Didnt look like a robbery. Lots of valuables left behind. Lots of secrets too. It just kind of sent chills up my back. Something was tearing a family apart. I dont even know where to start. Or was it someone . The most coldblooded, evil person. A family feud, and an innocent man, caught in the middle. You know these shows you watch that people see the ghosts of their loved ones . I wanted that so bad, so bad. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with the root of all evil. Reporter the hunting is good here in the arkansas delta. Twice a year, a horde of migrating mallards descends on flooded rice fields. Deer stare out through thickets of hardwood. You have to be quiet, surefooted, your aim true. Thats what marc despains dad taught him. Thats what marc taught his own son. Before hatred wormed its way in. Sometimes its overwhelming that anger, isnt it . It is. It is. Reporter the anger that pitted father against son. It almost got physical. It just it breaks my heart. Reporter and husband against wife. I just wanted to go into protective mode and protect us all. Reporter and brought the hunting to town on a deathly quiet summer afternoon. Can you please hurry . Okay. Im going to get them out there. Please send an ambulance. Reporter what could be left but the bitter taste of recrimination. He is evil. He is not the kind person that hes got the public convinced that he is. Reporter jonesboro is both a college town and a farm town. Tends to the needs of young minds and rice farmers on the vast plain of sticky, fertile clay west of the mississippi river. Its where marc despain breezed through school with his easy charm. Tana is his mother. He was the only freshman that we know of that was chosen by a senior to go to the senior prom. Reporter marc became a High School Football star and his sister jacque watched him bring his trophies home to lay at the feet of his father, jack. He really did look up to dad. And he you know, he always wanted to, you know, impress him and stuff. Reporter and then well, its an old story, really. When i was 18 and he was 19, we just bumped into each other. Reporter pretty michelle. She was sitting on top of a car when marc spotted her one night. Tiny, doeeyed, and, before long, pregnant. The way i was brought up, you know, if you got a girl pregnant, you married her. Thats just that was just what you did. Reporter so there was a shotgun wedding. Two families thrown together, marc and his parents, jack and tana. Michelle and her long divorced parents, her mom kathy and her dad carl. Michelle also brought along a baby from an earlier relationship. And he never treated her like she was not his. Never. Reporter together they had two boys. He loved his kids. I mean, just anything they ever dreamed of, he would do his damndest to get it. Anything. Reporter the Little Family moved into a trailer marcs parents bought them. And marc studied hard to become a real estate appraiser, like his mom, and went into business with his parents, which, said michelle, is about when things began to go wrong. Marc didnt like to be pushed around by his dad. He was an independent person. Reporter the growing tension spilled over at the kitchen table. Marc demanded a bigger share of the money. They argued. And then michelle chimed in. Oh boy. Oh my goodness, when she opened her mouth, dad just flipped off the handle. And, of course, marc just, i dont know, stepped in as a husband, like a husband should do. Reporter thats how it began, the trouble between father and son. The trouble that was going to get so much worse. Marc split away from the family business. Michelle helped with the bookkeeping. I was just amazed at what they were able to accomplish. Reporter and they were a good team, said michelles mom, kathy. They both just had the ability to Work Together to and make money. Reporter marc got into real estate investment. His first, a trailer park no one else would touch. I couldnt believe he bought that. I was just, what are you thinking . Have you lost your mind . He flipped it. Made him about 100,000 profit. Reporter and so having done it once, he figured hed do it again. Absolutely. Reporter and again and again. Absolutely. Reporter and the money seemed to roll in. Marc moved his family to an upscale neighborhood in the southern part of town. Adrift from his own parents, he spent more and more time with michelles, taking them on family trips. Even hired michelles dad, carl, to be his rent collector. I remember a lot of times walking in and carl would be sitting at the dining room table. And must be 50s, 100s, 20s. He was counting them like a drug dealer. Reporter just piles of money . Piles of money. Reporter and then, one august afternoon, michelle came home from work early. When i walked in, there werent any lights on. Everything was knocked onto the floor. Reporter and then she got to the kitchen. And there he was. And hes laying in the floor, and there was blood coming all out from behind him. And i shook his leg and said his name. And i looked around, and there was stuff in the floor everywhere. And i got scared. Reporter she ran outside, terrified, and called 911. 911, whats your emergency . My my my husband. I just came home maam, i need you to take a deep breath. Okay . And tell me whats going on. I dont know. Reporter michelle ran across the street to a neighbors house, desperate to hide. Shes not answering the door, okay . Do you want me to stay on the phone with you . No. I need to call my mom. Okay. Call your mom. Im going to get them en route. It was a voice that scared me. You know you pick up the phone. You hear one of your kids on the phone, and you hear crying. Reporter kathy raced over there, found michelle sobbing on the curb. And shes i got to get to him. I got to get to him. I just kind of grabbed my daughter by the shoulder. And im like, michelle, hes gone. Hes gone. Reporter so he was. Dead on his own kitchen floor. A young wife is now a widow and the horror of what she witnessed is unforgettable. Reporter is it a sight that lives in your mind a lot . A lot. Her familys good life suddenly gone or maybe it hadnt been so good. He was kind of embarrassed to have to come and get money from me. Money, is that a clue . Ure thg cough vaccination is up to date. Understand the danger your new grandchild faces. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about you and your family getting a whooping cough vaccination today. Im why . Because its red lobsters crabfest. And theres so much crab, so many ways. And with dishes like this luscious crab lovers dream or savory snow crab bake. Im just Getting Started so hurry in and get crackin yeah, its a samsung is thatwith activewash. Achine . Its got a builtin sink to pretreat and help get stains out. How about this . The samsung washing machine with activewash. Get 10 off select major appliances 396 and above. At lowes. Just about anywhere you can use splenda®. No calorie sweetener. Splenda® lets you experience. The joy of sugar. Without all the calories. Think sugar, say splenda® mum. Just tap it. I did Yo Gabba Gabba reporter they are burned into Michelle Despains brain. The images of that awful afternoon. Shadows in the hallway. Her husband. His blood. Him laying on the floor. Reporter is it a sight that lives in your mind a lot . A lot. Oh yeah. Reporter outside, a crowd of police, and friends and family, and curious neighbors, gathered on the street below marcs house. Among them, in an awful state, was marcs sister jacque. You know, everything was wrapped in tape. And police officers, you cant cross here. You cant do this, you cant do that. I dont know. I just wanted to hold his hand or something. Reporter detective vic brooks was on the other side of that police tape. When i first walked in, i noticed that were some papers that appeared to be knocked on the ground. And there was some broken glass and stuff like that on the floor. Reporter investigators snapped photos of the chaos. Drawers pulled out in a bedroom. Clothes thrown into the bathtub. A jewelry case toppled over. Like somebody was looking for something . Possibly. Reporter they asked around the neighborhood, did anyone see any strangers that afternoon . And yes, someone did, investigators told prosecutor, scott ellington. An African American was seen in the neighborhood wearing a certain colored shirt. Reporter it wasnt just that. Later somebody said they saw an aging and beat up blue mercedes circling the neighborhood. So, thieves casing the house . Maybe. And yet, as detective brooks looked around the house, he could see this just didnt have the hallmarks of a robbery. The valuable stuff tv sets, guns, computers were untouched. And look at this photo. Sitting next to marcs keys and a cell phone on the kitchen island, is a container of ice cream. It appeared that he had just walked in and set these items down, and then was caught totally off guard. Reporter all of that seemed to shriek of a planned ambush dressed up a little to look like robbery. The way investigators pieced it together, somebody was waiting for marc to get home, then crept up from behind, shot him twice. He had suffered two gunshot wounds, one that appeared to have entered on his left side, and then another shot that he had sustained to his face. Reporter that was a kind of what is a kill shot or something . Yes, sir. Reporter somebody making sure. It appeared so, yes. Reporter why would someone want to kill marc despain . I was so confused. I just i didnt think marc had any enemies. And i didnt know why anybody would want to kill him. Reporter detective brooks soon discovered a possible reason. Even though theyd been living lavishly, marc had serious money trouble. He was kind of embarrassed to have to come and get money from me. Reporter it was a couple of months before the murder, said michelles mother kathy. Marc asked her for cash to help pay for michelles birthday present. You know, thats very unusual. Because usually they just go out and buy whatever they want. Reporter not anymore. That summer, 2011, jonesboro real estate was far from recovered. Many of marcs rental properties were underwater. The bank was closing in. Tenants were being forced out of their homes. So you know, was anybody upset with marc . Was this any of his tenants . Could this have been somebody like that . Reporter and then, an ugly little surprise crawled out of marcs own troubled family. Marc and his parents were lobbing lawsuits at each other over some shared property. The prosecutor heard that marcs dad, jack, was a hothead. Jack was very, very angry at marc for mishandling this property that they coowned together. Reporter yes. But it went deeper than that, went to a very dark place, as you will see. And because of it, marc hadnt spoken to his parents in years. So when jack showed up at the crime scene, the suspicion was, well, audible. Michelles dad, carl, started yelling at him. Cursing very loudly. Calling him all kinds of names. Reporter but what was he saying . Theres that son of a bitch, jack despain. Reporter did you think jack was somehow responsible . Oh, yeah. Marc had told multiple people, if anything ever happens to me, yall look at my dad. Reporter so, of course, detective brooks invited jack down to the Police Station. Just maybe this mystery would have a quick, if very disturbing, solution. Coming up a young girl makes a troubling accusation that defines a family oh my god. Could this have possibly happened . But was that the motive for murder . Was it even true . When dateline continues. 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So try the activia challenge enjoying activia twice a day for 4 weeks may help reduce the frequency of bloating, gas, discomfort or rumbling. It works or its free iand sometimes, an even longer night. Helping with homework before doing your own. And you may think no one notices. But she does. She sees more than mom, she sees determination. We do too. For nearly 40 years, weve designed an education for people just like you. Learn more at phoenix. Edu. Reporter its an unpleasant thing to think about. Parents murdering their own children. But it happens. Is an old story, frankly. Some awful glitch, perhaps, in the human recipe. Had it happened here, in jonesboro . Suspicion fell quickly on marcs dad, jack despain. Michelles mom heard about it when she called to tell a relative that marc was dead. Somebodys murdered marc. And he was like, oh my god. He said, have they found jack despain . Reporter he thought right away it was jack. Uhhuh. Reporter because anyone close to jack and his family knew, a poison far more potent than money had come between father and son. I never saw it coming. I dont think marc ever saw it coming. Reporter it began, said michelle, when her 13yearold daughter told them an ugly story, that her grandpa jack asked her to take nude photos of herself on his phone. Marc called a family meeting. Marc told his dad, theres a problem. We want to help you. You know, were not here to point fingers at you or judge you. Reporter jack swore he did nothing wrong. Marc called in the police. Tana, jacks wife of more than 30 years, left him. Moved in with marc and michelle. Well, how do you prepare for a thing like that . You dont. You dont prepare reporter well, what is that like . You just your mind is is in overdrive, you know, trying to think, you know, oh my god, could this have possibly happened . Reporter but after the police interviewed the girl, and then jack, and then the girl again, and heard her story change, become more elaborate, the investigation was dropped. And tana, driven with guilt for ever suspecting jack abused his granddaughter, went back to him and begged forgiveness. The man ive been married to for over 30 years and went to high school with, and then doubting him, and knowing i shouldnt have. Reporter but marc and michelle, believing the girl, never spoke to his mom or dad again. Cut them off from their grandkids. Disowned marcs sister when she took jacks side. I believe dad 100 . I dont believe he had anything to do with it. Reporter so that was the ugly backdrop to the murder investigation. And detective brooks would have to figure out if this yearsold unproven allegation had so eaten away at marcs dad that it pushed him over the edge. Time to meet potential suspect number one. Im going to close that door, mr. Despain. Reporter detective brooks sat down with jack in an Interrogation Room and watched the man fall apart. I cant. Reporter was this true grief the detective was witnessing . Or regret . Or guilt over something jack had done . Or hadnt done. I was too late. Reporter too late. What did he mean . Jack didnt shy away from discussing those abuse allegations. Heres how it happened, he said. She had taken some nude photos of herself and sent them to her boyfriends. Reporter jack said he found out the girl was sexting, confronted her, said he was going to tell her parents. But she got to them before he did, jack said, and invented the story to get out of trouble. So they took her side, i guess. They took her side and said i was the bad person. Reporter jack told us the same story, eager, he said, to finally set the record straight. You didnt ever ask her to take pictures of herself and give them to you . No, no. Reporter but the accusation, said jack, almost destroyed him. I was at home. I could have opened up my own whiskey store, i think, with how much whiskey i drunk for two months. And typically i dont drink. But that was just to kill the pain. Reporter because everybody assumed that you were abusing your own granddaughter. Yes, yes, yes. Reporter the detective wondered, did jacks pain drive him to seek revenge on his own son . No, said jack, no. He wanted to reconcile with marc, not kill him. I know i aint talked to my son in four, five years but i loved him dearly. Reporter anyway, when marc was murdered, said jack, he was miles away at his own house. I was on the roof trying to put some shingles on. Reporter that alibi would have to be checked out, of course. But even before detective brooks had a chance to do that, other members of the family came down to the Police Station and told him, dont be fooled by jacks tears. He was an angry, possibly violent man. He said, i will ruin you and your family. He said, for you all accusing me of this. He said, i will see you ruined. Reporter this is michelles dad, carl. The man whod been cursing jack out on the street right there at the murder scene. If i was going to point a finger at anybody, if thats what youre asking, id point it at jack despain. Reporter detective brooks could plainly see this was a family with a troubling history. So he made a decision to attend marc despains visitation, take a look around, see what his gut would tell him. I saw a note where you, in your case file, you wrote, this has to be one of the strangest visitations i have ever attended . Yes. It was just a cold feeling. It just did not feel right. Reporter was the killer sitting among the mourners, planning a next move . Coming up a family feud at the funeral. She calls the police on us. And somebody else calls the police with a tip that could crack the case. Reporter thats a nice little gift. It was. Cause these kids willw up with windows 10. Get started today. Windows 10. A more human way to do. 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I couldnt even tell you who was at the you know, who was there. It was just a blur. It all still just feels like a blur. Reporter but there was one thing she was clear about. Marcs parents and sister were not welcome at his funeral. What was the funeral like for you . Oh, it was awful. We couldnt sit down on the main level with family. Reporter why . Michelle wouldnt let us. She barred us. Reporter it was the same at the cemetery. Shes literally trying to get him in the ground before we can even walk up. Reporter you mean get them to fill in the grave . Yes. So, we just immediately jump out of our car and we start rushing to the graveside. And she calls the police on us. She calls the police at my brothers funeral. Reporter yet, for all the chatter about jack, that he might have killed his own son, detective brooks instincts said no. Jacks alibi checked out. He was fixing his roof afternoon of the murder. And those tears in the Interrogation Room i did not feel anything as being fake from mr. Despain. He appeared to be a broken man at that time. Reporter so what to make of the fractured family and all the bad blood now tangled up with so much grief . Detective brooks thought back to his interview with michelles dad, carl, the man who pointed a finger at jack on day one. He told him he didnt want to have nothing to do with him. Reporter carl said hed been in marcs house not too long before the murder, dropped off some rent money. Why didnt they shoot me instead of him . I had the money in my hand. Reporter interesting timing . Coincidence . Or, as detective brooks wondered, did carl have something to do with the murder . Maybe not. Carls alibi checked out. Surveillance cameras, in fact, caught carl right where he said he was around the time marc was gunned down, meeting his daughter at the bank where she worked. He could not have shot marc. While the investigation continued, marcs parents spent time at the cemetery, finally able to do what they couldnt when their son was still alive. Wed talk to him. Talk to marc. And rainy days were the worst. I didnt like rainy days. Reporter what do you mean rainy days . I didnt like him getting wet. I knew he was in heaven. But i just didnt like the rain on him. Reporter and then . Pure luck, really. Remember how neighbors reported seeing an African American stranger in the neighborhood . Now, someone called the cops with a tip. Somebody who matched that description was actually boasting about shooting marc despain. That was a nice, little gift . It was. Reporter didnt take them long to find the guy. Street name, qualow. Real name, terrance barker. And he was nervous. I can see your heart beating through that shirt right now. I know youre scared. Reporter he denied everything. I dont know what to tell you, man. I didnt do this. Reporter detective brooks wasnt buying it. Because by then, the police also tracked down the driver of that beat up blue mercedes seen near the house before the murder. And he told the cops he took qualow to meet a man in a Church Parking lot. And that man wanted a job done. Was that job murder . I didnt do that. I did not do that, sir. Reporter by now detective brooks had been working night and day for a week. His store of patience ran out. This is serious [ bleep ] to me. Ive got three kids that are laying over there crying. Reporter was it that angry speech or another long night in his cell . The next day, qualow, came clean. For a promise of 7 to 10 thousand, still unpaid, he said, he took the job to shoot and kill marc despain. You fired the first round and that round hits him where . It hits in the chest area. Reporter he didnt know marc from adam, he said. It was the man from the parking lot who took him to marcs house, told him where to lie in wait for marc, gave him a gun. And then qualow said something rather surprising. Ive been thinking, like, man, what the what what what in the hell kind of people do [ bleep ] like that . Reporter the shooter who executed a stranger for the mere promise of a few grand, said he was appalled. Not at himself, at the man who hired him. People are something else, man. You know, its especially people that you think care about you and love you. Theyre supposed to be these are the same [ bleep ] that be in your face plotting on you. Reporter if the hitman was telling the truth, detective brooks hunch had been right. Someone who claimed to love marc, also plotted his death. But who . Coming up michelle confesses to an affair. My dad didnt know that. Marc didnt i mean, nobody knew that. And there was another surprise. There were two insurance policies, each for the amount of 500,000. When dateline continues. Its just a summer thing yeah, it was just a summer thing double it up this summer with a hot deal from mcdonalds. music the 2. 50 double combo. music . A mouthwatering double cheeseburger and small fries for just 2. 50. Its just a summer thing music delicious just got doubled this summer at mcdonalds. music reporter its shocking what some people will do for the mere promise of a few thousands dollars. Like lie in wait for marc despain, then put a bullet in his head. But revealing his paymaster . That the hit man did for free. And the name . Somebody called me and said, have you heard . Carls just got arrested. Im like, oh, my god, he did this. Reporter carl, kathys exhusband, michelles dad. But marc gave him a house and a job and took him on Family Vacations. And once again, said michelle, she was stunned. I thought that he cared for marc, you know. The father of my kids. Reporter but michelles mom, kathy, was not so surprised. She knew what carl was capable of. She divorced him years earlier, she said, to escape his explosions of temper. He never would hit me because he didnt want to leave a mark. Reporter what would he do . He would hold a gun to my head. Reporter hold a gun to your head . Yes. Reporter threaten you . Yes. Reporter still, what would make him mad enough to have marc killed . Confronted, carls face turned to stone. Im not going to say anything without a lawyer, vic. Reporter but, as investigators discovered, carl had been talking to other people, told them marc had been physically abusing michelle, that he was tired of it. Did you investigate whether or not any abuse actually occurred in that marriage . There was not any abuse ever found to have been to have happened. Reporter so if the abuse story was an obvious lie, why did carl do it . Marcs parents were certain he didnt come up with the idea on his own. The real mastermind, they believed, was someone else very close to marc, his wife michelle. I cannot see carl taking my sons life without michelle being involved. Reporter michelle was far from a loving, doting wife, they said. The woman they knew was pure selfinterest, would do anything to get what she wanted. Exhibit a so what was it that just turned marc against you . Michelles manipulation. Reporter it was michelle who pushed marc to break away from the family business, they said. Michelle who tore the family apart by stoking her own daughters allegations of abuse, to drive a permanent wedge between marc and his dad, and get marc and his money all to herself. They could easily see her goading her father into planning a murder. Michelle is a sociopath. She is absolutely cares nothing about anyone or anything but michelle. Reporter quite an allegation, if true. And, as it happened, detective brooks was pretty sure he saw an effort by the grieving widow to manipulate him. Hed interviewed her, of course, right after the murder. I nudged his leg, and i screamed his name again, and he didnt move at all. Reporter all that emotion in her voice, it seemed like an act to him. There was no tears. No tears. Reporter but her voice of desperation captured on the 911 call, surely that was real . Shes not answering the door, okay . Reporter maybe not. One of michelles neighbors said they saw her standing calmly in the middle of the lawn. They see a woman standing out there talking on her phone. Didnt appear to be in a grievous situation for sure. Reporter wasnt like she was calling around the neighborhood for help . No. Reporter and marcs sister still remembered how cool michelle seemed at the crime scene. I think what bothered me the most is how clean she was. Like her hair was still perfect, her nails were still perfect. Reporter what would you have expected . Oh well, as brutal as it sounds, some blood underneath her fingernails or something. Reporter like she got down there and tried to revive him . Something. Reporter so detective brooks took a careful look at michelles story, how she invited marc, who was working from home, to have lunch with her downtown, and then after lunch they went across the street to buy ice cream for dessert. See them here . Marc had literally minutes to live. Phone records showed that in the hours leading up to marcs death, there were calls and a flurry of Text Messages between michelle and her dad. What the investigator found was that there was an enormous amount of texts missing. There were chunks of texts missing from carls phone and from michelles phone. Reporter anything interesting or suspicious about the fact they were missing from both phones . Immediately it was suspicious. Reporter on the day her dad was arrested, detective brooks invited michelle back to the Police Station and asked her, point blank. Did you have anything to do with the murder of your husband . No, sir. No, sir. Reporter but she admitted she was hiding something. Anything at all that you need to get off your chest, michelle . Just that i was seeing a guy that my dad didnt know that. Marc didnt. I mean nobody knew that. Nobody knew that. Reporter seeing a guy . An affair . It all tumbled out. How michelle was dipping into Family Finances to pay for her lovers apartment, for his groceries. You have to understand, im very ashamed of this. Reporter so maybe marc was on to her, was about to find out what michelle was doing behind his back. Marcs parents believed the michelle they knew would rather see her husband dead than risk being on the losing end of a messy divorce. So it was all going to fall apart . Yeah. From trailer trash to a rich woman, so she thought in her mind. She was fixing to going back to being trailer trash again, and she just couldnt stand the thought. Reporter but if marc died we found that there were two insurance policies, each for the amount of 500,000. Reporter thats a healthy chunk of change . Yes, sir. Reporter a whole noxious stew of suspicion by now, but none of it actual proof. Months went by. Michelle went on with her life. Jack and tana pushed investigators to keep going. They even posted a billboard asking the public for help. The idea that michelle might get away with murder was eating jack alive. Youve got a whole lot of anger in there for that woman, havent you . If i could take her life, and bring my son back, id do it. Id do it in a heartbeat. Reporter sometimes its overwhelming, that anger, isnt it . It is. It is. Coming up one more twist. I never dreamed he would do that to me. And justice for mark . Maybe. I wanted answers for the children. Everyday, millions of amazing photos and videos are shot with iphone. Thats because the iphone makes it easy for everyone to shoot amazing photos and video. If its not an iphone, its not an iphone. Im so not ready with staples, youll be ready. I can get 30 comp books and notebooks at a low price . Yep, 50 and 25 cents each. 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Goodbye at t everybodys switching to the best family plan from sprint. Get 4 lines with unlimited talk, text and 10 gigs of highspeed data to share for only 100 mo. And now get your new phone delivered and set up for free with sprint direct 2 you. Trouble hearing on the phone, visit sprintrelay. Com about their sons widow, a new boyfriend on her arm and Life Insurance money in her pocket, and they fumed. Shes buying stuff, and buying clothes, and going to restaurants. And its very hard for us to take. Reporter detective brooks was determined to see the case through. Just like marcs parents, he believed michelle had orchestrated the murder down to the very minute. The shooter himself said as much. Carl was texting with someone, he said, as they made their final plans in the Church Parking lot. Whod he tell you he was texting . The dudes wife. Play by play. Play by play. Reporter but virtually all those texts had been deleted. Detective brooks labored for months, nights, weekends. Kind of got emotionally wrapped up in this one, huh . I kept thinking of the children. I wanted answers for the children. Reporter and then, a breakthrough. Finally nine months after the murder, a Police Analyst managed to recover several deleted Text Messages, including this one, time stamped 8 20 a. M. , five hours before the murder. Michelle writes to her dad, has to be today. Cant live like this. Awful this morning. Her dads response . He asks if she can get him away for lunch, right . Yes. Reporter she says she can . She says she can. And he replies, okay, i will let you know time. My review of some of the Text Messages is that marc really wasnt interested in going to eat lunch that day, but she begged him to take her to lunch. Reporter after lunch, remember, she asked to linger for an ice cream treat. All the while texting her dad, said the prosecutor, tipping him off to marcs whereabouts as carl placed a killer in their home. It just kind of sent chills up my back. What kind of person have you got to be to let your husband walk away from you, knowing what hes going to walk into when he gets home . Reporter armed with their new evidence, Police Arrested michelle. She was charged with capital murder, for planning and orchestrating the crime. She denied it, said she could explain everything, and agreed to tell us. Why should people believe that you had nothing to do with the plot to kill marc . Because i didnt. He was such a good dad. Such a good dad. Anybody that knows me knows that my kids are so important to me, the most important thing, and i would never want them to not have their dad. Reporter but she did want out of the marriage, she said. So, those back and forth texts with her dad that day did involve a plot, just not murder. What did you think he was helping you do . Leave. Reporter how was he going to help you leave . By getting things while we were gone. Reporter so shed keep marc at lunch while carl and two hired hands moved her stuff out of the house. But her dad changed the plan on her, she said, used those men to kill her husband. She swore to us she had no idea when she met her dad at the bank that day what hed just done. Youre this close to each other, father and daughter, and youre looking in his eyes and talking to him. He gives no hint that he just killed your husband . Not at all. Reporter and then michelle whats the expression . Threw her father under the bus. Carl killed marc, she said, not because he thought marc was abusing her, but for money, for a piece of the insurance payout. But you were going to get the insurance . Right. Reporter so even if it was his idea, it makes you look pretty guilty. Right. One thing that he always told me and my sister, growing up was, you know, that he you know, its use people for what you can get out of them, you know. Reporter that was what he told you uhhuh. And i never dreamed he would do it to me, use me. Reporter did he . Or was michelle the clever user . In our interview, michelle denied being a master manipulator. She denied that she stoked those sex abuse allegations or that she engineered marcs split with his parents. For that, she blamed jack and tana. I never wouldve walked away from my kids in the first place. I never wouldve reporter in the end, they didnt walk away from their kid either. Because who was pushing, from day one, to solve the murder . Who kept pushing, month after month after month . My opinion on that is their hatred toward me. It wasnt anything to do with marc. It didnt have anything to do with marc. It was all about jack despains hatred toward me. Reporter you seriously believe that . I do. Reporter michelle, out on bail, waited for trial. Her mother, kathy defended her around town. Did you ever let yourself think she was involved . The daughter i know . The daughter i helped raise . No. Reporter meantime, michelles attorneys, ray nickle and bill stanley, took a closer look at those recovered Text Messages. They filed a motion arguing that investigators didnt obtain them properly. They didnt get a new search warrant every time they searched the phone. Were talking about, i think 15 searches. Yeah. Of michelle and carls phones. And they didnt have 15 search warrants. Reporter their arguments about improper search warrants may have had some traction. With the trial looming, the prosecutor was worried. Were at the high stakes poker game where its all or nothing when that judge rules the next day on whether to admit the evidence or not to admit it. Reporter the prosecutor agreed to Start Talking about a plea deal. The defense played it tough, said michelle was only willing to admit she learned about her fathers plot after the murder. She is admitting to having knowledge of someone being involved and not disclosing that to the police. Reporter she would agree to plead guilty to a charge of hindering apprehension said the defense. After some prayer, marcs mother said she could live with that. Im not a gambling person. And you know, it would only even if wed a went to trial, it wouldve only taken one sympathetic juror to have set her free. Reporter in september, more than three years after the death of her husband, Michelle Despain was sentenced. She left the courtroom in handcuffs mouthing i love you to her mom. Her dad and the shooter got 35 years. But michelle, though sentenced to 30 years, could be out on parole in as little as five. Until then, her mom, kathy will raise the kids. Jack and tana hope one day those kids will want to know them, that they will want to hear about their dad and their love for him that came before all this hate. Some of marcs friends told us that you were his hero, jack. Yeah. Reporter you knew that. I loved him. Reporter im sorry, jack. Jack and tana set up a charity to help other victims of violent crime. Its called marcs place. Were going to try to move forward with something positive that we think marc would be very proud of. Reporter and on a fall sunset, they gathered family and friends together to remember their son and finally say goodbye. I tell people all the time, its hug the ones you love. Let them know, because you never know. The next moment they may be gone. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. There w imdiatescreamg. Hot vo rit now a11 it happen without anwn immediate screaming and hollering and panicking. Right now at 11 00, it happened without any warning. Two children are dead after a tree limb falls on their tent. Its been a difficult day. A Family Vacation ends in tragedy. The accident happened early this morning at the popular upper