Coasttocoast. Before leading investigators back home. My thoughts its someone we know. Reporter was he living a double life . I think he was. Reporter you are making him sound like hanibal lector. Its just wild. Reporter the courthouse. The moral center of every American City and town. The place we go to settle differences. Resolve disputes, find justice. Its the place where the store usually ends. But not this time. Not in rural kaufmann, texas, where life is leisurely and no one is a stranger. Oh, my god, Somebody Just shot somebody, they are laying on the ground. It was bam, bam, bam. Reporter this time, its where the story begins. Somebody was trying to send a message. It was just so bold. Reporter a story that quickly got too big for this texas town. And like a prairie fire spread across the nation. We have new information this morning on the thanhu for th man hunt. Reporter in this town, the hunters became the hunted. It was so scary, its not just me anymore, i have young kids. My husband and family. My wife had two guns out. I said, unless you know its me coming through the door. Be ready to use it. Reporter shannon never expected to be in danger when she started the career she always wanted. Practicing law. Why did you want to be a lawyer . Oh, my gosh, in second grade, a judge came to my class and i fell in love with that and i wanted to be a judge or a lawyer. Reporter her dream came true. By 2008 shannon had passed the bar exam and got her first job as a prosecutor. On the second floor of the courthouse in the center of town. I loved the office, the people around me were all from dallas. Reporter one of the lawyers from dallas was mark cassia, an experienced prosecutor and a guy who lived his job. Reporter did you learn anything from him . Oh, my gosh, oh, yes, we went to mark for everything. Reporter that is because he prosecuted some of the worst criminals in texas. He was intellectual and quick on his feet. Reporter marcus bush is a lawyer with the department of justice. He and mark were young guns working in the organized crime section of the dallas das office. Mark was not afraid of taking on a fight. Some of the defendants and some of the cases are very bad people. And mark had the personality to stand in the breech, and prosecute the worst of the worst. Reporter why did mark move out of dallas . He wanted a place to have room. He bought a house on eight acres and he loved the space. He loved the animals. Reporter besides animals and wide open spaces, he another passion flying. In 1995, it almost killed him mark had a bad accident . A terrible accident. Reporter mark was part of this aerial armada of vintage planes when something went terribly wrong. Elbow the engine failed and he made a forced landing ran off the end of the runway, you survived but he a severe brain injury. Reporter did he fly again . He did. Reporter why would you want to fly again . He almost died. He wanted to be the person he was before, its like being thrown from a horse. Reporter he did. He did, and it took a long time. Reporter they got a kick out of his weakness, his love for sugary snacks. He a sweet tooth and he would mostly eat everyones stuff. So, if we had weekly prosecutor meetings every monday and we would get doughnuts for them and he would get there first and steal my blueberry doughnut. Mark and shannon got a new boss that seemed to fit right n newly elected District Attorney. Mike mcclelland. His stepdaughter said he loved the job. I think he did embrace being a leader and he enjoyed the people he worked with. He would talk about this person did this and i was proud of them. This person did this and i was proud of them. He came and took it over. Reporter was he tough . He was not tough on us at all. The greatest thing about him, he let us do what we do best. Reporter he formed a relationship with mark. Mark was his best friend in the office. They were very close. Reporter marks wife fit in, she was like a den mother, worked as a nurse and found time to bake cakes and cookies for the staff. She was a avid quilter who loved to make gifts for her husbands coworkers, including shannon now married with two children. She brought in fabrics to show me, is this going to match the nursery. Then she quilted it and it was stunning. It was beautiful. Reporter thats how it was, a humming, happy office in a small town. Until january 31st, 2013 just before 9 00 a. M. At that moment the calm, is a reas the calm serene morning and the lives of those in the d. A. s office would be shattered. I heard what i thought was gunshots. Reporter he and his partner were investigating a burglary when Something Big caught his attention. And it was just a slow and methodical, five shots. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And then, it was a little pause, i guess, you would say, and then three more shots after that. Reporter shannon was inside the courthouse when she heard the sound of sirens. Its not unusual, theres a Police Station a block away. Theres a hospital a few blocks down the street. Reporter that siren was jason stasnys squad car. I said, those are gunshots we need to go. So we packed up and went. Reporter the car camera was rolling as they drove toward gunshots. About half way over, the dispatch came across the radio and said a man was shot and gave us a location. Yes, we have a gentleman on grove street and madison that just got shot. Reporter that is just a block from the courthouse. Shannon noticed that her secretary was looking out the window. My secretary turned around and she was crying. I wanted to comfort her and i could not imagine what she was crying about and when she turned around, she said it was mark. My natural instinct was that he was hit by a car and she said no, he was shot. Who is it . Its mark cassie, he is the assistant District Attorney. Reporter coming up. Mark, come on. The ambulance is coming. Its almost here. Reporter a dedicated prosecutor shot, right outside the courthouse. Stunning onlookers and police. Its nothing you could prepare for. Reporter who would even attempt such a brazen attack . Did that tell you that they knew each other . It seemed personal to me. Reporter when dateline continues no matter how you stay fit keep it light with light fits rainbow of delightful, proteinpacked flavors. Beyond the routine checkups. Beyond the notsoroutine cases. Comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. All working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gigspeed network. Because beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. To do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. Reporter a beloved prosecutor, mark cassie had been shot outside the courthouse in kaufmann texas during the morning rush. Officer jason stasny was one of the first on the scene. When i pulled up. I saw a man laying in the street. Reporter you are seeing the dramatic images from the on board camera. A woman was over him looking like she was doing cpr. Reporter that woman saw the shooter and saw him flee and now tried to help mark. And stasny was taking over. Its a scene, its nothing that you can prepare for. Reporter he knew right away, it was bad. He looked at me and he stopped breathing. Thats when i started cpr. I got him to take seven breaths. I do remember that. Reporter as his car cam was rolling, his body mic caught the pleas for mark to hold on just a little longer. Ems is almost here, the ambulance is coming. I tried my best to you know, to tell him. You know, you are doing good, keep breathing the ambulancine coming. Reporter the ambulance rolled up after five agonizing minutes. Back at the courthouse shannon abare was getting updates on mark. I dont know how many minutes passed by when another prosecutor came in the courtroom saying how bad it was. Reporter about an hour earlier, shannon had walked from the parking lot to the courthouse. Thats the same root her friend and colleague mark cassie was walking when he was shot. Now, too afraid to go anywhere, she stayed inside, praying for him. We are now just waiting to hear if he is going to live. Reporter but bad news traveled fast. It did not take long for his trial partner to walk in to the courtroom shaking her head and crying. And i think at that point we knew he was gone. Reporter i can only imagine how horrible a moment like that is. Its horrible. It will be in my brain forever. Like i will never, ever forget that. Theres not a day that goes by that i do not go by her and think back to that day and exactly what happened and exactly what i saw. Reporter mark cassie was dead at 57. Gunned down on his way to work. A block from the courthouse. People in kaufmann are shocked by the deadly attack. Out in the open in the town square. I just never in a million years would have expected one of our prosecutors, much less somebody i knew personally, to be laying on the ground dead. Reporter with one of their own down, lieutenant Julie Stewart quickly joined the swarm of Law Enforcement jumping on the case. We didnt have time to grief about it. We didnt have time to talk about our feelings. It was time to go to work. Reporter lieutenant stewart and others canvassed the area. But solid information was hard to come by. Witnesses said that the shooter hopped in the passenger side of the get away car as it sped away. So there had to be at least two people involved. And they said the car was silver or was it gray or tan . A fourdoor, maybe a ford taurus, but with no license plate. We were going around looking for the car. I dont think i have noticed how many silver, light colored fourdoor sedans there are. Reporter and even though the killer attacked in the morning rush, he covered up. One of the witnesses described him as wearing a hoodie. That was black. And covered their face. And then, another person who saw him from a distance said, you know, all black. Dark clothing. Reporter but there was something more. A witness in a garage right across the street heard the victims last words. Mark said, no, no, im sorry. And that was after a little bit of a shoving match. Reporter did that tell you that these two knew each other . That seemed personal to me. Reporter no weapon was found at the scene and no shell casings either. Did that tell you anything that there were no shell casings . Yes, it told us that it was a resolver. Reporter thats because resolvers keep the bullet casings inside the begun after firing. I can only imagine how ti how terrified he was in the final moments. He was doing what he did every day. He was going to work. Reporter now they feared he died for the work, and they could be next. No one felt safe. We didnt know if there were people waiting to shoot us. Reporter the courthouse was locked down in the morning and closed for the day. They were given extra security. They were walking us to our cars carrying huge rifles and guns. Reporter when did it sink in to you that it could have been me. You walk in to work with mark. Your office is there. That was the immediate fear. It could have been any of us. We lost a really, really good man. Reporter District Attorney Mike Mcclelland stood tall when he addressed the media about the killing of his good friend. I hope the people that did this are watching, because we are very confident that we are going to find you, we are going pull you out of whatever hole you are. And we are going to bring you back and let the people of kaufmann county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. What are you doing . Reporter mikes stepdaughter watched his take no prisoners press conference with immense pride. Thats not an unusual thing for him. When he really, truly felt deeply about something he was going to make a stand for it. He was going to make a stand with his beliefs and really try to do the right thing. Reporter but bringing this killer or killers to justice would take a lot more than tough talk. This was just the start of the crime spree that would terrorize the very people that protect us. Now, no one was safe. Coming up that investigation would also present an overwhelming challenge. Thanks to a suspect list including the hundreds of defendants that mark had put away. I immediately started to think of the organized crime cases and the murder cases many were starting to parole out. Reporter anybody in particular stick in your head . When dateline continues. Telin. Or powders, try the cooling, soothing relief or preparation h, because your derriere deserves expert care. Preparation h. Get comfortable with it. You dont let a cold ruin your day. You take dayquil severe liquicaps and crush it. Dayquil severe. The daytime, coughing, aching, stuffyhead, fever, sore throat, power through your day, medicine. The amount of Student Loan Debt i have, im embarrassed to even say. We just decided we didnt want debt any longer. I didnt realize how easy investing could be. Im Picking Companies that i believe in. I think sofi money is amazing. Thank you sofi. Sofi thank you, we love you. I mean, we really did love him. It was devastating when he was gone. Reporter monday morning, four days after the murder of mark cassie, fellow prosecutor shannon abare, returned to worker with a heavy heart. Of course, it was a hard monday in our weekly meeting without mark. Our whole office was devastated. I mean, his door was closed. Reporter security remained tight in and around the courthouse. The people inside took on a bunker mentality. Folks were trying to deal with what happened. Nobody has ever done this before. This is New Territory for everyone. Reporter his colleagues were terrified. And many wanted to carry guns for protection. District attorney Mike Mcclelland made it easier for everyone to get concealed handgun licenses. We could take the course for free and get our handguns if we needed it. Reporter did you get one . No. Reporter did you think about it . Oh, way. Reporter its what people do when people are panicked. An allstar army of Law Enforcement was on the case. The Training Center was turned in to a command post and it was buzzing with local police, Texas Rangers and federal agents from the atf and fbi. That is what is amazing about the case. You had federal, state, Law Enforcement working together in a team. Reporter advising the team, toby shook and bill wersky, veteran high profile attorneys from dallas who were quickly named special prosecutors. Once you are over the shock and disbelief that a prosecutor and somebody you know is murdered, your professional training kicked in. Thats where toby and i volunteered in the role. Reporter the crime is what every prosecutor fears. A revenge hit for putting away a bad guy. That struck a chord that reverberated from kaufmann to dallas, throughout texas and beyond. I think every judge, every defense attorney and prosecutor has it in the back of their mind. Reporter did it send a chill through everyone when one of your own is killed like that . It does. Whoever did it obviously crossed the line that other people rarely even approach. And starts making you think of, what you do for a living and your family members and your own personal safety. Reporter the initial theories were as numerous as the hundreds of cases that mark cassie prosecuted. The first place to look was in the county where he was a felony prosecutor for three years. The big question is, who has he prosecuted recently . Reporter the sheriffs investigator, jolee stewart was involved from day one. Is there something recent that has somebody upset . Reporter investigators looked in to every local case he prosecuted. There was robberies, drug prosecutions and a theft that involved an elected official that stole office equipment. They didnt immediately find anything that led them to a suspect. U. S. Marshals pulled in anyone with an outstanding arrest warrant. Nothing there either. So, the task force widened the scope of the investigation beyond kaufmann. We dont have a lot of Violent Crimes in va crimes i kaufmann, especially murders. So we assumed dallas. Reporter the big city less than 30 miles, but seemingly a lifestyle away. Remember, back in the 1980s, mark and marcus bush locked up tough customers there. I started to think of the organized crime cases and the murder cases that we prosecuted were life sentences and starting to parole out. Somebody held the grudge, and got out and wanted him. Reporter even though investigators were convinced he was murdered because of his job as a prosecutor they doesnt stop there. We have to interview friends and family members and associates. Reporter mark was a tea tottler and he did not have a wife or kids. There was nothing there, he loved his mother who lived in dallas, he spent time taking care of her and taking her to dinner. Reporter all the initial checks in to his professional and personal life was not panning in. Frustration was setting in. The cases get harder to solve after the first 48 hours. Two full days in, marks murder had reached that crossroad and investigators were searching desperately for a break. Understands tell us tonight theres simply no promising leads in the case right now. This murder is turning in to a who done it. Any assistance that anybody can give us in finding the people who did this will be greatly appreciated. Reporter d. A. Mcclelland had it tough, he an office to run while mourning a friend. How hard was it for him to come back. It was very difficult. He talked a lot about the case. Reporter and the case was about to get bigger with another murder. Only this one crossed another line. A very sacred line. Reporter coming up, another member of Law Enforcement gunned down. The colorado head of the department of corrections was shot here in his front door. Had mark cassies killer struck again . When dateline continues. Ntinu. And grab every moment. Made with superior softness, for your comfort. Kleenex. The softest ultra tissue. cos i know what it means to walk along the lonely street of dreams here i go again on my you realize your vows are a whitesnake song . I do. If you ride, you get it. Geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15 or more. On the sleep numberhe v360 smart bed. Le can it help keep us asleep . Yes, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. And now, save 1,000 on the new sleep number 360 special Edition Smart bed, now only 1,799. Only for a limited time. Here is what is happening. Democratic president ial candidate beto orourke is announced that he is dropping out of the race. He made the decision reluctantly and supporters are urging him to run again in 2020. And another blaze erupted in southern california, minutes before a Utility Company restored power to customers. Wind gusts spread fires forcing mass evacuations. That is what is happening. Now back to dateline. Emotional afternoon of kaufmann county, where hundreds of people attended a Memorial Service for slain prosecutor mark cassie. He was begging for more of my wifes cookies. She makes cookies for the office once a month and he would run out in about 12 minutes. Reporter mark as longtime friend marcus bush almost memorialized him. This world is a better place because of mark. And so are we. The world lost a good man. Somebody who was resolute, always knew that the difference between right and wrong and would fight for that. Reporter now, special prosecutors toby and bill along with a Multiagency Task force were fighting for mark. Searching for his killer, but not coming up with easy answers. Because he was so close to his friend and employee, d. A. Mike mcclelland had to bow out of the investigation. They were doing what they could. Opening their files to investigators. Anything that anyone can think of they are looking for. Reporter checks on his personal background went nowhere so they continued to look at his professional cases. From 30 years ago to the week before. But it was slow going. How do you sift it was not this person but it could be this person. You are seeing if they are locked up. Where they are, is there anything unusual or specific about a case that would give someone a cause to have a grudge. Reporter four weeks in to the investigation, a tip came in to the county Crime Stoppers Anonymous Tip Line that looked like a big break. The tipster said they have been in a bar in a small town in kaufmann, and overheard two white males talking about the killing and taking responsibility for it. Reporter the tip lacked the kind of detail that investigators needed to followup. And using the Crime Stoppers system, the tipster remained anonymous. If this was going to be the game changer, investigators would need lots more information. Or a little more luck. You are still hoping for the big break and a lucky traffic stop or somebody is going to, that knows about the murder is going to pick up the phone and call in and that will be the magic phone call. Reporter there was something that might lead them to the killer. The way mark had been murdered. The killer had been lying in wait. Mark was shot at point blank range. Execution style. All this, led investigators to think that this could be an organized crime hit. Rumors are sweeping the town. Talk of mexican drug cartels and prison gangs. We are open to every avenue right now. Reporter nbcs channel five in dallas covered the case from the beginning and the reporter ken kaltoff was there for it all. Mexican drug cartels were suspect immediately because he had been involved in drug cases over the years. Reporter and investigators also suspected another group. Less publically known but very dangerous. The arian brotherhood of texas. A prison gang of white supremists. Why was this a group that b group that may have done this . There were rumors that said that they may want to get even with people in Law Enforcement. Reporter get even because three months before marks murder, they announced that 34 gang members had been indicted for racketerring and thanked the kaufmann county d. A. Office for their role in the investigation. People were trying to put two and two together with the arian brotherhood. Reporter its one thing if its one individual that went after mark and its another thing if its the arian brotherhood. Oh, yeah, prosecutors across the state were terrified. Hey, if this is the arian brotherhood, we are all targets. Reporter and then seven weeks later, another assault on Law Enforcement. It looked like it was open season on the criminal Justice System. The colorado head of the department of corrections was shot here at his front door on tuesday night. Reporter the mans name was tom clements. The highly regarded head of colorados prison system. And like mark hassie, a Public Servant. With more than 20,000 inmates in the colorado prison system, he may have had a lot of enemies. Reporter it was another bold attack. This time, inside the front door. Instead of outside the courthouse. Evidence pointed to a former inmate named evan ebol, he was a member of a white supremacist gang in colorado similar to the arian brotherhood and now he was on the run from colorado authorities armed and dangerous. Two days after the murder, a sheriffs deputy in texas would find out just how dangerous. A violent attack caught on a dashboard camera. The deputy stopped this quarterback, because the license plate did not match the vehicle. He no idea that the driver was evan ebol, as are you about to see, he no hesitation about using his gun again. The unsuspecting deputy shot in the face would survive. Ebol was quickly chased down by Law Enforcement. And died in an explosive shootout in wise county, texas. This is cell phone video of thursdays shootout. Reporter what grabbed the attention of investigators in the mark hassie murder is this, wise county is 100 miles from kaufmann, could he have killed another Public Servant in texas . Seven weeks earlier . The fbi is now investigating this case, they want to see if ebol is connect to mark hassies murder. Reporter two Public Officials gunned down in two states. Somebody seemed to be targeting Law Enforcement at point blank range. Coming up as the investigation grows more urgent, sudden concerns about d. A. Mike mcclell mcclelland and cynthia. I tried them and didnt get an answer. I said, i will go over. And then concern becomes alarm. At that point, something is really wrong. When dateline continues. Suffer if there is optionsmebodo that they dont need to. I think dentists will want to recommend sensodyne rapid relief because its clinically proven to work in 3 days. Which means for patients that they get relief very fast. Mucinex cold flu allinone. Fights. Oh no. Nonono. Did you really need the caps lock . Mucinex cold and flu allinone. Hthousands of optionss nationwide from National Insurance companies. Dont miss the deadline. There are only days remaining in open enrollment. 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All working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gigspeed network. Because beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. To do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. Reporter the shooting of colorados prison chief at his home allegedly by a white supremacist had given texas investigators a fresh angle in the murder of prosecutor mark hassie. Its another strange attack on Law Enforcement in a small town. Reporter nbc5 said that the suspected murderer ending up in texas was especially intriguing to investigators. It made people if perhaps there was a connection with the hassie murder. Reporter they did tests on the suspects weapon, his bullets were identical to these killed the prison chief in colorado but they found out that his gun was not the weapon that killed mark hassie and what is more ebol was deemed to not have been in kaufmann at the time that hassi he was killed. Reporter so eight weeks in the investigation was going nowhere. The command post was shut down. Leaving just a small group to work full time on the case. Slowly, you know, we kind of trickled back to our daily duties. Reporter the passage of town was allowing shannon abare get her footing back. I was not checking out t letting your guard down and life took over. Reporter same thing for hardnosed d. A. Mike mcclelland, did things get back to normal . More of a sense of normal. It was on the forefront of oh, god, we have not found anything out. We have not solved this yet. But, life moves on. Reporter for the mcclellans, moving on meant spending time with family. Its something that mike enjoyed since marryi ining cynthia. He would give big bear hugs and pick me up and hug me. I was like, im 22. Reporter did you feel lucky for him as a step bad . Yes, our personalities are similar. Reporter he relied on the support of his wife, who was doing what she loved, quilting, entertaining and cooking. You know, she is the old school cook that did not use packages. She bakes everything from scratch. Reporter was he happy that he was the baker cook . Clearly by his physique that he loved the food. Reporter what made them a good match . She supported him in what he is doing, but he was conservative and she was liberal. So they balanced each other nicely. Reporter cynthia wanted her daughter to find love and was not shy about playing matchmaker w with a guy that she thought was a good fit. She looked at me and said, do you believe in arranged marriages. Which is very weird. Reporter at the end of march, easter weekend, they were looking forward to a big sunday dinner that cynthia was making for friends. Perfect time to relax and not dwell on the murder for a little while. Reporter was there fear that we need to be on high alert . I dont think so at that point. Reporter she spoke to her mom and step dad. She was making easter baskets and she was not quite getting the peeps on sticks right, and making a huge mess. And normal, cynthia, you need to sit down and take a break. You know, and you are getting tired and you just need to give it a minute. And mom, im fine. Reporter the next morning, saturday, the sun rose over the house. And it was cynthias day to prep. She sent me a text about the menu that we were going to have for easter. Reporter Leah Phillips and her husband Close Friends were excited about joining them for dinner. She was making our family all easter baskets. And then shed make clues and hide the easter baskets. Reporter thats elaborate. It was. Reporter she was supposed to drop off vegetables for cynthia ne texted her. She never texted me back. Reporter lee all called mikes phone and the house phone. No response. And she was not the only one. Critsina was trying to call her mom and step dad. I tried mom and she didnt answer, so i tried mike and he didnt answer. Reporter by now, it was late afternoon. So, leah took things in her own hands. I said, okay, i will go on over there. Sn reporter she did go over and nothing would be the same again. Coming up the door just eeked open, like in slow motion. Reporter inside the house, a heart stopping discovery. I screamed and then i just my knees buckled and i hit the ground and i started crying. When dateline continues did you know that every single flush flings odors onto your soft surfaces . Then they get released back into the air so you smell them later ew. Right . Thats why febreze created new small spaces. Press firmly and watch it get to work. Unlike the leading cone, small spaces continuously eliminates odors in the air and on surfacesso they dont come back for 45 days. Now thats one flushin fresh bathroom. Breathe happy febreze. La la la la la. Check your free Credit Scores at creditkarma. Heres to progress. Stop dancing around the pain that keeps you up again, and again. Advil pm silences pain, and you sleep the whole night. Advil pm reporter on the saturday morning before easter, Leah Phillips had not been able to reach her good friends, cynthia and mike mcclellan, she had groceries to drop off for cynthia. And decided to drive over. I said you stay where you are at. And dont go inside that house. It was c. J. s cop sense kicking in. He is a Dallas Police officer. The feeling was, somethings not right. Just not right. Reporter a few minutes later, c. J. Drove up with his dad. We went to the door and c. J. Knocked on the door and yelled for mike three or four times and there was no answer. They were messing with the keys, they were all standing behind me and i reached down see if the door was open and yeah, it was unlocked. And ill never forget how that door opened. The door just, it eeked open, like in slow motion. I took a couple of steps in and thats when mom hit the ground. And started crying. And i screamed, and my knees buckled and i and i hit the ground and started crying, theres not supposed to be shell casings inside somebodys doorway. I looked down and sure enough, two shell casings right inside that front door. At that point, somethings really wrong now. Somethings bad happened. So, i take a couple more steps inside and i see cynthia laying there. Reporter Cynthia Mcclellan was dead, her body was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. C. J. Turned his mom away from the scene and took her to the car. Meanwhile, his father had gone further in the house and found the bullet ridden body of mike mcclellan. Reporter when they come out of the house . Theres no blood left in their face, they are white. Reporter the d. A. And his wife had been shot to death. You never expect to have to see somebody like that. That you knew, that you loved. That was so close. And i think that was the most, and it still is, obviously it, its so difficult. Reporter because she had not been able to reach her parents critsina decided to drive to the house as well. And her moms friendly a met her with the news she was dreading. I just had the feeling that they were dead. And i said both of them . And she said yes. And it occurred to me, that oh, my god, this is going to hit the news and my grandmother watches the news every day and somebody needs to stop her before she turns on the tv. Reporter mike the high profile. He was, and i didnt want somebody else to tell her that this had happened. Looking at the scene, c. J. Tomlinsons Police Training told him the killer or killers were long gone. He knew what he to do. There was no reason to go back in the house. Close the door, we didnt call 911. There was no need for paramedics to go in there. They called the kaufmann county sheriff. The things that were in that house were very important and they needed to be preserved until the right people showed up. And they did. They showed up. I was at my house and we just finished an Easter Egg Hunt with 30 kids in the backyard. Reporter about 8 00 p. M. , the prosecutor toby got a call from his partner, bill. He said, hey, the mcclellans were found murdered and sheriff wants us out there. And it scared me to death when i left the house, bill came and picked me up and my wife had two guns out, and i said, unless you know its me coming through the door, be ready to use them. Reporter the prosecutors raced to the scene. It was surreal. I mean, the front yard is lit up and its got the yellow crime scene tape and lots of sheriffs officers and Texas Rangers and fbi there. Reporter shook saw then sheriff david burns standsing on the line. He is a legendary guy, former texas ranger, captain. He was visibly shaken up and if sheriff burns is shaken up, that scared the hell out of me. All Law Enforcement was quiet. It was earily quiet, they were dealing with something that they have not seen before. Reporter aside from the obvious two people were dead, what was shaking them up so badly . I think the big question was who was next. Everyones assumption was that it could have been one of us. Reporter this escalated the danger for Law Enforcement and the families. This man had cross today line and went in to murdering family members. My thoughts and prayers were with my wife and children in dallas. Reporter it seemed that the murders were connect and everyone was terrified that the i that the killings may not be over. Did you think there was a list . Sure, there was going to be another victim if this person was not found. Reporter she was surprised bay phone call by her office. I thought, who is up there on saturday, easter weekend, im not going to answer right now. But the phone kept ringing. It was another prosecutor from her office. And at that point, something is going on. And i answered and she proceeded to tell me that the mcclellans were found in their house shot. Reporter must have been the biggest bombshell of your life. Biggest. Its so hard to imagine anyone you know being killed. And i mean, i was frantic. It was terrifying. Reporter her colleague told her to watch her back. We dont know who is next. We dont know if theres more attacks tonight. Get home and be safe, shannon. Watch out. Reporter are you all feeling now that we are all targets now . We all felt that. Reporter including the people she loved most in the world. I think that was what was so scary. Its not just me, i have young kids. My husband. My family. And i mean, i cant keep putting them at risk with mike and cynthia, we were all in danger. Reporter as local deputies began around the clock watch over shannons house, something was nagging about her about the mcclellan murders. Theres no way that cynthia opened that door to just anyone. My thoughts is its somebody we know or someone dressed like a Police Officer. I was very concerned that even Police Officers. Reporter that somebody was dressed in a fake Police Uniform . Right. Reporter investigators also wondered how the killer could have gotten inside the mcclellans front door. Mike, like his entire staff, was still vigilant ever since his chief prosecutor was gunned down. The wary d. A. Kept his guns on a table near the front door and never got the chance to use them. Is it just like all bets are off now that they are going after family members. You almost understand somebody going after a prosecutor for what they do for a living, but to go after their family is a line that we never thought we would see crossed. Reporter just who could pick off Law Enforcement like this . It was just straight up we are hoping against hope that theres going to be a magic clue in the crime scene or in the house that will answer the riddle for us. When dateline continues. Ntinu. Ntinu. Emerge everyday with emergenc. Packed with b vitamins, electrolytes, antioxidants, plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. Why not feel this good every day . Emerge and see. Come on lets hide in the attic. No. In the basement. Why cant we just get in the running car . Are you crazy . Lets hide behind the chainsaws. Smart. Yeah. Ok. If youre in a horror movie, you make poor decisions. Its what you do. This was a good idea. Shhhh. Im being quiet. Youre breathing on me if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Lets go to the cemetery reporter the murders in texas were bold. One in a Public Square in broad daylight. And then killed before dawn. Investigators hoped this latest crime scene would provide more leads than the hasse killing did. They already knew they had shell casings, would there be other clues inside the house to help catch the killer . It was just a straightup whodunit. We didnt know. Reporter texas ranger eric kasper was part of the team that entered the home. The front door was not kicked in. The door was unlocked. Theres shell casings approximately four foot in. Shell casings are. 223 caliber. Reporter that told them the killer used an ar15 or m4 type semiautomatic weapon like this one. This started exactly when the door opened. Mrs. Mclelland and mr. Mclelland were retreating and trying to get away from the gunfire. Reporter cynthias body was in the middle of the living room, and she clearly wasnt expecting anyone. Shes not dressed for company. Shes tryin to get dressed. Mr. Mclellands the same way. Hes in jogging pants with no shirt on. Reporter there were shell casings next to mikes body, indicating the killer had finished him off at close range. The suspect was standin right on top of him, over him, shooting him. Reporter to investigators, like lt. Jolie stewart of the Sheriffs Department, it looked like a carefully planned operation, an ambush, just like the hasse murder. Did the scene speak to you at all . I felt like whoever went in there had a mission. And they did it quickly. And they did it efficiently. And they were out. Reporter later, records from the Home Security company would confirm stewarts observation. The killer entered the house at 6 40 am, and was gone just two minutes later. Twenty shots fired in 120 seconds. That was a pretty brutal way to go. Reporter lt. Stewart couldnt help but be affected by the sight of cynthia shot in the head at close range. Just looking at her there on the scene she was targeted, you know. I mean, she didnt have a dog in this fight. Reporter investigators talked to neighbors. Surely someone had heard the shots. Assault rifles arent quiet. The weapon used in this murder, you should have been able to hear it outside. No problem. Reporter no one heard or saw anything. By the end of easter weekend, special prosecutor bill wirskye said they had nothing. Were just trying to figure out what to do next. And were hoping against hope theres gonna be a magic clue in that crime scene or in that house thatll answer this riddle for us. Reporter they were looking for that clue, and all of a sudden, it drove by. Reporter coming up a mysterious tip arrives, but, after so many false leads, is this one legit . Would anyone other than the killer have known that . No. Man sneezes skip to the good part with alkaseltzer plus. Now with 25 more concentrated power. Nothing works faster for powerful cold relief. Oh, what a relief it is so fast the no added hormones in land o frost premium sliced meats have moms buying in. In bulk. Boom what a beefsteak. Gotta love it. Land o frost premium. A slice above. So the thing no one tells you about tampons . You gotta change sizes to match your flow. Only tampax pearl makes five. So if it hurts to remove . Go down a size. Leaking . Go up one. And every size has our leakguard braid for backup protection. Find your flow combo with tampax. 9. 95 . 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Use this valuable guide to record your Important Information and give helpful direction about your final wishes to your loved ones. And its yours free. Its our way of saying thank you just for calling. So call now. Reporter what should have been a slow Easter Newsday in dallas, now had a lead story that didnt involve chocolate bunnies or egg hunts. Were following some breaking news right now in Kaufman County, where county District Attorney Mike Mclelland and his wife cynthia have been found shot to death. Reporter the news touched off a firestorm of public concern. Tips started flooding into the reopened Kaufman County sheriffs command post. Some tips still cited the aryan brotherhood of texas. With the added Media Attention after the mclellands were murdered, we got hundreds of tips a day. It was like drinkin out of a fire hose durin this whole thing. Reporter lt. Jolie stewart of the Sheriffs Department was right in the middle of it. Hundreds of investigators from multiple agencies had swooped in. This was all hands on deck. Uhhuh. This became the number one case in the bureau at that time. Reporter fbi special agents Michael Hillman and laurie gibbs were coordinating teams from the task force, each team looking into different aspects of the case. You have to look at everything. So you decided to just divvy it up everyone could focus on their individual tasks . Exactly. Right, and some of these teams had 25, 30 people on them. And there was a team that looked at all of the victims and what they may have in common. Reporter they believed the killing of d. A. Mike mclelland was linked with the shooting of prosecutor mark hasse back in january. But it was all one big collective hunch, until a tip came through that would confirm the connection. Through the Crime Stoppers webbased tip line, we get a tip that claims credit for the mark hasse murders. Reporter the electronic message came in Easter Sunday night. It began, do we have your full attention now . We suggests more than one person. Did you think maybe its a group . In my thought i thought is it how big is this group . What is this group . Is this some sort of antigovernment Militia Group . Is this white supremist . I i had no idea what we were dealing with. Reporter Law Enforcement wrote back, you have our attention. And we wanted him to tell us what he wanted. Reporter while they waited anxiously for an answer, computer experts tried to trace the tip back to the source. No luck. Thats because the system is set up to protect the anonymity of all tipsters. When a message comes in, the sender is identified only by a unique number. After 12 hours of nailbiting, there was finally a response that told investigators this person was the real deal. Mark hasse was killed with 38 caliber ammunition fired from a threefiftyseven, fiveshot revolver. Would anyone other than the killer have known that . No. This person knew way more than anybody would have. Reporter the killer also wrote your act of good faith will result in no other attacks this week. In return for that pledge, the killer made a demand. They wanted one of the judges in Kaufman County to step down by the end of the week. Or the killings would resume. So, the fact that this tip came in and named these specific judges in kaufman told us it was somebody local. Reporter that all but ruled out the aryan brotherhood, drug cartels and those old cases from dallas. The killers message ended this way, we are not unreasonable, but we will not be stopped. Its almost sounding like a game now. I think in his mind it was a big chess game. I think it was just for fun, to see if he could really exert complete and total control over the criminal Justice System in Kaufman County. Reporter by monday morning the story was topping the national news. Perhaps thats exactly what the killer wanted. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez is in kaufman, texas for us this morning. Gabe, good morning to you. Savannah, good morning. There will be stepped up security here at the county courthouse today. The District Attorneys office will be closed to the public. This entire community is on high alert. Reporter that morning, when Shannon Hebert came to her office, she had an armed escort. Theres no leader at your office anymore. Theres nothing. No one. When you come into work, how do you go forward . We had to move forward. We couldnt let them win. We couldnt. And we had to fight, and for the honor of mike and mark. Reporter everyone in the office was on edge. My husband. I mean, he stayed up all night with a gun in his hand. I know that i start carrying a gun. Sleep with a gun under my pillow. Reporter even shannon, who wouldnt carry a gun before, now slept with protection nearby. We had big ol shotgun sitting on our dresser, just way ready to go, in case. Reporter the killers threat to unleash more violence in Kaufman County kept the Task Force Working around the clock. A special team scoured the Surveillance Video collected near the mcclelland crime scene, hoping for a new lead. So many people now have surveillance cameras on their house. So, were trained to go in and collect that sort of evidence. Reporter and, finally, the video teams painstaking search seemed to pay off. They found images of a car that didnt belong, a White Ford Crown victoria, cruising near the mclelland home about the time of the murders. No one in the neighborhood owned a car like that. But the crown vic model is popular with Law Enforcement. So the fbi jumped on that angle. Was there ever a thought that maybe this is one of our own . Maybe this is a Police Officer doing this . That was not out of the realm of possibility. Reporter coming up investigators recheck the cases handled by mark hasse, this time to see which ones Mike Mcclelland also worked on. And there was only one common denominator for those two prosecutors. Which was . Reporter when dateline continues. More travels. Or more touchdowns. Get the immune support that gives you more. Airborne gummies have 50 more vitaminc than emergenc. Plus our crafted blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs. Airborne. At Progressive Park insurance themed fun children yeah announcer ride the totally realistic traffic jam. Beep, beep, beep, beep children traffic jam announcer and the worlds first never bump bumper cars. Children never bump announcer its a real savings hootenanny with options that fit your budget. Thats fun for the whole family. Announcer only at progressive par. Maybe an insurance park was a bad idea. Yeah. Yep. No matter how you stay fit keep it light with light fits rainbow of delightful, proteinpacked flavors. Reporter six days after the murders of mike and cynthia mclelland, hundreds of mourners packed this church for their funeral. The flagdraped casket contained mikes body and cynthias ashes, together for eternity. Their extended family, united in grief, bid them an emotional farewell. I carry a lot of things from them with me. They taught me very well. They helped a lot of people before they left this world. They really did. They made a large impact on a lotta people. Reporter a beefedup Multiagency Task force vowed to catch whoever killed the mclellands and mark hasse. Investigators had seen that Ford Crown Victoria on video roaming near the mclelland home and thought it might be a police car. The terrible possibility it might be one of their own had to be ruled in or out immediately. We checked with every Law Enforcement agency in the area and identified where every police car was in the area. And none of them were even close to where this image was captured. Reporter next, they looked for anyone, who for any reason, had issues or disputes involving both prosecutors. There didnt seem to be anybody in that group of people that were upset enough that they would wanna commit homicide. Reporter but there was one defendant involved in a felony they couldnt ignore. There was only one common denominator for those two prosecutors. Which was . That was Eric Williams. Reporter Eric Williams . Who was Eric Williams . He was a former Deputy Sheriff and longtime attorney with an office right across the street from the courthouse. In 2010, he was elected by the people of kaufman to be justice of the peace. Shannon hebert worked with him said he had a sharp legal mind. In fact, he was a member of mensa, the organization for people with superhigh iqs. He was a great judge. I liked having him in there. He would understand the law. I thought he was very fair. I mean, everyone respected him reporter williams, married for 15 years with no kids of his own, was a strong advocate for children and specialized in child abuse cases. Lt. Jolie stewart often worked with him on those cases. How do you think he was perceived amongst his fellow colleagues, other attorneys . I think that he had a lot of respect with his peers. He was kind of the goto guy for family law. I know he had a love for children. Reporter tera williamsbellemare knows that better than anyone. Shes erics sister. He was a good uncle to my kids. Never missed their birthdays. I never had to remind him. Reporter she says, growing up, her big bother was her inspiration. He made eagle scout, went to college, law school and became a successful attorney. He was driven, he was ambitious. He wanted to make us feel proud of him. Reporter so tera and the Legal Community were stunned in 2012 when her brother, the newlyelected justice of the peace got into trouble with the law. Williams was accused of stealing three computer monitors for his personal use from the county i. T. Department. Heres Surveillance Video showing him carrying boxes of computer equipment. It just seems odd that someone like that would bother to steal a few computer monitors. Exactly. It was just kinda shocking that someone would go and do that. Reporter williams found himself on the wrong side of this police interrogation. Okay, judge, before we get started, im gonna read the miranda warning. Youre an attorney, youre a judge, so you know as well as i do. I know you gotta read. I understand. Reporter williams tried to explain he took the monitors because he claimed he needed new equipment for his office but never got it. Thats been an ongoing kind of thing, where id tell the i. T. People that i need to keep improving things. I understand. But you hadnt put any kind of written request in, nothin like thats been documented at all . No. Reporter mark hasse and Mike Mclelland knew Eric Williams as a colleague in kaufmans small Legal Community. As boss of the das office, mike rarely tried cases but because williams was an elected public official he made an exception and teamed up with mark to prosecute the case. Christina says her stepdad believed williams had violated the public trust. I think it did offend mike, on a basic level. These people elected you. Youre supposed to be doing good things for the community, not stealing from it. Reporter a jury found williams guilty of theft. He got probation, but lost his job and license to practice law. And now, a year later, both men who prosecuted him were dead, and williams was under suspicion. Did you bear either of those men any kind of grudge . No. Absolutely not. Reporter the media got wind of the interest in williams. And, just days after the mclelland murders, he was interviewed by nbc affiliate kprc. He strangely swept in on his segway. Has anyone connected with this investigation suggested to you that youre a person of interest in the investigation . No. Reporter after the denial, his sympathies. My heartfelt condolences go out to both the mclelland family and the hasse family because they were in Public Office doing the right thing and for some reason, that were not aware of, theyve paid the ultimate price for that. Reporter williams was known to be a bit of an odd duck, but a murder suspect . It seems so farfetched that a justice of the peace, a man who had served his county not only as an attorney, a judge, but also as a as a Deputy Sheriff, would then suddenly turn into this serial killer. Uhhuh. Yeah, no no one wants to think a lawyer would do that, a person who was a Public Servant would do that. Reporter in fact, he was among the many people investigators had already looked at after the hasse murder. What was his alibi at the time . He said he had been at home either caring for his wife or his inlaws down the street. He also had his arm in a sling when Law Enforcement came to talk to him and his excuse was he had frozen shoulder, and wasnt able to use his right arm. Reporter he even took a gunshot residue test at his house and passed. And after the mclelland murders, investigators checked whether he owned a Ford Crown Victoria, the car captured on video lurking near the mclelland murder scene. Records showed he did not. The case was still stalled. But soon, the task force would get one of those lucky breaks theyd always hoped for. It came out of the blue and gave the investigation some muchneeded juice. Coming up a special prosecutor goes on high alert. I go on the phone with my wife and tell to make she r. Sure she knew where the kids were. A stranger calls with a stunning revelation. I could tell when i listened to his voice, this is it. This is the real thing. S is it. This is the real thing. sneezing coughing sneezing grab the only tissue with coconut oil, aloe, and vitamin e. 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Sounds good to me, but at my age, i need the security of knowing it wont get cancelled as i get older. This is Lifetime Coverage as long as you pay your premiums. It can never be cancelled, call now for free information. Youll also get this free beneficiary planner. Use this valuable guide to record your Important Information and give helpful direction about your final wishes to your loved ones. And its yours free. Its our way of saying thank you just for calling. So call now. Beyond the routine checkups. Beyond the notsoroutine cases. Comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. All working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gigspeed network. Because beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. To do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. Here is what is happening. Beto orourke is ending his bid for the white house. He told a group of supporters in iowa, quote, we did not have the means to pursue this campaign successful successfully. And rick perry is refusing to testify behind closed doors in the impeachment inquiry. This as a new poll says more americans approve than disapprove of the inquiry, 47 to 38 . That is what is happening. Now back to dateline. Ive cooperated with Law Enforcement and certainly wish them the best in bringing justice for this just incredibly egregious act. Reporter Eric Williams was making the tv interview rounds. But he hadnt sat down for a formal interview with investigators. Because of his connection to both mark hasse and Mike Mclelland, investigators had to take a serious look at him. On the surface it may seem implausible, cause hes a lawyer and a judge and successful. The more we learned about him, the more viable in our minds he became as a suspect. Reporter just the year before, williams had been prosecuted for theft by hasse and mclelland. You must be chomping at the bit to talk to Eric Williams. Obviously, we wanted to talk to him. The problem with that was he was still represented by lawyers. Reporter lawyers who kept williams from talking. But then, two weeks after the mclellands were killed in their home, the special prosecutors got a big opening they hadnt seen coming. We get an email back from the lawyers basically saying, we no longer represent Eric Williams. Reporter they figured this was their one window to talk to him, and they knew they had get it right the first time, before he lawyered up again. So fbi profilers came up with a strategy, send over a toplevel texas ranger so williams would be more likely to let him in. Was the idea that that would fit with his ego . He would view a major with the Texas Rangers as someone equal on his intellect that perhaps he would talk to. If you sent someone of lower rank, then he would just dismiss them. Reporter the ranger, and a local cop familiar to williams, went to his house carrying a hidden tape recorder. Did it work . It worked great. Reporter williams let them in, without a search warrant. The subject quickly got around to guns. Williams said hed been forced to sell his weapons to raise money since he could no longer practice law. I been in your house. I know you got lots of guns. Yeah. How do you think ive been living . Selling guns . Yeah, for two years. You dont have any more . You got rid of all of them . I have one gun that im trying to sell, and its just hard as [ bleep ] to sell. He said, i dont have any guns, except one gun. And so, he let them look around. And and they began finding gun parts. Reporter gun parts. Some very specific gun parts that appeared to match the type of automatic weapon used in the mclelland killings. And at the same time, the fbi discovered williams had done computer searches on hasse and mclelland before the murders. Specifically told them that he had not ever searched the two victims before the murders. Now youve got him lying . Yeah. Reporter that lie and those gun parts were enough to get a warrant for a more thorough search of his house. Investigators, including a crack fbi evidence team, were back the next day. They went room to room, then to the garage. And, bingo in a filing cabinet in the garage there was a manual for a ford crown vic. And there was also a title to a crown vic. Reporter the task force, of course, had been looking for a Crown Victoria. This one was registered under a false name. That must have been a real big moment finding that registration. That was huge. Reporter outside, special prosecutor wirskye was on hand to give legal advice. One of the fbi computer techs came out and said, mr. Wirskye, i dont mean to alarm you, but Eric Williams has been searching you and mr. Shook on his computer. Whats the first thing you did when you heard that he had been searching you . Get on the phone with my wife and tell her to make sure she knew where the kids were and to get inside and keep the doors locked and dont answer the door for anyone up to and including a Police Officer. What did she say . I could hear the fear in her voice, and i knew right then we had to put him in jail for something. It became very personal and a matter of life and death for us. Reporter back inside, searchers found something interesting, a scrap of paper with two handwritten numbers. So they collected it because it was near the computer and they thought it might be important. Reporter and it was a sheriffs deputy recognized the user id for the county crimestoppers anonymous tipline. The first number corresponded to a tip from early in the hasse case, the tipster claimed to have overheard two men in a bar saying theyd killed mark hasse. That meant the tip came from williams computer. A followup computer search also revealed williams had searched several howto websites. One of the websites was how to throw the police off an investigation by sending in fake tips. Reporter the second number on that scrap paper was even more important, because it turned out to be the real thing. It matched back to that computer message that gave details about the hasse murder weapon and also threatened more killings. So we knew right then that that tip that had come into the command post was sent by Eric Williams. And we knew right then we were gonna be able to put Eric Williams in jail. Reporter he was arrested, not for murder, but for making a terrorist threat about killing a judge. We just didnt know if we at that moment had enough evidence to convict him. Reporter they just had to figure out where the evidence might be. Did you think that Eric Williams had a hiding place . We began to suspect pretty early on if its Eric Williams and we know what cars were used there may be a storage unit or some secret Storage Place that he may have access to that we havent found. Reporter at least now, 10 weeks after hasses murder, the investigation was finally on a roll. We go home that night to get a good nights sleep and i actually wanted for the first time in weeks to see my son play a Little League game. Reporter but the next morning, his parenting plans were dashed by work again. His phone rang. It was a friend of Eric Williams, whod heard about his arrest. And said, mr. Wirskye, i have something to tell you about Eric Williams. I think i may have rented him a storage unit. Wed been looking for a storage unit and i could tell when i listened to his voice, this is it. This is the real thing. Little league was out for the day . Unfortunately, it was. Little league was out. My son went three for three. But you were headed to a storage unit. This is too important. So, i got on the phone with the Texas Rangers. And i said, this is it. I think weve found it. Reporter coming up. Found what, exactly . Even seasoned investigators would be blown away. This is one of those moments that ill never forget because it was just wow. Reporter when dateline continues. Packed with plantbased protein antioxidants and real superfoods new protein shake new snack break new emergenc protein fuel superfoods emerge see. So nice to meet you june, jay, ji, kay, raj, and. Ray good job, brain say hello to neuriva, a new brain supplement with clinically proven ingredients that fuel five indicators of brain performance. Neuriva. Reporter the hot spot in the investigation was now a runofthemill storage unit number 18 to be precise in seagoville, texas. Just 14 miles from the mclelland house. Eric kasper of the Texas Rangers was part of the task force caravan racing to unit 18. Everybody is running and gunning. You know, everybody wants to be there. So were all just filled with expectations. Were making bets, okay, the white crown vics gonna be there. No, its not. Were gonna find the murder weapon. Reporter ranger kasper did the honors, lifting the heavy, steel door. This is one of those moments that ill never forget because it was just wow. Reporter what did you see . We saw the white crown vic, the car that wed been looking for for all those days and all those man hours, and there it was. And we knew finally we had Eric Williams. Reporter but there was so much more. Police uniforms and bulletproof vests, more than a halfdozen police badges, thousands of rounds of ammo and enough guns to supply a small army. Hes got six or seven weapons of the right caliber that couldve been the mclelland murder weapon. We have five or six weapons of the right caliber that couldve been the hasse murder weapon. Reporter did you think that one of those guns had to be the murder weapon . I felt like our chances were pretty good. Because there were just so many in there. Reporter the guns and ammo were sent off to the lab for testing. Inside this treasure trove of bad intentions, there were also pickle jars filled with liquid, later identified as homemade napalm. It was just unbelievable. It was like a Tactical Operators closet. Reporter but theyd soon be dealt a serious blow. The lab results came back on all those weapons. Nothing matched. The murder weapons were still missing. Thats got to be extremely frustrating when you feel like, well, one of these guns im sure has got to be the murder weapon. Oh yeah, deflating. We were positive one of those was going to be the murder weapon. Reporter even without the guns, the prosecutors believed there was enough evidence to finally go forward. On april 18th, 2013, 10 weeks after mark hasse was gunned down and three weeks since the mclellands were killed, Eric Williams was charged with three counts of capital murder. Prosecutors said the motive was revenge. One thing i found out about Eric Williams, the first big thing that went wrong in his life, this is how he was going to react with rage and homicidal violence. Reporter it all seemed so senseless to the mclellands daughter, christina. This all started over three computer monitors. And now were talking about three murders. Yeah. I mean, you know, normal people dont do that. God bless the United States and the great state of texas. Reporter Eric Williams went on trial for murder in december. Williams wasnt on trial for the murder of mark hasse or Mike Mclelland. In a surprise tactic, this trial was only for the murder of cynthia mclelland. Not guilty, your honor. Reporter why not just try the murders at the same time . What if something went wrong in the first trial . We wanted to have the ability to be able to try him twice and make sure he got justice. Reporter Christina Sat in court and had to relive the deaths of her parents. What gave you the strength to go to court every day . I showed up every day for the three people who gave their lives for something good. They stood up. And they did what they were supposed to. And they died for it. This is my chance to tell you story of the murders of mike and cynthia mclelland. Reporter prosecutor bill wirskeye thought if he could prove Eric Williams had killed cynthia, that would obviously show he killed mike. Youll hear the story of a massive Law Enforcement investigation state, local federal agencies working together to build an air tight case. Reporter one of the first witnesses called cj tomlinson, Dallas Police officer and friend of the mclellands. Cj told the jury how he and his parents found the mclellands. I took a couple more steps inside the residence, i was hollerin for mike. Mike, mike reporter for three days, prosecutors brought a blizzard of witnesses. They told the jury williams had been linked to that tip that came in after the mclelland murders. He sent an email into Law Enforcement claiming credit for the murders, thinking Law Enforcement would never figure it out. But he was wrong. Reporter investigators didnt have the murder weapon, but they had something else, a bullet they found inside a bag taken from williams storage unit. You know this is what you and your team recovered. Yes. Reporter a ballistics examiner compared that single unfired bullet to the shell casings found at the murder scene and came up with a match. That live round was ejected from the same weapon that killed the mclellands. So, that was a big moment for us. Reporter and prosecutors thought this security video outside the storage unit nailed the case down. They said it traced the movements of Eric Williams and the crown vic on the morning of the murders. Approximately 6 00 a. M. Real time. Reporter thats when williams in his black suv pulled up to the entrance of the storage unit, according to the prosecution. At 6 12 a. M. The white Crown Victoria pulled out. By 6 42 investigators knew the mclellands were dead or dying on the floor, based on the motion detectors in the Home Security system. At 7 00, heres that white crown vic coming back through the entrance. And 17 minutes later, that black suv pulled out. He committed this crime. His acts alone, and his acts alone, condemn him to be found guilty of capital murder. Reporter the prosecutors said they had a lot of circumstantial evidence, including the crown vic and that matching bullet. But the defense was about to tell the jury what the prosecution didnt have. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Eric Williams did not commit these murders. Reporter defense lawyer, Mathew Seymour laid into one of the states star witnesses, that ballistics expert. He reminded the jury, investigators never found the murder weapon. You didnt actually have access to that firearm . Correct. Reporter he tried to poke holes in the prosecutions matching bullet theory. Someone of different experience could come along and say theyre not a match. Is that true . Yes, potentially that is true. If i could break the chain from the live round recovered from the storage unit and the mcclelland shooting scene, i might stand a chance. Reporter the defense didnt see the need to call any witnesses. Our position was the state had not fulfilled their obligation to prove the elements of the indictment. It was just that simple. There is no known murder weapon in this case. Theres no one who can place Eric Williams in that scene at the mclelland home. No one. Reporter finally, this case that had rocked the Justice System was about to be decided by the jurors. They needed only 90 minutes to reach a verdict. We the jury unanimously find the defendant, eric lyle williams, guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment. Reporter guilty of capital murder in the death of cynthia mclelland. You heard the word, guilty. Its a gift. It was a gift for us. Its probably a gift for everybody else because i dont believe that this wouldve stopped at the end of these killings. Reporter theres a sad postscript to this case that raises a painful question. Could williams have been stopped after the hasse murder and before the mclellands . Did they have to die . In a haunting irony, Mike Mclelland always thought williams was likely the killer. He certainly suspected it was Eric Williams after mark hasse was shot. And he made no secret of what his opinion was. And i had numerous conversations where he said, bill, its Eric Williams. Reporter williams was one of a handful of possible suspects, early on in the hasse case, but there was no evidence on him. And even with his conviction for theft, hed had a good reputation. Of course erics name came up in the discussions. But if you cant prove it, then it doesnt matter. Reporter and now this former justice of the peace was a convicted murderer. How . Why . Was he living a double life . I think he was. Most people were fooled by his exterior. He looked so normal. He looked so average. He had the trappings of success, being a lawyer and a judge. But behind that mask was a homicidal psychopath. Reporter just angry at the world . Yeah, i think he had a very dark, cold heart. Reporter but this case was far from over. Prosecutors had won, but they were saving their best witness for last. Investigators always suspected Eric Williams did not act alone. And he didnt. Youre about to hear from his accomplice, someone who will take you inside the mind of a murderer. A moment by moment account of a killing more chilling than anyone realized. What was his mood like . Happy. I think lets you know what type of darkness was going on inside their hearts. When dit dateline continues. When dit dateline continues. Dont miss the deadline. Funny thing about healthe s remaine, you dontenrollment. S think about how much you need it until you need it. Hes not going to be okay. 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In a rare legal move, prosecutors had saved some blockbuster evidence and a star witness for just this moment. As investigators figured all along williams hadnt acted alone, he had an accomplice. It was this woman. His wife, kim. They had been married for 15 years. But now she was about to testify against her husband. It was a cold day and there was excitement in the air. Witnesses to the hasse murder said the shooter jumped into the passengers side of a getaway car. So Police Always suspected williams had help. Soon after he was arrested, kim was brought in for questioning. They spent hours talking to her. And the prosecutor was watching the interview. She was not going to give up any information. She talked about her husband, what a great guy he was and how he wouldnt hurt anyone. And then an fbi interrogator growing impatient got tougher. He raised his voice with her and was telling her that she knew that those people had been killed. Then she broke and what she told them was startling. She said not only did she know something about the murders, she helped her husband carry them out. Now during the penalty phase, prosecutors planned to use her testimony to make sure the jury would give him a death sentence. She led us to a lot of evidence and i think that it was important for the jury to see and have all their questions answered. He came up with a plan to dress like Law Enforcement. They were a husband and wife murder team. And they went through a dress rehearsal the night before the mclelland murders. He was modeling it for me. Describe to the jury what he was modeling for you the night before. I want to say he looked like he was in the army, or s. W. A. T. He had a bulletproof vest that had sheriff on the front, that more than likely mrs. Mclelland was going to answer the door and he would introduce himself as a policeman. And the next morning she said she acted as lookout in the crown vic as her husband went inside to murder the mcclellands. Was there is a plan for what you were supposed to do . Yes. He told me to honk the horn. If these had been revenge killings, why did Cynthia Mcclelland have to die . Because she would be there as a witness and he described it as collateral damage. And prosecutors wanted the jury to know how callus eric and kim williams were after killing two people in cold blood. We had steaks on the grill and eric cooked those. At your parents house . At my parentss house. You celebrated with steaks . Thats correct. The prosecutors couldnt tell juries about the hasse case during the Cynthia Mcclelland trial, but now they were free for use marks murder to cement their argument for the Death Penalty. We had an air tight circumstantial evidence case on the hasse murder. Kim williams said she drove the getaway car. As you are driving away from the scene of the hasse murder, what was his mood like . Happy. What was your mood like . Happy. I so believed in eric and everything that he told me. His anxious eveger was my anger. Who was he had at . He was mad at mark hasse, he was mad at mr. Mcclelland, he thought that they were trying to set him up. What did that tell but this incredibly bizarre relationship . I think it proved beyond any doubt that Eric Williams was a psychopath and this was horribly toxic screwed up marriage. Lets you know what type of darkness was inside that house and inside their hearts. Kim williams also said she helped her husband dispose of key evidence in the case. She recalled driving to this bridge one night and watching eric toss a black bag into the lake. Do you know what was in the bag . I knew that it was guns. It had taken 12 months of searching the lake before divers found the bag. Fbi agent lori gibbs was there. Open this up and there is two guns. This is it. Inside the bag were two revolvers, forensics would show one of those guns killed mark hasse. And one more thing that bag those guns were in . It wasnt a bag at all. It was really a terrifying halloween mask. Grim reaper type. Exactly. Kim williams said her husband wore to conceal himself when he shot mark. You can imagine the terror going through mark hasse. She also said that he wanted to kill a judge with a special weapon. With a cross bow . Thats correct. Kim williams said he also brewed up a concoction just for the judge. You may remember there was homemade napom. What was that for . I guess to drive in an extra kind of [ bleep ]. It would bore a hole in the stomach and pour it in. It is one thing to say that Eric Williams did this, fine, but that his wife was along for the ride. You would think this is a hollywood movie, but these people are living every day together and talking about murdering people. And now christina and her victim impact statement would finally get her chance to vent her feelings as she turned to her parents killer. Pretty much the only thing i have to say is [ bleep ] you Eric Williams. Pretty of the only thing that i could think of to say to him. Did it feel good . It did. A nice sock in the face probably would have felt a lot better. The defense countered by calling dozens of character witnesses. From his scout master to his high school friends. But the jurors werent swayed. It is ordered by this court to carry out the sentence of death. He was sentenced to die by lethal injection. Given the Death Penalty decision, prosecutors decided not to try him for the murders of mark hasse or Mike Mclelland. Williams pleaded not guilty to both. Mark hasses longtime friend and federal Trial Attorney believes that williams will still be dangerous even on death row. Eric williams is a master manipulator, a very intelligent human being, a very deadly proficieceedrow efficient killer. I think that he will be a threat to the Prison Guards and anybody else in prison. Youre making him sound like hannibal lecter. He killed three people in cold blood simply because you they prosecutored him for stealing computer monitors. Kim williams applieded guilty to the murder of cynthia and for her cooperation, cooperation, s sentenced to 40 years and avoiding the Death Penalty. Ill never forget. Will you ever be over it . No, i know i never will be. I dont think any of us will be. Ever. But as tragic as all this was, believe it or not, something good came out of it. During the long ordeal, christina and that cop from dallas, c. J. Tomlinson, fell in love. Their families had been great friends for a long time. Cynthia mclelland had always tried to play match maker. Cynthia pretty much told me that was going to happen and she was right. She got me. I can only imagine how happy your mom would be if she is looking down that you two are together. Gentlemi cant even imagine. She would be just doing some sort of weird dance that i told you so and im sure shes thrilled. We got married on her birthday, so that would have made her ecstatic
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