Joe Hunter's Mission

Summary

48 Hours – "Joe Hunter's Mission"

CBS News | December 15, 2025
Host: Natalie Morales
Main Theme:
This episode of “48 Hours” investigates the controversial death of Joanna Hunter, exploring her family’s long fight for justice and the ripple effects that led to major legal reforms in California. The case raises disturbing questions about how law enforcement handles alleged suicides involving histories of domestic violence and exposes a justice system’s failings, ultimately inspiring "Joanna’s Law."

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Episode Overview

• The episode traces Joe Hunter’s quest to find justice for his sister Joanna, who died under suspicious circumstances ruled a suicide in 2011.
• It explores the persisting doubts and pain in the Hunter family, the case’s missteps by local authorities, allegations against Joanna’s husband, and the legal and forensic battles that ensued.
• The story spotlights systemic mishandling of domestic-violence-related deaths, culminating in the passing of "Joanna’s Law," which aims to prevent similar injustices.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Death of Joanna Hunter and Immediate Aftermath

[01:11 – 04:26]

• Joe Hunter describes the moment he learned of his sister's death and his conviction from the outset that her husband, Pastor Mark Lewis, was responsible.

  "Your sister's dead. I knew right then he had taken her life. From that moment on, my life changed forever." – Joe Hunter [01:11]

• The official ruling was suicide, made within 28 minutes of law enforcement’s arrival at the scene.

  "The Solano County Sheriff's department made a decision that Joanna died by suicide within 28 minutes of arriving at the scene." – Joe Hunter [03:03]

• The family’s immediate objections went unheeded, fueling years of activism and grief.

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2. Mark Lewis: The Husband and Pastor

[04:44 – 09:42]

• Natalie Morales recounts the scene and initial investigation: Joanna was found hanging by a bathrobe sash, with an ambiguous note ("take care of the dogs").
• Mark Lewis, a Baptist pastor, insisted Joanna had no history of mental illness.
• Joanna’s history of documented abuse at Mark’s hands, including multiple restraining orders and hospitalizations, was ignored in the original investigation.

  "At 17, Patricia says, Joanna came home with a black eye." – Patricia Hunter [08:53]
  "Mark was convicted on a domestic violence charge... Again, she returned to the relationship." – Natalie Morales [09:01]

• No homicide investigators were dispatched, evidence collection was minimal, and phones were not seized.

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3. The Family’s Grief and Determination

[11:27 – 12:51]

• The family’s disbelief at the suicide ruling and their account of Joanna’s repeated attempts to leave the abusive relationship.

  "From this moment when we couldn't get anyone to listen to us and act on it, we are going to work to get justice for Joanna." – Patricia Hunter [11:27]

• Patricia’s haunting memory of taking Joanna back to her husband, fearing it would be the last time she saw her.

  "On the way over, I was sobbing, and I said, honey, I'm afraid if you go back, I'll never see you again." – Patricia Hunter [12:41]
  "And we never saw her again." – Joe Hunter [12:51]

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4. Mark Lewis’s Influence and Community Control

[15:10 – 19:19]

• Mark Lewis is depicted as a manipulative and authoritarian religious leader with cult-like influence over his congregation.

  "After physically going after him, him then taking it out on her, I had to back off... I got the deep, deep, deep, dark secrets that she wasn't even telling my parents." – Joe Hunter [15:29]
  "He manipulated me for many years, and it twisted my brain up… including Ms. Joanna's death." – Jacob Cantrell, former deacon [17:55]

• Former churchgoers and even a sheriff’s deputy describe the church’s environment as fearful and controlling.

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5. Unanswered Questions & Renewed Investigation

[19:27 – 27:00]

• The family found it implausible that Mark Lewis played basketball for six hours the day of Joanna’s death as claimed, citing inconsistent alibis.
• In 2014, a new arrest shone light on the case: Mark Lewis was implicated in a violent attack against a new partner, Sarah Nottingham.
• Police re-interviewed Andrew Alvarado, the church member whose 911 call launched the original investigation, uncovering alibi gaps.
• DNA analysis found an unknown male’s DNA on the bathrobe sash; not Mark Lewis, with no matches in the CODIS database.

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6. The Parallel Crime: Sarah Nottingham

[20:16 – 24:25]

• Sarah Nottingham, Mark’s subsequent girlfriend, details escalation from manipulation to direct threats, property damage, and finally attempted arson (Molotov cocktail) at her home.

  "He squeezed me tight and told me, ‘you've created a monster.’" – Sarah Nottingham [22:08]
  "When the police came into the house, one of them said, this is attempted murder. And that's exactly what it was. Nothing less." – Sarah Nottingham [24:14]

• Mark Lewis was arrested and eventually convicted for arson, conspiracy, and stalking; sentenced to eight years, served five.

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7. New Forensic Analyses and Disputed Conclusions

[30:35 – 36:37]

• Dr. Bill Smock, a renowned forensic expert, was recruited for a new review and concluded Joanna was murdered with marine rope before being staged with the sash, conflicting with prior autopsies.

  "She was dead when the bathrobe sash was applied to her neck. Joanna's scene was staged." – Dr. Bill Smock [32:51]

• The local sheriff’s department and a subsequent pathologist disputed Smock’s findings, maintaining suicide as the cause.

  "I'm disputing his conclusion that it was a homicide." – Captain Jackson Harris [35:17]

• Crucial evidence, such as the rope, was never preserved. Dr. Smock’s report was initially withheld due to a non-disclosure agreement.
• Different forensic pathologists reached opposed conclusions, revealing systemic ambiguity and possible bias.

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8. Sparks for Reform: Joanna’s Law

[36:46 – 42:07]

• Advocates Casey Gwinn and Gail Strack list ten risk factors of staged homicides—all of which Joanna’s case checked.

  "We've never had a case with all 10 that wasn't a homicide. Joanna Hunter had all 10 factors." – Casey Gwinn [37:22]

• Their work contributed to “Joanna’s Law,” passed unanimously as California Senate Bill 989 and enacted January 1, 2025.

  "Joanna's Law requires investigators responding to reported suicides, drug overdoses, or fatal accidents to check for a history of domestic violence." – Natalie Morales [41:46]

• The law compels investigators to treat deaths with documented domestic violence as potential homicides.

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9. Justice Unfulfilled, But Hope Remains

[37:29 – 41:00]; [42:11 – 45:09]

• Mark Lewis was released from prison and now lives in Arizona. He refused to respond to repeated interview requests from CBS and would not answer questions when approached in person.
• The Hunters, fueled by Joanna’s legacy, continue advocacy and await possible action after the California DOJ agreed to review the DA’s decision not to prosecute for Joanna’s death.
• Joe and Patricia Hunter speak to enduring grief, their fight’s inspiration for others, and the family’s hope that "Joanna’s Law" will prevent similar tragedies.

  "Joanna was light. She was joy… when we talk about her, I just try to light the room up with her." – Patricia Hunter [44:45]; Joe Hunter [44:50]
  "She fought from the beginning to her last breath. So no matter how hard it gets, never give up. That's her legacy. I love you, sis." – Joe Hunter [45:09]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Joe Hunter on guilt and mission:

  "I know I had one job as a brother. So I need you to know that I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from that monster." [03:24; 43:49; 45:09]

• On church control:

  "I came to the conclusion that it was probably the closest thing to a cult that I had ever experienced. And he was the leader." – Former Deacon Jacob Cantrell [18:20]

• Sarah Nottingham’s warning:

  "Ultimately, death. When the police came into the house, one of them said, this is attempted murder. And that's exactly what it was. Nothing less." [24:14]

• Dr. Smock’s forensic finding:

  "She was dead when the bathrobe sash was applied to her neck. Joanna's scene was staged. She was killed with the rope." [32:51]

• Casey Gwinn on homicide red flags:

  "We've never had a case with all 10 that wasn't a homicide. Joanna Hunter had all 10 factors." [37:22]

• Family’s hope for systemic change:

  "Joanna's Law gave us a sense of we've done something wonderful for Joanna." – Patricia Hunter [41:37]

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Important Timestamps

• [01:11] – Joe Hunter describes learning of Joanna’s death
• [03:03] – Sheriff's department rules suicide in under 30 minutes; family reacts
• [06:36] – Mark Lewis interviewed by deputies
• [09:01] – Documentation of prior domestic violence detailed
• [15:29] – Joe reflects on the difficulty of intervening in Joanna’s abuse
• [20:16] – News of Mark’s subsequent violence emerges
• [24:14] – Sarah Nottingham on surviving attempted arson
• [32:51] – Dr. Smock explains the staged suicide
• [36:46] – Creation of the homicide checklist
• [41:37] – Joanna’s Law becomes California law
• [44:45] & [45:09] – Family’s closing mission and tribute

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Episode Tone

The language throughout is emotionally direct, personal, and persistent, echoing both the devastation and the unyielding determination of Joanna’s family. Law enforcement responses are formal and defensive. Expert analysis is methodical, highlighting the clash between intuition, trauma, and procedural norms.

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Conclusion

“Joe Hunter's Mission” is a powerful chronicle of personal loss and the quest for justice. The saga highlights failures in recognizing intimate partner violence as a deadly threat and tracks the transformation of a family's heartbreak into legislative action. The episode is a call for vigilance, compassion, and reform, ensuring Joanna’s legacy lives on so that other families might never experience such preventable tragedy.

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Resources:

• If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, call 1-800-799-SAFE or visit thehotline.org [45:09].

Transcript

[Joe Hunter]

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[Joe Hunter]

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[Joe Hunter]

The day that I got the news will always be edged in my brain. Your sister's dead. I knew right then he had taken her life. From that moment on, my life changed forever. I feel closest to my sister when I see something beautiful like she's talking to me, like I'll see a beautiful sunrise and I'm like, man, like, I hear you.

[Natalie Morales]

You both had talked back in your younger years about going on Survivor together, right?

[Joe Hunter]

The waves were cracking, so I took a walk down the beach and I thought, man, she's all around me. So it's just time. Let's go do this. Coming into this game, my motivation was my sister. She's the one that wanted to be here. That's why I applied. I wanted to be Joanna's voice. That's been the mission. That's all. Part of Joanna's voice is her speaking to everyone, saying, don't let this happen to you as well. She fell in love with a man that seemed charming and charismatic. And he was a pastor. And immediately I was in the spirit. I know in my heart that Mark killed my sister. And then he staged it to look like she hung herself.

[Natalie Morales]

So Mark Lewis was never charged with any crime related to Joanna's death. What do you make of that?

[Patricia Hunter]

Appalling. Total disregard for our daugh. It appeared to us that it was just a dismissal.

[Joe Hunter]

The Solano County Sheriff's department made a decision that Joanna died by suicide within 28 minutes of arriving at the scene.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

That is a gigantic misconception. The case was still being worked.

[Natalie Morales]

So do you stand by your office's original conclusion that Joanna Hunter took her life?

[Captain Jackson Harris]

Yes, we do.

[Joe Hunter]

In no way, shape or form, in any world, in any scenario, was this a suicide. This is not just a brother who's being emotional and irrational. This is not a mother who's just being a victim and saying untruths. This is a family that just wants justice for Joanna. I know I had one job as a brother. So I need you to know that I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from that. Maud's throat. Natalie Morales reports. Joe Hunter's mission.

[Natalie Morales]

Survivor's ready on a beach in Fiji. Go competing on Survivor, the reality show that like 48 Hours airs on CBS.

[Patricia Hunter]

Now.

[Joe Hunter]

Joe in the lead with five.

[Natalie Morales]

Joe Hunter's grief over the death of his sister Joanna came out in full force.

[Joe Hunter]

I miss you so much. I just miss you so much.

[Natalie Morales]

He was filled with remorse over their last conversation.

[Joe Hunter]

I'm so sorry for the things I said. And I never got the chance to say I love you.

[Natalie Morales]

So.

[Joe Hunter]

I love you.

[Natalie Morales]

Jo is still grappling with how she died.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

91112 emergency.

[Joe Hunter]

I think someone'.

[Natalie Morales]

October 6, 2011 9:25pm Vacaville, California.

[Joe Hunter]

My passenger just came out of his house. He's really, really upset and he told me to call a cop. He thinks his wife's deaf.

[Natalie Morales]

What's his name?

[Joe Hunter]

His name is Mark Lewis.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Can I talk to Mark?

[Natalie Morales]

Can you tell me what happened?

[Joe Hunter]

I have no clue what happened. I know how to talk about it. I know how to talk about what it looks like.

[Natalie Morales]

It was a terrible sight. Mark Lewis, 36 year old wife Joanna hanging inside a bedroom closet.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Mark, they're on the way, honey.

[Natalie Morales]

14 minutes later at 9:39pm According to the Solano County Sheriff's report, a deputy was on the scene.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

He cut her down, tried to find any signs of life.

[Natalie Morales]

Captain Jackson Harris reviewed the case with us.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

There were not any signs of life that were there.

[Natalie Morales]

Unfortunately, a bathrobe sash had been the noose. The deputy's report said he did not observe any signs of a struggle. There was an open suitcase and a note.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

I believe the note said take care of the dogs.

[Natalie Morales]

Had Joanna taken her own life? Mark Lewis, the 36 year old pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church, was handcuffed, placed in the back of a patrol car and briefly questioned.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

He provided a statement.

[Natalie Morales]

He said his wife did not Appear to be depressed, has no history of mental illness, and has never attempted suicide. The husband is saying, my wife did this out of the blue.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

That was his statement that he provided. People commit suicide for a variety of reasons. Some people keep it to themselves. Some people tell the world.

[Natalie Morales]

In the report, Mark said he last saw his wife at 1pm and the church member who called 911 said he and Mark had been outside the house playing basketball and talking about their faith starting at 3pm until Mark went inside and found Joanna dead. Joanna's mother, Patricia, knew nothing of what was unfolding at her daughter's house that night. She wasn't called. A day later, a deacon from the church went to see her.

[Patricia Hunter]

He said, joanna's dead. What?

[Natalie Morales]

At around the same time, Joe, a Sacramento, California firefighter, was taken aside by the captain of his house.

[Joe Hunter]

He said, you, sister's gone.

[Natalie Morales]

First the gut punch.

[Joe Hunter]

I dropped to my knee.

[Natalie Morales]

And then almost instantly, one thought, one name.

[Patricia Hunter]

What did he do to her?

[Natalie Morales]

Mark Lewis.

[Joe Hunter]

I knew. I knew he did it.

[Patricia Hunter]

And I fell to the ground screaming, crying.

[Joe Hunter]

Half of me died right there.

[Natalie Morales]

A few weeks later, when Patricia and her late husband spoke to an officer, he showed her the note.

[Patricia Hunter]

I actually laughed and I said, that's not a suicide note. She was leaving him. And that was her note to him. Take care of the dogs. I can't take them.

[Natalie Morales]

Joanna had tried to leave Mark many times before, says Patricia. There was a history of abuse and a cycle that began not long after the couple started seeing each other in high school. At 17, Patricia says, Joanna came home with a black eye.

[Patricia Hunter]

And I begged her. I said, let's go to the hospital. Let's go to the police. And she said, no, mom, no.

[Natalie Morales]

At 20.

[Joe Hunter]

This is in Joanna's handwriting.

[Natalie Morales]

Joanna documented Mark choking her and got a restraining order against him. Even so, Joanna returned to him at 21. After she reported that Mark grabbed my neck and twisted it. Joanna got another restraining order in 1996, when she was 22, Joanna was hospitalized with a sprained neck. Mark was convicted on a domestic violence charge and, according to court documents, sentenced to 36 months in the Solano County Jail. Again, she returned to the relationship.

[Patricia Hunter]

She told me that he had reached out to her from jail. Would she come visit him? She did. She fell right back into it.

[Natalie Morales]

Joanna was 25 when she married Mark without telling anyone in her family.

[Patricia Hunter]

I had to tell my husband. And we just held each other and sobbed because we knew now it would be that much harder to help her and get her out.

[Natalie Morales]

Their Worry continued over the next decade, but Joanna wouldn't open up to them. You said you feared for your daughter, but did you ever think he would be capable of killing her?

[Patricia Hunter]

Absolutely.

[Natalie Morales]

That is what Patricia believed. Law enforcement at the scene came to the opposite conclusion.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

There is no evidence on her body that another person used force to have killed her.

[Natalie Morales]

No homicide investigators were called to the house. The bedroom was not treated as a crime scene, no fingerprints taken, no DNA tested, and no phones collected. After his statement, Mark Lewis was released. Lewis was not asked about his history of abuse or about his prior conviction. That information was more than 15 years old, says Harris, and not available to the deputy in the field. The next day, an external autopsy determined the ligature marks on Joanna's neck were consistent with suicide. A month later, when the toxicology report.

[Joe Hunter]

Came back clean, the case is closed.

[Natalie Morales]

And so began the tug of war between the family and the sheriff's department that would go on for. For years to come.

[Patricia Hunter]

From this moment when we couldn't get anyone to listen to us and act on it, we are going to work to get justice for Joanna.

[Natalie Morales]

Do you think she was ever suicidal?

[Joe Hunter]

You know, I'm sure she got in many dark places, but in no way, shape, or form was she capable of that mindset. Because I know my sister, deep down, just wanted to leave.

[Natalie Morales]

And in the year before she died, Joanna almost saved herself, says Jo. Almost.

[Joe Hunter]

My mom called me and said, joanna's coming home. I said, oh, really? Yeah, she's done. And I said, she's really, really done this time. And I thought, man, like, we got her back.

[Patricia Hunter]

We win within two weeks, Mom, I'm going back. And I thought she meant to get more things. She said, no, Mom, I have to go back to stay.

[Joe Hunter]

My mom begged her not to go back. On her knees, begging her. And my mom said, okay, well, I'll drive you.

[Natalie Morales]

How much do you think of that moment and that drive, taking her back all the time?

[Patricia Hunter]

On the way over, I was sobbing, and I said, honey, I'm afraid if you go back, I'll never see you again.

[Joe Hunter]

And we never saw her again.

[Natalie Morales]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Natalie Morales]

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[Natalie Morales]

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[Natalie Morales]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Patricia Hunter]

It's my tape three Thanksgiving at our house this year.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Got a nice table.

[Patricia Hunter]

You see mom in the kitchen.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

My dad.

[Natalie Morales]

Hi, jj. Hi.

[Joe Hunter]

Joanna was the perfect person. She was the life of the party. But she was also, at the same time.

[Natalie Morales]

Oh, you give me a kiss.

[Joe Hunter]

Probably the most compassionate, warm person I've ever known.

[Natalie Morales]

From the minute he was born, Joanna relished being Joe's big sister.

[Patricia Hunter]

She thought Joseph was her gift. Someone gave her this adorable little boy, and he belonged to her.

[Joe Hunter]

I always tried to be in charge, but she wouldn't let that happen. Yeah, it's me. Anybody that called the house, they had to go through Joanna first. And you want to talk to my brother? Why? She protected me a lot. We were the perfect team.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark Lewis, the son of a local preacher, was Joanna's first boyfriend. At the start, Joe didn't think he had anything to worry about.

[Joe Hunter]

The first maybe six to eight months, she seemed really happy.

[Natalie Morales]

But after the abuse began, Joe confronted Mark more than once.

[Joe Hunter]

After physically going after him, him then taking it out on her, I had to back off a little bit from my sister. I had been screaming at her for so long. Two years straight. I hate this guy. Leave this guy. Please stop. I thought, I'm gonna lose her for good, so I'm just gonna listen. And then I really got the deep, deep, deep, dark secrets that she wasn't even telling my parents.

[Natalie Morales]

And Joanna showed him her wounds.

[Joe Hunter]

She finally showed me the massive indentations from him strangling her. You could just see clearly each outline of each finger.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark had grown more powerful and influential at the Fellowship Baptist Church. He was on his way to becoming pastor.

[Joe Hunter]

I'm just getting you ready for heaven.

[Natalie Morales]

After they married, Patricia says she went to Mark with her fears.

[Patricia Hunter]

And I said to him, how do I know in this moment that you will never lay a hand on her again? And I'll never forget he Kind of sneered, half smile. And he looked at me and he said, when she's a better woman and a better Christian, you won't have to worry about that.

[Joe Hunter]

My sister started saying comments that he would make to her, like, hey, we can help save you because you're half black. We can help fix that through religion because of your hair and the way you look. We can fix that with religion. And you just think, how dare you.

[Natalie Morales]

Pastor Lewis, to hear former church members tell it, was a commanding and a demanding presence.

[Joe Hunter]

I know what this Bible says.

[Natalie Morales]

With fiery sermons, fall down and worship, and an insistence on loyalty.

[Joe Hunter]

All Satan has to do is give you a question. Very energetic, get up there and screaming and sweating. Amen. That was his style.

[Natalie Morales]

Jacob Cantrell became a deacon there.

[Joe Hunter]

I looked up to him. He was a mentor, only to find out that I was a pawn.

[Natalie Morales]

In hindsight, Jacob says Pastor Lewis had too much control over him.

[Joe Hunter]

I couldn't go to my mom and dad's house without asking Mark permission. I was brainwashed. He manipulated me for many years, and it twisted my brain up. There's no accidents with God. He can talk his way out of anything, including Ms. Joanna's death.

[Natalie Morales]

Now you feel that way?

[Joe Hunter]

Now I feel that way. I came to the conclusion that it was probably the closest thing to a cult that I had ever experienced.

[Natalie Morales]

And he was the leader. The leader, Darrell Snedeker, was a deputy in the Solano County Sheriff's Department and a member of the church at the time of Joanna's death. He wasn't involved in the investigation back then at the church. He says it didn't take long for him to lose all faith in the place and the pastor. Was there a fear then amongst the people who attended the church? Did they fear Mark Lewis?

[Joe Hunter]

I think the people that were his puppets, I think they acted out of fear a lot.

[Natalie Morales]

You did whatever he asked then, unfortunately.

[Joe Hunter]

You don't question him. It's important that you listen up. You don't question him. What would you do if you caused your pastor to quit because you wouldn't obey? What would you do if you caused your Sunday school teacher to quit because you wouldn't obey? It's disheartening. It's shocking.

[Natalie Morales]

Joe already knew Mark Lewis all too well. And the years after Joanna's death were filled with anguish and frustration.

[Joe Hunter]

No one was listening to to us. No one was believing this.

[Natalie Morales]

There were still so many questions about what happened that night. Why didn't Mark cut Joanna down or try to administer cpr? And Joe found it Particularly hard to believe Lewis was actually playing basketball for six straight hours.

[Joe Hunter]

You never went inside to use the restroom, get a glass of water? Playing basketball for this obscene amount of time is absurd to me.

[Natalie Morales]

But all their attempts to get the sheriff's office to take another look at Mark Lewis were getting no results. Until Patricia got a knock on the door.

[Patricia Hunter]

It was a reporter asking if we had heard about what had happened with him. I had no idea what he was talking about.

[Natalie Morales]

It was 2014. Joanna had been dead a little more than two years. Pastor Mark Lewis had been arrested, accused of violence against another woman. Do you feel lucky to be alive?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Oh, yeah.

[Natalie Morales]

On that crisp fall day in 2011 when Pastor Mark Lewis said he found his wife dead, he never called Joanna's family. He did call Sarah Nottingham.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

He had asked if I heard what happened. He sounded upset. He was crying.

[Natalie Morales]

At the time. Sarah says she believed in her pastor. Joanna had died by suicide. Sarah says she and Lewis became friends, then began dating about a year after Joanna's death.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

At first, it was somewhat exciting thinking that I'm seeing a side of this person that no one else is seeing.

[Natalie Morales]

Eventually, Sarah says, another side of Mark Lewis began to emerge.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

A lot of extreme manipulation, a lot of gaslighting and a lot of verbal abuse. Some physical, a push or a shovel. And it was just more and more.

[Natalie Morales]

And then she says she discovered that Mark Lewis had been sending inappropriate text messages to an underage girl.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

You know, I'm just like, I've had enough, like, I'm done. And he said, I'm not ready for it to be over. I would just keep telling him, you know, this is. It's over, we're done.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark grabbed her, she says, and tightly wrapped his arms around her.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

It was meant to be threatening. He squeezed me tight and told me, you've created a monster.

[Natalie Morales]

Sarah and her two young children were living with her parents in Vacaville as the pastor's threats, she says, became more frequent and frightening.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

The first time my car was vandalized, it was actually parked here. He had either himself or had somebody smash my windshield in on my car.

[Natalie Morales]

Sarah was granted an order of protection against Mark Lewis, but it did not stop. What happened next. In the early morning hours of January.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

9, 2014, it was three something in the morning and I woke up to our fire alarm going off and there was smoke filling the hallway. And I checked on my kids.

[Natalie Morales]

A Molotov cocktail had crashed through her parents bedroom window.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

We were able to put the fire out ourselves. I'd never seen my dad Run so fast out the door, trying to see if he could see anybody.

[Natalie Morales]

Vacaville police pulled over a U haul van within minutes, arresting the driver and two passengers. The trio quickly confessed, telling police they were hired to firebomb Sarah Nottingham's house. Hired by the pastor, Mark Lewis, he was questioned by local reporters.

[Joe Hunter]

I never. I never gave them any money to do anything bad.

[Natalie Morales]

Pastor Lewis was arrested, charged with arson, conspiracy and stalking.

[Joe Hunter]

A lot of people are going to throw accusations out there, but until the facts come out, why don't we just wait and see how that goes and let the court decide.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I'm living in a nightmare. My kids are so scared. My son knows that this is a pastor, his previous pastor, that is threatening his mommy and his family.

[Natalie Morales]

What do you think you and your family survived at that time?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Ultimately, death. When the police came into the house, one of them said, this is attempted murder. And that's exactly what it was. Nothing less.

[Natalie Morales]

Surviving the attack, Sarah says, helped answer a lingering question about Joanna. How do you see her death by him?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

There's just not a doubt in my mind.

[Joe Hunter]

The point is this. If you saw Jesus number one, you would fall to your face.

[Natalie Morales]

By January 25th in 2015, Pastor Mark Lewis. Thundering sermons that echoed in the Fellowship Baptist church were a distant memory. As Lewis sat silently in a Solano county courtroom. His trial had begun for stalking Sarah Nottingham and hiring people to firebomb her parents home.

[Joe Hunter]

I hear about the arson charge. I hear about the stalking. But I also feel that he needs to be convicted for what he did to my sister.

[Natalie Morales]

On day three of Mark Lewis arson and stonking trial, he changed his plea from not guilty to no contest, meaning he would not dispute the charges against him, but also would not acknowledge guilt. Lewis was sentenced to eight years in prison. How important was that development then in allowing you to then go back to the sheriff's office and demand that they reopen the case?

[Patricia Hunter]

It was huge because there was. It isn't often that you read about a pastor hiring people to firebomb someone's house because of media pressure. We felt that now is the time where we can go back and say, look at Joanna's case, reopen it.

[Natalie Morales]

The Solano county sheriff's office did reopen the case in 2014. Remember the churchgoer who called 911 the night Joanna died? His name is Andrew Alvarado. Back then, he told authorities he had played basketball with pastor Mark Lewis for about six hours. Detectives decided to re interview him and recorded the call.

[Joe Hunter]

Was anyone else playing basketball with You? Yeah, a couple other teenagers.

[Natalie Morales]

This time investigators learned a new detail.

[Joe Hunter]

I left to go drop him off. I guess I had to go eat dinner or whatever.

[Natalie Morales]

He had actually left the church grounds during those six hours to drive the teenager's home, he says, and wasn't sure what the pastor was doing while he was gone. We repeatedly reached out to Alvarado but never heard back. So there were gaps of time when he was not with Mark Lewis.

[Patricia Hunter]

Right.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

That still does not change the fact that a lack of evidence on her body does not show a second person involved in her death.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark Lewis was not questioned during the re investigation.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

He exercised his constitutional right to have his attorney who did not allow him to speak to us.

[Natalie Morales]

The sheriff's office had another forensic pathologist look at Joanna's case. Dr. Scott Luzi agreed with the original coroner. Suicide. The case was closed again. And then in 2015, the county district attorney's office announced its own investigation, which included DNA testing on Joanna's bathrobe sash. The results? Her DNA was found on the sash along with an unknown male, not Mark Lewis. Was anything done to investigate that further to could it have been anybody else associated with Mark Lewis?

[Captain Jackson Harris]

That DNA that was collected from there, My understanding is that it was entered into the DNA. I believe it's called CODIS, the database.

[Natalie Morales]

CODIS is the FBI's criminal DNA database.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

It did not come up with a hit.

[Natalie Morales]

Captain Harris says the anonymous male DNA has never been identified.

[Joe Hunter]

They should find out whose DNA is on that. Damn. On that robe.

[Natalie Morales]

Darrell Snedeker, former church member and retired Solano county deputy sheriff, says things were missed.

[Joe Hunter]

Based on what I know today, the totality of the circumstances, I think they did fail that family. And I think if they didn't follow up and find out whose male DNA is on that night robe, that's a catastrophic failure right there.

[Natalie Morales]

And a team of experts was about to come forward for the Hunter family, offering help and hope.

[Joe Hunter]

This is a homicide. There is no question.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Joe Hunter]

Welcome to Radiorental.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

The scariest stories you've ever heard in.

[Joe Hunter]

Your life, all told by real people. And off we go. This wasn't a human being that I saw. There's something here in this house, something.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

Not of this world.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

There was a woman moving through the hall.

[Natalie Morales]

I stepped back and I was completely alone.

[Joe Hunter]

Radio Rental is available now. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Natalie Morales]

A cozy scarf for your boss and.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

A wool jacket for your husband that you definitely did not almost forget.

[Natalie Morales]

Marshalls, we get the deals.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

You give the good stuff even at the last minute.

[Joe Hunter]

Phew.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Find a Marshalls near you.

[Natalie Morales]

This is Dr. Bill Smock. He is sure that Joanna was murdered and says he can prove it.

[Joe Hunter]

Every injury will tell you a story if you take the time to analyze it.

[Natalie Morales]

In 2023, Smock was hired by the Solano County Sheriff's Department to look at the case. He is a medical doctor who by his count has reviewed thousands of autopsy and examined forensic evidence for police departments across the country.

[Joe Hunter]

The State will call Dr. William Smock.

[Natalie Morales]

Smock also has been an expert witness in high profile cases, including testifying against Derek chauvin in the 2021 George Floyd murder trial.

[Joe Hunter]

What I've spent 40 years doing is analyzing injuries, reconstructing how injuries occur and where.

[Natalie Morales]

The Solano County Sheriff's Department saw a bathrobe sash, a note and a suicide. Smock saw something else, something new.

[Joe Hunter]

There was a braided Nylon Marine rope 3ft from Joanna. The murder weapon was there in the room with Joanna. When you look at the photos of the mark that was created on her neck, the only thing in that closet that could have created that was the marine rope.

[Natalie Morales]

But because he was required to sign a non disclosure agreement, no one outside the sheriff's office saw Smock's report.

[Joe Hunter]

I could not talk to the family. I could only talk to the lieutenant at Solano county regarding my findings.

[Natalie Morales]

Here was everything the hunters had been looking for, but they did not even know the rope existed or how Smock made his determination. Smock was eventually released from the NDA and was able to show us using mannequins and red paint. Smock says Joanna's neck had two different ligature marks. One is from the sash and one is from the marine rope.

[Joe Hunter]

We're going to apply the rope and see what type of imprint it creates. You'll notice along the edge that there is a distinct fabric imprint, which is the type of fabric imprint we saw on Joanna's neck.

[Natalie Morales]

Here is the autopsy photo, which we are showing you with the family's permission.

[Joe Hunter]

She was dead when the bathrobe. When the bathrobe sash was applied to her neck. Joanna's scene was staged. She was killed with the rope. And then to make it look like a suicide, she was hung up by the bathrobe sash after she was already dead. Domestic violence homicides are the number one staged murders in America.

[Natalie Morales]

Casey Guinn was sure Joanna's case was what he calls a hidden homicide. He and Gayle Strack are the co founders of alliance for Hope International, an advocacy group for survivors of domestic violence and their families.

[Joe Hunter]

If you kill a total stranger, nobody knows who you are. But if you kill your wife or you kill your girlfriend, everybody's going to be looking at you as a suspect. You have to make it look like someone, something else.

[Natalie Morales]

When they took up the hunter's cause, they believed that Joanna's history of neck injuries told them they were looking at a strangulation.

[Joe Hunter]

The fact is that if you strangle a woman one time in an intimate.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

Relationship, she's 750% more likely to be killed by you.

[Natalie Morales]

Smock, who works for alliance for Hope, confirmed their suspicion. But when the sheriff's office agreed to hire Dr. Smock, it also commissioned a another review, this one by Dr. Brian Peterson, a pathologist and former president of the national association of Medical Examiners. He disputed Smock's findings. I see neither injuries nor toxicology findings that would support the physical involvement of another person, the report said. And after hiring Smock, in hindsight, I.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

Completely disagree with quality.

[Natalie Morales]

The sheriff's office took issue with the fact that Dr. Smock is not a forensic pathologist. Harris also took issue with Smock's methods.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

This is not someone who has their body weight hanging. This is simply draped over a mannequin. That is not how she was killed.

[Natalie Morales]

Smock sent us his contract with the Sheriff's office, which requested his opinion as to the cause and manner of her death. He also told us the sheriff's position was disingenuous because I didn't agree with what they wanted me to say. So Bill Smock's report, are you completely discounting everything that he reports in it?

[Captain Jackson Harris]

I'm disputing his conclusion that it was a homicide.

[Natalie Morales]

And so what Dr. Smock called the murder weapon was never examined. But where is the rope?

[Captain Jackson Harris]

I don't have the rope.

[Joe Hunter]

I don't know.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

We also don't have every electrical cord that was there. We didn't go through the garage to look for absolutely everything.

[Natalie Morales]

What was missed? What about the history of domestic abuse? Was that missed?

[Captain Jackson Harris]

I don't think it was missed because.

[Natalie Morales]

Three different forensic pathologists and three separate reviews, starting with the original coroner's report in 2011, the 2014 re investigation, and Dr. Peterson in 2024 all found suicide. Captain Harris maintains that even if they had initially taken the domestic violence into account, nothing would have changed.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

And other than creating a hypothetical situation that Mark murdered her, there is no evidence to support that. The prior incidents of domestic violence, those were. Those were not considered at the time of the death. You're right, but that doesn't mean that they were the cause of death.

[Natalie Morales]

Knowing all that you know now, though, you said you would have called Mark Lewis past into question and you would have investigated it.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

If I could rewind, knowing what I know now about Mark Lewis, yes. This would be a totally different investigation.

[Natalie Morales]

Knowing now, but there is no rewinding, says Harris. So is this still an open case now?

[Captain Jackson Harris]

No, it's closed.

[Natalie Morales]

Gail and Casey's experience with Joanna's case led them to create a checklist of 10 factors to be considered by law enforcement. They had begun drafting a new law, a law that included the red flags that could signal a homicide. Among them.

[Patricia Hunter]

The first one is someone dies prematurely. Well, Joanna was 36 years old. The second one, the scene looked like a suicide or an accident. Prior history of domestic violence. Prior history of strangulation. The partner is the last person to see the victim alive.

[Joe Hunter]

We've never had a case with all 10 that wasn't a homicide. Joanna Hunter had all 10 factors.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark Lewis has not been charged with any crime relating to the death of Joanna. After serving five years for the firebombing of Sarah Nottingham's house, he was released on parole. He currently lives in Arizona, works for a plumbing and drain cleaning company, and has married again. 48 hours. Tried to reach Lewis repeatedly and received no response. The microphone is here. Powering on. So after suiting up with hidden cameras, we decided to go in person.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Mark Lewis.

[Natalie Morales]

Hi.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Natalie Morales]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Joe Hunter]

It is our earnest intention that one day Pastor Mark Lewis will be charged with first degree murder in the death of Joanna Hunter.

[Natalie Morales]

Okay, we're going out. With hidden cameras. Rolling. There was Mark Lewis. Mark Lewis, Hi, I'm Natalie Morales with 48 Hours. We've been trying to reach you.

[Joe Hunter]

Oh no, it's all good.

[Natalie Morales]

We've sent you a couple of letters and correspondence. It's okay, puppy.

[Joe Hunter]

Hi. Come on, let's go.

[Natalie Morales]

Would you be willing to speak with us on camera, sir?

[Joe Hunter]

No.

[Natalie Morales]

Did you have anything to do with your late wife Joanna Hunter's death?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Mark Lewis.

[Patricia Hunter]

Hey, Mark.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark, please, if you would just give us other way. We want your side of the story, Mark. People would really like to hear your side of the story. We've tried to reach you many ways. Hello, sir. With Lewis inside the house, we approached his father in law in the garage. I'm just wondering if you have any concerns about your daughter's own safety given his past history with domestic violence. Violence? His late wife was found hanging to death.

[Joe Hunter]

I, I know the whole story. Yes, I know the whole story.

[Natalie Morales]

Did you know his late wife, Joanna Hunter?

[Joe Hunter]

Yes, I did.

[Natalie Morales]

Did you go to the church?

[Joe Hunter]

Yeah, I did.

[Natalie Morales]

You did? Okay, look, I, I, I know this is a difficult, this is a difficult situation. But we just, we want to make sure.

[Joe Hunter]

This is really unnecessary.

[Natalie Morales]

I really hope, I appreciate that. But I hope you understand there are a lot of questions still that the Hunter family would like to have answers to. And so I'm here simply doing my job, giving your son in law a chance to answer some questions.

[Joe Hunter]

I can feel for them. But there's really no more to say about it. It's over.

[Patricia Hunter]

It's done.

[Natalie Morales]

Mark Lewis was moving on with his new family while his previous one was aching for answers for years.

[Joe Hunter]

I was just trying to get to the next hour to the Next minute, because the pain was unbearable at times. It's finally happening. It's finally happening.

[Natalie Morales]

Yeah. The hunters, so accustomed to grief, were thrilled when Senate Bill 989, Joanna's Law, became California state law on January 1, 2025.

[Patricia Hunter]

Passing unanimously, Joanna's Law gave us a sense of we've done something wonderful for Joanna.

[Natalie Morales]

Joanna's Law requires investigators responding to reported suicides, drug overdoses, or fatal accidents to check for a history of domestic violence.

[Patricia Hunter]

Violence, and if there is a documented history of domestic violence, to assume that this is a suspicious death.

[Joe Hunter]

And that they treat that scene like a homicide.

[Natalie Morales]

Casey Gwynn and Gail Strack, who helped write Joanna's Law, are using her case to spotlight the connection between suspicious deaths and domestic violence.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

We have people from all over the.

[Joe Hunter]

Country here in this room at this conference in Denver.

[Natalie Morales]

They're guiding law enforcement officers on how to identify those 10 red flags. Look for evidence that could reveal hidden homicides.

[Captain Jackson Harris]

How many of you believe that this.

[Joe Hunter]

Case should have a complete independent homicide investigation? Raise your hand.

[Natalie Morales]

48 Hours has learned the California Department of Justice has agreed to review the Solano County DA's decision not to bring criminal charges related to Joanna's death. The hunters hope that will move the case forward.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I look at it this way. Nothing can be kept in the dark forever.

[Natalie Morales]

Joe's wife Katie is a sideline reporter for the Sacramento Kings and a former player in the wnba. She experienced domestic violence herself in a teenage relationship. Have you talked to your daughter about.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Domestic abuse in the most basic form. She's six right now.

[Natalie Morales]

Wait, dad, that's just what I need.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

But we talk to her about how you treat others and how you should be treated, and that will evolve over time.

[Joe Hunter]

Say hi to everybody, Jojo.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Hi, Joseph. But it's also conversations that we have with Jojo, with our son, because it is our responsibility to also teach him what is acceptable behavior and treatment of women, period.

[Joe Hunter]

I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from that monster.

[Natalie Morales]

Joe's tribute to Joanna On Survivor season 48, I'm sorry. Moved millions. This spring, he'll compete again in a landmark season 50 to celebrate the which will also keep attention on his sister's case.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

In advocating for his sister, he's advocating for other victims. Other women enter the shop. And our daughter's gonna be so proud of it. Our son.

[Patricia Hunter]

And she gives us so much love every day. I feel it. I'm here to be her voice for.

[Natalie Morales]

As long as she's able.

[Joe Hunter]

Patrol.

[Natalie Morales]

Tricia will tell Joanna's story often at the Sacramento Family Justice Center, a resource for survivors of domestic violence.

[Patricia Hunter]

Joanna was light. She was joy.

[Joe Hunter]

So when we talk about her, I just try to light the room up with her.

[Natalie Morales]

They hope Joanna's law and Joanna's light will help save lives and shine the way forward for survivors of domestic violence.

[Joe Hunter]

She fought from the beginning to her last breath. So no matter how hard it gets, never give up. That's her legacy. I love you, sis. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, call 1-800-799-SAFE or visit the hotline.org everything you've done has come to this. The biggest and wildest mission yet is now streaming. I need you to trust me one last time. Tom Cruise Mission Impossible the final reckoning ready V2 13 now streaming on Paramount. Plus this weekend on Pluto TV. I run this valley and there's a war coming. Yellowstone is streaming free.

[Natalie Morales]

There is keep the kingdom or there.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Is lose the kingdom.

[Joe Hunter]

Experience it all. There are walls everywhere here from the beginning. All the angels are gone, son. There's only devils left. Watch the the Yellowstone marathon this weekend only on Pluto tv Stream now pay never.