matter where they are. even, say, in the amish country of western michigan, where the authorities say xbox live was used to hatch a monstrous crime, one that had detectives seeing double, and a father scared to death and loaded for bear. >> we were sorta prepared for the worst, because i was sleeping with a nine millimeter loaded on my night stand. >> cold sweats are not the way nights are meant to pass in the small towns of st. joseph county michigan. >> it's definitely the type of place that you'd expect people would leave their doors open at night and not really worry about things like this happening. >> a homicide is not an everyday occurrence. >> it's country out here, corn fields everywhere, two-lane roads, and it's where a cheerful kid named venus was growing up with her family, the youngest child of larry and theresa. venus, a goddess to her mom, even before she was born. beautiful little girl, with big dark eyes. then when she came out, i looked at her and said, venus. i can't even tell you how much i loved her. >> larry, who spoiled her, you or theresa? >> she did. when she came over to our house, she sat in her mom's lap just like a little girl. >> as a grown-up? >> 32 years old and sat in her mom's lap. she sure loved her mom. >> but was she a little more trusting than she should have been? it was her naivete that they worried about. >> she said she met a guy who was mafia. we laughed and said, if they're mafia, they don't tell you that. later we found out he worked at mcdonald, but was embarrassed to tell her. graduate and worked in criminal justice. >> she wanted to be an officer of t law, then found out she didn't like guns. so that didn't work. >> what did work, and instantly was her attraction to a marine she met named doug stewart. they were inseparable. >> what did you see in her, doug? >> she was smart. she was articulate. she was beautiful. some people will call it love at first sight, and four days later we were married. >> pretty fast? >> pretty fast. >> a lot of people would go on a second date before getting hitched? >> think we made it through a second date. the third was marriage. >> to say her parents were surprised is an understatement . >> she showed up married and we were dumb-founded. >> he was like, this is so out >> so this was big news for you? >> oh, yeah. >> dustin jackson, venus's older brother, got along okay with his new brother-in-law. they both liked outdoorsy stuff. >> we were hunting together, fishing together. we've always had a pretty good relationship. it was a year after their quickie wedding that doug left the marines to keep his bride happy. >> i was looking at deployments and other different things, and she had this fear that i was going -- something was going to happen to me, so she wanted me to get out of the military in 2003. >> were you okay with that? >> i loved my wife very much, and i wasn't willing to choose the military over my wife. >> so in 2003, venus and doug began civilian life together. they moved into this house in school craft, michigan, not far from where they both grew up. venus worked in a bank and doug at applebee's. a year later, a daughter. then in 2006, the second baby. >> i second one was just the venus hoped and prayed for two little girls, i prayed for healthy babies, and we both got our wish. >> did venus like being a mom? >> she loved being a mom. that was her number one priority. >> but stay at home mom wasn't in the picture right away. they were too reliant on her checks from the bank. >> so you became mr. mom? >> absolutely. and it was the best years of my life. >> changing diapers, all the tough stuff? >> you bet. that's what makes a man a man. >> if they had another passion after their daughters, doug said it was playing games on xbox. doug liked the blow them up games, and venus was more into the puzzles. >> she didn't like the shooter games as much. >> but as doug blasted away day after day and look for work less and less, the marriage began to crack. >> he was very immature and venus, she wanted to be a mom. >> so a few years along, things weren't going so well. there would be screaming, in your face arguments between doug and venus, followed by time-outs, trial separations and shared custody arrangements. but venus, according to doug wasn't ready to throw in the towel. she had an idea. let's start someplace new. >> she wanted to move to williamsburg, virginia, miami, florida, or houston, texas. >> why did she want to go to such far-flung places? >> she said, florida, there's disney world. and houston, there's sea world and six flags. and williamsburg, there's u.s. busch gardens. >> all right, mom, i'm videoing. >> hi, mom. >> newport turned out to be the place. >> put us 30 miles from virginia beach and approximately 20 to 25 miles away from bush gardens in smack dab in the middle of everything that we wanted. >> wow, this place is gorgeous. there's the carousel, i told you. >> if the home videos from 2009 are to be believed, the move from michigan to virginia was working. >> you like busch gardens? >> yeah. best place on earth. >> doug had found a job as a truck driver, and home was an apartment on the ninth floor of this building. >> it was the best year of our marriage, the best year of our life. but doug and venus's problems ran deeper than anything an amusement park ride could paper over. and before long, there were screaming arguments again. and a year after making the move, venus had had enough, and bolted with the kids to her parents' place in michigan. doug was left alone in virginia, more than 700 miles away. >> big surprise to you? >> very big surprise. >> two months later, april 26th, 2010, a chilly monday morning, started like any day at venus's her mom went off to work. her dad was sleeping. and venus and the kids were slowly getting up. then about 8:00 a.m., venus's dad, also a truck driver, was groggy from a late shift on the road. he was startled awake. >> i heard the girls really loud in the front room. and i thought, why isn't venus quieting them down? >> he got up to see what was going on. venus wasn't in the house, but her cell phone, keys and purse were. he immediately called 911. >> she's just not there? is there a vehicle missing or anything? >> no. >> now i'm scared and i went outside, i looked for her. >> reporter: she wasn't there either. venus, wearing nothing but her thin pajamas, had vanished. >> where had she gone? when we come back, the search for venus begins. >> we might have a crime scene >> signs of a struggle. >> the light bulb went off and i knew exactly what happened. knew exactly what happened. shopping for an suv? well, this is the time. and your ford dealer is the place, to get 0% financing for 60 months on a ford suv. that's right. just announced. ford explorer...edge...escape... and expedition... are available with 0% financing for 60 months. ford suvs. designed to help you be unstoppable. no wonder ford is america's best selling brand. but hurry, 0% financing for 60 months on ford suvs is a limited time offer. see your ford dealer today. i've been claritin clear for 14 days. when your allergy symptoms start... ...doctors recommend taking one claritin every day of your allergy season... ...for continuous relief. with powerful, 24 hour... ...non-drowsy claritin, live claritin clear. every day. enamel is your teeth's first line of defense. but daily eating and drinking can make it weak. try colgate enamel health. it replenishes weak spots with natural calcium colgate enamel health. stronger, healthy enamel. sfx: ziploc bag opening sfx: ambient school cafeteria sounds, children talking life doesn't cry over spilled milk. it cheers. life needs ziploc. sfx: ziploc bag closing sc johnson even ragu users chose prego homestyle alfredo over ragu classic alfredo. prego alfredo?! why can't everything i try be this great? ha ha! woah! (monkey squeals) (sigh of relief) choose taste. choose prego. (vo) new tidy cats lightweight 4-in-1 fights mess right. attacks three strong litter box odors, plus locks clumps tight. ... and now it's light. every home, every cat. there's a tidy cats for that. now at lenscrafters, you can get 50% off lenses with purchase of frames. that's 50% off single vision lenses, hurry in for our biggest sale of the year. aaaaaaaand we're back at cricket wireless! switch and get a brand new lg risio for $19.99, or take a spin with the samsung galaxy grand prime for $29.99! cricket wireless. something to smile about. we're non stop, we've gotta have our extra protein. oikos triple zero greek non fat yogurt has 15 grams of protein. zero added sugar, zero artificial sweetener and zero fat. and zero holding me back! oikos triple zero. be unstoppable. mmm dannon you can help prevent blindness in undernourished children all over the world. when you get your vitamins at walgreens, you help give life-changing vitamins to kids across the globe. change lives everywhere. >> this woman had gone out and disappeared in her pajamas. >> the disappearance of venus stewart, the mother of two in april 2010, was the first big story that denny carlson covered. >> left her purse, her phone, all her identification. left everything. >> reporter: venus's father made the 911 call that morning. >> the vehicle that is here, her kids are here, and she is gone. >> okay, have you tried calling her or anything? >> yeah, we can't get hold of her. >> reporter: larry also called his wife who was at her restaurant job. her co-workers tried to calm her down. >> and they said, oh, she probably just went around the block and i looked at everybody and said, get a grip, my daughter doesn't do that stuff. and i said, i'm outta here and i went out the door and i was >> reporter: by then, michigan state police was on scene. whenever a young adult goes missing, police ask the family to wait 24 to 48 hours for things to shake out, but right away, the officer suspected this might not be someone who had taken a hike of her own volition. >> we might have a crime scene here, so we cordoned it off and got additional units. >> venus's dad showed the patch of driveway that was scuffed up. >> there were bare spots down to the dirt in the driveway, where it looked like a struggle had taken place. >> the father also pointed out a pink hair tie on the ground and something else he hadn't spotted earlier. >> a tarp cover, a piece of plastic wrapping with the bar code on it. i didn't realize what it was or anything. i just told them, that's out of place. >> crime scene techs were able to lift what they believe was a fingerprint and send it off for analysis. detectives made notes about the wrapper and bar code to check and the officer got an earful about their daughter's troubled marriage, blaming everything on their son-in-law. with doug and venus in separate states, they were battling over custody of their daughters. venus had won custody the week before. doug was granted phone contacts. >> i think the hair on the back of my neck stood up. you know, after speaking to the mccombs. >> larry and theresa mccomb believed that doug had abducted venus, maybe in an attempt to have more time with the kids. >> a light bulb went off and i knew exactly what happened. doug got my daughter. >> and then larry decided to take matters into his own hands. >> i put a gun in my car and i went looking for doug stewart. he drove down back-country roads but came up empty-handed. >> so your working theory going >> yes. >> by this time, mike scott, one of western michigan's top detectives, had been brought up to speed by officer stiemsma about the marriage on the rocks. >> and as he put it, didn't look good. >> because there was a history between them? >> yes, there was. >> law enforcement had had contact with them? >> that's right. domestic violence issues. >> police had received allegations from venus and doug over the years, him on her, her on him. >> so you certainly want to talk to this husband, doug. >> the first thing we want to do is find him. >> you knew he was living in virginia? >> yes. newport news. >> the day venus went missing, mike scott and venus's mother repeatedly dialed doug's cell phone. >> i was frantic. kept calling over and over again, saying, doug, where is venus? >> finally detective scott reached him that night. >> what did he say to you? >> that he had been virginia all day. >> you're in virginia receiving this call? >> yes, about 20 minutes away from my apartment. >> and he goes, doug, you're and my first reaction is, is my wife pulling something? >> he gave me a couple of locations of where he was to support that he was in virginia, one of those being that he was at his lawyer's office in newport news, virginia. >> his story checked out. two women on the lawyer's staff confirmed it. they said they saw him come in that day. >> a bit shocking when they said, we checked it out and he had an alibi. >> so what were the investigators to do? the parents' accusation that doug had come and snatched venus away, made some sense after they heard of the trouble between the two, but eyewitnesses were putting him in newport news, virginia, more than 700 miles away, and there was surveillance camera video in his apartment building, in his garage, and his car, to back up his story. how could doug be in two places at once? he couldn't be. coming up -- >> when he called me, he said, are you sitting down? about to provide a very big break, when "dateline" continues. continues. someone's hacked all our technology. technology... say, have you seen all the amazing technology in geico's mobile app? mobile app? look. electronic id cards, emergency roadside service, i can even submit a claim. wow... yep, geico's mobile app works like a charm. geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. oooh, i think i saw dessert! hey! steven stay strong! what's that? you...you want me to eat you? honey, he didn't say that! don't fight your instincts! with each for 150 calories or less, stewart went missing, she'd found religion. every day a brand new day >> reporter: her brother dustin was the devout one in the family, and he was thrilled when venus was baptized in 2009 at the age of 30. in the first days after her disappearance, dustin would need his faith to believe she'd be found soon and alive. police searched miles of rolling farm country and thick wooded areas throughout western michigan. >> helicopters came out. >> yeah. >> dogs. >> reporter: immediately after her disappearance, detective scott had zeroed in on the husband. but when fbi agents verified his story, scott had to start thinking bigger picture. >> your person of interest has an alibi. so you need another theory. >> couple theories. either douglas stewart enlisted michigan, abduct and kill his wife, or we had either a stranger abduction or someone that venus stewart was having a problem with, type of thing. >> a woman goes out the front door in her pajamas and is never seen again, somebody would think there's a crazy person abducting people. >> absolutely. >> and you're getting citizen calls, i saw a funny-looking man at the lake the other day. >> yes. >> police dredged that lake after that report, they found nothing. >> it was miserable conditions, i didn't hear anybody complain once. >> friends and family were looking for venus on their own. her aunt mary even kept a shovel in her car just in case. >> venus's husband doug was still living in newport news in virginia. a weekend he gave a reporter a telephone interview. >> now that the timeline has worried and worry concerned. >> despite their marital battles, doug said he still cared about her. >> i don't know what's next, to be honest, just keep watching the news and pray and hope for the best. >> and even though doug had an alibi, michigan police went down to newport news to talk to him. >> so we went down there to investigate the disappearance of venus stewart. >> shane krieger, detective with the michigan state police, rolls in with his own forensics team. >> what were you expecting to find there? >> we knew we wanted to search his apartment for her clothes, because that's the last thing she was seen in. we wanted to try to find her clothes if possible. >> any signs of venus being around that apartment? >> no. nothing. >> but the forensic investigators kept looking. then they went outside to search doug's truck. >> it was in disarray. >> yes, it had not been cleaned. old french fries and receipts, leftovers from a college road one receipt got the team's attention. >> they were able to locate a receipt in there for the purchase of a tarp, a shovel, gloves and a hat. >> they couldn't believe their eyes or their luck. >> we thought they were joking. because who leaves that in their truck. forensic team immediately called detective scott back in washington. >> when he called me, he said, are you sitting down? >> the receipt was from a walmart in van wert, ohio, two hours from where venus disappeared. >> we learned right away those items were purchased the evening before venus stewart went missing. >> this is a bury your wife case? >> yes. >> they were holding a couple his alibi, a story that was supported by the fbi. yet the chief prosecutor was itching to arrest him. >> this is it? >> let's charge him now. i had to listen to chuck and detective scott telling me, calm down, let's get everything ready to go. >> fact was, they were still missing key evidence, not least a body, a major hole for any would-be prosecution. >> venus's family and friends prayed she was alive, but were intent on finding her body if she wasn't. meanwhile, investigators still hadn't cracked doug's alibi, so detective krieger focused on doug's cell phone records. >> what jumped out at you? anything obvious? >> just three or four days prior to her days appearance, there were numerous calls to and from doug from one particular number. >> a constant phone number, but they also noticed a gap. the day before venus went missing, the cell phone was it didn't go back on until the next night. >> then all of a sudden the calls start coming back to and from the same number. >> so the question becomes, who's at the other end of this phone call? >> right. >> it was quick work finding out who the phone pal was. the calls were traced to the small town of bear, delaware. in june, detective krieger and his lieutenant got in the car and headed east. during the drive, the detectives wondered who the man from delaware was and what he might know about venus. then they arrived at the house of the man on all those phone logs. they were about to find out. coming up -- something peculiar about this mystery caller. >> how do you know doug stewart? >> a dramatic twist in the case that no one saw coming. are you ready? are you ready? you've got to be ready. i mean, really ready. are you ready to open? ready to compete? ready to welcome? the floors, mats, spotless. the uniforms clean and crisp. do your people have the right safety gear? are they protected? i'm ready! you think your customers can't tell the difference between who's ready and who's not? of course they do. millions have switched and discovered the sprint network really is faster. plus, it's more reliable with better coverage than ever. to celebrate, we're extending our offer so you can save 50% on most rates from verizon... no more overpaying! ...at&t... bye bye big bills! ...or t-mobile! i'm done with bill anxiety! plus, you'll get a great deal on a great phone. now save $200 instantly when you get the samsung galaxy s6 and trade in your smartphone. so switch today. working on my feet all day gave me pain here. in my lower back but now, i step on this machine and get my number which matches my dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts. now i get immediate relief from my foot pain. find a machine at drscholls.com ibs-d. you know the symptoms when they start. abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. now there's prescription xifaxan. xifaxan is a new ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. and xifaxan works differently. it's a prescription antibiotic that acts mainly in the digestive tract. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin, rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. if you think you have ibs with diarrhea, two months in, here's where things stood in the investigation into the disappearance of venus stewart. the western michigan mother of two had gone out to the mailbox in her pajamas one morning in april 2010 and hadn't been seen investigators suspect her estranged husband doug was behind it somehow, but he had a solid alibi. on the day she went missing, he was seen in newport news, virginia, more than 700 miles away. now detectives were driving to an upscale neighborhood in bear, delaware, to question a young college student. >> we've got a guy who i believe is of interest. he's making a lot of calls to doug. >> reporter: the phone pal was a person named ricky spencer. on june 21st, 2010, the detectives made an unannounced visit to his home. >> we did not want him to know we were coming. >> reporter: just knock knock knock? >> correct. >> reporter: ricky's sister and mother came to the door. >> i explained to them we wanted to talk to ricky. we thought he might have information that could help us in a case we were working over in michigan. thoughts ricky accompanied the detectives to a nearby police barracks. >> what did you see? here's ricky of the phone logs, what did you see in demeanor, his presentation of himself? >> very shy, very quiet. >> any talk in the car? >> no. small talk. just nothing about the case. >> at the barracks, in an terview room, the two cops appraised ricky. 20 years old, polite, clean cut. >> how do you know doug stewart? >> through x-box live? >> reporter: he told the detectives they'd been virtual world friends for a year and a half. then they met face to face for the first time during ricky's spring break from college on april 1st, 2010, april fool's day. ricky said he was invited by doug, a man ten years his senior, to stay at his place in newport news. ricky was there for a week. >> he was a chill guy, but it was just awkward. because he's like close to his 30s. him? >> my spring break, might be the beginning of april. >> but the detectives suspected that wasn't true. by then, they stitched together a solid timeline of the ricky/doug communications based on cell phone logs. on april 25th, the morning before venus disappeared, ricky's cell phone pinged in bear, delaware, and then they both turned off their phones. except ricky briefly turned his back on. good for the investigation, bad for ricky. >> his phone hit off a tower just north of doug's apartment later that morning. >> reporter: so he's not in delaware. he's all the way down in coastal virginia. >> correct. >> reporter: but doing what? remember doug saying as part of his alibi the day venus disappeared that he popped into his lawyer's office in virginia that same day to sign some papers. fbi agents had run the story down. and the story seems to be, yeah, he was here. >> yeah. the fbi did go and speak to them. yeah, we think so. >> reporter: then the fbi said, have a good day and left. >> they didn't really push it. they didn't ask any other follow-up. >> reporter: but krieger and other investigators remained suspicious. a couple of weeks later, they sent this newport news detective over to the law office to check again. he pressed the legal staff at the front desk. are you sure you saw doug stewart? and this time they gave different answers. >> well, i guess it might not have been him. he was wearing this hood, sunglasses, his voice sounded different. so it may not have been. >> reporter: a-ha. >> that wasn't doug down there. it wasn't him. >> reporter: the detectives were now sure it was ricky. so the lieutenant got tough. >> i'll be blunt. doug stewart abducted and killed his wife, okay? we also know that somebody went into a legal office down there pay a legal bill for him. >> ricky sighed and started to unspool his story. a spell-binding thrillers involving doubles and deception with doug stewart as his mastermind. >> what did he say he was going to do when you met with him on the 25th? get the phones and everything? >> yeah. >> the lieutenant called the detective in michigan, they'd broke it. >> he's our guy and mike's reaction was something to the effect of, holy cow. >> mike scott, who had preached patience with the prosecutor before, immediately dispatched officers to apprehend doug stewart. trooper aaron stiemsma was part of the team that trailed him to this convenience store. we just walked in and said douglas stewart you're under arrest. he turned around and he cuffed him. >> big developments tonight in the case of a missing michigan mother. >> how did you learn he had been arrested? house and told us, the same day they told us venus was deceived. >> police had declared her dead even without finding her body. and prosecutors were preparing to file a first-degree murder charge. but as doug stewart got ready to stand trial for murder, venus's family trials were far from over. >> coming up -- >> he was very good at kind of presenting himself as the all-american guy. >> all american guy? or cold blooded killer? the case begins with some white-knuckle moments. >> you could tell that she was just terrified of this guy. >> when "dateline" continues.eline" continues. of a cat. live photos are more than just photos. they come alive when you touch them. and then they go back to still when you let go. so every time you take a picture, you get more than just a photo. you get to relive the moment. i'm kidding. time travel is dangerous. to turn knorr rice sides into something new, just saut\ some chicken. stir in knorr rice sides with fresh tomato and basil and you've got knorr creamy bruschetta chicken. knorr rice sides. as a main dish. jane's always on the move. luckily her light & fit protein smoothie can keep up with her. packed with 12grams of protein and no added sugar. so she can watch her calories and where she's going. light & fit feel free to enjoy. there is a dangerousinstinct that lives within you. you like chaos. and in these times, we need that. we need you to rush in, when everyone else is running away. february 2011, a courtroom in centreville, michigan, in st. joseph county. >> people of the state of michigan versus douglas stewart. >> it had been nearly a year since venus stewart disappeared in her pajamas. her husband was now on trial for murder even though her body was never found. a fundamental fact of the defense's case. doug pleaded not guilty and said arrested. >> this is my opening statement. >> the responsibility for convicting doug stewart fell to baby-faced john mcdonough. >> douglas stewart caused the death of venus stewart. >> he and chuck herman said the more they learned about venus, the more motivated they were. >> everyone talked about her being a mother and that was the most important thing in the world to her. that was the person i came to know throughout this investigation. >> seated at the defense table, doug stewart, wearing casual guy sweaters and sweater vests. >> courtroom demeanor. what did you see? >> he was very good as presenting himself as the all-american guy. >> you're on trial for murdering your wife and none of this seemed to affect him one bit. >> as the prosecutor began his case, his opening witness focused on april 26th, 2010, the day venus vanished. state trooper aaron stiemsma, first on the scene, testified that he believed he was looking at a crime, soon as he talked to venus's parents. i was met by a female who was hysterical and crying. >> and what did you do next? >> she told me that he took her. he took her, he took her. >> he said venus's father pointed out a plastic wrapper on the ground for a tarp that wasn't his. then this crime scene tech explained how he inspected the packaging and noticed a smudge that could have been a fingerprint. >> you can see the bar code and the lettering from the wrapper. walmart.com. >> and was that piece of evidence sent to the crime lab? >> yes. >> early on, mcdonough wanted the jury to meet venus' parents, to see them as the stable, decent and loving people they were. venus wasn't some sort of wild child bad mother. >> was it odd that your daughter would have left her children alone? >> it was more than odd. it was something that would not happen. >> she was my best friend. >> when was the last time you >> when i kissed her goodbye the day -- that day, the 26th. >> after sketching out the last day that things might ever be normal for venus' parents, the prosecutor turned the clock back 24 hours and moved the scene from michigan to northwest ohio. april 25th had been a chilly night in van wert, ohio. and the man who walked into the front door of the walmart was easy to remember, according to the walmart security officer. despite the weather, he was wearing a loud shirt and flowery hawaiian shorts. >> there he is right here. >> jurors watched intently as the video showed doug marching through the aisles. at the defendant's table, the accused knew what was coming next, an inventory of the items he bought that night. he picked up a shovel, gloves, a tarp and a hat. >> can you tell what's in his hand? >> it appears to be a shovel and the tarp in his left hand. >> the clerks at walmart had no trouble remembering the >> most people weren't wearing shorts at that time. >> donna stiffler, a cashier in the lawn and garden section remembered approaching the customer who looked like he was going to a luau. >> i said welcome to walmart, can i help you? and the first thing i think he asked for was lime. >> why would he ask for lime? >> you throw lime on anything that's decaying, that's probably what he was thinking, the lime to cover it up so somebody isn't led to the body by the smell. >> donna told the shopper, sorry, they didn't sell lime. she said he grunted and kept on moving. moments later he was back to the check out. >> do you remember what that person bought? >> a tarp, shiny shovel, silver. duct tape, and gloves. >> do you see that person in the courtroom today? >> yeah. >> what was that? >> could you point him out and describe what he's wearing? >> i'm so nervous. um, there. >> what is he wearing? >> a white vest. i remember his eyes more than anything else. >> you could tell that she was just terrified of this guy. my god, you know, i sold this guy these things that helped him kill his wife. >> remember, police learned about the all-important shopping trip to walmart only because doug had been foolish enough to keep the receipt. he tossed it in his pigpen of a truck, rather than throwing it away. >> doug stewart thinks that he is the most intelligent person in the world. and i think he honestly thought he was outsmarting everyone. >> and there was something else that tripped doug up. a credit card blunder. before he went to michigan, doug bought a throw-away cell phone called a tracfone, which but he bought it with a credit card. and that made it traceable through electronic records. >> master criminals don't save receipts and buy with credit cards? >> absolutely not. >> he could then follow the path of that particular tracfone through gps technology. just like a regular cell phone. >> technologically, they're doing the same thing. >> yes. >> this call right here, at 5:48 p.m. was made just southeast of van wert and then the purchase was made in van wert. tarp, hat, shovel and gloves. >> early the next morning, the phone was located somewhere in western michigan. >> using the phones, how close can you get him to his wife's driveway? >> pretty close. within five to seven miles. >> but by now, something else put him even closer, old-fashioned forensics. plastic tarp wrapper found outside venus's house? it was a fingerprint, turned out, doug stewart's fingerprint, placing him at the scene of venus' disappearance. prosecutors believed it was damning evidence, but to close the deal, they'd have to put on the stand the college-kid imposter, with a head-spinning tale to tell. would it be too incredible to be believed? >> coming up -- >> he said, this is where you come in. i want you to be my alibi. ricky spencer lays it all out, a plan to murder. >> it was like a game, he was a part of this game. part of this game. wassup? i'm hannibal i'm gonna use samsung pay to get a katz's deli pastrami sandwich. (katz's employees) hey!!! hey what's up? hey can i pay with my phone? you mean like apple pay? we don't got that. no like samsung pay. kind of works everywhere. even on this janky old thing. he wants to pay with his phone. whadda ya want hannibal? i want to pay with my phone. don't look at the cameras mike. you ready? it doesn't work. boom! oh! samsung pay is here and pretty much everywhere else. hey! this is lloyd. to prove to you that the better choice for him is aleve. he's agreed to give it up. ok, but i have 30 acres to cover by sundown. we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. yeah, i was ok, but after lunch my knee started hurting again so... more pills. yep... another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? for my pain... i want my aleve. get all day minor arthritis pain relief with an easy open cap. hmmm... apple pie with only fruits nutsand spices. this makes the rest of my life feel very complicated. ricky spencer, i believe, is the largest piece of the puzzle. >> enter ricky spencer. how big of a development is this? >> huge. >> would you have a case had there not been a ricky spencer? >> no. >> and the rest of the evidence that you hear -- >> chief prosecutor john mcdonough called on his star two days, would tell one of the most mind-boggling stories ever heard in this st. joseph county, michigan, courtroom. >> please call your next witness. >> call ricky spencer. >> ricky, now 21, seemed like a young boy in a grown-up world. his dress shirt, not his customary tee, ran big in the sleeves. >> how do you know mr. stewart? >> i met him on xbox live in december of '08. >> how often did you play xbox live with mr. stewart? >> anywhere from six to ten hours. >> a day? >> yeah, on a daily basis. >> this was his life. some people might sit and read. and he played xbox. >> even though he never met him, ricky told the jury he felt a strong tie to the former marine. >> would you say he was your best friend? >> yes. he called us brothers from another mother. >> this was his idol. one of the very few people he had social contact with. >> he admired doug. doug had embellished his military career to him, i think he even told him he was a sniper. until april 1st, 2010, nearly four weeks before venus disappeared. doug, living alone then in newport news, had invited ricky down for spring break. ricky had term papers due, but it was an offer he couldn't refuse. >> we can party, drink and i can help you with your papers. >> the prosecutor asked ricky to look at some surveillance cam footage and confirm for the jury that he was indeed in virginia during spring break. >> that's me in the abercrombie shirt with the sunglasses on my head. that's doug looking at his mail. >> ricky testified for the first three days they went to the busch gardens park. they hung out like frat brothers. >> had you done any of your homework yet? >> no. >> on day four, the prosecution asserts doug got down to business. >> he's like, ricky, i want to tell you something, it's really important. let me finish before you interrupt me. began to vent on his estranged wife venus. ricky, who by all accounts, came from a good home, with good parents, had never heard the likes of this mellow drama. ricky was portraying venus as an abusive mother. doug then told ricky he needed to do something desperate. >> he was telling me that he was going to kill his wife. >> he was telling you this, what were you thinking? >> i was shocked. i couldn't believe what i was hearing. and he said this is where i want you to come in, ricky. i want you to be my alibi. pretend to be me and live in my apartment. >> how is that again? you're going to kill your wife and you want me to stay here and play you? ricky's immediate reaction was an emphatic "no." >> i was like, no, dude, i don't want to hear anything about this. and he didn't talk about it for the rest of the day. >> but doug kept at it over the despite everyone else's portrait of venus as mom of the year, doug pushed negative venus stuff on ricky, telling him how she smacked around their older daughter. >> how did that make you feel? >> felt bad for him. he was saying like, you know, if someone could be my alibi. i'm like, no, dude, i can't do this. >> so he's giving him the sob story. that his wife is tough on the kids. >> yeah, he's making her into the demon in ricky's eyes. >> all lies, the prosecutor said. >> i think he had ricky convinced that if i don't do something, they're going to end up dead. >> doug kept ratcheting up his stories of abuse, concluding with the most graphic one. venus had tried to choke one of the girls. >> ricky, if i wasn't there at that moment, she would have died. >> did he then ask you to help him kill his wife? >> yes. >> and what did you say? >> i said okay, dude, i'll be your alibi. >> ricky caved. prosecution, doug had a plan. ready to go. he took his recruit to a nearby park for a crash course in how to get away with murder. >> he asked me, ricky, if you're trying to kill someone and you don't want any evidence, what do you use? and i said not a gun, because it leaves evidence. right, not a gun. and not a knife because that leaves evidence. doug said, you choke somebody. and right there in the park, doug demonstrated on ricky his military chokehold. >> he puts me down, i'm like out of breath. he says if you do that to somebody for ten seconds, they pass out. over 30 seconds, it will end their life. >> but ricky wasn't a perfect double for doug. they were about the same height and coloring, but ricky was slimmer. to pull off this double vision doug made sure that ricky worse sunglasses and a ball cap and pulled his hoodie over his head. he gave him a credit card and coached him to be aware of surveillance cams. if everything worked out exactly right, doug believed that acquaintances here would be fooled into thinking they had just seen doug in newport news. ricky then went back home to delaware and waited for the green light that their mission was a go. the day turned out to be april 15, 2010. doug drove up from virginia, ricky from delaware, and they met at a gas station in bethesda, maryland. outside the nation's capital. that's where ricky said doug gave him the things he needed to turn into doug. his clothing, cell phones, keys to his apartment and a credit card. >> what's that? >> this is the parking space area where i met with doug stewart. >> where did you go? >> i went, i drove to virginia. >> where did doug tell you he was going? >> to michigan. >> what was he going to do there? >> he didn't say kill his wife, but he said to take care of i knew what he meant. >> sure enough, surveillance cam pictures taken april 15th show ricky easing into doug's life. in newport news. he parked in doug's garage as instructed and hung out in doug's apartment. >> this is the lobby in virginia, with the hoodie, the paper sticking out of my pocket. the wendy's bag. >> with doug's credit card, ricky had bought a double cheeseburger and fries at wendy's. >> why did he want you to use a credit card? >> to make it look like he was in virginia. >> ricky, it turned out, had a memory for details that flabbergasted the prosecutors time and again. he had a recollection of what was going on at the time with every photo they showed him. here he says he's on the cell phone with doug. he just kept on over and over, telling me where the cameras were, and make sure i kept my head down. >> somewhere deep down, prosecutors wondered, did ricky, a little slow on the uptake, >> act like you're me, keep your head down, wear this sweatshirt, it was like a game. he was a part of this game. >> this was ricky's little mission. >> but the mission, mortal mission one, in game box speak, had gone amiss. doug had to hiss the reset button. on his way to michigan, he'd been pulled over in the wee hours by a state trooper in ohio who said he was weaving lanes. it was proof he wasn't in virginia. >> i got a phone call from him that said the plan's off. i was relieved to hear it. but doug wasn't ready to call it quits after one bump in the road. he kept on talking. >> i told him i didn't want to. it was like a one-time deal. and i didn't want to do it the first time. >> then according to ricky, doug upped the pressure. he told ricky if he didn't get on board with the original plan he was going to wipe out everyone, a massacre. >> instead of making like she disappeared, he was talking about going in there and killing anyone in the house, besides his >> what did you do next? >> i told him, okay, dude, we'll do it again, i'll be your alibi again. >> there would be a mortal mission two. coming up -- >> a drop of blood came from her nose. >> a virtual world turned suddenly violently real. and a spell-bound courtroom hears the most harrowing part of the story. >> he was going to go bury her. >> when "dateline" continues. >> when "dateline" continues. sweetheart, don't look at me like that, it's gonna be amazing. this is a disaster! who's the genius who puts a girl in heels on a subway grate? miss monroe, eat a snickers. why? you get a little cranky when you're hungry. better? much better. this scene will never make the cut, morons. only miralax hydrates, eases and softens to unblock naturally, so you have peace of mind from start to finish. love your laxative. miralax. brandon thinks best foods is heaven in a jar. that's because our ingredients come from... farmers committed to responsibly sourced oils... blended with ingredients like cage-free eggs. mmm. heaven. real ingredients. that's how we're working to bring out the best. you wake up in the night and think about her. you wake up in the morning and think about her. think about her. >> yeah. >> courtroom rules prohibited venus' parents from attending the trial. they testified and were subject to being called back to the stand, but their son, the victim's brother, was there on many days. getting a bench seat within good staredown range of the accused, doug stewart. >> he never made eye contact with me. i think he was too ashamed. >> but on the stand, shame didn't seem to figure into the bold-as-brass story about doug that ricky spencer was telling the jury. how after the first run to michigan was a bust, doug called ricky again. >> he said, hey, dude, it's done, i killed her. and i was like, what? and he said no, i'm just kidding. i told him that wasn't funny. >> he said he was kidding and you told him it wasn't funny? >> yeah. >> ricky's second day on the stand as the star witness. the prosecutor picked up his questioning with ricky's description of mission number two, the assault on venus >> did you attempt it again? >> yes, we did. >> it was deja vu all over again. this time, sunday, april 25th. >> i went down to virginia. he was heading back up to michigan. >> later that day, ricky said he made a call to doug's boss, pretending to be doug under the weather. >> and i said, in a sick voice, like, hey, bobby, this is me doug, i'm feeling like [ bleep ], i can't get to work. he was like, all right. so he didn't have to go to work on monday. >> monday would be venus's last day alive as he would explain in this chilling story of duplicity and death. it began, the prosecutors said with doug in a field across from venus' parents house. >> he parked there in his truck watching things, i'd say probably 500 yards from venus' parents' house. >> doug called ricky at 7:00 from a tracfone and gave instructions. >> i want you to leave anywhere from 8:00 to 8:15. >> doug then sneaked up close to the house, police said, hiding behind this woodpile. back in virginia, ricky was establishing the alibi. >> do you recognize that photograph? >> it's me leaving the apartment. >> like a good soldier, ricky was following doug's orders, out of the apartment by 0800 hours, buying security cam cover for his best buddy on a deadly mission in michigan. >> that's doug's car. and i'm in the car. i'm going it make a left turn. >> his next instructions were to wait for doug's call that came just before 9:00. >> what did he say? >> he said, okay, dude, it's done. i was kind of shocked to hear that. i said what happened. he said he called venus' parents -- parents' house in michigan and said that he was the mailman, he had a package for her, and she came outside. >> just like that, ricky's game over. he was displaying emotion on the stand for the first time. doug was showing nothing. >> and he jumped out. he said there was a scream. she only screamed once and tried able to get her in a headlock, and a drop of blood came from her nose, and that was it. i asked him if it was worth it, and he said it was to protect his kids and give them some type of future. and he told me that, he told me later. >> because he was gonna go -- to -- to bury her. >> did he understand the consequences, ricky? >> i don't think so. i know that sounds strange. i've been doing this over 30 years. i think when it was over, it finally hit him. this really was a homicide. someone actually died here. it's not on the xbox. it's not somebody blowing up, cartoon figure. this is a real person. >> later monday, ricky continued in the supporting actor role. he went to doug's lawyer's office dressed in the hat, hoodie and sunglasses. doug told him to make a payment to one particular secretary. >> he said that she's not all there in the head and just hand her the envelope, say who you are and tell them that you're in >> did you do that? >> yes. >> later that day, ricky and doug drove to their meetings spot in maryland to exchange clothing, cell phones, keys and the credit card. they talked briefly. ricky piped up to express a newfound fear. >> i was asking, hey, dude, are you going to kill me? he said no. and i said good, if you did that would suck. and i asked why i asked that and i said because i know what you did. >> ricky's internal alarm system hadn't gone off when it would have mattered, when he should have called the police and brought the outrageous plait to a screeching halt, but something was telling him to be careful of dog from here on out. his usefulness as the alibi was done. >> that was the first thing that came to my mind, why in the heck didn't doug kill this kid? why did he leave this witness out there for somebody to find? this is one of his mistakes so good, they're never even going to find ricky. >> the prosecutors fully expect their case with the jury would rise or fall on the shoulders of ricky spencer. >> and yet, you've got to worry on cross examination whether the defense is going to rattle his cage and undo him. >> that's always a worry. he probably could hold his own, but we didn't know. >> coming up -- >> his testimony was so bizarre. >> was his a true tale or a tall one? ricky spencer's story under scrutiny. >> what evidence do you have that venus stewart is dead? that venus stewart is dead? i'm savin' you five hundred coming soon from progressive, it's "savin' u," the new hit single from the dizzcounts. cash money the biggest discount and understand... the dizzcounts. safe driver, paperless, paid-in-full, multi-car and joey fatone. savin' you five hundred we have auto-tune, right? oh, yeah. that's a hit! all: yeah! even ragu users chose prego homestyle alfredo over ragu classic alfredo. prego alfredo?! why can't everything i try be this great? ha ha! woah! (monkey squeals) (sigh of relief) choose taste. choose prego. the yogurt made from your milk, is delicious. >> guesswork. if you think about anything in this case, i want you to think about the word "guesswork." >> in his opening argument, the defense asked jurors to pay close attention to a prosecution and no eyewitness who saw the defendant in michigan, much less killing his wife. >> i believe at the end of this case, the prosecutor's going to ask you to guess. >> after ricky spencer's riveting testimony, anticipation was building. would the defense be able to rock the wild story from the so-called double? the defense attorneys, a married and highly regarded team, were poised to attack more than ricky's testimony. they were going after his character too, and the deal he'd made for leniency with the prosecution. >> my defense, my story had to do with ricky evading life in prison. ricky being an accomplished liar. >> cross examination strategy number one was to muss up the clean cut young man image he projected from the stand. they started with the x-rated screen name, the tag he picked for himself when he played xbox >> your game tags is dark [ bleep ], isn't it? >> yes, that's correct. >> what's the [ bleep ]? >> it means a bunch of guys. >> ricky explained to the jury the overt and very explicit sexual connotations of his online name. the defense wanted the jury to look at ricky as an unsavory young man without a moral compass. >> and if you believe his testimony, he decided to help commit murder rather than deciding to call the authorities. >> of course you don't want the jury to believe that story, but there is a moral issue that hangs over the testimony here. >> right. >> this guy could have thrown a wrench in the works and stopped it. >> right. if you believe his testimony, and i think that's one of the reasons why his testimony's unbelievable. >> evidence that ricky could be shifty with the truth. he'd already admitted in direct testimony that he'd lied to his parents about what he was doing over spring break. >> did you want them to know that you were going to visit mr. stewart? >> no. >> because it seemed kind of strange to go meet up with somebody that you've played xbox live with who is a lot older than you. >> but the defense took a mostly hands-off approach on challenging ricky on all those detailed recollections of his story, what he did which day in virginia, what he bought with a credit card, which security cams he played to. the defense stance gave jurors a lot of details, but it's all a fantasy from a young man trying to save his own skin. after only 20 minutes of less than explosive cross examination, they got him off the stand. >> quite honestly, his testimony was so bizarre. >> it's a strange story, isn't it? >> it's a very strange story. >> a story spun, said the defense, so ricky could cut a sweetheart deal with the prosecutor. in return for his testimony, ricky would plead to manslaughter, and spend no more than a year in county jail. many times to give the testimony in the way that he gave it. >> he was taught to become a good witness, you think. >> i think so. i think that he had to do a good job. if he didn't bring the case home for the prosecutor, it's my belief that he thought he would be facing those charges. >> the defense called no witnesses. >> defense rests. we're ready for closing arguments, your honor. >> doug stewart didn't take the stand, but he talked to "dateline" in an exclusive interview. >> after hearing everything i've heard, seeing all i've seen, i still haven't seen anything showing that my wife is hurt, harmed. >> what did he make of the star witness, the sensational testimony of ricky spencer, his young xbox buddy? >> i don't understand any of his testimony on the stand. he got locations right as far as he came down, he was on spring break. >> why does ricky come down? >> he mentioned to me, i've got spring break coming up from college. i'm coming down to busch gardens with some friends. april 1st i got a phone call and i said where? and he said "your apartment." >> now you're the host and he's the uninvited guest, is that what's happening? >> i felt comfortable with him enough that i was like, okay i get the idea. you can stay here. >> so the story that he would tell authorities and testify to it almost like a spy movie plot, none of that is true? >> the whole idea of hurting my wife, doing all that stuff, none of that is true. >> in his closing statement, he hoped he could convince at least one jury that without a body, there was reasonable doubt. >> what evidence in this case do you have to demonstrate to you that venus stewart is dead? >> so what about all those purchases at walmart? doug stewart seen walking the aisle in wild floral shorts? they asked rhetorically, would a man about to commit a murder be attention to himself. >> is he trying to hide things? he's wearing hawaiian shorts, asking people where things are. does that sound like somebody who's going to use it in a crime? >> and he bought a shovel, the defense attorney noted. so what? >> what evidence have they shown you? that a shovel was used in the killing of venus stewart? they haven't. >> schroeder summed it up for the jury. he claimed the prosecution had an illusion of evidence, a circumstantial case woven together with ricky spencer's tall tale. >> they tried to make you think they have all this evidence, but they don't. and they haven't proved their case, and you have a duty to do. and that's to find doug stewart not guilty. coming up, what would the jury do? >> the clerk will read the >> the verdict, when "dateline" continues. continues. you can help prevent blindness in undernourished children all over the world. when you get your vitamins at walgreens, you help give life-changing vitamins to kids across the globe. get vitamins here. change lives everywhere. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. jane likes to mix things up. that's why she loves new light & fit greek non-fat yogurt mousse. so fluffy and airy it's her new 80 calorie obsession. light & fit feel free to enjoy. here's something to shout from the mountaintop. cricket's plans start at $35 a month, after $5 auto pay credit. with more 4g lte coverage nationwide than tmobile or sprint. cricket wireless. now at lenscrafters, you can get 50% off lenses with purchase of frames. that's 50% off single vision lenses, no-line bifocals and even prescription sun. hurry in for our biggest sale of the year. oh my gosh stephanie, we're like so goth. (knocks on door) honey? i'm dying my hair mom. hair dye? it's just purple. teenage daughter? get scrubbing bubbles. kill 99.9% of germs and destroy grime. enamel is your teeth's first line of defense. but daily eating and drinking can make it weak. try colgate enamel health. it replenishes weak spots with natural calcium to strengthen enamel four times better. colgate enamel health. stronger, healthy enamel. i've been claritin clear for 14 days. when your allergy symptoms start... ...doctors recommend taking one claritin every day of your allergy season... ...for continuous relief. with powerful, 24 hour... ...non-drowsy claritin, live claritin clear. every day. yeah. oh no! oh nooooo!!! no! not my limited-time only, hand-prepared, spicy, smoky, crispy kfc nashville hot chicken with delightful pickles on top! switch on your light, dear. [gasp] my nashville hot chicken's still available. boy, i sure do have a lot of nightmares about chicken. march 11, 2011, the jury had been deliberating. was doug stewart responsible for the murder of his wife venus? >> i dream about her a lot, thinking that she's still alive and i'm hugging her, you know. and then i wake up and reality hits me. >> do you believe she's alive or not? >> i've got to believe she's alive. if she's not, i don't think i can handle it. i don't think my kids can handle it. >> if she's alive, it would be incredibly cruel what she's doing. >> i could never forgive her. >> on the record, the people versus stewart. the jury's indicated they've reached a verdict. >> the moment had arrived. venus's mother and brother knew a guilty verdict would be small consolation, but they wanted to hear it anyway. a few feet away stood the accused. eyes blinking, face twitching. >> the clerk will read the verdict. >> members of the jury find douglas harrie stewart, as to degree premeditated murder. >> guilty. doug stewart would be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a michigan prison without the possibility of parole. jurors clearly believed the star witness ricky spencer's story of being the alibi and the double. but they also determined that doug's fingerprint found at the crime scene on the plastic wrapper was powerful evidence. >> it's a scheme, a conspiracy, only one other person who knows what's going on, and that's ricky. is he lucky to be alive in your opinion? >> yes. >> and if doug had killed him -- >> it would be very difficult to prove this case without ricky. >> outside the courtroom, the young prosecutor hugged venus' mother. >> i was so happy to be able to reach out and say to her, you know, we got him. we promised you we would do it, and we did it. >> what difference does it make? my daughter's not here. that's all i could think about, venus isn't here. >> maybe we want to split up. they went right back to looking for her remains in this expansive countryside of fields, woods and barns. but without a map, it's all needles and haystacks. >> if we can find her body, we can give her body a proper burial. >> doug's mandatory life sentence was a triumph for the prosecution, but it also meant the state lost any leverage over him. he had no incentive to cooperate. >> that's his last bit of control of venus. >> still, venus's brother gave it one more shot at the formal sentencing hearing. >> it's not too late for doug to do the right thing. he can repent for his wrong-doings, tell us where my sister's body is. >> sweater vest gone, shackled at the legs and hands, doug wasn't giving an inch. >> i am innocent, i did not do these crimes. >> his story, rejected out of hand by a jury that needed only three hours to convict him, was "dateline" found that out after our interview. >> you say you didn't do it and you don't know where she is. >> absolutely not. >> if we're talking about why you're here, there's the evidence of the fingerprint on that tarp cover, the material seen on the video in walmart and the receipt found in your truck. do you have anything to counter that evidence? >> i believe we've already done everything in court, and i don't want to talk about evidence specifically related in to court. >> the most sensational witness in court, like him or not, was ricky spencer. and he was still a divisive figure after trial. between venus's family and prosecutor mcdonough. in return for ricky's testimony, mcdonough made what was perceived as a lenient deal. >> ricky regrets everything that happened and the role he played in this matter. >> ricky got to plead guilty to a lesser charge, conspiracy to he served his one year sentence in the st. joseph county jail and went back to work with his father. >> how come he isn't an accomplice to murder? why isn't he looking at 20 to 50 years? >> ricky's not a killer. he is a tremendously impressionable kid who made a horrible, horrible, horrible mistake. he bought in to doug's crap, hook, line and sinker. >> doug stewart preyed on this boy. this plea agreement reflects the value of ricky's testimony. because without it, doug stewart would probably not be convicted. >> he didn't murder my daughter directly, but i think ricky should sure get a lot more than a year in the county jail. my daughter's dead, ricky's alive. >> venus's family was pushing for a ten-year sentence, but the prosecutor wouldn't budge. family members asked prosecutors in virginia to file a murder conspiracy charge against ricky. but they didn't. he could have let the authorities know. they could have been waiting for him at my parents' house and it would have been over. >> on april 26th, 2011, a year to the day since venus disappeared from her parents' house, the family held a memorial service. they watched a video tribute to her spirit and her smile. played a gospel song she would have liked. and they spoke from the heart. >> i just want to say how much i miss my sister. i mean, i love her so much. it's going to be tough to not see her around anymore. >> she just was awesome. she's a character. >> when do you miss her the most, theresa? >> every day. every single day. >> venus' two girls are being raised by her mom and dad. they say everyone's doing as well as can be expected. >> i talk about venus a lot. i always tell them she's my little girl, just like they're my little girls now. >> that's all for now. i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us. .[ man narrating ]it has been said that magic...vanished from our worlda long time ago, and that humanity canno longer fulfill its desiresthrough the power of wishes. to those who have lostthe wondrous visionof childhood eyes, submitted hereis the story of a little boy... and a magical christmas wishthat changed his life forever. it began in 1985,in a town just outside boston. it was christmas eve,and all the childrenwere in high spirits-- that special time of yearwhen boston childrengather together... and beat up the jewish kids. - hey, greenbaum! - uh-oh. - get him! - [ boy ] yeah, get him!