Page 9 - Larry Crouch News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> though, what the jury thought, no one could say. then there was inevitably a conversation about whether or not dave would testify. >> i told them i wanted to testify. >> an idea dave's attorney did not like one bit. >> dave is a combative individual, he is prideful, he is offended easily. >> he thinks he is smart and hates for anyone to think he is not smart. he would be perfect fodder for a trained prosecutor. >> and so dave held his tongue in court. he saved his story for us. so you don't think they had any useful evidence against you at all? >> can anybody name anything? >> coming up -- ...

It was an ex-boyfriend. >> of course, investigators say they did look into that and other leads, too, but they all came back to dave. and one primary motive. so some cross-examination. prosecutors said you killed your ex-wife because she was going to expose your embezzlement of the childrens' trust funds. were you afraid your father was going to find out what you were doing with that money with the trust fund? your father who lovingly put the money into the trust fund before you siphoned it out. >> i really don't like the way you are characterizing these things. i really don't like the way the...

Out of the window, and got someone to give him a ride to debbie's house and entered her bedroom. >> i think he tried the stun gun on her and she screamed very loudly and he struck her with something more than once. at that point, i assume he suffocated her. >> then, said the prosecutor, he must have dragged debbie's body to the garage, put her in her own van, disposed of her somewhere and drove to fresno. and left it in the high-crime zone. how did he get back home? that accomplice, said the prosecutor, must have picked him up and driven him the 40 miles back to his farm. but really, there was...

Now it was may, 2008, nearly two years after debbie's disappearance. her body still hadn't been found and there was no new evidence tying dave to her murder. but prosecutor larry crouch heard disquieting reports from his investigators. >> they started surveilling our office, the police offices, eventually starts driving by an investigator's home. it was getting pretty concerning out there. >> time to move. on may 29, 2008, dave hawk was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and a special circumstance murder for financial gain. he pleaded not guilty. when the trial finally began more th...

A $27,000 car using trust fund money. you took a trip to hawaii with your girlfriend. you paid off your divorce attorneys fees and money you took from the first set of trusts by taking $60,000 out of the kids' second trust fund. >> the money was used for the children. >> which child drove the lexus? >> all three children were driven in the lexus. >> which child went to hawaii on vacation? >> perhaps that money was my own money. prosecutor never bothered to figure out what dollar went where, did they? >> you made it hard because you were mixing up the trust fund money and your money all the tim...