but in this case, rachel s dad don hatfield was only too happy to help. he did not approve of his daughter s behavior just too much like his own once was. and don was a guy who d been carrying his guilt like a cross for years. i tried to lead all of my children to the love of jesus christ. there was only one major obstacle to that ever occurring in a way that that i would be happy with. and that was my hypocrisy. what do you mean? huh? your hypocrisy? my hypocrisy chasing women uh-huh. blowing my marriage. reporter: as don tells it, women found his role as an ascendant artist quite appealing. never mind he was a married father of four. and that kind of thing destroyed this - literally, destroyed my family. reporter: by the time rachel was in middle school, don s string of affairs led to a home-shattering divorce.
from her. reporter: they wrestled on the bedroom floor, he said. just a couple of feet from the crib where 7-month old alex was sleeping. and, overweight and out-of-shape, said todd, he was fighting for his life with his much fitter wife. it was a long, long, long protracted struggle. uh-huh. i don t know how long, but it was a long time. she s a very strong girl. uh-huh. she s an extremely strong girl. and she had me on the bottom. and she was on top of me. like, back and forth between bottom and top in this struggle over the scissors. reporter: then, he said, he finally overpowered her, got control of those scissors. i was able to get them turned around onto her. uh-huh. and give her some jabs. she was injured at this point, but probably not seriously.
she s determined to do it. uh-huh. she turned to me that day, she say, you know what, james? whether you re in the picture or not, i m divorcing todd. i want out. reporter: whether you re in the picture or not? but was there some doubt about that? no. she said the reason why she wants to be with me is because she wanted to be with me, not because she had to be with me. reporter: i m trying to imagine what you were feeling like. i was elated. we were finally going to be able to start the life together we ve talked about and dreamed about and wanted together for so long. reporter: rachel headed home to tell todd they were history, that she was leaving him for the man she loved. evening fell. it was sunday night. no one who drove past the winkler s home in the gathering dark would have noticed anything untoward. but come monday morning it was a day unlike any the airpark community had ever seen. 911, what s your emergency? i m calling to report a fatality. where did th
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. reporter: she must have been waiting, said todd, to pounce. he was, he told police, soon in a fight to the death to save his own life. i tripped and fell forward when i rushed into the room. she kicked me in the face and then we got into
reporter: then, he said, he finally overpowered her, got control of those scissors. i was able to get them turned 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.