Acquit Daniel Blizzard News Today

A pawn of daniels? >> i think they used each other. >> no question she was involved? >> not in our minds. >> reporter: four people were now charged with the attempted murder of vern holbrook. and then the case changed again. in january of 2014, eight months after he was attacked, vern holbrook died from his injuries. >> it was a sense of relief for him that he didnt have to suffer anymore. but it was really hard, really hard for the entire family to see him not with us anymore. >> it turned the ...

Anything to him like that. i mean, what would i be gaining from it? >> what would you gain? >> yeah. >> uh, if vern dies, daniel blizzard as your boyfriend, gets more than a million dollars. >> well, good for him. that has nothing to do with me. >> well presumably you might share in that, was the -- was the thinking. >> dont you think if i was going to attack somebody that i would go attack somebody worth it!? >> well, a million and a half dollars is a lot of motive. >> i dont care about money. ...

The premiums? >> thats correct. all of a sudden i saw that he was fearful of -- of his life. >> reporter: to detective perrault, this all added up to motive. 1.58 million reasons that daniel blizzard might want vern holbrook dead. but what was the link between daniel and adriana and luis? >> im guessing the holy grail at this point in the investigation would be to find some like provable contact between daniel blizzard and adriana mendez? >> right. >> reporter: it turned out the holy grail was o...

Helped jill out with a job, and more. thats the kind of man he was. >> he helps anybody out, it doesnt matter who they are. >> big heart? >> uh-huh. huge heart. >> reporter: and using that huge heart, to help family members or clients was what seemed to keep vern holbrook young. after andrews mom died in 2007, vern eventually remarried and kept moving whether he was catching fish or closing deals. >> he was a machine. >> reporter: vern had tried to slow down even selling his company in 2008 to a...

Lack of evidence. >> you will not hear of a single shred of forensic evidence of any kind linking this man or anybody else to that murder. >> reporter: after three weeks, the jury had the case. but it took less than a full day of deliberation to deliver a verdict. >> we the jury find the defendant, daniel blizzard, guilty of the crime of first degree murder. >> yes. yknow, what we wanted and what was right happened. >> it was a huge, huge relief that the jury found the truth. >> reporter: the ju...

For -- were gonna kill vern for -- for daniel. >> reporter: when it was her turn, adriana mendez said daniel showed her a wad of cash to entice her. >> he told me, hes like this is the money that im willing to pay somebody $10,000 dollars for to complete this job. >> reporter: in fact, after the attack was over, adriana claimed daniel gave her the $10,000 dollars, plus a $2,000 dollar bonus. that money was never recovered. >> this is outrageous. >> reporter: blizzards defense attorney, peter maz...

>> he helps anybody out. >> reporter: mother to three of verns grandchildren. his former daughter-in-law. jill taylor. >> what would her motivation be for, sort of, taking part in that plot? >> i suppose the only connection would be her relationship with daniel. >> and whats good for daniel is good for jill? >> i would think so. >> reporter: and, the detective found, that jill taylor was also the common link between daniel blizzard and another of the alleged participants in the plot, adriana men...

>> guilty of the crime of first degree murder. reporter: the jury didnt buy it. the judge sentenced luis to more than 26 years behind bars. the two men were going to prison. but what would happen to those two women who cut deals to help put them there? and what would jill taylor have to say about it all? >> coming up -- >> he set me up for everything. >> daniel set you up? >> yes, he set me up. >> deeply involved or wrongly accused? were about to hear from jil taylor herself when "secrets of the...

He was selling the company. >> i think he wanted to spend more time with his family and just focus on the selling part not deal with that day to day managing. >> reporter: "no longer a rumor," said this e-mail to announce the sale. vern was selling aspen to daniel blizzard and his two brothers. vern would stay on as the designated broker for one year. but the deal went south quickly. >> they made the first 3 payments and then they just stopped. >> reporter: it was the height of the great recess...

Was having none of it. >> youre obviously sticking to your story, but i do not believe it. so at this time im going to tell you that you are under arrest for the attempted first degree murder of vernon holbrook. >> reporter: and for the first time -- >> and stand up. put your hands behind your back. --daniel blizzards demeanor changed. >> he was definitely surprised and he looked like he might be ill. >> what went through your mind when police told you that they had arrested daniel blizzard? >> ...