as he waited for his son s long delayed trial he pursued with something like an obsession, a quest to regain his eyesight. and most people might have given up by then. can t do anything. live with it. not even close. i won t take no for an answer. reporter: some of the best hospitals in the country, sutton had been told there was simply nothing to be done. he would be blind for life. the bullets had permanently destroyed his optic nerve. john had heard about a landmark break through at harvard affiliated research institute in boston where a renowned researcher had regenerated the optic nerve in mice using stem cell therapy and drugs, human trials would be next. so in march 2008, almost three years to the day after his son was arrested, sutton and his girlfriend kathy were on the cold, rain swept streets of boston on the way to an appointment at the clinic. okay. there is a chin rest in front of you.
the behavior of guilty men. garrett kopp and christopher sutton while ripping up bloody carpets actually called detectives to tell them they found new evidence at the crime scene. a bullet casing under the carpet. helpful handy man. by the way, i found another casing. i mean, come on. an indication maybe they didn t do it. i didn t think so. reporter: that s what any good defense attorney is going to point out. sure, sure. the casing was underneath something. i don t know how we missed it. we missed it. we were a little pissed. reporter: detectives remain convinced christopher harbored a lingering anger at his parents for sending hem to the boot camp. they talked to camp alumni. this former resident was there when christopher got the news that he would have to stay well beyond his 18th birthday. i know he was upset. he was mad at his family for that. reporter: when detectives tracked down another paradise cove resident. he said christopher was a lot more upset than th
john sutton s son seemed to think so. i do recall him as very adamant that my dad be placed under john doe so that who ever did this could not finish off what they had started. reporter: well was the killer already closer than anyone could have dreamed? when dateline continues. are you ready to take your wifi to the next level?
i think that showed his honesty as a witness. i cried when i got off the plane. keith morrison: when court resumed, christopher told the jury that, while he was initially upset about being sent to samoa, he got over it, made the best of it. and when his parents and melissa came to visit, they all had a wonderful time together. hardly a dysfunctional family in the story the photos told. bruce fleisher: well, were you happy to be with your parents? i was very, very happy to see my parents. you know, i love them very much. keith morrison: so, he d given the jury an alternative. he tried, at least, to defuse the samoa motive. enough? not nearly, said prosecutor kahgan. what motive did garrett kopp have to go in an attempt to assassinate both of those people? none. what motive did christopher sutton have to want both his parents dead? plenty. and what s the story, here? they have the statement of garrett kopp, the drug-crazed, little thug who gives this story
absolutely. keith morrison: susan quit her job to be a full time mom, but susan kept trying to get pregnant, kept suffering through years of failed fertility treatments and miscarriages, and finally adopted a sister for christopher, melissa. she was and always has been a little angel. absolutely. she would probably be upset with me saying this, but she was pretty close to perfect. keith morrison: which seemed to describe the family, too. they told the kids they d been adopted. didn t seem to worry them at all. my mom and my dad were my mom my dad. you know, there wasn t, you know, these are my biological and these are my adopted. and i had a great childhood. keith morrison: and there were advantages to having a brother seven years older, especially when he grew to be a six foot 200 pounder. he was my defender and my protector. you know, someone made fun of me at school one time.