very believable. she was a type of woman that you d want to take home to your mom and dad. she was just very sweet. keith morrison: of course, for dan luvera and his team of investigators, this was all pure gold. or so you d assume, wouldn t you? coming up, turns out there was a very different side to this story. he wanted to provide a little twist and surprise. john henry browne: yeah. and boy, would he. when dateline continues. happiness is powerful flea and tick protection from nexgard. nexgard kills fleas and ticks all month long. and it comes in an easy-to-give tasty chew. and that makes dogs and owners happy. no wonder vets love it too. reported side effects include vomiting, itching, diarrhea, lethargy and lack of appetite. see your vet for more information on flea and tick protection you and your dog will love. nexgard. the vet s #1 choice.
in less time than frontline plus and nexgard. guess we should mosey on. see ya never, roxy! use simparica with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. the most common side effects are vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. say goodbye to ticks and fleas. with monthly simparica chewables. keith morrison: september 2010, michiel oakes was set to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend s ex-husband, mark stover. and as the proceedings started, no one really knew where things were headed here. even john henry browne quite deliberately broke one of his own cardinal rules. he decided not to make an opening statement to the jury. john henry browne: i have what i call my famous 10 rules of trial. and i think it s rule number three is never, never, never, never, ever waive an opening statement. that s a rule. good morning, everybody. keith morrison: but this time, this time the defense would lie in wait while the prosecution
for gun magazines. has even trained police swat teams. but has no criminal record. and, insisted browne, he isn t a murderer. still, he must have done something to mark stover, didn t he? well, here s where it all began to get tricky. if stover was really dead, said john henry browne, and if the prosecution could prove oakes killed him, then and only then, oakes might provide an explanation. through the legal fog, a little hint came popping out. the prosecution had already indicated it would introduce into evidence a bulletproof vest found in michael oakes suv. now, attorney browne seemed to be suggesting that vest would be important to any claim the defense might decide to make. and just to make things clear, your honor, it s not just the vest. it s a bullet that was found in the vest.
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
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,