Page 2 - Brumback Case News Today

>> reporter: prosecutors thought it was just what they needed to show garcias guilt and weave all their evidence together. >> you know, one piece by itself probably isnt enough. but you put all those pieces together, and its a very good case. >> reporter: after 12 days, it was now the defenses turn. they would tell a different story, one that attacked the very foundation of the prosecutions case. coming up, a candid look inside the defense team. >> shut up. >> raw and real. >> you want real li...

>> reporter: their theory was whoever killed the brumbacks also killed thomas hunter and shirlee sherman. prosecutors summed up their case in a word, revenge, and they pointed to something they found on garcias tablet. >> one of the searches was just an interesting quote that had the word revenge in it, so we were interested to know where that came from, and its easy to find when you google it. >> reporter: it was a quote similar to one in shakespeares play "the merchant of venice." >> if you ha...

Them what -- theyre looking for answers from you that you cant give them, you know? >> reporter: tough for you guys, too, because im sure you want to keep working on this. meanwhile -- >> yes. >> reporter: your boss is saying, "heres another case." and another one. and another one. >> yeah. and thats why it went to the cold case unit. >> reporter: and thats how it stayed until may of 2013. the breakthrough moment came in brutal form, yet another double homicide in omaha. for detectives whod been...

As a clear attempt to send information to potential jurors that the states case was suspect. as a result the trial was postponed again, and the judge effectively kicked alison motta off the case. >> the judge denies her application to practice in the state of nebraska, very controversial move. >> it was just i spoke to the public, and that put, you know, information that couldve, you know, been information to potential jurors, and that violated the pretrial publicity rule. >> reporter: the motta...

Chuck schumer called for acting chief of staff mick mulvaney and john bolton to testify as part of an expected impeachment trial. a group of freshman democrats are privately campaigning for speaker nancy pelosi to have representative justin amash serve as an impeachment manager in a senate trial. amash left the republican party after backing impeachment. now back to "dateline." 2008, two months after the murders in dundee, detectives powered through and eliminated nearly all of their early l...

Within the next minute he says, "but it sounds like what theyre actually arresting him for is murder," so then obviously my interest was piqued. >> reporter: it was a stroke of luck. anthony garcias family had been cold calling lawyers looking for someone to defend anthony. bob motta was the first to call back. it was 2:00 a.m. california time when he got anthony garcias brother on the phone. 30 minutes later, bob motta was retained to handle his first murder case. >> i go upstairs. i wake my wi...

Been, they would have shown what jurors saw anthony garcia napping. >> he slept quite a bit during the trial. >> id say half the trial. you know, and how do you think that that plays off to a jury? >> reporter: the 2008 case of tom hunter and shirlee sherman was the most straightforward for the defense. >> there is no direct evidence against my client. there is no smoking gun. there is no dna. its all pieces and they are trying to put together this puzzle. >> reporter: on the stand, none of the ...

Back. it was 2:00 a.m. california time when he got anthony garcias brother on the phone. 30 minutes later, bob motta was retained to handle his first murder case. >> i go upstairs. i wake my wife up, who is my law partner, alison motta. and im, like, "we got a murder case. we gotta get up and go to jackson county. you gotta find a sitter for the kids." >> reporter: when anthony garcias extradition hearing came up the next day, the mottas, mr. and mrs. were seated at the defense table. >> you are...

To harm them. >> do you have any patients that are upset with you? >> not as far as i know. honestly. >> how about your wife? >> i dont know. i mean, usually not. >> reporter: everyone handles grief differently. after their youngest son was murdered in their home, the hunters seemed to want nothing more than to be left alone. >> were kind of a private family, so were not too keen on talking with media. >> reporter: on the other hand the family of shirlee sherman, the other dundee victim, despera...

>> reporter: it was a quote similar to one in shakespeares play "the merchant of venice." >> if you harm me, shall i not revenge? >> not often does "the merchant of venice" come up in a murder trial. >> never before in my career, yeah. >> but thats your motive. >> sums up the case. thats our motive. yeah. >> reporter: they argued that garcia killed because he was angry about his termination from creighton and that it prevented him from being accepted into other programs to which he later applied...