any moment, i have to be ready. and that s the scenario that linda lived in for at least two years. keith morrison: and then, as he worked out a protection plan for linda, he said, something unexpected happened. michiel oakes: we really resonated, really worked well together and connected on a very heart and soul level. so it was a romance. yeah. it definitely it definitely became a romance. keith morrison: and so michiel, the diminutive single dad and security expert, and linda, the beautiful, tall, golden-haired daughter of privilege, embarked on a life together, along with his kids. and then one day in late may, 2009, said oakes, he was getting into his car in a costco parking lot in a town called kennewick, washington, when he was confronted by linda s ex, mark stover. michiel oakes: i was approached by mark stover out of the clear blue.
before mark stover disappeared, michiel oakes stopped in to see her at her place in western washington, not too many miles from the stover kennels and talked to her about a job he was supposed to do. he didn t give me a lot of specifics, he just said he was here on a job, side job. said there was risks involved, possible injury to himself. that it was fairly dangerous. reporter: at which point he left for a few hour, then contacted her again. he texted me and said job failed. i m okay. no pay, though. reporter: no pay? no pay. reporter: what did that say to you? it says a lot to me. it says that reporter: somebody s paying him. somebody is paying him, somebody has hired him. reporter: does that sound like michiel oakes was a hired killer? well, wait. there s more. jennifer told the police that after michiel left on the 24th
keith morrison: coming up, very different portrait of the victim emerges. john henry browne: mark stover was a domestic violence terrorist. keith morrison: and then, the defendant tells his story to dateline, even before he does in court. when dateline continues. [music playing] the no added hormones in land o frost premium sliced meats have moms buying in. in bulk. boom! what a beefsteak. gotta love it. land o frost premium. a slice above. and here we have another burst pipe in denmark. if you look close. jamie, are there any interesting photos from your trip? ouch, okay. huh, boring, boring, you don t need to see that. oh, here we go. can you believe my client steig had never heard of a home and auto bundle or that renters could bundle? wait, you re a lawyer? only licensed in stockholm. what is happening? jamie: anyway, game show, kumite, cinderella story.
as the prosecution put on its case against michiel oakes, rolled out chapter and verse of the evidence pointing to oakes as the murderer of dog whisperer mark stover, browne said practically nothing. why? strategy, said john henry browne. we put them through the task of putting on a lot of evidence. and it was just kind of boring them. and so we wanted to be the people who brought light into this case. keith morrison: so what was the light in this case, the secret twist? the evidence shows and demonstrates beyond any shadow of a doubt for any reasonable person that mark stover was a domestic violence terrorist. keith morrison: terrorist? the villain was not his client, michiel oakes, said browne, but the victim, mark stover. remember, mark s friends and clients had nothing but good things to say about him. but now it was clear oakes attorneys would use whatever evidence they could to paint the dog trainer as a threatening, gun-loving predator,
forest and meadows and beaches plunked a few feet offshore, a 90-minute commute north of seattle. the dogs could go swimming in the water there. there s plenty of trail walks. and it was just really, really outdoorsy and beautiful. reporter: outdoorsy and beautiful are words which also happen to describe the human love of mark s life, linda opdycke. the willowy blonde daughter of wally opdycke, the wealthy investor who d once helped found chateau ste. michelle winery. linda seemed a perfect match for mark, according to the clients and friends who knew him best. she was mark two. you know, i mean, they were peas in a pod. they had similar hobbies. they d hunt and fish, you know, go camp somewhere. that kind of stuff. he just thought she was the most wonderful thing since sliced bread basically. reporter: very protective of his linda was mark, as clients could clearly tell. he just thought she was