Facedown evil and come forward with a new revelation that will make your jaw drop. What i did was wrong, there are no words, i have everything to the lose. Reporter im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with the killing in cobb county. A new attraction can be so exhilarating, but not always, sometimes attraction turns into a dangerous obsession. Lottie spencer says she knows all about. Lottie says she had a stalker, a teenager who got into her house, into her car, and worst of all, into her head. I wouldnt go out to the mailbox without a gun. It was terrifying. He had total control over you, it sounds like . Pretty much. Narrator lottie could feel it in her bones, something bad was coming and she felt powerless to do anything about it. I knew he was watching. Narrator life used to be much simpler for lottie, in jewel of july of 1995, she moved to this house with in an upscale neighborhood. Me and christina were always outside. We were happy. 5yearold nick had sparkling blue eyes and a million dlaur dollar smile, just like his mom. She was a gorgeous strawberry blond, outgoing, a woman who loved her son more than anything in the world. They were like two peas in a pod. Narrator it was a monday afternoon, the week before halloween. Nick and christina got off the school bus and walked home together. Cobb county prosecute eor jesse evans. The first things they did was go downstairs to find nicks mom. Her car was there, she should be there. Narrator nick went downstairs, and someone was there but not his mom. It was a dark figure wearing i gloves and a mask. The stranger suddenly stabbed nick and left him for dead. As hes laying there on the floor, he actually sees his perpetrator run from the house. Christina began really freaking out, she was terrified. Narrator christina ran upstairs to her apartment to get help. Her baby sisitter catherine was there. The glass door was smeared with blood and the scene inside was unspeakable. Somebody said, oh, my gosh there,s nick and you could see him through the window on the floor in a pool of blood. So you get out of here, go down the street. She said what are you going to do . I said i got to get that boy out there. Im not leaving without that door. Scott grabbed an ax from the garage for protection, then doped it when he realized how bad nick needed help. He wasnt breathing. I smacked him a few times and nothing happened. To i started screaming at him and said youre not going to die today. Narrator scott picked up the little boy and bolted from the house. He squeezed nick tightly against his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding. He was running down the street, call 911, call 911. Narrator lottie was at work when she got a frantic call from her daughter. She was hysterical. She said that nick was hurt. I drove home as fast as i could. I was screaming for christina and nick, but they werent there. Narrator lottie didnt see nick either. The vivacious fliblght attendan and devoted single mother was dead, she had been stronged. Youre so thankful that your daughters alive. Then you feel so bad what happened to nick and carmen. Narrator carmens sister and brother barely had sometime nick was fighting for his life, they rushed to be at his side. We went straight to the hospital. You must have been thinking how can someone stab a 5yearold, your nephew, approximately 18 times. Thats a monster. I will never forget walking into the hospital room sorry but yeah, and then you you have to come to grips with reality. And it was a grim reality, after emergency surgery, nick was in critical condition. He looked so little, so fragile in his hospital bed. You never think that you can be touched by Something Like when youve got the perfect family. He had been stabbed 18 times and had lost a dangerous amount of blood. But he survived. Nick was going to make it. It was nothing less than a miracle. There was no easy way to tell him about his mom, but he had to know. All these years later, nick remembers it like it was yesterday. My dad and my aunt told me that my mom didnt make it and i mean i didnt really understand it then. I still dont really understand it. Narrator it was such a senseless act, nick and his family could only grief and wonder why. But back at the apartment, now a crime scene a chill ran through lottie. She told police she could explain exactly what happened. I told them that i had somebody that had been stalking me and it was my belief that he was the one behind what happened to nicholas and carmen. Reporter who was this man in the mask who had killed a young mother and tried to kill her son . Hes pure evil, hes a monster. When we come back, a haunting story of hunter and hunted. Hes always told me that he can get away with the perfect murder. His plan was in the making. Ha. Kid for a night. So we can finally get some sleep. The hotel has to be right. You can get a 4star hotel for up to 60 off, even at the last minute. In the neighborhood where we wanna go . Yes. You just wont the name until after you book. Hmm. Ooh. Definitely. Its all about sleep. Its not all about sleep. Yeah, well, for me it is. Lucky me. Jims hair is perfect. Sos his serve, and his mandarin [speaking mandarin] xieuxieu, hou chiu but like up to 90 of americans, jim falls short in getting important nutrients from food alone. Making jim more like us. Add one a day multivitamins, rich in key nutrients you may need. Wheeeeee the comforting scent of air wicks snuggle fresh linen you love, again, hes sitting in my chair. Uhhuh anytime you want it. Part of the air wick familiar favorites collection. Also available in cinnabon classic cinnamon roll and baby magic clean baby. Is it a bus . A bicycle . Two chinchillas . A skateboard . Fuzzy coconuts . Its a flower. Air wick. The craft of fragrance. Sfx car unlock beep. Vo davids heart attack didnt come with a warning. Today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. If youve had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. 50 narrator it is a haunting memory. Impossible to forget. It definitely changed my life course completely. Narrator now in his 20s, nick smith was only 5 years old when a masked man stabbed him 18 times and killed his mother. While recovering in the hospital, nick was told his mother was gone. Do you remember your mom . Not as well as i wish i did. Most of my memories are just stories i have been told by other people. Narrator carmens sister and her husband helped to raise nick. Bedtime stories were often about his beautiful mother. She was very athletic, she was in swimming, basketball, softball, track, and she was in the homecoming court, she was the prom queen, she dated a Football Player and she was a cheerleader. She was very vivacious, she had nick fairly early in life and did a great job of working an providing for nick at the same time. Did you feel robbed that you never got to experience everything a mother and son got to experience . Definitely. Theres a lot of people in my family say i act just like her. And they say that she was a happy person. Narrator a happy person whose life ended in violence. Did you know immediately who had done this . Uhhuh. Who had committed this . I knew. Narrator lottie was certain it was a teenager named waseen daker. She told detectives her story. Things had started so innocently. Dont they always . I met him at the paint ball field, playing paint ball so. We met by being teammates on the team team. Lottie was the captain of the team, kind of a den mother. To the other much younger players, especially waseen, a georgia tech student 12 years her junior. He didnt have anybody else he could open up p and talk to or share his thoughts and feelings with. So you feet like a big sister to him . Thats exactly what i felt. Narrator zaker daker was a bit of a loaner. He latched on to lottie, started calling her at home and at work. What was a nuisance at first, lottie says quickly escalated. Her phone started ringing off the hook, up to 100 times a day. Why didnt you just stop talking to this person . I should have, i felt really sorry for him. I really didnt want him to get into trouble. That sounds so crazy. That also says maybe that youre a very good person. Or a very foolish person. Narrator foolish lottie says, because dakers stalking became increasingly bizarre. He just started yelling that hes going to get me, and slit my daughters throat in front of me. And i would come home from work and there would be a pair of my underwear on my doorknob, and a few days later, a bra. What do you think he was saying with that . Look at me, im getting into your place and im getting away with it. Theres nothing you can do to stop me. Another time i came home early and i went into my bedroom and there was waseen daker naked, wearing garter hose and a garter belt look in my mirror. This is any womans Worst Nightmare . Uhhuh. Narrator lottie says things reached a tipping point. He has always told me he could get away with the perfect murder. His plan was in the making. Narrator finally, lottie decided to let the Justice System take over. Daker was arrested in august, but released on bond. A judge ordered him to stay away, he didnt and was arrested again in september. This time he was sent to a Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation. Prosecutor jesse evans. Hes got severe issues with obsession. I dont think he has the ability to feel compassion for other people. Hes clearly a brilliant individual, hes also a brilliantly scary individual. Narrator while daker was hospitalized, lottie packed up and moved to cobb county, a suburb of atlanta. So you moved to try and escape him . Uhhuh. Waseen davis was released from the hospital and a week later, lottie was dead. And now lottie spenceer was overwhelmed with guilt and anger. Waseen baker is evil. Narrator and thats what lottie told police. She said her attacker must have the one behind the attack on carmen baker and nick. He had never even met or spoke on to carmen, or had he . Lottie thought she knew the answer, from the phone call she says daker made to carmens phone a few days before the murder. It was friday the 20th and like dakers style, the calls started coming in. The phone got put off the hook and i could hear her phone ringing. Reporter carmen answered and then hung up abruptly. What was said . Nobody knows. But carmen told her sister and brotherinlaw that the call was from lotties stalker. She said, im going to go get a hammer and put it next to the bed. I remember thinking if that guy get into the house, hes going to be in trouble. But i never thought about where it would go. Two talked about her packing some stuff and coming to stay with us for a while. Narrator lottie says seeing carmens reaction to bakers call was heart breaking and she did what she could to make her feel safe. The entryway within her dwelling was the sliding glass door. So we barricaded the door with some wood. She was so scared, she was shaking and just she was so scared. Narrator just three days later, that glass door was open and smir smeared with blood and waseen daker was the lead suspect in a horrible crime. Reporter coming up, evidence at the scene of the crime. There was a broken knife blade and hair and fiber evidence that was taken from carmens body. He was getting away with murder, he was getting away with exactly what he told me he would. Narrator just three days before she was killed, carmen smith told family and friends, she had gotten a call from waseen daker. The man who had been arrested for stalking her neighbor. It was the strongest allegation yet connecting the victim with the suspect. Investigators tipped off about that call by lottie now closed in on daker. Did you execute a search warrant on his house that night . We did. Narrator john dawes is a homicide detective with the Cobb County Police department. In his room we found a piece of paper with the address where this crime occurred. We found a torn up letter that was his words to Lottie Spencer. Narrator dakers torn up letter to lottie was hateful. And threatening. Prosecutor jesse evans. He specifically talked about having plans and backup plans to exact revenge on lottie. And the worst part is that he said im going to let you live, im going to get revenge on you, but im going to let you live. Narrator to police and prosecutors, this wasnt just a rant. It looked like a blueprint for murder. Now they tried to link daker to the crime skaechb. Some of the important evidence that we start with is the hair and fiber evidence that we covered off of carmens body. Carmen had small puncture wounds on her back, suggesting a ferocious struggle. She had been not only tortured and murdered but she had been undressed at some point and redressed. Narrator at carmens bedside she had wanted for peace of mind, never touched as she fought for her life. Not far away was the suspected murder weapon, a piece of rope. Crime scene technicians dusted for fingerprints and collected blood samples. The evidence was sent to the state crime lab for analysis. The lab tests kept coming back without the physical evidence that we needed, that linked to the dead body of carmen smith. Thats when we knew it may always be a circumstantial case. Narrator and the circumstantial part of the case was just too weak to make an arrest. Prosecutors still believed daker was the only viable suspect in carmen smiths murder and the stabbing of her sonic. But they didnt have the evidence to prove it. The investigation stalled. So waseen daker walked away from the murder . He walked away from murder, but not from accountability. The police had a way of charging him with aggravated stalking. Narrator daker was arrested and charged with stalking lottie baker. There was friends of hers and friends of his that observed some of these stalking activities that occurred at her apartment, either by hearing the phone ring at all hours of night. Narrator daker was convicted in september of 1996 and sent to prison. It wasnt a happy ending. Did you feel like you had some peace in your life again when he was behind bars . No because he was getting away with murder, he was getting away with exactly what he told me he would. He needed to pay for what he did to carmen. Narrator after the trial, lottie decided to leave georgia to try to start over. Nick smith went back to the same school and the protective embrace of his family. I kind of just went back into the normal routine. I think thats to the best way i could have dealt with it. I think my family did a pretty good job of trying to keep my life as normal as possible. Narrator and during the next ten years, nicks life did finally return to normal. But in 2006, taker was released. And moved nearby. All the terrifying memories of the masked man wielding a knife came rushing back. Police decided to provide security to keep nick safe. We would have the cops sit outside of our house at night and we had cameras installed on my house and on the outside, just as a precaution. Narrator lottie says she was also looking over her shoulder. Tell us about the day that he got out. That he was a free man again . Not a good time. Were you waiting for the phone to ring or the kbabang one door . Yes, i was starting to unravel again. Coming up, the fear begins all over and so does the push for justice. You had your smoking gun . Absolutely. Its another trial for waseen daker. And just look whos addressing the jury. Save them. Woolite detergents clean your jeans and wont torture your tanks. So clothes look like new even after 20 washes. Narrator after temperature years in prison, waseen daker was a free man, but still a superintendent in the murder of carmen smith and the stabbing of her son nick. He was still terrorizing you in some ways . Just the fact that he was out was terrorizing. Narrator after his release, daker got a job and moved to suburban atlanta. Hefg a he was a free man and enjoying life. Here he is sky diving. And loving it. Dakers freedom galled investigat investigators. The carmen smith murder was now officialty a cold case. To dawes, daker was the one who got away. Does a case like this haunt a Police Department . Absolutely, because these cases go home with you in your mind. Narrator but for years, dawes couldnt do anything about it. And just by chance, he was sent to a dna Training Seminar in 2008, a random assignment that would change everything. Back in the mid 90s, there was nothing that could be done with to the hair. Except to say the color of the hair. Now if theres any tissue on the hair anywhere, it just takes a minute amount of tissue to get a dna. Carmen was a strawberry blond and he remembered the short, dark hairs recovered from her body, not herself, under layers of bedding. I felt it was invaluable evidence if there was enough tissue on that hair that was underneath her sweater. Dwrks dawes brought the hair to a dna crime lab. It was almost 15 years later when the call came in, there was a match. They have identified waseen dakers hair that was on carmens body at the time she was found. You had your smoking gun . Absolutely. I got a call from detective dawes, i was very happy, but it was really hard for me to have to go back and tell this story of the things that he did. Narrator lottie dreaded the thought of testifying in open court, in front of daker, but she knew there would be no avoiding it. Daker was arrested and charged with murdering carmen smith and stabbings her son nick. His trial started in september of 2012. All rise. Narrator prosecutor jesse evans was there for the state. This case, ladies and gentlemen, is about obsession, revenge and choice. Narrator evans argued that daker was a violent stalker and that his obsession with one woman lead to the murder of another. You cant get in the mind of a psychopath and find out why they have the need to kill. Some people are just evil. Evans said daker had left a trail of destruction, including the hairs. Narrator defending waseen daker was waseen daker. Initially i want to point out a couple of things, just three principles of law that i want to give you. Narrator before taking his own case, daker had been represented by an experienced father and son teem michael and jason treadway. They had no case without those hairs, thats why they didnt go forward initially, they didnt have a case, and they knew it. Narrator their advice to daker was to focus on the hairs, and dont obsess about lottie. This case had to be defended by attacking the science of the states case. Narrator but daker couldnt seem to let go. The focus was on his star witness. It was a romance, daker said, intimate in every way. Lottie insisted that was not true. Some of the things he said had to be just really beyond frustrating, saying that you two had a sexual relationship. You know what . There was no relationship, so theres nothing more that i can say about that. Did he ever do anything like kiss you since hes so in love with you . Never once tried to kiss me or anything. When daker finally turned to those hairs, he called on the prominent dna expert challenged the states key evidence. The nuclear dna test done on a single hair. The problem is that none of the hairs recovered from the crime scene had any roots. There were hairs taken from the b