i'm doing much better than i was at my other house. >> do you miss him? >> yeah, i miss him a lot. >> you're a pretty strong kid, aren't you? >> yeah.e >> and that's all for this this is "dateline." the wedding was beautiful. i thought he was the love of my life. i wanted them to find the real killer. i wanted all of this to be behind us and go on happily ever after. single mom meets single dad and in a single moment, it was love. >> he was very handsome. >> he was fun. >> all smiles. very outgoing. charming. >> everything he did melted my

heart. >> there was something else something about his past. something deadly. >> i just came in the house and saw janet on the floor. >> she was crying. i was in shock. >> his whole life was shattered. he said i should probably let you know my wife was actually murdered. >> killed in a crime that had never been solved. >> she was always the perfect victim. >> what about him? he had been the focus of his first wife's mysterious death. was he a victim, too? >> i. >> who would want to believe that? >> hello and welcome to "dateline." vanessa was a single parent

looking for a second chance at love. more than 2,000 miles away, he was a suspect in his wife's unsolved murder. vanessa clung to the tree they could live happily ever after. >> she'd found plenty of the wrong guys but in front of her was someone different. >> we met at a daycare. >> she was 25 and a single parent. in 2017, she met raven. like vanessa. he was single and raising a child alone.

>> he was very charming. >> you fell for him? >> hard. >> along with the charm, the lavish dates, raven also had a story. a horrible, awful story. that had changed his life and would change vanessa's. it wasn't just about himself but his first wife janet. >> he said i should probably let you know my wife was actually murdered. >> the murder, he said, happened three years earlier when he and janet were living in durham, north carolina. >> it happened in a home invasion and he found it and didn't want to talk about her any further. >> it was not the thing vanessa expected to hear from the man who had just stolen her heart. >> i was besides myself. >> she retreat talked to her laptop and began searching

online. looking for exactly the details. raven had not provided. >> i started researching and i stayed up until 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning. >> the homicide occurred in april of 2005. he had come home from playing in a nighttime soccer game when he found his wife on the floor of their small second floor office. janet had been stabbed three times. raven talked about that dreadful discovery. >> when i look at her, i'm talking to her. hey, what's wrong? then it clicks on me she's not opening her eyes. something was terribly wrong. for janet's parents, it was the bors day of their lives.

i pick up the phone and raven was screaming. she's gone. >> she's extremely loyal with her friends. i mean, when she has close friends, she's really good to them. she's really good to me. >> she always wanted everyone to be happy. >> she loved to help other people. >> that came in handy growing up in a mormon household with no

fewer than nine siblings. >> she was a peacemaker. >> she didn't like confrontation? >> absolutely not. >> in college, janet excelled in the classroom and especially on the soccer field. from a early age, janet had her sights set on something more. >> her goal in life was to be married and have children and be a mom. having the perfect home. >> enter janet's college sweet heart, raven. >> with her, you know, i want to say i knew right away. we started talking about a long-term relationship three weeks into being together. >> brittany was janet's best friend in college. >> he was very handsome. i said you're the all american couple. >> it was a foregone conclusion this young couple was destined for marriage. it rained the night of the

wedding. but no one seemed to care. and then the perfect all american couple completed the perfect picture. welcoming into their world a son, kaden. >> this is sophie nominal. >> she loved, absolutely loved being a mother. >> but just six months later, that perfect picture went dark when janet was discovered lying in a pool of her own blood. >> she was a good person. >> three years later, in salt lake city, the news of janet's homicide was shocking to vanessa. vanessa had learned the killing had never been solved. she wanted more details from raven. about his terrible loss. >> we sat down and had a conversation. i had my questions written out. we addressed every single one. >> how long did that take? >> we took an entire evening to

go over everything. >> when the evening was over, vanessa was convinced the horrific crime back in 2005 had claimed two victims. one, of course, was janet. and the other was raven raven. zbliflt so, so, so, so sorry for him. i couldn't imagine possibly going through that. coming up, why had the killing never been solved? we delve into the clues. a bloody shoe print, mystery dna, and a coin in the yard. when "dateline" continues. your vet trusts nexgard for her patients and her own dog. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs. ask your vet about nexgard. some people say our trade-in process feels too easy. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs. they can't believe it's 100% online and gives them a competitive offer that won't change for 7 days.

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the disturbing story did not kill off vanessa. she loved him. she was committed to get him beyond the heartbreaking loss of janet. >> i wanted them to find the killer. i wanted it to be behind us. >> but vanessa knew that wouldn't be easy. the past seemed to haunt raven as he shared with vanessa how much janet meant to him.

>> he laid kind of in a fetal position next to me and he started talking how mad he was after janet died. >> he said i loved my wife? >> i loved my wife. >> everyone loved janet. following the homicide in 2005, the days were agonizing. he found himself asking the same question over and over again. >> why we can have this beautiful child. this beautiful relationship, and to have her die. >> misty was a friend of janet and raven attended janet's memorial service. >> >> he looked crushed. he was trying to hold up. >> soon attention turned to finding her killer. >> we didn't know exactly what happened. all we could think is somebody broke into the house for what reason. didn't expect her there and killed her.

>> charles now retired was a cop with the durham police department in 2005. he was called to the scene of janet's homicide. >> it was a two of had story family residence. it was quiet, for sure. >> first responders discovered janet lying on the floor of the upstairs office. january hit a stab wound to her hand. suggesting she tried to protect herself. the fatal wound to her neck and the weapon was nowhere in sight. >> it was literally on the desk. they began the task of swabbing the entire house. it was no surprise most of the blood and finger prints tested

came back as raven's or janets. the first fingerprint was found on the closet door. then a shoe print left in blood. next to janet. >> could you tell anything about the bloody footprint? >> it was right there by janet but nothing definitive about the type of shoe or the make or anything. >> finally, analysts had unidentified dna mixed with janet's blood on a storm door leading to the side entrance. none of that forensic evidence could be traced to raven, janet, or anyone connected to the investigation. >> those are things as an investigator you absolutely want to try to figure out. >> while technicians processed the house, detectivings began interviewing raven hoping he could help point them in the direction of janet's killer. >> raven was visibly crying. he looked like he was distraught

and upset. he himself said he didn't know of any enemy. >> he realized some items from the house were missing. >> they asked me where was the last time you had the computer? >> so it was later that night. >> tlart night. in the initial meeting with them. >> his computer was gone. robbery? it was possible. >> he also talked about some knives being missing. >> lisa was one of the abaroa's neighbors. >> your car was broken into? >> yes. it was unlocked and someone went into it and took out change. >> a seem bli petty relatively insignificant theft until a canine dog was called to search the grounds of the abaroa home where janet had been killed. when the dog got to the front of

the house, it stopped unexpectedly. >> it was in are that approximate sit similarity. the dog made the alert there was something in the area. among the weeds, the dog had found a toy. >> there was some change stolen. >> you're correct. >> and i guess at least one theory maybe this coin was from that? >> certainly could have been. >> a homicide, burglary down the road, and a coin that could link the two. detectives needed to find out more about that coin. coming up, secrets from the past revealed. >> you never knew when the coin would flip and all the sudden everything that was wrong in the world was her fault. >> when "dateline" continues. r . >> when "dateline" continues

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well, theory that janet's death may have been collateral damage from a burglary gone bad was not getting much traction. >> generally when you surprise a burglar, you don't find you and try to kill you. they run away. >> right. there was no rummaging. no drawers gone through. no ransacking you would see in a break in. it didn't add up. >> as for the coin found in front of the home, the police dog was unable to track a scent from it. back to the house or anywhere else. detectives were having a hard time finding a link between the burglary down the road and janet's killing. the next step was the obvious one. detectives took a look at

janet's husband, raven. >> it's pretty common to look at the spouse in situations like this? >> that's correct. that's part of the process. >> according to raven, the day of the murder was like any other. >> raven told investigators that a member of the church had come over the evening of the incident. >> later that night, his wife raven said he left janet and his son at home to play in a nighttime soccer game about a half hour away. jason was one of raven's teammates. >> business as usual, you know. a bunch of guys playing soccer together. trying to beat the other team. nothing out of the ordinary. >> raven seemed normal that night? >> completely normal. >> after the game, raven told police he drove to a gas station to grab a sports drink. to be sure, detectives checked the station security video. there was raven. raven said he headed home to

find kaden undisturbed in his crib but janet lying in a pool of blood >> detectives also talked to raven's family and friends. by all accounts, he was outgoing, friendly, charming, and broke. >> they don't have any money. they can't rub two nickels together. >> money or the lack of it may have been behind something that happened five months earlier. raven had been caught stealing sporting equipment from his employer and reselling it on ebay. raven's mother karen was stunned. >> i just couldn't believe it. i was like how could you be so stupid? but at least he admitted it. he didn't try to get out of it. >> i was proud of him for that. >> for owning up? >> for owning up. >> along with the young couple's financial stress, friends told detectives raven and janet had a

brush with infidelity. according to janet's friend brittany, within months of the wedding, raven had cheated on janet. >> devastated. >> she went back with him after that? >> she forgave him. she made promises to love him for good, for bad, for ugly. and to support him. >> but brittany noticed other problems in the marriage. janet, she said, was struggling with what appeared to be raven's increasingly dramatic mood swings. >> she told me sometimes things were, like, perfect, and it was like holding your breath because you never knew when the coin would flip and all of a sudden everything that was wrong in the world was her fault. >> things got so bad that a year before the homicide, janet and raven legally separated. by itself, a marriage on the rocks did not mean raven was in any way responsible for janet's

death. despite police suspicion, many refused to believe raven could or would kill janet. including janet's own parents. >> when you heard the police thought raven was a suspect, what did you think? >> i defended him. >> you stuck up for him? >> i didn't. i couldn't bear the fact that someone whom i entrusted my child's life with would turn on her like that. i could not go there. >> neither could raven and janet's friend misty. >> raven could not have killed janet. he loved her. he loved her. he wouldn't have done that. >> detectives had an equally difficult time convincing the district attorney who, after reviewing the evidence, found there wasn't nearly enough to get an indictment. >> they're the ones who make the decision if it goes to court. why they didn't do it, i don't know. >> with no other strong leads, the investigation into janet's homicide began to go cold.

raven had relocated to utah to be closer to his family. which is where two years later he met vanessa. >> he wanted to move things very, very, very quickly. >> with you? >> yes. >> despite all the things vanessa learned about raven, she stood by him because raven was upfront about how police were investigating him. >> he said they didn't have anybody else to look at, which is why he was the only person of interest. >> okay. wait a minute. you find out that a guy you're going out with was a suspect in a murder and still a suspect in a murder? >> yeah. >> and he gets another date? >> he talked me into that. everything he did just melted my heart because i felt so bad for him. >> that is how vanessa decided raven, the person of interest, remained the only person she was

interested in spending the rest of her life with. after a full month long courtship, raven proposed and vanessa said yes. before vanessa walked down the aisle, she sought the council of her for a randy. randy wasn't just vanessa's father. he was a retired cop with 23 years on the force. randy decided he needed a man-to-man with raven. >> he just came in and was all smiles and very fun to be around. very talkative. very outgoing. >> and you and your wife thought good? >> yeah. impressed with raven, yeah. >> so impressed randy gave the two his blessing. >> how was the wedding? >> the wedding was beautiful. it was great. >> and you thought what? we're going to be okay? >> absolutely. coming up -- >> you think at last justice?

>> oh, yes. >> and an arrest in the case when "dateline" continues. and e when "dateline" continues. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! all good if you printed out directions to get here today, you're in the right place. my seminars are a great tool to help young homeowners who are turning into their parents. now, remember, they're not programs. they're tv shows. you woke up early. no one cares. yes. so, i was using something called homequote explorer from progressive to easily compare home insurance rates. was i hashtagging? progressive can't help you from becoming your parents, but we can help you compare rates on home insurance with homequote explorer. guess what. the waiter doesn't need to know your name. nexgard is the flea and tick protection that's #1 with vets. it even prevents the infection that causes lyme disease. your vet trusts nexgard for her patients and her own dog. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs.

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here's what's happening. a suspect said the shooting is a former nfl player philip adams who died by apparent suicide. michigan governor urged high schools to suspend in-person classes for two weeks to slow the spread of covid subpoena she asked restaurants to hold off on in door dining. michigan has the highest infections in the u.s. they're checking 991 outbreaks there. and now back to "dateline." . welcome back. vanessa thought that raven she just married was honest and true

but that was a far cry from what investigators in north carolina uncovered. a trail of evidence lead them to believe that raven was a killer. yet remained a free man and janet's family was desperate for answers. eventually janet's parents agreed that raven was responsible for killing janet. >> i just knew in my heart he had done it. it was a horrible, real invasion. >> in 2009, prosecutors reached

the same conclusion after taking a fresh look at the old evidence and concluding there was, after all, enough to seek an indictment. five years later, raven was extradited back to durham to stand trial for first-degree murder. >> when raven was arrested, you think at least. justice. >> yes. >> finally. >> in april of 2013, assistant district attorney charlene franks was tapped to prosecute the case. >> you felt pretty good? >> yes. >> prosecutor franks first went after raven's character by calling on his past. she hoped the jury would see the defendant as an amoral, controlling man who cared little about his marriage.

there was testified one afternoon she went over to the house and raven showed her a sex tape and then janet came home. >> he said i need to hide. he physically pushed me. he didn't hurt me or anything but pushed me into the closet. i stayed until she left. >> next to testify was raven's coworker anna bell. she said raven flirted with her and they eventually had sex. >> i did say to him what if your wife finds out? he said she won't ever know. >> prosecutor franks then got to the heart of her case hoping to prove that janet was trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage. >> janet ever talk about problems she had with her marriage? >> yes. >> best friend brittany said she heard firsthand just how destructive janet's marriage had become. >> i overheard him talking to janet in a way that you wouldn't want your dog talked to. >> what did he say?

>> he told her she was good for nothing, couldn't do anything right. >> brittany said raven had taken control over every aspect of janet's life. including her phone calls. >> she said she doesn't like me talking to you. she said i have to walk to the pay phone to talk to you. my heart just -- i said but how long you been walking to a pay phone and how far away does the pay phone and does any of this make sense to my friend who was so smart. >> she was almost the perfect victim of a domestic violence situation. she did exactly what she was told when she was told. >> you feel sorry for janet, don't you? >> yes. i felt sorry she didn't have an outlet to get help with. >> if janet was the perfect victim, who was raven? >> he's a predator. >> a predator who, according to charlene franks, lied repeatedly to police. for proof, she turned to janet's contact lenses. >> one of the biggest things in

the contacts. >> in his interview with police, raven said janet was in bed watching tv and about to go to sleep when he left her to play soccer. >> all the sisters, mom, dad, they were adamant before going to bed, janet took out her contact lenses. >> on a hunch, detectives exhume janet's body, and according to prosecution, unearthed the truth when they discovered she was wearing her contacts. >> suggesting she wasn't about to go to bed as her husband suggested. >> correct. she was not in the bed sleeping. when he left, she was dead. >> and prosecutor franks turned to raven's 9-1-1 call. 9-1-1 ca. he said she was dead. her lips were blue and her eyes were open. >> mike, the church counsellor testified raven told him something completely different about finding janet.

>> i believe he said to me that she had asked him why do i hurt so bad? >> that statement he made to mike is extremely important because that shows she was not dead at the time he originally was with her. >> one of those is a lie. >> exactly. >> one item conspicuously absent from the growing pile of evidence was the weapon. the franks had something she felt was almost as good. the evidence that raven was a collector of knives. raven told detectives his collection was missing along with his laptop. then the issue of motive. prosecutors don't need to prove it but jurors have come to expect it. charlene franks called sandy. raven's boss at the time of janet's death. garrett told the jury raven knew she was about to lose his job. >> he looked at me with a smile

and said got my pink slip? i said we're waiting until the end of the month. >> looming unemployment and mounting debt could have driven raven to kill. then she showed the life insurance policy, the payout was $500,000. the beneficiary was raven. >> the only way he could afford to live his lifestyle to get that insurance policy. >> but another piece of this puzzle was about to be presented in court. it had to do with raven's second wife, vanessa. it turns out, vanessa and raven were not a match made in heaven. >> i was way too naive. way too naive. >> vanessa traveled from salt lake city to durham to testify. not for the defense but for the prosecution. >> she told the jury how her storybook romance with raven ended almost as quickly as it

began. >> at one point, vanessa said raven became physical. >> he had me by the arms and he threw me up against the wall. >> he told me how much he hated me. and how much he didn't care if i died. >> right after that, he calmed right down. i'm so sorry. i'm so sorry. i'm so sorry. >> according to vanessa. raven displayed that same moody, unpredictable behavior again and again. >> the moment he got fired up about anything, he flew off the handle with [ expletive ] you're a [ expletive ]. >> that quick? >> instant. >> their marriage lasted only three months. >> you think you escaped something worse than a bad three month marriage? >> absolutely. >> charlene franks rested her

case with confidence. even if she admitted there were some things she didn't have. >> no murder weapon. >> no. >> no witnesses this. >> no. >> no blood in his car? >> no. his advantage was trying to say i'm just a bad husband. i'm a criminal as far as money goes but there's no evidence i killed my wife. >> now it was the defense's turn to fire bam -- back. >> coming up. and fire back they did. among their targets? raven's second wife. >> vanessa has her motives saying what she's going to say. >> which would be? >> when "dateline" continues. >> when "dateline" continues ncey relief extra strength you get fast, 24-hour relief in one drop. make it a pataday with the drop that's right for you. now without a prescription. everywhere. now, simparica trio simplifies protection. ticks and fleas? see ya! heartworm disease?

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to get it safely, for free. because this is our shot... ...at getting back together. raven sat quietly at the defense table as the prosecutor wrapped up her case. but inside raven said he was fuming. >> there's no evidence that says i did it. they're coming up with circle stuff that, frankly, are lies. >> raven has always maintained his innocence. >> did you love her? >> i did love her. >> did you kill her? >> i did not kill her. >> he said he didn't emotionally abuse janet either. >> bullying her, keeping her down. truth to that? >> no truth to that. no truth at all. i have a strong personality but i've never been dominating

>> justin stated that raven's defense attorney called character witnesses of their own. offering the jury a completely different image of both raven and raven's relationship with janet. >> they were a close couple. they were seemed to have a genuine concern of love for each other. >> misty couldn't recognize the man the state was describing. >> i didn't know what the heck they were talking about. what are they saying? not only about raven but about janet. >> when you heard janet described in court as kind of this, like, sort of meek little mouse whom you were pushing around, yeah. >> that sound familiar? >> no. no. she's quiet and reserved but when she did talk, people listened. >> but what about the testimony that janet would walk a mile to a pay phone so raven wouldn't find out she was talking to her best friend brittany?

>> it didn't make you look like a guy guy. >> it never happened. never happened. totally fabricated story. >> more evidence that janet was an independent spouse with a will of her own came from the prosecution. after it made a stunning announcement. a computer hard drive had suddenly been found in an evidence locker. the hard drive janet's work computer containing e-mails she sent around the time of her death. >> the hard drive, to me, it was janet's voice and the truth about who janet was. >> some of the e-mails selected by the defense exposed a flirtation janet was having with an old fling. raven's side said those e-mails made it clear janet was making decisions on her own. >> it showed that people were taking the stand and saying things that weren't true. >> if a hard drive had been part

of the evidence from the very beginning, it would have seen the whole picture of janet and janet and raven's relationship. >> the defense immediately made a motion for a mistrial arguing that without the new evidence, they were unable to properly cross examine the state's witnesses. the judge did not agree. >> motion for mistrial denied. >> the defense decided to hit head on what were, by now, raven's undenial misdeeds. >> i've done a lot of bad things in my life. i admit that. >> most damaging was raven's history of infidelity. janet knew of at least one affair and when janet confided in her mother-in-law, karen said she was furious are raven. >> i said he doesn't deserve you. leave him. >> you told her to go? >> yeah. >> they did separate. janet told me just a few months later when she said we have been through counseling and we love each other. i'm not leaving and neither is

he. >> did you think their troubles were gone at this point? >> i knew their troubles were behind them. they were stronger than ever. >> then came the horrible night in 2005. almost as soon as karen arrived in durham, she said she got an unease feeling about the investigation and the way police look looking at raven. >> i think they immediately decided, oh, this guy is not perfect. he's embezzled. they wanted it to be raven. >> defense attorneys hammered crime scene evidence about evidence. the bloody footprint near janet's body. the fingerprint on the office closet door. the dna on the storm door to the side entrance. all of which were never identified and any of which the defense said could have been left by an unknown killer. >> there was a lot of things they didn't do. forensic evidence that wasn't

pursued. >> but defense attorneys felt jurors wouldn't have to look any further than raven's alibi to be convinced his innocence. the church councillor was the last person to see the couple on the night of the killing. >> at that particular time, did there seem to be any stress in their relationship? >> no. >> he left the house at 7:00 p.m. >> it seemed like any other time i was there. >> both the prosecution and the defense agreeing it would have taken raven about 30 minutes to drive to the sports arena where he played soccer that night. the defense called raven's teammate who testified raven got to the game right before it started at 9:00 p.m. >> was there raven when you got there? >> yes. >> and what was he doing when you got there? >> he was already warming up on the field. >> added up, the defense said, that raven would have had to

kill janet, clean up, and compose himself enough to appear normal on the soccer field all within less than 90 minutes. >> it department make get to th. it just didn't make sense. >> the defense was about to rest. first, it needed to address the damaging testimony of vanessa pond. >> she says you put your hands on her at one time, shoved her, pushed her up against the wall. >> i think i pointed my finger -- >> poked her. >> didn't leave bruises, but i poked her. >> you want the key to city for that? >> it wasn't a rage. actually vanessa's story has been totally twisted. vanessa has her motives for saying what she's going to say. >> which would be. >> she's bitter, obviously. >> you didn't believe anything vanessa pond said? >> no. >> karen suggested vanessa's testimony was payback for a

bitter breakup in 2008. >> hard to believe someone would do that, but she's doing it. >> karen says she once overheard raven on the phone with vanessa soon after they broke up. >> he happened to have it on speaker phone. she was screaming at him, how dare he leave her. she flat out said i'll -- >> divided families was about to come to an end. now it was up to the jury. but just after 24 hours, word began to spread throughout the courthouse. there was trouble in the jury room. >> coming up, another stunning turn was in store for both sides. >> heartbroken, shocked, stunned. >> scared? >> terrified.

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an investigation spanning eight years, a five-week-long trial with more than 80 witnesses, all building to this one moment. >> it was painful. it didn't feel like it was going good. didn't feel like it was going bad. it was a painful, painful three

or four weeks. >> janet's parents felt optimistic. >> were you hopeful? >> yes. in one word, yes. >> but after just ten hours, word came out of the deliberation room that the jury was irrevocably deadlocked. >> the court is of the opinion that with further deliberations, this jury would not likely reach a verdict. the court in its discretion will declare a mistrial. >> the split came down 11-1 in favor of conviction. >> then they come back and can't reach a verdict. >> yes. >> what did you think? >> i had prepared to either walk out of court that day or spend life behind bars. never even crossed my mind a mistrial could be declared. the one thing i wasn't prepared for is to sit in durham county and do this all over again. >> it was an outcome no one seemed to want. >> for all but one person to say

that he was guilty and one of them undecided, i was thinking, really? send them back. >> vanessa pond was back in salt lake city when she heard. >> how did you feel when the jury couldn't come to a verdict? >> heartbroken, shocked, stunned. >> scared? >> terrified. >> prosecutor franks immediately announced she would try raven again, but almost one year after the judge declared a mistrial, and less than one week before round two of jury selection was scheduled to begin, the state made a stunning announcement. >> late last week, the district attorney's office extended a plea to the defendant and that has been accepted. >> the d.a.'s office made raven abaroa an offer he couldn't refuse, plead guilty to manslaughter, not murder, and serve less than four more years in prison. >> mr. abaroa do you personally

accept this plea offer? >> yes. >> you were okay with that deal? >> given the alternative. >> if he gets tried again and it's an acquittal. >> he walks free. >> immediately. >> this wasn't just any plea. raven was offered an alford plea meaning he would not be required to admit to killing janet. that didn't sit well with prosecutor franks. >> it wasn't my decision to make. i try the cases. i'm not the administrator. that was up to my boss and my supervisor. >> why did you take the plea? >> i took the plea to get out, to get out, to have a guaranteed date to get out and be with my son. i felt that there was so much corruption, so much lying that was going into that trial, i just knew i wasn't going to get a fair trial the second time around. >> he denied any responsibility for this crime.

we were very disappointed in that. >> i wanted to throw up. that was like stabbing janet all over again. >> he didn't mention "i'm sorry." he admitted nothing, apologized for nothing, and it was so cold. >> in trials like this, there are no winners, just two sides bitterly divided. >> the person who killed my wife right now thinks he's home free. i'm trying to clear my name so we can shift the focus and know that there is still a killer out there who right now is walking on the streets. >> custody of janet and raven's son kaiden was granted to raven's mother. janet's mom is left with the memories of the daughter she loved and lost. >> how often do you think about janet? >> constantly.

the only way i can handle it, is i know she's happy. i know she is. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. ♪ ♪ first up on msnbc, former president donald trump lashing out at members of hits own party at a donor retreat in south florida, reportedly slamming senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and repeating his election lies. >> you received an order. obey it. >> i'm honestly afraid to get out. >> you should be. get out. get out! >> get out of the car! >> i didn't do anything. >> whoa.