>> do you believe she's alive? >> i've got to believe she's alive. >> i'm lester holt, and this is dateline. here's dennis murphy with "deadly game." >> x box live, it's a hugely popular feature on one of the world's top gaming systems. not only can you annihilate aliens with other shooters thousands of miles away, you can see and talk to those fellow gamers in real time no matter where they are. even, say, in the amish country of western michigan, where authorities say x box 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 sort of prepared for the worse, because i was sleeping with a .9 millimeter loaded on my nightstand. >> cold sweats are not the way small towns of st. joseph county, michigan. >> it's definitely the kind of place where you would expect people to leave their doors open at night and not really worry y no se proeceocupan de este tipo about thins like this happening. >> a homicide is not an every day occurrence. >> it's country out here, cornfields 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. >> i dreamed about this beautiful little girl with big, dark eyes. when she came out, i looked at her and said venus, i couldn't tell you how much i loved her. >> who spoiled her? you or theresa? >> she did. but she came over to our house, she sat in her mom's lap like she was a little girl. >> as a grown-up. mom's lap. she sure loved her mom. >> was she more trusting than she should have been in it was her naivete that worried her parents. >> she came home and said that she had met this young man. we laughed, she said, venus, if they're in the mafia, they don't tell you. he worked at mcdonald's and was embarrassed to tell her that. >> she was a soon to be college graduate with a degree in criminal justice. >> she found out that she doesn't like guns, so that didn't work. >> what did work and instantly was her attraction to a marine she just met named doug stewart. no sooner than "hello, my name >> what did you see in her? >> she was smart, beautiful. four days later we were married. >> pretty fast. >> a lot of people would go on a second date before getting hitched hitched. >> to say that venus's marriage was a surprise to her parents is a bit of an understatement. >> she showed up, and she was married. and we were dumbfounded. >> we were like, this is so out of character for her to do this. >> so this had to be big news for you. >> oh, yeah. >> by the way, i'm getting hitched. i already am hitched. >> but her older brother got along okay with his new brother-in-law. they both liked outdoorsy stuff. >> we went hunting together and fishing together. >> it was a year after their quickie wedding that doug left the marines to keep his bride happy. >> she had this fear that something was going to happen to the military in 2003. >> were you okay with that? >> i love 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 at a bank and doug at applebee's and pizza hut. a year later, a daughter came along. then a year later a second baby. >> kind of forgot who i was, i hoped and played for two healthy babies, and we both got our wish. >> so did venus like being a mom? >> oh, she loved being a mom. that was like her number one priority. >> but stay-at-home mom wasn't in the picture for venus, not right away. they were too reliant on her check from the bank, and she was the family's bigger bread winner. >> so you became mr. mom. life. >> change the diapers, do all the tuff stuff? >> you bet. it's what truly makes a man a man. >> if they had a second place passion after their daughters, doug said it was playing games on x box, just like the blow'em up games. >> she didn't like the first person shooter games as much. >> but as doug blasted away day after day and seemed to look for work less and less, the marriage began to crack. no surprise to her parents. >> he was very immature. and she wanted to be a mom. >> so a few years along, things weren't going so well. there'd be screaming, in your face arguments between doug and venus, followed by time outs, trial separations and shared custody arrangements. but venus wasn't ready to throw in the towel. >> she wanted to go to miami florida or houston, texas. >> why did she want to go to far far-flung places? >> there's bush gardens. six flags. >> hi, mom. >> newport news turned out to be the place? >> that was it. it put us 30 miles from virginia beach and approximately 25 miles away from bush gardens in opposite directions, smack-dab in the middle of everything that we wanted. >> wow, this place is gorgeous, isn't it? there's the carousel, i told you! >> if the home videos are to be believed, the move from michigan to virginia was working. 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 the best year of our life. >> but doug and venus's problems ran deeper than anything an amusement park ride could paper over. and a year later, there were screaming arguments again and venus had enough and bolted 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, a chilly monday morning started like any day at venus's parents' house. her mom went off to work. her dad was sleeping, and venus and the kids were slowly getting up. then, about 8:00, venus' dad, also a truck driver, was groggy from a late shift on the road. he was startled awake. >> i heard the girls being really loud in the front room. and i thought why isn't venus quieting them down? she knows i'm in here asleep. >> he got up to see what was going on. her cell phone and keys and purse were. he immediately called 911. >> she's just not there? >> no. >> is there a vehicle missing or anything? >> no. >> now, i'm scared and went outside and looked for her. >> 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 here. >> signs of a struggle, and signs of trouble. >> a light bulb went off, and i knew exactly what happened.and. but hurry, 0% financing for 60 months 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 to strengthen enamel four times better. 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? 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>> yeah, we can't get ahold of her. >> larry also called his wife theresa who was already at her restaurant job. her co-workers tried to calm her down. >> and they said oh, she probably went around the block. and i just looked at them and said get a grip. my daughter doesn't do that stuff. and i said, i'm out of here, and i went out the door and was shaking the whole way home. >> the michigan state police was on scene. whenever a young adult goes missing, police customarily ask the family to wait 24-48 hours for things to shake out. but right away shall the officer suspected this might have been someone who took a hike of her own volition. >> we might have a crime scene here. so that's why we cordoned it off. >> venus's dad showed the patch >> 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 said that's out of place. >> crime scene of techs were able to lift what they believe was a fingerprint off the plastic wrapper and send it of o for analysis. and detectives at the scene made notes about the wrapper and bar code to check out further. immediately, officer steinsman got an earful from her parents about their trouble marriaged. blaming everything on their son-in-law. with venus and him living in separate states, they were battling over custody of their kids. venus had won custody. doug was granted phone contact. >> i think the hair on the back of my neck stood up. after speaking to the mccombs. believed in their bones that doug had abducted venus, maybe in a wrong-headed attempt to have more time with the kids. >> a light bulb went off, and i knew exactly what happened. doug, doug got my daughter. >> and then larry decided to take matters into his own hands. >> i put a gun in my hand and went looking for doug stewart. >> he drove down back country roads and came up empty handed in his one-man search to find doug and venus. >> so your working theory going in is foul play. >> by this time, one of michigan's top detectives had been brought up to speed about the marriage on the rocks. >> and, as he put it, didn't look good. >> and there was a history between them, wasn't there. >> yes. >> law enforcement had contact with them. >> yeah, domestic violence issues. >> they had received domestic violence investigations from both venus and doug. >> where was he right now? >> knew he was living in virginia. yes, newport, news. >> the day venus went missing, her mother and father repeatedly dialed doug's cell phone. >> i kept dialing over and over, doug, where is venus. >> finally, detective scott reached him that night. >> what did he say to you. >> that he'd been in virginia all day. >> you're in virginia receiving this call. >> yes, i'm about 20 minutes away from my apartment. and he goes, doug, your wife's is, is i, is my wife pulling something? >> he gave knee a couple was to support he was in virginia. one of those being at his lawyer's office in newport news, virginia. >> the fbi was asked to run down his story and it checked out. two women confirmed it. they said think saw him come in that day. >> a bit shocking when they said, we checked it out, and he has an alibi. >> what were the investigators the parents' accusation that doug had come and snatched venus 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? i couldn't be. >> coming up. >> he called me, are you sitting down? >> a tiny piece of paper is about to provide a very big break. when dateline continues.m. wow... yep, geico's mobile app works like a charm. geico. 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, try our lemon bars, brownies, and cheesecakes. . the year before venus stewart went missing, she'd found religion. jesus, you are the only way >> her brother was the devout one in the family, and he s thrilled with 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 police searched miles of rolling farm country and thick, wooded areas throughout western michigan. >> helicopters came out. >> yeah. dogs. >> dogs. >> immediately after her disappearance, lead detective mike scott had zeroed in on the on vows, the husband. but when fbi agents verified doug's story that he had been in virginia, scott had to start thinking bigger picture. >> your person of interest has an alibi. so then you need another theory? >> a couple theories. either douglas stewart enlisted the help of someone to come to michigan, abduct and kill his wife or we had either a stranger abduction or someone that venus was having a problem with type of thing. >> a woman goes out the front dor in her pajamas and is never seen again. someone would be rightfully fearful, is there somebody crazy on the loose abducting people? somebody. >> they worked around the clock but found nothing. >> it was miserable conditions. i didn't hear anybody complain once. >> friends and family, meanwhile, 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 television reporter an interview. >> i'm getting very worried and very concerned. >> despite their ceaseless marital battles, doug insisted he still cared about her. >> i don't know what is next, to be honest with you, i keep watching the news and braypray and hope for the best. >> and even though he had an alibi, police went down to newport news to talk to him. >> so we went down there to investigate the disappearance of venus stewart. >> a detective with the state forensics team. what were you expecting to do and hoping to find there? >> we knew we wanted to search his apartment for her clothes. that's the last thing she was seen in. we wanted 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. >> the truck looked like a sty. >> it had not been cleaned. >> stacks of papers, old french fries and a crumpled receipt. >> 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? >> an investigator on the forensic team immediately called detective scott back in michigan. are you sitting down? >> in all the garbage, here's this receipt, huh? >> yeah. >> the receipt was from ohio, about two hours from where venus disappeared. >> we realized those items were purchased the evening before venus went missing. >> this is a bury-your-wife kit. >> yes. >> investigators were now holidaying a couple of ace cards, but they still couldn't knock down doug's alibi that he'd been in virginia, 715 miles away, a story that was supported by the fbi. nonetheless, chief prosecutor mcdonough was itching to arrest him. >> i said all right, let's charge him now. you know, 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. 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 krooeger focussed on doug's cell phone records. >> the biggest part was two or three days prior to venus's disappearance, there were numerous calls to and from doug to one particular number. >> but the detectives also noticed a gap. the day before venus went missing the cell phone was turned off. it didn't go back on until the next night. >> and all of a sudden the calls start coming to and from this other number. >> the question is who is on the other end of the phone call. >> right. >> it was quick work. they were traced to bear, delaware. in june, they got in the car and headed east. during the drive, detectives wondered who the man from delaware was and what he might 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? 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>> ricky's sister and mother came to the door. >> i explained we wanted to talk to ricky, we thought he might have information to help us on a case we were working on over in michigan. >> without any thoughts, ricky accompanied the detectives to a nearby police barracks. his presentation of himself? >> very shy, very quiet. >> any talk in the car? >> no. small talk? nothing about the case. >> in an interview room, the two cops appraised ricky. 20 years old, polite, clean cut. >> how do you know doug stewart? >> through x box live. in the virtual world, playing shoot'em up, talking long distance for a year and a half. then they met face-to-face for the first time during ricky's spring break from college. april fool's day. he said he was invited by a man ten years his senior to stay at his place. ricky was there for a week. >> he was a chill guy. but it was awkward, you know? he's like, close to his 30s, and i'm like in my 20s. >> when's the last time you saw him? >> my spring break, uh, might be the beginning of april. >> okay. >> but the denttectives suspected that wasn't true. by then they'd stitched together a solid timeline of the rick ricky/doug communications. phones, except rick eyey briefly turned his back on, good for the investigation, bad for ricky. >> his phone hit off a tower north of doug's apartment. >> so he's not in delaware. he's in coastal virginia. >> right. >> but doing what? remember doug saying that he'd 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. >> yes, the fbi did go and speak to them, and they initially did say yeah, we think so. >> then the fbi said have a good day and left. >> they didn't really push it. they didn't ask any other followup. >> but kreger and other investigators remained suspicious. a couple weeks later they sent this newport news detective over to the law office to check again. he pressed the staff at the him, doug stewart? this time they gave different answers. >> he was wearing a hood, sunglasses, it may not have been him. >> ah-ha. >> it wasn't him. the detectives were sure it was ricky. so lieutenant christianson got blunt. >> i'll be blunt. doug stewart abducted and killed his wife, okay? we also know that somebody went into a legal office down there in newport news, virginia, to pay a legal bill for him. >> ricky sighed and started to unspool his story. a spell-bounding thriller involving deaccept with doug stewart as its master mind. >> what did he say he was going to do? >> get rid of her. >> lieutenant christianson called detective scott in michigan. they'd broken it. reaction was something to the effect of holy cow. >> mike scott, who'd preached patience with the prosecutor before immediately dispatched officers to apprehend doug stewart. this trooper was part of the team that tailed him to this convenience store. >> we walked in, said douglas stewart, you're under arrest. >> big developments tonight in the case of a missing west michigan mother. >> how did you learn that doug had been arrested? >> the police came to the house and told us. the same day they told us venus was deceased. >> 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 the case begins with some white knuckle moments. >> you could tell that she was just terrified of this guy. >> when "dateline" continues. you get to relive the moment. because it teleports you through space and time. 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. 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, february 2011, a courtroom in centerville, michigan, in st. joseph county. >> people of the state of michigan versus douglas stewart. >> 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. doug pleaded not guilty and said he was surprised he was even arrested. >> this is my opening statement. >> the responsibility for convicting doug stewart fell to baby-faced john mcdonough. >> he caused the death of venus stewart. >> 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, 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, he focussed on april 26, 2010, the day venus vanished. the state trooper first on the scene testified that he believed he was looking at a crime as soon as he talked to venus' parents. >> i pulled in the drove way and 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. >> the bar code and lettering >> 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 at 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 saw venus? >> when i kissed her good-bye 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 msh mesh to northwest ohio. april 25th had been a chilly night in ohio. as the man who walked into the front door of the walmart was easy to remember according to despite the weather, he was wearing a loud shirt and flowery hawaiian shorts. 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, gloflves, a tarp and a hat. >> this appears to be a shovel and the tarp in his left hand. >> the clerks at walmart had no trouble remembering the customer. >> 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. >> the first thing 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 led to the body by the smell. >> donna told the shopper, sorry, they didn't sell lime. he gruntsd and kept on moving. moments later he was back to the check out line. >> a tarp, a shovel, shiny, silver, duct tape. and gloves. >> do you see that person in the courtroom today? >> yeah. >> what was that? >> yes. >> could you point him out and describe what he's wearing? >> i'm nervous. >> 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. 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 normally ensures anonymity. but he bought it with a credit card. through electronic records. >> he could then follow the path of that particular tracfone through gps technology. just like a regular cell phone. >> technologically, they're >> yes. >> at 5:48, this was made just southeast of van wert. and the purchases was made. >> it was now 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. remember the smudge on the plastic tarp wrapper? 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 case they'd have to put on the college student. would it be too incredible to believe? >> coming up. >> he said i want you to come in here. >> ricky spencer lays it all out. a plan to murder. >> it was like a game. he was a part of this game. >> whadda ya want hannibal? i want to pay with my phone. don't look at the cameras mike. you ready? it doesn't work. watch me. 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? 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 witness who would tell one of the most mind-boggling stories ever heard in this st. joseph county courtroom. >> 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 x box live in december of '08. >> how often did you play x box live with mr. stewart? >> anywhere from six to ten hours. >> a day? >> this was his life. some people might sit and read. and he played x box. >> 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. he told him he was a sniper. >> they didn't meet in person until april 1st, 2010, nearly four weeks before venus disappeared. doug living alone 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. >> he was asked to look at surveillance camera footage and confirm that he was in virginia 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. >> you want to play something that's really important. let me finish before you interrupt me. >> ricky testified that doug began to vent on his estranged wife. ricky, by all accounts came from a good family with good parents had never heard the likes of this melodrama. ricky was told 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. 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 reaction was an emphatic no. >> [ bleep ] i don't want to hear anything about this. and i didn't talk about it for the rest of the day. >> but doug kept at it over the next two days. 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. >> yeah, he's making her into the demon in ricky's eyes. 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 ofricky, if i wasn't there at that moment, she would have died. >> i asked you to help him kill his wife? >> yes. >> and what did you say? >> i said okay, dude, i'll be your alibi. >> ricky caved. and according to the prosecution, doug had a plan. he took his recruit to a park for a crash course in how to get away with muffrder. >> i told him not a gun. >> he said right, not a gun. not a knife, that leave the evidence. he says right. >> 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 ruse, here was the plan. doug made sure ricky made 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, acquaintances would be fooled into thinking they'd just seen doug in newport news. ricky then went back to delaware and waited for the green light that the mission was a go. the day turned out to be april 15, 2010. ricky from delaware, and they met at a gas station in bethesda, maryland. that's where doug gave him the things he needed to turn into doug. his clothing, cell phones, keys to his apartment and a credit card. >> 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 business. i knew what t meant. >> sure enough, surveillance cam pictures taken april 15th show ricky izeeasing into doug's life. >> here's the hoodie, the paper sticking out of my pocket. >> with doug's credit card, ricky had bought a double cheeseburger and fries at wendy wendy's >> why did he want you to use a credit card? >> to make it look like he was in virginia. >> he had a number of details that flabbergasted detectives. here he says he's on the cell phone with doug. >> he kept on over and over telling me where the cameras were, to make sure i keep my head down. >> somewhere deep down, did ricky, a little slow on the uptake think this was all pretend? >> act like you're me. don't look at the camera, keep your head down, wear this sweat 14ir9 shirt. it was like a game. this was ricky's little mission. >> but the mission, mortgage tal mission one in game box speak had gone amis. doug had to hit the reset button. he had been pulled over in the wee hours by a state trooper who said i was weaving lanes. the traffic some was in virginia. >> 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. >> he was talking about going there and killing anyone that was inside the house. besides his kids. >> 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 noise. >> a virtual world turned suddenly violently real. and a spill bound courtroom hears the most harrowing part of the story. >> when dateline continues. why? you get a little cranky when you're hungry. better? much better. this scene will never make the cut, morons. it's easy to love your laxative wh that lax loves your body back. 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 hellmann's 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 you wake up in the night and think about her. you wake up in the morning and think about her. you go to sleep at night and think about her. >> courtroom rules prohibited venus' parents from attending the trial. they testified and were subject to being called back to the stand, but their son was there on many days, getting a bench seat within good stare-down range of the accused. doug stewart. >> he never made eye contact with me. i think he was too ashamed. >> but on the stand, shame boldest 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, i killed her. and i'm 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 questioning picked up with the description of mission number two, the assault on venus stewart. >> 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 went back to michigan. >> later that day, ricky said he made a call to doug's boss, pretending to be doug under the weather. >> i was in a voice like hey, this is me, i'm feeling like [ bleep ]. i can't get to work. so he didn't have to go to work on monday. >> monday would be venus's last day alive as he would explain in his chilling story. 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. nothing later. >> doug then sneaked up close to the house, police said, hiding behind this woodpile. back in virginia, ricky was establishing the alibi. >> did you recognize that photograph? >> it's me leaving the apartment. >> like a good soldier, ricky was following doug's orders, buying security cam cover for his best bud eye on a deadly mission in michigan. 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 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 virtual world had turned real. game over. he was displaying emotion on the stand for the first time. doug was showing nothing. >> and ihe jumped out. he said there was a scream. she only screamed once and tried putting up a fight, but he was 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 that he was going to call me later. because he was going to go -- it it it 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. it's not on the x box. 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, hood eye and sunglasses. doug told him to make a payment to one particular secretary >> he said she's not all there in the head. hand her the envelope, say who you are and tell her you're in a hurry and tell them to mail you the receipt. >> 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 did. >> ricky's internal alarm system hadn't gone off when it would have mattered when he could have called the police and brought it to a screeching halt, but something was telling him to be careful of doug from here on out. >> 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 where doug thought, my plan is 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 the worry. he probably could hold his own, but we didn't know. >> his testimony was so bizarre. >> was his a true tale or a tall one? scrutiny. >> what evidence do you have that venus stewart is dead? multi-car and joey fatone. savin' you five hundred i'm 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. mmmm, yoplait. we don't just serve any fish sandwich at culver's. we serve wild-caught, north atlantic cod. this cod grows in water that is cold, clean and pristine, full of flavorful nutrients, and that comes through in the fish. this is the way we ship it to your restaurants. it's not pre-breaded. so not only do we use the highest quality cod, that's remarkable. and we think we get the best fish filet sandwich because of that. this is the best fish sandwich in america. 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 joshs to pay close attention to a prosecution case that had no victim's body 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 story from the so-called double. team were poised to more than rock ricky's testimony, they were going after his character and the deal he'd made 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 x box live. >> 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 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 >> of course you don't want the jury to believe that story, but there is a moral issue that hands 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. >> why? >> because it seemed kind of strange to go meet up with somebody that you've played x box live with who's 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, what cams he played to. a lot of detail here, buff it's all a fantasy from a young man 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 a story spun so he could make a deal. he would not face murder charges and spend no more than a year in county jail. >> i think he was coached many, 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. he had to do a good jojo 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 >> 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 x box buddy? >> i don't understand any of his testimony. 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 friends. i got a call, and he said i'm almost there, i said where? and he said to 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 move eye plot -- movie plot, none of that is true? wife, none of that sh true. >> he hopes he can convince one juror 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 aisles in wild shorts. they asked rhetorically, would a man about to commit a murder be so dumb to call that kind of 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 they haven't. >> schroeder summed it up for the jury. he claimed the prosecution had an illusion of evidence, a circumstantial case woven together the with rick eyey spencer's tall tale. >> 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 verdict. >> the verdict, when "dateline" continues. you help give life-changing vitamins to kids across the globe. get vitamins here. change lives everywhere. 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. something to smile about. 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. oh my gosh stephanie, we're like so goth. 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[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 think about her a lot, thinking she's still alive and 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 doing. >> i could never forgive her. >> 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. eye the blinking, face twitching. >> the clerk will read the verdict. >> members of the jury find douglas harrie stewart, as to count one, guilty of first degree premeditated murder. >> he would spend the rest of 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 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 ditchfference does it make? my daughter isn't here. >> so where was venus' body? 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 incentive for still, venus' brother gave it one more shot at the formal sentencing hearing. >> it's not too late for doug to the right thing. 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 rejefkted by a jury that needed only three hours to convict him was nothing if consistent. "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 >> the most sensational witness in court, like him or not, was ricky spencer. and he was still a divisive figure after trieshlgsal. mcdonough made what some feel was a lenient deal. >> ricky regrets everything that happened and the role he played in this matter. >> he got to plead to a lesser charge, conspiracy to commit manslaughter. he served his one year sentence in the st. joseph county jail and went back to work with his father. >> why isn't he an accomplice to murder? >> ricky's not a killer. he is a tremendously impressionbling kid who made a horrible, horrible, horrible mistake. he bought in to doug's crap, hook, line and sinker. 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 my daughter's dead, ricky's alive. >> her family was pushing for at least a 10-year sentence, but the lawyers wouldn't budge. they pushed for a conspiracy charge against ricky, but they didn't. >> he could have saved my sister. he could have let the authorities know. they could have been waiting for him at my parents' house and it would have been over. of >> on april 26th, 2011, a year to the day since venus disappeared from her parents' house, the family held a they watched a video tribute to her spirit and her smile. played a gospel songs 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. she made my life complete. >> 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 talk about how she was my little girl just like they're her little girls. 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...