Reporter her final client. He owned a. 9millimeter gun. Reporter and she was shot with one of those. Her exhusband. He was under deep suspicion by the whole town. He was. Did you murder your wife . No. I know anyones capable of anything but we would know. Were his kids. Reporter a chilling case. Greed, hate, murder. Reporter with a riveting end. Our moms killer is still out there. Hello and welcome to dateline. Pam zimmerman was everything to her three children. Cheerleader, confidant, mentor, a reassuring presence who was always there. Then, she was gone, shot dead in her office. But why . In the search for clues, detectives focused on the men in pams life and the secrets they kept. Only one would face trial for her murder. And the stunning outcome would tear pams family apart. Heres Keith Morrison with before midnight. Reporter a few minutes after sunrise on the morning of november 4th, 2014, David Zimmerman rose from his bed in a quiet suburb of bloomington, illinois. Eager to dispose of the small worry that had been nagging at him all night, he padded across the room to his bedroom door. I woke up and walk out into the kind main hallway that we have and the lights were still on. Reporter the lights hed left on when he went to bed. Which meant what . David was 17 years old. The eldest of Pam Zimmermans three children. They, not uncommonly, left the lights on for their mom when she worked late at her Financial Planning business. Or when she stepped out with her new man. Typically, when she got home, she turned the lights off. But this Tuesday Morning her bedroom is dark, and it looked like no one had been there. Reporter tell me what was going on in your mind when you saw that . My mind was probably in a million different places. I thought it was the weirdest thing. I was like, all right, she didnt come home, so where is she . Reporter had to be a reasonable explanation. Pam zimmerman was so reliable. Two years divorced, a successful businesswoman and fully engaged mother. A pillar of the neighborhood. David and his 15yearold twin sisters, heidi and rachel, tried to push their worries aside. We made up like every possible excuse there couldve been for why she wasnt coming home. You dont want to focus on that. Yeah. Reporter but some signs were hard to ignore. For one thing, the night before, when pam didnt respond to her kids text messages, heidi tried tracing her, but what she found didnt make sense. My mom and i shared a, like, find my iphone account, so i looked it up on her computer, where her iphone was. And i saw it was in this it wasnt at her office. It was in a weird location. I convinced myself that she was at a clients house, because that was my excuse at the time for why she wasnt home. Reporter still, their mom was a rock. Center of their universe. They told themselves theyd be laughing about this later, or theyd be relieved, anyway. We said, lets just get ready for school. Just keep on with our day. Reporter shell be home when we get home. Yeah. Reporter same time. Same morning. And just two doors down the street, one of pams closest friends, julie koh, was still in her pajamas. My home phone rang, which is odd, because your home phone never rings that early. Reporter it hardly ever rings ever anyway. Right, right. I mean, were, i know, one of the rare people that still have a home phone. And so i picked it up and it was scott. Reporter Scott Baldwin was Pam Zimmermans fiance. He lived a few hours away, near chicago. He said, i havent heard from pam, im really worried. I dont know whats going on. Ive been trying to reach her since last night, shes not answering. Reporter so she lived just a couple houses down here, right . Right. Shes two houses down that way. So i walked down here and knocked on the front door, and david answered. I said, wheres your mom . And he said, i dont know. She didnt come home last night. And i said, what do you mean she didnt come home last night . And i said, well, where is she . I believe they had been trying to reach her since 5 30. The night before. Reporter and nothing. And she didnt answer. Reporter for the kids, she tried to hide the Worry Flooding into her brain. Shes like, okay, just go to school like you normally would and ill text you later when i know something. Reporter maybe, thought julie, maybe there was some simple explanation. She rushed home, got dressed, jumped in her car and headed straight to pams office. Maybe pam fell asleep while working late. I dont really know. I dont really know what my thinking was. Reporter pams kids tried to concentrate on schoolwork. Couldnt. I just remember going to school, and rachel and i sat across from two of our friends at school, and i just lost it and started bawling. The whole morning was really hard. Reporter by now there was a tribe of frightened people. This is pams cousin, vicki. I have a brother whos 18 years younger than me. He called and he said, they cant find pam. And i go, what . He goes, they cant find pam. And i said, thats not good. And he goes, no its not. Reporter the drive to pams office didnt take long. Julie koe pulled into the parking lot. And right away, she saw something that would lead her to call 911. When we come back an awful discovery at pams office. The lights were all off and the blinds were all pulled. All of a sudden i hear her say oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I remember thinking, Everything Has Changed In My Life right now. Everything has changed for those kids. Theres david, and his cheeks are stained with tears. When dateline continues. When Eye Allergens attack, the itch can last 24 hours. But with pataday once daily relief extra strength you get fast, 24hour relief in one drop. Make it a pataday with the drop thats right for you. Now without a prescription. Everywhere. 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So i called 911. And she said, do you want to file a missing persons report . And i said, i dont even know if shes missing. Reporter and then she saw someone who could help. Right as i pulled in, ina was parked right over there and she was getting out of her car and walking towards me. And reporter and you knew ina well. And i knew ina. Right. So i jumped out of my car and i said, pam didnt come home last night. Reporter ina hess was pams friend and Longtime Office manager. Ina said pam seemed fine the day before. Said when she left, around 4 30 p. M. , pam was meeting with her last client of the day behind closed doors. But ina had a key to the building and office, so the two women headed in. I opened the door there and the lights were all off and blinds were all pulled. Reporter was that unusual . Very. The blinds in my area, the reception area, were never closed. Reporter but they were this time . They were closed. And i reached over and turned the light switch on. All of a sudden i hear her say, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. And i walked over to where she was, and we could see pams body kind of laying in a fetal position. Reporter julie is a nurse. She checked for signs of life. I remember leaning down and, you know, checking for a carotid pulse. And i remember thinking, Everything Has Changed In My Life right now. Everything has changed for those kids. And their life will never be the same. Reporter so, there are two things going on at once there. Right, right, thats how youre trained. You immediately focus, emotions are put aside. I knew something was bad. I knew something wasnt right. I knew not to move her. Reporter ina hess stared, rooted to the spot. I guess i kind of went into shock, because i just i saw her lying there. Reporter but you had no idea what had happened. No. Reporter like she could have had a heart attack or something. Could have. Reporter or maybe she tripped over a footrest behind the reception desk. Kind of in the back of my mind, im like, well, did she hit her head . Reporter Police Arrived in minutes. Julies phone still pinging. The kids are still texting, i keep saying, someone needs to go to them and tell them whats going on. Reporter eventually, officers went to the high school. One by one, pams children were called to a conference room, where the police told them their mother was dead. That was the worst part, that they didnt tell us all together. They brought me into this room, and theres david, and his and his cheeks are stained with tears. And i just had to see that. And then they told me, and then i was just bawling, and then david starts bawling again. And then like half an hour later, the same thing happens with rachel. Reporter oh, lord. I cant imagine a day like that. Did you know where your dad was . Did you know where any sort of center of your lives was . No. We didnt know anything after that. They just took us into questioning. Reporter but then, it was hard for anyone to focus on anything other than loss. Allconsuming grief. She was the neatest friend, cousin, you could ever ask for. You needed something, shed be there in a heartbeat. Reporter outgoing, gregarious type . Oh. She would talk to anybody. Everybody knew her. And she made everybody feel like they were, you know, one of her closest friends. Thats how she was. And she was sincere. Reporter a caregiver. Yes, that was Pam Zimmerman. But to her sister, Diane Gifford and brother, larry alexander, pam was also the familys smart, ambitious star. She was valedictorian of her class, graduating class. She was a straight a student her entire grade school and high school, except i think one b, which she got in homeec. I mean ive always known we had the most amazing mom. Such a bright happy person. Full of wisdom, smart, funny. I could go on and on. She always made sure that we came first. Shed come home from work, shed make us dinner, shed stay up all night helping us with homework or doing our laundry. We called her, like, supermom because she literally did everything. Reporter and yet for all the love she inspired, Pam Zimmerman must have stirred something dark in someone or got in someones way. Wasnt long before the police figured out that her death was no accident. What did the police tell you . Nothing. They kept the evidence very, very, very quiet. Reporter when did you find out how she was killed . A few days later, Police Called me and said that the newspaper is going to release some information. You should tell the kids. And the only thing they would tell me is the cause of death was multiple gunshots. Reporter Pam Zimmerman had been murdered, but by whom . Coming up police start with the men around her. Her new fiance. He had at least two other women that he had been involved with. Her final client. He owned a. 9millimeter gun. Reporter and she was shot with one of those. And what about her ex . When dateline continues. Im morgan, and theres more to me than hiv. More love,. More adventure,. More community. But with my Hiv Treatment,. Theres not more medicines in my pill. I talked to my doctor. And switched to. Fewer medicines with dovato. Prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv1 treatment or replacing their current hiv1 regimen. With. Just 2 medicines. In 1 pill,. Dovato is as effective as a 3drug regimen. To help you reach and stay undetectable. Research shows people who take Hiv Treatment as prescribed. And get to and stay undetectable. Can no longer transmit hiv through sex. Dont take dovato if youre allergic to any of its ingredients. Or if you take dofetilide. Hepatitis b can become harder to treat while taking dovato. Do not stop dovato without talking to your doctor,. As your hepatitis b may worsen or become lifethreatening. 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There were two Bullet Wounds in her chest, in the front of her body. Reporter edith bradylunny is a longtime pantagraph crime reporter. There was one bullet wound in her temple. And then there was one bullet wound in her back. Reporter so, somebody making absolutely sure she was good and dead. Exactly. Reporter what was that like to hear that, that news . It was the worst phone call of my life. To think that someone shot her and just let her die. Reporter and pams kids, when they heard that . I always told myself she didnt see it coming, just because that was the easiest way for me to cope with it. Reporter an execution, is what it looked like. Or maybe an Office Invasion robbery . Didnt seem likely, but they wanted to do a walkthrough to see what was missing or what was out of place. Reporter did you notice anything wrong, anything missing . The phone cords had been cut and the phones were gone. And my calendar that i kept all of her appointments on, that was gone. Reporter pams purse was sitting on her desk, gaping open. Her wallet was gone, cell phone, too. Its case was lying on the floor. Did you get the sense that maybe the police thought somebody wanted to steal something and they were in the process of it and got interrupted or something . They could have thought that. Reporter but there was no sign of forced entry. None. And cops found pams cell phone right where her daughters find my iphone account said it would be, her wallet close by, with her credit cards all there. So the police believed early on that this was a staged effort to make it look like it was a robbery. Reporter but whod want to kill pam and then stage some strange halfhearted coverup . Start close is the old adage. Which meant, in pams world, on that day, three men. Her last client, that last day of her life. Her exhusband. And her brandnew fiance, Scott Baldwin, the object of a Whirlwind Romance and, perhaps, a toorapid engagement . After all, no one in the family really knew him. Not even her kids. I had only met scott three times, and the third time was the party that they had to celebrate their engagement. Reporter that celebration was just days before, yet when scott heard about the murder, he did not rush to bloomington from his home just two or three hours away near chicago. It just made me realize and think what my mom really meant to him, what we really meant to him. He sounded fake at that point. Reporter pams kids had questions about scott. And so did detectives. He was asked to come down to bloomington to meet with police, which he did the following day, after pams body was discovered. Reporter scott told the detectives hed been home alone when pam was killed. Police would look into that, but in the meantime they discovered something very interesting about pams new fiance. They spent a fair amount of time checking into who he had been communicating with. Reporter sure. And he had at least two other women that he had been involved with that he was still having some pretty heavy amount of contact with. Reporter pams kids didnt know anything about that, but they did get a weird vibe from the fiance after their mothers death. He was like, i had nothing to do with this. And i need you guys to understand that, like, i have to move on. Reporter im sorry, repeat that for me . We had dinner with him like a week after she died, and he sat us down. Reporter did you ask him if he had something to do with it . No, he just volunteered that. Reporter and two months later, he was dating someone new. It was just very suspicious. Reporter but pams daughter rachel thought it was much more likely her moms murder was somehow tied to her business. She was an accountant and financial advisor. Maybe she found out something that one of her clients shouldnt have been doing. And this client wouldve lost a lot of money. Reporter ina hess told the investigators that pams last client, day she was murdered, was a man named eldon whitlow. Did he have any beefs with pam . There was no evidence that eldon had any beefs. They had a longterm, professional relationship where she was helping him with his investments. Reporter whitlow told detectives his meeting with pam was uneventful. He left around 5 40 p. M. , he said, then had dinner with his girlfriend. He was cooperative. But he owned a. 9millimeter gun. Reporter and she was shot with one of those. That matched the type of gun that she was killed with. Reporter now that was a development. Eldon whitlow was considered a person of interest. Reporter detectives got a search warrant, and eldon turned over a. 9millimeter. The. 9millimeter . They sent it off for testing. And as they waited for the results, they drilled down on that one more possible person of interest. The third man. A man who just might have had a motive. Pams exhusband, Kirk Zimmerman. Look at him, said pams family. There was something going on there. Problems. It definitely turned into hatred. A lot of problems. Reporter problems . Hatred . Exactly what was the problem between Pam Zimmerman and her exhusband kirk . Coming up the ex, the client, the fiance. Revelations about them all. Reporter who was it who said, no secrets in a Murder Investigation . Exactly. When dateline continues. Tis f flavor is 1 with dogs. Ask your vet about nexgard. Feel the clarity of nondrowsy claritin. And 24hour relief from symptoms caused by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. Try claritin cool mint chewabls for powerful Allergy Relief Plus a Cooling Sensation. Live claritin clear. Discover the replenishing power of new Pronamel Mineral Boost. Teeth need Natural Minerals to keep enamel healthy, strong, and white. But every day, acidic food and drink can wash these minerals away, weakening and dulling enamel over time. 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Digging deeper, they discovered that each of the men under investigation had something to hide and one in particular was withholding crucial information about the night pam was killed. Here again is Keith Morrison with before midnight. Reporter Police Investigating the murder of Pam Zimmerman now had a short list. Her fiance, scott, her client, eldon, and a third man, her exhusband kirk. Some of pams relatives were convinced, though, that kirk should have been the first, maybe only name on that list. She would always say that if anything ever happened to her, he should be the person that we should look at. Reporter i mean, you kind of wonder when she said a thing like that. Well, and you wonder and you think, oh, come on. You dont really mean that. Reporter did you say that to her . Yeah, and she goes, oh no, vicki, i mean it. Reporter so in the hours after his exwifes murder, Kirk Zimmerman spent a lot of time with detectives. And he answered their questions calmly. And you work for state farm sir . Yep. Reporter not once did he ask for an attorney . What do you do for state farm . Im a systems analyst. Reporter when they asked about the divorce, kirk said his only real concern was for the kids. I would have preferred to keep going, at least until the kids were off to college. Because by then, theyre adults. Reporter the detectives asked kirk what he did the evening pam was killed. He said he was at home, started to read, must have dozed off. I have noticed lately when i read i tend to fall asleep. Reporter nothing, not even this, seemed to rattle kirk. Did you murder your wife . No. Reporter they got his fingerprints, and a dna sample, and they did a Gunshot Residue test. Am i required to do this . Reporter he wasnt, but he did it anyway. And he didnt resist handing over his phone, or his laptop, or passwords either. His car and house were another matter, though. Police had Search Warrants for those. He was dropped off at a hotel. Reporter because he didnt have his house anymore. Because he did not have a house. The police were there, and stayed there for six days. Reporter wow. Yeah. Reporter no discoveries, really. Except, kirk had a girlfriend named kate, and she revealed something very curious. She and kirk had a date scheduled the night pam died. Kate arrived early to kirks house, around 6 30. Rang the doorbell. No answer. Well, well, well. Kirk hadnt told them about any date. And certainly hadnt revealed he didnt answer the door when she rang. So, second interview. They pressed him again. What was the reason why you didnt say that kate was around . Uh, i love her and just keep her out of this. Reporter still, the girlfriends story put a hole in his alibi. Was he home the night pam was killed, or was he somewhere else . Well, it was one that the police really had to sort through to see. Reporter sure. If it was a credible story or not. Reporter they let him go, again. Kirks kids couldnt see their dad as a suspect. They said their parents divorce had been dramafree. I think they both realized that they came to want Different Things. Reporter kirks brother, zim, agreed. He was pams best friend and he loved her like a sister, saw her marriage up close, and the way it ended. There was never any hostility, openair arguments. The kids and i, we we never saw anything. Reporter if anything, they said, the two seemed much happier. Kirk got a house just down the street and around the corner. Just to be close to them. Im really glad he did. It made it really easy on us. Reporter and he did stay very involved in their lives. Dad videotaped all of our sporting events. A lot of soccer games, a lot of basketball games, softball games. Reporter besides, their dad now had kate. Theyd been dating for more than a year. I really liked her. Yeah, kates awesome. Yeah. Reporter so, dad, a murderer . Seemed absurd to the kids. I think he was happy with where he was at. Reporter now days, months slid by. The detectives were busy, but very quiet about it. While everyone waited, they tested that. 9millimeter turned in by pams client, eldon whitlow. It was not the gun that had fired the bullets that killed Pam Zimmerman. Reporter they checked his alibi, discovered he did have dinner with his girlfriend, and later that evening he met another woman. He had been checked out, and then he had been cleared. Reporter as for the fiance, Scott Baldwin, his secret dalliances raised eyebrows, but wound up working for him. Police confirmed he had been miles away when his fiance died, phoning and texting two other women. Reporter what is it about the men in this story . Both of the men had to make some pretty embarrassing admissions. Reporter who was it who said maybe it was agatha christie. No secrets in a Murder Investigation. Exactly. They both had to admit that they had been messing around. Reporter but kirk . Not so easy to clear him. So police followed the money, and they heard things, Different Things from what his kids and brother said about the divorce. Like a simmering resentment that pam got the house after the divorce, and most important, more money from him. He had a goal of retiring at 55 from very early on, in his 20s. And it got all messed up. Reporter the dispute of the moment . Days before she was killed, pam fedexed kirk a demand, pay close to 4,000 in expenses for the kids, or else. She was giving him five days to pay it or she was going to take him back to court. Reporter Office Manager ina said pam told her she was truly afraid of kirk. I just warned her that when she worked late at night, make sure she went out the front door where all the lights were on, and make sure that she was, you know, always cautious. Reporter money. The root of all evil . And Something Else they found. What was that telltale residue in kirks car . It was enough. On a summer morning, eight months after Pam Zimmermans death, a cop turned on his Squad Car Lights and sirens, pulled over a motorist, read him his rights. Kirk zimmerman was under arrest for murder. Coming up greed. Hate. Murder. Reporter prosecutors lay out their case with a dramatic eyewitness. That man sitting over there. She saw a guy coming out that back door of pams office. When dateline continues. Before voltaren arthritis pain gel, my husband would have been on the sidelines. But not anymore an alternative to Pills Voltaren is the first full prescription strength nonsteroidal antiinflammatory gel to target pain directly at the source for powerful Arthritis Pain Relief. Voltaren. The joy of movement. Nexgard is the flea and tick protection thats 1 with vets. It even prevents the infection that causes lyme disease. Your vet trusts nexgard for her patients and her own dog. Plus, its delicious beef flavor is 1 with dogs. Ask your vet about nexgard. 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The kids were now living in their dads house. We woke up to the doorbell ringing. And so i go down. I open the door, and hes like introduces himself as a detective. And hes like, we just arrested your dad. Reporter and just like that, a second parent was gone. The twins, still minors, were told theyd be living with pams siblings now. Rachel and i were taken into dcfs custody, where we were forced to live with them for three months, in our moms house. So that was just one huge nightmare. It got to be hateful, angry, all the time, no matter what we did. Reporter but of course, pams kids knew perfectly well that their aunts and uncles believed their dad killed their mom. I was 16, and our aunt diane sat me down alone in my moms family room and she just plainly said, your dad killed your mom. Reporter what do you think about the possibility that your dad could be violent like that . No. I know anyones capable of doing anything, but we would know. Were his kids. We lived with him. I honestly believe if she ever really felt threatened, she really felt at risk, the first person she would have reached out to was me. And she never did. Reporter kirk spent four months in jail before bonding out. And for the next three and a half years remained under house arrest. He couldnt leave the house. Rachel and heidi couldnt stay in the house with him alone. There had to be another person who was 18 or older the entire time. Reporter the whole time, waiting for trial . Uhhuh. Up until we turned 18. Reporter until you turned 18 . Yeah. Reporter pams neighbor and friend, julie koh, tried to help. I took his daughter driving, because they were learning to drive. I remember driving one daughter to college. She went to mizzou, so i took her. Reporter but while friends tried to help pams kids, they could not protect them from a widespread and very public suspicion that their father killed their mother. And the case always seemed to be in the news. Potential evidence that came out was pretty damaging to Kirk Zimmerman. Because a lot of it dealt with the exchanges he had with pam during the divorce. Reporter those exchanges were front and center when the state finally presented its case at trial. Greed, hate, murder. Reporter assistant states Attorney Brad rigdon told the jury the motive was clear. Kirk zimmerman killed his wife over money. He knew that as long as she was still alive, he was going to go to broke. Reporter the motive and the means, said the state. Kirks cell phone put him at home the night his ex died. But the prosecutor told the jury that kirks car, a hyundai, told a different story. The car, like most cars now, had an onboard computer, a kind of gps device. And an fbi analyst said that device revealed that the car was in the vicinity of pams office. So the police got some Surveillance Video pretty early on from a building nearby pams office. And they believe there was a car that matched Kirk Zimmermans. Reporter and, said the prosecutor, there was an eyewitness. This woman. So nervous as she took the stand she could barely get her name out. Spell your first name. M reporter but what she had to say was important, said pams brother. You know, she saw a guy coming out that back door of pams office. She didnt know that was pams office at the time. Reporter and that man, she said, was carrying a bag. What did he do with the bag . Put it in his car. That was the stuff he took out of the office. Reporter and who was that man . On this point, the states emotional witness was certain. That man sitting over there. That man sitting over there. Reporter investigators never found the murder weapon. But on the gearshift in kirks car, Gunshot Residue, said this forensic scientist. That gearshift handle either contacted a Gunshot Residue related item, or was in the environment of a discharged firearm. Reporter but remember the Friends And Family who said pam told them she was afraid kirk might kill her . That was hearsay, ruled the judge. They were not allowed to present that to the jury. Reporter you know, in a case where theyre alleging that an angry exhusband killed his wife, motive is everything, frankly. Yes. Reporter the jury did hear all about that letter pam fedexd to kirk days before her murder, demanding 4,000. Pams ongoing financial disputes, said the prosecutor, were going to prevent kirk from realizing his cherished dream of retiring early. And he wasnt going to take it. So he killed her. The receipt of that October 24th Letter was the triggering event that culminated in the murder of Pam Zimmerman. Reporter to which pams children replied, ridiculous. I didnt think it made any sense at all. Reporter the defense was up next with its own case. Its own take on the facts. What a spectacle that would be. Coming up he had in excess of 240,000 in his 401k. 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So im bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. Bam, 12 months of 5 wireless. Visible. As little as 25 a month. Or 5 a month when you bring a friend. Powered by verizon. Wireless that gets better with friends. See every delivery. Every yikes. And even every awwwwwwww. Wait, where was i . Introducing Self Protection from xfinity. Designed to put you in control. With realtime notifications and a week of uninterrupted recording. All powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. Gotta respect his determination. Its easy and affordable to get started. Get Self Protection for 10 a month. Welcome back. Kirk zimmerman was on trial for the murder of his exwife, pam. The prosecution argued Gps Technology put his car near the crime scene and Gunshot Residue was found inside the vehicle. But the defense was ready to tackle that evidence headon and raise troubling questions about the investigation. The courtroom was divided. And the verdict was about to fracture a family. Back now to Keith Morrison with the conclusion of before midnight. Reporter there were so many little pieces. So many bits of evidence to parade before the jury. The case against Kirk Zimmerman went on for more than four weeks, through 40 witnesses. And pretty much all of it, said pam and kirks children, was wrong. You can put together little pieces any way you want. But the way they put it together wasnt the right away. Reporter so now, bloomington would hear Kirk Zimmermans side of the story. Kirk zimmerman did not shoot and kill pamela zimmerman. He didnt shoot and kill the mother of his three children over owing 3,900 in child support. Reporter that state theory that kirk killed pam over money . Nonsense, said his defense attorney john rogers. Kirk made it clear to police, he said. That fedex from pam was no big deal. It didnt affect me. Youre wondering if i disagreed or argued with her about it . Kirk had a full pension guaranteed for life which he could have taken at any point in time. He was making 95,000 working for state farm. He had in excess of 240,000 in his 401 k . Reporter the defense told the court that police had Tunnel Vision from the very start. Its the old, lets go look at the exhusband. He mustve done it. Reporter that grainy video the prosecution suggested was kirks Silver Hyndai sonata . Really, said the defense . How could you tell . I dont remember the month and the year. I dont and i dont want to hear no more reporter then theres maria legg, the prosecutions only eyewitness. I had a very difficult crossexamination with her. Because she simply chose not to respond to me. I dont want to answer to you because im going to say what i saw. Reporter and when she did respond, her testimony contradicted the prosecutions evidence. Like, for example, the color of kirks car. You said during direct examination that it was a black car that this gentleman went to with the big bag, correct . Yes sir. All right, thats not a silver car, is it . I saw black. Thats it. Reporter the defense also challenged that data taken from the onboard Computer System in kirks silver hyundai, pings the state said put the car near pams office. The defense called it junk science. This type of Expert Testimony has never been allowed in the state of illinois before. It should not have been allowed in this case. Reporter but how could the Defense Answer for that Gunshot Residue found on kirks gearshift . A Defense Expert agreed, there was plenty of it on that spot. But finding that number of characteristic of Gunshot Residue particles is surprising. Reporter maybe too surprising . Especially because there was none anywhere else in the car. So it looked like some kind of mistake or worse. Your suggestion is, what, that either Gunshot Residue was purposely placed on the lever or came into contact with either clothing, a firearm, or the hands of the two Police Officers that had been in the crime scene. Reporter either way, rogers suggested Sloppy Police work was the hallmark of the investigation. He said police should have dug deeper when they heard what this woman had to say. I heard what i believed to be gunshots. Reporter the defense had an earwitness of sorts who testified that, though more than a block away, she heard gunshots at the office at 5 10 p. M. Which fit the coroners time of death window of sometime before midnight. And why was that important . Thats the exact time that mr. Whitlow has himself in pams office. Reporter eldon whitlow, pams last client of the day. Im not contending that i had enough evidence to prove mr. Whitlow shot Pam Zimmerman. But certainly when they claimed that they investigated mr. Whitlow with the same intensity that they investigated mr. Zimmerman, that was not true. Reporter but police said they investigated whitlow thoroughly and cleared him. The lawyers made their final appeal to the jury. This is not what proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt looks like. We do not speculate people to murder convictions. The evidence has shown you that on november 3rd, 2014, he murdered Pam Zimmerman. And he made sure his hate got carried out in that fourth shot. That one was for him. Find the defendant guilty. Reporter the family, as polarized as the most poisonous politics, waited. I was just pacing back and forth, kind of freaking out a little bit. Reporter and then after a day and a half of deliberations, the signal, verdict. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Everyone may be seated. I was shaking. It just felt very long. Reporter the courtroom was utterly silent, a collective holding of breath. We the jury find the defendant, Kirk Zimmerman, not guilty of first degree murder. Reporter not guilty. The children exhaled. It was just this huge relief just to know that our dad wouldnt be going away for something he didnt do. We just cried and smiled. It was the best feeling ever. Across the aisle was a different world. I remember saying, no. Yeah. Then they took us upstairs to the states attorneys office. The state was just as devastated as we were. Reporter are you used to this yet . No. Reporter not been very long. No. Theres still a lot of anger. Theres nothing you can do now, right . No, theres not. Reporter a family truly divided. Diane and larry, angry, disappointed. Their nieces and nephew, elated and hopeful. My dad can actually go out to eat now. So weve been going out to restaurants. He came with me to my dentist appointment. Because he hasnt been able to do that in a really long time. Its kind of awkward, because im 20, but hes just trying to make up for the lost four and a half years. Reporter now, said david, rachel and heidi, theyre hoping the state will solve their moms murder. I obviously hope that they do catch whoever did it. But i wouldnt be surprised if they dont. Reporter whats going to happen to the family . I think all of us want to move out of bloomington. Yeah. Thats for sure. Reporter Something Else. After all the trauma, these three are, by the look of it, fine. Its because, they said, they had a wonderful mother. Pam zimmerman. You three have all done pretty well so far. What would she think about where you are in life and what youve accomplished . I think shed be incredibly proud of how well weve handled everything and how it hasnt, like, derailed us. You think about what how she would want you to live and how she would want you to keep going. So thats what ive just been trying to do. Keep going. So, whats what i have just been trying to do. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im natalie morales. Thank you for watching. Im craig melvin. And im natalie morales. And this is dateline. I refuse to live in fear. Youre dead. Ever since i heard it, its been replaying in my head, over and over. It was, all, very unbelievable. Reporter it