Murder in the Moonlight - Ep. 6: The Final Dominoes Fall

Summary

Dateline Originals: "Murder in the Moonlight - Ep. 6: The Final Dominoes Fall"

Host: Keith Morrison
Release Date: April 30, 2025
Podcast Series: Dateline Originals
Producer: NBC News

---

1. Introduction to the Stock Murders

In Episode 6 of Dateline Originals titled "The Final Dominoes Fall," host Keith Morrison delves into the harrowing case of the Stock murders in Cass County, Nebraska. This episode unpacks the complexities and unraveling threads that led to multiple convictions, uncovering corruption, false confessions, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

2. Matt Livers' Confession and Release

The episode begins by highlighting the pivotal moment when Matt Livers confessed to the brutal killings of his aunt and uncle, Wayne and Charman Stock. However, his confession was riddled with inconsistencies, leading to his eventual release.

• Keith Morrison [00:53]: "Time to make a decision. Charge ahead or walk away sort of thing keeps a prosecutor up at night."

Livers' confession initially appeared damning but was later deemed unreliable. After more than seven months in jail, prosecutors acknowledged the flawed confession.

• Julie Baer [02:47]: "I probably had the biggest hug from a man that I've ever had in my life."

• Matt Livers [03:33]: "I'm innocent. I had absolutely nothing to do with."

Timestamp Highlight:
At 03:10, Cass County Prosecutor Nathan Cox emphasizes the integrity of his role:

"It's not my intention to try and convict somebody that is not guilty... The issue is whether justice is being done."

3. Impact on Relationships: Matt and Nick

Matt Livers' exoneration had profound effects on his relationship with his cousin, Nick Sampson, who was also cleared of involvement. The false accusation strained their bond irreparably.

• Julie Baer [06:24]: "Ruin it completely. It hurts knowing that he couldn't even be man enough after all this happened."

Despite efforts, Matt chose to distance himself, prioritizing his return to normalcy over reconciliation.

• Matt Livers [07:13]: "Unless I move?"

• Julie Baer [07:14]: "Yeah, but I don't want to move. I love Murdoch. It's my home."

4. Prosecution Against Jessica Reed and Greg Fester

With Matt and Nick exonerated, attention shifted to Jessica Reed and her boyfriend, Greg Fester. Jessica faced a crucial decision: accept a plea deal or maintain her innocence.

Initially refusing a deal that could have secured a lighter sentence by implicating innocent individuals, Jessica later reconsidered.

• Julie Baer [09:22]: "Jessica Reed had given up the deal that could have given her a lighter sentence... and this one she took."

However, a procedural error by the county attorney eliminated the possibility of seeking the death penalty for Fester, leading prosecutors to settle for second-degree murder charges for both Reed and Fester.

Timestamp Highlight:
At 11:27, prosecutor Nathan Cox reflects on the plea bargain:

"I didn't think so... She did some constructive things while she was incarcerated."

5. The Trial and Sentencing

The courtroom confrontation was emotionally charged as the Stock family faced their assailants for the first time.

• Steve Stock [10:49]: "It was to me there, yeah."

During sentencing, both Reed and Fester received two consecutive life terms, sparing Fester the death penalty due to the earlier technicality.

• Keith Morrison [12:21]: "You were like, what? I'm not supposed to feel bad about this. I mean, how can you have no remorse for this at all?"

6. Interview with Jessica Reed

In a poignant segment, Dateline secured an exclusive interview with Jessica Reed, providing an intimate look into her remorse and the trauma of her actions.

• Julie Baer [20:53]: "Two people are dead because of me, you know, and I'm. I have a very hard time with that still."

Reed recounts the night's events, expressing deep regret and the weight of her actions.

• Julie Baer [22:30]: "And when he told me not to cry, it was like, what? I'm not supposed to feel bad about this."

Despite her involvement, Reed emphasizes her remorse and the desire to atone for her crimes.

• Julie Baer [26:21]:

  "Because when I wake up in the morning, I can look at myself and be okay. They're where they should be, on the streets because they didn't do anything. And I'm where I should be."

7. Current Status and Aftermath

Years after the murders, the aftermath continues to unfold. Matt Livers and Nick Sampson pursued legal action, securing over $7.5 million in settlements. Meanwhile, the CSI chief, David Coford, faced legal battles for evidence tampering, ultimately receiving a sentence of up to four years despite his claims of innocence.

• Julie Baer [30:37]:

  "Had they not been able to trace that ring to its owner in Wisconsin, I'm really afraid we'd have two guys sitting on death row or locked up for something they didn't do."

Andy Stock, one of the victims' sons, finds solace in rebuilding his family's legacy through Stock Hay and Grain, choosing to create positive memories despite the tragedy.

8. Conclusion: Lingering Questions and Unresolved Truths

The episode concludes by addressing the enduring mystery surrounding the Stock murders. Despite multiple convictions, questions remain about the true chain of events and the motivations that led two teenagers to commit such heinous acts.

• Nathan Cox [27:20]:

  "I hope someday we can all sit down and look at each other and say, were these two involved? Yes or no?"

Keith Morrison leaves listeners contemplating the elusive nature of truth and justice, underscoring the complexities of the legal system and human fallibility.

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Notable Quotes:

• Keith Morrison [00:53]: "Time to make a decision. Charge ahead or walk away sort of thing keeps a prosecutor up at night."

• Matt Livers [03:33]: "I'm innocent. I had absolutely nothing to do with."

• Julie Baer [02:47]: "I probably had the biggest hug from a man that I've ever had in my life."

• Nathan Cox [03:10]: "It's not my intention to try and convict somebody that is not guilty... The issue is whether justice is being done."

• Julie Baer [26:21]: "Because when I wake up in the morning, I can look at myself and be okay. They're where they should be, on the streets because they didn't do anything. And I'm where I should be."

This episode of Dateline Originals masterfully navigates the intricate web of this true crime case, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the events, motivations, and lasting impacts on all involved parties.

Transcript

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[Keith Morrison]

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[Keith Morrison]

It's a funny old expression, isn't it? Fisher cut bait. But everybody knows. Everybody knows what it means. Time to make a decision. Charge ahead or walk away sort of thing keeps a prosecutor up at night. There was Matt Livers, who had confessed to killing his aunt and uncle Wayne and Charman Stock. And then unconfessed. Convictable maybe. Confessions speak loud in court. But then they had to release Nick Sampson, the cousin who obviously didn't take part. And Jessica Reed, who most certainly was in on the murders with her boyfriend, Greg Fester, refused a sweet deal to testify against either Nick or Matt. And now the CSI chief who'd overseen the crime scene, David Coford, had been accused of planting evidence. Oh, and yes, there was that awkward business about the sheriff's office failing for months to tell Matt's attorneys that he had recanted his confession.

[Matt Livers]

I mean, I've been making answers up.

[Keith Morrison]

Left and right, and now it truly was time to act one way or the other. Fisher cut bait. I'm Keith Morrison, and this is Murder in the Moonlight, a podcast from Dateline. Episode 6, the Final Domino's Fall. By the end of 2006, more than seven months after the Stock murders, the problems with their case multiplying, prosecutors finally agreed with the defense lawyers. Matt Lyra's confessions were, as they say, unreliable. His attorney, Julie Baer.

[Julie Baer]

I went over to the jail and Matt was in the cell and we told him, you know, this is, it's over, you know, you're going home. And, you know, I probably had the biggest hug from a man that I've ever had in my life.

[Keith Morrison]

Cass county prosecutor Nathan Cox was once again left to call in the press and make the announcement.

[Nathan Cox]

It's not my intention to try and.

[Keith Morrison]

Convict somebody that is not guilty that's not why I'm in this business. The winning isn't the issue.

[Nathan Cox]

The issue is whether justice is being done.

[Keith Morrison]

And with that, after more than seven months in jail, Matt Livers was free. We did it. Free to speak to the press for the first time since his arrest.

[Matt Livers]

I'm innocent. I had absolutely nothing to do with.

[Keith Morrison]

This, at least for him. The doubters in the town, all around him seemed to vanish in the joy of it all.

[Matt Livers]

I just went crazy. Praise the Lord. Praise. You know, thank you, thank you, praise the Lord type thing.

[Keith Morrison]

His girlfriend Sarah was there, of course, to take him home. And not long after, they became Mr. And Mrs. Lives and we had a talk.

[Matt Livers]

Best day of my life. Best day besides marrying my wife. Here. Sorry.

[Keith Morrison]

Was it like watching him come out of there?

[Julie Baer]

Oh, it was awesome. It was awesome. He's like, I'm free. I'm free.

[Matt Livers]

You know, and praise the Lord.

[Keith Morrison]

It was great.

[Julie Baer]

It was just great to be able to touch him and feel him and be with him again, you know, and everything.

[Matt Livers]

It was a wonderful day.

[Keith Morrison]

But why in heaven's name had Matt confessed in the first place? Finally, now that he was free, we could ask him. This was back in 2010. A lot of the audience will say, well, come on, nobody's gonna confess to something they didn't do, especially something so horrible as the murder of your own relatives.

[Matt Livers]

Well, they changed their tactics on me. My rear end was gonna be in the frying pan. They were gonna be going for the death penalty.

[Keith Morrison]

You're scared.

[Matt Livers]

Yeah, tremendously. I'd been in there with them for a long time. So, yeah, I started. I believe that they. I mean, they're police, you know, on the side of their car, you know, it says to serve and protect. You know, And I just thought I was serving them. I thought if I'd tell them what they wanted to hear, that I could get to go home.

[Keith Morrison]

How did Nick's name come up?

[Matt Livers]

They asked me who else was involved, and I started just throwing out names. Finally, when I said Nick's name, then that's when they seemed. They were happy. And believe me.

[Keith Morrison]

So you just pull it out of your hat, like a bunch of names, and his was the only one that. That stuck, as it were.

[Matt Livers]

Yeah. Yeah, pretty much.

[Keith Morrison]

Why would you have mentioned him particular?

[Matt Livers]

You know, I've been asked this question before, and the only answer I could give you is because I think it was. I talked to him on the cell phone a few days before, and his name was just fresh in my memory, you know, I'M terribly sorry for him. I hated, hated it for him. But when I said his name, that's who it stuck. And they ran with it more. Ran with it more or less, yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

But the damage was done. The whole thing left Matt and his cousin Nick at a loss for words to each other. What has this done to your relationship with Matt?

[Julie Baer]

Ruin it completely. It hurts knowing that he couldn't even be man enough after all this happened, that apologize.

[Keith Morrison]

And what's he chosen to do? Forget all about it. Forget all about you.

[Julie Baer]

I think he just wants to forget it ever happened. People give me about it all the time. You know, I try and let make a joke out of it, but it hurts every once in a while.

[Keith Morrison]

We wanted to know if their relationship has been mended. We reached out. They did not respond. What will it take to convince them.

[Nathan Cox]

That you're an innocent man?

[Julie Baer]

I don't think anything will.

[Keith Morrison]

You mean you're gonna have to live under these, under this cloud for the rest of your life? Probably. How do you do that?

[Matt Livers]

Unless I move?

[Julie Baer]

Yeah, but I don't want to move. I love Murdoch. It's my home.

[Keith Morrison]

Nick and Matt, although at odds, were finally free. As for Jessica Reed and Greg Fester, it was time for judgment.

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[Keith Morrison]

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[Keith Morrison]

Jessica Reed had given up the deal that could have given her a lighter sentence. Now, almost a year after the stock murders, the prosecutors offered her one more chance. Not a get out of jail free card. Oh, no, no. But a deal just the same. And this one she took. Jessica said she would plead guilty to second degree murder in exchange for her testimony at trial against her accomplice, Greg Fester. Which meant, given she was still only 18 by then, she might get out of prison someday, have some sort of life. Second degree murder by law carried a sentence of 20 years to life with a chance for parole. So, all set? Apparently. But then. Well, in this case, would you expect anything to go according to plan? Because to all the mystifying moves by investigators and prosecutors in Cass County, Nebraska. Add one more, and this time, it was a big one. A judge ruled the county attorney had missed a deadline to announce his intention to seek the death penalty against Greg Fester. And so first degree murder was off the table. There would be no chance to send Greg Fester to death row. Another blow to the Stark children. Tammy, Steve and Andy. Is that a disappointment to you?

[Steve Stock]

It was to me there, yeah.

[Julie Baer]

Yeah.

[Steve Stock]

So then we just asked, well, what's. What's the guaranteed way to get them the worst possible thing that they can give for punishment? Well, we think if we do it this way, that they're going to end up in prison for the rest of their life. Well, that's what you think is going to happen? That's. Let's go to that, because that's what they need to get, is the worst thing they could get to.

[Nathan Cox]

I. I told the attorney, all I ask is make them stand up and take responsibility and go for the most that you can get.

[Keith Morrison]

So, before long, a new deal was reached. Both Fester and Reid would plead guilty to murder in the second degree. And in March 2007, not yet a year since the killings, they entered a courtroom to come face to face for the first time with the Stocks family. You went to the sentencing?

[Julie Baer]

We did. It's the first time we saw.

[Nathan Cox]

And as three sat in the front row, we watched them both walk in.

[Julie Baer]

One at a time. I didn't think I could feel so much anger and sorrow and sadness. I.

[Nathan Cox]

And I thought, you know, triggered by.

[Keith Morrison]

The sight of them.

[Julie Baer]

Yeah. Kind of shocked me.

[Steve Stock]

Had it in you, do you?

[Keith Morrison]

I didn't.

[Steve Stock]

So I remember just thinking I didn't know I could be this mad.

[Keith Morrison]

In the courtroom, the judge read the victim impact statements, which had been written by Wayne and Charman's family members, as if such an impact could be measured in words. Jessica Reed and Greg Fester each apologized to the Stock family, and then the family held its breath. Steve Stock.

[Steve Stock]

The whole thing itself was just kind of a blur. It was so nerve wracking and hard to sit through. But then when I got to the end and, you know, the judge went through the whole thing when he was actually talking, there's a little part of me saying he's going to let these guys off easy.

[Keith Morrison]

But no, that was not to be. For Fester, the Judge handed down two consecutive life terms, plus another 10 to 20 years for using a weapon. For Jessica Reed, the first of the courthouse to make a deal. Remember, there was, in fact, no break at all. She got the same sentence for murder as Fester, Two life terms to be served back to back, if you could do such a thing. Her attorney, Tom Olson, was that justice?

[Tom Olson]

I didn't think so. I thought that there was no question, I think everyone believed in the case that the individual most culpable was Fester. No question about it. That the only person who had cooperated was Jessica, that the only person who really did the right thing by exonerating lives and Sampson was Jessica. That she did show true remorse, that she had to. She had done some constructive things while she was incarcerated. In that you would have thought that something would have been given to her.

[Keith Morrison]

She might have had a date far in the future, 40 years away, maybe, where she might get a chance in front of a parole.

[Matt Livers]

Well, that's what you're hoping.

[Tom Olson]

That's what we were hoping for. I mean, she was only 17. She really had no record to speak of, of anything prior to this, that the circumstances by which she came here, along with Fester, he's older, you know, she loves him, they're going across country and that this occurrence, the murders, was not a planned thing. They didn't go in there with the intent to go and shoot up the place. At least she didn't. That she would have gotten something for that. And I was hoping, at least for some type of term of years where she had a date. And so we were disappointed. I know Jessica was disappointed that she didn't she got the life sentence, but at least she can go away with knowing that she did the right thing. Faced with the opportunity to probably write her ticket out of jail at some point in time, she did the right thing. She told the truth and she didn't take the bait or fall into the trap of saying that these boys were there when they were not to save her own neck.

[Keith Morrison]

For the Stock family, ever graceful people, the sentences were a relief. But later, when we sat down with Andy Stock and his siblings in 2010, a rare flash of anger directed toward the two who took his parents lives.

[Nathan Cox]

I hope they live a miserable life because it's turned our lives upside down and so many other people's lives. They made the choice to go into that house. They made the choice to take guns in the house. They made the choice to go upstairs when they knew someone was home. They made the choice to go in the bedroom. And mom and dad had no choice. Our kids don't have a choice. My son, who will never know his grandma and grandpa doesn't have a choice. The thing that I guess still gets to me is they were put in prison for life, but they can still receive letters from their family. They can still pick up the phone and call their parents. They can still live life to some degree. It's not a free life, but kind of. They, they're still. They can still talk to their family.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Nathan Cox]

And they can still talk to their parents and we can't. And I think that's what still gets me. They were put away for life, but they still have life. We don't.

[Keith Morrison]

There was another unresolved question, of course, the big one still not fully answered. What really happened that night on the Stock farm? What led two Wisconsin teenagers to throw away their lives by so callously killing a Nebraska farm couple whom everyone loved? Perhaps only two people in the world know what happened inside that farmhouse and why. So we gathered up our recording gear and checked ourselves into the Nebraska Correctional center for Women, where a convicted killer was waiting to talk to us.

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[Keith Morrison]

How close they seemed to each other Given the vast expanse of the Nebraska prairie, it was perhaps an irrational thought, but somehow affecting. There she was, year after year, housed in a prison just an hour's drive from the scene of her crime. It was here on a cool, windy day that we were given one hour, no more, to talk to Jessica Reed, fresh off a shift working in what the inmates there call the dish room.

[Julie Baer]

Meaning I would do the dishes, run all the dishes through the washing machine and all that. And sucks.

[Keith Morrison]

How long you had that job?

[Julie Baer]

I've had it for a few months now.

[Keith Morrison]

Jessica Reed, at the time of this interview, was 21 years old. She looked and carried herself and spoke more like some kindergarten teacher than a convicted killer. Makes no difference. She will very likely die in prison. And she told us she will spend her life haunted by what happened in that farmhouse.

[Julie Baer]

Two people are dead because of me, you know, and I'm. I have a very hard time with that still.

[Keith Morrison]

What was it like to watch those people die? Hell, and when you see it in.

[Julie Baer]

Your head, it makes my heart drop. It makes me very just like really exhausted because I can't change that. That's one thing in this world that I can't go back and fix.

[Keith Morrison]

The truth about that night after so many lies, so many versions, here it is, said Jessica. She and Greg Fester, days without sleep or real food, had been driving aimlessly through Wisconsin and Iowa and Nebraska, breaking into homes along the way. In one, she grabbed a shotgun, a 410. So on Eastern night, there they were, armed, drugged and wired, bumping along a random country Road, and Greg said, stop. Turned out to be the Stock farmhouse, though they had no idea who lived there. But in they went through that unlocked window Fester found.

[Julie Baer]

Greg was like, you know, follow me real quick. So I followed him, and I was wearing this coat that was making a lot of noise.

[Keith Morrison]

One of those puffy coats. Right.

[Julie Baer]

Like a windbreaker type deal.

[Keith Morrison]

Right.

[Julie Baer]

And it was making me nervous, so I, like, took it off and set it down on the floor.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Julie Baer]

In the kitchen. And he went straight upstairs, and so I followed him up the stairs.

[Keith Morrison]

Why'd he go upstairs?

[Julie Baer]

I don't know.

[Keith Morrison]

Didn't tell you?

[Julie Baer]

He just told me to follow him, so I did.

[Keith Morrison]

Okay.

[Julie Baer]

And we went upstairs, and when I turned around, Greg had turned on the light in the room, and I seen this guy laying in the bed, and I said, come on, let's go. Let's do something, you know, because there was people there.

[Keith Morrison]

What was the feeling you had as you said?

[Julie Baer]

That, like, panic. It was like craziness, Like, God, what if they wake up? You know what? He just turned and went into that room. The guy had rolled out of bed, and they were wrestling with the gun, and I just was, like, startled, and my gun went off. And I have no idea where that shot went.

[Keith Morrison]

Sources close to the investigation told Dateline there is reason to believe that whether Jessica knows it or not, her shot might have been the fatal one, that it may have struck Wayne Stock in the head with evidence of the shot obliterated by another shot from Greg Fester's 12 gauge.

[Julie Baer]

And then Greg shot the guy in the back of the head, and he went back in that room and shot that lady. He ran down the stairs, and I ran after him, and I picked up my coat on the way out. And that ring that they found.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Julie Baer]

It flew off then.

[Keith Morrison]

When you picked up your coat?

[Julie Baer]

Yes. I didn't know until, like, way, way later when they showed me a picture of it, because I knew I lost that ring, but I had no idea where.

[Keith Morrison]

What was it like in that truck on the way away?

[Julie Baer]

We didn't say anything. I mean, I started crying at one point, and Greg just looked at me, and he was like, don't do that. You know?

[Keith Morrison]

But what about all those letters, the words found later in that house with Jessica's belongings, with that cigarette box? Word she wrote, boldly admitting to her crimes. I killed someone. He was older. I loved it. I wish I could do it all the time. If Greg doesn't watch it, I'm going to just leave one day and do it myself. I don't understand it.

[Julie Baer]

I hate hearing him because it's just kind of like how everything was portrayed. I. I hate hearing it because it was how everything was portrayed, because I'm not like that.

[Keith Morrison]

Were you like that at the time?

[Julie Baer]

No. That was my way of showing Greg that I was okay with it, too. Because when he told me not to cry, it was like, what? I'm not supposed to feel bad about this. I mean, how can you have no remorse for this at all?

[Keith Morrison]

To them, it meant that you were a cold hearted killer and that you enjoyed the process. And people saw you probably still see you as some kind of monster.

[Julie Baer]

Yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

You ever wonder about Greg Fester and whatever happened to him?

[Julie Baer]

I hope he's okay, you know? Cause I don't wish anything bad on him. I hope he's all right.

[Keith Morrison]

You still feel like he's a friend? A love?

[Julie Baer]

I have love for him. But as far as any of that other stuff, not really.

[Keith Morrison]

It's all a black hole of regret now, of course. Except she said for one good thing she did. She refused to implicate two men who had nothing to do with the murders. Turned down a golden chance to cut herself a better deal with prosecutors by lying and nailing Nick Sampson and Matt Libers. Do you kick yourself about that sometimes?

[Julie Baer]

No.

[Keith Morrison]

Why not?

[Julie Baer]

Because when I wake up in the morning, I can look at myself and be okay. They're where they should be, on the streets because they didn't do anything. And I'm where I should be.

[Keith Morrison]

You know, a lot of the members of their family believe that they got away with it, that they were involved and that somehow, I don't know, you protected them, but that they. They're. They're guilty. What would you say to those suspicious. Those people with their suspicions to stop.

[Julie Baer]

Being suspicious because they weren't there. They had nothing to do with this.

[Keith Morrison]

But for the Stock family, it wasn't that simple. Can you believe Jessica? They asked? They were driven, they told us, by a common sense instilled at an early age by their murdered parents. And so they still were asking, who? Why? Who did this?

[Nathan Cox]

I'd like to know the honest truth about everything. You know, I hope someday we can all sit down and look at each other and say, were these two involved? Yes or no? Definitely. Was the blood planted? Yes or no? Definitely. I don't know we'll ever know those answers. I don't know if there's any way to prove those answers, but I hope someday we'll know.

[Keith Morrison]

We wanted to know how The Stock family feels about Matt and Nick today, but they did not respond. As for Jessica Reed, since that day we spoke to her in prison, she's had a bit of an epiphany. She explained in a TED Talk taped.

[Julie Baer]

Behind prison walls, what if my real purpose is to never get out of prison but change the way imprisoned women come in broken and leave mended? All I ever wanted to do was just get out of here, leave all this behind and never look back. That one thought changed my whole paradigm. I stopped living solely for my own outcome, and I started living for those around me.

[Keith Morrison]

What if indeed, at this point, Jessica has served 18 years behind bars. She is not eligible for parole. Her accomplice, Greg Fester, did not respond to our interview requests. He, too, has served 18 years. No parole for him either. Ever. A postscript. Andy Stock now runs Stock Hay and Grain. He knocked down the home where the murders occurred and built a new house where he made some better memories. Matt Livers and Nick Sampson have gone through many struggles to get back their good names. They settled lawsuits against state and local authorities, as well as CSI chief David Coford, for something north of $7.5 million. As for Cofode, he was acquitted of federal evidence tampering charges. But then the state of Nebraska took up the case, and at his second trial, Cofode was found guilty of evidence tampering. You understand what you were convicted of? Yes, you, Honor. At his sentencing, the career law enforcement man again denied planting evidence and told the judge the truth would come out eventually.

[Nathan Cox]

I don't believe this is the last of this case for me.

[Keith Morrison]

I want to continue on, and that's.

[Nathan Cox]

Nothing personal with you.

[Keith Morrison]

But the judge had a somewhat different perspective. He told the court he'd been moved by letters from Livers and Sampson asking him to throw the book at Coford. And that is just what he did. The defendant has not acknowledged any wrongdoing. He's not appeared to be particularly remorseful. The sentence up to four years in prison. Covid served two. In the end, two defense lawyers still marvel that poor police work almost did their clients in, even as investigators on the same case brilliantly tracked the one piece of evidence that saved lives and Samson and finally identified the real murderers. A simple gold ring.

[Julie Baer]

Had they not been able to trace that ring to its owner in Wisconsin, I'm really afraid we'd have two guys sitting on death row or locked up for the rest of their lives for something they didn't do.

[Keith Morrison]

As for that citizen who went way beyond the call to find the critical evidence that saved Matt Lyers and Nick Sampson. That gold ring with the inscription on it. She shrugs as if Mary Martinu still believes it was no big deal. I heard homicide. If it was somebody in my family, I would have wanted the assistance. Murder in the moonlight is a production of Dateline and NBC News. Shane Bishop is the producer, Brian Drew, Kelly Laudeen, Bruce Berger, Marshall Housefeld and Candace Goldman are audio editors, Brittany Morris is field producer, Leslie Grossman is program coordinator, Adam Gorfin is co executive producer, Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer from NBC News. Audio sound mixing by Bob Mallory and Katie Lau Bryson Barnes is head of audio production.

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