>> she had mud and blood all over. her >> panicked, saying her husband had been shot. >> a woman in distress, a murder in the dead of night. >> i'm trying. >> we were concerned for her. >> that's my husband's body. >> yes sir. >> did she say who shot her husband? >> that's all i saw. >> she said just a figure, who turned and ran into the darkness. >> we take you inside this mystery. >> we don't know if the suspect is still out. there >> it's nerve racking. >> who killed your husband? >> oh my god. >> a small town murder with a big time twist. >> she knew somebody that she wasn't telling. >> yes sir. hello and welcome to dateline. at six four and nearly 300 pounds, but robert poynter looked menacing. but to love once he was a gentle giant. the selfless fire captain enjoyed helping others but no one could help him when he was murdered. an eyewitness offered only fuzzy details and yet investigators piece together the clues, bringing the deadly deed into sharp focus here is josh mankiewicz with "out of the darkness". >> 9-1-1. >> this friday night sounded like trouble. it was 10:47 pm, a woman calling 9-1-1 santa desperate. >> calm down. what do you need? we are you at? >> i -- >> ma'am, we are u.s.? i >>reporter: she was on the cell phone, somewhere on the outskirts of town. >> this is hunt county with the transfer. she's picking on county road, she's extremely out of breath, sounds like she's running, and she saying, crying, think she needs the police, needs the police. >>reporter: seconds later the call dropped out. >> okay. hello? >> ma'am, are you there? i >>reporter: was she running from and what had happened on this texas country road? those questions would be answered quickly. >> all i could do is cry because i thought, oh my god, you know, this cannot be true. >>reporter: it was the y and the secrets dragged out of the darkness that were so much harder to comprehend. >> when you get a call, what is it usually? >> theft, criminal mischief, reckless drivers. >>reporter: not that nice, not on september 9th, 2016. according to the running, gasping woman on the phone, someone had been shot. it was happening in royse city, texas, 31 miles from dallas. >> somebody shot, that's a major, collier adrenaline is running. >> officer rushed to the scene, his dash cam rolling. >> what's going on? >> my husband has been. shot can you help, please? >> the woman's name was chacey poynter. >> she seemed frantic, said her husband had been shot, i got for a, put her in the back of my car. >> have a seat, have a seat. right here. >> and the shooter could be out here somewhere? >> yes, yes. so i put her in the safety of my car, and i ran down the road to find the victim. >> devins and the sheriff's deputy, who ran up at the same time, ran a half mile down the county road. >> that's a long way on foot on the dark. >> on foot, it is. >> and you have no idea where the shooter is, if he's behind one of these trees are waiting for you, or running the other way, or what. >> halfway down the road, an abandoned pick up truck kept going. >> we continued running down this road. and we could see headlights through the treeline, coming around the curve. our weapons were drawn. we gave orders, let me see your hands. headlights winterize, so what was in front of me was unclear until we got closer. once we get closer to the vehicle, and saw nobody around it, suspect wise, we saw the victim inside the car. >>reporter: a man, slumped over in the driver seat, he had been shot in the head. >> it was evident that he was deceased. >>reporter: ribbons partner chain meek also made a call to the dispatcher. >> i said, what do you have, a murder? and he said yes. and i said, whoa, i've got to go. because that doesn't happen that often. >>reporter: the last murder in these parts was years ago. >> i knew i had to respond rapidly, not knowing what we had. >>reporter: meek call for backup because the shooter or shooters remained on the loose. >> everyone was on point, as far as keeping their heads on a swivel, because we didn't know who or how many people were out there. >>reporter: and while meek waited for royse city's low detective to arrive, he took chacey to paramedics. >> so is anyone else out there with you? >> no. >> was it your husband? what's his name? >> robert poynter. a >> somewhere in all this, she hit the ground. >> we were concerned for her and wanted to make sure where she was taking care of. we find out as much, and is quickly, what happened. >>reporter: and all the cops kept watching the sky. because this is texas. and the heavens were about to open. >> rain or any type of weather can damage or completely get rid of possible evidence, as quick as the storm was moving fast. >> the race was on to uncover any clues to the crime scene and what it might hold. what would investigators find? >> coming up -- >> his phone was still in the center console. the blood, a big clue for us, was the weapon was a shotgun. >>reporter: a shotgun turned murder weapon. so where was it? when "dateline" continues. it's lying dormant, waiting... and could reactivate. shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. and it could wake at any time. think you're not at risk for shingles? it's time to wake up. because shingles could wake up in you. if you're over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention. lowe's knows you need to save money if you're over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist this holiday so... you can get more of what you want. with our lowest price guarante. this holiday if you find a better price we'll match it. get more for your home and your family. you got this. we got you. how long have you been tracking the value of our car? should we sell it? we hold... our low mileage is paying off. you think we should... hold... hoooold!!! hooold! now!!!! i'm on it. i'm, on it. already sold to carvana. go to carvana and track your car's value today. (car engine revs) (engine accelerating) (texting clicks) (tires squeal) (glass shattering) (loose gravel clanking) what's going on? my husband, he went to go help me. my jeep is stuck around the corner. >> what's going on? and he's been shot in the head, please. >> my husband -- he was around the corner, he's been shot in the head. please! >>reporter: it was the worst crime royse city had seen in a very long time. a man shot to death on a muddy road. his wife standing close by. now she was in an ambulance. and police were trying to piece together what had happened. who their victim was. and who might have wanted him dead. >> i don't know, i don't know. >>reporter: support in his signature mustache, and a six foot four inches, 300 pound physique, could robert poynter look intimidating. to those who knew him best, he was the complete opposite. his mom, candy. >> he was your favorite. >> so they say. >> what do you say? >> possibly. probably. >>reporter: bob was candies middle child, between two sisters, jennifer and cheryl. >> he was not confrontational. >> they are a non confrontational. >>reporter: he liked helping people, maybe that's why bob became a firefighter, a well respected one. he swallowed smoke for 19 years. winding up as a captain in the university park department outside dallas. and from his firehouse, from the rug, even from the fires, bob kept in very close touch with his mom. >> we had the report, 10 to 15 calls a day. >> 10 to 15 calls a day? >> mama's boy. >> i know, truly. i adored him. >> so these fellow firefighters, they said, he got it done. even helped in louisiana after hurricane katrina. and he always came home unscathed. professionally speaking, anyway. bob's personal life was also a story of a man who ran toward trouble. bob married young and had two kids. after 19 years, that marriage fell apart, extensively so. around then is when bob met chacey, who was much younger. >> i think it wasn't infatuation. someone 22 years old. he's in his forties. you know? >> a feeling. >> a fling, basically, yeah. >>reporter: it wasn't a fling. bob married chacey. it is a fresh start for bob, with this woman born and raised in small town texas. >> she had a heart of gold. she loved everybody. >> actually mid chacey back in middle school, back when royse city was a speck on the map. >> there was nothing here, we had one jack-in-the-box, and a gas station. that was it. >> farm town? >> farm town, just country. >> quiet. >> very quiet. >> people didn't lock their doors? >> no. >> chacey and actually lost touch after high school and then reconnected win actually noticed chacey's cake business. >> she enjoyed doing, it she was amazing what she did. >> what made her so good? >> just for being so crafty and her imagination was everything. >>reporter: actually got to know chacey's young daughter and her mom helped her disagree cakes. >>reporter: however if an chacey absent spent time together, and chacey robert did not. >> what did she say about robert? >> he was never there. he always worked. >> well, he was a fire captain and he worked a lot of shifts. >> yes, he did. >> that was a problem? >> yes. >> bob tried to make things right. in early september 2016, he took his family on a trip to mexico. it was a chance to reconnect. >>reporter: six days later, robert poynter was dead and not in a fire. i detective michael berke drove out to country go 25 95 to investigate his first career homicide. >> i grabbed my investigation equipment, mostly at that time, a camera only. >> and then you get to the scene. >> yes sir. >>reporter: about halfway down the road was that truck, later identified as bobs. then another discovery. >> we are shining our flashlights on the path to make sure we don't fall in one of the deep routes or trip. then there was a reflection in the water, in one of the puddles. on a closer look, it showed it was a cell phone. >>reporter: it was chacey's cell phone, she apparently dropped it in the mud when she fell. that's why her 9-1-1 call was cut off. for the down the mighty road, and around the bend, was chacey's jeep, with robert poynter's body behind the wheel. burke took a close look. >> was he robbed or...? >> no, chacey's we still on the for full board of the vehicle,. >> the fatal shot had apparently been fired at close range. >> big thing for us was what the weapon was, a shotgun, it was that the wanting from the shotgun shell was still in the victim skull. >> so who shot bob and why? there was nothing at the scene. >>reporter: coming up -- >> just breathe for me. >> that's my husband's blood on me. >>reporter: what happened on that desolate road? chacey tells a dramatic story. >> the jeep started rolling. i saw a shadow. >> when "dateline" continues. heat makes it last. feel the power of contrast therapy. ♪♪ so you can rise from pain. icy hot. how do i love thee? ...let me count the ways.. ♪ love can get a little messy... good thing there's resolve. love the love. resolve the mess. listen, your deodorant just has to work. i use secret aluminum free. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. and hours later, i still smell fresh. secret works! ohhh yesss. ♪♪ can i get some information from you real quick? josh mankiewicz: chacey poynter had just witnessed her husband being shot. >>reporter: chacey poynter had and she could barely breathe. just witnessed her husband being shot and she could barely breathe. >> in through your nose, out through your mouth. slow your breathing down. >>reporter: even as chacey was getting hooked up with oxygen, officer meek needed to speak with her while everything was fresh. his body cam was rolling. >> tell us what happened. donald >>reporter: chacey told meek she was on her we to meet robert poynter at the local jack-in-the-box. >>reporter: their daughter addison was at a friends house that evening so it would just be the two of them. >> he told me he was gone, a long three minutes. he texted me, i went off the road. >>reporter: chacey, still visibly east shaken, said her jeep got stuck. so bob, already at the jack-in-the-box, drove out to help or. >> he said, i don't think i can make it. so we walked, we walked up here and we walked back to my jeep. she said bob jumped in the driver seat and pulled her jeep out. >> and when i was back on it, i went to go get -- and i heard a shot. and the jeep started rolling and they didn't see anything and then i saw a shadow. that's all i saw. >> she yelled bob's name. and no answer. then, she said, in a panic, she ran. >> i didn't know what else to do. >>reporter: chacey asked about her husband. >> under the bright lights chacey could see her arms. >> just breathe for me. >> that's my husband's blood on me. >> i mean, with my training and experience, i knew not to let her focus on that, so i re-directed her focus. >>reporter: officer took note of her injuries. once the -- police escorted her back to the police car where she seemed to open up. she described ongoing marital problems. >> we don't spend a lot of time together, we can only see each other for a couple of days. >> you argue. >> yes, but it's because we don't spend a whole lot of time together because of his shifts. >>reporter: they had talked about divorce and bob threaten to take addison if it went through. >> why would your husband threatened to take your daughter from you? >> because he knows that would make me sick. >>reporter: she said they were trying to work things out. >> we just got back from mexico this week. we had a really good time. >> okay. >> and things were fine. >>reporter: that didn't last, she said. soon after returning from mexico, their marriage started heading south again. she told bob she needed space. and so chacey went to see a friend, michael garza. he knew about chacey's troubled marriage and offered his home to her whenever she needed. that night, friday, chacey texted bob and they made plans to talk at a familiar spot. >> we used to stop and get tacos at jack-in-the-box. when he would come on the way home from work. >> right. >> so i asked him if he wanted to meet me at jack-in-the-box. >>reporter: and bob agreed. >> i said i love you, i want this to work out. he said, do you promise, i said yes. >>reporter: that promise now unfulfilled permanently, because bob was no more. and chacey, said she did not get a good look at the shooter. >> i didn't get a good. look -- >> i wasn't there, i need to understand what you saw, okay? >> he was tall and dark. that's all i could see. i didn't see any firearms. >>reporter: naturally, meek wondered about chacey's friend michael garza. they looked up his facebook profile and there he was, holding a shotgun. could michael garza be the shooter? >> but then she start saying, he wasn't in town, he's a long haul truck driver. so that you are mentioned that. and then you start thinking, who else could that be? >>reporter: meek wasn't sure. >> she was giving me too much information. she was telling me things that ultimately didn't make sense for what we were there for. >>reporter: and he noticed something odd. >> when i wasn't talking to her she would come down, but as soon as i would talk to her, she would get hyper ventilating again. the more i spoke to her, the more signaled like an act. >>reporter: was it all and act? or was there something else going on? only one way to find out. they escorted chacey back to the police station and dug deeper into her story. and that was sometimes hard to follow, as county road 25 95. >>reporter: coming up -- >> so somebody taking the shock, and put it right against your husband said. and you are telling me you see nothing? you see nothing? >>reporter: the fire captain's wife feels the heats. >> i don't buy it. i think you're full of bleep. >>reporter: when "dateline" continues. 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