>> important questions unlikely to be answered. as part of his plea deal, jeff brown received a 20 year prison sentence. cindy reese got 40 years. as for michael reese, the unwitting victim of a love triangle he wanted no part of, all that's left are memories. memories of a kind and gentle soul with a big laugh and an even bigger heart. how do you want people to remember michael? >> he was just a funny guy. he enjoyed life so much. he was just a good person, and anybody who ever knew him would tell you the same thing. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching . hello, i'm andrea canning. , this dateline. >> ♪

>> it was the little girl who learned the first. the 12-year- old, she was there at the beginning when the family secret was born. why did it get started? i didn't know what else to do. why did she keep it so long? >> she was all i had. >> while evil did its work. >> we couldn't stand it. >> what with the secret to? >> everybody has a secret or two, but this? >> hello, and welcome to dateline. it wasn't uncommon for him to be gone for days at a time. he was a long-haul truck driver. or, did he run off with another

woman. when lloyd for disappeared it was almost anybody's guess where he went. at least two people knew and it was a secret they guarded for 27 years. the terrible truth was about to be revealed. here is keith morrison with the family secret. >>, yes, families. i suppose you could say this one, the family, the secret, get started in the middle of nowhere. which is what they like to call it here. it wasn't so surprising, perhaps, one young lloyd ford was done with school , he had joined the navy and sailed off to see the world from an aircraft carrier. this man at the center of the secret. sandy burke is his eldest daughter. >> my dad was a fun guy. he was fun-loving. he loved people. people loved him. people tended to gravitate toward him. >> especially women. that was not a secret.

when lloyd went back after his stint in the navy, one of the hometown girls caught his eye at the county fair. before long, they were married. and, that is how sandy came along, and her little sister pamela who loved her dad. apparently was not the only one. >> all the women here had huge crashes on him and his brother. i've always heard he had to have a woman in his life. >> when lloyd and their family took their out west, was to get away from some other woman. that is where little tommy was born. lloyd learn to be a family man. >> he loved fishing. he would take us fishing and we would bring fish home or no fish home. >> it's what we had for breakfast. >> we did. >> and then? the kids are always the last to know what happened. it wasn't long before their mom

packed them up and headed back to nebraska. >> sometimes in divorces, a child will take one side or the other, and i took my mom's. my dad was the bad guy. my dad did something to make my mom leave. >> they loved him, even when he started courting a new woman, judy, twice divorced. three kids of her own including kimberly, her only daughter, who , all in all, was happier in the rare occasions when there was no man around her mother. >> i liked it best when it was just her and the boys and i. no husband. her attention would focus. >> and lose her. when a new man came along, what was she like? >> they were it. we got fed and taken care of and you know the norm. it was all about them.

>> in 1973, it was all about lloyd. they married and then divorced. then remarried. they tried to pretend a brady bunch life and this house on clark street in boise, idaho. lloyd drove long-haul trucks. judy styled hair. they join the shriners, went bowling, planned fishing trips. lloyd's youngest, tommy, lived with him and his stepmom but pamela stayed with her mother in nebraska and rarely visited. 19 80 sandy was 20 and in college but as always called lloyd every week. until the date judy answered the phone. >> when i first called, judy told me he was away on business. i called back a few days later and she said he is in home. i thought, that's funny, he's only gone two or three days. i called the next week and he

still wasn't home. i called my mom. i think my mom called judy and she said, well, the truth was she thought lloyd had ran off with another woman. she didn't think he was coming back. >> days went by and then weeks. no word from their dad. at the end of the school year, tommy's stepmom sent him back to nebraska to live with his birth family. >> it was hard. my dad, for tom and i especially, he was everything. >> and you thought he loved you. and now it seemed he didn't care? >> you know, when we first heard, i think we really believed he would be back. if he left judy, he would be back to get us. >> that summer has father and hired a private investigator. >> my grandfather would, almost every week to give me updates on, had we heard anything? the detective had been fond

anything and he was following leads but nothing had come up. >> they heard stories. he moved to michigan. he boarded a plane and never made his connection. even a story he was on mount saint helens when interrupted. sandy and her sister longed for answers. a phone call even. but, there was nothing. where was their father? whatever happened to lloyd ford? here is a hint. sandy didn't know the family secret nor did pam. kimberly did. she knew all about it. where lloyd went and why. because she was there. if she revealed it, would anyone believe the chilling tales she had carried and hidden for so long? >> i spent my whole life waiting for the other shoe to drop.

you know? >> and here it was. >> the secret slips out. out. make a video of yourself... before all this happens. (announcer) you can quit. call 1-800-quit-now for help getting free medication. -we're done. -what about these? looks right. nooo... nooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. and is 2x more absorbent so you can use less. bounty, the quicker picker upper. want the power of 5 serum benefits in 1? olay super serum activates on skin to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten, and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay

hi, i'm jason. i've lost 228 pounds on golo. it's my be♪t skin yet. changing your habits is the only way that gets you to lose the weight. and golo is the plan that's going to help you do that. just take the first step, go to golo.com.

norman, bad news... i never graduated from med school. what? but the good news is... xfinity mobile just got even better! now, you can automatically connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go. plus, buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. i gotta get this deal... that's like $20 a month per unlimited line... i don't want to miss that. that's amazing doc. mobile savings are calling. visit xfinitymobile.com to learn more. doc?

keith morrison (voiceover): the sad thing about a family secret is all the pain it's apt to trail behind. when lloyd ford dropped off his family radar back the sad thing about a lef family secret is all the pain that trails behind. when lloyd ford dropped off his family radar back in 1980, left the mall for another woman or some other life, or whatever it

was, the children of his first marriage felt utterly abandoned. >> the ground you stand on doesn't seem stable. every single thing we had built our trust and security and was gone. >> the sisters could not know that the answer to their decades of questions might of all the complicated relationships and lloyd's new family. particularly between a mother and daughter, between judy and her daughter kimberly. little kim, nervous, needy, desperate to be perfect. how does a little girl attempt to be perfect for her mother? >> she tries not to make her mad. do things i know would make her happy. clean the house. we all worked in the yard. everything had to be just so. so it looked nice when somebody came over. so it looked normal. >> and if it did, the love could be so good, so warm and

happy, if only the furies could be kept at bay. you learned to read her moods? >> oh, yeah. if she was not in a good mood, we stayed gone. >> stayed out of her way. because? >> you didn't want to see her upset. >> that's who the women -- children knew so intimately. not the judy who presented herself one way or the other to the outside world. >> she was different for everybody. to a newcomer or her friends, she is very loving, giving. what they did not see was she would do what it took to get what she wanted. >> you saw this happening when you were a little kid? >> she knows what she needs to say. i should laugh here. maybe i should cry. >> watching this said kim, she knew well that love one moment to the next could be given or

withdrawn. >> she was the one we feared. did as you were told. >> if she wanted you to do something, and you didn't do it? >> oh, no, we did not do that. never. didn't want to rock the boat. i was so afraid she would leave. >> it was abandonment kim feared when her mother brought men home. >> she was all i had. >> because it was changing all the time? these men would come into her life and then go again. you had her. >> right. >> judy stayed put. it was lloyd who was not be sticking around. after her husband seem to disappear, judy filed for divorce. when lloyd did not show up at the hearing, judy got everything. kim remembers a rainy afternoon

when her mother pawned off their wedding ring. she remarried. a man named tom. life went on. a quarter-century past. by 2007, kim was 40. single mother two teenagers of her own. still held in her mother's emotional web. unspoken guilt increasingly clouded her mood, even at work. this was her boss, gary. what did she seem like to you? >> it seemed she was carrying something deep down inside her. some baggage. i couldn't put my finger on it. >> gary had, what would you call it? antenna for these things. >> he had called me to have coffee with him. he could read me really well. he was like, what's wrong? i fell apart. >> told him the whole thing?

and that's how the family secret contained for more than 20 years was leaked for the first time to an outsider who listened and something like disbelief. >> everybody has a secret or two, but this? i deliberated for days before telling anybody. >> you decided not to keep a secret. >> correct. the way i was raised i needed to do the right thing. >> gary call the prosecutor's office which called the police department which opened an investigation into lloyd's long- ago departure. a 27-year-old disappearance comic is they never knew existed. they certainly did now. that is how, one day, the cops showed up on kim's doorstep. >> i spent my whole life waiting for the other shoe to drop. you know? >> here it was.

>> kimberly's secret was out. what really happened to lloyd? >> she says, how would you like it if lloyd was gone? i'm thinking there is no way she would do it. t. try air wick vibrant, with 2x more natural essential oils for up to 120 days of amazing fragrance per dual pack. now that's a breath of fresh air wick. when you see what it's really like when our skin touches wool... you see why we need downy free and gentle

with no perfumes or dyes. it not only makes your clothes softer, it is gentle on your skin. it breathes life into your laundry. i still love to surf, snowboard, itand, of course, skate.n. so, i take qunol magnesium to support my muscle and bone health. qunol's extra strength, high absorption magnesium helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. qunol, the brand i trust.

and they're all coming? those who are still with us, yes. grandpa! what's this? your wings. light 'em up! gentlemen, it's a beautiful... ...day to fly. keith morrison (voiceover): kimberly had a secret, a terrible, unspeakable, guilty family secret. she'd kept it, nursed it, cried about it for a quarter

kimberly had a secret, a terrible, unspeakable, guilty family secret. she had kept it, nursed it, cried about it for a quarter- century until no longer able to hide the awful truth, she spelled it to her boss. now, she's about to tell us. >> it's real hard to face the truth. it almost killed me. >> it was late afternoon, spring was coming, it was 1980. lloyd was still around and the kids outside. kim was trying to be the perfect little daughter. helping around the house. they were in the kitchen kim says when judy looked at her and asked a very curious question. >> she was cooking dinner, and she says, how would you like it if lloyd was gone? gone to a 12-year-old. divorcing. moving out. >> what would you think? >> it sounded all right. >> kim was used to judy's uneven love life.

divorce didn't sound like disaster. she loved having her mother to herself. here is kim's memory of what her mother said to her. >> wouldn't it be nice if he wasn't here, and we could be together. you know? you guys and me, wouldn't that be nice? just like i always wanted. >> then unmistakably said kim, her idea change. it didn't sound like divorce after all. >> she made a list of all his faults >> do you remember what you said? >> i never questioned her. i let her talk. >> safe for. and this went on? >> a couple days. maybe a week. each day it was a little more revealing until she blurted out , what would you think if he was dead? >> did you think that meant -- >> i thought maybe he had cancer

or was sick. >> and he was going to die and she was preparing you? >> you never know. >> that was not what judy had in mind, said kim. soon it was clear what she did intend. >> when she said, what if i killed him? >> what if i killed him. >> she was being so vague. i'm thinking there's no way she would do it. it was so surreal. who would do that? >> that was the last she said for a while? >> for a bit. then she started going through scenarios. what if i smothered him? what if i slit his throat? and you're sitting there, why are you telling me this? >> she was 12 and desperate for mother's approval which is why she silenced the voice in her head.

asked why she was being sent to the store to buy sleeping pills. when you went in the air and, did you have any notion what they were for? >> she sent us to the store all the time. >> you saw her doing something with the sleeping pills? >> crunching them up. >> to a powder? she watched judy prepare lloyd's favorite dessert, ice cream with buttered -- butters gottsch crossing -- topic. watched lloyd devour it. next morning, when the boys went to school, judy kept kim at home so she knew her stepfather stayed in bed, saw her mother crush more pills and lloyd's coffee. in his soup, more ice cream. later said kim she heard a racket behind the bedroom door. >> lloyd was trying to get out to go to the bathroom. they had their fishing poles behind the door, and he had the hooks in his hands. i don't even know if he felt the pain.

he was all tangled up and he was mumbling. the only thing i understood was , lloyd had said what in the hell is wrong with me? he kept falling in the wall and she's telling him he's going to be fine. you will feel better soon. >> then kim says, judy turned to her and gave her another airman. >> i was told to go outside and get the trunk and clean it out. >> did you understand? >> i think i was too afraid to comprehend. i was living second to second doing what she was telling me to do. >> she remembers, she says, clear as if it was this very morning, what happened when she dragged a trunk into the house. >> she had come out of the bedroom, and she was standing there smoking. i was in the living room. she put it out and said i am ready. >> coming up.

one moment of horror and a lifetime of pain. >> you just -- deep inside. ins you can feel it when your dream becomes a pursuit. and with vitiligo, the pursuit for your pigment is no exception. it's time you had a proven choice to help restore what's yours. opzelura is the first and only fda-approved prescription treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo proven to help repigment skin over time. restoring what's yours. it's possible with a steroid-free cream that you can apply yourself. opzelura can lower your ability to fight infections including tb or hepatitis b or c.

serious lung infections, skin cancer, blood clots, and low blood cell counts occurred with opzelura. in people taking jak inhibitors, serious infections, increased risk of death, lymphoma, other cancers, and major cardiovascular events have occurred. the most common side effects were acne and itching where applied. repigmentation is possible. ask your dermatologist today about starting or refilling opzelura. pursue it. hey hon. hey dad...(sniffs) that smell could be 8,000,000 odor causing bacteria. good thing adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria that detergents leave behind. clean is good, sanitized is better. ♪ ♪ did you know... 80% of women are struggling with hair damage? just like i was. dryness and frizz could be damaged hair that can't retain moisture. new pantene miracle rescue deep conditioner, with first-of-its-kind melting pro-v pearls... locks in moisture to repair 6 months of damage in one wash, without weigh down.

guaranteed or your money back! for resilient, healthy-looking hair... if you know, you know it's pantene.

i'm richard lui. we are hours away from michael cohen taking the stand and former president trump hush money trial. the lawyer had already served time in prison for his role in the alleged cover-up scheme involving stormy daniels. at least 11 were killed in shootings over the mother's day shoot -- weekend. it took place of florida, alabama, georgia, ohio, and massachusetts. no arrests were made. judy had spiked her husband's ice cream with the sleeping pills she welcome back to dateline. i'm andrea ercanning. judy had spiked her husband's ice cream with the sleeping pill she had her daughter buy.

what happened next was something kim would fight to bury deep for the rest of her life. we now continue with the family secret. kimberly, 12 years old, saw her mother standing in the living room in their house in boise, idaho. behind the bedroom door, her stepfather was in a stupor, and used by the sleeping pills that kim said her mother had sent her to buy. now kim heard her mother say, i am ready. >> she told me to go in the bedroom which i did not like because we were not allowed in there. she had been in there prior, checking on him and at some point put him on the floor, on a sheet. i really did not know exactly how she was going to do it until i walked in and saw the gun at the end of the bed.

she went over and turned up the stereo really loud, and she said it would cover the noise. first, she asked me to pull the trigger. >> she gave you the gun? >> no, she was holding it. >> where? >> and his chest. she said help me pull the trigger and i basically refused. i started screaming at he what do you want from me? what do you want me to do? she said cover my ears. and so, i put my hands on either side of her, and i closed my eyes really tight. she kept saying something. it seemed like forever and i screamed and i said if you're going to do it, just do it. it was a moment later, it was this loudest noise i ever heard in my life. i ran out to the backyard, into the alley. >> kim cowered there, shaking. listening.

>> i was horrified. i just sat there. i was crying and screaming, rocking back and forth. listening. >> listening for what? >> for his voice. her voice. something. >> had chewed think she hadn't done it? >> maybe she missed. maybe he woke up. part of me wanted him to wake up. on my way back to the house. >> back to her mother. >> i think she hugged me and told me she loved me. >> that was supposed to make it okay? >> yeah. >> and it didn't? >> then i had to go in the room. the smell was still there. >> smell of what? >> gunpowder. i did not look at him. i just grabbed the end of my

sheet and did as i was told. >> the sheet he was lying on. >> pulled him down the hall. she had one end and i had the other and he was too heavy. i had to touch him. >> what did it feel like? >> he was still warm. >> but did. >> yeah. >> she was not finish then, not even close. her mother, she said, had another job for her. >> she said we've got to put him in the trunk. i had to grab him under his legs. he was so heavy. we got him in there, and she shut the lid. closed the latches. we drug it out back and put it next to the house. >> out the door on the porch?

>> stacked boxes on a. >> judy rented a carpet cleaner and kim helped her clean the blood off the floors. she scrubbed the blood off the wall. she made it looked normal. the trunk kept sitting on the porch. what did she do with it? >> a couple days before she murdered him, she told the boys that we were going to plant it peach tree out back. so they were to pick up a call to put the treat in. a few days after the murder, the holes filled in. there was no peachtree. she changed her mind. >> did you ever figure how she got the trunk from the porch to the hole and got it filled in? >> she had to ask my brother shane. >> now there two people in on it. you and shane? did you talk to him about it?

>> not really. >> you are brother and sister. you are complicit and that conversation never happened? why not? >> she swore me to secrecy. made me promise. >> there was more to the secret. judy said kim devised a cover story and when she said it, it sounded true. >> my husband left me for another woman. >> that was really believable? >> yeah. there was a short time after lloyd left, lloyd was murdered. >> funny how that stuck in your mind. that was the fiction. >> that's what we had to say. >> she stepped inside and kept her mother happy. it was not over. a few months later, she said, judy had another chopper can mentor brother shane. could not leave the body in the backyard said judy. they would have to dig it up,

move it. they buried it in an old truck they had on the property back then. in the yard, they started taking. >> we were digging for quite a while. we came to the trunk and it was falling apart. >> they looked at their mother. what should they do? >> she was just so cold and matter-of-fact. grab what you can. as we started pulling it out, there was this horrendous smell. >> he hadn't disintegrated? >> not much. you could still see his tattoos on his arms. they had decided it was not going to work and to re-bury him. >> so, he stayed there. >> he stayed. stuffed it deep inside. try to be normal. >> of course it was not normal

at all. over the years said kim, it was only her conflicted ties to her mother, that powerful emotional -- that kept them close in the secret bottled up. that and her mother's promise. >> hundreds and hundreds of times she reassured me that i'll turn myself in if it will make you better. >> what should she do? a perfect daughter could never betray her mother nor could anyone in this circle of deceit that grew and grew. betrayals were coming and not just one. finally, kim would learn what could happen to a daughter who disobeyed her mother. >> coming up. >> my first reaction was one of disbelief. >> the police have a job for kim. go undercover to catch her mother. spent well, i just wanted to talk to you. talk to you.

now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. ♪♪ get 6x longer-lasting freshness, plus odor protection. try for under $5!

plus odor protection. keith morrison (voiceover): kimberly was the keeper of an awful family secret, a secret she had never been able to tell her own stepsiblings, lloyd's children, kimberly was a keeper of been awful family secret. a secret she had never been able to tell her own stepsiblings, lloyd's children, that she attended the murder of their father and so they knew nothing. nothing at all.

in 1981, less than a year after lloyd's murder, judy got married again. life went on as before. 15 years after the murder, judy sold the house on car -- clark street to kim's little brother who moved in with this new wife who learned about the secret and insisted, get rid of the body. now, kim married with two kids of her own return to the childhood home and told her siblings where to dig. >> i had to show them where it was because nobody remembered. >> but, you did. >> it is burned in my memory. >> the brothers and a cousin dug up the remains and took it to a dumpster. the secret circle grew and kim felt she loved her mother still, but warned her two, it was ever harder to keep silent. >> i guess i made a deal with her which was i was never come

out and tell anybody. i told her unless somebody asked me directly because i will not lie, she did not like that answer. she would always call and do a mental check on me. then do her old standby promise that she will do the right thing. >> if the time came. >> right. >> but, she did not. now, kim had told and 27 years after the day she helped her mother cover up a murder, detective brian lee was at her door. >> my first reaction was one of disbelief, almost. really? could this have been kept quiet that long? >> what did she look like when she came to the door. >> almost expecting, probably, that we were going to be there. >> she told it again. relieved to be getting rid of it but then came the request she did not expect. more than a request, she would

have to go undercover and record an incriminating phone call with her mother. what was a conversation like? >> it was so hard. i was going to have to betray her to get what they wanted. >> hello? >> what you doing? >> the call begins. they chatted about nothing much. and then. >> well, i just wanted to talk to you about something. and i won't bring it up again. i started seeing a counselor appear. i talk about everything. but, anyway, i got to go again today. just some things i want to get clear in my head. >> yeah? >> it's not something we like to talk about. why did you pick me to help you kill lloyd? >> honey, i didn't. >> why was i there? >> i don't know. is this a set up phone call? >> no.

>> all call you back. >> the call was over. a failure. what did you think when you heard that? >> it made me a little nervous. she was keen to what was going on. >> then, judy called back. they pushed the record button. >> hello. >> you know, i can't say anything except that you don't know the regrets that i have had. and that i still have. i don't know that i can answer your question. i don't remember a whole lot of it. we had talked. i was trying to figure out how to get out of it. i remember you just saying, do it. do it. to it. >> mom, i was 12. >> i know, kim. i know that. but, i'm just telling you what i was hearing.

you know what i mean? and it was like, at that point, there was no turning back. i guess i felt like i was in a hole that i was trying to dig myself out of. a pit. i was in hell, i guess. i'm so sorry took you there with me. >> the police had what they needed. judy was not finish. >> i guess the only thing i can tell you, kim, is that i love you more than i love life. i am sorry that i failed you. and i am sorry that you have to go through this. i know that doesn't even begin to help. but, i would lay down my life for you. if it means anything to you. >> i felt like i was going to die. i betrayed her. i betrayed my whole family. >> now, the police wanted more. >> they wanted me to go over to

the house and to show them where everything had happened. >> once again point out the spot where he was buried. >> yeah. >> it was burned in her memory. for three days the police dug up the past in the backyard on clark street. >> we had to go and process the area where we were told the body was. it is part of validating the story kim told. >> was there anything left? >> we found fragments of bone. >> seven bone fragments. all that was left of lloyd ford. police were able to determine that at least 10 members of judy's family had helped keep the secret. in your experience, when that many people are aware of such a dark thing, does it stay hidden long? >> no. that is what was puzzling. how it was kept quiet that long . >> it suggests a measure of control over those folks that

would be unusual. >> very much so. >> the statute of limitation applied not. only one could be held accountable. only judy, and those the law, the secret would be exposed in core. justice served. but would it be justice or even the whole truth? kim had turned on judy, but this mother hadn't quite finished yet with her daughter. >> i know she was screaming. to it. to it. do it. do it. >> coming up. judy tells her story and there is one more twist. >> a jury could acquit her. qui . [ sighs ] here's my pride and joy. [ romantic music plays ] ♪♪ beautiful stair renovation, sir. and they're covered with your home and auto bundle with progressive, so you get round-the-clock protection.

so, is gabby coming down? oh, she said she'll meet you at the prom. want the power of 5 serum benefits in 1? olay super serum activates on skin to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten, and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay

this isn't charmin! no wonder i don't feel as clean. hurry up dad! you've been in there forever! i'm trying! this cheap stuff is too thin! i told you not to get the other toilet paper. here's charmin ultra strong. ahhh! my bottom's been saved! woooo! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. what's everybody waiting for? this? ok hon, we know you're clean. we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin.

you ready? -showtime. this is gonna be epic. ok hon, we know you're clean. [ barking ] it's what the poster said. do you want to make out or? nope. i meant yes. he's a bon garçon. i give amazing sponge-baths. can i get a room? [ chuckling ] ♪ ♪

chef's kiss. keith morrison (voiceover): lloyd ford missed his children's birthdays, missed their graduations, their weddings. lloyd ford missed his children's birthdays. missed their graduations, their weddings, sandy's brother walked her down the aisle. lloyd missed all that are so his family was told, he had left them all. just did not care. >> just not having him was hard. to think he had walked away. we could not even stand it to the point my brother and i never had pictures of our dad in the house. if you have a picture, someone will ask about your dad, and you have to admit the person

you thought you were closest to in the whole world had turned and walked away. where is your dad now? i don't know. >> of course, it was a lie. their father never left them. the truth when police finally called to tell them? >> it was almost indescribable to think he had been murdered the way he had been murdered. with absolutely no regard for human life. non-. treated like a piece of garbage. that was hard. >> yes, and then they discovered that lloyd's own son had unknowingly dug his father's grave when judy told him to prepare a hole to plant a peach tree. >> i think it's almost impossible to comprehend that type of evil. >> sandy watched online as the police dug up all that was left of their father. the seven bone fragments. they tried to understand how

judy got her own children to help murder their own father. >> my dad was the only debt these kids new and yet somehow, she got these kids to participate in the murder, to bury the body, to dig up the body later that year. how do you get your kids do something like that? where is your mind of someone who would do something like that? >> judy goff eight grandmother, took her dogs for a walk. that's where police arrested her. when they took her downtown? >> she requested an attorney when we sat down. there was no interview. >> no surprise. >> not for me. she had 27 years to think of that decision. >> she was charged with first- degree murder, and that's what patrick, idaho statesman, began recording the story. >> this was somebody who had no criminal record.

her friends described her as a kind and loving person. someone they trusted. there was a lot of confusion and shock. >> judy appeared before judge who determined she was not a risk in granted bail. six months later her public defender went on the offense with a stunning claim. lloyd, she said, was an abuser. she killed him, she said, in defense of her life and her children. >> this was a woman who loved her family. she does everything she can for her family. >> reporter: the reporter spoke to judy's youngest son. lloyd abusive? the own children were outraged at the accusation. >> that is not who might dad was. it was ludicrous to think there was anything going on. >> no abuse. >> absolutely nothing. >> is the date for the trial approach, her claim that lloyd was an abuser hit the paper and became big news around boise.

would judy try a battered wife defense? light's children furious and upset about what they considered vicious libel. with their tongues with the prosecutor told him don't say a word in your fathers defense. the truth will come out in trial, except it did not. the trial did not happen. judy struck a deal. >> please state your name for the record. >> judy gough. >> to plead guilty to second- degree murder, and confess, although the confession wasn't quite the story her daughter kim remembered. >> i had a rifle. i was sitting on the edge of the bed and i have the gun across my lap. he was sitting on the floor by my dresser, kitty corner from me. the gun went off. it was a terrible smell. he was dead. >> when you say the gun went off, what do you mean? >> your honor, i must've pulled the trigger. >> the judge asked about her

daughter kaminski role in the murder. >> had you talked to your daughter about killing your husband? >> you know, she said i did. i do not recall that part. >> did you call your daughter to come in the room? >> i don't think so. i do not know why she was there. i know she was screaming, do it. do it. do it. >> was she accusing kim in court? was she blaming her own daughter somehow? >> for the past 30 years she's telling you i will do the right thing if it will make you better. i love you that much. when zero hour came, -- >> she threw you under the bus. >> she left me there. >> the emotion is what? abandonment? >> sure. that little girl tried so hard to make her mom happy. >> that's the piece of the

puzzle i am working on. abandonment. >> abandonment is a family issue. lloyd's first family struggled with the for 27 years until they discovered he did not leave them at all. now they ache to defend affirma charts he believed to be a cruel lie, they could not. not without a trial. had the prosecutor abandon them now? why was it important to you to see this go to trial? >> this was my dad. the only thing we could do for him. we felt the truth would come out. it would give him back his reputation. she had taken his life. then she takes his reputation too? >> in march 2009, his kids return died over the sentencing hearing of judy gough. >> we set through the sentencing and the ending, the judge acknowledged six kids and judy as victims. never once mentioned my father. >> does this feel like justice?

>> no. it feels like they wanted to get the case over with. that it was not important to them. >> roger, chief jeopardy of the prosecutor's office defended the decision. >> we thought going through a trial would judy gets to take the stand and vilify their father her hours at a time would not be productive for them and would not be productive for the people. the risk is that a jury could acquit her. from our standpoint, that would be the worst thing. >> the sentence? for drugging and killing lloyd, for having the kids bury him, take him up, keep their awful secret? 10 years in prison. judy has declined over interview requests. kim has written a book called unworthy. what would you do for your mother?

how do you feel about her now? >> i don't feel a whole lot about her now. she is dead to me. i don't mean that angry and bitter because then i would be like her. that is not my mom. my mom left a long time ago. >> the house on clark street sit nt -- empty. the backyard overgrown. the secret, the deadly secret, bound a family three decades, the unraveling, torn apart forever. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. . ♪♪ this sunday, biden's red line. president biden warns israel he will cut off some american ff weapons if the israeli military