terror. i just heard, help, someone is in trouble. i was scared. i was scared. a husband found murdered in a closet. a wife, tied up in another. they found her on the ground with her hands behind him back. she had bruising on her arms and on her face. inconsolable. screaming, crying. who could be behind this? it s me up inside their only daughter, desperate for justice for her dead. be careful what you wish for. everybody gasped. nobody could believe it. this terrifies me because this could happen to anybody. hello, and welcome to dateline. she was his teenage crush, then, puppy love turned into a lifelong love affair. eventually, high school sweethearts jamie melgar and sandra melgar got married and raised a daughter. they were celebrating a remarkable 32 years together when jamie was brutally murdered. to crack the case, investigators would have to uncover an illusion worthy of the great houdini. here is dennis murphy with unspeakable . the
i don t think they knew exactly what had happened other than that he was covered in blood. she was just broken and lost. there is a murderer out there and it is terrifying. it was supposed to be an anniversary celebration. 32 years together. they were in love even after all those years. they were very happy together. suddenly, an intimate moment turned to infinite terror. i just heard, help, someone is in trouble. i was scared. i was scared. a husband found murdered in a closet. a wife, tied up in another. they found her on the ground with her hands behind her back. she had bruising on her arms and on her face. inconsolable. screaming, crying. who could be behind this? their only daughter desperate for justice for her dad. be careful what you wish for. everybody gasped. nobody could believe it. this terrifies me because this can happen to anybody. hello, and welcome to dateline. she was his teenage crush, then, puppy love turned into a lifelong l
other suspect. and the csi s had photographed a bloody swipe on the handle of the closet safe, just a short distance from jamie s body. the defense told the jury how detectives never ran it for possible prints, nor had it swabbed for dna. isn t that the kind of evidence you want to have available to consider? why wouldn t you at least test it? the defense to doff more examples of what they regarded as inept detective work. they never brought loses ex-husband in for questioning. or that neighbor with a history of petty burglaries, the one fresh out of jail. the police go-tos, house knock, he doesn t answer, and they leave their car. he at the time? right. and then never followed up on it. and defense thought they knew just how the investigation got so bungled. look at the man who led it. what kind of murder investigation would you have where you knowingly, intentionally, and willfully don t bring the lead investigator to court? the defense, not the prosecution, cal
problems for sandra was the big picture. so, you want to believe, the prosecutor argued, that home invaders were slashing your husband to death just feet away from you and you remember nothing? really? nobody running? nobody saying anything? when shouting? no, nothing. reporter: sandra s explanation was that she suffered from seizures and memory loss for years. reporter amanda lore is in the courtroom as the prosecution introduced some of sandra s medical history, refuting that. she did go to doctors appointments but the reported that she was not having seizures, that her medication was controlling them pretty well. reporter: so if sandra was lying about and make the house appear ransacked. she had a lifetime to get rid of the clothes, to wash yourself up, to get ready for the big finale. that reporter: our quieter prove a motive, the prosecutor
barking dogs. there is a neighbor who lived next to the melgar s who constantly complained about the dogs barking. she didn t hear the dogs that night, she slept wonderfully. but of course, the was we home invaders were slashing your husband to death, just feet away from you, and you remember nothing? really? nobody running? nobody saying anything? shouting? no. nothing. sandra s explanation was that she had suffered from seizures and memory loss for years. reporter amanda we went into sandra s medical history, refuting that. she did go to the doctor s office that she wasn t having seizures, that her medication was controlling it very well. so if sandra was lying and didn t have a seat, or she had the time to what she had a lifetime to get