Dateline NBC - The Mystery in Effingham County

Episode Date: September 14, 2022

Publicly, they were a prominent family, highly respected. Privately, a jury would hear something else in a case -- that pit father against son, husband against wife, brother against brother. And at the heart of it all was a terrible family secret. Dennis Murphy reports in this Dateline classic. Originally aired on NBC on April 1, 2011.

They were very, very popular in Effingham. They were an impeccable family. Victims of an improbable crime. Mother, father, son shot in the dead of night. It felt like an ambush. Investigators searched for clues, but what they found were secrets. A forbidden love affair right in the family. One son sleeping with the other son's wife.

He said if I was going to have an affair, he wished it would have been with anybody else except his brother. Bad blood between brothers. Had that been a motive for murder? Had one killed the other to steal his wife? I couldn't do that to my brother. In court, it all came out. Scandalous passions, jealousy, greed, lust. He said that he was the black sheep of the family. A family saga turns riveting courtroom drama. I cried the whole time. The time we received the call was around 3 a.m. FNM 911. Help. Please.

What's wrong? I'm shot. You're shot? Yes. Where you at? The Sheriff's Office 911 operator could barely understand the voice on the other end of the call. A dispatcher called for Sergeant James Dingledine to help listen in where did you get shot at in your face yes it was difficult to hear what she was saying you could hear her gargling due to blood uh in her throat and it sounded as though she wasn't

the only victim husband shot two your husband shot two yeah, is there anybody in the house with you besides you and your husband? Yes. Who else is in the house with you? Son. Your son? Yes. Two, possibly three adults shot in a home in the middle of the night. Did he get shot too, or you don't know?

I don't know. You don't know? No. And the female survivor had no idea if the assailant was still in the house. We weren't sure if it was a home invasion. We weren't sure if it was an accidental discharge of a firearm. Sergeant Dingledine and other deputies were already racing to the location, a one-story ranch house in a heavily wooded area outside town.

There was little to no light outside. It was actually pitch black. Our weapons were already drawn. We weren't sure if the suspect was in the area, still in the woods. When we approached the door, we could hear the sound of a female moaning in what appeared to be pain. They could hear her, but were delayed in finding her, because something stopped them in their tracks as they entered the kitchen. There was an overwhelming smell of gasoline emanating from the house. It was extremely

noxious. It was hard to breathe. The deputy in front of me, Deputy Hill, slipped on the gasoline, and I had to catch him to prevent him from falling. Why hadn't the gasoline been torched? Was someone trying to lure the cops inside before striking a match? It felt like an ambush. They finally located the woman slumped on the kitchen floor behind a table. The woman, Linda, was still holding her cell phone.

The distress call was genuine. And her injuries were grave. And she had some sort of fabric, a T-shirt or a towel on her throat, and it was soaked in blood. I asked her to remove the cloth from her throat so I can get a visual of her injuries. The entire area of her neck here was missing. As she swallowed, you could see her throat moving. One victim accounted for. Where were the others?

She didn't know if anyone else was still in the residence. And she didn't know if her son and her husband were still alive. With guns drawn, deputies continued clearing the residence, and the information they yelled back down the hall was as bad as it could get. Linda's son, Kerry, shot dead in one bedroom. Kerry Height was in the bed, still under the covers. He had an obvious gunshot wound to the face. And Linda's husband, Phillip, shot dead in their bedroom. He had pulled a sheet above his face in a defensive stance. There was a gunshot wound through the sheet. An explosion of horror. Three people gunned down two fatally on a quiet road in a quiet Georgia town. And now Linda, the lone survivor, was en route to the hospital in grave condition. What had happened in the dark hours of a Monday

morning in that modest house? Peeling back the layers of the mystery would take years and would leave a family torn apart and a community devastated. But to begin to comprehend what happened, you have to roll back the clock, back to 2008, to a town called Springfield and a family named the Heights. If I were to ask you what the Heights family was like in, say, 2007, what would you say? Great family. Spiritual family. Pillars of the community, if you will. The Height family in 2011? Destroyed. What had happened on Springfield, Egypt Road?

Who would want God-fearing people like the Heights dead? Coming up... He was a go-getter. He was going to get out, and if there was a deal to be made, he was going to go after it. So he was a player? He was a player. He was going to get the job done. The hard-charging businessman. Had a deal gone bad? Had the neighbors been ruled out? An urgent investigation begins when Dateline continues. When you got the definitive news, Sheriff, it's the family and they're all gone.

It was just one of those, a sick feeling to know that something like this has happened. You've seen a lot of bad stuff, and this was enough to sicken you. It was. Philip Hite was a large-scale real estate investor and prominent name around town. Someone who'd counted Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie as one of his good friends. But now Hite was dead. Mysteriously and brutally gunned down in his own home in the middle of the night, along with his son and his wife, who was the lone survivor. I knew these folks. I had been friends with these folks.

And it was just bad. This part of the country, southeast Georgia, isn't used to waking up to grisly news like this. That just isn't supposed to happen in Effingham County, only 45 minutes from downtown Savannah, but a world away with its mom-and-pop shops, cattle farms, and cotton fields. It's a place where people go to church, work hard, and know their neighbor. In this community, family sticks together. It's just our nature around here, I reckon. James Nightlinger had lived here all his life,

and like anyone born and raised in Effingham, he knew the Height family. Well, the Height family is a good family, well-known family. They respect everybody. James grew up with the three Hite boys. Billy Hickman knew their father, Phillip. They are a family that loves their family, and I think you can see that throughout the whole Hite clan that there's a lot of love that goes through them.

Devout, rock-solid people, led by the family patriarch, Phillip Hite. And as a major real estate developer in the area, Phillip was very much a big deal around town. We have numerous commercial sections that Phillip really pushed, and he was a go-getter. He was going to get out, and if there was a deal to be made, he was going to go after it. So he was a player? He was a player. He was going to get out and if there was a deal to be made, he was going to go after it. So he was a player? He was a player. He was going to get the job done. And with that terrific salesman's knack he had, even if he got the better part of a deal, he left you feeling good about it. Phillip was a guy that loved people. He was a guy that

people loved him. He just always made people feel good. He always made you feel like you were special. When he wasn't putting in long hours at the office or serving as president of this board or director of that bank, he took pure delight in raising his beloved Hereford cattle on his land that went back for generations, the property on rural Springfield, Egypt, Rome. But above all, Philip Hite liked to spend time with his family,

Linda, his wife of 40 years, and his three sons, Craig, Chris, and Carrie. The most important thing to him was his family. He always wanted his family to be close to each other. He always wanted his family to love each other. Then came that horrific night in August 2008 when Phillip, Carrie, and Linda Height were shot in the Height home. Only Linda survived to call 911,

but now she was in serious condition at the hospital. Could not believe it. Because Miss Linda and Mr. Phillip, they were real nice people. None of the locals wanted to think it had anything to do with the nearby people suspected of cooking meth and with whom they shared Springfield-Egypt Road. There had been some arrests a while back. Residents felt helpless behind crime scene tape, including a cousin, Mark Arnsdorf.

It was horrible. It was just a horrible day. Down the road, hundreds gathered for Phillip and Carrie Height's funeral. Cousin Mark was a pallbearer for Phillip. It was a full house, a standing room. I think there was even people outside that couldn't get in. It just shows how loved, how much people thought of the Height family. Double caskets. The tear-streaked faces of mourners drawn taut with grief. No one wanted to send the father and son off like this. It was terrible. Well, I lost a best friend and a person to talk to. James Neidlinger had known Kerry so well and for so long. He basically was the person that was

always worried about everybody else. I reckon, do anything for you. Give your shirt off his own back. Cary was the baby in the family. There were two older brothers, Chris and Cray, though Cary would be the one to follow his father into real estate. And like his father, Cary shared a zest for work and a love of family. Busy all during the day, meetings at night, running late, rushing home, give the kids baths. But he did look forward to that, going home and giving the kids baths.

Carey was proud of always being there for his three children and his wife, Robin Height, someone he'd known since high school. The only real girlfriend or girlfriend he ever had was Robin, that I'm aware of. In high school, Robin had been voted class clown. And when the vivacious girls started dating the quiet, straight-laced Carrie, some didn't see the match. But it worked for them.

They got married a year after graduation. He loved her from day one. He did everything he could for her. Sure did. And now Carrie and his father, Philip's violent deaths were a mystery. If only Carrie's mother, Linda Height, Miss Linda to one and all, could help with crucial details. But she couldn't speak.

Her lower jaw and neck had been torn up by a shotgun blast. It was questionable whether she'd make it. Based on what we saw on scene, we did not believe that she was going to survive those injuries. They were that egregious. Had she seen the person or persons who shot her, would she be able to give a description that could help authorities apprehend the killer now on the loose?

Coming up, something seemed fishy right from the start. Was it obvious what had gone on there to you? After looking at the scene, it became obvious that the scene was staged. Staged? Yes. When Dateline continues. The family home of Phillip and Linda Hite, the modest red brick house where they'd raised three boys, was now a stomach-churning crime scene. Philip Hite and his son, Kerry, dead, shotgunned at point-blank range.

Linda in grave condition after taking buckshot to the face. Crime scene techs began combing through the Hite place inch by inch. The team, led by case agent Eugene Howard of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Was it obvious what had gone on there to you? After looking at the scene, it became obvious that the scene was staged. Staged? Yes. It was meant to look like a robbery.

However, nothing was taken of note. There was money left, keys left. Stuff that would have been easy to grab and get a little money, huh? Yes, sir. Nothing was disturbed other than the bodies found. And the CSI team found something else, the way the intruder may have entered the home. The point of entry you found to be where they wanted you to believe was where. The garage door had a pane glass inside of it, and that glass was broken, and it was made to look like someone had entered the residence through that door. It may have looked like the intruder's way in, but the curtain on the glass

panes was undisturbed. It looked as though no one had pushed it aside to grab the door handle. There was a much simpler explanation for how the killer or killers had gotten in and out. They thought the family's outside key, the one they kept hidden, was missing from its usual place. And there was a key inside of the doorway. The key that was in the doorway was probably the one that was kept outside. The one with the scent? Yes. So you're looking at somebody that's got at least pretty good working knowledge of that house.

Yes, sir. Strange clues at a grim scene. In those early morning hours, nothing seemed to be adding up. You have no idea who the shooter is. Right. If they're alone, if there's more than one. Correct. And the one Haidt who might know was Philip Haidt's wife, Linda,

who had somehow survived the gunshot blast to her face. She was recovering, but it would be weeks before investigators could elicit her story. Her mouth was wired shut due to her injuries. I believe she had, like I said, bone graft reconstructive surgeries, skin grafts. It took her a long, long time before she was able to talk to anybody. It fell to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent John Berry to ask the question, are there any cracks, any secrets in the esteemed Haight family? And at that time, we start what we call victimology. And victimology is something that we

look at these people's lives and try to determine what put them at an added risk to die this particular evening. He had to learn more about the patriarch, Philip Hite's business in household affairs. Agent Berry started by looking at the core of things, the immediate family. They'd be a prime source of information, but something else, too. Part of the investigation is that everyone's a suspect at this point. Berry began his interviews that morning after the Height murders, sitting around the kitchen table at the home of the middle son,

Chris Height. Chris told the detective that he'd been home with his wife the previous night. She was questioned, and the middle son's story checked out. By then, the crime scene analysts believed the murder weapon was a 12-gauge shotgun. Agent Berry searched Chris Hite's home looking for a firearm. He had several guns there, but nothing in my training experience that would indicate any of them had been recently fired. Next up for the detective, the older brother, Craig Hite. Craig stated that that particular evening he was watching television shows, hunting and fishing shows.

He told the GBI man that he'd spent the night by himself at a place about a half hour's drive away, a rustic hunting cabin owned by a friend. Agent Berry drove up to the cabin to search it as well. A search of the cabin resulted in we did not find any 12-gauge shotguns. But investigators did find 12-gauge ammo in the back of Craig's truck, three-inch Magnum shotgun shells. And its face value didn't tell me anything, because Craig Height was identified as an avid hunter and was known to turkey hunt.

Two days after the murders, the agent sat down again with Craig Height at the sheriff's office. How's your mama doing? She is wonderful. She is doing wonderful. She is? Wonderful. After the polite formalities, Barry posed the difficult question.

Who would want Craig's family dead? Craig offered this clue. The only thing that my father and Carrie has remotely said anything to me about anything as financial. Craig may have been referring to the fact that his father, Philip, and brother, Kerry, like so many others, had recently been sweating the plunge of value in the 2008 real estate market. Investigators would learn that the father-son team of Philip and Kerry ran a business worth millions. But they were heavily invested. Land rich, maybe cash poor. Had something gone dangerously downhill in Phillip Heights Empire,

there were a dozen complicated partnerships to examine. Once this happened, there were numerous rumors about who did it. Did the mafia come do it? Was it a professional hit? Did somebody locally do it? And he was a player. He had a lot of interest. It was out-of-state money. He did. And it's not unreasonable for investigators to say, did the deal go south here? Exactly. Was this a bad deal that somebody got mad about and going to retaliate for? And Craig Height had perhaps another clue to offer detectives.

He'd been out to the family property after the shootings and said he noticed some of his things missing in a shed out back, including a 12-gauge firearm. The 12-gauge is not there. I have one pair of snakebite boots that are not there. Could the assailant have stolen those items to commit the crime? But there was something else GBI agents were starting to get wind of. Ripe rumors around town of a possible skeleton in the Height family closet.

Investigators knew it could be nothing or something, but they'd have to run down the scuttlebutt before they could move on to other leads. If only one family member would be more candid with them. After all, the rumors were about him. Have you been totally honest with me throughout the full investigation? Yes, sir. About everything? Yes, sir.

Coming up... Maybe if Adam went in April to Miss Linden, Mr. Phillip, and Carrie and said, Look, this is what's going on. Y'all need to do something now. Maybe it wouldn't have went to the limit. Someone had been keeping a secret, and it was about to come out. When Dateline continues. News. Two of the Heights were gone, killed in the middle of a late August night in 2008. Phillip Height, a prominent real estate developer, shot dead in his bed. His son and business partner Carrie also shot to death while sleeping. Phillip's wife,

Linda, was injured but recovering, a deadly spree that had investigators working around the clock. While some detectives were interviewing the surviving next of kin in the Haight family, others contacted the family's friends and associates, including the oldest son, Craig's, one-time live-in companion, a woman named Tina Williams. I got a call from, you know, the sheriff's department saying that they needed to talk to me. Detectives were intrigued right away by the girlfriend's sense of remorse. Maybe if I'd have went in April to Miss Linden, Mr. Phillip, and Carrie and said, look, this is what's going on, Y'all need to do something now.

Maybe it wouldn't have went to the limit. What could she be talking about? This story she hadn't told. I wish to this day that I had. Maybe they would still be here. Tina didn't know anything about Phillip Heights' financial pressures or about a missing gun from the Heights property. But she did know something about bottled-up secrets. Some people would later call it scandalous what had happened behind the Height's closed doors. She began her story with only good things to say about the parents, people she'd known for several years.

Miss Linda and Mr. Phillip were very nice people, were very caring people. She met their son Craig at the veterinarian's office where she worked back in late 2003. They chatted about his hunting dogs and she was struck by how well-mannered he was. Very nice guy, very polite, very polite. Just did the yes ma'am, no ma'am, thank you for helping me, that kind of person. Craig and Tina began going out, and when Craig went on disability after hurting his back at work, he had plenty of free time to drive the hour from Effingham County to the town where Tina lived. He was there when she needed him, she recalls, and came to lean on him for support, because at 42 years of age, Tina was battling breast cancer. If I had a treatment and I was very sick, he would be there

with me, hold my hair if I was sick. He really was very supportive at that time. After nine months of dating, Craig and Tina started making wedding plans. We talked about who was wanted to invite and just had really set a date and we really were serious about having a life together. But a month before the wedding date, she found out something disturbing, really disturbing. Tina was on her way to a chemotherapy treatment when she got a phone call. On the other end of the line, a woman's voice. She said, you're seeing my husband. And I said, no, ma'am, I'm not.

I'm not dating anybody's husband. And she said, yes, you are. And I said, well, tell me who your husband is. And she said, Craig Height. And I said, well, wait a minute. I guess maybe I am. Whoops. A contrite Craig Height soon showed up on Tina's doorstep,

professing his love for her and saying that he'd foolishly hoped that he would get a divorce before she found out he had a wife and two kids back in Effingham County. And I told him, I said, well, you need to go home, take care of your business, get your divorce, stay with your wife, do whatever you're going to do. Craig left Tina's house, and within a few months, he did get divorced. Soon, he and Tina were back on course, and he asked her to move up to Effingham County. You won't have to work, and I can take care of you, and you know, I know your health's bad, and you know, we can have this life, and things will be better. But in fact, things were about to get a whole lot worse,

and not just for Tina and Craig. Back in Effingham, Craig's younger brother, Kerry, was having his own relationship problems. Kerry told his friend, James, that his wife, Robin, wanted a separation. It hurt him. He was tore up. He had made the comment to me about that you don't know how it feels to lay beside somebody in the bed that don't love you. Robin felt that Carrie was spending too much time at work.

So, good husband that he was, he tried cutting back his hours and went for counseling. Anything he could do to make it work. I mean, he would do what it took to keep the marriage together, especially for the kids. I mean, he wouldn't want her to see his kids grow up like that. But just as much as the kids, he didn't want to lose the wife who was his first and only love, the light of his life.

He still told me that day he loved Robin. He loved her dearly. Last I heard, he was still trying to make his marriage work. And while Carrie and his wife Robin were trying to keep their banged-up marriage together, Carrie's older brother Craig and his girlfriend Tina were going through pretty much the same thing. Tina had moved in with Craig, but then he stopped coming home. And then one day, his stuff was just gone. I called him and I said, have you moved out? What's the deal? Your clothes are gone.

And he said, well, what do you think? I said, well, where are you living? And he said, at a fox pen. I said, okay. A fox pen? He wasn't exaggerating by much. Craig had moved into a rustic cabin set deep back on some land owned by a hunting buddy. Tina says she was left high and dry. No job, no cash. There would be days I didn't even eat. I mean, because I didn't have money to eat. Come summer, Tina was barely scraping by, and she says she had no idea that around this time, Craig went shopping for a new house. He'd contacted realtor Christy Campo. Personality, how'd he come across to you? He was a little quiet. He was just a nice guy. He was kind of meek. Craig told Christy he was interested in buying some property. Christy says she showed him a nice house with acreage.

It was going for a quarter of a mil. And he wanted to move up there and start buying horses and training them. When she asked Craig how he was going to pay, she says he talked about selling some timberland that he owned. He said the land that was being sold, that he would know something in a couple weeks. And he had also told me that he had had a girlfriend, and if they moved to Scrooge County, could her kids still go to Effingham? That girlfriend certainly wasn't Tina. She hadn't seen Craig since he moved out.

So who was it? Months before, Tina had noticed something in the mail that caught her eye. Craig's phone bill. Who were all those calls to? I started watching the cell phone bill for a couple of months because I had a suspicion that he was seeing somebody else. And what an incendiary story those phone logs would hint at. It was like something out of the Bible. Taboo behavior and a game changer in this murder investigation. And when police figured out what was going on behind those closed doors, they'd have some pointed questions for Tina's ex-boyfriend, Craig Height.

Coming up... Craig, have you been totally honest with me throughout the full investigation? Yes, sir. Got everything? What was the secret Craig Height was guarding so closely? A shattering surprise was in store for folks in Effingham County. What if I said Robin said she was having sex with me? When Dateline continues.

We've been working around the clock, so we'll find out what went on here. Detectives working the case of the deadly shootings in the home of Phillip and Linda Height had been canvassing the neighborhood and searching Phillip Height's office. But they'd also been looking into something closer to home. Rumors about a scandal within the Height clan. There'd been a flurry of cell phone calls between the oldest Haight son, Craig, and his now-dead brother's wife, Robin, in the months before the murders.

And now, detectives were being let in on a secret. Close family and friends suspected more than mere idle chatter between brother and sister-in-law. They believed Craig and Robin may have been having an affair. The information was relayed to us that there may be an inappropriate relationship between Robin Hite and Craig Hite. And in particular, we wanted to explore this.

GBI Special Agent John Berry went back to Craig Hite two days after the murders and questioned him in a taped interview. Was he sleeping with his brother's wife, Robin? But what do you think I've been dishonest about? Well, for one, I think you've been dishonest about your relationship with Robin. It being a sexual relationship. That's all. Craig insisted there was nothing going on between them. I know that it looks bad. But I'm going to tell you something. I couldn't do that to my brother.

I could not do that to my brother. I could not do that to my brother. But Agent Berry knew something Craig didn't. Robin Height had already spilled to the illicit relationship with her brother-in-law. The agent confronted Craig. What if I said Robin said she was having sex with you? No, sir. Is she imagining this? That's not true, sir.

I'm being truthful with you. Then somebody's not being truthful with you. I'm being truthful with you. Then somebody's not being truthful with you. I am being truthful with you. The agent wasn't satisfied with the answers he was getting from Craig Height, and he still had an unsolved murder on his hands. Agent Berry tried a new tack. Tell Craig that detectives were homing in on Robin as their prime suspect and killer. If she loves you,

wouldn't it be easier for her to just kill Carrie and then you and her could be together forever? There is no way Robin had anything to do with this. I swear to you on my mama's life, she has never said anything like that. Never. But Craig had strong words for whomever did kill his family. What do you want me to do? I want you to put them away.

Put them away. Yes, sir. That's your wishes. Yes, sir. From the bottom of my heart, put them away. Even if it's Robin. Even if it's Robin. Telling Craig that Robin was a lead suspect was actually a fake-out. In fact, authorities were zeroing in on Craig, not Robin, due to his inconsistent statements.

And while in the interview Craig hadn't fallen for the ruse and confessed to the crimes in order to protect his lover, the GBI investigators still believed something wasn't right about the oldest son's story. They kept Craig on their radar. We are keeping tabs on Craig at this time. And he began to live with Robin at her residence, drive his brother's truck. Detectives quietly continued their investigation, running down tip line leads, following the money trail of Philip and Carrie Height's truck. Detectives quietly continued their investigation, running down tip line leads, following the money trail of Philip and Carrie Height's business. Jittery residents, meanwhile, worried the case would never be solved. But nine months after that

deadly break-in at the Height home on Springfield, Egypt Road, authorities finally made their move. Approximately 8.45 this morning, Philip Craig Height, 41, of Springfield, was arrested. Craig Height was arrested and charged with the murder of his father and brother and the aggravated battery of his mother. Relatives were naturally shocked and distraught, a son and a brother. Craig Height's cousin, Mark Arnsdorf, couldn't make head nor tails of the accusation and says Craig himself seemed as flabbergasted as everyone else. I went to see Craig in jail. I said, Craig, I never would have thought we'd be talking like this through a glass.

He said, Mark, I would not have either. Craig was really scared. He said, Mark, when they pulled me over and they arrested me, he said you could knock me over with a feather. He was so shocked. Mark says to know Craig is to love him and to know that he couldn't have done this. You'd love him. He's like a daddy.

When you come in the room, he'd speak to you, make a point to speak to you, smile when he's shaking your hand. Mark and Craig grew up like brothers. Growing up, if he wasn't at my house spending the night, the weekends, I was at his house on weekends. Just always together. Mark says just like the rest of the Heights, Craig was raised to be an active, involved citizen.

We farmed, dreamed about farming together. As teens, Mark and Craig held positions in their Future Farmers of America chapter. They were involved in their local church. And in school, he says, Craig was never some wacky loner. Craig has a tremendous amount of friends. He was very popular in school. Everybody loved him. And above all, Mark says, Craig was close to the family

authorities now believed he'd ruthlessly killed. So maybe Craig wasn't cut out for the family business like his brothers, but nonetheless, he still made his father proud. Craig was always working. I never remember him not working. When we spoke, Mark said he vividly remembered seeing Craig for the first time after the horrible murders and insisted Craig's reaction was that of an innocent man. Craig confronted me and hugged me and of course held each other and cried. It was horrible to see the hurt. It was killing him.

You could see the hurt in the eyes. As for Mark, there was not a shred of doubt that Craig's emotions that day were the real deal. That's as genuine as it gets. I'm tearing up. Mark believed authorities felt pressure to make an arrest and so they targeted the easiest person in their midst namely the one height relative with a hefty blot on his reputation the one who was rumored to be having sex with his sister-in-law oh it definitely hurt craig he made some bad decisions. We've all done that, but that does not make him a murderer.

But investigators were talking evidence and timeline. Just look, they'd tell you, at what Craig was doing on the day he was arrested. It was May 2009, the last day of school before summer vacation in Effingham County. When police pulled Craig Height over to arrest him, he was driving his dead brother's white truck. He had his brother's children's ID cards in his wallet. The truck was full of Craig's belongings. And when school got out, Craig and his brother's wife and kids were all going to move to South Carolina.

To the cops, this was more than just a fling. This was coveting, biblical stuff, jealousy, anger, lust, and greed. He had just stepped right into his brother's life. Took the wife, the house, the truck, the kids, the money. He had become his brother. Coming up, a son and brother on trial. I've seen no evidence in this house of multiple shooters. One person taking three shots is what I see. And a mother takes the stand with a dramatic tale about that deadly night. And I heard a very loud noise or blast, and I must have blacked out, and I woke up praying. I said, God, if we're going to do this, I need

your strength because I have none of my own. When Dateline continues. We know he did it because of his lies, because of the type of person he is, because of the conflict that was taking place. Craig Height, on trial in a Georgia courtroom for shooting to death his father and brother in their beds and gunning down his mother with intent to kill. The murder of your daddy, your brother. The prosecution called the motive as old as the Bible, Craig's lust for his brother's wife and greed fueled by that lust. They'd begin by bringing to the stand the one witness in the case, the defendant's own mother, Linda Height. He came up to the house. He was going to spend the night with us. Speaking hesitantly after several surgeries to her face, Linda Height

told the story of that harrowing night her quiet world was ripped apart by three gunshots. It was August 25, 2008. She and her husband, Philip, had an extra guest that night, their son, Carrie. He and his wife were having problems, and he came to our house. They'd all gone to bed, but Linda had recently become absorbed with puzzles called word find books. She was doing one in the bathroom off the bedroom so as not to disturb her sleeping husband when she was startled by a sound. And I heard a very loud noise or blast. So I went out and went in the bedroom and I said, Philip. And when I said that, I saw a blast when Philip was shot and then I saw the blast as I was shot and I must have blacked out. I remember waking up and I was laying on the floor and I saw

my teeth laying on the floor and I must have blacked out again and I woke up praying. I said God if we're going to do this I need your strength because I have none of my own. Linda tried to call for help on the bedroom phone, but the line was dead. By now, she was bleeding profusely. She grabbed a piece of clothing and held it to her face. She doesn't know how she made it to the kitchen, but she was able to get her cell phone out of her purse to dial 911. F&M 911. Hello?

Hello? Help. Help. Help. Who is this? The officers came in. I think there was about three shared deputies, and they were shining their flashlights, you know, and said, ma''am put down the weapon

but I was just sitting there holding my cell phone and one of the officers went back to the bedroom and he said there's two back here dead and pretty well after that I don't remember anything until about four weeks later. What if anything could she tell authorities about her assailant? Do you remember giving a description of the person that you saw shoot Phillip and yourself? A slender man. You weren't able to give any other better description than that or see any more detail than that? No. Linda's son, Craig, hardly looked slender in court. But the state said if you put all the pieces of that odd crime scene together, the shadowy figure Linda Height saw in the bedroom that night had to have been Craig. First, a crime scene analyst concluded only one assailant had entered the home.

I've seen no evidence in this house of multiple shooters. One person taking three shots is what I see no evidence in this house of multiple shooters. One person taking three shots is what I see. And the analyst said the crime scene didn't look like a robbery gone wrong. Jurors were shown the jewelry and cash left in plain sight. The key, the undisturbed curtain on the door. Sines said the lead case agent that the scene was staged to deflect attention away from the intruder's real motive. It was clear-cut designed to break in, enter the residence, and kill every soul in the residence. What's more, the only things that were supposedly missing from the residence all belonged to Craig. His boots, his coveralls,

and his 12-gauge shotgun, the ammunition likely used in the attack. It was of a kind that Craig's missing shotgun could take, and it was the same. It was of a kind that Craig's missing shotgun could take, and it was the same kind of ammo that was found in Craig's truck. Michael Muldrew prosecuted the case. When they found the shotgun shells. Live ammo. Three live ammo shells, double-aught buckshot, three-inch shells. Winchester. Winchester. And yet, the question remained, what would make Craig Height even consider putting a shotgun to his family? What could have driven him? The state would call to the stand Craig's sister-in-law, Robin Height. For the first time, she would reveal the full story behind what,

until now, had only been rich grist for the Effingham County Rumor Mill. Could you state your name for the record, please? Robin Rast Height. All eyes were glued to the witness box the day Robin Height took the stand. Jurors had already heard from the prosecutor about an inappropriate relationship between Craig and Robin. And now, they were going to hear from Robin herself about what exactly had been going on in the Height family behind closed doors and between brother and sister by marriage. Are you married? No sir, I'm widowed. And who are you

married to? I was married to Carrie Height. How long were you married? 13 years. Robin told the jurors about her life with Carrie. We had a very good, very prosperous living. Yes, sir. Did you ever lack for anything? No. Was he always able to provide you anything you needed? He was.

What kind of husband was he? He was a very good husband. And how Carrie was good with her three children as well. He was the best father. He was a wonderful father. But then she explained that in 2008,

things got rocky between her and her husband. He spent a lot of time at work, a lot less time at home. He became very distant with me. I wasn't really sure why. I didn't realize that the real estate business was not going as well as it had been going. I knew there were some problems, but there was a lot of problems and he didn't discuss them with me. So we became pretty distant as far as our marriage relationship. The strain in their union was enough to cause Robin to stray from Carrie, and in a shocking way. Yes, in April of 2008, I engaged in a relationship with his older brother, Craig. Coming up... How did he find out in May about the affair? I told him.

How did he act when you told him? He was upset. He said if I was going to have an affair, he wished it would have been with anybody else except his brother. Details of the affair laid bare. Was that a motive for murder? When Dateline continues. Robin said the affair started one night after a family gathering when she confided in Craig about the troubles in her marriage and about something else. I just told Craig that there was something I needed to tell him.

And he listened, and I told him that I had feelings for him. And he said that he had feelings for me. And that was about as far as the conversation went that day. The next night, Robin stayed over at her in-laws, Phillip and Linda's, because she was scheduled to take Phillip to a doctor's appointment in the morning. Craig was at the house, too. Did you and Craig have an intimate relationship that night? We did.

Where was that? That was in Philip and Linda's living room. Where were Philip and Linda? They were asleep. The relationship continued from that night forth. Robin said Craig would call her, often using a cell phone a friend had gotten for him to set up a rendezvous. They'd often meet at the hunting lodge Craig was crashing at after moving out on his girlfriend, Tina Williams. How many times were we intimate? Probably about 20 times. A few weeks into the affair,

Robyn says she told her husband, Carrie, what was going on. How did he find out in May about the affair? I told him. How did he act when you told him? He was upset. He was very upset. And he said

that if I was going to have an affair, he wished it would have been with anybody else except his brother. He was very upset about it being his brother. And the prosecution asked Robin, what did she see in her brother-in-law? Robin already had Carrie, who by all accounts was a devoted husband, doting father, and solid provider. Why would she step out on him with Craig, who the state portrayed as someone who didn't seem to want much out of life except time to hunt? Craig, who was out of work on disability and was squatting at a friend's hunting cabin. How do you think your life was going to improve by engaging in this relationship with Craig?

Well, at the time, I felt like Craig was giving me some attention and giving me some things that Carrie wasn't giving me. And at the time, I felt like that was where I needed to be, was with Craig. But what were Craig and Robin going to do when word got out to the family? Because word did get out to Craig and Carrie's father, Phillip, and fast. Phillip was very angry and upset with me. And Phillip Hite wasn't going to take the destruction of his family and his family name lightly. Jurors would next hear from friends and colleagues of Phillip's that when it came to the embarrassing relationship

between his son and daughter-in-law, Phillip was going to do anything he could to stop it. He said, I think I'm going to take Craig out of the wheel. Coming up, word of a fight in the family, bad blood beginning to boil. His rage was still building up, and he knew that if he was ever going to do something, now was the time. When Dateline continues.

I miss him. He was a good friend. Memories of Phillip Hite resonated with his business partner, Harvey Kiefer. Philip and I was probably as close of friends as each one could have. A man as proud as he was private, Philip Hite would only open up about his troubles to his most trusted associates. And the problem he had on his hands in late August 2008 was a doozy. The Friday before his death, while we were going to our meeting, he says, sometimes I think I'll just jump off the Talmadge Bridge. And I said, Philip, I said, it ain't that bad. Harvey Kiefer thought Philip was referring to the unnerving downturn in the 2008 real estate market. But no, Philip said his problems stem from turmoil within his family. And now Philip was gone, and his son Craig was on trial for shooting to death both him

and his brother and wounding his mother. The prosecutor would tell the jury not just the story of a taboo relationship between a man and his brother's wife, but also about an emotionally complicated situation involving a black sheep's son and a headstrong father who was just dead set against that affair. In court, jurors heard how Philippite learned of the affair between his son and daughter-in-law a few months before his death, a revelation that friends said bored into his very soul. He was very mad, very upset. He just could not stand the idea of his family being torn apart.

This marital affair was just driving him up the wall. Phillip simply could not let this affair run its course, his friends said, because more than real estate, Phillip Hite lived for his family and its good name. It meant everything to him to keep all the Heights living in harmony, working hard to preserve the Hite ancestral land for future generations. But when Philip confronted his son Craig about the affair, Craig had a surprising response, according to his mother. What did Craig say about the affair?

That if he wanted Robin, he would have Robin. What was his attitude at the time with regards to that? about the affair? That if he wanted Robin, he would have Robin. What was his attitude at the time with regards to that? He was kind of arrogant. He told his mama a few weeks before that if I want her, I'll have her. I can't even imagine you having a conversation like that with your mother anyway. I mean, how are you gonna have Thanksgiving dinner?

For instance. With these dynamics, you can't. anyway. I mean, how are you going to have Thanksgiving dinner, for instance, with these dynamics? You can't. So he knew that mom and daddy would never accept it. The bad blood between Craig and his family members quickly worsened, according to the prosecution. Jurors heard about a heated argument Craig and his brother Kerry had gotten into outside a Sonic Burger restaurant. And Craig didn't seem to care who knew that things were toxic inside the Haight family. Real estate agent Christy Campo. He said they did not get along, that he was the black sheep of the family,

and he wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. Robbins said Craig echoed the same sentiment to her. Craig said that if his father was on fire, that he would not urinate on his father to put him out. Father and son, brother and brother, husband and wife, all squared off in their corners. The story being told in the court was of the Height family destroying itself. A match had been lit, as the prosecutor told it, and come late August, an explosion was about to go off. Robin told the jurors about a driveway altercation a week or two before the shootings between her and her father-in-law, an argument that became physical.

Phillip said, you know, look around you. These are things that Craig cannot give you. These are things that only Carrie can give you. And he said, you don't understand how Craig is. He has issues that you don't understand. And that upset me. I said, I'm leaving. I'm getting in the car and I'm leaving. So I got in my Suburban and the window was rolled down and I went to crank my car and Mr. Phillip reached in and snatched my keys and pushed my arm out of the way. Robin says she told Craig about the incident with his father and the state theorized that it was about then that the tensions in the family became unbearable. A family friend named Loretta Brower recalled that Carrie told her about a fight between the

two brothers that turned ugly. He said Craig come, come to the house. Me and my daddy were sitting in the den, and Craig walks in with a gun, and he just threatened to shoot Carrie. And his daddy grabbed the gun, took the gun, wrestled the gun, and took the gun away. Jurors saw photos of damage to the house said to be caused by that fight between brothers. A broken lamp, a scraped wall, damaged furniture. And in court, Loretta Brower testified about what else she said Cary told her. That during that fight, Philip, the father, had given Craig an ultimatum. If you don't leave Robin alone, I'm gonna cut you out of the will. And in fact, Philip Pite's accountant testified that he and Philip did

discuss taking Craig out of his will, and Philip's son, Kerry, had already taken his wife's name off a $3 million insurance trust that he'd set up for his children. It's not exactly clear what Craig or Robin did or didn't know about the estate papers, but then-prosecutor Michael Muldrew said financial concerns were definitely on Craig's mind. Money is not a small factor here. I think money is a large factor, and he knew he had to provide for Carrie's wife like Carrie had been providing. The only way he was ever going to get any financial means to live the life that he wanted to live with Robin was through an inheritance. He's got enough sense to know the only way he's going to inherit anything if both parents are dead. Jurors also heard realtor Christy Campo's story

of Craig asking her to show him some property. I showed him the house. He said he was going to purchase some more horses to start training them. So he's asking how much more land he could buy with the house. The state suggested Craig's house hunting showed premeditation. He never did own any timberland he could sell off, as he told the realtor. So other than killing his family for the inheritance, how else would he get the money to close the deal on the new house and move in with Robin? The prosecutor asked her just that. Did he, to your knowledge, have any means to go buy a quarter million dollar piece of property for y'all to live on? No, I don't think so.

So where was he going to get the money for y'all to go move off together? I couldn't answer that. He would have to. Did you have the money for y'all to go move off together? I couldn't answer that. He would have to. Did you have the money yourself? Not myself, no. Then came that day in late August, the weekend before the murders on early Monday morning. The countdown to a double homicide was about to begin as the prosecutors saw it. That Friday night, Robin had been with Craig at the hunting cabin.

That night while I was there, he made the comment that if Carrie and Phillip weren't careful that he would play old school on them. Do you understand what he meant by that? I did not. The next morning, Saturday, an odd thing happened at the cabin. Craig and Robin noticed a low-flying helicopter that looked as though it was spying on them. Robin asked her husband about it later that day. Carrie told me that I needed to remember that he had friends in high places, and he pointed up at the sky. And that's when he told me.

He didn't actually come out and tell me about the helicopter. I said, I knew that that was you. In fact, Phillip and Carrie had asked a friend with a helicopter to see if Robin's SUV was at the cabin, and if so, to take some photographs. He did locate her white Suburban parked next to Craig's black truck. Robin testified about Craig's reaction to the chopper's surveillance. He had a very, very angry look on his face.

You ever seen a madman before? No. That surveillance by the friend who put the helicopter up, taking pictures of the cars, did that light the fuse here, do you think? The fuse was burning, and that just helped it burn faster. You have to remember that the opportunity didn't arise until that Sunday night when Robin informed Craig that Carrie was going to be over there. That Sunday, Carrie took the children to church. When they got home, Robin made them lunch, and then she and Carrie got into what would be

one final argument. He was very upset because he had proof that I had spent the night with Craig on Friday night. So he said that he felt like it was best if he had, since he was so angry and upset, that he had stayed with his mother and father that night. So he packed his things and left around four. It would be the first time Carrie would stay over at his parents' house in 13 years. Robin says she called Craig and told him that Carrie had left and where he was headed. She says she spoke to Craig on the phone one last time before going to sleep. But later that night, Craig did make one more phone call to his old girlfriend, Tina Williams. I'm sorry for ruining your life. I'm sorry I can't help you financially.

I'm sorry for involving you in my life and in my drama. And I'm thinking, okay. And I thought it was, you know, kind of strange. Tina says she got the eerie sense that Craig was fixing to do something, but she couldn't tell why. That's why she'd wonder with regret later whether she could have prevented what was about to happen to the Heights in the next few hours.

Should she have told Phillip and Miss Linda early on about the disastrous affair? If they'd nipped it in the bud, would maybe the murders never have taken place? For the next seven hours or so, what happens as you see it? I think his rage was still building up, and he knew that if he was ever going to do something, now was the time. And he had all the people that stood between him and what he wanted. It was after midnight. Husband, wife, and son in a modest house at the end of a quiet road settled in for the night. Their final night as the esteemed Height family. Coming up.

After the crime, Craig Height on. Coming up, after the crime, Craig Height on tape. It just all happened so fast. What may be the breakthrough clue in the case. As an investigator, hair's on the back of my neck, stay up. When Dateline continues. It was around 5 in the morning of August 25, 2008, and Robin Height, wife of Carrie Height, heard a loud knock at the door.

It was two officers and a chaplain who told her that her husband, Carrie, and his parents had been shot. I said, um, how was Kerry killed? And they said that he was shot in the head. The news left her numb. She told the jury she couldn't breathe. A few hours later, Craig called. He was crying really hard, and he said he couldn't believe what had happened. And I said, are you okay? And he said crying really hard and he said he couldn't believe what had happened.

And I said, are you okay? And he said, no. And I said, Craig, did you have anything to do with this? And he said, no. She confronted him again when they were all gathered at his brother Chris's house. I saw Craig there and I went over to him and I said, you know, I want you to look at me and tell me if you've done this or not. And he said no. Robin says she saw Craig at the funeral and within a week he asked her if they'd be together again. He asked me if our relationship was going to remain how it had been and I told him that I wasn't sure at that time. In those tumultuous early days, the two kept it cool. And so did the detectives who'd come across what they considered a huge clue, the significance of which they would keep quiet about for months.

It was a breakthrough that followed a simple if question. If Craig had fired a shotgun that night, would he have some telltale bruises from the recoil of the weapon? Agent Howard asked Craig if he could take a look. I asked him, do you mind taking the shirt off so I can see his shirt? He said yes, he complied. And I was able to see two distinct bruises on his upper bicep in this area. But it wasn't just the fact that Craig had bruises where you'd expect that surprised investigators. They said he already had a story to account for them. Craig started to

explain away before he even took his shirt off that I fell yesterday. As an investigator, hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The bruises, a sizable area on the right bicep and a smaller one on the left, were photographed. I stepped out of this tub like this right here. And a few weeks later, Craig was asked to explain that bathroom fall at his brother's house where he said it occurred. Looking noticeably more slender on tape than he did sitting in court, Craig described how he slipped getting out of the shower. I stepped out like this. When my right foot came out, I fell like that right there and landed on the commode like that right there. When I landed, I kind of landed, you know, like hugging like this right here type thing.

He said he hit the toilet so hard that it shifted. I tried to keep my head from busting this up and cutting my head, you know. I mean, it just all happened so fast, that's just how I wound up. The state's medical examiner took the stand and said Craig's bruises looked to him a lot more like the kick from a shotgun than they did the injuries from a fall. And what's more, while Craig said he fell just the day before these photos were taken, the medical examiner said the bruises didn't look fresh. It had to be at least about three days old because of the gold coloration. In order for the human body to get that gold color with a bruise,

it takes at least three days. In their larger theory of the crime, the one involving the Old Testament lusts, the prosecutors argued that Craig pulled that trigger three times so he could have it all. Robin, the money to be with her, and the freedom from his parents' disapproval. And they said he thought he was getting away with it, at least for a while. He needed me for support, and I was there for him, and I needed him for support. So we had each other. A few weeks after the funerals, Robin and Craig visited the cemetery together to throw away the dead flowers on Phillip and Carrie's graves. By Christmas, they were back together as a couple.

And in January, Craig moved in, taking Carrie's old side of the marital bed. He started taking his brother's children on outings with Robin. But looking back, the sister-in-law said it just didn't feel right. We did look like a family. We were acting like everything was fine, and it was wrong. Robin says she would try to end it, and Craig would talk her out of it. The two even started planning a wedding. Robin tried on a dress at a local boutique, and they bought rings.

We went and looked at rings one time, and when we went to look at them, they were on sale. So we went ahead and purchased the rings. They paid for them. I did. And when Craig needed an attorney, it was Robin who ponied up $60,000 for legal counsel. Money she says she got from the insurance payout following her husband Kerry's death. I offered to pay for it at that time. I believed in Craig and I wanted him to have a good representation. You regret having paid that money?

Yes, I do. Even after Craig's arrest, Robbins said they tried to keep the relationship going. Jailhouse visits, correspondence. We wrote letters back and forth. Where are those letters today? I don't have those letters anymore. What do you do with them? I burn them. But the jury had only heard half a case. The defense was about to say, hang on. Look at the prosecutor's case very carefully, and you won't find a shred of hard evidence tying Craig to that awful crime. No DNA linking him.

No blood. Coming up. Family members come to Craig Heights defense. Were police a bit too eager to wrap up this case? They were basically trying to convince me that Craig did it. When Dateline continues. My client stands before you today innocent of these charges. Craig Heights sat in a Georgia courtroom accused of gunning down his father, brother, and mother, two of them fatally,

because the state had argued Craig wanted both his brother's wife and his brother's life. Craig's defense attorney was about to present his case. Craig's relatives, uncles, aunts, cousins, had been listening for five days to the prosecution's arguments against one of their own. And word was at least some of the extended-height clan didn't know exactly where they stood. Sheriff, here it wasn't so clear as to where to put the family. They were divided on what they believed had happened in that house and whether Craig was in fact the killer. I don't think they knew where to sit. Here's my nephew, here's my brother, here's my cousin, here's my son. Maybe you can persuade me of the evidence, Mr. Prosecutor,

but there's still this whole, he's my blood, he's my kin. That's right. But the jurors would hear from Craig's closest of kin, his mother Linda and brother Chris. Linda told the jurors she had no reason to think Craig had anything to do with the shootings. Have you been in a position to judge his general demeanor towards you? Yes. And how would you describe that? Worried about me, as protective as he could be, and his love towards me.

Has he said anything to you during those meetings or in your time with him to give you any reason after this happened that he was involved? No. If a mother's love wasn't enough to convince the jury of Craig Heights' innocence, jurors also heard from Craig's surviving brother, the Middle Heights' son, Chris. His testimony would call into question the prosecution's story of a ne'er-do-well son and a combustible family dynamic that erupted. Chris told the jury that over the years there was no history of bad blood between Craig and their parents. I wouldn't say anyone was specifically a black sheep of the family. We all had our own interests.

And Chris Height explained that while the affair between Craig and Robin had caused friction in the family, Craig and his father Phillip's relationship was far from over. There was a little tension due to what was going on in our family, and my dad was upset with that situation, but their relationship was still close to my knowledge. And what of that violent tussle over a gun that supposedly broke out between Craig and his brother Kerry close to the time of the murders? Chris now casts doubt about whether the fight had even happened at all. Did he ever tell you about any type of confrontation in the family home where guns were pulled and where your father allegedly wrestled a gun away from somebody?

Did he ever tell you about that? No, sir. Chris said his mother never told him about any fight either and that the damage to his parents' home, supposedly caused by the scuffle, was really just normal wear and tear. The house was almost 40 years old, 39 years old at that time, and three boys grew up in it as well as seven grandchildren. Next, Chris explained that as early as that first morning of the crime, he got the sense that authorities were targeting Craig.

For instance, when detectives searched the hunting cabin where Craig was staying. When they came out, they actually had just bags of clothes and shoes, and I think they had taken the shoes that he was wearing. So at that point, I probably started feeling that they were focusing on him very heavily. And when Chris later spoke with detectives, he says his hunch was confirmed. They were basically trying to convince me that Craig did it. And the defense said if you want proof that authorities had blinders on about Craig Hite from day one, just look at all the stones they didn't overturn when it came to other Hite family members. At the time, I did attempt to get Kerry Hite's phone records, but did not receive them from the phone company.

What about Chris Hite? I did not get Chris Hite's phone records. What about Allen Hite? I did not get Allen Hite's phone records. He did not ask you to lay all your guns out or identify all your weapons? No, sir. I did not go lay all my guns out and show them to anyone. Bad enough to gloss over other Hite family members, suggested the defense, but truly disturbing were the very real, legitimate, and possibly dangerous suspects outside the Hite clan that the defense said weren't properly investigated.

The jurors would next hear about those potentially dropped leads and the biggest problem of all in the state's case, according to the defense, the total lack of physical evidence tying Craig Hyde to the crime. No hard concrete evidence in this case, which is I think what we should demand. Coming up, emotion in the courtroom. The defense steps forward with some surprises. Was there a mishandled crime scene? Was there more than one gunman? That's possible. Was Craig Height really behind this? When Dateline continues. We never had any trouble like this. Never. Had a couple of drug busts, but that's it. When Phillip Hite, his wife and son, were all shot in their home in 2008, neighbors were surprised, but perhaps not shocked. That tree-lined rural lane

called Springfield-Egypt Road might look bucolic, but in fact, it had seen its share of visits from law enforcement. We have a certain element in this neighborhood, and a lot of things happen on this little road. It surprises me. Now on the stand for the defense in his brother Craig's murder trial, Chris Hite told the jury about the potentially dangerous elements who lived on his parents' road. There had been a methamphetamine lab. They had actually went in and prosecuted this guy twice for having a methamphetamine lab there. Chris said that before his father died, Philip expressed concern that the man was getting out of prison.

Could Philip and Carrie's deaths have had something to do with these country drug manufacturers? It was just as likely as the murders involving Craig, the defense attorney argued. And he said it was just one of the many avenues pointing away from Craig Height that investigators chose not to go down. The defense attorney would argue in court that once the investigators learned about that affair between Craig and Robin, they decided that they had their man. When in fact, the defense would say that the true killer may have been someone involved with Philip Heights' real estate dealings, a business sector that had taken a swan dive. Joanne Reeser took the stand for the defense.

She was Philip Heights' longtime professional assistant, and her testimony suggested that if Philip didn't tell her something, then it probably didn't happen. He told me so much. Sometimes I, you know how you want to stick your finger in the air and go, yeah, too much information. Joanne said Philip never told her either about a physical fight in his home between his sons, Craig and Carrie. And what's more, to hear Joanne tell it, detectives may have overlooked the real powder keg about to explode in Phillip's life. They had a lot of pressure on him, business-wise. Joanne described to the jury just how big and varied Phillip's impressive business holdings were.

From his real estate investments... There was approximately 18 entities that Phillip was involved in. To his connections with cattle investors across Georgia and beyond. There was some in Georgia, but I mean, he had Kentucky, he had cows all over. Now Joanne Reeser told the jury that by the summer of 2008, with a real estate bubble bursting, her boss stopped selling and the banks began calling. Second and third demands for past due payments of $50,000 and $60,000. The defense suggested, had someone been on the short end of one of Phillip Hite's dealings, and for reasons of money or reasons of revenge, have wanted him and his family dead.

There was evidence to suggest that, said the defense. I know this one banker in particular that got pretty irate. Joanne Reeser told the jury about one strong-arm banker who, according to testimony, had rattled Philip to his core. He was real upset. I mean, when he came in, his face was real red. I mean, he talked about it for a couple of days. I mean, that's how upset he was. And yet jurors now heard testimony about business records of Phillip and Carey's

that may never have been scrutinized by authorities. Did they ever ask you to provide any business documents in particular about all the entities and corporations that Mr. Pike was involved in? No, they did not. Another witness, Phillip's accountant, had also testified about information left untouched by detectives. He interviewed me, but I don't think I gave him any financial records. But if anyone in Phillip Hite's professional past was trying to make a statement by killing him and his family, the defense said, we may never know because of its next theme. The crime scene was mishandled by police on several key fronts. For one thing,

the defense pointed to a list which authorities had kept showing who entered the crime scene and asked the question, how could anyone trust a crime scene that was visited by 179 people? Do you think it's a good thing or a not so good thing to have 179 people in and out of the crime scene? I have to explain that this took place over weeks of time. But what about a potentially big lead that agent Eugene Howard and his team may not have run down completely? Some tire tracks authorities believe were made by an emergency vehicle, but which the defense argued weren't fully investigated. If it were hypothetically tire tracks, could you or could you not take photographs of them to determine the possibility of whether two vehicles were there?

It's possible. Even more intriguing was what looked like a bloody footprint near the door. Investigators said it likely wasn't the shooter's, but instead may have been made by a first responder to the scene. But at times, it sounded as though the authorities didn't even remember the bloody print at all. Now I don't specifically remember the shoe print. Are you aware of any photograph taken by a GBI crime scene investigator of a bloody footprint? I'm not aware of one. Overlooked clues in the investigation may be one thing, said the defense lawyer,

but the truest sign of Craig Height's innocence, he said, was this. In all the volumes of files, dozens of interviews, and hundreds of man hours generated in this case, there was not a single piece of physical evidence tying Craig Hite to the crime. There's no footprints found, no fingerprints linking Craig to these crimes, no surveillance video, no DNA linking him, no blood, no hard concrete evidence in this case, which is, I think, what we should demand. The defense attorney chipped away at what he said the state had tried to pass off as physical evidence in the case. Those shotgun shells found in Craig Height's truck, they may look like they link Craig to the crime,

but the defense said that type of ammo is so common that it's used by 40 percent of hunters. And what about those bruises on Craig's arms, which he supposedly got from the recoil of the weapon he used to shoot his family? The defense brought its own firearms expert to the stand, who put everything into question. Are you familiar with what shotguns do as far as bruises go? Yes. It's difficult for me to put a full-size shotgun in a position to get the bruises that he has on his right arm. It's not a natural place to put the gun. It's unusual. Not only that, the defense's expert turned on its head the state's theory of the sequence of the shootings. The son was shot first, that the mother was shot second, and Phillip was shot third.

The defense expert also said that the shooter or shooters would likely have had a backspatter spray of blood on them while none was found on Craig Orr's clothes. Lastly, the expert said there may have been more than one shooter who'd entered the bedroom that night. Then someone else could have been in another location and shot her from that backed up location you described. Is that possible? That's possible. And in one final move before Craig's defense attorney rested his case, Craig's mother returned to the stand. Linda Height read a letter of love and reconciliation, which Craig's father, Philip, wrote to Craig, but hadn't yet given to him. The letter was dated just a few weeks before Philip's death and was some of the best evidence, said the defense, that the bond between father and son was as strong as ever and was never a motive for murder. Son, I appreciate everything

you do and have done. Your mom and I love you. We are all going through difficult times. Don't be distant and let life pass you by. The letter brought Craig Height to tears, but if everyone wondered if Craig himself would speak, they soon had their answer. Your name is Craig Height, correct? Yes, sir. Philip Craig Height. With the jurors removed from the courtroom, Craig was asked whether he was satisfied with his defense counsel. Absolutely, 100%. But Craig chose not to testify. In doing so, Craig passed up the chance to tell the jurors his side of the story, but also the opportunity for prosecutor Michael Meldrew to ask some pointed questions.

Would you like to have cross-examined? Craig, I understand. That's one reason I became a prosecutor, is to cross-examine people like Craig Heite. But now it was up to the jury to use what they did here to decide Craig Hite's fate. You've got to sleep at night once you make this decision. Coming up, deep divisions, difficult deliberations. Couldn't imagine him doing that out of just anger. I don't think he hated his family. But reach a verdict they did. What would it be?

When Dateline continues. Day seven of Craig Heights' murder trial, close to 30 witnesses had taken the stand. It was almost time for the jurors to deliberate. But first, the attorneys presented closing arguments. The prosecution. They want you to think somebody did this horrible crime to make a statement. Well, it was a statement made, all right. It was made by Craig Hyde, the murderer in our midst. that's who made the statement. And the defense. The bottom line is, is they do not have any physical evidence that directly links this crime to Craig Heights. Craig Heights' attorney, Dow Bonds, reminded the jury just what was at stake.

This is a court of law. This is not a time to take leaps of faith on another man's life here. And in a final dramatic courtroom moment, prosecutor Michael Muldrew reenacted what the state believed really happened in the Height family home when the crimes occurred. Starting from the moment they said Craig Height sneaked in in the dead of night and aimed his shotgun at his sleeping brother. Here he opens his eyes and he knows he's got the fire. It's off to the races. He then turns around, steps over to his daddy's. His daddy's laying right there. Second shot. Boom! Foot of the bay. But mama's not there. He drops the gun and then he hears her voice.

He flings it up. Third shot. A vivid image with one last question to button up, according to the state. The reasons why Craig didn't light the gasoline they said he'd poured all over the house. Prosecutor Muldrew said after the shootings, Craig thought his mother was dead and was shocked to then hear her on the phone to 911. He goes and gets his match and he's getting ready to light it and he hears mama's voice and he panics. Now finally, the eight women and four men who would decide Craig Heights' fate had the case. It was very nerve-wracking because, you know, this family's already been through this tragedy, and then this other person of their family is going to be,

you know, possibly put away for life. First, they elected a four-person Jimmy White. They said, all right, let's just take a vote. Let's draw a vote, huh? Let's just see where we're at. Show of hands? Show of hands. What did you come up with? Four to eight. And what was the divide? Mostly not guilty. Yeah, it was four guilty. Eight not guilty. Eight not guilty.

It was a lot of ground to make up in one direction or the other. The biggest thing Craig had going for him, thought the jury, the lack of physical evidence. What kept bringing me back was that smoking gun. It's the DNA. It's the fingerprints. It's the murder weapon. Where is it, huh? Exactly. You know, I think that brought a lot of people back, like, yeah, this guy didn't do it. You know, there's nothing that says, yeah, he did it. But in the absence of physical evidence, the jurors were left to ponder the less tangible aspects of the case, like just who was this person sitting before them.

What sense did you have of Craig? He seemed like a nice guy. I couldn't imagine him doing that out of just anger. I don't think he hated his family. I don't think he hated his brother. And the jurors weren't sure that the affair alone between Robin and Craig was enough to push him to murder. Sleeping with your brother's wife doesn't necessarily make you a killer. No, not at all.

And we even talked about that in deliberation, you know. Just because you're a cheater, you know, you sleep with your brother's wife like you said. I don't think he was the pursuer in the relationship that he had with Robin. I felt like she pursued him. She was the aggressor? Yeah, and I think that Robin gave him something to hold on to. Something that was real in his mind. In your deliberations, did you talk about Robin?

Oh, yes. Yes. But she wasn't charged with anything. No, and that's what we found. That wasn't before you, huh? We would get into a discussion and then, wait a minute. We'd start talking about it and then be like, you know what, she's not the one that's here on trial. Let's go back to the focus of Craig because he's the one that's here. The 12 jurors who had started as a deeply divided group were nearing consensus. But Jimmy, the foreperson, urged each of them to stand their ground until they felt sure. If you got a problem, bring it up. You know, we got all night. We come back tomorrow. You know, you got to sleep at night once you make this decision. But as night fell, the judge was given word. The jury had reached a verdict in the double murder trial of Craig Height.

As to count one, we did jury find the defendant, Craig Height, guilty. As to count two... Craig Height, guilty on all counts, convicted of murdering his father and brother and shooting his mother with intent to kill. I cried the whole time it was being read, because I knew I was going to take another son away from Linda. And that was really hard. Did everybody get a good night's sleep after this?

No. I don't think I slept good for about a week and a half, to be honest with you. Looking back, the jurors say it was the sum of all the things they heard and all the evidence they saw that got them too guilty. It wasn't any one specific piece of evidence. It was everything just kind of all together came to him. Some among Craig's friends and family, like Craig's cousin Mark Arnsdorf, vehemently disagreed with the jury's decision. If Craig came to me and said, Mark, I did it, I wouldn't believe him. I mean, because I know he

didn't do it. You know, that's how much I believe in him. Mark believed the real killer was still on the loose. There's no closure. There's still, the murder is still out there. So nobody feels any safer, any better at this point. And even the jurors feel there's a piece of the puzzle still missing. Do you think it's the whole story? No. You think there are more people involved here or more motivations or what? Behind the curtain.

I think there are more people that knew about it. As you know very well, there are a great number of people in Effingham County who are waiting for the other shoe to drop in this case. Are they kidding themselves? I can't tell you this. If there was anybody else involved with the murder of Philip and Carrie Hyde and the assault against Linda Hyde, Craig Hyde holds the key to their jail cell. It's been years since the terrible events on Springfield, Egypt Road. Linda, the matriarch, made a remarkable recovery,

inspiring so many with her grace and grit. Linda is the strongest person, incredible person. I didn't know she had that much in her to be that strong. I think Philip would have really been proud of Linda. I think he would have been happy with her. Of course, Philip is gone now. Carrie, too. And Craig is locked away.

Two life sentences plus another 85 years. Effingham County had never seen the likes of what happened to the Heights and hopes never to again.