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. reporter: terrorist? the villain was not his client,s michiel oakes, said browne, but the victim, mark stover.
ok? you know, that s ridiculous. keith morrison: john henry browne settled into a local hotel and set to work, deconstructing the prevailing public view of defendant, michael oakes. keith morrison: here in court, browne sucked up the attention. john henry browne: and i would suggest counsel come to trial and she ll find out. keith morrison: naturally flamboyant. john henry browne: i don t think i have a dog in this fight. keith morrison: while the client seemed to disappear into the woodwork behind him. a client who, said john henry browne, was not at all the villain the prosecution seemed determined to portray. john henry browne: what we have is a man who, has on his own, raised very successfully four children. keith morrison: it became, shall we say, a theme. michael oakes, single father of four, grandfather of one. well-spoken, mild mannered, but certainly not any ordinary salesman or consultant. oakes, browne admitted, is a recognized expert in close quarters combat. knows firearms
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. take the zantac it challenge! pill works fast? zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. when heartburn strikes, take zantac for faster relief than nexium or your money back. take the zantac it challenge.
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] not necessarily after 3 toddlers with boundless energy. but lower back pain won t stop him from keeping up. because at a dr. scholl s kiosk he got a recommendation for our best custom fit orthotic to relieve his foot, knee, or lower back pain, from being on his feet. by reducing shock and stress on his body with every step. so look out world, dad s taking charge. dr. scholl s. born to move. i love hanging out. with mfriends. i have a great fit with my dentures. i love kiwis. i ve always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free. it creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. even well fitting dentures
and no one had a clue what oakes or his attorney would do or say to respond. oh, but john henry browne knew exactly how he d respond. and it was a bombshell he had in store. john henry browne: we wanted to be the people who brought light into this case. you wanted to provide a little a twist, a turn, a surprise. yeah. judge: good morning. be seated, ladies and gentlemen. the defense team is reserving their opening statement. keith morrison: experienced observers here in the mount vernon courthouse were puzzled. what was the defense attorney john henry browne up to? coming up we put them to 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? when dateline continues.