the black ops. at that point, it got a little scary. we are here to do a job, and they are going to kill someone. this is crazy. >> in a marriage, three is a crowd. >> you are seeing another woman? >> right. >> who do you think it was? >> chemistry. and chemistry can be explosive. >> it's your girlfriend, in the bahamas! >> this is now a marriage from hell. >> enter the hitman. >> here is a name, i will bring you pictures of the person who you want to have killed. >> you say that you now feared for your own life? >> yes. >> a hit that could not miss? >> or a surprise to die for? >> they actually noticed a camera inside the car? >> this was a big moment? >> huge moment. everything took off real fast. >> no fairytale ending for this love story. it would end either in murder or prison. >> he says, my guys don't back down from a plan. >> hello, welcome to dateline. when ira bernstein and susan met on the college campus, they could not know the future that they would become college sweethearts, marry, start a family and that as their family grew, so it's something else. jealousy. they certainly could never have imagined the life they would build over the years would be torn apart by a murderous scheme. here is andrea canning, with "the target". >> in this quiet, wealthy neighborhood, behind the gates of his lavish estate, a fuse was lit. newfound money lead to explosive fights, toured affairs, deadly secrets. and a wicked plot that disturbed even seasoned detectives. >> someone approached him, to be hired as a hit man. >> a scheme, with a twist. >> this is where this whole story goes a little bit hollywood? >> yes, literally. >> the starring characters? i'm unhappy housewife. >> don't you worry, you are done. >> a luxury car salesman. a former morticians, and an aspiring model. >> it was horrible. >> and a prominent doctor. >> we were both scared, we did not know what to do. >> our story begins in rockland county, new york, nestled along the hudson river, about an hour's drive north of new york city. the home of dr. ira bernstein, a well respected podiatrist. >> i've always wondered why someone chooses feet as a doctor? >> feet are extremely important, yes. >> he took us back to where it all began, penn state university, where he first met his future wife, susan. here they are, smiling, from the pages of their college yearbook. it was the mid 90s, when the couple bumped into each other at a fraternity party. >> she was so caring, compassionate. she was supportive of me, she was there when i had to study long hours. >> sounds like you had a great relationship? >> it was. >> after college, susan worked towards her masters, and eventually, her doctorate in education. ira went to podiatrist cool. >> some of my most fond memories of that school, was spending time with susan. it was great, we go out for dinner for $20 and, we were both grateful. >> not a lot of money? >> we had no money. >> a few years after that, in 2002, they got married. >> and, when you both said your vows, did you feel like it was right? >> i did. >> the couple decided to move back to rockland county, near ira's home town. it was not long before he and susan were raising three children. i rest as you work day and night, and they quickly paid off. he opened multiple foot surgery centers, and also invested in real estate. the couple was grateful for the good fortune. >> my house was 13,000 square feet, on 14 acres of land. and we had tennis courts, pool, pool house, lake, a dock, boats. >> did you have other houses? >> i had 20 different buildings, houses i would rent out. >> but ira soon realized, all that money came with problems. even with his success, he says he struggled to keep up with the cost of their extravagant lifestyle. and, he says susan had developed quite the appetite for the finer things. >> i overextended myself, and then her spending amplified, to the point where 40,000 a month on her credit car was standard operating procedure. >> what was she buying? >> everything from vacations she will plan, clothes, jewelry. >> the way that ira saw, he was the one doing all of the working, well susan, a stay at home mom with a live-in nanny was doing most of the playing. >> her days were filled with lunch dates with friends, spa appointments, mani-pedis, she started book clubs, cooking clubs. she would be out, literally four nights a week. >> ira claims he was lonely and resentful. >> you and susan hit a major bump in your marriage, when she discovers that you are seeing another woman? >> right. >> he says susan discovered the affair from messages she found on his computer. but instead of filing for divorce, they planned to stay together, with unorthodox rules. >> we decided on an open marriage, and she could start dating people. >> he says it was an attempt at saving a marriage in shambles, and thought the open marriage was working. but apparently, his wife did not. three months after the new arrangement, ira says he was shocked when police came knocking on his door. susan had filed a restraining order. >> the sheriff gives me 20 minutes to pack my stuff, whatever i could grab. i am escorted out of my house. i wind up in my parents house, living in my old high school bedroom. >> ira says susan claimed he was physically and verbally abusive to her and the children. ira says, not true. >> i am the least abusive person in the world, i don't even discipline my children, okay? they walk all over me like i am a teddy bear. >> in fact, several months later, ira says, susan withdrew the restraining order, and wanted to reconcile. he agreed to try, but soon enough he says, the fighting flared up again. and that is when a beautiful former patient reached out to him. >> she was calling me out of the blue, to say she liked to meet with me, if we could do business together. >> her name was kelly gribeluk, a woman with an eclectic career. a former morticians, now in the business of selling orthotics for shoes. since ira was a podiatrist, she asked him to be part of her company. he agreed, and their professional relationship quickly turned personal. >> she completely understood me. like, i found someone who actually got me. and she has a sexy kind of look to her. >> were you physically attracted to him >> what we had share some intimat , him. > for t through, it was veimilar >> butch as shcared fo ira, sshe felt it wa re imphat he give hi iage a shot. >> i wanm to do what was st for tir family, i tly d him and thought, whave d make him happy is wh for him >> so says sed seeing ira, even met wit to tell e had bowe ou the relationship. >> at the end of theconvtion, st es not work out with o see you end up with u, ink you are really good. >> jt a fe later, ir run to yo not going.iliation with susa >> you are off with your girlfrthe bahamas, w n get ch with you, as manager.r da your ra starecords susan, saying her ang escalnt threats. you aoing to -- -- it wataking a big tl on him. he wa panic attacks d not eep at night nigh >> what was thoing to you, wahing tou love go throthat >> it was destating. >> som in thd love triangleas getperate >> coming up >> crowdage may soon be a little less cramped >> she brought me a picture an a ock ba >> it picture of the target? >> along with a phone number for the target >> someone is planning a hit and it is all caught on hidden camera >> while we're asking you to d is >> she was a two >> 200,000 okay >> when "dateline" continues the power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity. home of the xfinity 10g network. >> in early april, 2016, as the in early april 2016, as the love triangle love triangle between the podiatrist, his estranged wife, and his new girlfriend, reached a slow burn, a new character entered the scene. a luxury car salesman. he says he got an unexpected visit from a former customer. she came into his office and asked the unthinkable. she wanted someone murdered. did she look like the kind of woman who would be coming in to hire a hitman? >> nowhere. not in 1 million years i would think that. >> his name is marckensy. originally from haiti. a father of four. who had been selling cars for more than 16 years. >> the only thing i could ask is why? >> marckensy thinks she came to him because of an earlier conversation they had when he offered to help her with her marital problems. >> if you need any help, any kind of situation, we know a few people that could help you out. meaning that i have a friend of mine in the police station nearby. i always call for any reason, whatsoever. >> do you think she took what you told her the wrong way? >> i think she did. she believed that i would harm the guy. >> but he says he's no hitman. the woman was just hearing what she wanted to hear. >> she sound like she was so desperate to get this done. i think any little affirmation she would've forced herself to believe it. >> he says he played along. trying to see if she was serious. >> i told her that that's not something that i do, i could potentially get her in touch with the people that could possibly do it. >> and did you have any background in law enforcement? >> no. >> you just a regular guy. >> a regular guy who hangs out with the cops, pick up a few things here and there. >> his unofficial police training kicked in. to make his story more believable, he says he got specific about the men he would use to do that. >> these guys are like top black ops. >> was she interested? >> she was. >> after she left, marckensy immediately texted his friend on the force. but got no response. in the meantime, to keep her on the hook, he arranged a second meeting. you can see them together on this castration security footage. >> she brought me a picture in a ziploc bag. >> a picture of the target? >> along with the phone number for the target. so, now, i come to realize that i do have something that is potentially serious in my hands. and i don't know exactly which way to go. >> finally, his friend cop friend called him back and directed him to ramapo, new york, police. detectives robert fitzgerald and peter louzan were assigned to the case. >> the thing we needed to do was get marckensy's corporation. >> since the woman trusted marckensy, detectives wanted him to keep playing the role of the bad guy. he didn't hesitate. that's got to be really daunting? >> it was kind of cool. you know? in a way, that's like 007 type thing. >> detectives then devised a plan. they rigged his car with cameras and audio recording devices. >> the microphone was hanging over here. and under my seat here, i had a phone. >> and they asked marckensy to set up another meeting with the woman. the location? this large walmart parking lot directly across the street from the police station. we can literally see the police department. >> yeah, you can throw a rock and hit a police station. >> marckensy, the newly minted informant, alerted police the meeting was set. a team of detectives raced to the parking lot to get in position. >> it's an intense moment because we know the case is just starting. and she actually gets out the car and gets into that car, were like, this is fantastic. >> as she got into marckensy's car, detectives could watch and listen to every word in realtime. >> it can be a robbery, it can't be shooting. it can be anything like that. >> but it didn't take long before she started talking money. how much to have the target murdered? >> should we say two? >> 200,000? okay. >> when can we get the deposit? >> the next day, detectives were watching when the woman met with marckensy again. this time, she suggested how the target should be killed? >> what about like, either a hit and run, like when she's getting out of the car. or like, plane accident. somebody backed up into her and, the guy says, i didn't see her. you know? plain accident. so there's no investigation. >> over the course of two meetings, the woman also managed to negotiate the price down to $100,000. >> so, we'll do it for? hundred >> and agreed to pay a 2000 dollar deposit. and then, asked about his refund policy. >> should i say, by the way, the deposit is refundable? >> we're thinking of a scenario. 'll tell yo>> and together theyw case. his marriage problemsfor d but deives fitald an louzan didn't think kewa >> we're thinkin a ario >> so they asked marckensy t sh kelly for a meeting wit hepartneand she agreed it waa gd idea >> i thoug you saiguys talked it er, you guys mi >>hen it happened. later that night, they up. >> who waselly'ser i crime? d how r will they go to ge coming up -- >> liste the monnot th i'll tell you now. >> and togr they have a ne b for thhitman >> i think once this is done he'll feel more comfortable. to move ahead with that righ way. >> this is a huge moment in ou case >> this is where this whol story goes a little bi hollywood? >> yes, literally. >> when "dateline" continues card is now just $89. buy it for yourself or a loved one at kardia.com or amazon. introducing finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water. new finish ultimate, with cyclesync technology, helps deliver the ultimate clean. ♪ >> as ramapo detectives as ramapo detectives continued to investigate the plot continued to investigate the plot to kill susan bernstein, they became convinced that kelly gribeluk was not acting alone, that someone else was the mastermind. >> even if it is a hit and run. >> investigators have their suspicions about who that was, but they needed proof. and less than a week later, they got it, in a parking lot across the street from the police station, detectives were in their unmarked cars, waiting. >> all of the sudden, they're pulling in. >> right. >> who is the other person? >> that would be ira bernstein. >> incredibly, this was a man all of the detectives knew well. >> he is your police foot surgeon? >> yes. >> is that blowing your mind? that it is him? >> one of the funny things is, we are both patients of him. now, our concern is, will he recognize us when we do these surveillances? >> rockland county assistant da pete louzan, was on the case from the beginning. >> he got in the car with the informant. >> hey, how are you? >> and then, he started to talk about how he wanted his wife. >> the lesser, you to know, the better. >> right. i agree. >> it was a game changer. >> was that enough to arrest him right then and there? >> no money had been exchanged. in new york, you need an overt act. and we had some stuff, but did not want to jump the gun on this. >> how are you? >> so they arranged another meeting. where ira bernstein would show again. he did not, but something big happened. kelly finally handed over money for the hit. >> so how much are we talking right now? >> two. >> a 2000 dollar deposit. >> nothing until you give the go ahead. he said just to be on standby. >> as detectives waited for ira and kelly to give the go ahead, this melodrama took a new turn. kelly added to new targets. >> kelly shows up to one of the meetings and says, it has not been committed yet, but he wants you to take care of to insurance investigations. >> kelly did not ask for them to be killed, but beaten up. detectives believed this new job was a way to test marckensy, to see if he was the real deal. >> when kelly asked him, are you a police officer? >> you are sure you are not involved with police, right? >> she believes they don't think someone working with the police would actually have to innocent people just doing their job, beat up. >> and they were willing to quickly pay to get it done. kelly handed marckensy a brown bag filled with cash, 2500, half of the 5000 dollar fee. >> he wants to make sure they are out of commission for a long time. any possibility it could be done this week, or no? >> detective louzan reached out to the insurance investigators, and quickly discovered why they were the selected targets. >> i called them and said listen, i want to speak to you in person, not on the phone. >> they said we are coming to rockland anyway, because we have to do an investigation anyways into ira bernstein. >> loose ends, as they were investigating ira for insurance fraud, suspecting he had been illegally padding his insurance claims. >> how did these insurance investigators feel when you told him that there is this plot out to have you beaten up? >> they could not believe it. they were shocked, and then very concerned. >> the detective asked the investigators for their help. >> this is where this whole story goes a little bit hollywood? >> yes, literally. >> would the investigators, would they be willing to be actors for the day? a theatrical plant was in the works. >> this might sound crazy, but maybe we need a makeup artist, to make it looked like they were actually beat up. >> how did they react to this idea? >> one said, i have to talk to my wife first. but they agreed. >> police set up in this parking lot, where they had a few other undercover guys pretend to throw some punches. >> we took a lot of pictures, of them beating them up. we had to tell the investigators, don't overdo it, fight back a little bit. this is a huge moment in our case, and if they relieve this ruse about the beating up of the investigators, then we could probably get to that big thing, where he is trying to kill susan. >> i think once this is done, he will feel more comfortable to move ahead with this right away. >> the pressure was now on the car salesman. he tested kelly to meet them in the usual spot. he had three photos, tucked inside a newspaper, ready to show her. >> we coach them ahead of time, no matter what, happens she probably want to take these pictures to ira. no, we don't need ira to come out, we need to study, to commit. no matter what happens, make sure the pictures stay with you. >> everyone was in place. waiting. kelly was late. and then, finally, she showed up. >> i am so sorry. you don't understand, i've been all over this world today. >> with his heart pounding, marckensy showed her the photos. >> those are the two guys. >> so he wants to make sure they're not gonna come to work with a broken leg next week. >> no. >> they are done. what did they do to them? >> the last that you know, the better. >> welcome back to "dateline." welcome back to "dateline." ira bernstein and kelly gribeluk were in love. but ira was afraid they're promising future could be jeopardized by his estranged wife, susan, who he believed without to ruin him. a murder for hire plan was hatched, with a catch. the hitman was secretly working with police. but now it looked like the undercover sting operation might be blown. was ira on to them? here's andrea canning with "the target". >> the investigation had entered its third week. had ira agreed to make marckensy, the informant, outside his medical practice. here are ira and kelly walking towards his car. >> the doctor comes out of his office wearing his scrubs. goes into the car. >> hey, how is it going. >> how are you? >> marckensy showed ira the photos of the insurance investigators looking like they were being roughed up. ira immediately seems suspicious. >> they just happen to be standing right next to them. >> yeah, so i guess they're on break or something. >> and he's like, why are they wearing baseball caps and regular jackets? i said, i don't know. >> it really having to think on your feet? >> yes. >> one thing -- >> so marckensy started talking about keeping the photos. >> i don't want to give you -- >> i don't need them. what do i need them for? as long as this down and done correctly, just don't want them showing up at work. >> yes, exactly. no, no. it's all foolproof. >> at this point, ira