Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20150103

Hes practically unharmed. They treating you like a suspect or a witness . They are treating me like a suspect. Reporter inseparable brothers. Were they now suspects . It was scary. Ive never been in that situation. Reporter police plan to lay a trap to solve the mystery. Hes stepping out of the car right now. Reporter an undercover sting right out of the movies i think we all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. Reporter who was the real mastermind behind this murder . I wanted to be wrong. I really wanted to be wrong. Reporter im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres josh mankiewicz. Reporter the American Dream. So many of us want it. The loving family. The honest job. The home you can afford. The idea that you can start over here. And in this new country, that better life will be yours. This is a story about that dream. About a family that worked for it. Won it. And then what happened to them. 911 emergency. Reporter this wasnt part of anyones dream. Someone just robbed our house. They broke in. They, they tied me and my mom up. Reporter how could it happen, in this safe, gated community . In this home theyd worked so hard to have . Is everybody okay . I dont know. They just beat me up. I dont know where my mom is. Reporter and who deserved it less than this woman . My mom brung the heart to the family. Reporter ryan girgis was the baby of the family, spoiled rotten by his mother ariet. We couldnt function without my mom. My mom was, like, the chef in the household, counselor. The fullservice mom . Oh, yeah, she did it all. Yeah, she was really, really nice, sweet lady. Reporter she was one of those mothers who showed her love through food. Her cakes were legendary, making every birthday that much more special says her older son richard. She made this really good upsidedown pineapple cake. It was phenomenal. I always remember cake and ice cream at the birthdays. Reporter growing up, richard was inseparable from his mom. Was she was like the other moms that your friends had . No, i think she was a bit more on the conservative side. Reporter conservative because of where she came from. Ariet girgis was born in egypt and then came to the u. S. When she was 29 years old. Her family settled in Northern California. Ariet led a comfortable, allamerican life. But cultural ties are strong and in 1980 ariet was called back to egypt to meet a nice young man named magdi. When my mom went out there and ended up meetin him, she, like i mean, she really liked him. Reporter years later, she would reminisce about how their romance blossomed. In egypt, you really cant just go out like on dates and stuff. So they went together to the movie theatre and then when it got real dark, my dad reached over and gave her, like, a kiss on the cheek. Which was a very big deal. Yeah, for her it was, yeah. I think it almost sealed the deal. Reporter it wasnt the american way of falling in love, but ariet seemed happy. She and magdi married just two weeks later in egypt, and moved together to california. In 1981 richard was born. Five years later came ryan. Reporter richard was delighted to have a brother to play with and to watch over. So you were his protector, big brother . Yeah, i always kinda keep an eye on him. I love my brother with all my heart. Howd you and your brother get along . Like best friends. I always looked up to him. Reporter their dad was the classic, hardworking immigrant. Magdi earned his license to become a respiratory therapist, then put in endless hours to keep a roof over his familys head and clothes on their backs. He came from a really poor country. So for him, it was, like, to come here he was, like, workin real hard to try to build things up and try to establish a life. Magdi emphasized education, teaching both his sons math at an early age. He strove and saved to help them all prosper. And they felt he would do anything to keep his family safe. He didnt want your family to get pushed around . Not at all. Not at all. Reporter it took many years of hard work, saving, and investing but magdi finally put together enough money to buy this home in a gated community in the city of westminster, a quiet town in orange county, california. The girgis family was well on its way to living out the dream magdi and ariet had worked so hard to build. But then on september 29, 2004 all of it came crashing down. Ryan girgis, then 17, was out with friends and stayed out later than he was supposed to. Whend you get home . I got home 1 00 to 1 30 that night. I had slid the back door open and i went upstairs. Reporter his dad was not at home. His brother, at work. His mom, asleep. I remember i was fixing up my ipod dock. And i fell asleep to music that night. Next thing i know, i hear a door open. And first instinct was that maybe it was my brother. Reporter his older brother, richard, his best friend and protector, coming home. Or so he thought. But it wasnt richard. I kinda looked back and then thats when i felt, like, a hand being placed on my mouth. And it was a hand with like some type of cotton glove. Can you see who this is . I noticed it was a black male that was heavyset. I was yelling for my brother and my mom to help me. And i was really scared. Reporter ryan says he fought the intruder. I bit down on the hand and i rolled off the bed and then i popped up and i was shoved into, like, the wall. Hes telling me, like, to like, shut up and calm down. Reporter the man put duct tape over ryans mouth and started taping his hands and feet together. And right after that, a second suspect comes inside and he starts making threats to me like, dont get your moms killed, dont get your moms killed. Dont get your mom killed. That had to be terrifying to hear. Yeah. Yeah, i was really terrified. What did you think was going on . I didnt know what was goin on. I thought it maybe was, like, a robbery or something. Reporter a terrifying situation was about to get much worse. Through the hallway i saw my mom yelling take anything you want. Take anything you want. And then after that i just noticed that the guy was taking my mom away, like towards her bedroom. Reporter ryans attacker dragged him into the closet but then noticed the duct tape was slipping around ryans hands. I heard him taking, like, some shoestring off of one of my shoes. Reporter using the shoelace, the man tied ryans hands behind his back. Through the closet door, ryan pleaded with his attacker. I started tellin him, please dont kill me. Please dont kill me. And i started praying. And during that time he was like, i know your circumstances. I know what youre going through. Im not gonna kill you. Reporter i know your circumstances . Strange as those words sounded, ryan found them somehow comforting. And then after that, like, i started feelin a little bit of a sense of relief. Reporter but then ryan heard a sound that would come to haunt him. I heard a like a cutting of a sheet. So i thought he was, like, cutting my sheets up. I didnt know if like, what was goin on. Reporter and what was going on was worse than anything he could have imagined. So who were these men . And what did they want . When we come back. Theyre like, i will kill you. A panicked call to 911 and another two his brother. I was like really freaking out. Whats going on . Whats going on . What really happened inside that house . Oh, my god oh, my god enjoy more enthusiasm at mealtime, with more varieties of favorite wet dog food brands at petsmart right now, buy 10 cans of select dog food for only 10 and find great deals on over 750 wet food varieties petsmart®. [coughing] dave, im sorry to interrupt. I gotta take a sick day tomorrow. Dads dont take sick days, dads take nyquil. The nighttime, sniffling sneezing, coughing aching, fever, best sleep with a cold medicine. humming vo the good more is all the endofseason deals on great tech stuff at verizon. The not so good more having the season actually end. Get the good more, like the amazing moto x in football leather free. Quitters, youre all quitters only at verizon. You think you take off all your makeup before bed. But do you really . [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99 of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. Can your makeup remover do that . [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. Introducing the pub diet from applebees. Your bar and grill favorites made a little better for you. You get your favorite steak and you get it with whole grains. You get delicious cedar grilled chicken and you get it with quinoa. You get a low bill and you get it with a big smile on your face. The pub diet starts at 9. 99, only at applebees. 3 f2 musica . Two men breaking into his home in a gated community in the middle of the night. Both black guys that were really huge to me and, like, their whole persona just was like gangsters and, like, thugs. Never seen em before . Never, ever. Reporter they tied him up, threw him in a closet but not before he saw one of the men drag his mother into her bedroom. He says he thought he heard the men walk out, thought he heard a car drive away. But for a few more moments ryan sat in that dark closet, heart thumping. Afraid, he says, to come out. It was now or never. Ryan says he managed to untie himself and grabbed his cell phone. I went down the hallway. I looked to the right really quickly. I noticed that the door was like in, like, a closed position. Reporter to your mothers bedroom. To my mothers bedroom. Reporter why didnt you check on her . I wanted to get out of the house as fast as possible and then come back with help. Reporter but you had to be thinking thats my mom in there. Ive got to see how she is. The whole time i was like i need to i need to get out of this house and come back with someone because i already got overpowered by myself. Reporter he ran outside the house and called 911. What happened . They, uh, two black guys just jumped in my house, and then they just started beating the [ bleep ] out of me. Theyre like, dont make me have to kill you. Dont make me have to kill you. Dont make me have to kill you. I will kill you. Dont get your moms killed. Reporter ryan called his dad magdi. He was shocked and asked two things, if ryan was okay and where ariet was. And ryan didnt know. Ryan also called his older brother, richard, who was working the night shift at the queen mary hotel. What did richard say when you called him . He questioned if i was all right. He questioned, wheres mom . He also questioned, who do you think it is . Is it someone you know, ryan . Reporter why would richard think that you might know the people whod broke into the house . Well, he felt like i was the one that got tied up and things like that, and they came into my room. So he just was, like, questioning, like ryan is it something having to do with you . Like, whats going on . Did they have a personal vendetta on you or anything . Reporter as youll see, thats a question that would come up again. After ryans call, richard left work and drove to the house. But the police tape was already up, and they wouldnt let him through. I was, like, really freakin out. I was like, whats goin on . Whats goin on . And, you know, i was asking em, like, wheres my mom at . Wheres my mom at . Reporter police took richard and ryan to the station. The boys were surprised to find themselves split up and sitting in separate interview rooms ryans hands were bagged to preserve any evidence. But before detectives could ask too many questions, richard asked one of his own. What happened to my mom . Please. Before we go on, please, i deserve that, please. Your moms dead. So we have a murder investigation. Oh, no, shes not. No, shes not. I didnt hear that. I didnt hear that. Reporter ryan says he didnt know what was happening right then, but he could tell it was bad. Oh, my god oh, my god i just hear, like, a scream. And im like, what just happened . It sounds like richard, my brother, and he is screamin to the top of his lungs. No shes not. Shes not reporter you cant see richard . You can just hear him . I can just hear him in the other room and he was goin hysterical. I had never heard him scream like that in my whole life. Oh, my god. Does my little brother know . Reporter police soon told ryan the same awful news, that their mother, ariet, had been murdered. Now the cops started asking questions. And that wasnt all they did. Reporter police took your fingerprints . Police took my fingerprints, cotton swabs, dna. You name it, they did it. Reporter they treating you like a suspect or a witness . They are treating me like a suspect at this point. Did you have a chance to check on your mom before you ran out of the house . No. I didnt want em to, like, have them chase after me or anything, so i just ran out of the house. Is the stairs before your moms room . You have to pass by my moms room. Oh, you had to pass by your moms room to go down the stairs . Yeah, i didnt even look. I didnt even look. I just ran as fast as i can. Reporter richard was facing questions that were slightly different but just as skeptical. What id ask is why would someone pick your house and break into your house . I dont know, man. I wish i knew. I dont know. Reporter cops take your fingerprints . Yeah. Reporter and your dna . Yeah. Reporter did you think to yourself, theyre look at me as a suspect . Yeah. It was scary. Ive never been in that situation with the police. Reporter but the detectives focus seemed to linger on his brother, ryan. This wouldnt be, like, directed against him, that you know of . I mean, i dont know, dude. I dont know. The first reaction i had when he called me is, i was like, man, was it one of your friends . Did someone break in or something . That was your first reaction . My first reaction was that. Reporter as police continued their questioning, one question stood out above all. Why would these two thugs come into your house, basically not hurt you and then really leave behind a witness . Yeah. Reporter this investigation was about to take a turn that no one expected. Coming up it looked like two ghosts had just walked in and committed the ultimate crime. Dna and csi. What will the evidence reveal . When dateline continues. Were going to do this thing on a roof top. Your phone and your wallet are now one. So you can get where youre going. And get on with the show. Thank you guys people across america are taking advantage of sprints cut your bill in half event. Whats that in your hand . Um. My at t bill. My verizon bill. Whats the monthly rate . 85 about 160 what if sprint could cut your rate plan in half . I. Would love to cut that in half. And give you unlimited talk and text in the u. S. , and match your data. Thats incredible. Bring in your verizon or at t bill, turn in your old phone and well cut your rate plan in half. Visit us online or visit a sprint store today. Even if its your last one always share the softness of kleenex tissues. And share your kleenex care story at kleenexcare. Com reporter ryan girgis was attacked in his own home. And, hours later, given the worst news imaginable. While he had managed to escape, his mom, ariet, had not. She was dead. All of which begged a pressing question. Why would they kill her and leave me . Reporter police and even his own brother were asking the same thing. Reporter how many murders you get in westminster . Not that many, really. Reporter Sonia Balleste was a deputy da in orange county, california. The ariet girgis case file landed on her desk. Its a nightmare. Its the thing that most people would fear, to be home, in the sanctity of your home, asleep in your bed and have intruders come in and do the unthinkable. Reporter police found ariets body near her bed. Shed been stabbed multiple times. That odd tearing sound ryan said he heard . Investigators believed it was the sound of the knife ripping through the mattress as ariets killers slit her throat. Was that knife found at the scene . It was not. Reporter james wilson was a Patrol Officer at the time of the murder. Wilson says the details of the crime scene pointed to something other than a Home Invasion robbery. In part because nothing appeared to have been stolen. This was not a burglary in which she was sort of Collateral Damage . Definitely not. Reporter cash was in plain sight. Jewelry too. Even ryans ipod and new dock, all untouched. The house wasnt even rummaged through, as if they were looking for something. Reporter whats more, this was a gated community. The killers would have needed a gate code to get in. It just starts getting more interesting as to who could have done it. Reporter crime scene investigators collected mounds of evidence and, surprisingly, with all that blood, not a single trace of unknown dna. All the dna results matched the people who lived in the house ariet, magdi, richard and ryan, the witness who for some reason was left alive. Two guys came into the house, beat up ryan, tie him up and then kill ariet in a brutal handson way and leave no trace . Thats what it looked like. It looked like two ghosts had just walked in and committed the ultimate crime. Reporter it seemed improbable and it encouraged detectives to look closely at ryan. He claimed to be a victim, but was he really . Police learned the friend he was with the night of the murder had offered ryan a knife for protection just hours before ryans mother was brutally killed with a knife, a knife that had not been found. They also learned ryan smoked marijuana. And not just at the occasional party. He smoked every day. And he wasnt just smoking. I was helping out someone with, like like, selling, like, narcotics and stuff. What kind of narcotics . Marijuana. Reporter police found small amounts of marijuana in ryans room, along with a bong, baggies and tin foil. And there was more. Like the description ryan had given detectives about the two suspects. Both male blacks. They were large. He said that they acted like they were from a gang. But that was something that still didnt know 100 sure if that was true or not. Reporter claiming two black men committed the murder seemed almost too convenient. And more troubling, if ryan had been beaten by gang members much bigger than he was, why didnt he look like it . Theres no question that if ryan had been in a serious duking it out fight with a couple of guys that he would have ended up much more battered than he was . If those guys wanted to hurt him worse than they did, definitely so, yes. Reporter and remember ryan had told police that one suspect said i know your circumstances. Im not going to kill you. Was that true . And, if so, what did it mean . And then there was the issue of ryan claiming to have left the house before he so much as took a peek into his mothers bedroom. That strike anybody as odd . I think so. As a detective, you have to consider why somebody would do that. Reporter soon detectives found out ryan had more dark secrets than theyd realized. Coming up hes the only one who survived. Hes practically unharmed. New questions for ryan. And a new clue. Had he received a warning before the attack . You better watch your back. I know where you live. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans. Wow [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbells chunky soup. Its new chunky beerncheese with beef and bacon soup. I love it. And mama loves you. Music lively orchestral score yes kids never get this excited about cleaning teeth. You want a greenies . But dogs do. Watch them go wild for an irresistible treat that fights tartar and freshens breath. Greenies dental chews. It rushes through the scratches in floorboards. Dances up the height marks on the door. It wraps around your favorite family photos. It helps this place tell a story all your own. Its whats there in the air when youve made your house a home. Air wick home is in the air. Nexium® 24hr. Its the purple pill the 1 prescribed acid blocking brand available without a prescription for frequent heartburn. Get complete protection. Nexium level protection™ the Holiday Season is coming to an end, but weve got one more thing to share with you the holiday clearance event at walmart. You can save big on items like select Toys Electronics and decor. So thats it . Were done here head to walmart now and save big. [typing] vo when youre trying to lose weight it seems like food is everywhere. With your very own Weight Watchers personal coach youve got a plan and support from someones whos been there before and who knows what its like. This week was good i stuck with our plan. Mmm, hum thanks coach. Hi pumpkin pie. Vo introducing personal coaching from weight watcher join for free. Reporter investigators looking into the savage murder of ariet girgis naturally took a hard look at the only other person known to be in the house when she died. Her 17 year old son, ryan. Hes the only one who survived. Hes practically unharmed. He was selling a small amount of drugs. We had to pursue that. Reporter police still had a lot of questions about ryans story, but they had yet found any evidence to suggest he killed his mom. For now at least they had to take him at his word. Until you can find a reason not to believe that person, you kind of have to go with what they have to say unless they start lying to you. Reporter as far as you knew, ryan was not lying . As far as i knew, yes. Reporter but the investigation was just starting. And police could not discount another possibility that ariet was killed because of ryan. Detectives learned that a year before the murder, ryan had confronted another kid at school who hadnt paid him for some weed. Later, that kids friends jumped ryan. Doesnt seem like the kind of thing that would spark a homicide. But im guessing youve seen homicides that were sparked by a lot less. It is typical for especially gangrelated homicides to be something just as small as that. Reporter remember ryan described his assailants as sounding like gang members. And then there was this bombshell, a message ryan received on his aol instant messenger just weeks before the murder. It was about a week ago you said . Reporter he brought it to detectives attention during his interview. And it popped up like, you better watch your back. I know where you live. This, this, this. I was like, id never even seen that person before. Thats why i didnt really, like, Pay Attention to it. You know what i mean . Reporter ryan told police he had chalked it up to a prank. Now it seemed like key evidence except ryan had not saved the message. No way to tell now who had sent it. Any idea who it was from . No. Reporter aol able to help you with any of that . No. Reporter a frustrating dead end. But by now police were looking at other possibilities. They dug deeper into the American Dream the girgis family seemed to be living and interviewed the man of the house, magdi. How did you feel about your wife . Sir, i am very devastated. Weve been together for 24 years. Its, uh shes the mother of my kids. He really didnt have any vices. He didnt spend any money on any hobbies of any sort. So he was a guy who went to work and went home. Reporter but their father wasnt just a hard worker, said his sons. He was more like a workaholic. I think my mom felt neglected. He wasnt affectionate towards her. It was like all he would do was just work. I played sports like all my life, and he never, ever came to watch any sports that i played. A lot of the childhood and a lot of me growing up, i can remember a lot about my mom, but i dont remember a lot about my dad. And its not cause i dont want to, its because he just wasnt there. He would come, go to sleep, get up, go back to work. Come, go to sleep, get up, go to work. Reporter that was because for magdi, they said, the American Dream was all about the green. He was work, work, work. Reporter money, money, money. Money. Exactly. Reporter after a rare outing to the beach one day, ryan says he and his father dropped by mcdonalds. I asked him if i could borrow a dollar so i could grab a 99cent burger. And not only did he ask for that dollar back, he also asked for the tax money on it. What kind of father asks his 13yearold son to reimburse him for a 1 hamburger . My father, he was like always trying to hustle someone for some type of money. Reporter it didnt take prosecutor Sonia Balleste long to learn about magdis obsession. This is the united states. Everybody goes to work. Everybody tries to make money. Everybody tries to provide for themselves or their family. Hes different . Yes. Hes very different. Hes in a category of very few people who have an unhealthy relationship with money. It drives everything that they do. Reporter were not talking about penurious or thrifty . No. Reporter were talking about squeezing every dollar until it bleeds . Yes. Reporter his sons describe magdi as not only obsessed with work and money but also a strict disciplinarian. Did you love him . Yeah, i did love him. Reporter were you scared of him . Yeah, from when i was a kid. Yeah, i felt like there was like a thin line and i didnt want to cross anything. Reporter the brothers say they saw what could happen when they crossed that line. One night when ryan was 14 and came home past curfew. They say magdi simply lost it. He threw me on the floor and he started kicking me, and my brother had to pull him off of me. Reporter your brother kind of shielded you a little bit, didnt he . He did. He did. Reporter sounds like you were closer to your brother than you were to your father. Very much so. Reporter ryan rebelled, staying out late, smoking weed. Richard was more dutiful, but he too felt his fathers wrath. Punch, a kick. You kinda name it, depending. I would find that the sooner i would cry, the sooner that it would stop. Reporter thats a tough lesson to learn from your dad. Yeah. He was a very harsh person which was made it more fortunate that i had my mom in my life cause she was like the complete opposite. Reporter as tough as he was on his sons, they say magdi was just as tough on his wife. Ryan and richard say they never saw their father hit their mother. But, they say, they heard the yelling and they did see the bruises. We never, ever called 911. It was just like we had that sense of fear that we didnt want to we didnt want to cross the line. Reporter you were more afraid of what your dad would do to you if you did call 911 than what might happen to your mom if you didnt . Yeah. Yeah. Reporter so the boys stayed quiet. But a storm was brewing. In the end, ariet would give investigators their best lead. Coming up i really felt like my mom was empowered. A transformation and confrontation. Theres no going back. And so the life you had before was never going to be the same. When dateline continues. When used at the first sign. Without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. Only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. You could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva. Com dont tough it out knock it out, fast. With abreva. Its the time of year to bundle up. Now at at t, when you buy any smartphone for 0 down you can get an lg tablet for free. Because two devices are cozier than one. Katy perry, quite contrary how do your lashes grow . Soft and full like a flower, with new covergirl full lash bloom mascara. Finally volume thats soft not spiky. New full lash bloom mascara from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl reporter as investigators worked the murder of ariet girgis, they heard disturbing information from her sons. Most disturbing, by far, was what happened seven months before the murder in february 2004, on the eve of magdi and ariets 24th wedding anniversary. So she starts talking to magdi. Can we go out to dinner . Thats what starts this fight. Reporter doesnt sound like it was a very long fight. No. He punches her in the face. Reporter richard remembers arriving home that evening and seeing his mom. She looked very subdued. Her face was swollen. Her nose was still like bleeding. So i went upstairs and i confronted my dad. Reporter what was what was his response . He told me to stay out of it. Reporter but richard, in Nursing School at the time, worried his mom could have a concussion or worse. He rushed her to the emergency room. They had kept their family secret for so long. But that was about to change. The nurse asked her, like, what happened. Reporter and your mom said . My mom told her that, you know, he punched me in the face. That started the whole cascade. Reporter police went to the girgis home and arrested magdi. That was really scary. Reporter that was scary . Not thrilling. It was terrifying. Reporter not the moment youd been waiting for . No, no, no, no, no, no. There was no point of return. Somehow i knew immediately after that, that it was like reporter theres no going back. Theres no goin back. Reporter and so the life you had before was never gonna be the same. Reporter a court issued a protective order and magdi moved out of the house hed worked so hard for, to an apartment complex he and his brother owned nearby. After more than two decades of marriage, it seemed magdi and ariet were headed for divorce. It was a thought that seemed to terrify ariet. I think she was scared and had a lot of cold feet. Reporter about striking out on her own in the world. Exactly. Reporter ariet was totally dependent on magdi. Shed never written a personal check, didnt even know their mortgage was paid off. She would express to me, like, you know, i wish all this would just not be here, or, i wish, you know, everything could go back to the way it was. Reporter magdi, too, seemed frightened and perhaps, chastened. He was definitely trying to get back with my mother. Reporter did it seem like your mom was wavering at all . Yeah, there was a limbo period where my mom was considering taking him back. Reporter richard, who had stepped up during his fathers absence as the man of the house, overheard a strange conversation between his parents. He was like, oh, you know, i love you. Reporter had you ever heard your dad say, i love you, to your mom . I cant really recall that. Reporter until that conversation when he needed something from her. Yeah. Reporter what did magdi need . It turned out he was more worried about himself than anyone else. A Domestic Violence conviction might cost him his respiratory therapist license, which would cut off his income. And magdi knew a divorce would force him to split his hardearned money with ariet. He had his back to the wall. Yeah. Reporter so magdi came up with a plan, a letter in which ariet would say she wasnt sure what happened, that her injuries could have resulted from a fall. Magdi and ariet werent speaking at the time. So magdi convinced richard, the dutiful older son, to transcribe the letter and persuade ariet to sign it, thus getting her husband off the hook. Did you feel bad at all trying to get your mom to change her story of something that you knew she was telling the truth about . Yeah. Back then i kind of felt like i was just trying to help. Reporter and maybe the price of saving your family is convincing your mom to lie about something that you know is true . He really just manipulated me. Reporter he knew his mother had mixed feelings about the breakup of her marriage. Richard told himself he was doing the right thing. I was trying to support my mom. At the same time, i still felt like he was still my dad. So i felt really pulled. Reporter ariet agreed to sign the letter. Magdi, no doubt, breathed a sigh of relief. But then came his preliminary hearing, in which ariet did something quite unexpected. She took the witness stand. And she told the truth. She felt that enough was enough. So she went, and she really laid everything out. Reporter not just about the night magdi gave her a black eye and bloodied her nose, but about abuse ariet described as stretching over two decades. Did your dad feel betrayed . My dad was like i cant believe what she said up there. Reporter ariet girgis had finally stood up for herself. It might have been the manifestation of her own American Dream. Ariet hired a divorce attorney and began planning a new life. I really felt like my mom was, like, empowered. She just wanted to be happy. You know, that she felt like there was happiness, like, coming. Reporter instead, the next month she was murdered. And to investigators who heard ariets story, it now seemed obvious her husband, magdi, was the prime suspect. Everything pointed at magdi. Reporter except for the fact that phone records proved that magdi was at his own apartment when ryan called him that night. And according to the only witness, two black men committed the murder. And there was still the question of why that witness, ryan, was left alive. And just a few days after his mother was killed, the rebellious son ryan received another anonymous message on his computer. How did you like your gift . Lol. Lol. How did you like your gift . Yeah. Coming up, an aha moment for police. New look at that old interrogation of ryan. You say bit this guy . Yeah. He had to particular off the glove to put on the tape. Could it lead to the break they would need . When youre a woman with changing hair, thinning hair you may have inactive follicles. Reactivate them with new womens rogaine®. The only onceaday foam that gets to the root of the problem. Reviving follicles and reenergizing hair from the inside out to regrow your hair. And new hair grows up to 48 thicker. Restoring body. Renewing volume. And reviving your vavavoom. Introducing womens rogaine® foam. More is beautiful. ™ sir, were going to need you on the runway. vo theraflu starts to get to work in your body in just 5 minutes. vo theraflu breaks you free from your worst cold and flu symptoms. vo theraflu. Serious power. At kohls, youll find everything you need every step of the way to keep your family active and healthy. From fitness gear and activity monitors. To juicers and cookware. All at great sale prices. This thursday through sunday. Make your move to kohls plus youll earn kohls cash. Find your yes. Kohls. Reporter investigators were zeroing in on magdi girgis as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, ariet. The two had been going through a Domestic Violence case and were divorcing. You know, hes an obvious suspect, but that doesnt mean he did it. Reporter no matter how noxious he may have been during the marriage, maybe hes not the guy that youre looking for . Sure. You have to explore every possibility. Reporter especially after the couples son, ryan, received a taunting message on his computer days after the murder. How did you like your gift . Lol. Lol. Reporter police looked into it, but just as with the threat ryan received weeks before the murder, they werent able to track down the sender of those messages. In hindsight, do you wish some more work had been done on that . Yes. Reporter older brother, richard, also came under scrutiny. Richard had sort of stuck up for, maybe even covered for his father during the Domestic Violence investigation. Did you guys think he might be doing that again . Initially, they believed it was a possibility. Yes. Reporter soon after the murder, the brothers left westminster and moved to Northern California and they did so without telling magdi. As police continued to dig, richard and ryan say they worried. Whoever killed their mom was still at large and knew ryan was a witness to the crime. I have recollections. I have nightmares. I also get chills. I dont like to be at home by myself. I have trouble sleeping. I mean the list goes on. Reporter ryan and richard say they had a growing suspicion their father was responsible for their mothers murder. They said they were too scared to confront him. But in the months that followed, the investigation seemed to stall. Reporter seems like you had a lot of leads that kind of hadnt gone anywhere. We had a lot of paths that we went down. Yes. Reporter remember, there was no physical evidence linking magdi to the murder. Ryan said it was two black men who had broken into the house and killed his mom. Police had never found those men or any trace they ever existed. And those threatening messages to ryan . Still no idea who sent them either. Was there a point where you thought maybe this wont ever be solved . Its hard to think that way, when you desperately want to solve it, but yes. Reporter and so the years rolled by. Richard became a Critical Care nurse. Ryan, the selfadmitted stoner, says he stopped smoking. He was working toward a bachelors degree in business and had started his own events and entertainment company. Magdi would have been proud of his boys if he knew how far theyd come. But richard and ryan say they never once got a call from him in all those years and they made no effort to contact him. The brothers did call the Westminster Police department again and again, urging detectives to investigate their father. And each time, they heard the same response. You know, were still looking into it, but we dont have any new leads. Theres nothing. Reporter depressing. It was. Reporter they made endless calls, enlisting family and friends to write americas most wanted and they raised a 55,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the suspects. All of it led to nothing. How many other cases you do in those years . A lot of murders. Reporter but something about this one stuck with you . Absolutely. Reporter was there something about ariet that made you not want to quit . You dont ever want to quit on any case, but i think that the fact that she came so close to being an independent woman, to standing up for herself, to being the kind of mother that she wanted to be to those boys. And she did everything right. And she died on our watch. It was a terrible feeling. Terrible feeling. Reporter it was 2010, nearly six years after the murder, when richard made another of his many phone calls to the westminster pd. This time, it was james wilson who answered. Hed been a Patrol Officer at the time of the murder but in the intervening years had worked his way up to detective. I really didnt have very good answers for him. Whats going on with my moms case . What are you guys doing on my moms case . Sxw and i know theres nothing really going on in his moms case, so i just started looking into it. Reporter out of guilt . I think an obligation really. You know, this is one of the reasons you that become a police officer, is to help people like that. Reporter as detective wilson pored through the mountain of evidence on the case, he came across that interview detectives had with ryan right after the murder. Reading through the transcripts, he saw a key detail that no one had noticed. You say you bit this guy . Yeah. On the hand. Was it on the hand, or through a glove, or i think it was through a glove, but he had to take off the glove to put on the tape. Reporter ryan was telling detectives the intruder took his gloves off before handling the duct tape and also the shoelace used to tie him up. You dont have to be a detective to think, well, maybe that might have some dna on it. Reporter detective wilson checked to see if the shoelace had ever been tested it had not. So he sent it off to the county crime lab. And sure enough, one afternoon, eight years after ariets murder, detective wilsons phone rang. The crime lab did call me and told me that they got a hit. Reporter and no one could have predicted the name police were given. Coming up that had to be our suspect. Wasnt even in our computer. A whole new suspect. Who was this guy . Did you know where he was . I knew exactly where he was. When dateline continues. Your bar and grill favorites made a little better for you. You get your favorite steak and you get it with whole grains. You get delicious cedar grilled chicken and you get it with quinoa. You get a low bill and you get it with a big smile on your face. The pub diet starts at 9. 99, only at applebees. She had been the night that two intruders burst into her home. Who had killed ariet girgis . Investigators said it appeared that a ghost committed the perfect crime and then disappeared into the dark. They questioned her son, ryan and richard, and husband, magdi. Soon they had a plan, an undercover sting straight out of hollywood. Here again, josh mankiewicz. Reporter it was 2012, eight years after the murder of ariet girgis when detective wilson got his first solid break. Home invaders had tied up ariets son, ryan, with a shoelace. The detective submitted the shoelace to the crime lab, hoping for a longshot dna hit. And now the results were in. It had to be our suspect. Or at least one of our suspects. And the name the crime lab gives you for the dna hit is . Anthony bridget. Was that name in any of the case files . No. Not someone who had been talked to at any stage in this investigation . Wasnt even in our computer our Inhouse Computers as ever being a person thats been contacted by the police. Reporter and yet the dna proved anthony bridget was the attacker who had tied up ryan. Detective wilson entered bridgets information into a computer. So who is he . Hes a member of a trace 57 crips. Reporter the crips, one of the most notorious and violent gangs in the u. S. And mr. Bridget, street name little shotgun, was by any standard a professional criminal. He had numerous violent conduct, including prior conviction for manslaughter. So this was no novice. Reporter long, violent rap sheet . Absolutely. Reporter bridget also had a drug conviction and remember, ryan girgis admitted he sometimes dealt weed. Could ryan and anthony bridget have known each other . Is that why richard immediately wondered if ryan was the target of the attack . Police considered that theory and dismissed it. In fact, for police, anthony bridget and his gang affiliation confirmed ryans story. For one, bridget matched ryans account that the man who tied him up seemed like a gang member. He looked like he was one of those guys, like, that just came out of the pen and stuff. Uhhuh. And just, like, wanted revenge on someone. Reporter and two, bridgets prior booking photos matched the sketch ryan had given police. And so investigators developed a different theory about bridgets involvement. He had the resume that you would expect the intruders who came to kill ariet to have. Reporter the kind of guy youd hire to commit murder . Thats right. Reporter and they suspected the person who hired him was magdi girgis. Of course, there was no proof of any of that. Reporter im guessing one of the things you did early on was subpoena magdis bank records. Oh yes. Reporter looking for that big chunk of money that he took out a few days before his wife was killed. You could hope. But reporter but it wasnt there . It wasnt there. Reporter well, maybe hes innocent. Maybe hes just careful. Reporter careful . Perhaps. But in what universe would magdi girgis and anthony bridgets paths cross . One way to find out, they could ask anthony bridget. Did you know where he was . I knew exactly where he was. Reporter he was in soledad state prison. Prosecutor balleste and detective wilson decided to pay him an unannounced visit. Reporter and there you are in a little room . Yes. Reporter little table like this one in between you. Yes. Reporter and you say . I twoontwant to talk to you. Reporter and hes a little surprised, right . Hes a little surprised, yes. Reporter but anthony bridget was hard to rattle. Hes been involved in gangrelated homicides in the past. Pretty experienced at the prison system. Reporter so, saying to him, hey, the guy that hired you magdi girgis, just rolled over on you, thats not gonna work . Right. Reporter this is not a virgin. Exactly. Reporter but they did get something. You said to him, i have your dna at a murder scene. Yes. Reporter and . And he said, where . Reporter he said where . Not, i havent committed any murder. Did you ask him whether he knew magdi . No. We never got that far. Reporter heres what bridget didnt know the prosecutor and the detective didnt really care what he said. Their target was magdi girgis and all they wanted was to prove a connection between him and anthony bridget. Thats why before they left orange county, they had set up a wiretap on magdis phone. He was back, living in the house where his wife was murdered. He even had a new girlfriend. And now investigators listened to see if bridget would tip off magdi. I was hoping that at least my visit would inspire him in some way. Reporter didnt happen . No, it didnt. Reporter so game over . Hes stepping out of the car right now. Reporter no. It was just starting. Coming up, a return to the scene of the crime. A dramatic confrontation at magdis house. Check it out, me and my homie locked up in the pen right now. Reporter who are these sbhen what did they want . The schelp then the spill. Msbhen what did they want . Sbhen what did they want . Nsbhen what did they want . Men sbhen what did they want . Asbhen what did they want . Nsbhen what did they want . Dsbhen what did they want . What did they want . Ndfinally, the rewash. Or you can make it easy and do the pop with tide pods. The first 3 in 1 laundry pack. It cleans, brightens, and removes stains in one step. Tide pods one step to an amazing clean. I love the holidays but after all the shopping cooking and heavy foods. Sometimes i feel bloated or gassy with rumbling uncomfortable. I feel less motivated and sluggish. Its time to start the year off right with the activia challenge enjoying activia twice a day for four weeks may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive issues like bloating, gas discomfort and rumbling. And if your tummy smiles you can start the year off right. Try the activia challenge. It works or its free. Dannon catch the newest butterfly look loreals new butterfly intenza mascara. Loreals new double wing brush intensely volumizes. Stretches lashes outward to the extreme. An ultraintense fanned out look new butterfly intenza. From loreal makeup designer paris. Huh, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Everybody knows that. Well, did you know you that former pro Football Player ickey woods will celebrate almost anything . Unhuh. Number 44. Whoooo fortyfour, thats me get some cold cuts. Get some cold cuts. Get some cold cuts whooo gimme some geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Whoo fortyfour ladies, thats me whoo. Gonna get some cold cuts today reporter january 30th, 2013, the home where ariet girgis had met her awful death was suddenly once again the scene of an unexpected confrontation. Whats up my [ bleep ] . Whats up, man . Reporter two men showed up on magdi girgis lawn. Let me holler at you for a few ticks. Let me holler at you for a second. Reporter and it was all caught on camera. What do you need . Check it out, man. My homie locked up the pen right now, police approached him about him killing your wife for you in this [ bleep ] house. Reporter interesting. Because prosecutor Sonia Balleste and detective james wilson had just returned from visiting crips gang member anthony bridget, in prison. They suspected magdi had hired bridget and another asyetunknown man to kill ariet. And now, apparently, here were a pair of gangsters on magdis property. The more talkative of the two called himself dmoney, and money is what he wanted from magdi. You know what im saying . We dont care about that. But the thing is we want to get paid for it. We not going to say [ bleep ]. You know what i mean . What are you talking about . Reporter good question, and who better to answer it than dmoney himself. Reporter youre a born actor . I believe i am. Reporter hes not a gangster. Hes an officer from the long beach Police Department who was working undercover, which is why were concealing his identity. Reporter you a little nervous going in . Not at all. No. Reporter the role he played at magdis home that day was part of a war game sonia and detective wilson had set in motion even before they met anthony bridget. Reporter so tell me about this scheme. You call it a scheme. I call it a plan. Reporter by any name, it was an attempt to trap magdi. The only way anthony bridget or somebody like him commits a crime like this is some kind of gain, financial primarily. So you develop that kind of individual and you come up with a way in which they were able to contact magdi and demand more money. Let me holler at you for a few ticks. Reporter in other words, these two undercover officers, posing as gang members, would approach magdi, and hit him up for some hush money. Since investigators knew that money was magdis particular obsession, they hoped they were about to strike a nerve. But they had to be careful. If the killers were working for magdi, it wasnt clear if he knew them directly or hired them through a middleman. Reporter so you couldnt have these guys claim that they were the actual guys in the house . Correct. Reporter because possibly he knew them. Possibly he knew them. Reporter so you have them pose as friends of the guy in the house . Yes. Reporter and hes now in jail. In prison, which is we knew that was true because anthony bridget was in prison. Reporter and so his friends are, what, trying to leverage that knowledge into some extra money for them . Correct. Reporter operations like this are especially tricky. Theres usually only one shot to get it right. If the phony gangsters threatened magdi, the sting wouldnt hold up in court and magdi could walk free. And at the same time, one thing had to be crystal clear. You want to make sure that Everybody Knows that were talking about the crime that occurred, about his wife being murdered in that particular house. That couldnt be left ambiguous. Reporter a risky plan, and no guarantees it would work. True that a lot of d. A. s might not go for an operation like that . Yes. Reporter sonya wanted to win. She wasnt scared to fail. Reporter did you think you were going to fail . I was very nervous, to say the least. Reporter it had taken nine years to get to this moment. A team of cops watched and videotaped as the undercovers approached magdi. Hes stepping out of the car right now. Reporter everyone was on edge. Except for the man cast in the role of dmoney. You had to be going over in your mind, like, you know, if he says this, if he does this, im going to no. Things come out spontaneously. Reporter really . You have to be quick. He say a, i say b. He say c, i say d. You have to have something up there. And its nothing you can rehearse, nothing you can write down. Either you can do it or you cant. Reporter still, there was cause for worry. While these officers looked the part, they had never done anything like this before. Were you worried at all about sort of their acting ability . I was concerned. Reporter too late now. It was on. Coming up, a surprise snafu. Cell phone dials the number of undercover and they tell me he didnt answer the phone. An undercover officer misses the call and that was just the beginning. I think we all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. When dateline continues. With tempurpedic the whole bed is comfortable. We actually got our bed as an engagement gift from her parents. Maybe thats the secret to marriage. Youre gonna Stay Together if you have a tempurpedic bed. I told our friends, this is the best investment ive ever made. Its helping to keep us young. I love my bed. vo its your year. Treat youself to your best nights sleep with tempurpedic. Sir, were going to need you on the runway. vo theraflu starts to get to work in your body in just 5 minutes. vo theraflu breaks you free from your worst cold and flu symptoms. vo theraflu. Serious power. Here are the keys man. Its all mine . Parenthood isnt gonna change me. Ill still see the guys every weekend and rock out in the basement. Please, im still king of this castle. Youre gonna love the backseat pocket. Its not like im gonna get a minivan. Life can surprise you. So can an allstate agent. Now they can save you 3,000 on a new car with allstates car buying service. The good hands are doing more than ever before. Reporter magdi girgis didnt know it, but he was the target of a sting operation. He had just arrived home. The undercover officers approached, and the camera was rolling. Check it out, man. My homies locked up in the pen right now. The police approached him about him killing your wife for you in this [ bleep ] house. You know what im saying . We dont care about that. The thing is, we want to get paid for it. We not going to say [ bleep ] you know what i mean . What are you talking about . Reporter whats his reaction when you make it clear that you know about his wifes murder . He appeared to be shocked. You could tell it was something that he wasnt prepared for, that he never thought it was going to happen. We want five racks, 5,000. You know what im sayin . We aint going to say. We aint going to the police. We aint going to say nothing else. Lets roll. You understand what im saying . Lets roll. All right. Give me a call man. Take my number. Thats me. Call me tomorrow by ten oclock. Who are you, my friend . Dont worry. Im dmoney. Just give me a call tomorrow by ten oclock. Can i see your i. D. . 5,000. Hit me up tomorrow. Can i see your i. D. . Reporter almost as soon as it began, it was over. Magdi left standing there with dmoneys phone number with instructions to call the next day. Reporter and in terms of oscarwinning performances, they did a pretty good job . I think so. They did a great job. Reporter now police waited and wondered what would magdi do . If he doesnt call, this all is for nothing . Its a done deal. The case is over. Reporter more than eight years after the murder, here was the make or break moment. He was either gonna ignore them, he was gonna contact them or he was gonna call the police and say, guess what . I think the guys involved in my wifes murder just came to the house. Reporter which is what an innocent person would have done . Yes. Reporter but he didnt call the police . He did not. Reporter and he didnt ignore them . Very true. Reporter the next day the Surveillance Team tracked magdi driving, and just at that time his cell phone dials the number of undercover. And im notified immediately by the wire room. And and they tell me he didnt answer the phone. Reporter the undercover officer missed magdis call. So i had to call the undercover and reporter and say . Im like magdi reporter the target of the investigation just called. Reporter is trying to reach he was in a bad area for reception so he had to move. You . And then reporter its like a nightmare. Uhhuh. So we were hopin he called back. Reporter the undercover, as usual, was confident. Why were you so convinced hed call back . cause he called the first time. To me, in this type of deal when you you call the first time, you you know, youre youre over the nervousness and theyre gonna call back. Reporter and magdi did call back. The Surveillance Team caught him on camera, this time from a place that doesnt get a lot of traffic in the 21st century. We know hes at a pay phone, that got really interesting for me right there. Im sittin in the car. And the cell phone went off. Let it ring a few times. And answered the phone, you know. This is dmoney. Whats going on . You stopped by yesterday. Yeah. I came by yesterday, man. Yeah. What is the problem, my friend . Whats that . What is whats up . The problem is my boy is locked down in the pen, like i told you yesterday. We know whats going on. You know, my boy, you know, took care of a little business, you know. So were just trying to get paid just to keep it hush. You know what i mean . I thought you got you got paid everything. And once he told me, hey, i thought i paid you guys everything, homerun. You know, its one of those feelings where youve known this all along and then you actually hear it from him. And so i think it was overwhelming feeling of confirmation. Reporter and then just as quickly, it all threatened to blow up in their faces. Listen carefully. Who is the who was the middleman . What . Who was the middleman . Reporter middle man . The undercover had no idea. Magdi had just asked a question that none of the investigators could answer. When magdi says, tell me who the middle man is so i know i can trust you, that was something the undercover officers, i think, werent ready for. No, i think we all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. Reporter investigators had considered the possibility that magdi might have hired the killers through some third party, and now this conversation seemed like confirmation that he had. But who was it . It seems to me that the middle man for this would have to be somebody that magdi really trusted, somebody he knew well. He wouldve had to trust this person, yes. Somebody who would stick up for him. Yes. Reporter any thoughts on who that might be . I do. I do. Reporter there was no way to tell the undercover that. So dmoney just stayed in character. I i i dont i do you know every everybody know who the middleman was the middleman was. I aint worried about that. People talk, and i i well, how am i going to trust you . People because i got the information that i got, player, i can go to police, but im not. Im just you can go. Its not a problem. Im im just im just trying to im just trying to get my money, so i can go. Reporter so the conversation about hush money continued. Magdi, true to form, haggled over the price. Five thousand aint that much, man. I you know. I dont have it, thats the problem. I lost my job. And i have some, but not the the whole amount. It just goes to show the true character of this man. I mean, heres a guy who will negotiate with thugs ten years later because he feels like he already paid. I mean, its just thats what i mean. Hes not in the normal range of thrifty. I have on me 1500. Whats that . 1500 i have on me. Reporter police probably had enough to arrest magdi right then and there, but they waited. Now you want to do the Actual Exchange of money . Got to get the money. Reporter that meant a second meeting, but would magdi even show up . And if he did, would he come with a plan of his own . 3 f2 tenian que tener una segunda one more hidden camera moment. What happened . You bring me a check . No. Vo when youre trying to lose weight it seems like food is everywhere. With your very own Weight Watchers personal coach youve got a plan and support from someones whos been there before and who knows what its like. This week was good i stuck with our plan. Mmm, hum thanks coach. Hi pumpkin pie. Vo introducing personal coaching from weight watcher join for free. I will take beauty into my own hands. Where it belongs Olay Regenerist renews to reveal new skin in only five days. Without drastic measures. Stunningly youthful. Awardwinning skin. From the worlds 1. Olay. Your best beautiful. Its the time of year to bundle up. Now at at t, when you buy any smartphone for 0 down you can get an lg tablet for free. Because two devices are cozier than one. Reporter magdi girgis had just been caught on tape apparently admitting to hiring thugs to kill his wife. I thought you got you got paid everything. Reporter he seemed willing to pay even more to keep things quiet, and made a date to do it. I have on me 1,500. Whats that . 1,500 i have on me. Reporter the next day officers secretly trailed magdi leaving his home, driving on the freeway, and pulling into this home depot parking lot, the Meeting Point chosen by magdi. Zblvs zblvs. Reporter everybodys out of sight except for you . Everybodys out of sight, plain clothes. Unmarked vehicles and except us, the two of us. Reporter im no police officer, but this is starting to sound like fun. Uhhuh. Oh, its definitely fun. Its fun. Its its a rush. Its ill do it all over again. Reporter prosecutor Sonia Balleste was nearby watching it all unfold. Tell me what that was like. Nervewracking. Its exhilarating. Reporter could you see magdi . Not at first. Reporter but soon enough, he came into view. The undercovers approached his car. Whats up my [ bleep ] . Whats going on . Whats happening . Did you bring me a check . No. Cash . Thats 15 . Yes. So i took the envelope, basically snatched it from him and counted the money right there and put it in the envelope. Reporter it was, what, 15 in 100 bills . Fifteen in 100 bills. Fifteen racks. Going to be over. You aint going to see us no more, man. All right, my friend. Yeah. Is everything good . Yes. Reporter so this was not some sort of frightened little mouse who was doing what he was told to by you guys . This was a guy who was poised and kind of in control of the situation . Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Im im get it done and this is gonna be it. And itll be over. Reporter but before it was, the undercover dropped one more line to see if magdi would bite. What did your [ bleep ] wife do so bad to you that made you want to kill her [ bleep ] . See you, my friend. Reporter he didnt take the bait . He almost did. Reporter magdi probably thought he was home free, but as he drove away, officers swarmed in. You arrest him and you guys are all feeling like wyatt earp . Were feelin pretty good, yes. Very good, actually. Reporter ryan girgis, of course, had no idea any of this was happening. He had moved back to Southern California and was completely unprepared for the call he received from detective wilson. Reporter you come to the station, the cops bring you in, and they say . Your father has been arrested. And i couldnt be more happier. I i really felt like my dreams and my prayers had been answered. Reporter richard, once their dads loyal and trusted confidante, was not as thrilled. I was happy that the arrest was made. But then on the other end of it, i mean i was sad in a way, too. Because even though i knew in my heart he had something to do with it reporter its still your dad. Its still my dad. And i always had some deeply wedged fantasy that maybe one day the cops would arrest someone else completely and end up actually telling us, like, you know what . Your dad ending up not having anything to do with it. Reporter you wanted to be wrong . I wanted to be wrong on that. I really wanted to be wrong. Have a seat over there for me magdi. Sure. Im detective wilson. Hi. Reporter detective wilson brought magdi to the station and sat him down in the interview room. His tactic was an old one in small rooms like this, play dumb and see where magdi took him. Basically, what i need to know is what was going on in long beach there by that Home Depot Center . Looked like there was a money transaction there or something going on. Can you explain that . Two days ago, on wednesday, around 12 30, i was coming from costco. I find two guys approaching me. I never saw them in my life. Uhhuh. And they are black guys. This is the truth. Reporter but his account differed in key ways from what detective wilson already had on tape. I stunned when they told me is, your lady got killed in this house, and you have to pay us five grand, otherwise were going to hurt you and hurt your kids. Reporter thats lie number one. There are no threats on the tape. Well, how did you get to be with them today . Yeah. They throw telephone number on the lawn. Like on a piece of paper or small piece of paper. They threw it on the lawn . On the lawn. Hit me up tomorrow. Reporter lie number two. The tape clearly shows magdi taking the number. Then detective wilson asked magdi the Million Dollar question. Why didnt you call us . You had our phone number. Because i was worried about my kids and myself. Are you scared of the police . Is that why . I mean, i dont understand. No. Its not scared but my wife problem is not solved yet. And they consider the husband as a suspect. Reporter those tears had no effect on wilson who now had magdi on tape paying hush money. And we know you paid them. Okay . No. Yes. No. Reporter wilson bored in. Im here to find out one thing. What kind of person are you, because right now, we dont know. Is magdi the type of guy thats a hard, cold, calculated murderer that paid someone to kill his wife . What kind of person are you . Im just innocent person, just simple person. Believe me. Okay. Reporter magdi pleaded for sympathy. Detective wilson was not sympathetic. I lost my wife. No. But its your fault. No, it is not. You hired somebody. I not hired anybody. We recorded it. Oh they recorded the conversations with these guys. Im not lying. Im not lying. I need a lawyer. Let me tell you let me tell what they said. Talk like that. No. You guys are going to trap me and stuff. No, no, no. Reporter magdi had said the magic word, lawyer. He was done talking. There would be no confession. You didnt expect that he was going to admit it. No. The lies were good enough for me. Reporter good enough to make the case. But wilson thought hed try one more time to crack magdi, this time by making him face his own son. Ryan wasnt so sure at first. I called my brother, as i normally do, as the younger one, and i told him, what do you think . He was like, do you feel like you wanna talk to him . I was like, yeah, i want some questions answered. Reporter so he walked in that little room and saw his father for the first time in more than eight years. Whats wrong with you . You forgot dad . You dont even look the same. Reporter and ryan had a lot to say. You had a choice not to hurt me and richard. My son. You had a choice not to hurt your wife. Why did you do that . I didnt hurt anybody. What are you talking about, you didnt hurt us . Look at me right now. Look at yourself. Im looking at you. Im looking at you. I cant believe you, man. My son i dont believe you dont dont call me your son. I dont want to hear that. Youre a horrible person for what you did. I just want to let you know that youre a horrible person. I didnt do anything. Yes, you did. I did not. Reporter was had hard to tell your dad that you thought he was involved in your moms murder . Yeah, it was definitely very, very hard. Reporter its hard for you to talk about it now . Yes, it is. It is. And the person that i had nightmares over was right in front of me and i was scared. Reporter and soon ryan would face his father again. This time in court. Coming up the killing of ariet girgis was because she interrupted a robbery or a drug transaction between ryan and these two suspects. A father son showdown. Exactly who is on trial . The evidence suggests that he was involved with people that were dealing hard core drugs. When dateline continues. Each year 17 billion toilet paper tubes are thrown away in the us alone. Thats enough to fill the empire state building. Twice. Now theres scott naturals® tubefree bath tissue. Get the premium softness you need. Without the wasteful tube. Toss the tube for good with scott naturals® tubefree. Coughequence 5. The sleepless night. Sorry. Robitussin dm max nighttimes dual action liquid instantly soothes your throat and delivers fast, powerful cough relief. Robitussin. Dont suffer the coughequences. Music lively orchestral score yes kids never get this excited about cleaning teeth. You want a greenies . But dogs do. Watch them go wild for an irresistible treat that fights tartar and freshens breath. Greenies dental chews. Hey rich, whats that in your hand . My at t cell phone bill. Verizon bill . Yeaaah. Thats cool. Noooo. How much are you spending per month . 110 bucks 120 bucks 330 yeeeah. What if sprint could cut your rate plan in half . And give you unlimited talk and text in the u. S. , and match your data. Goodbye verizon. I am done with at t. Bring in your verizon or at t bill, turn in your old phone and well cut your rate plan in half. Visit us online or visit a sprint store today. The Holiday Season is coming to an end, but weve got one more thing to share with you the holiday clearance event at walmart. You can save big on items like select Toys Electronics and decor. So thats it . Were done here head to walmart now and save big. The weather outside is frightful but the fire is so delightful [ male announcer ] nothing melts away the cold like a hot delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbells. Let it snow, let it snow were going to do this thing on a roof top. Your phone and your wallet are now one. So you can get where youre going. And get on with the show. Thank you guys reporter march 2014. Magdi girgis had been sitting in jail for about a year, after an undercover sting led to his arrest for the murder of his wife, ariet. It was a case prosecutor Sonia Balleste couldnt wait to try. Nearly a decade in the making and, as it turned out, it would be her last. Sonia had been promoted to management. My swan song, yes. Reporter so you wanted to go out with a win . Prosecutors dont like to lose. Reporter yeah, ive noticed that. [ laughter ] reporter despite what youve seen, the case still wasnt a slam dunk. There was no proof magdi knew the alleged killer, anthony bridget. No evidence hed paid bridget any money. And while detectives had their suspicions about the involvement of a middleman, they still couldnt prove it. And, as youll see, even that undercover tape could be seen through a different lens. Whos the who was the middle man . Reporter on the eve of the trial, richard and ryan got ready for the big day. Their suits were pressed. They reviewed their prior statements. And they weighed the consequences of what this moment meant. Im happy that we will get closure, but then its just sad, cause we lost our mom and in the same night its like we lost our dad too. Reporter their only surviving parent, the one they had lived in fear of for years, would be the one they had to face in court. Part of me is scared of him, but also part of me wants to stand up and let my voice be heard after all these years. I want to be strong. Reporter and so the brothers walked into court together that first day of opening statements, standing strong, united in their quest for justice for their mom. Magdi girgis conspired to have his wife murdered. She was an inconvenient woman to him and people are disposable to this defendant. Reporter our cameras were not allowed to record witness testimony inside the courtroom, where Sonia Balleste stacked up her evidence against magdi. She showed the jury how, in the months leading up to the murder, magdi slowly drained his joint accounts with ariet, leaving her with almost nothing. And, sonia said, the crime scene evidence showed this wasnt just some random murder. It was about silencing somebody who defied him. Reporter but then, on the witness stand, richard who had once helped his father persuade ariet to back off her story now defied magdi just as ariet had done. Richard testified about the abuse his mom had suffered at his fathers hands. He testified about coming home and finding his mother battered and bruised. Richard recounted the story to the jury, but it seemed he was really speaking to his father. We caught up with richard after court. It was a really a good experience for me just to be able to actually finally face him, face to face and be able to look him in the eyes and actually like, you know, be able to confront him for what hes done. Reporter but magdi faced an even tougher confrontation from the words of his now dead wife. Ariets testimony from the preliminary hearing in the Domestic Violence case had been saved. And now the prosecution read it into the court record. How important was ariets testimony from the previous case . It was huge. It was as if for an afternoon she just came back to life and took the stand. Reporter ryan would need to channel that same strength of his mothers for what came next. He took the stand with magdi just feet away. A fathers eyes bored into his son. I really felt like if he had me one on one, he would beat me down. He just wanted to anything to get me to shut up. Reporter this time, ryan refused to keep quiet, telling the jury and his father about that terrible september night when two men broke into his home, beat him up, and repeatedly stabbed his mother in the next room. Then ryan faced cross examination, and defense attorney Rudy Lowenstein had already told the jury he planned to put ryan on trial. The killing of ariet girgis was because she interrupted a robbery, or a drug transaction, or a collection of a debt of some kind between ryan and these two suspects. Reporter the defense argument ariets murder was tied directly to ryans criminal activity. I think that the evidence suggests that he was involved with people that were dealing hardcore drugs. Reporter ryan admitted that he smoked and sold weed, but lowenstein told the jury ryan was doing much more than that. He pointed to the Drug Paraphernalia police found in ryans room, tin foil and what lowenstein said was a pipe with white residue, which he said was consistent with heroin and methamphetamine use. Evidence that police had failed to test. The defense said it showed ryans drug dealing was bigger than hed let on. Then the defense directed jurors to those threats ryan had received on his computer just weeks before the murder you better watch your back. I know where you live. And the taunting message that came after the murder how did you like your gift . Lol. Lol. Did anybody follow up . Not really, no. They just said, oh well, we know who did it. Magdi did it. They focused on magdi. And they never left magdi. Reporter could the threats be the reason ryans friend offered him a knife . The fact that he was offered a knife for his protection by his drugdealing friend just minutes, or at the latest, hours before the murder of his mother by someone using a knife suggests to me that there was some reason for him to be afraid for his own safety in his own home. Reporter the defense also attacked ryans credibility. Remember what ryan told us that one of the intruders said i know your circumstances. I know what youre going through. Im not gonna kill you. Reporter it turns out ryan did not tell that to the 911 operator. Why . The defense argued because those words were never spoken and said ryan made them up later to deflect suspicion from himself and his drug connections. One thing was irrefutable and hard to explain, the defense told the jury. Ryan did not check on ariet before he fled the house. How does a young man, whose mother has come to save him, not look in and check to see whether or not he could save his mother before running out of the house . What does that say about his character . Reporter after two days of brutal cross examination, ryan says he felt dejected and betrayed. I feel like im getting backstabbed by my own father. That hes claiming that his son is such a troubled youth. Reporter of course, the defense also had a huge problem. Those videotapes of magdi taking the phone number from the undercovers. Hit me up tomorrow. Reporter calling them the next day. I thought you got, you got paid everything. Reporter and then showing up with 1,500. Its at peace. Reporter all of it made magdi look very, very guilty. I would like him to get up there on the stand and try to explain what he meant when he said i already paid everything off. Reporter it turns out the defense did have an explanation, and documents too, which might prove magdis innocence. Coming up, would that undercover tape convict him or clear him . A defense surprise. Hes playing along with them in order to be aible to apprehend them. And the verdict, would that be a surprise, too . This is it. I didnt want to let those boys down. humming vo the good more is all the endofseason deals on great tech stuff at verizon. The not so good more having the season actually end. Get the good more, like the powerful droid maxx by motorola free. Quitters, youre all quitters only at verizon. My advice for healthy looking radiant skin. A good nights sleep. And aveeno®. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® positively radiant has an active naturals® total soy formula. It helps reduce the look of brown spots in just four weeks. Aveeno®. Naturally beautiful results™. I like it when my hygienist lets me know im doing a good job. I like it when my toothpaste lets me know too. Thats why i went pro. Go pro with crest prohealth. For an intensive clean. I can really feel it deep cleaning my mouth. For a 4x better clean try these products together. That was a great check up. Enjoy more enthusiasm at mealtime, with more varieties of favorite dog food brands at petsmart right now, buy 1 get 1 free on select purina one® or beneful® products. Petsmart®. Introducing the pub diet from applebees. Your bar and grill favorites made a little better for you. You get your favorite steak and you get it with whole grains. You get delicious cedar grilled chicken and you get it with quinoa. You get a low bill and you get it with a big smile on your face. The pub diet starts at 9. 99, only at applebees. Reporter in spite of the damning testimony against magdi by his own sons, defense attorney Rudy Lowenstein tried to show jurors magdi did everything to provide a better life for them and his wife, ariet. His life was dedicated to his family and to making the American Dream work for him. He was an immigrant who came with nothing and made something of himself. Reporter magdi had his flaws and he had done some bad things, the defense said, but he did not have ariet killed. But then what to make of those undercover tapes and magdis apparent admission . I thought you got paid everything. Reporter would magdi take the stand to explain what he meant on those tapes . No. Apparently he felt hed done enough talking. Instead, the defense attorney showed the jury evidence which he said proved magdi was not guilty. Magdi had written down the serial numbers of the 15 one hundred dollar bills he had given the undercover officers, and he tried to write down the license plate number of their vehicle. Which, said the defense, cast that undercover video in a whole new light. He is playing along with them in order to be able to apprehend them. And so when he says to them, just tell me the name of the middle man so i know i can trust you, hes bluffing. He doesnt really know the name of the middle man . Hes just trying to get that information out of them . Absolutely. Reporter lowenstein said the only thing magdi was guilty of was trying to play detective. Remember, hes been a suspect for ten years. The police have never left their vision of him as being the suspect. And because of that, hes got to essentially solve the case on his own. Reporter what would the jury think . On the day of Closing Arguments, richard and ryan walked to court together. They had brought something for prosecutor Sonia Balleste. A religious tile belonging to ariet. Sonia wanted me to bring like a item, like from our mom and stuff to have right there that she could hold on to. Reporter they learned the evidencedriven prosecutor had a superstitious side. She wanted to have something of ariets to touch during her last Closing Argument to channel ariets spirit and courage. She took the witness stand in the preliminary hearing and faced evil and for the first time in her life, stood up to him. She knew exactly what he would do to her for it. Hes done some bad things in his life, but he didnt hire anybody to murder ariet girgis. Hes innocent. Reporter there was nothing left to do now but wait. After nearly a decade, these final moments were perhaps the most excruciating. Its a lot of anxiety built up right now, just wondering when the verdicts gonna come in. Its going to be like any moment. Reporter sonia, already at her new job, waited for the phone to ring. She had played the waiting game numerous times. It wasnt any easier this last time. I didnt want to let those boys down. So, yes, i was probably a little bit more nervous than usual. It was definitely agonizing every time we heard a ring or a buzzer, it really, like, got us, like, okay, did they get a verdict . Reporter after two days, they finally heard it. Three buzzes. The jury had reached a verdict. Were you worried there was going to be a not guilty verdict . The only thing that had worried me was all it takes was one person to not see things the way that everyone else sees it. Reporter you never know what a jury is going to do. You never know what a jury is gonna do. Reporter and when they filed back into the crowded courtroom, ryan didnt look at his dad. Instead he held onto his brother. I was just embracing the moment that this is it. This is all riding on this we, the jury, in the aboveentitled action find the defendant, magdi faiz girgis, guilty of the crime of felony conspiracy to commit murder. Oh, it hit it hit us. Its what weve been waiting for for 9 1 2 years. Reporter in the gallery, the brothers cried and as the hearing continued, richards sobs grew louder and louder until he couldnt contain himself any longer. Why, papa . Why . I couldnt hold myself back. I was trying not to, like, say anything. But it just was pouring on. I i told him in arabic. I was like, why, dad . Why, why, why, dad, why . Like, i just i still cant fathom the reason of why he would do such a thing. Why he would throw away, like, our family, why he would throw everything away. Reporter what was magdi trying to tell his son . Well never know. Magdis thoughts at his sentencing were somewhat clearer. I have nothing to do with the killing of my wife. I did do my best ability to work hard, secure future, and advise my kids not to get involved with all of this Gang Activity or anything. Im not a bad father. Maybe i am strict, but i love them. They are my kids. Reporter magdi girgis was sentenced to life in prison without parole. If magdi had not taken the bait, if hed gotten the phone number from your two undercover officers and thrown it away and just said, i dont know who you are. I dont know what youre talkin about. And if you call me again, im going to call the police, would he be in custody today . Probably not. Reporter so he ended up giving you your whole case . His greed gave me my whole case. Reporter magdi girgis had worked tirelessly to build the dream. And then, by his own hand, destroyed it. Well, perhaps not all of it. These two brothers may have lost both their parents, but they still had each other. Thats my little bro. Yeah. Reporter the story isnt over yet. Accused hitman anthony bridget pleaded not guilty and is still awaiting trial. The second intruder has never been identified. And despite investigators suspicions, neither has the mysterious middleman. You never found out who that was . Not yet. Reporter been ten years. Thats true. Took me nine to get magdi. You have to be patient in this line of work. Reporter theres still a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the remaining suspects. Richard and ryan hope someone will come forward. In the meantime, theyre keeping their heads down and working hard, just as their father always taught them to do. But they will do some things differently. Do you picture yourself as a dad someday . I do. Reporter what kind of dad are you going to be . Im going to be the opposite of my father. Im going to be there when my kids need me. Reporter and thats the beauty of the American Dream. Theres always a new beginning no matter where you came from. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Right now at 11 00 clear, crisp across the bay area. Temperatures are dropping fast. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Im Janelle Wang Raj and jessica have the night off. The cold blast spread across the bay area. Our third night of below freezing temperatures. Jeff ranieri tracking the freeze warning and side effect of the cold weather. And the