a sheriff s deputy recognized the user i.d. 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 d killed mark hasse. that meant the tip came from williams computer. a follow-up computer search also revealed williams had searched several how-to websites. one of the websites was how to throw the police off an investigation by sending in fake tips. 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. he was arrested, not for murder, but for making a terrorist threat about killing a judge.
a lot more than tough talk. this was just this was more than a crime scene that terrorize the people who protected us. now, no one was safe! coming up. that investigation would also present an overwhelming challenge. thanks to a suspect list, including the hundred of defendants mark had put away. i started with his crime cases. and the murder cases that have been prosecuted, people were starting to roll out. anyone in particular stick in your head? when dateline continues! n dateline continues your home. for romance. your home for big savings. [ laughs ] hey, mom, have you seen m ew. because when you bundle home and auto with progressive, your home is a savings paradise. bundles progressive. your home for savings. i mean, we really did love him!
mcclelland murder scene. records showed he did not. the case was still stalled. but soon, the task force would get one of those lucky breaks they d always hoped for. it came out of the blue and gave the investigation some much needed juice. coming up, a special prosecutor goes on high alert. i get on the phone and tell my wife to make sure she knew where the kids were, get inside, and keep the doors locked. and a stranger calls with a stunning revelation. i could tell when i listened to his voice, this is it. this is the real thing. when dateline continues. why burn a candle when you can switch to air wick essential mist? it s the modern way to transform fragrance infused with natural essential oils into a mist.
on law enforcement, in a small town. nbc five ken says the suspected murder ending up in texas was especially intriguing to investigators. it made people wonder if perhaps there could be some connection with the hasse murder. they did tests on suspect evans weapon. his bullet was identical to what killed the prison chief back in colorado. but then they found out that it was not the weapon that killed mark cassie. and what is more he was deemed to have not been kaufman at the time that cassie was killed. so so it weeks in, the cassie case was going nowhere. we were leading with the investigation. the command post was shut down, leaving just a small group to work full-time on the case. suddenly, we kind of trickled back to our daily duties.
we just didn t know if we had enough evidence to convict him. 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 it s 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 haven t found. at least now, ten weeks after hasse s murder, the investigation was finally on a roll. we go home that night to get a good night s sleep, and i actually wanted for the first time in weeks to see my son play a little league game. but the next morning, his parenting plans were dashed by work again. his phone rang. it was a friend of eric williams who d heard about his arrest. he said, mr. wirskye, i have something to tell you about eric williams. i think i may have rented him a storage unit. we d been looking for a storage unit and i could tell when i listened to his voice, this is it, this is the real thin