Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20170821

A golden couple. A stash of silver. A streak of jealousy. This is vengeance. This is pride. This was murder. I got a phone call. They said your father was found killed in his home. A wealthy, respected doctor. Why . Why is this man dead . These lovers had a stalker. Hes staring at the door like he was looking for someone or watching someone. Watching her. He creeped me out so i left. Did one mans obsession lead to another mans death . Jealousy, rage. Thats what we have here. Someone pulled the trigger. But was someone else pulling the strings . I believe they think theyre playing a game. But this was no game. This cant be. We dont live this kind of life. Im lester holt. And this is dateline. Heres andrea canning. Reporter memories of a family man. Shes a dancing girl. Reporter a doctor, a lover, a good man. He was the ultimate support system for everybody in his life. Reporter finally savoring lifes rewards, until he found himself in the crosshairs of someones obsession. Theres tons of gossip and innuendo, especially in a small town in texas. Reporter it happened in lubbock, a town where texassized dreams can come true. Other dangers that strike out of nowhere. On july 11th, 2012, a brutal hot spell had loosened its grip on lubbock, but a warm afternoon sun is still can coulding away. At the spacious home of dr. Joe sonnier, becky shurbet and Nathan Gilmore were just getting to work when someone pulled up at the house. There was that girl from dr. Sonniers lab, and she was concerned that dr. Sonnier had not shown up. Reporter dr. Joe sonnier was chief pathologist at covenant hospital. We rang the doorbell and couldnt get anyone to answer. I certainly dont know his work schedule, but i know him as a person. He would not be late. Reporter a lot of people knew dr. Sonnier, liked him, too. His sister Missy Bartlett grew up admiring her big brother. He didnt go halfway with anything. Anything that he pursued, he did it well. Reporter philip preswood was a family friend whom joe sonnier treated like a son. Went through med school, dirt poor, roachfilled apartment, had no money until later in life when he was a successful doctor. He was totally selfmade and had that drive. Reporter that drive led to a successful career and a marriage that brought him a beautiful family. Everything was on track. Then in 2001, he suffered a huge setback. His wife left him for another man. His oldest son, dallas. So he found himself in his late 40s a single man with his three sons off to college and starting their adult lives. Reporter and thats when dad decided to make a change. Before he had been kind of a button down superconservative doctor that had been married to his High School Girlfriend of years and then hes at a phase in his life where he has to basically start over. Reporter he dated women who appreciated him. He bought a house, decorated it the way he liked it. Even started dressing more fashionaly. He was a handsome man and tall and he looked great in everything. Reporter a bachelor in his late 40s who had, you know, lets face it, a decent amount of money. Reporter he sounds like a catch. Right. Reporter as he reached his 50s, joe sonnier seemed to be making up for lost time. How did he deal with all the attention he was getting from the ladies . He was very humble. Reporter and he picked up a hobby that turned into a passion, ballroom dancing. It was social, challenging and he was good at it. His dance card was pretty full. Yes. He remade his image after the divorce. He loved to do every style of dance. Reporter Debra Hollowell owns dvenue dance studio in lubbock. He was good enough to where everybody else wanted to dance with him. Reporter he became a regular at dvenue. And then one day in 2011, Richelle Shetina walked in the door. She is outgoing, loving, friendly, extremely bubbly. And everybody that i know that came into contact with her really did like her. Reporter richelle was 49 years old and a divorced mother of four. Theyd only been going out a few months when joe put her to the ultimate test. The meet my kids date. How did you first hear about richelle . My dad told us that hed been dating a new woman, and he wanted to bring her over to a barbecue we were at. And thats where we met her, in the backyard of the barbecue. I thought she was sophisticated, i thought she was kind, i thought she was lovely. And our First Impression of her was very good. Reporter they dated for close to a year. Until that day when he didnt show up for work. The landscapers and dr. Sonniers coworker gave up knocking on the door and decided to look for the doctor out back. And i opened the gate and the one whole section of windows had been just laid over in the house. Reporter they peered inside. And there was a gatorade bottle, which was kind of a strange thing, and you could tell something terrible had happened. So the young lady behind us immediately went in, and i went after her. Reporter thats when nathan found a shell casing on the floor and becky called 911. 911, whats your emergency . Somebody has broken a window in the back and the doctor did not show up for work today. Theres a bullet that was laying on the ground. Okay, was it an actual bullet or had it already been fired . I dont know. I didnt pick it up. Somebody else went in and walked in. Im not here, im not going in. Reporter nathan and the woman from the lab continued searching through the home. And she starts looking in the rooms. And it seemed like it took forever to go through that home. Reporter they searched further and eventually made their way to the garage. And thats where they found dr. Joe sonnier sprawled out. And i can remember his face was laying. And she automatically started crying and she said his name, dr. Sonnier. Reporter nathan returned to his coworker, becky, and his face told her everything. She was still on the phone with 911. Is he here . You can tell theres something. Its not good. Oh, no, oh, my god. Maam . Maam, whats going on . I dont know. Reporter but this much was clear, a man they admired, a doctor, that good man, was lying dead in a pool of blood. Coming up what had happened to the doctor . Richelle, the doctors girlfriend, thinks she may know. She said, i hope this hurts him as much as he has hurt us. One laugh, and hello sensitive bladder. Ring a bell . Then you have to try always discreet. I didnt think protection this thin could work. But the super absorbent core turns liquid to gel. For incredible protection. Snap so its out of sight. And out of mind. Always discreet. For bladder leaks. Ive discovered incredible bladder leak underwear that hugs every curve. Cant tell im wearing it, can you . Always discreet underwear. For bladder leaks. And lifes beautiful moments. Ns get between you switch to flonase allergy relief. 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But his showcase home in lubbock, texas, was now a crime scene. His body, riddled with bullets and stab wounds, found on his pristine garage floor. Detective zach johnson. What do you think when you find out weve got the chief pathologist murdered in his own home . Why . Thats my first question. Why is this man dead . Reporter how did you all get the terrible news of what had happened . They said, your father was found killed in his home. Can you please let your family know . And would you please come to lubbock. We need to sit down with you and the family members and talk. Reporter the news was devastating enough, but even more tragic, it was the second murder in this family. The worst part was my mother was killed two years almost to the day before my dad was murdered. Reporter their mother had been killed by her second husband. Looking back on it, the phone calls from the two Police Departments for each of their deaths was so similar that i felt like it could have been the same phone call repeated twice. Reporter when detective johnson showed up, the garage door was closed, but graphic evidence of joe sonniers killing was apparent to anyone who got close enough. The blood had actually traveled from underneath this body all the way underneath the garage door. Reporter what happened . The first guess was an easy one. It could have been a botched burglary. You know, your first instinct is, man, somebody broke into this house in this affluent neighborhood probably to take some things of great value and they were surprised by the homeowner. Reporter but nothing was missing. The crime seemed to center on joe sonnier. How many times had dr. Sonnier been shot . He had been shot five times. Reporter and how many times had he been stabbed . 11. Reporter the detective moved through the house, trying to imagine what happened. I just walked up and visualized the point of entry. And from where i was at, i could see that the window was pushed in. There was no broken glass, which is very curious to me. Reporter investigators also noticed something about that gatorade bottle found on the floor. A projectile had traveled through that gatorade bottle. I just made the determination that it was possibly a silencer because we did have bullet casings in that immediate area. Reporter given the nature of the crime, the people close to joe were in for some scrutiny, including his girlfriend, Richelle Shetina, who rushed to the house when she heard the news. Whats her demeanor . Hows she acting . She is distraught. No makeup. You know, clothed like she had been doing housework, like she had just got in her car and flew out to where we were. Reporter detective johnson asked richelle to come to the police station. How would you describe your relationship with dr. Sonnier . Hes the love of my life. I cant imagine who would want to do this to him. Hes the kindest man. Reporter richelle wasnt the only person who evidently thought dr. Sonnier was a keeper. She told police the doctor left a number of broken hearts in his past, including a relationship he ended just before he met richelle. And they had an on again, off again relationship for about seven years. She wasnt happy about it. Reporter so this woman, in richelles eyes, was maybe looking for revenge . Sure. Yeah, revenge. Maybe she felt she had been shorted out by dr. Sonnier. Reporter and richelle said there was another woman who couldnt get over her break up with the doctor. So upset she continually left messages, sometimes full of vulgarities, on joes phone. She has called and called and called, to the point where hes had to hang it up or turn off the ringer. And then joseph would get these horrible Text Messages, you know, calling him a [ bleep ]. And you know, youre such a [ bleep ] and whatever. And the next day it was like, hi, do you miss me . Do you know when the last time he received any communication from her . It wasnt that long ago. Reporter so another if i cant have him, no one can type of motive . Correct. Reporter richelle also told police about a strange letter she received in the mail. In it a woman named tina claimed she had a sexual relationship with the doctor, and he had broken his promises to her. Richelle decribed the letter. She met joseph on the internet. And that they had sex for money basically. And she and her daughter lived in this place and joseph hasnt been paying. And shes going to lose her place. She said, i hope this hurts him as much as he has hurt us. Reporter richelle said that she and joe thought the letter was a prank. Still, it was another possible lead for police. Youve got all these lights going off in your head. And so youre just trying to balance out how these people are involved. Reporter richelle was also concerned about a strange incident a few months before the doctors murder. She thought a burly stranger was watching her from her gym parking lot. There was this big, creepy looking guy sitting there, and he was staring at the door like he was looking for someone, or watching someone. Reporter not long after that, Something Else happened one night at joes house. And so while theyre standing in the kitchen talking, they see a flash, which they believe to be a flash on a camera. Reporter investigators checked out those weird incidents and the exgirlfriends. But they also had to look at richelle herself. At this point richelle is not a suspect. Shes more of an involved person. However, i dont have that luxury of not looking at her as a possible suspect. Reporter detective johnson learned the family felt that richelle was pushing joe sonnier hard for a marriage proposal. I just dont believe that she let her foot off the throttle very often. She was putting the clamps on him to get married. Reporter so he wasnt digging that . Well, no. It was stressing him out. Reporter richelle says she and joe talked about having a longterm committed relationship but never discussed marriage. Still, it raised a red flag for police. Until they got a tip that the killer might be someone the doctor had never even met. Coming up a growing list of suspects. Is one linked to rishl. Ill be honest with you. I loved, loved, loved that woman. Richelle shetina seemed lost, exhausted, as she talked to police about the man she loved and about who might have killed him. She told them about women in joes past. She said some of them were angry. But joe wasnt the only one with past relationships. Richelle had a few too. And one in particular came to mind. Dr. Mike dixon. His name is dr. Thomas michael dixon. Hes a Plastic Surgeon in amarillo. Reporter he was richelles old boyfriend. A welltodo and wellknown Plastic Surgeon with a beautfiul home, a thriving practice and at one time his own local talk show. I get the patients that come in and say, i want to look like j. Lo or beyonce. Reporter mike was married with three kids when he first met richelle at a spa he owned. He started seeing her on the side, and when his wife found out, she divorced him. Mike and richelle dated for about a year and a half. But she says it wasnt always easy. It was volatile. It was up and down. And he would i believe that he was seeing other women. And he denied it. Reporter but the final straw was a Birthday Gift that fell flat. He had signed me up for tea of the month and he had it mailed to me. And i was just like, really . You know. You couldnt even hand me something . You had to mail it to me . Reporter by all accounts, she broke dr. Dixons heart when she dumped him. And she says that he begged her to come back even after she started dating dr. Sonnier. With this in mind, police went to dr. Dixons home in amarillo, two hours from lubbock, the night after the murder. What was his face like when he opened the door . He was a little surprised to see us. Reporter he invited them in. They recorded the meeting. Sort of shocked that i am brought up in this. Believe me, youre on a list of like 8 million people. This is a huge whodunit for sure. Well, i didnt. Reporter he was calm. Even chatty. He had never met sonnier. Their only connection was richelle. And if he carried a torch for her, he admitted it was over. Ill be honest with you, i loved, loved, loved that woman. I really did. I really had fallen head over heels and back. In fact, made a lot of life changes for her. But it just wouldnt happen. It just wasnt something that worked. Reporter in fact, he had already moved on to a younger girlfriend, who was with him the night he was questioned. Most of all, he had a solid alibi. Yeah, we didnt think he was involved. We had checked him out as far as the information that we had solid. Surgeries. This is where i was. So on and so forth. Reporter they put the information about dr. Dixon in their back pocket and continued their search for the killer. It was just a few days later that police got the break they needed. They got a call from a man with a crazy story, that would launch a murder mystery into the headlines. Hes been relating these stories to me about this thing that he did. Reporter the callers name was Paul Reynolds. He was veteran studying to be a nurse and still in his scrubs when he talked to police. Reynolds lived in amarillo, about two hours away, with an old friend from high school, a guy with problems. He can be very bombastic, outgoing, pompous, arrogant, obnoxious kind of thing. Reporter according to reynolds, this guy was blowhard who hung out in amarillo bars, could barely hold a job and talked a big game. But reynolds was concerned that his friends latest story might be more than just talk. His friend was telling him that he killed a doctor in lubbock. He just got up, he had this gun and he shot the guy. Then he said something about pushing in a window. Did he say that the window broke, did it shatter . He was worried . He said it didnt break. Reporter that got detective johnsons attention. This detail matched what happened at joe sonniers. Nobody knew that. We hadnt released that information. Reporter this is huge. Thats huge. Thats huge. Hed also used a gatorade bottle as a silencing device on the gun. Well, once again, we hadnt released that information either. Reporter the guys name was dave shepard. And that rang a bell. Police remembered that when they interviewed dr. Mike dixon, he said he knew a guy named dave shepard. In fact, dave had come by dixons house the night of the murder. Detectives learned the two were best buddies and business partners. I dont know why theyre friends. I dont know how they met, but they are just good friends. Did he go into any other details about his contact with mike . Why did he do this . Right, right, right. Reporter Paul Reynolds said dave might have said something about a triangle, possibly a love triangle. But something happened between these two that made dave think that he needed to avenge mike. And apparently dixon was not only going along with it, but he was going to pay him to do it. Okay. Yeah. Reporter police now put aside any suspicions about richelle or joe sonniers exgirlfriends and focused on this unlikely pair. The doctor and his supersized wingman, big dave shepard. Coming up a doctor in denial. I have no idea what the hell is going on here. But thanks to dave, police do. In the bag is a gun, a knife and a belt. 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Waiters at restaurants were coming up to us knowing who we were and expressing their deep condolences and then telling us a story about when my dad used to eat there and how nice he was to them and they remembered that. Reporter by now police had their big break. A tipster told them a man named dave shepard had admitted to the killing and implicated his friend, dr. Mike dixon, richelles ex. It was enough to arrest both men and charge them with murder. Mike dixon seemed surprised. I have no idea what the hell is going on here. Reporter but andrew dixon, mikes son, was dumbfounded. My dad . No way. Absolutely not. You know . He was somebody that valued the human life. Reporter but neither mike nor dave was talking. That changed three months later. Dave cut a deal with the d. A. The Death Penalty was off the table if he told his story in full and if the d. A. Believed him. Id like for you to tell me how it is that you ended up meeting up with dr. Dixon, michael dixon. We were at a smoke shop maybe four years ago, and we just connected and hooked up. Reporter it was an unlikely friendship. Dave shepard, the likable loser, always chasing the next big thing. And dr. Mike dixon, prominent Plastic Surgeon. Hard working, wealthy. They were the odd couple. Hes quickwitted. Im kind of a sassy smart ass. And we just kind of hit it off. Reporter in 2010, both men were getting divorced. And mike was involved with Richelle Shetina. She is around 49, 50 years old, smoking hot. I thought she was just lovely. I thought she was just a sweetheart. Reporter mike was crazy about her, according to dave, but it didnt last. And dave told detectives when richelle took up with another man, another doctor named joe sonnier, mike didnt like it one bit. The two buddies tossed around some bizarre schemes to try to break up richelle and joe. David tells dr. Dixon, if you really want to get to sonnier, you know what you need to do . You need to order him some gay porn magazine and you got to send it to his office. Reporter thats that would destroy him. Reporter thats immature. Its immature. No, they dont do that. Reporter another scheme dave concocted to embarrass dr. Sonnier involved hiring a woman he knew from a Gentlemans Club named sheena teague. He said that his friend, dr. Dixon, had been dating a woman, and that she was now dating a doctor in lubbock, and he wanted me to call the exgirlfriend and lie to her and say that i was having sex with her boyfriend as well for money. Reporter sheena said no. But according to dave, mike wasnt giving up. He sent dave to lubbock repeatedly to spy on richelle and joe. So theyre in fullon stalking . Yes. Stalking. Committed. Were going to do this. And so david pretty much commits that, im going to go ahead and do this for you. Reporter but then, dave said, mikes evil intentions towards joe sonnier escalated all the way to murder. Tell me how he told you or how you all discussed killing dr. Sonnier. Initially, he wanted somebody to break in his house to make it look like, you know, just a Home Invasion or robbery. There had been some in lubbock. This is go time. Were not turning back. And daves like, oh, my god. He wants this man dead. Reporter dave told the detectives it became clear that he would be the killer, acting for mike. Mike would supply the weapon, dave said. It was a little beatup. 25 automatic. I could barely put my finger in it. I mean, it was tiny. Reporter on july 10, 2012, dave said he got to lubbock around 4 00 in the afternoon. He snuck into dr. Sonniers backyard and waited for the doctor to come home. I have a bandanna on, glasses, shorts, and i have my bag. In the bag is a gun, a knife and a belt. Reporter 3 1 2 hours went by. Nothing. And then, dave said, a rapping on the window. Joe sonnier was inside his house, looking right at him. I wave at dr. Sonnier and get up. I walked to the window. And he has lowered the window about this far from the top down. What happens when you walk up to the window . I pull the gun out of the bag. I point the weapon discharged it several times. After three or four discharges, hes backing away. He trips on his feet and falls to the ground. Gun discharges a couple more times. Hes running across to the to i believe the garage. So he runs down that hallway . Is he out of sight from you . Yes, sir. What do you do next . I push the window in. I dont know if hes going for a gun. I dont know if ive ever hit him. I dont know whats happening. So i push in the window and crawl in. So youre in and you have an empty gun . Yes, sir. When you go in there, what happens . I pretty much run around the corner as fast as i can, so i can intercept him if he has a weapon and hes going to come after me. As i turn around down the hallway right into the garage, hes laying on the floor, not moving, not breathing, nothing. I check his pulse in his neck, hes dead. Reporter but that wasnt enough for dave. I pulled a knife out of my bag, and i stabbed him in the vital organs two or three or four times. Reporter a full confession. Matt powell, Lubbock County d. A. , watched it live from another room. You must have been hanging on every word David Shepard was saying. Well, yeah. I mean, we were certainly curious as to everything that had taken place. Theres no doubt in my mind he was telling the truth. At least most of it. Reporter dave also said mike paid him in three silver bars. And detectives learned dave did cash in those bars. As for the murder weapon, he led them to a lake in amarillo where hed tossed it. He remembered everything to a tee . He did. He did. And he says, i just remember coming over here, and i had that gun and i just underhand tossed it. Right in reporter these two trees . Correct. Right down in this area here. Reporter a year later, in august 2013, dave shepard pleaded no contest to two counts of capital murder in exchange for a life sentence without parole. But mike dixon was going to trial. His attorneys would argue their client had nothing to do with the plot. From day one he made it very clear he did not pay. He did not plan. And he did not participate in the killing of Joseph Sonnier. Never wanted it to happen. Reporter but what happened in court during the trial would be unbelievable. Coming up a star witness with a startling new story to tell. In 20something years of doing this job, i have never been part of something quite like that before. Wheres gary . saved money on motorcycle insurance with geico. Goin up the country. Later, gary i have a motorcycle wonderful. Im goin up the country, baby dont you wanna go . Im goin up the country, baby dont you wanna go . Geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. Ltry align probiotic. N your digestive system . 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For the woman at the center of it all, Richelle Shetina, it was an unimaginable situation to be in. Her former lover accused of murdering the love of her life. D. A. Matt powell. Our theory was it was an obsession with Richelle Shetina. This is vengeance, this is pride, this is jealousy. He spent months and months and months trying to destroy a relationship that she was in. And so i dont know if it was just a vengeance deal for him or if some part in the back of his mind says, you know, i may get her back. Reporter but dr. Dixons attorneys said he was an innocent man who had poor taste in friends. What is mike dixon guilty of . Where do we start . Capital stupidity of the highest degree. And trusting David Shepard. Reporter in court, prosecutors argued that mike dixon was the mastermind. This crazy plan. Yeah, you know, its just amazing. Its still amazing to me today that two guys that, at least on the appearance, had a lot to lose would just throw it away in something so callous and so simple as this. Reporter the states star witness was dave shepard, the trigger man who had already confessed and been convicted. When you met with him before the trial, everything was on track. Yeah. Reporter still on the same page. You had a deal. Yeah, he was already done. Hed already pled guilty. Reporter dave shepard had one job to do for the prosecution. Get up on the stand and repeat what hed told detectives, that hed murdered joe sonnier in exchange for three silver bars from dr. Mike dixon. Youre in the courtroom. Hes on the stand. All is well. Well, it wasnt all well very quickly. Reporter thats because dave shepard pulled a fast one. When he got on the stand he told the court he had lied about dixons role in the murder. His confession was a complete fabrication. Dave said he acted alone, and that dr. Dixon had nothing to do with the murder. Am i shocked that he acted the way he did . Am i shocked that he acted like a con man . No. To do the things he did, no. I didnt see that coming. Reporter you really had to think on your feet. Yeah, it was something. In 20something years of doing this job, i have never been part of something quite like that before. Reporter there werent any cameras in court capturing the drama, but there was one in jail weeks later when dave confided in his daughter rachel. It was a terrible accident, my carelessness and stupidity, okay . Nobodys responsible for that except me. You need to understand that. It was not intended. I wasnt paid to do that. Why would you make the statement that mike paid you to do it if he didnt pay you to do it . Because my attorneys, what they told me, you know, when i did that statement to the police. And my attorneys told me i needed to sell it. Reporter dave shepards aboutface was pure gold for defense attorneys, dan hurley and frank sellers. Were you then surprised when he did that . Thats what he consistently told me, no, mike did not pay. He didnt want anybody harmed. That was all me. Mike didnt have anything to do with that. So i was prepared for what he had to say. Now we didnt disclose it to the prosecution. And i think they learned when he testified for the first time that he was going to recant his first story. Reporter for the sonnier family watching the proceedings from their side of a deeply divided courtroom, dave shepards 180 was a big blow. The well call it the circus created by David Shepards fraudulent testimony threw everything into a tailspin. And it made me extremely nervous. I still thought we were going to win, but i worried about what was going on in the minds of those jurors after seeing dave shepard come in and spin that awful tale. Reporter joe sonniers son, dallas, was right to worry. Because, as it turned out, the jury was hung. A mistrial was declared. The family was distraught. Matt powell walked in and, without missing a beat, he looked us straight in the face and he said to us, guy, im so sorry this happened. But were going to turn around and do it again and were going to get him the second time. Reporter but mike dixons son wasnt giving up hope either. Because if anyone was certain that mike had nothing to do with the murder of joe sonnier, it was andrew dixon. One of the hardest things was just to, you know, watch his name just get, you know, drug through the mud. And, you know, youre just thinking were eventually going to get to say something, let everybody know who my dad is and that he cant be capable for what hes accused for. Reporter but would mike dixon prevail the Second Time Around . Maybe. Maybe not. Coming up the tale of the texts. There is no way that you would think that these are texts about a murder. The evidence was very strong that he was an active, willing participant in this. A new trial, a new jury. And the verdict . On october 26th, 2015, it was deja vu at the Lubbock County courthouse. After his first trial ended in a hung jury, dr. Mike dixon was back on trial charged with the murder of dr. Joe sonnier. For the sonnier family, it was time to put on a game face. I decided before the second trial that we should be confident as a family and support the d. A. And really push this thing forward. Reporter pushing it forward was exactly what prosecutor matt powell had in mind. That meant the prosecution would not put dave shepard on the stand this time, although the jury would hear about his confession. Its a largely circumstantial case. Did you feel like it might be a tough sell that this prominent doctor who seemed to have everything would want to kill a total stranger . I didnt think it was going to be a tough sell at all. I think the evidence was very strong that he was an active, willing participant in this. Reporter prosecutors had discovered hundreds of Text Messages between dave and mike. Both men deleted their texts after the murder, but Forensic Experts were able to retrieve about half of them. There were a series of urgent texts between shepard and dixon in the middle of june. Got to happen tomorrow. I know. Just need him to show. Thats why you got to stick closer to know his whereabouts. Not trying to secondguess, but were getting down to the wire here. Why is there a wire . Why is there a time limit . Why is it important for him to show . Why is it important if he shows up, its over . Reporter what they were doing, prosecutor powell argued, was planning a murder. But there was no evidence of murder in the Text Messages . Yeah. But are you going to put evidence in a text message, go kill the guy . Obviously, youre not going to do that. Instead of saying killing somebody, youd say put it on them. You know, cant wait for him to get home. You know, all i needs an opportunity. Get it done. Reporter the prosecution pointed to 38 texts and four calls between dave and mike on the day of the murder. And when dave called mike that night, the call hit a cell tower near dr. Sonniers house. The day after there were 21 texts including the one mike fired off to dave once detectives left his house. Just had a visit from lubbock pd. Ash said you came by for cigars. They will see our texts and conversations. Stay calm. Lay low. Yeah. I mean, its hard to misconstrue that one. Police were just there and then all of a sudden youre texting the murderer to lay low. Reporter when it came to the defense, attorneys dan hurley and frank sellers said none of this evidence pointed to murder for hire. A lot was made of the Text Messages between David Shepard and mike dixon. They dont look great at they look horrible. Reporter at face value. Something clearly was being planned. But you dont believe that it shows that murder was being planned . There is no way that you would think that this these are texts about a murder. No way. Reporter and thats what mike dixon said when he took the stand in his own defense. That volley of texts . They were all about trying to get photos to make joe sonnier look bad in richelles eyes. He acknowledged that he was trying his hardest to get proof of Joseph Sonnier being with other women and not being committed to Richelle Shetina. He acknowledges being impatient. He acknowledges pushing David Shepard to do that. But he absolutely does not and did not ever want David Shepard to harm Joseph Sonnier physically. Reporter but if mike wasnt guilty of murder, why did he delete all his Text Messages, even going so far as to submerge his phone in a pool . I think this is a problem people watching will have is i wouldnt do that. If i had nothing to hide, i wouldnt start destroying all this evidence and jumping into the pool with my phone. They could say they wouldnt do it until they were in that same situation. Hes being wrapped up in a murder that he had nothing to do with in the sense that he never wanted dr. Sonnier dead. Reporter andrew dixon, mikes son. He was naive almost in his sense of people. You know . He was studying all the time, and working hard, and i think those things left him naive to the the way people are sometimes in the real world. Reporter but would jurors buy that . On november 18th, after deliberating for a scant two hours, they returned with a verdict. They kept saying, guilty, guilty, guilty. You know, yes, i found him guilty. It was like a bad dream. Reporter guilty of two counts of capital murder. Richelle shetina was not in court for the verdict, but she sent us a statement saying in part she couldnt express the depth of her despair and grief. She said she saw no red flags. And she also expressed anger with mike dixon and dave shepard and herself for having been involved with a man she now considers a sociopath. Dr. Dixon is appealing his conviction. For the sonnier family, justice had been accomplished. There was closure. Because for the last three years, the idea of mike dixon not being in prison for life is so horrifying, you just cant wrap your mind around it. And so you can grieve joes loss, but theres still that concept floating out there until its finalized, and it was. Reporter now, joe sonniers family is focused on his legacy. As a doctor. A loving father. And a passionate dancer. Do you feel like joe is dancing up there in heaven . He may be. He may be. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanks for joining us. Charlottesville. President trump makes his both sides are to blame argument. But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. Equating the white nationalists with the protesters. Excuse me, what about the altleft that came charging at the, as you say, the altright, do they have any semblance of guilt . Did the president lose his moral authority this week by failing to condemn White Supremacists, the klan and neonazis . Ill ask former republican congressman j. C. Watts and the former u. S. Ambassador to the United Nations and onetime mayor of atlanta, andrew young. Plus those White Supremacists in charlottesville. Jews will not replace us jews will not replace us. Well take an inside look at