Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20130928

P poisoned him . Theres the allegation of poisoning. Narrator a toxic mystery with an unforgettable meltdown in court. And a surprise witness with a bombshell. Do you remember what you told me about the drinks . What did i tell you about that . It wasnt supposed to happen like this. Im holt, and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with toxic. Narrator it was a mystery from day one. From that time right around the end of the hockey season. It didnt make sense what was happening to matt podalak. Matt the outdoorsman, the fisherman, the athlete. He woke up that morning with that pain in his back. And after that night in the hospital a couple of weeks later, nothing made sense of that. God knows there were accusations. Oh, yes, plenty of those. And a brother, mark, for whom the story, the mystery became a kind of obsession. Its had quite an affect on me for the past seven years. Lets begin in the spring of 2006. Matt was 31 years old. Maybe more than ever, he was loving the intense male roughness of amateur hockey. He was number 10 an he was good at it. He even managed to keep all these teeth. He started to take it up when he was in high school. That was really one of his loves. Mark podalak was a little older, a little les athletically accomplished than his brother. But he loved him. My dad was a cop, so he sort of put the fear of god into me and my brother growing up. Matt told his wife that he was going to brooklyn, ohio, its one of the towns around the edge of cleveland. Matt has always wanted to be a Police Officer since he was little. Narrator his dad was a 39yearold veteran of the brooklyn pd. He went to work for his uncle, whose phoenix industrial powder coated engine parts for ford and other companies. What did he think of that job of his over there at the fact friday . He was going to take over. My uncle was grooming him to become the boss. Narrator but what matt wanted most of all was a family. So when he met holly, holly mcphee chur. He really loved holly. There are some people who plan out their lives very carefully. Those people may have taken issue with matt and holly. When daughter samantha was born, give or take, nine months after they met. The marriage part could come later, they decided. He loved that little girl. Narrator and loved holly. Holly loved him. Holly told her sister chris the story of how they eventually gotten gauged. It was during a romantic weekend in niagra falls, just before samantha was born. Holly was preparing a bubble bath. She couldnt hear because the faucetcucet was running and her matt down on his knees and she realized, oh, my gosh, youre proposing. Thats kind of a romantic story. I thought it was pretty romantic. Narrator after samantha came along, matt and holly went to a friends wedding. Did you almost make it a foresome wedding . Holly and matt said we should do a double wedding. But holly knew that her family would not be happy with that, so i think thats what made them not get married. Narrator didnt get married. But something happened in vegas. Nine months after that, josh was born. From what holly told me, josh was planned in vegas. Narrator ready or not, matt was now the father of samantha a and a baby boy he nicknamed little man and hollys daughter from a previous relationship. Big changes in a very short time. And by the end of the hockey season, a lot of things started going wrong. Josh was still very new then and colicky, that was stress. And with that young family to support, matt had lost money gambling on the internet. He complained of being depressed, so depressed his doctor prescribed antidepress sant ants. After weeks of this holly insisted he go zee a doctor. He had been complaining of pain and she finally said, you need to go, obviously somethings not right. So she basically, you know, had to drag him there. Narrator kidney stones was the diagnosis. The doctor gave matt pills to help dissolve them. Four days later, he took a turn for the worse. Way worse. Holly called her father, matts father, and 911. I got a call from holly saying somethings wrong with matt. So i talked to matt and he says, dad, i dont feel good and i fell off the couch, im really dizzy. I said well get him and ambulance. At the hospital things went bad fast. It was nerveracking was all we kept hearing about is, okay, theyre trying to dial in on his kidney issue. Well that medication was making his heart go. So they tried to address the heart. And it kept seesawing back and forth. And nobody really knew what it was causing it . No. Narrator matt faded in and out of consciousness. Doctors told family members, go home, get some rest. Then a few hours later, they called everybody back to the hospital. Right away they said. One look at the icu and big brother mark felt his world fall apart. It seemed like he was in a coma. I knew if he made it through, he wouldnt be the same. And everybody felt a particular kind of helplessness, knowing something was killing him, but not knowing, how could they . What it was. How could doctors know what was killing matt . Was it a medical mystery or a different kind of mystery . How can you go into the hospital for kidney stones a and die eight hours later . E guten morgen guess who . Mr. Mojito . Ok its got to be really fast, ive got one second hey no way wei hey, ca va . Nudeq nuqdaq duch doch bolz stop calling me oh my god, no how are they looking . We did it baby woohh oi ma yerp yerp moshi moshi, meow what . . The end came on monday morning, jew july 13, 2006. I got a call that said you better get here because hes gone into full arrest and we have revived him already once. So when i got there, it was just downhill. Narrator pats fiance, holly mc feature begged the doctors, keep trying. I kept saying, dont stop, dont stop. Matt dont ollie leave me. Narrator and it was no use. After the doctor or nurse stepped away, holly just lunged on matt and wouldnt let go. They actually had to pull her off of his body. Narrator he was just 31 years old a and now his children were fatherless. And now holly was at a funeral and she did not take it well. Holly was outside in the car bawling her eyes out before she went in. I dont know i would have been a able to do that myself, going in there and seeing him in the casket. Narrator matt and hollys son cried a lot. So holly repeatedly had to leave the reception line to care for her colicky baby. She had to take care of her kids and show that she could be strong. This poor baby, he would have never have known his father. How could this happen . All of a sudden a very health y 31yearold young man just winds up dead . Kind of strange. Narrator kind of strange . It certainly was. Matts brother mark couldnt stop thinking about how strange it was. How can you go in the hospital for kidney stones and die 12 hours later. Narrator its as if he had been exposed to some toxic chemicals in his environment. He had worked for four years at his uncles phoenix industrial, having worked in an Assembly Line involved in painting. Any toxic chemicals there . The coroner told her a lot of the chemical compounds were similar to what the chemical compound was that they found in him. Narrator right after that, holly called matts uncle, the owner of the company. Holly said that he needed to call the coroner so he could explain what matthew was exposed to. Narrator after the coroner got a proper list of the chemicals they used, he pretty much ruled out any industrial cause. All those chemicals were safe to work with, they were osha approved and they had masks to wear. Narrator so if not that, what . Perhaps it was unhappily all too common, when death occurs in someone too young. That a young man with the pain of his kidney stones, decided to end it all. It was the coroners investigator that brought it up with matts mother. He questioned me, would matt have committed suicide . Narrator no, never, said he mother. But it would not have been an unreasonable question, given his depression and all. But mark believed he had that under control. He went to the doctor to get some help with that. And the doctor gave him some antidepressants. Did it help . I aassumed it was. Narrator matt was spending time with holly and the kids a and her parents. So maybe mark didnt know. Did he go to his own parents house very often . I dont recall him talking about it that much. His connection didnt seem to be that close, then . It didnt seem to be. Narrator and mark didnt know, not then anyway, that matt actually asked to have the hunting guns removed from his house . Was he really thinking about killing himself . From what i heart, yes, that he was having thoughts. He told holly, i think he actually told my dad. Narrator just as he insisted he go to the doctor for his kidney stones, it was holly that sent him to the doctor for his depression. She sent him to the doctor and got him on medication for that as well. Narrator what happened to matt podalak. Then finally three months after matts death, mark got a call from his mother. Come to a family meeting, she told him. She refused to tell him what would be said there. Because i knew he would be very, very upset. Narrator the news was too bizarre, too shocking to share over the phone. Coming up, the coroners report makes it clear matts death wasnt just strange, it was also highly suspicious. It was my mission to find an answer for this. When dateline continues. Li, and in more places than any other 4g network. Trade in your old device and trade up to americas most reliable network. Ive got the good one i got verizon thats powerful. Verizon. Mighty wings from mcdonalds. 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And though they are all different, they Work Together on a Single Mission saving lives. Discover how we are advancing medicine at kp. Org join us, and thrive. There were just the two of them. Big brother mark and the kid he looked out for, his little brother, matt. And now matt was dead. And nothing made sense. To mark podalak. Theres no way that a guys going to go into the hospital with kidney stones and youre going to die because of kidney stones. Narrator three months after his death, matt podalaks family gathered for a meeting. Matts mother arranged it. Before that, they were discussing a possible wrongful death suit against the hospital where matt died. My mom called me over and said were going to talk to a lawyer tonight, were going to find out whats going to happen. Narrator but marks mother wasnt exactly straight with her son, that was not what was going to happen. So when i got to her house, the whole family was there, and i was like, wheres the lawyer . And she said, hes not here. Narrator no lawyer, something far more disturbing. The autopsy report. Matts mother did not want her surviving song hearing about this over the phone. Afraid of how hed react. The whole family was there, and they said we got the coroners report back and it was antifreeze poisoning. Antifreeze poisoning . Yes. Narrator the correct phrase was chronic intoxication by ethyle Ethylene Glycol. That being the toxic ingredient in antifreeze. Chronic . It happened over a period of time, so once that kind of set in, i was shocked, i was speechless. Narrator thats when something profound happened to mark podalak. A decision snapped into place. From that moment on when we found out, it was my mission to find an answer for this. Narrator a mission complicated by the fact that there was one very big question the coroner couldnt answer. Was matts death the result of some terrible mistake or suicide . Or was it murder . Nobody knew. So the coroner labeled the manner of death undetermined. Across town, matts fiance holly was getting the news too. Hollys sister, krissy. What did she say . What can you say . Theres antifreeze in his system. We were all thinking it was kidney failure. We were not expecting thac inin. Narrator was it really possible that matt ingested small amounts of antifreeze for weeks, is that possible . Mark had already made up his mind that mark did not commit suicide a and certainly not gradual suicide. But what did he have to go on . So far, only a growing suspicion and rage, which he made perfectly clear to the police. I finally got ahoed of the detective on the case and he did some initial stuff but it wasnt the followthrough that i had hoped, maybe that was just because i was just grieving and i was so upset. But when Something Like that happens, you want the whole world to stand up and Pay Attention and do something . When that happens, i want every member of the Police Department to be on it. And it seemed like nobody was on it . It didnt seem that way, no. Just time started to go on. I became extremely frustrated. Narrator matts father, a former cop himself saw the problem. The case was stuck. The coroner said he couldnt label it a homicide without more evidence from the police. Well, at the very same time cleveland homicide was saying they cant investigate it a homicide until the coroner rules it a homicide. Narrator so it remained, month after month, year into year. Still the manner of death was listed as undetermined. Just like mark, matts father len made something of a pest of himself. I would call the detective that was assigned to the case and say what have you got . And his standard answer to me was, i dont have anything, what have you got . I said, well this is your job, not my job. You know. Not unlike what matts fiance holly was thinking. She was upset that there was nothing. But holly had three children to raise, alone. Police versus coroner politics was not exactly upper most in her mind. To make ends meet, she sometimes took on two, maybe three jobs at the same time. And threw herself into coaching her childrens Little League baseball teams. Meanwhile, mark kept hounding investigators, but getting nowhere. It made me feel like my brothers case was on a desk of somebody who could care less and was counting down the days to his retirement. Narrator but though mark was getting nowhere, holly was hearing things, not from the police. Remember the plant where matt supervised other workers . What was really going on around the powder coding machine . Coming up, holly and her sister had their own theory about how matt died. There were some people at his job that may have not liked him. He was supposed to get a promotion and i think there were some people that didnt think he deserved it . Didnt think he deserved it. Narrator were they right . Ro. 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Was also on display, id had it. I finally had a serious talk with my dermatologist. This time, he prescribed humiraadalimumab. Humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. In clinical trials, most adults with moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis saw 75 skin clearance. And the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. Blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening Heart Failure have occurred. Before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. Ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. Tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. You should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. Make the most of every moment. Ask your dermatologist about humira, today. Clearer skin is possible. Narrator holly mcfeature was up against its big time, two kiss, two still in diapers, she had lost the father of her children. The police couldnt figure out what happened to him, didnt even seem to be trying. The cash in matts Checking Account was soon gone. And matts insurance policy of 10,000 was way off, achkd it wouldnt be very much. She did what she had to do, took on several jobs at a time. The children still needed food, they still needed a roof over their heads, a and thats exactly what she was doing, she was paying the bills and making sure the kids were taken care of. Narrator the thing is holly mcfeature loved kids, not just her own, while matts passion was hockey. Hollys passion was Little League baseball. She threw herself into it after matts death. Baseball is how rebecca vega met holly. Our kids were in little leg together at that time. Narrator in the spring of 2006, before matt died. Holly was friendly in a way that it was intoxicating. It was like an intoxicating friendliness. You just wanted to be around her . You did. You wanted to be around her. Narrator being with paula was how matt he was already sick by that time. So nobody knew yet how sick. He was sitting under this tree, all alone, said remember beck a can, watching the game. You could tell that he was in pain. He shifted in the chair quite often. Narrator and four days later, matt was dead. After the funeral, rebecca tried to comfort holly and help with the kids. If she needed help with the children, if the children needed something, yes, it was just to kind of help her. Narrator when the coroners report came out and shocked everybody, holly told rebecca, of course, right away. What did you think when you heard that he died of antifreeze poisoning . Its kind of the mystery of how this 31yearold actually passed suddenly. He was poisoned. Narrator but who would want to poison matt podalak, no enemies, no known enemies initial. Holly told rebecca that the police didnt seem to be doing anything. But she had some leads of her own. She suspected somebody at work . She had suspected somebody at work. Narrator and eventually, she told rebecca, the police did too. They thought someone had poisoned him at work. The word poisoning just kept coming up. Krissy heard the rumors too. There were some people at his job that might not have liked him. It was his uncles company. I think people were a little bit jealous. He was supposed to get a promotion and i think there were some people that didnt think he get served it . Didnt think he deserved it. Narrator all of matts family members became convinced that somebody put antifreeze into matts drink, a little bit at a time. But one person who wasnt buying that theory was matts brother, mark. He didnt have any enemies. Narrator matt had worked his way up the production line to supervise mark said and he was well liked by the people at phoenix industrial. He wasnt this kind of guy that was going around picking fights with people. He was loved by his coworkers. Narrator again solving the case of his brothers murder became marks obsession. He collected stories from fact friday coworkers, from the streets, from friends. He fumed when the official investigation seemed to go nowhere. Then after three frustrating years, one small change that made a huge difference. A new supervise in the Cleveland Homicide Division took over matts case. His name, detective Sergeant Mike quinn. So by the time you took it over i took it over pushing three years. And i reviewed the file. Narrator with fresh eyes, quinn went over the case, reinterviewed people who knew both matt and holly. And suddenly i felt a completely dirmt sense of what was happening. Narrator now says mark, when he called with questions or suggestions, he felt like somebody was listening, especially when he told him what he was hearing on the street. I told him, maybe this is something that could help you. Maybe you could look into this . You heard things . Its a really close knit town, there was chatter out there. Narrator strange how that chatter seemed to particular on one particular person. Coming up, a possible motive for murder. She wrote his name on the checks and cleaned out hid bank account. What did they say to you . Obviously a huge red frag. Well, theres hannah, maddie, jen, sara m. , sara b. , sa whoa, whoa. Hold on. under his breath here it comes. We cant forget about your older sister thank you, thank you, thank you seriously . What . I get 2x the thankyou points on each ticket. Can i come . Yep. The Citi Thankyou preferred card. Now earn 2x the points on entertainment and dining out, with no annual fee. To apply, go to citi. Com thankyoucards at the corner of a little flu shot and a world of difference. Now through october 14th, when you get any immunization at walgreens, well help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in a developing country through the u. N. Foundations shot at life campaign. Together, we can supply up to three million vaccines. Its easy to make a difference at walgreens. Simply get a shot. And give a shot. At the corner of happy and healthy. Turn around every now and then i get a little bit hungry and theres nothing really good around turn around every now and then i get a little bit tired of living off the taste of the air turn around, barry i finally found the right snack with our new, improved Peanut Butter chewy bars. Narrator three years after matt podalak died of antifreeze poisoning, hollys family suspected somebody at work had it out for him. But mark and his family were looking close to home. Lets put it this way. The two sides of the family werent talking anymore. An already existing mistrust ramped up that night in the hospital years before when matt was in the icu. Thats when matts brother mark began to wonder if holly was in some way responsible for matts mystery illness. My mom and i had a conversation, i remember it. You dont think she could have did this to him, do you . And we were kind of like, i dont know, may be. But at the time, we didnt know why he passed. Narrator and then there was a funeral. Hollys family said she was very upset, cried in the car before she went in. But when quinn read the old case file, she found a curious statement from hollys friend rebecca vega. She was back and forth talking to different individuals, almost like a flirtatious, that intoxicating friendliness that she had, as if her fiance wasnt laying there in front of everyone. Was she talking to men or women or mostly men. Flirtatiously . Narrator thats how she was, her family says, friendly, magnetic, even, but didnt stay that way for long. Later, mark told them, holly became controlling and demanding. Did he everybody explain about his relationship . Of course he did. Shes nagging at me, shes yelling at me. Shes calling me all the time. Shes doing all this stuff. There were some incidents that happened. Times that they had to have the police show up. Narrator matts protective big brother called it down right nasty. He was afraid he wouldnt see his kids if they were apart. Narrator now he was dead and his family was raw with suspicion. When they went to collect some of matts personal effects, like his computer, they told Sergeant Quinn, holly told them that she no longer had it, the hard drive was being fixed. Which sounded suspicious to the detective. Was she destroying evidence . Thats what people do when they have a computer that may be connected with a crime, theyre going to get rid of it. Narrator according to them, matt sa holly said to them that matt wanted to be cremated. An idea, matts family quickly shot down. But still, why would she have said that . When asked for his clothes and other effects, she said that she had already gotten rid of them. It was as if she wanted to erase malt from her life. Was there anything left of him at all in her house . Not much. Narrator then there was the big deal about the money. The big was she went to the atm machine and used his card. Two days after his death, she cleaned out the bank account and left one penny yes it. What did that say to you . Obviously a huge red flag. It was a measure of suspicion, a broken trust, that malts brother in charge of the estate reported it to the police. Holly was arrested and charged with theft and three counts of forgesry. She agreed to make restitution and put on probation for a year. In return, prosecutors dropped the charges. She was given a firsttime offenders program, so she didnt do any jail time. Narrator matts 401 k amounted to just over 15,000. But heres what made matts brother mark suspicious. My brother was talking about removing her from a Life Insurance policy, removing her as a beneficiary of the policies and the 401 k and thats how serious it was gettin getting. Narrator and so when holly asked for that amount of insurance, it confirmed to mark what he had been thinking from the beginning. In my mind, there was nobody else, there was no other way that it could have happened. None. So the first reaction is shock, whats the second reaction . Anger. And then sadness. How dare anybody do that to my little brother, how dare they . Really, 10,000 in Life Insurance, a motive for murdering the father of your children . What did you think when you heard that, that was a very serious allegation, wasnt it . I thought it was ridiculous that somebody would actually think that. Narrator oh, yes, holly and her family heard all the whispers, they heard all the podalaks suspicions. Did she steal the money are the bank account for example . Did she know she was stealing . No, absolutely not. She was thinking that she had take cave of her children and his. What else was she supposed to do . Narrator as for getting rid of his stuff, erasing him from her life . Thats not true. In fact she still has a lot of matts shirts that she actually wears. Narrator quietly, four years after matts death, Sergeant Quinn collected the stories he heard. But there was one story he hadnt heard, nobody had. Hollys story. Coming up, holly is invited downtown for a little chat with dblgs. Did you give malt any type of poison . No. [ female announcer ] kleenex tissues help stop moisture better than the leading competitor. Save yourself from an awkward situation. Dont get caught without kleenex tissues. The kitchen . Its amazing. Lots of unexplored surfaces and tough, greasy messes to clean. Oh. 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And at t is the nations fastest, and now most reliable 4g lte network. Narrator prosecutors were appointed, Brian Mcdonough and allison ford, though they were soon frustrated. But we were missing pieces, missing Critical Links on the case. Narrator evidence already collected was maddeningly inconclusive. Detectives recovered two bottles of antifreeze from the garage where holly and matt lived. But it turned out somebody else had been living in the house for two years before they found it. Was there a way we could go ahead and link it up . Narrator nope, tests showed that the antifreeze found in the garage did not match. After matt died, she spent practically every day with holly. And heres where detective quinns eyes really opened wide. Rebecca told him that one day she was at hollys house when she noticed an odd looking jug of chemicals in hollys kitchen. She had said that it was antifreeze and that it was to winterize matts boat. Did you ask why they were there . Yeah. I thought, well, its in the kitchen, the boats outside and why would antifreeze be in the kitchen . Narrator and then there was the time that holly was complaining about matt and holly say i can get rid of hill. An i thoughtshe actually backed up that statement with, well, you can work and we can just move in to your house. Narrator weird, as he looked back on that. Once she heard about the coroners report and the podalak family suspicions, she cut off all contact with holly, ended the friendship without saying why. I thought to myself, i had exposed my family to a murder. It seemed to me like she believed that holly poisoned matthew. Were you a little freaked out by that . She stated she was afraid of holly. Narrator so quinn kept an eagle eye on holly mcfeature. Then he heard about a karaoke bar. They were singing a song by the dixie chicks called earl had to die. Its a song about an abused woman in a relationship with a man who to get back at the man poisoned his food. And they were up there singing the song and laughing about it, this was after matthews death. I thought it was really cold blooded when i heard about it. Narrator that was 2010, four years after matts death. The same year Sergeant Quinn received a big gift. Maybe it was because prosecutors were appointed, maybe the car lee karaoke. Whatever it was, thats when the coroner changed his cause of death from suicide to homicide. For the very first time, holly was invited to the Police Station to give a formal statement. Were about to get into the deaths of mat you poda lrk lak, coroner has ruled it a homicide not a suicide. Are you willing to talk to officers without consulting a lawyer or having a lawyer present with you . Yeah, im fine. I dont have anything to hide. I didnt do anything, so narrator so what would she say about her relationship with matt . Did you and matt every have any fights, physically . Yeah, there was a couple. Did you call police . I know one time i called the cops. Narrator holly said it happened when she had a male friend over at their house. It was because he assumed something was going on when that wasnt the case. I had a friend over, we were talking and it came out that he didnt like it. He got jealous. She told him, if they really wanted to solve the mystery, they should look for answers at matts factory. So did matthew ever have any kind of enemies . At work. From what he would come home and tell me, there was a lot of people there that he didnt get along with it. He would tell me different stories about how so and so would get in a fight. And remember the 10,000 in Life Insurance bandied about as a possible motive for murder. Holly said she didnt know there was Life Insurance, until after matt was dead. As far as i knew, the only thing he had at work was his 401 k plan. I didnt find out that he had Life Insurance until after the funeral home. His obituary it ended up being me. We found that out after the funeral. But how about that night in the karaoke bar. Earlys got to die do you know that song . Yes. And its a story about a woman in an abusive relationship and they poison the man and he dies. Thats a song. Its karaoke song. Over and over the detectived challenged holly with the accusing questions. Did you give matt any type of poison . No. Did you give matthew any type of antifreeze . No. And in fact didnt you poison matthew . No, its not a fact. Because i didnt do it. I didnt do that. Have you ever told anyone that you put something in matthews drink . No, i never put anything in his drink. I would never say i did. Narrator holly protested, none of this made sense, she said. He was the father of my children. The person i was going to spend the rest of my life with. Im not going to hurt him in any way. Our dreams, our goals, my whole life has completely been changed upside down and i know nothing. And his family despises me and does nothing but speak evil. Narrator and with that, detectives thanked her for coming in and sent her on her way, with a warning that most likely she would be indicted. There will be a warrant for your arrest. Narrator that was late september 2010, but holly wasnt indicted, not that year, not the next career either. Something strange happened in 2011. Holly answered her phone and found herself talking to a guy she dated briefly, after matt died. Do you remember what you told me about the drinks . Do you hear the trap snapping shut . Coming up, police and prosecutors think they have hit paydirt with the new witness. But is he enough to take this case to court . The details of the case are very salacious, theres sex, theres the allegation of poisoning, its all very interesting, but it doesnt make it a dead bang ringer for trial. When dateline continues. And its 3 times cleaner. So ditch your dishcloth and switch to bounty duratowel. The durable, clothlike pickerupper. 100 whole grain brown rice and wheat and bake it with real sweet potato or savory red bean . A new line of triscuit crackers with a delicious taste and a crispier crunch. Brown rice triscuit. A new take on an old favorite. For 4 days only starting friday get 10 dollars off 25 with your jcp cash coupon found at jcp. Com plus, doorbusters start this friday at 3pm to saturday 1pm. Like 50 off all a. N. A, 60 off all suit separates, 50 off all sheet sets, 40 off joe fresh kids, 50 off all worthington apparel, and 4050 off st. Johns bay apparel for him. Jcpenney. Returning to our story, a healthy 31yearold family man gets sick, and weeks later, hes dead of antifreeze poisoning. Strange and suspicious. But years go by without an arrest. Without his death evening being called murder. Now theyre closing in on a system, his fiance and a witness who tells a chilling story. Here again is Keith Morrison. Narrator in the summer of 2011, five years gone, matt podalaks death was still an unsolved mystery. All that time, mark podalak had neglected his own life to prove that holly was the killer. I know that relationships with friends suffered, ultimately led to me getting a divorce. It was destructive on all levels because you focus on a certain mission. And youre so damn angry. And im angry. Narrator even angrier now, if thats possible. But things have changed, the case was reclassified as a homicide. But holly was living her life, free, no charges filed. I became frustrated, i ability aint going to lie. So he asked us to look into the case on facebook. I cant tell you how many times shes cried, knowing that people are saying that shes a murder and that this loving mom and softball coach can kill a man that she loves. Narrator but day by day, Sergeant Mike quinn was closing in on holly. One big thing, one solid piece of evidence was all he needed and maybe, he and the prosecutors decided, maybe a jail bird could provide. Holly briefly dated a man named kennedy. And according to kennedy, during a wine and sex driven evening, holly made some kind of confession. This, thought the prosecutors was gold. What did he claim he heard . He claimed to have heard holly mcfeature confess by saying she put something in his drinks. Narrator prosecutor brian mcdonna. But that she wanted to stop but that his kidneys had failed. And that was compelling evidence. Narrator but always something, mr. Kennedy wasnt the church pastor, in fact he was in county jail, under arrest for beating up some cops. So a snitch. As a prosecutor, we dont like informants. But what was so compelling about his testimony was that he was the only person to have that knowledge. How would he have that knowledge . Where would he hear that . He heard that from her lips to his ears. Narrator but how could they possibly prove it . One possible way, sneaky, but it might work. They set up a phone call, kennedy in prison, called holly. And they turned on a tape recorder. Hello . Holly. Yes. Do you know who this is . Yeah, hi, jameson. Sometimes things need work, sometimes they dont. Just how it is with investigations of this sort. Suffice it to say, the call wasnt everything they hoped it would be. So here they were at a kind of crossroads, do they go forward . Or do they drop it. They have a jailhouse snitch, with multiple felony commissions. A woman who offers to get rid of her husband, might have been real or imagined. At most, might have amounted to a paltry 15 grand. And a dixie chicks karaoke, the performance of which could have been monstrously cruel or perfectly innocent. Still, who else could have done it . The details of the case are very salacious. Prosecutor allison ford. Theres sex, theres the allegation of poisoning, its very interesting and its certainly enough to keep anyones attention, but that doesnt make it necessarily a strong case or a dead bang winner for trial. Narrator and so the prosecutors consulted mark and his family. They were all committed now. All emotionally attached. But the family should decide. They said, this is where we are. He laid it all out and he said, we can take our shot and see where this goes and and you might lose . We might lose. And we all agreed that we wanted to go with it. We have suffered long enough. Case number 564265, holly mcfeature. Narrator so in 2012, six years after matt podalaks death, holly mcfeature was indicted for aggravated murder and contaminating a substance for human consumption. This was serious, maximum sentence, life without parole. Her attorney brett jordan applied for bail. She was scared, she missed her kids. I would say probably in some state of shock at that point. Narrator the judge took a look at the circumstantial case against her and granted the bail request. Half a million bond with an ankle bracelet. But though the case was not the strongest, there was publicity, antifreeze poisoning . Holly was suddenly famous. And not in a good way. The old brooklyn Little League told the once beloved coach she wasnt welcome anymore. And holly mcfeature prepared to defend her life in court. Coming up, iced tea, spiked with an tr antifreeze, the prosecutions theory of how holly poisoned matt. He would have no way to know that its coming, its so secretively done. Enchiladas. Ke easy chice so good can i keep this . You already have it at campbellskitchen. Com. Nice. [ blows ] [ gong ] mm mm good narrator seven years of pestering the investigators, seven years after the suddagoni death of his brother matt. Holly mcfeature walked into the courtroom. I finally felt we were going to take this happen. Narrator the case against holly was possibly a reach. No guarantees here. And mark knew it. I was extremely nervous. Oh, my gosh. Being in that courtroom. I have no idea how its going to turn out. Narrator truth was, the prosecution didnt have much to work with. Without any hard evidence to pin on holly, their case boiled down to a process of elimination. Someone did this to matt. Who else could it have been other than his fiance . In this case, telling a story would be crucial because there wasnt a whole lot else to do, right . Absolutely. Narrator prosecutor Brian Mcdonough began his story with a scene inside the hospital room the night matt died. His body was shutting down. His organs were systematically shut down. Narrator and then matts father, len podalak spoke in who about his sons final moments. He would say, wheres little man, and wheres samantha. Narrator a picture was passed around the courtroom, matt dead, lying on the autopsy table. Mark began to cry. Across the courtroom, so did holly. And then the coroner told the jury what he found during his autopsy. Discoveries that became the core of the case against holly. The cause of death was chronic intoxication by Ethylene Glycol. He explained he found crystals in matts heart and brain, having inched their deadly way through his body, kidneys to heart, to brain. How much time would it take for the crystals to deposit themselves in the blood vessels of the heart . It takes weeks at least. The fact that crystals were forming in his heart and actually had traveled through his brain indicated longterm exposure and not a onetime deal. Matts friends and family testified about watching matt disintegrate weeks and months before his death. He would start sweating profusely and he complained of back pain. He was sitting beside my and practically was hunched over to where his chest was on his knees. Narrator who could have made that happen and how . Investigators had found antifreeze in holly and matts garage. Admittedly a year after holly had moved out. Detective quinn took them out of the evidence bags for the jury to see, left them on the witness stand, a prop. A little courtroom theater. A bottle of saturn antifreeze and coolant. Narrator take a look at those bottles, the prosecution seemed to be saying. And common sense would tell you it wasnt suicide, nobody would down antifreeze on purpose, said the prosecutor, let alone bit by bit as dated in the coroners report. There was no suicide note. He didnt go ahead and give away his possessions. Suicide did not make sense. Narrator no, there was one person, the prosecutor argued and only one, who had the manes and the motive to poison matt, his fiance, holly mcfeature. Then witnesses testified about matt and hollys fierce arguments they couldnt help but overhear. When we were fishing, that phone would be ringing every five minutes. I told him he needed to protect himself and i told him that he should remove his shock gun from his house. Narrator and far from being shattered by matts death as her family claimed, prosecution witnesses described how holly sealed almost giddy after matt died. What did you observe of the defendant . A party atmosphere, like nothing had happened. Narrator and then the prosecution called hollys old friend, rebecca vega. If anybody had a ringside seat to hollys life after matt, it was rebecca. How was it to actually be in that courtroom, see her there and answer those questions . Narrator rebecca told the jury holly didnt wait long to remove every trace of matt from the house. It seemed that everything belonging to matt had been taken out of the home. Narrator but it was what holly hadnt cleaned up. Those bottles of chemicals on the kitchen floor. One of the items was brought up as antifreeze for matts boat to winterize his boat. Im sorry, to what . To winterize his boat. But who winterizes their boat in summer . Narrator matt died in july, so rebeccas story was evidence that holly had access to antifreeze around the time of matts death. She was able to put antifreeze in the kitchen of holly mcfeature after the death of matthew podalak. Narrator now they needed to convince the jury that holly actually fed the an try freeze to matt. That would take a little doing. First several of matts coworkers testified that holly sometimes dropped off lunch to the factory. Holly would bring it in every once in a while for him. How many occasions do you recall that happening . Half a dozen. And holly always made sure to include matts favorite drink. Half a gallon of more of raspberry iced tea. Antifreeze is tasteless. You cant smell it, and you cant see it in the tea, you would have no way of knowing it was coming. Narrator but why would she do such a thing . What was her motive . As the prosecution saw it at least, all those arguments that matt and holly were having represented the death throes of their relationship. He didnt want to lose custody of those kids. So it was your claim that he was sticking like glue and to get rid of him she had to poison him . Thats what she saw as the way out. Narrator sweeteninged by the fact that holly was the beneficiary of matts Life Insurance policy and 401 k . He was worth 15,000 to him if he died. Thats chump change, basically, right . 15,000 may be worth more than 15,000 to another. To persuade the jury, that a hard working young mother, who always volunteered to help others, who coached a tball team, could at the same time be capable of cold blooded murder. The prosecutions star witness to come, the man who knew all about her violence and secrets and kissing and telling. Coming up, holly melts down in court. What happened . When date line continues. Narrator way up on the 22 and floor of the criminal courts building in downtown cleveland, holly mcfeature sat down a hailstorm of allegations on her character and motivation. For the most part, she listened politely, turned occasionally to smile at her sister or share a word of encouragement. Then the announcement was made. At this time, we have jameson kennedy. Narrator at those words jameson kennedy, holly went into a kind of shock. Even before kennedy walked into the courtroom, tears and something in her seemed to crumble. The tears became racking sobs as if she in full blown terror or panic simply could not go on. All this happened as the attorneys were at the bench conferring with judge ryan corrigan. Holly broke down and it all happened in front of the jury. Mark podalak was not moved. In fact he was disgusted. Where was that emotion during the funeral . Where was that emotion when your lover was dying in the hospital . Yet a guy that you hadnt seen in years steps into the courtroom and you have an emotional breakdown . Thats courtroom drama in my opinion. Narrator was he afraid of the man . Or was she afraid of what he had to say . The whole business was highly unusual. Holly was allowed to leave the courtroom while kennedy testified. How do you know holly mcfeature . I originally met her at a bar she worked at, the dirty dog. Narrator kennedy was the man that holly dated a year or so after matts death. Was it wise to call him as a prosecution witness . The man had eight felony convictions under his belt. Here he is, central witness against holly. Hes a alcoholic, hes a drug addict and he wants something from your guys. So hell say whatever you want . He didnt want anything in exchange for coming into court and saying what he had to say. He knew he was going to be in prison for quite a while and nothing he said in court was going to change that. Narrator it was september 26, 2008, two years after matt died. Kennedy was on probation, he told the jury, when holly stopped by the law office where a kindly defense attorney had given him a job and a place to sleep. They shared a bottle of wine, ate some take out. We both were a little bit tipsy. After drinking, we ended up having sex and after the sex things got emotional. She started crying. What did she say . She made some remarks that she wanted it all to go away. She wanted to move out of cleveland. She was regretful for what had taken place. Narrator regret . About what . Kennedy told the jury that he pushed holly to tell him more. But she just told me at that time that she was sorry for what she had done. What had she done . On her words, was that she had put something in his drink. What had she put inside of his drink . She didnt tell me. Did she say what happened to him after putting something inside the drink . That he had gotten sick and passed away. Narrator it was quite simply, stunning. But, big but, was it true . Could the jury really take the word of this eighttime convicted felon . Yes, said the prosecution, because of this. Did you tell anyone about what holly mcfeature told you about putting something in his drink . Yes. Who did you tell . My attorney. Narrator well, not exactly that said the attorney in question, who testified that kennedy asked him in a cryptic sort of way what he should do if he knew about a murder. He didnt name holly or any particular murder. As an officer of the court, did you provide him with any guidance . I told him if he had information of that nature, that he had to inform whomever about this supposed situation. But kennedy didnt tell authorities anything. Then. Not until he was sitting in a jail cell under arrest for assaulting those cops. Did he hope police would go easy on him if he told them something they wanted to hear . Sergeant quinn told the jury he believed kennedys story because he knew details only somebody close to the crime would know. There was no mention in the media anywhere. Where did it come from . The fact that this was the one witness who we could bring forward to the jury saying i heard holly mcfeature confess to putting something in matthew podalaks drink, it was so important it couldnt not go to the jury. Narrator and with that, the prosecution concluded its case of circumstantial evidence. But there was a giant void in the room. A big empty hole where the hard evidence usually goes. What would the defense make of that . Coming up, the defense strikes back. You have in idea how that man died, do you . I didnt have to see physical proof. I asked the question, you have no idea whatsoever how that man died, do you . Not to my knowledge. Than clorox cleanup. Let me at that grease. [ male announcer ] scrubbing bubbles with fantastik. We work hard so you dont have to. In the kitchen. [ female announcer ] sc johnson, a family company. In the kitchen. Walabout its free layaway. Moms heres what they said. Paying no opening fee would help my family greatly. Free layaway to me is like a piggy bank. I can do that, i can afford free. Get this vizio tv and put it on walmarts free layaway with no opening fee. Walmart. That theres the guy who gets his salsa from new york city. New york city . [ male announcer ] only pace has that big, bold kick. Anything else just aint right. Pace. Grab the southwest by the bottle. Narrator for almost a week, holly mcfeatures family sat in a courtroom listening to prosecutors accuse holly of drip by drip, ounce by ounce feeding her fiance the poison, and watching him die. Monstrous, evil, and, said her family, completely untrue. Just nasty gossip, gussied up as ed. Its just a bunch of people talking bad about my sister. Such a onesided burn her at the stake type of scenario. Narrator Defense Attorneys brett jordan agreed. It was all just finger pointing without any basis. Narrator now they knew they would have too tell the jury something they personally believed in their gut, that holly mcfeature was wrongly accused. The defense began by putting some negative cards on the table. Holly and matt had been fighting a lot, but that was hardly a surprise, two babies, one of them colicky and matt was out fishing all the time. You cant say just because somebodys arguing every day, thats a sign of hatred and im going to kill that person. Narrator and that story that went around about hollys behavior at matts funeral, something how became this big myth that holly didnt care. I can tell you right now that holly didnt care. So you can crawl in her mind and you can tell everybody here what she was thinking . No, you can read it on her face. Read it on her face. You dont have to be crying your eyes out at a funeral to not be grieving. Narrator no, the defense argued, all the testimony mall lining hollys behavior was really a product of sixplus years of rumor and innuendo, which according to matts family, hard onned into sounding like truth, even if it wasnt. Narrator if you listen to the witnesses, even hollys friend, they all turned away once they talked to the detective. Narrator that was certainly the case, said the defense, when hollys friend rebecca vague zba. After she heard from the police, said the defense, did she begin saying what she said at the trial. But you have no idea how that man died, do you . I didnt have to see physical proof. I asked the question, you have no idea how that man died, do you . Not to my knowledge, no. Narrator did the memory of all those happy days rebecca spent with holly suddenly sprout with suspicion once the detectives whispered in rebeccas ear . Holly has children, and shes very careful. And i know she would not leave chemicals like that just lying around the house. Narrator no, the assault on holly by her former friend, the defense said, was just a smoke screen, for the hard evidence the prosecution did not add. Like anything connecting holly to the murder weapon, by which, of course you mean the antifreeze. Remember those two bottles of antifreeze investigators found in holly and matts house, after she moved out . A blue bottle of peak antifreeze and coolant. The prosecution showed them off like the crown jewels, all the while knowing they had no connection with no prints on the bottles, no indication the antifreeze was even the same kind. No indication the bottles were in hollys house. Those two bottles were not linked to matthew podalak at all . What was the point in that . Exactly. There wasnt any. Were they implying a connection . Youre grasping. Narrator another defense weakness, was the prosecutions theory that holly disguised the antifreeze in matts beloved raspberry iced tea. Do you know how that iced tea got into that thermous . There was nothing ever connecting that it was even iced tea. Narrator and the motive, the prosecution suggested, the modest Life Insurance money . Laughable, said the defense. Wouldnt even buy a decent car. Besides, holly said she had no idea it even existed. The question is, do you have any personal knowledge about how they actually knew there was a Life Insurance rider on his Health Insurance . I cant say that they did. Narrator but hollys Defense Attorneys did have a big problem, no getting around it, that pillow talk with Jamison Kennedy. If they could knock him down, they were done. Coming up, was the prosecutions bombshell witness a dud . Are you trying to accuse me of doing something to him . Im not trying to accuse you of anything. Well, youre putting words in my mouth right now. Because i never said any such words to you. When dateline kongtds. Fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. 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[ ding ] but finally, it happened. Perfection. At progresso, weve got a passion for quality, because youve got a passion for taste. Mighty wings from mcdonalds. Bold, delicious bonein chicken wings with a spicy kick. But theyre only here for the season then its lights out. Oh, sorry, guys. Mighty wings. Theres something for everyone to love at mcdonalds. I remember thinking theres a lot i have to do. Check my blood sugar, eat better. Start insulin. Today i learned theres something i dont have to do anymore. My doctor said with levemir® flexpen. I dont have to use a syringe and a vial. Levemir® flexpen comes prefilled with longacting insulin taken once daily for type 2 diabetes to help control high blood sugar. Dial the exact dose. Inject by pushing a button. No drawing from a vial. No refrigeration for up to 42 days. Levemir® insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. Do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. Severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. Ask your Health Care Provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. Other possible side effects include injection site reactions. Tell your Health Care Provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. Get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. Flexpen® is insulin delivery my way. Covered by most insurance plans, including medicare. Ask your Health Care Provider about levemir® flexpen today. Narrator what in hecavens name would Holly Mcfeetures attorneys do about this. She put something in his drink. Narrator remember, just the mention of Jamison Kennedy sent holly into a meltdown. The next day it was the Defense Attorneys turn to take him on. Holly had regained her composure, she came back into court. The strategy was to pick up our kennedys story, expose him for what he most certainly was, a liar. Like the bit about being tipsy. Holly kennedy said had a glass of wine or two that night, while he knocked off an entire bottle himself. You still have telling the jury here that holly was tipsy or drunk that night, right . Yes, sir. When in fact it was you that was drunk that night, not holly . I think we were both, you know, feeling a buzz. Narrator now this is the sort of moment a defense attorney probably lives for. Listen. Were you aware that hollys allergic to grapes and she cant drink wine . No. Narrator was this a man who could be believed when he said he had a real relationship with holly . He said he got her name tattooed on him and would not leave her alone. How did she feel about this . She was afraid. And kennedy admitted that he got very angry with holly when he found out she was with another guy. So angry that you grabbed her by the neck, you threw her against the wall, you punched her numerous times, that type of injury, right . No, sir. That didnt happen . I do believe i pushed her only when she approached me to try to hit me, i think with a phone or to smack me. I just kind of stiff armed her away. I think she fell down. That was the extent of it. Really . Narrator holly called the cops that night and said kennedy punched her five times. He had already fled, but she said she was going to get a restraining order against him. But before she could, he was already at her door. It was only then after she turned him in and he was in jail facing years in prison, burning one anger toward holly that he called his attorney to try to make a deal. You say, charlie, get me the police, i got to help myself get out of this jam, im going to tell on holly, right . Also he was concerned she would try to put this on me. Oh, so now we got a Conspiracy Theory going hire that hollys now going to blame you for the death of matt, is that what youre telling me . Its just the attorneys recommendation. Narrator this attorney who had bent over backwards to give him a job and a place to stay after his earlier conviction. And what happened . Kennedy stole from him, and jamison threatened your life . He threatened me, yes. He threatened your family, also . Yes. He had mental problems and was not stable, right . Correct. According to the defense, not even the police believed kennedy. For two years, they did nothing about his allegations. And after those two years, when according to the defense, they couldnt find any other evidence, they put his story to the test, by or kchestrating th phone call to homimo holly by k to try to get her to confess. This was something they had to hear. Holly. Yes . Do you know who this is . Yeah, hi, jamison. Narrator holly was taken by surprise, hadnt heard from him in years. Police of course were listening. Do you remember what you told me about the drinks . The drinks . The drinks of matthew. What do you mean what i told you about that . Are you trying to accuse me of doing something to him . Is that what youre doing . Im not trying to accuse you of anything. Youre putting words in my mouth right now. Because i never said any such words to you about everybody putting anything in his drink, i would never have done that. Im not that type of person. He was the father of my children, we were supposed to get married. My wor. Narrator holly didnt confess, not then, not ever. And kennedy was a sick puppy who saw an attorney to combine a lick revenge with a little selfhelp. Youre trying to tell holly confessed to you about this case, because it would benefit you, correct . I know its morally right, sir. If you knew it was morally right, sir, you would have gone to the police on september 26, isnt that correct, sir . I should have. Big morals, right . Thank you very much, i have in further questions. Narrator the prosecution said kennedy did not get a deal in exchange for his story. Dont you believe it, said the defense, just wait and see. In march of this year, hell have five years in and hell ask a judge of this court to let him out. Narrator one more question to answer. If it wasnt holly, who was it . For that, the defense offered dr. Robert fox, forensic pathologist. Malt wasnt poisoned slowly over time, said dr. Fox. The coroner simply made a mistake. All that pain matt suffered in the weeks before his death, that was from simple kidney stones, said dr. Fox, nothing at all to do with antifreeze. Is back pain a simple tom of Ethylene Glycol poisoning . It shouldnt be, no. Narrator this wasnt a case of chronic Ethylene Glycol poisoning, this was one large dose. The most likely person to somewhere poisoned him with a drink of that size was matt himself. As to the manner of death, what would your ruling be . Probably be a suicide. Narrator suicide by antifreeze. A method more common than most people realize, said the defense. Who kills himself with Ethylene Glycol. What a horrible death . Not true, happens all the time. There have been some fay cows cases, a retired football player, a writer for saturday night live. Why matt . He had gambling debts, he was depressed, he wasnt happy at work. Throw in experience of pain from kidney stones, throw in maybe they werent having the best relationship at that time, that all adds up to suicide. Narrator and at that, the defense asked the judge to throw out the charges against holly. Your honor, there has to be evidence, there has to be proof, there has to be something that the state did to show that holly was the one who did this. And it just doesnt exist. Narrator for a moment, it seemed the judge might grant the motion, but no, he ruled, Holly Mcfeetures fate would be decided by the jury. As it turned out, very slowly. Coming up Ethylene Glycol, odorless, colorless, sweet taste. But did holly use it to kill matt . You dont know, is the jury being out long a bad thing or a good thing . And coming up next friday on dateli dateline. The first thing that came out of my mouth was theres no way he did this. And they say to you, who does not like you enough to try to kill you . I can think of not one. But plolice could. And if the target was a surprise, so was the suspect. Oh, its you. But he claims he was framed and a man named indian joe could prove it. If i was a guy out there watching dateline im going to believe this. Its like watching a tv show. We found indian joe. What else would we find . music plays throughout ciao nini ah, mirabai, mirabai, mirabai hi patsy jambo gooday cobba dude look what the cat dragged in Eduardo Lucas oh mama ni hao ma hello mama namaste wrong number . Let me talk hi bon jour priviet woohoo this is dr. Flamenco. Dr. Flamenco . Imagine a new level refined, perfected. 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Wow [ male announcer ] scrubbing bubbles heavy duty cleaner with fantastik has a spray that easily cuts through grease so it cleans those greasy soils two times better than clorox cleanup. Let me at that grease. [ male announcer ] scrubbing bubbles with fantastik. We work hard so you dont have to. In the kitchen. [ female announcer ] sc johnson, a family company. Narrator it was 17 years almost to the day since matt podolak took his last breaths. He fell in love with the wrong woman. She was toxic to him. Narrator this was the closing message a stark visual. Look how easy, said the prosecutor for holly to mix antifreeze into matts beloved iced today. Look how hard for matt to detect the poison. Ethylene glycol, odorless, colorless, sweet taste. There were two tragedies in this story, they said, matts death and hollys suffering. Nothing could be done by the first, said the defense. But the jury could rectify the second. You got to end the nightmare and you got to put to rest this familys tragedy. Narrator this could be a close calm. The jury went out. No verdict at the end of that first day. Or the next. Matts brother mark didnt know what to think. You dont know if the jury being out long a bad thing or a good thing . Narrator hollys sister chrissy was nervous, but tried to be confident. They had a man from narrator at the end of day three, a verdict. Holly was surrounded by her family. As the jury filed in, holly began mouthing the lords prayer. I understand you have reached a verdict in this case, is that correct . Narrator and then the judge began to read. We, the jury in this case, being duly sworn do find the defendant Holly Mcfeeture, guilty of aggravated murder, a violation of i heard those words, guilty and it was emotional. Narrator mark turned to hug his mother, her face awash in tears. Across the courtroom nobody could react because it was total shock. Nobody was expecting that. Narrator the guards came then, wrapped handcuffs around hollys wrists, she shook her head no, she seemed to be reeling, the words less than a whisper. She looked at me and she was gone. What did that do to you . It tore me apart. I really couldnt understand how this happened. It wasnt supposed to happen like this. Narrator the defense team felt gutted. The prosecutions case had been so flimsy, they thought. What had gone wrong . Still dont know what happened. Narrator this was not an easy one for prosecutors. The sort of case you walked away from, if you didnt let yourself get caught up. What was it like to get your guilty verdict . It confirms the work that we do. What made it good . To be able to deliver something to the family that they believed from the beginning made it very satisfying. Narrator a month later at the sentencing, hollys sister wanted the judge to know what the children thought, that their mother was not a murderer. And that they were begging him, send her home to them. My mom is the greatest mom in the world. And because she is sweet and kind. I really want to see her again. I really mishs her. I wish i could have my mom back. Narrator and matts father, a former cop had become an ordained minister. And he had come to a decision. I have come to a point where i have for given holly. And i ask you to temper justice with mercy. I just have one simple question. Why . Why put someone in unimaginable pain when you could have just walked away from the relationship. Why continue to poison someone when you could have stopped . And why take him away from hiss children that he so dearly loved. The nature of the crime and the case can not be overlooked in this matter and the courts going to impose a sentence of life with parole eligibility after 34 years. Narrator Holly Mcfeeture wont be eligible for parole for 30 years. But is it over . No. The process of appeal has begun and so has the struggle over the futures of the children. Theyre living with hollys family now, matts parents havent seen them in years. We want them in our life. We want them to know who their dad was. En t narrator the night before holly was shipped out to begin her life sentence, chrissy took them to see holly. They spoke over a jailhouse phone. That was very hard to watch. I had to turn away, numerous times because, like i said, it was just heart breaking knowing that they couldnt just touch and she couldnt touch her babies that she loved so much. Narrator and mark podolak, goes where he always goes on the anniversary of matts death, to talk to his brother a at the cemetery, this year with a lot more to say. I hope theyre proud of you, big brother, a little bit, because hopefully i helped you rest in peace a little bit more than you have been. Narrator and this year there will still be a podolak playing amateur hockey in cleveland. Matt loved the game. Mark took it up in his memory. And since matt cant be here to play, said mark, hell play for him. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well be back again next friday at 9 00, 8 00 central. Im lester holt, for all of us next at 11 00, music and possibly drugs. The troubling details we found behind a company of a weekend musical festival in the bay area. Plus i cant keep out f technology. John mcafee talks to us about his next venture. The news starts in 30 seconds. And these are developing groundbreaking treatments for cancer. Theyre the hands of the nations top doctors. Kaiser permanente doctors. And though they are all different, they Work Together on a Single Mission saving lives. Discover how we are advancing medicine at kp. Org join us, and thrive. A breaking news, a National Story unfold right now in the bay area. We have confirmed late tonight the man suspected of killing a dodgers fan was released from San Francisco jail. The Sheriffs Department says it didnt have enough evidence to keep Michael Montgomery in jail and the d. A. Now says its possible that he acted in selfdefense. Lets get to nbc bay area who joins us outside the San Francisco county jail. What do we know at this hour . Reporter raj and jessica,