>> that's what he was trying to do, was protect his family. that's all he ever wanted to do. even when the man was dying, that's what he was doing. >> on a quiet family night at home, shattered by intruders. a devoted father and husband, dead. >> she just kept saying, they killed him. >> someone murdered her husband, but left her alive. that left police suspicious. was it possible she was involved in her ■çhusband's murder? >> chances are, it was the spouse and not a random act. >> but why would she kill a man that she obviously loved? this was a family affair, all right. but it was another family that was keeping secrets. >> have you ever seen anything like that before? >> no. >> one father who tried to save his son, and another father that used his son to save himself. >> he was a monster. >> hello, and welcome to dateline. joe morrissey was a respected scientist who loved his work. that's where he met kay, who shared his passion, and would eventually become his second ■ç wife. then late one night, joe, kay, and their young son were attacked inside their florida home. investigators did not know what to make of the strange circumstances surrounding this brutal crime, or the stunning betrayal that followed. here's josh mankiewicz with broken bonds. >> what would you do for your family? would you like? would you walk through fire? could you ever accuse them of something terrible to save yourself? this is the story about two very different families. it's about loyalty, terror, deception, and love. and for one of the families, it begins with a late-night phone call. >> i was about to not answer it, and something told me to rc pick up the phone. >> christina's mother was on the line. >> you can hear the sirens, and she kept saying, you have to come here. they broke into the house and he is dead. they killed him. >> he was joseph morrissey, who had been married to christina's mother, kay, for 12 years. their suburban florida home, documented by police video, was now a crime scene. >> there was so much chaos going on. there was tons of police cars and sirens and you can smell the smoke and i just remember running down the street and the police officers were trying to stop me. i kept going and she was just standing there in the middle of the street, and she just looked so small and so hurt. i just ran up and gave her a big hug. ■ç she just kept saying, he is dead. he is gone. why would they do that? he is gone. >> when i arrived at the house, it was 1:30 in the morning. >> detective brian kendall quickly learned the key facts. he had been brutally stabbed to death in his home while his wife and young son had escaped. detectives spoke briefly with kay. >> believable? >> yes. >> tape told the detective that a man had entered their home sometime after 11:00 p.m. and began a reign of terror that started with tying hands and feet with zip ties and ended with the murder of her husband and their house on fireç kay's story suggested a robbery gone bad. to figure out what had happened, detective kendall works from the outside in. >> what did you see as you got here? >> the screen to the window was leaning up against the house. there was a vertical sliced on the middle of the screen and this window was wide open. >> and that's how kay told you that i first came into the house? >> that was the entry area, correct. i walked down this hallway here. on the ground, there was a pair of red handled scissors, and the zip tie was on the ground. i walked into the master bedroom. another zip tie was on the ground at the foot of the bed. there were bath towels laying on the bed.■ç on the bed itself was a wedding ring, which i thought was unusual. >> the man who came and asked for valuables. but he didn't take them. >> at this point, he didn't take the ones that were in this room at least. in the closet, there was also a significant amount of jewelry. >> if this is a robbery, it's kind of a strange robbery. they didn't take the things they supposedly want. >> down in the foyer are large amounts of blood. you can see a man's feet. >> this is where joe was killed? >> he was murdered and killed. >> kay said she dragged his body out of the fire and onto the patio, and that's where joe morrissey's body lay in the wee hours of april 6, 2010.■ç >> always personal. >> there up close. >> everything about that says this wasn't a robbery. this was someone who wanted to kill joe morrissey in particular. >> joe still had his wedding band on, still had his watch on. valuables that, if it was a robbery, they would've been taken out of the house. what's more, his wife kay was still alive. >> they do a brutal vicious murder from joe morrissey. why leave a witness alive? >> in murders like this, the spouse is often the first suspect -- sometimes the only suspect. all of that became clear that night to kay's daughter, christina. >> she asked me ■çto stay and watch the house. and i remember sitting there, and they would come up and ask me questions, the different detectives and the police officers. they asked me, did they ever fight, where they are doing, or was there tension between them? >> absolutely not. >> they never fought. they always were very happy. >> nobody goes through life and never fight. >> i remember they would fight over him leaving socks on the floors or a wet towel. but if they ever had any arguments, they were few and far between. they were a very good match. >> joe and kay started dating when christina was a young girl. both were divorced single parents at the time, but they met at a cancer research institute. kay was a biomedical grad student back then, while joe was a respected molecular biologist with a phd from stanford university. he conducted research into whether there was a connection between cell phones and cancer, among other things, and his work had taken him across the globe. >> he was very hard-working and was very humble. he never bragged about anything. he was just always trying to be a good guy and teach us to do the right thing. >> joe and kay dated for a year, and then joe popped the question on a roman holiday. >> i thought it was so cool that he proposed at the top of the vatican. it was fun to plan a wedding. they made sure the kids were all included. ■ç >> that met not only christina, but also a son of joe's from his previous marriage. >> it was like all of us becoming a big family. >> it wasn't long before kay and joe wanted a family of the road and decided to adopt patrick, a baby boy from south korea. >> he was always doing something with patrick, all the time. it was either baseball lessons or hockey practice or going fishing. they were together all the time. >> but now joe was gone. patrick and kay had survived, a detective kendall had some questions for kay. >> coming up. kay describes in horrifying detail a night of terror. >> i have begun.■ç >> but does her story match the evidence? when dateline continues. some things should stand the test of time. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. billy: one second, grandma. this guy is going to buy my car. okay? ask your retina specialist about eylea hd grandma: you need carvana... entering plate number... grandma: no accidents, right? billy: no. grandma: generating offer... carvana can pick it up tomorrow! billy: that's an amazing offer. announcer: sell your car the easy way with carvana. icy hot. ice works fast. ♪♪ heat makes it last. feel the power of contrast therapy. ♪♪ so you can rise from pain. icy hot. you are bountiful. your skeleton can support two times your weight. it's in your nature to stand strong. supplement your bones with high-absorption magnesium. nature's bounty. it's in your nature. on medicare? have diabetes? with the freestyle libre 3 system you'll know your glucose and where it's headed no fingersticks needed. covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. visit freestylelibre.us/medicare oooh! i can't wait for this family getaway! shingles doesn't care. shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. ahhh, there's nothing like a day out with friends. that's nice, but shingles doesn't care! 99% of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate at any time. a perfect day for a family outing! guess what? shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. josh mankiewicz: joe morrissey had been savagely stabbed but shingrix protects. to death in his own home. now his wife kay was being questioned >> joe morrissey >> joe morrissey had been savagely stabbed to death his own home. now, his wife kay was being questioned by detective kendall at the police station in plantation, florida. >> kay, it might be just easier to start with what happened from the beginning last night. >> i was in my craft room, as a room in the fr of the house. the tv was on, and i heard a noise, like something fell down. i thought it was my husband. he was going to bed. >> she told police her husband have been watching tv in the family room. their five-year-old son asleep in the master bedroom. the suddenly, kay looked up. >> the gun was right here, and he was right there, and i couldn't believe it. i could not believe that this was happening to me. >> there was a young man in the room pointing a gun right at her. kay said the man asked her where her husband was. she told him she thought he was sleeping in either the family room or their bedroom. >> he said i'm going to shoot you, i'm going to kill you. >> is she telling ■çthe truth? >> i want to believe her. but the indicators are in cases like this that it is the spouse with a domestic issue or some other personal issue, not a random act. >> kay told police the man took her into the family room where her house and was. >> joe woke up, and i said, joe, calm down. it's okay. wake up. don't move. just do what he tells you to do, and we are going to be okay. and then -- he said i don't want you guys to look at me or otherwise i'm going to shoot at you. i sad% okay, we won't look at you. >> kay told police she heard the intruder talking to someone she never saw through a walkie- talkie, someone elsewhere on the property. >> he said don't talk to me, just be quiet. >> she said the assailant, the young man with the gun, then plied their wrist with ties. >> he was saying, where is the wallet? i want the wallet. and then i said, we don't have any cash. at that point, he said he wanted to go to the atm to get money out. >> the gunmen cut their hands free, and the three of them got into one of the morrissey's cars, leaving their five-year- old son asleep in the house along with whoever had been on the walkie-talkie. p to the bank, joe drove. once there, kay managed to get to the park in view of the atm camera, as you can see on this tape. then the assailant told k what to do next. >> will get the money. don't do anything stupid. i have a gun. >> the man wanted $5000. >> i tried 5000, i tried 2000, i tried 500, and that i was trying 100 more. and then they said no, you can't have any more money off the card. >> how much did you end up getting? >> $500. >> after that, kay said they drove back to the house, frantic to see their son. was he okay? as he ■çentered the house, the gunmen barked out orders. >> behind us, he said don't do anything stupid. joe and i were looking at each other, like, where is he coming back? at that point, i thought he was going to kill us. >> once back in the house, the gunmen took them back to the master bedroom and kay said he tied their hands and feet with zip ties and put towels over their heads. >> why would they put towels over their head at this person is already seen them? >> than the gunmen told joe to come with him. >> he goes, well, i want to see you. and then all i heard was joe said, please, please don't do it. i saw the fire. >> he said please don't ■çdo it >> yes. i guess he was talking about him shooting him and stabbing him. >> it was a horrifying story. >> if she is faking this for some reason, it is pretty elaborate. >> and she's quite an actress if she is not telling the truth. >> kay's daughter christina was there when the q&a at the police station was over. >> she didn't really say much. she was just quiet. i think she was just letting it all sink in. >> now, police were trying to determine whether the evidence matched kay's story. coming up, kay tells her story to us, and this point is [7 >> it was very strange and taunting. i'm coming for you. i'm going to kill you. >> when dateline continues. . ♪ ♪ [ grunts ] [ laughs ] i could believe that this was happening to me. >> >> i could not believe that this was happening to me. >> police investigating the home invasion murder of joe morrissey had to consider whether his wife, kay, had somehow been involved. >> we conducted a comprehensive background investigation on kay. we went through all her phone records, who she is friends with, defined that issue maybe she had a boyfriend or was dating somebody. >> police found no evidence that kay had strayed in ■çher marriage. they were finding plenty at the crime scene to support her story. the broken window screen, zip ties, and towels. kay's story seemed to be holding up. christina had believed from the beginning that her mother was innocent, purely a victim. but what she didn't know was how brutal the murder was. >> she didn't want us to know. i remember sitting at the funeral home and she was very firm. she just kept saying, it's going to be closed casket. i want everybody to remember him as the lively person that he was. and i knew then that it couldn't have been good. >> and when i sat down with kay, she told a story filled with love and courage from that awful night. >> you ■çare surrounded by evil my insides were shaking. i was just thinking about patrick. >> that was the theme of the story kay told me, our five- year-old son patrick was foremost on her and her husband's minds. that's why kay became especially panicked when she and joe were forced to go to the bank. >> we can't leave patrick by himself here. >> no, he stays. he told us there were people there and they had guns. >> and that you are getting in the car with your husband and some guy with a gun and leaving your five-year-old at home with -- >> we don't even know. it is just crazy. i mean, just crying hysterical. >> in the car, kay feared for her and joe's lives as well■ç. a return home, they heard a siren. kay thought help was on the way, that they would be saved. the gunmen thought this might be the end of him and of them. >> when he heard the siren, he becomes very strange. he started saying and taunting, they are coming for me, i'm going to kill you. i was just so horrified. >> but help did not arrive. once at home, the gunmen forced kay and joe back into the master bedroom. at least they found patrick, thankfully, still asleep. in that moment, kay says, a father's love came shining through. that's when joe morrison, tied up and :b■ñihelpless, made a mo save his young son's life. >> patrick is now awake and sitting on the bed, so joe saysç to him, please do it for daddy. lay down and pretend you are asleep. do it for daddy. and he just lays there and pretends to be asleep. >> case says the man with the gun forced joe to go to the other side of the house. in his final moments with his attackers, kay says family was first in joe's mind. >> he starts pleading. please, i have kids. please. the home is on fire, the attackers had fled, and she needed to get patrick and herself out of the house. but her ankles were still tied and she could barely move. desperate to find something sharp to free her feet, she hobbled to a nearby bathroom. >> i just created a humongous mass, but i couldn't find the scissors, so i called patrick ■ç and i said to patrick, you have to be a big boy. you have to help mommy. >> and he did. kay told him where to find a pair of scissors, and patrick brought them to her. cutting the zip tie was difficult, but kay was finally able to do it. the five-year-old boy had saved his mother. then she had another job for her son. >> i said patrick, please go across the street, knock on the door. do it for mommy, i need to go help daddy. member your kung fu kicks. please, just kick the door. >> case all the neighbors door open and patrick run in. one family member taken care of. now kay was on a mission to save joe. she would not leave him behind, no matter what the risk. >> i went back ■çin there. when i saw joe, it was so hard to pick him up. i remember seeing so many wounds. so much damage to his body. i couldn't even think anymore. >> kay managed to drag joe out of the burning house and onto the patio. she held out hope that while joe was clearly badly injured, he was still alive. paramedics arrived, but there is nothing they could do for joe morrissey. kay's beloved husband was gone at the age of only 46. >> and that was the last time i saw him. >> you saved yourself. you saved your son. >> but i didn't save joe. i just couldn't.■ç it was the most horrible thing that ever happened to me, to learn that he was dead. >> it was a heartbreaking story and one that police came to believe. they cleared kay. >> there was no evidence to support to us that she was involved in any way in this murder. >> now it was up to investigators to find out who had done such horrible things to this family. a family detective kimball believed had been targeted. so far, it wasn't making any sense. >> if it was just something personal in nature, why not just come and kill them and leave? >> the search for answers was on, and it would lead to a very different kind of family. >> police close ■çin on a suspe that seems to know a lot about the crime. coming up. >> i never thought that it was somebody who they knew. >> when dateline continues. all in one delicious, monthly, soft chew. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. nexgard® plus: the one you want for one-and-done protection. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients. i think it's a great product. welcome back to "dateline," i'm craig melvin. investigators had cleared kay morrissey in her husband's grisly murder. they were starting to believe the family had been targeted. >> welcome back >> welcome back to dateline. i am itcraig melvin. investigators had cleared kay morrissey in her husband's grisly