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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 they'd killed mark hasse. that meant the tip came from william's computer. a follow-up computer search also revealed williams had searched several how-to 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...

This investigation suggested to you that you're a person of interest in the investigation? >> no. >> reporter: after the denial, his sympathies. >> my heart-felt 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 we're not aware of, they've 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...

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 suspect's 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 f...

>> we just didn't 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 it's 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 haven't found. >> reporter: at least now, 10 weeks after hasse's murder, the investigation was finally on a roll. >> we go home that night to get a good night's sleep and i actually wanted for the first time i...

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.