Kill Jack Jessee News Today

>> after two years of work, they had generated enough evidence to fill this mail cart. all apparently for naught. the suspect and his key to cracking the case had skipped the state, and detective doves jurisdiction. >> we were so close. >> reporter: the jessee family sensed dove had been beaten and sandra jessee had won. had gotten away with murder. >> i put his pictures away. i couldnt -- its tough. because he was so -- he was so fantastic. >> put his pictures away? >> i had to. it just was too...

The investigation. >> reporter: there was no hope of any new evidence, of course, like fingerprints or dna. there was just the infuriating puzzle which had become more difficult with each passing year. >> after i reviewed the case, i had no feeling for the family, no feeling for jack jessee. >> reporter: so to get his hand in the game, dove met with the people closest to jack. like his brother david. >> and when i met with david, he inspired me. his determination not to let the love for his brot...

Here again is keith morrison. >> reporter: after two years of relentless police work, tom doves investigation of the murder of jack jessee had generated enough evidence to fill this mail cart. all apparently for naught. the suspect and his key to cracking the case had skipped the state, and detective doves jurisdiction. >> we were so close. >> reporter: the jessee family sensed dove had been beaten and sandra jessee had won. had gotten away with murder. >> i put his pictures away. i couldnt -- i...

Wouldnt be surprised if the killed me. he said that. >> reporter: so dove picked through all the original files, hoping he might come across something that had been overlooked. and buried inside, he found this. a simple two-page report apparently unread by any detective. remember the guy who walked into the bar, the one who told a story about the jessee murder? well, years later when the case had gone cold, the bartender decided to call the placentia cops. an officer took the call, typed up the ...

>> these people might literally get away with murder. >> hello and welcome to "dateline extra." im craig melvin. jack jessee was a doting grandfather jack jessee at the helm his big and blended california family seemed like one happy bunch. then jack was found stabbed to death in his living room and police wondered if the jessees werent as close as they seemed. the case went unsolved for years, until a determined detective hatched an unconventional plan to catch jacks killers. heres keith morris...

Here, six years later, was the day planner for 1998, the year jack jessee was murdered. crucial evidence tossed in schraubens garbage. >> a treasure we didnt expect to find, but what that day planner did was connected all the people back in 1998 that were associated with brett schrauben. >> what did you think? >> this is too good to be true, i thought, good things were going to happen. somebodys back on our side again. >> reporter: with this evidence, dove was able to get a judge to approve a wi...

And they all lived within a couple of blocks of each other in homes sandra helped purchase with jacks insurance money and savings. >> when everything was said and done, she got close to $700,000. >> reporter: and as the months slipped past, leads failed to connect, the investigation hit one dead end after another. wyatt was promoted out of homicide. the case bounced from the placentia pd to the orange countys sheriffs department, where before long it became a case to avoid, toxic, an unsolvable ...

"mousetrap." a little ball on its track. the tiny taunting mice which, unless every lever works in unison, will not be caught. and how often things go wrong to allow the mice to get away. so odd that what really happened could so eerily mimic a childrens game. >> oh how nice! >> reporter: these are the people it happened to, the jessee clan of orange county, california. they vacation together -- >> im tired, im ready to go home. >> reporter: shared birthdays -- >> this ones for bev. >> happy new...

And reach inside the door and unlock the it and shut it. i was chicken. i couldnt do it. i called tom. i told tom, the doors locked. and he said he would call his mom and get back to me. >> reporter: and according to schrauben, tom called back within minutes with a backup plan. >> he told me his mom was going to go out that night and that they needed it to happen tonight because his mom cant take it anymore. he said we didnt do it tonight, his mom was going to do it. >> reporter: they returned t...

>> like the whole night happened all over again. >> that one juror, you know, i saw her. i went and talked to her. >> what did you say? >> i said she was an idiot. >> it was certainly difficult for me. it was far more difficult for the family. >> murray promised the family justice. spent two years putting a new case together. and just weeks before trial, he got a call. it was from toms attorney saying his client was ready to cut the apron strings and testify against his mom. >> theres no way tha...