Girl. Reporter did he, or did he just not know when to stop talking . Theres nothing i can say to defend it. Im at a loss. Reporter a headspinning new twist, thanks to an unlikely dateline viewer. Either this was an innocent man or a sociopath who deserved an academy award. Reporter the remarkable story from those who lived it. Something came over me. I just had a weird feeling. Youre not innocent until proven guilty. Youre guilty until proven innocent. After 15 years, is the search for answers finally over . Or just beginning . I think, here we are again. Werent we done with this . Thats what i thought. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with the man who knew too much. Reporter oh how she loved that car. The style, the speed, the way it glided along the open road in californias Antelope Valley, north of los angeles. And the color, atlantic blue. It was february, a cool, crisp morning in the year 2000. It was the day of Michelle Okeefes big adventure, the day she and a friend were going to l. A. To be in a kid rock music video. Such a happy spark in her eye as she replied to her mother pats reminder of her night class at community college. Yeah, ill be back in time. Might be running a little late, but ill be back in time. Dont worry, mom. And that was the last time i talked to her. Translator would she still be here, still vibrant, still alive, had she driven the mustang to l. A. . Academic now. Facts are facts. She left it at the park n ride, rode in her friend jennifers car. History is so capricious and so confusing. How strange it is, how utterly unpredictable, that wed be telling this story again, except, it isnt the same story at all . Because everything we thought we knew about that february day, that dark, cold night, is different now. But that day, when they arrived at the studio in l. A. , the girls changed into the sexy club clothes required for the music video and took their places as kid rock hit the stage. My name is kiiiid. Rock reporter performing his hit song, bawitdaba. Reporter and there they were, michelle and jennifer, front and center. Reporter the shoot ran long, of course. Dont they always . And the two girls raced back to the Antelope Valley. Michelle thought it would save some time to change out of the provocative club clothes and into her School Clothes back at the mustang, in the park n ride. By now, a cold wind was howling across the high desert, storm on the way. It was almost 9 30 when they arived at the mustang, dark, quiet, not a soul in sight. Jennifer dropped off michelle, and as she drove away, she looked back, thought she saw her friend leaving, too. But, Michelle Okeefe did not leave the park n ride. [ gunshots ] reporter jennifer didnt hear the gunshots. Didnt know, Michelle Okeefe was dead. By 10 00, sheriffs deputies were scouring the remote parking lot hoping to find the killer. They did not. And so, around 11 00pm, two hours away, homicide detective richard longshore was awakened by a phone call. Its, like, 170 miles from my house. Its, like, the back side of the moon. Reporter by the time longshore arrived, michelle had been dead just over three hours. It appears that she had sustained some trauma. Uh, this is obviously a homicide investigation. There is several gunshots. We didnt know how many at that time. She was leaned in her car with her head over to one side. There was not a lot of blood. Reporter there was also a gash on her forehead. What happened . A rape attempt turned deadly . Maybe it didnt look like robbery. Her purse was there containing well over 100. The only thing missing was her cell phone, and the purse was in plain view in her car. Was this a carjacking . Its not logical that a person would just sit there and then not take the car. It it doesnt fit. Reporter in the purse was an id. Michelle therese okeefe, and an address, where, at that moment, her parents were wide awake. Something came over me. My body, and i just had a weird feeling. I couldnt really place it or visualize what had happened to michelle, but i know something happened. Reporter and then there were deputies at the door, asking to come inside. They go, well, we gotta tell you that somethings happened. And i go, well, has there been an accident . And has michelle been hurt in an accident . They go, well, no. Theres been a shooting. I go, oh, michelles shot . So shes alive . And they go, well, no. You sort of feel a piece of you sorta dies, right, at realtime when somebody tells you Something Like that, its your own kid. It was horrible. Reporter michelles brother jason was awakened by the commotion. He was 12 then. I look up at the top of the stairs, and theres jason up there, looking down, you know . And hes, like, completely confused and scared. And so, i thought, well, the best thing to do is, you know, let him know whats going on. To see the look on his face, you know . And telling him he lost his sister, it was just really bad. I saw both my parents in tears. And thats when they told me what exactly happened. Theres no way to prepare yourself for news like that. No. No, never, in wildest dream, could you imagine that about 20 hours before that, i was, you know, working on a science project with her. And the, shes gone until the day i get to heaven. Reporter back at the parking lot, detective longshore had very little to go on. No weapon. No fingerprints. No footprints. Though, there was one possible witness, a Security Guard had been on duty at the lot. But, he wasnt much of a witness. He said he didnt see who fired the shots, or Anyone Running away. The guards name was ray jennings. He was very cordial. He didnt appear all that nervous at all. We spoke for about about 10 minutes that night. The shooting happened around 9 30. , and im interviewing him about 1 30. I wanted to get him home, get rested, and i could interview him again at another time. Reporter longshore could see this wasnt going to be easy. But, of course he couldnt know, could he . On this cold, windy night, that the case of Michelle Okeefe would consume a decade of his life. Or, that a simple case of insomnia would undo everything. Reporter why would an 18year old girl believe she was going to die . When we return. She goes, i just had a feeling im not gonna live much longer. Reporter and, a firstperson account of michelles murder. You could see the taillights come into view, and then multiple shots rang out after that. Ah, id love your help. grunting awww. announcer vo the real magic of the holidays is when we all give a little more. You dont have to pay a lot to get a lot. At cricket wireless, plans now start at 30 mo. Monthly taxes and fees included. 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Or accidently watching episode 4 before youve seen episode 3. When did deandre become an alien . Get more choices you love now with all day breakfast. It was a brandnew ford mustang. It was bright blue real pretty car. Reporter and now it was a kind of coffin for its 18yearold owner, Michelle Okeefe. Reporter the car had been a christmas present, and why not . Number 60, this is Michelle Okeefe. Reporter michelle had done everything right in life, star student, cheerleader. Extremely popular, religious, supportive big sister to jason. She was always looking out for him. You know, if we werent around or pat wasnt around, it was almost like he had a second mother with her, you know . Well you can just put the camera on me for a while. She hung out with different types of groups all over. So she was very friendly, very outgoing. Its new years, 1999. Reporter so it was strange, the premonition shed been having, the one she told her dad about. And she goes, you know, i just had a feeling im not gonna live much longer. And i asked her, i go, has somebody been bothering you or she goes, no, i just had this feeling im not gonna live much longer. I had this strange feeling for a while. Reporter only natural what her mother told her. I said, michelle, be careful at night. What would she say . She said, i im okay, mom. I can handle myself. Im strong. I can fight fight them off. Ill be okay. Reporter and now, middle of the night, looking at her body, detective longshore developed a theory about what happened. Her tube top had been dislodged, exp exposing so, this may have been an attempt at a sexual assault. Yes. Reporter but nobody saw anything, not even the Security Guard, ray jennings. I just stayed up there towards my car the whole time, and then waited for the next shift guy to come on. Reporter two nights later, when jennings went back on patrol, the detectives talked to him again. Thats him right there, filmed by a local news photographer. He was very cordial. He had just moved to california from North Carolina. Reporter jennings was a national guardsman, 25 years old, father of three. He had just started working for the Security Company as an unarmed guard. Walking the lot around 9 00, he said, he saw the blue mustang, parked and empty. Then, a half hour later i heard a car alarm going off. As i made my way to that particular area, you heard a single gunshot. And after that single gunshot, i stopped. I was basically beside my car. And i took a few steps over and i just knelt down. You were hiding behind the car. Yeah, absolutely. You know, thats the first thing were trained to do when you hear gunfire. Reporter trained, he said, to take cover, to wait, and listen. The car alarm was still going off. The engine, revved up, meaning that it it appeared that somebody had pushed the gas. Reporter and thats when jennings said he caught of a glimpse the mustang rolling backwards. You could see the the taillights come into view, just the taillights, and then multiple shots rang out after that. So, theres a gap between the first shot and the multiple shots . Yes, maybe 15 to 20second gap. Reporter jennings said he was fearful, stayed behind his car, and never saw the shooter. But, he did radio his supervisor. And, told them that i had shots fired and i needed assistance. And, at that time, the car was rolling backwards further, and it became came into complete view. And, it just rolled all the way back until it landed on that planter. Did you see anybody else leaving the parking lot or hear anybody leaving . Not immediately after the shooting, no. Reporter when his supervisor arrived, said jennings, she urged him to go with her as she checked out the mustang. Jennings declined, told her, he said, she should wait for the police. But, a few minutes later she ordered him to join her and he walked over to the car. You could see that there was a person slumped over with, you know, gunshot wounds inflicted upon them. Did you approach the person . Did you no, i just observed. I just looked. From how far away . Probably as close as you and i are. Reporter but jennings told the police he didnt see the shooter, had no idea who it was. So, the detectives found the last person who saw Michelle Okeefe alive, jennifer peterson, who dropped michelle at the mustang just before she was murdered. So we drove her out to the scene and asked her to show us exactly where she had been and what she had done. Reporter and thats when detective longshore got a surprise. I said, okay, this is where michelles car was. She says, well, no it wasnt. I said, are you sure . And she says, yeah, we parked it under a light, deliberately because she was concerned about her vehicles safety. Reporter according to jennifer, when michelle parked her car in the afternoon, she left it under a light post, for safety. When they returned that evening, said jennifer, michelle got in her mustang under the light post and started backing out. Jennifer drove away, assuming that michelle was leaving, too. But, michelle didnt leave. And, when longshore showed her where the car wound up, jennifer felt sure the mustang must have been moved from its original parking spot to this darker place several spaces away, hidden between a van and another car. So, maybe michelle had driven to this more discreet place to change her clothes . But, jennings insisted the car had been here all along. And, this was the space where he saw the mustang back at 9 00, 20 minutes before michelle and jennifer got back from l. A. So, it wasnt moved . From what i know, no, it was not moved. It when i walked past it, thats where it was at. It was not parked underneath a light structure of any sort. This is where the car was at. Reporter somebody was either lying or simply mistaken. Reporter three days after his conversation with the cops, ray jennings quit. He wanted time off, he said, and also wasnt comfortable around that crime scene. When jennings went to get paid, the company told him. In order to receive the paycheck, you had to turn your uniform in first. So, i went back to the house and grabbed my uniform, and i brought it back to them. A few days later the detectives ran some tests on his uniform. It was dirty, but clean of any evidence. There was no blood or gunshot residue, nothing like that. In fact, detectives found very little physical evidence of any kind, and no obvious leads. We talked to the parents and looked at all the usual suspects, if you will. You know, is this a domestic dispute or a lovers quarrel . Well, she had no boyfriends. Reporter weeks passed. The investigation cooled. But then, an unexpected lead. A second eyewitness turned up, said she was in the parking the night of the murder. And, she just may have seen michelles killer. Reporter coming up, detectives have a possible suspect. It just started to ring off some alarm bells. Reporter and, Raymond Jennings sure seemed to know a lot about michelles murder. It was just close range. It was very close range. For a layperson to come up with that, it just defied logic. Reporter when dateline continues. Are we on tv . laughs nervously what . Of course not. laughter get your coupon, spend 75 in store, and get a 10 gift card to use in december. Toysrus. Awwwesome . And the reason the toughimes times are easier. Because shes your best friend. And your true love. Presenting the ever us twostone diamond collection. New rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets. One diamond for your best friend. One diamond for your true love. For the one woman. Whos both. Ever us. Available at kay, jared and zales. My gravy had an accidefollow me. Im usually the gravy master. My guest list just tripled. I want to go really big with my appetizers. We can do it without blowing our budget. Oh yeah, this is great my family deserves a new tradition. Happier and healthier. Everything for thanksgiving. Thats my giant. [ roars ] [ up tempo music ] dinner may i be excused . Get the new xfinity tv app and for the First Time Ever stream live tv, watch on demand, and download your dvr shows anywhere. Spring 2000, as the weather warmed in the high desert, the case of the girl in the blue mustang went cold. No suspect, no new clues. No solid leads. And then, a few weeks after the murder of Michelle Okeefe, a young woman arrested on juvenile charges said she had a story to tell. Her name was victoria richardson. She was there, in the parking lot, she said. And she saw something. She was not very far from where the shooting occurred. She heard a tapping sound, which weve determined was probably the gunshots. She saw another car just drive by, a random car in the parking lot. And she saw the Security Guard walk by just moments before the shooting. Reporter the only guard on duty that night was Raymond Jennings. After the shooting, they left the parking lot, went right through the crime scene and end up stopping and talking mr. Jennings and saying, wait, what happened . And is there shooting . Hes, i dont know, or words to that effect. And but he never told us that initially. Reporter but that wasnt all victoria said she saw. After what sounded like a shooting, she said, she saw a black two door toyota drive by. Detectives got nowhere on that lead. But they sure did wonder why ray jennings didnt mention his encounter with victoria richardson. So a month after the murder, detective longshore went to jennings house to ask him again. And he goes, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that. It was an africanamerican lady. It just started to ring off some alarm bells. Reporter jennings said he wasnt trying to hide anything, he just misunderstood the question, that first time he was asked. Detective longshore asked me, immediately after the shooting, did you see anybody leave . So my interpretation of the word immediately means shots fired, somebody leaves . Not shots fired, five, seven, ten minutes later, somebody leaves. Reporter but, victorias story changed things. Maybe ray jennings wasnt a witness trying to be helpful as detectives originally thought. Maybe he was a suspect. Her coming forward, we could put jennings at the scene just moments before the shooting. Reporter so now the detectives rethought what jennings had told them about what he saw and who he talked to the night of michelles murder. Longshore asked him to submit to something he called a cognitive interview. An attempt to jog his memory, the detective said. And jennings, ever cooperative, agreed. Why in heavens name, when you realize that they were pushing you, probing, and kinda suspicious yeah. Why didnt you ask for an attorney . Ive never been involved with anything like this before. Im just being as helpful as i can. So, it never it never dawned on me to ask for an attorney. I have to tell you what i seen. Reporter tape rolled as three different detectives questioned jennings. It bothers me every day, to know that i didnt see anything. Reporter why didnt he . Because his view was blocked, he said, by a van parked next to michelles mustang. But