trial. he faced 20 to 60 years in prison upon conviction for first-degree murder. he pleaded not guilty. cameras were not allowed in the courtroom. it s clear to me, it didn t matter what i did as far as the prosecution was concerned. their only concern was that they needed to create a crime and they needed for me to look bad in order to do that. reporter: curtis didn t necessarily need prosecutors help to look bad. some of his own actions the day cory died were at the very least unusual, including never calling 911. he called who? his boss. his wife is dead in the bed and he calls his boss? yeah. and said, my wife is dead. so his boss, said, well, would you like me to call the ambulance people? yes. would you do that? reporter: cory s mom, marty didriksen, who lived just a few houses away, testified that curtis broke the news of her daughter s death in what she thought was the most callous way. there was a knock at her door
five people were arrested in the deaths of 27 migrants. they drowned trying to cross the english channel from france. the dead included three children and a pregnant woman. for now, back to dateline extra. curtis lovelace was the hometown hero. now his face was plastered on the front pages of quincy s newspaper as an accused murderer. we re relying on scientific reporter: the media, including nbc s quincy affiliate were all over the story, covering nearly every moment of his fall from grace. he s accused of killing his first wife reporter: this former prosecutor would himself be prosecuted by ed parkinson. you can t get around rigor mortis in my opinion, and make sense of this case. and the timeline doesn t make sense with curtis lovelace. reporter: in january 2016, nearly a decade after cory lovelace s death, curtis arrived for the first day of his
not at all certain why or how the woman died. the detective couldn t rule out any possibility, including foul play. around the room itself, any overturned glasses or any signs of a struggle? no. so as i hear you, you re telling me you re seeing a woman who has apparently died in her bed and not that long before authorities arrive. that s right. if i can stress that there wasn t a single mark on her other than what appeared to be a skin blemish under her nose, not a mark. reporter: and yet there was something about the position of cory s body that did strike him as odd. he thought death and gravity would have caused her arms to drop. instead, they were both fixed in mid-air, hovering above her chest. i was looking for an explanation for that, and i even addressed it to curtis lovelace. i asked him if there was a possibility that blankets had been under her arms when he discovered her.
hours before curtis claimed. it proved he was lying. it proved, he argued, that curtis killed her. coming up the defense gets its turn and christine is feeling optimistic. i knew in my heart he was coming home. until christine came in. and they explained to her what was about to happen. when mystery on the mississippi continues. mississip i s okay, t s do a ticket check. paper tickets. we re off to a horrible start. .but we can overcome it. we re not gonna point out our houses, landmarks, or major highways during takeoff. don t buy anything. i packed so many delicious snacks. -they re -nope. would you say, ballpark, when group two is gonna get boarded? 2 hours and 58 minutes. progressive can t protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. someone should ve left home earlier.
recounts what she says was curtis bizarre behavior the day her daughter died. i open the door and he hands me larson. and says? oh, and by the way, cory s dead. when mystery on the mississippi continues. on the miss issippi continues . a mountain of toys to fulfill many wishes. must be carried across all roads and all bridges. and when everyone is smiling and having their fun i can turn my sleigh north because my job here is done. it s not magic that makes more holiday deliveries to homes in the us than anyone else, it s the hardworking people of the united states postal service.