but what or who had lured him outside? here again is keith morrison with the hometown hero, and the homecoming queen. midnight, august 28th, 2009. oxnard, california. 911 emergency. the woman in full panic. what s the person look like that was in your back yard? you heard shots being fired? yes. my husband is outside. the woman on the phone was jane laut, the wife of the hometown hero. oh my god. dave was still outside, she said, where she heard shots fired. where did you last see your husband? he told me to get back in. so i came back in. and i heard the shots. how old is your son?
fell into place for them. there was a separation, it was like jane was the parent and michael was the child, and dave was in the way. you had the sense that she was pushing dave away? yeah. i think that was a stress on the marriage. that there was stress was pretty clear, said rebecca. for a while, every time she would call me, it seemed like it was to vent about something she didn t like about what dave was doing. so evidence was carefully sifted for months. and then in february 2010, jane laut was arrested and charged
jane laut told the police a harrowing story, of a backyard prowler, and gunshots right outside her door. and now her husband, olympic bronze medalist, dave laut, was dead. but some things seemed a little off. for example, said investigator palmieri, when police were still questioning jane at the house, she stepped into the laundry room. she actually tried to keep one of the police officers out of the laundry room. she tried to close the door, with her in the laundry room and him out. why? well, said palmieri, jane was wearing pajamas when police arrived. but in the laundry room they found her jeans rolled up in a towel tucked between the washer and dryer. her top was lying there as well, inside out. it looked like they had been removed quickly, stashed away. when an officer tried to administer a gunshot residue kit to jane s hands, standard procedure in a shooting investigation when the officer doing the test began getting the test ready, she did go into the
isis supporter was then shot and killed. now back to dateline extra. now back to dateline extra. i m tamron hall. dave laut was murdered outside his home, and then police found the gun that killed him inside. calling the story his wife told detectives into question. but secrets emerged, and what she told them next would send the investigation hurtling in a whole new direction. a stunning allegation pointed to another explanation for dave s death. here again is keith morrison with the hometown hero and the homecoming queen. reputation is all we have in the end. how quickly it can turn. sweet jane laut now accused murderer, and now that dave was dead, stories emerged.
she rose that night. i mean, she didn t fall, she rose that night. and, you know, became the a very strong, powerful woman. and defended the life of her son. and then at last in january 2016, jane laut went on trial for murder. her friend, helen, sitting right behind her. do you think she ll go to jail? i don t. really? i don t. i absolutely do not. you believe the jury will believe her story? i do. and see it as a case of self-defense? i do. i believe that. i believe that. i sincerely believe her. i don t say that about many people. i sincerely believe her. do you usually get this personally invested in a case? i am always invested in my cases, yes. but do i care as much about clients like i do about jane laut? no, that s i would be lying if i said i did.