Deadly Mirage - David and Bathsheba

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

Investigators listen in as two murder suspects seek solace from each other… and the Bible.

The pizza joint was about half full when the undercover cop walked in. A midweek crowd having dinner out. Parents studying menus, while kids played the video games along the wall. Beyond the front register, the cop caught a glimpse of Sabrina Limon's blonde head bent toward Jonathan Hearns, both deep in conversation. At the next table over, he saw some familiar faces, three other special ops guys who were also part of the rotating surveillance detail. Surveillance work can be tedious work,

hours on end spent on stakeout, waiting, watching closed doors and windows while an oven-hot wind blew off the desert. By contrast, this was nice. It was air-conditioned, and here at least they could grab a hot slice and a cold drink. The cop took a seat at the table with his buddies and joined them in trying to eavesdrop on the couple at the next table. Sabrina and Jonathan spoke in hushed tones while her kids played video games. The cops couldn't make out what they were saying, but they did note the couple's body language.

They appeared very close to one another, would touch one another, hug each other, kiss, just as a normal couple would. Of course, as the cops knew, this wasn't just any other couple out for pizza with the kids. In this episode, you'll hear how Sabrina and Jonathan reacted when confronted with a critical piece of evidence. He appeared to be very panicked. And what does he say in that phone call? Does it look like me? You'll hear Jonathan and Sabrina's intimate conversations as they try to match wits with the detective investigating them.

Some of the questions that the detectives ask me, just like how two murder suspects turn to the Bible for guidance and absolution as the pressure mounted. And there's just hour after hour in which they're playing David and Bathsheba, in which they're literally reading these passages, trying to come to grips with what happened. I mean, it's just bizarre. It's absolutely bizarre. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and this is Deadly Mirage, a podcast from Dateline. Episode 4, David podcast from Dateline.

Episode 4, David and Bathsheba. As Sabrina Limon walked to the Kern County Sheriff's Office that morning for a scheduled meeting with the detective investigating her husband's murder, Sabrina must have felt as if she'd already put in a full day. She'd been up since before dawn, getting the kids dressed and fed and off to school. Then there was the two-hour drive she and her sister had made from Silver Lakes to the Kern County Sheriff's Department in Bakersfield. to the Kern County Sheriff's Department in Bakersfield. Inside the low-slung building, Sabrina followed Detective Randall Meyer down a bright hallway to a small interview room straight out of a TV drama.

No sooner had the detective settled into his chair than a man wearing a blue shirt walked in. Sabrina had never seen him before. I just want to tell you, he's been working really hard on this case. I was just looking at some stats a minute ago. We've followed up close to 100 leads. I just want to come here and tell you, we all care about this case. It's important to us, and the Ramble's been working diligently on it. It's so nice to meet you. I can't even tell you how grateful my heart is to you once the supervisor left detective maya

reminded sabrina their meeting was being recorded and that she could leave anytime she wanted sabrina nodded and mayer started the interview, I wanted to talk to you about my meeting with the crime lab this morning. With that, Meyer scooted closer to the table and started outlining the way a lab would analyze the fictitious DNA sample that he told Sabrina was found at the scene of her husband's murder. There was a company called Cybergenetics, he said, that analyzes DNA with unbelievable precision. We're actually the first county in the United States that started using the software. And since we started using it, some other counties have,

and they've actually solved some cases and stuff they're working on. Sabrina sat and nodded as the detective went on and on about alleles and lines and patterns. Scientific gibberish she couldn't really follow. Well, that's amazing. The mixing and stuff. It is simply amazing. It's beyond my mind. That's why I'm just like, what?

Yeah, it is. I need everything explained for this simple. Sure. This simple mind to mind. The detective kept saying this was a huge deal and it might help them identify the killer. Sabrina, who'd been leaning across the table and craning her neck to follow the detective's drawings, seemed to understand. And so this lab will send that out and like you said, it'll hang in the system if there was already someone arrested. Then the detective switched gears

and said he just wanted to go back over her history with Rob Lamone, starting from the very beginning. I met him in Prescott, Arizona, and we were young. Sabrina talked about Rob's job with the railroad and moving to California. He worked for the railroad for 14 years. She talked about their wedding and the children and the fact that Rob had been killed two days before their 14th wedding anniversary. It's been helping me a lot. And I'm so grateful. I feel God lifting me and, like, carrying me, you know?

It's awesome. It is amazing. She told the detective the last time she spoke with Rob was around lunchtime on the day he died. He called me. He was on a train. He was on this million-dollar train or whatever. It's like UPS. It was sitting on it because it was broken,

whatever. And we had to wait for somebody, somebody else to show up, something. Rob told her he'd had a tuna melt for lunch and that he intended to take a nap once he'd finished the repair and was back at the shop. Rob would say, you know, this is such a good gig. They have cable. He'd watch TV. He'd go to all the shops. I think everybody knew him at Gatsby. After a short break in which Meyer left the room

to consult with investigators who were watching in another room, he returned and asked Sabrina again about her marriage. What type of marriage did you guys have? A good marriage. Meyer leaned back in his swivel chair and kept his eyes locked on hers. How about you? While you guys were married, did you ever have an extra-marital affair or a boyfriend or anything? No. Did you say you really liked the party a lot?

We just liked to have fun. We did a lot of stuff. We liked to go to the river. Which river? Like the Colorado River. Did all the dollar trips. The detective rubbed his chin and briefly paused before asking a question that seemed to catch Sabrina off guard. Did you guys have an open relationship?

No? No. I just heard some rumors out there. Yeah, I mean, I know how rumors go. Sure. And I know that

that's probably how we were viewed by maybe some. I think we typically call it swinging. Yeah, I know. Swinging or everything.

Her partying days were in the past, Sabrina said. Then, looking the detective in the eye, she addressed him by his first name, as if she were a politician who'd gone through media training. I feel my purpose and the responsibility of taking care of my kids. Randall, I just, like, here they are, and I cannot be distracted by anything else besides Robbie and Leanna, and how am I going to, you know, raise them?

With that, the detective excused himself again to confer with the other investigators. When he returned, he gave Sabrina the number for free counseling and asked if there was anything else she wanted to tell him. I have nothing at all. Like I said, every time I talk to you, I don't even want it to be, I just don't get it. It feels just unreal.

Like how could that have happened? You know, kind of thing. Like I have no idea how that could happen to Robert. Cause he was quick on his feet. We may never really know exactly why and what happened. Is there anything you can tell me? I've heard you guys caught somebody. We've been looking at a bunch of people

and every person that we've looked at has turned out to be not involved. And that was that. The detective stood and thanked Sabrina for coming in. She thanked him again. Oh, detective, thank you so much. And gave the detective a big hug. Something comes up when you know, okay? I appreciate everything that you've done.

If there's anything that I can do, I do not know. There seemed to be a lightness in her step as Sabrina Limon pushed through the big glass doors of the building and stepped into the bright afternoon sun. Things had gone well. It had been nothing like the grilling Jonathan had warned her about. As she was driving home through the Tehachapi Pass, Sabrina's phone lit up.

Hello? Hello? It was Jonathan. Hey, how's it going? Hey, good, good. I was just calling to let you know that there's a bunch of people praying for you. I just wanted to see how your stay was going. Oh, thank you so much.

It's good. My sister and I are on our way home right now. With her sister Julie sitting right there beside her, Sabrina didn't seem to want to go into much detail about her meeting with the detective. When she called him back later to arrange for a full in-person debrief, she said some of Detective Meyer's questions had been unsettling. Some of the questions that the detectives asked me, just like... How much of our story to tell kind of thing.

Well, yeah, and how much of Rob and I's story. I mean, they were asking personal questions about Rob and I. You know? Did you guys have an open marriage? Jonathan did not like the sound of that. Yeah, I'll talk to you about that tonight. That was one of those conversations he preferred to have in person. Firefighter Jonathan Hearn had been off-duty the day Sabrina drove to Bakersfield to meet with Detective Meyer.

A lot of 24-year-olds might have slept late or taken a ride on their motorcycle. Jonathan did not. He stayed home, pacing and praying, just as he had told Sabrina he would. I'm just going to be doing stuff here today, being your prayer warrior today, back here. Thank you so much. Thinking about Sabrina's meeting with Detective Meyer had been stressful, and the two-room garage apartment Jonathan rented from his grandparents probably felt smaller than usual, as if the green and maroon accented walls were closing in. If not

for that irritating detective and his murder investigation, Jonathan probably thought he and Sabrina would have been well on their way to living the lives God intended for them, serving his purpose just the way they'd always said it would be. We have an understanding of this purpose we've been given. Yes, for sure. For sure.

The wiretaps were like a window into Jonathan Hearn's mind. For instance, the detective learned that God's purpose almost always lined up perfectly with what Jonathan wanted. And when it did not, well, Jonathan seemed to think that was what forgiveness was for. God, please help the DNA thing to be the way in which we are kept from having our dirty laundry aired. God, we have been sinners and we have cheated. God, you're a savior. The way Jonathan saw it, everything had been going according to plan. That is, until the detectives started calling every day with updates. After Rob's death, he and Sabrina had brought their relationship out of the shadows,

laundered it, and presented it as something new and natural without a trace of dishonesty. Jonathan's younger sister, Emily, had gone with Jonathan to Sabrina's home for that initial sympathy call and later acted as a kind of chaperone and witness to their blooming romance. I think that Jonathan probably was initiating the few visits that we had, but it didn't feel unnatural or forced. That's the voice of Emily Hearn. I just had such a warm spot in my heart for the family, for the kids. I remember taking Liliana to her little Girl Scouts thing one day while I was there. Emily and Sabrina got along so well, in fact,

that Jonathan likely imagined they'd make good sisters-in-law someday. I spent the night there with him one evening, and we just crashed on her couches. It was probably three or four in the morning that we had finished up dinner and talking and getting the kids to bed and stuff. And so we were going to go to a church that she had attended with her family the next day. And so we just, you know, spent the night on our couches. Sabrina had met his mom. And with the holidays coming, Jonathan no doubt anticipated introducing Sabrina to the rest of the family. As for Sabrina's people, well, he'd met her parents and sister at Sabrina's house shortly after Rob died. They came over. It was him and his sister, Emily.

That's Julie Cordova, Sabrina's sister. How'd Sabrina introduce him? These are my friends that I've met at Costco. Jonathan had been eager to make a good impression that day and strike just the right note of respect, sympathy, and support. That first day, he must have said two or three prayers when we were there. And I thought, well, you know, that's Brina's Christian support or whatever. Her faith is so strong.

And him and Emily would pray and he would keep praying. In an effort to impress Sabrina's folks and also demonstrate his honorable intentions, Jonathan volunteered to cook dinner for them. The second time I saw him, he was cooking in the kitchen, and my parents were going over. He may have thought that gesture made a good impression. It did not. Was I uncomfortable with it? Yes.

Because that was Robert's place, you know. Jonathan had known all along that taking Rob's place and winning over Sabrina's family would not happen quickly. Even so, he was committed and convinced he and Sabrina would be married soon. And why was he so sure? Well, because he felt it was God's will. I think he just wowed her or whatever with his faith in his beliefs in God. You see, God had a course mapped out for Jonathan Hearn. He might be living the cramped and cluttered life of a 24-year-old now, but he was certain God had big plans for his future.

I love you and can't wait to be with you. So I want to be everything that I need to be to prepare for that. Jonathan knew Sabrina stood to collect $300,000 and perhaps more than that in death benefits from the railroad. He knew that kind of money could come in handy if he and Sabrina married, but he told her he wasn't thinking about the money anymore. God would take care of that. You know, I feel like I was, like we talked about money stuff and I feel like I was kind of sort of being selfish, anticipating a certain, you know, ease or anticipating a certain, like, oh, well, this will be super easy because this will happen and this will happen. And it's like, no, let God control it.

There were times during Jonathan's talks with Sabrina when it seemed every fifth word was either love or God, prayer or purpose. And the Bible? Well, that was an unending source of inspiration. Psalms 51 was a favorite. I've been reading Psalms 51. The Psalms are so good. The Psalms are so good. The songs are so good.

Because David is a lot like you and I, Sabrina. The cops in the wire room perked up when they heard that. Detective Meyer knew that Old Testament story of adultery and death as well as Jonathan did. And basically with that story, King David finds a woman very beautiful. Is it being Bathsheba? The story of two people who have an affair. Right. He is a regular guy, but he loves God. He was someone who committed adultery. It says in the Bible that David was a man after God's own heart. In David and Bathsheba, they have an affair, she gets pregnant, and David has her husband killed.

But she's not involved. David's later forgiven for that, I think. Yes. The parallels were far from perfect. Even forgiven sins have consequences. Jonathan seemed to have missed that part of Scripture. Like, God really liked him. He was like one of God's favorite people ever. consequences, Jonathan seemed to have missed that part of scripture. Like, God really liked him. He was like one of God's favorite people ever.

As he listened in, the detective felt Jonathan's affinity for that powerful Bible story was essentially a confession. Is that sort of how you thought they perceived what had happened? That Jonathan had had Rob killed and expected later to be forgiven? Yes. Through their conversations, they believed they were doing what was God's work. And they talked about that many times. Did you ever hear anybody use a story out of the Bible to justify having an affair and killing the other person's spouse? That was the first. In the days after Sabrina Limon's latest sit-down with Detective Meyer, the cops in the wire room remained on high alert, waiting for either Jonathan or Sabrina to slip up and say something clear and unambiguous

about the murder of Rob Lamone. We were selfish, we didn't sin, but we have God and we have grief. That never happened. Never happened. Instead, Jonathan and Sabrina behaved as if the murder investigation was behind them. That Sunday, Sabrina brought Jonathan to church along with her kids and his sister Emily. It felt as if a new blended family was being forged. For Jason and Kelly Bernatine, who'd initially told Detective Meyer about Sabrina's affair with Jonathan, and who were among the first to suspect him of murder, that was a demoralizing development. She took him to church with his sister again and was

introducing him to our friends. And I was freaking out. I thought, we cannot have Rob's murderer around our friends and their kids. The next day was Monday, November 17th, and it marked the three-month anniversary of Rob Lamone's murder. At 6.34 that Monday evening, Meyer called Sabrina's home phone and left a voicemail. The detective told Sabrina the re-release of security camera video of the man on the motorcycle had worked as planned. He said a secret witness had just phoned the sheriff's department and said they thought they recognized the man on the motorcycle. and said they thought they recognized the man on the motorcycle.

I provided Sabrina with the actual description that matched Jonathan, tall, white male, possibly riding a motorcycle when the murder occurred, and with a possible name of John. Meaning that if that were true, you'd be getting close. Yes. You were playing Sabrina and Jonathan like a couple of violins. Yes, that's what we were doing. I'm surprised you didn't have sheet music.

We had a lot of music, but it wasn't actually on a sheet. True to form, Sabrina called Jonathan at the fire station as soon as she heard that message. Hello? Hey, I'm not sure what's going on, but Detective Meyer called me. He's going to call me back. Sabrina told Jonathan a secret witness had apparently come forward after seeing the re-released video. The police didn't know who the witness was, but thought the information sounded credible. Tall, white male was leaving on a motorcycle. Someone that knows Rob by the name sounded credible. Tall, white male was leaving on a motorcycle,

someone that knows Rob by the name of John. John J. Owen. There was a long pause on the other end of the line as Jonathan Hearn processed what he was hearing. Then he said, someone's trying to free us. Not G great news great news. Not, hallelujah. I hope they catch the guy so we can get on with living our lives of purpose. No. What he said was, someone is trying to frame us. And who might that someone be? Well, Jonathan had a pretty good idea. He thought it was Jason and Kelly Bernatine.

I can't imagine Kelly doing that. I feel like Kelly and Jason would do that just to put it out there just because they don't like me. They would mess up my chances, like, to be, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, I guess they would, maybe. There was just one thing. Jonathan didn't think Kelly or Jason even knew he owned a motorcycle. Like a quiz show contestant who's been stumped, Jonathan decided to ask a friend and called the man upstairs for help. God, you've given us a purpose.

I think it's somebody trying to frame me because of this affair, God, and please keep us safe. At times during the call, Jonathan and Sabrina both seemed to understand the detective was throwing out some bait, toying with them, just to see what they would say. To a tall, skinny, white guy driving away on a motorcycle. A John that knew Rob. That just sounds like Detective Meyer trying to make something up, honestly. Why would he tell you that other than to record the conversation? He was 100% correct.

And yet, the two continued to discuss the investigation on a line they now had ample reason to believe was tapped. I wouldn't be surprised if they were listening to us right now. There were likely more than a few smiles and knowing glances exchanged back in the wire room when the eavesdroppers heard that one. Remember, please, what they had not heard, at least so far, was anything like a confession, an explicit comment that could be used to convict at a murder trial, proof of guilt. What they did hear through the bad cell reception was a creeping sense of dread. Both Jonathan and Sabrina seemed to sense

they could be arrested at any moment. No doubt they were feeling the heat. So the detective decided to amp up the pressure. He sent one more text. Hold on. Detective Meyer. Okay, we think we have a guy. Do you recognize this person on the motorcycle? In this high-stakes game of nerves,

the detective had just played his last card. He'd sent Sabrina a still frame from a security camera video the one from that pilot gas station in kramer junction it showed a man on a motorcycle stopping at the gas pumps about an hour after rob lamone was killed about an hour after Rob Limone was killed. A black helmet. What's he wearing? Shorts. Does it?

Tan shorts and a tank top. A black tank top and a mask. It looks like. Is it like a good quality picture? No. It looks like the whole face is covered. It was then that Jonathan said something odd. If they're just using like a picture of me that they randomly found, if it's me, I don't feel like, oh no.

Because they could just be checking to be like, oh, it looks like the face is covered. If Sabrina wondered why Jonathan would think the man in the photo was him, she didn't say anything. She was focused on why the detective thought the man wearing the shorts and tank top was the man who'd killed her husband. The detective, of course, was expecting her call. Let me call him right now.

The detective, of course, was expecting her call. He didn't have much to tell her, only that the fuzzy still frame he'd texted her had come from the security camera video at the pilot station at Kramers Junction. Though Meyer had that video for weeks, he told Sabrina it had just come in and was being sent out to experts for enhancement. When Sabrina told Jonathan what the detective said, he told her he could see the writing on the wall. Clearly, I see that they want to look at me. Clearly, they want to look into us. According to Jonathan, the best thing they could do now was try to get some rest and then start looking for a lawyer first thing in the morning. We want our lawyer there from the beginning

because we don't want to just let him grab us for a long time before we have a lawyer. And then after the fact, you get a lawyer who's now already like two steps behind. Jonathan and Sabrina had been on the phone for nearly an hour when he offered up one last plea for deliverance from a reckoning he feared was arriving with the sunrise. Through this, through our adultery, you have brought us to repent. Help us to not be caught for this, to not be destroyed for this. I love you, Sabrina. I love you too, Jonathan. It's unlikely Sabrina or Jonathan slept well that night. They probably tossed and turned,

their minds replaying recent conversations and events in a constant loop. At 6 a.m. the next morning, they were at it again. They spent more than an hour rehashing theories of who the detective's secret witness might be. They prayed, and they agreed that if asked, Sabrina should admit she knew Jonathan. And Jonathan told her exactly what words to use. I know, I know, it's not him. I know, I know that it's not him. When Sabrina checked in with Jonathan 90 minutes later, it seemed the time for talking hypotheticals was over.

Hello? Hey. Hey. Are you okay? Yeah. They're down here. How do you know? It was obvious that someone posted at a corner. For Jonathan, it was as clear as the desert sky. His life as he'd known it, as he had imagined it might one day be, was over. I would appreciate your prayers. was over. It turned out an arrest was not as imminent as Jonathan thought. Minutes passed

that probably felt like weeks. The watchers down the street were perched like birds of prey, The watchers down the street were perched like birds of prey, waiting. An hour passed. Still, they didn't move. A little after nine, Jonathan told Sabrina they should use their free time while they still had it to look for an attorney. I've always assumed only guilty people get lawyers. And now I'm suddenly realizing the well-funded government system is against you and me right now. And they are, you know, sitting down here watching, they're listening to this conversation. They're trying to put together a case to go through

all this work just to tell a story, pay us in a bad light, and put us in jail. And that's all they want. They want the wife. What's that? They want the wife. You know, like, that's so crazy. I know, I can't even believe the rest of my life. I've only watched it on TV.

That was the last time Sabrina Limon spoke with Jonathan Hearn. Shortly after the call ended, the watchers made their move. Jonathan was arrested while sitting in a fire truck. And Sabrina? Well, she went to her children's school for a parent-teacher conference, blissfully unaware that her lover was in custody or that she was under surveillance. Coming up next on Deadly Mirage.

You guys didn't know anything about the poisoning until Jonathan gave that to you. That's correct. I put the arsenic on some meat and gave it to the dog to see what would happen. They actually ended up giving it to Rob. Yes. Deadly Mirage is a production of Dateline and NBC News.

Tim Beecham is the producer. Brian Drew, Kelly Laudeen, and Marshall Hausfeld are audio editors. Carson Cummins is associate producer. Adam Gorfain is co-executive producer. Paul Ryan is executive producer. And Liz Cole is senior executive producer. Paul Ryan is executive producer. And Liz Cole is senior executive producer. From NBC News Audio, sound mixing by Katie Lau. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production.