Snapped: Women Who Murder - Diana Lovejoy

Episode Date: September 12, 2021

A contentious divorce and custody battle lands one father in the cross-hairs of a sniper.Season 24, Episode 6Originally aired: September 30, 2018Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the... Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WsLCJWqmIebSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wonder East Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. On the surface, they seemed like the model California couple. Smart, beautiful, and successful. They had everything going for the beautiful home,
Starting point is 00:00:31 fantastic jobs in the tech industry, a young son. It looked like the quintessential perfect North County family. But on a hot summer night in 2016, an explosion of violence would change their lives forever. Often, they see a man lying in the bushes in the sniper position. That's when shots were fired. My concerns were that it could have been a similar copycat like the DZ sniper.
Starting point is 00:00:59 Law enforcement put out a reverse 911 call for people to stay in their homes. As police race to safeguard a city, the investigation would place this couple squarely at the center of the case. I think his reputation portrayed on national television that he was a good guy and that he was the hero in the story we knew otherwise.
Starting point is 00:01:18 They developed a close intimate relationship which turned into somewhat of an affair. But would their deepest secrets put an entire community at risk? He did not believe that their boy had this illness and did not believe the boy should be taking massive doses of medication. They endangered lives of the residents who live nearby. He had weapons in every room. There were people calling in saying that they had heard five to six shots.
Starting point is 00:01:47 There was a guy. There was a guy. There was a guy. There was a guy. The first 2016 Carlsbad, California It's just past 11 p.m. when the phones of the Carlsbad 911 dispatch center light up. Hello, I'm just 5-1-1. Yes.
Starting point is 00:02:13 I'm my friend, is this a shot? Where are you at? They received a phone call from a subject to identify themselves as the police. They were
Starting point is 00:02:23 in the car. They were in the car. They were in the car. I don't know if there's anyone one. Yes. I, uh, my friend has this big shot. Where are you at? They received a phone call from a subject who identified himself as Jason Kovatch, and Jason Kovatch told the Carl Svedr dispatchers that his friend, Greg Mulvahill, had been shot. How many times did he just shot?
Starting point is 00:02:39 Uh-oh. I don't know if he's really, really pretty, where? He was bleeding profusely, and he needed immediate attention. It's very close. It's very close. It's very close. It's very close. It's very close. Within minutes, the first officer from the Carlsbad Police
Starting point is 00:02:54 Department arrives at the scene where he finds Greg Moldehill slumped behind the wheel of his vehicle, barely hanging on to life, and his friend Jason Kovac next to him, trying to keep him conscious. The first officer immediately grabbed Mr. Mulvahill and put him in the back of his police car to remove him from the hot zone or the active shooter situation. As the officer transports Greg to scripts Memorial Hospital
Starting point is 00:03:22 in nearby San Diego, he tries to get more details about the crime. The officer was trying to gain some insight into, what are you doing here, what happened, how did you get shot? Jason Kovac explains that the two of them had been ambushed just minutes earlier on a nearby trail. They've heard some rustling in the bushes, and all of a sudden, they see a man lying in the bushes in the sniper position.
Starting point is 00:03:48 They started to move, and that's when shots were fired. He was hit in the chest, spun around, but he didn't go down. He kept running, and more shots were fired as they ran off and got into their car and then fled. It's unknown who the shooter is and where he is at. So at that point we can rule out if there was going to be more victims. As backup arrives and police begin to secure the scene, Greg Moldohill is running out of time. They don't have time, he's starting to lose so much blood.
Starting point is 00:04:26 He's passing out. I needed to take him into surgery immediately. As doctors attempt to save Greg's life, one question still remains. Why would anyone come to this kind of remote location at, you know, 10, 45, 11 o'clock at night. Born and raised in Oregon, Greg moved to Southern California in 2000 after graduating from college with a degree in computer engineering.
Starting point is 00:05:00 Mr. Emolvihil is a computer programmer. He's extremely intelligent. He's tall. He's in computer programmer. He's extremely intelligent. He's tall, he's in good shape. He likes the outdoors. He's a very kind, nice, soft-spoken man. In 2005, at the age of 34, Greg decided to try online dating. Within a matter of weeks, he hit the jackpot when he connected with Diana Lovejoy.
Starting point is 00:05:29 Two years younger than Greg, Diana was raised in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Diana graduated from UC San Diego in 1994 with a degree in literature and a triple minor in music, French, and psychology. We were your classic, probably nerds, didn't go to parties. She had a passion for reading, and she had a very inquisitive nature, super intelligent, and easy going.
Starting point is 00:06:00 She was very athletic, she was very much into working out and being healthy. She was always training, running, swimming, biking. Following college, Diana moved home to San Diego, where she landed a well-paying job as a technical writer at Nokia. I thought she was a great writer. She helped me learn the product. I think she was very well thought of, a lot respected by her coworkers.
Starting point is 00:06:28 She was making around 120,000 a year. So she was doing really well. In March of 2005, when Diana got a message from Greg Mulvahill, it seemed like a perfect match. They were both kind of out-noursey people. They were just kind of both at the time of their lives where they're looking to get married and settle down and have kids.
Starting point is 00:06:49 After just two years of dating, Greg proposed to Diana. And in August 2007, the couple tied the knot. Both Diana loved joy and Greg Movell Hill were wildly successful before they got married. Then it just seemed like a powerhouse marriage coming together. Combining their dual six figure salaries, Diana and Greg purchased an $800,000 home in the sonnies of Bourbon Oasis of Carlsbad.
Starting point is 00:07:17 It's on the ocean, there's like pass. It's just a beautiful scenic place to live. On September 12th, 2012, after years of trying, the couple's prayers were answered when Diana gave birth to a little boy. Diana's son was her whole life. She was all about him and what he was doing when he was learning. He had everything going for them. It looked like the quintessential perfect North County family.
Starting point is 00:07:41 They had everything going for them. It looked like the quintessential perfect North County family. However, in 2014, Krakz began to appear in Greg and Diana's perfect façade. Greg Moldehel had some type of shoulder injury and so then he was unemployed for a period of time. Diana said that she was sole support for their family. So she did mention that as being a stressor for her. To earn extra money, Diana started a fitness blog
Starting point is 00:08:10 and entered online video contests, promoting everything from instant meals. Welcome to my kitchen, where I really like to cook. To cat litter. We've got the waste receptacle. To an amateur ad competition for snack food. However, just as Diana's blogs and web videos started to gain followers,
Starting point is 00:08:32 she was laid low by a series of illnesses. I know she struggled a lot with chronic fatigue. She believed that she had fibromyalgia and believed that her son had been illness and that all stemmed from some kidney illness. Diana's ailment combined with financial struggles eventually took its toll on the couple's marriage. Things turned really quickly.
Starting point is 00:08:56 Somewhere down the road, the relationship and marriage started to unravel. Diana became sick, which kind of led to them having to have a nanny during the day to take care of their child. And so there was a lot of different issues that kind of came up, which led to them eventually divorcing. In 2014, Greg moved out of the house in Carlsbad. Despite the dissolution of their marriage, he and Diana worked hard to keep things civil for the sake of their son. The child that they did have was very much wanted
Starting point is 00:09:30 and adored by both parents. Despite her illness, Diana continued to focus on her fitness blog and caring for her son as best she could. And by 2016, it seemed Diana's life was back on the upswing. She was able to balance a career with also having this young child. Diana's an amazing mother and loves her child more than anything else. Greg had also rejoined the workforce. He's working and he makes a good living and it wasn't substantial less than hers. He was trying to co-parent as much as possible.
Starting point is 00:10:05 He really loved his son, and was trying everything on his end to make it work. But on the night of September 1st, 2016, Greg Mulder Hill's life was thrown into jeopardy by a gunman on a dirt road in Carl's Bad. As Greg is wheeled into surgery, the Carl's Bad Police Department scrambles to respond to reports of a sniper in the upscale town. When the call first came in, I believe it came in as an active shooter. We had no idea what to expect. My concerns were that it could have been a similar copycat like the DC sniper. Do we have someone that's singling out, you know,
Starting point is 00:10:49 individuals for no apparent reason? As SWAT teams and helicopters descend on the area, investigators rush to capture Greg's attacker before he strikes again. In my mind, I'm thinking we're gonna have a large area, we may have multiple casualties. Coming up, a sickening discovery at the crime scene gives detectives a possible lead on their shooter.
Starting point is 00:11:14 We knew those were gonna help the case. We're gonna have DNA. And a witness comes forward to tell his story. We didn't know what to think, honestly, because his story, it sounded crazy. -♪ -♪ -♪
Starting point is 00:11:35 -♪ -♪ On September 1, 2016, Carl's Bad California resident Greg Molvahill has been rushed into emergency surgery after being shot on a utility access trail by an unidentified gunman. The bullet entered under his arm and it actually blew out by his shoulder blades. He was missing massive pieces of flesh and muscle. As Greg fights for his life, Carl's bad police fan out in search of the shooter,
Starting point is 00:12:09 worried that he may strike again. They put out a verse 9-1 one call to all the homes that are surrounding this canyon for people to stay in their homes. They sent in helicopters to fly overhead, to see if they can find the sniper. I was the on-call detective for the violent crime unit, and we responded to the station to wait until the swatting
Starting point is 00:12:31 gave us an all clear. With a search for the shooter underway, and Greg Mulvahill still fighting for his life in surgery, detectives turned to his companion, Jason Kovatch, for answers. Knowing the city in the area that was kind of one of those, why was he there, what was he doing on that trail at 11 o'clock at night? According to Jason, it began around 1045 that evening.
Starting point is 00:12:56 Mr. Mobile received a phone call from this person saying he was an investigator and had this information that he was wanting to sell to Mr. Mobile Hill. He was going to provide that evidence. Well, I think that anybody would find that kind of weird. That after 11 o'clock at night, you get this mysterious phone call from someone you don't know. And they tell you to go in the dark to this isolated path to pick up these documents.
Starting point is 00:13:20 Jason says he's not sure what these documents might contain, but Greg certainly seemed intrigued. Greg Mulbehill wanted to go. He was curious. Greg thought it was best to bring a friend, kind of a safety and numbers type of a thing, so he had asked Mr. Kovac to go with him and Mr. Kovac obliged. Jason says that Greg was nervous enough about their safety
Starting point is 00:13:45 that he gave Jason a makeshift weapon. Mr. Moldova brings a mountain bike light, and he had this small child's baseball bat that he gave to Jason. When the two men got out of the car, there is a long path that leads up to this power pole. You can see that there is a towel or some white object that's at the base of the power pole. So they walk up to this power pole. You can see that there is a towel or some white object that's at the base of the power pole. So they walk up to the power pole,
Starting point is 00:14:09 and it is a towel that has an angry bird's character on it. So Greg starts feeling suspicious and apprehensive. So he shines this bicycle light, using his left hand, shines it all around. He saw some rustling in the bushes. Got closer, started to investigate. He can see somebody in camouflage on their belly with a rifle and a scope pointed right at him.
Starting point is 00:14:34 And he shouted gun, and then he and his friend started to move, and that's when shots were fired. As they're running, they are shot at six to seven more times. So they are panicked. Jason tells police that they didn't even realize Greg had been shot until they made it back to the car. We didn't know what to think, honestly, because history, it sounded crazy. We thought that there's something missing. It could be a drug deal gone bad, a drug rip off any number of crimes that it could have been. And the two gentlemen just did not want to admit what the real events were and created this story. Several hours after the initial shooting, detectives can begin scouring the area for evidence.
Starting point is 00:15:24 The police had swarmed that location the night of the shooting, detectives can begin scouring the area for evidence. The police had swarmed that location the night of the shooting, looking for an active shooter. And they didn't find anybody there. The SWAT team gave us an all clear so we could enter the crime scene. The actual area that it took place is a dirt access road that parallels the electric lines
Starting point is 00:15:40 and the pull line structures. A kind of a character towel, angry bird's towel. It was set right at the foot of and the pole line structures. A kind of a character, a towel, an angry bird's towel. It was set right at the foot of the power pole, very neatly folded in a square. It seemed consistent with what the victim had initially stated, even though how crazy it all sounded. Based on Jason Kovac's description of the weapon, police believe they're dealing with an assault rifle,
Starting point is 00:16:04 perhaps an AR-15. Unfortunately, there's no evidence left behind to confirm this hunch. There were no shell casings found on the scene where there were seven rounds fired. You would expect there to be shell casings, so they were looking for perhaps a brass catcher. The brass catcher actually catches the expended casings, so they don't fall to the ground.
Starting point is 00:16:30 It's all just going to be contained in this little bag. Not far from where the shooter was presumably positioned, investigators make a significant and rather sickening discovery. They did find the towel that was covered in feces. To be more descriptive, it was diarrhea that was left at the scene. I would say it's fairly uncommon to find freshly-left feces at a crime scene. Once we found out, we knew that it was going to help the case. We're going to have DNA.
Starting point is 00:17:02 After sending the towel to the lab for DNA testing, investigators receive a call from the surgical team at Scripps Memorial. Miraculously, taking one round of the chest isn't enough for Greg Mulvihill, peace of life. That afternoon, Carl's bad detectives are cleared to speak with Greg Molle-Hill, and they've got plenty of questions for him. What person would decide at 11 o'clock at night to go with a friend, to a secluded area to pick up a package of paperwork? Mr. Molle-Hill had been lured to that location by a promise of some materials
Starting point is 00:17:41 that were going to be helpful for a divorce. According to Greg, the problem started a few years earlier when his now ex-wife, Diana Lovejoy, became convinced that their son was suffering from an illness and distrusted anyone that told her otherwise. She refused to have the boy be seen by any of the specialists at children's hospital. She believed that her son needed to be a massive dose of guaya fenisin.
Starting point is 00:18:09 It's like a mucinex. Now it's not a treatment replicated, you know, with other doctor's offices or conventional medicine. So Greg didn't believe it at all and wasn't going to go along with the medication regimen. Greg also says that after he filed for divorce in June of 2014, he and Diana argued bitterly about the details of the settlement. The financial settlement was that she was going to be able to keep the marital home, and to be able to do that, she was going to have to give Greg an equalizing payment of 120,000. They came up with the decision that the party should chair 50, 50 custody. Diana with her attorney and Greg with his attorney agreed to this.
Starting point is 00:18:52 According to Greg, he thought everything was settled. But that's when he received a call from an anonymous stranger who claimed to have information crucial to the divorce, and asked Greg to meet on this remote access road. Mr. Mulvihill knew that it probably wasn't the best idea, but you know, the curiosity got the best of them. So he wanted to go find out the so-called private investigator that called Mr. Mulvihill was very detailed.
Starting point is 00:19:19 He knew his name, he knew that he was going through a divorce. So I think we were looking at someone who knew Mr. Mobile Hill. Because Greg survived the shooting, he was able to relay the phone number from the mysterious collet. We were able to write a search warrant for the phone records and found that the phone number was actually attached to a burner phone. It's not going to have any subscriber information. Investigators call the manufacturer of the burner phone to determine when and where the phone was purchased.
Starting point is 00:19:56 While detectives wait for the results to come back, they take a closer look at Greg and Diana's pending divorce. That's when they realize that the animosity between Greg and Diana runs far deeper than a disagreement over their son's medical care. She listed all these allegations, the erotic behavior of Greg, the abuse of drugs, and all these terrible things. Coming up, investigators peel back the layers of Greg and Diana's troubled marriage. The sexual evaluation, the drug, testing, the psychological evaluations,
Starting point is 00:20:33 and then once all of this stuff is done, the truth that finally comes out. And detectives uncover another suspect who may have harbored affection for Diana and animosity toward Greg. He told that he would protect her. This is Kate Winkler Dawson inviting you to the brand new season of my True Crime talk show. That's right, it's season three of Tentfold More Wicked Presents Wicked Words. I'm a true crime historian and author, and you might have heard my other podcasts on exactly right.
Starting point is 00:21:11 Tentfold More Wicked and Buried Bones. On each new episode of Wicked Words, I interview other journalists, podcasters, and authors about the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from their investigations in the world of true crime, many of which have never been shared before. So join me in a new special guest each week for new episodes of Wicked Words, as we dive deep into the stories behind the stories. Wicked Words Season 3 is available now on exactly right, with new episodes every Monday.
Starting point is 00:21:43 Follow Tenfold War Wicked Presents, Wicked Words, wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on the Amazon Music or OneDriap. In Carl's Bad California, 47-year-old Greg Mulvahill has miraculously survived a gunshot wound to the chest, delivered by a sniper who ambushed him on a dark dirt road. ... Detectives investigating the case have also discovered that Greg's pending divorce
Starting point is 00:22:20 from his wife Diana Lovejoy was far from amicable. In the summer of 2014, Ms. Lovejoy went to Carl's Bad Police and alleged that Mr. Mulvahill had been sexually assaulting her and he had also been molesting their little boy. Because of the sexual assault allegations, she went to the court and was granted full custody and she also was able to obtain a kick-out order from the court reference.
Starting point is 00:22:46 And so he was removed from the home. I knew that, especially as a domestic violence detective, that we needed to speak to the X-Wife. On September 2nd, detectives talk with Diana at her beachfront home in Carlsbad. I remember telling her that her ex-husband was shot. She said something to the extent of, oh my God, is he okay? And we told her, yeah, he's fine.
Starting point is 00:23:11 He's going to live. Detectives asked Diana about the abuse allegations she made against Greg in 2014. Diana says that the first six years of her in Greg's marriage were picture perfect, but once her health took a turn for the worse, so did the marriage. She felt that he was very different from the way he portrayed himself. She felt like she had been fooled by him.
Starting point is 00:23:34 Diana says that around this same time, she started to wake up groggy and sore in the morning. At first, she thought it was just her chronic fatigue, but over time, she began to suspect Greg was the true source of her pain and suffering. She felt that Greg had raped her several times when she was unconscious. The allegations are shocking, based on what police know of Greg Mulvahill's personality. He came across as a very meek and a very mild individual to me, a very pleasant. I wouldn't expect him to have any violent tendencies at all. But Diana was increasingly convinced Greg was assaulting her.
Starting point is 00:24:17 And in the summer of 2014, she even confronted him about it. She believed he had drugged her. And that she'd talked to him about it and he could deny, deny, deny. Still, Diana says that despite the alleged assaults, she tried to work things out for the sake of their child. However, Diana tells police that when Greg began to dismiss her fears that their son was sick, she began to seriously contemplate divorce. She didn't feel like he was a good parent,
Starting point is 00:24:48 she felt he was neglectful, didn't pay enough attention to him, and just was not a concerned parent. Diana says that after she reported her suspicions of abuse to the authorities, Greg filed for divorce. She told me that Greg had threatened her, and that if she tried to get so custody of their son
Starting point is 00:25:10 that he would do something to her, she was afraid of him. Diana loved Joy. It was afraid in her relationship, and she started training with handguns. Diana says that in 2015, she began taking lessons at Iron Sight's shooting range. Her instructor was a 47-year-old former Marine named Weldon McDaven.
Starting point is 00:25:31 Weldon was about 30. He joined the Marine Corps. He spent two tours in Iraq, but he was based out of Camp Pendleton, so he stayed here after he left the Marine Corps. Over the next several weeks, Diana continued to train with Weldon. During that time, she confided to him some of her marital problems.
Starting point is 00:25:51 She ended up taking private lessons, and then through this, Weldon also and installed security at her home. He gave herself defense lessons, the shooting lessons. Though the lessons bolster Diana's self-confidence, it didn't prepare her for the legal roadblock Greg through in her path. Greg hired an attorney because of the allegations
Starting point is 00:26:15 that Diana raised about the sexual assaults. Greg underwent a sexual evaluation. The parties all went through the psychological evaluation. The psychologist came up with the decision that the party should chair 50-50 custody. The court found no evidence whatsoever that Greg had sexually assaulted Diana. She was panicked, really.
Starting point is 00:26:39 I think she did feel let down by the legal system. According to Diana, no one seemed more upset by the news than Weldon McDavid. McDavid told her that he would protect her. Weldon has always been interested in helping people who are weaker or can't protect themselves. And he was young. It was the bullies in school, protecting his friends.
Starting point is 00:27:02 Detectives conduct a background check on Weldon, McDabby, and discover this isn't the first time he's been involved in a domestic situation like Diana's. Mr. McDabby had helped a woman who was from Carlsbad as well, who actually was a victim of sexual assault. The woman's name was Crystal Harris, and her situation bore a striking resemblance to the one Diana allegedly found herself in. Crystal Harris says that her husband has been raping her. She befriends Mr. McDabby,
Starting point is 00:27:33 who's like, you want me to teach you how to shoot, and so they do some lessons. Crystal Harris also decided to secretly surveil her husband. She ends up recording one of the rapes on a little mini cassette recorder. He gets convicted. The case generated national news. And both Crystal Harris and Weldon McDavid
Starting point is 00:27:54 did multiple television interviews. At one point, they asked him, you know, did you listen to the tape? And he's like, I listened to the tape and I wanted to kill him. Mr. McDavid was on national television saying that he'd like to kill a man who sexually assaulted his wife. Detectives obtained Weldon McDavid's DNA profile and compare it to the soil towel found at the crime scene.
Starting point is 00:28:18 The feces that was located that night was analyzed for DNA. And Mr. McDavid's DNA matched the DNA that was in the feces. On September 9, 2016, detectives pick up Weldon McDavid, not far from his home in Fallbrook. We actually get a search warrant for Mr. McDavid's house. While officers execute the search of Weldon's residents, get a search warrant for Mr. McDavid's house. -♪ While officers execute the search of Weldon's residents,
Starting point is 00:28:50 detectives take their suspect down to the station for questioning. He acted like he had no idea what was going on, and they're asking him, have you ever been to this area before? And I was like, no, I've never been there. I don't know what you're talking about. That's when detectives confront him with the DNA evidence.
Starting point is 00:29:07 I asked him, would it be a coincidence that your s*** would be in the same area where Greg was shot? And then that's when the whole interview shifts. I was on the road just running along. And then I did have to sh**. I had his face on. But why would Weldon, who lived 45 minutes away in Fulbrook, choose to go jogging on a maintenance road in Karlsbad?
Starting point is 00:29:41 Mr. McDavid lived on a nature preserve. There is a path that goes literally within 25 yards of his house. It made no sense at all. That's when Weldon's story shifts again. It's going to be a way to be upset up. By who? In fact, I know him, he was setting you up.
Starting point is 00:30:05 He said, somebody paid me to go and plant two towels. And they're asking him, somebody paid you to go and plant, like, who would do that? Why? And that's when he ultimately invoked an aspirin attorney. With Weldon invoking his Miranda rights, the focus shifts to the search warrant being executed at his home in Fallbrook. Everywhere in the home, there were loaded in unloaded weapons
Starting point is 00:30:28 in different state of readiness. There was a series of industrial shelves in the garage. Officer climbed up and pulled down an upper to an AR-15. And what the brass bag attached to it, and there were seven spent shell casings. They knew that they had the upper that was used in the crime. with a brass bag attached to it. And there were seven spent shell casings. They knew that they had the upper that was used in the crime. Investigators are convinced that Weldon McDavid
Starting point is 00:30:53 is the gunman, but did he act alone? Before detectives can answer that question, they receive a call from the manufacturer of the burner phone that was used to contact Greg Mulvthel the night he was shot. The phone was purchased approximately one month prior to the shooting at a local electronic store in the city of Incinitas. The Lost Prevention agent said that he could email a bunch of still photos and that he would mail me the video surveillance.
Starting point is 00:31:20 So I gathered all the detectives into my office and we all stood in there and as I opened up the email, it's a clear face shot, it's a clear body shot. Coming up, is the figure in the surveillance footage the key to unraveling a botched murder plot? This was several days of a really good detective work, trying to narrow down exactly who it was. The answer to that question will trigger a shocking revelation.
Starting point is 00:31:48 They developed a close intimate relationship which turned into somewhat of an affair. It was kind of like a, oh my gosh, type of a moment. The New York Times The New York Times The New York Times The Investigators in Carlsbad, California
Starting point is 00:32:15 have identified former Marine Weldon McDavid as the man who shot 47-year-old computer programmer Greg Mulvahill. They've also obtained surveillance video of the purchase of the burner phone Weldon used to lure Greg into his trap. I had gathered all the detectives into my office, and we all stood in there, and as I opened up the email, it's a clear face shot, it's a clear body shot.
Starting point is 00:32:39 You can tell immediately that it is dying a low-choice buying a phone. It was kind of like a, oh my gosh, it's the wife, type of a moment. In our eyes, we had more than enough probable cause to believe that they were involved with the shooting. After reviewing the surveillance footage, police bring Diana Lo Lovejoy into custody. So we confront Diana in the interview about the purchase of the phone,
Starting point is 00:33:11 show her the pictures of her purchasing the phone. She agrees it's her. When we ask her why she purchased the phone, that was used to contact Greg. And what she told us was that she had been looking for someone to help her take care of her custody issues. Police begin to press Diana about her connection to Weldon, McDavid. That's when Diana makes another startling revelation. They developed a close intimate relationship,
Starting point is 00:33:37 and in fact, which turned into somewhat of an affair. According to Diana, as the relationship with Weldon intensified, the two began dreaming up ways Diana could re-acquire full custody of her son and be done with Greg for good. Meg David told her that he would protect her and help her out with a custody battle, and put together this idea of luring him to an area where Meg David can scare him, and then she can get custody of her son.
Starting point is 00:34:07 She paid him to do it. According to Diana, she and Weldon met at an area park on the night of September 1st. When she got into the car, he had what she recognized as a soft rifle bag. And she asked him what was in the bag, and he said, it's just something to scare him with. Diana says that a gun wasn't supposed to be part of their plan,
Starting point is 00:34:29 but that she trusted Weldon. She did mention that he's done this before with another victim. That was a victim of rape. So she felt like he was gonna help her. She drove Weldon to the location, dropped him off, and he said he would call her when he's ready to be picked up. She drove back to the neighborhood where she lives and waited for Weldon to call her. He called her later and said, I'm ready, pick me up, and she picked him up at the rest area, and she did remember him telling her something went wrong.
Starting point is 00:35:02 She said something to accept. But what happened? Is he OK? And McDowell said, yeah, I'll explain later, but something went wrong, and he was shot. Diana is adamant that she never meant for Greg to get hurt. Detectives aren't buying it. If you show up armed with the weapon
Starting point is 00:35:22 and you lie and wait, your intent is to use it. The evidence was overwhelming that Mr. Mollvahill's ex-wife had hired someone to kill him. Both Diana and Weldon are booked under charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. News of Diana's arrest stuns the Carlsbad community. I could not believe it was her. I was totally shocked.
Starting point is 00:35:50 You know, this is somebody that I consider a friend. This is somebody that I trust, that I care deeply about. It's not just Diana's friends and colleagues who are taken aback. I was in complete shock for a number of days. You can't wrap your head around a situation like that. He was terrified, and I could tell when he told me that they were accusing him of attempted murder and conspiracy that he was dumbfounded.
Starting point is 00:36:20 No one is more surprised than Diana's intended target, her husband Greg. He'd never, in his wildest dreams, imagine that his wife could have been behind it. He just, he simply could not believe it. On September 26, 2017, Diana and Weldon are back together again, this time in a San Diego courtroom where they are being tried jointly. Prosecutors argue the whole thing started when Diana began having what they claim were delusions about her son's health.
Starting point is 00:36:55 Initially, when Diana told Greg that she thought he had it, Greg went along with the protocol, massive amounts of this medication. And then, um, Benoats to Diana and the doctor, he stopped taking any medication, and he went bonones to Diana and the doctor, he stopped taking any medication. And he went back to the doctor and the doctor said, oh, you've gotten much better. So he knew immediately that this was just a big scam.
Starting point is 00:37:13 Diana was so angry at Greg. That Greg did not believe that their boy had any of this illness and did not believe the boy should be taking massive doses of medication. Prosecutors argue that in 2014, Diana concocted a plan to get back at Greg. Diana accused Greg of sexual assault. And was granted full custody.
Starting point is 00:37:37 There ultimately was no evidence whatsoever that Mr. Mulbehil had molested his child. This was something that Diana Levjoy had created. The court appointed evaluator, after looking at all the evidence, interviewing multiple parties, including Ms. Levjoy, and doing a psychological evaluation of Ms. Levjoy, determined that Mr. Mulbehill was actually the better parent.
Starting point is 00:38:01 The court also told Diana that as the principal breadwinner, she had to pay him monthly child support. In addition to 120 grand, she owed Greg for his portion of the house. Ms. Lovejoy was furious. Prosecutors say her motivations were very clear. There was $120,000 that was floating in the air that she would have to pay Greg Mulvill. But if Greg Mulvill disappeared, it would go to her son's trust. Subsequently, that would go to her.
Starting point is 00:38:29 She was to give him the money by approximately September 26 or 27 of 2016. They attempted murder to place the first week in September. Prosecutors claim that's when Diana sought out Weldon McDavid and seduced him with a steady diet of sex and cold-hearted lies. Ms. Lovejoy had fed Mr. McDavid a steady stream of bad information about Mr. Molde Hill,
Starting point is 00:39:00 knowing it would spin him up and appeal to his sense of, of, of showvery. We had a hero complex. I believe that he was trying to be the hero in the situation. Diana knew how to manipulate him into doing exactly what it is that she wanted him to do so that her hands would not be as dirty and messy as his are, so to speak. She really is the mastermind behind this. Coming up, Weldon McDavid takes the stand. Will he turn on his former lover?
Starting point is 00:39:31 His testimony was that how he wanted to kill Mr. Mulvihill he would have. And the verdict takes a near deadly turn. Then we hear O'Bale. The bay lifts are trying to get everybody out of the courtroom. It's chaos. In September of 2017, 45-year-old California writer and fitness blogger, Diana Lovejoy, stands accused, along with 50-year-old Weldon McDavid, of conspiracy and attempted murder of Diana's 47-year-old ex-husband, Greg Mulvahill.
Starting point is 00:40:18 Inside a San Diego courtroom, Diana has decided not to take the stand on her behalf, but Weldon McDavid has no such qualms. Weldon McDavid Jr. on the stand was very arrogant, and he felt like as a marine sniper, no one was tougher than him. Weldon says he got there a few minutes before Greg in an effort to catch him off guard, hoping to ultimately get Greg to confess
Starting point is 00:40:44 to being abusive to his wife and child. Well, then, Mick David Jr. went there to try to, in some way, trick Greg Mulvill, into saying something, or doing something that would admit guilt to some sort of abuse. His story was that he never intended to shoot Greg. If Weldon wanted to shoot somebody, he's trained to shoot twice to the body and once to the head.
Starting point is 00:41:10 Weldon shot one shot. That shot went at the light, waiting and then shooting six more times is not how you try to kill somebody. And it was 20 yards. They're trying to say that he shot seven times and miss these guys from 20 yards. He said he brought a gun for his own protection because Diana had told him that Greg Moldenhill owned a gun
Starting point is 00:41:32 that he was basically this dangerous person. So he felt he had to have some type of weapon to protect himself. However, Wilden claims the plan changed once Greg arrived with his friend Jason Kovac into. He believed this man was a threat to him. He believed the man would be armed. Prosecutors waste no time in hammering away at Wilden's claim of self-defense.
Starting point is 00:42:03 Like David didn't need to be on his belly in camouflage with an AR-15, with the scope, with the brass bag. So everything supported that McDavid lured Mulvahill there to kill him. As for why Weldon failed in his attempt to assassinate Greg Mulvahill, prosecutors have an explanation. Well, the McDavid Jr. was not prepared for this shooting.
Starting point is 00:42:26 The way more seasoned snipers might be, because he's never shot someone before. He pooped himself. That's the worst thing you can do as a sniper, except for maybe miss the shot, and he did both. He pooped himself and he missed the shot. On November 13, 2017, both sides rest their case. It takes the San Diego jury two hours
Starting point is 00:42:50 to return with a verdict. The jury came back very quickly. The verdict was guilty for everything. Across the board for both Diana and Weldon. They go through all of her guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. And they move on to Weldon, make David Jr. Then we hear, well, bam! I love joy, flops onto the table, and then onto the floor.
Starting point is 00:43:16 You have a resistor crying out. Somebody helper, and they're sobbing, and the bay lifts are trying to get everybody out of the courtroom. It's controlled chaos. She's gone completely ash in, totally passed out at any MTE. So I start to talk to Diana. Do you know where you are? Do you know what day it is? And she comes, yes, I said, what day is it? She goes, worst day of my life. On January 31st, 2018, Diana Lovejoy is sentenced to 25 years to life. On January 31, 2018, Diana Lovejoy
Starting point is 00:43:46 is sentenced to 25 years to life for her role in the crime. For his part, Weldon McDavid receives a sentence of 50 years to life. My heart fell, my stomach hurt. Somebody you care about is going through the worst thing in her life. She will miss her son's entire upbringing. She ultimately wanted sole custody of her child, and she lost complete and total custody of him. He has lost a mom now.
Starting point is 00:44:18 I've never seen someone seemingly so good, turned so bad, that one moment will define the rest of her life. seemingly so good, turned so bad, that one moment will define the rest of her life. Greg Mollvahel has full custody of his son. He has fully recovered from his gunshot wounds. Weldon McDavid will be eligible for parole in 2041. He will be 74 years old. Diana Lovejoy will be eligible for parole in 2036.
Starting point is 00:44:42 She will be 63 years old. Both she and Weldon appealed their guilty verdicts. They were denied in 2020. For more information on snapped, go to oxygen.com. you

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