Page 6 - Brumback Case News Today

"they made an arrest in the case." and i think i forgot about 20, 30 items on my grocery shoppin list cause i was, like, real happy. i just -- the carton, rushed out of the grocery store and wanted to go home and watch the news. >> reporter: with anthony garcias arrest, jeff hunter says he and his parents felt as if they could finally stop looking over their shoulders. >> i mean, for five years they were super paranoid because that -- i mean, for all we knew, for all i always thought about was s...

And they want to be kind of kept in the loop. but, you know, as investigators, you kind of -- you cant give 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....

>> right. but there was nothing to show that he was anywhere other than there. >> reporter: which is not an ironclad alibi, but its not bad. >> its not bad. and sometimes thats just the reality of our work. >> reporter: that seemed to be the end of the line. dr. belenky had been the investigators last best lead. unwilling to see the case go cold, shirlee shermans family pooled their money and offered a reward. >> there were a number of contributions. i think there were some other people contribu...

>> reporter: the judge took it 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 publici...

>> so it might have been a cop who did that search and not your client? >> im not going to suggest that anybody, you know, specifically typed the name in. im just going to say that the way that the state presented the case and, in particular, that piece of evidence was not exactly truthful. >> reporter: the defense attornies spent a lot of time talking about the gun found on the side of the road and the ammo magazine at the brumback house. >> in light of the fact that we have the very damaging m...

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...

Moment came later that afternoon behind closed doors when the victims families met privately with the people responsible for bringing this case to an end. >> we basically gave em a round of applause when they came in because they did a hell of a job. >> tough to be there, or you were glad you were there? >> my family, were not really emotional, so seeing my brother cry, seeing my mom cry, its hard and seeing the district attorney cry, it was a tough moment. >> reporter: while garcias defense tea...

There to witness it all, friends and family of the victims. thomas hunters mom claire hunter, who had been staying out of the public eye, and shirlee shermans brother dan were two of the first people outside the courtroom. >> its been eight years. you know? its been going on for a long time. a lot of this stuffs a blur. >> reporter: douglas county attorneys don kleine and brenda beadle had been prepping this case for more than three years. you prosecuted all four murders. >> yeah. >> you ever th...

Older lady." >> 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...

Claire hunter were both doctors at creightion, he a pathologist, she a cardiologist, detectives wondered if someone at the hospital might have had a motive 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 ...