To find bonnies killer. Bonnies mother continues her own crusade. Then after more than a decade of searching, a phone call. They just got information there was a match. Can we get a conviction on just the dna . And there was Something Else, something about bonnie herself. It was almost like she knew something. Hello and welcome to dateline. We often see headlines about dna evidence exonerating the innocent. It seems we hear less about how dna from an unknown person might be used to track down the guilty. In the story youre about to see, a sample found on a murdered young woman was sent to the National Database. 12 years after she was killed, it turned up a match. But in this case prosecutors would need more than dna to convict a killer. Heres keith morrison. Reporter many years ago late on a september night, a family in anchorage, alaska, got a knock on the door. It was one of those eerie feelings instantly when someone knocks on the door at 10 00 at night and they asked to speak to my dad. Reporter it was 1994. Samantha was 12, her brother adam 13. They huddled on the staircase overlooking the front door. We heard my dad collapse and scream no, not bonnie. And i just remember thinking, god, please let her be in the hospital and let her be okay. Reporter bonnie was elder sister bonnie craig, 18 years old. I remember my dad dropping to his knees crying on the front deck, and that was about the first time ive ever seen that happen. Reporter their mother karen was on vacation, was on a sailboat off the coast of florida, four time zones away. It was 2 00 a. M. When she docked, got the news, bonnie would not be okay. Alaska state troopers had called and said that bonnie had died in a hiking accident. And youre thinking theyre nuts. Whats going on . Why . Why would you Say Something like that . Reporter but it was true, at least that bonnie was dead. It was a hiker who found her body floating in mchugh creek a few miles from anchorage. At first they didnt know who it was. No i. D. On the body. Alaska state troopers finally figured it out from the class ring she was wearing. But karen could not take it in. Not bonnie, her model child, her conscientious College Freshman who she knew was going to school that day, not hiking miles and miles from home and the university. None of it made sense. She didnt drive, so how did she get out there . Somebody would have had to be with her, and she would not have missed school. She absolutely did not go out there on her own. Reporter in fact, bonnies sister heard her get up that morning at 5 00 a. M. And set out on her 45minute walk through the predawn dark to catch the bus that would take her to her 7 00 a. M. Class at the university. She usually didnt return home until about 10 00 p. M. , packing most of her classes into a few days because she had a job at sams club. She was incredibly responsible. Reporter responsible and nurturing toward her younger siblings, in part because their parents, mother karen and stepfather gary had divorced a couple of years earlier. She just liked to help us make all the right decisions, and i looked up to her. Reporter another brother, jason, was two years older than bonnie. I tell my kids this all the time, you can decide in the morning when you get up, you can have a good day or a bad day. And she would always choose to have a good day. She was incredible. One of those people that as soon as you Start Talking to her, youre instantly attracted to her personality. In high school they used to call her tigger because she was just bouncy and fun and so sweet to everybody. She was involved in sports. She was coaching the kids in swimming. She started students against drunk driving. She was the very first girl to be on the wrestling team at surface high school. Reporter bonnie had a serious boyfriend, cameron, who had left that summer to Start College at the university of california. She used to record herself singing and talking to him and sent him cassette tapes. She was crazy about him, yes. They were madly in love. Reporter but now suddenly bonnie craig was dead. At least thats what her mother karen had been told. But as she flew home to alaska, she struggled with denial. I believed flying back that as i got there, she might even be at the airport saying, oh, mom, im sorry. It wasnt me. Its all just been a terrible mistake. Reporter but no. Bonnie was not at the airport to meet karen. Her body was at the funeral home. I only got to see her face. Its just incredibly sad. And you think, my god, it is her. And you cant believe that your babys lying there cold and lifeless. Reporter the next day karen saw her baby again, saw more than her face, and noticed something that seemed to confirm what she already believed it wasnt a hiking accident. She called the Alaska State Troopers. Her knuckles were broken. So im on the phone screaming to them saying, no, youve got to get back. Youve got to take more pictures. These are defensive wounds. Reporter look again at bonnies body, she demanded. Look harder. What happened to bonnie craig that september day, screamed karen, was murder. Coming up i think my mom felt very responsible. Like i caused this . I caused this, you know. They killed bonnie because of something i did. Was her childs death revenge . When dateline continues. With trelegy. Cons the only fdaapproved oncedaily 3in1 copd treatment. Trelegy the power of 1,2,3 trelegy 1,2,3 trelegy woman with trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3, im breathing better. 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Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. And, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. You have power over pain, so the whole world looks different. The unbeatable strength of advil. What pain . In the autumn of 1994 a suffocating grief descended in anchorage, alaska, and settled on the home of 18yearold bonnie craig. It was a very bad night. It was tough. It was really tough. I guess you just dont know what to do after that, how to channel your emotions. We were all devastated. Reporter once she arrived home, bonnies mother karen jumped into action, had to find the truth about bonnies death. And seemed equipped to do so. She was an anchorage reserve police officer, and before that, a local tv reporter. She told her media friends it was murder. The troopers didnt know what they were doing. She even included samantha in this interview. She wouldnt have taken her. There was nothing accidental about it. Reporter but initially it did look like an accidental fall to one of the troopers, the one who happened to have been the first to talk to karen. But the others saw the evidence and thought murder. One trooper at the crime scene was tim hunyer, now retired. One thing that was strange to us, we did find one drop of blood on a leaf at the top of the cliff. One drop of blood . One drop of blood. Reporter which was found by this man, trooper robert beatty, also now retired. I was on my hands and knees just kind of looking and came across that drop of blood. We got blood up here. Did he tell you that . How big was this drop . About the size of an eraser head really. The interesting thing part about that was that it was a drop that had fallen straight down. Reporter indicating to the troopers that she had been hurt somehow before she got anywhere near the edge of the cliff. With it being five, six feet away from the cliffs edge, it was real apparent to me that, you know, we no longer have some accidental death. This was a homicide. Reporter but because there was no sign of a struggle at the crime scene, no weapon, nothing more left behind, it was obvious this would be hard to solve. So though eventually they told karen they agreed with her, bonnie had been murdered, they wanted her to keep that information secret. Fat chance. By then, karen was telling anyone who would listen what she thought. And she was not about to stop. So you spoiled it for them . Yeah. I got in trouble constantly for me getting involved in the investigation and also opening your big mouth to the media. Yeah. Reporter she was troubled by Something Else too. Her reserve work with the Anchorage Police department. Was bonnie the victim of a revenge killing . I was doing undercover work, doing drug buys, and we had done this major bust just beforehand. So youre in a position to make some people pretty mad at you. Right. I think my mom felt very responsible. Like i caused this . I caused this, you know. They killed bonnie because of something i did. She took that as it was her fault. And so, therefore, she had to figure it out. Had to solve the crime. Reporter caught up in a whirl of guilt about her own possible role and the growing anger about what she perceived as an inept investigation by the troopers, karen began a campaign to keep bonnies case in the public eye. We started handing out fliers. We got bumper stickers made. We started building up a reward. We had bus signs driving all around town. The first one said who killed bonnie . Reporter and continued doing interviews. Somebody out there knows what happened, and we desperately need to hear from them. Reporter and there were lots of tips, which went nowhere and only ate up the troopers precious time. They resisted karens efforts to insert herself into the case and told her as little as possible, didnt tell her, for example, about that drop of bonnies blood at the top of the cliff. She was very demanding. I think she felt with her police background, she should be privy to all the information we had. Oh, man. The troopers hated me because i just kept pushing and pushing. I wasnt about to give up. I was so fearful that things were being missed. Reporter tension grew. Troopers rarely returned karens calls, which compounded her belief the investigators didnt know what they were doing. Unwilling to believe and unaware that they were doing a lot. Talking to all of bonnies friends, people she went to school with, people she worked with, anybody that had any connection at all with bonnie. We walked the same route bonnie walked that day to see if anybody was around and talked to the paper girl, talked to, you know, people we saw jogging on the street. Wed ride the bus, you know, for a week straight just to talk to all the people on the bus. For a week . Yeah. To see if they saw anything, see if they heard anything. And nobody heard anything . No. No one saw no one can remember seeing bonnie that day. Reporter winter came. Karen, consumed by grief, rage, guilt about her undercover drug work, was now a singleminded crusader for bonnie. Nothing else mattered, nothing at all. Its unbelievable. You know, as a mother, i abandoned my kids and just started looking for a killer. Reporter and it was months before the troopers gave karen the rest of the news about what happened to bonnie in the last minutes of her life. Coming up, as investigators begin looking for possible suspects, they looked first close to home. I remember just straightup asking him, dad, did you kill bonnie . When dateline continues. Es good morning oh no, here comes the neighbor probably to brag about how amazing his Xfinity Customer Service is. Im mike, im so busy. Good thing xfinity has twohour appointment windows. They have night and weekend appointments too. Hes here. Bill . Karolyn . Nope no, just a couple of rocks. Download the my account app to manage your appointments making todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Ill pass. It was a standoff, tense and unpleasant. Karen, the grieving mother, furious at a team of state troopers she did not trust, determined to find out herself who murdered her bright, beautiful bonnie versus detectives who, in turn, did not trust her. And so told her little about what they knew and what they were learning. But they eventually let her see the autopsy report, and thats when karen saw a dozen or so brutal head wounds. Thats also when the medical examiner told her about one extremely important piece of news, horrifying but potentially useful. Bonnie had been raped as well. And as awful as that was, it left one sliver of hope. The killer left behind his dna. Match it and theyd solve the case. So who was it . It couldnt have been the boyfriend, cameron. He was down in california going to college. Reporter troopers said they looked at karens work as a reserve Undercover Police officer and determined the men in those drug buys were not involved either. But there was one man very close with opportunity who returned home to anchorage from an out of town trip just the night before the murder, bonnies stepfather, karens exhusband, samanthas dad. And i remember that being a really unsure, really scary feeling. In my mind it didnt make sense. My dad is not and never has been a violent man. So i remember just straight up asking him, dad, did you kill bonnie . Reporter do you remember the look on his face when you asked him . He was devastated. He was completely devastated. But i just needed to hear it from him because there was so much uncertainty in my life at that point. There was so much confusion that to be able to have him tell me when he was tucking me in bed was all i needed. Reporter the dna spoke, too. He was eliminated. But someone did it. Troopers set about collecting dna from every man who might have crossed bonnies path the day she was murdered, including some men who worked with her at sams club. We had information that there was one employee there who bonnie complained to her supervisor about. Evidently this individual got bonnies phone number off the sams Club Computer and would call her. Reporter he was doing a little stalking. That threw the red flag up right away. Reporter dna cleared him. They moved on to a second young man at sams club whose behavior seemed suspicious. They had a meeting at sams club that morning that she was murdered, and this individual, he did not sign in to the meeting. Reporter you went and checked him out . We checked him out. Come to find out he was at the meeting. He didnt sign in. Others saw him there. We still got his dna and he was cleared. Reporter then there was a student, attended an english class with bonnie threw up all kinds of red flags, that is once the teacher read his class journal. I met with her, and she showed me his journal that was filled with anger. There was a reference that september 28th was going to be a rough day and that he was going to be put to a test. That was the day she was killed. Yeah. And there was a reference to die [ bleep ]. You could see that he was very angry and troubled. He wasnt in class that day, and he came to her later on in the afternoon soaking wet and reeking of aftershave. And he handed in his paper. And she felt like he was nervous at the time. All the signs pointing toward guilt. And then he was also at the scene when they were recovering her body. That very day . Yeah. One of the lookieloos as they say yes. Reporter which is often the case with somebody when theyve killed somebody, theyll go back and look at the investigation. Right. Reporter what did you think when you heard that . I thought this is it. You know . I remember instantly thinking bonnie had pepper spray. I wonder if she pepper sprayed him and thats why he had to mask it with cologne. It sounded very suspicious to us. Right away, were just talking about that and jumping on that and find the guy. Reporter but the dna eliminated him, too, or so the troopers told karen. They said, no, the dna didnt match, and he has an alibi. His stepmom said he slept in that day. Did you buy that . No, absolutely not. I said, what if there was two people . It didnt have to be his dna. Yeah. He could have been involved, and it was somebody elses dna. Did you make some noise about that . Absolutely. Reporter but then months went by and years. No match. No justice for bonnie. No peace for karen, for the troopers. And then it was 1998, four years since bonnies murder. The troopers still working the case when one of them zeroed in on a former city bus driver. And he would fill in for the regular driver on bonnies bus route. And we just found out from strange things about this guy. He had several reports about him trying to pick up young girls. One of them was the daughter of another bus driver. I mean im talking 14yearold girls. Oh, boy. He was a substitute teacher but got fired for some of the things he was saying in his classes. Apropos of young girls . Yes. And he left the area and moved down to california. Reporter the troopers went looking and found him in davis, california. We flew down there to try to talk to him. Reporter could this be him, the man who raped and murdered bonnie . Could the hunt finally be over . They got his dna. It came back that he was the individual involved in bonnies death or that he had sex with her. Everybody was happy. Everybody was ecstatic. You got your guy. We got our guy. Reporter finally they had their man. But what is it they say . Dont count your chickens. Youd think it would be all over if the dna matched, but it wouldnt be that simple. Coming up you think, wow. This is the guy. Then the bomb hit. The bomb. When dateline continues. Inr blue diamond orchard in california. My parents job is to look after them. And its my job to test the product. The best almonds make the best almondmilk. Blue diamond almond breeze. There he is. Oh, wow. Youre doing, uh, youre doing really great with the twirling. Dad, if you want to talk, i have a break at 3 00. Okay, okay. Im going. Im gone. Like like i wasnt here. [ horn honks ] keep keep doing it, buddy. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. Hi susan honey . Yeah . I respect that. But that cough looks pretty bad. Try this robitussin honey. The real honey you love. Plus the powerful cough relief you need. Mind if i root through your trash . Robitussin honey. Because its never just a cough. Im dara brown with the hours top stories. Two u. S. Service members were killed and two others injured by a roadside bomb in southern afghanistan according to the u. S. Military. The taliban immediately took responsibility for the attack. A severe storm that passed through texas and the south has left at least 11 people dead. This drone video shows all the damage done in louisiana where strong winds tore the roof off a middle school. The storm also brought a tornado and thunderstorms to other parts of the region. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to date ln. Im craig melvin. Years had passed since bonnie craig was found dead and investigators seemed to be coming up against one false led after another. And then a new dna match to a man who had moved to california. Could this mean they could finally bring bonnies killer to justice, or would it lead to yet another dead end . Heres keith morrison. That one. Reporter all that was left in the family now in the years after bonnies murder was the collecting of memories, of bits and things that reminded them of how good she was, how thoughtful. Like a school paper she was to have turned in the day she died. She read it to her sister the night before, an english exercise in which bonnie wrote about saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to her friend katie, who had died in a vehicle accident. Saying goodbye to her dad, her biological father, who was never really a part of her life. Saying goodbye to cameron as he went away to college. It was almost like she knew something. Reporter something was broken in the family, could never be fixed, of course. But then there was this news, huge news that the dna matched a onetime bus driver who had moved down to davis, california. The troopers called karen as soon as the results came in. You get excited. You think, wow. This is the guy. Yeah. Then the bomb hit. The bomb. The bomb. They had some new dna system out. They retested it and turned out it wasnt him. Ouch. No one could believe it. Back at square one. Back at square one and dealing with karen again. Reporter karen ramped up her campaign to keep bonnies case in the public eye. Bonnies mother Karen Campbell continues her own crusade to find her daughters killer. She remains unsatisfied with the investigation. Reporter the attention brought in tips. Troopers tested more than 100 dna samples and nothing came of it but frustration. The case grew cold, as cold as some of the winter nights up here. And four years became six, eight, ten. The case faded from the public spotlight. And so around thanksgiving 2006, 12 years after the murder when trooper hunyor answered the phone one day couldnt believe it. The director of the state crime lab contacted me and said that they just got information that there was a match through the codis system on the semen sample for bonnie craig. Reporter they got him. Or the system did. Codis is short for combined dna index system. Its a National Database of dna profiles created by federal, state and local crime labs, and codis got a hit. Gach us a real good day. Everybody was happy. Reporter the match was in New Hampshire of all places. A man who had been in prison for Armed Robbery back in early 2003. But nobody got around to entering his dna into codis until late 2006. They got a hit the first time it was run. Reporter so trooper hunyor flew to New Hampshire to meet the man behind the match. His name was kenneth dion. Hunyor had never heard of him. My name is tim hunyor. Reporter their q a session was taped. When did you get into alaska . It was in 90 sometime. I started talking to him about his life, where he grew up, where he went to school. How he got up into alaska. Reporter so you didnt jump right in and say, we know you killed this girl. No, just try to get some rapport with him. Basically smoked and joked for a while. Do you get to travel the state quite a bit . A little bit. I went up denali a couple of times with friends from the military. Found out he was a fifth degree black belt martial arts. He was ranked number ten in the world in a fighting competition. Reporter wow. He liked to brawl in bars he said. Carried martial arts weapons in his car, including nunchucks. That was the thing. He loved it. He loved adventure. Reporter he was married at the time of bonnies murder but later got divorced. Thats the worse thing i ever screwed up in my life, that marriage there. Told you all this stuff . Yeah. Reporter if kenneth dion knew why an Alaska State Trooper would fly all those miles just to talk to him, he didnt show it. He was civil. He answered all the questions. Just like were friends. For some reason, i got a bad memory. Faces, ill forget your name. Ive already forgotten your name. Its tim. Tim . Im sorry. No problem at all. He told me that he got into cocaine, started using drugs, then everything went downhill. He was basically kicked out of the army, and the cocaine became really a big part of his life, and he did some armed robberies to support the cocaine habit. Reporter he was in and out of prison in slack, and then in 1996, two years after bonnies murder, he moved back to New Hampshire, where he got in trouble again. And now here he was answering trooper hunyors next question. Did he follow the news when he was up in alaska . Oh, yeah, all the time. Did you ever meet someone called bonnie or anything like that . It was a pretty highprofile case. I cant recall. Reporter hunyor tried to jog dions memory. I took out bonnies picture and showed it to him. Reporter then something curious happened. The man said he remembered faces insisted he didnt recognize bonnie. But trooper hunyor was watching his body language. His leg started twitching. Reporter might et have met her even once, the trooper asked . 18 years old . Uhhuh. Hell, no. My wife would have killed me [ laughter ] reporter then he got right to the point. The sad thing about it, later on that day, her body was found at mchugh creek. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you trying to say . Well, like i said, im just down here investigating. Your name has come up. Like hundreds of names. Why would my name come up . Thats what im trying to figure out. What did you think . I thought we had our man. Kenneth looked up one of dions New Hampshire girlfriends. One said he casually mentioned he could kill someone and get away with it. She just thought he was blowing smoke. He also told her, i cant go back to alaska because of something ive done. Reporter she never asked him about that, but she told the troopers they might want to talk to her sister. And the sister told us, yeah, he told me that he cant go back to alaska because he killed somebody. Coming up, bonnies family learns investigators have made an arrest. Im immediately so fearful. Can we get a conviction on just the dna . When dateline continues. Ow. Thats why were helping you get the care and attention you deserve even faster. Thats our promise. 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Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. And, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. They have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps. Com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the Amazing Services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again reporter restraining hstran events in life can arrive when you least expect them. Karen was on vacation again, a Remote Island in the philippines. An email arrived from trooper hunyor. Call me, it said. I tried calling him, and i kept getting disconnected. Reporter but finally they had a conversation long enough for karen to learn one thing, one amazing fact. A dna match. After 12 years, they had the man they believed murdered her daughter bonnie. And there on that island, karen felt afraid. You would expect that i would be thrilled. No. Im immediately so fearful that, oh, my gosh, now we know whos done it. Are we going to get him convicted . Reporter a few months later in 2007, kenneth dion was indicted and extradited to alaska. Karens anxiety only grew. I didnt trust the investigation. Is the evidence still there . The investigators, the witnesses. Can we get a conviction on just the dna . Reporter and to make it worse, dozens of pretrial hearings dragged on four more years. Its unbelievably long and painful. Everythings like the day that she was murdered. Its like having everything ripped open again. Reporter the trial finally started in may 2011. She has 11 linear lacerations to the back of the skull. Reporter it was paul miovas first trial as District Attorney in charge of cold case homicides, and he was worried. I went into it with a heavy heart. I knew it was going to be a difficult task. Reporter because the dna from kenneth dion did not prove he raped and killed bonnie, only that sex took place between them. And beyond the dna, the prosecutor had little to connect dion to the murder. There was no weapon, no motive, no witness to the crime. We not only had to establish that kenneth dion was the killer, but we also had to disprove that it was an accident and prove that, you know, she had been murdered and she didnt fall off the cliff. Reporter his cocounsel Jenna Gruenstein was an Anchorage School girl when bonnie was murdered. I remember very vividly how much this impacted the community. Everyones sense of security when you know that somebody was kind of literally snatched off the street. Reporter here in anchorage they were under intense pressure. The courtroom was packed, standing room only. Then on the second day of the trial, a new problem. The defense attorney told the jury in his Opening Statement that the initial investigation at mchugh creek was inadequate and, in fact, the crime scene video was missing and had been for years. Confirming karens worst fears about the troopers. It just made us sick. Reporter which made the news that came the next day all the more shocking. Out of the blue, somebody at the Alaska State Troopers office found the crime scene tape. Good news . Well, youd think. But my concern was that it threatened the trial itself. We immediately took a recess, had a fiveday break in trial. Reporter the amazing discovery of the long lost videotape could very well be grounds for a mistrial because the defense got it after the start of the trial. For five days the prosecutors researched case law, marshaled their arguments, and worried about yet more delays in the trial. But then, good news. The defense attorney decided he would not request a mistrial. Back in cold front, prosecutors played the crime scene tape. The publics first chance to see what investigators did the day of the murder. I recalled prior to playing the tape my dread on, boy, whats the family going to feel . A couple of scuff marks. Reporter it was trooper beatty who took the stand when the video rolled. This is first time theyve seen their daughter in this horrible position, dead, floating in the water. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I couldnt stop crying, but i made myself watch everything. Reporter and as she did, the most amazing thing happened. You would think that for a mother to watch Something Like that would just be horrifying. You would. It was healing. Healing . Healing to me because i knew then that for 17 years that i hadnt known that they did do the investigation. They did take care and were very competent at the scene. Reporter for all those years she accused the troopers of being incompetent at the crime scene, and she was wrong. And they were down on their knees looking for evidence. They were in the water looking for a weapon. Reporter that must have changed everything for you. It did. Reporter a big revelation for her. It was, it was. I went out as he walked out of the courtroom and gave him a hug and told him thank you. 17 years of anger and tension just popped like that. Pretty much, within a few minutes. Reporter but the prosecutions problem remained. Could bonnie have picked up dions dna from consensual sex . The only solution, let bonnies own character speak for her. I havent come across anybody else thats been her age and had the level of maturity that she had. Party girl she was not. She clearly was not a party girl. Whats more, she was seriously in love with her boyfriend cameron. It was clear from every aspect that they were completely in love with each other. Reporter all these 17 years later, even here in court, cameron was grieving still. I loved her. Reporter so deep in love, but also far too busy, said the prosecutors, to sneak off for some secret tryst. She was working, she was in school, she didnt have time. Reporter and why kenneth dion . He was a married man with a newborn, a cocaine problem and a vastly different life. They came from two completely different worlds, and there was no reason for the two of them to have mixed together. Reporter anyway, said the prosecutors, there was physical evidence of rape. Her pants were smeared with grass stains. One of the buttons was undone. She didnt drive, and the place she was killed was miles away. Someone must have taken her there. There, where investigators found that one telling drop of blood on the leaf near the top of the cliff. This is what really showed that she was injured before she went off the cliff, which establishes that, you know, she had been beaten. Reporter in fact, the states forensic pathologist testified bonnies wounds were not consistent with an accidental fall. She had 11 blunt force wounds on her skull but no injuries on her face and few on her torso. He said no blood indicating an accidental fall was ever found on any rocks. This is a nobrainer. We have his sperm in bonnie craig. Theres no dispute about this. Reporter this was no accident, said the prosecution. It was rape and murder. Unless as this man was about to suggest, maybe bonnie craig had a few secrets of her own. It was consensual sex. How many people had a different side to them that was different than what family and friends knew . Coming up the case for the defense. Youre saying this young woman im saying thats a definite possibility. Would the jury buy it . When dateline continues. Tors, whove got their eczema under control. With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. And, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. 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But his defense team had a different tale to tell. Was there more to bonnie and her life than anyone knew, and would the jury be persuaded . For the conclusion of our story, keith morrison. Reporter when bonnie craigs raped and beaten body was found facedown in a creek outside of anchorage, alaska, it was september 1994, and kenneth dion was a 25yearold cocaine addict on the way down a long criminal spiral. Now at 41, he was entering middle age and facing 124 years in prison for rape and murder. Was bonnie murdered . No. She died accidentally. Reporter but not if defense attorney Andrew Lambert could help it. Bonnie accidentally fell off the cliff and died. After having consensual sex with your client . Not necessarily that day. It could have been a couple of days before . It could have been. Reporter and that was the essence of the defense of kenneth dion, that he and bonnie had consensual sex and a few days later she just happened to die in a hiking accident. No provable connection between the two events, said the defense. Dion told trooper hunyor a few years later that he had never met bonnie, his attorney was now saying the opposite with no evidence of how or when they met. But after all it was the prosecutors job to prove rape, not his to prove otherwise. Attorney lambert scoffed at the prosecutors argument that bonnie was too busy and too in love with her boyfriend to have had a sexual fling on the side. Youve interviewed thousands and thousands of people, how many of them were really good people that found out had cheated on their spouse, had cheated on their boyfriend and nobody knew . How many people had a different side to them that was different than what family and friends knew . And youre saying this young woman im saying thats a definite possibility. But it would probably be a lot harder to believe it of this particular young woman than most other people. But you never know. Maybe if she met him, got to know him, initially she found him somewhat charming and was maybe enthralled with him, and then she never gets to know the history of who he is. Is that what he said happened . Well, you know i cant answer that because thats attorneyclient privilege. Reporter in any case, bonnies death was consistent with an accidental fall, his defense expert testified. When a body tumbles, we dont know how it tumbles. Injuries can occur in micro seconds and not leave blood on the rocks. Reporter whats more, the defense attorney pointed out not one person could place kenneth dion with bonnie or at the creek that day. Theres no witnesses to say that they saw ken and bonnie together that day. Yeah. There were no witnesses placing him near her, along her route. Reporter the case went to the jury in midjune. It was not for long. Karen and the family were on their way to do a tv interview and as im pulling up to the interview, i see the cameraman and the reporter taking off, and they circle around. They said, the jurys back reporter the jury deliberated so fast, just several hours, they thought it had to be guilty. It was incredibly exciting because we knew that it was going to happen. We just were dying to hear the words. Reporter and when you did. We the jury find the defendant, kenneth dion, guilty of murder in the first degree as charged in count one of the indictment. Praise god. Sweet victory. It was like the weight of the world was lifted off our shoulders. Hes guilty. Amazing, amazing. Ken dion did not kill bonnie craig and did not rape her. Are you telling me that you believe your client is innocent . I am. You dont think he committed this crime . I dont. Were asking for the maximum sentence. Reporter at the sentencing in october 2011, as the prosecutor argued for 124 years, the maximum sentence and no chance of parole because dion hadnt shown any sign of remorse mr. Dion, as the family has pointed out, has never taken responsibility for what hes done. And i never will because i didnt do it. And that answers your question, judge. Nothing further. Reporter kenneth dion, as if on cue, denied it all. The judge gave him the maximum but also the chance at parole when hes about 80. Is it possible he actually didnt remember doing it . I struggle with that. Is it possible that his protestations are sincere in that he had an episode in his life that hes either blocked out or for some reason cant recall based on what was happening in his life at that time. Reporter cocaine puts holes in your brain, they say. It does. Reporter amauzing, though, isnt it. This is a man who got away with murder for a long time and would have completely, scotfree, if it hadnt been somebody put the dna into codis. Thats really remarkable. Reporter which is, it turns out, the subject of karens new campaign. She is now on the side of the Alaska State Troopers and other Law Enforcement agencies trying to persuade every state to enter dna into codis, the national databank, upon arrest. After her push for a change in alaska, the state now enters the suspects dna when he or she is arrested for a felony, just as it records mug shots and fingerprints. More than 30 states now have laws in place to take dna from arrestees. And we need all of them to collect it. Dna doesnt lie. You get to the truth so much sooner. It saves money. It saves lives. Reporter samantha channeled her grief. She became a 911 operator. 911, whats the location of the emergency . So when you have someone on the other end of the line whos calling in because they just found out that somebody had died and they need to know what happened, i feel that pain. I know that pain. Reporter as for bonnies older brother jason . His mission became more personal. It changes the way i raise my kids. I spend more time to make sure that theyre understanding why things are done certain ways or what builds character, what really is important in life. Sounds to me like youre trying to grow some more bonnies. Maybe. You miss her a lot, dont you . The ache ever go away . No. She was kind to everybody. Thats why it was so shocking that anybody could harm her because she would never harm anybody. She was such a sweetheart. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im craig melvin. Thank you for watching. Im krig craig melvin. And im natalie morales. And this is dateline. Shes the little girl who won the heart of the big city. They call you the miracle baby. Why do they call you that . Shot in the head at point blank range, a crime scene that shocked even hardened police. Dora the explorer pillow, and it had blood on it. As she fought to live, this detective vowed to catch whoever left her to die. Soon, he turned up a promising lead