Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20171104

Each other. I asked him are you having an affair with sabrina . The perfect marriage may not have been that perfect . Yes, first one betrayal. Good morning my lover. Well, good morning. They talked about god, god is so good. Yes, god is so good. Then a deadly one. This starts to seem more like a hit whoever did this to rob needed to pay. Reporter what was really going on behind closed doors . That was the bombshell of all bombshells. No one could look away you just couldnt look away. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Josh Mankiewicz with secrets in silver lakes. Reporter trackless dry and desolate. The Mojave Desert fits almost no ones image of the california lifestyle. Unless, that is, you stumble upon this little oasis. Silver lakes, a community of 5,000, impossibly built in the desert on the water. The lakes are artificial, of course. The houses look solid enough, stucco and red tile, along with churches, a golf course, and parks for the kids. Wholesome, anywhere, main street usa. But what if thats a mirage, too . Turns out, behind some of these doors, there are secrets. About religion about friendship about sex and about murder. Reporter rob and Sabrina Limon were just one of those magical couples. You wanted to invite them to every barbeque you had, and you wanted to make it to every every barbeque, or or every time they were gonna go out on a lake. And and they attracted people around em like that. Reporter friends jason and Kelly Bernatene say the limons were irresistible. They had two beautiful kids, and a great family. And just always happy. Thats so sweet how did they get along with each other . Oh, gosh. They never fought. They they were like they called each other bear and pooter. And hugs, and kisses, and highfives all the time. Just happy, happy, happy. Reporter their happiness was all the sweeter because robs own parents had split up when he was a child. Divorce is hard on kids. And it was hard on on on my brother. Mom worked a lot of nights, you know, being a single mom. So i would take care of robert. Reporter after graduating high school, rob lived with chris here in prescott, arizona. Its where he met sabrina, just about everyone called her brina. He brought her to to our home. And introduced us. And he said, i think im gonna marry her. Reporter chris could tell this was serious. She loved my brother. And i could i could tell she did. Reporter rob adored both sabrina and her family says lydia marrero, another of robs sisters. They were very warm and welcoming. And they did things together. And thats what he wanted for himself and his family. Reporter rob and sabrina married in a Beautiful Church wedding on august 19, 2000. Rob thought about becoming a firefighter then landed a job as a mechanic for a railroad company. He loved his job just like everything he did. He put 110 into it. Hed always take pictures of himself at work, you know, see the trains in the background and robert with his thumb up and, you know, just enjoying life. Reporter sabrina and rob settled in small town helendale, california. In a Community Called silver lakes, some people call it the happiest place in the high desert. Their house was on strawberry lane. They had two beautiful children robbie and leanna. Almost 3 years apart. Kelly bernatene is a hairdresser in town, thats how she and sabrina met. She made an appointment, came in, was super nice. Friendly, like, overthetop friendly. I did her hair. She told me about her family. She talked to me the whole time, nonstop. She was hard to resist. Yeah. She was. Reporter kellys husband, jason, is a firefighter. Soon the limons invited them over for dinner. You you remember that first dinner . Yeah, i remember the first time i met rob. Hes actually kind of a scary dude. Hes hes really big. Hes got tattoos all over his arm. And hes got his last name tattooed on the back of his head. So, his his appearance was not like his his personality. It only took a minute to realize he was the nicest guy in the world. Reporter jason and rob became fast friends. So did kelly and sabrina. We used to joke that sunshine was coming out of their their butts, they were such happy people. And you just wanted to be around em. Reporter the four became inseparable. They would often get together with a handful of other young couples. They all called themselves the wolfpack. its a big group when we all get together. And our our little our little pups runnin around too. Reporter the wolfpack spent just about every holiday and birthday together. But one couple was always the center of gravity sabrina and rob limon. I would look at rob, and i and i would watch him, you know, with sabrina. And id like, thats the guy that that i need to be like. Like, you know, and all the wives would look at r rob, and and it was hard to compare to him. Yeah, everybodyd be like, why cant you be more like rob . Yeah. Be more like rob. That thats what everybody said. And and, as a guy, youre just like, i i can never be like that. Reporter on august 11, 2014 rob turned 38. He celebrated his birthday with his family and his wolfpack friends. And then just a week later everything went off the rails. Rob was working the day shift at an isolated Railroad Office in tehachapi, about 90 miles from helendale. Sabrina worked part time serving food samples at costco, and the couple often talked or texted during the day. This day was no exception. Call me bear. Im home now. Getting the kids dinner and ready for school. Yay reporter but rob didnt respond. And he didnt call on the way home, as he almost always did. Sabrina texted him again. Babe im worried about you. Call me. Leanna wants to say good night. Reporter that was a little after 8 00 p. M. Rob limon never did call. Instead, this call came in. Tell me exactly what happened. I opened the garage door, and theres a light bulb busted out. Uhhuh. Hes on the ground, bleeding out of his head. Okay. Oh my god. Reporter what had happened . When we return. I looked at her sister and i said, is this is it true . An apparent burglary and a mystery. We didnt know what was going on and it didnt make a lotta sense. Abetes causes diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain, from moderate to even severe diabetic nerve pain. 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. 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But they honly see his wrinkles. Hes gotta play it cool to seal the deal. Better find a way to smooth things over. If only harry used some. Bounce, to dry. Yeah he would be a less wrinkly, and winning at life. Reporter it didnt take long for bad news to spread in silver lakes. Kelly bernatene got the call in the middle of the night and immediately drove to sabrinas home. She comes to the door, but she was wearing a railroad jacket. And little leanna was wearing a railroad jacket and holding a picture of her dad. And then she said something like, oh, my kelly. And she just, like, reached her arms out and fell on me and cried. And then i looked at her sister and i said, is this is it true . And she said, yeah. And then i just cried. Reporter it was true. Big rob limon, the nicest guy in the world, had been shot to death at work. But i still didnt believe that. Because rob was so strong, and i couldnt believe it. Reporter sabrinas older sister, Julie Cordova, says they were both stunned. She was crying and just pacing and trying to be strong for the kids all at the same time. So i laid with brina that night, and rubbed her head. There was hardly any information at that point. We didnt know what happened. Nightmare. We didnt know what was going on. And it didnt make a lotta sense. Reporter making sense out of robs murder was the job of Kern County Sheriffs detective Randall Meyer. He got the call and headed for the Industrial Complex in tehachapi where rob was working on the last day of his life. A lotta crime in tehachapi . Not typically. Reporter a coworker called 911 after finding robs body and seeing the blood inside the shop. Did you see any breathing . No. I dont see nothing. I think hes dead. It appeared that hed been shot twice. Reporter once to the upper right chest. And again to the left lower chin. Which meant, rob had been facing his killer when he died. Detective meyer inspected the crime scene. One of the computers from the desk was missing. And several drawers were open. And there were files that were strewn about the office. Reporter it looked like a burglary. An odd place for one because it was a railroad warehouse. No cash normally kept here. There were tools and train parts, but not much a thief could easily fence. And whats more burglars usually dont kill people. Only in tv do shootouts happen as the result of somebody interrupting a burglary. Usually the burglar runs out of there as quickly as possible. Yeah, thats correct. Reporter there was Something Else that didnt fit the burglary theory. We did not locate any shell casings on the ground. Meaning he was either shot with a revolver or someone was careful enough to pick up the shell casings afterwards which would suggest what . If thats the case. It would suggest that they had planned and prepared to commit the murder. Reporter robs killer did leave behind a critical piece of evidence, a bullet lodged in robs head. That went to the crime lab, while meyer rethought the case. After looking at the scene, we thought somebody was upset with rob, and was looking for him. Reporter soon there was reason to doubt that theory too, after the detective spoke with robs coworkers. They told me that rob limon was a very kind loving person, a good friend. He was somebody who would help anybody out if they needed help at any point in time. Good guy. Good guy. And everybody said that he never had a problem with anyone at work. Reporter which raised yet another possibility, maybe rob was not the intended target. A check of the schedule revealed rob was covering someone elses shift that day, a coworker named corey hamilton. So if anybody outside that office was looking for corey hamilton, they might have shown up and seen rob limon instead. Yes. Definitely. Reporter meyer interviewed cory, who told him that a couple of nights before rob was killed, cory went to a bar with some friends and got into an argument there. How many times you see an argument at a bar end up with somebody being charged with murder . Just a couple. Not very common. But ive seen a few. Reporter and after questioning the patrons at the bar, meyer decided it was unlikely that the argument led to murder. So far the investigation was not moving quickly. In fact, it was barely moving at all. The Railway Company put out a 100,000 reward for more information. And detective meyers phone started blowing up with tips, each of which had to be checked out. Meanwhile, friends were trying to make sense of it all. Was it possible that he could have gotten into something involved with somebody that he shouldnt have been involved with . You worry that you never really know anyone. So that was definitely a worry of ours, it crossed our minds. Reporter of course, they didnt want to believe that about their friend rob. They just wanted answers. Weve actually asked the homicide detective multiple times like, have you found anything . Another girlfriend, and they havent found anything. He was who he seemed . He worked hard. He was in tehachapi that day working for his family. Reporter in those first few days meyer questioned Sabrina Limon about the couples marriage. She said what everyone else seemed to know, rob was a good husband and a terrific dad. He was as wellliked in his personal life as he was at work. And their marriage was great. She said that everybody loved rob. Reporter and that seemed to be whole, puzzling story. But then there was this. A Security Camera captured someone entering the complex, limping across, carrying a bag. And then later, look closely at the upper edge of the screen. That same person exiting the scene. Who was this man . And did he kill rob limon . Reporter coming up. A suspect on foot. Caught again on wheels . When you look at the motorcycle and the rider, are you thinking, theres our killer . It was something we needed to definitely look into. Reporter when dateline continues. He. Soundly all night wishing you love, sleep and play pampers never ending pasta bowl is starting at 9. 99. Den. Come in for over 100 combinations of pastas, sauces and toppings. With everyones favorite, chicken alfredo. Plus unlimited salad and breadsticks. Only for a limited time, at olive garden. Another antiwrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. Neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works in just one week. With the fastest retinol formula to visibly reduce wrinkles. Neutrogena®. vera wang we got inspired. We jumped in. We got close. We waited. We tied the knot. We drifted. We walked in others shoes. We laughed. We created something new. We keep going, together. 10 years and counting. Vera wang and kohls. Christie this is new jersey is facing an epidemic fueled by addictive opioid painkillers. Codeine. Oxycodone. Fentanyl. Morphine. These are just some of the medications prescribed for pain relief. These pills can be highly addictive, and the addiction doesnt end when the prescription runs out. Many times, people turn to a deadlier option heroin. Addiction is a disease, but help is within reach. Call 844 reach nj or visit reachnj. Gov. Reporter august 19th 2014. Rob and Sabrina Limon should have been celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary. Instead, sabrina was preparing for her husbands memorial service. Robs coworkers, friends and family packed the church. His son stood up and spoke wearing my brothers hat. And just sobbing and sobbing of how much he loved his dad. And he missed his dad. Reporter sabrinas best friend, kelly, spoke on her behalf. I also read a letter that sabrina had written him, like, in 2009 that i found in a scrapbook. I wanted to read it to all of you. I figured if she if she didnt have the strength to talk, that i would try to speak for her in some way. So i read that. You have worked so very hard, above and beyond what most men do. Reporter sabrina sat in the front row next to her two children. All the friends rallied around sabrina and the kids and did everything they could to support her. You know, people donated money, people, you know, made sure there was food there every day. Everyone wanted to make sure she was taken care of. Reporter meanwhile, Kern County Sheriffs detectives were busy tracking down leads. The biggest so far, security video showing a man limping into the complex, and then later leaving the crime scene. Finding him wouldnt be easy. And then someone called the tip line. They knew of a subject who was younger, who walked with a limp. And they provided the the subjects name. Reporter his name was joshua wehust. He lived near the complex and would often walk thru it to get to and from his home. That was interesting to detectives. So were the shoe prints found in the vicinity of the crime scene. This guy have a criminal record . A small criminal record mostly public intoxication type cases and that type of stuff. Reporter and mr. Wehust owned several guns. So you bring him in. We did. We had our Surveillance Team pick him up and bring him into the tehachapi substation so i could speak to him. Reporter they checked his shoes and those matched the shoe prints at the scene. So, the prime suspect no. He had a solid alibi. He said he was with his parents. And we were able to speak to the parents. And said that he was with them at the residence at the time the murder was occurred. Reporter so joshua wehust was cleared. And then came another tip. Detectives received a call from a local gunsmith. Hed said that he received a firearm revolver from a gentleman who was having issues with the firearm. And asked the gunsmith to change out the firing pin. Reporter im no gun expert. But how often do people change out the firing pins in their guns . Not very often. Reporter police can sometimes use the mark a firing pin makes on a shell casing to later match that casing to a particular gun. So changing a firing pin could very well be an attempt to throw them off track. It was very suspicious. And the subject also owned a business within that same complex. So i immediately went up to tehachapi, seized the firearm, and sent it to our local lab here in kern county. Reporter a firearms analyst compared bullets from that gun to one of the bullets recovered at the scene. And the results were negative. It was not the gun that was used to kill rob limon. Reporter disappointing . It was disappointing at first. Back to the grind reporter detectives exhausted lead after lead. Nothing was panning out. They did find more Security Cameras at a business down the street. The cameras captured vehicles coming and going from the Industrial Complex on goodrick drive. Including this work truck which detectives believed had to be rob returning from a call. They made freeze frames of the vehicles. We spoke to all the business owners. I went door to door showing them a packet that i had created of all the the vehicles that had traveled east and west. Reporter and everybody identifies either their car or somebody elses car. And they all should have been in the area at the time. Yes. Yep. Reporter except a motorcycle. Except a motorcycle. Reporter there it was. The one vehicle no one was able to identify. The one that seemed to have no business being there when you look at the motorcycle and the rider, are you thinking, theres our killer . It could have been somebody who was driving down the street. It was a sunday afternoon. They were out for a motorcycle ride. But it was sumthin we needed to definitely look into to try and let eliminate. Reporter trouble was they couldnt eliminate the motorcycle rider. Couldnt find him, either. So youre kinda nowhere at that point. Yes. Were looking for anything to lead us in the right direction. Reporter and then you get a phone call. Yes. Reporter coming up, strange vibes from one half of the perfect couple. She was like, oh. Like, a fake surprised look. I was like, oh. That was weird. Reporter had someone been keeping secrets . Rob says, i know, buddy. I know. I found out the other day. Source of inflammation that 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 . Be smart and get the new iphone from sprint hey jimmy, wheres your iphone season spirit . Youll get the best price for unlimited and Network Reliability within 1 of the other guys. Im going to sprint vo get the new iphone 8 or ten and save 350, plus upgrade to the latest iphone anytime for people with hearing loss, with iphone forever. Visit sprintrelay. Com. Reporter rob and Sabrina Limon were living a picture perfect life, or were they . I feel numb. And you know what . I feel like god has crushed me, and he has gotten my attention. Reporter almost two weeks after rob was shot to death, his best friend jason received a voicemail message. I am begging you on my knees right now, that i could, perhaps meet with you and your wife and say sorry for, um, the hurt that i caused you and its jonathan apologizing not only to me, but to my wife and he wants to be right with god. Reporter wait. Back up a second. Whos this guy jonathan . I used to work with with jonathan, in the fire department. And he was an apprentice. And he was a paramedic. He was a very good paramedic. And a really smart individual. Reporter and handsome and young. Jonathan hearn was only 24. This is his oldest sister nicole. My brother was the gentlest and the kindest person that i had ever met. Reporter one of six siblings, all raised in hesperia, california, another desert town 25 miles south of silver lakes. Jonathan grew up in a christian household where the emphasis was on helping those in need. Our faith was always not really a supplement to our life, but it was the foundation of our life. Reporter jonathan was homeschooled and later went off to the fire academy. When jason met him he was in training, but soon after jonathan became a fullfledged firefighter. One of his responsibilities was to buy food and supplies for the fire station. Which made him a frequent customer at costco. The same costco where Sabrina Limon worked, passing out free samples. Sabrina told us, like, hey, i met one of the guys you used to work with. And im like, oh, thats gotta be Jonathan Hearn. Smartest guy. One of the smartest guys ive ever met. Reporter that was 2012. Early the following year jason and kelly ran into jonathan at a wolfpack party. And i was like, oh, you know sabrina. So, i called at her from across the bar, and i said, hey, brina. Jonathans here. And now, sabrinas normally like a oh, hi like, very animated kinda person. And this time she was like, oh. Like, a fake surprised look. And and you noticed that. And i noticed it. And i was like, oh. That was weird. Reporter just about then, rob came by. And i said, hey, rob. Do you know jonathan . Sabrinas told me about him at work. She knows him from costco. And he looked at me, like, confused. And he goes, yeah. Yeah, kel. But, like, he really didnt. Reporter something was up, but kelly couldnt figure out what it was. I had no idea. But something wasnt right. Something was not right. Reporter nevertheless, the wolfpack partied on. Jonathan hung out with us, and started mingling with friends. Talking to em. Reporter then in the days following the party. I started getting Text Messages from jonathan. You know, you guys are so cool. I would love to come hang out with you guys, and i was, like, oh, okay, yeah, sure. Some someday we can do that, jonathan, cool. But then the Text Messages started coming every couple days. And then to the point where they were coming every day. Hes like doin everything he can to become part of your circle of friends. Yes. And it was to the point where it was obsessive. Reporter one day, rob was helping the bernatenes remodel their home. Jonathan kept texting jason, which by now seemed almost routine. Until jonathan sent a text that did not seem routine. Jason, i really need to talk to your your buddy rob. I need his phone number. I went outside. And i called jonathan. And i asked him, like, jonathan, whats up man . Why why do you wanna talk to rob . Now its your radar thats goin off. Yeah. My radar finally goes off. And he says jason i im sorry, but ive been livin my life wrong. Reporter jonathan spilled it. He wasnt just a wouldbe wolfpacker. This deeply religious man had something to confess. So, i go inside the house, and i tell rob i dont know how to tell you this, rob. But i got Jonathan Hearn on on my phone. Apparently hes been having an affair with sabrina. Reporter an enormous surprise to jason. But not, it seemed, to rob who had already figured out that his 33year old wife was having an affair with a 24year old firefighter. And rob says, i know, buddy. I know. I found out the other day. Reporter rob told jason hed discovered texts jonathan had sent sabrina. And became so angry he broke sabrinas phone. Then rob agreed to talk with jonathan and walked outside. When he came back in, i i said, whats up, rob . Do we do we need to go handle this . And he said, no. No. I got it, buddy. This is were good. Were good. He said that, you know, were sabrinas really embarrassed. You know, please dont tell anybody. Reporter jason and kelly promised to tell no one, not even their wolfpack friends. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. Particularly in front of your friends, who sort of look up to you, as the perfect couple. Exactly. We didnt wanna, like, damage their reputation, or anything. I mean, we loved them. Reporter jonathans Text Messages stopped. Life went back to normal until about a year later, kelly made a quick stop at the costco and spotted jonathan talking with sabrina. I was upset. I think she could tell i was upset. Reporter kelly told jason. I was reporter jason called jonathan. And i said, jonathan, what the heck are you doin in costco talkin to sabrina . And he starts sayin you know jason im sorry, its not like that. Sabrina and i are just friends now. We have a spiritual relationship. And i told him, well, jonathan, youve had an affair with this woman. Youve caused damage to this family. In the end i tell him, never go into her costco again. And im yelling at him, emphatically. And he agrees. He says, okay. I wont. Reporter a few months later, rob limon was shot and killed. By someone who was standing right in front of him. Twelve days after that jonathan left his cryptic voicemail. God needs me to have a clear. And i wanna i wanna fix this with you reporter fix what . What exactly was going on . Reporter a surprise visitor at sabrinas door. Kelly says, well, youll never guess who just came and visited sabrina last night. And, more secrets behind bedroom doors. Sabrina and rob had invited another married couple into their group for an open relationship when dateline continues. 60 million meals thats so much food. Petsmart for the love of pets. Give jkohls Super Saturday shop early to save big and take an extra 20 off mens vests just 14. 39 juniors boots 27. 99 mini kitchen electrics only 10. 39 and when you give joy you get joy with kohls cash kohls freshly prepared chicken. s full attention like my the delicious kfc 20 fill up. With eight pieces of extra Crispy Chicken and sides, well surely get your kids off their phones. And they may even look at you. Their loving parent. Kfc, its Finger Lickin good. Do your research. Nd. Find the best fit. Why not do the same for your Prescription Drug plan . At silverscript, were experts in Medicare Part d. And 5 million people, just like you, trust us every day. With no deductible and lower monthly premiums, we could help you save money and get better coverage on thousands of prescriptions. So take a closer look at silverscript. We think youll like what you see. Weve paid a big price for Chris Christie and kim guadagno. They gave out billions in Corporate Tax breaks. Millions to whitewash the bridgegate scandal. Millions more wasted on empty office space. We got stuck with the bill. Property taxes up. Train and bus fares up. College tuition up. Womens healthcare funding eliminated with christie and guadagno were paying more and falling behind. Four more years of kim guadagno is unaffordable. Reporter the sudden loss of a spouse, a life partner is devastating. And it always brings up a question, when is it okay to move on and try to find happiness again . After rob limon was murdered his wife sabrina faced that question. And to her best friends kelly and Jason Bernatene, it seemed that someone was all too willing to help her answer it. Well, youll never guess who just came and visited sabrina last night. And i said, please no. She says, yes, it was jonathan. This is two weeks to the day after robs murder. Reporter Jonathan Hearn brought sabrina flowers. And were not talking, like, a little thing of flowers. I mean, were talking, like, a huge bouquet of flowers that just happened to be the flowers that were in her wedding bouquet. Reporter jonathan also wrote a letter to sabrina. Sabrina read it to kelly. And it talked about what a wonderful man rob was and how he wants to be the kind of person that he was and all these things. And shes reading the letter like, can you believe this jerk . Or shes reading you the letter like, isnt this sweet . Isnt this sweet . Listen to this. Listen to how sweet jonathan is. So im trying not to throw up. Im trying not to scream. Im just, like, freaking out. Reporter jonathan had already admitted hed had an affair with sabrina a year earlier, but said theyd broken it off, their relationship now, purely spiritual. The bernatenes thought it was tasteless at best for him to be hanging around sabrina just days after rob was murdered. I said, how did that make you feel, the letter . And she said . And she said, well, i dont feel like he has any bad intentions. Reporter the bernatenes thought otherwise. Jonathans obsessive interest in the wolfpack, his affair with sabrina, his weird voicemail. I started thinking who would want rob dead . Who wanted rob out of the picture . And the only person that popped into my mind was Jonathan Hearn. Reporter jason called the sheriffs department. I tell the cops my story, i let em listen to the voicemail. Theyre concerned, but at the end of everything, theyre like, well, you know, it sounds like they had an affair. Thats f pretty far from murder. Maybe this guy is just trying to move in on on your your dead friends wife. Definitely doesnt mean he killed your your best friend. And this might be a guy you have to learn to live with. Reporter and so jason wondered if maybe hed misjudged the whole situation. After all, jonathan was intelligent and had his whole life ahead of him. Why would he murder for sabrina . Why would he why would he throw away his life . Why would he risk that for a married woman with two kids . Hes young, he has a good career as a firefighter paramedic. And hes no murderer . And hes not a murderer. Ive known him for a long time. He he did some bad stuff, but an affair is very far from murder. Reporter and in this case even farther than usual. Because detective meyer had learned Something Else about rob and sabrina. A few years prior sabrina and rob had invited another married couple into their group for an open relationship between the four of them. And that that was something of a way of life with those folks . Im not sure if exactly a way of life, but you could say they had met before. And swapped partners for the evening. Reporter so if rob and sabrina already had an open relationship, maybe sabrinas affair with jonathan was no big deal. Maybe jason and kelly just needed to get over it. I mean, look, okay, the guys presumptuous, okay, hes a snake. Okay, he wants you to sort of absolve him of this burden of guilt for having had the affair. But none of this makes him a killer, just makes him a kind of a creep. A guy youd rather stay away from. Absolutely. Reporter still, jason felt he had to talk with sabrina about the situation. I explained to her in detail all the reasons i didnt like jonathan and the conversations id had with him and how he was texting me so much, trying to manipulate me to bring him closer to her. And at the end of my speech, she says, well, jason, you know, i get that guy. You dont have to worry about him. 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Reporter ever since Sabrina Limon got the news of robs death her big sister Julie Cordova hardly left her side. Brina stayed in her room a lot. She just was in sabrina was trying to cope with the loss of her husband, and having to raise their two kids on her own. Shes like, i dont i dont know what im going to do. She was just in a fog. She couldnt make decisions, think, or anything. Reporter that worried julie, but even more worrisome, she says was a certain someone who was coming around sabrina and the kids way too soon. Jonathan hearn. He would just show up random, you know, at times, and he wouldnt leave. Julie, unaware of the affair would see him at sabrinas house, praying constantly, but she says what really caught her attention was this he was cooking in the kitchen, and thats what rob did. It was like he was moving in, and was feeling right at home. Was i uncomfortable with it . Yes, cause that was roberts place, you know . And now this guys taking his place. Uhhuh. Yes, and brina didnt, she didnt like it either. Reporter who was this guy . And what was his reason for coming into sabrinas life . Sheriffs detective meyer wondered the same thing. Jason bernatene thought the detective had discounted his suspicions about Jonathan Hearn, but meyer had not. In fact, he wanted to learn much more about this young firefighter from hesperia, california. No criminal record that we were able to locate. Reporter but this was interesting, the bullet recovered from rob limons head was tested and the results from the lab was somewhere like a. 44 caliber to a. 45 caliber bullet that killed rob limon. Big bullet, big gun . Yes. Jonathan hearn have a gun like that registered to him . Yes, he did. Reporter and they found Something Else registered in his name, a yamaha motorcycle. We went to the yamaha website, checked out some other motorcycles, similar in the same year, and was able to look at those motorcycles compared to the video that we captured from goodrick road, and they were very similar. Reporter and cops pulled video from this gas station at an intersection in the middle of nowhere. What made you look at video from that gas station . That would be the the easiest path of travel from tehachapi to hesperia, california. Where Jonathan Hearn lived. Yes. Reporter the video showed a motorcyclist pulling up to the gas pump and then walking inside the store. This was on the same day rob was killed, the time stamp was about an hour after a similar motorcycle was picked up on security footage near the crime scene. Appeared to be the same motorcycle with a clothing change, same stature, knees very high on the gas tank, wearing a backpack, which the subject was wearing a backpack on goodrick road. So at that point in time, we believe same motorcycle, same subject, but with a clothing change. So this person stopped somewhere to change clothes. Yes. Reporter once inside, still wearing a helmet, the biker grabbed a drink then appeared to notice the Security Cameras and looked down. Detectives by now thought that man had to be Jonathan Hearn. Im sort of hearing the word search warrant here. Yes. We started looking into phone records. When they did they found thousands of calls and texts between Jonathan Hearn and Sabrina Limon. No surprise, since detectives already knew the two had had an affair. Can you tell what the Text Messages were, or you just know that there were Text Messages between them . Not at the time. They were having some text conversations back and forth, but the content we did not know. Reporter the communications seemed to stop four months before robs death, but this was interesting jonathans phone didnt ping anywhere near robs shop the day of the murder, and registered zero activity at the time of the murder, but in the days before and after, there were thousands of texts, and calls to and from a number that detectives did not recognize. When you run that number, who does it come back to . It came back to no subscriber information found. Meaning its a pay as you go phone, a burner . Possibly, yes. Reporter detectives decided to keep a close eye on jonathan, and when they tailed him, they watched jonathan throw something away. He had driven to a target and dropped some motorcycle pipes off into the dumpster. Reporter meyer thought perhaps jonathan had changed out his exhaust pipes to make his bike look and sound different. It sounds like youre becoming more and more certain that not only did Jonathan Hearn kill rob limon, but that he used that motorcycle to get to him from the murder . Yes. And now hes trying to cover his tracks . Yes, cover those tracks. Reporter kelly and jason never did tell sabrina that they talked with detective meyer and meyer asked them to please not say anything to anyone. It was extremely hard. It was it was hell, it was absolute hell. Reporter detective meyer was looking hard at Jonathan Hearn. There was that unfamiliar number that showed up in jonathans phone records. Meyer requested the location of that phone, and he got it, and thats when the secrets of silver lakes really started to emerge. Coming up the lovers caught on tape good morning my lover. Well, good morning. Reporter and feeling guilty about, something. I have been a bad girl, i feel like the most horrible person in the world. I do too. Reporter when dateline continues. All projects have a starting point. Start with lowes. Hurry into lowes and get 15 off all disney magic holiday items. Eve i drop what i do me you are my best friend and weve got some things to do do you wanna, do you wanna, do you wanna do you wanna, do you wanna, do you wanna yeaheaeaeah no one id rather have dinner and a movie with. No one id rather lean on. Being in love is an amazing thing. Being in love with your best friend. Is everything. Ever us one diamond for your best friend. One for your true love. For the one woman in your life whos both. Ever us. Available at kay, jared and zales. Reporter continuing our story, rob limon, one half of a socalled perfect couple has been murdered. Do you see any breathing . No, i dont see nothing. I think hes dead. Detectives were stumped until they learned that robs wife sabrina had been having an affair with a much younger man, Jonathan Hearn. The perfect marriage may not have been that perfect . Yes he was the only person that id ever met that would rather rob not be there. Reporter but suspicion is one thing. What detectives need now is proof. I was able to get a wiretap authorized. And so we were able to listen to their conversations. And instead of catching one fish, it looks like they may net two. I have been a bad girl. I feel like the most horrible person in the world. Was sabrina in on her husbands murder . Id bet my life shes not involved. Absolutely not, no way. Reporter here again is Josh Mankiewicz. Reporter weeks had passed since rob limons life was violently cut short. Detective Randall Meyer and his team were zeroing in on Jonathan Hearn as a possible suspect. And now, in jonathans phone records, they found a lot of calls and texts to and from a burner phone. The kind of phone that somebody would use if they were either committing a crime or having an extramarital affair . Tryin to definitely avoid Law Enforcement detection. Well, or or husband detection . Yes, yes. I was able to get a wiretap authorized. And so we we were able to go up on the phones and listen to their conversations. Reporter when they finally listened, their suspicions were confirmed. Hello . Reporter jonathan was on one end of the call. And on the other, Sabrina Limon. Hey. Hey. Were you resting . No, its ok. Reporter it was immediately obvious the two were lovers i love you so much, my girl. I love you. I love you so much. I love you, too how many hours of conversations do you think you listened to between Sabrina Limon and Jonathan Hearn . Hundreds. Reporter jonathan often spoke with sabrina from the fire station. What are they talkin about for most of that time . They talked about their future together. They talked about god a lot. About gods plan for them. Reporter they also talked about detective meyer. I just got a text message from detective meyer, and he wants me to call him. So im going to. Ok. And, um ill ill pray. Ok. Ok. I just wanted you to keep praying. You can pray, and ill call him right now god, please help us. God, please help, uh, us to be wise. Help sabrina to have the right words. Reporter a couple of minutes later sabrina called meyer. She asked about the investigation of her husbands murder. So, theres no theres no information at at all . Honestly, i dont have anything. And i wish i did. But i think were kinda getting into a dead end. Reporter which, was not true. Minutes later, sabrina called jonathan. Everythings fine. Did he ask you any questions . No. No questions at all. Reporter meyer was tickling the wire, its an expression police use, giving wiretapped suspects something to talk about while the cops are listening. Meyer often found himself in the mood to tickle. Like when he told sabrina police had found dna at the crime scene its the best news weve gotten so far. Really . Oh, gosh. Thats great. That was not true. That was a ruse we were using. And what happens as a result of that . Another immediate phone call to jonathan to talk about the possible dna. Reporter sabrina and jonathan did not exactly rejoice over this apparent break in the case. Instead, it sounded as if they suspected meyer was playing them. Jonathan even knew the right terminology. Officers are allowed to use ruse. Meaning theyre allowed to if if you wanna get information, youre allowed to lie to get information. Oh, no. No, i mean, i yeah. Thats kinda thats kinda what i feel like. It didnt appear that that would be a normal conversation you would have in hopes that the suspect would be caught. Reporter the calls continued. Good morning my lover. Well, good morning. Reporter they talked about the bible. Theres a lot of good stuff in there. God is so good. Yes, god is so good. Reporter including the Old Testament story of david and bathsheba. David is a lot like you and i, sabrina. Yes. Reporter its the story of king david and the affair he had with bathsheba, who was married to another man. After bathsheba became pregnant, david tried to cover up the affair, but failed. Then he even went on to kill the guy. Like, sent him into battle, and pretty much had him killed off. Reporter in the bible, david and bathsheba eventually married. David suffered the consequences of his sin, but repented and god forgave him. He was someone who committed adultery, who had an affair and so he went way out of his way to cover his sin. Reporter sin was a recurring theme for jonathan and sabrina. I have been a bad girl. I feel like i feel like the most horrible person in the world. I do, too. I i do, too. I feel like i see all of my sins, and who ive been. I see it all laid out in front of me. Reporter exactly what sins were they talking about . By now, detectives had shared with kelly and jason some details of the investigation. So they knew Jonathan Hearn was the prime suspect and detectives suspected sabrina as well. It was something jason couldnt imagine when he first spoke with police. And i told em, id bet my life shes not involved. Absolutely not, no way, no way. If jonathan did this, he did it on his own. You know sabrina better than he does. Would you have bet your life that she wasnt involved . Probably not my life. I did not want her to be involved at all. I prayed she wasnt. But would i bet my life on it . No. Reporter meanwhile, detective meyer continued to tickle the wire. And while listening to the lovers talk in real time, he texted sabrina a photo. And she read the text to jonathan. Sabrina we think this is our guy. Do you recognize this person on the motorcycle . Reporter jonathan heard that and prayed. Help me to be strong. Help me to live freely. Please god. Oh baby. I i hate this. I i dont like it either. You were playing sabrina and jonathan like a couple of violins. Yes, thats what we were doing. Im surprised you didnt have sheet music. Reporter jonathan seemed to realize police were closing in yet was trying to convince himself they were not. All they have is a dead husband, and a guy having an affair. Reporter sabrina seemed to suspect her phone was being tapped. Theres a clicking on the phone. Do you hear it . Reporter when the lovers said goodbye that night it sounded as if they thought it might be for the last time. I love you sabrina. I love you too jonathan so much. Ill try to ill try to get in touch with you, obviously, if i get contacted first. I love you, too, baby. I love you so much. Never forget that, ok . Reporter two days after that phone call, three months after rob limons murder, sabrina and jonathan were placed under arrest. Reporter detective meyer called jason and kelly. We got em. Everything looks good. The evidence looks good. And you think, well, this is finally over . Thats what we thought. Well, you couldnt have been more wrong. Nope. Reporter coming up, Sabrina Limon in the hotseat. Did you plan to kill rob . No. Oh, my god, no. But not for long. Detective meyer called me and said that hes got some really bad news. Because the things you love the most can stink. And try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up to 30 days. Breathe happy with febreze. [h avy sigh] real meal for five bucks. Real meal for five bucks. Real meal for five bucks. Real meal for five bucks. Real meal for five bucks. [deep breath] Finger Lickin, Finger Lickin, Finger Lickin. Gooooood give jkohls Super Saturday shop early to save big and take an extra 20 off mens vests just 14. 39 juniors boots 27. 99 mini kitchen electrics only 10. 39 and when you give joy you get joy with kohls cash kohls reporter in late november 2014, Jonathan Hearn pleaded not guilty to the murder of his married lover Sabrina Limons husband, rob. Sabrina had been arrested too. By now, her friends jason and kelly were convinced she belonged behind bars. It was by sabrinas own actions. She let him in into her life, into her house. Reporter and then, on the day sabrina was scheduled to be arraigned. Detective meyer called me. And said that hes got some really bad news, that theyre gonna release sabrina. Reporter the d. A. Decided there was not enough evidence to charge her. Good case against jonathan, not as good a case against sabrina . Yes. Reporter how did that feel . Like, thats literally, like, defeat from the jaws of victory. I mean, you think you got it. And then shes turned loose. That was a tough feeling, obviously. Reporter there was circumstantial evidence against jonathan, like the security video showing a motorcycle that looked like his. But the best evidence against sabrina came from the wiretap. And in all those hours of conversation, she never once said that she conspired with jonathan or even thought he might be the killer. And in hours of intense questioning by detectives, sabrina never budged. Did you know that he had planned to murder your husband . No. No. You didnt know that . No. I did not know that he planned on murdering robert. cause he did i i cant. I its like i want it to just be a lie. You know . Like theres no way. Did you plan to kill rob . No. Oh, my god, no. When did jonathan tell you he did it . He never told. He never came out and said yes, he did. You guys are doing nothing but hiding this thing the whole time. Yes, he did. No. Well, what are you trying to hide . I know i ok. I know it it doesnt look good. No, theres a difference between doesnt look good and absolutely is not good. This is absolutely not good. I understand that. Reporter kelly and jason were devastated when the d. A. Turned sabrina loose. We first spoke with them three months after her release. Do you think right now what . Shes gettin away with murder . Yes. Shes gettin away with murder right now. Reporter the next time we sat down with the bernatenes, they told us their tight circle of friends had all turned on sabrina. After she was released, what was the effect on the wolf pack . Whatd the other wolves think . You know, nothing. Nothings been the same. Reporter were there people in the in the pack who supported sabrina who thought that she wasnt guilty of anything . No. Reporter so really, there was, like, sorta unanimity among your friends. Yeah. Reporter sabrina told her sister julie that the wolf pack was mistaken and so were detectives about her and about jonathan, too. She thought Jonathan Hearn couldnt be involved. Mmhmm. She just couldnt believe it. Could not believe it reporter her pack gone, julie says life grew miserable for her sister. The people out in silver lakes were so cruel. And brina and the kids couldnt go anywhere. She had to home school them. Reporter because the other kids were talkin about it. Yes, the other kids would say things. The parents were brutal. Reporter and she was, what . Sort of a pariah in that community yes, she was. Reporter sabrina took her children and relocated more than 100 miles away. At the same time, Jonathan Hearn was preparing to face trial on charges hed murdered sabrinas husband, rob. Months went by. And then years kelly and jason never wavered from their belief that Sabrina Limon had been involved in her husbands murder. I always had hoped that they would that they would get her somehow. I didnt know how or when. But, like, i definitely had that hope. Jonathan still hadnt been tried. He was still awaiting trial. We always knew that there was a chance that he might decide to tell the truth, and hoped for that day. And it finally came. Reporter more than two years after robs murder and just weeks before his own trial was about to start, Jonathan Hearn who referred to himself as david from the biblical story, told investigators he was ready to talk about sabrina. His modern day bathsheba coming up from that moment, we knew that this was real. Reporter jonathans story eagerly awaited by almost everyone except sabrina. It must have felt like vindication for the two of you. Definitely. Reporter when dateline continues. Tylenol cant do that. Aleve. All day strong. All day long. Also try aleve direct therapy with tens technology for lower back pain relief. Our bodies grow babies. We run marathons. Companies. Solve problems. How . We eat. We eat almonds. Strawberries. Quinoa. And yeah. We eat chocolate. We eat in sweatpants. In skirts. We eat alone. And together. Women are strong. We eat, and we own it. Special k. He stood up to north jersey special interests nobody delivers more for south jersey than steve sweeney. To increase funding for our schools. He stopped christies commuter tax, saving south jersey residents over 200 million dollars. And he led the charge to pass paid family leave. Aarp applauded sweeney for freezing property taxes for seniors and cutting prices on Prescription Drugs. I got to take my hat off to him. Hes a man of his word. Steve sweeney. Because theres more work to do to get south jerseys fair share. Reporter late 2016. Firefighter Jonathan Hearn was just weeks away from trial. When detective Randall Meyer heard some unexpected news. Jonathans attorney approached the District Attorney and said that jonathan could provide information that would lead to the possible prosecution of Sabrina Limon. Reporter jonathan made a startling confession. Yes, he had fired the gun that killed rob limon. But he hadnt acted alone. Sabrina, he said, wasnt there when the murder occurred. But he said shed helped him plan it every step of the way. He gave her up . He did. Reporter jonathan said sabrina wanted rob out of the picture so she could be with jonathan. And he said, she did not consider divorce to be an option. She was concerned about the perception of the community that she lived in. So murder is better than the stigma of divorce . Yes. Reporter jonathan had no hard evidence to prove sabrinas involvement. Remember, those wiretap recordings certainly proved an affair. I love you baby. I love you. Goodnight baby. Goodnight. Reporter but there was no explicit mention of a murder plot. This would be jonathans word against sabrinas. The District Attorney offered jonathan a plea agreement. In exchange for testifying against sabrina in court, his murder charge would be reduced to voluntary manslaughter. Jonathan took the deal. His sister nicole said the family believed jonathan was innocent and had no idea he planned to confess until they got a call from his attorney. And i felt like it was so surreal when i heard it. I was shaken to my core. Reporter sabrina and robs former best friends kelly and Jason Bernatene were in the courtroom when jonathan pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. From that moment, we knew that this was real. That he just pled guilty and was gonna implicate sabrina. It was a relief, and sickening all at once. Reporter jonathan had faced a possible sentence of life without parole. If he lives up to the terms of the plea deal hell be out in less than 25 years. Hell be under the age of 50. He shot a man in the face. I i have a hard time with that. Its hard. Because if thats what we needed to get her, and and we knew that it that she was behind this, then what do you do . What do you do . Reporter detective meyer drove more than 100 miles to sabrinas new home to arrest her for the second time. She was confused. cause she was scheduled to testify in the trial of Jonathan Hearn. Reporter instead, she was a defendant charged with murder. Now were at the point where our story strays a bit from the biblical tale of david and bathsheba. Because there was never any suggestion that bathsheba played any role in the plot to murder her husband. And in the bible, david does not roll on bathsheba in return for a reduced sentence. What was it like to see her in court in shackles . It was awesome. It must have felt like vindication for the two of you. Definitely she was always very into, like, her hair and makeup and her clothes, and superficial things like that. So knowing that it was probably killing her to not to be in that state in front of people and cameras was very satisfying also, very satisfying. Reporter sabrinas sister, julie, believed she belonged anywhere but jail. Is it conceivable to you that sabrina played any role in her husbands murder . No no. She couldnt be talked into it. No. She couldnt be persuaded to do it. She couldnt be manipulated to do it. No no. For what . There is no way she would want that for her husband. Good morning. Reporter sabrinas trial began in september 2017. It had everything. It had sex, religion, the seemingly perfect, beautiful family that had all these secrets. Reporter Olivia Lavoice covered the trial for nbc station kget in bakersfield. Her station made a lastminute decision to stream the trial live on its website. We were blown away by, literally, thousands of people, during the day, all day, were just glued to it people who were typically watching soap operas now were watching this trial. So bakersfield probably took a big hit in productivity during this trial yes. Throughout this trial you will hear from the mouth of Sabrina Limon and Jonathan Hearn that they had a purpose. Reporter Prosecutor Eric Smith laid out his case for the jury. They had a plan and that plan was to get rid of robert limon. Why . So they could be together. Reporter the state presented mountains of evidence of sabrina and jonathans communications before and after the murder including letters. My jonathan. I love you. I love you for the hopes and faith in our future together. I love you for giving me a new perspective on life. Reporter Text Messages. I am in love with you deeply. A love that i have never felt before. Reporter and of course those wiretapped phone calls which often centered around god. God, please help us. God, please help uh, us to be wise. Help sabrina to have the right words. It appeared that they were justifying all of their actions through through religion, through prayer, and through this promise that they were going to live for god and that god had a purpose for them that they were going to fulfill. Reporter according to the state, sabrina and jonathans purpose was to eliminate rob limon so they could embark on a new life together. Of course there was no smoking gun. The states case centered on the testimony of an admitted killer, who was about to tell the jury everything or so he said. Was he making a true confession . Or spinning a tale to save himself . It was the moment everyone was waiting for. Swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . Coming up i fired the first shot from within the bag. He fell seemingly mortally wounded. 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So, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. Ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. Get started for free at ancestry. Com. Reporter its not every murder trial. Where the prosecutor asks the jury to believe the words of the admitted killer, but here he was the star witness for the state, Jonathan Hearn. Who would spend the better part of seven days testifying against his former lover, Sabrina Limon. She seemed very friendly, very, very nice. Reporter jonathan talked about meeting sabrina at costco, and asking for her number. He told the jury he didnt learn she was married until later, a fact he said didnt mesh easily with his conservative christian upbringing. I enjoyed spending time with her, but then there was also the, the guilt of recognizing that i was doing something immoral. He said there was just something irresistible about this older, married woman. I know in most affairs you would assume its its a sexual draw or something along those lines, and with her while we were engaged in that there was there was a lot more than that. Reporter in time, he said, sabrina revealed to him a deep unhappiness in her open marriage to rob. She expressed to me that he was pretty exploitative, and objectifying her. He was willing to pretty much pass her off to any other guy, and not really leave the doors of their marriage closed. Reporter jonathan listened, absorbed and, he said, his disgust for rob limon grew. Her frustrations with rob became my frustrations. Her demons became my demons. Reporter jonathan told the jury they spoke about how much easier life would be without rob. You know, i distinctly remember it coming up in conversation as a joke at first, a joke that quickly took a dark turn. That progressed from humor towards what . Towards an actually a plot to kill her husband. What was the plan for your relationship once he was gone . To, in time, marry and continue to live our lives together. Reporter jonathan said sabrina did not want to simply divorce rob, and marry him. She expressed that he would honestly rather be dead than divorced, and losing her would essentially kill him. Reporter he said they discussed several ways to get rid of rob, and at first settled on poisoning. The proof, jonathan told the jury was in the pudding. Banana pudding, to be precise, laced with arsenic hed purchased. It happened in april of 2014. I made a pretty large batch of banana pudding with nilla wafers. Reporter he said he put a small portion into a plastic container. And in that stirred in the the arsenic into the pudding. Reporter he said sabrina kept the poisoned pudding in her refrigerator. The plan, he said, was for her to put it in robs lunch, but jonathan testified, they lost their nerve. She had told him to not eat the pudding because, i think she said that she told him the bananas had gone bad in it. Reporter by august 2014 he said they had a new plan. Jonathan said sabrina told him the location of robs workplace at the railyard. He even did a drive by one day to check it out. Sabrina, he said, told him rob would be at work on august 17. Jonathan testified he packed a mask to disguise his face, and modified his motorcycle, too. Which included using some adhesive flashing to change the color of the tank, the exhaust pipes, and the rear fender. Reporter jonathan said he rode his disguised motorcycle out to tehachapi. That was him on the security cam video. He told investigators he faked a limp to throw them off, but he said once he saw rob opening the shops garage door jonathan said he felt conflicted about becoming a killer. Obviously theres some apprehension in the thought of senselessly taking someones life. Reporter jonathan said he paused before entering, so he could pray. Thered been sort of an ongoing narrative of, uh, sabrina and i and seeking purpose in our lives. Reporter if a murder could have a catchphrase, said jonathan, seeking purpose would be it. It was a tagline that essentially we gave to, ultimately seeing this relationship through, and living the lifestyle that we wanted. After praying, jonathan said he entered the shop. I fired the first shot, he fell, seemingly mortally wounded. Reporter jonathan said he then tried to make it look as if there had been a robbery, opening cabinet drawers, pulling out papers, and stealing a laptop computer, and then before he left i really didnt want to leave him if he wasnt entirely dead. Reporter so he fired a second shot into robs head. Jonathan said he returned home, and called sabrina to tell her. I had done it, and that, uh, everything was about to change. Reporter jonathan told the jury he knew from the start the affair would be found out, and he would become a suspect. Did you trust sabrina to speak appropriately with Law Enforcement . I did. Why . Frankly, this was the culmination of something we had essentially planned together, and so perhaps my weakness, my trust, was pretty strong in her. Reporter the defense had its own crossexamination of jonathan, and right off the bat sabrinas attorney Richard Terry questioned jonathans credibility, like the claim shed held the poisoned pudding in her refrigerator. Potentially putting her children in danger of eating that pudding, right, if you actually delivered it to her, and she knew about it, right . No, sir. You dont know whos going to get into it, or whos going to have access to it, right . If youd actually given her anything like that, right . Yeah, i was not overseeing the status of her refrigerator. Reporter the defense attorney reminded the jury no one benefited more from blaming sabrina than Jonathan Hearn, who could have received life in prison without parole. And now under the plea agreement youve entered into, youre only getting 25 years, and a few months. Right . Yes, sir. Means youll probably be out before you are even 50 years old then, sir, for after having murdered a man in cold blood. Is that right . That was definitely cold blooded, sir. My question was is you would be out before you were 50 years old. Is that right . That was part of your question. Yes, sir. Reporter jonathans attorney, Clayton Campbell sat next to him during his testimony, and campbell insisted to us that jonathans confession was genuine. Jonathan wanted to come clean about what he did from very early on. He knows what he did was wrong, and he felt that maintaining a not guilty plea was dishonest. Reporter challenging jonathans credibility was just the start the defense had its own case to present, and wait until you hear it. That was the bombshell of all bombshells. Reporter who exactly was on trial here . Did you and ms. Limon, and her husband, and your husband, engage in Sexual Activity together . Reporter when dateline continues. We created something new. 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Reporter when it came time for the defense to present its case, Sabrina Limons attorney Richard Terry didnt even try to convince the jury that his client was as wholesome as apple pie. You werent claiming that sabrina had been the perfect wife to nope. Rob . You werent claiming that she had never cheated . Nope. You werent claiming that there had never been an affair with Jonathan Hearn . Nope. You werent even claiming that Jonathan Hearn hadnt killed rob limon . You werent just claiming she didnt have any part in it. Right. Because beyond Jonathan Hearn, there was nothing else that said she was. Reporter this case, said attorney terry, was really all about Jonathan Hearn what he said, what he did and why. Hes highly intelligent and he manipulated Sabrina Limon. And he decided he knew sabrina was never gonna divorce robert, but he had to have her. She had to be his. And in his mind the only way to get that, to have her, was to get rid of robert. Reporter the defense portayed jonathan as a gifted, master manipulator. Who had taken advantage of an older, but much less sophisticated woman reporter and perhaps, terry told the jury, sabrina wasnt the only older married woman to catch jonathans eye. He was very smart and just seemed way older than he was. Reporter Jennifer Lentz testified she met Jonathan Hearn online, they chatted by text and on the phone. And it was kind of flattering to have someone who was focusing so much attention on you, would that be right . Of course. Reporter attention jonathan continued to lavish on jennifer, even after he started sleeping with sabrina. Even during the time that hes supposedly so madly in love with sabrina, hes still constantly texting her, sending her pictures, communicating with her reporter the defense argued Jonathan Hearn was a slick, biblequoting predator, sabrina his innocent victim. The real head snapper came when the defense argued sabrina was also a victim of her own supposed best friend. Kelly bernatene. Remember shed suspected sabrina before almost anyone. Because shed already lied to me once. Reporter on the witness stand, kelly was forced to admit she didnt just know about the limons open marriage. She and her husband jason participated. Some of her testimony was for mature audiences, only. Did you and ms. Limon and her husband and your husband engage in Sexual Activity together . Yes, we did. Reporter ill admit, when i approached this issue with the bernatenes, i was in uncharted territory. You said the two of you had a sexual relationship with rob and sabrina . Yes. But you never had sex with sabrina, and you n you were never with rob . No. What am i missing here . Without goin into any more detail, thats about as much as well tell you. Reporter kelly cleared things up a bit on the witness stand. It was usually sabrina and i. And then we would go have sex with our husbands. Quite the seething cauldron of passion out there well, what else are you gonna do in the desert . Reporter at trial, the defense attorney suggested kelly had a grudge against sabrina because kelly was in love with rob limon. Youve pointed a finger at your best friend and believe that shes a killer. I do. Its a horrible thing. As far as you know, sabrina may not have known anything about jonathans killing her husband, right . No, i know she knew. I know she knew by her behavior. And because of that feeling you want to get sabrina, right . I believe i believe she should pay for his murder. Because you believe she was involved. Yes. And thats because you cared about her husband so deeply, right . I believe i cared about him more than she did. Reporter how did sabrina really feel about rob and jonathan . There was only one way to find out. Calling a defendant to testify is always a risk. Sabrinas attorney felt it was one worth taking. Shes not, slick like hearn is. Shes not articulate like hearn is. The jury needed to get a better picture of who Sabrina Limon was my name is Sabrina Limon. Reporter sabrina told the jury what had attracted her to Jonathan Hearn. He was like nobody id ever met before. He was very uhm, very intelligent. I felt like i was with a human dictionary. Reporter sabrina said at the time she met jonathan, her husband had been inattentive, she said he was hooked on watching porn and overly fixated on sex. And she said she felt some guilt about their lifestyle. Jonathan, she said, offered something different. Something appealing. He would pray with me and be very caring and spiritually, uh focused reporter jonathan used religion, sabrina said, to give himself power over her. Jonathan controlled me through um carrying his bible with him everywhere that he went and using that um to to guilt me but also make me feel safe and secure. Reporter she admitted it was true that she dreamt about a future with jonathan. I definitely uhm fantasized with him a lot. Were you in love with Jonathan Hearn . Yes. Did you still love your husband . Yes i did. Were you wanting to give up your life with rob to be with jonathan . No. I had the best of both worlds right there. I didnt i guess i didnt want to give up either one of them. Reporter after robs death she said jonathan was there for her. Someone to lean on. He was like my he felt like my rock at that moment in time reporter so then why, asked her attorney, did she conceal her affair with jonathan from investigators . Because i was embarrassed. I didnt thats something that robert and i didnt want exposed. Reporter sabrina insisted she never planned to poison her husband with arseniclaced banana pudding. And when rob died, she said she had absolutely no idea jonathan was the killer. Would you allow someone who killed your husband around your children . No. Absolutely not had you ever discussed any time from the time you began being involved with jonathan, until the day robert was killed and after robert was killed, discussed with him killing your husband no. I did not. At any time did you discuss about wanting robert to be gone or dead . No, i never said dead or gone. No, i did not want robert gone. Reporter kelly and jason did not buy sabrinas defense. And as to rob and sabrinas open marriage . As far as i know, it was sabrinas idea, not robs. I think sabrina was usin that as an excuse. And she used it against jonathan to manipulate him. Reporter the prosecutor was equally skeptical. Good afternoon miss limon. And now it was his turn to cross examine sabrina. Reporter coming up was Sabrina Limon just a cheating wife . Its a lifestyle that i dont or a calculating killer . And improves function. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. 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Kfc, its Finger Lickin good. From far away. But they honly see his wrinkles. Hes gotta play it cool to seal the deal. Better find a way to smooth things over. If only harry used some. Bounce, to dry. Yeah he would be a less wrinkly, and winning at life. Reporter Sabrina Limon told the jury shed had no knowledge of or involvement in, her husband robs murder. Now it was Prosecutor Eric Smiths turn to crossexamine her. He used the huge trove of phone records, wiretapped calls and texts to find plenty of evidence which he said undermines sabrinas story. Including all the time she spent on the phone with her lover Jonathan Hearn on the very day he murdered her husband. I added it up. 223 minutes, three hours and 45 minutes, you talked with Jonathan Hearn prior to him leaving to go kill your husband. I did not know he was leaving to go kill my husband. Reporter remember, sabrina claimed she never wanted her husband gone. She said she had the best of both worlds, a good husband and a younger lover. I guess i didnt want to give up either one of them. Reporter ok but then why in her texts did she seem so happy to embark on a new life with jonathan just after robs murder . Like when she wrote to him, i feel super blessed. So 25 days after your husband was killed, you felt super blessed. No. I didnt. Well, what you wrote at the time, you felt super blessed. Well, i wasnt. Reporter and another text on that same day. I got something practical for you today in town. It will one day be something we share in our home. I dont remember what that was or why i wrote that. Well, wouldnt it make sense that you wrote that because you bought something to share in your home with jonathan . Thats what it sounds like there. Reporter according to the prosecutor, there was only one explanation for those texts. From all the texts weve just gone through recently, you had replaced robert, in essence. No. Theres no replacing robert ever. Reporter the prosecutor asked why considering the relaxed rules of their marriage, shed have to lie about her affair with jonathan. Silver lakes is small community. Is it not . Yes. It is. Everybody knows everybodys business. Do they not . Yes. Everybodys so this concept that somehow you were concerned that other people would find out about it, everybody already knew about your lifestyle in silver lakes. Did they not . Well, they werent in the bedroom with us. Okay. We didnt invite all of silver lakes over. Reporter in her corner of silver lakes, she said, marriages may have been open but affairs needed prior approval. I didnt have permission to go astray from our group of friends. So now, its your testimony that you had to be given permission to sleep around . Yes. Who had to give you that permission . Robert. He controlled you . He was my husband. But he did not control me. Its a lifestyle that i dont expect people to understand well, your testimony is that everybody else decides everything that you do. Is that your testimony now . No. Okay. Jonathan hearn controlled you. That was your testimony yesterday. No. Jonathan hearn was controlling. Okay. Now, your husband controls you, thats your testimony today . No. My husband was my husband. Okay. Do you make decisions on your own at any point . Yes. I sure do, apparently many bad ones. Reporter was Sabrina Limon guilty of nothing more than colossally poor judgement . Or of something much more sinister . Each side made its closing arguments good morning ladies and gentlemen. Defense attorney Richard Terry reminded the jury the da didnt have enough to charge sabrina with anything until Jonathan Hearn pointed the finger at her. And thats when they made their deal with the devil, he to save his own hide, came in and spun his story. Reporter Prosecutor Eric Smith begged to differ. This is not a case of he said, she said. This is a case of he said, she lied. Thats what im calling it she needs to be held accountable for what she did with Jonathan Hearn. She needs to be held accountable for letting her husband suffer. Reporter it took the jury less than seven hours to decide sabrinas fate. We the jury impaneled to try the above entitled case, find the defendant, Sabrina Limon, guilty of a felony to wit murder of robert limon. Reporter guilty of first degree murder. And a litany of other charges conspiracy, accessory, and solicitation to commit murder her only break, the jury found sabrina not guilty of attempting to murder rob with arseniclaced banana pudding. Reporter sabrinas former best friends, kelly and jason, say they felt satisfaction after a long fight to prove sabrinas guilt. I would do it all again for rob. He he didnt deserve what happened to him. Rob would have done the same for us. Yeah. We we know he would. Reporter Sabrina Limon is scheduled to be sentenced early next year, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars. While her former lover jonathan the man who pulled the trigger. Is expected to be out in less than 25 years. Sabrina and robs children now live with julie. What do sabrina and roberts children say about this . They dont believe it, that brina had anything to do with it. They know more than we wish they did. Exactly. Yes. Reporter kelly and jason are now divorced. The wolf pack still exists still hangs out video here of the memorial at the lake and still gathers to remember rob limon the lake remains their little oasis. But its no longer the happiest place in the high desert. I look back at pictures, and i see, like, how much we were we were just such a funloving group of people. And after this, its, like, you know, you dont you you can barely trust anyone. And, you know, things things just change. I mean, she she broke all of our hearts. Not only were we just so devastated finding out who she really was, but we miss rob so much. Reporter thats all for this edition of dateline. Well see you again next friday at nine, eight central and of course, ill see you each weeknight for nbc nightly news. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, goodnight. Right now at 11, football coaches attacked in the same neighborhood where a Police Officer was just shot. The dangerous streets theyre trying to make safer. A parking spot dispute. Its something i dont think anyone should have to witness. The fight that has a local City Council President under scrutiny. Parents on alert after several child lurings. Now parents want to know if theyre connected. Announcer nbc 10 news starts now they ducked underneath cars and dove on the ground fearing for their lives. Thats what four youth football coaches were forced to do as a gunman fired nearly a dozen shots at them. Good evening. Two of those coaches were hit by bullets. Nbc 10 is live at cooper hospital in camden with their story of survival. Aaron . Reporter jim and jackie, two of the coaches were rushed here to cooper hospital that night. One of the coaches spent five days here after getting shot in both legs. Tonight, they continue searching for that shooter. All i heard was pop pop. Next thing i know i was on the ground. I heard coach steve say ive been hit. Ive been hit. Reporter four coaches are on the mend psi