The Bluegrass Mystery

Summary

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Dateline NBC: "The Bluegrass Mystery"

Original Airdate: July 14, 2026
Host: NBC News, with reporting by Blaine Alexander

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Episode Overview

In this gripping Dateline episode, "The Bluegrass Mystery," the disappearance and murder of Ella Jackson, a mother, wife, and friend in Richmond, Kentucky, is explored in detail. Through in-depth interviews, evidence, and the voices of those closest to Ella, the episode unravels a tragic story marked by secrets, suspicion, and heartbreaking revelations. At the center are Ella’s estranged relationships, the troubling conduct of her husband Glenn Jackson—eventually convicted for her death—and the remarkable evidence Ella left behind. The episode not only investigates a criminal case, but tenderly portrays the emotional devastation and resilience of Ella’s family.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ella Jackson’s Disappearance and Initial Investigation

• Ella vanishes: On October 20, 2019, Ella Jackson disappears from her home in Richmond, Kentucky ([03:06]–[03:22]).
• Immediate concern: Her husband, Glenn, calls 911, but downplays any danger ([03:32]–[04:09]).
  • Glenn Jackson: "I don't personally think anything is wrong, but I heard on the show a while back that you don't wait three or four days to report somebody missing." [03:32]
• Red flags: Ella’s car, purse, and phone are left behind. Friends note she would never abandon her son ([01:25], [05:02]).
• Wider circle: Ella’s adult son, Philip Hans, and ex-husband, Jason Hans, quickly become involved in the search ([04:45]–[07:24]).

2. Suspicion Falls on Ella’s Close Circle

• Multiple Persons of Interest: Law enforcement investigates her husband Glenn, her son Philip, and ex-husband Jason.
• Ex-husband’s history: The shocking revelation that Jason’s first wife was murdered (case unsolved) draws police attention ([13:47], [19:16]).
  • Police Chief Rodney Richardson: "I thought, oh man, that's not good. Especially when I learned exactly what took place surrounding her murder." [08:03]
• Family backgrounds: Glenn is a respected college lecturer, Ella is an immigrant from Ukraine, and Jason and Philip have verified alibis ([05:29]–[06:11], [22:13]–[22:39]).

3. Community and Family Response

• Tight-knit community: Richmond’s small-town atmosphere amplifies the fear and rumors ([08:39]–[09:08]).
  • Police Chief Rodney Richardson: "It's got the small town feel where everybody knows everything that's going on." [08:57]
• Desperate search: Friends and family organize searches, check local spots, and circulate missing posters—with even Glenn participating ([17:09]–[17:20]).
• Emotional toll: Family and friends share heartfelt memories and fears.
  • Alex Jackson: "My mom deserved peace. She deserved safety. She deserved to live without fear." [03:00]
  • Friend: "I was terrified any day might be her last." [01:56]

4. Mounting Evidence Against Glenn Jackson

• Detective’s methods: Detective Jason Friend conducts lengthy interviews with Glenn, noting evasiveness and odd behavior ([23:05]–[25:54]).
  • Detective Jason Friend: "He definitely likes to talk. The way he would pontificate, it almost felt like a verbal judo match." [23:35]
• Alibi cracks: Surveillance places Glenn at home when Ella’s Fitbit records a dramatic heart-rate spike before going blank ([32:49]–[33:43]).
• Bizarre behavior: Glenn is reported for creepily flirting with women at a dog park days after Ella vanishes ([26:46]–[27:34]).
  • Police: "Any reason why you're on your knees right now?" Glenn: "No. I'm sorry. I'm a teacher, so I get down to talk to students." [27:27]

5. Ella’s Evidence: Diary, Recordings, and Technology

• Hidden clues: A single-entry, hidden diary is found, in which Ella calls Glenn a "pathological liar," "narcissist," and "sociopath" ([31:01]–[31:10]).
  • Detective Friend: "She wrote how scared she was of Glenn." [31:01]
• Secret recordings: Ella’s phone contains dozens of covertly recorded arguments evidencing an abusive, manipulative relationship ([31:31]–[32:36]).
  • Ella (to Glenn): "You are mean. Yes. You're a monster. You are destroying me physically and mentally every single day. You just injured me. I have bruises." [32:36]
• Fitbit data: The sudden spike and drop in Ella’s heart rate at 6:15pm the night she disappeared strongly suggests foul play ([32:49]–[33:43]).

6. Breakthrough and Glenn’s Downfall

• Crime lab results: Ella’s blood is found in the trunk of Glenn's car, partially cleaned with bleach.
  • Detective Friend: "DNA testing showed Ella's blood was in the trunk of Glenn's car and someone had tried to clean it up with bleach." [37:03]
• Arrest and aftermath: Glenn is arrested and charged with murder, but the case faces challenges as Ella’s body was yet to be found ([37:30]–[37:46]).

7. Discovery and Justice

• Body found: Four days after Glenn’s arrest, Ella’s remains are discovered by mushroom hunters—a grim confirmation ([38:10]).
• Friend’s confession: Glenn’s friend, Joe Hamm, recalls Glenn saying: "He just looks at me and just point blank says that I [expletive] killed her. I bet you didn't think I was that evil." [38:47]
• Legal outcome: Glenn pleads guilty via an Alford plea (accepting enough evidence for conviction but not admitting guilt), and receives a 14-year sentence with credit for time served ([39:47], [40:52]).
  • Detective Jason Friend: "Either take it to trial and let him be acquitted or convicted...this red tape loophole...that’s ludicrous." [40:00]
• Impact on family: Alex is adopted by Jason Hans (Ella’s ex-husband) and his wife, Natalia. Alex, now 12, cherishes his mother’s favorite necklace and honors her memory ([41:58]–[43:37]).

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Ella’s Ominous Words:
  • "I'm done. I'm done with you. You're a monster." — Ella Jackson, recording [01:52]
• Detective’s Insight:
  • "Glenn's a very smart guy, and you kind of get the sense when you talk to Glenn that he thinks he's the smartest guy in the room." — Detective Jason Friend [23:05]
• Friend’s Frustration with Plea:
  • "Either take it to trial and let him be acquitted or convicted, but having this red tape loophole, oh, I’ll plead kind of guilty, but I’m not going to admit to anything. I mean, that’s ludicrous." — Detective Jason Friend [40:00]
• Family’s Grief:
  • "She should have been here to watch me grow up. She should have been here for my childhood, my teenage years, and my future." — Alex Jackson (Ella’s son) [43:37]
• On Ella’s Importance:
  • "My mom mattered. Her life mattered." — Alex Jackson (Ella’s son) [42:58]
• Community Reflection:
  • "What is happening here is not truly justice for her. To guarantee Glenn didn’t walk free, the prosecutor said she agreed to the deal for one person—Alex." — Narrator [40:15]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Ella’s disappearance and 911 calls: [03:06]–[05:02]
• Interviews with family and exes: [09:39]–[13:28]
• Ex-wife’s murder connection: [13:47]–[19:40]
• Detective Friend’s interviews with Glenn: [23:05]–[25:54], [34:19]–[37:46]
• Ella’s diary and secret recordings: [31:01]–[32:36]
• Fitbit evidence: [32:49]–[33:43]
• Glenn’s odd behavior (dog park): [26:46]–[27:34]
• Crime lab breakthrough, Glenn’s arrest: [36:43]–[37:46]
• Discovery of Ella’s remains: [38:10]–[38:22]
• Joe Hamm’s chilling recount: [38:47]–[39:21]
• Legal proceedings and plea: [39:47]–[40:52]
• Alex’s adoption and tribute: [41:58]–[43:37]

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Episode Takeaways

• The investigation hinges on the clues left by Ella herself: Her secret recordings, the hidden diary, and even her Fitbit data—modern technology and her own caution—become keys to unraveling the case.
• Justice is complex and incomplete: Glenn Jackson’s Alford plea leaves the family frustrated at the lack of true accountability, while Alex finds a new family and strives to honor his mother's legacy.
• Emotional resonance: The episode stands out for its powerful firsthand accounts—particularly from Alex and Ella’s friends—offering a human perspective on profound loss and survival.
• Systemic reflections: The case highlights not only the importance of tenacious detective work but also the limitations and trade-offs in the criminal justice system.

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For listeners seeking a blend of detailed police investigation and powerful storytelling on real-life tragedy, "The Bluegrass Mystery" is a signature Dateline saga—haunting, complex, and deeply moving.

Transcript

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[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

Here's your friend, your brilliant, funny, beautiful friend. Their face is up on a TV screen. Missing, and you don't know how to help her.

[Detective Jason Friend]

We knew Ella had disappeared.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You searched the house, what do you find?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Her car is still there. And most importantly, her phone.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

You know something happened. She was not going to leave her son.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Officers talked to Ella's husband, Glenn, a spouse.

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

This is the first place police are going to look.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

But Ella also has an ex husband, right?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

They were still really close.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You find out his previous wife was murdered. Does that just kind of stop you in your tracks?

[Officer Walker Crace]

Sure.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It's enough to raise our eyebrows. They find Ella's diary. It's kind of hidden. She wrote how scared she was and

[Interviewer / Reporter]

then the phone recordings.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

I'm done. I'm done with you. You're a monster.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

I was terrified any day might be her last.

[Lester Holt]

A phone, a diary, secret recordings, all clues she left behind. Could a missing mom help solve her own mystery? I'm Lester Holt and this is Dateline. Here's Blaine Alexander with the bluegrass mystery.

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

Ella was my mom. And to me, she was perfect. She loved me. She cared for me. She made me feel safe, happy and loved.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

It's a beautiful song.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

It was the only thing Alex Jackson could give his mother. His words, loving memories captured on tape.

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

My mom deserved peace. She deserved safety. She deserved to live without fear.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The depth of that fear, we'll likely never know. But we do know that on October 20, 2019, Ella Jackson vanished from her home in Richmond, Kentucky.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

How can I help you? Hi, my name is Glenn Jackson. This is not an emergency.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The first sign of trouble came when Ella's husband Glenn called 911.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

I haven't heard from my wife in over 24 hours.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

He said his wife of seven years left a day earlier while he was at the dog park with their five year old son Alex.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Okay. Is the child with you? Yes, yes, and he's fine. Everything's great. I don't personally think anything is wrong, but I heard on the show a while back that you don't wait three or four days to report somebody missing. Right. Has she ever done this before? Yes, and sometimes for weeks. But it's been a long time since she did.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Detective Jason Friend is with the Richmond Police Department.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Glenn made it very clear that she wasn't missing, that she just left, which that in and of itself isn't a crime and that's not a cause for an investigation.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

And so from that really nothing happens.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Right.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

That is, until the next day when they got another 911 call.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Hi, I need a wellness check done on my mom. I'm sorry, welfare. What's going on with her? I last heard anything from her on Sunday.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The call was from Philip Hans, Ella's 29 year old son from another marriage.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

I sent her a message yesterday and she didn't reply to it, which is very weird. I mean, I talk to her every day, all day long. So I just want to know that she's okay, if she's even there this time.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Dispatch sent Officer Walker Crace and his partner to Glenn and Ella's home.

[Officer Walker Crace]

So when I first got here, it was just like this. This dorm door was closed, but the main door was open. We knock and announce and we do a sweep of the residence.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

No one was home. And there were no obvious signs of foul play. So they did some basic background checks on the couple. Glenn was a respected English lecturer at a nearby college.

[Officer Walker Crace]

Everybody's familiar with him, especially people that are local, especially people that go to Eastern Kentucky University.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

They learned Ella was Russian and had immigrated from Ukraine to the US about 15 years earlier.

[Officer Walker Crace]

From what we had learned, she has no family here. She is not from here. So at this point in time, we have. Ms. Jackson is gone. No one knows where she's at.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The officers later found Glen back at the home. The couple's young son Alex was playing outside.

[Officer Walker Crace]

What kind of games you play?

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

I just play a lot of. Glenn said he was now getting concerned when his wife had left before. She had always checked in by this

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

point, and the fact that she didn't even call the yell at me, didn't respond to my texts, my message, or eventually my email. And that's happened before, but only for a few hours.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn added that on the day she left, he overheard her on a lengthy Skype call with someone overseas. She was speaking Russian, but he did make out a few words in English.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

The only words I could make out on the phone were Uber Lyft, airport passport in Motel 6.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Police also called Ella's adult son, Philip, and asked him to come to the house, but to wait at the top of the driveway after he arrived. Officer Crace tried to reassure him.

[Officer Walker Crace]

I honestly feel like it's nothing foul.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

But Phillips said he was worried and confused after trying to reach his mom when all of a sudden her phone appeared to be back online.

[Philip Hans (Ella's son from previous marriage)]

And I was calling it all day today, and it was off. And she was not receiving messages on Facebook until suddenly, around 6.30pm, her phone turned on. It started ringing.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

There was no answer. Philip hadn't arrived alone. He brought along a man named Jason Hans, Ella's ex husband.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

Many times she has contacted me when something happens. She was feeling upset, unsafe, needing someone to talk to.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Investigators felt something wasn't right, but couldn't put a finger on it. Not yet.

[Officer Walker Crace]

So a lot of circumstantial things. Nothing to say anybody's guilty, but definitely something to tell us something's going on here.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

All three men were brought to the station for further questioning.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Philip was on your radar.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Everybody was on our radar.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

This is when you learned that detail

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

about Ella's ex husband. What did you think?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

I thought, oh, man, that's. That's not good. Especially when I learned exactly what took place surrounding her murder.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Now police would zero in on Ella's inner circle.

[Police Officer]

Everything okay? Any reason why you're on your knees right now?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

No, I'm sorry. I'm a teacher, so I get down to talk to students.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Richmond, Kentucky, population about 40,000, is nestled among the rolling hills of the Bluegrass State. Here, the bourbon is strong and horse

[Interviewer / Reporter]

farms are king for people who've never been here. What is this community like?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

Richmond? I call it one of the smallest big town you'll ever be in. It's got the small town feel where everybody knows everything that's going on.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Rodney Richardson is the police chief. Ella Jackson was missing, but so far there were no signs of a crime. Still, investigators wanted to know more about three men in her life. Her ex, her son, and her husband, Glenn.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

What do you come to learn about Glenn? Just his standing in the community.

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

He was teaching college kids. Just been the average husband in a quiet little community whose wife had walked away.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

And that's what Glenn told investigators.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

What do you think happened to her? Where do you think she's at? I don't know. Going to get her mother is my best guess, because it's. It lives up so nice on time.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

He said after overhearing Ella's Skype call, he thought she might have gone to meet her mother, possibly in Russia. Glenn told police he cared about his wife and wanted her home soon.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

We waited forever to get married. You know, wait till late in life. And we were together for five years before we got married. And I've just always been horribly serious about marriage.

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

They just always seemed absolutely happy and just full of, you know, love and seemed like a wonderful couple.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Joham thought the world of his close buddy Glenn.

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

He kind of had all the, all the chicks, you know, as far as being a good neighbor, being somebody that you could rely on, it just provided

[Dana Caproni (Ella's friend)]

us, like a warmth and just a sense of belonging and connection.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Dana Caproni was one of Ella's best friends.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Do you remember what she first told you about him?

[Dana Caproni (Ella's friend)]

You know, she's falling for him. He's kind. He's a professor.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Did she seem excited about him?

[Dana Caproni (Ella's friend)]

Yeah, I think she was giddy.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

And these home videos captured that giddiness. That's Ella laughing off camera with baby Alex and Glen, A seemingly perfect family picture. Jolyn Stevenson says she and Ella evolved from neighbors to confidants.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

What was your first impression of Ella?

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

Soft spoken, very easy to smile. She had a comfort about her, like, you know, good old southern cooking or something. She wasn't nice. I feel like there's a difference between nice and kind. Nice is very surface level. But she would go, how are you? And she would wait for that real answer.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

She really wanted to know.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

She wanted to know she cared. Right.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

In fact, Ella was a friend to many, including her ex husband, Jason. They met in 2003 when he was traveling in Ukraine, where Ella was living after a recent divorce.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

She's like the most intelligent woman I've ever met.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

That's something that really stood out to you.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Jason and Ella got married and moved to the US with her young son Philip. Jason was a professor at the University of Kentucky. Their marriage ended after five years. He said they just couldn't make it work.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

To have two people who are married

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

go through a divorce but then still

[Interviewer / Reporter]

remain very close, very present in each other's lives, close friends.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

You don't see that very often.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

Yeah. You know, I didn't want to be married to her, but I still loved her.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Jason had remarried, but was he still in love with Ella? That's something Glenn wondered too.

[Officer Walker Crace]

Have you ever questioned that she might be doing something that would be adultery wise as far as your guys relationship?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I have, I have. And including her most recent ex husband, she talks to him regularly.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

When we were outside the house that

[Officer Walker Crace]

night, I do know you guys were pretty tight. From what I can gather, y' all very close.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

The police officer asked me, knowing our past and our relationship and that we remain close and so on, you know, he's like, you know, sometimes couples who break up, they get back together for flings or whatever.

[Officer Walker Crace]

Do you know that she might have ran all the way out before or.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

No, she's. How to say she?

[Officer Walker Crace]

You can tell me how, you gotta tell me. I'm just.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

No, she. That's not her character.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

While the officer never directly asked Jason if he was sleeping with Ella, Jason understood what he meant.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

You know, were you guys sort of fooling around? What's going on here?

[Interviewer / Reporter]

And you can kind of see in his questioning that, yeah, like he's thinking

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

like what were you up to? Yeah, that was only the beginning of the questions police had for Ella's ex. Especially after they discovered something about his first wife.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You talk to her ex husband and find out that his previous wife was murdered in a case that is still unsolved. I mean, does that just kind of stop you in your tracks?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Sure, it's enough to raise our eyebrows.

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[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

People are reported missing every day and people come back or they make contact with a family member. So then we know what happened to them.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

But that hadn't happened with Ella Jackson. At some point does this shift to

[Interviewer / Reporter]

maybe she ran away to maybe something was done to her?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

Yeah, I think it does. I think we have a mother that left a child behind her car that was still there with her purse still in it. Car keys were still there.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

They had asked Glenn about that.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

How would she leave if her car is at the house? Deal. Well, I would assume that she get picked up, which she has done before. Who's picking her up? She says that she calls Uber. I never noticed a deal from out or anything, but she talked about it.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

And there was something else. Ella hadn't taken her phone with her. Glenn said he found it the day after she went missing and turned it over to police.

[Detective Jason Friend]

I mean, this day and age, almost everybody were connected with our phone. Most of us wouldn't leave our phone behind.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You don't go five feet without taking your phone with you.

[Taboola Announcer]

48 year old Ella Jackson has been

[Capital One Bank Guy]

missing since Sunday afternoon.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Police had added Ella to the missing persons database. And after five days with no sign of her, Chief Richardson decided it was time to ask the public for help.

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

We're concerned, we're deeply concerned. But like I said, we're going to eventually find out what happened to Ms.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Jackson in those first days. What message were you trying to get across?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

We're looking for any information that anybody has.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

As the search for Ella grew, even Glenn called the police tip line.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

I'm worried about the missing poster that I just saw from my wife, Ella Jackson. Uh huh.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

He'd spotted something wrong.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

The problem is one of the two pictures is not my wife. It's someone else in her family. And I'm worried that that is not going to help locate her.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Family and friends were doing everything they could to find out what happened to Ella.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

We went to the places where we had known, you know, that we had gone to her with. We went to the park, we had gone to the libraries.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

No luck. Detectives considered every lead, including one more than 500 miles away. It happened 17 years earlier. A young woman was shot and killed walking home from a Metro station in Prince George's County, Maryland. When something like this happens in the community, does it just kind of strike a sense of fear?

[Interviewer / Reporter]

It is very scary because Prince George's county is a pretty safe place.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

County Executive Aisha Braveboy oversees the police department in charge of the case.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

I think it's just that the randomness of it. A young woman to have her dreams cut short because of a gunshot.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Sergeant Greg McDonald worked the case.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Where was she found?

[Officer Walker Crace]

Her body was found lying on the roadway right here.

[Detective Jason Friend]

She made it to this point here. She was fatally shot.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Shot in the head, left, right here.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Shot in the head, left, right here.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It appears that she didn't see it coming.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Police found her clutching a can of Mace, but no signs of a struggle. How far do you think that the shooter was?

[Detective Jason Friend]

6ft, minimum.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Was this somebody who was almost laying in wait for her?

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Maybe.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Possibly a day planner. Credit cards and work ID were all still in her backpack. That's how police were able to identify her as 26 year old Irina Hans. She was the wife of a young professor Jason Hans. At 2 in the morning, two police officers knocked on UK professor Jason Hans door.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

I was pretty much, I was a mess. If we catch the person or persons that did this, will it give me satisfaction?

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

No.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

When you learned that detail about Ella's ex husband, what did you think?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

I thought, oh man, that's, that's not good. You still got an unsolved murder of a wife and then we have a wife that's missing who's still really close with the ex husband.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Whether something happened to her, whether she left, this is gonna be a tough one.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

And now here he was again, two decades later, talking to police about his ex wife who'd gone missing.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I've got to keep an open mind, as in she's lit. Right, that's, and I know that's, there's a lot of stuff that keeps me wanting to go down that trail very far.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

I, I, I, I've tried to go down that, yes. There are things that don't allow it.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Jason said he only wanted to help the investigation.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Is there anything we can do more?

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

And you know, it's not comfortable to sit at home and not do anything at this point.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Oh, I know.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Meanwhile, police turned to someone else close to Ella, her son.

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

The more they learn about Philip, I think he's definitely somebody that we would want to look into.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Sit here.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Yeah, I'd be good.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

What was it about Philip that made

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

you say let's take a closer look?

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

I think him just being as close to his mother as he was and that he used to live there, and now he's not.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

When did you move out?

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Couple months back. Okay.

[Philip Hans (Ella's son from previous marriage)]

But we've also come back. Like, me and my girlfriend come back and, like, stayed a couple. Three weeks. Not too long ago, maybe three weeks ago or something like that.

[Officer Walker Crace]

Like that.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Could there have possibly been some bad

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

blood that made him leave the house, or.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Yeah, Any number of questions.

[Police Chief Rodney Richardson]

Did. Did Ella ask him to leave? Was he there too long? Did he overstay his welcome?

[Philip Hans (Ella's son from previous marriage)]

I was actually planning to move back in this Sunday when the last time I spoke to her was.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The three men were giving investigators a lot to ponder. An ex husband with a past, a son who couldn't pull away, and a husband who would keep drawing attention to himself. After more than a week with no word from Ella, police concluded she must have been the victim of foul play. But they didn't know what happened or who was responsible.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Initially, yeah, everybody was on our radar.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

That included Ella's son, Philip. But he insisted he had a great relationship with his mom, and he knew she would never leave her young son. Alex.

[Philip Hans (Ella's son from previous marriage)]

I know something happened. That's why I've been crying all day, and I'm trying to keep.

[Police Officer]

I understand.

[Detective Jason Friend]

I understand.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Absolutely.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Both Philip and Ella's ex husband Jason, said they were with other people in another town when Ella went missing. And those alibis checked out. Jason also said he did not have an affair with Ella. Detective friend found no evidence that he did and also learned Jason was never a suspect in his first wife's murder.

[Detective Jason Friend]

We were able to substantiate all of it.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

So you talked to Jason, you talked to Philip, you cleared them both?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Yes, that's right.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Philip was adamant that they needed to take a second look at his mother's current husband, Glenn.

[Philip Hans (Ella's son from previous marriage)]

She's told me numerous times that if she ever goes missing, that she would never, ever, ever do that. She would never just take off, and that it's not an accident, anything like that happens, that it's him 100%.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The detective was ready to take that second look.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Glenn's a very smart guy, and you kind of get the sense when you talk to Glenn that he thinks he's the smartest guy in the room.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Nine days after Ella went missing, police got a search warrant and collected evidence from Glenn's house and his car. And detective friend brought him to the station for another chat.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Even though we brought you up here. You know, you can. You can leave anytime you want to.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn didn't leave. In fact, he stayed in that tiny room for more than six hours.

[Detective Jason Friend]

He definitely likes to talk. The way he would pontificate. It almost felt like a verbal judo match.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

He wanted to be the smartest one in the room. Did you kind of lean into that a little bit?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Sure, yeah. I even call it my Columbo. Columbo, the famous detective. He would give the impression that he was not very smart, that he was a duller. You've read too many mystery stories, Columbo.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Oh, no, sir.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

I never read them. I tried. Can't figure them out. And that was this detective strategy. Let Glenn be the smart one and do all the talking.

[Detective Jason Friend]

When they have that boost of confidence, then they're more likely to say things that they probably shouldn't have said.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Friend focused on the day Ella went missing.

[Detective Jason Friend]

I would ask him a very straightforward question. I would say, glenn, what were you wearing on October 20, 2019? And he would say, well, I almost

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

never put jeans on anymore. I don't wear boots. I've just got a whole lot. Close the book just like this.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Gosh, you can't remember exactly what color shirt or anything like that.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I had very recently found my green flannel, but I don't think I had that on.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Not only had he not answered the question, but we ended up on a completely different topic of conversation.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

And never has he told you what he was wearing on that day.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn said he went to a dog park that Sunday, and when he got home, Ella was gone.

[Detective Jason Friend]

What route did you guys take to get a dog park?

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn launched into a long detour, talking about a police officer he met at the park.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

He's in an English class with a guy that is my former office mate. And the reason that that's especially ridiculous is that he was the guy that cleaned that part of the building.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

In case you forgot. The question was, what route did you take to the dog park?

[Interviewer / Reporter]

And you're just sitting back letting him

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

do all of this?

[Detective Jason Friend]

I was letting him talk.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

He's giving you a dissertation.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Yeah. He would veer off the conversation. It was. It was just.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

It was weird.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

It was a quirky interview, but useful and created a detailed record to investigate. And a lot of what Glenn described did check out.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

We drove to the dog park. Oh, and it's two minutes away or something.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Surveillance cameras confirmed Glen was at the dog park that Sunday. That was important for the investigation. But the rest of what Glenn said about that visit and his dog just felt like too much.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

You'd have to be parked as a new dog car.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Sure.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Well, we got this new dog by almost running over.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

One thing was clear. After Detective Friend's marathon conversation, Glenn's behavior was odd. But odd isn't a crime. And Glenn was sticking to his story that he had nothing to do with Ella's disappearance.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

What could have happened to her? I just don't know. I just don't know.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Investigators were stuck, too, awaiting results from the crime lab on that evidence taken during the search. And that's where things stood when a call came into the Richmond PD that seemed to have nothing to do with the case.

[Detective Jason Friend]

We get a call for a suspicious male that is approaching females at the park. And the females thought it was creepy, so they called 91 1.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

That guy turned out to be Glenn. An officer's body camera captured the scene.

[Detective Jason Friend]

What's going on, Glenn? What's going on today?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Now that. Here's my book. Unfairly.

[Police Officer]

Okay? I don't shake hands here.

[Detective Jason Friend]

He was aggressively and insistently trying to flirt with females at the dog park.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Hitting on women when your wife is missing. What was going on?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

What's wrong?

[Police Officer]

Okay. Is everything okay with you?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I'm okay.

[Police Officer]

Any of the reason why you're on your knees right now?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

No. I'm sorry. I'm a teacher, so I get down to talk to students.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Really? Dropping to your knees might make sense for a kindergarten teacher. Glenn taught college students.

[Detective Jason Friend]

He completely crumbles. He falls to his knees. He goes, yeah, no, I normally do this. The officer said, what? What are you talking about?

[Police Officer]

I mean, since I've gotten here, the most odd thing is you getting down on your knees.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I'm a teacher. I just admit they're down there. I'm tall. They're in the chair.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Okay.

[Police Officer]

I mean, I'm shorter than you, but I don't. I don't feel like you need to get on your knees to. No, you're address me with anything.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Right, Sir. Thank you.

[Detective Jason Friend]

I'll do a fish mount.

[Officer Walker Crace]

How's that?

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Okay.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It is very, very bizarre.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

What's wrong?

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn denied harassing anyone and wasn't arrested. But his interaction with the officer was bizarre and suspicious. Still, detective friend needed more than suspicions to prove Glenn had something to do with. With Ella's disappearance. And he would get much more, in a most unusual way, from Ella herself.

[Detective Jason Friend]

She had a secret recorder app on her phone.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

You're a monster. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done with you.

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[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Let's check in on the Serta counting

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

sheep why aren't we counting anymore?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Well, the all new Certa Perfect sleeper has the Q4 support system that helps relieve aches and back pain.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

We'll never get counted again?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Uh, nope.

[Lester Holt]

Certa.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

We make the world's best Matt. The incident in the park was as strange as it was suspicious.

[Police Officer]

Everything okay? Any reason why you're on your knees right now?

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I'm a teacher, so I get down to talk to students.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

And like the growing list of evidence, it led police to look at Glenn Jackson as the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Remember that Skype call Glenn said Ella made?

[Detective Jason Friend]

She actually did have about an hour, 45 minute long Skype conversation with her family member.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

But when the detective reached out to Ella's family in Russia, they said she wasn't there and they gave a very different version of the conversation.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Did they talk about Uber? Motel 6, airport passport?

[Detective Jason Friend]

No.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

None of those four things came up.

[Detective Jason Friend]

None of those four things came UP.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

It looks like Glenn was caught in a lie spun to make officers believe Ella did run away. Other evidence painted an ugly picture of Glenn.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You find a notebook and you come to find out it's her diary.

[Police Officer]

That's right.

[Detective Jason Friend]

We find that in her bedroom and it's kind of hidden.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

A diary with just one very disturbing entry.

[Detective Jason Friend]

She had wrote how scared she was of Glenn. She called him a pathological liar and a narcissist, a sociopath.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

I mean, I'm just stunned by that. In this whole diary, there's only one entry, and it's just detailing how terrified she is of her husband.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

That's right.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Like she was leaving clues for someone to, if necessary, find later.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Yeah, Ella's phone revealed even more clues she left behind.

[Detective Jason Friend]

She had a secret recorder app on her phone that she had downloaded on her phone. There was about 70 or 75 different recordings on that app, and most of them were arguments that she had had with Glenn.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Wow.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

In one of the arguments, Ella accused Glenn of having a tryst at a hotel.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

You ended up going, then having the dinner, and then checking into the hotel with the woman. I will divorce you.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

That's ridiculous.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

I want you to be truthful.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I'm being truthful.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

I will divorce you. I will actually divorce you.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

So you hear this. I mean immediately. Are you thinking, okay, I've caught him in a lie?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Absolutely. Yep. Point number one, he was very specific to tell me that their marriage was great.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Dozens of conversations recorded over several months clearly showed not only was this marriage new, not great, it was downright toxic.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

You are mean. Yes. You're a monster. You are destroying me physically and mentally every single day. You just injured me. I have bruises.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Another piece of evidence, Ella's Fitbit, found at the house. It recorded, among other things, her heart rate on the day she went missing.

[Detective Jason Friend]

6:15pm that evening. On Sunday, she had a brief and sudden heart rate spike. After a few minutes of a high heart rate, the biometric data went blank.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

It stopped.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It stopped.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

What does that show?

[Detective Jason Friend]

Well, you can interpret that as Ella taking off her Fitbit. Another way you can interpret that loss of biometric data is she didn't have

[Interviewer / Reporter]

a heart rate, that her heart stopped.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Her heart stopped.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn said he was at the dog park at 6:15 that evening. Detective Friend wasn't buying it.

[Detective Jason Friend]

We knew that was a lie because I had gotten surveillance from around the neighborhood showing when he actually went to the dog park, Glenn was at that. At the house.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

At that time, Detective Friend had built a circumstantial case, but he still didn't have news from the crime lab about evidence taken months earlier during the search of Glen's house and car. So he waited. And waited.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You all were sitting on. Waiting on pins and needles for this to come back. That had to have felt like an eternity.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It was. Yep, it did. It was a long time.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Six months after Ella disappeared, the detective called Glenn in for another interview.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It was different than the original six hour long interview.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Different tone.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Different tone. It was more confrontational. The Colombo act is over. Because up until this point, I wanted him to believe I was just this bumbling idiot of a detective. He had never talked to the real detective Friend before.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

And he met you that day.

[Detective Jason Friend]

He met me that day. She's dead and she's not coming back.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

I don't know that she is.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Yes, you do.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The detective told Glenn about Ella's secret recordings.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Turn my little laptop around. Well, let's listen to him.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Glenn, you Brought out the receipts.

[Detective Jason Friend]

I brought the receipts. That's right.

[Ella Jackson (recorded voice)]

You're a mean. Yes. You're a monster.

[Detective Jason Friend]

He's getting me to believe. Oh, she was just joking. That was just a joke.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

She meant it in just like, you know, a daddy monster.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Haha.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It's that intellectual karate match. He still thinks he can outwit me. So every time that he tries to lie or manipulate, I cut him off and say, no, Glenn, no, no. I'm not going to let you do that.

[Police Officer]

Stop.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Stop.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Enough with it.

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

Stop it.

[Detective Jason Friend]

We are so far beyond you trying to lie anymore. I said that to him. I know that you're responsible for your wife's death, so we're not playing around anymore.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Friend repeatedly pushed Glenn to confess, to tell the truth for his son Alex's sake.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Are you going to let him go? Throughout his entire life without knowing the truth about what happened to his mother?

[Glenn Jackson (Ella's husband)]

He.

[Detective Jason Friend]

This is the time where you tell me the truth with what actually happened to Ella. Are you gonna love that?

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Friend pushed for hours, but there was no confession. At least not to him.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

He says, I bet you didn't think I was that evil. What did you say?

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

I just kind of was flabbergasted and just kind of in sh.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The interview was tense, combative. Detective friend already had Glenn on the defensive. Then the detective hit him with a piece of evidence from the crime lab report that had just come in. And it was a game changer.

[Detective Jason Friend]

I know there was bloodshed. I know there was bloodshed. Ella shed her blood. Because we found the blood.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Friends spelled it all out in detail. DNA testing showed Ella's blood was in the trunk of Glenn's car, and someone had tried to clean it up with bleach.

[Detective Jason Friend]

So we know 100% that that that was. That was Ella's blood.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

Then you know more than I do.

[Detective Jason Friend]

There was a struggle. There was. We know that there was bloodshed,

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

But there was.

[Detective Jason Friend]

There was. There was.

[Police Officer]

Glenn.

[Glenn Jackson (continued)]

But I've never hurt anyone physically.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Stop, Glenn.

[Detective Jason Friend]

It's enough. We're done.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

What are you thinking in that moment?

[Detective Jason Friend]

I'm thinking that it's time that he's arrested. The jig is up. And you know the jig is up. You are being arrested today, and you will be transported to the Madison County Detention Center. That's going to happen.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Glenn Jackson was charged with murder, even though Ella's body had never been found. That could have been a problem for prosecutors. But just four days after Glenn's arrest, a group of mushroom hunters stumbled upon human remains in a forest about an hour from Glenn's home, dental records confirmed it was Ellen.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

The not knowing. You think in the moment is the

[Interviewer / Reporter]

worst pain, because even in the waiting,

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

you could still have hope.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

You had hope.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

There was still hope.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

And now that's gone.

[Narrator / Friend of Ella]

And now there's just this deep sadness that just never leaves.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

When Glenn's friend Joe Hamm learned Ella's body had been found, it forced him to reckon with a shocking conversation he'd had with Glen. It happened months earlier. Joe and his daughter were visiting Glen and Alex. The kids were inside playing when Glen pulled Joe aside.

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

He just looks at me and just point blank says that I effing killed her. I bet you didn't think I was that evil.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

He says this to you?

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

Yeah, I just kind of was flabbergasted and just kind of in shock after he told you.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

I mean, there were months that went by before he was arrested. Why didn't you call an investigator?

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

Because she was still technically missing. And I didn't know if he was just having, like, some kind of complex, you know, post traumatic stress disorder from his wife missing. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer / Reporter]

I didn't know if this was a real confession or not.

[Joe Hamm (Glenn's friend)]

Yeah, that's exactly right.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

After pleading not guilty, Glenn was released on bond. He then spent more than five years under house arrest awaiting trial. Ella's friend Dana couldn't believe it.

[Dana Caproni (Ella's friend)]

I don't understand it. Someone needs to start asking, like, questions on that one.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Why do you think that he was able to spend so much time on house arrest?

[Dana Caproni (Ella's friend)]

I think he was afforded a really good lawyer.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

All right, Good morning, everybody.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

I'm Judge Mayer.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Then, just days before his trial was set to begin, Jackson took an Alford plea, acknowledging there was enough evidence to convict him, but not admitting guilt. Detective Friend was outraged.

[Detective Jason Friend]

Either take it to trial and let him be acquitted or convicted, but having this red tape loophole, oh, I'll plead kind of guilty, but I'm not going to admit to anything. I mean, that's ludicrous.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

What is happening here is not truly justice for other. To guarantee Glenn didn't walk free. The prosecutor said she agreed to the deal for one person. Alex. I think it is the one thing that Ella would have wanted most of all, and that is that Alexander would never be subject to Mr. Jackson again. Defendant Glenn Jackson. In May of 2026, in 2006, Glenn was sentenced for manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence

[Interviewer / Reporter]

for a

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

14 year total sentence. 14 years with credit for time served. Glenn could be out as early as 2032, he and his attorney declined our request for an interview.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

He's getting a very lenient sentence for never expressing remorse, never admitting what he did, in fact, lying for years about what he did because he was comfortable sitting at home. It's frustrating.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

Is it hard for you coming here?

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Knowing the house where Glen Ella and their son Alex lived had become run down and overgrown, Jason told us how much it meant to.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

When she first moved in here, she was sending me pictures and she just loved it. She loved the. The trees, the nature of the yard.

[Interviewer / Reporter]

I'm so struck just looking around here. I see shadows of a sweet childhood for Alex. This play place equipment over there where he could have fun as a kid.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Alex, after his father was arrested, it wasn't called what would happen to him. That's when Jason turned to his wife, Natalia. We were thinking more about Alex, like

[Interviewer / Reporter]

where he's going to go.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Having no children of their own, they decided to take Alex in until they could find a permanent home.

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

He came to us so calm, perfect, respectful, intelligent.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

And that's when a bright light suddenly filled a black hole. When he came to our house, we

[Interviewer / Reporter]

fall in love with him.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

The couple is adopting Alex, now 12 years old and a top student. He asked us not to show what he looks like today, but he did want to share one of the only keepsakes he has from his mom. Her favorite necklace.

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

My mom mattered. Her life mattered.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

Back when his dad was sentenced, Alex decided not to go to the hearing. Instead, he sent this recording that was played in court.

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

I had only been in kindergarten for two months when my mom was murdered. When she disappeared, I did not understand what happened. I didn't. I didn't know my mom had been taken from me forever.

[Narrator / Dateline Host]

What do you want him to know about his mom?

[Jason Hans (Ella's ex-husband)]

I want him to know how much she loved him. How much happiness I saw in her after he was born.

[Alex Jackson (Ella's son)]

She should have been here to watch me grow up. She should have been here for my childhood, my teenage years and my future.

[Lester Holt]

And that's all for this edition of Dateline. Don't forget to check out our talking Dateline podcast, in which we'll go behind the scenes of tonight's episode, available Wednesday in the Dateline feed. Wherever you get your podcasts, we'll see you again next Friday at 10, 9 Central. I'm Lester Holt. For all of us at NBC News, good night.

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