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his right to an attorney. and no one stopped him from doing that. >> so thomas kept asking questions, and seth kept answering them. >> have you ever lied to lisa about rachel? >> no. she found out and that was -- that was that. >> meanwhile, both dci agents birmingham and thomas had now learned more complete details from the scene from seth's best friend, the guy with the puppy. the friend, colton, had explained that seth was using his special trac phone as a steamy hotline. >> i know they were exchanging photos. >> did he tell you, "she sent me some topless pictures? " >> yes. >> did you see them? >> yes. >> armed with this information, agent thomas decided to show his cards and see what happened. >> we've talked to colton. did colton know about you texting rachel? >> mm-hmm. >> did you tell him about it? >> yeah. >> this is an ongoing investigation, and it's up to you to be honest. >> there's obviously more to this rachel thing. she was under the impression that lisa was going to be packing her
lives. was there any extramarital affairs? >> no. >> seth didn't hesitate. there was no other women. but out at the trailer, quite unexpectedly, someone was about to put the lie to that rosy marital picture. a good friend of seth's named colton had walked up to the crime scene tape at the drive. he told the deputies and agents there that he was looking to pick up his puppy that seth had been boarding for him. the investigators began peppering the young friend for info about seth and lisa. a detail that tumbled out surprised them. what was the story you told them colton? >> i told them that seth had a trac phone. >> so kind of a secret phone? >> yeah. and he had been talking to a girl. >> the investigators had no idea where this would lead, but the unexpected revelation that there might be a girlfriend in the mix meant that they had to get on the horn with agent thomas downtown and pronto. seth was still in the interview chair, but he could walk at any
it was a big moment. >> now, they knew who ha bought a phone the next step was to figure ou who turned the track phone on. track funds need to be activated using another phon to call an 800 number. after three weeks, detective colin hatchet finally persuade a track phone manager to giv him this piece of paper. >> he had circled the phon number, it was the number that called to activate that trac phone. >> whose number was that >> andrea benson >> had that name surface before >> yes, absolutely all over diana's phone records >> she was one of those people that popped into diane is like one day and it was in d.c. and, benson head a rap sheet >> so what is going on here? how many people are involved i this >> that's the question of th day. >> the other big question, wha did diana nagel do well she wa in washington d.c. >> detectives started with her
spouses. after tha track phone call, the alarm at peggy's front door was tripped and that 1:23 a.m., the alar company called get >> hello, this is th monitoring center, gus >>'s pegging adele, th colbert's max, i'm sorry >> that's okay, ma'am. >> and that everything is okay have a good night. >> it was probably the las time peggy's voice was heard b anyone except for killer police were convinced, still are convinced, peggy was letting in someone she knew. suzanne? maybe. but why would you use a trac phone to get her mom to open the door in the middle of th night. >> she wouldn't have to let me in i have a key and i know how to work the alarm. >> so if you wanted to kill her, you could've just waited til she went to sleep, unlike th
innocent and she couldn' believe she was ever a suspect >> you watch dateline? >> all the time. >> sometimes, as you kno people look guilty but they ar really not are you in custody right now >> no. >> were you ever arrested? >> no. >> did you have anything to do with your mother's murder? >> no. >> deep into the investigation of peggy nadler yeah the prime suspect was no longer he daughter susan it was her daughter-in-law diana. detectives knew that diana's friend had bought the trac phone they called peggy's hous just before she was murdered diana had told police from the beginning that she had been in washington d.c. to attend wedding. but her alibi was wobbly dana couldn't account for he time in d.c. >> she hit washington and abou 9:30 and didn't reappear again until about 9:00 the next day.
lie to that rosy marital picture. a good friend of seth's named colton had walked up to the crime scene tape at the drive. he told the deputies and agents there that he was looking to pick up his puppy that seth had been boarding for him. the investigators began peppering the young friend for info about seth and lisa. a detail that tumbled out surprised them. what was the story you told them colton? >> i told them that seth had a trac phone. >> so kind of a secret phone? >> yeah. and he had been talking to a girl. >> the investigators had no idea where this would lead, but the unexpected revelation that there might be a girlfriend in the mix meant that they had to get on the horn with agent thomas downtown and pronto. seth was still in the interview chair, but he could walk at any moment. >> coming up -- more about seth's secret phone. seems it wasn't just for talking. >> did he tell you, "she me som>> yes. okay, see how everyone else is facing this way? progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto with us. okay, that was terrible. okay, let's hang back. we're gonna try that again.
>> i'm so nervous. he's over there. >> what is he wearing? >> a white vest. i remember his eyes more than anything else. >> you could tell that she was just terrified of this guy. my god. you know, i sold this guy these things that helped him kill his wife. >> reporter: and there was something else that tripped doug up, a credit card blunder. before he went to michigan, doug bought a throwaway cell phone called a trac phone that normally assures except, as you can see doug swiping here, he's just bought it with a credit card that created an electronic receipt revealing the phone's unique i.d. that made the phone, and doug's movements, easily traceable. >> he didn't think we would find these trac phones that he had. >> reporter: master criminals don't save receipts and buy on credit cards. >> absolutely not. >> reporter: criger could then follow the path of that particular trac phone through
venus stewart. >> did you attempt it again? >> yes, we did. >> reporter: it was deja vu all over again. this time, sunday, april 25th. >> i went down to virginia. he was heading up -- back up to michigan. >> reporter: later that day, ricky said he made a call to doug's boss, pretending to be doug, under the weather. >> and i said in a sick voice, like, "hey bobby, this is me -- doug. i'm feeling like [bleep], i can't get to work." he said, "all right." so doug didn't have to come to work on monday. >> reporter: monday would be venus's last day alive, as ricky would explain in his chilling story of duplicity and death. it began, the prosecutor said, with doug in a field across from venus'parents'house. >> he parked there with his truck kind of watching things. i'd say probably 500 yards from venus'parents'house. >> reporter: doug called ricky at 7:00 a.m. from a trac phone and gave him his instructions. >> ricky, i want you to leave
it with a credit card that created an electronic receipt revealing the phone's unique i.d. that made the phone, and doug's movements, easily traceable. >> he didn't think we would find these trac phones that he had. >> reporter: master criminals don't save receipts and buy on credit cards. >> absolutely not. >> reporter: criger could then follow the path of that particular trac phone through gps technology, just as if it were a personal cell phone. >> using the phones, how close can you get him to his wife's driveway? >> pretty close. within five to seven miles. >> reporter: but, by now, something else put him even closer, old-fashioned forensics. remember, the smudge on the plastic tarp wrapper found outside venus' parents' house? it was a fingerprint, turned out, doug stewart's fingerprint, placing him at the scene of venus' disappearance. prosecutors believed it was damning evidence. >> yeah, i swear. >> reporter: but to close the deal, they'd have to put on the stand the college-kid impostor with a head-spinning tale to tell.
duct tape and gloves. >> do you see that person in the courtroom today? >> yeah. >> what was that? >> yes. >> could you point him out and describe what he's wearing? >> i'm so nervous. he's over there. >> what is he wearing? >> a white vest. i remember his eyes more than anything else. >> you could tell that she was just terrified of this guy. my god. you know, i sold this guy these things that helped him kill his wife. >> reporter: and there was something else that tripped doug up, a credit card blunder. before he went to michigan, doug bought a throwaway cell phone called a trac phone that normally assures anonymity. except, as you can see doug swiping here, he's just bought