he talked about how scared he was that something had happened to him. he was afraid for his life. >> dead men tell no tales but this one left a trail of clues. >> i've never seen my dad that way before. he has never shown me fear of anything. >> patriarch, powerbroker, he was head of the family company. the business was real estate, and someone was about to make a killing. >> i never dreamt anything like that would happen. >> murder in the house he was selling. was this the deal gone bad? >> we just had some bizarre things happening in the office. >> or, maybe bad blood at home. >> my son texted me that he was scared and wanted me to come pick him up. >> danger was out there. arrest after arrest, and twist after twist. >> it makes your blood boil. >> she was the flame. she was the ignition. it was a perfect storm. >> welcome to dateline. vern holbrook seemed to have it all. he ran a thriving real estate company. he was the rock of his tightknit family, so when this beloved patriarch failed to show up at a meeting with his daughter-in-law, naturally, she was concerned. where was vern? was he delayed at work, or was it something far worse? here is josh mankiewicz with secrets at the sunshine hotel. >> it is the pulse pounding start to heart wrenching tale. a police officer wearing a body camera, running to face who knows what. a man down, a room awash in blood. that would be the first of many questions, and the starting line of race for survival. >> severe assault, massive head trauma. >> this is a mystery that more than once would appear to be solved in this sleepy town. in the end, they were more twists than in the river that runs through it. the ripples and eddies that hold some disturbing secrets about family, about friends, about who will betray you and who will not. just a little more than two hours from soggy seattle sits yakima , in a valley where orchards and vineyards flourish , and the abundant sunshine of south-central washington. it was just outside yakima on a saturday in may , 2013, that terra rockenfield was meeting her father-in-law. >> i had sent him some messages early in the morning, asking if i could borrow his truck because i wanted to go to a nursery. he's like i'm going to be out there anyway showing a house so i can just meet you there. >> tara's father-in-law, vern holbrook, was one of the best- known and best-selling realtors in this part of washington state. the meantime at the nursery was set. 11:15 a.m. >> i sent him a message when i got there. he said client is running late. see you in a bit. in about 30 minutes later i sent a message and said i was done and i didn't hear anything. >> how much time goes by? >> two hours. >> did you think of going to look for him? >> yes i did and i thought well, no. i don't want to interrupt him a fight he is with a client? do i regret that every second? yes, i do. >> so, terra turned toward home and her husband, vern's stepson, andrew. >> when she got weird i told her he probably just got tied up in the deal. >> in fact, vern's kids were used to this behavior. >> he worked more than 60 hours a week every week because he enjoyed it. he wanted to help people find a home. >> vern was not only the founder and owner of the family business, aspen real estate, he was also the patriarch of a large blended family that included stepson andrew, his wife, terra, and their children. >> he was the leader of the family. everyone looked up to him. >> along with stepson, chad. >> i think he worked as long as he did because he enjoyed it and he was a real social guy. >> chad and his wife, jill, gave vern three grandchildren. >> he was a wonderful dad, wonderful grandpa. >> jill celebrating at vern's 75th birthday party remembers him as a constant presence, the anchor, ever present for his grandkids and great grandkids on christmas morning or their birthdays. >> has always been the stability of the family. >> in fact, when jill's marriage to chad ended after nine years, vern was still there for them. vern helped out with essentials for the kids, helped jill out with a job, and more. that is the kind of man he was. >> helps anybody out. it doesn't matter who they are. >> big heart. >> huge heart. >> and, using that huge heart to help family members or clients was what seemed to keep vern holbrook young. after amber's mom died in 2007, vern eventually remarried and kept moving, whether he was catching fish, or closing deals. vern had tried to slow down, even selling his company in 2008 to an ambitious young agent who vern had trained and taken under his wing, daniel blizzard, who was buying the business with his two brothers. >> i think that appeal of daniel and his brothers was that it would still be a family and the local business, as opposed to becoming a chain. >> but, vern could not stop selling. >> kept wanting to retire and it would get pushed back. >> this is not because he was living hand to mouth. this was because he loved it. >> he loved it. he liked being the best at it. >> on that saturday in may when vern missed his meeting with terra, she and andrew simply dismissed it as vern being vern, until terra got a phone call that night from chad. >> has -- he was like, have you heard from vern? he's in the hospital or something. instantly, i worried. >> terra is a physicians assistant and new memorial hospital well. she was pointed to the e.r. for a nurse did really. the devastating news. >> she proceeded to tell me that he had been beaten and that his throat was slashed and that they were getting ready to airlift him to harborview in seattle. >> and, it happened, she so learned, at that house vern had been showing to clients. that is why vern had not shown up to meet her that morning. >> i walked up to the head of the bed, and i just -- he was so swollen and disfigured, and i went down to the foot of the bed, and his feet were sticking out. that is what looked like him. the rest of him was not the vern that i know. >> what did you think it happened? >> i was not sure at that point. >> the phone rings, she was hysterically crying and she told me that my dad had been attacked, and i was in disbelief, too. i did not think it was real at first. >> but, it was. vern holbrook's life was dangling by a thread. he turned out to be the proof that you can be both beloved and still have mortal enemies. >> enemies? who would want to harm vern holbrook? enter a mystery woman with a secret. >> i've never seen anybody bring their kids to a murder. >> this is a first for me. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. (luke) this will be a gold mine of local intel. just you wait. ask your retina specialist about eylea hd (marci) right. so, tell us about this corn festival? (stylist 1) oooh you got your corn pudding... you got your corn chowder... (marci) so... is it safe around here? (stylist 2) sometimes. (luke) if a family of eight were to need a cold plunge, where would they find it? (stylist 1) ...and then they dip it in butter, then bam, it goes right in. (stylist 2) ...really cute vampire bar. (stylist 1) the reverend does like a blessing on the corn. (luke) donut shops. how far from here? (marci) no eyebrows? (luke) think of how light it'll feel in the summer. we've got to run. eleven thousand more neighborhoods to go! (vo) ding dong! homes-dot-com. [coughing] copd isn't pretty. i'm out of breath, and often out of the picture. but this is my story. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. 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. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ [laughing] ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd because breathing should be beautiful, all day and night. [ serene music playing ] because breathing should be beautiful, welcome to the wayborhood. the wayfair vibe at our place is western. my thing, darling? shine. gardening. some of us go for the dramatic. how didn't i know wayfair had vanities in tile? [ gasps ] this. wow! do you have any ottomans without legs. sure. you'll flip for the poof cart. in the wayborhood, there's a place for all of us. ♪ wayfair. every style. every home. ♪ what began as a sunny saturday in yakima ended for vern holbrook's family in an all-night vigil at this trauma center in seattle. they gathered quickly at vern's bedside after hearing he had been badly beaten, his throat slashed, apparently at a house he was showing to real estate clients. what were you told about his condition and his prognosis? >> they were worried about how much air he was getting to his brain. >> the vern we all loved died that day. >> vern's former daughter-in- law, jill, remembers hearing of the attack, and how it frightened the entire family. >> my son texted me that grandpa was attacked and he was scared and he wanted me to come pick him up. >> the task of quieting the families fears and figuring out who had attacked vern was now in the hands of this man, detective sam pearl. >> i knew of vern. he was known to be one of the big movers and real estate shakers in yakima. >> sam was called to the house that night. he heard from the responding officer, the one that warned this body camera and captured these scenes before he arrived at 8:00 p.m. colleagues were looking for vern. vern's wife had become worried that he did not return from the showing. the colleague found him here, lying in a pool of blood at this rural home in the small town of cowiche. >> the last people talk to vern around 11:15, so we could surmise that he had likely been attacked sometime around noon. >> so, he had been lying there for maybe seven or eight hours. >> yes. not a lot of evidence to go on at the beginning. >> vern's truck still parked outside offered little. >> his wallet was in there with his i.d. and his credit cards. >> so, presumably not robbery. >> right. >> in fact, as police inventoried the scene, only one thing seemed to be missing. >> they took his telephone. >> that is what it looks like, yes. >> but, vern's missing cell phone did not hinder the investigation. within hours, the detective had vern's cell phone records in hand. >> i was able to see the last number that connected. >> did you call that number? >> i did and i left a message just asking for a return call. >> who did that phone number come back to? >> adriana men was the name attached to that account. >> the detective soon learned that adriana men was a 25-year- old mother of three with a minor crime record for misdemeanor assault living with her kids in yakima at the sunshine motel. the next day, adriana men called back. and, agreed to meet with detectives. >> what kind of fiber you getting offer? >> she seemed excited and nervous, talking fast. >> adriana admitted calling vern twice the day of the attack. she said she wanted to talk to him about selling a mobile home, but he could not see her. >> he told me that he was busy, that he was showing house, to call him back. >> cell records confirmed adriana's calls to vern, but it was something else that convince the detective that adriana was not telling the truth. she insisted she had never left yakima that day. >> i don't know what to tell you. i did not go out there. >> but, phone records don't lie. people who forget about them do, and, the detective had maps showing adriana had made the last call to vern from the same rural area where the attack took place. >> so, she was close to him on that call was made. >> yes. >> over the next several hours, adriana story changed again and again until she gave it up. she admitted meeting with vern, said it was the idea of her boyfriend, luis. she told a story backed up by surveillance tape from the sunshine motel, of luis picking up adriana and her three small children that morning at 10:45. she told detectives they drove to the house in cowiche, met with vern, and while the kids waited in the car, she and luis wanted inside with vern to view the house. >> what did luis do to vern? you saw him hit vern? >> while i was walking out to the side. that was the last i saw him. >> you did not walk back in there to see what was going on? >> no. i should have. >> adriana said luis came out moments later and tossed vern's cell phone out the car window on the way home before luis delivered adriana and her three kids back to the sunshine motel. again, confirmed on video by 12:31 p.m. to the detective, this was obvious it had been a plot to set up a meeting with vern with the sole purpose of killing him. >> have you ever seen anybody bring their kids to a murder? >> no, this is a first for me. >> there is probable cause to think you are an accomplice, and that is why you are under arrest. >> within hours, detectives had adriana's boyfriend in custody, as well. through an interpreter, luis gomez-monges also told a story about adriana contacting vern to sell a mobile home. >> that is -- you are telling me lies. adriana started off telling me the same lies. she said that you hit the guy from behind when he was not watching. i don't think that your story is going to hold up. you are under arrest for the attempted murder of vernon holbrook. >> detectives were convinced they had the two people who had attacked vern that saturday in may, but they also knew or thought they knew there was a lot more to the story. these suspects certainly were not trained, hired assassins. they were so clumsy they even use their own phone, but where would this lead? why would two people who never met vern holbrook want to kill him? >> coming up, a sudden trail of clues, security video, text messages, a secret code. was vern worth more dead than alive? >> all of a sudden, i saw that he was fearful of his life. >> when dateline continues. . >> when dateline continues. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in ra and psa. relieve fatigue... and stop further joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. done settling? 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(♪♪) is he? confidently walking 8 long haired dogs and living as if he doesn't have allergies? yeah. fast relief of your worst allergy symptoms, like nasal congestion. my name is oluseyi fa and some of myur wor favorite momentsms, throughout my life are watching sports with my dad. now, i work at comcast as part of the team that created our ai highlights technology, which uses ai to detect the major plays in a sports game. giving millions of fans, like my dad and me, new ways of catching up on their favorite sport. in a seattle hospital, vern holbrook covered in that gray area between life and death in the week after he was savagely beaten, his throat slit during a routine real estate showing in may of 2013. detectives had quickly made two arrest. charged with attempted murder, 38-year-old luis gomez- monges denied any part in the attack, and his 23-year-old girlfriend, adriana men admitted lowering vern to the meeting at luis' request then witnessing luis assault vern. >> she said she had no idea why luis would do that. >> you believe that? >> no. >> why did sam perault not believe her? because in that same interview, she had also unwittingly dropped a bombshell . when asked how, out of all the dozens of realtors in yakima, she just happened to call vern's company, aspen real estate ? >> daniel. >> tells and whistles definitely start going off. >> bells and whistles because after vern had been assaulted, his family had flooded detectives with calls. >> you sit down and start to think to yourselves, who would want to hurt him? >> one person. his name is daniel blizzard. >> daniel blizzard, that ambitious agent to whom vern was going to sell the company, someone vern had once trusted. >> did you think daniel had something to do with it? >> well, yeah. i was pretty sure. >> why, with zero proof, would so many believe blizzard was behind the attack? detective perault heard many stories. vern called his book caper to a meeting. he was selling the company. no longer a rumor, said this email, to announce the sale. vern was selling aspen to daniel blizzard and his two brothers. vern would stay on as the designated brother for one year, but the deal went south quickly. >> they made the first three payments then they just stopped. >> it was the height of the great recession. real estate was tanking. vern was understanding, but then the blizzards approached vern with one request. >> they asked my dad to take out what is called key man life insurance policy, him being the key person in the organization. >> because aspen real estate really was just your dad. >> it was my dad. >> it makes good financial sense of the time. vern's death would cripple the company so the life insurance policy would pay $1.58 million upon vern's death. >> vern knew they were taking a policy out on him? he was comfortable with that? >> the blizzards never missed a payment on the life insurance, but never made another payment on the business, so in january 2010, just 16 months after selling the company, vern sent out another email to staff, this time to say daniel is no longer aspen real estate. >> it's like, if you can't make your payments, you can keep it, so i think, you know, he had to. >> there were complaints filed with the real estate board. lawsuits, countersuits, and all the while, that life insurance policy seemed to weigh on vern's mind. >> he went to the life insurance company and he asked them to remove it. no one in that company would remove the policy. >> because somebody was paying the premiums. >> that is correct, and all of a sudden, i saw he was fearful of his life. >> to detective perault, this all added up to motive , 1.58 million reasons that blizzard might want holbrook dead. >> i'm guessing the holy grail in this investigation would be to find some provable contact between daniel blizzard and adriana mendez. >> it turned out the holy grail was only a few blocks away at the sunshine motel. >> i went to the motel, and they told me that a big white guy would come in occasionally and pay adriana's rent for her. >> so, you get the security video and who is it? >> it is daniel blizzard. >> there he was. a week before the attack, blizzard paid adriana's bill at the sunset motel and detective perault soon found more, text messages between adriana and daniel from the day vern was attacked. 9:24, daniel text adriana, don't be late for shopping. what is going on there. >> it appears to be code to me and what they are talking about is the real estate meeting with vern. >> 12:04 p.m., right around when the attack happened, adriana texted daniel that we are going shopping. >> i believe that was her way of telling daniel that the job was done. >> and, the same afternoon, who pulls up at the sunshine motel to pick up adriana? you guessed it, daniel blizzard. >> anything is possible but not very likely. >> finally in december 2013, nearly three months after the attack, the detective went to pick up daniel. >> he did not seem surprised to see me. >> he did not ask what this could possibly be about? >> i am the detective investigating the attack on vern holbrook. >> it did not take long for daniel blizzard to tell investigators about how he really felt about vern and the business deal that had gone bad. >> he did a very elaborate, well, good job on screwing us over. >> how did he screw you over? >> just lies, deceit. i have nothing bad against vernon, at all. when i use these words it's not like i have some kind of gradual something like that. >> were you involved in a sexual relationship with adriana? >> no. >> not at all? you are just helping her out of the kindness of your heart? >> i'm a good guy. >> detective perault was having none of it. >> you are obviously sticking to your story, but i do not believe it, so at this time, i am going to tell you that you are under arrest for the attempted first-degree murder of vern holbrook. stand up, put your hands behind your back. >> for the first time, daniel blizzard's demeanor changed. >> he was definitely surprised, look like he might be ill. >> what went through your mind when police told you they arrested daniel blizzard? >> thank god, finally. >> relief. >> it sounded like a case neatly tied up, two attackers linked to a man with motive and millions to gain. that was not the whole story. there was someone else involved, the detective believed, someone else who had betrayed vern's trust and to say to someone close to vern would be an understatement. in fact, it is someone you've already met. coming up, arrest number four. >> huge satisfaction. >> it is about to split the family in two, when dateline continues. o, when dateline continues. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients. want more from your vitamins? 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(music) have heart failure with unresolved symptoms? it may be time to see the bigger picture. heart failure and seemingly unrelated symptoms, like carpal tunnel syndrome, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat could be something more serious called attr-cm, a rare, underdiagnosed disease that worsens over time. sound like you? call your cardiologist, and ask about attr-cm. welcome back to dateline. as vern holbrook clung to life in a hospital bed, detectives pushed hard to solve the sordid tale. that already rested three people in their next suspect would provoke outrage. here again is josh mankiewicz with secrets of the sunshine motel. >> by the fall of 2013, three months after the attack, vern holbrook was in a, but somehow still alive. >> did either of you hold out any hope for a recovery? >> i think you always want to believe and have hope that someone is going to get better. >> i joked with hospital staff all the time, this guy is ornery. if anybody could come out of this, it's going to be him. >> as the autumn winds rolled into the yakima valley, detective sam perault already had made three arrests, but there was one more to come, and to say it was a shocker would be an understatement. there was one more name the detective had been hearing from vern's family. >> a lot of people are going to be saying a lot of different things. >> because, it turned out that the plots alleged mastermind, daniel blizzard, had for several years dated and helped support financially a woman who had once been as close to vern holbrook as a child. this woman, remember her? mother to three of vern's grandchildren, his former daughter-in-law, jill taylor. >> what would her motivation be for taking part in that plot? >> i suppose the only connection would be her relationship with daniel. >> and what is good for daniel is good for jill? >> i would think so. >> the detective found that jill taylor was also the common link between daniel blizzard and another of the alleged participants of the plot, adriana mendez. what did jill and adriana have in common? >> methamphetamine. they met through a common friend to the party using drugs. >> detectives say that friendship, forged in math, became so close that jill invited adriana and her three kids to move in with her and it was at jill's apartment where daniel met adriana and luis. >> adriana would not know daniel without jill? >> correct. >> the detective was starting to get a clearer picture of how the alleged co-conspirators came together, and he soon found another of jill's friends, who filled in more blanks for him. nikki vargas came forward to say it was no secret what jill and daniel wanted done. >> she's telling me she's going to try and kill some guy, right? her and her boyfriend. >> did she say how? >> try to poison him. >> and when that didn't work? >> it was believable that they were going around asking people about a hitman for $10,000. >> and, the proof that jill took part in the plot came from her own lips, if you believe former family members who pointed fingers at her. enter, once again, chad, jill's ex-husband. he said that six weeks before the attack, jill said something strange when discussing supervised visits with their three children. >> she told me that vern may not be around that much longer to be supervising visits and i said well, why would you think that? she told me then that well, you know, he makes a lot of enemies and he's going to end up making the wrong kind of enemies. >> all of this eventually landed jill in the sheriff's office herself. >> is it okay if we talk about this? >> well, i would rather have a lawyer just because it's such a delicate situation and professional. i'm not trying to not -- you know. >> i don't take that personally. i do understand. i need to let you know that you are under arrest for attempted murder. >> relief, satisfaction? >> huge satisfaction. >> you saw jill as being sort of what, upon of daniels? >> i think they were using each other. >> four people were now charged with the attempted murder of vern holbrook, and then, the case changed again. in january of 2014, eight months after he was attacked, vern holbrook died from his injuries. >> it was a sense of relief for him, that he did not have to suffer anymore, but it was really hard for the entire family. to see him not with us anymore. >> it turned the attempted murder into a first-degree murder, premeditated murder. >> and that sort of raised the stakes all around? >> right. >> but, once again, what seemed to be and what would be, did not quite line up. there was one more twist in that long river of lies. coming up, jill taylor the accused becomes jill taylor star witness, when dateline continues. i didn't know it th, but it can progress to ga, an advanced form of the disease. his struggle with vision loss from amd made me want to help you see warning signs of ga, like: hazy or blurred vision, so it's hard to see fine details, colors that appear dull or washed out, or trouble with low light that makes driving at night a real challenge. if you think you have ga, don't wait. treatments are available. ask a retina specialist about fda-approved treatments for ga and go to gawontwait.com [♪♪] looking for a moisturizer that does more than just moisturize? 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(vo) ding dong! homes.com [coughing] copd hasn't been pretty. it's tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups. and with one dose a day, trelegy improves lung function so i can breathe more freely all day and night. 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. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd because breathing should be beautiful. is the four people now charged with the murder of vern holbrook awaited trial at the yakima county jail, friends family and former colleagues felt a special sort of animosity for one of them, jill taylor. jill had been vern's daughter- in-law. how could she be part of the plot to kill him? >> how could you do this to someone who cared for you and took care of you and help your kids and you are a part of this family. how could you do something like that? >> hard to believe that someone who had been the beneficiary of vern's generosity would be involved in a plot like that. >> i don't know what was going on in jill's world that she felt she needed to do that. >> jill's arrest was especially troubling for her ex-husband, because chad says he tried to tell vern that jill's behavior could be volatile and violent. >> i tried to warn him a couple of times after our split up, you know, that she is dangerous and he should be careful, and he just kind of oh, what, her? he didn't think much of it. >> then, as the trials of the four suspects wound their way toward the courthouse, vern's family was blindsided yet again. prosecutors called to say they were offering deals to two of the suspects to make sure their cases were rock solid against accused shot caller daniel blizzard and the alleged attacker, luis gomez-monges. the state would allow luis' girlfriend, adriana mendez, and jill taylor, to walk out of jail if the two women would agree to testify against the two men. >> that they ask your permission for this or were they essentially saying, this is the way the cookie crumbles. >> we did not have a choice, but we were made aware that this is what they were thinking of doing. >> why were those deals necessary? >> they were trying to pick the lesser of two evils on that. >> meaning you get the mastermind and you get the guy whose hand was actually on the knife, and maybe the little fish swim away. >> that is essentially what happened in the situation. >> do you think you have a strong case against jill taylor? >> she was probably the weakest case we would've had compared to all four people we believed were involved. >> and so, in august 2014, the murder trial of daniel blizzard began with a parade of lawyers, life insurance salesman and law enforcement taking the stand. then the star witnesses began to appear. >> he used to say i can't wait till the old man is gone. >> jill taylor claimed that daniel wanted vern dead so he could collect the $1.58 million life insurance policy, and that adriana mendez told her that she and luis were going to go through with the attack. >> she said, we are going to do that . we're going to kill vern for daniel. >> when it was her turn, adriana mendez said daniel showed her a wad of cash to entice her. >> he told me this is money, $10,000 for to do this job. >> in fact, after the attack was over, adriana claimed daniel gave her the $10,000 plus a $2000 bonus. that money was never recovered. lizard's defense attorney argued that adriana and jill would've said anything on the stand because of those get out of jail free deals offered by prosecutors. >> so long as you testify, you will be let out. >> yes. >> and you will be able to reunite with your kids? >> yes. >> the defense argued jurors had to acquit daniel blizzard because of a lack of evidence. >> you will not hear of a single shred of forensic evidence that this man or anybody else [ inaudible ] >> after three weeks, the jury had the case, but it took less than a full day of deliberation to deliver a verdict. >> we, the jury, find the defendant, daniel blizzard, guilty of the crime of first- degree murder. >> yes, you know? what we wanted, and what was right happened. >> it was a huge, huge relief. that the jury found the truth. >> the judge sentenced daniel blizzard to more than 34 years in prison. a month later, the trial of luis gomez-monges. he testified that it was not he, but adriana mendez who had slashed vern holbrook's neck and struck him. >> guilty of the crime of first- degree murder. >> the jury did not buy it. the judge sentenced luis to more than 26 years behind bars. the two men were going to prison. what would happen to those two women who cut deals to help put him there, and what would jill taylor have to say about it all? >> he just set me up for everything. >> daniel set you up? >> deeply involved or wrongly accused? we are about to hear from jill taylor herself when dateline continues. after advil: let's dive in! but...what about your back? it's fineeeeeeee! 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[♪♪] if you're only using facial moisturizer in the morning, acetaminophen blocks pain signals. did you know, the best time for skin renewal is at night? olay retinol24 renews millions of surface skin cells while you sleep. wake up to smoother, younger-looking skin with olay retinol24. ugh, when is my allergy spray going to kick in? -you need astepro. -astepro? it's faster, bro. 8x faster than flonase. it's faster, bro! it's faster, bro! it's faster, bro! it's mom to you. astepro starts working in 30 minutes. astepro and go! - so this is pickleball? - pickle! ah, these guys are intense. with e*trade from morgan stanley, we're ready for whatever gets served up. dude, you gotta work on your trash talk. i'd rather work on saving for retirement. or college, since you like to get schooled. that's a pretty good burn, right? power e*trade's easy to-use tools make complex trading less complicated. custom scans help you find new trading opportunities, while an earnings tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. e*trade from morgan stanley. my name is oluseyi and some of my and st favorite momentsmarket. throughout my life are watching sports with my dad. now, i work at comcast as part of the team that created our ai highlights technology, which uses ai to detect the major plays in a sports game. giving millions of fans, like my dad and me, new ways of catching up on their favorite sport. after daniel blizzard and luis gomez-monges were sentenced for the murder of realtor vern holbrook, it was time for the two women charged in the case to face the judge. in exchange for her cooperation, adriana mendez, the woman who brought her three small children to a murder scene, was allowed to plead guilty to charges of assault and criminal rendering. she was sentenced to time served, about 15 months, and released. and jill taylor ? vern holbrook's former daughter-in- law was set free after spending about a year in the county jail. charges of first-degree murder were dismissed without prejudice, meeting prosecutors do have the option of refiling at some point in the future, but at this point, jill has never been convicted of any crime in connection with vern's death. >> if it was not for jill putting it all together, helping daniel put the pieces together, this may not have happened. >> i think that is criminal. it should not have happened, you know. she, in my opinion, definitely got away with murder. >> and, when you walk out of this interview, she might be standing on the street. >> you never know. it crosses my mind. >> we wanted to talk to jill taylor and it turned out, she wanted to talk with us, to tell a story of betrayal, but in her telling, she is the one who was betrayed. when we sat down with jill, she had been out of jail for about three months, claiming she was caught in a web of daniel blizzard's creation. >> when you heard that vern had been attacked and left for dead, how did you feel? that maybe you could have headed that off somehow? >> no, i would not have headed off anyhow because daniel was determined to do what he wanted to do. they really cared about daniel, and i was just really hoping that he would pull his head out of his rear. maybe i have issues with letting people use me. he just set me up for everything. >> daniel set you up? >> yes, he set me up. it was a win-win for him. >> but remember, it was only through jill that daniel blizzard met adriana and luis. jill admits that is true, admits she knew blizzard had paid them, admits she never told police, but told us something she never sat on the stand, that adriana convinced her the attack would never happen. >> i went to her hotel, and it was about in april, and i just told her that i don't care how much money he has already lent you or whatever, you're not obligated to do anything and she says no, were not going to do that, you know. >> adriana specifically told you she was not going to go through with the attack on vern? >> right, yes. >> you must've been surprised. >> i was really surprised. it caught me off guard. >> we ask jill about the man who had been good to her and her kids. her answer was that the financial help vern had provided for her and her family was overstated. >> i made 36,000 a year. he only helped me when i first split up with my husband and i have paid him back every dime that he had helped me with. >> jill blames vern's family for making her look bad. particularly, her ex, chad. >> your ex-husband is not the only person who thought you were a suspect. pretty much everyone else in vern's family mentioned you and daniel blizzard right away to the police. >> i don't know why they would think it would be doing something like that. >> would you game? if vern holbrook dies, daniel blizzard gets $1 million. >> don't you think if i was going to attack somebody i would go attack somebody with that? >> well, 1,000,000 1/2 dollars is a lot of motive. >> i don't care about money. i don't get it why people are so shallow when it comes to money. >> jill story? she did not want the money. her boyfriend lied to her. the couple that lured vern to the home lied to her, but those claims that daniel blizzard and ask jill to poison vern? well, those, according to jill, are true. daniel give you poison? >> i think so. i just dumped it out. >> do you know what kind of poison it was? and he said what, put this in vern's drink? and you said what? i'm not can it murder? no i just figured whatever, you know. i'm not going to do that. it's stupid. >> and you didn't call the police? >> no, why would i? >> someone just asked you to commit murder. why did daniel think you would be willing to poison vern? >> i don't know. i did love him and i would've done a lot of things for him. >> so, you're kind of a victim here, huh? >> i don't like to call myself a victim but by your definition, yeah. >> of course there's one person who clearly was a victim. vern holbrook the successful business at the center of a family. did he trust too much? did he know what might've been a coming? maybe, those are tough questions because the truth is, no one wants to believe your business partner will betray you. after all, the idea is that they are just like family. hello, i am craig melvin and this is dateline. >> i am getting ready to leave the house and the phone rings. you can see the area

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