did it, why are you out there trying to find? and now who can begrudge a grieving mother s better talents. certainly not the jones family. on the day kevin was acquitted, they stood here on the steps of the courthouse and they vowed they would do whatever it took to find nona s killer. kevin s father, hiram, financially wiped out by the cost of the free court case, ask his son s legal team for one more favor. i said this is what i ve got. don t know how much i need. don t know how i can pay you. but i need this. the lawyers agreed to help. they asked an investigator, this man, to keep working the case. his name is todd stuffy. he s a part-time policeman and kevin s hometown of dover just outside russellville. part-time detective and full-time preacher. what an odd combination for. all i used to say sales make good guy. and right away he knew there was a key piece of evidence that demanded a closer look. that condom wrapper found in
could, calling for help, pretending there was someone nearby. the police came a little later, they found gary hiding in the water. they arrested him. he spent 18 months in jail. and then, newly-out on parole, he moved into nona s apartment complex, set up house directly across the parking lot, months before nona s death, his lawyers admitted it was a blow to their defense. we had to admit it, and not make it any worse. or, was it already done? this time, jurors knew the man sitting in that chair was not just a man prone to violence, he was a convicted criminal. so, would a town s impression that kevin jones murdered the beauty queen finally be undone? the 12 people who will decide gary dunn s fate weigh the evidence. coming up, in the verdict. he does not have no alibi, and that looks really bad. it looks really bad. will there be justice for nona and her family?
probably locked in. it s very unlikely to change. and certainly, that s how it was in russellville, arkansas. the town where a first impression hardens like a patch of cement. about her and also about for better or worse, the young man accused of killing her. the boyfriend who found the body. the boyfriend found a body. first impressions die hard, including first impressions of murder. and years later in this small southern town, we had to ask, can they ever change. of course that question is quite obvious now to kevin. jones but years ago, he didn t care who he impressed or didn t. all he knew was this, he was going places. he was from a good family. lived near a wonderful city nearby called russellville, and was well liked. oh, and was adored by one girl in particular. his high school sweetheart, nona dirksmeyer. so, she was kind of like a soulmate i suppose?
change what may have been that first impression. decide kevin wasn t the that prosecutors had painted. but a grief stricken young man, who was innocent. so, what to believe? in the courthouse, the jury wrestled with its verdict. 50 miles down the world in russellville, the town cried for justice. if that meant conviction, well, so be it. would jurors convict kevin jones of murder? and whose dna was on that key piece of evidence? coming up i said, it matches doesn t it? he said, well it matches gary dunn. who was gary dunn? and what if anything did he have to do with nona s murder? when dateline continues. aleve x. its revolutionary rollerball design delivers fast, powerful, long-lasting pain relief. aleve it, and see what s possible.
mother is crying? her name is nona dirksmeyer. the defense says janice jones and kevin s friend gave police conflicting details on how they came across nona s body, and what they were doing to savor. it is a lie, they are lying, all three of them. all three of the boys? kevin is lying, and his mother? absolute liars, without question. in fact, the defense detainees tried to claim, you cannot keep up with the joneses and all of their lies. even kevin s grandmother, who said she was with kevin in another town, the morning of nona s death, could not be trusted. kevin s mother knows that kevin murdered nona? well, i don t know if they know, but they know they are covering for him. the lawyers say kevin jones cannot explain one thing away, the bloody palm print in nona s apartment. it was his and not garry dunn s. did it work? yes it did. after three days of