keith morrison: and perhaps to answer them? a surprising and extremely unusual strategy. in mid-trial john henry browne brought his client to see us, here on the outskirts of little mount vernon. michiel oakes before even talking to the jury would make his case here. preparation for his own testimony? yes, probably. but also, a wild bombshell of a story, an audacious claim. coming up i went and i got shot. and i won. i know that i will not be standing on the side of my children s graves and people aren t going to patting me on the back and saying, there s nothing you could have done. keith morrison: when dateline continues. cleaning floors with a mop and bucket is a hassle, meaning you probably don t clean as often as you d like. for a quick and convenient clean, try swiffer wetjet.
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] you need to power your wellness. new emergen-c probiotics plus. purposeful probiotics to help boost your microbiome, plus vitamin c to support your natural immune defenses. new emergen-c probiotics plus.
keith morrison: so there was one defendant in the murder of mark s stover, michael oakes. but he certainly didn t look the part of a hired killer. all five foot six of him, soft spoken understated, articulate, father of four, grandfather of one. john henry browne: yeah, he s not your hollywood casting for a hit man. keith morrison: but cast as defense attorney, seattle s colorful and irrepressible john henry browne. john henry browne: he s a really kind, compassionate, loving guy. keith morrison: but early legal skirmishing seems sometimes to merely add confusion. was it murder? oakes a hired gun? or was it something else altogether? and besides that, how intimate was oakes relationship with mark stover s ex-wife linda? and who was paying for his famous defense attorney? john henry browne: if the opdykes are behind this [interposing voices] john henry browne: if the opdykes are behind this, and you know, they hired me, i ll tell you,
from him and his dogs. keith morrison: he bought the anchor line and weights, he claimed, to help him scale up a nearby water tower in case he found himself running away from mark s watch dog. and those shin guards, they weren t armor to fend off a watchdog, he claimed, but just a gift for his ex-wife jennifer s young son. at 7:00 am, michiel testified, he knocked on mark stover s door. he said mark ordered him, stand in his hallway bathroom, and oakes simply obeyed. and then, when he told mark he couldn t find any wedding pictures he got more and more animated, got very close to me and was very angry and very loud. keith morrison: and then michiel oakes: he came around the corner with a gun in his hand. we tangled and i got shot. keith morrison: john henry browne had his client put on the bulletproof vest and show the jury what he claimed happened
keith morrison: and perhaps to answer them? a surprising and extremely unusual strategy. in mid-trial john henry browne brought his client to see us, here on the outskirts of little mount vernon. michiel oakes before even talking to the jury would make his case here. preparation for his own testimony? yes, probably. but also, a wild bombshell of a story, an audacious claim. coming up i went and i got shot. and i won. i know that i will not be standing on the side of my children s graves and people aren t going to patting me on the back and saying, there s nothing you could have done. keith morrison: when dateline continues. happiness is powerful flea and tick protection from nexgard.