Page 11 - John Creech News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> he asked if he can come over and put the car in my garage. >> is the body in the car at that point? >> yes. >> he allows it to be at his house for five-to-six days. >> reporter: really? >> yes. >> reporter: that's when creech turned to reina lynn, the nurse that lived with him. and creech got her to rent a van. >> then he uses a van to drive up to the angeles national forest and he finds a secluded area to bury gavin smith's body. >> reporter: where buddy the dog later found out. but the mercedes benz was still in the garage. >> did that upset you? >> very much so. >> reporter: so two weeks...

Where months later the detective noticed one detail that saved the cover up. >> i was looking at the license plate, i see it's not there. should be a california license plate, that kind of thing, it's gone. i also see there is one screw missing and one screw screwed back in halfway and that screw came back positive dna to john creech. >> reporter: bingo, the unassailable link to pull together all that evidence. phone records, chandy's testimony, the friends, the dna and it all condemned john creech. but a surprise was coming. for everyone. >> raise your right hand. coming up. >> i was scared...

>> reporter: but they didn't meet chandy in there. they met her husband, his name was john. john creech. not pleasant. >> when they came out, they were both crying. >> reporter: they told their mom creech threatened to kill gavin if he didn't stay away from chandy. though 17 months later he vanishes after calling chandy, lisa had a very bad feeling. >> everything changed right then for me. >> reporter: detectives were suspicious, too, remember, chandy told them she didn't see gavin that night. but there was evidence to the contrary. cell phone records showed gavin's phone and chandy's were in ...

You don't normally have key witnesses who don't come forward until years later. >> reporter: in january, 2015, nearly three years after gavin smith disappeared, creech was charged with first degree murder. he had pleaded not guilty. and chandy, well -- >> we didn't know if she set it up or she had something to do with it. >> coming up, an under cover sting and chandy is the target. >> and i was like, stop it. screaming my head off. >> then a stunning moment in the courtroom. >> i wanted to get away, i was scared. i was afraid of what i would see. >> when "dateline" continues. yo. but not if yo...

Verdict. >> we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant john creech not guilty of the crime of first-degree murder of gave insmith. >> not guilty of first-degree murder. but the jury wasn't done. >> guilty of the crime of voluntary manslaughter. >> a verdict, guilty of voluntary manslaughter, in other words, they believe john creech killed gavin smith in a moment of blind passion. >> i was devastated by the verdict. i am still devastated by the verdict. because he did absolutely plan on murdering my husband and thought about it for years and did it. >> what about creech's frien...