it was a car wreck. and now what happened? >> i told my brother, this is how people get away with murder. >> the rumor mill is in overdrive? >> it's in overdrive. >> there was gossip that there was an affair. >> sex, lies, and a christian bike club. who would have thought? >> exactly. >> this was just tearing her apart. >> you really can't make this up. >> there's no other way to describe a human being like that. satan's spawn. hello and welcome to "dateline." when judy orr met jamie baldwin, he swept her off her feet. then jamie said judy suffered not one but two accidents in the same night, and she was gone. detectives believed the grieving husband. but her family launched their own investigation. their question, was this a case of bad luck or the handiwork of a clever killer? here's andrea canning with "the black box." >> station 8, 55 stand by for an alert. >> we have a bad wreck on old richburg road. we got one dead. they're calling for the coroner. >> the slow-moving water, chilled by the december air, trickled over her lifeless body. >> she was one of my biggest supporters, and she's not here anymore. >> how this wife, mother and grandmother ended up in this creek would consume her family for years. >> i'm not going to give up until i find what really happened. >> do you get a lot of car crashes as the coroner? >> we do. >> terry tinker, the coroner for chester county, south carolina, had been called here to the site of a fatal traffic accident. it was right before midnight on december 14th, 2016. a husband and wife were in their jeep when it ran off the road ending up down by this creek. >> and when it got to the bottom, the nose of the jeep was right here. >> he was told the 53-year-old woman had been ejected. >> and i saw that lady laying in the creek, i knew who she was. >> who was it? >> judy baldwin. >> your -- >> my friend. >> terry had known judy orr baldwin most of his life. that must have been just such a shock to the system to see that. >> it was. a longtime friend laying in the creek. >> the coroner noticed some unusual markings on judy's face -- deep, dark, blackened circles around her eyes. >> i'm seeing a lot of bulging eyes, they're what a lot of people call raccoon eyes. >> how do you get those raccoon eyes? is there one kind of -- >> from probably -- >> -- way? >> probably -- brain injury. >> driving the jeep was judy's husband, jamie baldwin. he suffered minor injuries. jamie told first responders they were traveling down this dark, rural road when he swerved to avoid hitting a truck. his out-of-control jeep then careened down a side embankment and crashed into the creek. he said he was knocked out. and when he came to, judy's limp body was in the creek a few feet away. he called 911. >> do you want to try cpr? >> i've already tried. >> you've already tried? >> yes, ma'am. oh, god. >> jamie had already been taken away in an ambulance when detective chris reynolds with the chester county sheriff's office arrived on the scene. >> i actually took my flashlight. i looked in. i saw a cloth with blood on it inside the jeep, blood on the seat. >> the detective saw the jeep's door open where judy apparently had been ejected. what's your first instinct of this scene? >> it's an accident. until it's proven something else, it's an accident. >> that same night, judy's two sons, josh and chris orr, each got late-night phone calls. they were only told their mom had been in a car crash and they needed to get to the hospital right away. >> i was the first one there. and i, you know, run into the emergency side. and i was like, you know, where's judy orr baldwin at? they was like, we don't -- we don't have a judy orr baldwin. and i was like, they've been in a wreck. i said, is jamie baldwin here? >> josh found his step-dad, jamie, in a hospital room. >> i was like, where's my mom at? he was like, she didn't make it. i was like, what do you mean she didn't make it? and he said, she's dead. >> chris arrived shortly after, and got the terrible news. he asked his step-dad what happened. >> all he said was, i wish it would have been me. >> it felt like a dream. i mean, i was like, well, i cannot believe we're going through this again. >> yeah, because it -- because your dad died -- >> yeah. >> tragically. >> their dad, judy's first husband, died in a motorcycle accident 12 years earlier. it just seemed unbelievable to now lose their mom also in a crash. so here you are, having to say good-bye to your other parent. >> yeah. >> your mom. wow, that's really a hard thing to do -- >> it is. >> -- to lose both of your parents at such a young age. >> i know nothing is perfect. but, like, our family was, we didn't have any problems, and we were all happy. and, you know, our parents are gone. >> around 6:30 that morning, judy's 23-year-old niece, jesse mcwaters, was sound asleep when her phone rang. her dad gave her the tragic news that her aunt, known as little judy because she was just 4'11", had been killed. >> and he said, little judy's dead. and i was like, what are you talking about? he said, little judy is dead. i just started screaming and crying. i woke up everybody in the house. >> when judy's nephew heard the news, he realized his aunt's beloved yorkie was all alone. so early in the morning he headed over to judy's house. >> the whole time i'm thinking, i'm just going to the house to get the dog. >> rodney wright wasn't prepared for what he saw once he walked inside that house. >> it was a shock. i couldn't believe it. i go into the living room and i see blood all over the place. blood on the floor. went into the bathroom. there's more blood. i mean, the whole time we're thinking it was a car wreck. and now what happened? >> a family, horrified and mystified and looking for answers. investigators are about to ask questions of the one person who knows just what happened that evening. coming up -- be >> when i came back in, she was there at the fireplace, on the floor. >> what jamie says happened to judy. >> i got her in the bathroom and i cleaned her up. >> and then the clue that baffled the coroner. >> so this was going to be the key area in the autopsy. >> this was the key thing, right there. >> when "dateline" continues. sng at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. now, we all know progressive offers 24/7 protection, but we also bundle outdoor vehicles with home and auto to help people save more! 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[ soft music playing ] what are you all doing in my daydream? it's better than that presentation. a lot better. you know, whether it's a fraction or a decimal, it's still fun, you know? ♪ and i'm gonna keep on lovin' you, ♪ ♪ 'cause it's the only thing i wanna do. ♪ turns out everyone does sound better in the shower. and it turns out the general is a quality insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. ♪ 'cause it's the only thing i wanna do ♪ shaq: (singing in background) can't unhear that. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage - make the right call and go with the general. just a few hours after judy orr baldwin was found dead at the scene of a car crash, her nephew was stunned to find blood in her house -- a lot of it. he had no idea what was going on. >> it was so confusing. stuff just didn't add up. >> turns out there was an explanation. judy's husband told investigators there had actually been two accidents that night. judy had taken a terrible fall at home, the reason for all that blood. they were on their way to the hospital when they crashed. >> i was in complete shock that she was gone. >> now judy's family, including her niece, was grieving. >> she was the bright light in a dark room. she really was. >> was judy a romantic? did she believe in true love? >> she did believe in true love, just because she had experienced it. todd was her one true love. >> todd was her first husband who died in that motorcycle crash. >> i think after he passed, she was kind of longing for that love. and she wanted to be loved like that again. >> was judy lonely? >> she was lonely. she wanted somebody for sure. >> so judy's family was happy when she started dating jamie baldwin, a former police officer and 911 operator. the couple had a whirl-wind romance, and after just eight months, they married in 2012. how did you feel that your mom was with a former police officer? >> she was safe, you know, protected with somebody that would help her if she was in need. you know, somebody that had her back. >> did they seem happy? >> oh, yeah, extremely happy. and, you know, her being happy, i'm extremely happy. >> detective chris reynolds, who knew judy personally, was looking into her death as part of a routine investigation. >> i knew miss judy for a very long time, ever since i was a child. >> did you like her? >> oh, yes. >> everybody liked her -- loved her. >> the detective had never met judy's husband but wanted more details on what happened that night. so about a week after her death, he asked jamie to come down to the sheriff's office. why do you bring him in even though you believe that this is an accident? >> we're crossing our t's and dotting our i's. i want to make sure i have everything covered. >> i mean she was just one of those people that soon as you met her, you were a friend of her, you loved her. that smile, she was just bigger than life. >> jamie said he had mostly recovered from his minor injuries. emotionally, though, he said he had a lot of healing to do. >> i've asked god a million times, why you just didn't take me? why did you have to take a woman like that? is there anything i could have done to save her? i didn't. oh, god. >> jamie said the night judy died, he and his wife were decorating their christmas tree. he then briefly stepped outside to put some tools away in a shed. >> when i came back in, she was there at the fireplace, on the floor. i don't know if she decided to fix something on the tree, i -- i don't know. i was in the shop, and i never even asked her what she was doing. >> jamie said he assumed judy fell off the ladder and hit her head on the mantle. on the floor two stocking holders, one of them was broken. >> i got her up, and i got her in the bathroom. and i cleaned her up, and it was bleeding bad. >> jamie told the detective he grabbed a wash cloth from the bathroom and put pressure on her wound. but the bleeding didn't stop. he thought judy needed stitches. >> i said, i've got to take you to the hospital. and she looked up at me, she said, i am not going to chester. she hated chester hospital. >> although chester hospital was a few minutes from their house, he said the couple got into their jeep and started driving to a bigger hospital 30 minutes away. >> i asked her, i said, how you feeling? she said, my head's hurting. i said, it's going to be okay. i'm going to get you stitches. and she looked up at me and she said, i love you. i said, i love you, too. and i looked up, i'm pretty sure it was a truck, it was, like, three-quarters of the way in our lane. and, i mean, if i wouldn't have swerved to the right to miss it, we'd have hit head-on. >> and that's when he said they went flying down that embankment ending up in the creek. jamie said the impact of the crash knocked him out. >> we hit something. and then there was a big, just -- just gigantic, just -- like a stop. so i reach over for judy. she ain't there. and i finally found her. she was laying near the creek. >> after about an hour, the interview was finished. jamie's story seemed to match what the seasoned detective had seen for himself. like that bloody wash cloth in the jeep. and when he went to the house the night of the accident. >> i see blood around the mantel and blood on the floor. i did see the ladder leaned up towards the christmas tree at the time. >> does the blood look consistent with a possible fall? >> yes. >> from a ladder? >> yes. >> it's an accident. as of right now, it's an accident. >> while detective reynolds was continuing his investigation, the coroner was still trying to figure out what caused judy's death. he wanted to know more about the large wound on her forehead. >> there was no damage to her legs, not to her arms. all of it was concentrated around her head. >> so this was going to be the key area in the autopsy? >> this was the key thing, right there. >> he concluded judy died from a skull fracture, caused by some sort of blunt force trauma to her head. and those raccoon eyes were the result of a large amount of blood accumulated in her skull. but, the coroner struggled to figure out what caused that fracture. >> i need to know what do you think she fell against? what was told by mr. baldwin, she struck her head on the mantle. she might've fallen on the stocking holder. but all this stuff's got to be added up. >> he had to determine if the fatal injury happened during that fall at her house or during the car accident. even though judy had two autopsies before she was buried, the coroner couldn't reach a conclusion. so her death certificate read "pending investigation." >> and police aren't the only ones investigating. judy's family and friends have questions, too, and what they discover will cast doubt on jamie's story. coming up -- >> i'm surprised i did it because i was in such shock, but i knew in my heart that something else had happened. >> jessie becomes suspicious about her aunt's death and takes matters into her own hands. you decide to record the call? >> i did record it. >> and then, was someone in this family harboring a secret? an eye-popping story -- sex, lies, and a christian bike club. >> exactly. >> when "dateline" continues. hospital care, prescription drugs, and more. this kind of insurance, called medicare part c, may also cover dental care, eyeglasses, hearing aids, fitness programs, vitamins, even healthy meals and rides to the doctor. with this kind of coverage, you do not need a medicare supplement insurance plan. you will access your benefits through your medicare part c plan for one low and oftentimes $0 monthly plan premium. you deserve to get the most from your medicare benefits. call now for free information that may help you get more coverage for less money. there is no obligation to enroll, whether for yourself or someone you love. call the number on the screen now. call now. with relapsing forms of ms... there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. it can all add up. kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection... that may help you put these rms challenges in their place. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions, and slowing disability progression vs aubagio. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were reported in rms clinical trials, it could happen. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or if you are or plan to become pregnant. kesimpta may cause a decrease in some types of antibodies. the most common side effects are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and injection reactions. ready for an at-home treatment with dramatic results? it's time to ask your doctor about kesimpta. it appeared judy orr baldwin had been involved in two accidents on the same night. most people, including detective reynolds, seemed to agree. sadly, it looked like judy was the victim of bad luck. one person, however, wasn't buying it. judy's niece. when she thought about what happened, it seemed suspicious. >> i had a very weird feeling in my stomach. >> although jamie had an explanation for why he took his wife to that far away hospital, it didn't make sense to jessie. >> i'm like, why would you not go to chester hospital? it's so close to the house. if she just bumped her head, you know? >> and why did jamie take a dark, rural backroad to the hospital when he could have taken a much faster nearby highway? do you think that was odd? >> that was super odd to me. >> so jesse decided to take a bold step. she put her amateur detective hat on and called jamie. you decided to record the call that you had with jamie. >> i did record it. >> what in your gut was telling you to record this call? >> i'm not sure what exactly told me to do it. i'm surprised i did it because i was in such shock. but i knew in my heart that something else had happened. and i wanted to hear what he had to say. >> hey, jesse. >> hey, jamie. she asked jamie how he got knocked out when the jeep crashed. >> what did you hit your head on? >> uh, probably hit the roll bar most likely or the door. i don't know. >> but jesse was most concerned about her aunt's final moments. >> i just don't want her to suffer. >> she didn't suffer, jesse. she didn't. you know how much me and her loved each other. >> yes, sir. >> i mean, we had an awesome, awesome life together. >> yes, sir. >> how would you describe his demeanor? >> i would simply say he had zero remorse. he was talking just how we're talking, no emotion really. >> she's in heaven. we both know she's in heaven. >> yeah. >> so, that's the good news. >> one thing that struck me was he said, that's the good news. >> yeah. >> which seemed a little, like, the language was a little odd. >> yeah, it's -- it didn't make any sense to me either. and it was just, like, an eerie feeling. like, kind of why would you say that in this phone call? >> jesse couldn't get the phone call out of her head. >> i sat there and i replayed that recording so many times. >> are you expressing your concerns to judy's sons, your cousins? >> i let them listen to the phone call. and i told them, i was like, y'all, this just isn't sitting right with me. >> after judy's sons started to think about it, they, too, had serious doubts. >> we're sitting there trying to figure out what really happened to our mom. >> yeah, because nobody would tell us anything. >> but soon one of judy's friends would tell the brothers more than they ever wanted to know. kay black and judy were nearly inseparable and shared their most personal secrets with each other. you said you were like sisters? >> we were. i miss her a lot. a whole lot. >> kay and her husband randall considered themselves judy and jamie's best friends. the four belonged to a biker group called the carolina thunder christian motorcycle club, helping hands and harleys. they spent nearly every weekend with the couple. and kay knew something about judy and jamie that almost no one else did. >> talking with judy, i knew their marriage wasn't like he was making everybody believe. >> jamie had told others, including detective reynolds in that interview, he had a strong, happy marriage. >> is there anything that i need to know about, that may come up in the future? >> i mean, like what? >> i mean, just anything i need to know about? >> no. no. >> okay. >> nothing. we had a great life. we did. >> we never got in an argument. >> everybody has disagreements. >> please go talk to some of my friends. you'll find out, uh -- um, we were perfect. i mean, we were just perfect. >> nobody's perfect, jamie. everybody has issues. >> well, it's about as perfect as you could get. i mean, we had a great relationship. >> kay says a few months before her death, judy confided in her that her marriage was on the rocks. she thought something was going on with jamie and another woman. a single mom named teri king, who also happened to be the bike club's treasurer. >> she started to have her suspicions. >> what is she thinking? >> she was thinking jamie and teri were having an affair. >> the club treasurer. >> yes. >> and jamie -- >> if one went to smoke, they would look at the other one and say, come on, let's go smoke. judy didn't like that. little things like that judy had started picking up on. >> we'd seen a lot of touchy-feely stuff that didn't -- >> we didn't think -- >> quite look right. >> and judy would ask me about it. and i'd tell her, maybe, maybe not. nobody knows for sure, but everybody's talking about it. >> so judy decided to find out for herself. >> she even confronted teri. >> and what did teri say? >> teri said, we're not doing anything. she confronted jamie, and he told her the same thing. she said, but kay, they're so calm about it. she said, i know they're doing something. >> within about a week of judy's death, kay sat judy's sons down and told them everything. as they absorbed it all, they remembered something strange. teri king was at the hospital the night their mom died. in fact, she got there before they did. >> why are you here before us? i mean, this is our mom, our flesh and blood. >> and we're talking, like, 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. >> and there was another even more awkward story kay felt she needed to share with judy's sons. >> i don't' want to tell this, but i'm going tell you. and she said that jamie's been trying to get your mama to have a threesome with him and teri. >> what? >> yeah. >> yes. >> this is not something your mom wanted? >> no. >> no. >> when she told me that, blew my mind. >> or something you want to think about? >> no. >> no, i don't want to think about either. >> sex, lies, and a christian bike club. >> exactly. >> who would have thought? >> exactly. >> soon after kay opened up to judy's family, she called detective chris reynolds. >> i said, chris, i have some texts from judy, i said, and i think you need to see them, because she tells in there that she suspected jamie and teri. he said, i'll get back with you, kay. i said, okay, and i never heard from him again. >> the brothers and jesse also felt they weren't getting anywhere with the detective. >> we've got to find somebody to help us, and we've got to, you know, get some answers. >> i'm like, why? why is nobody doing anything? just didn't make sense. >> but soon, it would all start to make sense with some bombshell news. coming up -- >> that's when we're thinking the police will hit on this. somebody be is looking into this. >> a disturbing revelation about jamie's alleged girlfriend and important evidence. did you say to your supervisor, i think we should have someone come in and look at this blood? >> no, i didn't. >> what happened to the blood at judy's house? >> what we found out was that teri went to the house and cleaned it up. >> is this the most bungled evidence collection that you've ever seen? >> bungled might be being a little nice because there was no evidence collection. >> when "dateline" continues. if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me. by hitting eczema where it counts, dupixent helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of eczema. and that means long-lasting clearer skin... and fast itch relief for adults. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can show more with less eczema. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can change how your skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. welcome to allstate. ♪ ♪ you already pay for car insurance, ♪ why not take your home along for the ride? ♪ allstate. here, better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. ♪ every single day, we're all getting a little bit better. you're in good hands with allstate. we're better cooks... better neighbors... hi. i've got this until you get back. better parents... and better friends. no! no! that's why comcast works around the clock constantly improving america's largest gig-speed broadband network. and just doubled the capacity here. how do things look on your end? -perfect! because we're building a better network every single day. i'm steven romo. here's what's happening. the doj said it will ask the supreme court to block a texas bill imposing a near total ban on abortion. the law, which a federal appeals court upheld thursday, would bar abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they're pregnant. and the biden administering's historic clean electricity program, which includes wind, solar and nuclear energy, will likely be dropped from the final budget deal due to opposition from senator joe manchin. now back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline." i'm natalie morales. detectives were confused judy orr baldwin died after two tragic accidents in the same night. the coroner was not so sure. neither was judy's family who suspected her husband, jamie, was having an affair, a rumored romance they believe led to murder. now a startling new revelation was about to raise even more questions. back to andrea canning with "the black box." two months had passed since judy's death, and her family was questioning jamie's story about what happened. then, they heard something stunning about teri king and jamie. they moved in together. so what are you guys thinking? >> like, what? >> he's moving in quickly with her. >> yeah. >> that's when we're thinking, okay, the police is going to hit on this something. i mean, somebody's looking into this. >> the brothers had been pushing the chester county prosecutor's office to look deeper into their mom's death. in fact, deputy prosecutor candice lively was keeping tabs on the sheriff's investigation. >> we were just being told through the sheriff's office that they were doing what they were supposed to do. >> turns out, they weren't. the prosecutor would learn there were serious problems with the sheriff's investigation. >> they were basically saying, we've got this. >> we don't need your help right now? >> yes, exactly. and we were hearing from the family that people hadn't been interviewed yet, they were concerned that evidence hadn't been collected. >> chris reynolds said that he truly believed it was an accident. and so he just didn't feel that need to investigate this as a crime, a potential crime. >> right, and that is something that with his experience, he should have known that you don't make those kind of assumptions up front. when someone dies, you treat it as it's a murder until you know otherwise. >> we asked detective reynolds about how he handled the investigation. did you collect jamie's clothes? did you take judy's clothes? did you take her cell phone? did you take jamie's cell phone? >> no, ma'am. >> why not? >> we didn't collect anything at the house. that was just a judgment call. >> some considered that a questionable call, because there was something else. early in the investigation, the coroner told the detective he thought judy's death looked suspicious. that it might even be a homicide. wouldn't you, as just being overly cautious as a detective say -- >> yes, ma'am. >> -- we should do a little more here? >> uh-huh. >> we should get evidence, and even if it's not a murder, at least we have it. >> we have it. >> we did our job. >> i agree 100%. >> we don't need it, maybe. but let's get it. >> i agree 100%. >> and those photos the detective took inside judy's house? this is how a number of them came out. some of them were so blurry and bad? >> yeah, the camera we had wasn't good at the time. >> but i mean, even if a camera's not that great, you could still take still shots? >> i've struggled with the camera that we have. >> he also failed to collect critical forensic evidence. did you say to your supervisor, i think we should have someone come in and look at this blood? >> no, i didn't. >> do you think you should have done that? >> absolutely, i've never denied that. >> reynolds never sealed the house after he photographed it. so anyone could go in, and someone did, teri king. remember, she was in jamie's hospital room the night in question. what happened to the blood evidence at judy's house? >> well, according to what we found out in our investigation was that teri left the hospital, and she went back to the house and cleaned it up. >> with permission from detective reynolds? >> yes. >> not only did he give her permission to clean it up, he offered help. >> i even gave her a number to a company. they specialize in crime scenes and disaster restorations. i said, somebody has to clean it up. >> so you're giving her advice about how to clean up a potential crime scene? >> no, she asked. she asked for help, and that's with anybody else in a case. if they ask, you know, advice on how to -- >> right, but you're -- >> asked the question. >> -- you're giving her advice on how to clean up the potential crime scene? >> yeah, but at the time, the crime scene, we were done with. >> so she's literally erasing the crime scene? >> that's exactly what happened. >> whether she was intentionally erasing a crime scene or not. >> right, exactly. >> is the most bungled evidence collection, handling of a scene that you've ever seen? >> yes, and it -- i think bungled might be being a little nice, because there was no evidence collection. >> even though there was a lack of evidence, the prosecutor spoke to the coroner about judy's severe head injuries, and came to the conclusion this was no accident, but a murder. >> at some point i'm going to have to look at this family and possibly tell them that we're not going to have what we need to get justice for your family member. >> judy's family was losing hope. and weeks are going by. >> oh, weeks and months, yeah. >> months are going by. then a breakthrough, eight months after judy's death, the sheriff's office agreed to allow s.l.e.d. to take charge of the case. that's south carolina's top law enforcement agency. what does s.l.e.d. do now that they're taking this over? >> they jumped in. >> agents went to judy's house and took hundreds of photos, detailed measurements, took another look at the vehicle and re-examined the autopsy findings. they came to the same conclusion as the prosecutor. it all added up to homicide. >> we said, we definitely have enough to present to a grand jury at this point. >> and? >> true billed indictment for murder. >> for judy's family, it was a long time coming. in august of 2018, a year and a half after her death, jamie baldwin was arrested for the murder of his wife. you get a call, finally, that jamie has been arrested? >> yep. >> are you shocked? >> hey, i could -- you could breathe a little bit. i mean, he's arrested, like, for the murder of our mom. >> but now came the hard part, how to prosecute a case with little physical evidence. this was no slam dunk. >> it was far from it, and the family knew going in that we had a real battle. coming up -- >> maybe her falling off the ladder isn't going to be a good explanation as to why she has these horrible injuries. he comes up with the idea that she was ejected from the vehicle. >> the jaw-dropping story told by the jeep. most people are aware that planes have black boxes. vehicles have them, too, and in this case, judy's wrangler had a black box. >> it did. >> when "dateline" continues. n lysol to go kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria ... ... including the covid-19 viru. take trusted lysol protection, now on the go. lysol. what it takes to protect. we see you. that's why we designed our new no7 pure retinol range. informed by 15 years of scientific research; to target the appearance of dark spots, wrinkles and boost radiance. and formulated to be gentler to skin. (cooking timer rings) ♪ this is how we do it ♪ ♪ this is how we do it ♪ (tools drop) (squeaking sound) ♪ this is how we do it ♪ turns out, montell jordan knows how to do almost everything. and it turns out the general is a quality insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. ♪ this is how... ♪ i got it, i got it, i got it. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage make the right call - and go with the general. october 2019. it was a story that gripped the people of chester county, south carolina. it had been almost three years since the death of judy orr baldwin, and now her husband was about to go on trial for murder. were you worried that because the investigation wasn't handled the way it should have been, that that could impact -- >> oh, i thought he'd get -- >> -- the trial? >> i thought it'd get thrown out, or -- yeah. i thought it was going to have a huge impact. >> yeah. we offered him -- they -- we offered him a plea deal. >> yeah. >> there was a plea deal? >> there was. >> he turned it down? >> he turned it down. >> jamie baldwin pleaded not guilty. >> it was probably the most substantially circumstantial evidence i've ever tried in a murder case. >> with what little evidence the prosecution had, candice lively set out to prove that jamie killed his wife and then tried to cover it up. >> he faked that car accident -- this is, unfortunately, simply about someone who wanted to get rid of his wife, who wanted to have control of what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it. >> lively told jurors the couple had argued multiple times about teri king, and on the night of judy adeath, she believes judy demanded her husband end his relationship with teri. >> he got extremely angry. he has a temper and he attacked her at that mantel. >> the prosecutor alleged that in a fit of rage, jamie took one of those stocking holders from the mantle and hit judy so hard it caused her brain to bleed. leaving her with those raccoon eyes. when i actually hold it in my hands, this thing is heavy. >> yeah. it is very heavy. >> the stocking holder's shape closely matched the irregular cut on judy's head. >> whenever you look at the picture of that santa stocking holder, it really fit the ridges in that unusual laceration. >> a medical expert for the prosecution testified that after judy was attacked, she probably died within five minutes. lively argued that's when jamie came up with his elaborate plan to cover up his crime. >> he comes up with this idea of, you know, maybe her falling off the ladder isn't going to be a good explanation as to why she has these horrible injuries. >> so she said jamie took his wife's dead body, put it in the jeep, and took that dark rural road so he wouldn't be seen when he staged the accident. >> he comes up with the idea that she was ejected from the vehicle. he pulls her out and stages her. >> to prove the car crash was staged, the prosecution relied on then lance corporal brian trotter. he's an accident reconstruction expert with the state highway patrol who was on the scene that night. >> what this tells you -- >> he testified and showed us how a device in the jeep recorded the last seconds of the vehicle's movements. most people are aware that planes have black boxes. i personally wasn't aware that vehicles have them, too. and in this case, judy's wrangler, like this one, had a black box. >> it did. so i took this one out of a retired police car to show you what they look like. >> in simple terms, when there's an accident, a car hits something, it triggers the black box to start recording information. what did you learn from judy's black box? >> well, uh, the one for this case came back with no data. >> so no data is actually really important. >> in this case it is. >> no data means no crash. the corporal's theory is that jamie slowly and purposely drove his jeep into the creek. the most surprising witness was teri king, the woman at the center of the alleged love triangle. >> i was hoping that when she finally was put under oath in court that she would come clean. >> teri was no longer living with jamie. >> are you wanting to be here today? >> yes, ma'am. >> even though she was a witness for the state, the prosecutor immediately faced a big challenge. teri flat out denied having a romantic relationship with jamie. >> was it fair to say that, um, you were both in love with each other? >> no, that is not fair. >> it's not? >> i wasn't in love with him, but i did love him. >> you weren't in love with him but you did love him. >> yes. >> and how long had you loved him but not been in love with him? >> i've never been in love with him. >> now miss king, were you having a sexual relationship with the defendant? >> no, ma'am. >> but the prosecutor did have text messages sent between teri and jamie. >> i'm going to show you this highlighted portion here. >> the judge ruled she couldn't show them to the jury, but she could question teri about them. >> what kind of things would you all say to each other about how you felt about one another? >> i would tell him i love him. >> okay. >> he would say the same to me. >> he would say the same to you? not only did you say you loved each other, but that you missed each other? >> yeah, yes. >> and did you ever tell him you could tell me a thousand times a day and i'll never get tired of hearing it? >> yeah, i guess i did. >> teri testified she and jamie were just platonic roommates. nothing more. you felt that teri was misleading the jury? >> absolutely. and she had tried to mislead us for months as well. >> lively said she had suspicions teri may have played a part in the murder but never found any evidence to prove it. teri denies any involvement. the defense was up next, and they were ready to exploit all the holes in the prosecution's case, would it be enough to set jamie free? >> coming up -- an expert witness says judy's blood in the jeep proves the prosecution is wrong about when she died. >> if she is actively bleeding, she is technically alive. >> after she left the house? >> after leaving the house. >> and then -- the verdict. >> everybody was holding hands as tight as we could. and you could hear everybody gasp. >> when "dateline" continues. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. we see you. that's why we designed our new no7 pure retinol range. informed by 15 years of scientific research; to target the appearance of dark spots, wrinkles and boost radiance. and formulated to be gentler to skin. don't settle. start your day with secret. secret stops odor causing sweat 3x more. wrinkles and boost radiance. and the provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret. ♪all strength. no sweat.♪ it's another day. and anything could happen. it could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. or it could be the day there's a cyberthreat. only comcast business' secure network solutions give you the power of sd-wan and advanced security integrated on our activecore platform so you can control your network from anywhere, anytime. it's network management redefined. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. ♪♪ welcome back. prosecutors accused jamie baldwin of murdering his wife judy over an argument over his alleged affair. then they say he staged a car accident to cover up the crime but the case was largely circumstantial. now it was the defense team's turn and they would start with who they thought was the state's most problematic witness. back to andrea canning with the conclusion of "the black box." >> jamie baldwin, the former police officer, was facing life in prison for the murder of his wife. his attorneys, philip jamieson and brad jordan, argued teri king's testimony undermined the state's entire case. >> teri king testified that there was no affair, and there was no evidence of an affair. >> the defense asked teri to further explain her living situation with jamie. >> when mr. baldwin moved into your mouse, did he have a separate bedroom? >> yes, sir. >> and did he stay in that separate bedroom? >> yes, sir. >> and she said there was an innocent explanation for those text messages between her and jamie. the ones where she said she loved him. >> would you say to friends that you felt strongly about i love you? >> i say it every day to almost everyone i talk to. >> doesn't mean you're having an affair with them, does it? >> no. >> did you ever tell judy you loved her? >> every time i talked to her. >> not only that, but she told jurors she would never betray judy. >> how would you describe your relationship with mrs. baldwin? >> she's one of the best friends i've ever had. >> you sometimes stayed at their house, is that correct? >> yes, sir. >> was judy always there when you stayed at the house? >> yes. >> most importantly, the defense insisted there was no crime, just two tragic accidents. and they said the state didn't have any evidence to prove otherwise. >> there was no dna. there were no fingerprints. there was no weapon. >> they called detective reynolds to the stand and attacked his investigation as shoddy. >> and what do you feel would have been better? >> the scene at the home should have been processed a little bit more. >> how does that all play into your defense? >> had they done a better job, we probably wouldn't find ourselves in this situation. they would have cleared up all those questions at that time. and this would have gone down as an accident, which is what it was. >> the defense did agree the stocking holder may have caused judy's fatal injury, but not because jamie used it as a weapon. >> we believe that what happened was she was on a ladder at the mantelpiece. she fell and struck an ornament which was sitting on the mantelpiece and then fell to the floor. >> ross gardner, a crime scene analyst for the defense, testified and told us all the blood found in judy's jeep proved something crucial. that she was alive when they crashed. he pointed to blood on the bumper, the passenger door and the saturation of blood on her seat. >> so we're looking at the passenger's seat and what we can see is there's saturation throughout. >> gardner says contrary to the prosecution's theory that judy died within five minutes at her home, the evidence in the jeep proved that was impossible. >> if she's actively bleeding, her heart is beating. she is technically alive. >> in the jeep? >> in the jeep. >> after she left the house? >> after leaving the house. literally this tells us that she was bleeding while in the jeep. >> the defense also pointed to several experts, including the prosecution's, who all agreed judy's injuries could have been accidental. >> having three medical experts, who can't say, hey, this is definitely not an accident, in my mind, there's reasonable doubt. >> we only had to convince one person. >> after seven days of testimony, the case went to the jury. the prosecutor felt there was a good chance jamie could walk, so she turned to the family for support and judy herself. >> i really felt like i had judy on my shoulder. i really did. i felt that family just really gave me a lot of hope and faith. >> less than three hours later, there was a verdict. >> we were all -- everybody was holding hands as tight as we could. and when they read that verdict, i mean, you could just hear everybody gasp. >> we, the jury, find the defendant, james harold baldwin jr., guilty of murder. >> i just broke down and crying. because i just couldn't believe it. we finally got justice for mom. >> detective chris reynolds was in the courthouse that day, too. he believes the jury made the right decision. and he wants the public to know he did more than they think to look into judy's death. still, he realizes because of his incomplete investigation, a killer might have walked free. >> you get emotional over this? >> i do. i take it personal. this case was a big learning experience for me. that i'll never drop the ball on anything and that night i did. and i'm sorry for it. >> jamie never took the stand. but he did speak at his sentencing. >> she fell from a ladder, that's why i was trying to get her to the hospital. i love my wife, i mean, more than anybody in this room. i mean, we had a great relationship. >> the judge sentenced the 60-year-old to life in prison, without the chance of parole. jamie is appealing. >> is he rooefl? evil? >> 100% evil. satan spawn. 100%. >> judy's family says they can finally move on with their lives. and there's one thing that brings them peace. >> you're religious. does that give you any comfort to know? >> oh, it does. >> that your mom and dad are now together? >> oh, yeah. i mean, she's in -- they're in a better place than we are. >> what would you say to judy if she could hear you? >> i would just tell her i love her and i would give her the biggest hug. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. ♪♪ first up on msnbc, stepping up the pressure on former president trump's former right-hand man. the january 6th committee is getting ready to turn up the heat threatening steve banning with criminal charges if he doesn't testify. committee member pete aguilar reminding us what's at stake. >> what we hope to get is the full picture of the pressure campaign that the former president utilized on his own department of justice and how they, in turn, used it on other states. we think it's very

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