Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20190519

A husband, found murdered in a closet a wife, tied up in another. They found her on the ground with her hands behind her back. She just had bruising on her arms and on her face. Inconsolable, screaming, crying. Who could be behing this . It just eats me up inside reporter their only daughter, desperate for justice for her dad. Be careful what you wish for. Everybody gasped. Nobody could believe it. This terrifies me because this could happen to anybody this is dateline. Reporter the Scented Candles were lit. The jacuzzi jets turned on high. It was a belated anniversary evening, but not some big blow out. Sandra and jaime really werent that kind of couple. They were just always so kind to each other. And always very respectful. Reporter it was really the start of a life victory lap for the two. Theyd raised a daughter, juggled all the usual things that families do, and now retirement for jaime was right around the corner. They sat there and they talked about the future, and what they were looking forward to. Reporter but the future for these two would last no longer than the flame on that candle. By the next afternoon, there would be blood, lots of it. Somehow, someone had turned a cozy celebration into a monstrous crime scene. It was just it was horrible. What in the world had happened in that house . I have no idea. Reporter the story of the two begins as high school meetcute. Sandra, the new girl from laredo assigned a seat in her houston classroom just in front of jaime melgar. Their daughter lizz doesnt know how many times she heard that story. He used to pull on her hair. Oh, youre kidding. In the middle of class. Whos this guy behind me, pulling on my hair . Yeah. Apparently, one time he invited her ice skating. And he told her a bunch of friends were going so it wouldnt really be a date. And when she shows up, there its him and one of his friends. And his friend left shortly after that. So a little bit of a scheme going on. Yeah a little bit. But, you know, it ended well. Reporter and that was that. Sandra and jaime were a done deal, an inseparable couple. Sandra studied nursing, and jaime set aside every dime he could for his family, juggling a job as a Computer Programmer while investing in real estate. Happy family . Very happy family. I was definitely a daddys girl. Growing up. Reporter and jaime carried himself with a certain goofy joy, as his niece Marissa Campos remembers it. Easy going guy . Yes, very easy going. Easy to talk to. Had the worst jokes. They were so bad that you would just stop and groan. And they became known as jim jokes. Reporter marissas aunt sandra would roll her eyes, then laugh indulgently at uncle jim. I remember her being like, oh, your uncle. Oh. Reporter the melgars life revolved around not just family, but church, too. Theyd joined the jehovahs witnesses early in their relationship, but by her early 20s, daughter lizz had left the church. Newly independent, she rushed into a marriage. A bad one. True that he was involved in heavy drugs . Yes. That was the end of it . That was it. I didnt want to live that kind of life. Reporter but her parents marriage just kept going through sickness and health. In fact, in recent years, jaime was looking younger than ever on a vegetarian diet and exercise regimen. He realized he was getting older and he just wanted to make sure he was in the best physical shape. Your mom. Your poor mom. Meanwhile had a constellation of health problems, didnt she . Yes. Lupus . Chemotherapy involved in that . At times, yeah. She also had epilepsy. Did she have the seizures . Did you ever see her yes. Yeah, she did. Reporter then december 2012 rolled around. Their 32nd wedding anniversary. Sandra was ill on the actual day. So they went out together ten days later, on december 22nd. She was finally feeling well enough to go and have dinner. Reporter the next day, the 23rd, marissas family would join them to celebrate again over a late lunch. On our way there, i remember texting him. Texting your uncle. Yes. I didnt get a response. But was that unusual that he didnt text you back . Yes. Reporter they got to the house around 4 00pm and knocked on the front door. Nothing. No answer. Reporter marissas father, jaimes brother herman, checked around the back of the house. No sign of jaime or sandra. Then we thought, okay, well maybe well, maybe they they left. Maybe they went to go get something. And then my dads like, no, but his truck is out there. So finally thats when my dad said, oh, im just gonna go inside. Reporter herman walked through an open garage door, and entered the house itself through an unlocked interior door. Then he comes around and to open up the front door. Reporter the visitors huddled in the dark entrance hall, expecting a greeting from sandra or jaime. But none came. Just as they got ready to leave, they heard something. It sounded like sandra. It was mumbling. Where was her voice coming from, marissa . We did not know. My dad i just remember he just ran straight into the master bedroom. Reporter marissa raced after her father. I just hear, saying help. Someones in trouble. Are you really scared at this point . Yes, i was scared. Reporter the voice was coming from inside a walkincloset attached to the bathroom. Herman moved closer. Wedged against the door knob was a dining chair. He tugged it aside, opened the door, and there was sandra on the floor, tied by her arms and ankles, but alive. He said that she did not look well at all. Reporter as marissas mom cut sandra loose, her dad spoke. Wheres my brother . Wheres your uncle . Reporter the answer to that, unspeakable. What had happened to jaime melgar . And to his wife . She looked like she had aged ten years overnight. Just broken and lost. The only possible witness to a night of terror. Reporter what would she remember . There was a car following us. Reporter marissa, rattled to her core, stood in her uncle jaime and aunt sandras bedroom doorway, waiting for First Responders, trying to calculate her familys terrible new math. I still didnt know everything that was going on. Reporter in the bedroom open drawers, a tossed wallet. Had this been a Home Invasion . And where was her uncle jaime . Then she glanced to her side, and there, about 20 feet away from the bathroom, next to jaime and sandras bed i just saw his his ankles. Reporter and this was what . In a closet area off the off the master, huh . He was in a closet. Reporter so you just saw his feet. Uhhuh. I w didnt even know what had happened to him. I just know he was his ankles were tied up. It was horrible. Reporter there was jaime naked, covered in blood, on the floor, not far from his safe. A red rope encircled his chest, a phone cord looped around his ankles. Sandra, now freed of her ties, sprang from her closet captivity. A former nurse, she checked for his pulse and found none. Your aunt was distraught. Shes crying. Yes. Yes. Reporter marissa, what in the world had happened in that house . I have no idea. Im not sure who could have done Something Like that to him to them. Reporter First Responders werent exactly sure what theyd been dispatched to either. They told us that theres possibly two victims, and thats all we knew when we got there. Reporter emt Stephanie Robertson was the First Responder on the scene. She checked on jaime. He was clearly dead, huh . Yeah, clearly dead. Yeah. Reporter you know, gunshot wounds from knife wounds. You couldnt really tell, there was so much dry blood. I did notice the gash down his neck. Reporter next, emt robertson found her way to sandra, by then collapsed on a chair in the bathroom, a Family Member by her side. She was kind of balled up a little bit. And she was crying hysterically. Reporter the emt started to assess sandra, who said her head hurt, but she said she has no injuries. Reporter still, sandra seemed disoriented. What time was it . Morning or afternoon . Then, between gulping sobs, sandra said she simply could not remember what happened the night before. Shed been unconscious maybe had one of her seizures. She said after a seizure, that its not uncommon that she falls asleep for several hours. Reporter by now, Harris County sheriffs investigators had descended on a crime scene that was once just the melgars modest home. Jaime, they could see, had suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso by the looks of it, well over a dozen. The crime scene unit got to work inside collecting evidence things like a bloody chair near jaimes body, and a kitchen knife, fished out of the bottom of the jacuzzi. Sandra, seemingly in shock from her ordeal, declined to go to the hospital. Instead, she went to talk with investigators. Lets start yesterday. Reporter sandra told investigators the last thing she remembered was her anniversary night with jaime. Went out to eat. And what time was that . I would say about 8 00. Im just guessing. I dont know. Reporter sandra told them they stopped for mixers at a cvs on the way home. What time did you get home on friday . Probably midnight. Reporter she said they intended to share some late night romance, candles and strawberries. We made some drinks. We went and got in the jacuzzi. In your master bathroom . Right. And then what . Stayed there for about maybe two hours talking and drinking. Reporter but the intimate jacuzzi was disrupted by their dogs barking outside in the yard. He got out and said he was moving the dogs to the office. Because when theyre too loud we dont want the neighbors to complain. And he just, you know, was taking a while so i got out and was gonna get dressed or change in my closet. Reporter maybe thats when she had the seizure. Thats all i remember until i woke up. Reporter as they talked, sandra broke down. [ crying ] reporter who could have done this, she wondered . She recalled for the detectives a scary moment on their way home. I think when we left cvs there was a a car following us because when we came in our neighborhood, it was still behind us and he was really close. Reporter something for the detectives to check out. After sandra was done talking, her cousin diana whod rushed into town to help met her at a friends house. She looked like she had aged ten years overnight. She couldnt stop shaking. And so i i didnt wanna ask her too many questions. Reporter lizz, remarried now, was an ocean away, living in europe, when she finally got her mother on the phone. What did you hear in her voice . She was just broken and lost. She was just devastated. Reporter and at that point youve got very fragmented information, huh . Yeah, all i knew is my dad was killed in a Home Invasion. And thankfully, my mom was still alive. Reporter thats just not any kind of news you should ever hear. Its shocking. It really doesnt sink in for a while. You just kind of go into crisis mode. Reporter lizz booked the next flight back to texas. I just knew i had to get there. Reporter had to get back. Back to a new reality with a murdered father and a traumatized mother. Grieving would have to take a number, while the daughter held everyone together. Nothing made sense. Coming up were you worried about your mother . That whoever this person was might come back . Absolutely. She was traumatized. Tips begin to trickle in. Who could have done this . Theyre getting information right away about kind of a sketchy neighbor. Thats right. Just gettin out of jail, who was suspicious. When dateline continues. Reporter two days after the bloody discovery in her childhood home, lizz melgar landed in houston. A daddys girl shaken even more by the face that was missing. I think at that time, it really hit me that, i wasnt gonna see him anymore. He wasnt going to be there to pick me up from the airport. Reporter a still very rocky sandra came, with family, to pick up her daughter. We both just broke down at the sight of each other. Shed been through a terrible ordeal . You dont really know the whole story yet. But did you see injuries on her . She just had bruising on her arms and on her face. Did she have a bump on her head . She did. She told me her head was hurting. And i could feel it back there. Reporter lizz insisted her mom get some rest. So the next day, when detectives came by the house where lizz and sandra were staying, the daughter was the one to field their questions. And you flew in, uh, yesterday . Yes. Thats right. Okay. Reporter and lizz, thought it prudent to record the conversation. She updated the detectives on her mothers health. Shes just in complete shock, and she has retrograde amnesia at the moment. She has a hard time remembering things as it is because of the seizures. Reporter lizz had witnessed her moms seizures before. And now she theorized thats what might have kept her alive during the Home Invasion. I think she, she probably had a seizure and that probably freaked out whoever was there, and maybe they thought they killed her. Reporter the detectives asked lizz to keep them updated on her recovery. Because if she could ever remember a suspect, thats the best thing for me and him. No i agree. Yeah. cause then we have a description, everything else, right now at this point. We have nothing. Ive been asking. Ive been asking her. Reporter and then the detectives asked lizz if she could pay a visit to her parents house. Anything you thinks missing, because we need to start searching for the items that are missing. I cant imagine you going back to this house, where youve known your parents in happy times, and then its a crime scene. Absolutely. Its the one place youre supposed to be safe. And its just been, i dont know. Its been tainted. Reporter she went through the house, room by room, cataloging what she thought was missing. A tv set, jewelry, cash and medication. Last stop, the garage. The garage was full of things that could easily be stolen and pawned. Yeah. Reporter there lizz spied something, to her eyes, oddly out of place. Her middle school backpack. Sticking out of it, an xbox console. Could this have been the killers loot, dropped in a panic as he ran from the scene . Lizz called investigators. They returned to the house, snapped even more photos, and collected the backpack as potential evidence. Theyd later find, beneath that xbox, some of sandras jewelry. Reporter and lizz realized she had an idea for detectives too. A possible suspect. Is it true, lizz, that you even suggested they take a look at your ex at that point . Yes. I tried to give them as much information as i could. Reporter yes, the exhusband the melgars regarded as a noaccount. Turns out, during the rocky last days of his marriage to lizz, the melgars suspected he and a buddy lifted some of sandras medication. The same sort now believed to be missing. The melgars never reported their suspicions to authorities, but now lizz told detectives, talk to the ex. Reporter by now, the murder breakin story was all over the news. Reporter and neighbors started offering up crimestopper tips. Check out a guy seen lurking around outside the police tape. Reporter amanda orr of reuters, and brian rogers, the Houston Chronicles Legal Affairs reporter covered the melgar murder. Theyre getting information right away about kind of a sketchy neighbor, known to break into houses, steal stuff and pawn it. And hes up the block and maybe at the scene that night. Thats right. A neighbor who had just getting out of jail, who was suspicious. Reporter lizz thought to add him to the list of potential suspects. Did you have ideas for them . I did. Reporter she also suggested they talk to one of her parents tenants, someone whod had disputes with her dad. And there was a coworker of jaimes she got a bad vibe from. And again, lizz says she urged detectives to look at her ex. He had a record of drug arrests. If not him, what about people in his circle . Months dragged by without word on the investigation. You believe someone is out there, has gotten away with killing your father. Yeah, absolutely. It was hard to sleep at night. I was every little noise was had me on edge. Were you worried about your mother . Oh yeah. That whoever this person was might come back for her . Absolutely, i was constantly worried. And how was her health at that time . She had started having seizures. And you know she was traumatized. She had posttraumatic stress, she had anxiety, she had depression. She was a mess. Reporter lizz clung to the hope that one of those leads she gave detectives would eventually pan out. But for now anyway it looked as though Law Enforcement was playing its cards close to the vest. According to prosecutor Colleen Barnett of the Harris County district attorneys office, that was because theyd made some early observations about the crime scene. Officers have investigated burglaries and robberies for many years before they get in homicide. And they thought that the scene looked kind of suspicious. So what was off kilter with this one . The fact that it didnt look burglarized. The drawers were open, i think, right . They were open a little bit, but nothing was tossed. Reporter but what about those items lizz noticed were missing from the house . And that backpack of apparent burglars loot she found in the garage . Well, detectives took careful note of many other items, pricey things that had been left untouched. Cameras, the bicycle. There was some painting equipment. There were things that were easy to take that werent taken. And then the stuff that was taken and put in the backpack was left in the garage. Doesnt make sense. Reporter the home, to investigators, showed no sign of forced entry. That open garage door the only possible way in for an intruder. But Law Enforcement thought that too seemed as though it could have been staged. No. To investigators this didnt look like a burglary gone bad, but more like a targeted killing. And they theorized their suspect was someone already inside the house. Coming up my memory is so bad. Reporter how murky was her memory, really . Investigators are about to listen very carefully to sandras story. Reporter the day before reporter the day before christmas eve, also the First Anniversary of jaime melgars death, was impossibly hard for his family i mean thats all we really think about. Should be Holiday Season but its thats awful memory coming yes. Back, huh . Yes. Yes we are anxiously waiting for that day to come. I mean doesnt matter if its tomorrow or if its ten years from now, but we we would like some answers. Reporter but Law Enforcement wasnt exactly forthcoming with the melgar family. Might have been a reason, they doubted jaimes murderer was a burglar, or even someone else in sandra and jaimes remote orbit. Theres always a first suspicion of Family Members, if theres nothing that really makes sense. Reporter and that suspicion had narrowed down to the person inside the house with jaime, sandra. Her account of a blackedout 14 hours after their anniversary celebration. I wish i could recall. Reporter to investigators, was just too weird to be believed. My memory is so bad. Reporter it seemed implausible to them that sandra really heard nothing the entire night. This is happening in a very small space . The husband is stabbed to death and found in one closet. And shes been tied up in another . Thats right. Reporter the investigators closely studied that interview theyd conducted with sandra. They found her more indifferent than distraught. Do you know what has happened today . My husband was murdered. How . I dont know. Reporter and when sandra broke down crying, the detectives couldnt recall seeing any tears detectives believed sandras story morphed over time for instance the part about how long shed waited to get out of the tub after jaime left to fetch the dogs at first she was vague and he just, you know, was taking a while so i got out. Reporter then more specific. About 15 minutes, 20 minutes. Reporter later another revision maybe about five minutes. Reporter and, detectives were perplexed by what sandra claimed she did and did not hear that night hear anybody scream . No. Hear the dogs . Oh, you hear the dogs barking . Yeah because they were outside our window. Reporter but, after almost two hours in, as investigators pushed her, sandra seemed to tweak this key element of her story actually i dont even remember hearing the dogs. My husbands the one that says hes got better hearing than i reporter of course, the changeups in sandras story could be attributed to shock. But, as the detectives viewed it, sandra was being deliberately evasive. Enhancing her story to align with a conjuredup crime scene. It sounds like a bloody event. Was it . It was bloody in the area that he was in. There was blood in the carpet. There was blood on a chair. He, himself, was very bloody. And the closet but nowhere else in the house was there any blood. Reporter to investigators way of thinking, Home Invaders would have dragged at least a trace of blood on their way out of the house. But crime scene techs did not find any. When the rest of the forensics came back, the findings had limitations. Although you have the murder weapon, its been washed in water for several hours. Kitchen knife or something . A kitchen knife. A large kitchen knife. It was found in the bathtub. And so any dna that had couldve been on it from the murderer was gone. It was washed away. Reporter whats more, no blood was detected on sandra. In fact, no dna or fingerprints linked sandra to jaimes body or jaime to sandras. And while detectives had a hunch about sandra, the evidence didnt seem quite there yet for an indictment. As more time went by, it became clear to members of sandras family, like her cousin diana, that Law Enforcement was eyeing her or so ok. Its okay for you to think that, investigate her, and then youll see that theres nothing there and move on. Reporter but as the investigation dragged into july of 2014, their worst fears were realized, lizz and her mom found out in a most unusual way. I went to the mailbox and it had been absolutely filled with fliers from lawyers trying to get our business for our pending case. Did you know what that was about . I had no idea what that was about. And so i got onto the Harris County website and i entered my moms name. And i saw that she had been charged with my fathers murder. Reporter a few days earlier, a grand jury had quietly voted to indict her. She turned herself in and posted bond. And then she hired veteran criminal defense attorney mac secrest to defend her. Quite frankly, i can smell bs from across the room. And when i sat down and spoke with her, her story was plausible, i didnt hear anything that rang kind of a false note. Reporter Allison Secrest macs niece served as cocounsel. Shes a sweet person, she doesnt have a temper. And it was really apparent to us she had a Good Relationship with her husband. Reporter they couldnt fathom how sandra was under suspicion for a crime that defied physical possibilities. After all she was found tied up, barricaded in her closet she believes shes had a seizure. Or maybe she was actually hit in the head and was knocked unconscious. Reporter to these attorneys, the case seemed suspiciously thin wheres the beef . Wheres the crime . I guess more importantly, wheres the investigation . Reporter it had taken more than a year and a half to indict sandra. So what were the detectives doing all that time . Well thats an involved story, investigated by nbc affiliate kprctv. The lead detective on the case, ruben shawn carrizal, seen here interviewing sandra, had become the center of a scandal. A controversy is growing tonight over a document falsified by a Harris County detective now working for the district attorneys office. Detective carrizal got himself into serious trouble for falsifying a search warrant in a case not connected to sandras. And that cast a shadow on his other investigations. That became a probably a really big issue for the prosecution and somethin that the defense, would be able to to definitely use against him reporter after the story broke, the detective left the sheriffs department. Would it end the case against sandra too . Did your lawyers tell you, this thing may never go to trial here. This thing has got so many holes in it . Thats what we believed. Absolutely. Reporter by the summer of 2017, it had been three years since sandras arrest. She had a right to a speedy trial. It was put up or shut up time for the das office. When you read all your stuff and stepped back and you said, what do i have here, what was the biggest problem . The biggest problem was that i didnt have that many affirmative acts from her stand point. I had what do you mean there . I couldnt put the knife in her hand. I didnt have any eyewitnesses that she killed him. She didnt confess. What did you have going for you . What was the best thing you had going, colleen . Her story was ridiculous. Reporter so the prosecution made the call, the people v. Sandra melgar would proceed to trial. Reporter coming up, a deadly seduction . Amandathe prosecution thinks that Sandra Melgar lured jaime to the bedroom under the guise of sex play pros shes massaging his neck, and then she makes a strike straight up. But where was the proof . this case outta scare the hell out of all of you when dateline continues. Reporter august 2017. More than fourandahalf years after jaime melgar was murdered in, what seemed at the time, a brutal Home Invasion. But now, sandra, his wife of 32years, was on trial for jaimes murder. Shed pleaded not guilty. It put daughter lizz in a painful, judicial paradox. The people versus are bringing you, the family, victim, justice in their mind. And yet, justice is putting your mother away. Correct. Ive lost my father and here i am, about to lose my mother. This is supposed to be s the Justice System that its just completely broken. Reporter prosecutor Colleen Barnetts message for the jury was simple, sandra and only sandra could have done this. Theres zero evidence. No evidence that anybody else did this. Reporter the prosecutor set out to dismantle the theory that jaimes death resulted from a botched robbery. First responder, emt Stephanie Robertson, told the jury that to her the crime scene just looked off. It was a little disarrayed. The drawers were pulled out nothing was appeared to be missing. Reporter and the prosecutor used sandras own words against her. The jury heard that interview with the defendant the one where detectives found her so oddly indifferent. Do you know what has happened today . My husband was murdered. Reporter and sometimes her story to the detectives didnt gybe with what detectives believed to be the facts. Shes just trying to tell a tale so that she can go on with her life without being in prison. Reporter for instance, her account of jaime getting out of the jacuzzi to quiet the barking dogs there was a nextdoor neighbor to the melgars who constantly complained about the barking dogs. She said that night, she didnt hear the dogs barking. Like, she slept wonderful. Reporter of course, one of the main problems for sandra was the big picture, so you want us to believe, the prosecutor argued, that Home Invaders were slashing your husband to death just feet away from you and you remember nothing . Really . Nobody running . Nobody saying anything . Shouting . No. Nothing. Reporter sandras explanation was that shed suffered from seizures and memory loss for years. Reporter amanda orr was in the courtroom as the prosecution introduced some of sandras medical history refuting that. She did go to her doctors appointments, but reported that she was not having seizures. That her medication was controlling them pretty well. Reporter so if sandra was, in fact, lying about being unconscious for hours, then she had plenty of time to pull herself together and make the house appear ransacked. She had a lifetime to get rid of the clothes, to wash herself up, to get ready for the the big finale. Reporter though not required to prove a motive, the prosecutor offered one up for the jury anyway. There was no evidence of infidelity or typical marriage troubles still she suggested that sandra wanted out. But their religion made it impossible to split up the usual way jehovahs witnesses dont allow you to divorce. Unless someones cheating, and its very clear that jaime was not that guy. If i get divorced, i get ostracized and i cant talk with my friends. But if i kill him, and nobody finds out, im not ostracized. Reporter but wasnt sandra too frail to commit such a violent, close quarters, crime . Maybe not. The medical examiners report concluded jaime suffered 31 sharp force wounds but none very deep. So kind of stab, stab, taunting kind of injuries or how i dont how do you read it . Or maybe not much force used. Or maybe a weaker person. Reporter so how did the attack go down . The prosecutor had a vivid scenario of a lethal seduction. The prosecution thinks that Sandra Melgar lured jaime to the bedroom under the guise of sex play. So she gets jaime to sit down in the chair, and maybe shes massaging his neck, and then she pulls it out, and while he isnt looking, she makes a strike straight up all the way to his neck. Reporter it was a dramatic show and tell for sure. Then, it was showtime for the defense the prosecutions case was all invented nonsense, they said. Theory strong, evidence light. This case oughta scare the hell outta all of you. Reporter attorney mac secrest told the jury that sandra was the victim of bumbling, myopic investigation. Now weve got jaime butchered, this lady falsely accused. Reporter and, the defense said, sandra was so clearly attacked herself, barricaded and bound. Or so shes been tied up. Shes been left in a closet for 14, 16, 17 hours. Reporter they showed these photos in court, and told the jury sandra went to a doctor who confirmed her injuries. When sandy went to the doctor a couple of days later she had a full examination. And of course hematoma was found on her head. Reporter as for that interview. The defense said the only thing it revealed was that the blinkered detectives thought sandra was guilty from the getgo. Would you want us to find the killer . Of course. I dont think you do. Reporter and, they said it showed, in the most trying of circumstances, sandra remaining consistent and composed. I had a seizure and so i usually cant move anyway. Reporter another point a forensic one the defense told the jury about dna evidence that had been collected but not presented by the prosecution. Theres unknown male dna on various drawer pulls from the master bedroom, and door handles, and also on that backpack. So its huge because it points to a possible other suspect reporter and the csis had photographed a bloody swipe on the handle of the closet safe just a short distance from jaimes body. The defense told the jury how detectives never ran it for a possible print, nor had it swabbed for dna. Isnt that the kind of evidence youd wanna have available to consider . Why wouldnt you at least test it . Reporter the defense ticked off more examples of what they regarded as inept detective work, they never brought lizzs exhusband in for questioning. Or that neighbor with a history of petty burglaries, the one fresh out of jail. The police go to his house, knock. He doesnt answer and they leave their card. Call us if you get the time . Right. And, and, they never followed up on it. Reporter and, the defense thought they knew just how the investigation got so bungled. Look at the man who led it. What kind of Murder Investigation would you have where you knowingly, intentionally, and willfully dont bring the lead investigator to court . Reporter the defense, not the prosecution, called the onetime lead detective. They werent allowed to tell the jury about the scandal involving that other case, but they asked him to account for a litany of perceived fumbles in this, investigation. Case in point, a pair of sandras socks found, not in the evidence room, but, instead, in a filing cabinet, long after hed left the job. Its a really horrible investigation. Its just inept. Theres no physical evidence in this case that points to her at all. Reporter but there was another key element to this prosecutions case. She knew the jury had one big question, was sandra a houdini level escape artist . Reporter coming up so how do you tie yourself up with that . All you do is just put it on your tie, a wickedly clever bag of tricks . Really pull Something Like this off . The jurors would have a stunner of an answer. Reporter Sandra Melgars Defense Attorneys had tried to portray the Murder Investigation as seriously flawed. But perhaps their most persuasive argument was sandra herself. She didnt testify, but Houston Chronicle reporter brian rogers said her muted appearance spoke volumes. You know theres an old adage in defense law. If you make your client look like a schoolmarm, do it. And she sorta comes across that way, as somebody reporter kind of frail . Small. And reporter depending on a cane . Yeah. You know, and you have a hard time believing she could even yell, you know, much less stab anyone. Reporter and how could that same petite woman have managed, as the prosecution contended, to wedge a chair beneath the doorknob of the closet that she was already inside and beyond that, bind her own hands and feet. The prosecution had an answer for those houdinilike skills. She definitely prepared for this. Im sure she practiced the chair behind the the door. Reporter the prosecutor said sandra had come up with an ingenious way to wedge that chair under the doorknob from the inside. By sliding a pillow sham along the floor. Hows that, you ask . Well, she played the jury this video of investigators recreating the process. The detectives videotaped themselves putting the chair on the pillow sham and pulling the pillow sham underneath the door so you can pull it closed from the inside. Reporter you have to be inside the closet, of course, right . Thats right. Reporter prosecutor barnett said it wouldnt be all that hard for sandra to tie her own hands behind her back. She showed us what she showed the jury. Reporter so how do you tie yourself up with that figure eight now . Its pretty simple. All you do is just put it on your tie, turn it in the back and you just mess around with it any kind of way. The point is that it looks legitimate. Not that it is legitimate. But it looks legitimate. Reporter the prosecutor argued sandra did this just minutes before the family discovered her, which explained what the emt said she did not see on sandras wrists. She had no bruises, um, no ligature marks, nothing. Reporter but the very thought that sandra could have come up with these elaborate tricks and executed them. Thats sheer speculation, said the defense. Thats a theory, folks. Theres no evidence of that. Reporter a theory that the defense said investigators didnt even try to corroborate with the eyewitnesses whod found sandra. Daughter lizz said after that night, investigators never came back to ask the family what they saw. Reporter never really spoke to your family again, is that right . Yeah they never reached out to anybody. They could have asked them about you know the theory of the chair and the mat under the chair. You know, they couldve asked them about the surroundings. Reporter and they would have heard how the family said they needed scissors to cut sandra free. Her wrists so tightly bound. I have a big problem with them not following through and talkin to witnesses who had personal knowledge. Reporter the prosecution said investigators followed the evidence and did a thorough job. It was now up to a Harris County jury to decide sandras fate. The first day of deliberations ended with no decision. Reporter when the jurys out, do you go back to your office and pretend to work or what . You cant work. No, you try and do other stuff, but you really cant. Reporter finally, on day two there was a verdict. We were all, everythings gonna be fine. This is a joke. No worries. Reporter surely the jury will see it the way we the family see it. Exactly. Reporter Sandra Melgar stood to learn her fate. We the jury find the defendant Sandra Jean Melgar guilty of murder as charged in the indictment. Reporter sandra collapsed into her chair, sobbing. Lizz, beyond devastated, grasped for her mother as she was led away. It sucked the life out of me. I just felt the room spin. And i just felt like my world was collapsing. We just could not believe it, could not believe that this was happening to her. Reporter to prosecutor barnett, this was justice. Both for the state and for jaime melgar. Shes committed a crime. And they found her guilty and im glad. Ive done my job. And justice has been served. Reporter the jury sentenced sandra to 27years in prison. Her lawyers have begun the yearslong appellate process. From behind bars, sandra wrote us this letter saying shes at peace because she knows shes innocent. Her family supports her so shes not giving up. And lizz . Well, she and her kids do their best to carry on without jaime or sandra. My daughter just loves her nana so much. And it was so heartbreaking. To tell her that nana wasnt coming home. Reporter when do you miss your dad the most . Every day when i look at my kids. Because i know what a wonderful grandfather he wouldve been. The jokes and the games and probably the toys he wouldve made for them. Reporter they never got a chance to roll their eyes at a jim joke, huh . Yeah. Reporter thats all for this edition of dateline. Im craig melvin. Im natalie morales. And this is dateline. Is your husband michael . Im sorry to tell you, maam, hes been killed. No. No. No no. Shes like candy, attractive on the outside but taedeadly one inside. She was pure evil. He fell in love with her. He thoughtn she was the be all end all. She had everything she wanted, but she longed for one thing more. Im