1 00:00:07,441 --> 00:00:09,226 [Narrator] A kindhearted young woman, 2 00:00:09,226 --> 00:00:11,445 beloved by friends and family. 3 00:00:11,445 --> 00:00:14,405 Samantha always had a smile on her face. 4 00:00:14,405 --> 00:00:18,104 She loved people and people loved her, 5 00:00:18,104 --> 00:00:22,543 and she loved her cats. 6 00:00:22,543 --> 00:00:26,286 [Narrator] Found bludgeoned and strangled in her own home. 7 00:00:26,286 --> 00:00:28,114 I noticed the cable wrapped 8 00:00:28,114 --> 00:00:29,768 around her neck three or four times. 9 00:00:31,291 --> 00:00:33,772 Military people use that knot fairly often, 10 00:00:33,772 --> 00:00:35,600 it was a square knot. 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,471 [Narrator] Police explore whether her search 12 00:00:37,471 --> 00:00:40,126 for love took a deadly turn. 13 00:00:40,126 --> 00:00:42,172 He wanted to come over and see her, 14 00:00:42,172 --> 00:00:44,435 told her to be blindfolded, topless. 15 00:00:46,263 --> 00:00:48,569 She told me he parked in her driveway and just sat there. 16 00:00:48,569 --> 00:00:51,442 He fit that mode of being a stalker. 17 00:00:51,442 --> 00:00:53,705 [Narrator] Until a shocking discovery. 18 00:00:53,705 --> 00:00:57,665 We found that he was more than just a friend, 19 00:00:57,665 --> 00:00:59,537 that in fact, he had been a lover. 20 00:00:59,537 --> 00:01:02,105 [Narrator] Reveals a killer no one saw coming. 21 00:01:02,105 --> 00:01:03,584 He was a very unlikely killer. 22 00:01:03,584 --> 00:01:06,413 He didn't fit the profile at all. 23 00:01:06,413 --> 00:01:08,241 I was in shock. 24 00:01:08,241 --> 00:01:10,287 Frankly, I'd never seen anything quite like this before. 25 00:01:10,287 --> 00:01:12,898 [intense music] 26 00:01:18,686 --> 00:01:20,645 [Narrator] Wichita Falls, Texas. 27 00:01:20,645 --> 00:01:24,649 A former oil boom town that grew into a small city. 28 00:01:24,649 --> 00:01:26,477 Wichita Falls is a town 29 00:01:26,477 --> 00:01:28,609 of about a hundred thousand people. 30 00:01:28,609 --> 00:01:31,830 About 130 miles west of Dallas. 31 00:01:31,830 --> 00:01:33,788 It's quiet community. 32 00:01:33,788 --> 00:01:37,662 We're very close knit community. 33 00:01:37,662 --> 00:01:40,230 It does have a small town feel to it. 34 00:01:40,230 --> 00:01:41,579 It's not difficult to get to know 35 00:01:41,579 --> 00:01:43,668 just about everybody in town. 36 00:01:46,192 --> 00:01:48,151 [Narrator] But the town's sense of security 37 00:01:48,151 --> 00:01:52,329 is shattered on the morning of January 6th, 2003 38 00:01:52,329 --> 00:01:54,809 when police get a call from a woman who says, 39 00:01:54,809 --> 00:01:58,161 she's just discovered her friend's lifeless body 40 00:01:58,161 --> 00:01:59,640 in the bedroom of her home. 41 00:02:01,381 --> 00:02:03,470 I was a rookie police officer and we got this call. 42 00:02:03,470 --> 00:02:05,298 That somebody found a body. 43 00:02:05,298 --> 00:02:07,300 And we rushed over to the scene. 44 00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:09,346 When we arrived, I remember seeing her friends, 45 00:02:09,346 --> 00:02:10,695 they were very upset. 46 00:02:12,523 --> 00:02:14,742 [Narrator] The frantic couple tell the officer, 47 00:02:14,742 --> 00:02:19,486 the deceased woman is 28 year old Samantha Lezark. 48 00:02:19,486 --> 00:02:20,705 At this time, I still don't know 49 00:02:20,705 --> 00:02:22,272 what exactly was going on. 50 00:02:22,272 --> 00:02:24,796 I arrived 30 seconds to a minute 51 00:02:24,796 --> 00:02:26,841 after the first officer arrived. 52 00:02:26,841 --> 00:02:30,280 So when he entered the residence, I was right behind him. 53 00:02:31,585 --> 00:02:33,587 So with weapons drawn, 54 00:02:33,587 --> 00:02:35,676 and we're clearing through the bottom of the house, 55 00:02:35,676 --> 00:02:36,590 the kitchen. 56 00:02:38,375 --> 00:02:39,941 We start going up the stairs, 57 00:02:39,941 --> 00:02:43,728 and we have got down the hallway to her bedroom. 58 00:02:45,469 --> 00:02:47,906 And that's when I realized we have a murder. 59 00:02:49,864 --> 00:02:52,389 The victim was kind of in a prone position. 60 00:02:52,389 --> 00:02:55,218 I noticed the pool of blood was around her head, 61 00:02:55,218 --> 00:02:57,655 and I noticed the cable wrapped 62 00:02:57,655 --> 00:03:00,266 around her neck three or four times. 63 00:03:00,266 --> 00:03:04,488 I'd never seen a female that was murdered like this. 64 00:03:04,488 --> 00:03:06,533 This was my first time to actually see that. 65 00:03:06,533 --> 00:03:07,708 And it gets to you. 66 00:03:09,275 --> 00:03:11,582 We had proceeded to establish a crime scene. 67 00:03:12,931 --> 00:03:14,237 [Narrator] A few minutes later, 68 00:03:14,237 --> 00:03:16,282 detectives and forensics arrive. 69 00:03:18,415 --> 00:03:22,767 The victim had a ligature made of a coaxial cable 70 00:03:22,767 --> 00:03:24,986 tied very tight around her throat. 71 00:03:25,944 --> 00:03:27,859 It was a square knot. 72 00:03:27,859 --> 00:03:30,557 There's a couple of places you learn knots like that. 73 00:03:30,557 --> 00:03:33,604 Military people probably use that knot fairly often. 74 00:03:33,604 --> 00:03:35,997 And so it told me that whoever killed Samantha 75 00:03:35,997 --> 00:03:38,870 was versed in the knot based on some training. 76 00:03:41,046 --> 00:03:43,396 [Narrator] The cable was not the only weapon 77 00:03:43,396 --> 00:03:45,398 used by the killer. 78 00:03:45,398 --> 00:03:48,532 There was a fire extinguisher a few feet away from her 79 00:03:48,532 --> 00:03:50,795 that had hair and blood on it. 80 00:03:50,795 --> 00:03:53,841 There was definitely blood at the back of her head. 81 00:03:53,841 --> 00:03:54,799 A lot of it. 82 00:03:58,455 --> 00:04:01,414 There were some hand print ridge detail 83 00:04:01,414 --> 00:04:04,374 on the fire extinguisher that appeared to be in blood. 84 00:04:04,374 --> 00:04:06,854 It looked like there was some fingerprint detail, 85 00:04:06,854 --> 00:04:08,465 even on the coax. 86 00:04:09,814 --> 00:04:12,425 A strangulation death has some up close 87 00:04:12,425 --> 00:04:15,385 and personal aspect to it. 88 00:04:15,385 --> 00:04:18,388 Based on what we saw, we thought there was a good chance 89 00:04:18,388 --> 00:04:20,564 the killer actually knew the victim. 90 00:04:23,001 --> 00:04:25,438 [Narrator] Detectives examined the rest of the room 91 00:04:25,438 --> 00:04:27,527 for any other clues. 92 00:04:27,527 --> 00:04:30,443 In the middle of the bed was a laser pointer. 93 00:04:30,443 --> 00:04:34,317 On top of the laser pointer was some blood spatter. 94 00:04:34,317 --> 00:04:36,971 So we figured that the pointer had to have been on the bed 95 00:04:36,971 --> 00:04:39,060 when the injuries occurred to the victim. 96 00:04:41,454 --> 00:04:43,500 In looking around the house in general, 97 00:04:44,544 --> 00:04:45,632 none of the windows were broken, 98 00:04:45,632 --> 00:04:48,635 and all the doors were intact. 99 00:04:48,635 --> 00:04:50,550 Whenever you don't have forceable entry, 100 00:04:50,550 --> 00:04:54,554 your first thought is that it's someone that she knows. 101 00:04:56,077 --> 00:04:57,949 [Narrator] Police immediately begin the process 102 00:04:57,949 --> 00:05:00,473 of interviewing Samantha's neighbors. 103 00:05:00,473 --> 00:05:01,909 One of the neighbors had written down 104 00:05:01,909 --> 00:05:04,651 that a car with California tags was 105 00:05:04,651 --> 00:05:08,699 at Samantha's home on about January the first. 106 00:05:08,699 --> 00:05:10,440 [Narrator] The car from California 107 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,659 had been seen five days prior, 108 00:05:12,659 --> 00:05:15,749 but a different neighbor noticed another suspicious vehicle 109 00:05:15,749 --> 00:05:19,884 less than 24 hours before Samantha was found dead. 110 00:05:19,884 --> 00:05:22,103 There was a 12 year old young man 111 00:05:22,103 --> 00:05:25,455 who noticed a motorcycle at Samantha's home. 112 00:05:25,455 --> 00:05:28,109 He said it was red and black, 113 00:05:28,109 --> 00:05:31,852 and so the information about the motorcycle was noted. 114 00:05:34,464 --> 00:05:36,422 [Narrator] Soon news of the murder 115 00:05:36,422 --> 00:05:39,033 reaches Samantha's loved ones. 116 00:05:39,033 --> 00:05:41,035 I had just barely got to work 117 00:05:41,035 --> 00:05:44,648 when my husband calls and he tells me to come home. 118 00:05:44,648 --> 00:05:47,390 And he said that someone 119 00:05:47,390 --> 00:05:50,871 had killed Samantha the night before. 120 00:05:50,871 --> 00:05:53,613 I went into instant shock. 121 00:05:53,613 --> 00:05:56,616 That's just not something you comprehend. 122 00:05:56,616 --> 00:05:58,749 I mean, is this really happening? 123 00:06:00,098 --> 00:06:02,448 I got a phone call from a friend, 124 00:06:02,448 --> 00:06:05,059 and he told me to turn the news on. 125 00:06:05,059 --> 00:06:07,061 And her house 126 00:06:07,061 --> 00:06:10,587 was on the news with police tape all around it. 127 00:06:10,587 --> 00:06:13,720 I went numb. I fell to the ground. 128 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,681 'Cause I mean, Samantha, why would someone wanna hurt her? 129 00:06:18,943 --> 00:06:20,640 [Narrator] Samantha Lezark grew up 130 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:22,947 in a small town of Terrell, Texas, 131 00:06:22,947 --> 00:06:25,558 and was the oldest of three children. 132 00:06:25,558 --> 00:06:28,561 Samantha had two brothers, Joe Jr., 133 00:06:28,561 --> 00:06:31,564 and Lance, he was the baby. 134 00:06:31,564 --> 00:06:35,786 And Samantha practically raised him when I could work. 135 00:06:35,786 --> 00:06:37,744 She was very responsible. 136 00:06:37,744 --> 00:06:41,095 She could cook, she could wash clothes, 137 00:06:41,095 --> 00:06:43,446 and she loved little kids, 138 00:06:43,446 --> 00:06:45,752 and she loved elderly people. 139 00:06:47,537 --> 00:06:49,147 She was one of them late bloomers. 140 00:06:49,147 --> 00:06:51,105 She didn't really care that much 141 00:06:51,105 --> 00:06:54,805 about boys until she met John. 142 00:06:54,805 --> 00:06:57,503 [Narrator] Samantha married her high school sweetheart, 143 00:06:57,503 --> 00:07:00,158 John Lezark at age 20. 144 00:07:00,158 --> 00:07:04,771 John, he went to school to be a refrigerator repair man. 145 00:07:04,771 --> 00:07:07,557 And Samantha worked at the grocery store, 146 00:07:07,557 --> 00:07:11,038 and her job was real important to her. 147 00:07:12,562 --> 00:07:14,520 I met her when I worked at Albertson's. 148 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,089 And Samantha was everyone's favorite cashier. 149 00:07:18,089 --> 00:07:19,699 And you may be having a bad day, 150 00:07:19,699 --> 00:07:22,223 and she'd just make you happy. 151 00:07:22,223 --> 00:07:26,097 She was very high spirited. She loved her cats. 152 00:07:26,097 --> 00:07:30,493 She loved music, and she just loved her tattoos. 153 00:07:30,493 --> 00:07:32,495 Everything she had had a meaning. 154 00:07:32,495 --> 00:07:34,540 She had her fairies on both arms. 155 00:07:34,540 --> 00:07:36,542 Then she had one on her chest right here 156 00:07:36,542 --> 00:07:39,502 that was for John, said always in my heart. 157 00:07:41,112 --> 00:07:44,637 [Narrator] A devoted wife, Samantha was blindsided 158 00:07:44,637 --> 00:07:46,726 when after eight years of marriage, 159 00:07:46,726 --> 00:07:48,902 John left her for another woman. 160 00:07:50,251 --> 00:07:53,690 She just kept trying to make him happy. 161 00:07:53,690 --> 00:07:57,171 And she was so devastated when he left. 162 00:07:59,217 --> 00:08:01,567 [Narrator] Samantha picked herself up, 163 00:08:01,567 --> 00:08:05,092 and several months later she began dating again. 164 00:08:05,092 --> 00:08:08,052 Samantha's confidence definitely changed. 165 00:08:08,052 --> 00:08:10,663 I think Samantha was just trying to have fun. 166 00:08:10,663 --> 00:08:13,971 Get out back into the world, try new things. 167 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:16,843 [Narrator] Who killed this vibrant, 168 00:08:16,843 --> 00:08:19,193 and kind young woman and why? 169 00:08:19,193 --> 00:08:21,195 To try to answer these questions, 170 00:08:21,195 --> 00:08:23,981 police interview the couple who found the body, 171 00:08:23,981 --> 00:08:26,244 Lori and Donny Nieves. 172 00:08:26,244 --> 00:08:29,943 With Lori and Donny, as they were the last ones 173 00:08:29,943 --> 00:08:31,858 in the home before the police arrived. 174 00:08:31,858 --> 00:08:33,686 We certainly needed to make sure 175 00:08:33,686 --> 00:08:35,819 that there was no information that would tie either one 176 00:08:35,819 --> 00:08:37,211 of them to the actual murder. 177 00:08:38,648 --> 00:08:40,127 [Narrator] Detectives start with Lori, 178 00:08:40,127 --> 00:08:43,087 who says she and Samantha were coworkers. 179 00:08:43,087 --> 00:08:45,785 Lori described herself as being a good friend 180 00:08:45,785 --> 00:08:47,221 of Samantha's. 181 00:08:47,221 --> 00:08:50,050 And she said Samantha didn't come to work, 182 00:08:50,050 --> 00:08:51,878 which was very unusual. 183 00:08:51,878 --> 00:08:54,011 She didn't answer the phone. 184 00:08:54,011 --> 00:08:56,230 Donny had taken Lori to work that morning. 185 00:08:56,230 --> 00:08:58,058 And so he came back to get her, 186 00:08:58,058 --> 00:09:01,627 and take her to Samantha's home to check on her. 187 00:09:01,627 --> 00:09:04,238 Lori said they knocked on the door and didn't get an answer, 188 00:09:04,238 --> 00:09:05,849 but the door was unlocked. 189 00:09:05,849 --> 00:09:08,721 And so they went in and looked around, 190 00:09:08,721 --> 00:09:11,898 and they went upstairs and found Samantha deceased. 191 00:09:13,683 --> 00:09:16,033 [Narrator] Investigators speak to Donnie next. 192 00:09:16,033 --> 00:09:18,644 And he confirms Lori's statement. 193 00:09:18,644 --> 00:09:22,126 Donny characterized Samantha as being his wife's friend. 194 00:09:22,126 --> 00:09:23,997 He said that he was only there 195 00:09:23,997 --> 00:09:27,348 because he gave his wife a ride to go check on Samantha. 196 00:09:27,348 --> 00:09:29,263 [Narrator] Detectives ask the couple 197 00:09:29,263 --> 00:09:32,745 if they know anyone who would wanna harm Samantha. 198 00:09:32,745 --> 00:09:35,966 Lori pointed her finger at Samantha's estranged husband, 199 00:09:35,966 --> 00:09:37,620 John Lezark. 200 00:09:37,620 --> 00:09:40,623 Lori said that John was upset with Samantha 201 00:09:40,623 --> 00:09:45,236 because she was about to end his health insurance coverage 202 00:09:45,236 --> 00:09:46,846 that she'd been paying for. 203 00:09:46,846 --> 00:09:48,761 And he had an injury that was going 204 00:09:48,761 --> 00:09:51,938 to be very expensive if he didn't have insurance. 205 00:09:51,938 --> 00:09:55,289 [Narrator] Investigators learn that this ongoing conflict 206 00:09:55,289 --> 00:09:57,291 had recently escalated. 207 00:09:57,291 --> 00:10:00,817 Lori said Samantha told her in the couple of weeks 208 00:10:00,817 --> 00:10:05,082 before the murder, Samantha and John argued 209 00:10:05,082 --> 00:10:06,823 about the health insurance. 210 00:10:06,823 --> 00:10:08,781 And John told her something to the effect of, 211 00:10:08,781 --> 00:10:11,218 I want to take everything you have away from you. 212 00:10:13,046 --> 00:10:15,658 And so that threat certainly raised a red flag for us, 213 00:10:15,658 --> 00:10:17,834 and made us wonder if John Lezark had anything 214 00:10:17,834 --> 00:10:19,836 to do with this murder. 215 00:10:19,836 --> 00:10:21,272 [Narrator] Coming up. 216 00:10:21,272 --> 00:10:24,275 Police unearth a hidden online world. 217 00:10:24,275 --> 00:10:27,321 Samantha signed up for one of the chat rooms. 218 00:10:27,321 --> 00:10:30,020 Her username was Meow Mix 28. 219 00:10:30,020 --> 00:10:33,893 The information on the chat was pretty sexual in nature. 220 00:10:33,893 --> 00:10:35,808 I warned her plenty of times, 221 00:10:35,808 --> 00:10:37,897 watch who you're giving your address out to. 222 00:10:37,897 --> 00:10:41,335 [Narrator] And hunt a bold killer with sinister motives. 223 00:10:41,335 --> 00:10:44,121 The fact that he couldn't take no for an answer 224 00:10:44,121 --> 00:10:46,732 made us wanna figure out exactly who he was. 225 00:10:46,732 --> 00:10:49,039 He pressured her to meet in person. 226 00:10:49,039 --> 00:10:52,695 And she said, what if you're a serial killer? 227 00:10:52,695 --> 00:10:54,740 There's only one person that could put the DNA 228 00:10:54,740 --> 00:10:56,786 in the fingerprints on the murder weapon. 229 00:10:58,135 --> 00:11:00,093 [Narrator] Until investigators close in 230 00:11:00,093 --> 00:11:02,226 on an unlikely suspect. 231 00:11:02,226 --> 00:11:06,099 He looked like a decent, clean cut, all American kid. 232 00:11:06,099 --> 00:11:08,014 One of the most evil human beings. 233 00:11:08,014 --> 00:11:11,017 I was seriously afraid that there would be another victim. 234 00:11:11,017 --> 00:11:13,759 [intense music] 235 00:11:19,112 --> 00:11:21,680 [Narrator] Police are investigating the violent murder 236 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:24,727 of 28 year old Samantha Lezark. 237 00:11:24,727 --> 00:11:26,990 Detectives have learned that Samantha 238 00:11:26,990 --> 00:11:31,342 and her estranged husband, John, were in a bitter dispute. 239 00:11:31,342 --> 00:11:32,517 She had threatened to take him 240 00:11:32,517 --> 00:11:35,041 off her health insurance policy. 241 00:11:35,041 --> 00:11:37,174 And Samantha's friend said he did 242 00:11:37,174 --> 00:11:39,132 make a threat at one point. 243 00:11:39,132 --> 00:11:41,700 That made us want to know more about John, 244 00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:44,181 and the relationship with Samantha. 245 00:11:44,181 --> 00:11:46,183 [Narrator] Investigators learned the marriage 246 00:11:46,183 --> 00:11:48,707 had only ended six months prior. 247 00:11:48,707 --> 00:11:50,753 They ask those close to Samantha 248 00:11:50,753 --> 00:11:53,451 about what led to the breakup. 249 00:11:53,451 --> 00:11:55,627 Her best friend was going through a divorce, 250 00:11:55,627 --> 00:12:00,675 and Samantha being the kindhearted person she was, 251 00:12:01,459 --> 00:12:03,026 let her move in. 252 00:12:03,026 --> 00:12:04,723 Samantha noticed that her friend 253 00:12:04,723 --> 00:12:07,204 and John seemed to be a lot closer perhaps 254 00:12:07,204 --> 00:12:09,380 than what she was comfortable with. 255 00:12:09,380 --> 00:12:13,036 Finally, she asked them if they were having a affair, 256 00:12:13,036 --> 00:12:15,778 and they said, yeah, they were in love. 257 00:12:17,127 --> 00:12:19,346 I remember how upset she was. 258 00:12:21,087 --> 00:12:22,828 I mean, how else could you feel 259 00:12:22,828 --> 00:12:25,831 when your husband leaves you for your best friend? 260 00:12:25,831 --> 00:12:28,442 [Narrator] John moved out with his new girlfriend, 261 00:12:28,442 --> 00:12:31,097 but remained in Samantha's life. 262 00:12:31,097 --> 00:12:32,577 They were separated, 263 00:12:32,577 --> 00:12:34,797 but John would move back in with Samantha. 264 00:12:34,797 --> 00:12:38,278 When he kept moving in and out, it was hell, 265 00:12:38,278 --> 00:12:40,759 because he wouldn't leave her alone. 266 00:12:40,759 --> 00:12:42,761 [Narrator] Samantha finally told John 267 00:12:42,761 --> 00:12:46,591 to move out for good, so she could get on with her life. 268 00:12:46,591 --> 00:12:49,855 But John was still dependent on her health insurance. 269 00:12:49,855 --> 00:12:52,727 John, when he was 18, a car fell on him, 270 00:12:52,727 --> 00:12:57,341 when his working underneath it, and messed up his back. 271 00:12:57,341 --> 00:13:01,562 He was really anxious about the insurance. 272 00:13:01,562 --> 00:13:04,827 [Narrator] Investigators bring John in to the station. 273 00:13:04,827 --> 00:13:06,872 During the interview with John Lezark, 274 00:13:06,872 --> 00:13:09,788 he said that he and Samantha had sorted out the insurance 275 00:13:09,788 --> 00:13:11,398 and that she was not going 276 00:13:11,398 --> 00:13:13,618 to terminate his healthcare coverage. 277 00:13:13,618 --> 00:13:15,446 [Narrator] John also denies 278 00:13:15,446 --> 00:13:18,275 that he threatened Samantha like her friend claimed. 279 00:13:18,275 --> 00:13:22,757 But as he talks, detectives notice a suspicious detail. 280 00:13:22,757 --> 00:13:25,630 He had some small injuries to his hands 281 00:13:25,630 --> 00:13:27,501 that we wanted to talk to him about. 282 00:13:29,329 --> 00:13:31,375 John explained that he cut his hands while moving a table. 283 00:13:32,767 --> 00:13:35,205 The night of the murder, John said that he was 284 00:13:35,205 --> 00:13:38,164 with his girlfriend and that she 285 00:13:38,164 --> 00:13:39,687 in fact confirmed his alibi. 286 00:13:41,341 --> 00:13:43,256 If I were in love with somebody, 287 00:13:43,256 --> 00:13:45,389 and they'd killed somebody else, I may lie for them. 288 00:13:45,389 --> 00:13:48,522 But there wasn't anything to contradict what he said. 289 00:13:50,263 --> 00:13:53,658 We asked John for fingerprints and a sample of his DNA. 290 00:13:53,658 --> 00:13:55,181 And he agreed to do that. 291 00:13:56,530 --> 00:13:58,271 [Narrator] Police have nothing concrete 292 00:13:58,271 --> 00:14:00,447 to tie John to the murder. 293 00:14:00,447 --> 00:14:02,406 But before they let him go, 294 00:14:02,406 --> 00:14:07,150 detectives ask who he thinks might want Samantha dead. 295 00:14:07,150 --> 00:14:10,196 John Lezark told us that his estranged wife 296 00:14:10,196 --> 00:14:12,372 was online dating. 297 00:14:12,372 --> 00:14:14,940 John said he told her it was risky, 298 00:14:14,940 --> 00:14:17,421 and might run into some dangerous people. 299 00:14:19,249 --> 00:14:21,686 [Narrator] Investigators set out to verify John's claim. 300 00:14:21,686 --> 00:14:23,340 We interviewed Samantha's friend, 301 00:14:23,340 --> 00:14:25,690 Lisa, and Lisa told us that she knew 302 00:14:25,690 --> 00:14:28,911 that Samantha was in fact online dating. 303 00:14:28,911 --> 00:14:31,304 Samantha told me one day that she signed up 304 00:14:31,304 --> 00:14:33,176 for one of the chat rooms. 305 00:14:33,176 --> 00:14:34,873 It was so new back then. 306 00:14:34,873 --> 00:14:38,616 She just made a username and started meeting guys. 307 00:14:38,616 --> 00:14:41,445 Her username was Meow Mix 28. 308 00:14:41,445 --> 00:14:44,796 It was her love of cats, and she was 28 years old. 309 00:14:46,711 --> 00:14:49,670 When she started meeting these guys online, 310 00:14:49,670 --> 00:14:51,890 I said, you don't know these people. 311 00:14:51,890 --> 00:14:54,197 You're not letting 'em come to the house, are you? 312 00:14:54,197 --> 00:14:57,374 And I could tell she didn't want me to know 313 00:14:57,374 --> 00:14:59,942 because she knew it was gonna upset me really bad. 314 00:15:02,031 --> 00:15:03,989 The computer forensics lab 315 00:15:03,989 --> 00:15:07,732 examined Samantha's conversations with people online, 316 00:15:07,732 --> 00:15:09,647 making arrangements to meet people 317 00:15:09,647 --> 00:15:11,779 that she'd chatted with online. 318 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:15,348 [Narrator] Investigators compare the messages 319 00:15:15,348 --> 00:15:17,742 with details of Samantha's dating life 320 00:15:17,742 --> 00:15:19,787 provided by her friends. 321 00:15:19,787 --> 00:15:21,528 Lisa that told us that Samantha 322 00:15:21,528 --> 00:15:23,356 was dating a man named Kris. 323 00:15:23,356 --> 00:15:24,967 And she'd spoken with Samantha 324 00:15:24,967 --> 00:15:26,751 the evening of the murder, in fact, 325 00:15:26,751 --> 00:15:31,234 and that Kris was at Samantha's home visiting with her. 326 00:15:31,234 --> 00:15:33,584 I did not know Kris. I never met him. 327 00:15:33,584 --> 00:15:36,804 I know she really liked him and liked hanging out with him. 328 00:15:36,804 --> 00:15:38,937 She said, Kris was over at her house 329 00:15:38,937 --> 00:15:41,418 that evening when she called me. 330 00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:45,509 I had bought her the latest season of Friends 331 00:15:45,509 --> 00:15:46,989 that was out on DVD. 332 00:15:46,989 --> 00:15:49,469 And she said, we're gonna watch Friends. 333 00:15:49,469 --> 00:15:50,949 I'll call you tomorrow. 334 00:15:50,949 --> 00:15:52,777 And that's the last time I talked to her. 335 00:15:55,388 --> 00:15:57,825 [Narrator] Police determined that the call with Lisa, 336 00:15:57,825 --> 00:16:00,698 around 6:00 PM, was the last contact 337 00:16:00,698 --> 00:16:02,787 anyone had with Samantha. 338 00:16:02,787 --> 00:16:05,355 She was found dead the following morning, 339 00:16:05,355 --> 00:16:07,009 just before 10:00 AM. 340 00:16:08,749 --> 00:16:12,275 Because Kris was with Samantha shortly before she died, 341 00:16:12,275 --> 00:16:15,756 we really wanted to look at to see who Kris was, 342 00:16:15,756 --> 00:16:17,497 and where he was. 343 00:16:17,497 --> 00:16:19,369 [Narrator] Investigators search for Kris 344 00:16:19,369 --> 00:16:21,588 in Samantha's online chats. 345 00:16:21,588 --> 00:16:24,852 However, they find her most recent correspondence 346 00:16:24,852 --> 00:16:28,030 only two days before the murder is with a man 347 00:16:28,030 --> 00:16:31,468 who goes by the username I Am Elliot. 348 00:16:31,468 --> 00:16:34,297 I Am Elliot said that he had recently lost his wife, 349 00:16:34,297 --> 00:16:37,474 and Samantha said, well, I've recently lost my husband 350 00:16:37,474 --> 00:16:39,302 to my best friend. 351 00:16:39,302 --> 00:16:41,043 I Am Elliot seemed very sympathetic 352 00:16:41,043 --> 00:16:45,873 to her in their messages, and she seemed to respond to that. 353 00:16:45,873 --> 00:16:49,355 We weren't sure who I Am Elliot was. 354 00:16:49,355 --> 00:16:50,835 Her conversations with I Am Elliot 355 00:16:50,835 --> 00:16:52,619 had seemed pretty innocent, 356 00:16:52,619 --> 00:16:55,100 and there was no association with the name Kris. 357 00:16:55,100 --> 00:16:58,364 So the investigation went and moved on from there. 358 00:17:01,063 --> 00:17:04,501 [Narrator] Detectives dig deeper into Samantha's chats, 359 00:17:04,501 --> 00:17:07,460 looking for messages with a darker tone. 360 00:17:08,548 --> 00:17:10,028 So the forensic lab was able 361 00:17:10,028 --> 00:17:13,771 to retrieve a chat with somebody initialed KS. 362 00:17:13,771 --> 00:17:18,515 And the information on the chat was pretty sexual in nature. 363 00:17:18,515 --> 00:17:20,560 This individual pressured her to meet 364 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,562 in person almost immediately. 365 00:17:22,562 --> 00:17:25,957 And so that raised red flags about him. 366 00:17:25,957 --> 00:17:28,568 He wanted to come over and see her, 367 00:17:28,568 --> 00:17:31,136 told her to be blindfolded, topless. 368 00:17:31,136 --> 00:17:34,618 And ironically, she says, "What if you're a serial killer?" 369 00:17:34,618 --> 00:17:36,968 But in the end, she went along with it. 370 00:17:39,144 --> 00:17:41,929 [Narrator] Detective's suspicion only grows 371 00:17:41,929 --> 00:17:44,541 when they realize the chat between KS 372 00:17:44,541 --> 00:17:47,979 and Samantha is dated January 1st, 373 00:17:47,979 --> 00:17:50,982 just five days before the murder. 374 00:17:50,982 --> 00:17:52,897 One of the neighborhood watch people 375 00:17:52,897 --> 00:17:55,073 had seen a Mercedes with California license plates 376 00:17:55,073 --> 00:17:59,033 on it that had been at her house January 1st. 377 00:17:59,033 --> 00:18:01,079 It had all of the signs that we were 378 00:18:01,079 --> 00:18:02,733 on the right track with this guy. 379 00:18:02,733 --> 00:18:05,475 So we ran the license plate number, 380 00:18:05,475 --> 00:18:08,913 and the tag came back to Kristoff Slora. 381 00:18:08,913 --> 00:18:12,090 Could Kristoff Slora, KS, be the Kris who was 382 00:18:12,090 --> 00:18:15,833 with Samantha just hours before she was found dead? 383 00:18:15,833 --> 00:18:18,096 Samantha's best friend said that the night she was killed, 384 00:18:18,096 --> 00:18:21,534 she was with somebody named Kris. 385 00:18:21,534 --> 00:18:24,450 So we said, hey, maybe this is the Kris 386 00:18:24,450 --> 00:18:25,190 that we're looking for. 387 00:18:25,190 --> 00:18:26,713 [intense music] 388 00:18:34,068 --> 00:18:37,289 [Narrator] Three days after the murder of Samantha Lezark, 389 00:18:37,289 --> 00:18:40,292 police have linked her online chat to the owner 390 00:18:40,292 --> 00:18:42,816 of a car with California plates, 391 00:18:42,816 --> 00:18:47,038 seen parked at her house just days before she was killed. 392 00:18:48,605 --> 00:18:50,302 The neighbor had written down the license plate number 393 00:18:50,302 --> 00:18:53,044 of Kristoff Slora's car. 394 00:18:53,044 --> 00:18:55,220 [Narrator] Police believe that Kristoff 395 00:18:55,220 --> 00:18:58,223 is the man behind the username KS. 396 00:19:00,138 --> 00:19:03,402 When we looked at the online chat between KS and Samantha, 397 00:19:03,402 --> 00:19:06,884 they were obviously involved with each other sexually. 398 00:19:06,884 --> 00:19:08,581 And as we were looking for a Kris, 399 00:19:08,581 --> 00:19:12,019 we were really interested in finding that person. 400 00:19:12,019 --> 00:19:14,413 Samantha did tell her friend that she was hanging out 401 00:19:14,413 --> 00:19:17,199 with a guy named Kris the night of her murder. 402 00:19:19,026 --> 00:19:20,202 [Narrator] Alarm bells ring when they dig deeper 403 00:19:20,202 --> 00:19:22,029 into their suspect's background. 404 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:25,076 Kristoff was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base 405 00:19:25,076 --> 00:19:27,209 here in Wichita Falls. 406 00:19:27,209 --> 00:19:30,560 Kristoff wound up being somebody that was in the military. 407 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,214 There was a perfect square knot 408 00:19:32,214 --> 00:19:34,346 in the ligature that killed Samantha. 409 00:19:34,346 --> 00:19:37,306 And I have already thought that somebody perhaps 410 00:19:37,306 --> 00:19:40,352 with a military background knew that square knot. 411 00:19:42,267 --> 00:19:43,529 [Narrator] While officers are sent 412 00:19:43,529 --> 00:19:46,184 to bring Kristoff in to the PD, 413 00:19:46,184 --> 00:19:49,579 detectives received Samantha's autopsy reports. 414 00:19:49,579 --> 00:19:52,059 The cause of death was strangulation. 415 00:19:52,059 --> 00:19:54,584 And that the coax was the means. 416 00:19:56,150 --> 00:19:58,283 [Narrator] The report also shows significant 417 00:19:58,283 --> 00:20:02,069 blunt force trauma to the back of Samantha's head. 418 00:20:02,069 --> 00:20:04,246 I think it would be really hard 419 00:20:04,246 --> 00:20:06,422 to just strangle somebody with a cable. 420 00:20:06,422 --> 00:20:08,206 And I suspect that the fire extinguisher 421 00:20:08,206 --> 00:20:10,426 was used to incapacitate Samantha 422 00:20:10,426 --> 00:20:12,166 so that she couldn't fight back. 423 00:20:13,994 --> 00:20:15,561 There was no evidence found during the autopsy, 424 00:20:15,561 --> 00:20:17,650 or any other testing that showed there 425 00:20:17,650 --> 00:20:20,174 was any kind of sign of a sexual assault. 426 00:20:22,089 --> 00:20:24,570 [Narrator] Forensic analysis of the murder weapons 427 00:20:24,570 --> 00:20:29,183 gives investigators hope that the killer will be identified. 428 00:20:29,183 --> 00:20:32,230 From the lab, we learned that the coax had, 429 00:20:32,230 --> 00:20:34,972 and that the fire extinguisher also had DNA 430 00:20:34,972 --> 00:20:37,279 from who we believe would be the killer. 431 00:20:38,628 --> 00:20:39,629 The evidence that came back from the lab 432 00:20:39,629 --> 00:20:41,413 was very powerful. 433 00:20:41,413 --> 00:20:43,328 Fingerprints were on both the weapons. 434 00:20:43,328 --> 00:20:46,984 So it's pretty clear that if we could find one person 435 00:20:46,984 --> 00:20:49,508 that matched all these pieces of evidence, 436 00:20:49,508 --> 00:20:52,946 that we had the person that committed this crime, 437 00:20:52,946 --> 00:20:56,298 not just beyond a reasonable doubt, but beyond any doubt. 438 00:20:58,343 --> 00:21:00,998 [Narrator] Armed with new insights into the murder, 439 00:21:00,998 --> 00:21:03,392 police head to the local air force base 440 00:21:03,392 --> 00:21:06,308 to look for their number one suspect. 441 00:21:06,308 --> 00:21:08,179 When we tracked down Kris Slora, 442 00:21:08,179 --> 00:21:11,661 we asked him if he would come in for an interview, 443 00:21:11,661 --> 00:21:13,619 and he agreed to do that. 444 00:21:13,619 --> 00:21:16,143 He admitted that he had had a sexual relationship 445 00:21:16,143 --> 00:21:19,233 with Samantha, but they didn't have a whole lot else 446 00:21:19,233 --> 00:21:22,454 in common, and he said he hadn't seen her for some time. 447 00:21:22,454 --> 00:21:25,022 [Narrator] Investigators ask him to explain 448 00:21:25,022 --> 00:21:28,591 why witnesses saw his car outside Samantha's home 449 00:21:28,591 --> 00:21:33,552 on January 1st, just five days before she was killed. 450 00:21:33,552 --> 00:21:35,467 At that point, he did not have anything to do 451 00:21:35,467 --> 00:21:38,992 with her death or being over there the day of the murder. 452 00:21:38,992 --> 00:21:41,212 [Narrator] Police want to know where Kris was 453 00:21:41,212 --> 00:21:43,562 the night Samantha was killed. 454 00:21:43,562 --> 00:21:47,087 Kris Slora said that he spent the day with some friends 455 00:21:47,087 --> 00:21:51,048 at a batting cage and offered up the names of his friends. 456 00:21:51,048 --> 00:21:52,658 We followed up that information 457 00:21:52,658 --> 00:21:54,486 by interviewing his friends and they assured us, 458 00:21:54,486 --> 00:21:58,011 in fact, Kris Slora had been with them during the day 459 00:21:58,011 --> 00:21:59,404 and into the evening that day. 460 00:22:01,058 --> 00:22:03,190 [Narrator] Detectives conclude that Kris Slora 461 00:22:03,190 --> 00:22:06,193 was not the Kris that Samantha was with 462 00:22:06,193 --> 00:22:09,109 when she called her friend at 6:00 PM, 463 00:22:09,109 --> 00:22:11,677 but they can't rule him out as the perpetrator, 464 00:22:11,677 --> 00:22:15,115 since the exact time of her death is unknown. 465 00:22:16,465 --> 00:22:17,553 Even though his alibi was pretty good, 466 00:22:17,553 --> 00:22:19,424 it wasn't air tight. 467 00:22:19,424 --> 00:22:23,297 And so Kris Slora provided prints and DNA sample for us. 468 00:22:25,125 --> 00:22:27,476 [Narrator] With no hard evidence against Kris Slora, 469 00:22:27,476 --> 00:22:28,781 he's free to go. 470 00:22:30,653 --> 00:22:32,785 Four days after her murder, 471 00:22:32,785 --> 00:22:37,181 family and friends gather to lay Samantha to rest. 472 00:22:37,181 --> 00:22:39,662 Samantha's funeral, it was packed. 473 00:22:39,662 --> 00:22:41,794 It was full of people that loved her. 474 00:22:41,794 --> 00:22:43,666 It was beautiful. 475 00:22:43,666 --> 00:22:48,453 She had a really big funeral. It was just hard. 476 00:22:49,846 --> 00:22:51,413 Nobody should have to bury their child. 477 00:22:51,413 --> 00:22:55,547 And the way she died was so violent, 478 00:22:55,547 --> 00:22:58,071 and I couldn't stand the thought 479 00:22:58,071 --> 00:23:01,292 of what actually happened to her. 480 00:23:01,292 --> 00:23:03,555 I had to take all of her pictures down for a while. 481 00:23:03,555 --> 00:23:05,165 I just couldn't deal with it. 482 00:23:07,516 --> 00:23:09,343 [Narrator] The next day, 483 00:23:09,343 --> 00:23:11,650 detectives ask Samantha's friends if they know 484 00:23:11,650 --> 00:23:15,088 of any other men she may have been involved with, 485 00:23:15,088 --> 00:23:18,309 and received stunning new information. 486 00:23:18,309 --> 00:23:21,094 Lisa raised the name Donny Nieves as somebody 487 00:23:21,094 --> 00:23:24,576 that she thought that had an affair with Samantha. 488 00:23:26,448 --> 00:23:29,276 Lori and Donny Nieves were the last ones in the home 489 00:23:29,276 --> 00:23:30,582 before the police arrived. 490 00:23:30,582 --> 00:23:32,802 They'd found Samantha deceased. 491 00:23:34,630 --> 00:23:37,110 I was surprised because when we interviewed Donny 492 00:23:37,110 --> 00:23:39,504 at the time, Donny characterized his relationship 493 00:23:39,504 --> 00:23:42,464 with Samantha as being his wife's friend. 494 00:23:42,464 --> 00:23:45,423 But after the funeral, Samantha's friend Lisa, 495 00:23:45,423 --> 00:23:49,209 said that Donny was more than just a friend, 496 00:23:49,209 --> 00:23:50,820 that in fact, he had been a lover. 497 00:23:52,604 --> 00:23:56,782 Lori was a good friend of Samantha's, and also a coworker. 498 00:23:56,782 --> 00:23:59,611 But Samantha told me that Donny 499 00:23:59,611 --> 00:24:02,875 and her had a short, intimate relationship 500 00:24:02,875 --> 00:24:05,791 shortly before she was killed. 501 00:24:05,791 --> 00:24:08,664 Samantha definitely felt guilty about it. 502 00:24:10,535 --> 00:24:14,191 Once we realized that he had been a lover of Samantha's, 503 00:24:14,191 --> 00:24:16,628 we had to look at him more closely now. 504 00:24:16,628 --> 00:24:19,413 He had not been forthcoming before about this affair. 505 00:24:19,413 --> 00:24:21,590 So it makes you suspicious 506 00:24:21,590 --> 00:24:23,766 that this person has something to hide. 507 00:24:23,766 --> 00:24:25,332 And maybe what they have to hide 508 00:24:25,332 --> 00:24:26,725 is they're involved in the crime. 509 00:24:26,725 --> 00:24:28,466 That is a red flag. [intense music] 510 00:24:37,170 --> 00:24:38,737 [Narrator] It's been one week 511 00:24:38,737 --> 00:24:41,131 since 28 year old Samantha Lezark 512 00:24:41,131 --> 00:24:44,787 was found bludgeoned and strangled to death in her home. 513 00:24:46,223 --> 00:24:48,747 Now investigators have learned that Samantha 514 00:24:48,747 --> 00:24:52,185 had an affair with the man who discovered her body. 515 00:24:53,752 --> 00:24:55,275 When Donny Nieves was first interviewed, 516 00:24:55,275 --> 00:24:57,016 he failed to mention that he 517 00:24:57,016 --> 00:24:58,714 had been intimate with Samantha. 518 00:25:02,065 --> 00:25:04,241 When we interviewed Donny again 519 00:25:04,241 --> 00:25:06,809 and confronted him with the question, 520 00:25:06,809 --> 00:25:08,941 were you lovers with the victim? 521 00:25:08,941 --> 00:25:10,856 He admitted that he was. 522 00:25:10,856 --> 00:25:14,120 And that it had been a very brief, intense relationship. 523 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:17,297 [Narrator] Detectives asked Donny why he didn't tell them 524 00:25:17,297 --> 00:25:20,039 about the relationship before. 525 00:25:20,039 --> 00:25:21,171 He said he didn't want his wife 526 00:25:21,171 --> 00:25:22,955 to find out about this affair 527 00:25:22,955 --> 00:25:25,001 because he knew she wouldn't be happy about it. 528 00:25:26,742 --> 00:25:28,613 [Narrator] Had Donny killed Samantha to keep her 529 00:25:28,613 --> 00:25:31,355 from telling his wife, Lori, about their affair? 530 00:25:32,399 --> 00:25:33,662 We kept digging into him, 531 00:25:33,662 --> 00:25:35,141 and seeing if there's anything 532 00:25:35,141 --> 00:25:37,317 that would connect him to the murder. 533 00:25:37,317 --> 00:25:40,407 [Narrator] Donny insists he did not kill Samantha 534 00:25:40,407 --> 00:25:43,236 and begs investigators not to tell his wife 535 00:25:43,236 --> 00:25:45,021 about his infidelity. 536 00:25:45,021 --> 00:25:46,631 We ask him if he'd give DNA 537 00:25:46,631 --> 00:25:50,156 and fingerprints and he cooperated. 538 00:25:50,156 --> 00:25:52,071 [Narrator] Police let Donny go. 539 00:25:52,071 --> 00:25:55,161 And while they wait for his DNA and fingerprint results, 540 00:25:55,161 --> 00:25:58,948 investigators uncover another suspicious exchange 541 00:25:58,948 --> 00:26:02,952 with an online suitor in Samantha's chatroom history. 542 00:26:02,952 --> 00:26:05,215 His username was Death Metal. 543 00:26:05,215 --> 00:26:08,348 Samantha formed a relationship with Death Metal 544 00:26:08,348 --> 00:26:12,004 based on their mutual enjoyment of that kind of music. 545 00:26:14,485 --> 00:26:16,661 [Narrator] The messages suggest the pair 546 00:26:16,661 --> 00:26:20,665 had been on several dates, but then something changed. 547 00:26:20,665 --> 00:26:22,319 From the correspondence, 548 00:26:22,319 --> 00:26:24,713 he thought it was a pretty good relationship. 549 00:26:24,713 --> 00:26:26,149 And then all of a sudden, without warning, 550 00:26:26,149 --> 00:26:28,934 she told him she wanted to break it off. 551 00:26:28,934 --> 00:26:31,371 [Narrator] The relationship may have been over, 552 00:26:31,371 --> 00:26:35,854 but the man continued to send Samantha messages. 553 00:26:35,854 --> 00:26:39,292 The fact that Death Metal couldn't take no for an answer, 554 00:26:39,292 --> 00:26:41,425 certainly made us wanna look at him pretty close 555 00:26:41,425 --> 00:26:44,820 and figure out exactly who he was, and interview him. 556 00:26:44,820 --> 00:26:47,126 [Narrator] Had the man been so enraged 557 00:26:47,126 --> 00:26:50,173 by the rejection that he murdered Samantha? 558 00:26:50,173 --> 00:26:52,697 Police asked Samantha's friend, Lisa, 559 00:26:52,697 --> 00:26:55,265 if she can help identify Death Metal. 560 00:26:56,745 --> 00:26:58,398 Samantha's friend, Lisa, said it was a guy 561 00:26:58,398 --> 00:27:00,096 by the name of Connor Dayes. 562 00:27:01,445 --> 00:27:04,013 Connor was the one that really got to her, 563 00:27:04,013 --> 00:27:05,884 made her nervous. 564 00:27:05,884 --> 00:27:09,018 I warned her plenty of times, like meeting people online, 565 00:27:09,018 --> 00:27:11,455 watch her back, watch who you're giving your address out to, 566 00:27:11,455 --> 00:27:13,065 your phone number. 567 00:27:13,065 --> 00:27:15,459 And he was the only one that really stands out 568 00:27:15,459 --> 00:27:17,809 in my mind that he scared her. 569 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:22,422 He just wouldn't stay away. 570 00:27:22,422 --> 00:27:24,381 He left notes on her door, 571 00:27:24,381 --> 00:27:26,862 even though Samantha told Connor that she didn't want 572 00:27:26,862 --> 00:27:28,777 to have anything to do with him any longer. 573 00:27:28,777 --> 00:27:30,909 And that kind of freaked her out a little bit. 574 00:27:32,781 --> 00:27:34,260 Samantha told me one day he parked in her driveway, 575 00:27:34,260 --> 00:27:36,219 and just sat there. 576 00:27:36,219 --> 00:27:38,221 And she'd call me, and she wouldn't know what to do. 577 00:27:39,788 --> 00:27:42,529 Connor would fit that mode of being a stalker, 578 00:27:42,529 --> 00:27:45,750 coming around the lady's house all times 579 00:27:45,750 --> 00:27:47,404 of the day or night. 580 00:27:47,404 --> 00:27:50,233 And that stalker profile is the one 581 00:27:50,233 --> 00:27:54,106 that can lead to someone in a murder. 582 00:27:54,106 --> 00:27:55,760 Connor looked really good for this. 583 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:57,762 Not only he wasn't a Kris, 584 00:27:57,762 --> 00:28:01,200 but Samantha dated him shortly before the murder. 585 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,160 And we certainly knew that we had to find him. 586 00:28:06,292 --> 00:28:08,555 [Narrator] Investigators track down Connor 587 00:28:08,555 --> 00:28:11,167 and bring him in for questioning. 588 00:28:11,167 --> 00:28:13,299 When we interviewed Connor Dayes, 589 00:28:13,299 --> 00:28:15,475 he was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. 590 00:28:15,475 --> 00:28:17,869 He didn't seem to have a lot of interest 591 00:28:17,869 --> 00:28:19,566 in the fact that she was dead. 592 00:28:19,566 --> 00:28:22,569 And that was either a, absolutely didn't do this, 593 00:28:22,569 --> 00:28:24,267 or I'm trying to throw you off. 594 00:28:24,267 --> 00:28:26,530 And we weren't sure which one it was. 595 00:28:26,530 --> 00:28:28,140 [Narrator] Police ask Connor 596 00:28:28,140 --> 00:28:30,490 why he wouldn't leave Samantha alone 597 00:28:30,490 --> 00:28:33,319 after she broke off the relationship. 598 00:28:33,319 --> 00:28:35,495 Connor admitted that he had kept coming back around, 599 00:28:35,495 --> 00:28:38,455 even though she didn't wanna see him any longer. 600 00:28:38,455 --> 00:28:40,326 And it wasn't until she pressed the issue 601 00:28:40,326 --> 00:28:42,024 that he actually left her alone. 602 00:28:43,982 --> 00:28:46,463 And so when asked for his whereabouts 603 00:28:46,463 --> 00:28:48,073 at the time of the murder, 604 00:28:48,073 --> 00:28:49,988 Connor said that he was home alone, 605 00:28:49,988 --> 00:28:52,512 and he didn't have anyone else to substantiate that claim. 606 00:28:52,512 --> 00:28:53,862 And that's a problem. 607 00:28:55,211 --> 00:28:57,039 Connor was asked during the interview 608 00:28:57,039 --> 00:28:59,998 to provide a sample of his DNA and prints for us. 609 00:29:01,652 --> 00:29:03,915 [Narrator] With no hard evidence linking Connor 610 00:29:03,915 --> 00:29:06,526 to the murder, he is released. 611 00:29:06,526 --> 00:29:10,008 Three weeks have passed since Samantha was found dead, 612 00:29:10,008 --> 00:29:13,882 and investigators still haven't found the elusive Kris 613 00:29:13,882 --> 00:29:17,537 that was with Samantha the evening she was killed. 614 00:29:17,537 --> 00:29:19,148 There had been an awful lot of work done, 615 00:29:19,148 --> 00:29:22,238 and we still hadn't solved the case. 616 00:29:23,630 --> 00:29:25,937 There was kind of a frustrated feeling 617 00:29:25,937 --> 00:29:28,897 that the person hadn't been caught yet. 618 00:29:32,204 --> 00:29:34,467 [Narrator] As they await news of an arrest, 619 00:29:34,467 --> 00:29:37,209 those closest to Samantha struggle 620 00:29:37,209 --> 00:29:39,385 with the pain of losing her. 621 00:29:39,385 --> 00:29:44,434 The mental images, imagining her maybe crying out 622 00:29:45,957 --> 00:29:47,437 for her mom or her dad, or even me, 623 00:29:47,437 --> 00:29:49,308 somebody to come help her. 624 00:29:49,308 --> 00:29:52,485 It just makes me sick knowing someone could do that. 625 00:29:52,485 --> 00:29:55,097 Like one of the most evil human beings. 626 00:29:56,707 --> 00:30:01,451 I couldn't grasp the thought that my daughter was gone 627 00:30:02,539 --> 00:30:04,628 and she wasn't coming back. 628 00:30:06,673 --> 00:30:09,067 [Narrator] One month into the investigation, 629 00:30:09,067 --> 00:30:11,635 police are running out of leads, 630 00:30:11,635 --> 00:30:14,116 but then they receive the forensic results 631 00:30:14,116 --> 00:30:17,075 they hope will blow the case wide open. 632 00:30:19,251 --> 00:30:22,559 When you get information about whose prints 633 00:30:22,559 --> 00:30:25,562 and who's DNA is on that coaxial cord 634 00:30:25,562 --> 00:30:27,216 that was around her throat. 635 00:30:27,216 --> 00:30:29,609 That's just the place where you work to be. 636 00:30:29,609 --> 00:30:31,524 There's only one person that could have put the DNA 637 00:30:31,524 --> 00:30:34,266 and the fingerprints on the murder weapon. 638 00:30:34,266 --> 00:30:35,137 And that was the killer. 639 00:30:35,137 --> 00:30:36,486 [intense music] 640 00:30:43,623 --> 00:30:46,452 [Narrator] It's been one month since Samantha Lezark 641 00:30:46,452 --> 00:30:50,326 was killed and detectives have just received lab results 642 00:30:50,326 --> 00:30:53,329 from evidence found on the murder weapons. 643 00:30:55,940 --> 00:30:58,029 We'd had all these suspects, 644 00:30:58,029 --> 00:31:00,640 and were able to obtain possession 645 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:02,904 of DNA samples and fingerprints. 646 00:31:04,731 --> 00:31:06,298 [Narrator] Will the results match John Lezark, 647 00:31:06,298 --> 00:31:09,649 Samantha's estranged husband, Donny Nieves, 648 00:31:09,649 --> 00:31:13,392 who had an affair with Samantha and also found her body, 649 00:31:13,392 --> 00:31:15,786 or one of her online suitors, 650 00:31:15,786 --> 00:31:18,354 Connor Dayes, or Kristoff Slora? 651 00:31:20,008 --> 00:31:22,662 It did seem like we were on the brink of solving the case, 652 00:31:22,662 --> 00:31:24,360 but the results came back, 653 00:31:25,709 --> 00:31:28,625 and it did exonerate all these people. 654 00:31:28,625 --> 00:31:30,801 [Narrator] Investigators are stunned. 655 00:31:30,801 --> 00:31:33,325 The DNA and fingerprints don't belong 656 00:31:33,325 --> 00:31:35,023 to any of their suspects, 657 00:31:35,023 --> 00:31:38,504 or even anyone in the police database. 658 00:31:38,504 --> 00:31:39,984 We were hoping for the match, 659 00:31:39,984 --> 00:31:41,986 and it's a little disheartening 660 00:31:41,986 --> 00:31:44,380 when you think maybe you've got something, 661 00:31:44,380 --> 00:31:46,991 and then it turns out not to be at all. 662 00:31:46,991 --> 00:31:50,995 I talked to the DA and the lead detective, 663 00:31:50,995 --> 00:31:53,606 but I didn't know what to do. I was in shock. 664 00:31:54,738 --> 00:31:57,697 It did concern me that Samantha 665 00:31:57,697 --> 00:32:00,787 was never gonna get the justice that she deserved. 666 00:32:02,789 --> 00:32:04,878 [Narrator] With the investigation back to square one, 667 00:32:04,878 --> 00:32:06,837 police review all the evidence 668 00:32:06,837 --> 00:32:09,100 and statements they've collected so far 669 00:32:09,100 --> 00:32:11,450 in their hunt for Samantha's killer. 670 00:32:15,106 --> 00:32:17,021 While we were looking back through the notes, 671 00:32:17,021 --> 00:32:19,719 we remembered that there was a youngster in the neighborhood 672 00:32:19,719 --> 00:32:21,591 that said something about a motorcycle 673 00:32:21,591 --> 00:32:24,507 having been around the night that Samantha died. 674 00:32:24,507 --> 00:32:27,118 So we asked the computer forensics people 675 00:32:27,118 --> 00:32:29,425 to look for the keyword motorcycle, 676 00:32:31,079 --> 00:32:33,124 and they came back with information that in fact, 677 00:32:33,124 --> 00:32:35,866 I Am Elliot said that he had a motorcycle. 678 00:32:37,694 --> 00:32:40,131 [Narrator] When detectives previously looked at chats 679 00:32:40,131 --> 00:32:42,873 between Samantha and I Am Elliot, 680 00:32:42,873 --> 00:32:46,485 they didn't find any red flags in the correspondence, 681 00:32:46,485 --> 00:32:49,053 or any indication his name was Kris, 682 00:32:49,053 --> 00:32:51,925 so they moved on to other leads. 683 00:32:51,925 --> 00:32:53,579 Her conversations with I Am Elliot 684 00:32:53,579 --> 00:32:54,754 had seemed pretty innocent. 685 00:32:54,754 --> 00:32:56,626 And during the correspondence, 686 00:32:56,626 --> 00:32:59,107 he told her he worked out at Metro Photo. 687 00:32:59,107 --> 00:33:03,459 Metro Photo was a camera shop in Wichita Falls. 688 00:33:03,459 --> 00:33:05,722 [Narrator] Investigators rush to the store, 689 00:33:05,722 --> 00:33:08,116 hoping to locate their new suspect. 690 00:33:09,987 --> 00:33:12,990 The 12 year old said the motorcycle's red and black, 691 00:33:12,990 --> 00:33:14,905 and we went by the camera shop, 692 00:33:14,905 --> 00:33:17,647 and there was a red and black Harley Davidson motorcycle. 693 00:33:18,996 --> 00:33:21,825 It was an aha moment, if you will. 694 00:33:21,825 --> 00:33:24,088 We ran the plates on the motorcycle. 695 00:33:24,088 --> 00:33:25,698 We found out it did belong 696 00:33:25,698 --> 00:33:27,744 to a person named Kristopher Kyle Russell. 697 00:33:29,833 --> 00:33:32,662 The tag came back to Kris Russell. 698 00:33:32,662 --> 00:33:35,926 And we said, ah, Kris, ah-ha. 699 00:33:35,926 --> 00:33:38,624 It made it even a bigger ah-ha moment for us. 700 00:33:38,624 --> 00:33:40,583 And that's when we decided it was time 701 00:33:40,583 --> 00:33:43,107 to know more about Kris. 702 00:33:43,107 --> 00:33:45,501 And Kris Russell was enrolled 703 00:33:45,501 --> 00:33:47,981 at Midwestern State University here in Wichita Falls, 704 00:33:47,981 --> 00:33:50,723 taking some criminal justice classes. 705 00:33:50,723 --> 00:33:53,900 He looked like he came from a good home, 706 00:33:53,900 --> 00:33:57,687 and he was a decent, clean cut, all American kid. 707 00:33:58,731 --> 00:34:00,951 His family was well to do, 708 00:34:00,951 --> 00:34:04,824 respected members of a large church here in town. 709 00:34:04,824 --> 00:34:07,784 His profile was almost too good to be true. 710 00:34:08,872 --> 00:34:09,960 Our first interview with Kris, 711 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,136 it was a trip to Metro Photo, 712 00:34:12,136 --> 00:34:15,661 where we went in and asked him to come with us and he did. 713 00:34:15,661 --> 00:34:18,055 [Narrator] At the station, investigators begin 714 00:34:18,055 --> 00:34:20,623 by asking the 21 year old if he was 715 00:34:20,623 --> 00:34:22,929 with Samantha on the night of her murder. 716 00:34:24,714 --> 00:34:27,499 He was polite, but he declined to give an interview. 717 00:34:27,499 --> 00:34:30,981 He was asked to give his DNA samples and fingerprints, 718 00:34:30,981 --> 00:34:32,678 and he said he needed to talk 719 00:34:32,678 --> 00:34:34,724 to a lawyer before he did anything. 720 00:34:36,291 --> 00:34:39,032 Even though it's Kris's right to tell us no, 721 00:34:39,032 --> 00:34:40,643 maybe it's because he had something 722 00:34:40,643 --> 00:34:41,905 he didn't want us to know. 723 00:34:43,863 --> 00:34:46,823 So we served Kris a search warrant 724 00:34:46,823 --> 00:34:49,956 in order to obtain prints and DNA from him. 725 00:34:49,956 --> 00:34:52,089 [Narrator] As detectives wait for results, 726 00:34:52,089 --> 00:34:55,092 they continue to look into Kris Russell's past, 727 00:34:55,092 --> 00:34:58,226 and discover he served in the armed forces. 728 00:34:58,226 --> 00:35:00,532 Kris had it in fact, been in the Marine Corps, 729 00:35:00,532 --> 00:35:02,578 but only for a matter of days. 730 00:35:02,578 --> 00:35:05,624 They sent him packing after they got a good look at him. 731 00:35:05,624 --> 00:35:07,060 That was a large red flag 732 00:35:07,060 --> 00:35:09,019 that the Marine Corps didn't want him. 733 00:35:11,587 --> 00:35:14,242 [Narrator] With Kris looking increasingly suspicious, 734 00:35:14,242 --> 00:35:17,288 what detectives discover next is chilling. 735 00:35:18,855 --> 00:35:21,074 In the chat between Kris and Samantha, 736 00:35:21,074 --> 00:35:23,903 he said that he had recently lost his wife. 737 00:35:23,903 --> 00:35:25,731 And we looked into this, 738 00:35:25,731 --> 00:35:29,779 and found some frankly rather terrifying information. 739 00:35:29,779 --> 00:35:32,085 [Narrator] Investigators learned that Kris lived 740 00:35:32,085 --> 00:35:35,219 in the small town of Chadron, Nebraska with his wife, 741 00:35:35,219 --> 00:35:40,224 Tara, who died only 10 weeks before Samantha's murder. 742 00:35:42,052 --> 00:35:43,619 It was a short time after she had passed away. 743 00:35:43,619 --> 00:35:45,229 One night, he packed up his belongings, 744 00:35:45,229 --> 00:35:47,318 and moved back to Wichita Falls from Chadron. 745 00:35:49,233 --> 00:35:51,801 [Narrator] Police contact law enforcement in Nebraska 746 00:35:51,801 --> 00:35:55,979 for information about the death of their suspect's wife. 747 00:35:55,979 --> 00:35:59,591 Kris Russell's wife died under circumstances 748 00:35:59,591 --> 00:36:03,029 that at first was real, pneumonia. 749 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:07,251 However, when the autopsy came back, 750 00:36:07,251 --> 00:36:10,123 and there was noted some bruising on the neck, 751 00:36:10,123 --> 00:36:13,257 that tells me that probably wasn't pneumonia. 752 00:36:13,257 --> 00:36:16,129 That sounds to me like a strangulation. 753 00:36:16,129 --> 00:36:18,610 [Narrator] But by the time the autopsy information 754 00:36:18,610 --> 00:36:21,918 was released, Kris had already had his wife cremated 755 00:36:21,918 --> 00:36:23,920 and left the state. 756 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:27,271 I think the original autopsy didn't go into enough detail 757 00:36:27,271 --> 00:36:30,622 for authorities to charge Kris with that murder. 758 00:36:30,622 --> 00:36:32,276 And now that she had been cremated, 759 00:36:32,276 --> 00:36:33,886 that was never gonna happen. 760 00:36:35,975 --> 00:36:37,977 [Narrator] Police fear they have an emerging 761 00:36:37,977 --> 00:36:40,197 serial killer on their hands. 762 00:36:40,197 --> 00:36:43,853 Detectives obtain a search warrant for Kris's residence. 763 00:36:45,376 --> 00:36:48,336 Kris lived with his parents here in Wichita Falls. 764 00:36:48,336 --> 00:36:50,076 While we were executing the search warrant, 765 00:36:50,076 --> 00:36:52,209 we noticed in Kris's bedroom, 766 00:36:52,209 --> 00:36:55,168 a photograph that we thought was Samantha, 767 00:36:55,168 --> 00:36:57,388 but that was his deceased wife, Tara. 768 00:36:59,260 --> 00:37:01,653 Kris Russell's wife died, 769 00:37:01,653 --> 00:37:05,091 and weeks later Samantha's now dead. 770 00:37:05,091 --> 00:37:08,834 And she looks incredibly like Kris Russell's wife. 771 00:37:12,882 --> 00:37:15,798 [Narrator] Police uncover more disturbing clues 772 00:37:15,798 --> 00:37:17,843 in Kris Russell's bedroom. 773 00:37:17,843 --> 00:37:21,238 We found a book and it was a book about knots. 774 00:37:21,238 --> 00:37:24,241 And had I not known that there was a square knot 775 00:37:24,241 --> 00:37:26,156 around Samantha's neck, 776 00:37:26,156 --> 00:37:28,201 I probably wouldn't have looked twice at that book. 777 00:37:28,201 --> 00:37:31,074 And we also found some laser pointers. 778 00:37:31,074 --> 00:37:33,729 [Narrator] The laser pointers found in Kris's bedroom 779 00:37:33,729 --> 00:37:37,733 were nearly identical to the one found at the crime scene. 780 00:37:37,733 --> 00:37:40,039 There wasn't actually a smoking gun found 781 00:37:40,039 --> 00:37:42,868 during that search warrant, but there were certainly bullets 782 00:37:42,868 --> 00:37:44,043 to load that gun with. 783 00:37:45,828 --> 00:37:48,047 [Narrator] Investigators seize Kris's computer 784 00:37:48,047 --> 00:37:51,355 and confirm that he's the man behind the username, 785 00:37:51,355 --> 00:37:53,052 I Am Elliot. 786 00:37:53,052 --> 00:37:55,707 But as they start reviewing his chat logs, 787 00:37:55,707 --> 00:37:58,797 police discover another troubling detail. 788 00:38:00,408 --> 00:38:03,062 We found that Kris, not only was he seeing Samantha, 789 00:38:03,062 --> 00:38:04,368 but he was seeing another young lady 790 00:38:04,368 --> 00:38:06,370 in Wichita Falls as well. 791 00:38:06,370 --> 00:38:09,373 [Narrator] Fearing that their killer could strike again, 792 00:38:09,373 --> 00:38:11,897 police rush to track the woman down. 793 00:38:11,897 --> 00:38:13,856 I was terrified about her. 794 00:38:13,856 --> 00:38:16,902 I was seriously afraid that she would be another victim 795 00:38:16,902 --> 00:38:20,471 in what looked like a continuing pattern from Kris Russell. 796 00:38:20,471 --> 00:38:23,300 [intense music] 797 00:38:28,392 --> 00:38:30,307 [Narrator] Police investigating the murder 798 00:38:30,307 --> 00:38:32,396 of Samantha Lezark have learned 799 00:38:32,396 --> 00:38:34,572 that their prime suspect's wife died 800 00:38:34,572 --> 00:38:36,705 under suspicious circumstances, 801 00:38:36,705 --> 00:38:40,578 and believed that his new girlfriend is in grave danger. 802 00:38:40,578 --> 00:38:43,538 I was worried he would do something else again. 803 00:38:43,538 --> 00:38:45,322 This nice young lady that has no idea 804 00:38:45,322 --> 00:38:46,671 what she's involved with. 805 00:38:46,671 --> 00:38:48,499 We were certainly worried 806 00:38:48,499 --> 00:38:51,154 that she might be another victim in this case. 807 00:38:51,154 --> 00:38:53,069 [Narrator] Detectives locate the woman, 808 00:38:53,069 --> 00:38:56,246 and inform her that Kris is under investigation. 809 00:38:56,246 --> 00:38:58,248 She was surprised to find that Kris 810 00:38:58,248 --> 00:39:01,164 perhaps was involved with a murder here in Wichita Falls. 811 00:39:02,208 --> 00:39:03,775 When we interviewed her, 812 00:39:03,775 --> 00:39:07,823 she said that Kris had brought her a DVD of Friends 813 00:39:07,823 --> 00:39:11,827 to her home and that it was open when she got it. 814 00:39:13,698 --> 00:39:16,788 [Narrator] Investigators believe it's the same DVD 815 00:39:16,788 --> 00:39:20,401 Kris had watched with Samantha on the night of her murder. 816 00:39:20,401 --> 00:39:22,403 Samantha told her friend, Lisa, 817 00:39:22,403 --> 00:39:24,230 that she and Kris had watched 818 00:39:24,230 --> 00:39:27,146 that DVD of Friends at her home. 819 00:39:27,146 --> 00:39:29,801 But when we searched the crime scene at Samantha's house, 820 00:39:29,801 --> 00:39:31,716 the Friends DVD was not there. 821 00:39:33,501 --> 00:39:35,764 [Narrator] With the evidence against Kris growing, 822 00:39:35,764 --> 00:39:39,332 police receive his DNA and fingerprint results. 823 00:39:40,682 --> 00:39:42,771 In the end, there was only one person with DNA 824 00:39:42,771 --> 00:39:45,338 and fingerprints on the murder weapon. 825 00:39:45,338 --> 00:39:48,341 And that would be who killed Samantha. 826 00:39:48,341 --> 00:39:49,255 And that was 827 00:39:50,343 --> 00:39:51,344 Kris Russell. 828 00:39:56,175 --> 00:39:57,786 We arrested him at work. 829 00:39:57,786 --> 00:40:00,876 As I recall, he didn't seem surprised we were there at all. 830 00:40:00,876 --> 00:40:03,400 In fact, he didn't have anything to say about it. 831 00:40:05,576 --> 00:40:08,797 [Narrator] At trial, prosecutors put forward their theory 832 00:40:08,797 --> 00:40:10,886 about how the murder unfolded. 833 00:40:12,409 --> 00:40:14,280 The day of the murder, 834 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:16,239 they were having a nice Sunday afternoon together, 835 00:40:16,239 --> 00:40:17,849 and went out to her house, 836 00:40:17,849 --> 00:40:20,330 and her friend Lisa talked to her on the phone. 837 00:40:20,330 --> 00:40:21,505 And things were still going good 838 00:40:21,505 --> 00:40:22,854 when he was there evidently. 839 00:40:24,465 --> 00:40:26,641 Maybe Kris brought her a laser pointer 840 00:40:26,641 --> 00:40:28,512 so that she could play with her cats. 841 00:40:28,512 --> 00:40:32,385 Then something happened that caused him to be angry. 842 00:40:34,910 --> 00:40:38,914 The first thing was a surprise attack from behind 843 00:40:38,914 --> 00:40:41,351 'cause the bruises were all in the back of her head, 844 00:40:41,351 --> 00:40:43,396 and he knocked her to the floor. 845 00:40:43,396 --> 00:40:45,660 At that point, the coaxial cable was in connection 846 00:40:45,660 --> 00:40:47,226 with the television set, 847 00:40:47,226 --> 00:40:49,707 and he had evidently ripped it out, 848 00:40:49,707 --> 00:40:52,231 which indicated a person who was very angry. 849 00:40:52,231 --> 00:40:54,886 And she's desperately trying to fight him off. 850 00:40:54,886 --> 00:40:58,237 At the same time he starts looping that coaxial cable 851 00:40:58,237 --> 00:41:02,546 around her throat, once, twice, and then a third time. 852 00:41:02,546 --> 00:41:04,679 And then he ties the knot there. 853 00:41:04,679 --> 00:41:06,550 And all the time she's getting weaker 854 00:41:06,550 --> 00:41:08,857 as blood is flowing out of her body. 855 00:41:08,857 --> 00:41:11,337 Then he strangles the life out of her. 856 00:41:15,254 --> 00:41:17,561 [Narrator] With no confession from Kris, 857 00:41:17,561 --> 00:41:20,869 no one knows his motive for murdering Samantha. 858 00:41:22,610 --> 00:41:24,220 You'd always like to know exactly 859 00:41:24,220 --> 00:41:26,831 what happened at the Lezark home that night, 860 00:41:26,831 --> 00:41:28,964 but something caused him to decide 861 00:41:28,964 --> 00:41:30,922 that he was gonna kill her that night. 862 00:41:32,750 --> 00:41:35,448 [Narrator] The jury finds Kris Russell guilty, 863 00:41:35,448 --> 00:41:37,929 and the judge gives him the maximum sentence 864 00:41:37,929 --> 00:41:41,324 of 99 years in prison. 865 00:41:41,324 --> 00:41:43,413 There was an overwhelming sense of relief 866 00:41:43,413 --> 00:41:45,458 that we had taken somebody from society 867 00:41:45,458 --> 00:41:46,895 and put them someplace 868 00:41:46,895 --> 00:41:48,679 where they weren't gonna harm anybody. 869 00:41:48,679 --> 00:41:51,421 And that's that big, deep sigh you get 870 00:41:51,421 --> 00:41:53,945 when you know in your heart that you did a good job. 871 00:41:56,731 --> 00:41:59,385 When you look at Kris Russell at first glance, 872 00:41:59,385 --> 00:42:01,649 you see a nice, clean cut young man 873 00:42:01,649 --> 00:42:03,999 who was going to college to better himself, 874 00:42:03,999 --> 00:42:07,611 and who was a regular churchgoer. 875 00:42:07,611 --> 00:42:09,570 He was a very unlikely killer. 876 00:42:09,570 --> 00:42:11,920 He didn't fit the profile at all. 877 00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:13,748 Well, I guess what we should take away 878 00:42:13,748 --> 00:42:16,620 from a case like this is that we need to take caution 879 00:42:16,620 --> 00:42:18,622 when we meet people online. 880 00:42:18,622 --> 00:42:19,971 You can't be too careful. 881 00:42:21,669 --> 00:42:23,409 [Narrator] An investigation is later opened 882 00:42:23,409 --> 00:42:25,977 into the death of Kris Russell's wife, 883 00:42:25,977 --> 00:42:28,545 but no charges have been laid. 884 00:42:31,374 --> 00:42:33,855 For Samantha's family and friends, 885 00:42:33,855 --> 00:42:37,510 the pain of losing her will never go away. 886 00:42:37,510 --> 00:42:38,903 I want my daughter back, 887 00:42:38,903 --> 00:42:42,777 which I know it's not ever gonna happen. 888 00:42:44,343 --> 00:42:46,781 And she was special, she really was. 889 00:42:46,781 --> 00:42:51,655 She loved everybody and she loved her mama the best. 890 00:42:51,655 --> 00:42:53,352 But, 891 00:42:53,352 --> 00:42:54,005 I just, 892 00:42:56,007 --> 00:42:57,618 I don't know what to say. 893 00:42:57,618 --> 00:43:01,578 I don't know. We can't get her back. 894 00:43:03,362 --> 00:43:08,019 That day, Kris took my best friend, an amazing person, 895 00:43:09,847 --> 00:43:11,501 a person that could never be replaced in your life. 896 00:43:11,501 --> 00:43:13,764 I know she's watching down on me. 897 00:43:13,764 --> 00:43:15,723 I know she tries to protect me, 898 00:43:15,723 --> 00:43:20,336 and Samantha inspired me to definitely not take things 899 00:43:20,336 --> 00:43:24,470 for granted and to just live each day. 900 00:43:25,515 --> 00:43:26,908 Make it the best I can. 901 00:43:26,908 --> 00:43:28,866 She's just made me a better person. 902 00:43:28,866 --> 00:43:31,608 [somber music]