Page 4 - Venus A News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> my dad called and said, venus is alive. he couldn't get nothing out of >> and during the phone call with venus' grandfather the woman said i'm in illinois near a relative's home but the phone records didn't support that. we did not believe that phone call came from venus stewart. we thought that was somebody playing a sick joke on the family. >> reporter: you think that was doug putting somebody up to it? >> i can't say it but i suspected it. >> reporter: and back in michigan there was a court proceeding taking place. but not the kind venus' family wanted. >> the preliminary hearing today a...

>> he was very cooperative. he told us about all the computers that were in the house. >> reporter: the michigan cops, who knew all about the bad blood between doug and venus, were looking for any trace of her, dead or alive. >> what were you expecting to do and hoping to find there? >> we knew we wanted to search his apartment for her clothes because that's the last thing she was seen in. we wanted to try to find her clothes, if possible. >> reporter: any signs of venus being around that apartment? >> no, nothing. >> reporter: but the forensic investigators kept looking. then they went outsid...

Asserts that doug got down to business. >> he's like, "hey ricky, i want to tell -- tell you something, it's really important. let me finish before you interrupt me." >> reporter: ricky testified that doug began to vent on his estranged wife venus. ricky said doug was portraying venus as an abusive, even dangerous mother to his two girls. that wasn't true, but ricky didn't know that. doug then told ricky he needed to do something desperate. >> he's telling me that he's going to go kill his wife. >> when he was telling you this, what were you thinking? >> i was just shocked. i couldn't, like, b...

Telling the jury, how after the first run to michigan was a bust, doug called ricky again. >> and he said, "hey dude, it's done. i killed her and her dad." and i was like, "what?" and he says, "no, i'm just kidding." and i told him that wasn't funny. >> so he said he was kidding and you told him it wasn't funny? >> yeah. >> reporter: ricky's second day on the stand as the star witness. prosecutor mcdonough picked up his questioning with ricky's description of mission number two, the assault on venus stewart. >> did you attempt it again? >> yes, we did. >> reporter: it was deja vu all over agai...

>> absolutely. absolutely. i thought it was a mistake, and i'd get an apology. >> reporter: doug had told police from the beginning he thought venus skipped out on him and his kids. after his arrest, he said it again to detective scott. >> i got very upset. i told him, i said, "i've worked with you from day one. i do not know where my wife is." >> therese, how did you learn that doug had been arrested? >> oh, the state police came to the house and told us. the same day they told us venus was deceased. >> they said they arrested him for murder and her legs went right off from underneath her. >>...