These witnesses have the courage to come forward. And a dramatic new development, a whole new ending. It was the last thing we ever anticipated happening. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with return to poplar river. There is a common misconception that momentous events occur in great cities, that justice is handed down true and pure from marble palaces. But what would lady justice say about the story youre going to see now about a nobody in a nowhere town, a story that is well, what would they say . This is crazy. How can you do this . I couldnt believe it. This is definitely a shock. Yes, its all of those things, shocking, unbelievable, crazy, and tied with an unbreakable chain to a summers night in a poor forgotten back water more than 30 years ago. The town is poplar, montana, june 15th, 1979, summer was here. School was out. Kim nees, 17, school valedictorian, National Honor society graduate, was finally about to escape this town for college. Around about
Water more than 30 years ago. The town is poplar, montana, june 15th, 1979, summer was here. School was out. Kim nees, 17, school valedictorian, National Honor society graduate, was finally about to escape this town for college. Around about midnight kim left her house to join the end of school party. It was the next morning when police found the family pickup at a wellknown party spot just half a mile outside town. They followed a trail of blood from the truck down a rotted dirt track, 250 feet or so, to the poplar river and there they found the battered body of kim nees. The term i used is dean was an undersheriff and later the county sheriff in charge of the murder investigation. There were 20 or 21 blows received to kims skull which any of them could have caused her death. There was rage involved. There was a high level of rage. Someone was very angry. At the crime scene there was no shortage of evidence. Blood everywhere, inside the cab of the pickup. Fingerprints, more than two d
And that was just the start. A gun stashed in the dryer, a mans glove, but whose dna . And a woman with a whole lot to reveal. No, no, no, no, dont take it off. She talked her talk to me. Do you realize that some of her secrets would be exposed . Mystery in mustang. But first, she was a well liked valedictorian at poplar high, and one summer night down by the river. I could hear all these girls saying get her, chasing her. Dragged her. A horrible scream. Some in town claim this was a murder by a gang of mean girls. But hes the one thats convicted, sent to prison. I did not kill kim nees, you have my promise. Sentenced to 100 years. Guilty as charged. Not one moment. Did he really commit this crime . Thats a question that drew us to this case and drove us to investigate. A dateline piece where these witnesses have the courage to come forward. And just months ago, a dramatic new development, a whole new ending. It was the last thing we ever anticipated happening. I am lester holt, this i
An explosion and large fire broke out at a containment facility in Northeastern Montana near Bainville Monday morning. One person is seriously injured.