Deadly. One of the four lovers was gunned down. This obviously was not something that was random. Waiting at the scene, a man with a strange story. And waiting for detectives, a strange video. How creepy was that video . It was very creepy. An affair to remember. He was the one. An affair to forget. I shouldnt have done it. And one more secret still to be revealed. She said, i need you to sit down. I have something to tell you. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with tangled web. Reporter sarasota, florida. The perfect backdrop for romance. Beautiful beaches for long walks, gorgeous sunsets and the slow rhythm of a gentle gulf tide. Stories of love abound in this city by the sea, but not all have ended happily ever after. Like the one that unfolded here back in the summer of 2012. When secrets, lies and inf infidelity led to murder. 911, whats the location of your emergency . A mans been shot. Reporter its really a twisted love story . Its so twisted. Its tangled. Its a knot. Im not sure that it will ever come undone, but i do know that there is more to the story than has been told. Reporter it all began back in 1998, when a 26yearold local firefighter by the name of sam dreher met the love of his life, danielle lebourveau. They were just the ideal young couple. They held hands. They looked at each other dreamily over dinner. He seemed crazy about her. Reporter sams older sister, cindy lutz, was thrilled when she found out sam had a serious new girlfriend. What was your First Impression . She was really sweet. She seemed crazy about him. She liked the outdoors. She liked to travel. So they just had a lot in common. Reporter so it came as no surprise when sam announced he was ready to pop the question. As for how he proposed, the firefighter didnt disappoint. He had hired a sand sculptor to build a rather large sand sculpture of a treasure chest. And then he had placed the Engagement Ring in the box. Reporter so there was some real pirate booty in there . Right, right. He pulled the ring out, got down on one knee and proposed to her. Reporter sams a romantic. He is, isnt he . Reporter the lucky in love newlyweds would become equally successful at work. Sam quickly climbed the Fire Department ladder, rising to the rank of lieutenant at the young age of 33. He loved the fire services. Absolutely loved it. Loved being a paramedic. Reporter danielle was just as ambitious, finding her stride in the Administrative Office of a local hospital. She became the Regional Marketing director for the whole hospital corporation. Reporter sam and danielle didnt have children, but they had the next best thing sams greatniece, aubrey kate. Youre like the daughter we never had. They always told me that. Reporter aubrey, who attended college nearby, often spent weekends with the drehers. Sam was the best ever. He really took me in as family right away. He was just like a regular a dad. He really just cared. Focus on school. Dont let those boys ruin your life. You know, theyre no good. Dont let those boys get around you. Hes like and youre never allowed to date a fireman. Reporter whats wrong with firemen . Oh, he just worked with them. He knew how they were. Reporter did danielle also take you in like you were one of her own . Yes, yes. She was as welcoming as he was. Reporter aubrey listened to their tales of romantic trips to exotic lands. They traveled the world together. They had so many good times and so many great experiences. Reporter i would imagine they were almost like role models to you . Yeah, they were. They were. The perfect life, the perfect wife. Everything just seemed great, you know, for both of them. Reporter but all that changed in august of 2012. It was a hot saturday afternoon in sarasota when registered nurse trish murphy heard a disturbance coming from the stairwell just outside her apartment. It sounded like somebody was being chased. And then i heard somebody yell, oh, god, no. Reporter the unmistakable sound of gunshots followed. Four of them in quick succession. Trish immediately called 911. 911, whats the location of your emergency . I just heard gunshots. And somebody screaming outside and somebody running outside. I think my heart was probably going a gazillion miles a minute, you know . Reporter trish slowly peered out of her apartment door and saw a man lying in the stairwell bleeding. She knew he wasnt a resident of the apartment complex. I had no idea who he was. My concern was to get him over on his side because he was face down in a really big pool of blood. Reporter trish wasnt the only one at the scene. Her upstairs neighbor, Dianne Mcknight, also tried to aid the victim. There was just blood everywhere. And i just didnt know what to do. I ran back into my apartment and got towels. Reporter as the minutes ticked by, trish began to worry the shooter might still be in the area. Then all of a sudden you start to think, well, wow, i wonder where the person is that did this. And for all i knew, the person upstairs shot him. Reporter but those questions would have to wait. Soon paramedics arrived on the scene. They learned the victim was one of their own. It was firefighter sam dreher. The paramedics immediately airlifted sam to the nearest Trauma Center as word of the shooting spread. And its danielle. And she is screaming into the phone, you have to come. Hes been shot. Hes been shot. And i said, whos been shot . And she screams out, sam. Reporter cindy jumped in her car to be at her brothers side. A thousand questions swirled through her mind. Why sam . Who shot him . And why was he at that apartment complex . A firefighter gunned down. But this seemed like more than just a random shooting. When we return theres some infidelity going on, and theres a reason, a cause for concern. Theyre super concentrated, so i get a better clean. I mean, i give away water for free. Im not about to pay for it in my detergent. Number one trusted. Number one awarded. Its got to be tide this summer, the Samsung Galaxy s8 get threeat best buy. Lars off the moment you realize you have a one person vanity but a 4 person family. At lowes, we have the latest styles and trends to fit your budget. All projects have a starting point. Start with lowes. Get up to 40 off select faucets and save an extra 5 with your lowes advantage card. saved money on motorcycle insurance with geico. Goin up the country. Later, gary i have a motorcycle wonderful. Im goin up the country, baby dont you wanna go . Im goin up the country, baby dont you wanna go . Geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. As cindy lutz raced to the and the doctor said he was shot four times. And im thinking wrong place, wrong time. I didnt know what happened. Reporter the responsibility of finding out what happened fell to detectives chad mcdonald and jarek szalbirak, who began gathering pieces of the puzzle as soon as they arrived on scene. This case was personal to you . In our area Law Enforcement and firefighters are very close. In this case it wasnt just another victim. This case was part of this larger brotherhood. And it kind of hit home. Reporter first, they interviewed the two neighbors who found sam lying in the stairwell. Whenever we work a crime, thats usually where youre going to start with, is your 911 caller. Reporter trish murphy told the detectives this normally quiet, Upscale Gated Community had never experienced anything like this before. It was a nice, quiet place to be. Reporter but she did remember seeing something that troubled her one evening just a month before the shooting. A man standing in the woods across the lake staring at the building. I thought to myself that that was an odd thing. Who would just be standing there . Reporter detectives then turned to trishs traumatized neighbor Dianne Mcknight. They learned dianne was holding on to a secret. It turns out that the witness, Dianne Mcknight, was a lot more than just a witness. She was very important to this case. Yes, she was. Reporter dianne revealed that she knew sam, intimately. She admitted that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. She had stated that they had only been dating for a few months. And stated that they were in love. Reporter so sam was having an affair . Yes. Reporter which is why sam was at the apartment complex that day. Theres some infidelity going on. And theres a reason a cause for concern. Reporter did you ever think that youd be the kind of person to have an affair . No. Reporter dianne told the detectives her affair with sam started as affairs so often do, with an innocent encounter at a bar. He asked me if i was married and had kids, and i told him that i was but no kids. And im like, what about you . He said, yes, married. Reporter in fact, sam had been married for 13 years. But according to dianne, it took just a month for sam to fall in love with her. And, she said, the feelings were mutual. What was it about him that made you fall so hard . He was just the most thoughtful person. He was just comforting, and i just couldnt wait to always just be around him. Reporter did you still feel a little guilty . Oh, yes. Reporter but dianne said there were already issues in her marriage. I just thought, if im doing this, my marriage is definitely already over. Reporter a few months after the affair began, she decided it was time to tell her husband she wanted a divorce. I remember just saying, we need to talk. Nobody ever wants to hear that. And he looked at me. He said, are you having an affair . Reporter wow. And i said no. Reporter why didnt you just be honest at that point . I didnt want to hurt him. Reporter what came next . We both got very emotional. And he agreed to it. Reporter then came the shooting. Dianne tried to think of anyone who could have been responsible. Thats when she remembered a strange visit a month before the shooting from a man claiming to be a plumber. He said he was looking for a water leak in the building. He needed to check her pipes or something along that line. I said okay, thinking what am i doing letting this strange person in my home . I just had this feeling of this just isnt right. Reporter five minutes later, the plumber was done and on his way. Did you ever check with your super . Yes. I called the office and told them the incident, and they said there should not have been anybody at my door. Reporter oh, that must have been just a it was very unnerving. A weird feeling. Reporter the following day the same man appeared again, right below her apartment balcony. He was standing down there on the ground by a tree and looking directly up right at me. Reporter thats creepy. Yes. Reporter now are you thinking im being stalked . Yeah. Reporter dianne then saw him a third time, this time immediately after sam had been shot. That same man. Reporter that just gave me chills. Came running up the stairs towards me. I just looked at him and i said, what are you doing here . She recognized him. And you can hear her on the 911 call. I didnt see who. I dont i dont know. What are you doing here . I remember him just kind of making this motion like, whoa. Then he ran off. Reporter did you start to think in those split seconds that this mystery man was really after sam . Yeah. I mean, it was definitely a suspicion. Reporter it must have been such a puzzle. Yes. Reporter puzzling too for detectives. We needed to know what this connection was. Coming up more secrets waiting to be revealed. She said, i need you to sit down. I have something to tell you. And the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Lock a specific source of inflammation thatic contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. Its proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. Humira is the 1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Want more proof . Ask your rheumatologist about humira. Whats your body of proof . This idive into the classicster. Crab lovers dream or new dueling crab legs with dungeness and snow crab. Only during crabfest. Now this is seafood. And hurry in to enjoy our new crab melt part of our seafood lovers lunch for just 9. 99. Haribo sour goldbears . Oka yeah so who wants some they taste a little sweet and sour. Fizzy. Fizzy. These bears are dancing on my tongue. Umm, this is ice hockey, not dance party. Kids and grown ups love it o the happy world of haribo adults are just kids with much, much better toys. The cclass sedan, coupe and cabriolet. The thrills keep getting better. Lease the c300 sedan for 399 a month at your local mercedesbenz dealer. Mercedesbenz. The best or nothing. We dont just want to watch games cable gives us. We want all the teams, no matter where we live with directv nfl sunday ticket. We want falcons in new york. Jets in la. Bears in new orleans. Or buccaneers in a quaint, little new england bed and breakfast. Can you please pass the marmalade, charlie . I sure can, crazy pirate. Switch to directv and get every game, every sunday with nfl sunday ticket. Call 1800directv. While sam dreher clung to life in the icu, Dianne Mcknight remained at the crime scene saber que habia un tirador theres a shooter on the loose . I was terrified. Reporter dianne told detectives about the strange man she had seen multiple times around her apartment complex, the same man who appeared moments after sam was shot. They said, could you describe him . And so i described him. Reporter little did dianne know, a man fitting that very same description had just been arrested. He had approached sheriffs deputies moments after they arrived on the scene and confessed to the shooting. The deputy that had him in the back of the patrol car already told us that he made statements that he was the shooter. Reporter did you feel like this could be an easy one, case closed . Or did you think theres got to be more to this story . Theres never an easy one. Theres always more to the story. Reporter the man identified himself as Michael Minor. Detectives mcdonald and szalbirak immediately brought him down to the Sheriffs Office for questioning. Hes very distraught, but hes willing to talk to us. And we were very much ready to listen to him. Reporter michael outlined for detectives the details of the shooting. He started by insisting it was all an accident. I never intended to pull that trigger. Reporter but detectives werent so sure. After all, michael shot sam not once but four times. One of the shots was to the back of sams head. So sam is laying here, and michael is right on top of him, basically, giving him the final shot . He would have had to have been. Thats what the evidence indicates. One shot might have been an accident. Not the three or four shots that he actually fired. That was no accident at all. Reporter but detectives wanted to know, if this wasnt an accident, why then did michael shoot sam . You had all these pieces to the puzzle and you tried to fit them all together. Reporter thats when michael revealed something that would turn the case on its head. He told detectives about an affair, but it wasnt the affair between sam and dianne. It was an affair he was having with the victims wife, Danielle Dreher. They had been having an affair for four years. Reporter it was a mindspinning moment. Detectives had just discovered the victim, sam, had been cheating on his wife, danielle. Now they were learning danielle had also been cheating on sam. Everybody here is involved with somebody else. It was interesting, to say the least. Reporter and challenging for detectives, who now had to contend with a second affair. Michael minor, the plumber, 13 years younger than danielle, told them the two had met on Ashley Madison, a website for husbands and wives looking to cheat. The websites slogan, life is short. Have an affair. This was someone looking to have an affair. Reporter they both were. Yeah. Reporter but michael insisted this was no casual fling. After all, the affair had lasted four years. Whats more, he told detectives he had fallen in love with danielle. It was like i really found my soulmate, man. It was so wonderful. I really had every intention of marrying this girl. He was smitten. I mean, he was totally obsessed with her and in love with her. Reporter he went on to say that on the day of the shooting, he decided it was finally time to talk to sam mantoman. He wanted to come clean about his love for danielle. He wants to confront sam and basically tell him that hes the other man. I concocted this scheme to go up there and tell him, you know, yeah, im seeing your im seeing your wife. Reporter that day, michael said he tracked sam down and found him in the parking lot of diannes apartment complex. He also said he brought a gun because he had no idea how sam would react. Hes bigger than me. So i just, you know, brought my firearm, you know. I intended to just go up there and scare him. Reporter but according to michael, his mano a mano with sam didnt go as planned. When sam saw michael was armed, he fled. Im like, dont dont run. You know . Im trying to like frickin force him to talk to me. Reporter michael ran after sam up these stairs. He said at some point, while the two were in the stairwell, sam turned. Michael claims that he was in fear and closed his eyes and just fired his gun. Then he, you know, comes toward me and i just, you know, i just close my eyes and just pulled the freaking trigger. And i was so sorry. Reporter with all the things hes telling you, hes in a relationship with danielle. Do you start to think, we need to talk to Danielle Dreher . Yes. So the next step was lets find out lets hear danielles story. Reporter so detective szalbirak left michael and headed to the hospital where danielle had been waiting for updates on sams condition. All danielle had been told was that sam had been shot. No one told her by whom. When i got over there, she was crying. She was very upset. Reporter detectives recorded the interview. Were trying to piece together what, what all happened. Okay, let me get calm here. Reporter at first, detective szalbirak didnt reveal that he knew about danielles lover Michael Minor, or that it was michael who shot sam. Instead, he started by asking danielle about her marriage to sam. Danielle candidly described it as troubled. We have been not getting along for many months. Reporter danielle also explained that she knew sam was having an affair, despite sams best efforts to conceal it. Did you know where he went today . Today, im sure he went to his girlfriends, yeah. But he always goes to her house. Im not surprised by that. Reporter danielle then admitted that she too was unfaithful. She was pretty straightforward, told me about the affair. It was wrong. I shouldnt have done it. Nobody should cheat. Reporter little by little, the detectives led danielle to believe they were focusing their investigation on her lover, michael. So it would kind of shock you if michael went and confronted him . Yeah. Thats what happened. Really . And we have michael. Do you . Reporter it wasnt the reaction the detective was expecting. He found danielles tone to be strangely flat and unemotional. That was troubling to me. That was disturbing to me. I cannot believe he did this. Reporter danielle went on to say she had no idea michael planned to talk to sam that day. Michael never said anything about going over there . No, he didnt. Reporter but detectives were skeptical. They wondered if danielle knew more about michaels intentions than she was letting on. At this point, i dont know to believe her or not. Reporter youre not done with Danielle Dreher . Oh, no, were not done with her. Reporter for the time being, szalbirak left danielle at the hospital to be with sams family. It was up to danielle to reveal the identity of the shooter and explain the sordid details of how she was connected to him. She said, i need you to sit down. I have something to tell you. And the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Reporter first, cindy learned sam and danielle were getting a divorce. Then that both danielle and sam were having affairs. Most shocking of all, it was danielles lover who shot sam. Did i just hear what i just heard . Reporter four adults ensnared by lies and deceit. One clinging to life. But this tangled story was about to get a whole lot more twisted. Coming you danielle was just totally obsessed with what sam was doing, which went beyond anything that ive seen before in investigations. Most reliable 4g lte network in america. Its built to work better in cities. Tell you what, just use mine. Thanks. No problem. All right, lets go live. Say hi to everybody who wasnt invited vo when it really, really matters, you need the best network and the best unlimited. Plus, get the pixel, by google for 5 a month. 24 hours after sam dreher had been shot, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Sams sister, cindy, was there when the family decided to take him off life support. I hated it. Reporter were you able to be with sam . Were you able to hold his hand and say goodbye . I did. Reporter what did you say to him . I made him a promise that the people responsible for his murder would pay for it. Reporter the news of sams passing hit Dianne Mcknight hard. In my mind im still thinking maybe theres still some hope that he can survive this, but when i heard that, i knew that i was never going to see him again. Reporter sams greatniece, aubrey cake, didnt make to it the hospital in time, but she made sure to be at sams funeral. The bagpipes, i still remember to this day. Reporter did it make you really proud in that moment . Yeah. Im still proud of him. Reporter full Fire Department honors were bestowed upon the admired young lieutenant. It was like the whole Community Came out to pay their respects. It was very humbling, very, very humbling. Reporter but along with the tears, there was tension. By now, sams family and friends had learned danielles lover had shot sam. No one could believe it, that she even had a boyfriend, or that it was her boyfriend that killed him. People didnt even want her at the funeral. Reporter but the drama didnt end there. Sitting not far from danielle was the other woman. Was that awkward with danielle being at the funeral, the wife and the mistress . Yes, it was. But i felt it was more important for me to be there than worry about how awkward i felt. Reporter to her surprise, sams family embraced dianne. They all received me well. In fact, they invited me to come up with and sit with them. Shes truly a lovely person. And i think she made him happy. And he deserved to be happy. Reporter youve come down pretty hard on danielle for her affair. Sam was also having an affair. Yes. Reporter do you condemn him for that behavior as well . No. I dont think he intended to meet someone. I dont think he intended to have an affair. He met dianne. He had known her three months. Thats a far cry, you know, a world apart from danielle seeking a man on Ashley Madison and having a longterm airfare with him for four years. Reporter in the weeks following the funeral, detectives mcdonald and szalbirak continued their investigation. They had their shooter, but they also had lingering questions about whether danielle may have somehow been involved. Obviously, one of the first things that comes to mind, the wife has a hand in this. Shes linked. Shes got to have something to do with it. Reporter and as mcdonald and szalbirak sifted through the evidence, they became more confident they were on the right track. What they discovered stunned even these two seasoned investigators. For over a month danielle had been spying on both sam and dianne. Danielle was just totally obsessed with what sam was doing, which went beyond anything that ive seen before in investigations. Reporter whats more, it appeared to them that danielle had persuaded michael to help her. They had basically stalked them. They actually put a tracker on their vehicles. Reporter this is spy equipment . Correct. Reporter sheriffs deputies discovered it in the wheel well of sams pickup. Police also found evidence that both danielle and michael were taking surveillance photos of sam and dianne. This is a photo taken of them on sams boat. In this one, theyre on diannes balcony. Michael would have been somewhere across the lake there. And thats where he would have been hiding in the bushes. Reporter it seems like a perfect spot, actually, if you wanted to spy on someone. Absolutely. Reporter but detectives said the couple only got bolder from there. They discovered evidence michael had brazenly broken into diannes apartment and videotaped the inside. Inside the belly of the beast. Hes narrating. I believe his first words were, im in the belly of the beast. And his first thing when he pans over was of the alarm pad where it wasnt armed. That could have been bad, huh . Reporter as michael documented every aspect of diannes personal life, poking around her drawers, her refrigerator, even inside her bathroom, police said danielle played lookout. In this text message to michael, danielle wrote, get out of there if you arent already. Getting bad feeling. And hes doing it at the request basically of danielle. Reporter but what detectives found most alarming were the Text Messages michael and danielle sent each other. Reporter Michael Minor writes, i want to blow his head off and then put two on her just for good measure. He goes on to say, bang bang, done. I wont, though, because its wrong. Danielle later responded, you would not and could not because that would be illegal. That was definitely disturbing. Reporter in another text danielle referred to her handgun, which she called daisy. She wrote, i am so close to introducing them both to daisy. Michael responded, ha, ha, we can do it together. As a date. Smiley face. In yet another, she wrote, i hate them with every inch of me. Revenge will be mine, and it will be very, very sweet. It was very obvious that danielle had some kind of hatred towards sam, that there was that she wanted to hurt him. Reporter and based on those Text Messages, it seemed clear to detectives that she had persuaded michael to feel the same way. I absolutely think she poisoned michaels mind as far as what sam was. Everything he knew about sam was that he was a violent person. He was described to him as a drunk, as a cheater, as a liar. That knowledge came from one person and one person alone. It was danielle. Reporter did you have any evidence as you kept investigating that sam was abusive or violent toward danielle . There was no evidence of that whatsoever. Danielle definitely had control over Michael Minor. She did manipulate him. Did she manipulate him to the point of killing sam . I dont know. Reporter detectives mcdonald and szalbirak realized they needed to pay Danielle Dreher another visit. Were going back to find out what is your intent . What is your involvement with this . Coming up did someone have a million reasons to commit murder . There was a substantial amount of money that she was going to gain if sam turned up dead. Before fibromyalgia, i was on the go. I kept on top of things. Then the chronic, widespread pain slowed me down. My doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. He also prescribed lyrica. Fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. Lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. Woman for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. Common side effects dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. With less pain, i can be more active. Ask your doctor about lyrica. I can be more active. I have no idea whats in tbut with this usp seal i know exactly whats in my nature made gummies. Nature made has the first gummie certified by usp. A Non Profit Organization that sets purity and potency standards. Buy one take one is back starat olive garden. So you can enjoy family time, one more time. Come in for a fan favorite like smoked mozzarella chicken here. Plus all the salad and breadsticks you want, and leave with a great meal too. Buy one take one starting at 12. 99 have seconds of food and family. Hurry in, its only for a limited time. At olive garden. Someday someone is going t around and say good bye. Oh, i did not see you there. You know, there are some things are just more comfortable from the privacy of your own home. Like starting a financing application at carmax. Com. So you know before you go. Dont you know . . People ask why i switched to sprint. Well, their Network Reliability is within 1 of the big guys. And they have the best price for unlimited among National Carriers and. Wait are you watching this on the awesome iphone 7 . You gotta get iphone 7 from sprint and theyll give you a second one on them what are you doing . Go switch to sprint whos he talking to . I dont know. But i better go to sprint. Wait two iphone 7s. Love you vo get sprint unlimited. And now, get iphone 7 for people with hearing loss, and get a second iphone 7 on us. Visit sprintrelay. Com. You couldnt write this as a movie. You couldnt write this as a book. It wouldnt be believable. Who does this . Reporter tracking devices, surveillance photos, sneaking into an apartment. Sounded more like a couple of private eyes than a plumber and a marketing director. Dianne recalled a time she and sam were eating at this restaurant when out of nowhere danielle appeared. All of the sudden this woman comes up from behind sam. And she said, im danielle, the soontobeex. You must be the next. Reporter whoa, awkward. Yeah. I just wanted to get out of there. Reporter danielle then left them without incident. Did you think you were being followed . No. I thought it was just a big coincidence, out of all the places. Like, now i know why she was there. Reporter this is like marital espionage. Exactly. Its exactly like that. They were playing spy games. Reporter now it was up to mcdonald and szalbirak to find out if all those spy games somehow developed into a conspiracy to commit murder. I became very suspicious that she had a part in this homicide. Reporter detectives sat down with danielle and recorded interviews with her on three separate occasions. From the very first interview, danielle willingly acknowledged that she and michael had been tracking sam and dianne. Where did you put the tracking device on the vehicle . I put it up under the drivers side rear wheel. Okay. And ive been tracking him for about a month and a half. Reporter danielle also admitted to helping michael take those surveillance photos. Who took the pictures . Michael did. Okay. Whose camera . Mine. Reporter but danielle denied that all this elaborate spying escalated into a murder plot. Instead, she said it was simply preparation for her pending divorce. And i told the attorney about it. And the attorney said, whoa, youre good because, he said, thats good evidence. She wanted to be able to just have leverage and be able to embarrass him. Reporter danielle told the detectives another reason was plain old curiosity. I had to see for myself that it was a girl. It broke my heart. How did you i dont know why because i was cheating on my husband. And thats the big question, right . You were doing it for four years and why why did it break your heart . I think i still loved my husband, still had feelings for him. Reporter whats more, danielle said she and michael had stopped their spying weeks before the shooting. Detectives also asked about those Text Messages which they found so troubling. Danielle said they were all in fun. They first questioned danielle about the texts michael sent her. I want to blow his head off and then put two in her just for good measure. Do you remember him saying that . I dont. But hes said it before. He would say things like ill kill the [ bleep ] did you ever think he was serious . No. Reporter they then asked danielle about the messages she sent back to him. Im so close to introducing them both to daisy. I remember saying that. I didnt have daisy with me, though, at the time. Nor would i do anything with a gun. I mean, i think i was trying to impress michael in a weird way. Reporter do you think that theyre joking with each other or do you think its real . I asked danielle that very question, why . Why are you saying this . And she just said, oh, im just trying to sound tough. So she denied this to be for real. Reporter but thats not the way sams sister saw it. When detectives showed those texts to cindy, she was dumbstruck. I could not believe what i was reading. This is someone whos been in my family for almost 13 years. Even talking about it with you now i have chills. Reporter those texts, she said, proved just how much danielle hated sam and wanted him out of the way. And shes convinced danielle manipulated michael to feel the same way. Do you think that danielle had anything to do with your brothers death . Was she somehow directly associated . I think she is. I hold Danielle Dreher as much if not more responsible than the man that actually shot him. Reporter cindy told detectives she believed hatred wasnt danielles only motive, that she was also driven by that ageold incentive. I believe it was the money. To divorce him and split half of it is one thing. But to get all of it . I think it was money. I think it was always money. Reporter just over a million dollars, in fact. There was a substantial amount of money that she was going to gain if sam turned up dead. And thats exactly what happened. Reporter we asked Danielle Dreher to sit down with us for an interview. Both she and her attorney declined. But during danielles interview with the detectives, she emphatically denied having anything to do with sams murder. I would never kill my husband. I would never kill another human being. Reporter and the man who pulled the trigger supported danielles claim of innocence, in no uncertain terms. Ive acted on my own. I did. I did this all on my own. You know, i just so youre indicating that danielles only involvement was in order to help you basically get dirt on her husband to help with the divorce . Nothing to do with harming him . Right. Reporter but michaels response didnt sway cindy lutz. I didnt believe him. I think he was protecting her. I think he would have done anything for her. Reporter cindy believes that includes lying about danielle being involved in sams murder. And cindy wasnt alone. Do i believe that she was part of the murder scheme . Yes. Reporter Sarasota County lead homicide prosecutor, Karen Fraivillig, believed danielle manipulated michael to kill sam. Shes a very manipulative person, and she was able to manipulate Michael Minor, and theres a dead man because of that. Reporter the question now before the prosecutor, could she prove it in court . Coming up will one lover betray another . We were hoping that he would contact us and said, hey, i want to tell you the truth. And the lover left behind ponders what might have been. Was he the one . He was one, without a doubt. He still is the one. Boogaloo, doing the flow. Cmon baby, go go go degree motionsense. Ultimate freshness. With every move. The more you move, the more it works. Degree, it wont let you down. Welcome to my she shed. Where high heels are forbidden by royal decree of the queen. Me. And my treats are just for me. Fiber one 90 calorie brownies. Allll mine. How could there possibly be this many blues . Alize. Dont worry. At lowes we guarantee youll always love your paint, or well replace it. Get paint and primer now starting at only 17. 98 and save an extra 5 with your lowes advantage card. This summer, the Samsung Galaxy s8 get threeat best buy. Lars off ive gotta hit the loo. We cant stay here why . Terrible toilet paper ill never get clean way ahead of you, big daddy. Aww. Charmin ultra strong. Its washclothlike texture helps clean better. Its four times stronger and you can use less. Beautiful view. Thanks to charmin. And you, honeybear. Awwwww. We all go. Why not enjoy the go with charmin . Of all the homicides Karen Fraivillig has prosecuted, she found the case of sam drehers murder especially frustrating. Reporter but in order to prove that in court, fraivillig felt she would need something she didnt yet have a statement from michael saying danielle acted as his accomplice. So she waited, thinking time would compel him to come forward and admit danielle was involved. He never did. Michael maintained danielle played no role in sams murder. Was this possibly a twisted act of chivalry . I think that certainly one of his motivations, if not his sole motivation, was trying to protect the woman that he loved. Reporter did you say to him, why are you protecting her . Yes. And he said, im not. Im not protecting her. We were hoping he would contact us through his lawyers and said, hey, i want to tell you the truth. I want to tell you what part she had in it. That never happened. Reporter 2 1 2 years after shooting sam, Michael Minor agreed to plead guilty to Second Degree murder. And it will live with me forever, and it will haunt me forever. Reporter in exchange for his plea, michael received a sentence of 30 years. I would not give him anything less than that. I mean, he pulled the trigger. And he didnt pull it once. He pulled it four times. I was glad that he was going to jail. Michael minor didnt just kill our brother. He has mortally wounded our mi kill our brother. He has mortally wounded ou mich kill our brother. He has mortally wounded oumicha kill our brother. He has mortally wounded our entire family. Reporter Michael Minor never wavered in his statement that he acted alone. In the end, prosecutor fraivillig felt she didnt have enough evidence to charge danielle as michaels accomplice. I cannot just charge someone based upon my speculations, the familys beliefs and even the ugliness of these Text Messages is not enough unless i can show that there was a conspiracy. Michael minor never gave me that information. Reporter what is your gut telling you, that danielle was indirectly involved, directly involved or she wasnt involved. Reporter had no part in this whatsoever . She wasnt involved in that homicide. Reporter news of the decision not to prosecute danielle for sams murder made sams sister, cindy, furious. Do i think its a tough case . Yes, absolutely. But you know what . Their job is not to prosecute cases that are easy. Their job is to prosecute criminals. Reporter but just when everyone thought danielle was free and clear, prosecutor fraivillig said not so fast. Remember Michael Minors videotaped breakin of Dianne Mcknights apartment . The prosecutor believed danielle not only helped plan the breakin, but she also instructed michael to steal some of diannes possessions. Danielle was charged with burglary and theft. At trial, the defense argued danielle never asked michael to steal anything. The jury didnt agree. She was found guilty as charged and sentenced to four years in prison. This was a very satisfying verdict, to see the woman be punished for her actions. Reporter is the murder of sam dreher an open case or a closed case . No. Its a closed case. Reporter but not for cindy, who continues to mourn the loss of her brother. She keeps his uniform close by for comfort and, with it, a lifetime of memories. He was loving. He was caring. He was the peacemaker. He was always doing for others. He was just sweet. Reporter cindy once felt the same way about her sisterinlaw danielle. Now theres bad blood between the two. Cindy fought danielle in court over benefits from sams life insurance. They ultimately reached a confidential settlement. Cindy also keeps a watchful eye on danielle. According to cindy, danielle was dating another man before she went to prison. She was living with a firefighter, as a matter of fact. One of my brothers supposed fire brothers. Reporter whats your advice to this guy, this firefighter . Watch your back, you know. The last two guys involved with danielle, ones dead, ones in prison. Reporter as for dianne, shes now left to reflect on a life with sam that could have been. Did you two talk about marriage . Yes. Reporter and was that in the cards . Oh, absolutely. Reporter did you ever feel like im being punished for having this affair . Oh, yes. I might have said those exact words myself. Reporter it all started in a club with an innocent conversation. Mmhmm. Reporter was it all worth it . Falling in love with sam . I would never change having met sam. Reporter was he the one . He was the one. Without a doubt. He still is the one. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanks for joining us. The attackers plan. Chilling new details of another violent plot of the men behind the deadly attack in barcelona. The future of philadelphia monoms, how a project arts is fighting for representation for all. Danger in the sky. A will call