around with being a hit man, that he idolized the hulk as a child, the incredible hulk. and he said that he had taken steroids just to get bigger and stronger. and you know, it s was very hard for the jury to have sympathy for him. ever since lynn schockner reporter: and they didn t. was murdered in her own home as police stood outside, criticism of the long beach police the jury found him guilty in about 35 minutes. department had been intense. first-degree murder and burglary. emotions raw. next was frank jaramillo. the officers were extremely upset. he said that he wouldn t have my understanding was one of the done it had schockner not threatened his wife and his officers who was on the call had in-laws. had a nervous breakdown or, you reporter: so this was he know, an episode like that did it out of fear then? yeah, he said, literally, he afterward because it was just said on the stand that he had sacrificed his life for his too much for him. family, when we all know
truth. this is getting uglier and uglier. we went at him one last time. tell us your story. he reiterates almost exactly what he said before. reporter: which was that he killed lynn schockner because the burglary he tried to carry out went bad. the cops still didn t buy it. him and i been doing this a long time, nick. you need to take nick and your responsibility now. take care of nick now please. be truthful with us because we re not going to stop, nick. him and i, that s our job. reporter: and that s when nick s story started to change. i might as well break it down for you guys. i was hired to hit the house. i don t know why. i didn t ask. reporter: that is, said nick, he was hired to commit a burglary. one that, depending on what he could steal, might prove very profitable. you hold your breath. the world kind of stops. what s the amount you were promised? reporter: a hushed courtroom what was in the house plus in long beach, california. uh, $2,500. fred schockn
knew it. wife, caught on tape blaming a because those phone records told sloppy hit man, took the stand a very different story than he did. in his own defense. and finally, nick harvey he was very defiant and cracked. and i remember nick harvey s completely maintained his words like, yeah, you guys are good. innocence until the end. you got me. reporter: just like that? i mean, in the face of this just like that. and then he cops out. overwhelming evidence he reporter: yes, he said. maintained his innocence. reporter: it was all a tragic frank jaramillo, the guy they misunderstanding, said fred. called el cubano, hired him to he didn t pay for murder, just kill lynn schockner. for a used bmw. and all those calls to his alleged co-conspirator, el cubano? gave him $2,500 up front, promised $2,500 more when the fred said they were wait for it pocket calls. job was done. why a guy would commit murder for a measly five grand was one question, but a more urgent one was this.
nick s family because you have reporter: to make a complete all my cash. family, a desire that only intensified once charlie came along. so if you want to give me the she wanted her son to be the cash, i m give it back to you best person he could be. and would stop at nothing to make sure that he got that. and you can do what you want. reporter: and that was it. reporter: around bixby knolls maybe not exactly the words detective birdsall hoped to the schockners were considered a hear, but after weeks of dead ends and intense pressure, perfectly normal, if upscale, getting fred on tape saying family. those things finally made his certainly not the kind of people case. who would be targeted by drug what was the mood in the van you were sitting in? dealers. of course, members of the family it was elation. we got enough. had a slightly more intimate reporter: finally, enough perspective. evidence to arrest him. mark, for example, loved his but they didn t. sister but found fred
i mean, it s crunch time and you feel like everybody s kind of depending on you to get this not quite noon. done. you want it to go well. and as usual, it was quiet in reporter: so the idea is you re reeling them in like a fisherman? yep. reporter: but there are times when you don t know what s going to happen? bixby knolls here in long beach. right. you know? could have a fray in the line. have it break. had that happen a few times. quiet. reporter: but not this time. there was frank in a brand new lexus suv. and in that quiet more menacing frank? than anybody understood. yeah, that s me. as police, responding to a call about a prowler, waited outside that s not an i.s. the front door, neither they nor reporter: an i.s., referring the half-awake homeowner sensed the jeopardy as she closed the to the less expensive car he door in their faces and went in search of a key for the gate to said he d be driving. the yard. seconds ticked by. the dog barked. oh, yeah. the w