4 - About Face

Summary

Murder in the Moonlight: Episode 4 - "About Face" Summary

Introduction

In the riveting fourth episode of Dateline’s podcast series, "Murder in the Moonlight," host Keith Morrison delves deeper into the chilling case of Sharmon and Wayne Stock's murder. Set against the backdrop of a serene farmhouse on America’s Great Plains, this episode, titled "About Face," explores the complexities and unexpected twists in the investigation that spans three states and involves four suspects. Released on February 26, 2025, the episode meticulously unpacks the confessions, evidence, and legal battles that shape this high-stakes true crime story.

Initial Confessions and Suspect Breakdown

The episode opens with confessions from three of the four suspects involved in the Stock murders.

• Matt Livers, a family cousin, confesses:
  “I did the shooting,” (01:53) and
  “I just ducked it to him and blew him away,” (01:57).

• Greg Fester, Jessica Reed’s accomplice, admits involvement by stating they were coerced by someone named Thomas:
  “It would help explain how two teens from Wisconsin end up at such a remote location that there is somebody else that's involved,” (03:39).

• Jessica Reed reveals her participation:
  “Shot again, we all run out of the house,” (02:04) and later shows signs of internal conflict about her actions:
  “This was so bizarre. That gives you a mindset of the type of person we were dealing with,” (06:15).

The fourth suspect, Nick Sampson, initially maintains his innocence:
“Oh, I wasn't there to swear to,” (02:13).

Investigation and Evidence Unearthed

Detective Jim Rohr plays a pivotal role in unraveling the truth. His investigation uncovers significant evidence that begins to challenge the initial confessions:

1. Discovery of the Shotgun Shell and Letter:
   While searching Jessica Reed's temporary residence, Rohr finds a hidden cigarette box containing a shotgun shell matching the murder weapon's caliber:
   “And alongside the shell, folded up in that cigarette box, was a letter written by Jessica Reed,” (04:36).
   The letter hints at Jessica's emotions:
   “This bullet, well, Bunny is the only thing left. And I loved it,” (04:47).

2. Jessica’s Diary Entries:
   A diary found in the same location reveals Jessica's troubling thoughts:
   “I killed someone. He was older. I loved it. I wish I could do it all the time,” (06:36).

3. Forensic Evidence:

   • Ballistics Tests confirm the shotgun shell found matches the one used in the murders.
   • Blood Evidence ties Wayne Stock’s blood to Jessica’s clothes and shoes.
   • DNA Analysis links the gold ring and marijuana pipe found at the crime scene to Jessica Reed and Greg Fester, respectively.

These findings strengthen the case against Jessica and Greg, leading to their charges for first-degree murder. However, discrepancies arise when defense attorneys scrutinize the alibis of Matt Livers and Nick Sampson.

Contradictions and Legal Challenges

Defense attorneys Julie Baer (for Matt Livers) and Jerry Susi (for Nick Sampson) uncover critical inconsistencies:

• Alibi Verification: Both Matt and Nick have strong alibis supported by their girlfriends, who provide credible testimonies and even pass polygraph tests affirming their whereabouts during the murders.

• Lack of Communication Evidence:
  Matt Livers claimed he and Nick Sampson discussed the murders via cell phone, but phone records reveal no such communication occurred, undermining Matt’s confession:
  “Communication never took place,” (19:42).
  Additionally, Matt was engaged in personal text conversations during the time the murders were said to have occurred, suggesting his alibi might be fabricated.

• Questionable Ballistics and Blood Evidence:
  Further analysis shows that the shotgun found under Nick’s bed does not match the murder weapon, and the blood on his jeans is not human, casting doubt on the prosecution’s case against him.

Defense’s Strategic Moves

Faced with mounting evidence indicating possible innocence, defense attorneys aggressively pursue the truth:

• Julie Baer confronts Matt Livers with the new findings, only to find him unaware of Jessica and Greg's involvement:
  “Do you know these people? Yeah. I was trapped in the Cult,” (24:33).

• Access to Confessions and Affidavits:
  Defense attorneys review detailed affidavits that include testimonies from Jessica and Greg, highlighting their potential innocence and the absence of evidence against Matt and Nick beyond confessed statements.

Turning Point: Prosecutor’s Deal with Jessica Reed

As inconsistencies surface, the prosecutor offers Jessica Reed a plea deal to secure her testimony against Matt Livers and Nick Sampson. This pivotal moment underscores the complexity of the case:

• The Deal:
  Jessica is promised reduced charges in exchange for her cooperation:
  “If she would agree to testify against Matt Libers and Nick Sampson, then the prosecutor could allow Jessica to plead guilty to a lesser charge,” (25:07).

• Jessica’s Reluctant Cooperation:
  In a tense meeting, Jessica expresses her predicament:
  “I'm screwed,” (27:35) and grapples with the decision to reveal the full truth during her testimony.

Emotional and Familial Impact

The murders have left Wayne and Sharmon Stock’s family grappling with immense loss and uncertainty:

• Family’s Struggle:
  Daughter Tammy reflects on the devastating impact:
  “We have just lost both our mom and our dad. To lose one is horrible,” (12:00), highlighting the emotional turmoil and the challenges of moving forward.

Conclusion and Ongoing Uncertainties

"About Face" concludes with unresolved questions about the true extent of each suspect’s involvement and the veracity of their confessions. As the legal battle intensifies, the episode sets the stage for the next installment, promising to uncover who truly was responsible for the tragic events on that fateful Easter night.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “I just ducked it to him and blew him away,” — Matt Livers (01:57)
• “This was so bizarre. That gives you a mindset of the type of person we were dealing with,” — Jessica Reed (06:15)
• “I liked the adrenaline rush. I don't want that adrenaline rush again,” — Jessica Reed (10:09)
• “I'm screwed,” — Jessica Reed (27:35)
• “Communication never took place,” — Jessica Reed (19:42)

Final Thoughts

Episode 4 of "Murder in the Moonlight" masterfully navigates the tangled web of confessions, evidence, and legal maneuvering that define this high-profile case. Through meticulous storytelling and insightful revelations, Keith Morrison keeps listeners engaged, shedding light on the elusive truth behind the murders of Sharmon and Wayne Stock. As the investigation unfolds, the episode highlights the precarious balance between justice and the complexities of human behavior, leaving audiences eagerly anticipating the resolution in future episodes.

Transcript

[Jessica Reed]

I was trapped in the cult. A new true crime docuseries.

[Keith Morrison]

Everything inside of me was screaming.

[Jessica Reed]

Just go. Ten Cults. He claimed he heard the voice of God. Ten stories of escape. It was an emotional battle. We were brainwashed. My sister and I got on the snow machine and I'm like, there's no way out. And if I got caught, he would for sure kill me. How I escaped my cult all episodes now streaming on Hulu.

[Keith Morrison]

This message is brought to you by Apple Pay. We all know our credit card numbers can be stolen, but you know it's harder to steal your face with Apple Pay. Your purchases are authenticated by you thanks to Face id. Just double click and smile and tap with each tap your card number and your purchases stay secured. Pay the Apple way with your compatible device anywhere. Contactless payment is accepted. Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payment Services, llc, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer. If there's anything like a Holy Grail, a gold standard in a high pressure murder investigation, then surely that must be the confession. Skilled interrogator leads tormented killer to inevitable and satisfactory conclusion, thus saving everyone a lot of time and trouble. Not to mention giving the family the answers they so desperately need. But three confessions? This was very good indeed. Four would have been even better. Of course, there being four suspects after all. But three would certainly do for now. Confessions from family cousin Matt Livers. I did the shooting, he said.

[Jessica Reed]

I just ducked it to him and blew him away.

[Keith Morrison]

Confessions to having been there from the two hopped up kids in the stolen red truck Jessica Reed and Greg Fester.

[Jessica Reed]

Shot again, we all run out of the house.

[Keith Morrison]

The fourth, Nick Sampson was a holdout, yes.

[Jessica Reed]

Oh, I wasn't there to swear to.

[Keith Morrison]

God's truth, but a little triangulation by two states worth of detectives ought to put him in the frame, too. First, the Wisconsin investigators would have to dredge up evidence to support or refute the stories Greg and Jessica were telling. Both of them, remember, said they witnessed but did not commit the gruesome murders of Wayne and Charman Stock on an Easter evening six weeks before in Murdoch, Nebraska, it was Jessica who fingered Nick Sampson after they showed her a picture of the guy. At least he looked familiar is how she put it. Which, if she was telling the truth, would back up Matt Lyver's confession rather nicely. Now it was the job of the Wisconsin detective, Jim Rohr, to find out if she was telling the truth. They had a confession in Nebraska. If she recognizes a picture of one of the people who were the subject of the confession in Nebraska. That's their verification of the original story. Right?

[Jessica Reed]

That helps. It certainly helps.

[Keith Morrison]

Jessica's accomplice and paramore, Greg Fester, confessed that they had been directed to the Stocks farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska by someone he called Thomas. Detective Rohr found that helpful, too.

[Jessica Reed]

It would help explain how two teens from Wisconsin end up at such a remote location that there is somebody else that's involved, that there is somebody directing them to this remote farmhouse to do this murder.

[Keith Morrison]

So while Jessica was being held in jail, the detective went over to the house where she had been staying, a sort of flop house for teens, as he called it. Seemed like a good place to start his search for some explanation.

[Jessica Reed]

What we were looking for was anything at all that would tie them to Nebraska or any other location that they were at during their crime sprees.

[Keith Morrison]

Like a cell phone. And like a piece of low hanging fruit, there it was. And happily, Jessica had given him permission to get into it, into the cell phone. Take a look at her calls and contacts.

[Jessica Reed]

I had a signed consent form from her saying I could have that phone.

[Keith Morrison]

Where was it?

[Jessica Reed]

Right where she said it was, in her little corner of that house where we performed the search warrant.

[Keith Morrison]

But the phone was not the only thing Jim Rohr found in that flop house. Though the rest of it wasn't quite so obvious. There was a picture on the wall near Jessica's little corner, a framed picture. And the frame itself stuck out a little bit. So the detective looked behind it and, well, what do you know? There was a cigarette box hidden in there. He opened it, and inside the box, a shotgun shell, 12 gauge, the same gauge as used in the murders. And alongside the shell, folded up in that cigarette box, was a letter written by Jessica Reed, apparently to Greg Fester. It read, quote, and this bullet, well, Bunny is the only thing left. And I loved it. But that's something we'll talk about one day. But it's here also, because that's something I did for you. Me, and for you to love me as much as I love you. That is the end of the quote. Detective Rohr read it again, took it in. Astonishing. When you read the material that you found, what did you think?

[Jessica Reed]

This was so bizarre. That gives you a mindset of the type of person we were dealing with.

[Keith Morrison]

Rohrer went back to his task, excited about it now. And pretty soon he found something else. It was a notebook, a diary of sorts, but no ordinary diary. Here were words penned by Jessica Reed herself. 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 I'll do it myself.

[Jessica Reed]

Pretty scary.

[Keith Morrison]

17 years old.

[Jessica Reed]

What this is telling us with this letter is her motivation, how she's feeling, and that she truly was involved in pulling the trigger on at least one of the people there.

[Keith Morrison]

I'm Keith Morrison, and this is Murder in the Moonlight, a podcast from Dateline. Episode four About Face. Detective Jim Rohr was driving back to the station in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, still shaking his head over what he found in that flop house used by Jessica Reed. What did you think?

[Jessica Reed]

I thought jail was the safest place for this girl. She said she loved killing, wished she could do it all the time.

[Keith Morrison]

Just don't expect to hear that from a young girl.

[Jessica Reed]

No.

[Keith Morrison]

Clearly, the detective needed to talk to Jessica again, and so he called the jail, and sheriff's deputies once again escorted Jessica from her cell to that dingy gray interview room, where this time, there was no holding back.

[Jessica Reed]

You got some explaining to do. And I'm going to tell you right.

[Keith Morrison]

Now.

[Jessica Reed]

I am at the end of my rope over this whole thing between you and young Gregory. I am giving you one opportunity, and one opportunity alone to come completely clean with every bit of your involvement in this. So you quit dancing around with me, because I know the truth. Craig blew the guy's head out, and he shot a hole through the lady's.

[Keith Morrison]

Face, laughing about murder. Well, anyway, there she'd said it. It was Greg Fester who killed the stalks. But why did she write that note? The one found by Detective Rohr?

[Jessica Reed]

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 go do it myself. You're in a lot of trouble, young lady. I didn't kill this guy, though. I didn't have a gun. How am I supposed to kill somebody without a gun?

[Keith Morrison]

I watched Rick do it.

[Jessica Reed]

I didn't kill anybody. I am not kidding. I did not kill anybody. I promised you guys this, you know what? 17 years old, and you've just thrown the rest of your life away.

[Keith Morrison]

She tried again to explain the words, and in doing so, she changed her story again. Confessed to firing one.

[Jessica Reed]

It depended on the day. You interviewed Jessica. One day, she's pulling the trigger and shooting the man above his eye. The next day, Greg did it all. It just was so back and forth with her. It was a very, very difficult time in every interview with her to really determine how much truth she was giving.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, the detective absolutely found Jessica Reed to be credible when she admitted one thing, that she enjoyed it. Okay, I'll tell you guys what I did like.

[Jessica Reed]

I liked the adrenaline rush. I know you did.

[Keith Morrison]

I didn't like what caused the adrenaline.

[Jessica Reed]

Rush, but I liked the adrenaline rush. I don't want that adrenaline rush again.

[Keith Morrison]

I liked it, but I liked it too much.

[Jessica Reed]

It's like heroin.

[Keith Morrison]

That's why I've never tried heroin in my life, because I have heard that.

[Jessica Reed]

You like it too much when you do it. So I won't ever do it because I don't want to get addicted to it.

[Keith Morrison]

And that, investigators believe, might have been the most honest thing Jessica Reed said. The rest of the story, the Jessica and Greg part of the story, was told by the science. Ballistics tests confirmed that the shell found in Jessica's cigarette box matched the spent shells found at the murder scene. And the murder weapon, well, that turned out to be a gun stolen from the same Wisconsin farm where they stole the red pickup truck. The truck they drove from Wisconsin to Nebraska and then dumped down in Louisiana. And then the forensics lab found blood still clinging to Jessica's clothes and shoes. And so they ran tests and confirmed that blood had once flowed through the veins of victim Wayne Stock. And also while they were there, while they were at it, they teased out DNA from the gold ring and that marijuana pipe the cops found on the ground near the farmhouse. And there was no doubt whose DNA it was. Jessica Reed on the ring, Greg Fester on the pipe. So both of them were charged first degree murder. But over in Nebraska, with the exception of law enforcement, no one knew a thing about the discoveries in Beaver Dam. Even Wayne and Charman Stock's three adult children were kept in the dark as they struggled to grip the wheel of their new, strange life. Lives. One thing to try to move on, quite another to actually do it. Here's daughter, Tammy.

[Jessica Reed]

We have just lost both our mom and our dad. To lose one is horrible. But to lose both of them and not have those parent figures that kept this family going. Where do we go? How do we help Andy with the farm? How do we let our children have a normal life?

[Keith Morrison]

Terrible questions none of them ever thought they'd have to contemplate. And that second set of confessors, Reed and Fester, they might have done their talking on the moon for all the family knew about it. Same for the accused killers. Matt LYRUS. And Nick Sampson. Not a word of the confessions in Wisconsin cost to them. And then a few days later, Sampson's defense attorney, Jerry Susi, answered the phone and everything changed.

[Jessica Reed]

I got a call saying they've arrested Reed and Fester up in Wisconsin, and we got no details on it at all.

[Keith Morrison]

So he waited, not patiently. And then in his frustration, Jerry Susi tried something unorthodox. And suddenly everything clicked.

[Jessica Reed]

You knew exactly what the case was at that point.

[Keith Morrison]

Well, maybe.

[Jessica Reed]

I was trapped in the cult. A new true crime docu series.

[Keith Morrison]

Everything inside of me was screaming, just go.

[Jessica Reed]

Ten cults. He claimed he heard the voice of God. Ten stories of escape. It was an emotional battle. We were brainwashed. My sister and I got on the snow machine and I'm like, there's no way out. And if I got caught, he would for sure kill me. How I escaped my cult all episodes now streaming on Hulu. Psoriatic arthritis symptoms can be unpredictable. I had joint pain and I couldn't move like I used to. I needed relief. I got Cosentyx. It helped me move better. Cosentyx Secukinumab is prescribed for people 2 years of age and older with active psoriatic arthritis. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur, like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal or viral infections. Some were fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweatshirts, chills, muscle aches or cough had a vaccine or planned to. Or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-cosentyx or cosentyx.com Ask your dermatologist about Cosentyx. Hey, look at you. Florist by day, student by night Student by day, nurse by Night since 1990 since 1998, Penn State World Campus has led the charge in online education, offering access to more than 200 degree and certificate programs taught by our expert faculty. We offer flexible schedules, scholarships and tuition plans to help you reach your educational goals. Online, Penn State World Campus delivers on your time. Click the ad or visit worldcampus.psu.edu to learn.

[Keith Morrison]

It's a tentative police work, an important and accepted principle, though sometimes adhered to grudgingly. When big things happen in murder cases like the one in Murdoch, the public needs to be told at least something. It's understood, however, that crucial details are to be withheld. The arrests of Livers and Sampson have been trumpeted far and wide. But now two more murder charges in a case that apparently had been solved. The arrests of teens Jessica Reed and Greg Fester in, of all places, Wisconsin, were announced so quietly that the news, the little of it that was revealed, didn't even get to the people in Murdock, Nebraska. They mostly remained in the dark. Even Nick Sampson's defense attention, attorney Jerry Susi, knew only the barest of detail, which did not sit well with him at all.

[Jessica Reed]

So I called a newspaper reporter. I said, you won't believe this, but they arrested two other people. He called me back about three hours later, and he says, you won't believe this, but I got the arrest warrant from Wisconsin. And he said, you want to read it? I says, oh, yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

And you got that from a newspaper?

[Jessica Reed]

I got it from the newspaper reporter.

[Keith Morrison]

It didn't come from the prosecutor's office?

[Jessica Reed]

No. It was being sealed. We would have gotten it later, but I wouldn't have gotten it that day. Quick.

[Keith Morrison]

Yeah.

[Jessica Reed]

And so I met him at a bar, and for the price of a Budweiser, I ended up being able to read the affidavit for the arrest warrant of Reed and Fester.

[Keith Morrison]

Those affidavits were a revelation. All those details culled from the hours and hours of police interviews with Greg Fester and Jessica Reed.

[Jessica Reed]

Craig blew the guy's head up.

[Keith Morrison]

Defense attorney Susie just couldn't believe his eyes as he read the story of the cigarette case. The shells which matched the shotgun, the marijuana pipe those two teenagers had dropped along the way, the gold ring that set off a whole new investigation, and most tellingly, DNA irrefutably linking Reed and Fester to the crime. Suddenly, it was all beginning to make sense. Remember, Susie's client, Nick Sampson, professed his innocence from day one.

[Jessica Reed]

I'm getting framed for something I didn't do.

[Keith Morrison]

Meantime, defense attorney Julie Bears client Matt Libers confessed, but then told her he didn't do it. So for weeks after the arrests, these attorneys have been asking themselves the very same simple question. Where was the evidence? And they had found, well, none. In fact, the evidence seemed to be pointing to the very real possibility that both Lives and Sampson were factually innocent. Why? Well, for one, both accused killers had pretty good alibis. Matt L's girlfriend, a woman with an impeccable reputation, insisted that Matt was home all night with her 30 miles away in Lincoln, Nebraska, night of the murders. Same with Nick Sampson's girlfriend, who swore he never left their house that night, she took a polygraph, and she passed it. Sampson's attorney, Jerry Susi.

[Jessica Reed]

If she would have thought that Nick had done this, she would have thrown him under the bus in a heartbeat. There was just no doubt about that. She said, he was home with me the entire night, 35 miles away.

[Keith Morrison]

Then the defense lawyers went looking for evidence of those alleged phone calls between Matt and Nick in the days before the murders. Calls in which they supposedly planned it all. As Matt told detectives during his confession.

[Jessica Reed]

Did you talk about it over a.

[Keith Morrison]

Cell phone, or did you talk face to face?

[Jessica Reed]

Cell phone.

[Keith Morrison]

But phone records don't lie. And they revealed there wasn't one call, not one between Matt and Nick in the days before the murders. Matt's defense attorney, Julie Baer, that phone.

[Jessica Reed]

Communication never took place. You know, it simply didn't occur because.

[Keith Morrison]

You can check all his phone records. Right, but couldn't they have used Jerry? You know, those kind of phones you can buy that you can't trace.

[Jessica Reed]

That's theoretically possible, but there's no evidence of that. I mean, it gets worse than that, because what actually they happened with Matt's was Matt, during this period of time when the murder's supposed to be taking place, is texting back and forth with a roommate they had, and there's this. This kind of high school argument about, you were rude to me at dinner. You can't talk to me like that way. So, I mean, you have to have a situation which he's texting back and forth to the roommate about this argument they had, picks up his other phone, plans this murder, coordinates the meeting in Lincoln. They get another car, drive out, do the murder, and then get rid of the evidence. I mean, it was beyond their capability to fake that kind of evidence. But he's. He's texting during the time the murder is supposed to be taking place.

[Keith Morrison]

But something altogether different.

[Jessica Reed]

Oh, yeah.

[Keith Morrison]

Add to that two more test results. Ballistics tests confirmed that the gun found under Nick's bed was not the murder weapon. And do you remember, detectives found a spot of what looked like blood on Nick's jeans. So that was tested, and it was not human blood at all. And now the arrests of those teenagers from Wisconsin. Two people clearly present at the crime scene, but never mentioned at all in any of Matt Leiber's hours and hours of police interviews. Come on. Julie Bear knew what she had to do. She marched over to the jail to ask Matt Livers face to face about these alleged accomplices Reed and Fester. Present him with, you know, this is what's being said.

[Jessica Reed]

Do you know these people? Yeah. I was trapped in the Cult, a new true crime docu series.

[Keith Morrison]

Everything inside of me was screaming.

[Jessica Reed]

Just go. Ten cults. He claimed he heard the voice of God. Ten stories of escape.

[Keith Morrison]

It was an emotional battle.

[Jessica Reed]

We were brainwashed. My sister and I got on the snow machine and I'm like, there's no way out. And if I got caught, he would for sure kill me. How I Escaped My Cult all episodes now streaming on Hulu. The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options. Which is why with USAA Auto Insurance, you'll get great service that is easy and reliable, all at the touch of a button. Get a quote today. Restrictions apply. Usaa Imagine this. You help your little brother land a great job abroad, but when he arrives, the job doesn't exist. Instead, he's trapped in a heavily guarded compound, forced to sit at a computer and scam innocent victims. All while armed guards stand by with shoot to kill orders. Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery, exposes a multi billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight. Told through one family's harrowing account of sleepless nights, desperate phone calls, and dangerous rescue attempts, Scam Factory reveals a brutal truth. The only way out is to scam their way out. Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Scam Factory early and ad free right now by joining Wondery. Plus.

[Keith Morrison]

It's a bit of a cliche that some defense attorneys won't ask their clients if they committed the crime they're charged with. Some attorneys just don't want to know. In this case, Julie Bear had been assigned as Matt Lyra's defense attorney, knowing full well that he had already confessed to the gruesome double murder of Wayne and Charman Stock. Matt had since changed his story, insisting that he hadn't killed anyone, and Julie had been dutiful in her evaluation of the evidence, looking for anything that would confirm the truth of the confession or any proof of his guilt. And she found none. And now, hearing about the arrests of Gregory Fester and Jessica Reed in Wisconsin for the same murders, she went over to the jail and asked Matt Livers directly if he knew who these two teenagers were.

[Jessica Reed]

And not a clue. Not seen him. Never spoke to them.

[Keith Morrison]

Maybe he was lying to you. Not a chance. It would take another month for copies of those videotaped interrogations of Jessica Reed and Greg Fester to inch their way over to the defense attorneys in Nebraska. But when they finally did, well, now, this certainly caught their attention. Jessica Reed had just been asked, who was with you? Who helped you commit the murders? Here was her response.

[Jessica Reed]

I know there was nobody else there. It was just me and Greg.

[Keith Morrison]

That's what happened.

[Jessica Reed]

I am not kidding. And if no one believes me, then I really want to go back to myself.

[Keith Morrison]

There were no other killers. Just her, just Greg. And that whole story about meeting Nick Sampson at Bulldogs Bar. She had made it up, she said, after detectives showed her a picture of Nick and asked her if it looked familiar. And she said yes, back then, that he looked like the guy who helped them. And that turned out to be Nick. So was Jessica telling the truth in that first interrogation? Or now when she flipped the script 180 degrees, said she'd never seen the guy in her whole life. That's when the prosecutor decided it was time to try a new tactic with Jessica. A very common tactic, by the way, often used because it often works, and not to mention one that saves a lot of time and trouble and money. They would offer Jessica a deal, which was essentially this. If she would agree to testify against Matt Libers and Nick Sampson, if she would reveal once and for all that those two were in fact there at the murders, then the prosecutor could allow Jessica to plead guilty to a lesser charge, serve less time in prison, and potentially send Matt Libers and Nick Sampson to death row. The prosecutor set up a meeting with Jessica and her lawyer. His name is Tom Olson. Here he is.

[Jessica Reed]

We sat down in the conference room and they laid everything out. And Jessica, tell us the truth. We need to know right now. It's time to let us know who was there, when they were there, how long they were there. Everybody right now, put it all on the line. Tell us who was there. And Jessica looked at me and asked if we could step outside. And so we stepped outside, and I'll never forget it, she looked at me and she said, I'm screwed.

[Keith Morrison]

Next on Murder in the moonlight, who was telling the truth about that awful night on the farm and what would happen to Matt Libers and Mick Sampson? Now, when Jessica told her tale and.

[Jessica Reed]

I told her, I said, you just got to tell the truth. That's all you can do at this point.

[Keith Morrison]

Murder in the moonlight is a production of Dateline and NBC News. Shane Bishop is the producer. Brian Drew, Kelly Laudine, Bruce Berger, Marshall Housefeld and Candace Goldman are audio editors. Brittany Morris is field producer. Leslie Grossman is program coordinator. Adam Gorfane 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.

[Jessica Reed]

Every morning, we choose how to begin our day. I think about the people at home. They tune in because they are curious. They care about their world and they care about each other. There's always something new to learn, whether a news event or a new recipe. And when we step through the morning together, it makes the rest of the day better. We come here to make the most of today. We are family. We are Today.

[Keith Morrison]

Watch the Today show with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, weekdays at 7am on NBC.