Page 6 - David Mcmannis News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Missing. >> there's enough circumstantial evidence to believe that he was involved if not in the murder, but definitely in the complicity to cover it up. >> reporter: the only thing that dave mcmannis was guilty of, said bross was being a sarcastic guy. >> the majority of the statements that were made were sarcasm at best. so if he's guilty -- >> it's a claim. yeah. and that's kind of an easy out for saying terrible things, isn't it? >> well, it was inappropriate statements, if said at all. david is known to be a jokester and sarcastic. even during the course of the trial, he would say things ...

Testified about overhearing a conversation between barr and mcmannis. >> phillip barr was saying to david mcmannis, "i didn't want to kill her." and she overheard david mcmannis respond, "she had to die." >> reporter: not very believable, said the defense attorneys. just people making things up, said barr's lawyer, mark de sisto. >> we contended that those conversations never took place. >> reporter: some of those witnesses were inmates, too, snitches. >> i never met a confidential informant that's gonna inform just 'cause he wants to be a nice guy or a good citizen. there's always something i...

Finishing college and obviously that was a goal of hers. so i did feel a connection to her, thinking about her and where she would've been at my age now. >> reporter: and the defendants now on trial? phil barr owned a septic tank repair business, dave mcmannis was his helper the day tara disappeared. the detectives had learned that barr used his business as a cover for stealing from the homes of unsuspecting customers. and here's what happened, said the state, that first of october, 2001: tara's landlord asked barr for a repair estimate. barr and his helper, mcmannis, began their work-day by s...

>> meaning detectives spoke with other people who had heard the men talk about the murder but they were not the type a jury would likely believe. much of what they said sowned like drug and booze soaked gossip. it wasn't enough certainly to support charging peewee but thought the prosecutor, maybe he could find a way to go after barr and mcmannis, and he had an idea. bring some of the key witnesses before a grand jury, just to see who passed the credibility test, and who didn't. >> i've prosecuted over a hundred homicide cases, and the complexity and the amount of information that we had to re...

Located her, and spoke to her. >> what did she have to say? >> she floored me. >> why? that visitor was not blocked by the fence like her relatives were. she had been sitting in full view, not more than 15 yards from tara's front door. and she saw a lot. >> she did see the vehicle pull in, a couple different times, and then the second time she saw the vehicle there, it was backed up to the front door, and the two guys got out, opened the tailgate and were walking back and forth inside the front door. >> wow. how important was that? >> extremely important. she identified david mcmannis as being...