ago, this part of california was the epicenter of the gold rush. back then, as legend has it, at least, there was no wait for justice. you committed a crime, the punishment was meted out then and there. but not now. for more than two years after the bloody confrontation in the winkler s nursery, todd waited in jail to be tried for her murder. and i just started just pacing around the house just saying, god, i just killed their mother. reporter: for those two years, todd maintained, as he had from the very beginning, that he killed rachel only to save his own life, to save himself and his children. from jail, he and his family fought a losing battle with rachel s father, don hatfield, who won custody of those children. and here began atoning for the sins of his youth by devoting his life to three little kids, eva, ariel and alex.
around onto her. uh-huh. and give her some jabs. she was injured at this point, but probably not seriously. uh-huh. i poked her in the eye really hard and got her to break free. reporter: he retreated, he said, as quick as he could. and i got up and got out of there and then ran to my car. got to my car and thought, get out of here. i thought, oh, my god. i didn t realize. get the children, get the children out here. reporter: his two daughters were in their room, but baby alex was with the wounded rachel. standing there in the garage, he said, he made a decision. he had to protect his children. he would go back in and rescue them from rachel. i grabbed my motorcycle jacket at that point. put it on, zipped it up. it s got pads over here for, like, breaking down the door. uh-huh. and i rushed into the room.
uh-huh. and give her some jabs. she was injured at this point, but probably not seriously. uh-huh. i poked her in the eye really hard and got her to break free. reporter: he retreated, he said, as quick as he could. and i got up and got out of there and then ran to my car. got to my car and thought, get out of here. i thought, oh, my god. i didn t realize. get the children, get the children out here. reporter: his two daughters were in their room, but baby alex was with the wounded rachel. standing there in the garage, he said, he made a decision. he had to protect his children. he would go back in and rescue them from rachel. i grabbed my motorcycle jacket at that point. put it on, zipped it up. it s got pads over here for, like, breaking down the door. uh-huh. and i rushed into the room.
from jail, he and his family fought a losing battle with rachel s father, don hatfield, who won custody of those children. and here began atoning for the sins of his youth by devoting his life to three little kids, eva, ariel and alex. it was after all that that they held the trial. prosecutor lisette suder intended to portray todd as a manipulative and devious man who murdered not one wife but two. that is if she could persuade a california judge to allow an old georgia case to be dusted off and brought back to life. i felt confident that i had the law behind me on that. and i submitted my brief, and i submitted the legal arguments that supported that. reporter: and? she won. and so, in september of 2014, when todd winker went on trial charged with first-degree murder of second wife rachel, lisette suder could use the georgia story about first wife cathy s death 15 years earlier against
rachel s father, don hatfield, who won custody of those children. and here began atoning for the sins of his youth by devoting his life to three little kids, eva, ariel and alex. it was after all that that they held the trial. prosecutor lisette suder intended to portray todd as a manipulative and devious man who murdered not one wife but two. that is if she could persuade a california judge to allow an old georgia case to be dusted off and brought back to life. i felt confident that i had the law behind me on that. and i submitted my brief, and i submitted the legal arguments that supported that. reporter: and? she won. and so, in september of 2014, when todd winker went on trial charged with first-degree murder of second wife rachel, lisette