed unusually bound to a woman he called his exwife. From the very beginning, deanna says, keith told her that he was divorced. Very first conversation. Reporter im a divorced guy. Right. Reporter by the time she was sitting across from detective carter in that interview room, deanna says she and keith had never been intimate but they were dating. And keith was talking long term. Househunting for them. He said, i dont want to scare you, but i want you to know that im looking for properties here in mooresville to buy, so, for us to be together. Reporter for the detective, deannas story put a whole new spin on the investigation. Keith griffith now seemed like a man with a very big secret. Or, thinking like a homicide detective, was she the one with the secret . Reporter you could spin it another way and say, w maybe shes driving events here. Maybe she wants to get rid of the wife thats correct. We were open for that, being an idea or a possibility. Reporter in fact, the detective had let her tell her story without ever explaining the reason for his visit. Now, he laid out his cards. Was he not divorced . Um no. He says, first of all, keiths not divorced. According to him, hes been married to his High School Sweetheart for 36 years. And i just broke down, because i i couldnt believe it. Reporter but, of course, there was more. We are conducting an investigation, and this investigation involves what we believe to be a homicide of his wife. I was in shock. I was like, oh my gosh. I couldnt believe what he just said to me. I had no idea. Reporter so you believed she had been played by this guy . I believe that she had. Reporter so, detective carter wondered, if Keith Griffith had manipulated and lied to this woman. Had keith lied to him, too . Maybe it was more about what keith hadnt said. Rewind to that moment when the detective had dropped what should have been devastating news on keith. The investigations showing that, that foul play is involved. Okay. Reporter did he ask you the questions, what happened . What are you tellin me here . She was killed . No. Reporter i mean, youd expect that, right . Julie was shot by an intruder . Whats goin on here . Thats right. There was there was no questions to that. Reporter but if Keith Griffith was somehow involved in his wifes murder, how on earth had he pulled it off . After all, he was hundred of miles away at that hotel the night of the crime. Unless, of course, he wasnt. Coming up a security video surprise. Youre scrolling through the tape. Going through, going through. What was your bingo moment . And then a twist rocks the entire Griffith Family. We were all frantic. We had no idea how it could have happened. When dateline continues. Its hard to find better odds. The odds of winning from items like this big mac . Sfx ding the odds of scoring a holeinone . Sfx clank the odds of winning from items like these chicken mcnuggets . Sfx ding the odds of your taxes being audited . Sfx clank the odds of your auditor winning from delicious items like these. 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That definitely works rapid wrinkle repair. And for dark spots, rapid tone repair. Neutrogena®. See whats possible. Woo im in heaven. Aaaah. Yea yea. Into the frozen wilderness. The scent of his jerky attracted a hungry wolfpack behind him. To survive, he had to remain fearless. He would hunt with them. And expand their territory. Hed form a bond with a wolf named accalia. Become den mother and nurse their young. James left in search of his next adventure. How far will you take the allnew rav4 hybrid . Toyota. Lets go places. Reporter six days after the coldblooded murder of Julie Griffith, family and friends gathered at her church to say goodbye. Between the visitation and the memorial service, son, zach, was overwhelmed. Just showed, like, what an amazing woman that my mom was, to have that many people come out just to say that, you know, they just wanted to give their condolences. Reporter to Close Friends craig and temple bradley, julies husband, keith, was more emotional that day than theyd ever seen him. Tears. Tears. Sadness. Id never seen him cry, you know . In my life. Reporter but even as the Griffith Family mourned, zach and his brother were feeling uneasy about the investigation which seemed to be focused exclusively on their father. I was angry. I felt that the detectives, the Sheriffs Department, were on a manhunt, and they were after my dad. And it because the husbands always do it . Yep. Husbands always do it. And they just seemed like they just zeroed in on him and were going at it 110 miles an hour and were not respectful to my brother and i about any of developments or anything going on. Reporter but detective matt carter had an Ongoing Investigation and he felt there was ample reason to pursue their dad. After his interview with deanna, hed driven to the hotel that was keiths alibi. There, he uncovered a bombshell. Remember keith saying to the detective hed been at the hotel the entire night . Ducking out just twice to get a drink and a snack . Well, unhappily for keiths alibi, when the detective hit play on the hotels security video it told a vastly different story. Keith is seen leaving, as hed claimed, around 11 00pm. But i think within 15 to 30 minutes, hes gonna be returning. But that never happened. Youre scrolling through the tape . Going through, going through. And then whend your bingo moment come up . He finally arrived back at the hotel six hours and 34 minutes after he had left, initially. Reporter gone for more than six and a half hours. Was that enough time for keith to drive all the way back to his house in kentucky, commit the crime, and return . So what did you and your partner find, when you put a clock to it . Driving the speed limit to and from, it wouldve allowed approximately 20 minutes, at least, to have committed the crime. Is that enough time on the ground for him to do this lethal act, kill his wife and torch the house . Believe it was ample time 15, 20minute window . Yes. Reporter Keith Griffith was arrested and charged with arson and murder. Care to answer the allegations sir . Reporter he could face the death penalty. He pleaded not guilty. We were all frantic, we had no idea what was happening, how it could have happened. Because at that point, we knew that there was there was no way that he had anything to do with it. So this is nightmare country . Yes. But again, we thought it would all be explained. You know, they would do their job, they would take him and the truth would come out. I was 100 convinced that he was innocent and that they were taking the wrong person in. Meanwhile, the person who actually did it was getting away. Reporter family and friends were, for sure, distressed to learn that keith had another woman on the road but the revelation wasnt enough to shake their support for him. It was a shock, but it was something that we accepted as a mistake. But that did not mean that he killed julie. Theres just no way he did it. Yeah, this is not to julie. Definitely. His wife, you know, kids mother, theres no way keith did it. Reporter but when Keith Griffith went to trial in february 2015, prosecutor Raymond Mcgee laid out a formidable circumstantial case. Because on january 17, 2014, Keith Griffith decided that he could kill his wife. Reporter a cornerstone of the case was that Hotel Security video. Not only did it show keith gone for enough time to commit the crime, the prosecutor said, it also caught him in a lie. Remember, in his interview, keith told police he hadnt swapped clothes that night. Not at any point changed clothes . No. Reporter but a look at the security footage showed he had. He left wearing one set of clothes. It was one of his work shirts. He came back dressed in all black. Reporter the prosecutor also showed security video captured from a residence near the griffith home. It caught a glimpse of an suv pulling into the subdivision shortly before the fire. It was a little blurry. It was a few seconds long. But it sure looked like Keith Griffiths car. Reporter and another circumstantial bit. Who else but keith, the prosecutor said, could have gotten by the griffiths aggressive great dane cleo . Certainly not an unknown intruder. The dog and keith were very close. But a burglar couldnt have come in. A Family Member could have. Reporter as for the why question, how could keith, a man who by all accounts loved his wife, actually do it . The prosecutor turned to two age old motives. Almost every case involving a husband and a wife, its lust and greed. One or the other, and this one had both. Reporter the lust part of the equation, he said, was deanna. She took the stand and told the jury that not only was keith house hunting for them, he was also making plans to bring her down to paducah for a concert and introduce her to his family. Id love for you to come for the weekend, stay for the weekend. Well go to the concert and i would really like for you to meet my dad. Reporter as for the greed part, that was Life Insurance money, two policies on julies life worth 250,000. One of them, the prosecutor said, had taken effect just eight days before julie died. Keith griffith got to the point in his life he just wanted to start something new. And he didnt wanna give Julie Griffith what she would have needed in a divorce and been entitled to. Reporter keiths daughterinlaw, ali griffith, listened to the entirety of the prosecutions case. All she heard were theories. They spun a story, and they told a story, how they wanted it to go. And they had facts that supported their story, but did not prove it. Reporter and thats what keiths defense attorney, mark bryant, hammered home for the jury. Whats no evidence mean . They didnt have dna, they didnt have any kinda forensics, they didnt have a confession. They had nothing. They had circumstantial evidence. Reporter in their haste to arrest keith, the defense argued, the police had gotten it wildly wrong. Yes, he conceded, keith wasnt the husband of the year. But, he said, deannas story that keith was pursuing her for a long term commitment was nonsense. Rather what he wanted was a port in every storm. Reporter as for the Life Insurance, 250,000 was far from a financial windfall, he said. Even the bradleys knew that the reason keith and julie bought that new policy was because of a friends recent tragedy. She had been nagging them about getting making sure they had plenty of Life Insurance. Reporter and, he argued, the footage of the suv pulling into the subdivision was far too blurry to i. D. It as keiths ford expedition. Besides if a guy is gonna go to this much trouble to kill his wife, why would he drive an expedition that Everybody Knows he has . Reporter but the big question still remained, if keith hadnt driven back to paducah to kill julie, where had he gone the night of the murder . The only person who could answer that was keith himself. He was very adamant about taking the stand. He wanted to talk to the jury . He did. Reporter what would he say . And would the jury believe him . It was roll the dice time. Coming up keiths eyebrow raising alibi. I was embarrassed and ashamed of what i was doing the night my wife died. And then what keith revealed to us. Thats what ive told everybody. When they hear the story, theyre not going to believe it. Why even a jury couldnt end this case. This case. 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Both made switching to eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if its right for you. Reporter Keith Griffith was about to take the stand and explain the most damning piece of evidence against him Hotel Security footage that put him off the grid for more than six and a half hours the night his wife, julie, was murdered. But if he wasnt perpetrating the crime during that time, then where was he . Tell us your name, please, sir. Keith wayne griffith. Reporter keiths explanation came with an embarrassing secret. His lawyer argued that that ever since becoming a travelling salesman, keith struggled with an addiction to sex. Keith, until you got out on the road several years ago, did you have this kind of a sexual addiction . No, sir. Reporter and the night julie was murdered, he said, he spent those hours out prowling for women. After he left the hotel, he changed out of work clothes into his manoutlooking duds. Didnt like people to put my job with my carousing. With your carousing . Uhhuh. All right. Reporter he says he went to a massage parlor, a bar and a couple of strip clubs, but, try as he might, he never found a hookup. I was trying to pick somebody up, and there wasnt anybody available or interested or however you want to put it. Reporter after last call, he said he went down to the river to watch the boats before returning to the hotel to catch some shut eye. As for why he lied to the police i was embarrassed and ashamed of what i was doing the night my wife died. Did you kill your wife . No, sir. I did not. I loved my wife. Did you burn that house down, keith . No, sir. Did you kill those dogs . No. I loved those dogs. Reporter when the case went to the jury. Keiths friend, Craig Bradley, didnt know which way the jury would fall. I didnt know if hed get acquitted, but i didnt think hed get convicted. I mean, i really felt like itd be a hung jury. Reporter turns out, he was right. After six hours of deliberation, the jury was deadlocked. Im going to declare a mistrial at this time. Reporter keith would sit in jail for another year as he awaited a second trial. A long time for his family to process the story he told on the stand. He left to go to a bar to go cruising or something, and then he goes and sits on the riverfront . Like, he has never done that before in his entire life. So when he stepped down, you thought my father did this thing . Yeah. I mean, i definitely wasnt saying it out loud and i wasnt ready to accept it, but i definitely was moving in the direction of the only thing that makes sense at this point is that he committed the crime. Reporter after months of wrestling with his thoughts, zach decided it was time to send his dad a letter. I put in the letter, my opinion was that you did it, you know, you took away that the last chance that i had at rebuilding a relationship with my mom. You know youre no longer allowed to contact me and i dont want you to ask about me to anyone. Wow. Dear dad, you are dead to me. Exactly. Reporter his brothers wife, ali, had started to feel that way about keith too. It seemed like he was fabricating everything that came out of his mouth. Reporter but there was a split in the family. Despite doubts of his own, her husband, aaron, the one closest to his father, was still a supporter. Whatever issues my mom and dad wouldve had, i just could not believe that my dad would take my kids away from their nana. Reporter then, a few months before keiths retrial, detective carters phone rang. There was news from the jail. An inmate had some information about keith. And it was as eerie was it was chilling. The detective in the bullseye. Keith had come forward to him, wanting to have me killed. Reporter to put a hit on you . To put a hit on me. Orchestrating your death . Yes. Hed drawn a map of what he believed to be my residence, suggested the caliber of weapon to use to kill me. The informant specifically asked him what what if my family was present . And his response was one word. And that was tragedy. Reporter wow. That does make the hair on your neck stand up . It does. Reporter that wouldnt look good to a jury. The development brought aaron to a tipping point. Were you no longer wavering at this point, aaron . Had you come down on the side of, oh, my god . Yeah. Reporter my father killed my mother . Yeah. Reporter now, aaron, too, wrote his dad a letter. If he was guilty its time. Its time to man up and and do what you shouldve done two years ago. Reporter keiths Defense Attorneys went to the prosecutors to hammer out a plea deal. They agreed on 30 years in prison for the murder and for soliciting the hit. Moments later, keith was standing in a paducah courtroom, speaking the words his family and friends never in a million years thought theyd hear him say yes, he murdered julie. Theres no excuse for what i did, and i cant take it back, and she was my best friend and i dont know what happened to me, but i did it, and theres nothing i can do about it. Reporter temple bradley, who works near the courthouse, was there. Im just my heart breaking. That the person that i have put whole heartedly put my trust in for two years has lied to my face. I just cant believe weve been deceived in that way, because we were there for him the whole time. Reporter for keiths family and friends, there are so many questions. But one seems to tower above all the others. I want to know why . I want to know how you go from a loving husband and father and grandfather to driving all that way, killing your wife and then, covering it up and then lying to your family for so long knowing that we had everybody doubting us, yet we still defended him. Disgusting, hes a monster. All i can tell you is that had a lot of bad thoughts, wrong thoughts, mistakes. Reporter we sat down with keith hoping for answers. But as many times as we asked him why this all happened. Whyd you do it . I really cant tell you. I mean, i dont know. I mean, just just a bad decision. Reporter we never did get a satisfying response. So this isnt some kind of delayed midlife crisis here . No. Reporter where youre trying to be with deanna or someone like her to have no. Reporter a final, happy chapter in your life. No. Reporter new house, new life julie and i were happy. Reporter do you see how perplexing it is to hear this story . Oh, i know, i and i reporter its absolutely confounding. Its what ive told everybody, that when they hear the story, theyre not gonna believe it. I have a hard time believing that i did what i did. Reporter and one thing he didnt do how about a divorce . Never crossed my mind. Reporter keith now says the remorse began the moment he pulled out of his driveway. Its trying to get out of the subdivision, crying before i ever get out, regretting what id done. I probably drove 100 miles an hour all the way back, hoping to get caught. Reporter as for the future, keith says, he is prepared to die in prison. I dont have anything to live for, except maybe forgiveness. Reporter from who . From my boys. Reporter and thats why youre talking today . Exactly. Yes. Reporter well, its between you and them, but ill ill tell you, my take on it is you got some distance to make up. Oh, i know i do, ive got a lot to make up. Reporter of the countless things keith stole from his family, resilience was not among them. Aaron and zach are closer than theyve been in years, and now that they know what happened to their mother, they say they can finally mourn her passing and focus on keeping her spirit alive for those two little granddaughters who were the center of her universe. My oldest daughter will remember. She talks about her almost every day. We have pictures of her up in her room. As my youngest gets older well tell her the nascar nana story about how she when she was born and and just never let her memory die. That all for now. s at giant, shoppers are discovering low prices by the thousands, plus a thousand more that just dropped. All these low prices what are you trying to do, get me to feed the whole neighborhood . No. Just trying to save you a whole lot of bread. [ laughter ] thousands of blue tags, thousands of low prices. My giant. Right now at 11 00, springtime snow for the saturday. Youre looking live at the first alert system showing the wintry mix moving into the area