Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20131125

The afc west, the pron coast visiting the patriots. 14th time manning and brady have met. Fourth quarter, tom brady, first and two and edle man and touchdown, new england. Broncos down by seven and Peyton Manning finds demayorous thomas. And they head to overtime and tony carter, touches it and hes not supposed to and recovereded by new england. Steven got cow city kicks a 31yard field goal and the patriots win 3431 in overtime. New england was down 240 at the half and it was their larges comeback in patriots history. What is going to happen . You both have played special teams. When you receive that, welker yells, peter pistol or peter, peter, get away. Everybody is screaming at that point . What are you supposed to do . Run in opposite direction. And he was running across the field . Yeah. The momentum carried him. It did. He was supposed to turn opposite way but a way that he was trying to block the jammer it was hard for him to cut across. Afc playoff picture and hard to believe the raiders would be there where the titans are at 56. Not totally out of it now. Well have a firstplace battle between the broncos and the chiefs next week. Both will be 92. Who do you like that that bat . You know, theyre playing in arrowhead. We saw what happened last week when airplane mile high to thely different ball game in arrowhead. The noise will be unbelievable. They play better. The chiefs play better. It will be hard. You got to wonder how the broncos will rebound after this tough loss in new england. All right. More highlights. Cardinals hosting the colts and this one you would think it would be a good game. Bruce arianss and chuck pagano saying hello prior to the game. How you doing . I want to beat your brains out but for now ill give you a hug. Carson palmer under pressure and he finds larry fitzgerald. Doubleteam but a 26yard score and fitzgeralds second touchdown of the half. Later, cardinals up by 14. Andrew luck. Did not have his best game as a pro. Picked off by Carlos Dansby and returned 22 yards for the score and the cardinals score 27 unanswered points at one point and they win, 4211. Your up to date nfc playoff picture. Heres the thing, San Francisco if they one tomorrow will be 74 and theyll be ahead of arizona but it could come down to San Francisco at arizona. I know you said this and the final game of the season for a whole bunch of playoff . Absolutely. Who is playing the best football this time of year . A lot of people are shocked on how well the cardinals are playing right now. It may be a game . Its going to be a game. When you look at the San Francisco 49ers, they are playing great defense but the most important part of the team and thats the quarterback position. Kaepernick is struggling and if they doesnt get it rolling with consistency, we might have problems. Im going to get your opinion on that and also, the washington redskins. The 49ers playing the redskins and theyre playing them tomorrow. We got a preview and well find out whats wrong with Colin Kaepernick when we continue. Would you rather have spoons for hands or elbows for ears . Id rather have food. [gasp] lets make a late night foody call and get my munchie meal with the new hella peno burger. Its loaded with sliced and stuffed jalapenos, melting cheese, and spicy taco sauce. Ill eat it with my. Sppoooooonnnnn haaaaaands what . I cant hear you. Talk into my elbow first, our nissan player of the day, the world cup of golf. Final hole leading by one and day knocks his approach and just left of the flag. In for the par and he wins in front of his home fans and jason day is a good guy, playing with a heavy heart. Eight of his relatives passed away tragically in the typhoon in the philippines. Were rooting for him. Tooirnl to go by the numbers presented by jack in the box. The 49ers offense, not the passing game, not very offensive recently. The passing game, last in yards per game. So, too, in pass attempts. 252 pass attempts. What is wrong with the 49ers passing game . Right now, david, i think they have to take a serious look. I look at an kwooiquan boldin. He cant blame the guys recovery. Hes got the lead them and in himself. The offensive line is giving him protection. Frank gore is doing what he can running the ball and moving the chains. Colin kaepernick has to say im going to throw guys opened and put the touch to make this offense go. If he cant do that theyll continue to struggle. Isnt it fair to say he hadnt had a full array of targets . Crab thee has missed the whole season and vernon davis just came back. And Delany Walker is lighting it up. Randy moss retires but he county 30 balls averaging 15 points or 15 yards a catch. So you know, you lose a couple of guys like that and all of a sudden its dynamic offense becomes very onedimensional and thats running the football. The 49ers held the titans to ten points and they lost. They held the saints to 17 late in the game and then lost. And is the defense playing good enough to win games or is the offense going to have to get better for them not only to make the playoffs but make a playoff run. The defense is absolutely playing good enough to win but you have to be able to score points. In the nfl to win games. I think theyll have an easier time against washington because theyre a little on the weak side right now. A lot of disarray there. But bottom line, the offense has to put more points on the board. Lets look at the tale of the tape. Washington and the 49ers will play on monday night football. Washington, 37. Theyre scoring about the same. Their yaerds per game is actually more but their opponents points per game is thats where its totally different. San franciscos holding to 18 points. Redskins opponents are scoring over 31. And the turnover differential, plus six for the 49ers. Minus 2 for the washington. Washington also had some struggling between their quarterback, rg3 who is a phenom but hes battling knee injuries and hes questioning the leadership of mike shannihan and kyle shannihan are questioning his leadership and theyre doing it through the media. What do you make of that mess . I look at this young kid and hes the guy that said, put me in, running without his brace and showing how fast he is. He should have stayed on the sidelines and let cousins ride the ship and shannihan should have put his foot in the ground he should have said. Were not playing. Im the head coach. Im going with my guy, cousins this year and not rg3. He should have drawn the line and we wouldnt be in this situation. If he drew that line with mike shannihan or mike shannihan drew the line he probably wouldnt have a job. Apparently, snider and the quarterback are tight. Hes got a portis type of situation. You created a diamond uk thats not healthy. You need your head coach to be able to carry that big stick. Guess what . It looks like the quarterback is carrying the stick right now. Not good. And when you guys were talking about the quarterback, look at alex smith. He has one receiver. Youre telling me collective that the San Francisco 49ers doesnt have those good receivers. Well find out. Thank you gentlemen. See you tomorrow night on 49ers postgame live after monday night football. Thanks for watching. And realized that she was dead or dying and then he went and called 911. Police recovered two guns from the scene. Bretts 410 revolver, the gun he kept on his safe and used to shoot bryan. In bryans hands police found a 9 millimeter pistol that had been used to kill tammy. Near bryans body was his open gym bag with ammo and an empty magazine clip, clearly visible on top. To investigators it looked like brett parker had fought for his life, shot a man in selfdefense, and had just lost his beautiful wife. The big question was why . Why would such a good friend turn on them . One of the first questions i asked him was, what was his relationship with this man . And he said, you know, can i talk to you in private . Thats when he told me he was a sports bookie. Brett worked a day job as a fulltime medical salesman but on the side he had been a sports bookie for years. Did it concern you or was it just every small town has a bookie. Thats something that i dont even think about. And brett was not the sopranos break your leg style bookie. Was brett a gentle bookie . Oh, very, very. Everybody says that he delivered his money. Brett was good. He was a good bookie. Brett also told investigators that Bryan Capnerhurst, the man he had just shot and killed, was in the bookie business, too. As a matter of fact, he worked for brett. Bryan was also an unlikely bookie. A former high school athlete, he was a family man who worked for a county Recreation Commission and coved kids sports teams. Tammy had spoken kindly of him. I think she thought he was a nice guy. I mean, i think she must have thought a lot because he was in her home. With her children around. And tammy was very protective of her children. And i think he trusted her . Right, right, exactly. Tammy had always looked out for him, you know, getting an extra lunch for him, taking care of him. But investigators found out there had been a problem in that bookie business. And it all boiled down to money. Brett owed bryan a good chunk of the profits, 20,000, and he had been slow to pay up. Bryan was going to go over there basically and tell brett, look, ive had enough excuses. I want my money. Smith learned that Bryan Capnerhurst had money problems so it looked like he went to the parkers to demand money he was owed, and take whatever else was in the safe. Tammy had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. What do you miss most about tammy . Her laugh. Just her being. She would always call. She always made sure we had our girls nights out. We havent done that since she was killed. It was all so sad. The parkers with their children, 5 and 13, had just returned from a family cruise, tanned and smiling. A relative on that cruise told bretts aunt, sandra hunter, it had been a wonderful trip. She said that that was the happiest that she had seen brett and tammy. And now bretts friend saw a man in pain after losing his wife. He would just break down crying and he would cry all the time. As for shooting bryan, howdy believed his friend did what he had to do. He didnt have no choice. It was either, you know, him or bryan. Thats the way he told us over and over, you know . To those grieving for tammy it seemed that at least there had been some terrible justice for bryan. People that loved tammy so much, you know, you couldnt help but feel that he made maybe people thought that he got what he deserved. Investigators told reporters the tragic deaths were the result of a robbery gone bad. It seemed like a cut and dried case. But things arent always what they seem. Coming up, secrets and lies. Investigators ask brett if he was unfaithful to tammy. There were a series of Text Messages that were with a young lady, and they were definitely of a sexual nature. When dateline continues. I love watching tv outside. And why can you move the tv out here . The wireless receiver. I got that when i switched to uverse. But why . Because its so much better than cable. Its got more hd channels, more dvr space. Yeah, but i mean, how did you know . I researched. No, ii told you. No. Yeah no. The important part is that youre happy now. And i got you this visor. You made a visor yes that ill never wear. Ohh. [ male announcer ] get uverse tv for just 19 a month for two years with qualifying bundles. Rethink possible. Police had announced the double murder in gracious ascot estates was a robbery gone very wrong. The unlikely intruder, the parkers family friend, Bryan Capnerhurst. Brett parker told the investigators his friend bryan had shot his wife tammy in a botched robbery attempt. And then brett, in fear for his own life, killed his friend. It looked like selfdefense. But sheriff leon lott knew they couldnt close the case without thoroughly checking out bretts story. There was three people there. Two of them are dead. So we have to rely on him to explain to us what happened. We were listening to everything that he was saying. And then wed go back and check it. Investigators went over bretts account. Started with the moment bryan entered the house. Before long something unusual came to their attention. Brett told police he was sitting on the downstairs toilet when he heard the shots ring out. But one of the female crime scene investigators noticed this. The toilet seat was up. My csi lieutenant is a female. And she made mention of that. That particularly bothered her. Of course it takes a woman to notice that. Right. As they poured over crime scene photos another small but important detail jumped out. Bryans gym bag with ammunition and an empty magazine clip visible. Unusual thing was those items were found on top of the clothing and the other items in the bag. Unusual because of what they noticed on the Home Security video that captured bryan arriving at the house. If you looked at the videos, the way bryan nonchalantly threw that bag over his shoulder you feel like those items would have gone to the lowest point of the end of the bag. It was almost like these items had been placed there. There was more that didnt seem to quite add up. Investigators took a hard look at the timeline of the crime as brett described it. That Home Security video showed bryan arriving at bretts home at 12 31 p. M. Brett called 911 to report having shot bryan at 12 42. What happened . Who shot your wife . A friend of mine, bryan. Police believe the confrontation should have only taken a couple of minutes. So why, they wondered, had brett taken nine more minutes to call 911 . Police were also curious why, with his wife shot inside, brett had come outside to make that call. If it were me i would have been inside with my wife, you know, holding my wife, trying to administer cpr and first aid to my wife. He didnt appear to have any blood on him at all. Yeah, was that strange that he didnt have blood on him . It was. Investigators picked through every detail in bretts account and found that while he had been up front about his illegal bookie business, he wasnt up front about everything. When we covered certain things with brett like had he been involved in any Adulterous Affairs he told us no. Within the first 24 hours we found out that wasnt there. There were a series of Text Messages that were with a young lady and they were definitely of a sexual nature, indicative of an affair. They started looking at evidence versus what he had said. Over a period of time it just kept getting more red flags come up. Tammys best friend angela leon didnt know anything about the investigation. But she had a gut feeling something wasnt right. She called up the Sheriffs Department to say she thought brett was lying. I reached out to them and wanted to make sure that they knew that there were people who had a different side of the story. Brett continued to insist it was selfdefense. But within a week of the shooting, he had gotten a lawyer. David fedor. The sheriff had told us he thought it was a little odd that brett retained a defense attorney so quickly when he was saying he was the victim. Anybody in a situation like that, that doesnt retain an attorney immediately needs psychiatric help. His attorney said brett was no killer, he was just defending himself after bryan showed up to steal his money. Capnerhurst went over there specifically to rob the people. Tammy was there. He shot her first. We assumed he was going to shoot brett and brett got the drop on him instead. What motive could he have to shoot her . Motive he would have to shoot her was getting the money out of the safe and have no witnesses. Why carry out a burglary when you know the wife is home . Your guess is as good as mine. I think some people just find that hard to believe. Sure they do. People find hard to believe that airplanes fly, but it happens. Brett parker met directly with sheriff leon lott. He even invited the sheriff to the house to show him the crime scene. He wanted to walk me through the house, to demonstrate what had happened. And after that meeting we sat at his Kitchen Table and at that point was the first time i told him i just didnt believe him. The sheriff was now convinced that brett was no victim. He was the mastermind of a cruel and highly unusual plot to kill his wife and frame a friend. He had gotten away with this gambling for so many years, what else was he going to get away with . Three months after the murders, there was startling news. The Richland County Sheriffs Department says parker is lying. Brett parker was charged with two murders. Why do you think it took so long . Because they didnt have a case, is what i thought. As the case headed to trial there were no witnesses, no video of the crime, and little forensic evidence pointing to either brett or bryan as the real killer. It was a highprofile case. Two killings in a small town. They wanted to make the most of it. Coming up, the trial opens with a bombshell, not about him but about her. How did tammy feel about her marriage . Well, as the years went by she was unhappy. Did your relationship become more intimate . When mystery at ascot estates continues. In august of 2012, columbia, south carolina, was reeling from the news that brett parker, the only survivor of a tragedy which left two people dead, had himself been charged as the coldblooded killer who masterminded the whole plan. Bretts family and friends believed he was a man wrongly accused. He just wanted us to know that he was innocent, you know. Every time, he said, i am not i did not do it. Even tammys close friend, former band mate, Woody Woodward had a hard time believing brett was guilty. You had no reason to doubt brett at some point . I believed him. They actually called me as a character witness and i told them id be glad to, because i did not see him doing this. When the trial began in may, it was a courtroom divided. On one side, bretts family and friends, including his and tammys teenage daughter. On the other side, friends and family of tammy and bryan sat together. They wore blue, tammys favorite color, as a show of unity against the man they believed murdered both victims. They were shots fired in the home. In her Opening Statement the prosecutor minced no words, brett parker had committed a terrible crime and then elaborately covered it up. As you listen to the details of this case, you will be firmly convinced that it was brett parker who not only had the motive, but actually did kill tammy parker. And then bryan capner hurst. Prosecutors wanted the jury to know that the parker marriage wasnt what it seemed. Brett had strayed. Once with an out of town woman and several times with a local bank teller. Lindsay mullens testified that they met, they texted, and that he shared some confidences about his marriage. He said that he slept upstairs and that she slept downstairs. But the parkers had more problems than just bretts affairs. They called ben staples to the stand, a Parker Family friend. How did tammy feel about the marriage . Well, as the years went by, she was unhappy. She had conversations, we had conversations regarding religion. Brett did not believe in in god and going to church. That was important to her. Then ben revealed another bit of evidence about the parkers shaky marriage, this one a bombshell. Did your relationship become more intimate . Yes. And approximately how many years ago was that . About three years ago. And did that end . It did. It did not end our friendship. We remained best friends until her murder. The public admission of the affair was a total shock, even to those closest to tammy. So this was a secret she kept from her girlfriends . She did. We always felt like ben probably loved tammy, because how could you not love tammy . And we werent really you know, we didnt know ben that well. So we didnt think that that had happened. An old friend and fellow bookie testified that four months before the murders, brett was talking about a separation. My advice to him, if he wanted it, was that being that it was coming up on the holidays, for him to try to go home and work it out with tammy and at least get through the holidays for the kids sake, and after the first of the year for them to try to get back to the. And separating was an option then, then so be it. A bad marriage is one thing, murder is another. So prosecutors turned to a different motive, money. Unbeknownst to tammy, brett was in deep debt. He had made the biggest mistake a bookie can make, he gambled himself. And brett wasnt too good at it. Gunter told an investigator brett owed him big money. I just told him about the debt that brett and i had individually on his own account. The 100,000, 101,000. This was not the first time bretts gambling had been a serious issues. A great amount of debt and it nearly caused a divorce then. His father bailed him out. About 100,000. The state tried to convince the jury that killing tammy had been bretts way out of a shaky marriage and his gambling debt. Tammy had taken out a Life Insurance policy. 868,000 was the ultimate amount. Who was the beneficiary on that . Brett. Tammy also had close to 200,000 in a 401 k . Combined with the insurance, nearly 1. 1 million, all left to brett. What kind of man sets up his friend to take the fall for murdering his wife and then he murders the friend and leaves him with the legacy of that he murdered somebody. He wanted to perpetuate this lifestyle. He wanted to continue to gamble. He wanted to enjoy the girlfriends. And tammy was a hindrance to him. He felt like this was his way out. In court the ugly accusations seemed to get to brett as the medical examiner testified about tammys fatal injuries. Brett said he felt ill, and was rushed to the hospital. Brett was back, however, the next day to hear the prosecution present evidence it said proved he planned the murders, framed his friend, and then covered it up. Heres how they said he did it. First, he shot and killed his wife in that upstairs office. Then at 12 25 p. M. Bretts own Home Security camera catches someone peering through the blinds. Prosecutors believe it was brett waiting for bryan to arrive for a meeting brett himself had arranged. Gunshot residue was found on those blinds, proof, the state said, that brett had already fired a gun before bryan even arrived. At 12 25, who is that peeking out of the blinds. I mean, that was somebody, in our opinion, who had just done this heinous thing and was nervously awaiting his patsy, or his fall guy, to show up. After killing bryan, his fall guy, prosecutors said brett staged the crime scene and planted that gym bag and ammunition. I guess the idea was that was supposed to be some kind of murder bag. And place the gun he had used to kill his wife in bryans hand. Theres no way bryan brought that gun to bretts house, a friend testified. Did you know whether bryan had a gun . Not no, but heck no, he did not have a gun. Bryan was scared of guns. There is no way on this earth that Bryan Capnerhurst had a pistol, none, zero. It did not happen. And there was something else. That gunshot to the forearm Bryan Capnerhurst had suffered a major gunshot wound to his arm but he was still clutching the gun as he lay dead on the floor. A medical examiner testified its unlikely the gun would have stayed in his hand. In my medical opinion, based on the shot to the arm to the forearm and falling over, i believe that the gun fell out of his hand. The gun had been placed in his hand. The prosecution had made its case. Now it was time for the defense to fight back. They had no proof whatsoever that he shot his wife. It was completely circumstantial. The defense was about to tell the jury that Bryan Capnerhurst, not brett parker, was the real villain. Coming up, bretts team produces a powerful witness to back up his story, his teenage daughter. I witnessed them talking, not i remember when datelin i love watching tv outside. And why can you move the tv out here . The wireless receiver. I got that when i switched to uverse. But why . Because its so much better than cable. Its got more hd channels, more dvr space. Yeah, but i mean, how did you know . I researched. No, ii told you. No. Yeah no. The important part is that youre happy now. And i got you this visor. You made a visor yes that ill never wear. Ohh. [ male announcer ] get uverse tv for just 19 a month for two years with qualifying bundles. Rethink possible. Like the enticing aroma and distinctive taste of nespresso. Elegant capsules meet masterfully crafted machines, and one touch creates the perfect coffee, cappuccino, and latte. Tempt all your senses with one extraordinary coffee. [ Penelope Cruz ] nespresso. What else . [ male announcer ] discover the world of nespresso on grant avenue and nespressous. Com. [ male announcer ] discover the world of nespresso my password is 1,2,3,4,5. I just use my hamsters name. Brian. Actually, were kidding. When it comes to creating passwords, make them complex, but easy to remember. You wont make password your password. The more you know. Brett parker had declared a resounding not guilty to the murder of his wife tammy and friend Bryan Capnerhurst. From the day it happened to this moment in court, he insisted that he was the innocent victim of a robbery gone bad. And who shot your wife . A friend of mine, bryan. Is he still there . I shot him. I think i killed him. Defense attorney david fedor said the accusation that brett plotted to kill his wife, and then framed his friend, was too farfetched to believe. I think brett is a fine young man. Hes not a genius. It would have taken an einstein to set this thing up. Would it take a genius, though, to contact a plan like that . I think im fairly bright and ill be damned if i could have thought it up. Bryan capner hurst fired that handgun. In court, brett parkers attorney said Bryan Capnerhurst was a desperate man with far more motive for murder. A man that was at the end of his rope, who had a desire for money and a plan for violence, and the evidence in this case is going to prove it. Still, the defense thought it had an uphill battle. Fedor knew it didnt help his case that his client was an unfaithful husband and gambler. It showed he was a bad man because he gambled, he had an affair, they said that was another thing that showed he was a murderer. It was just ludicrous. From the start, fedor and cocounsel Mark Whitlark wanted the jury to know that, okay, sure bretts, a gambler himself was deep in debt. But he was in debt to an old friend hed known since he was 15. You werent worried about that, were you . Ive never been worried about brett. As a matter of fact, if he had called you and said, look, im having a problem, you would have wiped the whole thing clean, wouldnt you . We would have worked something out, yes. You never put any pressure on him, call him up, im going to come get you or something, right . No, sir. And that Life Insurance policy the prosecutor suggested was a smoking gun, the Insurance Agent testified brett wasnt even all that interested in a policy on tammy. Did you attempt to sell him insurance on his wife . Yes. Tammy . Uhhuh. Were you successful in selling him insurance to his wife . I was not. Tammy had taken out the insurance on her own. And instead of claiming a dime for himself, brett had already signed the insurance money over to his kids. Did he tell you directly that he wanted this money to go to the children . Yeah. And remember those downstairs blinds, the ones with the gunshot residue the prosecution said had been left by brett before bryan even arrived . Proof that he killed tammy ahead of time, and then looked through the blinds to see bryan coming. They stated that, but they didnt prove that. A defense expert suggested the fine particles had merely drifted to that blind, even days later. If you have an air handling system like we have in most buildings and houses, over a period of time it will be sucked through the intakes and distributed fairly evenly through a place. And that curious matter of the toilet seat being up when logically it should have been down. And thats the bathroom the defendant indicated he was in . Yes. Objection, your honor. I move to have that stricken. When the prosecution tried to enter that as evidence in court, the defense successfully objected. Bretts attorney told us it was just a family habit to leave the toilet seat up to make things easier for their young son. He had a 6yearold child. Every time the child comes in from school or anyplace else he runs to the bathroom right away. Brett and his wife always put the seat up. He hears shots fired in his house and hes going to think about putting the toilet seat up . Its an automatic reaction if you do it every day. It was explainable behavior. The motive was flimsy, said the defense. Now it attacked the states forensic evidence. The defense used the amount of gunshot residue found on bretts hands to undermine the theory that brett had shot his wife with one gun and his friend with another, arguing there just wasnt enough gun residue on his hands to have fired both weapons. If he fired both the. 9 millimeter and the 410 revolver in combination, i would expect his levels to be very high. What did you find in this case, sir . Well, his levels are consistent with someone who has fired a firearm, certainly, but theyre not extremely high. And the defense argued that bryan did have gunshot residue on his hands, proving he could have killed tammy. Certainly thats not the only way in which gunshot residue can be had, but it is consistent with firing a gun. And there was the prosecutions theory that the gun in bryans hand had been placed there after his death, that he could never have held on to it after being shot himself. The state claims that it would have been impossible for bryan to have that gun in his hand, given the severe injury that he sustained to his arm. That was hogwash. Many, many people have a death grip. If youre shot, and youve got something in your hand, you squeeze it tighter. And the idea that bryan would never have had a gun . A friend of bretts, robert bauer, says thats just not true. He wasnt asked to tell this story in court but says that a month before the killings he was at the parker home and saw bryan handling one of bretts guns with ease. He took all the bullets out of the clip and handed me that one and then handed me a revolver which he had took the bullets out. And i hear a friend say he would never touch a gun. Brett told investigators he had given bryan that 9 millimeter handgun for protection. And in a dramatic move, the defense brought in a witness to confirm that. Brett and tammys 14yearold daughter brooke. Bryan and my dad were discussing a gun that my dad had. And they were just talking about how they thought it was good for him to have safety at his house and to protect bryans family. Are you talking about mr. Capnerhurst . Yes, sir. Having young Brooke Parker testify was controversial, but bretts aunt knew brooke believed her father was innocent, and wanted to take the stand. She had some information that needed to be given, and she did what she felt like she needed to do. She wanted the jury to hear her story, no matter how difficult it was to tell. I witnessed them talking about how he was giving the gun to bryan. Im not lying about that. I was there. And i remember it. It was a tragedy that had stirred up the quiet waters of this carolina community. And soon a jury would have to decide who was to blame. But before they did, the defense wanted them to hear from the only person alive who really knew what happened in the house that day, brett parker himself. Never hurt her. I would never hurt tammy. Never have. But would the jury believe him . The verdict, when we come back. What really happened inside that ascot estates home . In court brett parker confidently took the stand, eager to tell his version of the events. First he wanted the jury to know hes marriage was hardly the wreck the prosecution made it out to be. Me and tammy got along fine. We put our kids before everything. I know thats why i could never go to her and ask for a separation, because it would just destroy our kids. And he explained his initial reticence to tell police about his affairs or reveal his own massive gambling debt had nothing to do with the murders. When they asked me about the affair and i admitted it to them that next day, and as far as the gambling goes, if you know bookmakers, its not something you just talk about. Then, struggling to keep his emotions in check, he recounted the day of the shooting. Bryan was standing there with a gun pointed at me. And told me to go go to the [ bleep ] safe. And i walked up the steps and, i mean, i didnt know what was going on. I was panicked. I kept asking him why. What are you doing . And as we we walked by the office, i could see i could see tammys feet sticking out of the bathroom. And then i knew something was wrong, bad, that he had probably shot her. When you shot capnerhurst, did you have any fear in your mind at that time . Yeah, im scared. Yeah, but when i got to that safe i made a decision right then that its going to be me or him. Ultimately the defense wanted the jury to see that while a flawed man, brett parker was no killer. Did you shoot in selfdefense capnerhurst . Yes, i did. Did you ever have a plan, a premeditated plan to shoot and kill your wife . No. Under crossexamination brett held firm, sticking to the story he first told investigators. Did you think it was important to tell the police the truth . I did tell them the truth. Ive told them what was happening in the house. That is the truth. I believe, as i see it, the evidence proves it. When the prosecutor questioned him about his infidelities, brett insisted his feelings for tammy never wavered. You said you love tammy, you love her to this day . I do. Youll love her forever . I will. Despite their troubles brett said the love for tammy was always there. You would never do anything to hurt her . Never hurt her. I would never hurt tammy. Never have. It was time for closing arguments in the case of the people versus brett parker. I ask you with all my heart and all the love and faith i have in our jury system to send brett back to his family. Dont let this injustice continue. Brett parker is no victim. He is a greedy, selfish, entitled. And while, yes, maybe even charming at times, manipulative killer. Then the case was in the hands of the jury. Whats the mood like . I told my wife, i said, if its short, i said, i dont i dont feel good. Unless they take a while. In just three hours, they were back. In the divided courtroom the families of tammy, bryan, and brett prepare to hear bretts fate. As to the charge of the murder of tammy parker we the jury unanimously find the defendant guilty. As to the charge of the murder of brie rn capner hurst, we the jury, unanimously find the defendant guilty. When you heard the word guilty, are you thinking thank god . Its sad. Its not its not the outcome any of us wanted. Tammy is not back. Now brooke has no father. But thank god he didnt get away with it. Bretts sentence read immediately was life behind bars. It just was like, i dont know, i had lost a friend, you know. My best friend. Its very emotional. Does that weigh heavy on you knowing hell be behind bars for life . Certainly it weighs heavily on me. Im an irishman. Everything weighs heavily on me. But that, and especially because ive defended many people that i knew were guilty. This is one i thought was not guilty. Tammys friends keep her memory alive, in part through her music. In the fall of 2012 ben staples held his annual barbecue as a tribute to tammy. Will it ever be the same without her . We will continue, but it obviously wont be the same without tammy here. Thanks are settling down again here in this quiet southern town. The healing has begun for the families and friends of both victims. I know tammy is in heaven. She was very strong in her convictions and she always said that. She always said that. I dont know about brett but i know ill be in heaven. I feel like shes around. I feel her presence. I can hear her. Shes still there. I still feel her with me. I dream about her a lot. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanks for joining us. Preparations are under way for a president ial visit to the bay area. Well have information on the traffic detours as well as a major change in the president s approval rating. Also if youre sitting there eating lunch by yourself, male, female, they just sit down and Start Talking to you. A bay area coach killed in a car crash. Plus, a child was killed in a crosswalk in san jose this afternoon. The latest on that investigation. Is. Good evening. Anm diane dwyer