that's like $20 a month per unlimited line... i don't want to miss that. that's amazing doc. mobile savings are calling. visit xfinitymobile.com to learn more. doc? finally tonight, i want to wish a very happy mother's day to all the mothers out there, including my mother-in-law jan in north dakota, and especially to this lady. my own mom, margaret. this was last summer when she came to martha's vineyard for the first time to visit. as you can see, she was real happy, one to be at martha's vineyard, and two, to have that cocktail. that does it for me. thanks for watching the sunday show. i'll be back next saturday. i'm andrea canning, and this is dateline. >> you get a knock at your door that would change your life. >> yeah. it was a pretty dark time.

>> she was shocked. the last thing you expect to hear is a police officer telling you that someone is trying to kill your husband. >> so murder for hire. it's very serious. >> he offered me $50,000 to do this. i was not going to let this happen. >> you were an undercover officer? >> the undercover hit man. i had to totally change how i acted, talked, everything. >> you're sure you want this done? >> i'm positive. i am positive i want it. >> one mistake could blow this whole operation. >> absolutely. >> the seconds are ticking away. >> it was all or nothing. >> this isn't a hardened criminal. this is a soccer mom. >> it was hell. it was hell. hello, and welcome to dateline. memorial day weekend in the

town of east lake, ohio is blissfully traditional. barbecues, boating, parades. but in 2011, there was something evil lurking beneath the surface, and it began with a startling 911 call. the caller had a hot tip about an active murder for hire plot. but that was hardly the only surprising news he had to share. here's the east lake conspiracy. along the shores of majestic lake erie, not far from cleveland, lies a little known city named east lake, ohio. >> it's more of a suburb. you got nice properties with decent sized yards. >> and gorgeous water front views. it's the kind of place folks settle to raise a family. quiet and safe. >> you never hear about murders or stuff like that. >> but that wholesome image was about to be shattered. >> basically the gist of it

was he wants this guy dead. >> someone had murder on their mind, and a deadly plot was brewing. >> st it is one of those things you see on tv. >> you have to be evil to want to murder somebody else. >> it would all come crashing down on one family. >> it was hell. it was hell. >> but would those responsible slip through detectives' fingers. >> put your hands in the air or you're both dead! 're both >> it all began memorial day weekend 2011. >> east lake police. >> it was a friday evening when an unusual 911 call came into dispatch. >> i was approached at the captain's club to murder somebody for $50,000. so, i need somebody out here. >> a murder for hire in east lake? it was hard to believe. >> okay, and what is your

name? >> patrick sabo. >> the dispatcher recognized the caller's name. patrick sabo had lived in east lake for years, was a former army ranger, and known to everyone at the station, including the chief of police larry rike. >> how did you know the caller? >> he's been involved in a couple of minor incidents in our city. he was never a big problem. he's just somebody that we had dealt with in the past and we knew him by face. >> so police were surprised about the reason pat was calling. he wanted to report that someone was planning a murder. >> and who approached you, do you know? >> um, it's the father of one of my high school friends. >> how bizarre is that for your police department to get a call like that? >> it's extremely bizarre. we were pretty surprised by it. >> this is the land of soccer moms and children and families. not something that you would expect. >> correct. we don't deal with stuff like that on a normal basis.

>> double it? did you think that this was possible? >> well, we definitely knew it was worth looking into. >> police knew pat well enough to know he wasn't lying. so the dispatcher wanted to know more about this man offering pat money to kill someone. >> what's his name, patrick? >> i'm not sure of his first name, but the the last name is zombory. >> whoever he was, perhaps his desire to have someone killed was just a moment of anger or a crude joke taken wrong. but investigators needed to be sure. >> we definitely didn't want to ignore it, and god forbid let something bad happen. >> that's no joke when you hear something like that on 911. >> no, it's not. >> detective christopher bowersock, now retired, was assigned the case, and he sprung into action. police called pat sabo to come into the station. >> i interviewed him. >> it's may 27th, 2011. >> they recorded the audio. >> why don't you tell me from

the beginning how it transpired. >> the detective wasn't sure what to expect, but it didn't take long to see that patrick believed zombory was serious about his offer. >> he flat out offered me money to kill him. >> kill who? pat said he was given few details about the target. >> the subject he wants killed lives in atlanta, georgia. >> and his name is what? >> i don't know his name. >> no name, but he said zombory did give him the target's photo and home address. >> is he willing to pay for your travel? >> he's paying for all expenses. >> did you have any fears about telling the police? >> no. i fear no man on this earth. no woman, no creature. >> was this a believable story he was telling you? >> anyone would have a little skepticism hearing something like this. >> after all, pat was a colorful character. but if detectives had any doubts about pat's story, they didn't last long.

>> as soon as i handed him the picture and address, i said this is how serious they are. the cop went okay, now that changes things. >> to investigators, pat's story was so detailed, it seemed clear it was no hoax. so they had to move fast. a man's life could be in danger. >> if we delay our own investigation, and it would be carried out by a third or fourth party, then it would just be tannic. -- tragic. >> you wanted to take control of the situation? >> absolutely. >> that meant finding the target before it was too late. the first piece of the puzzle falls into place. but just how swiftly could detectives assemble all the clues? coming up. >> we found out he was a prominent business man. >> target identified. a devoted husband and dedicated dad of six. >> just completely selfless. he would do whatever it took to make sure they were okay and taken care of. >> why would anyone want him

dead? >> just spite, hate, venom, vitriol. >> when dateline continues. i'm out of breath, and often out of the picture. but this is my story. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ [laughing] ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd

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very serious. >> serious and also a puzzle. investigators were missing key pieces about the target. >> i was never given his name or anything. he gave he a picture and his address. >> detectives ran a background check and learned the person who lived at the other dress was named david metter. david was the target. >> we found out he was a prominent business man. >> a business man who lived nearly a thousand miles away in gwinnett county georgia. he seemed to have it all. a nice happen, children, and a new wife. >> it was a small, intimate wedding. >> lonnie and david metter has been married less than a year, but she felt she had found her soul mate. >> we had a nice connection. >> reporter: it was a second marriage for each, and they each had kids. david four girls, lonnie, a son and daughter.

>> we're both in the six children club. not always easy, but a lot of fun. >> yeah, i'll tell you it was super fun. i loved having kids. >> she described her life with david as wonderful, but says she never could have imagined the challenges they'd face together as a couple. how did you meet david? >> we met at a work function. >> they both worked in the automotive industry and were attending a conference in las vegas when a mutual friend suggested they meet. >> there was an instant connect, which was a bit shocking, i'll tell you. i had been on my own for about two years and pretty well settled in that. >> you knew early on that david could be the one. >> yes, i knew early on. >> not to mention that i'm sure you must have found him handsome. >> oh, super handsome. wasn't sure if i could talk about that. yes, very much so. great smile, great eyes. just on instant soul mate.

>> but once the conference ended, reality quickly set in. >> you look at a map, and you go oh, you live in baltimore, and i live in atlanta. you know, how does that work? >> david was also separated, going through a messy divorce, and figuring out a custody arrangement for his girls, who still lived with his ex. >> you had been through a divorce yourself? >> i had. >> did that help in giving him, david, advice about how to navigate these waters? >> i think so. early on in the friendship, um, i can remember encouraging him to, to try again. to do everything they could to fight for the marriage. >> but she says david assured her there was no hope for a reconciliation. so the next time he was in atlanta for business, they went on their first date. >> we went to my church. >> wow, that's a very wholesome first date. >> yeah, i knew that if that wasn't a connect, then it would be very difficult for us. >> it was a match made in heaven. a year and a half later, david

and lonnie got involved. >> my ring, um, was very special. he and the kids all went to pick it out. there's six baguette diamonds around the center of it to represent each of the kids because it was not just a marriage for us, but it was a marriage of our families. >> after they married, david and lonnie moved in together. david won custody of his oldest daughter, but the three young errs continued to live out of state with their mom. >> visitation was difficult from day one. >> it wasn't easy, but david flew to ohio to see his kids whenever he could. >> he still went for every school event. every weekend that he could get time with them. >> did that make you fall in love with him more? his dedication to his children? >> oh, yeah, yeah. just completely selfless. and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure they were okay and taken care

of and supported and loved. absolutely. >> great father, loving husband, successful businessman. it all seemed ideal. so why did david have a price on his head? that was the question police were asking, and patrick sabo had the answers. he was about to tell detectives the rest of the story, including why the man named zombory wanted david dead. >> just spite, hate, venom, vitriol coming out of him. >> coming up. >> he wanted him dead. he didn't care how i did it, he didn't care what it was going to cost. >> did he bring up how you would be paid and how much? >> yeah, he offered me the $50,000. >> who was this mysterious man named zombory? and who else was in on this murderous plot. >> i mean, this isn't a thug or hardened criminal, this is a soccer mom. >> yeah, this is somebody who goes about their day like everybody else. she just wanted him dead. >> when dateline continues.

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it's a beautiful... ...day to fly. wooooo! pat sabo was in shock. he'd been asked to do the unthinkable and was still trying to wrap his head around it. >> i couldn't believe this was going down. >> a man named zombory had offered pat $50,000 to fly to

georgia and kill david metter. but pat sabo was no killer. >> no, it wasn't going down like that. >> he says that's why he called the police. >> if i said nothing and did nothing and saw tomorrow david dead on the tv because i didn't do anything, that would be just as bad as me pulling the trigger. >> pat wanted to save david metter, not hurt him. and as he continued his interview with detectives, it was clear there was much more to his story. especially when it came to zombory. >> i had never met this man. there was no reason for me to meet this man. >> nevertheless, pat told detectives he'd agreed to the meeting as a favor to an old high school classmate named chriss. al zombory was her dad. a 76-year-old widower who lived with his daughter and

her children. how close were you with chrissy? >> not close. we ran in different groups. >> pat joined the army while chrissy went to college, got married, and had children. >> she was fun, she had a contagious laugh. she was just someone i wanted to be around. >> karen was one of chrissy's closest friends. they lived on the same cul-de-sac for years. >> she was awesome. >> and also a compassionate friend. chrissy was a shoulder to cry on when her marriage fell apart. >> i would call her cries, she came over, and she was my rock through the whole thing. >> reporter: chrissy, now a divorced mom of four girls needed a rock of her own. so she reached out to facebook. it was 20 years since they'd last seen each other. she seemed to be unraveled. >> it would always turn into a

poor me pity party. >> she spent most of their chats venting about her ex. >> it would always end up complaining about how much he abused her mentally, physically. >> pat told detectives he didn't know much about the ex, but he knew her married name. christine zombory metter. turns out david metter was her ex-husband. >> my advice to her was to move on, but she didn't want to listen. >> she started to grate on pat's nerves. >> he's this, he's this, blah blah blah. i said in a joking manner save your money, hire a hit man. >> you obviously have a unique sense of humor. >> little bit. >> pat assumed chrissy got the joke. but hours later they talked on skype. this one she asked him to meet her father for lunch. and when zombory picked up pat for the meeting. >> before we even get out of the parking lot, he looks me

dead in the eye and says if i could shoot straight, i'd kill the son of a [ bleep] myself already. >> so why go forward? >> if there was serious thought given to it because of what i said, i have to know. know. >> pat said at the restaurant zombory offered him money to kill david. >> he was nothing but spite, hate, venom, vitriol coming out of him. he wanted him dead. he didn't care how he did it or how much it would cost. >> did he tell you how you'd be paid and how much? >> yes, $50,000 from the life insurance settlement payable to chrissy upon his death. >> why were you the chosen one? >> they knew i was hurting for hundred. >> did chrissy know you were a former army ranger? >> yes, i was proud of it. most people knew. >> an army ranger is trained to kill. do you think she looked at your background and thought

maybe this is the right guy? >> she knew i had the the capabilities to do it. her biggest mistake is thinking i would. >> i mean, this isn't a thug or hardened criminal. this is a soccer mom. >> yeah,this is somebody that goes about their day like anyone else, but she wanted him dead. >> but the only proof police had was pat's word. and that wasn't enough to arrest chrissy or her dad. >> we didn't have the evidence to go forward. >> to they came up with a clever plot to catch them conspiring to kill david. and they had to act fast. the father and daughter wanted david killed right away. >> we needed the conversation on tape. that's the most important thing. >> but that could be difficult because chrissy's dad wasn't just some guy angry with his son-in-law. he spent 26 years in law enforcement. he was a policeman. it must have been surprising

to you to learn he's a former officer. >> surprising is a good word, but also worried because he could see through what other people couldn't see through. so we had to really be careful in how we handle the investigation. >> one mistake and the entire case could be ruined. or worse, someone could get hurt. would detectives be able to pull this off? it's time for police to flip the script. a new hit man enters the scene and takes center stage. >> this guy, he's done this before. >> who was the hit man going to be? the new hit man? >> that would be me. >> so detective and playing the role of hit man. >> yes. >> one mistake could blow this whole operation. >> absolutely. something said wrong, an action done wrong. i had to totally change how i acted, talked, everything. >> when dateline continues. no fingersticks needed.

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>> we're just hours away from michael cohen taking the stand at former president trump's hush money trial. he's already served time in prison for his alleged role in the cover up scheme involving stormy daniels. and the cross country tornado outbreak brought devastation to the ohio valley over the weekend. the national weather service reported a staggering 746 preliminary tornadoes so far this year. for now back to dateline. welcome back to dateline. i'm andrea canning. david metter, devoted father of six, was the target of a murder for hire plot. or at least that was the tip handed to investigators who believed there was more to the unusual story. now to unmask the the people at the core of the diabolical plot, police were about to

launch a daring undercover operation. continuing now with the eastlake conspiracy. eastlake detectives needed to catch chrissy and her father on tape planning the murder of her ex. and they knew the only person that could record that conversation was pat sabo. how important was patrick sabo to your plan? >> patrick was instrumental. >> was there a risk putting him in the middle of this? >> absolutely. there was always a risk. >> but pat made it clear to investigators it was a risk he was willing to take. >> i've jumped out of planes. what's the difference? you know, you hop in your car, you have a danger of dying. at least this way if i do during this, i went doing something pretty darn interesting. >> no longer just a concerned citizen calling 911, pat was now a police informant. and his mission was clear. with a recording device in hand, keep chrissy and her dad talking about the murder plot.

you need to record every word that's spoken. >> yes, ma'am. >> and you're doing this on your own? >> yeah. and then i'd just call them whiff a recording, and they'd come pick it up. >> but before patrick did anything, detectives needed to make sure david metter was safe. so they asked police in georgia to check on him. >> we were contact bid the eastlake police department and they notified us that they were midway through an investigation. >> stephen shock, then a major with the gwinett county police department sent officers to the house to observe from a distance. david was alive and well, but investigators didn't want him to know there was a threat against his life. not yet anyway. >> they were concerned that notification to the metter family would have at some point gotten back to chrissy and the case would be concluded prematurely. >> so they didn't say a word

and kept an eye on david. before they launched their sting, detectives felt there was still one thing they had to do. replace pat sabo as the hit man. police wanted one of their own on the inside working undercover. and who was the new hit man going to be? >> me. that would be me. >> so detective and playing the role of hit man. >> yes. >> detective bowersock would play the role of vincent, a hit man with mob affiliations. it's like a movie script. >> it is a movie script. everything has to be laid out. >> one mistake could blow this whole operation? >> absolutely. something said wrong, action done wrong. anything that makes you look like a policeman. i had to totally change everything and how i acted, talked, all my mannerisms, everything. >> it was now up to pat to convince chrissy and her dad to outsource the murder to a

professional hit man. armed with a recording device, pat says he skypeed chrissy and told her all about vincent and his fee. >> it really implicated her. >> but when he handed the recording over to the detective, there was a problem. >> i forgot to hit record. >> oops. it was a disappointing setback, but pat called back the next day. >> chrissy, hey. >> i'm at the airport. >> remember that guy i told you about? >> yeah. >> okay, well i talked to him, so it's no lodger a hypothetical situation, it's a real situation. >> okay. >> chrissy seemed unphased by the idea of a new hit man, and when pat mentioned vince wanted to meet her elderly dad, that seemed fine too. >> all right, so dad is still going to call me tonight at like, or he's going to skype me? >> yeah, it will have to be

him skypeing you. >> okay, we'll skype later and talk to him and set something up to meet me and vince. >> okay. >> later that night, pat spoke with chrissy's dad and played up the reasons vince was the perfect choice to carry out the plan. >> this guy vince, he's, he's done this, he's done this before, al. okay? i mean, he spent time in prison in california. he's, put it this way, this dude scares the [ bleep] out of me. i told chrissy this guy wants to meet tomorrow. >> okay. >> and just like that, vince was in. they discussed his remainer. >> i told chrissy he went from 2,000 down to 3,000 now. is that a problem? >> um, a little bit. >> well, how much could you get tomorrow? >> tomorrow? oh, i probably could get 3,000

tomorrow if i had to. >> so far everything was going according to plan. detective bowersock was about to meet chrissy's dad face to face as vince the hit man. everything had to be realistic, even his appearance. >> you look very nice and clean cut right now. how did you look? >> i was in, you know, harley davidson shirt, pair of jeans. >> you look the part of the hit man? >> yeah, i think i was pretty convincing on my look. >> he needed to convince chrissy's dad, enough for zombory to implicate himself on tape. >> all right, so what's going on here? >> coming up. >> are you sure you want this done? this is the father of your grandchildren. >> i understand. fully. >> okay, you've got the money. god bless. have fun. >> he's saying have fun? >> basically, yeah. he just wanted to have me do

it. >> a high wire sting with sky high stakes. >> he wants you to pretend that you're dead? >> right. i'm thinking to myself i can't make these believable. how do i act dead? i'm not sure what i would look like dead. >> when dateline continues. you can feel it when your dream becomes a pursuit. and with vitiligo, the pursuit for your pigment is no exception. it's time you had a proven choice to help restore what's yours. opzelura is the first and only fda-approved prescription treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo

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detective bowersock had set the stage for his

undercover operation. he was about to meet chrissy's dad for the first time posing as vince the hit man, and he needed two things to happen. >> the first element was to meet with al zombory to make the hire for the hit. the second one was the, the transfer of money to me to solidify the deal. >> the meeting was in the detective's car, which was wired and parked in an empty lot. >> i'm meeting with suspect al zombory on the murder for hire. >> pat sabo arrived with zombory to make the introduction, then stepped away to let the two men talk alone. >> all right, so what's going on here? he give mess a picture of some guy named david metter. >> he divorced my daughter, and he is pulling some real [ bleep] on her. okay? he took one kid. >> okay. >> he's threatening to take the rest of them. >> zombory's only focus was

finalizing the contract on david metter's life. >> i got three grand here. >> you sure you want this done? this is the father of your grandchildren. >> yes. >> but this is the father of your grandchildren, do you understand? >> i understand. fully. more so than you think. >> what made you think of killing this guy? >> what made me? >> why not? that's the only answer i have. he's such a scum bag. >> okay. >> is that it? >> that's it. >> you got the money. god bless. have fun. >> the father of his grandchildren, and he's saying have fun? >> basically, yeah. he just wanted to have me do it. >> why not arrest him right then and there? >> the case wasn't as solid as i wanted it. i wanted chrissy because she's the one that set this up. >> you believe she was the master mind? >> oh, there's no doubt in my mind. >> but the time to prove it was running out. chrissy and her dad wanted david killed in the next couple of days.

both agrees to meet with vince once it was done. >> they had to establish proof mr. metter was killed and the contract completed. >> detectives knew there was only one person that could make this happen. david metter himself. they sent agent shaw to the home to break the news that there was a price on david's head. but there was a problem. >> i said i'm sorry, he's out of town. um, he's gone to florida for business. >> at that point we were forced to loop her in as to what was going on for her to make contact with david for us. >> lonnie called david immediately and told him the horrifying story. and it was horrifying. just ask david. >> why would my ex-wife ever do this? i know that she hates me, but i can't imagine being hated so much that something like this could be real. >> david's 17 year marriage to chrissy flashed before his eyes. a once happy household that

had turned so bitter. >> where we started, um, to falter was when my career started really taking shape, and i had opportunities to leave ohio. >> chrissy hated living far from her parents, and the marriage eventually fell apart. david says they separated, and that's when things turned ugly. >> i immediately became a, um, a wife beater, a child beater, and pretty much anything else that chrissy could accuse me of. >> david said her accusation against him are completely untrue. according to david, chrissy was the one who tormented him. he recalls a phone call from her at the height of their divorce and custody battle. it's a call that still haunts him to this day. >> i was living in this apartment building that was up

on the tenth floor. i remember the words that came out of her mouth during this conversation. we didn't miss you. the girls don't need you. you're worth more to us dead than you are alive. you should just jump. >> wow. >> i fell to my knees. i remember praying and hoping for something to change. >> david remarried. by then, chrissy had moved back to ohio with the kids. but david says the problems with his ex got worse. especially between chrissy and their daughters. so he and lonnie decided to fight for primary custody. >> i told her that there was a high likelihood that i was going to get the girls. >> now david was left to wonder, was this murder for hire some sort of custody revenge? with the clock ticking, there was no time to process it all. agent shaw needed david to do

something crazy. stage his own death. >> the detective gets on the phone, and his words were i need you to take pictures of yourself. >> pictures the police planned to photo shop to make it look like david had been shot in the head. he wanted you to present you were dead? >> right. i'm thinking to myself i can't make these believable. how do i act dead? >> we needed to expose certain parts of his head to place the gunshot wound on it. >> david needed to hurry. chrissy and her dad were supposed to meet the hit man vince in a few hours. so david snapped photos in his hotel room on his phone and sent them to shaw. it was up to an analyst to make it believable. >> he added blood and a gunshot wound to the picture.

it was a rush job. he sent it to eastlake police. did they like it? >> i don't know they had a choice. they were scheduled to meet. >> police prepared for their final undercover sting. this was high stakes. it had to work. >> yes, it had to work. >> but chrissy got cold feet and wanted to back out of the meeting. >> it's my job to make sure she's there, now she doesn't want to be there. >> how do you get things back on track and get chrissy there. >> to make her believe she hired someone to kill someone who just did, and this killer is telling her to show up. >> i put the fear of jesus in her. well, the fear of vinny in her. she said yeah, you're right. >> the plan was back on track. unmarked cars were stationed near the parking lot. >> i'm already posted at the end of the drive. >> ready to swoop in if needed. and it's all coming down to

this moment? >> one moment. i was holding my breath in the car. >> would chrissy show or slip through the detectives' fingers? coming up. >> does it look like an accident? >> the big photo finish. would this picture convince anyone? >> do you worry he'll look at this and say no way? >> yeah, he's seen crime scenes before. i did it as quick as i possible could. >> just let me see it. >> i was holding my breath in the car. >> when dateline continues. some things should stand the test of time. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection,

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welcome back. an elaborate sting was underway. chrissy metter believed she was meeting with a hired assassin to obtain evidence her ex-murder was dead. the outcome of this risky operation hung in the balance, and it hinged on a single photo shopped selfie. now the conclusion of the eastlake conspiracy. it was the moment of truth for eastlake detectives. the final undercover meeting with chrissy metter and al zombory. detectives had plenty of evidence on chrissy's dad, but to get chrissy, they needed her to show up too.

>> i was holding my breath making sure i could see three heads in the car. >> father and daughter were already told that david was dead, and they arrived to see the proof. >> as we pull in, i say i'm going over there, you guys do what you gotta do. >> chrissy and her dad got into bowersock's car. it's the first time the detective had seen her. >> good morning. >> police needed chrissy to admit she was the one to pay the rest of the hit man's fee. so right off the the bat, bowersock asked her about the life insurance policy on david good how much is the policy for? >> one and a half. >> 1.5 million? >> yeah. >> this is the father of your kids. i went over this with your dad. >> he beat me. he beat my kids.

he's stolen everything from me. >> al zombory wanted to see the photo, the proof that david metter was dead. do you worry he'll look at this and say no way? >> well, yeah, he's seen crime scenes before. so i did it as quick as i possibly could. >> okay. >> the photo worked. zombory believed his former son-in-law was dead. he didn't want his daughter to look at the picture. chrissy was interested in the details of the murder. >> does it look like an accident? >> no -- >> i mean does it look like he was mugged? >> no, no, no don't even bring it up. you don't want to see it. >> i shot him in the head like you wanted me to do. he's done. >> with that, the sting was over and the calvary rushed in. >> put your hands in the air. >> what did you guys do? >> we did nothing. >> did you set me up? >> chrissy and her dad were

handcuffed and taken to the station. and when they sat down with investigators, al zombory started talking. >> you're here for conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. >> who? >> what do you mean who? >> you're saying you got everything figured out, who? >> your ex-son-in-law, how does that sound? >> well, he should be murdered. >> the interview quickly ended after zombory asked for a lawyer. and when it was chrissy's turn, she acted oblivious to it all. >> you understand the charge against you? >> so i've been charged -- >> with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. >> i understand. is david alive? >> i'm not privileged to tell you anything. >> but seven months later, when it came time for chrissy's trial, her defense strategy was simple.

she blamed her father. judge eugene lucci presided over the trial. >> the defense tried to show it was all al zombory's doing. he snooped in christine metter's unsecured laptop. >> the defense said zombory saw the facebook conversation between chrissy and pat. the one where pat joked about hiring a hit man. they said it was zombory who wanted to arrange the meeting with pat. >> christine said she didn't know the purpose of the meeting, and all she was doing was her father's bidding. >> chrissy took the stand to tell the jurors exactly that, and that she never wanted to meet the hit man, but was pressured by pat sabo. >> it was him telling me to do something that i did not want to do. he was getting forceful with it. telling me vince knew where i lived. >> if chrissy sounded guilty in the under cover recording, she said she was playing along

out of fear of what vince might do. >> i started getting scared that this man was going to show up at my door, that this man will kill, that this man will hurt my children. >> did you want david metter killed? >> never. >> but prosecutors said chrissy knew exactly what she was doing. they said the proof was in the undercover recording from the final sting. >> does it look like an accident? >> he said i shot him in the head like you wanted me to. what does this woman say? okay. >> the state closed with this. killing david was a win-win for chrissy. she'd get the proceeds of his insurance policy, and something else. custody. she'd get to keep her four girls. were you concerned there was a chance she'd be found not

guilty? >> we were both very anxious. >> within a few hour, the verdict was in. >> we the jury find the defendant guilty. >> guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. >> what is that moment like after everything you'd been through? >> it was vindication. >> relief. she scared us, and she wasn't going to be able to do that for a long time. >> nor was al zombory. he took a plea deal and died in prison after serving five years. chrissy declined our request for an interview, but in a statement that unexpectedly read like a confession, she wrote in part, i was very wrong in my actions and am paying dearly. anyone that's been through a divorce that never ends can understand i was at the end of my rope. she was sentenced to ten years. her approaching release date seemed to weigh on david and lonnie. >> my hope is the prison system has done its job, and she'll try to be reacclimated

into a normal life. >> lonnie, you're getting upset just talking about it. >> yeah, i don't think that she's learned anything from this experience. >> chrissy was released from prison in 2021, but lonnie and david aren't dwelling on this part of their past. they use their story to counsel other couples facing obstacles, and say they're stronger today as a couple and family. >> when you talk with each one of the girls, their mother is lonnie. >> after the trial, david had had chrissy's parental rights terminated. >> lonnie, you go on to adopt these girls and welcome them into your heart with open arms. >> yeah, i mean, i always actually wanted a lot of kids, and, um, here i get to have four more. >> david and lonnie say this chapter of their lives may not have been possible without pat.

>> i think the best way that i can show thanks to patrick is to show how our family has risen far above this from a moment in time that he had control of. >> i've seen the beauty of these two people. especially lonnie. she adopted those girls. good people. does my heart good to see that and know i did the right thing. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. i'm andrea canning. this is stateline. >> i walk in the front door and i could see the victim in the back