needs, served as counsel. she s a sweet person. she doesn t have a temper. and it was really apparent to us that she had a good relationship with her husband. they couldn t fathom how sandra was under suspicion for a crime that defied physical possibilities. after all, she was found tied up, barricaded in her closet. she believed she s had a seizure. or maybe, she was actually hit in the head and was knocked unconscious. to these attorneys, the case seemed suspiciously thin. where is the beef? worse the crime? i guess more importantly, was the investigation? it had taken more than a year and a half to indict sandra. so, what were the detectives doing all that time? well, that s an involved story. investigated by nbc affiliate kprc tv. the lead detective on the case, ruben had become the center of a scandal. a controversy is going tonight over a document falsified by a harris county detective now working for the
away. it sucked the life out of me. i just felt the room spin. and i just felt like my world was collapsing. we just could not believe. it could not believe it was happening to her. to prosecutor barnett, this was justice. both for the state and for jamie melgar. she s committed a crime and they found her guilty. i m glad. i ve done my job. and justice has been served. the jury sentence sandra to 27 years in prison. her lawyers have begun the years long appellate process. from behind bars, sandra wrote us this letter saying she s at peace because she knows she s innocent. her family supports her, so, she s not giving up. analysts? well, she and her kids do their best to carry on without jamie or sandra. my daughter just loved her loved her nana so much. and it was too heartbreaking to tell her that nana wasn t coming home. what do you miss about your
doesn t have a temper. and it was really apparent to us she had a good relationship with her husband. reporter: they couldn t fathom how sandra was under suspicion for a crime that defied physical possibilities. after all she was found tied up, barricaded in her closet she believes she s had a seizure. or maybe she was actually hit in the head and was knocked unconscious. reporter: to these attorneys, the case seemed suspiciously thin where s the beef? where s the crime? i guess more importantly, where s the investigation? reporter: it had taken more than a year and a half to indict sandra. so what were the detectives doing all that time? well that s an involved story, investigated by nbc affiliate kprc-tv. the lead detective on the case, ruben shawn carrizal, seen here interviewing sandra, had become the center of a scandal. a controversy is growing tonight over a document falsified by a harris county detective now working for the district attorney s office. detectiv
her husband. reporter: they couldn t fathom how sandra was under suspicion for a crime that defied physical possibilities. after all she was found tied up, barricaded in her closet she believes she s had a seizure. or maybe she was actually hit in the head and was knocked unconscious. reporter: to these attorneys, the case seemed suspiciously thin where s the beef? where s the crime? i guess more importantly, where s the investigation? reporter: it had taken more than a year and a half to indict sandra. so what were the detectives doing all that time? well that s an involved story, investigated by nbc affiliate kprc-tv. the lead detective on the case, ruben shawn carrizal, seen here interviewing sandra, had become the center of a scandal. a controversy is growing tonight over a document falsified by a harris county detective now working for the district attorney s office. detective carrizal got himself into serious trouble for falsifying a search warrant in a case not
i went to the mailbox and it had been absolutely filled with fliers from lawyers trying to get our business for our pending case. did you know what that was about? i had no idea what that was about. and so i got onto the harris county website and i entered my mom s name. and i saw that she had been charged with my father s murder. reporter: a few days earlier, a grand jury had quietly voted to indict her. she turned herself in and posted bond. and then she hired veteran criminal defense attorney mac secrest to defend her. quite frankly, i can smell bs from across the room. and when i sat down and spoke with her, her story was plausible, i didn t hear anything that rang kind of a false note. reporter: allison secrest mac s niece served as co-counsel. she s a sweet person, she doesn t have a temper. and it was really apparent to us she had a good relationship with her husband. reporter: they couldn t