Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20240622

I have young kids. My husband i cant keep putting them at risk. My wife had two guns out. And i said, unless you know its me coming through the door be ready to use them. Reporter the trail that would stretch from coast to coast. Is this some sort of antigovernment Militia Group . I i had no idea what we were dealing with. Reporter before leading investigators back home. My thoughts were, its someone we know. Was he living a double life . I think he was. Youre making him sound like Hannibal Lecter. It was just wow. Reporter the courthouse. The moral center of every American City and town. The place we go to settle differences. Resolve disputes. Find justice. Its the place where the story usually ends. But not this time. Not in rural kaufman, texas, where life is leisurely and no one is a stranger. Oh, my god. Someone just shot someone. Theyre laying on the ground. Just bam, bam, bam. Reporter this time its where the story begins. Somebody was trying to send a message. It was just so bold. Reporter a story that quickly got too big for this texas town and like a prairie fire spread across the nation. We have some new information this morning on the manhunt for a killer who gunned down a District Attorney. May have been involved in the brazen murder of the head of colorados prison system. Good evening, a Rural Community outside of dallas is in shock this Easter Sunday. Reporter in this tale the hunters became the hunted. Thats what was so scary. Was that its not just me anymore. I have young kids. My husband, my family. My wife had two guns out, and i said, unless you know its me coming through the door, be ready to use it. Reporter Shannon Hebert never expected to be in danger when she started the career she always wanted. Practicing law. Why did you want to be a lawyer . Oh, my gosh, in second grade, a judge came to my class and i fell in love with that, and i wanted to be a judge or a lawyer. Reporter her dream came true. I was the first one to go to college in my family, and then of course law school. Reporter by 2008, shannon had passed the bar exam and got her first job as a prosecutor at the kaufman count District Attorneys Office on the second floor of the courthouse in the center of town. I loved the office. The people around me were so knowledgeable. They were almost all from dallas. Reporter one of those lawyers from dallas, mark hasse, was an experienced prosecutor and a guy who lived his job. Did you learn anything from him . Oh, gosh, yes, of course. We would go to mark for almost everything. Reporter thats because mark had prosecuted some of the worst criminals in texas. He was tenacious. He was an intellectual and he was very quick on his feet. Reporter marcus busch is now a trial lawyer with the department of justice. Back in the eighties, he and mark hasse were young guns working in the organized crime section of the dallas das office. Mark was not afraid of taking on a fight. Some of the defendants on some of the cases were were very bad people. And mark had the personality to stand in the breach and prosecute the worst of the worst. Why did mark move out of dallas . He wanted a place where he had some room, so he bought a house on about eight acres and built a barn out there. He just loved being around animals and he loved the space. Reporter besides animals and wideopen spaces, mark had another passion flying. Back in 1995, it almost killed him. Mark did have a bad accident. Mark had a terrible accident. A high flying commemoration of world war iis end, 50 years ago this month. Reporter mark was part of this aerial armada of vintage planes when something went terribly wrong. He believed the engine had failed, and he made a forced landing. Ran off the end of the runway. He survived, but he had a very severe brain injury. Did he decide to fly again at any point . He did. Why do you think he wanted to fly again. He almost died. Its like being thrown from a horse. He wanted to be the person that he was before. He did it. He did. He did, but it took a long, long time. Reporter marks colleagues in the das office admired marks strength to fight through adversity. But they also got a kick out of his weakness his love for sugary snacks. He had a sweet tooth, and he would mostly eat everyones stuff. So, like, we would have weekly prosecutor meetings every monday, and we would get doughnuts for them. And he would always get there first and steal my blueberry doughnut. We both loved that. Reporter in 2011, mark and shannon got a new boss who seemed to fit right in with their office family. The newlyelected District Attorney, Mike Mclelland. My names Mike Mclelland. Im the criminal District Attorney for Kaufman County. Reporter mikes stepdaughter, christina foreman, says he loved the job. I think he really did embrace the role as a leader and he enjoyed the people he worked with. He would talk about, you know, oh, this person did this and i was really proud of them. And, this person did this and i was really proud of them. Everything was new to him. He came in and just took it over. Was he tough . I wouldnt say he was tough on us at all. The greatest thing about him was that he let us do what we do best. Reporter and mike quickly formed a bond with mark hasse the experienced prosecutor and the head of the felony unit. Mark was his best friend in the office. They were very close. Reporter mikes wife, cynthia, fit right in around the office too. She was almost like a den mother. She worked as a nurse, but found time to bake cakes and cookies for the staff. Cynthia was also an avid quilter, who loved making gifts for her husbands coworkers, including shannon now married with two children. She would bring fabrics in to show me, you know, is this gonna match the nursery . And then she quilted it for me. It was just stunning. It was very beautiful. Reporter and thats how it was. A happy, humming office a quiet small town. Until january 31st, 2013 just before 9 am. At that moment, the calm serene morning and the lives of everyone in the das office would be shattered. I heard what i thought to be gunshots. Reporter Police Officer Jason Stastny was a few blocks from the courthouse. He and his partner were investigating a burglary when Something Big caught his attention. It was just a slow and methodical five shots. It was just, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And then there was a little pause, i guess youd say, and then three more shots after that. Reporter shannon was inside the courthouse when she heard the sound of sirens. Thats not unusual, because theres a Police Station just a block away. Theres a hospital a few blocks down the street. Reporter that siren was Jason Stastnys squad car. You know, i hollered at my partner. I said, hey, you know, those are gunshots. We need to go. We need to go. So we packed up real quick, hopped in the car. Reporter the car camera was rolling as he and his partner drove toward the gunshots. About halfway over, a dispatcher came across the radio and told us that a man had been shot and gave us the location. Kaufman county 911. Yes, weve got a gentleman on grove street and madison that just got shot. Reporter thats just a block from the courthouse. Shannon noticed that her secretary was looking out the window at some commotion on the street. My secretary turned around and she was crying. Initially, i just wanted to comfort her. I couldnt even imagine what she was crying about and when she turned from the window all she said was, its mark. Reporter mark hasse. Her friend and colleague. And my natural instinct was, did he get hit by a car . And she was, like, no, shannon, he was shot. Who is it . Its mark hasse. Oh, my god, its mark hasse. Hes an assistant District Attorney. Reporter a dedicated prosecutor dearly loved by his colleagues, shot right outside the courthouse. Its nothing you could prepare for. Reporter who would even attempt such a brazen attack . Did that tell you these two knew each other . That seemed very personal to me. On, why is this a wine fridge now and not a freezer for my leftover christmas gravy . You know i thought our friends might prefer drinking wine over gravy. Well it is only six months old i was going to eat that. Check, the freezer, freezer. You check the freezer, freezer. Oh gravy all right. Lets get this chardonnay and gravy party started. Vo with innovative cool select plus go from freezer to fridge with the touch of a button. You get used to the lingering odors in your bathroom you think it smells fine but your guests smell this. Febreze air effects heavy duty has up to two times the odoreliminating power to remove bathroom odors youve gone noseblind to use febreze air effects till its fresh. And try febreze small spaces. To continuously eliminate up to two times the odors for 30 days febreze small spaces and air effects, two more ways to breathe happy. Daves been working on his game, and starting each day with a delicious bowl of heart healthy kelloggs raisin bran. Hows your cereal . Sweet tastes like winning. How would you know what winning tastes like . Invest in your heart health, with kelloggs raisin bran. No crying today. Hows it progressing with the prisoner . Hell tell us everything he knows very shortly, sir. As you were. Where were we . 13 serving 14 service if your boss stops by, you act like youre working. Its what you do. If you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Youre making this up no, no, no she came on to you . I was walking down the street and from the other side, hey hey who is that . She just. She cat called you . No. He was just friends. He was friends with my pavlik. And thats a different story. Oh, you stole her from her boyfriend . And since then im suffering. They lived happily ever after for how many years . 15 . 130. No, contenders. Many wrinkle creams come with high hopes, but hope. Doesnt work on wrinkles. Clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair with the fastest retinol formula available, it works on fine lines and even deep wrinkles. Youll see younger looking skin in just one week. Stop hoping for results, and start seeing them. Rapid wrinkle repair. And for dark spots rapid tone repair. From neutrogena®. Reporter a beloved prosecutor, mark hasse, had just been shot outside the courthouse in kaufman, texas, during the morning rush. 9024, check. Reporter officer Jason Stastny was one of the first on the scene. When i pulled up, i saw a man. He was laying here in the street. Reporter youre seeing the dramatic images from officer stastnys onboard camera. And there was a woman that was over him. Looked like she was doing cpr. Reporter that woman had witnessed the shooting from her car, saw the shooter flee, then tried to help mark. Now, stastny was taking over, going on instinct and adrenaline. This was one of those scenes when you pull up, its something you can prepare for. Reporter he knew right away it was bad. He looked at me and then he stopped breathing and thats when i started cpr. There you go. There you go, buddy. Keep breathing for me. I got him to take seven breaths. I do remember that. Reporter as his carcam kept rolling, stastnys body mic picked up his pleas for mark to hold on just a little longer. Get you another breath, mark. Come on. Ems is almost here. The ambulance is coming. You know, i tried my best to tell him, you know, youre doing good, youre doing good. Keep breathing. The ambulance is coming. Reporter officer stastny had been at the scene for five agonizing minutes when the ambulance rolled up. Anyone know anything about him . Hes one of the d. A. Prosecutors. Reporter back at the courthouse, Shannon Hebert was getting updates on mark. I dont really know how many minutes passed by when another prosecutor came into the courtroom saying how bad it was. Reporter about an hour earlier, shannon had walked from the parking lot to the courthouse. Thats the same route her friend and colleague, mark hasse, was walking when he was shot. Now, too afraid to go anywhere, she stayed inside, praying for him. We are now just waiting to hear if hes gonna live. Reporter but bad news traveled fast. It didnt take very long for his trial partner to walk into the courtroom shaking her head and crying. And i think at that point we knew he was gone. I can only imagine how horrible a moment like that is. Its horrible. It will it will be in my brain forever. Like, ill never, ever forget that. Theres not a day that goes by that i dont go by here and and think back to that day, exactly what happened, exactly what i saw. Mark hasse was dead at 57, gunned down on his way to work, a block from the courthouse. People in kaufman are shocked by the deadly attack out in the open in the town square. I just never in a million years would have expected one of our prosecutors, much less somebody i knew personally, to be laying on the ground dead. Reporter with one of their own down, lt. Jolie stewart, from the county Sheriffs Department, quickly joined the swarm of Law Enforcement jumping on the case. We didnt have time to grieve about it. We didnt have time to talk about our feelings. It was time to go to work. Reporter lt. Stewart and others canvassed the area but solid information was hard to come by. Witnesses said the shooter hopped into the passenger side of the getaway car as it sped away. So there had to be at least two people involved. They also said the car was silver. Or was it gray or tan . A fourdoor, maybe a ford taurus but with no license plate. The rest of that day, we were just going around looking for, you know, the car. I dont think ive ever noticed how many silver or light colored fourdoor sedans there are. Reporter and, even though the killer had brazenly attacked during the morning rush, witnesses said he covered up. One of the witnesses described him as wearing a hoodie that was black and covered their face. And then, another person who saw him from a distance said, you know, all black, you know, dark clothing. Reporter but there was something more. A witness in a garage right across the street heard the victims last words. Mark said, no, no, im sorry. And that was it. And that was after a little bit of kind of a shoving match. Did that tell you that these two knew each other . That seemed very personal to me. Reporter no weapon was found at the scene and no shell casings either. Did that tell you anything that there were no shell casings . Yes, it told us there was gonna have to be a revolver. Reporter thats because revolvers keep bullet casings inside the gun after firing. I can only imagine how terrified mark must have been in those final moments. Mark was doing what he did every day. He was walking to his office with his little cooler for lunch and his briefcase just going to work. Reporter now, his fellow prosecutors feared he died for that work. And they could be next. No one felt safe. All of us were scared. We didnt know if there was a bunch of people waiting to try to shoot us. Reporter the courthouse was locked down in the morning then closed for the day. Prosecutors and office staff were given extra security. They were walking us to our cars carrying huge rifles and guns. When did it start to sink in for you that this couldve been me . You walk into work with mark. Your office is is right there. I think that was the immediate fear. It could have been any of us. We lost a really, really good man. Reporter District Attorney Mike Mclelland stood tall when he addressed the media about the killing of his good friend. I hope that the people that did this are watching. Because were very confident that were gonna find you. Were gonna pull you out of whatever hole youre in. Were gonna bring you back and let the people of Kaufman County prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Reporter mikes stepdaughter, christina, watched his takenoprisoners press conference with immense pride. Thats not an unusual thing for him. He you know, when he really, truly felt deeply about something, then he was going to make a stand for it. He was gonna make a stand with his beliefs and really try to do the right thing. Mike was on a mission. Oh, he was on a mission. Thats for sure. And he was going to find who did this and bring them to justice. But bringing this killer or killers to justice would take a lot more than tough talk. This was just the start of a crime spree that would terrorize the very people who protect us. Now no one was safe. That investigation would also present an overwhelming challenge, thanks to a suspect list including the hundreds of defendants mark had put away. Many of those people. Reporter were starting to parole out. Any one in particular stick out in your head . Apps. If its not an iphone, its not an iphone. Mcdonalds is getting together a mix of fun new flavors this summer. With the new oreo frappe and the new real lemonades from mccafe. vo your love is purely thoughtful, purely natural purely fancy feast. New delicious entrees, crafted to the last detail. Flaked tuna, whitemeat chicken, never any byproducts or fillers. Purely natural tastes purely fancy feast. At longhorn. Steak like this doesnt need anything else. Which is why we dont just add, anything else. Longhorn steaks that sizzle for 12. 99. The new smoky bacon sirloin. The new spicy grilled jalapeno sirloin. And the parmesan crusted sirloin. All with hand chopped salad unlimited bread for 12. 99. Tonight, only at longhorn steakhouse. You cant fake steak. For lunch try our steakhouse burger. Or any steakhouse lunch combo starting at 7. I mean we really did love him. It was devastating when he was gone. Reporter monday morning, four days after the murder of mark hasse, fellow prosecutor Shannon Hebert returned to work with a heavy heart. Of course, it was a hard monday at our weekly meeting without mark. Our whole office was devastated. I mean, his door was closed. Reporter security remained tight in and around the courthouse. The people inside took on a bunker mentality. Folks are trying to deal with what happened. Nobodys ever done this before. This is New Territory for everybody. Reporter his colleagues were terrified and many wanted to carry guns for protection. District attorney Mike Mclelland made it easier for everyone to get concealed handgun licenses. We could take the course for free, and we could start getting our handgun license just in case we needed it. Did you get a gun . No, i didnt. Did you think about it . Oh, yeah. I definitely wanted to get one. I dont think i would have carried it every day, but i definitely wanted to be able to use one. Reporter its the kind of thing people do when theyre scared and panicked. The Justice System under attack. The murder brought an allstar army of Law Enforcement to the case. The Sheriffs Training Center was turned into a command post. It was soon buzzing with local police, Texas Rangers, and federal agents from the atf and fbi. That was whats amazing about this case is you had federal and state Law Enforcement all working together in a team. Reporter advising this team were toby shook and bill wirskeye. Veteran highprofile attorneys from dallas who were quickly named special prosecutors. Once you get over the initial shock and disbelief that a prosecutor and someone that you know has been murdered, your professional training kicks in. And thats where toby and i stepped up and volunteered to help them in that role. Reporter the crime seemed to be what every prosecutor fears. A revenge hit for putting away a bad guy. That struck a chord that reverberated from kaufman to dallas, throughout texas and beyond. I think every judge, every defense attorney and every prosecutor has that in the back of your mind. So that just brought all those fears to the forefront for everyone in the criminal Justice System. Does it send a chill through everyone when one of your own is killed like that . It does. I mean, whoever did this obviously crossed a line that other people just rarely even approach. And it starts making you think of what you do for a living and your family members and your own personal safety. Reporter the initial theories were as numerous as the hundreds of cases mark hasse had prosecuted. The first place to look was right in Kaufman County, where mark was a felony prosecutor for 30 years. The Big Questions that we had were who has he prosecuted recently . Reporter sheriffs investigator Jolie Stewart was involved from day one. Is there something recent that hes prosecuted thats got somebody upset. So we started delving off into his caseload. Reporter investigators looked into every local case mark had prosecuted. There were robberies, drug prosecutions and even a theft that involved an elected official who stole office equipment. They didnt immediately find anything that led them to a suspect. U. S. Marshals pulled in anyone with an outstanding arrest warrant. Nothing there either. So the task force widened the scope of the investigation beyond kaufman. We dont have a lot of Violent Crimes in kaufman. I mean, especially murders. So we just kind of naturally assumed it was someone from dallas. Reporter dallas, the big city less than thirty miles, but seemingly a lifestyle away. Remember, back in the 1980s, mark and fellow prosecutor marcus busch locked up some pretty tough customers there. I immediately started to think about the organized crime cases and the murder cases that wed all prosecuted. Many of those people received life sentences and were starting to parole out. Someone just held this grudge, got out of prison, and just wanted him. It was just a personal vendetta against mark. Reporter even though investigators were convinced he was murdered because of his job as a prosecutor, they didnt stop there. You still have to interview friends, family members, associates. Reporter mark was a teetotaler, he wasnt married and he didnt have any children. Those extensive checks into his background came up empty. There just wasnt anything there. He loved his mother who lived in dallas and spent a lot of time taking care of her and taking her to dinner. Reporter all the initial checks into marks personal and professional life were not panning out. Frustration was setting in because cases get harder to solve after the first 48 hours. Two full days in, marks murder had reached that crossroad, and investigators were searching desperately for a break. Insiders tell us tonight there are simply no promising leads in this case right now. His murder is turning into a real whodunit. Any assistance that anyone can give us in finding the people that did this will be greatly appreciated. Reporter d. A. Mclelland had it particularly tough. He had an office to run while mourning a good friend. How hard was it for mike to come back to the office after the shooting . With marks door closed and his buddy gone, it was very difficult. He talked a lot about the case. Shot here at his front door. Reporter and the case was about to get a lot bigger with another brazen murder. Only this one crossed another line. A very sacred line. Another member of Law Enforcement gunned down. The colorado head of the department of corrections was killed. And if i dont love it, its free . Could be the perfect snack dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt is creamy and delicious and has 12g of protein and 0 fat. I think i found the perfect snack seriously, youll love snacking on dannon oikos or its free dannon music imagine these kids wont have to remember passwords or obsess about security. For them, every screen is meant to be touched. And web pages are meant to be scribbled on, and shared. Theyll expect their devices to listen to them. And talk. And sing. And tell a funny joke. And as they grow, and get better at things their technology will too. Theyll do things their parents never even dreamed of. Because these kids will grow up with windows 10. The future starts now, for all of us. Get started today. Windows 10. A more human way to do. An emotional afternoon in Kaufman County where hundreds of people attended a Memorial Service for slain prosecutor mark hasse. He was constantly begging for more of my wifes cookies. Reporter d. A. Mike mclelland. She makes cookies for the office about once a month, and he would run out in about 12 minutes. Reporter marks longtime friend, marcus busch, also memorialized him. This world is a better place because of mark and so are we. The world lost a good man. Somebody who was resolute, always knew the difference between right and wrong and would fight for that. Reporter now, special reporter now, special prosecutors toby shook and bill wirskeye, along with a Multiagency Task force, were fighting for mark, searching for his killer but not coming up with easy answers. Because he was so close to his friend and employee, d. A. Mike mclelland had to bow out of the investigation. He and his coworkers were doing what they could, opening their files to investigators. Everything anybody can think of, theyre looking through it. Reporter checks into marks personal background had gone nowhere. So the task force continued to look at his professional cases from 30 years ago to the week before. But it was slow going. And how do you sift out, well, it couldnt have been this person, but maybe it was this person . First of all, you see if theyre still locked up. You see where they are, their whereabouts. You see is there anything unusual or specific about a case that would give someone cause to have a grudge. Reporter four weeks into the investigation, a tip came into the county crimestoppers Anonymous Tip Line that looked like a big break. The tipster said that theyd been in a bar in a small town in kaufman and overheard two white males talking about the hasse killing and taking responsibility for it. Reporter the tip lacked the kind of detail that investigators needed to follow up. And, using the crimestoppers system, the tipster remained anonymous. If this was going to be the gamechanger, investigators would need lots more information. Or a little more luck. Youre still hoping for the big break and maybe a luck lucky traffic stop or somebodys gonna that knows about this murder is going to pick up the phone and call in and thatll be the magic phone call. Reporter there was something that might lead them to the killer, the way mark had been murdered. The killer had been lying in wait. Mark was shot at pointblank range, execution style. All this led investigators to think this could be an organized crime hit. Rumors are sweeping the town. Talk of mexican drug cartels and prison gangs. Were open to every avenue right now. Nbcs channel 5 in dallas covered the hasse case from the beginning, and reporter ken kalthoff was there for it all. Mexican drug cartels were suspect immediately because of the fact that hasse had been involved in drug cases over the years. Reporter and investigators also suspected another group, less publicly known but very dangerous the aryan brotherhood of texas, a prison gang of white supremacists. Why was the aryan brotherhood a potential group that may have done this . There had been some threats that had come out about that time that the aryan brotherhood had said they might want to get even with people in Law Enforcement. Reporter get even because less than three months before hasses murder, federal officials announced that 34 alleged aryan brotherhood gang members had been indicted for racketeering. The feds thanked, among others, the Kaufman County d. A. s office for its role in the investigation. So, a lot of people were trying to put two and two together with the aryan brotherhood. Its one thing if its one individual who went after mark, its another thing if it is the aryan brotherhood. Oh, yeah, prosecutors, not just in kaufman, but across the state, were terrified that, hey, if this is the aryan brotherhood, were all targets. Reporter and then, seven weeks after hasses murder, another assault on Law Enforcement. It looked like it was open season on the criminal Justice System. The colorado head of the department of corrections was shot here at his front door on tuesday night. Reporter the mans name was tom clements, the highlyregarded head of colorados prison system. And like mark hasse, a Public Servant. With more than 20,000 inmates in colorados prison system, tom clements may have had a lot of enemies. Reporter it was another bold attack. This time inside the front door inside of outside the courthouse. Evidence pointed to a former inmate named evan ebel. He was a member of a white supremacist gang in colorado similar to the aryan brotherhood. Now, he was on the run from colorado authorities, armed and dangerous. Two days after the murder, a sheriffs deputy in texas would find out just how dangerous. A violent attack caught on dashboard camera. The deputy stopped this car because the license plate didnt match the vehicle. He had no idea the driver was evan ebel. As your about to see, ebel had no hesitation about using his gun again. The unsuspecting deputy, shot in the face, would survive. [ gunshots ] ebel was quickly chased down by Law Enforcement. [ gunshots ] and died in an explosive shootout in wise county, texas. This is cellphone video of thursdays shootout in wise county. Reporter what grabbed the attention of investigators in the mark hasse murder is this wise county is just 100 miles from kaufman. Could evan ebel have killed another Public Servant in texas seven weeks earlier . The fbi is now investigating this case. They want to see if ebel is connected to mark hasses murder. Reporter two Public Officials gunned down in two states. Someone seemed to be targeting Law Enforcement at pointblank range. As the investigation grows more urgent, sudden concerns about d. A. Mike mclelland, and his wife, cynthia. I tried mom, and she didnt answer. So i tried mike, and he didnt answer. Reporter and then consurgeon become concern becomes alarm. At that point, somethings really wrong. Walgreens. At the corner of happy and healthy. Does all greek yogurt have to be thick . Does it all have to be the same . Not with new light and fluffy yoplait greek 100 whips lets whip up the rules of greek time to be a superhero at kohls friends and family sale. Get an extra 20 off this thursday through sunday. Go to kohls. Com and download your savings pass. Plus, everyone gets 10 kohls cash for every 50 spent. Be yourself. Kohls. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah children laughing hes so cute what should we name him . gasps can we keep him . Please . Mom, can we keep him . Ahh both pleaaaase . New pet . Get scrubbing bubbles. Kill 99. 9 of germs, and destroy dirt and grime. You only need scrubbing bubbles disinfecting cleaners for 100 problem solved. We work hard so you dont have to. Sc johnson a family company. Reporter the shooting of colorados prison chief at his home, allegedly by a white supremacist, had given texas investigators a fresh angle in the murder of prosecutor mark hasse. Its another strange attack on Law Enforcement in a small town. Reporter nbcs ken kalthoff says the suspected murderer ending up in texas was especially intriguing to investigators. It made people wonder if, perhaps, there could be some connection with the hasse murder. Reporter they did tests on suspect evan ebels weapon. His bullets were identical to those that killed the prison chief back in colorado. But then the Texas Task Force found out ebels gun was not the weapon that killed mark hasse. And whats more ebel was deemed not to have been in kaufman at the time that hasse was killed. Reporter so eight weeks in, the hasse case was going nowhere. Fewer and fewer leads are coming into the investigation. Reporter the command post was shut down, leaving just a small group to work fulltime on the case. Slowly, you know, we kind of trickled back to our daily duties. Reporter the passage of time was allowing Shannon Hebert to finally get her equilibrium back. I just wasnt checking out my windows constantly, or worried about when i pull out of my gradual if someone will be waiting there. So you know, i think, you just start letting your guard down again, and life just kinda took over. Reporter same thing for hardnosed d. A. , Mike Mclelland, according to his stepdaughter christina. Did things just naturally kind of start getting back to normal . Yeah, i think more of a sense of normal. It was still kind of at the forefront of, oh, god we havent found anything yet. Oh, god. We havent solved this yet. But you know, life moves on. Reporter for the mclellands, moving on meant spending time with family. Its something mike enjoyed since marrying cynthia when christina was ten years old. He would give great big bear hugs and, you know, even when i was older, would wrap me and pick me up. And you know, im like, oh, my god. Im 22. Did you feel lucky that you got mike as a step dad . I do, our personalities are just quite similar. Youre both straight shooters . Yes, were both very our filters are quite off sometimes. Reporter mike relied on the support of his wife cynthia, who was always doing what she loved. Quilting, entertaining and cooking. And you know, shes the oldschool cook who didnt use packages. She bakes everything from scratch. Was he happy that she was this bang baker cook . Clearly. Clearly, by his physique, he was very he enjoyed the food very much. What made them a good match . You know, its really funny. She supported him greatly in what he was doing. But hes the you know, the conservative. And shes very liberal. So i think it was just a lot of balance. I think they balanced each other really nicely. Reporter cynthia also wanted her daughter to find love and wasnt shy about playing matchmaker with a guy she thought was a good fit. She looked at him and said, do you believe in arranged marriages . Which i had to later apologize for. Because you know, thats a weird thing to say. Its embarrassing. Its just weird. Reporter at the end of march, easter weekend, the mclellands were looking forward to a big sunday dinner. Cynthia was making it for friends. The perfect time to relax and not dwell on the tragedy of mark hasses murder, at least for a little while. Was there any fear that, we need to be on high alert. At that point, i dont think so. Reporter christina spoke to her mom and step dad on that friday night. And i was talkin to her and mike. You know, mom was making the easter baskets. And mike was griping about what she was doing. Trying to put the little peeps on sticks. And she wasnt quite getting it. And she was making a huge mess and, you know, just the normalcy of mike just, you know, dammit, cynthia. You need to sit down and take a break and, you know, and because youre getting tired. And, just give it a minute. And mom, oh, im fine. Reporter the next morning, saturday, the sun rose over the mclelland house. It was cynthias day to prep. She had sent me a text about the menu that we were gonna have for easter. Reporter Leah Phillips and her husband were Close Friends of the mclellands and were excited about joining them for dinner. She was making our family all easter baskets. And then she would make clues and hide the easter baskets. Wow, thats elaborate. Right, it was very elaborate. Reporter leah, who was supposed to drop off some vegetables for cynthia, texted her. And she never answered me back. Did you think that was odd, that she didnt answer you back . The only thing i could think of was maybe she did go into work, where she couldnt either answer the phone or text me back. Reporter leah called mikes phone, and the house phone. No response. And she wasnt the only one. Christina was also trying to call her mom and step dad. And i tried mom and she didnt answer, so i tried mike and he didnt answer. Reporter by now, it was late afternoon, so leah took things into her own hands. So i said, okay, ill go on over there. Reporter she did go over and nothing would ever be the same again. Inside the mclelland house, a heart stopping discovery. I screamed, and then i just my knees buckled and i hit the ground and just started crying. Reporter on the saturday oh hon, why is this a wine fridge now and not a freezer for my leftover christmas gravy . You know i thought our friends might prefer drinking wine over gravy. Well it is only six months old i was going to eat that. Check, the freezer, freezer. You check the freezer, freezer. Oh gravy all right. Lets get this chardonnay and gravy party started. Vo with innovative cool select plus go from freezer to fridge with the touch of a button. Flonase allergy relief, the only otc nasal spray approved to relieve nasal congestion and itchy, watery eyes. Most allergy pills only control one inflammatory substance flonase controls six. See the world in a whole new light. Flonase, this changes everything. You dont have to look out the window at 35,000 feet to see the big picture. And who needs legroom with all this wideopen space . They say its not the destination, its the journey. But maybe the journey is the destination. Low prices. Every day. For wherever today takes you. Walmart. Kelloggs® frosted miniwheats®. 8 layers of wheat. And one thats sweet. To satisfy the adult. And kid in all of us. Nutritious wheat for the adult youve grown into. And delicious sweet for the kid youll never outgrow. Feed your inner kidult. With frosted miniwheats® and now you could win up to a hundred dollars when you buy any specially marked kelloggs cereal. Reporter on the saturday morning before easter, Leah Phillips hadnt been able to reach her good friends cynthia and Mike Mclelland. Leah had some groceries to drop off for cynthia, so she decided to drive over. She thought something was odd when she pulled into the driveway. The newspaper was still in the yard and cynthias car was there. So very subtle clues . Subtle. But im still thinking maybe they went to the movie with someone. Reporter leah called her son, cj tomlinson, and told him what shed seen. And i said, you just say where youre at. Dont go inside that house. Reporter it was cjs cop sense kicking in. Hes a dallas Police Officer. The feeling was somethings not right. Its just not right. Reporter a few minutes later, cj drove up, along with his dad. We went to the door and cj knocked on the door and yelled for mike three or four times, and there was no answer. They were messing with the key. And they were all standing behind me, and i just reached down to see if the door was open. And, yeah, it was unlocked and i will ill never forget how that door opened up. The door just it eeked open, just like in slow motion. I took a couple steps in and thats when mom hit the ground and started crying. And i screamed, cj, stop, theres shell casings. And then i just my knees buckled and i hit the ground and just starting crying because theres not supposed to be shell casings inside somebodys doorway. I look down and sure enough, there are two shell casings right inside that front door. At that point, somethings really wrong now. Something bad happened. So i take a couple more steps inside. And i see cynthia laying there. Reporter Cynthia Mclelland was dead. Her body was lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor. Cj turned his mom away from the scene and took her back to the car. Meanwhile, cjs dad had gone farther into the house and found the bulletriddled body of Mike Mclelland. When your husband and son come back out of the house. Theres no blood left in their face. Theyre white. Reporter kaufman District Attorney Mike Mclelland and his wife cynthia had been shot to death. You never expect to have to see somebody like that that you knew, that you loved. That that was so close. And i think that was the most and it still is obviously. Its so difficult. Reporter because she hadnt been able to reach her parents, christina decided to drive to the house as well. Her moms friend, leah, met her with the news she was dreading. I just had the feeling that they were dead. And i said, both of them . And she said, yes. And then it occurred to me that, oh, my god. This is going to hit the news. And my grandmother watches the news every day. And somebody needs to stop her before she turns on the tv. Mike is high profile. He is. He was. I didnt want somebody else to tell her that this had happened. Reporter looking at the scene, cj tomlinsons Police Training told him the killer or killers were long gone. He knew what he had to do. There was no reason to go back in that house. We closed the door. We didnt call 911. There was no need for paramedics to go in there. Reporter they called the Kaufman County sheriff. The things that were in that house were very important. And they needed to be preserved until the right people show up. And they did. They showed up. I was at my house and wed just finished an Easter Egg Hunt with about 30 kids in the backyard. Reporter about 8 00 p. M. , prosecutor toby shook got a call from his partner, bill wirskeye. He said, hey, the mclellands were found murdered. And the sheriff wants us out there. And it it scared me to death. When i left the house bill came to pick me up and my wife had two guns out. And i said, unless you know its me coming through the door be ready to use them. Reporter the prosecutors raced to the scene. It was surreal. I mean, the front yards lit up and its got the yellow crime scene tape and theres lots of sheriffs officers and Texas Rangers and fbi there. Reporter shook saw sheriff david byrnes standing on the lawn. Sheriff byrnes is a pretty legendary guy, former texas ranger captain. He was visibly shaken up. And if sheriff byrnes gets shaken up, that scared the hell out of me. And and all Law Enforcement out there was quiet. It was eerily quiet amongst them, because they were dealing with something something i dont think any of them had ever seen before. Aside from the obvious, two people are dead, what was shaking them up so badly . Think the big question is whos next . Because everybodys assumption that was standing outside that yellow crime scene tape was, it could have been one of us. Reporter cynthias murder escalated the danger. Not just for Law Enforcement, but now for their families. This man had crossed the line and gone into murdering family members. I know my thoughts and prayers were with my wife and children back in dallas. Reporter it sure seemed like the hasse and mclelland murders were connected, and everyone was terrified. The killings might not be over. Did you start to think that there was a list . Oh, sure. There was going to be another victim if this person wasnt found. Reporter coming up. Just who could pick off Law Enforcement like this . Theres no way cynthia opened that door to just anyone. My thoughts were its someone we know, or someone dressed like a Police Officer. G, you struck oil. Theres a sign behind me isnt there . I like it, but can the sign do this . That one can. I forgot about that one. Get ipad mini 2 now for 199. 99 when you buy any iphone on at t next hey, well do an asian salad. A chicken mcnuggets a big mac. Minions speaking minionese ha ha ha ha ha this summer, come play like a minion with minion mania at mcdonalds. Peel your game piece to reveal instant win food prizes. Trips to universal theme parks. And 4 weekly drawings for a chance to win 250,000. Double your chances to win with two game pieces with a 20 piece chicken mcnuggets for just five dollars. minions ba da ba ba ba raspberries sfx reporter saturday night, Shannon Hebert was shopping for easter dinner when she was surprised by a phone call from her office. And i thought, my goodness, whos up there on saturday easter weekend . Im just im not going to answer right now. Reporter but her phone kept ringing. It was another prosecutor from her office. And i knew then, at that point, somethings going on. And i answered, and she proceeded to tell me that the mclellands were found in their house shot. Must have been the biggest bombshell of your life. Biggest. Its just so hard to imagine anyone being killed. I mean, i was frantic. It was terrifying. Reporter her colleague told her to watch her back. We dont know whos next. We dont know if theres more attacks tonight. Just get home and be safe, shannon. You know, watch out. Are you all feeling, now, that were all targets, now . We all felt that. Reporter including the people she loved most in the world. I think thats what was so scary, was that its not just me anymore. I have young kids, my husband, my family. And, i mean, i cant keep putting them at risk and with mike and cynthia, we were all in danger. Reporter as local deputies began a roundtheclock watch over shannons house, something kept nagging at her about the mclelland murders. Theres no way cynthia opened that door to just anyone. I mean, my thoughts were its someone we know, or someone dressed like a Police Officer. You know, i was just very concerned of even police Police Officers. That someone could be dressed in a right. Fake Police Uniform . Right. Reporter investigators also wondered how the killer could have gotten inside the mclellands front door. Mike, like his entire staff, was still vigilant ever since his chief prosecutor was gunned down. The wary d. A. Kept his own guns on a table near the front door but never got the chance to use them. Is it just like all bets are off when you hear that now theyre going after family members . Even though you dont condone it, you almost understand someone going after a prosecutor for what they do for a living, but to go after a prosecutors family was just a line that we didnt think wed ever see crossed. Reporter both the hasse and mclelland killings two months apart were bold. One in a Public Square in broad daylight. This one in a private home before dawn. Investigators hoped this latest crime scene would provide more leads than the hasse killing did. They already knew they had shell casings. Would there be other clues inside the house to help catch the killer . It was just a straightup whodunit. We didnt know. Reporter texas ranger eric kasper was part of the team that entered the home. The front door was not kicked in. The door was unlocked. Theres shell casings approximately four feet in. Shell casings are. 223 caliber. Reporter that told them the killer used an ar15 or m4 type semiautomatic weapon like this one. This started exactly when the door opened. Mrs. Mclelland and mr. Mclelland were retreating and trying to get away from the gunfire. Reporter cynthias body was in the middle of the living room, and she clearly wasnt expecting anyone. Shes not dressed for company. Shes trying to get dressed. Mr. Mclellands the same way. Hes in jogging pants with no shirt on. Reporter there were shell casings next to mikes body indicating the killer had finished him off at close range. The suspect was standing right on top of him, over him shooting him. Reporter to investigators, like lt. Jolie stewart of the Sheriffs Department, it looked like a carefully planned operation, an ambush, just like the hasse murder. Did the scene speak to you at all . I felt like whoever went in there had a mission. And they did it quickly. And they did it efficiently. And they were out. Reporter later, records from the Home Security company would confirm stewarts observation. The killer entered the house at 6 40 a. M. And was gone just two minutes later. Twenty shots fired in one hundred twenty seconds. That was a pretty brutal way to go. Reporter lt. Stewart couldnt help but be affected by the sight of cynthia, shot in the head at close range. Just looking at her there on the scene she was targeted, you know. I mean, she didnt have a dog in this fight. Reporter investigators talked to neighbors. Surely someone had heard the shots. Assault rifles arent quiet. The weapon used in this murder, you should have been able to hear it outside. No problem. Reporter no one heard or saw anything. By the end of easter weekend, special prosecutor bill wirskye said they had nothing. Were just trying to figure out what to do next. And were hoping against hope theres gonna be a magic clue in that crime scene or in that house thatll answer this riddle for us. Reporter they were looking for that clue, and all of a sudden, it drove by. A mysterious tip arrives online. But, after so many false leads, is this one legit . Would anyone other than the killer have known that . No. [ horn honks melody ] well, well. If it isnt the belle of the ball. Gentlemen. You look well. Whats new, flo . Well, a name your price tool went missing last week. Name your what, now . It gives you Coverage Options based on your budget. I just hope whoever stole it knows that it only works at progressive. Com. So, you cant use it to just buy stuff . No. Im sorry, gustav. We have to go back to the pet store. [ gustav squawks ] hes gonna meet us there. The name your price tool. Still only at progressive. Com. Im gonna crack like nobodys watching and eat like i skipped lunch. Why . Because red lobsters crabfest is back. And im diving into so much crab so many ways. Like crab lovers dream with luscious snow and king crab legs and rich crab alfredo or this snow crab bake. Who knew crab goes with everything . Whoever put crab on this salmon, thats who. With flavors like these, im almost too excited to eat hey i said almost. And now that its back get crackin while you still can. You wish your dog could fight off fleas and ticks. But since he cant. You rely on frontline plus. Because frontline plus unleashes a deadly killing force to kill fleas and ticks, plus flea eggs and larvae, preventing a new infestation. Its protection lasts a full 30 days. No wonder frontline plus is the 1 choice of vets for their pets and yours. After all, your dog is a lover not a fighter. Frontline plus. The vets 1 choice. Tips started flooding into the reopened Kaufman County sheriffs command post. Some tips still cited the aryan brotherhood of texas. Special prosecutor bill wirskeye. With the added Media Attention after the mclellandds were murdered, we got hundreds of tips a day. It was like drinking out of a fire hose during this whole thing. Reporter lt. Jolie stewart of the Sheriffs Department was right in the middle of it. Hundreds of investigators from multiple agencies had swooped in. This was all hands on deck. Uhhuh. This became the number one case in the bureau at that time. Reporter fbi special agents Michael Hillman and laurie gibbs were coordinating teams from the task force, each team looking into different aspects of the case. You have to look at everything. So you decided to just divvy it up. Everyone could focus on their individual tasks . Exactly. Right, and some of these teams had 25, 30 people on them. And there was a team that looked at all of the victims and what they may have in common. Reporter they believed the killing of d. A. Mike mclelland was linked with the shooting of prosecutor mark hasse back in january. But it was all one big collective hunch, until a tip came through that would confirm the connection. Through the crime stoppers, webbased tip line, we get a tip that claims credit for the mark hasse murders. Reporter the electronic message came in Easter Sunday night. It began, do we have your full attention now . We suggests more than one person. Did you think maybe its a group . In my thought i thought is it how big is this group . What is this group . Is this some sort of antigovernment Militia Group . Is this white supremist . I had no idea what we were dealing with. Reporter Law Enforcement wrote back, you have our attention. And we wanted him to tell us what he wanted. Reporter while they waited anxiously for an answer, computer experts tried to trace the tip back to the source. No luck. Thats because the system is set up to protect the anonymity of all tipsters. When a message comes in, the sender is identified only by a unique number. After 12 hours of nail biting, there was finally a response that told investigators this person was the real deal. Mark hasse was killed with. 38caliber ammunition, fired from a 357 five shot revolver. Would anyone other than the killer have known that . No, this person knew way more than anybody would have. Reporter the killer also wrote, your act of good faith will result in no other attacks this week. In return for that pledge, the killer made a demand. They wanted one of the judges in Kaufman County to step down by the end of the week or the killings would resume. The fact that this tip came in and named these specific judges in kaufman told us it was somebody local. Reporter that all but ruled out the aryan brotherhood, drug cartels and those old cases from dallas. The killers message ended this way we are not unreasonable, but we will not be stopped. Its almost sounding like a game now. I think, in his mind, it was a big chess game. I think it was just for fun to see if he could really exert complete and total control over the criminal Justice System in Kaufman County. Reporter by monday morning, the story was topping the national news. Perhaps thats exactly what the killer wanted. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez is in kaufman, texas, for us this morning. Gabe, good morning to you. Savannah, good morning. There will be stepped up security here at the county courthouse today. The District Attorneys Office will be closed to the public. This entire community is on high alert. Reporter that morning when Shannon Hebert came to her office, she had an armed escort. Theres no leader at your office anymore. Theres nothing. No one. When you come into work, how do you go forward . We had to move forward. We couldnt let them win. We couldnt. And we had to fight for the honor of mike and mark. Reporter everyone in the office was on edge. My husband, i mean, he stayed up all night with a gun in his hand. I know that i start carrying a gun. Sleep with a gun under my pillow. Reporter even shannon, who wouldnt carry a gun before, now slept with protection nearby. We had big ole shot gun sitting on our dresser, just ready to go in case. Reporter the killers threat to unleash more violence in Kaufman County kept the Task Force Working around the clock. A special team scoured the Surveillance Video collected near the mcclelland crime scene, hoping for a new lead. So many people now have surveillance cameras on their house. So, were trained to go in and collect that sort of evidence. Reporter and finally, the video teams painstaking search seemed to pay off. They found images of a car that didnt belong, a White Ford Crown victoria, cruising near the mclelland home about the time of the murders. No one in the neighborhood owned a car like that. But the crown vic model is popular with Law Enforcement, so the fbi jumped on that angle. Was there ever a thought that maybe this is one of our own . Maybe this is a Police Officer doing this . That was not out of the realm of possibility. Reporter investigators recheck the cases handled by mark hasse, this time to see which ones mike mccleland might have worked on. There was only one common denominator for those two prosecutors. Which was . Sil reax. Eumococcal 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, headache, 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. Hurry in to the lowes Summer Savings event for great deals, like 25 off all energizer® Batteries Plus get select faucets for only 69. Dont miss out on summers biggest savings at lowes. Wait till you see what ive been doing. laughs i know, i, it just came to me. Manscaping husband . Get scrubbing bubbles. Kill 99. 9 of germs and destroy grime. With scrubbing bubbles for 100 problem solved. Every Auto Insurance policy has a number. But not every Insurance Company understands the life behind it. Those who have served our nation. Have earned the very best service in return. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Get an Auto Insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. I carry a lot of things from them with me. They taught me very well. They helped a lot of people before they left this world. They really did. They made a large impact on a lot of people. Reporter a beefed up Multiagency Task force vowed to catch whoever killed the mcclelland and mark hasse. Investigators had seen that Ford Crown Victoria on video roaming near the mcclelland home and thought it might be a police car. The terrible possibility it might be one of their own had to be ruled out immediately. We checked with every Law Enforcement agency in the area and identified where every police car was in the area and none of them were even close to where this image was captured. Reporter next, they looked for anyone, who for any reason, had issues or disputes involving both prosecutors. Reporter there didnt seem to be anybody in that group of people that were upset enough that they would want to commit homicide. Reporter but there was one defendant involved in a felony they couldnt ignore. There was only one common denominator for those two prosecutors. Which was . That was Eric Williams. Reporter Eric Williams . Who was Eric Williams . He was a former Deputy Sheriff and longtime attorney with an office right across the street from the courthouse. In 2010, he was elected by the people of kaufman to be justice of the peace. Shannon hebert worked with him and said he had a sharp legal mind. In fact, he was a member of mensa, the organization for people with super high iqs. He was a great judge. I liked having him in there. He would understand the law and i thought he was very fair. I mean, everyone respected him. Reporter williams, married for 15 years with no kids of his own, was a strong advocate for children and specialized in child abuse cases. Lt. Jolie stewart often worked with him on those cases. How do you think he was perceived amongst his fellow colleagues, other attorneys . I think that he had a lot of respect with his peers. He was kind of the goto guy for family law. I know he had a love for children. Reporter Tera Williams bellemare knows that better than anyone. Shes erics sister. He was a good uncle to my kids. Never missed their birthdays. I never had to remind him. Reporter she says growing up, her big brother was her inspiration inspiration. He made eagle scout, went to college, law school, and became a successful attorney. He also served as a captain in the texas state guard. He was driven. He was ambitious. He wanted to make us feel proud of him. Reporter so tera and the Legal Community were stunned in 2012 when her brother, the newlyelected justice of the peace, got into trouble with the law. Williams was accused of stealing three computer monitors for his personal use from the county i. T. Department. Heres Surveillance Video showing him carrying boxes of computer equipment. It just seems odd that someone like that would bother to steal a few computer monitors. Exactly. It was just kinda shocking that someone would go and do that. Reporter williams found himself on the wrong side of this police interrogation. Okay, judge, before we get started, im gonna read the miranda warning. Youre an attorney, youre a judge, so you know as well as i do. I know you gotta read. I understand. Reporter williams tried to explain he took the monitors because he claimed he needed new equipment for his office but never got it. Its been an ongoing kind of thing where i tell the i. T. People that i need to keep improving things. I understand, but you hadnt put any kind of written request in, nothing like that thats been documented at all . No. Reporter mark hasse and Mike Mcclelland knew Eric Williams as a colleague in kaufmans small Legal Community. As boss of the das office, mike rarely tried cases but because williams was an elected public official, he made an exception and teamed up with mark to prosecute the case. Christina says her step dad believed williams had violated the public trust. I think it did offend mike on a basic level. These people elected you. Youre supposed to be doing good things for the community, not stealing from it. Reporter a jury found williams guilty of theft. He got probation, but lost his job and license to practice law. And now, a year later, both men who prosecuted him were dead, and williams was under suspicion. Did you bear either of those men any kind of grudge . No, absolutely not. Reporter the media got wind of the interest in williams. And just days after the mcclelland murders, he was interviewed by nbc affiliate kprc. He strangely swept in on his segway. Has anyone connected with this investigation suggested to you that youre a person of interest in the investigation . No. Reporter after the denial, his sympathies. My heartfelt condolences go out to both the mcclelland family and the hasse family because they were in Public Office doing the right thing and for some reason that were not aware of, theyve paid the ultimate price for that. Williams was known to be a bit of an odd duck but a murder suspect . It seems so farfetched that a justice of the peace, a man who had served his county not only as an attorney, a judge, but also as a Deputy Sheriff, would then suddenly turn into this serial killer. Uhhuh. Yeah, no one wants to think a lawyer would do that, a person who was a Public Servant would do that. Reporter in fact, he was among the many people investigators had already looked at after the hasse murder. What was his alibi at the time . He said he had been at home, either caring for his wife or his inlaws down the street. He also had his arm in a sling when Law Enforcement came to talk to him and his excuse was he had a frozen shoulder and wasnt able to use his right arm. Reporter he even took a gunshot residue test at his house and passed. And after the mclelland murders, investigators checked whether he owned a Ford Crown Victoria, the car captured on video lurking near the mclelland murder scene. Records showed he did not. The case was still stalled. But soon, the task force would get one of those lucky breaks theyd always hoped for. It came out of the blue and gave the investigation some muchneeded juice. Reporter a stranger calls with a stunning revelation. I could tell when i listened to his voice this is it. This is the real thing. Time to be a superhero at kohls friends and family sale. Get an extra 20 off this thursday through sunday. Go to kohls. Com and download your savings pass. Plus, everyone gets 10 kohls cash for every 50 spent. Be yourself. Kohls. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ok, lets try this online snacking thing again. Ugh rough around the edges. Ugh. Greasy. Oh dan n. Oikos tasty and healthy. And if i dont love it, its free . Could be the perfect snack dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt is creamy and delicious and has 12g of protein and 0 fat. I think i found the perfect snack seriously, youll love snacking on dannon oikos or its free dannon oh my gosh, its the guy from last night. What . can i jump on your wifi . Yeah, you can try it. Hey i had a really good time last night. Yeah, me too. The only thing is that. The only thing is what . Whats the only thing . Oh my gosh hes married. Hes a kleptomaniac. Hes a pyromaniac. Hes a total maniac. Hey hey go back to your wife you sociopath leave slow internet behind. The 100 Fiber Optics Network is here. Get out of the past. Get fios. Now 79. 99 a month. Go online or call now. Call the Verizon Center for customers with disabilities at 800. 974. 6006 tty v i certainly wish them the best in bringing justice for this this incredibly egregious act. Reporter Eric Williams was making the tv interview rounds. But he hadnt sat down for a formal interview with investigators. Because of his connection to both mark hasse and Mike Mcclelland, investigators had to take a serious look at him. On the surface it may seem implausible, because hes a lawyer and a judge and successful. The more we learned about him, the more viable in our minds he became as a suspect. Reporter just the year before, williams had been prosecuted for theft by hasse and mcclelland. You must be chomping at the bit to talk to Eric Williams. Obviously, we wanted to talk to him. The problem with that was he was still represented by lawyers. Reporter lawyers who kept williams from talking. But then, two weeks after the mcclellands were killed in their home, the special prosecutors got a big opening they hadnt seen coming. We get an email back from the lawyers basically saying, we no longer represent Eric Williams. Reporter they figured this was their one window to talk to him and they knew they had get it right the first time before he lawyered up again. So fbi profilers came up with a strategy. Send over a toplevel texas ranger so williams would be more likely to let him in. Was the idea that that would fit with his ego . Yeah, he would view a major with the Texas Rangers as someone equal on his intellect that perhaps he would talk to. If you sent someone of lower rank, then he would just dismiss them. Reporter the ranger and a local cop familiar with williams went to his house carrying a hidden tape recorder. Did it work . It worked great. Reporter williams let them in without a search warrant. The subject quickly got around to guns. Williams said hed been forced to sell his weapons to raise money since he could no longer practice law. I been in your house. I know you got lots of guns. Yeah. How do you think ive been living . Selling guns . Yeah, for two years. You dont have any more . You got rid of all of them . I have one gun that im trying to sell, and its just hard as hell to sell. He said, i dont have any guns, except one gun. And so, he let them look around. And they began finding gun parts. Reporter gun parts. Some very specific gun parts that appeared to match the type of automatic weapon used in the mcclelland killings. And at the same time, the fbi discovered williams had done computer searches on hasse and mcclelland before the murders. He specifically told them that he had not ever searched the two victims before the murders. Now youve got him lying . Yeah. Reporter that lie and those gun parts were enough to get a warrant for a more thorough search of his house. Investigators, including a crack fbi evidence team, were back the next day. They went room to room, then to the garage, and bingo. In a filing cabinet in the garage, there was a manual for a Ford Crown Vic and there was also a title to a crown vic. Reporter the task force, of course, had been looking for a Crown Victoria. This one was registered under a false name. That must have been a real big moment finding that registration. That was huge. Reporter outside, special prosecutor wirskye was on hand to give legal advice. One of the fbi computer techs came out and said, mr. Wirskye, i dont mean to alarm you, but Eric Williams has been searching you and mr. Shook on his computer. Whats the first thing you did when you heard that he had been searching you . Get on the phone with my wife and tell her to make sure she knew where the kids were and to get inside and keep the doors locked and dont answer the door for anyone. Up to and including a Police Officer. What did she say . I could hear the fear in her voice, and i knew right then we had to put him in jail for something. It became very personal and a matter of life and death for us. Reporter back inside, searchers found something interesting. A scrap of paper with two handwritten numbers. So they collected it because it was near the computer and they thought it might be important. Reporter and it was. A sheriffs deputy recognized the user id for the county crimestoppers Anonymous Tip Line. The first number corresponded to a tip from early in the hasse case. The tipster claimed to have overheard two men in a bar saying they killed mark hasse. That meant the tip came from williams computer. A followup computer search also revealed williams had searched several howto websites. One of the websites was how to throw the police off an investigation by sending in fake tips. Reporter the second number on that scrap of paper was even more important because it turned out to be the real thing. It matched back to that computer message that gave details about the hasse murder weapon and also threatened more killings. So, we knew right then that that tip that had come into the command post was sent by Eric Williams. And we knew right then we were going to be able to put Eric Williams in jail. Reporter he was arrested, not for murder, but for making a terrorist threat about killing a judge. We just didnt know if we had enough evidence to convict him. Reporter they just had to figure out where the evidence might be. Did you think that Eric Williams had a hiding place . We began to suspect pretty early on if its Eric Williams and we know what cars were used there may be a storage unit or some secret Storage Place that he may have access to that we havent found. Reporter at least now, ten weeks after hasses murder, the investigation was finally on a roll. We go home that night to get a good nights sleep and i actually wanted for the first time in weeks to see my son play a Little League game. Reporter but the next morning, his parenting plans were dashed by work again. His phone rang. It was a friend of Eric Williams, whod heard about his arrest. And said, mr. Wirskye, i have something to tell you about Eric Williams. I think i may have rented him a storage unit. Wed been looking for a storage unit and i could tell when i listened to his voice, this is it. This is the real thing. So, Little League was out for the day . Unfortunately, it was. Little league was out. My son went three for three. But you were headed to a storage unit. This was too important. So i got on the phone with the Texas Rangers and i said, this is it. I think weve found it. Found what, exactly . Even seasoned investigators would be blown away this is one of those moments that ill never forget because it was just wow. Discover more ways you can use lysol disinfectant spray to help keep your home healthier. Many wrinkle creams come with high hopes, but hope. Doesnt work on wrinkles. Clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair with the fastest retinol formula available, it works on fine lines and even deep wrinkles. Youll see younger looking skin in just one week. Stop hoping for results, and start seeing them. Rapid wrinkle repair. And for dark spots rapid tone repair. From neutrogena®. When you have a migraine youll reach for anything to make the pain go away. Truth is, most pain relievers dont work like excedrin migraine. It relieves my pain starting in 30 minutes. Thats fast plus, sensitivity to light and sound. Excedrin migraine. Wow, that was fast. Lemonade, la la lemonade real strawberries real lemonade get together with the refreshing new real lemonades from mccafe. Its a long day and sometimes, an even longer night. Helping with homework before doing your own. And you may think no one notices. But she does. She sees more than mom, she sees determination. We do too. For nearly 40 years, weve designed an education for people just like you. Learn more at phoenix. Edu. Reporter the hot spot in the investigation was now a runofthemill storage unit. Number 18 to be precise. In seagoville, texas. Just 14 miles from the mcclelland house. Eric kasper of the Texas Rangers was part of the task force caravan racing to unit 18. Everybody is running and gunning. You know, everybody wants to be there. So were all just filled with expectations. Were making bets. Okay, the white crown vics going to be there. No, its not. Were going to find the murder weapon. Reporter ranger kasper did the honors, lifting the heavy, steel door. This is one of those moments that ill never forget because it was just wow. What did you see . Reporter we saw the white crown vic, the car that wed been looking for for all those day, and all days and all those man hours and there it was. And we knew finally we had Eric Williams. Reporter but there was so much more. Police uniforms and bulletproof vests. Thrn a more than a half dozen police badges. Thousands of rounds of ammo and enough guns to supply a small army. Hes got six or seven weapons of the right caliber that couldve been the mcclelland murder weapon. We have five or six weapons of the right caliber that couldve been the hasse murder weapon. Did you think that one of those guns had to be the murder weapon . I felt like our chances were pretty good because there were just so many in there. Reporter the guns and ammo were sent off to the lab for testing. Inside this treasure trove of bad intentions, there were also pickle jars filled with liquid, later identified as homemade napalm. It was just unbelievable. It was like a Tactical Operators closet. Reporter but theyd soon be dealt a serious blow. The lab results came back on all those weapons. Nothing matched. The murder weapons were still missing. Thats gotta be extremely frustrating when you feel like, well, one of these guns im sure has got to be the murder weapon. Oh yeah, deflating. We were positive one of those was going to be the murder weapon. Reporter even without the guns, the prosecutors believed there was enough evidence to finally go forward. On april 18th, 2013, ten weeks after mark hasse was gunned down and three weeks after the mcclellands were killed, Eric Williams was charged with three counts of capital murder. Prosecutors said the motive was revenge. One thing i found out about Eric Williams, the first big thing that went wrong in his life, this is how he was going to react with rage and homicidal violence. Reporter it all seemed so senseless to the mcclellands daughter, christina. This all started over three computer monitors. And now were talking about three murders. Yeah. I mean, you know, normal people dont do that. God bless the United States and the great state of texas. Reporter Eric Williams went on trial for murder in december. Be seated please, ladies and gentlemen. The court calls state of texas vs. Eric williams. Reporter williams wasnt on trial for the murder of mark hasse or Mike Mcclelland. In a surprise tactic, this trial was only for the murder of Cynthia Mcclelland. Not guilty, your honor. Why not just try the murders at the same time . What if something went wrong in the first trial . We wanted to have the ability to be able to try him twice and make sure he got justice. Reporter Christina Sat in court and had to relive the deaths of her parents. This trial rolls around. What gave you the strength to go to court every day . I showed up every day for the three people who gave their lives for something good. They stood up. And they did what they were supposed to. And they died for it. This is my chance to tell you story of the murders of mike and Cynthia Mcclelland. Reporter prosecutor bill wirskeye thought if he could prove Eric Williams had killed cynthia, that would obviously show he killed mike. Youll hear the story of a massive Law Enforcement investigation. State, local, and federal agencies working together to build an airtight case. Reporter one of the first witnesses called. Dallas Police Officer and friend of the mcclellands. Cj told the jury how he and his parents found the mcclellands. I took a couple more steps inside the residence, i was hollering for mike. Mike, mike reporter for three days, prosecutors brought a blizzard of witnesses. They told the jury williams had been linked to that tip that came in after the mcclelland murders. He sent an email into Law Enforcement claiming credit for the murders. Thinking Law Enforcement would never figure it out. But he was wrong. Reporter investigators didnt have the murder weapon, but they had something else. A bullet they found inside a bag taken from williams storage unit. You know, this is what you and your team recovered. Yes. Reporter a ballistics examiner compared that single unfired bullet to the shell casings found at the murder scene and came up with a match. That live round was ejected from the same weapon that killed the mcclellands. So, that was a big moment for us. Reporter and prosecutors thought this security video outside the storage unit nailed the case down. They said it traced the movements of Eric Williams and the crown vic on the morning of the murders. Approximately 6 00 a. M. Real time. Reporter thats when williams, in his black suv pulled up to the entrance of the storage unit, according to the prosecution. At 6 12 a. M. The white Crown Victoria pulled out. By 6 42, investigators knew the mcclellands were dead or dying on the floor based on the motion detecters in the Home Security system. At 7 00, heres that white crown vic coming back through the entrance. And 17 minutes later, that black suv pulled out. He committed this crime. His acts alone, and his acts alone, condemn him to be found guilty of capital murder. Reporter the prosecutors said they had a lot of circumstantial evidence, including the crown vic and that matching bullet. But the defense was about to tell the jury what the prosecution didnt have. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Eric Williams did not commit these murders. Reporter defense lawyer Mathew Seymour laid into one of the states star witnesses. That ballistics expert. He reminded the jury investigators never found the murder weapon. You didnt actually have access to that firearm. Correct. Reporter he tried to poke holes in the prosecutions matching bullet theory. Someone of different experience could come along and say theyre not a match. Is that true . Yes, potentially that is true. If i could break the chain from the live round recovered from the storage unit and the mcclelland shooting scene, i might stand a chance. Reporter the defense didnt see the need to call any witnesses. Our position was the state had not fulfilled their obligation to prove the elements of the indictment. It was just that simple. Reporter there is no known murder weapon in this case. Theres no one who can place Eric Williams in that scene at the mcclelland home. No one. Reporter finally, this case that had rocked the Justice System was about to be decided by the jurors. They needed only 90 minutes to reach a verdict. We, the jury, unanimously find the defendant, eric lyle williams, guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment. Reporter guilty of capital murder in the death of Cynthia Mcclelland. You heard the word, guilty. Its a gift. It was a gift for us. Its probably a gift for everybody else. Because i dont believe that this wouldve stopped at the end of these killings. Reporter theres a sad postscript to this case that raises a painful question. Could williams have been stopped after the hasse murder and before the mcclellands . Did they have to die . In a haunting irony, Mike Mcclelland always thought williams was likely the killer. He certainly suspected it was Eric Williams after mark hasse was shot. And he made no secret of what his opinion was. And i had numerous conversations where he said, bill, its Eric Williams. Reporter williams was one of a handful of possible suspects, early on in the hasse case, but there was no evidence on him. And even with his conviction for theft, hed had a good reputation. Of course erics name came up in the discussions. But if you cant prove it, then its it doesnt matter. It doesnt matter what you think if you cant prove it. Reporter and now this former justice of the peace was a convicted murderer. How . Why . Was he living a double life . I think he was. Most people were fooled by his exterior. He looked so normal. He looked so average. He had the trappings of success, being a lawyer and a judge. But behind that mask was a homicidal psychopath. Just angry at the world . Yeah, i think he had a very dark, cold heart. Reporter but this case was far from over. Prosecutors had won, but they were saving their best witness for last. Investigators always suspected Eric Williams did not act alone and he didnt. Youre about to hear from his accomplice. Someone who will take you inside the mind of a murderer. A moment by moment account of a plot more chilling than anyone realized. Flonase is the 24 hour relief that outperforms the 1 nondrowsy allergy pill. 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 go ahead, inhale life excite your senses, seize the day and the night. Flonase. Six is greater than one. This changes everything. Youre making this up no, no, no she came on to you . I was walking down the street and from the other side, hey hey who is that . She just. She cat called you . No. He was just friends. He was friends with my pavlik. And thats a different story. Oh, you stole her from her boyfriend . And since then im suffering. They lived happily ever after for how many years . 15 . 130. No, contenders. Daves been working on his game, and starting each day with a delicious bowl of heart healthy kelloggs raisin bran. Hows your cereal . Sweet tastes like winning. How would you know what winning tastes like . Invest in your heart health, with kelloggs raisin bran. No crying today. Want hair thats two times stronger . Just use pantene. Because every time you use pantene conditioner together with pantene shampoo. The powerful prov formula works deeper, all the way to the core. Absorbing into every strand. To make hair two times stronger than shampooing alone. See the difference of adding pantene conditioner. For stronger, more beautiful hair. Pantene shampoo and conditioner. Strong is beautiful. Look at us. A nation of checkers. Missing this moment. To check all of the other moments. Really, mom . Just one look. Theyll never notice. Checkers, you can keep failing at trying to sneak a peek. Or, you can change the way you check your phone. Its 30 in the first. Howd you do that . Magic. The Samsung Galaxy s6 edge, with discreet edge notifications. Get 200 or more when you buy a galaxy s6 or s6 edge and trade in an eligible smartphone. We the jury found the defendant, eric lyle williams, guilty of capital murder reporter theyd won a guilty verdict against Eric Williams, but prosecutors didnt have time to celebrate. The jury would now decide whether he should get the Death Penalty. In a rare legal move, prosecutors had saved some blockbuster evidence and a star witness for just this moment. As investigators figured all along, williams hadnt acted alone. He had an accomplice. It was this woman. Kim williams swearing in. Reporter his wife kim. Theyd been married for fifteen years, but now she was about to testify against her husband. It was a cold day, and there was excitement in the air. Reporter witnesses to the hasse murder, you remember, said the shooter jumped into the passenger side of the getaway car. So Police Always suspected williams had help. Soon after he was arrested, kim williams was brought in for questioning. Investigators spent hours talking to her. Reporter prosecutor wirskeye was watching the interview. She was just not going to give up any information. She talked about her husband and what a great guy he was and how he wouldnt hurt anyone. Reporter then, an fbi interrogator, growing impatient, got tougher. He raised his voice with her and was telling her that she knew that those people had been killed. Reporter then she broke. And what she told them was startling. She said not only did she know something about the murders. She helped her husband carry them out. Now, during the penalty phase, prosecutors planned to use her testimony to make sure the jury would give him a death sentence. She led us to a lot of evidence, and i think it was important for the jury to see and have all their questions answered. He came up with the plan to dress like Law Enforcement. Reporter they were a husband and wife murder team, and they went through a dress rehearsal the night before the mcclelland murders. He was modeling it for me. Describe to the members of the jury what he was modeling for you the night before. He looked like he was in the army or swat. He had a bulletproof vest with sheriff on the front. More than likely, mrs. Mcclelland was going to answer the door and he was going to introduce himself as a policeman. Reporter and the next morning, she said, she acted as lookout in the crown vic as her husband went inside to murder the mcclellands. If someone came, was there a plan for who you were supposed to do to alert eric . Yes, he told me to honk the horn. Reporter but if these had been revenge killings of Mike Mcclelland and mark hasse, why did Cynthia Mcclelland have to die . Because she would be there as a witness, and he described it as collateral damage. And prosecutors wanted the jury to know how callous eric and kim williams were after killing two people in cold blood. We had steaks on the grill and eric cooked those. At your parents house . At my parents house. Were yall celebrating with steaks . Thats correct. Reporter the prosecutors couldnt tell jurors about the hasse case during the Cynthia Mcclelland trial. But now they were free to use marks murder to cement their argument for the Death Penalty. We had an airtight circumstantial evidence case on the hasse murder. Reporter kim williams said that on that morning outside the courthouse she drove the getaway car. As youre driving away from the scene of the hasse murder, what is his mood like . Happy. What is your mood like . Happy. I so believed in eric and and everything that he told me. His anger was my anger. Who was he mad at . He was mad at mark hasse. He was mad at mr. Mcclelland. He was angry because he thought they were trying to set him up. What did that tell you about this incredibly bizarre relationship that these were in cahoots with each other . I think it proved beyond any doubt that Eric Williams was a psychopath and this was a horribly toxic, screwed up marriage. I think it lets you know what type of darkness was going on inside that house, you know, inside their hearts. Reporter kim williams said she also helped her husband dispose of key evidence in the case. She recalled driving to this bridge one night and watching eric toss a black bag into the lake. Do you know what was in the bag . I knew that it was guns. Reporter it had taken 12 months of searching the lake before divers found the bag. Fbi agent laurie gibbs was there. Opened this up and theres two guns. This is it. Reporter inside the bag were two revolvers. Forensics would show one of those guns killed mark hasse. And one more thing. That bag those guns were in, it wasnt a bag at all. It was really a terrifying halloween mask. Kim williams said her husband wore it to conceal himself when he shot mark. And you can imagine the terror that was going through mark hasse when he recognized and heard the voice. Reporter she also told jurors that her husband had more mayhem in mind. Judge ashworth. Reporter he wanted to kill a judge in a special way with a special weapon. With a crossbow. Thats correct. Reporter kim williams said he also brewed up a concoction just for the judge. You may remember there was homemade napalm in pickle jars inside the storage unit. What was the napalm for . I guess to drive in a kind of extra eff you. It is going to bore a hole in his stomach. Its one thing to say, well, Eric Williams did this, fine. But that his wife was along for the ride . You just cant make this stuff up. You would think this was a hollywood movie, but these people are living every day together and talking about murdering people. My name is christina foreman. Reporter now, christina, in her victims impact statement, would finally get her chance to vent her feelings as she turned to her parents killer. Pretty much the only thing i i have to say is [ bleep ] you, Eric Williams. That was pretty much the only thing i could think of to say to him. Did it feel good . It did. It did feel good. And you know, a nice sock in the face probably wouldve felt a lot better. Reporter the defense countered by calling dozens of character witnesses. Very smart, young man. Reporter from williamss scout master to his high school friends, but the jurors werent swayed. It is ordered by this court to carry out the sentence of death. Reporter he was sentenced to die by lethal injection. Hes appealing his conviction. Given the Death Penalty decision, prosecutors decided not to try him for the murders of mark hasse or Mike Mcclelland. Williams pleaded not guilty to both. Mark hasses longtime friend, and federal trial attorney, marcus busch, believes williams will still be dangerous even on death row. Eric williams is a master manipulator. He is a very teammate human being and hes a very deadly proficient killer. I think hes gonna be a threat to the Prison Guards and i think hes gonna be a threat to anybody else in prison. Youre making him sound like Hannibal Lecter . This is a man who killed three people in cold blood simply because they prosecuted him for stealing computer monitors. Reporter kim williams pleaded guilty to the murder of cynthia and for her cooperation, the other charges were dizsposed of. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison avoiding the Death Penalty. Ill never forget mike and cynthia, or mark. Will you ever be over this . No. Im not over it. I never i know i never will be. I dont think any of us will be. Ever. Reporter but, as tragic as this all was, believe it or not, something good came out of it. During the long ordeal, christina and that cop from dallas, c. J. Tomlinson, fell in love. Their families had been great friends for a long time. Cynthia mcclelland had always tried to play matchmaker. At one point, cynthia pretty much told me that that was gonna happen and she was right. She got me. I can only imagine how happy your mom would be oh, god. If shes looking down, that you two are together. I an escaped prisoner on the lose in pennsylvania. They think he murdered a woman while on the man. The manhunt under way right now. A papal mass warning. What septa says you need to know to avoid becoming a victim. We begin tonight with a grave disgrace. The search is on for the vandal who toppled more than 100 tombstones as a Jewish Cemetery in philadelphia. George spencer reports some of the graves date back more than a century. Reporter the groundskeeper know