But if her husband was dead outside, why was the gun found hidden inside . And what other secrets were hidden away . Sometimes she would say things like i would be better off if dave wasnt around. Was her husband defending his family or was she . She rose that night. The mystery may not be who did it, but why. The tth will come out and justice will be served. I have to believe that. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with the Hometown Hero and the homecoming queen. Reporter it was late when it happened, very late, too late. The sky had already fallen. No one saw it coming. No one heard the warning, but now in the night it was done. They work hard here in their homemade garage gym, but it isnt just a gym. Its a kind of shrine. I look at the wall and theres pictures. Thats what makes it special, i think. Reporter these were the moments before they were born when a shot putter named dave laut became his familys superman. Here we have that spin that is a new technique here. I mean, after i just cried. How do you not . How do you not cry when you see your brother up there getting a medal . Its cool. Hes my big brother, but he was like my superman. He was my superman. Reporter don laut is daves younger brother by nine and a half years. Dave and don inherited a passion for athletics and fitness from their father. My first milk when i was a kid was a protein powder. Reporter this is all just built into your dna and is part of your life . Yeah, it is. Reporter here is where that dna was planted, oxnard, california. They grow mostly strawberries here now. Lima beans back then. When we grew up, you could ride your bike anywhere. Everybody knew everybody. Reporter she knew the lauts growing up and the big ole farming family of her childhood best friend. Our dads were both farming. Old Farming Families were both from. There was just lots of love around. They multipled. They were good catholics. Reporter and helens friend jane grew up to be especially beautiful. Featured in her High School Yearbook as homecoming queen. She was not ever concerned with that. Shes also very, very shy. Reporter how do you get to be a homecoming queen if youre shy . Shes also just a very kind person, very gentle person. Reporter and as that yearbook picture shows, a star volleyball player too. Shes not that tall, but she could jump. Reporter jane met that other gifted athlete, dave laut on his way to becoming one of the best shot putters in california. They began dating after high school and sometimes let don little laut tag along. They got along so well. They loved each other. It was just neat. Reporter when they got married in 1980, janes friend helen was a bridesmaid. Going that morning to janes parents house and the girls getting dressed up, that was really fun. It was just sweet and jane was quite excited. She looked gorgeous, beautiful, beautiful, on her wedding day. He had her on a pedestal. He always said just wonderful things about her. Reporter this is dons wife rebecca. Wed talk maybe once, twice, a week on the phone, and probably for hours her and i. We just hit it off. We were family. Reporter jane was there by daves side as he became a national and then world competitor. At the World Championship meet in 1983 he talked to nbc sports about the benefits and costs of weight training. It can destroy the feelings that are necessary to throw and implement a far distance. Reporter dave won the bronze medal at the 1984 games, but after his career faded quickly. He kept trying, but knee injuries. He didnt make the olympic team in 1988. He was disappointed, but he knew. It was just like a point of your career when you know something is done. Its okay because you know youve gone as far as you can and that door closes. Reporter and another door opened. Dave became a High School Biology teacher, coach, and athletic director. He was even better at being a teacher and a coach than he was an olympian. Reporter he remained a legend to his niece and nephew. I think one phrase that could best describe him is a gentle giant. Yeah. Yep. He had so much patience, so much kindness. Reporter at home, dave and jane struggled to have children. She wanted to have a family really bad. I felt bad when i would get pregnant. Reporter then in 1999, they adopted a baby boy from south korea. Named him michael. They were happy. I mean, i have tons and tons of pictures of them, the three of them together. They were happy. Reporter moments in time. Inspiration on a garage wall which these days is about all thats left. It just doesnt make sense. No. Its not right. It doesnt make sense. Reporter ever since that august night in 2009. 911. Whats your emergency . My husband was shot. There were shots fired . Yes. Reporter when a superman fell to earth. What happened in that backyard . When we return i saw like a shadow or something by the trash cans. Did a runin with a prowler turn deadly . How many pops did you hear . Two. Describe them to me, how fast they were. I mean, like pop, pop. Only verizon has the largest 4g lte network in america. And now if you buy a Samsung Galaxy s7 edge, you get one free. Fan favorites burbon st. Chicken of applebeand shrimp . Its so smokey and mysterious. Then that cajun spice. I almost forgot i could feel this way. She used to talk about me like that. Everyones a fan with applebees 2 for 20 Fan Favorites. Ii cant believe its made with real, simple ingredients. Ter. I cant believe. Were on a whale. I cant believe my role isnt bigger. Real ingredients. Unbelievable taste. Enjoy i cant believe its not butter introducing the fusion of Exceptional Taste with the benefits of our probiotic yogurt. New activia fruit fusion, with the exclusive probiotic bifidus regularis. Delicious and good for you. New activia fruit fusion. The newest addition to Olive Gardens lunch duos menu paired with your choice of unlimited soup or salad starting at just 6. 99 think of it as a quesadilla that speaks fluent italian olive garden saliky ld ta d atcki a yeaoldt oxnard, california. 911, whats your emergency . Something over there reporter a woman in full panic. There was shots. There were shots being fired . Yes. My husband is outside. Reporter the woman on the phone was jane laut, the wife of the Hometown Hero. Oh, my god. Reporter dave was still outside, she said, where she heard shots fired. He told me to get back in with michael. I came back in and i heard the shots. How old is your son . Okay. Dont wake him up just yet. Stay with me. I have officers that are there. I want you to stay inside the house. The officers had to lockdown and call in a Homicide Team to investigate further. It was a brutal scene. Reporter by the time First Responders arrived, there was no sign of a prowler, but they did find dave laut. He had been shot multiple times. He was on the ground facedown with very obvious gunshot wounds to his back and to the back of his head. Reporter jane was a mess. She told investigators she had no idea who would do this. Son michael, 10 at the time, slept through it all. And janes brother took charge of him while jane went down to the Oxnard Police department to offer a more complete statement. It had been a perfectly normal evening, jane said. They were in bed by 10 00. She in michaels room because dave had a bad back. Then it was about an hour later, she said, about 11 00. Reporter dave came down the hall, she said, worried about the dog. The dog. Reporter so 11 15, she said, she and dave crept over to a sliding glass door to a side yard. Yard. Reporter and the gunshots reporter and the gunshots reporter as jane talked to investigators into the Early Morning hours, the awful news was getting around. We got a call about 5 00 in the morning. Reporter what happens to a person when you go to bed at night and everything is fine . Then the phone rings at 5 00 in morning and suddenly your life a very different thing. Yeah, its like an earthquake. It shakes your whole foundation and being and things are never the same. It was awful. He just fell to his knees. He was on the phone and he just began sobbing and saying, no, no. It was horrible. You dont believe it, but how do you kill superman . How is superman dead . [ singing ] reporter a few days later, daves friends and family held a candlelight vigil. He was so loved. And every step we take we take because of people like you. We just really truly appreciate that. Thank you. Reporter but they didnt know then, didnt know what the police had discovered. A key piece of evidence almost overlooked at first. The lead investigator in this case walked in. Hes just looking around and, i mean, youve got a dining room table, youve got a hutch, youve got a grandfather clock, so he opened up that clock and there was an oh, wow, moment. Reporter why would a prowler leave something so important in there . Coming up, if the intruder was outside, how did a key piece of evidence get inside . And Something Else deemed odd. Janes behavior. She actually tried to keep one of the Police Officers out of the laundry room. She tried to close the door with her in the laundry room and him out. When dateline continues. When dateline continues. 1,000 dollars no waaayyy and in the atl i won what . I won no matter where you live, no matter where you play, the new money Monopoly Game at mcdonalds has 100 million food and cash prizes and 1 in 4 odds of winning. Dc in the house baby 100 million prizes . Go get yours. Take one of those pillows they smell really fresh. What if we told you we washed these sheets 7 days ago. Really no way downy . Downy fabric conditioner. Give us a week, and well change your bed forever. Want more freshness . Add new downy fresh protect. Lowes personalized ever slawn care plan, up for ive been up on my hind legs trying to get a better view of his grass. Its so beatif aghh cramp cramp my tiny unicorn legs cant take it. Get a free john deereump cart or spreader with purchase of a john deere® lawn mower, at lowes. This yeardespicable,y amazing, wizarding second of your vacation count by staying where the adventure never ends. Come with me now. Two theme parks. Spectacular resort hotels. More epic than ever. Dont just vacation. Whoa go with me now vacation like you mean it. Universal orlando resort. Go big with onsite hotel rates starting at just 120 per night. Sure, we cor put them stacked on a rack. S. But the specialists at ford like to show off their strengths 13 name brands. All backed by our low price tire guarantee. Yeah, were strong when it comes to tires. Right now during the big tire event, get a 120 rebate by mail on four select tires. Jane laut told the police a harrowing story of a backyard prowler and gunshots right outside her door, and now her husband an olympic bronze medallist, dave laut, was dead. But things seemed a little off. When police were still questioning jane at the house, she stepped into the laundry room. She actually tried to keep one of the Police Officers out of the laundry room. She tried to close the door with her in the laundry room and him out. Reporter why . Well, jane was wearing pajamas when police arrived, but in that laundry room they found her jeans rolled up in a towel stuck between the washer and dryer. Her top was lying there as well. Looked like they had been removed quickly, stashed away. When an officer tried to administer a gunshot residue test to janes hands when the officer doing the task began getting the test ready, she did go into the bathroom and either wash her hands or wipe her hands on a towel. One of the two before coming back to the table and before the test was done. Reporter so odd thing. Anyway, police scoured the place. Didnt see any murder weapon lying around. And they were about ready to take daves body off to the morgue when some instinct told the lead detective to look here. He cracked open the doors of the grandfather clock in the dining room, looked down inside, and there it was. This is more than likely the murder weapon. Reporter a ruger six shot revolv revolver. Surely no prowler would have dropped the murder weapon right here in the dining room clock. The prowler theory did not make any sense whatsoever with the hidden gun inside the house. Reporter so it wasnt long before investigators shifted their focus from prowler to the woman who reported one, jane laut. Remember those clothes they found in the laundry room . When they tested them, they found gunshot residue. Jane changed into her pajamas before she dialled 911. Jane specifically mentioned a red flashlight, so police bagged it, tested it, and found gunshot residue as if she was holding the flashlight while shooting her husband. If jane was the killer, this was about as coldblooded as it gets. Investigators said dave had been shot six times. We came up with a fairly logical explanation of how it was done. Reporter shot one was from a distance of several feet. Then the bullet hit the wall. That shot brought him to his knees where the killer fired shots two and three into his face at close range. One goes into his cheekbone. It goes down the side yard and bounces off the concrete. It nicked the fence, and that bullet we matched out on the sidewalk. Reporter shots four, five, and six hit the upper arm, the back, and the back of daves head. We believe the final shot was the shot to the back of the head. Reporter from the very beginning, jane denied she had anything to do with it. Anything to do with it. Reporter but they didnt believe her, especially when they found out that the bullet that killed dave matched the gun in the grandfather clock. And now don and rebecca laut began to look at a lot of things differently, things jane told them through the years, which maybe didnt add up either. I honestly felt like she was family, so im going to dismiss the strange feeling i get sometimes. Reporter like, said rebecca, the time jane told her dave held a knife to her throat and demanded money. I said did you call the police, did you yell . She says, oh, no. I just came home. I wanted to get home. And this was in the middle of the day and nobody else saw . And she said no. Reporter then there was her claim that someone was leaving threatening notes on her car. Then youd ask her what kind of notes and she wouldnt really tell you. Reporter the implication somebody is after her, shes in some danger . Yeah. Reporter it was like something fell into place for them. There was a separation. It was like jane was the parent and michael was the child and dave was in the way. Reporter you had the sense she was pushing david away . Yeah. I think it was the stress of the marriage. Reporter if there was stress, it was pretty clear, said rebecca. For a while every time she would called me, it seemed like it was to vent about something she didnt like about what dave was doing. Reporter so evidence was carefully sifted for months. Then in february of 2010 jane laut was arrested and charged with firstdegree murder. And the story, said investigators, were chillingly clear. This was an execution. She lured him out, shot him from behind, and then aggressed on him. Shot on him the second, third time. Stepped back, shot him a fourth time, came up super close and shot him two more times, one to the back of the head. Reporter there seemed to be plenty of evidence. Janes odd behavior, her lie about a prowler, and on top of it all the gun in the grandfather clock. So jane hired a lawyer and pleaded not guilty, and the story that came out then turned the whole case on its head. Mr. Laut is a monster. He was despicable. Coming up, what had been happening behind closed doors . She said fine. She said fine. We need to be readfor whatever weather may come our way. My names Scott Strenfel and im a meteorologist at pg e. We make sure that our crews as well as our customers are prepared to how weather may impact their energy. So every single day were monitoring the weather, and when storm events arise our forecast get crews out ahead of the storm to minimize any outages. During storm season we want our customers to be ready and stay safe. Learn how you can be prepared at pge. Com beprepared. Together, were building a better california. Reputation is all we have at the end. How quickly it can turn. Jane laut now accused murderer. Dave, now that dave was dead, stories emerged. It seemed like she was controlled in my opinion. Reporter an across the street neighbor. I mean hes there standing there while shes pulling out weeds and washing his truck and hes not lifting a finger to help her. I was like a scared little rabbit. I was always a little leery about what was actually going on in the home. Reporter this close friend said janes fear reminded her of another vulnerable creature. Jane looked like a scared cat, constantly doing like a twitch looking over her shoulder, kind of looking to see if somebody is behind her. Reporter and this from janes former coworker. He was very aggressive. He was very demanding, and when he said jump, she would go how high. Reporter how strange it was, she thought, that jane always wore long sleeves, even when it was hot outside. But more disturbing there were times when she would come in and i noticed on her face it looked swollen. And she would never comment how it happened. There were several times that i saw bruising on her. One time on her face, her arms, her legs, several places. Reporter hes a monster, just a monster. Reporter ron bamieh is janes attorney. According to him, dave is far from the Hometown Hero some believed him to be. The truth about dave laut, he said, for nearly two decades he subjected his wife to horrific abuse. Like all abuse, it is power and control. We have verbal abuse, the names he called her over a long period of time. We have emotional abuse. We have physical abuse, thats everything from the punching to the kicking to the hittin intin the slapping. Reporter jane wasnt the only victim, said bamieh. Jane w dave was angry that his adopted son michael was not athletic. He was yelling in the stree s about how he cant ride a bike or catch a football. Reporter jane was afraid, so she covered up his abuse and her injuries. We obtained this summary from a Police Report in the 1980s in which jane reported an intruder attacked her while she was alone at work. At the time, police found injuries consistent with her story. In fact, said bamieh, dave inflicted those injuries and then ordered jane to lie and blame a nonexistent intruder, a pattern of covering up daves abuse, abuse by the summer of 2009 was getting worse. By june of 09 to august of 09, it was escalating. Reporter until that particular august ni