I'm Lester Holt, and this is Dateline.
Here's Keith Morrison with "A Crack In Everything."
KEITH MORRISON: It was his secret
that started it, a secret gift.
It was Christmas Eve in the year 2006.
A little farm not far from a little town called Buffalo.
Buffalo, Missouri.
And on that farm in the fine new house
Brad and Lisa Jennings had built for their family,
the stockings were hung, the children
were snug in their beds, and Lisa was sitting up very
late drinking wine and crying.
Meaning well, who knew?
But for one thing with Lisa in the way,
Brad couldn't sneak that secret of his
into her stocking, which is what started it.
The flurrying argument, the slamming
doors, the sudden silence.
Before Amanda woke up to the sound of her dad on 911.
AMANDA JENNINGS: And he's very hysterical.
You know, he's crying.
Can't really say anything other than "get here quick,
get here quick."
I heard that two or three times.
KEITH MORRISON: Such a complicated tale
with its secrets and lies and shifting loyalties.
And here of all places, this throwback to an idealized past.
We hunted mushrooms.
We picked up walnuts.
KEITH MORRISON: They were inseparable children, Brad
and his older sister Marcia.
MARSHA ILER: He was my playmate.
We depended on each other.
KEITH MORRISON: Marcia became a nurse,
Brad ran the farm, the center of their family since 1853.
By that Christmas 2006 Brad and Lisa had been
married 18 mostly happy years.
We had a fairly good life.
KEITH MORRISON: There were three kids, Amanda 16 that Christmas
Eve, Dallas who was 11 then.
Lacey, Lisa's daughter from a first marriage
was 19, and had just moved into her own place in town.
And, as Amanda said, life was fairly good.
We would do lots of things, go on vacation a lot,
go out and eat.
I mean, my dad made pretty good money,
so we were good on that end.
Seemed like a very good and stable environment.
[car starts]
KEITH MORRISON: Brad loved cars, especially classic muscle cars,
and extra especially the 1970 Chevelle Supersport
he'd so carefully restored.
MARSHA ILER: By the time he was 12,
he was redoing motors, and helping put motors in and out
of different vehicles.
KEITH MORRISON: So Brad opened a used car dealership.
DALLAS JENNINGS: He was a great people person,
and I guess that's what you have to be
when you deal cars and stuff.
KEITH MORRISON: And their mom Lisa--
AMANDA JENNINGS: Very pretty.
She could be really happy, and sort of the life
of the party kind of person.
DALLAS JENNINGS: Yeah, really fun to be Around.
KEITH MORRISON: While Brad ran the farm and his car business,
Lisa worked at a local internet company.
MARSHA ILER: She was really good at it.
And she became their top employee.
KEITH MORRISON: At home, Lisa was
the mom who actually liked video games, with Dallas mostly.
Video games and movies.
DALLAS JENNINGS: We had a big projector
screen that we would put on the wall
and watch movies really big.
Did it seem like a happy household overall?
Yeah.
KEITH MORRISON: But of course there is, as Leonard Cohen used
to sing, a crack in everything.
And in the Jennings house, those were
the sudden blowups when the mood went dark
and the kids scattered.
They would fight maybe once every couple
of weeks or something.
Mostly later in the evening at night
after they've been drinking.
There'd be yelling, and maybe slamming
doors, things like that.
But just arguing about anything, nothing.
I never really thought too much about it.
KEITH MORRISON: Anyway, now it was that calamitous Christmas
Eve 2006.
As always, there'd been a happy dinner celebration
with Brad's side of the family.
AMANDA JENNINGS: Christmas Eve we would go to my grandma's
there in town.
KEITH MORRISON: And then back home, games, and stocking
stuffing, and of course--
AMANDA JENNINGS: We wake up real early
and open all the presents.
KEITH MORRISON: Lisa had no idea that Brad had bought
her a $3,500 diamond ring.
Got the kids to help him pick it out.
Back from Grandma's, he waited for his chance
to hide it in her stocking, but Lisa
kept fiddling on the computer, and the kids
were playing a board game.
I think it was Monopoly.
We just played downstairs for a while,
and then eventually went up to our rooms.
KEITH MORRISON: It was well after midnight when they heard
the raised voices downstairs.
AMANDA JENNINGS: I heard the yelling
and everything, like a normal fight
like they would always have.
KEITH MORRISON: And then a door slammed,
which meant that Brad had gone out
to his workshop to cool down.
But Laci, home for the holiday, was furious.
Another fight and this one on Christmas Eve
no less, and as usual, over some stupid, little thing.
She was done.
AMANDA JENNINGS: And so my sister decided to go downstairs
and get into it with her.
I think one of the last things I remember my mom even saying
was something like, I would never
disrespect my parents that way.
Laci was just fed up, wasn't she?
Yeah she just couldn't believe they'd fight on Christmas.
KEITH MORRISON: Then more door slamming
and Laci was out of there.
AMANDA JENNINGS: She went back to her house in Buffalo.
So by the time she left, your dad
was outside in the workshop, although you didn't really
know where he was, right?
Well, he was outside.
He does that a lot.
He'll go outside and go out to his shop.
KEITH MORRISON: So Amanda sighed and closed her eyes
and drifted off.
And then sometime after 1:30 AM, that loud, frantic sound,
her father on 911.
She ran downstairs to her parents' bedroom.
AMANDA JENNINGS: I opened the door,
and you know I see her laying there,
and my dad is kneeling next to her.
And as soon as I had opened the door.
He gets up and kind of pulls me out of the room.
And he's hugging me, and crying.
KEITH MORRISON: Their mother was dead.
Of that there was no doubt.
But how and why and who?
When we come back.
What had happened in that bedroom?
I thought there'd been an accident.
KEITH MORRISON: The truth would be much worse.
Did you have any inkling any suspicion
that Brad might have had something to do with this?
>> Reporter: DALLAS JENNINGS WAS ONLY 11 THAT AWFUL CHRISTMAS
MORNING IN 2006, THE MORNING HE
LOST HIS MOTHER.
AND IT'S PROBABLY A BLESSING
THAT SOMETHING IN HIS BRAIN HAS
BLOCKED THE MEMORY
>> A LOT OF IT'S A BLUR TO ME.
>> Reporter: AMANDA, 16 AT THE
TIME, REMEMBERS EVERY DREADFUL
DETAIL
>> JUST SHOCK.
OBVIOUSLY VERY UPSET, BUT JUST
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, YOU
KNOW
>> Reporter: YEAH.
>> IT WAS VERY HARD.
>> Reporter: AND THE AMBULANCE
ARRIVED AND THE POLICEMEN.
>> THEY ALL ARRIVED AND WE HAD
TO LEAVE THE HOUSE SO THEY COULD
DO ALL THEIR WORK.
AND SO WE WENT OUTSIDE AND
WAITED IN MY TRUCK 'CAUSE IT WAS
COLD OUT
>> Reporter: LIKE, JUST HUDDLED
TOGETHER IN THERE?
DID YOU TALK MUCH?
>> JUST SHOCK AND MOSTLY
SILENCE.
I REMEMBER DALLAS KEPT SAYING,
"SHE'S GONNA BE OKAY."
HE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT HAD
HAPPENED, 'CAUSE HE DIDN'T SEE
HER OR NOTHIN' AND NO ONE WAS
REALLY SAYING WHAT HAPPENED.
AND MY DAD WAS JUST SITTING OVER
IN THE PASSENGER'S SEAT JUST A
MESS. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I
HAD EVER SEEN HIM CRY.
>> Reporter: NEWS OF THIS SORT
SPREADS VERY FAST, BUT OFTEN IN
CONFUSED, OR INCOMPLETE OR FUZZY
BITS, AND SO WHEN BRAD'S SISTER
MARSHA HEARD SOMETHING HAPPENED
AT THE FARM.
>> I DIDN'T REALIZE THE GRAVITY
OF IT.
I HAD -- THOUGHT THERE'D BEEN AN
ACCIDENT AND SHE WAS ON THE WAY
TO THE HOSPITAL.
>> Reporter: IT WAS ANYTHING BUT
AN ACCIDENT.
LISA WAS GONE, DEAD AT 39,
KILLED BY A BULLET AT CLOSE
RANGE TO THE HEAD.
BRAD TOLD LOCAL SHERIFF'S
DEPUTIES HOW HE ARGUED WITH
LISA, THEN WENT OUT TO HIS
WORKSHOP TO COOL OFF, AND WHEN
HE CAME BACK IN MAYBE 20 MINUTES
LATER, HE FOUND HER ON THE
BEDROOM FLOOR, HIS HANDGUN
NEARBY
SO DEPUTIES TESTED LISA'S HANDS
FOR GUNSHOT RESIDUE.
THEY DID THE SAME WITH BRAD AND
LACI
THAT, TO TELL THEM WHO FIRED THE
GUN.
AND?
LISA'S RIGHT HAND TESTED
POSITIVE FOR GUNSHOT RESIDUE
BRAD AND LACI CAME OUT NEGATIVE.
MEANING, IT SEEMED TO THE
CORONER, THAT LISA, FOR REASONS
UNKNOWN, MUST HAVE KILLED
HERSELF.
>> Reporter: DID IT MAKE SENSE
TO YOU THAT SHE WOULD COMMIT
SUICIDE?
>> NOTHING MADE SENSE TO ME THAT
NIGHT.
>> Reporter: YEAH, I BET
>> UM, I HAD HEARD STATEMENTS,
YOU KNOW, THAT SHE WAS TROUBLED
ABOUT REACHING 40.
SHE HAD HAD COSMETIC SURGERY
COULD BE A RED FLAG.
>> Reporter: BRAD AND LISA'S
BROTHER-IN-LAW, PAUL BRYAN, WAS
STRICKEN. WHAT DID THEY MISS
>> ALL THE KIDS LOVED AUNT LISA.
SHE WAS JUST FUN
LISA HAD SEEMED SO -- TOGETHER
SHE LOVED FAMILY EVENTS, LOVED
HAVING KIDS AROUND
>> THERE WAS NEVER A TIME THAT
LISA DID NOT WANT THE KIDS TO
SPEND THE NIGHT OR TO STAY AND
SHE MIGHT END UP WITH FIVE OR
SIX DIFFERENT CHILDREN THAT --
>> Reporter: UNDER HER ROOF?
>> -- SPENT THE NIGHT AND --
>> Reporter: IT WAS FINE WITH
HER?
>> YEAH, YEAH, SHE LOVED IT.
>> Reporter: BUT NOW THIS
ACCOMMODATING, FUN-LOVING, WOMAN
WAS DEAD
IT WAS ALL VERY SHOCKING
>> AND IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'VE HAD
A LONG ILLNESS OR SOMETHING TO
GET PREPARED
THIS WAS JUST SUDDEN AND -
>> Reporter: YEAH.
THE IDEA THAT SHE WOULD COMMIT
SUICIDE SO ABRUPTLY AND
VIOLENTLY LIKE THAT.
>> THAT -- WASN'T SOMETHING THAT
WOULD BE EXPECTED, NO.
>> Reporter: BUT, OF COURSE, THE
ALTERNATIVE WAS REALLY QUITE
UNTHINKABLE.
>> Reporter: DID YOU HAVE ANY
INKLING, ANY SUSPICION, THAT
BRAD MIGHT HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO
DO WITH THIS
>> I HAD NONE.
BRAD CALLED ME ON CHRISTMAS
MORNING AND YOU COULD TELL HE
WAS STILL TERRIBLY DISTRAUGHT.
SO THAT MORNING I CAME OVER AND
HE TOLD ME THE WHOLE STORY
AND NO, IT NEVER CROSSED MY
MIND
>> Reporter: IN FACT, AFTER ALL
THE LAB TEST RESULTS WERE IN,
THE DALLAS COUNTY SHERIFF,
CORONER AND PROSECUTOR ALL
OFFICIALLY RULED LISA'S DEATH
SUICIDE.
THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER, THE BUFFALO
REFLEX, QUOTED THE PROSECUTOR,
WHO SAID, "THERE IS ZERO
EVIDENCE TO SHOW OTHERWISE."
>> Reporter: SO YOU HAD NO SENSE
ANYWAY, NO REASON TO THINK IT
WAS ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT THE
CORONER AND THE SHERIFF SAID IT
WAS?
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
>> Reporter: BUT, THERE WERE
OTHERS IN THE FAMILY AND THEY
WERE NOT SO SURE
COMING UP --
>> SHE WENT TO THE MISSOURI
HIGHWAY PATROL TO EXPRESS THEIR
BELIEF THAT THIS, IN FACT, WAS A
MURDER
>> Reporter: AND AN
INVESTIGATOR'S PRIME SUSPECT
BRAD JENNINGS.
>> HE STARTED ASKING ME
QUESTIONS ABOUT BRAD, HE GOES,
"WHAT DID JENNINGS SAY ABOUT HIS
WIFE HAVING AN AFFAIR?
>> Reporter: WHEN "DATELINE"
>> Reporter: IT'S A SWEET LITTLE
PIECE OF AMERICA
BUFFALO, MISSOURI.
POPULATION THREE THOUSAND OR SO,
WHERE PEOPLE TEND TO KNOW EACH
OTHER'S BUSINESS
AND WHERE BRAD COULD HAVE A BEST
FRIEND HE MET WHEN THEY WERE
BOTH IN DIAPERS.
SO, OF COURSE, DALE POTTER
RUSHED OVER TO SEE BRAD THAT
VERY CHRISTMAS MORNING
>> HE JUST KEPT SAYING, "WHY,
DALE
WHY DID SHE DO THIS?”
HE WAS A MESS.
>> Reporter: ALL THOSE GUNS YOU
SEE IN THE BACKGROUND THERE?
DALE OWNS BUFFALO'S ONLY GUN AND
PAWN SHOP.
SO WHEN LISA'S DEATH WAS
DECLARED TO BE SUICIDE, AND THE
SHERIFF RETURNED BRAD'S GUN, THE
ONE THAT KILLED HER, BRAD CALLED
DALE
>> AND HE SAID, "I DON'T REALLY
WANT THE GUN BACK.”
>> CAN'T IMAGINE WHY HE WOULD.
>> HE SAID, "DO YOU WANT IT?”
AND I SAID, "YEAH, I DO.”
I CLEANED IT UP.
AND JUST PUT IT IN THE SAFE AND
FORGOT ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: AND THE FAMILY
TRIED TO MOVE ON AND DIDN'T PAY
MUCH ATTENTION WHEN LACI BEGAN
SAYING, ODD THINGS
>> YOU KNOW, WHEN MOM WAS
MURDERED, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH
>> Reporter: MURDERED?
NOT THAT IT WAS ANYTHING LIKE AN
ACCUSATION OR AGGRESSIVE, OR
UNFRIENDLY
>> SHE DIDN'T ACT ANY DIFFERENT
WITH DAD
SHE STILL CAME AROUND.
HE STILL HELPED HER.
>> Reporter: BUT, SOMETIMES --
THE SMALLER YOUR TOWN, THE LESS
YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOUR
NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING, BEHIND
YOUR BACK.
NOTHING IN-YOUR-FACE
NOTHING LIKE THAT.
>> IT WAS WAY MORE SUBTLE THAN
THAT
>> Reporter: HOW DO YOU MEAN
>> PROBABLY EVERYONE ELSE WAS
TALKING ABOUT IT, BUT THEY
DIDN'T TALK TO US ABOUT IT--
>> Reporter: NO.
THEY DIDN'T.
BUT LISA'S YOUNGER SISTER SHAWN
WAS TALKING.
>> SHE SAW A ROCKY MARRIAGE AND
HER SISTER WOULD NOT BE A PERSON
THAT WOULD HAVE COMMITTED
SUICIDE.
>> Reporter: THIS IS STEVE
POKIN, WRITES A COLUMN IN THE
"SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER,"
CALLED "POKIN AROUND."
WHICH HE DID, AND DISCOVERED
THAT LISA'S SISTER SHAWN -- GOT
BUSY SOON AFTER THAT DEADLY
CHRISTMAS MORNING.
>> IN EARLY JANUARY, SHE WENT TO
THE OFFICE OF THE MISSOURI STATE
HIGHWAY PATROL TO EXPRESS THEIR
BELIEF THAT THIS, IN FACT, WAS A
MURDER
>> Reporter: SHE LUCKED INTO A
HIGHLY EXPERIENCED DETECTIVE
NAMED DAN NASH
>> LONG-TIME INVESTIGATOR WHO'S
BEEN INVOLVED IN -- SEVERAL
HIGH-PROFILE MURDER CASES IN THE
OZARKS
>> Reporter: AND WHEN SERGEANT
NASH TOOK ONE LOOK AT THAT FILE,
SOMETHING FORENSIC SEEMED OFF.
HE WAS INCLINED TO AGREE WITH
SHAWN, DIDN'T LIKE SUICIDE AT
ALL.
>> HE WAS JUST -- STRUCK BY THE
FACT THAT IF, LISA JENNINGS HAD
SHOT HERSELF USING HER RIGHT
HAND THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE
BLOWBACK FROM THAT WOUND THAN
ONE DROP OF BLOOD.
>> Reporter: THREE MONTHS AFTER
THAT CHRISTMAS EVE, INVESTIGATOR
NASH DROVE OVER TO BRAD'S FARM,
TOLD HIM HE WAS LOOKING AT THE
CASE AGAIN
>> AND WANTED THE BATHROBE THAT
MR. JENNINGS WAS WEARING THAT
NIGHT.
>> Reporter: THE ROBE HE HAD ON
WHEN HE SAID HE FOUND LISA DEAD
AND HELD HER IN HIS ARMS
>> WHY THREE MONTHS LATER WOULD
A BATHROBE BE OF ANY USE AT ALL?
I'M -- SURELY IT HAD BEEN
CLEANED OR SOMETHING AFTER THIS
EVENT?
>> APPARENTLY, IT HAD NOT.
>> OH.
>> AND MR. JENNINGS HAD SPENT
LITTLE TIME GOING BACK INTO
THAT -- BEDROOM FROM -- WHERE
FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE HIS WIFE
HAD TAKEN HER LIFE
>> Reporter: SO BRAD GAVE NASH
THE BLACK BATHROBE
AND SURE ENOUGH, IT STILL HAD
BLOOD ON IT.
SO THEY RAN SOME TESTS, AND KEPT
IN TOUCH WITH BRAD
>> HE WAS QUESTIONED A COUPLE OF
TIMES.
>> Reporter: THEN, A MONTH LATER
THIS WAS APRIL NOW THE SHERIFF
CAME TO CALL AT DALE POTTER'S
GUN AND PAWN
>> AND HE SAYS, "I'M HERE TO
SEIZE THE JENNINGS GUN.”
>> Reporter: THEN, FEW WEEKS
AFTER THAT, A GUY IN A T-SHIRT
AND KHAKIS WALKED IN
>> TOLD ME HE WAS A SERGEANT
WITH A MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY
PATROL, AND HE SAID, "I'M HERE
TO INVESTIGATE THE MURDER OF
LISA JENNINGS.”
I SAID, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT, MURDER?
IT WAS IN THE PAPER.
YOU KNOW
IT WAS RULED A SUICIDE.”
AND HE SAID -- "NO
HE KILLED HER.”
>> Reporter: BUT THAT WASN'T
ALL.
>> AND HE GOES, "WHAT DID
JENNINGS SAY TO YOU ABOUT HIS
WIFE HAVING AN AFFAIR?”
>> I SAID, "HE NEVER SAID A WORD
ABOUT HIS WIFE HAVING AN AFFAIR.
WHY?
WAS SHE?”
AND HE SAID, "YES, AND WE CAN
PROVE IT.”
I SAID, "WELL, THAT EXPLAINS A
LOT.”
HE SAID, "YOU MEAN, WHY HE
KILLED HER?" AND I SAID, "NO.”
I SAID, "WHY SHE DID THIS.”
I SAID, "MAYBE EVERYTHING CAUGHT
UP WITH HER, YOU KNOW?”
>> Reporter: MEANING, THOUGHT
DALE, SOMETHING ABOUT THE AFFAIR
PUSHED HER OVER THE EDGE
THEN DALE OFFERED THE SERGEANT A
LITTLE FAMILY HISTORY.
>> I SAID, "YOU DO KNOW, DON'T
YA, THAT HER DAD KILLED
HISSELF?" AND HE GOES, "YOU'RE
FULL OF CRAP.”
HE SAID, "HER DAD'S ALIVE.
AND HE LIVES AT WINDYVILLE.”
I SAID, "NO, YOU'RE FULL OF
CRAP
HER STEPDAD LIVES AT WINDYVILLE.
HER REAL DAD KILLED HIMSELF OUT
IN KANSAS YEARS AGO.”
>> Reporter: ANOTHER FAMILY
SUICIDE?
AN AFFAIR?
JUST WHERE WAS THIS
INVESTIGATION GOING?
>> Reporter: COMING UP -
A DETERMINED DETECTIVE -
>> HE LOOKED AT ME AND TOLD ME,
STRAIGHT UP, "I'VE NEVER BEEN
WRONG.”
>> Reporter: AND A CONFUSED
FRIEND
WHAT'D YOU THINK
>> I THOUGHT THEY MADE ONE OF
THE WORST MISTAKES I'D EVER
>> Reporter: PROBABLY EVERYBODY
IN BUFFALO, MISSOURI, KNEW THAT
BRAD JENNINGS, THE APPARENTLY
GRIEVING HUSBAND, WAS NOW A
MURDER SUSPECT
EVERYBODY WAITING FOR SOMETHING,
TO HAPPEN.
AND IN JULY 2007, 7 MONTHS AFTER
LISA'S DEATH, IT DID
>> I GOT ABOUT A MILE FROM HIS
HOUSE, AND TWO OR THREE HIGHWAY
PATROL SERGEANTS AND THE SHERIFF
STOPPED HIM AND ARRESTED HIM
TOOK HIM TO THE COUNTY JAIL.
>> Reporter: WHAT'D YOU THINK?
>> I THOUGHT THEY MADE ONE OF
THE WORST MISTAKES I'D EVER
HEARD OF
>> LATER, WE WERE TOLD THERE
WERE PEOPLE AROUND THAT KNEW IT
WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
>> Reporter: PEOPLE LIKE LISA'S
SISTER, SHAWN, WHO WENT TO THE
HIGHWAY PATROL IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
AND LISA'S DAUGHTER FROM HER
FIRST MARRIAGE, LACI
WE ASKED FOR INTERVIEWS.
THEY DECLINED.
>> WHEN MY DAD GOT ARRESTED,
LACI AND SHAWN SHOWED UP AT THE
HOUSE TO PICK ME AND DALLAS UP
AND THEN, MY GRANDMA SHOWED UP
AS WELL TO PICK US UP.
AND MY AUNT AND MY GRANDMA KIND
OF GOT INTO IT
>> Reporter: IT SOUNDS TO ME
LIKE THAT IS SORT OF THE MOMENT
WHEN THE FAMILY BROKE APART.
>> THAT'S WHEN IT REALLY BLEW
OPEN
THAT'S WHEN, YOU KNOW, LACI QUIT
COMING AROUND AND EVERYTHING
JUST FELL APART.
>> Reporter: THAT EVENING,
BRAD'S BROTHER-IN-LAW, PAUL,
WHO'S MARRIED TO LISA'S OTHER
SISTER, SAID HE MET WITH THE
HIGHWAY PATROL SERGEANT WHO LED
THE INVESTIGATION.
>> AND I ASKED THE ONE PATROL
OFFICER IF HE'D EVER BEEN WRONG.
THAT THERE WAS A SMALL PART OF
ME THAT WISHED OR HOPES THAT HE
IS CORRECT
BECAUSE, IF NOT, HE'S GOING TO
RUIN A LOT OF PEOPLE'S LIVES
AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND TOLD ME,
STRAIGHT UP, "I'VE NEVER BEEN
WRONG.
>> Reporter: NEVER BEEN WRONG?
>> NEVER BEEN WRONG.
>> Reporter: WAS THIS
INVESTIGATOR DAN NASH?
>> IT WAS.
>> Reporter: BRAD POSTED A
$1,000,000 BOND AND WAS ALLOWED
TO REMAIN FREE UNTIL HIS TRIAL
BRAD'S ATTORNEY SAID THE STATE
HAD NO CASE.
>> AND EVERY TIME THAT I SPOKE
WITH HIM, HE SAID, "IT COULDN'T
GO TO TRIAL.
HE DIDN'T SAY IT WOULDN'T.
HE SAID IT COULDN'T.
>> Reporter: HE WAS STILL SAYING
THAT THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE TRIAL
WAS TO BEGIN IN AUGUST 2009.
>> HE SAID, "WE'LL GO IN THERE
MONDAY MORNING, AND WE'LL SEE
WHAT MOTIONS ARE FLYING AROUND."
>> Reporter: BUT BY MIDDAY
MONDAY, THE JURY WAS PICKED, AND
THE TRIAL BEGAN.
>> Reporter: HOW SHOCKING WAS
THAT
>> IT WAS VERY SHOCKING.
AND, WE HADN'T BEEN THERE AN
HOUR UNTIL I WAS GETTING SICK TO
MY STOMACH JUST LISTENING.
THE PROSECUTION WAS JUST RUNNING
RAMPANT WITH IT.
THAT IS, SAYING TERRIBLE THINGS
ABOUT BRAD
AND I WAS WANTING TO JUMP UP AND
OBJECT
>> Reporter: BECAUSE TO MARSHA,
IT SEEMED LIKE BRAD'S ATTORNEY,
DARELL DEPUTY, WASN'T OBJECTING
AT ALL
>> MR. DEPUTY WOULDN'T SAY
ANYTHING IN BRAD'S DEFENSE
>> Reporter: WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO
BE YOU, SITTING BACK THERE
WATCHING THAT?
>> IT WAS THE MOST MISERABLE
TIME OF MY LIFE.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I COULD
DO
I WANTED TO STOP IT, AND I
DIDN'T KNOW HOW.
AND MR. DEPUTY WOULD SAY, "IT'S
ALL GOING TO COME TOGETHER
HERE."
AND, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT."
>> Reporter: MAYBE THE ATTORNEY
WAS THINKING OF THE GUNSHOT
RESIDUE, OR GSR.
REMEMBER, THEY FOUND GSR ON
LISA'S RIGHT HAND, BUT NOT ON
BRAD'S HANDS, IMPLYING THAT LISA
SHOT HERSELF
THE PROSECUTOR HAD AN
EXPLANATION.
>> SO THE PROSECUTOR SAYS IT'S A
LOGICAL INFERENCE FROM THE FACTS
OF THE CASE THAT MR. JENNINGS,
AFTER HE SHOT HIS WIFE, BEFORE
HE CALLED 911, HE WASHED HIS
HANDS AND WASHED HIS FOREARMS
>> Reporter: AND BLOOD EVIDENCE.
INVESTIGATOR NASH WAS THE EXPERT
THE STATE PUT UP
AND HE SAID THAT, IN HIS EXPERT
OPINION, THE WAY SPATTER HIT THE
WALL, AND BRAD'S BLACK BATHROBE,
AND LISA'S HAND, IT LEFT NO
DOUBT THAT BRAD FIRED THE FATAL
SHOT
BUT WHY WOULD HE DO SUCH A
THING?
AN AGE-OLD REASON, SAID THE
PROSECUTOR -- LISA WANTED OUT.
>> THE PROSECUTION AT TRIAL
WANTED TO SHOW THAT SHE WAS
INTENT ON LEAVING HIM, AND SHE
HAD AN APPLICATION AT AN
APARTMENT COMPLEX WHERE LACI HAD
LIVED.
>> Reporter: LISA WOULDN'T END
HER LIFE, SAID THE STATE,
BECAUSE SHE WAS BUSY IMPROVING
IT
SHE HAD BOUGHT NICE CLOTHES, HAD
RECENTLY HAD COSMETIC SURGERY.
>> THE STATE PRESENTED WITNESSES
THAT SAID SHE WAS IN GOOD
SPIRITS.
AND IT'S UNLIKELY THAT SOMEONE
WHO HAS COSMETIC SURGERY AND IS
FEELING GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES
WOULD TAKE THEIR LIVES
>> Reporter: THE DEFENSE DIDN'T
MENTION THAT LISA'S FATHER
COMMITTED SUICIDE.
OR THAT SHE, HERSELF, ATTEMPTED
SUICIDE BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, NO
SECRET IN TOWN BACK THEN
AND NOBODY BROUGHT UP THE RUMOR
THAT LISA WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR
BUT, ONE CURIOUS THING DID COME
UP
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY, IN HIS
CLOSING ARGUMENT, MADE A RATHER
FASCINATING POINT ABOUT THE
BATHROBE BRAD WAS WEARING WHEN
LISA WAS SHOT.
>> THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY, IN HIS
CLOSING ARGUMENT, SAID, "THEY
HAD THIS THING FOR TWO YEARS
I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DIDN'T
TEST IT FOR GUNSHOT RESIDUE, BUT
THEY DIDN'T.
SO WE COULD WRAP THIS UP IN A
HEARTBEAT, WHETHER HE DID IT OR
NOT, IF THEY HAD TESTED THAT."
NOW THAT WAS INTERESTING
AND A VERY GOOD POINT.
AFTER ALL, IF THEY FOUND RESIDUE
ON THE BATHROBE, IT WOULD
CERTAINLY POINT RIGHT AT BRAD.
BUT THE MOMENT PASSED.
THE CASE WENT TO THE JURY.
AND 2 HOURS AND 24 MINUTES
LATER, THEY FOUND BRAD GUILTY OF
MURDER
AND WHERE ELSE WOULD THIS
HAPPEN
THEY LET HIM GO HOME ONE LAST
NIGHT BEFORE THE SENTENCING
BEGAN THE FOLLOWING DAY.
>> AND THE NEXT MORNING --
HE ASKED ME TO DRIVE HIM BACK.
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE
MOST DIFFICULT THINGS I'VE EVER
HAD TO DO.
>> Reporter: DID YOU WANT TO
JUST SAY, "LET'S GO SOMEWHERE
ELSE, BRAD
LET'S JUST DRIVE TO MEXICO OR
SOMETHING"
>> NO.
THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE.
AND I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD
FIGHT WITH EVERYTHING I HAD IN
ME TO CORRECT IT
>> Reporter: BUT WHAT COULD ONE
LONE WOMAN DO?
NO LEGAL TRAINING.
NO CONTACTS.
NO PULL.
WHAT INDEED.
COMING UP, A SEARCH FOR THE
TRUTH --
>> IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS
SOMETHING THAT JUST WASN'T
RIGHT.
>> Reporter: -- AND MISSING
EVIDENCE
>> I TOOK THE PHOTO.
I TEXTED IT TO DWIGHT AND JUST
SAID, "JACKPOT."
>> Reporter: THE DAY AFTER
BRAD JENNINGS WAS CONVICTED OF
MURDERING HIS WIFE, LISA, HE
DUTIFULLY RETURNED TO COURT FOR
SENTENCING
HE GOT 25 YEARS, AND THEY LED
HIM AWAY
ON A DAY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN,
OTHERWISE, AUSPICIOUS.
>> THAT WAS MY FIRST DAY OF HIGH
SCHOOL
>> Reporter: DID EITHER OF YOU
EVER THINK MAYBE, HE DID KILL
HER?
>> NOT EVEN ONCE
>> IF YOU KNOW HIM EVEN, LIKE,
AT ALL, HE'S JUST NOT THAT KIND
OF PERSON.
>> Reporter: TRUE, SAID BRAD'S
BIG SISTER MARSHA.
AND SO SHE DECIDED, SHE HAD TO
DO EVERYTHING SHE COULD TO HELP
HIM.
WASN'T EASY.
>> Reporter: BECAUSE HE HAD TWO
KIDS WHO NEEDED TO BE CARED FOR.
HE HAD PAYMENTS THAT HAD TO BE
MADE ON THE HOUSE, ON THE FARM,
ON THE CARS, ON THE -- HE HAD A
BUSINESS THAT HAD TO BE WRAPPED
UP
AND HE HAD THIS HUGE PROBLEM OF
HAVING BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME
YOU DIDN'T THINK HE COMMITTED.
SO WHAT DOES A PERSON DO IN A
SITUATION LIKE THAT?
>> I HAD NO IDEA
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO
START.
>> Reporter: BUT SHE KNEW SHE
NEEDED A BETTER INCOME, SO SHE
FOUND A JOB THAT PAID MORE, BUT
REQUIRED CONSTANT TRAVEL
>> I COME HOME ON THURSDAY NIGHT
AND LEAVE SUNDAY
>> Reporter: AND IN THE TIME
YOU'RE HOME, YOU WASH YOUR
CLOTHES, SAY HI TO THE KIDS, GO
INTO THE PRISON, SEE BRAD, AND
GET BACK ON THE PLANE AGAIN.
>> YEAH.
>> Reporter: THE FIRST APPEAL,
CLAIMED BRAD HAD INADEQUATE
REPRESENTATION AT TRIAL.
>> I THOUGHT THAT WAS A
NO-BRAINER
>> Reporter: BUT IT FAILED,
APPEALS COURT DIDN'T AGREE
AND BRAD'S TRIAL LAWYER,
DARRELL DEPUTY, SAID HE SERVED
BRAD WELL.
ANYWAY, MARSHA HIRED MORE
ATTORNEYS.
BUT --
>> I COULDN'T GET THEM TO TALK
TO ME.
I COULDN'T GET THEM TO ANSWER A
QUESTION
I COULDN'T GET THEM TO CALL ME
BACK
>> Reporter: DID THEY SEND YOU A
BILL
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I'VE GOT LOTS OF BILLS
>> Reporter: THIS WENT ON FOR
MONTHS
YEARS.
SHE HEARD ABOUT A PRIVATE
INVESTIGATOR NAMED
DWIGHT MCNEIL, HER THEN-ATTORNEY
TOLD HER, "DON'T CALL HIM.
>> SO I SAT ON IT FOR A LITTLE
BIT.
AND I WAS HAVING A REALLY BAD
DAY AND I CALLED
AND DWIGHT PICKED UP THE PHONE
AND I JUST STARTED CRYING,
'CAUSE IT'S BEEN SO LONG THAT --
SINCE ANYONE I HAD CALLED
ANSWERED ME.
>> Reporter: AND HE DID LISTEN
BUT --
>> I TOLD HER I WOULDN'T LOOK AT
THE CASE
>> Reporter: DWIGHT WAS A FORMER
SHERIFF.
HE TOLD HER HIS JOB WAS CATCHING
BAD GUYS, NOT GETTING THEM OUT
OF PRISON.
BUT, MARSHA PERSISTED.
AND SO HE AGREED TO SEE HER IN
PERSON
>> I EXPLAINED TO HER THAT IF I
CONCLUDED FROM MY REVIEW OF THE
FILE THAT THERE WAS ANY BASIS AT
ALL TO BELIEVE THAT MR. JENNINGS
HAD MURDERED HIS WIFE, THAT I
WOULD USE WHATEVER INFLUENCE
AND -- WHATEVER PRESSURE I COULD
TO MAKE SURE HE STAYED IN PRISON
THE REST OF HIS LIFE
>> Reporter: YOU COULD ACCEPT A
DEAL LIKE THAT
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY
>> Reporter: SO, DWIGHT SCANNED
THE FILE
JUST A QUICK LOOK AND -- THIS
WAS STRANGE.
>> IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS
SOMETHING THAT JUST WASN'T
RIGHT.
>> Reporter: REMEMBER WHAT THE
TRIAL ATTORNEY SAID ABOUT THE
BLACK BATHROBE, TOO BAD THEY
DIDN'T TEST IT FOR "GSR,"
GUNSHOT RESIDUE?
DWIGHT, WITH HIS YEARS IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT, LIT UP WHEN HE SAW
THAT
THEY MUST HAVE TESTED THE ROBE
>> THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TESTED
FOR GSR ALL THE WAY UP THE RIGHT
SLEEVE
>> Reporter: SURE.
>> IF -- IF HE'D FIRED THE GUN,
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN GSR ON
THAT ROBE.
NO SUCH REPORT EXISTED FOR THE
TESTING OF THAT SLEEVE OF THAT
ROBE IN THE FILE
>> Reporter: DIDN'T MAKE SENSE
DWIGHT BEGAN WORKING WITH LAWYER
LINDSEY PHOENIX, WHO REQUESTED
COPIES OF ALL THE LAB REPORTS
FROM THE HIGHWAY PATROL'S CRIME
LAB.
>> I GOT A LOVELY LETTER FROM
THEM SAYING, "HERE YOU GO.
HERE'S EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE."
AND IT INCLUDED EVERY TEST,
EXCEPT FOR THE ONE THAT I WAS
LOOKING FOR.
>> Reporter: BUT, IT HAD TO BE
THERE.
SO LINDSEY WENT IN PERSON TO THE
STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
>> AND I SAID, "I WANT TO
EXAMINE EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT YOU HAVE." AND I BROUGHT A
VIDEO CAMERA AND A CELL PHONE
CAMERA AND I PHOTOGRAPHED
EVERYTHING, TRYING TO BE
INCONSPICUOUS.
I DIDN'T WANNA TAKE A CHANCE OF
ME FINDING SOMETHING AND IT
DISAPPEARING
>> Reporter: AND THAT'S WHEN SHE
FOUND THEM, TWO SMALL CANISTERS
AND INSIDE
>> THE STUBS FROM THE GUNSHOT
RESIDUE TEST THAT WERE LABELED
"ROBE.
AND I TOOK THE PHOTO, I TEXTED
IT TO DWIGHT AND JUST SAID,
"JACKPOT."
AND THEN I HAD TO GO THROUGH THE
REST OF THOSE BOXES LIKE I WAS
STILL LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE
AND ACT LIKE IT WASN'T A BIG
DEAL
AND I WAS ECSTATIC
>> Reporter: THOSE LITTLE STUBS
CONFIRMED, A GSR TEST HAD BEEN
PERFORMED ON BRAD'S ROBE, BUT
WHERE WERE THE RESULTS
SHE ASKED THE HIGHWAY PATROL FOR
THEM
>> AND THEY DIDN'T SEND THEM TO
ME
>> Reporter: SO SHE WROTE TO
THEM AGAIN
>> AND SAID, "ALL RIGHT, I KNOW
THEY'RE THERE.
I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF IT
I KNOW THEY'RE THERE
SEND ME THE RESULTS.
AND THEN THEY SENT THEM.
>> Reporter: AND
THE TESTS WERE CONCLUSIVE.
THERE WAS NO GUNSHOT RESIDUE ON
BRAD'S BLACK BATHROBE, JUST AS
THERE WASN'T ANY ON HIS HANDS ON
THE NIGHT LISA DIED.
MEANING, BRAD ALMOST CERTAINLY
DID NOT FIRE THE GUN THAT KILLED
LISA
BUT WHY DIDN'T LEAD INVESTIGATOR
DAN NASH REVEAL THAT
WELL, HE SAID, HE NEVER RECEIVED
THOSE RESULTS.
PLAUSIBLE?
>> NOT IN A HEARTBEAT.
NO
I WAS A PROSECUTOR BEFORE THIS
MY SPOUSE IS A POLICE OFFICER.
DWIGHT'S A POLICE OFFICER.
WE KNOW THE CARE THAT GOES INTO
BUILDING A CASE, AND THAT'S NOT
A STEP THAT YOU SKIP
DAN NASH HAD SPECIFICALLY ASKED
FOR THAT TEST TO BE DONE
>> Reporter: SO BY NOW DWIGHT
WAS LOOKING CAREFULLY AT
DAN NASH
HE TALKED TO A RETIRED JUDGE
>> AND HE MADE IT VERY CLEAR
THAT HE HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS
WITH MR. NASH'S REPUTATION FOR
TRUTH AND HONESTY UNDER OATH
AND FROM THERE WE STARTING
INTERVIEWING FORMER PROSECUTORS
AND A NUMBER OF FORMER COURT
PERSONNEL WHO EXPRESSED CONCERNS
ABOUT HIS REPUTATION FOR TRUTH
AND VERACITY
>> Reporter: REMEMBER HOW, AT
THE TRIAL, NASH WAS PRESENTED AS
A BLOOD SPATTER EXPERT
HE WASN'T.
IN FACT, NASH HAD NOT EVEN TAKEN
A BASIC BLOODSTAIN ANALYSIS
CLASS WHEN HE INVESTIGATED
LISA'S DEATH
HE TOOK A 40-HOUR COURSE THE
FOLLOWING YEAR, BUT WAS STILL
NOT AN EXPERT WHEN HE TESTIFIED
AT TRIAL
DWIGHT SOUGHT OUT THE BEST IN
THE FIELD.
>> I FOUND TWO OF THE WORLD'S
MOST RENOWNED BLOOD SPATTER
EXPERTS.
>> Reporter: HE SENT THE CRIME
SCENE PHOTOS TO BOTH OF THEM
>> AND THEY BOTH INDEPENDENTLY
CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION.
>> Reporter: THAT DAN NASH WAS
QUITE SIMPLY, DEAD WRONG
ONE OF THEM WROTE --
"THE BLOODSTAIN EVIDENCE, AND
THE PRESENCE OF GUNSHOT RESIDUE
ON THE RIGHT HAND OF
LISA JENNINGS ARE CONSISTENT
WITH A SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT
WOUND.
BUT, AS ANY LAWYER WILL TELL
YOU, UN-DOING A JURY'S GUILTY
VERDICT IS WELL NIGH IMPOSSIBLE.
SO -- WHAT NOW
>> Reporter: COMING UP -
A LIFE INTERRUPTED
>> HE MISSED OUT ON ME TURNING
16, ME GETTING MARRIED, I HAVE A
KID NOW. HE MISSED THAT.
>> Reporter: WOW
WOW.
>> HE MISSED OUT ON A LOT.
>> Reporter: WILL BRAD JENNINGS
>> Reporter: DALLAS JENNINGS
FELT LIKE A CHEATED YOUNG MAN.
HIS FATHER IN PRISON WHEN
NEITHER HE NOR AMANDA BELIEVED
FOR A MINUTE THAT HE KILLED
THEIR MOTHER
>> HE MISSED OUT ON ME TURNING
16, ME DRIVING FOR THE FIRST
TIME, MY GRADUATION, ME GETTING
MARRIED.
I HAVE A KID NOW
HE MISSED THAT
>> Reporter: WOW
>> THE BIRTH OF HIS FIRST
GRANDCHILD
HE MISSED OUT ON A LOT
>> Reporter: BUT BRAD'S SISTER
MARSHA WAS STILL DETERMINED TO
BRING HIM BACK TO THAT WORLD HE
WAS MISSING.
AND WITH INVESTIGATOR DWIGHT'S
HELP, SHE FINALLY FOUND THIS
FATHER-DAUGHTER TEAM OF
ATTORNEYS WHO SEEMED TO
UNDERSTAND THE CASE AND THE
FAMILY
>> THESE WERE JUST SALT OF THE
EARTH, SMALL-TOWN, COUNTRY
PEOPLE
AND THEY WERE STUNNED AT THE WAY
THE SYSTEM HAD WORKED AGAINST
BRAD JENNINGS.
>> Reporter: FIRST, BOB AND
LIZ RAMSEY READ THE TRIAL
TRANSCRIPT
>> THE FIRST THING THAT JUMPED
OUT AT ME IS, I DON'T RECALL
SEEING A DEFENSE ATTORNEY DO SO
LITTLE FOR HIS CLIENT IN MY
38 YEARS OF PRACTICING LAW
>> Reporter: OH, COME ON
NOT THE WORST SURELY
>> IT'S -- IT -- IT WAS
CERTAINLY ONE OF THE WORST
>> Reporter: BUT WHAT ALSO
JUMPED OUT WAS THE WORK OF THAT
HIGHWAY PATROL INVESTIGATOR,
DAN NASH
CONFRONTED ABOUT THE UN-REVEALED
GUNSHOT RESIDUE TEST THAT MIGHT
EXONERATE BRAD, NASH SAID HE
NEVER SAW THE REPORT
SAID IT NEVER MADE IT TO HIS
DESK
>> IF THAT TEST HAD BEEN
POSITIVE, WOULD IT HAVE BEEN
LOST IN A FAX MACHINE?
>> IT'S JUST INCOMPREHENSIBLE
THAT HE WOULDN'T FOLLOW UP AND
SAY, "HEY, WHAT HAPPENED TO
MY -- MY GUNSHOT RESIDUE TEST
THAT I ORDERED?"
WELL, HE WAS EITHER GROSSLY
NEGLIGENT OR HE SUPPRESSED IT
DELIBERATELY
>> Reporter: NO QUESTION ABOUT
IT
THE ISSUE OF THAT UNREVEALED GSR
TEST WAS HUGE.
>> I THOUGHT, IT'S A CLASSIC
BRADY VIOLATION.
IT'S THE KIND OF EVIDENCE THAT
MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN A TRIAL.
>> Reporter: SO, THEY ELECTED TO
SHOOT FOR THE MOON
THEIR ONE CHANCE TO OVERTURN THE
JURY VERDICT, A HABEAS PETITION
THAT CLAIMED WITHHELD EVIDENCE
COULD HAVE CHANGED THE RESULT OF
THE TRIAL.
>> I DON'T PROMISE ANYTHING TO A
CLIENT, OTHER THAN "I'LL GIVE
YOU MY BEST SHOT."
AND ALL I TOLD HIM WAS, "THIS
GIVES YOU A SHOT."
>> Reporter: VANISHINGLY FEW
SUCH PETITIONS EVER GO ANYWHERE.
STILL, THEY FILED.
AND WAITED
AND AGAINST ALL ODDS WERE
GRANTED A HEARING.
>> WE WERE VERY EXCITED.
>> Reporter: YEAH.
>> BUT CAUTIOUS.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THIS LITTLE
DIM LIGHT AT THE END OF A TUNNEL
>> Reporter: THIS WAS THE
HEARING IN NOVEMBER 2017, ALMOST
11 YEARS AFTER THAT TERRIBLE
CHRISTMAS EVE.
HERE BRAD'S ATTORNEYS REVEALED
THE GSR RESULT THAT SUGGESTED
HIS INNOCENCE.
AND THE EXPERT'S BLOOD SPATTER
FINDINGS THAT DID THE SAME AND
WITNESSES WHO QUESTIONED THE
HONESTY OF DETECTIVE NASH.
>> I THINK THAT HIS CREDIBILITY
WAS PUT AT ISSUE FOR THE ENTIRE
HEARING.
>> Reporter: LAWYERS FROM THE
MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
OFFICE WERE THERE, TOO, AND TOLD
THE JUDGE THAT WHAT THE DEFENSE
CAME UP WITH WOULD NOT HAVE
CHANGED THE GUILTY VERDICT
THEIR CASE WAS SO STRONG
WE WANTED TO HEAR FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, FROM
SGT. DAN NASH AND THE HIGHWAY
PATROL AND ALL DECLINED OUR
REQUESTS
AND THEN
MONTHS WENT BY AND THEY ALL HAD
TO WAIT FOR THE JUDGE UNTIL
FEBRUARY 8TH, 2018
FINALLY. A RULING.
>> MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO GO
RIGHT TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH AND
SEE WHAT THE RESULT WAS.
AND THE LAST SENTENCE OF HIS
ORDER IS, "AT A MINIMUM THE
SUPPRESSION OF THE GUNSHOT
CONFIDENCE IN THAT VERDICT."
>> Reporter: CONVICTION
OVERTURNED
>> IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT WE
HAD HAD A POSITIVE OUTCOME
IT WAS WONDERFUL
>> Reporter: THE NEXT DAY,
ON THE JUDGE'S ORDER,
BRAD JENNINGS WALKED OUT OF
PRISON AFTER EIGHT AND A HALF
YEARS AND INTO THE ARMS OF THE
PEOPLE WHO NEVER, FOR A MINUTE,
GAVE UP ON HIM
>> IT'S THE KIND OF STUFF THAT
YOU DREAM ABOUT IN LAW SCHOOL.
AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT BRAD
IS INNOCENT, SO TO WALK HIM OUT
WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST HONORS
OF MY LIFE
LIKE, I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT
DAY.
>> IT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE.
WE HAD ALL WAITED SO LONG FOR IT
AND WONDERED IF IT WAS EVER
GONNA HAPPEN
BUT IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DAYS
OF MY LIFE
>> IT WAS REALLY AWESOME TO SEE
HIM WALK OUT, YOU KNOW, KNOWING
THAT HE WAS GONNA COME HOME WITH
US, THAT WAS AMAZING
>> Reporter: THAT RIDE HOME HAD
TO BE QUITE SOMETHING, HUH
>> IT WAS.
>> YEAH, IT WAS.
IT WAS WEIRD
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME MY DAD'S
EVER SEEN ME DRIVE
YEAH, I DROVE HIM HOME
>> Reporter: BRAD JENNINGS WAS A
MAN OF FEW WORDS WHEN HE MET US
A FEW WEEKS LATER.
AS IF HE WAS STILL AFRAID TO
BELIEVE IT, AND LET GO
AND HE KNOWS THE STATE HAS AN
OPTION TO RETRY HIM.
>> BUT IF WE GO TO TRIAL AGAIN,
I THINK WE CAN WIN
>> Reporter: BUT WE TALKED A BIT
ABOUT THAT CHRISTMAS EVE
AND THE MYSTERY OF WHAT SO UPSET
LISA
>> SHE WAS CRYING.
THAT'S ONE THING I ASKED HER,
WHY SHE WAS CRYING
>> Reporter: HUH
AND SHE COULDN'T TELL YOU?
>> UNH-UH.
>> Reporter: DIDN'T WANT TO TELL
YOU.
>> DIDN'T WANNA TALK
DIDN'T WANNA SAY ANYTHING.
>> Reporter: WASN'T 'TIL YEARS
LATER, HE SAID, THAT HE LEARNED
SHE'D BEEN HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH
HER BOSS
AND THAT MAN HAD JUST BROKEN IT
OFF MEANING SHE WAS ALSO OUT OF
A JOB.
>> SHE HAD TOLD ME SHE WASN'T
COMING BACK TO WORK THE DAY
BEFORE THIS.
>> Reporter: HE DIDN'T
UNDERSTAND IT, THEN.
BUT NOW?
MAYBE THAT WAS AN ANSWER TO HIS
LONG AGO QUESTION.
WHY DID SHE SHE END HER OWN
LIFE
ONCE HE MIGHT HAVE CONFRONTED
THE OTHER MAN.
NOW?
NOTHING TO BE DONE
>> I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE HE'S
AT NOW
THAT BUSINESS SHUT -- CLOSED
DOWN NOW
>> Reporter: THE ONCE-CLOSE
FAMILY IS BADLY SPLIT.
LISA'S SISTER SHAWN AND
DAUGHTER, LACI, STILL BELIEVE
BRAD IS GUILTY
SO, FOR NOW --
>> IT'S JUST LIKE STARTIN' OVER
AGAIN, THOUGH, YOU KNOW I MEAN
>> Reporter: AND HE CLINGS TO
HIS KIDS, HIS SISTER, HIS MOM,
AND THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM, TO
HIS ANCESTRAL FARM AND HIS OTHER
LONG-TIME LOVE THE OLD CHEVELLE.
>> I KNEW BRAD WAS INNOCENT.
THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER WANTED
WAS FOR FINALLY EVERYONE TO HEAR
THE TRUTH.
>> Reporter: THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.
THIS EDITION OF "DATELINE.