48 Hours - A Daughter, a Mortgage and Two Murders

Episode Date: August 16, 2015

A Daughter, a Mortgage and Two Murders.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. That morning was probably, I felt like that morning was the end of my life. You know, two most important people in this world were taken away from me. My mom was getting ready for work.

I heard my mom scream. My dad yelled, what are you doing? And just gunshots just went off. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Honestly I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do. I looked to see where am I going to hide. You know I didn't know if that person was standing there, you know, at my door.

So I just, I went into my closet, turned on my cell phone, dialed 9-1-1. My parents were probably the greatest parents ever. Renee, is it your position that your parents were probably the greatest parents ever? Beyond the greatest parents ever. You talk about your parents in your journal. Yes. Please read it out loud to the jury. My mom reminds me of astrological sign Gemini. Two-faced, good-for-nothing bitch.

I hate my dad. I really don't know how much more I can take before someone makes me explode. Did you forget your hatred for your parents? It's not hatred, it's frustration as a teenager. She called me and she said, Auntie Jess, my parents have been shot. I thought to myself, what did you do?

Detective Mark Johnson, my job is to get you through this polygraph as long as you're honest with me. Do you know for sure who shot your parents? No. Do you know who shot your parents in their bedroom? No. She may have not pulled the trigger but i have no doubt she

had everything to do with this test is over please don't you're not passing it you're not failing it the bottom line is renee couldn't pass a polygraph but enough about renee i'm done talking about renee we're going to put the focus back where it belongs, back on the defendant. Who was on trial here? Ronald Santiago. His name is Ronald Santiago, and he was the mortgage broker for the refinancing of my parents' house.

I was like, what? What are you talking about? I'm Erin Moriarty. Tonight on 48 Hours. A daughter, a mortgage, and two murders. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all.

I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery+.

Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder. I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts.

It's taken more than eight years, but a suspect who seemed to come out of the blue is now on trial for the murders of Bernadette and Greg Olimacher. The defendant is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The accused? A mild-mannered man who had been helping the couple get a mortgage, 47-year-old Ronald Santiago. I knew these people. I've worked with them in the past, and I was working with them then.

But I had nothing to do with the murder. Bernadette and Greg met and married while both were in the U.S. Air Force, living for a time in Alaska. After retiring, they settled in this Albuquerque suburb, Paradise Hills, to be closer to Bernadette's extended family. The first thing that comes to my mind is that they were great people. They were fun people. You know, it was always just the three of us.

My mom, my dad, me and my dog. Sammy Joe. My mom was energetic and a very health nut type of person. She was my best friend health nut type of person. She was my best friend. Bernadette went to work for the Federal Aviation Administration. Greg got a job with Xerox. My parents didn't have any enemies, that's the thing.

You know, they had nobody mad at them as far as I knew. Yet sometime after 5 a.m. on August 2, 2005, someone executed Bernadette and Greg Olemacher at close range. Certainly the assailant could actually see the faces of the people he took the lives of, and they were confronted there in their bedroom. Former Albuquerque police spokesman John Wals, says Greg struggled with the killer before being shot in the back. Bernadette was hit in the chest as she stepped out of the shower. It was methodical. It didn't have the feel of something random. Renee, then 20 years old, called 911 from inside her bedroom closet. How many shots were fired? I think five or six. I was like half awake, half asleep. closet. Upon arrival, police found no one in the house except Renee and the dog. It appears from

this videotape that Renee was quite shaken up, almost unable to walk. When did you realize your parents were dead? I asked one of the cops, I said, you know, are they okay? Are they fine? He said, no ma'am, both of them don't have a pulse. They're both dead. From the beginning, Renee cooperated with investigators. I was just like, do whatever you want. Go search my room. Do whatever you need to do. Figure it out. Had nothing to hide. you need to do. Figure it out. Had nothing to hide. But there was no sign of forced entry, so police wondered, how did a killer get in or out? Bernadette, as part of her morning routine, had already started the coffee and opened the back door. Is that where the killer might have entered? Or did someone climb a work ladder that was left leaning against the house?

There were no fingerprints, no unidentified DNA left at the scene. And so Renee would have to be a suspect initially. Absolutely. Anytime that there's a survivor at a scene, your interest is looking in that direction. Hi, Renee. Detectives were not the only ones looking closely at Renee. Her behavior began raising the suspicions of her entire family, including her Aunt Jessica. Another one of my friends observed her texting during the funeral. Renee was texting during the funeral?

Yeah. Her behavior was just not that of someone who just lost both parents in that way. Do you really think that Renee could have had anything to do with her parents' deaths? Speaking for myself, I do. You do? I do. This is your granddaughter. She is my granddaughter, but she was very nasty with me when I would ask her about her mom.

And she would say, well, I love my mom, but I really don't miss her. Is there supposed to be a book on how to grieve? Is there supposed to be certain guidelines on how you're supposed to deal with things? For the next several months, Renee moved around to the homes of different family members. Whispers followed until her aunt confronted her directly. I asked her, did you have anything to do with this? And her reaction to me was very calm and it was, no I didn't. Did you believe her? I wanted to. I heard what she was saying but her actions were speaking volumes different. Renee, who had no money of her

own but wanted to attend an out-of-state college, seemed almost giddy about a possible inheritance from her parents' life insurance policies, an eventual windfall of more than half a million dollars. She came to my work a couple days later and excited as all can be and said, guess what I did today? And I said, what? She goes, I went and test drove Beamers. A BMW. Yeah. I didn't know what to say. I was sick. Was Renee aware that she would benefit financially from her parents' deaths? I believe she was. Her mom didn't keep any secrets from her. With no other suspects, Renee's relatives began to scrutinize her every move, like the first call she made after hearing the gunshots. Greg's brother Randy in Ohio found it very odd. Why a 20-year-old would not understand or not know that when there's

gunshots going off, you call 911 is quite troubling. Before Renee dialed 911, she first called a local 242 cops number. She was buying time. You need to think and look where the digits are in correspondence to the letters. Why not 911? Yeah, because I thought that you could get through faster or something for some reason. I didn't know what to do. I was in a world of shock. And why was the dog, Sammy, who slept in the master bedroom and known to all the family as a real barker, not heard barking on that 911 call, Renee's Aunt Toni? And I asked her, well, why didn't Sammy bark? She said she did. I didn't take it any further than that because I knew she was lying. And Sammy barked at every stranger that came in, right? Right. She was a very protective dog.

And very loud. Right. The fact that you don't remember hearing Sammy bark till you heard your mom scream and there were shots, does that mean the dog knew or was familiar with the person in the house? Maybe. I never even thought about that. For months, police consider Renee the only viable suspect. If they would actually just open up their eyes and do their job in the first place,

maybe they would have gotten other evidence. Maybe they would have found something else right away instead of lollygagging around and pointing the finger at me. And that's exactly what happened ten months after the murders police did find someone else that no one in the family had ever heard of In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn,

and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reached the age of 10 that was still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island

to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? or Spotify. and the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or, Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans,

discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. It's just The Best Idea Yet. I didn't understand why they were pointing their finger at me.

Just weighed on me so much. For ten months, police kept Renee on the hot seat for the murder of her parents. But then, investigators discovered a new, completely unexpected suspect. Ron Santiago, a mortgage loan processor for Countrywide Home Loans. Being able to help someone buy their first home, to own their own home, was a great feeling. Being able to help someone buy their first home, to own their own home was a great feeling. Back in 2006, Santiago was a model citizen with no record, a hardworking married man with a young stepdaughter. He was such a good father figure to my daughter and just we clicked.

Ron's former wife, Martha. He liked helping people. What do you mean, helping people? Close loans, just anything to do to get a smile on their face. At the time of their murders, the Olamachers were working with Santiago and Countrywide to refinance their home. But the loan was in limbo after Santiago says he told the couple they would not be getting cash back. They were very disappointed when I told them that. Were they upset about that? Upset that they were, you know, not happy with the situation. Soon after giving the Olimacars the bad news about their loan,

Santiago says he heard they'd been murdered. I was shocked. I mean, I was disturbed. You cried? Yes, ma'am. When I heard that, it hurt. It was sad. But Ron had little time to dwell on it because in 2005, business at Countrywide was booming. We're one of the hottest markets in the Southwest. Business was so hot and heavy that Santiago was having trouble keeping up. It was a pressure cooker. I've taken loan applications on holidays, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day. You're open 24-7. He was just really overwhelmed, really stressed out.

He couldn't sleep. Martha says her husband appeared near a breaking point. It was right about the time of the Olamaka murders. He was just always in a panic, you know, like panic mode that he was going to lose his job. Did he really worry about getting fired? He did, all the time. Did he really worry about getting fired? He did, all the time. But by early 2006, as the Olamaka murders receded from the headlines, Santiago rallied.

That's when Catherine Howard and her husband met him, as they went shopping for a home refinancing. Ron was described to me as someone that was extremely helpful, that could get the job done, probably one of the best in the business. And what did Ron tell you about getting a loan? He said we were pre-approved. And Santiago delivered. He gave the Howards two countrywide checks totaling more than $240,000. The only trouble was the bank called and said the checks were fake. And I said, excuse me? The Howards immediately went to Countrywide, where they were shocked to learn their loan had not been processed.

Katherine's head was spinning, but everything was about to get even more surreal. Within just a few minutes of being there, the Secret Service called. Ron had turned himself into the Secret Service. It sounded incredible, but it was true. June 2006, Santiago had walked into a Secret Service office in downtown Albuquerque, the agency that investigates bank fraud, and admitted he'd forged the checks he had given to the Howards. Why would you choose to write the counterfeit checks? I just wanted more time to get it done for these folks.

I did it to stall for time, to get it done. If that sounds irrational, it somehow made sense to Santiago. And he seemed very torn up about it the day he turned himself in to Brian Nguyen, who was then the Secret Service agent on duty. Just say, I've done something horrible. I've done something really bad. I need to talk to you.

I need to talk to you. He just looked really distraught, and he just kept saying, my life is over, my life is over. During questioning, Santiago became so overwrought that Nguyen made arrangements for him to be admitted to the psychiatric ward of a local hospital. I've never done anything illegal in my life. To do something that was stupid and lose everything because of that stupidity, it's very emotional. There's something about him that just didn't make sense.

Agent Nguyen soon got a call from Catherine Howard, who remembered something disturbing that happened the morning she and her husband were to get those checks. The day that we were going to pick up the checks, my ex-husband called me and said, there's something wrong with the truck. We took the vehicle in. When the technician put it up in the air, he found this brake line was cut. Okay, once this brake line is cut, there was no more brakes on the vehicle, period, front or rear.

Although she had no proof, Catherine was convinced that Santiago cut the brake line that morning. This guy tried to kill us. I mean, that was my gut reaction. I didn't cut this. I didn't cut anything. I would never do anything like that. You just never know with a person what they might be capable of. Forged checks. A mysterious cut break line. Agent Nguyen kept digging and soon found out that Santiago's previous clients, the Olimarkers, had been murdered and no one had been arrested. The cops told the agent one other key fact.

The weapon most likely used in the Olimarkaker homicide was a 9mm Ruger. And when Nguyen learned that Santiago had once owned a 9mm Ruger, his forgery case suddenly morphed into a full-fledged homicide investigation. Nguyen and a police detective raced to the psychiatric ward of the hospital, where they interviewed Santiago for two hours. That interview was recorded. You went to the Ola Mockers, and you ended up shooting him.

Sir, I did not hurt anybody. You were there, so it was not that. I didn't shoot anybody. I didn't shoot anybody. At the very same time that Santiago was being interrogated, Albuquerque police were searching his home. And there, in a bag in his garage,

they say they found one spent 9mm shell casing that matched the four shell casings found in the bedroom where the Olimlamakers were killed. How did that shell casing end up in your bag? I mean, that's damaging, Ron. Yeah, it is. I mean, and... That's the whole case. On June 15, 2006, ten months after the Olamakers were killed,

Ron Santiago was arrested and charged with their murders. Detectives were determined to connect Santiago to the missing murder weapon. You have a Ruger. You had a Ruger's gun that killed them. Where's the Ruger? You got rid of it, didn't you? It's been hell. I was put in jail for 17 months on charges I had nothing to do with. And they set bail for me.

Six million cash only. But everything changed for Ron Santiago once defense attorneys Joseph Riggs and Natalie Bruce agreed to take his case and prepare for a trial. From the first time we met him, we knew that we had an innocent man. They quickly got bail reduced to a million dollars. I love you guys. Allowing Santiago's family to post the 10% bond. Still, being out of jail by no means meant his troubles were over because of what police found in Santiago's home. How important is that casing that was found in Santiago's bag in his garage? Oh,

I think it's absolutely critical. District Attorney Carrie Brandenburg. He has that casing in his possession that was found in his home that we know was connected to the homicide. Why would he have that if he weren't involved in the homicide? And what happened to that nine millimeter Ruger that Santiago admitted he once owned? So what happened to your 9mm Ruger? I traded it. To whom? You know, we've been knocking heads for the last year and a half trying to remember.

You don't happen to remember the name of the guy you give this 9mm Ruger? But I don't remember a last name. It was just a simple, okay, that's great. And there's no paperwork, nothing to prove that you... That's my mistake, and I should have... A convenient mistake, according to Brandenburg. I mean, there's too many huge gaps in what he has to say, and the shell casing, to me, has not been explained. That shell casing, which looks like this, is incriminating,

which is why the defense wanted to have it thrown out as evidence, arguing that the police obtained it as part of an illegal search. That began a six-year legal battle. It went all the way to the New Mexico Supreme Court, which finally ruled that the shell casing could be used as evidence against Ron Santiago. be used as evidence against Ron Santiago. The defense is going to raise every single issue that they can, and they should, in order for the defendant to receive a fair trial. Riggs then turned his focus to what he says was a flawed police investigation. They stopped looking at some people that were very obvious suspects too soon.

Specifically this suspect. I think Renee killed her parents. She hated New Mexico. She hated her parents. It was her ticket out of New Mexico. Though police had long cleared Renee, in a surprising move in 2012, a prosecutor then working the case

asked Renee to take a polygraph. What's your understanding of why they've asked you to do it? I've offered it before and it's never been done. A police detective administered the test. Do you know for sure who shot your parents in their bedroom? No. Is there something else you're afraid I'll ask you a question about? No.

She didn't pass and she didn't fail. No. Is there something else you're afraid I'll ask you a question about? No. She didn't pass, and she didn't fail. It was inconclusive. There's nothing that you think that anything else? There's nothing. Why would I alter my story? New Mexico is the only state in the union, the only courts that allow polygraph because they've been proven to be inaccurate, invalid, and don't further the interests of justice.

She did a polygraph at the request of your office, but you're trying to keep those results out? Because they aren't results. Because they say nothing about anything. But the DA lost that fight, so the jury will be allowed to hear about it. Jurors will not hear that Santiago pled guilty to forging bad checks because a judge ruled it was irrelevant to the murder charges. Nor would jurors hear about the tale of the cut-break lines.

Nor would jurors hear about the tale of the cut brake lines. So in January 2014, more than eight years after the murders of Greg and Bernadette Ohlmacher, the trial of Ronald Santiago finally gets underway. All right, please come up, Ms. Ohlmacher. Yet almost from the outset, the focus shifts dramatically to Renee. You appear to be nervous. Are you nervous? Yeah. Why are you nervous?

I've never done anything like this before. I've never been in court. The prosecution presents her as a victim. Have you experienced any psychological trauma because of the death of your parents? Oh, yeah. I definitely have some major PTSD. Renee's professed love for her parents is now expressed in tattoos on her body. This one is my mama's handwriting. It says, I love you eternally mommy. And on her other arm, my mom and dad's signature. Mr. Riggs? But in his cross-examination, Santiago's lawyer spends hours focused on what he suggests are Renee's true feelings about her parents, those she wrote about as a teenager. What in the hell is happening to me and my mom's relationship? She makes me so f***ing angry.

My dad, I don't know, he just doesn't like me. You didn't really like your parents? I did like them regardless of what my diaries say. But Renee has nothing good to say about her extended family that made her the target of their suspicions. And there's grandma. She even refuses to acknowledge her grandmother at the trial. That is my mom's mom.

You won't even call her grandmother, will you? No. She's sitting in the back of the courtroom there, and you won't call her grandma? No. The defense also raises the mystery of Sammy the dog. Remember the notoriously noisy dog not heard barking when Renee called the police? She had just went silent. And I was afraid that that person had shot her too.

That I was going to go in there and she was going to be dead too. But Sammy was far from dead when police arrived at the scene. Going up the stairs, we encountered a dog. Okay, and what was the dog doing? It was barking and growling at us. What did you guys do with the dog? I believe we had somebody mace a dog. Okay, and what was the dog doing? It was barking and growling at us. What did you guys do with the dog? I believe we had somebody mace the dog so that we could actually get to the top of the stairs.

So why was Sammy quiet during the murders? The only reasonable explanation is Renee did something with the dog, put the dog in her room. But prosecutors say that's nonsense. And charge the defense is simply trying to divert the jury's focus from the defendant, Ron Santiago, and that damning shell casing. I mean, you must think that someone planted it. That's the only other way. Either you had that shell casing or someone put it there. It was put there.

Ron Santiago was living under the weight of a double murder charge for nearly eight years. The most terrifying thing I don't think anybody can ever go through. LISA DESJARDINS, He remains adamant about one thing. RENEE OLEMAKER, I'm not guilty. I didn't do these crimes. I did not kill Mr. and Mrs. Olemaker. I did not kill them.

STATE, YOU MAY CALL YOUR NEXT WITNESS. LISA DESJARD witness. Now with Renee Olimakar finally off the stand, prosecutors begin to focus their case against Ron Santiago. Your Honor, at this time, I would offer Michael Haig as an expert in forensic firearm and tool mark examination. This portion of the cartridge casing is called the head. Michael Haig, a firearms expert, was asked to determine if the shell casing found in Santiago's gun bag was fired from the same gun used to kill Greg and Bernadette Ohlemacher. Haig goes deep into the metal

to study and compare the microscopic markings on the shell casings found at the crime scene, labeled C1 through 4, with the one found in Santiago's gun bag, labeled C200. C200 on the left side. On the right side is C3 from the homicide scenes. We're going to zoom in little bit by little bit. We see the beginnings of some similarities. You get a nice impression here with another little guy above him, and then correspond that with another little guy above that.

These are fantastic correlation marks between these objects. My conclusion is that C-200 was fired by the same firearm as the one that was used to fire C-1 through C-4. The match is undeniable. Even Santiago seems convinced. I agree completely with his finding. I mean, looking at the photographs, it matched the shell casings from the crime scene. Was it the same gun that fired the bullet? Yes. I mean, you have to admit, it looks like it's shot from the same gun. That's damaging. That's right. That's why we had to raise the suspicion about how that single shell casing got in that bag. Riggs wants the jury to believe that police found more than four shell casings at the crime scene. But you saw five or six shell casings. You documented it.

You told everybody. Five or six. And you know what, if I was off by one, I was off by one. And Riggs suggests that one extra shell casing could have been planted in Santiago's gun bag. Detective Carl Ross. He zeroes in on Detective Carl Ross, the investigator who led the search of Santiago's house in June of 2006.

Investigators took over 100 photographs documenting their search. We found a bag with ammunition and a casing in the garage. That bag was filled with gun oil, live ammunition, and pens. The police began photographing the contents, and each photo is digitally time-stamped, detailing the exact moment each one was taken. And the time on that, 11-29. In this photograph, we do not see a shell casing there. Detective Ross, time please. 11.31. They take it even closer. We don't see a shell casing there at the bottom of this bag.

But then, at 11.31, the photography of the gun bag is interrupted. And when it resumes ten minutes later, at 11.41, those pens are gone. And instead... The very next picture shows a shell casing and gauze. Riggs hopes the jury will wonder why that shell casing suddenly appeared. appeared. Having a 10-minute unexplained, undocumented period of time makes the planting of the shell casing plausible. That's baloney. Ridiculous, says prosecutor Cheryl Johnston. If you're going to plant evidence, why would you take pictures with it not being there and then a picture with it being

there? You don't believe that at all? No, absolutely not. What Johnston finds suspicious is Santiago's missing nine millimeter Ruger. The defendant won't take the stand. I think I had the Ruger for two to three years. So she shows the jury what he told 48 Hours in 2008 when we asked about the gun. I traded it. To who? Robert, but I don't remember her last name. It was just a simple, okay, that's great. That's just not credible, says Johnston. The defendant got rid of it because he used it in a crime. She reminds the jury that Santiago learned a lot about the Olamakars when he worked on their home loan. There was plenty of evidence that he was deeply involved with the Olamakars. He's been to their house. But why would he kill his customers? Prosecutors say Santiago promised

the couple cash from a home loan that was stalled and he panicked. It became clearer and clearer to us that the Olimakers expected money and that he was unable to deliver what he said he was going to deliver. Prosecutors put neighbor Grant Martin on the stand. He testifies to hearing an angry Greg Olimaker threatening someone on the phone a mere 12 hours before his murder. What did you hear Gregg say into the telephone? If there's not money put in my account by tomorrow, I am going to call the police. But Martin admits that he doesn't know who was on the other end of the phone. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury.

And defense attorney Riggs, in his closing argument, says the state's case doesn't make sense. If you don't like the service you're getting at a mortgage company, you don't call them up and say, if you don't give me my money by tomorrow, I'm going to call the cops. They would laugh at you. As he has done the entire trial. Let's test Renee's 911 call. Let's test Renee's 911 call. Riggs returns to his favorite topics, Renee and the family dog, Sammy Jo.

When Renee's on that phone to 911, the dog ought to have been going nuts. Dog's going to be all over it. Are you out of the closet? Yeah, I just saw my parents, Sam. Go to the front door. The officer's waiting for you. She said, I called for Sammy. Sammy, come here. We got to go downstairs. Listen to the 911 tape. She didn't call for Sammy. It didn't happen. Why would she tell you it did? She's not telling the truth. But the state gets the last word. But enough about Renee. And that's when prosecutor Jason Yamato finally offers the jury a motive for why this seemingly mild-mannered mortgage loan processor would kill the Olamakers. The defendant had a relationship with Greg and Bernadette that was not going well. The defendant made $90,000 a year.

He killed the Olamakers to protect that $90,000 a year job. The defendant is guilty of these crimes, and that's before we even get to the casing. The same casings that were used to kill the Olimarchers fired from the same gun. It's crystal clear. Defendant's guilty of every single count in this indictment. I was terrified. I mean just sitting there waiting, just waiting is...

It just tears you apart. During the more than month-long trial in this Albuquerque courtroom, three dozen witnesses testified. 800 pieces of evidence given to jurors. Now, eight years after the Olamachers were murdered, Ronald Santiago's fate is in the hands of the jury. This was a case we put our heart and soul into for seven and a half years. Everything that we had worked for could have been a success

or an utter and complete failure. I was prepared for the worst. And what was the worst? Guilty. And going to prison for how long? Forever. I would never get out. It was a life.

It was a life sentence. I said, don't be surprised. If you're convicted, they handcuff you immediately. Three days pass with no word. And then... Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, has the jury arrived at verdicts in this matter? The judge read through the counts.

Will Mr. Santiago please stand? Time stopped. I couldn't breathe. We find the defendant not guilty of count one. Count, please. We find the defendant not guilty of count two. The second degree not guilty. We find the defendant not guilty of aggravated...

What were you thinking at that moment, Ron? My mind went, I don't know, blank. I didn't know what to think. I mean, did I go into a state of shock? I think I'm still in a state of shock. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your service in this matter. Outside the courtroom, a clearly emotional Santiago savored the not-guilty verdict he had hoped for

with supporters, friends, and his extended family. It's been a long day. But I am very happy that the truth has come out, and I did nothing, had no part in this. The truth has come out and I did nothing, I had no part in this. Hours after his acquittal, surrounded by his own close family, Santiago paused in remembrance. I want you guys to please keep in your hearts, in your prayers, the Vico family and the Olamaka family. They suffered more than I could ever suffer. But far from relieving their suffering...

I was stunned. I was speechless. Santiago's acquittal has been yet another shock for Bernadette's sister Jessica Montoya and others in the family. He shot my sister. He shot my brother-in-law. He took my family away. To this day, Bernadette's own sisters believe both Ron Santiago and Renee Olimacher were somehow in it together. I totally believe that Renee was involved. But surprisingly, this man no longer does believe that. After pointing the finger at Renee throughout the trial. You really didn't like your parents, did you? Listen to what defense attorney Riggs says now. I came to a conclusion at the end of the trial that Renee did not kill her parents. I think Renee knows who did, but for some reason she can't tell.

But if you don't think Renee actually killed her parents, is that fair, what you do in the trial? Didn't this trial kind of victimize her again? There's two reasons why she put herself in that position. But, I mean, you put her in that position, too. We followed the evidence that the state gave us. I can't remember someone in my entire career who did more things to make themselves look guilty than Renee.

Renee now lives in Washington state and uses a different last name. She declined to comment on the verdict, but her attorney says she's upset with the acquittal. When Renee last spoke to 48 Hours, Santiago was awaiting trial and out on bail. What bugs me is that he's living a normal life. He's got a family. I don't have a home to go back to because of him. When's the last time you talked to Renee?

In March of 2006. She has lost virtually everything. She lost her parents. She lost her family. She was not treated well as a suspect. She was not treated well in trial. There are people that will probably think that she always had something to do with it, despite the fact that there's no evidence. Ironically, it's the same future Santiago predicts for himself. I don't think I ever will have that true feeling

of being innocent or free. I'm the person that got away with it, and a lot of people saw me. It doesn't matter. I will always be guilty. Santiago's attorney says he believes the killer is still out there. I would love to see the Albuquerque Police Department take another look. But do you believe that will happen? No, no. I mean, the police will never admit mistakes. Was there justice? Justice depends on who you ask. If you're the one that's charged and you're acquitted,

then you think there's justice. If you're the one that has two family members brutally murdered in their bedroom, then there probably isn't. Albuquerque police say the case is now closed. They have no other leads or suspects. Renee is working for a dog walking business. The family dog, Sammy Jo, passed away a year after the murders. Ron Santiago lives in Albuquerque with his parents and is looking for a job.