Page 9 - Erwin Howard News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

You live, pretty ordinary stuff. then, all of a sudden, he says, did did you have anything to do with your mom's disappearance? >> ty this was more did you kill your mother. >> reporter: and you're startled or angry? >> it was a horrible question but i can understand why it needed to be asked. >> reporter: detectives asked similar questions of julie. next in attempting to rule out as suspects those closest to dee dee, detectives turned their taepgs to her ex-husband erwin howard. it turned out even though the two had been divorced more than a year at the time of her disappearance, friends told...

Dogs. that request apparently been misinterpreted by erwin. we know. he started wearing his wedding ring again. erwin wanted her back into his life and seemed to me on some level she sort of appreciated that part of him that adored her and wanted to take care of her, even if it's somebody you're not going to be with any more? >> yes. >> right. >> reporter: do you think she made that point clear enough to him? >> no. >> reporter: she was too nice? >> always too nice and very trusting. >> reporter: and that maybe why investigators thought erwin seemed surprised when just two weeks before dee dee...

Having an attack of conscience. the neighbor told the detective she had seen erwin on june 30th, the day erwin had confronted and slapped dee dee. >> she said the conversation lasted 15, 20 minutes he articulated he was mad enough to strangulate her with work gloves. >> reporter: what dee dee's neighbor told you? >> right. >> reporter: why do you think she did not tell you for six months? >> i don't know why a neighbor during a murder investigation wouldn't simply tell the cops the truth that he wanted to kill her. >> reporter: armed with that new and threatening statement, detective gates was...

County's d.a. office had so far declined to issue a warrant for howard's arrest. dee dee's son michael wanted answers. there was a lot of time erwin was walking around free. >> seemed like decades. so painful and emotional. >> reporter: jimmy gates was feeling the same way. soon his hard work had paid off. the red tape found on dee dee's body. a specially trained dog found erwin's consent on it and similar evidence at at the hanger at l.a.x. what about his ten-hour shift? the more the detectives dug into that alibi, the less solid it seemed. detective gates painstakingly

Prosecutor's wildest dreams did he believe his opening statement would have the affect it did on erwin howard and his defense attorney andrew flyer. you hear that opening statement and something changes? >> something changed. after the opening statement i went back into lock-up and i spoke to erwin i said, hey, listen. remember how i was speaking about the circumstantial case and it could be powerful? i think there could be some problems now. and his answer was i need to tell you something. >> reporter: that something would stun dee dee keller's family and friends and the prosecutor, himself. ...