we didn't really know what had happened. >> who would ever imagine you'd have a murder in your family? >> soon there would be secrets. >> we were dealing with a person that was leading a double life. >> and one of them would prove deadly. >> have you ever said i know that you did this? >> it hurts too much for me to say it out loud. ♪♪ hello. and welcome to "dateline." it's a case that centers on a mother who had gone missing and the small town secret that led to a very big surprise. here's keith morrison. suppose for a minute you were sitting in your car smack-dab in the middle of tuscaloosa, alabama and you pointed southwest down highway 69 and kept a sharp eye out after half an hour or so. you'd roll into a sweet little place called moundville. one stoplight, one main street, one general store. been around for a long time has moundville. but it's a sad truth, as the sheriff says, even here where everybody used to know everybody -- >> it's not that way anymore. so many different people are moving in from around the world. >> trying to escape the crowds. >> well, escape the crowd or running from something. >> yes. and where have you gone, andy griffith? mayberry apparently has up and left us. sheriff ken ellis fights real crime nowadays. >> the crimes that you see in this county is the same crime you'd see in any large city, just a smaller version. >> still, moundville is moundville and neighbors tend to know more of each other's business than they might in tuscaloosa, for example, which can be a bit of a nuisance as you're about to see if you need to keep a secret. especially, for example, if your secret is about murder. to begin with, this thoughtful young woman was just a girl of 17 back in '07 when things started coming apart in the way things do when parents don't talk about it. kelsey mayfield saw that is troubled look in her mom's eyes, mostly, her mom teresa. >> i could just tell she was very stressed. >> ever clear to you what it was she was stressed about? >> money would be the main thing. she just wanted to be sure that she had enough, enough money to take care of her family. >> a lot of that going around of course, moundville not excepted. like so many americans, kelsey's dad had to work two jobs, neither of which paid very well, just to keep his head above water. >> very hard-working man. it took two jobs to take care of our family. >> but money trouble aside, teresa seemed to have a happy life as anybody could see including teresa's mother, reba. >> all teresa ever wanted was to have a husband that cared for her, somebody she cared for and to have a family. >> kind of sweet and kind of corny. and even after kelsey's two little brothers arrived she could see the signs of her parents' affection for each other. >> every night before he got ready to go to work he would give her a kiss on the cheek and say good night, say i love you. >> to the town teresa was the softball mom. the trunk of her car always a muddle of bats and balls, she shuttling kids back and forth. >> there was a time i had a softball game and tenner and toby had a game at the same time. she would stay 30 minutes at their games and 30 minutes at my game. >> watching the clock -- >> she was an amazing mother. there was nothing she would not do for myself or for my two brothers. >> and then there was that sweltering morning, june 2007. teresa drove off to run errands and didn't come back. kelsey was baby-sitting the boys, then 8 and 11. hours ticked by. she called her mom. where are you? >> and she didn't answer. and then i called her back around lunch and she didn't answer. i called her pretty much all day long. >> her dad was at work, her mom was who knew where? just wasn't like her to do this. now, is she the sort of person that would take her cell phone with her everywhere? >> yes. it was attached to her hip. >> you could always easily get hold of her. >> yes. >> and you couldn't? >> no. >> she was in a panic. she called her dad who had gone from his day job to his night shift at a local factory. >> i'm sure you told your dad you were worried. >> yeah. he with kept in touch during the day to see if one of us had talked to her. >> did he seem to be worried? >> he did. and we could never get in touch with her. >> at midnight, it was clear, something was terribly wrong. scott left work to file a missing person's report with the moundville police. and then they all waited. what was it like for you that night? >> it was awful. i was very scared when she didn't come home. and i pretty much knew in my heart that something was wrong. >> the next morning, said kelsey, she woke up in a house that no longer felt like home. she called her grandmother reba at her home in prattville, a town two hours away. >> she said is mama down there at your house? i said no, hon., she's not here. and she said mama didn't come home last night. >> what was going on in here? >> i'm just turning upside down. you know, i'm just tied in a knot. >> reba called teresa's younger sister ashley at her office at the local circuit court. >> mama called me up. she said teresa is missing. i said, well, i said let me make some phone calls. >> right away ashley called the sheriff of her town and he called sheriff ellis. >> to see if they knew anything. and his response to me was it's bad. it's bad. >> it certainly was. they had found teresa's truck on a dirt road less than a mile from home. she was slumped behind the wheel and she was dead. and this much was perfectly clear. it wasn't an accident. coming up -- the investigation begins. >> we had to ask ourselves, who would get her to this location and why was she murdered? >> when "dateline" continues. cough cough sneeze sneeze... [ sneezing ] needs, plop plop fizz fizz. alka seltzer plus cold relief. dissolves quickly. instantly ready to start working. so you can bounce back fast with alka-seltzer plus. now available for fast sinus relief. ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪ alexa, play our favorite song again. ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ it was a lover's lane. a quiet, dusty, dead-end road miles from main street moundville. a spot so uncommonly traversed a car with engine running taillights blazing late into the night could go unnoticed. it was here they found teresa mayfield's truck, body inside, gunshot wound to the head. teresa's younger sister broke the terrible news to their mother. >> when i went to the house, mama was sitting in the recliner. i knelt down on my knees and i grabbed her and i said, "mama, she's gone. she's gone." do you have any idea how hard that was? >> teresa's daughter kelsey had spent a sleepless night waiting in vain for her mother to come home. >> how did you find out? >> my dad came and told my brothers and i. it was just awful realizing that your worst nightmare had come true. for a brief second, i thought she had committed suicide just because i knew how stressed out she was. but then i also knew how much she loved her family. >> everybody who knew teresa knew that. even sheriff kenneth ellis, who drove out to the crime scene, if that's what it was. corporal mark boyd, alabama bureau of investigation, met him there. this case was tuned of personal for you, sheriff. >> yes. my daughter and miss teresa and scott's daughter, they played softball together. >> you would see teresa at the ballpark. >> every game. it felt like part of my family was gone too. >> they had a look around the truck. no sign of a struggle. dusting revealed no viable fingerprints. there were no footprints. not even a loose hair. puzzling. was there any thought once you saw the scene that this was a suicide? >> there was things missing that prevented the suicide theory. >> like what? >> if you're going to commit suicide with a gun, it's usually at the scene. >> it was clear teresa had been murdered. shot with a gun which was now missing. and what was more, her cell phone, the one always attached to her hip, was nowhere to be found. >> did it look like it could have been a robbery? >> well, the wallet wasn't taken. the purse was on the console. but the contents of the purse had been dumped out in her lap. >> a clumsy attempt at staging, you might say? >> yes. >> but there was one important clue the killer left behind. >> we noticed that the only window down was the driver's window. so we figured that she had to have known the person because she had let down her window. we had to ask ourselves, who could get her to this location and why was she murdered? >> someone in moundville had to know something. >> from there the investigation went where? >> investigating her inner circle, trying to find a motive. >> usually, so i'm told, in cases like this the husband has got to be a person of interest. >> yes. >> so as the family gathered to mourn the loss of their beloved teresa, scott couldn't be with them. he was down at the sheriff's office answering questions. >> came willingly, no issue. >> yes. >> did he ask for an attorney? >> no, he did not. >> corporal boyd chatted with scott for three long hours. and during the whole time he was cooperative and helpful. >> you know, the standard questions that we would ask is, is anyone having an affair? are you having an affair? no. was she having an affair? no. >> good marriage, happy marriage, christian marriage? >> right. i asked them did they argue? he said no. >> scott answered all their questions about what teresa was supposed to be doing that morning. he told them he phoned teresa from his morning job on a farm, a wake-up call, and then about two hours later she called him. but the call faded out. he couldn't hear a thing. >> and scott said that it sounded like she was on the road. >> he thought nothing of it then, he said. but now? was it a distress call? no way to know. but there was one thing that call certainly cleared up for investigators. scott could not have killed teresa. he was something like 30 miles away up near tuscaloosa, had a breakfast receipt to prove it. >> he stopped at hardees and had a receipt showing he was there. >> so scott rejoined his family, caught up in the terrible business of grieving. >> i kept wondering, why was it happening to our family. >> it was awful. who would ever imagine you'd have a murder in your family? >> investigators tried with the help of friends to fill in the gaps of teresa's last hours. they talked to scott and teresa's friend dawn lavender. she had plans to go shopping with teresa the morning of the murder. >> i'm sure dawn was shocked and upset by what had happened. >> she did cry during the interview. she was at her house waiting on teresa to come pick her up and she was going to ride with her. she finally got the chance to talk to teresa around 7:00. >> and after that call nothing. dawn told the investigators she phoned teresa over and over and each time the phone went to a recording. just to be sure of all this, they pulled teresa's cell phone records and began plotting out a timeline of her whereabouts. but the picture the records painted wasn't quite what they expected. that morning call to scott, the one he couldn't hear, teresa did not call from moundville. >> the cell tower shows that it's pinging from up in tuscaloosa. >> wait a minute. how could it be pinging from tuscaloosa? that's miles and miles away. >> right. there's no way she could have made the call and been back to the location where she was murdered at. >> so courtesy of the cell towers you were able to show that teresa could not have made that call, it had to be somebody else using her phone. and what do you know? her phone is missing from the crime scene. >> correct. >> so the person who very likely killed teresa mayfield must have used teresa's cell phone to call her husband, scott. what could that mean? did the killer know scott? and did scott know something he wasn't sharing? coming up -- >> we were dealing with a person that was leading a double life. >> secrets and lies. >> this was betrayal. >> that's a very good word. >> when "dateline" continues. new vicks vapostick. strong soothing vapors... help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess just soothing comfort. try new vicks vapostick. dad are you sure you're up to host? yeah! we want to keep it the way it always was, right? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ that's your grandma. she was the best at the holidays. ♪♪ things you start when you're 45. coaching. new workouts. and screening for colon cancer. yep. the american cancer society recommends screening starting at age 45, instead of 50, since colon cancer is increasing in younger adults. i'm cologuard®. i'm convenient and find 92% of colon cancers... ...even in early stages. i'm for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. now you can enjoy the best eggs in so many delicious ways. eggland's best. the farm-fresh taste you love. plus, superior nutrition. only eggland's best. ♪♪ alice loves the scent of gain so much, only eggland's best. she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice and long-lasting gain scent beads. try spring daydream, now part of our irresistible scent collection. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. welcome back to "dateline.” even though teresa mayfield's husband scott had been very cooperative with investigators, they wondered if there was something he wasn't telling them. here again with "secrets in a small town" is keith morrison. >> it's a funny thing about secrets. they can only stay hidden for so long. especially in a little place like moundville. and it didn't take very long for sheriff ellis and boyd to stumble across a secret scott had been keeping. >> scott had had a young lady to come pick up the boys. >> it was only later when the fog of grief lifted that one of teresa's relatives wondered to police who was that woman hanging around the day teresa died? ellis and boyd tracked her down and what they discovered, well, that changed everything. or seemed to. the person they were talking to was scott's mistress. >> she was under the impression that scott was not married at that time. >> what did you make of that? when you heard it. >> we knew that wasn't correct. >> a love triangle, jealous home wrecker kills wife, claims husband? no, not even close. scott's girlfriend thought his marriage was over, his divorce finalized. >> what was her reaction to getting the real story? she must have been upset. >> more hurt than upset because i think she had fallen in love with him. >> he'd been lying like a sidewalk. >> that's right. >> and you had no idea that woman was associated with him that way either, did you? >> no. i had met her once or twice. but i just thought they were friends. i didn't think it was anything else. >> this was betrayal in all capital letters. >> that's a very good word. >> you were betrayed. >> lied to. yeah. taken advantage of if in a way. >> kelsey may have been surprised but teresa's mom and sister, they knew better. because this wasn't scott's first dance with infidelity. oh, no, there had been others. in fact, scott and teresa divorced during one of his affairs, that was just after kelsey was born. and then three years later teresa took him back, remarried him. >> she wanted to have her family back together. that was her whole thing, family. >> what was it like for you when scott came into your house? what's happening here as he walked in the door? >> i tried to be sociable mutual with scott. but i always had that thought at the back of my mind. he hurt my sister, and i would not forget it. >> for a while, things were as teresa had always hoped. but wishes don't always come true. soon scott was back to his old ways with that girl cops were talking to in tuscaloosa. you know how gossip can be. scott went from sympathetic figure, bereaved widower, to cad. and maybe worse. he must have been aware of the fact that there were people suspicious of him. >> it bothered me hearing the bad things that people had to say about him. and i knew that my dad was never capable of doing something like that. i was going to have his back regardless. >> but to investigators, scott's affair and the fact he lied about it to police certainly was suspicious. ellis and boyd asked the girlfriend to help them out by recording her conversations with scott. maybe he'd let something slip. [ phone ringing ] >> hello. >> hey. >> are you okay? >> yes. i'm okay. they just left. look, all i want to know, did you do it? >> of course not. they told me on the get-go, i would be number one prime suspect. >> i know. >> because i'm the husband. >> do you still love me? >> yes, i do. >> if you do have anything to do with her dying, was it because you love me? >> i didn't have nothing to do with it, no, no, no. i had nothing. my hands are clean as they can be. >> so infidelity? yes. murder? didn't sound like it. >> we could prove that he was an adulterer. but we was trying to prove the murder. >> guess there's no crime against being a lying sack of you know what, huh? >> it's not against the law to have a mistress. >> so now the corporal and the sheriff reverted to standard procedure and followed up every tip and tracked down every tenuous lead and knocked down rumors. somebody called scott from teresa's cell phone that morning, whether he heard it or not. the investigation dragged on. >> weeks and months went by and there was nothing. >> we had no idea how that anger will get the best of you, not knowing who done this and you want the person that done this to be punished for it. >> kelsey took on the most difficult job of her life. at 17 she stepped into her mother's shoes, defended her father, tried to maintain something of a normal life for her little brothers. >> me trying to fill my mother's shoes. those are some big shoes to fill. i just felt like it was my responsibility to help my dad take care of my family. >> so you were able to continue to have a relationship of trust with your father. >> right. >> he was there for you guys? >> yes. he tried to be strong for us so we wouldn't have a breakdown. >> by the first anniversary of teresa's death, there was still no arrest and the story was old news. so teresa's mother plastered this poster on doors and windows and telephone poles all around moundville, hoping it would help dislodge some clue. and then the weirdest thing happened. >> we found out that just about as quick as we were putting posters up, they were being taken down. >> taken down by someone who didn't want teresa's killer found, she presumed. and a dark thought crystallized in reba's mind. was it scott? >> he never acted like a grieving husband. if he had, i wouldn't have had these thoughts. >> so your thoughts actually increased over the course of the time that you were with him? >> yes. >> but you know what they say about assumptions. it wasn't scott. >> me and my brothers took them down. at first i was okay with it. but once they put the posters up and everywhere i went i saw my mother's face, it just drove me crazy, it broke my heart seeing her face splattered all over the pictures. >> and so expectations faded again. a couple more months went by and then a girl who knew kelsey heard a strange little story. overheard it, actually. a guy saying he saw someone with a gun on a dirt road around the time teresa was killed. >> did she associate it with this crime? >> well, she knew that miss teresa was killed down that way. so she just reported it. >> was this the break they were looking for? well, we can tell you this. the tip led to real flesh and blood. in fact, to a quite literal snake in the grass. a curious incident from teresa's past. could it shed light on the crime? coming up -- >> i looked at her, and i said you need to stay away from that woman. she is no friend of yours. >> when "dateline" continues. hi susan! honey? yeah? i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad... try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love... plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? now get powerful relief with robitussin elderberry. and that's just basic wavy guy maintenance, right? next up, carvana. oh, boy. carvana just doesn't seem to understand how the test drive works. they give their customers seven days. and if they don't like it, they give 'em their money back. wait, they take the car back? that's crazy! what if it was driven by like a zookeeper? or a mud wrestler? or a guy who's on the outs with the missus and he just needs a place to sleep for seven days? yeah. (vo) buy your car online. love it or return it. with carvana. like pulsing, electric shocks, sharp, stabbing pains, or an intense burning sensation. what is this nightmare? it's how some people describe... shingles. a painful, blistering rash that could interrupt your life for weeks. forget social events and weekend getaways. if you've had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles is already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles. hello. i'm dara brown. here's what's happening. bob dole has died. the long-time lawmaker and former 1996 republican presidential candidate overcame life-threatening injuries when he served during world war ii. in a statement his family said that they have lost their rock. he was 98 years old. new restrictions go into effect today for international air travelers. anyone entering the u.s. will be required to show proof of a negative covid-19 test one day before departure regardless of vaccination status. now back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline.” i am craig melvin. years after teresa mayfield's murder, a casual conversation overheard in a bar gave authorities their first break. a break which would lead them to the chilling tale of teresa's murder. once again, keith morrison. >> under a setting sun on a sweltering summer night, two years after her death, teresa mayfield's friends and family gathered to remember. >> i talk to her almost every day and i miss those talks. >> they took turns talking about the loving daughter, the softball mom, the sweet woman gunned down on that lonely country road. a murder that was still a mystery. >> my family will not stop searching or doing whatever it takes to find out who took teresa's life. >> when scott got up to speak, you can bet people were paying special close attention. >> yes, she was a loving wife, loving mother and a loving friend to the community. yes, she would do anything for anybody at any time. >> having discovered he was not exactly husband of the year, some people still nursed a lingering suspicion and yet here he was devoted to the care of his children and full of praise for his dead wife. >> she did a wonderful job raising these kids. she was the one who got them to practice on time, got them to ball games on time. >> when sheriff ellis walked up to the podium, he looked at teresa's mother reba and vowed he'd get justice yet. >> miss reba, i won't quit until we find out what happened to miss teresa. >> and in fact, even as he spoke, the sheriff along with the corporal were facing down their first honest to god lead in, what, over a year? didn't seem like much, really, not at first. just an overheard story from a guy in a bar, something about how he and a friend ran into someone with a gun. not so terribly uncommon around here, mind you. except it happened around the same time and not far from where the murder occurred. so ellis and boyd tracked the kid down and he repeated the story for them. >> they were on a dirt road and they came up on a snake, a rattlesnake and they was trying to kill it, find something to kill it with. >> trouble was, they were plum out of rattlesnake killing tools and that's when an suv just happened to pull up on the dirt road behind them. the driver was a woman in her 40s or thereabouts who said the young man offered them a sure fire way to smash that rattlesnake. >> lady in the car had a gun. >> right. >> it was a handgun inside a ziploc plastic bag. >> i think she handed him the plastic bag for him to take it out. >> and that was a little weird. why would it be in the bag? >> right. >> a peculiar story for sure. certain details were a little fuzzy. kid couldn't remember the exact day, for example. but he did recall with clarity who the driver was because he knew her. knew her name. and here was the most curious thing of all. it was a name you've heard before. dawn lavender. small town moundville suddenly got even smaller. dawn lavender, you'll recall, was teresa's friend. the one who said she waited in vain for teresa to pick her up on the morning of the murder. great buddies according to dawn. but maybe not so much said kelsey. >> if her and my mom saw each other at games or whatever they would speak. but they weren't best friends or anything. >> they did go out together a couple of times. >> i think my mother did it just because she was bored and wanted to get out of the house. >> but when they did get together, at least on one occasion, said kelsey, it was certainly memorable and not in a good way. they went out to a local casino one night, she said, and her mother came home stumbling. >> i thought she was drunk. and i knew that that couldn't be right because she didn't drink. she didn't even know where she was at. you couldn't hardly understand a word she was saying. she came in and my dad and i got her and put her in the bed. >> how long did she sleep? >> she slept for two days. two straight days. >> what did you think about that? >> it was very strange. she didn't really remember what happened. she just knew that she had taken some pills, i believe. >> how did she get them? >> i believe dawn gave them to her. >> remember how teresa was stressed out those last weeks of her life? the casino trip, teresa told casey, dawn gave her xanax, the anti-anxiety medication, just to calm her down, dawn told her. and it certainly did that. out like a light calm, for two whole days. >> i looked at her, i said teresa, you need to stay away from that woman, she is no friend of yours. >> how did teresa respond to that? >> she said "i've learned my lesson." >> or maybe she didn't. because the morning of the murder teresa had arranged to run errands with dawn, or at least that's what dawn said. and then it all clicked together. dawn on the dirt road, a gun in a plastic bag, teresa's car window down as though she knew her killer. sheriff ellis and corporal boyd picked apart dawn's early interview with a suspicious eye. they pulled her phone records and there it was plain as day. dawn's lies caught by cell phone technology. >> it painted a clearer picture that dawn was in the location of teresa the morning that she was murdered. >> why in heaven's name would a woman who claimed to be teresa's friend want to kill her? good question, which perhaps they'd get answered once they accused dawn lavender of murder, which they did. she, however, had but one thing to say to police. >> she just kept saying that it was wrong, that we made a mistake. >> coming up -- >> as far as physical evidence, we really didn't have any. >> but they did have a plan. an undercover sting could get the evidence they need. >> how big was the gun? >> it holds eight. >> when "dateline" continues. r t 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. hide my skin? not me. and that means long-lasting clearer skin... and fast itch relief for adults. with dupixent, you can show more skin with less eczema. hide my skin? not me. 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. we're eating and drinking foods and beverages that are very acidic. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, it can soften the enamel. pronamel repair, what it's doing is driving more minerals deep into the enamel surface, that's going to help actively repair. pronamel is taking it to another level. your eyes. beautiful on the outside, but if you have diabetes, there can be some not-so-pretty stuff going on inside. it's true, with diabetic retinopathy, excess sugar can damage blood vessels, causing vision loss or even blindness. so remember this: now is the time to get your eyes checked. eye care is important to your long-term diabetes management. see a path forward with actions and treatments that may help your eyes— and protect against vision loss. visit noweyesee.com and take control of your sight. trelegy for copd. [coughing] ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ breeze driftin' on by... ♪ if you've been playing down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day,... ♪ ...it's time to make a stand. start a new day with trelegy. ♪...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ 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. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, and save at trelegy.com. ♪ ♪ ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, when the chapstick goes on. it's on. get yours on at chapstick.com most bladder leak pads were similar. until always discreet invented a pad that protects differently. with two rapiddry layers. for strong protection, that's always discreet. question your protection. try always discreet. welcome back. after years of investigation, police had a suspect in the murder of teresa mayfield. it was her friend, dawn lavender. but what was dawn's motive for murder? once again, here's keith morrison. on june 11, 2010, almost three years to the day teresa mayfield was killed, sheriff ellis and corporal boyd drove to the wire factory where dawn lavender worked. she was halfway through her day shift and they told her she was under arrest for the murder of her friend, teresa mayfield. >> she first wanted to know why we was arresting her, and then when she got to the jail she said this was wrong, that we made a mistake. >> the corporal and the sheriff were only too happy to explain to assistant d.a. tim evans how one clue led to another and eventually an ines kaipable conclusion. but prosecutor evans had questions, pointed ones. >> you could tell it was going to be difficult. >> where was the smoking gun? where was the murder weapon? where was even one single fingerprint tying dawn to the crime? >> as far as physical evidence, we really didn't have any. it was truly circumstantial because we didn't really know anything about what had happened. >> as far as evans could see, the case was a maybe at best. because she had no reason to kill teresa. so, you know, to bring a case against her would be pretty tough, i would think. >> the case with dawn is puzzling. when you're working with a circumstantial case, every piece of evidence is definitely important. >> not that corporal boyd and sheriff ellis thought for a second they were wrong. they believed dawn was the killer. they told the prosecutor not only that dawn murdered teresa but that they were convinced she tried and failed to kill her with a xanax overdose at the casino. >> the sheriff's department believed that was an attempt on her life, but we had nothing to really support that. >> but if tim evans was to get a conviction, he needed more. more evidence. some concrete proof that dawn had pulled that trigger. you can bet dawn wasn't about to tell them anything. but that doesn't mean she wasn't talking. >> we had another young lady that was getting out of jail and she came to us and said that dawn had been talking about the murder. >> but that could have been just gossip, mind you. from a jailhouse snitch who couldn't back it up. but dawn did have a cellmate. >> she was kind of in a jam herself. she wanted us to try to help her. we can put a word into the d.a. or put a word into the jail. >> that was enough to get some cooperation from her. >> right. >> the objective was simple. get dawn talking, wrangle from her something that at least sounded like a confession. ellis and boyd outfitted dawn's cellmate with a digital recorder no bigger than a matchbox. and on a friday afternoon as an unsuspecting dawn sat in her cell reviewing her case file her cellmate walked in and waited for some incriminating tidbit. what she got instead was the whole sickening story. >> i had always said i could kill a person before i killed an animal. >> here's what dawn told her cellmate about the morning teresa was killed. around 7:00 a.m. dawn called teresa with a lie to set the plan in motion. >> i wasn't taking any more vacation days. i told her my car was dead. >> she claimed her car had broken down. could teresa pick her up. of course she said yes. finished drying her hair, got into her car. made a short drive to the dirt road. and there standing alongside the road was dawn. >> how big was the gun? >> it holds eight. i had it in the back of my pants. she turned this way. and i see the blood coming out and i'm like [ bleep ]. i touched her neck and -- [ bleep ]. >> no. >> anyway, i crawled up onto the other side of the truck, put it in drive and started the engine. and just like jumped out the side of the truck. and i got the hell out of dodge. >> with calculated cold precision dawn lavender lured teresa to that dirt road. she then shot her in the back of the head then steered her car into the brush hoping it would stay hidden for a while. >> you're going to have to lie on the stand. >> i know. i have to look just like poor lil' innocent dawnie. not the [ bleep ] cold-blooded killer that i am. >> cold-blooded killer. >> if you think about it, that's exactly right. >> yeah. it's terrible looking at it that way, though. >> but it's the [ bleep ] truth. >> it was all there. a prosecutor's dream confession. she even referred to herself as a cold-blooded killer. but there was one question anyone with a beating heart wanted to ask. why? there just had to be an answer. of that they were sure. would they ever get it out of her? >> why in the hell did you do it? coming up -- >> at some point she was calling herself a hit man. >> a hit man but for whom? another painful revelation was in store for teresa's family. >> it hurts too much for me to say it out loud. >> when "dateline" continues. ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. and also try alevex topical pain relief. the new sensodyne repair and protect with deep repair has the science to show that the toothpaste goes deep inside the exposed dentin to help repair sensitive teeth. my patients are able to have that quality of life back. i recommend sensodyne repair and protect with deep repair. ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪ alexa, play our favorite song again. ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ ♪ my songs know what you did in the dark ♪ ♪ so light 'em up, up, up light 'em up, up, up ♪ ♪ light 'em up, up, up ♪ ♪ i'm on fire ♪ ♪ so light 'em up, up, up light 'em... ♪ (burke) with farmers auto multi-policy discount, the more policies you ♪ i'm on fire ♪ have with us, the more you could save on your auto insurance. (man) hey, hon! (wife) hi, honey! (man) like what? (burke) well, you'd get a discount for insuring your jet skis... and boat...rv...life... ...home and more. you could save up to forty-five percent. (man) that's a whole lot of discounts. (burke) well, we offer coverage for a whole lot of things, and you could save a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. (kid) sup, dad! (burke) seventeen-car garage you got there? ♪we are farmers♪ ♪bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum♪ such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. the xfinity black friday sales event is happening now on xfinity mobile. now new and existing customers can get our best wireless deal of the year - up to $1,000 in savings - for a limited time only. on the most reliable network nationwide, plus nationwide 5g. act now and save up to $1,000 with xfinity mobile. so you can go all out on gifts for the family - during our best wireless deal of the year... the xfinity black friday sales event. click, call or visit a store today. welcome back. dawn lavender told her cellmate she killed teresa mayfield in a murder for hire scheme. but who did the hiring? here's keith morrison with the conclusion to "secrets in a small town." >> i have to look just like poor little innocent dawnie. not the [ bleep ] cold-blooded killer that i am. >> dawn lavender sounded for all the world like she was boasting as she confessed to her cellmate that she murdered teresa mayfield in cold blood. in fact, in recorded conversations with her cellmate dawn not only admitted to shooting teresa, but said that she had tried once before. that strange night at the casino when teresa came home stumbling, that was her first attempt at murder. >> oh, man. i had so much oxycontin in that. i had everything you could think of mashed up. and she wouldn't die. she did not. woke up the next [ bleep ] night. >> but why? why would she want to kill her friend? because, listen to this, the answer to the whole puzzle really comes down to one little word. dawn uses it when telling her cellmate what she did. >> i mean, we tried -- >> we? dawn was not acting alone. she had a co-conspirator. >> i don't know if she was trying to be a show-off because she was calling herself a hit man. >> 10. 10, 20. >> dawn was a hired gun for -- you guessed it. scott mayfield. >> she was a loving wife, loving mother. >> the man who heaped praise on his dead wife, his grieving children by his side, was according to dawn the architect who designed her death. a revelation that finally made sense of a trail of disturbing stories the investigators had been running down for mods. months. >> we had one guy that worked around there in moundville, said a fellow offered him $500 to kill his wife. and a little while later we got a call from another guy's son saying his daddy wanted to talk to me. scott had approached him about killing his wife. >> his response to scott was get a divorce. that's what divorces are for. >> and then a third man told him a story. >> he had told us that scott mayfield had hired him, had given him $15,000 to kill his wife. he did not have any intentions on killing her. he just wanted the man's money. >> what's the old saying? two is a coincidence, three is a pattern? which is why even before dawn told her grisly tale on tape, in fact on the same day dawn was arrested, a warrant was also issued for scott. kelsey was outside mowing the lawn when she saw a cop car whiz by, then another and another. she called her dad on his cell phone. >> i asked him where he was at. and he said, "the cops have me pulled over." >> your dad, for heaven's sake, was being arrested. had to be a shock. >> i was very confused. so i asked the arresting officer, why are you arresting my dad? and he said it was solicitation and conspiracy. >> to commit murder. >> to commit murder, yes. >> in other words, he said your father was responsible for the death of your mother. >> mm-hmm. >> still, as he sat behind bars awaiting his day in court he assured his children that it was all a mistake. he was innocent. >> what did you expect would happen? >> i thought he would be found not guilty and he'd be able to come home. >> but at that point, the case against scott was almost entirely circumstantial. that was until dawn got to talking to that cellmate, the one with the little recording device. and sure enough, as the whole story spilled out, there was scott's name on tape, proof at last. >> did scott give you the gun? >> he stole it from his daddy. >> did he want the gun back? >> he ain't getting the [ bleep ] gun back. ain't no way [ bleep ] i threw it -- >> once the job was done, the car half hidden by the brush, dawn said, she drove to tuscaloosa and dialed a familiar number from teresa's cell phone to let her boss know his wife was dead. >> did you call scott and let him know that it was done? >> i called him from teresa's number. sat there in silence. and then, after about one or two minutes, hung up. >> the only thing left was to collect the $20,000 scott had promised her and go. except -- >> did scott -- he didn't never give you no money? >> i just told him well, you know, we'll call -- you keep your [ bleep ] mouth shut and i'll keep my mouth shut. >> but of course dawn didn't keep her mouth shut about what she and scott had done. >> from what i could tell, he was just a coward. he wanted a divorce, but he didn't want to live with the responsibilities that accompany a divorce. >> in other words, he didn't want to pay her alimony. >> or child support. evil was the only thing you can use to describe that man. evil. >> and on may 19, 2011, almost four years after teresa mayfield was gunned down on that lonely dirt road, her mother, sister and daughter sat in a courtroom and listened as dawn and scott, having pleaded guilty to both murder and attempted murder, were each sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. >> he looked straight at me like he was looking at a tree or something. there was no emotion. and neither was there anything from dawn. it was like they were empty inside. >> but for kelsey it was simply overwhelming. at the moment of sentencing for the very first time she saw her dad not as the loving father who took her shopping for her senior prom dress but as the man who orchestrated the death of her mother. >> have you ever brought up the issue with him? said i know that you did this? >> one day i will. i don't have it in me right now to confront him and tell him what i know. it hurts too much. for me to say it out loud, for me to tell my dad i know what he did and that i -- i hate what he did. but he's still my father. and i'll always love him. >> her mother loved him too. loved him through infidelity and trouble, loved him always. even as she loved her children, her family. as she tried her best to make life good while he plotted to kill her. >> a couple years earlier you had a great, full, lovely family life. >> there's really not a word that you can use to describe what our family has been through. >> and you've got such a nice, sunny disposition. how do you do that? >> i get my strength from my mother. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. this was a gruesome murder, a high profile executive and his wife shot to death in beverly hills. we don't really think that children can murder their parents. you have to have a lot of evil in you to shoot your mom and dad. >> young. rich. handsome. in a case made for hollywood, they were ready for the cameras -- >> it was the first televised courtroom drama that captivated the united states, it was a huge deal. >> reporter: erik and lyle menendez -- convicted of murdering their own parents. >> i ran around and shot my mom!

Related Keywords

Dateline , Mom , She Didn T Answer , Craig Melvin , Natalie Morales , Grandmother Reba , Something , Family , Nightmare , Heart , Case , Idea , Questions , Southern Gothic Mystery , Murder For Hire Scheme , Person , Life , One , Secrets , Secret , Town , Keith Morrison , Surprise , Car , Eye , Tuscaloosa , Highway , Smack Dab , Middle , Alabama , 69 , Sheriff , Main Street Moundville , Everybody , Place , Truth , General Store , Stoplight , One Main Street , People , Yes , Crowds , Crowd , Around The World , Andy Griffith , Ken Ellis , Crime , Crimes , U S , County , City , Version , Mayberry , Example , Business , Neighbors , Nuisance , Bit , Woman , Ain T No Way , Things , Girl , Parents , 17 , 07 , Morning Teresa , Kelsey Mayfield , Saw , Eyes , Thing , Course , Money , Care , Lot , Dad , Murder Teresa , Head , Jobs , Trouble , Anybody , Working Man , Water , Two , Husband , Somebody , Kind , Corny , Town Teresa , Brothers , Softball Mom , Other , Signs , I Love You , Affection , Cheek , Trunk , Kiss , Game , Kids , Softball Game , Balls , Toby , Muddle , Bats , Tenner , 30 , Nothing , Games , Clock , 2007 , June 2007 , Run Errands And Didn T , Lunch , The Boys , 8 , 11 , Cell Phone , Sort , Hip , Everywhere , Wasn , Work , Factory , Day Job , Hold , Panic , Night Shift , Couldn T , Scott Couldn T , Report , One Of Us , Touch , Missing Person , Left , Home , Moundville Police , House , Mama , Prattville , Mama Didn T Come Home Last Night , Sister , Teresa S , Office , Ashley , Circuit Court , Knot , Phone Calls , Anything , Sheriff Ellis , Truck , Response , Dirt Road , Coming Up , Much , Wheel , It Wasn T An Accident , Investigation , Location , Cough Sneeze , Sneezing , Dissolves , Cold Relief , Fast Sinus Relief , Alka Seltzer Plus , Plop Fizz , Alka Seltzer , Sha Bop , Stars , Song , Alexa , I Only Have Eyes For You , Dusty , Lover S Lane , Dead End , Spot , Engine Running Taillights , Mother , Teresa Mayfield , Body Inside , News , Gunshot Wound , Recliner , Knees , Daughter Kelsey , Sleepless Night Waiting In Vain , Kenneth Ellis , Crime Scene , Suicide , Daughter , Corporal Boyd , Personal , Corporal , Softball , Alabama Bureau Of Investigation , Ballpark , Look , Sign , Dusting , Part , Struggle , Footprints , Fingerprints , Scene , Hair , Puzzling , Gun , Suicide Theory , Shot , Purse , Wallet Wasn T , Contents , Console , Nowhere , Robbery , Driver , Clue , Killer , Attempt , Window , Window Down , Staging , Lap , Someone , Motive , Inner Circle , Cases , A Person Of Interest , Issue , Office Answering , Loss , Attorney , Anyone , Affair , Three , Marriage , Christian , Call , He Couldn T , On The Road , Wake Up Call , Farm , Morning Job , Investigators , Distress , Breakfast Receipt , Showing , Receipt , Grieving , Friends , Chilling Tale Of Teresa , Help , Gaps , Morning , Interview , Upset , Friend Dawn Lavender , Shopping , Plans , Pick , Cry , House Waiting On Teresa , Dawn , Phone , Call Nothing , Recording , Chance , This , Teresa Over , 7 , 00 , Picture , The One , Records , Timeline , Morning Call , Cell Phone Records , Whereabouts , Cell Tower , Cell , Correct , Wasn T Sharing , Word , Secrets And Lies , Neck , Vicks Vapostick , Vapors , Loved Ones , Chest , Comfort , Mess , Best , Grandma , Holidays , Screening , Adults , Colon Cancer , Workouts , Cancer , Coaching , American Cancer Society , Yep , 45 , 50 , Risk , Colon Cancers , Results , Cologuard , Stages , Provider , 92 , Ways , Eggs , Eggland S Best , Only Eggland S Best , Superior Nutrition , Alice , Scent , Gain , Fairy Godmother , Scent Beads , Scent Collection , Try Spring Daydream , Network , Deal , Gift , Businesses , Savings Sale , Comcast Business , Bundles , Prepaid Card , 500 , Savings , Internet , Gig Speeds , Voice , Price Guarantee , Possibilities , 2 , 4 99 , 64 99 , Husband Scott , Secrets In A Small Town , Lady , Boys , Grief , Relatives , Keeping , Fog , Everything , Mistress , Impression , Wife , Girlfriend , Home Wrecker , Jealous , Story , Divorce , Love , Reaction , Sidewalk , Betrayal , Capital Letters , Advantage , Fact , Others , Wasn T Scott S First Dance With Infidelity , Affairs , Back , Mind , Thought , Door , Gossip , Soon Scott , Cops , Wishes , In Tuscaloosa , Cad , Figure , Widower , Conversations , Phone Ringing , Number One , Prime Suspect , Get Go , It , Hands , Dying , Didn T , Infidelity , Adulterer , Sack , Lead , Tip , Huh , Law , Rumors , Procedure , Chapstick Goes On , Anger , Father , Job , Shoes , Responsibility , Relationship , Trust , Death , Arrest , Breakdown , Anniversary , Posters , Telephone Poles , Windows , Poster , Doors , Didn T Want Teresa , Wouldn T , Crystallized , Thoughts , It Wasn T Scott , Assumptions , Wall , Pictures , Face , Guy , Teresa , Overheard It , Expectations , Break , Tip Led , Flesh And Blood , Incident , Snake In The Grass , Friend , Robitussin Honey , Cough , Relief , Doesn T , Guy Maintenance , Trash , Wavy , Boy , Carvana , Robitussin Elderberry , Customers , Test Drive Works , Em , Zookeeper , Mud Wrestler , Wait , Seven , Love It , Missus , Outs , Vo , Stabbing Pains , Electric Shocks , Pulsing , Sharp , Shingles , Rash , Events , Weekend Getaways , Chickenpox , Burning Sensation , Virus , Doctor , Pharmacist , Lawmaker , Statement , Injuries , Candidate , Rock , Bob Dole , Dara Brown , Republican , World War Ii , 1996 , 98 , Proof , Vaccination Status , Departure , Travelers , Effect , Restrictions , 19 , Bar , Conversation , Murder , Authorities , Setting Sun On A Sweltering Summer Night , Talks , Doing , Country Road , Mystery , Attention , Community , Children , Praise , Suspicion , Justice , Ball Games , Podium , Honest , God , So Ellis , Rattlesnake , Kid , Snake , Suv , Rattlesnake Killing , Tools , Plum , Oman , Ziploc , Plastic Bag , Thereabouts , Fire , Handgun , 40 , Kid Couldn T , Bag , Clarity , Recall , Sure , Details , Name , Town Moundville , Buddies , Each Other , Times , Couple , Best Friends , Casino , Occasion , Bed , Pills , Medication , Xanax , Down , Casey , Casino Trip , Lesson , Light Calm , Dawn On The Dirt Road , Car Window , Errands , Dawn S , Phone Records , Cell Phone Technology , Question , Heaven , Mistake , Police , Evidence , Plan , Big , Sting , Skin , Eczema , Under Control , Moderate , Atopic Dermatitis , Rt , Eight , Dupixent , Hitting Eczema , It Counts , Itch , Step , Anaphylaxis , Don T , Reactions , Eye Problems , Vision Changes , Eye Pain , Change , Feels , Infection , Asthma Medicines , Don T Change , Eczema Specialist , Beverages , Enamel , Surface , Minerals , Foods , Pronamel Repair , Diabetes , Outside , Level , Stuff , Sugar , Blood Vessels , Pronamel , Diabetic Retinopathy , Actions , Vision Loss , Treatments , Path , Eye Care , Blindness , Diabetes Management , Control , Visit Noweyesee Com , Trelegy , Copd , Coughing , Sight , On By , High , Breeze Driftin , Stand , Power , Copd Medicine , Feelin Good , Won T , Medicines , Breathing Problems , Inhaler , Rescue Inhaler , High Blood Pressure , Flare Ups , Lung Function , Heart Condition , Mouth , Breathing , Chest Pain , Spain , Pneumonia , Thrush , Osteoporosis , Tongue , Problems Urinating , Swelling , Pad , Discreet , Protection , It S On , Layers , Bladder Leak Pads , Suspect , June 11 2010 , 2010 , Jail , Day Shift , Another , Tim Evans , Clue Led , Assistant D A , Ines Kaipable Conclusion , Smoking Gun , Tying Dawn , Fingerprint , Murder Weapon , Kill Teresa , Reason , Piece , Dawn Murdered Teresa , Department , Xanax Overdose , Second , Conviction , Bet Dawn Wasn T , Trigger , Doesn T Mean She Wasn Talking , Cellmate , Jailhouse Snitch , Jam , Dawn Talking , Matchbox , Recorder , Cooperation , Confession , Objective , D A , Tidbit , Case File , Unsuspecting Dawn Sat , Dawn Called Teresa With A Lie , Animal , Up , Motion , Vacation , Drying , Drive , Road , Blood , Pants , Bleep , Hell , Side , Engine , Brush , Cold Precision , Dodge , Innocent Dawnie , Cold Blooded Killer , Poor Lil , Beating Heart , Dream Confession , Answer , Revelation , Hit Man , Point , Store , Pain Relief , Alevex Topical Pain Relief , Aleve , Repair , Toothpaste , Sensodyne Repair , Teeth , Science , Dentin , Quality , Patients , Sensodyne , Em Up , Up Light , I M On Fire So Light , Songs , In The Dark , More , Discount , Burke , Farmers , Policies , Auto Insurance , Jet Skis , I M On Fire , Hon , Boat , Tree Mendous Views , Discounts , Sup , Garage , Coverage , Bum , Farmers Policy Perks , Pa Dum , Seventeen , Forty Five , Words , Moss , Naturals , Ingredients , Punchlines , Me Hanging , 100 , Event , Xfinity , Black Friday , Xfinity Mobile , 000 , 1000 , Gifts , Sales Event , 5g , Click , Act , 5 , Conclusion , Hiring , World , Cold Blood , Shooting Teresa , Oxycontin , She Wouldn T Die , Puzzle , Co Conspirator , Hit Man , Scott Mayfield , Hired Gun For , 10 , 20 , Architect , Stories , Sense , Mods , Trail , Fellow , Daddy , Son , Divorces , 15000 , 5000 , Intentions , Coincidence , Pattern , Saying , Tape , Day Dawn , Warrant , Cop Car Whiz , Lawn , Tale , Officer , For Heaven S Sake , The Cops Have Me Pulled Over , Shock , Solicitation , He Sat , Conspiracy , Court , Bars , Recording Device , Gun Back , He Ain T , Car Half , Number , Dawn Said , Boss , Hung Up , 20000 , 0000 , Mouth Shut , Course Dawn Didn T , Responsibilities , Coward , Alimony , Child Support , Evil , Courtroom , Lonely Dirt Road , Four , 2011 , May 19 2011 , Attempted Murder , Life Sentences , Tree , Emotion , Sentencing , Time , Dress , Senior Prom , Family Life , Strength , Edition , Sunny Disposition , Nice , Beverly Hills , Cameras , Mom And Dad , Young , Rich , Hollywood , Erik And Lyle Menendez , Courtroom Drama ,