Dylan Stallman News Today

Drawing that kristene had drawn. some quick computer searches reveal ed stallman had a criminl past. dylan stallman had just been convicted of an armed robbery in nevada. >> yeah. >> reporter: that nevada armed robbery occurred in 2010, a year and a half before the shootings. stallman and some accomplices broke into a home in a las vegas suburb and held a family hostage before robbing them and taking off. anybody get killed? >> no. >> reporter: and at the time of the shootings in 2012, dylan sta...

Youre involved in the crime. >> right. definitely raised more suspicion. >> reporter: chavez told stallman police found his dna just 30 feet from where the girls were shot. thats when he says stallmans demeanor changed. >> he asked what the consequences. >> reporter: and then dylan stallman asked about a deal. >> normally, any person thats incident isnt going to ask for a deal. youre going to profess your innocence. and he wasnt. now, im thinking this is my guy. >> reporter: so chavez asked stal...

Last word. dylan stallman, he told the jury, might have been under suspicion but ultimately had nothing to do with the crime. david strickland, he said, was the man holding the gun. >> shooting both of these girls for no identifiable reason at all hes certainly a psychopath. >> reporter: prosecutor smith never offered the jury a possible motive. kristene says shes sure its about her sexual orientation. >> in the letter that she supposedly tried to send to my dad something like those [ bleep ] le...

Shootings. >> we have no gun. we have no visible minutes. the only thing we have are cigarette butts, monster can and suspicion. >> reporter: it didnt help that chavezs one eyewitness from the shootings could not identify stallman from a photo lineup. >> it was very hard because the suspects all looked the same. >> reporter: and then there was the matter of mr. stallmans height. >> hes big, what, 68"? >> 68". >> reporter: remember, kristene said the shooter was smaller than that, 58". >> for me,...

As for the confidential details in the letter? >> this is small town texas. theres any number of operations this could have come from. >> reporter: but what about the lab report with stricklands shell casings found at the scene? >> we had an expert say its inclusive. theres no way to sell for sure. >> reporter: police they say should have never taken their sights off the guy. >> dylan stallman, you think that is the killer? >> better than my boy. >> this is a guy that kicked in a door with a gro...

While detective aaron vellerman continued trying to strengthen his case against dylan stallman, investigators in neighboring sinton, texas, received a mysterious letter addressed to credkristene chapa dad. >> immediately, i knew this was was something very big and important. >> reporter: he wrote the gunman had sought his services to finish the job and make the only witness to mollies murder disappear. >> what hes saying is i was hired to kill kristene, im not going to do it, instead, im warning...

And more things that are lining up. >> for example? >> the use of numbers. >> reporter: remember, kristene said the shooter referred to her and mollie as girl one and girl two. >> did he use numbers in that other crime? >> yes, they referred to each other by number in that particular crime. >> reporter: the similarities between the two crimes didnt end there. in the nevada home invasion was the victim found? >> yes, they were. >> definitely jumped to the top. >> reporter: by that time, dylan sta...

Hitman even named the person who had hired him. if youre wondering, the letter does not mention dylan stallman. all of it was a twist as big as texas. coming up, the mysterious letter. could this be the smoking gun police had been looking for? >> immediately, i knew this was something very big and very important. >> when "dateline" continues. how do i check my credit score? credit karma. dont worry, its free. credit karma. give yourself some credit. so, you guys have recently starteyes. - yes....