Dateline NBC - Secrets at the Sunshine Motel

Episode Date: April 9, 2020

In this Dateline classic, the family of a beloved and successful Yakima real estate agent is left in disbelief when he is attacked while showing a home. Who would want to hurt Vern Holbrook? Josh Mankiewicz reports. Originally aired on NBC on February 13, 2015.

I just felt confused, just in disbelief, kind of out of body almost. How could you do something like that? Why? He talked about how scared he was that something could happen to him. He was afraid for his life. Dead men tell no tales, but this one left a trail of clues. I've never seen my dad that way before. He has never shown me fear of anything. Patriarch, power broker, he was head of a family company. The business was real estate, and someone was about to make a killing.

I never dreamt anything like that would happen. Murdered in a house he was selling. Was this a deal gone bad? We just had some bizarre things happening in the office. Or maybe bad blood at home. My son texted me that he was scared and he wanted me to come pick him up. Danger was out there.

Soon... You're under arrest. Under arrest. Under arrest. Arrest after arrest. And twist after twist. Makes your blood boil. It's beyond my comprehension.

She was the flame. She was the ignition. It was a perfect storm. I'm Lester Holt, and this is Dateline. Here's Josh Mankiewicz with Secrets at the Sunshine Motel. It's the pulse-pounding start to a heart-wrenching tale. Police! A police officer wearing a body camera, running to face who knows what.

605, send in medical. A man down, a room awash in blood. Who found him here? I did. That would be the first of many questions, and the starting line of a race for survival. This was a mystery that more than once would appear to be solved here in this sleepy town. In the end, there were more twists than in the river that runs through it. The ripples and eddies would hold some disturbing secrets about family, about friends, about who will betray you and who won't. Just a little more than two hours from soggy Seattle sits Yakima,

in a valley where orchards and vineyards flourish in the abundant sunshine of south-central Washington. And it was just outside Yakima on a Saturday in May 2013 that Tara Rockenfield was meeting her father-in-law. I had sent him some messages early in the morning asking if I could borrow his truck because I wanted to go to a nursery. And he's like, well, I'm going to be out there anyway showing a house so I can just meet you there. Tara's father-in-law, Vern Holbrook, was one of the best-known and best-selling realtors in this part of Washington State. The meet time at the nursery was set, 11.15 a.m.

I sent him a message when I got there, and he said, clients running late just got here, see you in a bit. And about 30 minutes later, I sent him a message and said that I was done, and I didn't hear anything. How much time goes by? Two hours. Did you think of going to look for him? Yeah, I did.

And I thought, well, no, I don't want to interrupt him if he's with a client. Do I regret that every second? Yeah, I do. So Tara turned toward home and her husband, Vern's stepson, Andrew. When she got home, she said, you know, it's really weird. Your dad never showed up. And I just told her, you know, he probably just got tied up in a deal. In fact, Vern's kids were used to this behavior. He worked more than 60 hours a week every week because he enjoyed it and he wanted to help people find a home. Vern was not only the founder and owner of the family business, Aspen Real Estate, he was also the patriarch of a large blended family that included stepson Andrew, his wife Tara, and their children.

He was the leader of the family. Everyone looked up to him. Along with stepson Chad. I think he worked as long as he did because he enjoyed it, and he was a real social guy. Chad and his wife Jill gave Vern three grandchildren. Surprise! He was a wonderful dad, wonderful grandpa.

I could go on and on about Vern. Jill, celebrating at Vern's 75th birthday party, remembers him as a constant presence, the anchor ever-present for his grandkids and even great-grandkids on Christmas morning or their birthdays. He's always been the stability of the family. In fact, when Jill's marriage to Chad ended after nine years, Vern was still there for them. Vern helped out with essentials for the kids, helped Jill out with a job and more. That's the kind of man he was. He helps anybody out. It doesn't matter who they are.

Big heart. Huge heart. And using that huge heart to help family members or clients was what seemed to keep Vern Holbrook young. After Andrew's mom died in 2007, Vern eventually remarried and kept moving, whether he was catching fish or closing deals. He was a machine. Vern had tried to slow down, even selling his company in 2008 to an ambitious young agent whom Vern had trained

and taken under his wing, Daniel Blizzard, who was buying the business with his two brothers. I think that appeal of Daniel and his brothers was that it would still be a family and a local business as opposed to becoming a chain. But Vern couldn't stop selling. He kept wanting to retire and it would get pushed back. And this wasn't because he was living hand to mouth. He had no money. This was because he loved it. He loved it. He liked being the best at it. So on that Saturday in May,

when Vern missed his meeting with Tara, she and Andrew simply dismissed it as Vern being Vern, until Tara got a phone call that night from Chad. And he's like, have you heard from Vern? Something's wrong. He's in the hospital or something. You've got to go check. And then I, like, instantly, I'm worried. Tara is a physician's assistant and knew Memorial Hospital well. She was pointed to the ER, where a nurse delivered the devastating news. She proceeded to tell me that he had been beaten and that his throat was slashed and that they were getting ready to airlift him to Harborview in Seattle. And it happened, she soon learned. at that house Vern had been showing to

clients. That's why Vern hadn't shown up to meet her that morning. I walked up to the head of the bed and I just, he was so swollen and disfigured. And I went down to the foot of the bed and his feet were sticking out. That's what looked like him. The rest of him was not, that is not the Vern that I know. What did you think had happened? I wasn't sure at that point. Phone rings. She was hysterically crying, and she told me that my dad had been attacked, and I was in disbelief, too. I didn't think that it was real at first. But it was.

Vern Holbrook's life was dangling by a thread. He turned out to be the proof that you can be both beloved and still have mortal enemies. Enemies? Who might they be? When we come back... My son texted me that he was scared. An entire family frightened.

Enter a mystery woman with a secret. And it was a doozy. You ever seen anybody bring their kids to a murder? This is a first for me. What began as a sunny Saturday in Yakima ended for Vern Holbrook's family in an all-night vigil at this trauma center in Seattle. They'd gathered quickly at Vern's bedside.

After hearing he'd been badly beaten, his throat slashed, apparently at a house he was showing to real estate clients. What were you told about his condition and his prognosis? They were worried about how much air he was getting to his brain. The Vern that we all loved died that day. Vern's former daughter-in-law, Jill, remembers hearing of the attack and how it frightened the entire family. My son texted me that Grandpa was attacked and that he was scared

and he wanted me to come pick him up. And the task of quieting the family's fears and finding out who had attacked Vern was now in the hands of Sam Peralt, who at the time was a Yakima County Sheriff's detective. Did you know Vern Holbrook? I knew of him. He was just known to be one of the big movers and shakers in the real estate industry in the Yakima Valley.

The detective had been called to the house where Vern was found that Saturday night. He'd heard from the responding officer, the one who wore this body camera, and captured these scenes from the moment he arrived just before 8 p.m., that a colleague had gone looking for Vern when Vern's wife had become worried that he didn't return from the showing. The colleague found him here, lying in a pool of blood at this rural home near the small town of Cowichie. The last people talked to Vern around 1115, and so we could surmise that he had likely been attacked sometime around noon. So he'd been lying there for, what, maybe seven or eight hours? Yes. Not a whole lot of evidence to go on at the

beginning. No. Vern's truck, still parked outside, offered little. His wallet was in there with his ID and his credit cards. So presumably not robbery. Right. In fact, as police inventoried the scene, only one thing seemed to be missing. The only thing they take is his telephone? That's what it looks like, yes. But Vern's missing cell phone didn't hinder the investigation. Within hours, the detective had Vern's phone records in hand. And you go to, what, the last person to call him? I was able to see the last number that connected, yes. You called that number?

I did, and I left a message just asking for a return call. Who'd that phone number come back to? Adriana Mendez was the name attached to the account. The detective soon learned that Adriana Mendez was a 23-year-old mother of three with a minor criminal record for misdemeanor assault, living with her kids in Yakima at the Sunshine Motel. The next day, Adriana Mendez called back. We appreciate you coming down here today.

And agreed to meet with detectives. I didn't mean to take so long in trying to keep up with calls. What kind of vibe are you getting off her? She seemed excited and nervous, talking fast. Adriana admitted calling Vern twice the day of the attack. She said she wanted to talk to him about selling a mobile home, but he couldn't see her. He told me that he was busy, that he was short on the house, so I called him back. Cell records confirmed Adriana's calls to Vern,

but it was something else that convinced the detective that Adriana wasn't telling the truth. She insisted she'd never left Yakima that day. I don't know what to tell you. I did not go out there. But phone records don't lie. People who forget about them do. And the detective had maps showing Adriana had made the last call to Vern from the same rural area where the attack took place. So she was pretty close to him when that call was made. Yes. You need to tell me the truth. Over the next several hours, Adriana's story changed again and again until she gave it up. She admitted meeting with Vern, said it was the idea of her boyfriend, Luis. She told a story, backed up by surveillance tape from the Sunshine

Motel, of Luis picking up Adriana and her three small children that morning at 1045. She told detectives they drove to the house in Cowichie, met with Vern, and while the kids waited in the car, she and Luis went inside with Vern to view the house and in the back bedroom. What did Luis do to Vern? Him. What did Luis do to Vern? Hit him. Okay, and you saw him hit Vern? While I was walking out through the corner of my eye. And then what? And then that's the last I saw and then I heard was the thump.

You didn't walk back in there to see what was going on? No. I should have had him. what was going on? No. I just remember having... Adriana said Luis came out moments later. They tossed Vern's cell phone out the car window on the way home, before Luis delivered Adriana and her three kids back to the Sunshine Motel. Again, confirmed on video. By 12.31 p.m. To the detective, it was obvious. This had been a plot to set up a meeting with Vern with the sole purpose

of killing him. You ever seen anybody bring their kids to a murder? No, this is a first for me. There's probable cause to think that you are an accomplice and that's why you're under arrest. Within hours, detectives had Adriana's boyfriend in custody as well.

Through an interpreter, Luis Gomez-Monguez also initially told a story about Adriana contacting Vern to sell a mobile home. That's bulls**t. You're telling me lies. And Adriana started off telling me the same lies. She said that you hit the guy from behind when he wasn't even looking. No. I don't think that your story is going to hold up.

You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Vernon Holbrook. Detectives were convinced they had the two people who'd attacked Vern that Saturday in May. But they also knew, or thought they knew, there was a lot more to the story. These suspects certainly weren't trained, hired assassins. They were so clumsy, they'd even use their own phone. But where would this lead? Why would two people who never met Vern Holbrook want to kill him? Coming up...

The bells and whistles definitely start going off. A sudden trail of clues. Security video. Text messages. A secret code. Was Vern worth more dead than alive? All of a sudden, I saw that he was fearful of his life. When Dateline continues. In a Seattle hospital, Vern Holbrook hovered in that gray area between life and death. In the week after he was savagely beaten, his throat slit during a routine real estate showing in May of 2013.

Detectives had quickly made two arrests. Charged with attempted murder, 38-year-old Luis Gomez-Monges, who denied any part in the attack, and his 23-year-old girlfriend, Adriana Mendez, who admitted luring Vern to the meeting at Luis's request, and then witnessing Luis assault Vern. She said she had no idea why Luis would do that. Do you believe that? No. And why did Peral not believe Adriana?

He told me he was too busy. Because in that same interview, she had also unwittingly dropped a bombshell. When asked how, out of all the dozens of realtors in Yakima, she just happened to call Vern's company, Aspen Real Estate. I know a couple of people that used to work there. Who's that? Um, Daniel.

What goes through your mind when she says that? The bells and whistles definitely start going off. Bells and whistles because after Vern had been assaulted, his family had flooded detectives with calls. So you sit down and you start thinking to yourselves, who'd want to hurt him? One person. His name is Daniel Blizzard. Daniel Blizzard, that ambitious agent to whom Vern was going to sell the company. Someone Vern had once trusted. Did you think Daniel had something to do with it?

Well, yeah, I was pretty sure. Why, with zero proof, would so many believe Blizzard was behind the attack? Detective Peralt soon heard a story that went like this. In the fall of 2008, Vern called employees like bookkeeper Judy Craven to a meeting. He was selling the company. I think he wanted to spend more time with his family and just focus on the selling part, not deal with that day-to-day managing. No longer a rumor, said this email to announce the sale. Vern was selling Aspen to Daniel Blizzard and his two brothers. Vern would stay on as the designated broker for one year. Vern held a barbecue and took this photo with the Blizzard family to cement the new relationship. But the deal went south quickly. They made the first three payments, and then they just stopped.

It was the height of the Great Recession. Real estate was tanking. Vern was understanding. But then the Blizzards approached Vern with a request. They asked my dad to take out what's called a key man life insurance policy, him being the key person or the key man in the organization. Because Aspen Real Estate really was just your dad. It absolutely was my dad. It made good financial sense at the time. Vern's death would cripple the company, so the life insurance policy would pay $1.58 million upon Vern's death.

Vern knew they were taking that policy out on him. He was comfortable with that. I wouldn't say he was comfortable with it. The Blizzards never missed a payment on the life insurance, but they never made another payment on the business. So in January 2010, just 16 months after selling the company, Vern sent out another email to staff, this time to say, Daniel is no longer with Aspen Real Estate. Vern was taking back the company he'd built. It's like, if you can't make your payments, you can't keep it. And so I think, you know, he had to. There were complaints filed with the real estate board, lawsuits, countersuits. And all the while, that life insurance policy

seemed to weigh on Vern's mind. He went to the life insurance company and he asked them to remove it. No one in that company would remove the policy. Because somebody was paying the premiums. That's correct. All of a sudden, I saw that he was fearful of his life. To Detective Peral, this all added up to motive. 1.58 million reasons that Daniel Blizzard might want Vern Holbrook dead. But what was the link

between Daniel and Adriana and Luis? I'm guessing the Holy Grail at this point in the investigation would be to find some, like, provable contact between Daniel Blizzard and Adriana Mendez. Right. It turned out the Holy Grail was only a few blocks away at the Sunshine Motel. I went to the motel, and they told me that Big White Guy would come in occasionally and pay Adriana's rent for her.

So you get the security video. Right. And who is it? It's Daniel Blizzard. There he was, a week before the attack. Blizzard paying Adriana's bill at the Sunshine Motel. And Peralt soon found more. Text messages between Adriana and Daniel from the day Vern was attacked.

9.24 a.m. Daniel texts Adriana, don't be late for shopping. What's going on there? It appears to be code to me. And what they're talking about is the real estate appointment with Vern. At 12.04 p.m., presumably it was right around when the attack happened. Adriana texts Daniel, we are going shopping. I believe that that is her way of telling Daniel that the job is done. And that same afternoon, who pulls up at the Sunshine Motel to pick up Adriana? You guessed it, Daniel Blizzard. Possible that they were just talking about shopping? Anything is possible, but it's not very likely.

Finally, in September 2013, nearly three months after the attack, the detective went to pick up Daniel. He didn't seem surprised to see me. And he didn't say, gee, detective, what could this possibly be about? No, he didn't ask. I met a detective who's investigating the attack on Vern Holbrook. I heard about that. I met a detective who's investigating the attack on Vern Holbrook. I heard about that. It didn't take long for Daniel Blizzard to tell investigators how he really felt about Vern and the business deal that had gone bad.

He did a very elaborate, well, good job on screwing us over. How did he screw you over? Just lies, deceit. I have nothing bad against Vern at all. I mean, when I use these kinds of words, it's not like I have some kind of grudge or anything like that. And why was Daniel paying Adriana's rent and taking her shopping? Were you involved in a sexual relationship with Adriana? No.

No? No. Not at all? No. You were just helping her out of the kindness of your heart? I'm a good guy. Detective Peralt was having none of it. You're obviously sticking to your story, but I do not believe it.

So at this time, I'm going to tell you that you are under arrest for the attempted first-degree murder of Vernon Holbrook. And for the first time, Daniel Blizzard's demeanor changed. He was definitely surprised, looked like he might be ill. What went through your mind when police told you that they had arrested Daniel Blizzard? Thank God, finally. Relief. It sounded like a case neatly tied up. Two attackers linked to a man with motive and millions to gain. But that wasn't the whole story.

There was someone else involved, the detective believed. Someone else who had betrayed Vern's trust. And to say it was someone close to Vern would be an understatement. In fact, it's someone you've already met. Coming up... Ar arrest number four. Satisfaction? Huge satisfaction. Is about to split the family in two. By the fall of 2013, three months after the attack,

Vern Holbrook was in a coma, but somehow still alive. Did either of you hold out any hope for a recovery? I think you always want to believe and have hope that someone's going to get better. I joke with hospital staff all the time, this guy's ornery. If anybody can come out of this, it's going to be him. And as the autumn winds rolled into the Yakima Valley, Detective Sam Peralt already had made three arrests. But there was one more to come.

And to say it was a shocker would be an understatement. There was one more name the detective had been hearing from Vern's family. A lot of people can be saying a lot of different things. Because it turned out that the plot's alleged mastermind, Daniel Blizzard, had for several years dated and helped support financially a woman who had once been as close to Vern Holbrook as a child. This woman. Remember her? He helps anybody out?

Mother to three of Vern's grandchildren, his former daughter-in-law, Jill Taylor. What would her motivation be for sort of taking part in that plot? I suppose the only connection would be her relationship with Daniel. And what's good for Daniel is good for Jill? I would think so. And the detective found that Jill Taylor was also the common link between Daniel Blizzard and another of the alleged participants in the plot, Adriana Mendez. What did Adriana Mendez and Jill Taylor have in common? Methamphetamine.

They met through a common friend at a party using drugs. Detectives say that friendship forged in meth became so close that Jill invited Adriana and her three kids to move in with her. And it was at Jill's apartment where Daniel met Adriana and Luis. Adriana wouldn't know Daniel without Jill. Correct. The detective was starting to get a clearer picture of how the alleged co-conspirators came together.

And he soon found another of Jill's friends, who filled in some more blanks for him. Me and Jill were really tight. Nikki Vargas came forward to say it was no secret what Jill and Daniel wanted done. Like, the day I met this bitch, she was telling me about how she was trying to kill some guy, right? Her and her boyfriend. Did she say how? She tried to poison him a couple times. And when that didn't work? Do you believe her? It was believable that they were going around asking people about a hitman for $10,000.

And the proof that Jill took part in the plot came from her own lips. If you believe the former family members who pointed fingers at her. Enter, once again, Chad, Jill's ex-husband. He said that six weeks before the attack, Jill said something strange when discussing supervised visits with their three children. She told me that Vern may not be around that much longer to be supervising visits, and I said, well, why would you think that? And she told me then that, well, you know, he makes a lot of enemies

and he's going to end up making the wrong kind of enemies. All of this eventually landed Jill in the sheriff's office herself. Is it okay if we talk about this? Well, I would rather have a lawyer. Okay, best. Just because it's such a delicate situation and I need a professional. I understand.

I'm not trying to, you know... I don't take that personally. I understand that. I do need to let you know that you are under arrest for attempted murder. Relief? Satisfaction? Satisfaction? Satisfaction.

Huge satisfaction. You saw Jill as being sort of what? A pawn of Daniel's. I think they used each other. No question she was involved. Not in our minds. Four people were now charged with the attempted murder of Vern Holbrook.

And then the case changed again. In January of 2014, eight months after he was attacked, Vern Holbrook died from his injuries. It was a sense of relief for him that he didn't have to suffer anymore. But it was really hard, really hard for the entire family to see him not with us anymore. It turned the attempted murder into a first-degree murder, premeditated murder. And it sort of raised the stakes all around. Right.

But once again, what seemed to be and what would be wouldn't quite line up. There was one more twist in that long river of lies. Coming up, the case heads into court with a surprise on the stand. She said we're going to kill her for Daniel. Jill Taylor, the accused, becomes Jill Taylor, star witness, when Dateline continues. As the four people now charged with the murder of Vern Holbrook awaited trial in the Yakima County Jail, Vern's family and former colleagues felt a special sort of animosity for one of them, Jill Taylor. Jill had been Vern's daughter-in-law.

How could she be part of the plot to kill him? How could you do this to someone who cared for you and took care of you and helped your kids and you were a part of this family? How could you do something like that? Hard to believe that somebody who had been sort of the beneficiary of Vern's generosity would be involved in any way in a plot like that. I don't know what was going on in Jill's world that she felt she needed to do that. Jill's arrest was especially troubling for her ex-husband because Chad says he tried to tell Vern that Jill's behavior could be volatile and violent. I had tried to warn him a couple of times after our split up, you know, that she's dangerous and that he should be careful.

And he just kind of, well, what, her? No, whatever. And, you know, he didn't. He wasn't buying. No, he didn't think much of it. And then, as the trials of the four suspects wound their way toward the courthouse, Vern's family was blindsided yet again. Prosecutors called to say they were offering deals to two of the suspects to make sure their cases were rock solid against accused shot caller Daniel Blizzard and the alleged

attacker Luis Gomez-Monges. The state would allow Luis's girlfriend Adriana Mendez and Jill Taylor to walk out of jail if the two women would agree to testify against the two men. Did they ask your permission for this, or were they essentially saying, this is the way the cookie crumbles? We didn't have a choice, but we were made aware that this is what they were thinking of doing. Why were those deals necessary? Deputy Prosecutor Alvin Guzman. He's kind of trying to pick the lesser of two evils on that.

Meaning you get the mastermind and you get the guy whose hand was actually on the knife and maybe the little fish swim away. That's essentially what happened in the situation. Do you think you had a strong case against Jill Taylor? She was probably the weakest case we would have had compared to all four people that we believed were involved. And so in August 2014, the murder trial of Daniel Blizzard began with a parade of lawyers, life insurance salesmen, and law enforcement taking the stand before the star

witnesses began to appear. Jill Taylor claimed that Daniel wanted Vern dead so he could collect the $1.58 million life insurance policy and that Adriana Mendez told her that she and Luis were going to go through with the attack. She said we're gonna do that for we're gonna kill her for for Daniel. When it was her turn Adriana Mendez said Daniel showed her a wad of cash to entice her. In fact, after the attack was over, Adriana claimed Daniel gave her the $10,000 plus a $2,000 bonus. That money was never recovered. Blizzard's defense attorney, Peter Mazzone, argued that Adriana and Jill would have said anything on the stand because of those get-out-of-jail-free deals offered by prosecutors. So long as you testify, you will be let out. Yes. And you will be able to reunite with your kids.

The defense argued jurors had to acquit Daniel Blizzard because of a lack of evidence. You will not hear of a single shred of forensic evidence of any kind linking this man or anybody else to that man. After three weeks, the jury had the case. But it took less than a full day of deliberation to deliver a verdict. We, the jury, find the defendant, Daniel Blizzard, guilty of the crime of first-degree murder. Yes! You know, what we wanted and what was right happened.

It was a huge, huge relief that the jury found the truth. I think his color changed, but he did a pretty good job of maintaining his poker face. This was a guy who thought he was going to get away with it. I think so. The judge sentenced Daniel Blizzard to more than 34 years in prison. A month later, the trial of Luis Gomez-Monguez. He testified that it was not he, but Adriana Mendez, who had slashed Vern Holbrook's neck and struck him. Guilty of the crime of first-degree murder. The jury didn't buy it.

The judge sentenced Luis to more than 26 years behind bars. The two men were going to prison. But what would happen to those two women who'd cut deals to help put them there? And what would Jill Taylor have to say about it all? Coming up... He just set me up for everything. Daniel set you up? Yes.

He set me up. Deeply involved or wrongly accused? We're about to hear from Jill Taylor herself. So you're kind of the victim here, huh? I don't like to call myself a victim. After Daniel Blizzard and Luis Gomez-Monges were sentenced for the murder of realtor Vern Holbrook, it was time for the two women charged in the case to face the judge. In exchange for her cooperation, Adriana Mendez, the woman who brought her three small children to a murder scene, was allowed to plead guilty to charges of assault and criminal rendering.

She was sentenced to time served, about 15 months, and released. And Jill Taylor? Vern Holbrook's former daughter-in-law was set free after spending about a year in the county jail. Charges of first-degree murder were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors do have the option of refiling at some point in the future. But at this point, Jill has never been convicted of any crime in connection with Vern's death. Vern's family is still bitter about Jill's deal. If it wasn't for Jill putting it all together, helping Daniel put the pieces together, this may not have happened. I think that's criminal. It's, you know, shouldn't have happened.

You know, she, in my opinion, definitely got away with murder. And when you walk out of this interview, she might be standing on the street. You never know. It crosses my mind. We wanted to talk to Jill Taylor, and it turned out she wanted to talk with us, to tell a story of betrayal.

But in her telling, she's the one who was betrayed. When we sat down with Jill, she'd been out of jail for about three months, claiming she was caught in a web of Daniel Blizzard's creation. When you heard that Vern had been attacked and left for dead, how'd you feel? That maybe you could have headed that off somehow? No, I wouldn't have headed it off anyhow because Daniel was determined to do what he wanted to do.

I really cared about Daniel, and I was just really hoping that he would pull his head out of his rear. Maybe I have issues with letting people use me. He just set me up for everything. Daniel set you up? Yes. He set me up. It was a win-win for him. But remember, it was only through Jill that Daniel Blizzard met Adriana and Luis. Jill admits that's true, admits she knew Blizzard had paid them, admits she never told police, but told us something she never said on the stand, that Adriana convinced her the attack would never happen. I went to her hotel. It was about in April and I just told her that I don't care how much money he's already lent you or whatever.

You're not obligated to do anything. And she says, no, we're not going to, you know, I'm not going to do that, you know. Adriana specifically told you she was not going to go through with the attack on Vern. Right, right. Yes. You must have been surprised when it turned out that they went ahead and did it after all. Caught me off guard. We asked Jill about the death of a man who'd been good to her and her kids.

Her answer was that the financial help Vern provided for her and her family has been overstated. I made $36,000 a year. I had a good job. I paid my own bills. He only helped me when I first split up with my ex-husband, and I've paid him back every dime that he had helped me with. Jill blames Vern's family for making her look bad, particularly her ex, Chad.

Your ex-husband wasn't the only person who thought you were a suspect. Pretty much everybody else in Vern's family mentioned you and Daniel Blizzard right away to police. Well, I don't understand why they think that I would do anything to him like that. I mean, what would I be gaining from it? What would you gain? Yeah. If Vern dies, Daniel Blizzard, who's your boyfriend, gets more than a million dollars?

Well, good for him. Well, presumably... That has nothing to do with me. Presumably you might share in that. What's the thinking? Don't you think if I was going to attack somebody that I would go attack somebody worth it? Well, a million and a half dollars is a lot of motive. I don't care about money.

I don't get it, why people are so shallow when it comes to money. Jill's story? She didn't want the money. Her boyfriend lied to her. The couple that lured Vern to the home lied to her. But those claims that Daniel Blizzard had asked Jill to poison Vern? Well, those, according to Jill, are true. Daniel gave you poison?

Mm-hmm. I think so. I just dumped it out. Do you know what kind of poison it was? Mm-hmm. And he said, what, put this in Vern's drink? Mm-hmm. And you said, what, I'm not going to commit murder? No. I just figured, whatever, you know, I'm not going to commit murder? No. I just figured, whatever, you know, I'm not going to do that.

You're stupid. And you called the police? No. You didn't call the police? No, why would I? Well, someone had just asked you to commit murder. It could have been sugar water for all I know. I come from a world that you don't go to the police

because someone sneezed wrong, you know? Why did Daniel think that you would be willing to poison her? I don't go to the police because someone sneezed wrong, you know? Why did Daniel think that you would be willing to poison Ray? I don't know. You know, I did love him, and yeah, I would have done, you know, a lot of things for him. So you're kind of the victim here, huh? I don't like to call myself a victim. I mean, by your definition, yeah. Of course, there's one person who's pretty clearly a victim.

Vern Holbrook built a successful business and loved his role at the center of a happy family. Did he trust too much? Should he have known what might be coming? Maybe. Those are tough questions to answer. Because the truth is, no one wants to believe your business partner will betray you. After all, the idea is that they're just like family. That's all for now. I'm Lester Holt. Thanks for joining us.