That tone of voice, like it was more dismay. reporter: this was very difficult for ruth, as you can imagine. she was everything a mother would want in a daughter. she was a good mother. reporter: charlotte, the younger democker daughter, was living with steve that summer. was in steve s house the night of the murder when he was unreachable for 5 hours and said his cellphone was dead. your father, did he normally have spare batteries with him? sometimes in his car. did he carry them in the car and also in his briefcase? it s possible. i don t know. normally, he was reachable by way of his cellphone, right? yes. reporter: and when he finally got home that night, she saw those scratches. suspicious, according to the prosecution. did you ask him about those scratches? i did. what did he tell you? he explained they were from branches from riding his bike. reporter: and then the prosecutor asked charlotte s, by
she was everything a mother would want in a daughter. she was a good mother. reporter: charlotte, the living with steve that summer. was in steve s house the night of the murder when he was unreachable for 5 hours and said his cell phone was dead. your father, did he have normally have spare batteries with him? sometimes in his car. did he carry them in the car and also in his briefcase? it s possible. i don t know. normally, he was reachable by way of his cell phone, right? yes. reporter: and when he finally got home that night, she saw those scratches. suspicious, according to the prosecution. did you ask him about those scratches? i did. what did he tell you? he explained they were from branches from riding his bike. reporter: and then the prosecutor asked charlotte s, by then, former boyfriend jacob about the weird business of the golf club cover. the golf sock that appeared in a photo in steve s garage, night of the murder, but was gone when detectives
Prosecutor asked charlotte s, by then, former boyfriend jacob about the weird business of the golf club cover. the golf sock that appeared in a photo in steve s garage, night of the murder, but was gone when detectives returned with another search warrant. the implication, of course, was that the cover fit the club, never found, that killed carol. jacob said that after the detectives left he talked to steve. what was that conversation? the golf head sock cover was found after they had left. he said, he had found it? yes. did he say what he was going to do with it? he didn t know whether or not to turn it into the police or give it to his lawyer. reporter: implying, said the prosecution, that steve knew the golf sock could incriminate him, and didn t know what to do with it. but just as the case seemed to be building momentum, two weeks into the trial, judge thomas lindberg left the bench at lunch break and suddenly collapsed. it was a brain tumor. and everybody waited for
reporter: this was very difficult for ruth, as you can imagine. she was everything a mother would want in a daughter. she was a good mother. reporter: charlotte, the younger democker daughter, was living with steve that summer. was in steve s house the night of the murder when he was unreachable for 5 hours and said his cell phone was dead. your father, did he have normally have spare batteries with him? sometimes in his car. did he carry them in the car and also in his briefcase? it s possible. i don t know. normally, he was reachable by way of his cell phone, right? yes. reporter: and when he finally got home that night, she saw those scratches. suspicious, according to the prosecution. did you ask him about those scratches? i did. what did he tell you? he explained they were from branches from riding his bike. reporter: and then the prosecutor asked charlotte s, by then, former boyfriend jacob about the weird business of the golf club cover.
reporter: this was very difficult for ruth, as you can imagine. she was everything a mother would want in a daughter. she was a good mother. reporter: charlotte, the younger democker daughter, was living with steve that summer. was in steve s house the night of the murder when he was unreachable for 5 hours and said his cell phone was dead. your father, did he have normally have spare batteries with him? sometimes in his car. did he carry them in the car and also in his briefcase? it s possible. i don t know. normally, he was reachable by way of his cell phone, right? yes. reporter: and when he finally got home that night, she saw those scratches. suspicious, according to the prosecution. did you ask him about those scratches? i did. what did he tell you? he explained they were from branches from riding his bike. reporter: and then the prosecutor asked charlotte s, by then, former boyfriend jacob about the weird business of the golf club cover.