Dateline : MSNBCW : September 2, 2024 10:00pm-11:00pm PDT : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive (2024)

fight. it is not the beginning of the end. [dramatic music] a hold of dad and i was like, whats going on? and hes like, lisas been shot. amy caldwell: i held her hand and i just said, "my lisa, my lisa." i was like i was like what's going on?

newly married, pregnant, starting the career of her dreams. todd caldwell: she always put everybody before she put herself. dennis murphy: then, one morning, a single gunshot blast rocked the newlyweds home. seth techel (911 recording): shes been shot. dennis murphy: a young husband, out of his mind with grief. dennis murphy: it was a tragedy. but, for lisas dad, a sheriffs deputy, it was no mystery. he was sure he knew who the killer was. todd caldwell (recording): go get him. go get him. now. dennis murphy: a neighbor with a gun and a grudge. todd caldwell: i thought, they better get to him before i do. dennis murphy: but some said this couple was having trouble. that seth had a secret. dennis murphy: did he tell you "she sent me some topless pictures?" colton millard: yes. dennis murphy: others said the real murderer was someone else, right under cops noses. jake feuerhelm: heres a legitimate suspect that should have been investigated. dennis murphy: a case unfolding on camera, one that would test three juries, shatter two families. todd caldwell: its just like somebody hit me in the stomach.

dennis murphy: and take one final twist. presley caldwell: that was her biggest secret. dennis murphy (voiceover): the cornfields of iowa are a far piece from memphis. but it was here, in ottumwa, iowa, a baby girl was named after a princess. lisa marie. yep, that one. todd caldwell: as a kid, i was pretty big into elvis. i knew that my first daughter was going to be lisa marie, because of elvis, of course. dennis murphy (voiceover): just as todd caldwell hoped, his little lisa lived up to her big name. todd caldwell: she was just the-- the life of the party. tracy caldwell: once she started talking, she hadnt shut up. dennis murphy (voiceover): theyre divorced now. but tracy and todd caldwell watched their girl

grow up all but unstoppable. a vivacious, winning teen. : bowling, todd, were not just talking recreational saturday night now and then? todd caldwell: no, were talking about a state champion bowler. anything she did, she had to be the best at it. (home recording): lisa look over here. dennis murphy (voiceover): lisa was a teenager when her parents divorced. todd remained an active father to lisa and his three other children. all the while, he was working a stressful and dangerous job as a deputy in the wapello county sheriffs department. he found comfort in several ways. one was his occasional hobby. hed take out his sketch pad from time to time. and then he met and fell hard for a nurse named amy. before long, he was starting fatherhood all over again--with twin daughters. this time, he was getting lots of help from lisa. she was the twins default babysitter. todd caldwell: she was more like a second mom

to the twins than a big sister. amy caldwell: she was just a caregiver to anybody. dennis murphy: they had a very close relationship? amy caldwell: mm-hm. very. i would get into bed with her and wed watch old episodes of the golden girls. dennis murphy: thats a sweet relationship, huh? amy caldwell: yeah. and she always says that i was dorothy, because im such a grouch all the time. but-- yeah, that was my favorite time with lisa. seth techel (home recording): im so lucky. dennis murphy (voiceover): but stepmom amy put on her enforcer hat when it came to lisas teenage romantic life. amy caldwell: i wanted to know who the boyfriends were. i wanted to know who their-- dennis murphy: right. amy caldwell: --parents were. i-- i was the one that they had to pass the test with. dennis murphy (voiceover): the boyfriend who passed with flying colors was a kid named seth techel. he came from a longtime local family. his grandfather had been the umpteenth-term mayor of ottumwa. mom was a social worker, dad owned a local bowling alley. and the bowling alley was where seth, as a young teen,

began noticing lisa. his dad was her high school coach and seth bowled almost-- but not quite-- as well as lisa. the two worked part-time together at the lanes. they were becoming boyfriend- girlfriend and that was fine with both their families. : so you liked this young girl? doug techel: oh, a lot. yeah. lorraine uehling-techel: she was a part of our family. doug techel: yeah. dennis murphy (voiceover): the techels were a church-going family. and seths mom lorraine remembers how the boys compassion for others shone on a relief mission to mississippi after hurricane katrina. lorraine uehling-techel: he just stood and talked to these-- these folks for hours and hours. and they just became very good friends. and i have a lot of memories like that of seth. dennis murphy: helping people? lorraine uehling-techel: yup. unidentified woman (home recording): hold it lisa. dennis murphy (voiceover): and lisa wanted to help people, too. she followed her father into law enforcement. first as a reserve deputy in todds sheriffs department and then as a jailer in a neighboring county. todd caldwell: i told her that she would have my blessings if she wasnt just an average cop.

i wanted her to be a really great cop, because i didnt want to have to worry about, you know, her inefficiencies maybe endangering her life. dennis murphy (voiceover): after years of hearing patrons at the bowling alley joke about when the two of them were going to get married, seth and lisa made the inevitable official. : how do you find out theyre going to get hitched? todd caldwell: seth actually came to our house and met with us and asked us our permission to marry lisa. dennis murphy: old school? todd caldwell: old school. dennis murphy (voiceover): after dating for seven years, seth and lisa got married in october 2011. she was twenty-two; he was twenty- one. todd caldwell: i just told him that no matter what he did, to take care of her and protect her. dennis murphy: and he said? todd caldwell: he said he would. dennis murphy (voiceover): lisas sister-- another elvis namesake-- presley got much more than a brother-in-law with seth. presley caldwell: he was my best friend. i mean, he was just kind of that other person that i could always go to. todd caldwell: he called me dad.

we told each other we loved each other. we hugged every time we left each other. i mean i felt as close to him as i did my son. dennis murphy (voiceover): for lisa it wasnt just gaining a husband, it was having all his buddies come along, too--a package deal. : so how did lisa put up with you guys? unidentified man: she was kind of interested in the same things that all of us were. like, she liked to go fishing. she liked to go hunting. she liked to shoot guns. dennis murphy: was she okay? unidentified man: better than seth. dennis murphy: it sounds like you guys all would have been happy if she were your girlfriend. unidentified man: seth was lucky. dennis murphy (voiceover): lucky, for sure. but seth knew it was time to settle down and get a real job. like lisa he was drawn to uniformed service. hed signed on as a volunteer firefighter and drew a paycheck as a security guard. but his father-in-law todd was helping him get a higher rung on the ladder with a soon-to-start job as a jailer for the sheriffs. lorraine uehling-techel: they were very close. todd was a big influence on seth. thats why i think he went into law enforcement. dennis murphy (voiceover): a new job, a young marriage

and now more changes for seth. he was going to be a father. theyd picked a name for the unborn girl--zoey maria. in may 2012 they were halfway through the pregnancy. : seth and lisa, a baby on the way, were starting out their married life in this humble little trailer. it was a gift from his dad, perched on just a beautiful piece of property. it was a kind of starter home while they saved some money for the future. the only apparent cloud in the picture was an escalating feud with an across the fence neighbor here. there was bad blood. dennis murphy (voiceover): it happened at five in the morning. a sudden, horrifying sound that shattered two young lives. operator (911 recording): wapello county 911. whats your emergency? dennis murphy (voiceover): saturday, may 26, 2012. memorial day weekend. seth techel (911 recording): shes not breathing. operator (911 recording): does she have any medical problems? seth techel (911 recording): no, shes been shot. dennis murphy (voiceover): a shotgun blast had ended all the plans of mister and mrs. seth techel.

dennis murphy: coming up operator (911 recording): i have a report of a lady not breathing. marty wonderlin (911 recording): 10-4. operator (911 recording): i have now been advised this ladys just been shot. dennis murphy: deputies race to the scene, where the shooter could be lurking anywhere. dennis murphy: you didnt know if somebody couldve winged a shot at you? marty wonderlin: yeah, i mean, that was possible the whole time. dennis murphy: when dateline continues. dennis murphy (voiceover): it was the end (vo) if you have graves' disease, your eye symptoms could mean something more. that gritty feeling can't be brushed away. even a little blurry vision can distort things. and something serious may be behind those itchy eyes. up to 50% of people with graves' could develop a different condition called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. see an expert. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com

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arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. choose advil liqui-gels for faster, stronger and longer-lasting relief than tylenol rapid release gels. because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. so for faster pain relief, advil the pain away. becof a long overnightpain atshift for sheriffs deputyon. marty wonderlin, the only deputy on duty in wapello county, iowa. all was quiet and with the first hint of daybreak that saturday morning, marty relaxed and turned up the music in his cruiser. : was the ragged end of the shift for you, huh? marty wonderlin: yeah. im taking my last little loop around the county and going to watch the sun come up and go home and go to bed. dennis murphy (voiceover): that plan came to an abrupt end

around 5:30 am, when seth techel made a desperate 911 call from his house. seth techel (911 recording): shes been shot. im going to (expletive deleted) kill who-- i was getting ready for work and i heard a gunshot. and i came running out. and she was shot in the side. dennis murphy (voiceover): dispatch relayed the message to marty wonderlin. the young deputy had never gotten a call like this. operator (911 recording): i have a report of a lady not breathing. marty wonderlin (911 recording): 10-4. operator (911 recording): i have now been advised this ladys just been shot. dennis murphy: is your heart pounding a little? marty wonderlin: oh, yeah. i mean, thats an understatement. dennis murphy (voiceover): with his car and his mind both doing ninety, marty raced to the house in under ten minutes. he slowed along the rise of the gravel country road and stopped in the driveway. he had no idea what hed be facing. his dashboard camera captured the scene as he approached the house. : heres how you get in the trailer. what do you see, right about here?

marty wonderlin: you could see seth techel up on the porch. he was wearing cargo shorts and a belt, and he just-- bent over, you know? dennis murphy: whats he doing? marty wonderlin: sounds like hes crying. just sobbing. dennis murphy (voiceover): the toughest call of martys career was suddenly so much more complicated. he knew the grieving husband on the porch, considered him a friend, knew his wife lisa too, and her father todd was a respected fellow deputy. the unfolding tragedy had just become very personal. : deputy, how do you set your brain in compartments, where you got to be very professional, this is the first time youve had a major crime, and yet its also people you know? marty wonderlin: its tough. dennis murphy: were you scared? its okay if you were. marty wonderlin: yeah, definitely was scared. you know, concerned about a lot of different things. dennis murphy: you didnt know if somebody couldve winged a shot at you? marty wonderlin: yeah, i mean, that was possible the whole time. dennis murphy (voiceover): as the only cop at a dangerous, chaotic scene--the possibility of a live shooter still on the grounds-- martys adrenaline was pumping. when he entered the trailer, a paramedic

was attending to lisa. she was lying in her bed. it didnt look good. martys only thought was to help her but he had to secure his rifle, so he ran back to his cruiser to lock it up. marty wonderlin: i got on my radio and i think i told dispatch, "get 58 out here." (911 recording): call 58 and have him get out here. dennis murphy (voiceover): badge 58 meant deputy todd caldwell, lisas father. marty wonderlin: in hindsight, i wish i wouldnt have done that. i wish i would-- dennis murphy: why do you say that? marty wonderlin: well, because i saw a lot of things that morning and now because of me, because of asking him to, you know, come out there, hes going to have to live with some of those same images that i do now. dennis murphy (voiceover): todd caldwell was asleep but his cell phone was plugged in next to the bed always ready for a middle-of-the-night emergency call. todd caldwell: we get a call from, you know, a dispatcher ive known for twenty years and i can tell that his voice is different. and from what i remember, he just said, you know, "you need to get out to lisas house.

shes been shot and isnt breathing." dennis murphy (voiceover): todds wife amy bolted out of bed. her step-daughter--her best friend--needed her. amy caldwell: i kind of left him behind. i-- i didnt put shoes on, didnt have socks on. i went in my pajamas and drove ninety-mile-an- hour, you know? im an er nurse. im thinking-- dennis murphy: so youre sort of in nurse mode there too? amy caldwell: yeah. i was-- i-- im thinking, well, you know, maybe if i get there fast enough, that-- dennis murphy: minutes matter? amy caldwell: therell be something i can do. dennis murphy (voiceover): todd raced behind in a separate vehicle. todd caldwell: i just repeated over and over, you know, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. i just remember thats all i could think and say is, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. dennis murphy (voiceover): at the scene, deputy wonderlin ran back to the house and did what he could to help the emt. marty wonderlin: started giving lisa cpr, so the paramedic could-- i think he was getting, like, a defibrillator ready. it felt like forever. you know, and im asking him, you know, you want me to do cpr still? he told me not to. dennis murphy (voiceover): there was nothing more to do.

she was gone along with her unborn daughter. lisa marie techel was just twenty- three years old. amy caldwell: i ran in there and you could tell that she was gone. dennis murphy: so you went into the bedroom? you saw her? did you tend to her? amy caldwell: yeah. i hold her-- i held her hand and i-- i rubbed her belly and-- and i just said, "my lisa, my lisa." dennis murphy: todd, did you go into the house? i hope not. todd caldwell: yeah, i did. i went in there and id seen her laying there. and id seen the amount of blood that was on the bed and i knew, from my experience, that was too much blood to sustain that life. when i listened to like the tape recording of it, i hear myself bellowing. i dont know how to describe. but i dont even remember doing that. (dashcam footage): what happened? what happened? dennis murphy (voiceover): it was a heartbreaking scene, but deputy marty wonderlin had a job to do.

: end of your shift, your first homicide. so youre in the barrel here. marty wonderlin: got to start working it. dennis murphy (voiceover): there was an immediate lead from, of all people, todd caldwell. the veteran cop, who had just seen his precious daughter lying dead in a pool of blood, said he knew who the shooter was. and in a voice filled with rage, he told his fellow deputies to take the suspect down. todd caldwell (dashcam footage): that (expletive deleted). go get him. go get him. now. dennis murphy: coming up, who was todd caldwell talking about? turns out there was someone in seth and lisas life who had everybody worried. lorraine uehling-techel: things were escalating. they thought that they could, you know, handle whatever and but they were fearful. i was fearful. dennis murphy: did you think he was a risk? todd caldwell: yeah. dennis murphy: that this is a guy who was capable of flipping out. todd caldwell: i-- i did. i did. dennis murphy: whendatelinecontinues. dennis murphy (voiceover): lisa techel was when anyone in this house wears white, it doesn't stay white for long.

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dead, murdered in her own bed. her distraught husband seth was outside--shirtless and barefoot. when lisas little sister presley arrived, all she could do was try to comfort him. presley caldwell: by the time i got there, they had stuff taped off. and i went up and i just gave seth, like, the longest-- it seemed like the longest hug ever. dennis murphy: your best friend. presley caldwell: yup. dennis murphy (voiceover): seth was inconsolable, and acting out. amy caldwell: i went over to him when i first got there and i tried hugging him. he pushed me away. he punched his truck, and i said, you know, dont do that, seth, you know, let me see your hand. dennis murphy (voiceover): todd offered to take seth back to his house, but doug techel knew this was a moment his son should be with him. doug techel: it was just bad. i mean, it-- he was sobbing. and we just hugged and cried.

dennis murphy (voiceover): marty wonderlin, working his first homicide, was the first deputy to speak to seth. : hows that go? marty wonderlin: you know, i ask him what happened. seth techel (recording): i came running out. and i looked in the bedroom and shes (expletive deleted) laying there. dennis murphy (voiceover): through the overwrought husbands sobbing, a story started to emerge. marty wonderlin: he basically tells me that he was in the shower getting ready to go to work, and he hears a gun go off. seth techel (recording): i ripped open the (expletive deleted) shower curtain, and i grabbed my towel, and i came out. i didnt see anybody down the hallway. im going to kill whoever the (expletive deleted) did this. dennis murphy: so theres been some sort of an intruder. marty wonderlin: yeah, thats what hes telling me, that someone came in while he was in the shower, shot lisa and ran away before he could catch him. (recording): well figure it out, brother. seth techel (recording): i cant (expletive deleted) tell todd. marty wonderlin (recording): well figure it out. dennis murphy (voiceover): lisas father

todd thought hed figured it out and already had a suspect. todd caldwell (recording): that (expletive deleted). go get him. go get him. now. dennis murphy (voiceover): todds rage was directed at the neighbor on the other side of the fence topped with barbed wire. a fifty- six-year-old disabled army veteran named brian tate. todd caldwell: i just remember saying, "go get him. go get him. now." and i thought they better get to him before i do. dennis murphy (voiceover): brian tate had been embroiled in an escalating feud with his neighbors lisa and seth. todd knew all about it, and was certain his daughter was now dead because of it. : this is this culmination of bad bloods been going on for a months time or more now, huh? todd caldwell: right. dennis murphy (voiceover): it started about two months before the murder. seth pulled a dead deer off the road along the property line. brian tate later tossed the hide onto seths property. seth tossed it back, and the battle was on. tate made several calls to the county, complaining about nasty acts of vandalism. todd caldwell responded to one in april.

and tate pointed the finger at his young neighbor. brian tate (recording): i cant remember names. todd caldwell (recording): seth. seth techel. brian tate (recording): seth techel? todd caldwell (recording): yup. brian tate (recording): torkel? todd caldwell (recording): techel. brian tate (recording): techel. todd caldwell (recording): yeah, his dad owns champion bowl. brian tate (recording): okay. todd caldwell (recording): and ill tell-- i just-- theyre good people. they really are. dennis murphy: now this guy, brian tate, does he know that youre the father-in-law of the neighbor? todd caldwell: no, and i dont want to tell him that because i dont want that to affect maybe what he does or doesnt do. dennis murphy: and he thinks thats the source of his trouble? todd caldwell: right. dennis murphy: those people over in the trailer property across the way? todd caldwell: yeah. (recording): well, if you can, let us deal with it. you know? brian tate (recording): yeah. what if-- what if-- what if im the one whos got to catch him? dennis murphy (voiceover): brian tate told todd that dog feces and rocks had been hurled at his home. he then showed todd the evidence. he described the vandalism of his home in stark terms. todd caldwell: he says that he thinks these are acts of terrorism and, you know, kind of a bell goes off like, terrorisms kind of- - a weird word to use.

and the whole time-- half the time, i guess, hes sitting there. hes-- is-- i notice a-- a shotgun laying on the ground, you know? and im like going-- that makes me feel a little uneasy-- dennis murphy: does that make you a little twitchy? todd caldwell: yeah. yeah. exactly. dennis murphy (voiceover): so twitchy that todd sent a heads-up email warning fellow deputies about tate, that he might be dangerous. todd caldwell: im thinking, i dont want to be the reason a deputy goes out there and gets hurt. okay, if-- if you go out there be careful. tate might be 1096 which means mentally, you know, challenged. dennis murphy (voiceover): in fact, tate did have a history of mental illness. hed been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. seths mother lorraine, a social worker, used to dealing with mental patients, was worried and talked to both seth and lisa about their neighbor. lorraine uehling-techel: she was terrified. this was when things were escalating. they thought that they could, you know, handle whatever and but they-- they were fearful. i was fearful. dennis murphy (voiceover): on may 15th, 2012 just eleven days before lisa was killed,

an agitated tate made another call, complaining that the vandalism--the terrorism was getting worse. todd responded again. this time accompanied by then-deputy don phillips. don phillips (recording): im trying to have a conversation with you. you know it? brian tate (recording): i dont want to be yelled at either. don phillips (recording): well im-- im trying to have a conversation with you, and i dont understand why you walked off. brian tate (recording): youre-- youre raising your voice at me. don phillips (recording): i-- youre right. i am. todd caldwell (recording): what im wondering-- don phillips (recording): because youre not listening. dennis murphy: did you think he was a risk? todd caldwell: yeah. dennis murphy: that this is a guy who was capable of flipping out. todd caldwell: i-- i did. i did. dennis murphy (voiceover): and now lisa was dead and the trailer was a crime scene. marty wonderlin, the first deputy at the scene already knew all about brian tate and had zeroed in on him as his candidate for prime suspect. : so all the direction is heading across the fence to this guy whose named brian tate? marty wonderlin: it is. dennis murphy (voiceover): and police decided it was time to pay a visit to tate. they armored up and got out their long guns, not knowing what their suspect might do. marty wonderlin: if youre ballsy enough to break into a house

and shoot lisa and, you know, make it back out, youre ballsy enough to just about anything. dennis murphy: coming up, cops confront their man. : he was definitely a person of interest that we need to go talk to? dennis murphy: did you put your body armor on? don phillips: yes, i did. marty wonderlin: i had my rifle out, locked and loaded. had the red dot turned on. if things popped off, we were ready. dennis murphy: when dateline continues. dennis murphy (voiceover): on the main street of tiny agency, protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz

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hi, hi, i'm francis rivera. here's what happened. israeli minister benjamin netanyahu pushed back monday against pressure to reach a cease-fire deal. this after tens of thousands took to the street and joined a general strike to protest the killing of six israeli hostages by hamas. german chancellor olaf

schultz condemned the first statewide victory of a right- wing party since the nazi party. he is urging other parties not to enter into coalitions. now returning to dateline. unidentified woman (news reporter): the twenty-three-year-old reserve sheriffs deputy was shot and killed at her home in the town of agency. she was five months pregnant. dennis murphy (voiceover): lisas murder was the first in the farm town in fifteen years. deputy don phillips, seen here unspooling crime scene tape, had a personal stake in cracking the case. lisas dad is one of his best friends. don phillips: todd and i began the same year at the sheriffs office together. id watched lisa grow up. i just reassured him that well figure this out. well find out who did this. dennis murphy: so, whatevers happened here is really within your family, the law enforcement family, the county? don phillips: correct.

were a small sheriffs office. we know everybody. we know each others kids and-- and extended families. dennis murphy (voiceover): and they also knew something about that guy next door, brian tate. ever since the first deputies arrived at sunrise, theyd been peeking across the barbed wire. just how dangerous was this fussing neighbor? were they another shotgun blast away from finding out? at one that afternoon, eight hours after lisa was shot, deputy phillips and a team of investigators were ready to confront the neighbor. : so, the decision is made. we got to talk to brian tate. don phillips: yes. he was definitely a person of interest that we need to go talk to? dennis murphy: did you put your body armor on? don phillips: yes, i did. dennis murphy (voiceover): marty wonderlin did, too. he was preparing for anything, even a shootout. marty wonderlin: we got strapped up. were all ready-- ready for business. dennis murphy (voiceover): marty was in the backup car while deputy phillips and a partner drew line-of-fire detail, approaching brian tate for an interview. marty wonderlin: hes our prime suspect. its very possible in all of our minds

that he just shot and killed lisa. dennis murphy (voiceover): as the phillips team walked slowly up to the tate house, marty and the chief deputy provided cover in the driveway. marty wonderlin: i had my-- my rifle out, locked and loaded. had the red dot turned on. if things popped off, we were ready. dennis murphy (voiceover): nerves screaming. everyone was poised for battle. everyone but, it turned out, brian tate. he wasnt armed or belligerent. they could all exhale. don phillips: as we walked up there, he was accommodating, got some chairs out for us. dennis murphy: this is brian tate, huh? don phillips: brian-- brian tate and we sat down in his front yard. dennis murphy (voiceover): in the front yard in lawn chairs, his mother and brother by his side. no shotgun in sight. so, the cops turned on a recorder and started asking questions. : so, you asked him, 5 am, where were you, huh? don phillips: yes. dennis murphy (voiceover): he said he was in bed in his basem*nt bedroom, sleeping off a higher dose of medication for his schizophrenia. brian tate (recording): i went to bed about eight thirty.

unidentified woman (recording): right after i did. brian tate (recording): yeah, after mom did. fell right asleep. didnt hear nothing. didnt get up until eleven. dennis murphy (voiceover): he said he was still asleep when the shooting mustve happenedbefore dawn. tates mother corroborated his fifteen-hour sleep alibi. though the cops knew full well that mothers can often be biased witnesses. unidentified man (recording): did you hear anything in the middle of the night last night? see anything? brian tate (recording): i was in bed. and normally i wouldve been up doing guard duty with all this (expletive deleted) that happened. but im schizophrenic paranoid. dennis murphy (voiceover): guard duty. the ex-military man called himself a sergeant major and walked the picket on his property line. vigilant ever since his property had been littered with dog feces, his barn pelted with rocks. deputy don phillips knew all about the vandalism complaint tate had filed. he and todd caldwell were the deputies whod responded to tates house just eleven days earlier. theyd downplayed his complaints then and thought he was a crank off his meds. don phillips (recording): you said earlier, brian, that you-- youd sit outside here--

brian tate (recording): at night? don phillips (recording): --at night. yeah. whens the last time you did that? brian tate (recording): oh. its been a good week or so. don phillips (recording): week or so? brian tate (recording): they-- they dont want me to do guard duty anymore. they want me to get sleep, take more medications. unidentified woman (recording): you were such a calm, quiet guy until this vandalism started, and then, youre just like a different person. brian tate (recording): i was mister nice guy for a long time. it done me no good. people took advantage of me so im kind of taking a different approach to life right now. unidentified woman (recording): i mean, when-- brian tate (recording): being more serious and more not such a nice guy. dennis murphy (voiceover): after venting about the vandalism, the forty-minute interview was over. but investigators werent done. theyd be back to question tate again. : so, whatd you think you had when you got back in your vehicle? don phillips: we still had a whodunit in our mind. dennis murphy (voiceover): but lisas step-mom and sister had no doubts whatsoever. presley caldwell: i thought it was brian tate. dennis murphy (voiceover): but investigators knew they still had to talk to the husband. when agents scheduled an official interview

with seth for that same day, it didnt sit well with amy. amy caldwell: is this how you-- how you always treat grieving husbands? and i-- i started crying. im-- im there thinking, theyre being so mean to him. todd caldwell: we kind of got into an argument because im like, they have to do that. dennis murphy (voiceover): would-be cop seth techel agreed completely. he knew the spouse had to be ruled out. he said he was eager to get crossed off the suspect list as soon as possible. so, he went downtown and instructed his parents no lawyers. doug techel: i remember saying, do we need to go get a lawyer? lorraine uehling-techel: he was adamant. he said no. doug techel: he said, i didnt do anything. he said, i-- lorraine uehling-techel: he said, i have nothing to hide. doug techel: yeah. i have-- i dont need a lawyer. dennis murphy (voiceover): was that a mistake? seth had told his story to one familiar face after another at the scene. but now, hed be talking to an elite state interrogator and the tone of the investigation was about to change.

dennis murphy (voiceover): coming up, chris thomas (interrogation video): were going to ask you some tough things, okay? seth techel (interrogation video): thats fine. i-- i know im, obviously, probably number one right now. dennis murphy: deputies learn that seth may be hiding something. colton millard: i told them that seth had a tracfone. dennis murphy: some kind of a secret phone, huh? colton millard: yeah. dennis murphy: whendatelinecontinues. dennis murphy (voiceover): todd and amy ♪ ♪ have you always had trouble losing weight and keeping it off? same. discover the power of wegovy®. ♪ ♪ with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds. ♪ ♪ and i'm keeping the weight off. wegovy® helps you lose weight and keep it off. i'm reducing my risk. wegovy® is the only fda-approved weight-management medicine that's proven to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight. wegovy® shouldn't be used with semaglutide or glp-1 medicines. don't take wegovy®

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the dci providing forensic resources and expertise; the deputies offering local knowledge and manpower. dcis tony birmingham was lead agent. he hand-picked fellow agent chris thomas to interview seth. tony birmingham: there was no doubt in my mind that chris was the person that-- that needed to do that interview. chris thomas: we only get one shot at it. and we have to be prepared for this to be just information collecting, or we have to be prepared that this could be our suspect. dennis murphy (voiceover): so, only eight hours after his pregnant wife was murdered, seths formal interview with dci agent thomas got underway. chris thomas (interrogation video): you can just call me chris, i guess. youre free to go out of here at any time. dennis murphy (voiceover): in the interview room, agent thomas was in the white shirt, back to the camera. to put seth more at ease, a deputy familiar to him, sat in. chris thomas (interrogation video): you have a job? dennis murphy (voiceover): it started routinely. seth techel (interrogation video): currently, i work out at job corps as security. but actually, next month im coming to work here in the jail.

dennis murphy (voiceover): seth had already given his account twice to deputies at the scene, but this would be his first time on videotape. : his story begins somewhere around 5 am. chris thomas: exactly. seth techel (interrogation video): i turned the shower on. i wasnt in there for more than five minutes and i heard this loud noise. dennis murphy (voiceover): he said he thought it might be a gunshot so he jumped out of the shower to check on lisa. he heard her moaning then made out another sound coming from possibly the back deck. he said he grabbed his handgun from the nightstand by the bed. seth techel (interrogation video): i run down the hallway and i will be honest: i had every intention of shooting whoever it was. i dont see anybody. i dont hear nothing. i run back inside. i run into the bedroom. and i said, "lisa. lisa, are you okay?" and shes not breathing. dennis murphy (voiceover): during the interview, seth sometimes seemed overcome by emotion. seth techel (interrogation video): i couldnt do it. i couldnt (expletive deleted) protect her when i was ten feet away from her. why cant lisa be alive?

why? why? why couldnt i have done something to protect the woman that i loved? dennis murphy (voiceover): the agent asked seth what he thought had happened. chris thomas (interrogation video): lets go with your theory here, that it was an intruder, right? i mean, is that fair to cal--? seth techel (interrogation video): thats the only thing i can think of. chris thomas (interrogation video): what do you think this persons intent was? seth techel (interrogation video): i dont know. youd have to be a complete (expletive deleted) jackass to walk into somebodys house and shoot them. dennis murphy (voiceover): seth then bolstered the cops leading theory of the crime so far--that the neighbor, brian tate, had shot lisa. chris thomas (interrogation video): who was the first person that came to your mind? seth techel (interrogation video): tate. my crazy-ass neighbor who thinks that were terrorists. dennis murphy (voiceover): seth went into detail about that juvenile tit-for-tat dispute with tate that started over a deer hide. he suspected tate tossed it over the fence so he said he responded in kind. seth techel (interrogation video): i did the immature thing, which i admit. i threw it back on his property.

dennis murphy (voiceover): the dispute escalated for several weeks and intensified with the incident in which tate claimed dog feces and rocks were thrown onto his property. that brought seths father-in-law, deputy todd caldwell, out to tates house for that official visit over tates vandalism complaint. seth techel (interrogation video): todd said that tate, the whole time, was sitting on his front porch and he was rubbing a loaded shotgun. dennis murphy (voiceover): seth said he knew the tenor of the visit because todd had filled him in later. his father-in-law also gave him a strong warning. seth techel (interrogation video): "hey, if youre doing anything to his yard, knock it off. if your buddies are doing anything to his yard, knock it off. do not mess with this guy. hes off his rocker. hes going to be the next person-- chris thomas (interrogation video): sure. seth techel (interrogation video): --to shoot a cop." and i said, "im not messing with him. ill make sure nobody else is." dennis murphy (voiceover): the murder weapon hadnt been found so the state agent asked seth about the firearms he kept in the trailer. maybe one of those had been used. chris thomas (interrogation video): do you have any guns that are missing at your house? seth techel (interrogation video): i havent looked.

chris thomas: if one of those guns is used in the homicide, we want to know where its at. (interrogation video): dont you agree? seth techel (interrogation video): oh, yeah. chris thomas: so i just ask him to write down the guns that are in his house. and he writes them all down. dennis murphy (voiceover): inevitably, the agent turned to the sharp-edged, intrusive questions that all husbands with a murdered wife have to answer. wannabe cop that he was, seth knew very well what was coming. chris thomas (interrogation video): were going to ask you some tough things, okay? seth techel (interrogation video): thats fine. i-- i know im, obviously, probably number one right now. chris thomas (interrogation video): lets talk about people that are in your lives, and lisas lives, um, was there any extramarital affairs? seth techel (interrogation video): no. dennis murphy (voiceover): seth didnt hesitate. there were no other women. but out at the trailer, quite unexpectedly, someone was about to put the lie to that rosy marital picture. a good friend of seths named colton had walked up to the crime scene tape at the drive. he told the deputies and agents there

that he was looking to pick up his puppy that seth had been boarding for him. the investigators began peppering the young friend for info about seth and lisa. a detail that tumbled out surprised them. : what was the story you told them, colton? colton millard: i told them that seth had a tracfone. dennis murphy: some kind of a secret phone, huh? colton millard: yeah. he had been talking to a girl. dennis murphy (voiceover): the investigators had no idea where this would lead, but the unexpected revelation that there might be a girlfriend in the mix meant that they had to get on the horn with agent thomas downtown and pronto. seth was still in the interview chair but he could walk at any moment. dennis murphy: coming up, more about seth's secret phone. seems it wasn't just for talking. dennis murphy: did he tell you she sent me some topless pictures? colton millard: yes. dennis murphy: did you see them? colton millard: yes. dennis murphy: when dateline continues dennis murphy (voiceover): seth techel dupixent can help people with asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. even this.

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had gone downtown voluntarily but now enjoyed at your table. his interview had dragged on for a couple of hours. his father grew concerned, so he called in a lawyer who said he would bring the questioning to a halt. doug techel: and we had called the sheriffs office and said, we have a lawyer waiting to go see seth. dennis murphy (voiceover): but inside the sheriffs interview room, seth kept talking away. he was oblivious to the fact that the interrogator confronting him was getting real time bulletins from the crime scene. chris thomas: i got a text. dennis murphy (voiceover): the text was from a fellow agent at the scene who had spoken to seths best friend, the guy with the puppy. chris thomas: and this person had told him a story about a girl named rachel. dennis murphy (voiceover): but agent thomas held his fire at this point, in part because his information was still limited. seth, however, likely could see the agent reading a text. the husband-- father- to-be, who had answered an emphatic "no" to the question about an affair-- then made an admission, perhaps a preemptive strike. seth techel (interrogation video):

there was a female from work that i was texting. dennis murphy (voiceover): he said her name was rachel mcfarland. but seth immediately downplayed her importance. he said even lisa knew about her. seth techel (interrogation video): but i wasnt seeing her. it wasnt anything. it was just, hey, how was your day? type of thing. chris thomas (interrogation video): would it be considered sexting? seth techel (interrogation video): no. no. none of that. chris thomas (interrogation video): what are you wearing? seth techel (interrogation video): no, there wasnt any of that. lisa found out. everything was kosher. i stopped talking, you know. we got over it. chris thomas (interrogation video): we have to be honest about her, okay? is there anything that you havent told us yet? seth techel (interrogation video): no. everything is going to add up the way i just told you. chris thomas (interrogation video): rachels dna wont be, maybe, on your clothes or? seth techel (interrogation video): i never had sexual-- sex with her. no-- nothing oral, nothing like that. i gave her hugs, and ive kissed her. dennis murphy (voiceover): by now, seths father and attorney had arrived and were trying desperately to end the interview.

but it was after-hours, and the outside door was locked. : bang, bang, bang on the door, doug. is that you? doug techel: thats me. thats me. lorraine uehling-techel: they wouldnt stop. doug techel: they-- they didnt stop. lorraine uehling-techel: they didnt come out. dennis murphy (voiceover): they didnt have to. remember, seth was advised by agent thomas that he was free to leave any time. everything was legal. lead agent birmingham, watching seth on a monitor, simply ignored the commotion outside. tony birmingham: i did get information that they were wanting to get in and wanting to come in and tell seth to stop talking. dennis murphy: which would shut you guys right down? tony birmingham: seth is an adult and he has the sole obligation to invoke his right to remain silent or his right to an attorney. and-- and no one stopped him from doing that. dennis murphy (voiceover): so, thomas kept answering asking questions, and seth kept answering them. chris thomas (interrogation video): have you ever lied to lisa about rachel? seth techel (interrogation video): no. she found out and that was-- that was that. dennis murphy (voiceover): meanwhile, both dci agents, birmingham and thomas, had now learned more complete details from the scene, from seths best friend, the guy with the puppy.

the friend, colton, had explained that seth was using his special tracfone as a steamy hotline. colton millard: i know they were exchanging photos. dennis murphy: did he tell you she sent me some topless pictures? colton millard: yes. dennis murphy: did you see them? colton millard: yes. dennis murphy (voiceover): armed with this information, agent thomas decided to show his cards and see what happened. chris thomas (interrogation video): weve talked to colton. did colton know about you texting rachel? seth techel (interrogation video): mm-hm. chris thomas (interrogation video): did you tell him about it? seth techel (interrogation video): yeah. chris thomas (interrogation video): this is an ongoing investigation and its up to you to be honest. seth techel (interrogation video): theres obviously more to this rachel thing. she was under the impression that lisa was going to be packing her stuff up and leaving. chris thomas (interrogation video): when? seth techel (interrogation video): last night, today. dennis murphy (voiceover): he said hed talked to rachel about him divorcing lisa as recently as the night before at work. seth techel (interrogation video): she just asked if i was going to go through with it and i said, yeah. i mean, i shouldnt have lied, obviously. dennis murphy (voiceover): he admitted he liked rachels attention but said he really was just stringing her along. seth techel (interrogation video): we were having a baby. i wasnt going to leave. i couldnt leave. dennis murphy (voiceover): lying to rachel was wrong, he said.

but he claimed that lying earlier in the interview was simply a way to spare his grieving father-in-law, todd caldwell, the embarrassment. seth techel (interrogation video): i did-- i-- this was something that i didnt want todd to find out. dennis murphy (voiceover): the interview had been going on for close to four hours now, and agent birmingham was well aware that seths father and a lawyer wanted to shut it down. agent thomas then took a break, leaving seth inside the room to stew. he met with birmingham, and they decided he had to go nuclear. : be confrontational, because the clock is ticking. and if were ever going to be tough, now is the time. chris thomas: now is the time. (interrogation video): heres the deal, okay? the facts right now, these case facts, show us youre responsible for killing your wife. seth techel (interrogation video): no. no, im not. no. i cant kill my wife. i cant do it. what facts do you have that i killed her? chris thomas (interrogation video): listen.

ive seen rachel, okay? i know what guys see when they see her, because i see the same thing. okay? seth techel (interrogation video): im telling you: if i wanted to be with rachel, i would get a divorce. i would not (expletive deleted) kill my wife over something that small. you know what? right now, i guess i dont give a (expletive deleted) what happens to me, okay? i know what happened. i know what youre trying to do. chris thomas (interrogation video): what am i trying to do? seth techel (interrogation video): youre trying to get me upset, and its working. congratulations. dennis murphy (voiceover): upset at this hostile line of questioning, seth said hed had enough. got up and, strangely, shook thomass hand. seth techel (interrogation video): thank you, sir. appreciate it. dennis murphy (voiceover): and then he walked out. in the end, what did the investigators have? that seth lied about sex. but was it even that? all he admitted to was making out with rachel. and on the big question, he insisted, over and over again, that he did not kill lisa. even agent thomas expressed disappointment with the outcome of the marathon interview,

nearly five hours long. : you felt youd come out of a fifteen-round fight? chris thomas: it was exhausting. felt somewhat like a failure in some regards. dennis murphy: why? chris thomas: we didnt get the full confession. dennis murphy (voiceover): maybe thats because seth didnt do it. agent thomas just didnt know. but the women in the caldwell family, without knowing any of seths admissions about rachel, believed with one hundred percent certainty that seth did not kill lisa. especially lisas sister and seths great friend, presley. presley caldwell: i was never thinking that seth did it. dennis murphy (voiceover): only todd caldwell was no longer a true believer. the cop in him questioned why seth needed to lawyer up. his own investigative instincts also kicked in, though hed asked his fellow deputies not to tell him anything until they were ready to make an arrest. and late on day one of the investigation, they werent even close. tony birmingham: i would say, at-- at ten oclock on saturday night, may 26, that neither seth nor brian tate

were completely eliminated as suspects. dennis murphy (voiceover): at that time, investigators were meeting at the sheriffs department command center to take stock. they knew they had a husband with a possible girlfriend and maybe a crazy neighbor with a vendetta. but they also learned by that night there was a missing shotgun. what did it all mean? dennis murphy: coming up, one piece of the puzzle falls into place. dennis murphy: boy, that was a huge development in that case. marty wonderlin: it was. dennis murphy: and then, another round of heartbreak for lisas family. dennis murphy: so this has got to be just more than your brain can absorb. presley caldwell: definitely. dennis murphy: when dateline continues. oooh! this is our night! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose.

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and upset stomach. dennis murphy (voiceover): it was sunday, the morning after lisa techel had been shot to death. but it wasnt a day of rest for the techels and caldwells. it was sunday, the

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The investigation into the death of a pregnant woman just months after she wed her high school sweetheart reveals secret lives and feuds.

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