not guilty of first-degree murder. but the jury wasn t done. guilty of the crime of voluntary manslaughter. the verdict, guilty of voluntary manslaughter. in other words, they believe john creech killed gavin smith in a moment of blind passion. i was devastated by the verdict. i am still devastated by the verdict because he did absolutely plan on murdering my husband. and thought about it for years. and did it. what about creech s friends, hire and stan who helped creech cover up the killing? they both had significant criminal liability. so why weren t they charged sf sfwh. because we needed them to tell the story about how this man was killed and what happened to him. so they both got immunity. same thing with chandy who helped burn bloody clothing and never called the police. it seems to me that everybody got deals and everybody got off. and i think gavin was a victim long after he was murdered.
attempted cover-up. i was looking at the license plate and i see that it s not there. there should be a california license plate. it s not there. you think. it s gone. and i also see that there is one screw missing and one screw screwed back in half way. and that screw came back positive dna to john creech. bingo. the unassailable link to pull together all that evidence. phone records, chandy s testimony, the friends, the dna, and it all condemned john creech. but the surprise was coming for everyone. raise your right hand. coming up i was scared for my life. a dramatic tale from the stand. he punched me, pulled me in by the sweater and choking me. who attacked who? and who would the jury believe? my skin was just crawling. when dateline continues. t g when dateline continues man: sneezes skip to the good part with alka-seltzer plus.
in january 2015, nearly three years after gavin smith disappeared, creech was charged with first-degree murder had. he pleaded not guilty. and chandy, well we didn t know if she set it up or sh h. something to do with it. coming up, an undercover sting and chandy s the target. stop it. i was screaming my head off. then a stunning moment in the courtroom. i wanted to get away. i was scared. i was afraid of what i would see. when dateline continues. se. when dateline continues $9.95 at my age?
but did it add up to first-degree murder? gavin smith had been dead five years. he was killed in his mercedes benz in an act of almost stunning brutality by the defendant john creech who is sitting in the courtroom. this game gavin sminl s tomb. but what happened wasn t merely an outburst of rage, said prosecutor bobby grace. no, he said, creech had been plotting for two years ever since he found out about chandy and gavin. after that day back in december 2010 when at their mother s request, gavin s sons met with gavin creech at his house. we wanted to make sure that my dad wasn t in harm s way. were you sobbing and crying? yes. and what were you saying to the defendant? i was just begging him not to harm my family. but they testified creech told them they did the right
reporter: once chandy felt safe, she spilled it. all of it. how she and gavin met in secret at that secluded cul-de-sac, got close in gavin s car. and then all of a sudden the door opened, and johnny just goes like and i just like pushed myself out this way. got out the driver s side. reporter: creech burst in like a machine, said chandy. started slugging, wouldn t quit. and i was like, stop it, you re going to kill him i was like screaming my head off. and then he comes out of the car and he s like, you re next. and then i drove off. reporter: she was terrified, she said. afraid he d kill her too or tell the cops she set the whole thing up. so, did she? again and again the detectives listened to the undercover tape. i believe 100% that she did not know that was going to happen, and she did not set it up.