A baffling disappearance. Where was he . My dad is not just a missing person. He has three sons. He has a wife. I was very afraid that something terrible was wrong. I got scared. The clues, a missing mercedes, a handprint in blood, and a Musical Chairs of secret affairs. He had multiple love affairs. Yes. Theres more women. Theres more lovers involved in this whole thing. Was this Beauty Hiding something deadly . I wanted to get away. I was scared. How would this Hollywood Story End . I just feared for my family. I dont want to lose my dad. Like who are these people . Hello and welcome to dateline. Gavin smith was a larger than life kind of guy who lived life to the fullest. He was not the type to slip quietly into the night. So when he suddenly vanished Without A Trace, gavins sister wondered why his wife lisa wasnt doing more to find him. As the months turned into years the mysterious disappearance would force lisa to reveal and uncover painful secrets about her husband and their marriage. Heres Keith Morrison with dark valley. There is a kind of peace here, here in her own chosen exile, the vast pacific for company. How else to live with whats impossible to understand or forget . What began that Sunny Afternoon far away in southern californias san fernando valley, early may, 2012. Something was really wrong, but a lot more wrong than i could imagine. Reporter it was the boy who knew at first, knew something was wrong. His dad was supposed to take him to school that morning. But after school i was to go to the school and pick him up after basketball practice. When i showed up, he said, daddy didnt pick me up this morning. And i said, what . He said, daddy didnt show up this morning. Reporter it can happen. Busy families. People forget. The boy got to school some other way. He said he called a friend from around the corner. Reporter or sometimes things fall apart. The situation sounded too crazy. Love affairs, love triangles, drug dealers. It just sounded too outlandish. Reporter once those stable loving pieces have blown apart, how do they come together again . Somebody is going to walk away from this who maybe you wish wasnt going to walk away . Exactly. How do people sleep at night . How do they live with themselves . Reporter but that afternoon, lisa smith knew instantly, something must be wrong. Her husband gavin was a dedicated father. Nothing would keep him from picking up his kid, ever. Reporter because gavin was so good at these things, his sister, he was so impressive, so tall. You both got the tall gene, huh . We did. Reporter whole family . The whole family. Reporter gavin was the tallest, 66. He walked in the room, you wanted to gravitate to him. He was like a magnet. Reporter He Played Basketball For Legendary Coach john wooden. Ucla 1975. He was a forward. It was woodens final championship team. Just to be on that team was pretty fantastic. It was a once in a lifetime. Reporter and then he drifted a bit, worked as a golf caddie and this being los angeles and he a goodlooking towering athlete, people noticed him. Movie people. They gave him a couple of roles and he got the bug. Reporter the acting bug. First as a body double back on the Basketball Court in the movie inside moves. Then as a bartender in cob. Congrats, al. Reporter when he met lisa, he was acting, but also waiting tables. He twinkled, he was just charming. I was thrilled that he asked me for my number. Reporter they married, had three sons together and with a growing family to support, gavin gave up acting and took a job on The Business Side at 20th century fox, eventually as a Film Distribution executive. Fox is a Wonderful Company to work for. And he loved it. It was film. Reporter the first place lisa called when gavin failed to pick up their son. Was he at work that day . They told me he just hadnt shown up to work. Gavin in 18 years had never, never not shown up to work. Reporter so lisa, very worried now, went to the lost hills sheriffs station to report gavin missing and waited and waited. Days later, gavins family went on nbc 4 in los angeles to plead for help. Im not going to stop until i find him. So please help me find him. If you guys want to each pick up one of these streets now im in panic mode. Weve got to do something. Reporter what did it feel like to be in that spot . Oh, it was surreal. Reporter The Smith Family put together a 20,000 reward for any information leading to gavins whereabouts. Nothing turned up. I would think that with every hour that went by, it would be more dire and darker for you, right . Its very dark. Its very, very dark. Reporter it wasnt just the family having dark thoughts. They dont normally call a couple of seasoned Homicide Detectives to look into a missing person. They do when there are some suspicious circumstances. Reporter and in this case, they called in sheriffs Detectives Ty Labay and his partner john obrien. His phone was missing. There was no use of it. We checked his Bank Accounts from the time he was missing. We checked his medical insurance to see if he checked himself into a hospital. That never showed any activity. He was completely dropped off the face of the earth. Reporter but then, out of nowhere, a sighting. Hundreds of miles north of los angeles, a businessman visiting californias Central Coast said he saw gavin smith and a beautiful woman at a cashonly Taco Restaurant in morro bay. I happened to click on the link, saw the photo, and i said oh, boy. Reporter the waitress corroborated the story. He was sitting here. She was sitting right here. Reporter gavins sister tara raced up the coast to the restaurant. And i said, heres my brothers picture. Did you see him . Reporter and . No. That was truly heartbreaking to me. People seemed to see gavin smith everywhere. Because he kind of stands out in the photo, big white smile, tan face, tall guy, pretty much every tall, tan, blondhaired man was getting spotted as being gavin smith. Reporter weeks, months passed. No sign of gavin. Then with no answers lisa was forced to reveal something publicly. Something painful. And maybe crucial. Coming up, what had happened to gavin smith . It didnt make sense to me. We said, i think this is a suicide. Then we go, i think this is a murder. Our Gut Instincts were going different ways. Reporter you wondered if she had something to do with this. It crossed our minds all the time. Somehow it kept playing back, why wont you search . When dateline continues. Man condos, 150k. [ traffic passing by ] sorry, bud. Thanks. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says. Alright, back to work. Nexgard is the 1 vetrecommended flea and tick protection, and its easy to see why. 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He of all people should not just up and vanish. It didnt make sense to me. And so i just kept, no, it cant be. It cant be. I just kept hoping. I did everything i could. Reporter but even as she ran down leads herself, it seemed to tara that lisa, her sisterinlaw, gavins wife, wasnt searching. So he disappeared and you couldnt give up on the possibility hes out there somewhere and lisa could. And i wondered whether there were ever dark nights in your soul where you thought i wonder if she had something to do with this. It crossed our minds all the time. I mean, it just did. Did i think she could ever be the one responsible the physical, no, but somehow it kept playing back, why wont you search . Why . The only way somebody doesnt look for you is if you already know definitively. Reporter yeah. Theyre no longer living. Reporter and you must have a reason for knowing that. Thats what i would assume. Reporter and it turned out lisa did know something, just not what tara suspected. There were secrets which lisa and gavin kept hidden. He adored me, our family was exactly what he wanted to have. It just got lost. Reporter lost. It all started in the early 80s, even before she met gavin, when he was a stuntman on the tv series remington steele. He played a shooting victim, falling from a secondstory window. The stunt went wrong and he broke his back. He would get pain pills for his back. So usually percocet, Something Like that for pain. When that didnt work anymore, he was prescribed oxycontin. And he was addicted to it. Reporter he went to a Drug Rehab Center called the Matrix Institute here in the san fernando valley. He clearly stopped using. He was feeling healthier than he felt in years. Reporter but when detective john obrien and tyla bay learned good gavins addiction, they had to consider a raft of new possibilities. He disappeared, maybe overdosed. We didnt have any of driving all over the valley we would have moments in the car where we looked at each other and said, i think this is a suicide. And then an hour later wed interview somebody and something would happen and wed go, i think this was a murder. And our feelings and our Gut Instincts were going different ways very early on very fast. Reporter thats got to be pretty unusual. It was very confusing. Reporter confusing for lisa, too. Because here was another secret. The smiths were underwater on their mortgage, on the verge of losing their home. We were in a horrible position financially. Reporter Lisa Discered that before he disappeared gavin had been taking money from his Retirement Account and recklessly blowing through his sixfigure salary. And there were other signs of strain in the family. In april 2012, a month before gavin disappeared, his son evan wrote this message on twitter. Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing mom and brothers, please. My dad decided to leave the family last night. Real family sticks together. Sister tara spoke with gavin at the time. He was struggling with losing what he had come to know and love for so many years and that was his family unit. And he didnt want to hurt those boys and thats what he kept saying. I dont want to be without them. Reporter but as much as he loved his boys, detectives learned, gavin had been unfaithful to his wife, had been seeing a woman named melanie, and now that gavin had disappeared Without A Trace we went to talk to her to see if she had any information. Reporter did she . No, their relationship had ended. And she had not talked to him and she had no idea where he was at. Reporter but, though melanie was the reason gavin moved out of his house a month before he vanished, she was not his first affair. There had also been a woman named chandy. That relationship wasyearold in the past, but Phone Records show gavin called her on may 1st, the day before he disappeared. Cops tracked her down, too. What did she tell you . She acknowledged the prior affair and said she had not been in contact with him for some time but then they started communicating via email. And that would explain the fact he called her on the phone . Yes. Reporter but chandy said she didnt see him may 1st, hadnt heard from him since. Last sighting, a Colleague Saw him driving his Black Mercedes. We felt the vehicle was still out there somewhere. Reporter so find the car and maybe find out what happened to gavin. And nine months after gavin vanished, they finally got the break they were looking for. I said, im here to talk to you about your daughter, and he started crying and he said, she saw everything. Coming up she was very nervous and startled. A new witness and a game changer of a clue. I kissed my partner on the cheek. It was pretty exciting. It was a big piece of evidence. Huge moment. You think you cant be shocked but you can be. When dateline continues. Reporter like it or not, its a fact. An element of human nature. Some people have affairs. Some of them just flings. Others a lot more. And as detective ty labay poked through gavins life, one name kept popping up. Chandy. Her full name, chandrika kreach. She had already told detectives she and gavin had had an affair years earlier and he called her before he vanished. But now nine month after he disappeared detectives got a tip. Her father knew more. Chandys daughter started telling a tale about something his daughter may have seen and he was distraught and wanted to talk about it. He said you know reina . I said yeah, i know the name. Reporter reina lim . She lived with chandy. She took care of chandys grandmother. Chandys dad said reina knew something, something important. And he goes i think she knows where the car is. Reporter the elusive mercedes. Detective labay and his partner john obrien drove out to see reina. We just waited till she showed up and we kind of surprised her. Reporter its what you guys do, right . You know, sometimes it works better that way, yeah. She was very nervous and startled. And wasnt sure what to do. Ultimately she provided us with the paperwork for the Storage Locker. Reporter reinas Storage Locker. It was a big one. 10 feet by 20. We rolled the door up. And the only thing in it was a black Mercedes Benz with no License Plates on it. Wow. A huge moment. Reporter a Black Mercedes sedan. Had to be gavin smiths. I kissed my partner on the cheek. Thats a true story. It was a big piece of evidence. And we were able to get closer and saw our entire crime scene in our opinion was inside that car. Reporter crime scene . Yes. Suddenly all other theories seemed to fall away. The passengers seat was completely covered in blood and at one point it was very eerie where you looked at the blood and you could see a hand mark of gavin smith as he died in that seat. Reporter soon the news reached gavins family. Tara was devastated. Theres no going back from that. Theres no going back. Reporter you accepted it . You know, youre forced. You know, trauma happens to people all the time. You dont think its going to happen to you. But it does. You know, when you already expect the worst, you think that you cant be shocked, but you can be is all i can say about that. Reporter but if gavin was dead, and certainly it looked that way, where was his body . How did his car wind up in the Storage Locker, and above all, who would have wanted him dead . Reina lim certainly seemed like an unlikely suspect. She told them she had rented the storage unit for someone else. Meanwhile, detectives looked further into chandys affair with gavin and discovered the two had met in rehab. And in December 2010, less than two years before gavin disappeared, lisa found out about it. I was heartbroken. Reporter so she took an extreme step to save her family. She and two of her sons, then 14 and 20, went to the kreaches house to speak to them family to family. I was really upset when we were driving there. So i stayed in the car and let my sons go in the house. Reporter but they didnt meet chandy in there. They met her husband. His name was john. John creech. Not pleasant. When they came out, they were both crying. Reporter they told their mom creech threatened to kill gavin if he didnt stay away from chandy. So 17 months later he vanishes after calling chandy . Lisa had a very bad feeling. Everything changed right then for me. Reporter detectives were suspicious, too. Remember, chandy told them she didnt see gavin that night. But there was evidence to the contrary. Cell Phone Records showed gavins phone and chandys were in the same place that night. A little triangulation narrowed down just where. We came upon this street here and we thought reporter this is a likely spot. Yeah. Reporter a likely spot for a tryst, that is. A parking lot that would be empty at night. Yes. Reporter so this is a pretty lonely spot. It is. Reporter so it seemed on the night he disappeared gavin smith met Chandrika Creech for sex. Or comfort. Or just to talk. Something. Quite a lot to learn from those phone record. But there was more. A third phone. John creechs phone in the same spot on the same night. And this was eerie. Creechs phone seemed to be moving in sync with gavins. John creechs phone and gavin smiths Phone Paralleled each other. Reporter together, together . Together. Sometimes hitting off the exact same towers or parallel towers. Reporter wow. What was that like . That was an eyeopening moment. Reporter but when they interviewed john creech he denied ever meeting gavin smith. He said he knew who he was, that he was having an affair with his wife in the past. Reporter so despite their suspicions there was not much police could do. Because one thing we didnt have was gavin smith. Reporter that is, they had no body, no way to prove who killed gavin or that there was a murder at all. That is, until a dog named buddy went for a walk. A reallife Doggy Detective who makes a deadly discovery on a deserted trail. Coming up i go buddy, stop. And its like wow, that looks pretty strange. And a young woman suddenly finds herself in the middle of this mystery. I discovered he had scrapes on his hands and on his arms. When dateline continues. Why choose invisalign over other aligners . Only Invisalign Treatment uses smarttrack technology. It moves teeth more comfortably and predictably than ordinary aligners. So i can create custom treatment plans for every smile. youre clearly someone who takes care of yourself. So why wait to screen for colon cancer . Because when caught in early stages, its more treatable. Im cologuard. Im noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92 of Colon Cancers even in early stages. Tell me more. Its for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. Ill get on it thats a step in the right direction. Hello. Im dara brown. Heres whats happening. A funeral was held for captain sir tom morrison known as captain tom. The british war vet raised millions for the uks Health Service during the covid pandemic. His casket was carried by soldiers and a world war ii era plane performed an honorary flyover. The fbi is targeting a single assailant in the death of Capitol Hill Police officer brian sicknick. Agents suspect the injuries he sustained on january 6th were from a spraytype irritant. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. It had been over two years since gavin smith, a Charismatic Entertainment executive and family man, had vanished. Detectives had a major break in the case when they discovered gavins missing mercedes and his bloody hand print on the passengers seat. There was also a person of interest, the jealous husband of the woman gavin was having an affair with. But there was still no bodies in until an inquisitive dog named Buddy Bounded onto the scene. Heres Keith Morrison with dark valley. Reporter rocky ramos liked to drive his truck up to the outskirts of the Angeles National forest, a place where people tend to toss things like ol tvs, maybe some furniture. Rocky liked to poke around up here. Always with his dog buddy by his side. Hed be mad if i didnt take him. Reporter in october 2014 they were just five minutes into their hike when something curious happened. We were walking up this little area right here and he runs to a bush and i go, buddy, stop. And hes just looking at the bush. He wont leave it or anything. So we go up there and were looking and its like, wow that looks pretty strange. Reporter buddy had made a grim discovery, a human skull. I was totally amazed. I was without words, you know. I didnt know what to think. Reporter when police arrived, they found a Shallow Grave nearby. Thats where we found him. Reporter him. The coroner soon confirmed it. After 2 1 2 years here was the body of gavin smith. The clothing was still intact and he had been wrapped in his own blanket that he had in the truck of his car. Reporter the coroner also found the cause of death, and it was grim. Blunt craniofacial trauma, that is, multiple blows to his face. He was beaten to death. It was repeated hitting in order to do that much damage, very violent. Reporter there were also fractures to the right forearm, possibly defensive wounds. Gavin had tried to fight, but clearly, he was no match for his killer. Whoever did this was strong, very strong. Powerhouse gym was very gossipy, so if you told the wrong person something your secret would be all over the gym. Lauren, just 18 years old back then, asked us not to use her last name. Not after she found herself in the middle of a homicide investigation. When police came across her doing under surveillance on john creech. Lauren used to work at the pro shop of the Powerhouse Gym in chatsworth, california. And thats where she first met creech. He was beautiful. He was tall and he was muscular and a lot of women especially wanted to date him. A lot of men wanted to be him. Reporter lauren fell for him. He told her he was separated from his wife, chandy, but that didnt stop chandy from calling lauren. She texted and called me and was very belligerent and rude. Reporter angry perhaps that her husband, then 39, was dating a high school girl. In fact, sheer coincidence, lauren went to high school with gavin smiths sons. So she knew when he disappeared in may 2012, but made no connection between that and something she noticed about her boyfriend, john creech. I discovered he had scrapes on his hands and on his arms. She didnt think he had anything to do with the disappearance. Reporter but when detective obrien heard about creechs scrapes, he immediately thought of gavin smiths wounds. He needed to talk to john creech again. And he found him in jail, serving eight years on a cocaine charge. His second conviction for dealing drugs. Not exactly an upstanding citizen. But could they prove he murdered gavin smith . We went to him. Didnt ask him questions, just put a picture down in front of him of the Shallow Grave with the wrappedup body. Reporter howd he react to that . Very wide eyed. And the first phone call he made was to his attorney. Reporter thats hardly a surprise. No. Reporter other phone calls were surprising, like the record of calls detectives found in creechs cell phone from the night gavin vanished. John creech was on the phone a lot. He was calling multiple people, very intensely. Reporter so like three or four or five calls to the same person over and over . Exactly. Reporter some of the calls were to creechs buddies from the Powerhouse Gym. We did a multilocation search warrant. And we hit everybody that we believed might have helped on that evening. We hit all those houses all at once. Reporter one by one those buddies turned. They told detectives how a Frantic Creech showed up late that night. How he persuaded one friend to get rid of gavins cell phone. Got another friend to hide gavins car and body in his garage. And yet another told Detectives She Saw Chandy and john creech burning their own clothes in the fireplace after gavin was killed. This was a strange case. Reporter prosecutor bobby grace. You dont normally find a body two years later after somebody is killed. You dont normally have key witnesses who dont come forward until years later. Reporter in january 2015, nearly three years after gavin smith disappeared, creech was charged with firstdegree murder. He had pleaded not guilty. And chandy, well we didnt know if she set it up or if she had something to do with it. Coming up, an undercover sting and chandys the target. And i was like, stop it. I was like screaming my head off. Then a stunning moment in the courtroom. I wanted to get away. I was scared. I was afraid of what i would see. When dateline continues. Ive got the brains youve got the looks youve got the brawn h eres ive got the brains a lot of opportunities with allstate, drivers who switched saved over 700. Saving is easy when youre in good hands. Allstate click or call to switch today. Feel the cool rush of claritin cool mint chewables. Powerful 24hour, nondrowsy, allergy relief plus an immediate Cooling Sensation for your throat. Feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. Heres to the duers. To all the people who realize they can du more with less asthma thanks to dupixent, the addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. Dupixent isnt for sudden breathing problems. It can improve Lung Function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. Its not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. Dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection and dont change or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. Are you ready to du more with less asthma . Talk to your Asthma Specialist about dupixent. If your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. Some people say our tradein iprocess feels too easy. 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All of a sudden the door opens and john just goes like and i was like, i pushed myself out this way, got out the drivers side. Reporter Creech Burst In like a machine said chandy, started slugging, wouldnt quit. I was like, stop it, youre going to kill him. I was like screaming my head off. He comes out of the car and he goes like youre next. And then i drove off. Reporter she was terrified, she said, afraid hed kill her too or tell the cops she set the whole thing up. So, did she . Again and again the detectives listened to the undercover tape. I believe 100 that she did not know that was going to happen and she did not set it up. Reporter but, they wondered, did she help cover it up . Its a Serious Business covering for a crime that awful. But chandy had a card to play. She agreed to testify. Members and alternate members of the jury reporter and in june 2017 john creech went on trial. On the face of it, it looked like a solid case. The phone evidence, the coverup, the truly appalling crime scene in gavins car. But did it add up to first degree murder . Gavin smith had been dead five years. He was killed in his Mercedes Benz in an act of almost stunning brutality by the defendant, john creech, who is sitting here in the courtroom. This became gavin smiths tomb. Reporter but what happened wasnt merely an outburst of rage, said prosecutor bobby grace. No, he said. Creech had been plotting for two years, ever since he found out about chandy and gavin. After that day back in December 2010 when at their mothers request gavins sons met with john creech at his house. We just wanted to make sure that my dad was not in harms way. Were you sobbing and crying . Yes. And what were you saying to the defendant . I was just begging him not to harm my family. Reporter but, they testified, creech told them they did the right thing. He ended up saying that we saved his life by coming that day. Reporter but there were rules. Thats what chandrika, now divorced from john creech, said when she finally took the witness stand. As long as their father stayed away from me and had no communication whatsoever, their father would be fine. Did he say what would happen if he didnt . That he would kill gavin smith. Reporter the affair ended, but chandy said the threat remained. He did not want me to see gavin ever. Reporter still, attraction is a powerful thing, isnt it . Early in 2012 john and chandy were separated but still living together, and gavin and lisa were separated, too. And that old magnetic force. Gavin met chandy on that secluded road. Did the two of you become romantic . Yes. Did that include kissing . Yes. And while you were kissing gavin, did something happen that caught your attention . Yeah. What happened . Just something popped up, like appeared. Was that something the defendant, john creech . Yes. Yes. Reporter gavin didnt have a chance, she said. He repeatedly punched him in the face. Reporter so then she ran back to her car, terrified. I wanted to get away. I was scared. Reporter but before she drove away, she looked back. John had gavin pinned down. Reporter later, she said, creech wanted her to drive him back to the crime scene to help him take gavin to the hospital. A block and a half away, she refused to go closer, and dropped creech off. Why didnt you take him all the way back to the scene . I was afraid of what i would see. Reporter gavin was dead by then. And the prosecution told the jury creech wasnt going to any hospital. He was setting up to recruit help for his coverup. The first person he called was jorge valle. Reporter jorge valle was the first of a series of friends who told an incredible tale. Did you ask any of these people that central question, what were you thinking . They all ultimately said they were trying to help johnny. Reporter because hes such a nice man . Because he was a nice guy. Reporter nice . When creech showed up at jorges house that night he was driving gavins Black Mercedes. And jorge saw something. In the passengers seat. He had like a body. He was just stiff. Like a long stick. And you said it was wrapped up . Wrapped up in a blanket. Reporter eventually jorge got rid of gavins cell phone. But that very night said the prosecutor, creech called a friend from the Powerhouse Gym. Stan mcquay. He asked if he can come over and if he can park his car in my garage. Reporter is the body still in it at that point . Yes. Mccray allows creech to keep the body in the car at his house for five to six days. Reporter really . Yes. Reporter thats when creech turned to reina lim, the nurse that lived with him and took care of chandys grandmother. Creech got reina to rent a van. Then he uses the van to drive up to the Angeles National forest and he finds a secluded area to bury gavin smiths body. Reporter where buddy the dog later found it. But the Mercedes Benz was still in stans garage. And did that upset you . Very much so. Reporter so weeks later two men arrived with a trailer. And did you watch them take the mercedes out of your garage . Yes, i did. Reporter that, said prosecutor grace, is when they moved the mercedes into reinas Storage Locker where months later Detective Labay noticed one crucial little detail that survived the attempted coverup. I was looking at the License Plate and i see that its not there. There should be a california License Plate. Its gone. I also see there is one screw missing and one screw screwed back in halfway. And that screw came back positive dna to john creech. Reporter bingo, the unassailable link to pull together all that evidence. Phone records, chandys testimony, the friends, the dna, and it all condemned john creech. But a surprise was coming. For everyone. Raise your right hand. Coming up i was scared for my life. A dramatic tale from the stand. 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The case against john creech at his murder trial was gaining steam. There was dna evidence, cell Phone Records and Witness Testimony all tying him to the bloody scene of the crime. The prosecution argued john had been plotting the ragefueled killing for years to seek revenge on gavin smith for having an affair with his wife. But the defense was about to present a very different story. Heres Keith Morrison with the conclusion of dark valley. Reporter how to defend a man like john creech . Well, said defense attorney irene nunez, it was all very simple. Creech never intended to kill gavin smith. This was a case of selfdefense. He had to defend himself against this intruder, an intruder into his marriage. Reporter and, she said, only one person could tell that story. Who is the first witness you are going to call on behalf of the defense . My client, john creech. Reporter his attorney began by asking him about that meeting with gavins son. At any point did you tell them that you were going to kill their father . No, thats absurd. Reporter and two years later when it all happened he and chandy were separated, he said, though they all lived in the same house. He still worried about her, thought she might be drinking and driving. So he installed an app on his phone, he said, that allowed him to track her phone and followed her only because he was worried, he said. And then he saw her car parked near gavins and thought it best to talk to them. But he didnt sneak up on them, he said. So i knock on the hood of the car. Was chandy sitting on the lap of this guy . She was sitting on his lap. They just kept talking. So i walked over to the passengers side door and i knocked on the window. What did they do . Chandy opened the door. What did she say to you . What the [ bleep ] are you doing here . He started to argue with chandy, he said. And then gavin joined in. I walked around the door and im leaning down to tell him to mind his own business. And as im leaning down to tell him that is when he leaned up and punched me. He punched me, pulled me in by my sweater, put his hand up on my throat. Hes choking me on my throat. Reporter it was gavin who threw the first punch, he said, of course he fought back. Do you recall how many times you hit him . Four or five. And when you were doing that what were you thinking . Im just thinking how the [ bleep ] did i get in this situation . I was scared for my life. Reporter then gavin got out of the mercedes, said creech, and there was something in his hand. There was like this 10 to 12inch stanl steel thing at the time i thought was a knife. We fell on the ground and we went at it for 10 or 15 seconds exchanging punches. At some point, did you get that weapon . I kept punching him. Until he let go with it. What did you do with the weapon . I threw it over the back wall of my property. Reporter such a weapon was never recovered, by the way. But creech insisted there was one, a Multipurpose Tool of some kind and it was gavin who provoked the fight. I was defending my life. I didnt go there looking for a fight. I was just defending mine. I think he lied about everything he said. Reporter on crossexamination the prosecutor went straight for that socalled Multipurpose Tool. So tell us why in the world would you get rid of this weapon that gavin smith had used to attack you with . Why would you get rid of that . I didnt get rid of it. I threw it behind my house where i knew it would be all right. Why would do you that . Why wouldnt you just leave it where it was . I can play Armchair Quarterback all day about things but at the time it seemed like the right decision. Reporter creech admitted he made some wrong decisions too like asking friends to help him dispose of gavins phone and car and body. I take full accountability for everything after the fact. If i could change it, i would. Sir, actually, you never took full accountability because you never came forward to the police, did you . Not on advice of counsel, no. And i still take accountability for that. Reporter lisa smith was in the courtroom to hear creechs testimony. My skin was just crawling. It was really hard. It was really hard. Hes a cruel man. Reporter Jury Deliberations stretched across two days, then the verdict. We the jury in the aboveentitled action find the defendant john creech not guilty of the crime of firstdegree murder of gavin smith. Reporter not guilty of first degree murder. But the jury wasnt done. Guilty of the crime of voluntary manslaughter. Reporter the verdict, guilty of voluntary manslaughter. In other words, they believe john creech killed gavin smith in a moment of blind passion. I was devastated by the verdict. I am still devastated by the verdict. Because he did absolutely plan on murdering my husband and thought about it for years and did it. What about creechs friends, jorge and stan, who helped creech cover up the killing . They both had significant criminal liability. Reporter so why werent they charged . Because we needed them to be able to tell the story about how this man was killed and what happened to him. Reporter so they both got immunity. Same thing with chandrika, who helped burn bloody clothing and never called the police. It seems to me that everybody got deals and everybody got off and that gavin was a victim long after he was murdered. And so are we. Reporter john creech was sentenced to the maximum for manslaughter, 11 years in prison. The d. E. A. In detroit, michigan indicted mr. Creech on federal Drug Trafficking charges. If convicted his exposure was anywhere 5 to 40 years in prison. Reporter in june 2019, john creech was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He was given 10 years 10 months, a sentence hell serve concurrently with his remaining time for manslaughter in a california state prison. And lisa smith has done her best to restart life. She and the boys are in hawaii now, far from the wreckage of that california life that never was quite as perfect as it looked. Its painful to remain there. So its starting fresh. It feels like sanctuary. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im natalie morales. Thanks for watching. Im craig melvin. And im natalie morales. And this is dateline. I think i was just in shock to find out that shes gone. And the cause is a gunshot wound. You just wonder, how could this happen . It seemed very surreal. A quiet night at home shattered by a gunshot