48 Hours - End of the Trail

Episode Date: October 10, 2024

In 2008, educator and artist, Carol Kennedy, was brutally beaten in her home outside Prescott, Ariz. Carol's ex-husband, stockbroker Steven DeMocker, became the chief suspect when police discovered he was struggling financially and had a toxic relationship with his ex-wife. DeMocker was arrested but court delays and the death of a judge would prolong the case for five years. DeMocker’s girlfriend, Renee Girard, then revealed critical information about his activities after Carol's death. “48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 2/28/2015. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.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 audio book is free. Visit audible.ca. Listen to Murder in the Orange Grove, The Trouble Case Against Crosley Green, early and ad-free with a 48-hours-plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Carol Kennedy was a 53-year-old divorcee.

She was a mother of two children. She was an artist. She was an educator. She lives in a somewhat secluded area outside of town, a lot of open land. I just loved Carol immediately. We were very good friends. She was an absolutely beautiful, pure, loving person. July 2nd of 2008, Carol Kennedy was murdered in that house. This all starts that Carol Kennedy's on a phone call with her mother. Next thing you know, the mother hears her say, oh, no.

And all of a sudden, the call is disconnected. Sheriff's Office, how can I help you? Mother suspects something's not correct, and she calls 911. I was on the phone with my daughter, and she screamed and said, oh, no, and the phone's gone dead can you go check and next thing you know the police arrive somebody looks through the window and sees a dead body on the floor sees blood all over the place the person who killed her and was very upset with her there's no reason to whack her seven eight times over the head with a club it was a horrific crime

scene we knew very little other than the fact that she had been clearly beaten to death. It's horrible. Just horrible. I mean, I just can't believe a person would be so cruel. My name is Joseph Mora. I'm a private investigator. I was hired by 48 Hours to look into this case. This was a passion, passion crime. This was clearly somebody who knew her, and therefore the suspects are very limited. And to all a good night.

My brother Steve and Carol were together for about 30 years. They were just crazy in love for each other. Steve was a very successful financial advisor. He had just been promoted to the senior vice president at UBS. So he had a very strong position and a job that he loved. I always had a sense they were both deeply in love with each other and that the marriage had become toxic. Stephen DeMarco puts himself approximately a mile, mile and a half from this exact location the night of the murder. He claims that he went for a bike ride. So obviously being the ex-husband

and putting himself in the area, he becomes a suspect immediately. I want to be cooperative. Okay. And I'm hoping, like I said, I do my best to rule people out. He's the only person that hated her. She was just too good. No one else could do that to her. They already don't believe him.

They didn't buy his initial story. They don't buy the alibi of riding a bicycle. They're saying, oh, we got our guy. Steve couldn't do this to anyone. Certainly not to Carol. Not to the mother of his children. From the defense point of view, the biggest aspect of reasonable doubt in this case

is the lack of physical evidence. There was none on his bike. There was none in his car. There was none in his bike. There was none in his car. There was none in his house. There was none in his clothing. There should have been something. As an American, you're entitled to, you're innocent until proven guilty.

Boy, we found out that that wasn't true. If you decide that you're going to arrest Steve DeMarco for the murder of his wife without any physical evidence whatsoever, you better have a very strong circumstantial case. They cannot put Steve inside that murder scene. So there's nothing we're going to find that's going to tell you that I wasn't there. I wouldn't do that. What we do know is the DNA under Carol Kennedy's left fingernails is a complete profile. And it's not Stephen DeMocker.

I'm Maureen Maher. Tonight on 48 Hours. End of the Trail. I think it was really extremely shocking. You just don't expect something like that to happen here. The murder of 53-year-old Carol Kennedy had a devastating impact on her friend and neighbor, Jan Wheeler. I didn't know anything about it until the next morning, and there was the yellow tape across. morning and there was the yellow tape across. So I stopped and I said, hey, my good friend lives there. Is everything okay? And they said, no, it's not. And they said she's dead. Carol had been a teacher and a therapist working with addicts at a local women's clinic, but she was mostly known around town as an artist, a printmaker.

Printmaking is a fine art form that brings the disciplines of drawing, painting, graphic arts, all into one arena. arts all into one arena. She spent hours in this studio working alongside fellow artists like Barb Wills. To me, her artwork gave her her voice. Nobody was judging her. Nobody was hurting her. The bitterness of her divorce with Steve could be clearly seen in her work, according to another friend, Betsy Pettit. And I think for her, it definitely showed, especially the colors. They were much darker, much moodier. He was a fun-loving person. He wanted to have fun, and he wanted to be around him. Steve is the oldest of nine children. He taught me how to

canoe and swim and ride a bike and he was just the best big brother you could ask for. He's a very gentle, non-violent guy. Which is why his family was so shocked when police claimed they had a strong circumstantial case and arrested him in October of 2008, three months after Carol's murder. Carol Kennedy's body was discovered laying in a pool of her own blood. At DeMocker's trial, the horror of the crime was hard for some to reconcile, with a successful stockbroker sitting at the defense table. When I met him, he was clearly in shock, clearly was trying to hold his family together.

Rich Robertson is an investigator for Demacher's defense team. Robertson walked us through Carroll's home. So what did we know about Carroll's activity that night? What was she doing? When Carroll got off work, probably about 5.30 in the afternoon, she went to the store, bought some salad, came home, and went for a run. Robertson saw the gruesome crime scene within days of the murder. It was clearly a violent crime scene. Just the blood spatter on the wall, on the desk, it was just all over. I mean, it was all the

way to the other wall. How do you have this much blood and there's no bloody footprint, no bloody fingerprints or handprints anywhere? I mean, it's like a ghost came in. Right. Defense lawyer Larry Hammond insists there was no record of any violence throughout the Demockers' marriage. Someone might say, well, a great theme here is that this was a very contentious divorce, which causes most of us to think, well, it must have been violent. There must have been threats. There must have been protective orders. And was there any of that? No.

Was there ever any threat of violence anywhere? No, no. I never saw him act violently. He's very controlled. Even DeMocker's girlfriend at the time of the murder, Renee Gerard, says that he often spoke fondly of his ex-wife. He shared a lot about his marriage, and he shared it in many stories that were heartwarming and joyful, and as something he regretted losing. But Carol's friend Jan says, in truth, Steve was angry about the divorce. Oh, he was furious. He was absolutely furious that she would have the nerve to do anything against him because she never had.

But clearly, Carol had finally had enough. Enough of a husband who, by all accounts, had become a serial philanderer. Towards the end, she was like, you know, I think I've counted 17 affairs he's had. The first one that she was aware of was her midwife, and he were sleeping together while she was pregnant. And so why would she stay with him then? She loved him. He's just very charming. You know, he will tell a woman exactly what she wants to hear.

He could be a bad guy from a morality standpoint, if you will, but that doesn't reflect a motive to kill Carol. Do you think you can make Stephen look like a likable guy to the jury? What you may think about him

as a good guy or a bad guy have nothing to do with this case. Haunt in the middle are the couple's two daughters who are called to testify. They have lost a mother but believe in their father's innocence. It was the first time the full family had been together in a while and it was after the divorce had been finalized and it was actually very pleasant. Katie tells the court about the last time she saw her mother as the family gathered at the airport to see her off on a trip abroad four days before the murder. It was very emotional there was just nothing but

expressions of love and gratitude and happiness and I looked back at my dad had his arm around my mom and my mom had her arm around my sister and they were all waving to me. So that was the last memory I have of my mother. And Charlotte talked about the last text she and her mother exchanged on the day her mother died. I had just gotten a new job and she was asking me how my training was.

Do you remember what the last text message you got back from your mother was? I do. I love you in all capitals. Have they been supportive of Stephen? Oh, incredibly supportive. Unanimously supportive. Over the last 23 months since your mother died,

has your relationship with your father changed in any particular way? I mean, it's difficult to stay as close when you can't hug your dad, but we've remained as close as possible. The jury would have to decide if the man described as a loving father could have killed the mother of his children. Defense attorney John Sears tells the court the state has no case. It's always the husband. If it's not him, who else is it? They jump to that conclusion. Is there any physical evidence, DNA, blood, hair fibers, anything that matches Stephen DeMonker. There's no DNA of Steve DeMonker anywhere in that house.

But there is DNA under Carol's fingernails that belongs to someone else, a man whose identity remains a mystery. If he was the attacker, it should have been his DNA, and it was not. Still, Joe Butner of the Yomapai County Attorney's Office is emphatic that DeMocker was the only one who had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to kill Carroll. The evidence will show that while Mr. DeMocker was on his bike ride, his cell phone was off. By the way, his phone is dead. Battery's dead. Okay? All of a sudden, he's out of the grid. Most people say, you go out of the grid. There's a reason why you're out of the grid.

there's a reason why you're out of the grid. 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.

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 Marcia 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 Plus. 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. Within miles of the serene beauty of the Arizona Red Rocks, Carol Kennedy's life had come to a violent end. And many in the town of Prescott believed her ex-husband Steve was her killer. I think he took everything from her, including her life. Everything. The autopsy concluded that Carol had suffered seven major skull fractures from a blunt force object, possibly a golf club. Someone did it, and I don't know who, if it wasn't you, right now.

Someone did it, and I don't know who, if it wasn't you, right now. Investigators searched Demacher's home immediately. They found a bag of golf clubs, but one was missing. A big bertha 7 would, like this one. While authorities may have strongly suspected the missing club could be the murder weapon, they were never able to find it. Obviously, the number one suspect is the husband. but they certainly had just cause to suspect him. Neither the prosecutor nor the sheriff has ever been willing to speak to the news media about Carol Kennedy's murder. So we asked

private investigator and CBS News consultant Joe Mora to outline the case against Stephen DeMocker. He's got some problems with his story. One of the biggest problems? DeMocker was unreachable for five hours the evening Carol was murdered. He always had a phone on and charged so that his daughters could reach him any time, day or night. Except that night, when according to DeMocker, his cell phone battery had died. That becomes a very strong point for the police and certainly puts a suspicion on Steve DeMocker. On a crime, you're looking for the motive, but you're also looking, was there a time to do these things? You're looking for that window.

And DeMocker himself admits he went for a bike ride on a trail near his ex-wife's home. Now the situation is he lives eight miles away from here. So why that particular day he decides he's going to drive eight miles to go bike riding. And like I said, the proximity of where the trail is, where you're riding, I wish I had chosen a different trail. I wish you had chosen a different trail also. And he came back with very visible scratches. His alibi, remember, is that he's out riding a bicycle. And he gets flat tires, so that means he's got to walk the bike bike back so it's very possible he could have scratched himself in the trail but his problem was things were happening at the wrong time at the wrong place investigators found shoe prints and bike

tracks directly behind carol kennedy's house that they say incriminate Steve DeMocker. It was multiple prints in that area. It was very leafy and sticks were there, but you could tell someone had been there. An FBI expert determined that those impressions came from a specific kind of shoe, a brand called La Sportiva. Did you find any shoes that seemed to be comparable to the impressions that you observed in these photos from the crime scene? Yes, I found one shoe that could have made those impressions. And a receipt showed that DeMocker had purchased a pair back in 2006, but investigators could not find them when they searched his home. Basically, all they really have is a footprint that may or may

not look similar to some shoes that he may or may not have owned. Prosecutors tell the jury another set of impressions found near Carroll's house are from tires that have a tread just like those on DeMocker's bike. Did you find any dissimilar characteristics between those? No, I didn't. Now, we know it's a very common tire. So 90% of the people around here probably have the same tire. But then do 90% of the people wear the same type of shoe that left that partial print? And perhaps most damaging, after DeMocker's arrest, investigators discovered that Carroll's ex-husband had conducted some rather interesting internet searches on his computer, including how to kill someone and make it look like a suicide.

That doesn't look good. Yeah, no, it doesn't look good. His position is he was doing research to write a novel. His sister Sharon insists it's true. Steve's been interested in writing for a long time. He's actually a really good writer. And he's been working on a manuscript for a long time, long before the murder. I've been doing a lot of the editing for him. He's talked with a number of us about it. But the big question remains, why? Why would Steve DeMocker kill his ex-wife?

The divorce was settled on May 27th. The murder occurred on July 2nd. They were just resolving the last little details about that divorce settlement. Everything had been decided. Still, the prosecution was convinced the motive was money. After the Dow dropped 18 percent last week. It was 2008 and the economy was tanking, especially in the world of finance. Steve liked to spend money. He liked his things. He liked nice hotels.

He liked first class everything. Steve DeMocker had a mountain of expenses. And now he owed Carol $6,000 a month in alimony. But it did become clear that he was in significant debt, what to most of us would seem insurmountable. While his family admits that he did borrow money from them to make ends meet, they are adamant it was not a motive for murder. He took hits, but his career was solid.

He had great earning capacity, and he would have rebounded, and as did everybody else. Still, Carroll's death would be a windfall. And was there a life insurance policy involved that he would have benefited from? There also was a life insurance policy that he had no interest in and hasn't benefited from. There were, in fact, two life insurance policies totaling $750,000, both payable to Steve DeMocker. But the defense claims not only is money not the motive, there is another suspect. This man. From the moment Steve DeMocker was charged with his ex-wife's murder, his family not only felt a profound loss...

It's like, okay, we lost Carol, now we lost Steve. His parents also lived with the fear of having their son put to death. I kept going over the moment, and I could picture a clock at a quarter of 12, and 10 of 12, and 5 of 12, counting down, knowing now he's going down the corridor. Now they're putting him on a gurney. Now they're starting an IV that will pour poison into his system. And that was what I went to sleep with at night. The death penalty was taken off the table before the trial began,

but Steve DeMocker still faced life in prison. Adding to his family's pain was their belief that authorities missed a key suspect, Jim Knapp. Knapp was a friend of Carol's who was living at her guest house. It was another divorce. Knapp was quick to arrive at the crime scene, It was another divorce. Knapp was quick to arrive at the crime scene, and investigators recorded their conversation with him as he pointed a finger directly at Steve DeMocker.

My intuitive take, the guy comes off to me as a very sneaky, manipulative man. The first thing he said is, you know, she's got this crazy ex-husband, and I have a feeling it was probably him. Jim Knapp might have had a reason to disparage Steve. Sharon DeMocker says there was a rumor around town that Jim Knapp wanted to be more than just friends with Carol. What concerned us was that he was very enamored of Carol. That's why DeMocker's defense team wants to know why investigators didn't take Knapp in for questioning or search his residence. He wasn't looked at at all that night. They never looked at his clothing.

They never really inspected his truck. Authorities had a good reason not to suspect Jim Knapp. Unlike Steve DeMocker, Knapp had an alibi. They realized that Knapp's alibi was he was babysitting his son at his former wife's house. But even if investigators had wanted to question Knapp again, they wouldn't get the chance. In a bizarre twist, Knapp was found dead five months after Carroll's murder. His death was ruled a suicide. Some people would say because Knapp committed a suicide that it was a conscious of guilt in reference to his participation in being the murderer of Carroll. Unfortunately, he's not

alive. We can't ask him that question. Two weeks into the prosecution's case, there is a stunning development. Steve DeMocker's trial comes to an abrupt halt when Judge Thomas B. Lindbergh collapses in his chambers from a brain tumor. During the delay, DeMocker's girlfriend Renee Gerard has a surprising change of heart and ends their two-year relationship. You know, I always wanted to believe that Steve had nothing to do with this. And I always felt conflicted about that, about whether he had done it or not. Gerard is having second thoughts about her boyfriend's behavior on the night of Carol's murder. His break with routine, being out without a charged battery for his phone, being out without a flat tire kit to change his tire

when he was a master of preparation for any outdoor adventure. Thanks to new information from Renee, investigators literally unearth a crucial piece of evidence. What they say is a go bag stashed in a field outside Steve's house. Renee says he had packed it just in case he had a chance to make a run for it. He was very constantly gripped with fear, fear of being arrested. He was obsessed with plans to flee, saying, I'm afraid I'm going to be arrested for a crime I didn't commit.

And then came more damaging information from Renee. Remember what DeMocker's attorney told us? Was there a life insurance policy involved that he would have benefited from? There also was a life insurance policy that he had no interest in and hasn't benefited from. Well, not exactly. Renee told investigators that was a lie. Even though Steve DeMocker, charged with Carol's murder, could not directly receive the $750,000,

he gave instructions to his daughters to transfer all of it to his defense attorneys. Everybody along the way said, yes, it's okay to release this money to the girls. What they didn't know, what none of the officials knew, was that the money would be used for Steve's defense. Based on this information from Renee, authorities reviewed Steve DeMocker's jailhouse phone calls. You need to understand. I am understanding.

It's not unreasonable. Sweetie, you can't hold aside anything. They learned that older daughter Katie, in fact, had argued with her father to save some of those funds for her younger sister Charlotte's education. If it all needs to be used for defense, it all has to go to defense. My life is in the balance, and it's more important than Charlotte's college. But Renee's biggest revelation is about an anonymous email that would have a dramatic impact on Steve DeMocker's defense

when the trial finally resumes. He called a few days before a visitation and said that he had found out some information about how Carol had been killed. During a jailhouse visit, Steve told Renee and his daughter Charlotte that a mystery voice he could hear through a vent in his cell told him who was really involved with Carol's murder. What had the voice told him?

People were looking for Jim Knapp because Jim Knapp was involved in some kind of a prescription drug ring and that these people were coming to look for him, either to collect money or get something, and that they had gone into the house and encountered Carol instead of Jim Knapp. Steve wrote down the details he had heard and showed his visitors this note. DeMocker then asked if one of them would drive 100 miles south to Phoenix to send an anonymous email with the new information to both the defense and the prosecution. We interviewed Steve DeMocker in prison by phone. Why would you involve Charlotte then? That's just really baffling from a parent's standpoint. As a parent, in retrospect, I am appalled that I did that.

But I was terrified. We were terrified. All I can say is I was in jail accused of a crime that someone else had committed. The police were bungling it. DeMocker insists that he absolutely heard a voice in the vent telling him why Carol was killed. Here come these accounts of Mr. Knapp's role in Carol's murder, and I don't know if they're true, but I certainly want them investigated. Do you believe that he really heard a voice through the vent? Yes.

You do? Yeah, I think there was enough information there. I mean, I really have no, it's just more of a gut feeling. There's a lot of chatter that goes on in the jails, and for lots of different reasons. Charlotte carried out her father's wishes. But when it's revealed that Steve DeMocker was behind the not-so-anonymous email sent by his daughter, a mistrial is declared on November 12, 2010. a mistrial is declared on November 12, 2010.

It would take another three years to get this case back in front of a jury. I don't think anybody involved in this case could have anticipated all the twists and turns that this case has taken. 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 reach the age of 10 that would 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 Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. 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 on Wondery Plus and the Wondery app. Five years and one mistrial later, Steve DeMocca remains behind bars, more than ready for his new day in court. And he's kept a good attitude. He's kept hope. With the new trial comes a new defense attorney, court-appointed Craig Williams. They cannot put him in the house. And I felt good about that because I firmly believe he didn't kill her. And I felt that a reasonable jury would say,

you can't put him in the house with this much blood. For years, there was forensic evidence that seemed to strongly suggest there might be another suspect in the murder of Carol Kennedy. Remember that mystery DNA found under her fingernails? By the time the second trial begins, the state has finally determined it belongs to 68-year-old Ronald Berman. But how are Berman and Carol connected? Berman's autopsy was performed on the same day on the same table as Carroll's.

The DNA under Carroll's fingernails belonged to the person who they did an autopsy on an hour and a half before Carroll's autopsy. Are you kidding? Did they not wipe the table down afterwards? This is a homicide investigation. The defense claims Carroll's real killer may never be found because the crime scene was so badly compromised. There's a photograph of the deputies standing down the hall and the dog is right there with them. They tromped through that crime scene without any care about what they're preserving. Why didn't they seal that whole thing off? With no physical evidence to convict or exonerate Steve DeMocker,

that's what happens when you run out of money. The prosecution points to his alleged motive, money. Emails between the former couple show they were still arguing over money, despite defense claims that the divorce had been settled. Email on June 15th. I will not be pushed any further, Carol. You have extracted all you will extract from me. You get to start clean while I dig out of a staggering hole. Carol's friend Jan Wheeler believes Steve was trying to solve his money problems

by manipulating his ex-wife. He would play these reeling in games with her. One of the very last conversations I had with Carol, she was just absolutely in tears. I mean, just sobbing. I was like, Carol, now what? And she said, now that the divorce is final, he has come to me last night and said, let's put this marriage back together. And he just wouldn't go away? Wouldn't go away.

Everyone is present. You may call your next witness. Barb, hold on. Steve's attempts to insert himself back into Carol's life seem to be confirmed by yet another woman, his longtime business partner and lover, Barbara Onan. Onan testified that she spent the night with Steve in a Phoenix hotel room just five days before Carol's murder. He was texting with Carol because Katie was flying out to Africa that day and they were going to spend the day shopping. That was news to you?

That was news to me. I felt as though I had been had one more time, been fooled one more time, that there they were still back together. It seemed like the theme of the second case was to dirty up Steve enough that they would, jurors would believe that he could have killed her. They had to bring all of these things in

that made him look like a bad guy. He kind of was a bad guy, though. But again, none of that, there's no violence in his history. In the court of public opinion, people say, you know, he cheated on her an awful lot, and that speaks to their moral character. What do you have to say in response to that? I guess all I can say is if every spouse who cheated wound up accused of murder, we'd have a problem. I regret the mistakes I made during my marriage and it has nothing to

do with any capacity for murder. Did you ever see any violence? No. As she testifies at this second trial, daughter Charlotte suggests her mother was the one with the temper. And did you ever see anybody throwing anything or doing anything like that? I very vaguely remember my mom actually throwing something at him. I don't recall what it was. I think it was something heavy. But that was the only argument that there was ever anything physical. DeMocker's attorneys insist that Carol's tenant, Jim Knapp, could be the killer. That he is the one with a history of intimidating women.

An ex-girlfriend of Knapp's, Julie Corwin, testifies that she became afraid of Knapp after their breakup. The last words in one of his emails was, quote-unquote, you're not getting off that easy. It just left me hanging. I felt scared. I didn't know if he was going to come up and shoot me. The evidence is way, way, way stronger against Jim Knapp than it is against Steve DeMocker. This is a left-handed club.

Finally, after nearly $2 million spent in taxpayers' money, the jury is about to get the case. That's what happened to Carol. Her skull was shattered like an eggshell. This is a beating murder by someone who had everything in the world to gain by getting rid of her. Absence evidence is not evidence. If you cannot put him at the scene, getting rid of her. Absence evidence is not evidence. If you cannot put him at the scene,

if you cannot make sure that you have DNA, blood, hair, something to tie Mr. DeMocker to the murder of Carol Kennedy, you got no case. I know I wasn't at her house that night and I'm innocent. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bolder 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

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It's just the best idea yet. As the jury deliberates and the hours turn into days, it is now a waiting game. Kathy Ray and Tricia Greer were on the jury. There were questions in the jury room. A couple of the jurors wanted to talk about alternate scenarios. They just had to be convinced that there was nobody else because the girls had already lost so much. After three days, on October 4, 2013, word of a verdict has family and friends returning to court. word of a verdict has family and friends returning to court.

For Carol's mom, Ruth Kennedy, Justice would be seeing her former son-in-law spend the rest of his life in prison. For Steve DeMocker's family, it would be seeing him walk free. Division 1, this is Second. Has the jury reached verdicts in this case? Yes, Your Honor. Would you hand the verdict forms, please? On the charge of murder, guilty.

Guilty. Steve DeMocker is convicted in the murder of his ex-wife, Carol Kennedy. To hear the words guilty, I just, I simply couldn't believe it. And then my thoughts went to the girls. And I'm like, oh my God, this is, this is just, we thought this was going to be the end of the nightmare and it's just the beginning. When they said guilty, Steve turned around and for a moment we were looking right at each other. What did you say to him? We'll keep fighting. We'll keep fighting. We'll keep fighting.

To this day, Steve DeMocker says he is baffled at how he could be accused, let alone convicted, of killing his ex-wife. If you did not kill her, sir, then why do you think you are in jail right now? That's the million-dollar question. It was so difficult to imagine that 12 people could look at that evidence and come up with a verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. The pieces of evidence that started to sway me was definitely the shoe prints because that type of shoe was very rare.

His phone was turned off, was very unusual for him. The scratches concerned me. We heard about the Internet searches that he had done on how to make a homicide look like a suicide. Nowhere in the testimony did we see anything that would convince us that he was trying to write a book. And if pointing the finger at Jim Knapp was supposed to raise reasonable doubt with the jurors... I didn't know if he was going to come up and shoot me. It didn't work. We went through Mr. Knapp's timeline carefully, and we just could not make that work.

Mr. Knapp did not kill Carol Kennedy. On January 24, 2014, Steve DeMocker is back in court for sentencing. The business suit is gone. This time, he's wearing the chains of a convicted killer. If you want us to abandon Steve, you need to show us a drop of DNA in that house, a drop of Carol's blood anywhere on his body, his bike, his car, his home, a witness, a video, something, before we'll even begin to think that this is anything less than the

conviction of an innocent man. JUDY WOODRUFF Steve Demacher addresses the court for the first time and refuses to accept the jury's verdict. STEVE DEMACHER I did not kill Carol. We loved each other for more than 20 years. And to believe me capable of violence against her. I would no more have harmed her than I would harm my daughters by taking her from them.

I'd like to thank my family and I'd like my daughters in particular to know how proud I am of the strength and the grace with which they have faced both the loss of their mother and the loss of their father. I love you both. The girls' love for their father is evident when they beg the judge for mercy. So much of what I strongly value in myself, I learned from that man. This is the same man who sits here today accused of killing my mother. Frankly, the lack of facts and the lack of evidence in this case do not permit me the

luxury of drawing such conclusions. You are faced with the question of whether or not to give my father the possibility of parole in 25 years. And I ask you that you do. I ask that you not force the permanent loss of a second loved one, but rather allow us to look forward to a time when our pain may slightly diminish and when we may heal together again. But the prosecutor will have none of it. This defendant is a murdering, lying thief. No matter what anybody else is going to say about him here today, he deserves the maximum sentence.

As the judge announces the sentence, he has some harsh words for DeMocker. The thing that I can't get by is this horrific crime scene. I saw these pictures and I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to erase those pictures from my mind. It was brutal murder and from all appearances the motive was money. The sentence I'm going to impose is natural life in prison. Steve Demacher will spend the rest of his life in prison, with no chance of parole. For his two daughters, it is a double tragedy.

They've lost a lot, and they have just shown so much strength and grace through all of this. And they will do well just because of who they are. As for me, I can promise that I will never forget the memory of my mother. She lives in me every day and will for the rest of my life. She loved people to a fault and saw the best in everyone always. She forgave easily, sometimes too easily. The world was a better place for the life that she shared with it. And I am a better person for having been loved and cared for by her.

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