>> we heard all this talk around town that jessie was dead. to know that the last moments she spent on this earth, she was in so much fear. it's not fair. if he's still out there, he could still be plotting, he could still be hunting. who's next? >> reporter: jesse gave her all. to everything she did. >> she was on a mission? >> her whole life. >> reporter: and then someone took it all away. >> i was like, jessie? nothing. then i kind of jiggled her a little bit. and then i knew. this is not good. >> what's the problem? >> my daughter won't wake up. >> reporter: she'd been murdered in her own bed, after coming home from a pool party. a party that hadn't been all fun

and games. >> she was 19, these were men in their 40's. we wanted to talk to 'em. >> reporter: did something happen at that party? what was happening around this small town? >> i hear somebody running behind me, then i noticed he had a knife in his hand. >> reporter: someone was stalking young women. >> it was either i try to save myself, or let this guy do whatever he wants to me. >> reporter: his dreams were their nightmares. >> there were searches on serial killers. there were searches on bondage. >> reporter: could he be caught before he killed again? >> in my gut, i knew he had done it, and now, i needed to go out and prove it. >> reporter: i'm lester holt, and this is dateline. here's andrea canning with "obsession." ♪ >> reporter: she was a young woman who'd devoted her whole life to making music. an accomplished musician who played several instruments, acted. even wrote her own songs. ♪ >> that was her biggest passion.

she saw music as a way to change the world. >> that's the only friend i had that sang and did it all like the violin and piano. >> she had a really unique sound. >> yeah. >> reporter: so who could have predicted that on july 15th, 2013, the music, and a young girl's dreams would end so suddenly. >> we were in shock and disbelief. >> it was hard to understand and to come to grips with. >> oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. >> ma'am, stay on the line with me, we're going to get ems out for you. >> reporter: a small town was faced with a mystery. with police asking, what was real and what was a performance? >> he's an actor. he's two different people. >> who is this guy? who does he think he is that he can go around doing this to women? >> reporter: ask anyone who knew jessie blodgett growing up in hartford, wisconsin, and they'll tell you she was happy, passionate, full of life. her dad, buck, says she had always been that way. >> did she have a happy childhood?

>> oh, yeah. i'll show ya 600 photos on my computer. you're going to be able to count on one hand the ones you can find where she's not beaming and smiling. she was a really happy kid. >> reporter: jessie, an only child was the light of her parents' lives. their miracle baby. buck and joy blodgett thought they couldn't have children so they cherished their little girl that much more. >> we bonded from day one when that little purple head came out, and every day since. we talked about drugs, we talked about sex, there was nothin' off limits. >> reporter: and her mom says jessie's friends were like part of the family. >> they always seemed to hang out at our house. >> yeah. we did. >> she would, like, find any reason to throw a party. [ laughter ] yeah. >> reporter: ian, jackie and amelia were three of jessie's closest high school pals. >> we all just, like, kinda hit it off right away i guess. >> it's hard not to. i mean, she was a really contagious personality. >> reporter: but jessie also had a more serious side. one that loved to debate issues and fight for causes she believed in. >> jessie sounds a little like

an old soul. is that fair? >> she liked old people stuff. >> yeah, she did. i don't really know much high schoolers that are super activists about animal rights. >> she made herself well versed in just a lot of different opinions and viewpoints. ♪ >> reporter: jessie wanted to make a difference. that much was clear. but what made her happiest was sharing her gift. >> every time i went over to jessie's house, she would always be playing the piano. even though when i was trying to talk to her, she'd be like -- i'm like 'hello, jessie'. >> reporter: jessie's passion for music grew even stronger in college. in the summer after her freshman year, she teamed up with an old boyfriend and theater pal, dan. and together, they wrote this heartfelt song. ♪ ♪ >> we had a music room, he had a music room at his house. so he'd bring his guitar and they both sang.

>> reporter: that summer jessie also won the title role in the local production of fiddler on the roof. jerry becker directed the show. >> did she just fully embrace it? >> she did. she enjoyed being the person who really opens the show, and sets the mood, sets the feeling. >> reporter: it was july 14th after the sunday matinee. jessie and the cast gathered for a pool party. >> we went out to a cast member's farm. he had a pool, and some llamas and other animals there. i left early with my family, and i remember her sitting there and her for her performance. >> she came home around what time? >> it was late. 12:30, i believe. >> you were still awake? >> i waited up for her. i couldn't go to sleep until i heard that she was in the house. >> reporter: they chatted briefly and said good night. the next morning, jesse's mom popped into her daughter's room before work and saw jesse still fast asleep. >> nothing that you would ever think was odd when you left, i

would imagine. >> no, no, and this was her first morning to sleep in, in a very long time. >> reporter: joy returned home for lunch and saw that jessie wasn't downstairs, ready for her afternoon violin lesson. >> i went to the top of the stairs. and i was like, jessie? nothing, so then i went in. i came around the bed. and -- and then i kind of jiggled her a little bit. and nothing. and then i knew this is not good. this is not good. >> reporter: joy made a frantic call to 911. >> what's the problem? >> my daughter is blue. i went to wake her up and i just got home from, for lunch and she won't wake up. >> is she breathing? >> i don't think so, no. >> okay, you're trying to do cpr? >> i'm trying to just pump her chest. >> reporter: just hours before, she had seen her daughter sleeping peacefully. now joy, a chiropractor, was fighting to save jessie's life. >> your mother instincts were kicking in and your doctor

instincts. >> yeah. yeah. i, i just kept thinking she fell asleep and stopped breathing on the pillow or something. >> reporter: as joy moved jessie to the floor to better perform cpr, first responders arrived. >> did you at that point start to feel her slip away, that hope was dwindling fast? >> i think i just was thinking they'll do it, they'll take her to the hospital. oh god, they can do all kinds of stuff, you know. >> reporter: but they never took jessie to the hospital. it was too late. she was gone. a tragedy. and now a mystery. what happened to jessie blodgett? when we return, detectives hear something from jessie's mom they find interesting and troubling. when jessie got home that night from the party, she was upset. >> what's going on?

oh, you know, the guys. >> reporter: what about the guys? our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars. when you ache and haven't slept... you're not you. tylenol® pm relieves pain and helps you fall fast asleep and stay asleep. we give you a better night. you're a better you all day. tylenol®. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans. wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪you better pledge your allegiance♪ ♪you're not the only one♪ ♪listen up forefathers♪ ♪let them have some fun♪ ♪some fun♪ ♪some fun.♪

3 f2 ♪ (música) ♪ daughter jessie dead in her own bed. jessie's father was at work. >> you had to call your husband. >> i wanted to let him know as soon as possible because i knew how much he loved his little girl. and i knew i had to get on the phone and tell him as soon as possible, but i didn't want to get him on the phone until i knew for sure. >> she said, "honey, honey, honey, it's jessie."

then she busted out crying and i knew something was really, really wrong. i said, is she gone? and joy -- no more words came, just tears. so i raced home. >> reporter: but when buck arrived home, police cars and a crime scene truck were already in the driveway. >> i went in the door through the yellow tape. and when i saw joy's eyes in the living room, then i knew that jess was gone. >> did you quickly ask how -- how did this happen? >> no. i -- my whole first thing was i wanted to see her. i wanted to touch her. i wanted to tell her goodbye. but they wouldn't let me. >> reporter: buck wasn't allowed in jessie's room because police were in there, trying to figure out what had happened. detective richard thickens of the hartford police department was one of the first on the scene. he looked around, saw a typical teenager's messy bedroom. nothing strange there, but when he saw jessie's body it was clear to the detective that jessie didn't die of natural causes. >> the first thing i noticed was there was a very red mark running pretty much all the way

across her neck. >> did you need an autopsy to tell you what you were seeing? >> no, it was very apparent that this was a ligature mark at that point. >> reporter: jessie had been murdered -- strangled. but inside jessie's bedroom, there was no murder weapon. no sign of a struggle. except one thing did seem odd about jessie's bed. >> the covers were over the bed in a perfect manner. and a kid who had stuff strewn -- strewn all over the bed, there was nothing on the bed. >> it was very apparent that the scene had been changed. this is certainly a possibility of somebody trying to ensure that they didn't leave anything of themselves behind. >> did they finally let you go upstairs when they finished, to say a proper goodbye? >> they released her room as a crime scene and brought her down. and after waiting all day to tell her i love her and i'm sorry, suddenly everybody's around watching me.

and i never really had that moment with her alone to say goodbye. >> that is heartbreaking. >> yeah. >> reporter: having barely digested the news of their daughter's death and still in shock, buck and joy sat down with investigators to tell them everything they knew. there was no sign of forced entry to the house but they explained, like most people in this quiet, safe town, they often left a door unlocked. >> this individual found that one door. the house wasn't ransacked. um, it looked to us that this person knew right where to go to find her. >> reporter: to the detective, it didn't seem random. it was clear jessie was targeted. one of buck's first thoughts, a crew of tree cutters that recently worked outside jessie's window. >> it made me wonder if they had had thoughts when they were in the trees, limbing our trees above her bedroom, and she was sleepin' in there. just wondered if they noticed

that here's this teenage girl, sleeping, home alone when joy and i are at work while they're in our yard. >> reporter: buck also told the detectives about a problem jessie was having at her part-time restaurant job. trouble with a co-worker. >> she had come home a couple of times and said that he was inappropriate with her. >> what was he doing that was inappropriate? >> he would often make sure that she had to rub against him as she passed him. >> that must make you nuts as a parent when you hear stories like that. >> when i first heard that i was almost out that door to go over and talk to him about it. >> reporter: the restaurant was just down the road. it seemed possible that this co-worker jessie found creepy knew where she lived, had been watching the house. >> certainly we are gonna take any possibility. you don't wanna close any avenues of investigation at that point. >> reporter: then joy told the detectives something that really caught their attention. jessie had come home from that fiddler on the roof cast party, clearly upset. >> i said, what's going on? she said, ork, the guys, you

know, they're always making passes and i don't know why they have to always turn it there. >> reporter: jessie told her mom two older men from the cast were flirting with her and it made her uncomfortable. one pulled her on his lap. the other told a dirty joke. at the time, joy thought the flirtations seemed harmless and her young daughter simply didn't know how to handle it. >> she didn't like men taking, you know, privileges on women. >> reporter: but perhaps the incidents were more serious than her mother thought. jessie wrote about them in her diary that night, ending her final entry with "god be with me." >> she was 19, and from what joy understood, these were men in their 40s. >> is that a bit of a red flag for you? >> can be. we wanted to talk to 'em. >> reporter: detective thickens could see the pretty, talented teenager could attract unwanted male attention. now he had to figure out if any of it had to do with jessie's murder. coming up -- a possible suspect. >> someone that was flirting

with her less than 24 hours before her death. >> we thought it was him. i mean, who else could it have been? >> reporter: when dateline continues. you're down with crestor. yes! when diet and exercise aren't enough, adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol up to 55%. crestor is not for people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor all medicines you take. call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of serious side effects. i'm down with crestor! make your move. ask your doctor about crestor. double coverage? no problem. triple covered? yes, please. for a limited time at pizza hut get the triple cheese covered stuffed crust pizza. order a large for just $11.99. now that's game-changing flavor. only at pizza hut.

take a deeeeep breath in... and... exhale... aflac! and a gentle wavelike motion... ahhh-ahhhhhh. liberate your spine... ahhh-ahhhhhh...aflac! and reach, toes blossoming... not that great at yoga. yeah, but when i slipped a disk he paid my claim in just four days. ahh! four days? yep. see why speed matters, at aflac.com.

what if you could give her diamonds... in her favorite color? diamonds that capture her look her style...perfectly. kay jewelers presents the artistry diamonds collection. genuine diamonds in vivid blues, greens blacks, yellows and purples. and right now save up to 30% off select artistry diamonds in a palette of colors, at kay... the number one jewelry store ...in america. artistry diamonds. they're diamonds... of a different color. ♪ every kiss begins with kay. ♪

♪ >> reporter: it was hard to believe a murder like this could happen in peaceful hartford, wisconsin, let alone to a warm and loving teenager like jessie blodgett. within hours of her death word had spread. jessie's close friends, jackie and amelia raced to the blodgett house. >> we drove up her driveway and her parents were standing outside. and they said, jessie is no

longer with us anymore. >> was that when it became real for you? >> it was -- i don't know. it was -- it's like really shocking, i guess. it was probably the worst pain that anyone could ever feel. >> reporter: jessie's theater director, jerry becker, was also stunned, having just celebrated with jessie and the cast of fiddler on the roof the night before. >> the best way to describe it is simply surreal. that kind of thing doesn't happen here. >> and to someone like jessie. >> exactly. jessie was someone you could not imagine a bad thing happening to. >> reporter: finding jessie's killer became the police department's number one priority. >> this is a girl that's been attacked in her home where she should be safe and i think that it definitely did put people on edge. >> reporter: detectives talked with cast members from fiddler on the roof and heard again how jessie had been upset after the cast party.

in particular, with one man named randy talley. >> we made contact with him and asked him to come in to speak to us. >> are you thinking that this could be the guy? >> he's significantly older. someone that was flirting with her less than 24 hours before her death, so he's certainly a person of interest. >> reporter: randy came in for questioning and admitted to joking around playfully with jessie at the party and swore there was nothing more to it. but part of randy's story didn't sit well with detective thickens. >> where had he been during the time of the crime? >> he was working. or was scheduled to work through a temp agency. he didn't actually go to work that day. >> so where was he then? >> he said he spent most of the day actually at his apartment by himself. >> did you just come right out with it? did you have anything to do with the murder of jessie? >> i asked him if he had any involvement in her death. he said no. >> reporter: but the detective wondered, was his story straight out of a script? >> he's an actor, and it's hard for me at that point to gauge if he's acting or being truthful. >> reporter: investigators issued a search warrant for his

phone records. >> we were gonna verify where randy was and look at his alibi. was his cell phone anywhere near that house in this time period? jessie's friends quickly heard the police were looking at a cast member. >> what was being said about the -- the cast member? >> just that he was kinda creepy. and we thought it was him. i mean, who else could it have been? >> reporter: but the play's director, jerry becker, didn't believe it. he couldn't imagine randy being responsible for jessie's death. >> did you pick up the phone and call randy when he was going through this? >> yes. he was saddened by all this. >> how did that conversation leave you feeling? >> i was exceptionally confident at the end of that phone call that he was not involved in this in any way. >> reporter: and when the detective got his hands on randy's phone records, he began thinking the same thing. >> did his phone records tell you anything that was of significance? >> no. he hadn't been talking to her on

the phone that we could see in this time period that we were looking at, and he hadn't been near the house. we haven't eliminated him but we're having to look at other options. >> reporter: so, working day and night, they went over the other leads from jessie's parents. they interviewed the tree-trimmers who might have been peering into jessie's window. >> there was nothing of significance found as far as their possible involvement. >> reporter: and they tracked down the restaurant co-worker jessie had been upset with. >> he was actually out of the country, is our understanding, was at the time this would have happened. >> so case closed on that one? >> he's not gonna be involved. >> reporter: and remember, joy mentioned a second man from the cast party who made jessie uncomfortable. the one she claimed told an inappropriate joke. turns out that guy was none other than jerry becker. >> i gotta believe it was sort of -- some misunderstanding that

with regard to who jessie was talking about. >> so it was a surprise to you that she had brought up your name specifically? >> absolutely. >> did you have anything to hide about that night? >> no. my daughter and my son were there at the picnic with me. >> reporter: jerry told us he'd had just a brief conversation with jessie that night. there was nothing flirtatious about it. and detectives didn't think it sounded like much of a lead, and jerry never became a suspect. in fact, the investigation was going nowhere, leaving the town on edge. >> every time someone would come up behind me, i would jump, even if i knew they were coming up behind me. >> reporter: then, news of another crime heightened everyone's fears. >> it was an attack so brutal she had to get 15 stitches on her hand. >> reporter: it happened in a neighboring town, another attack on a young woman close to jessie's age, in a park less than 10 miles from her house. >> did you think that there was any possible connection to the park attack? >> they were too similar. they were too violent. they were against young women. they must be connected in some way or another.

>> reporter: what had happened in that park, and could it lead detectives to jessie's killer? coming up -- a harrowing first-person account of that vicious attack. >> you grabbed the knife with your bare hands? >> it was either i try to save myself or let this guy do whatever he wants to me. >> reporter: was someone stalking young women around this small town? my advice for healthy looking radiant skin. a good night's sleep... and aveeno®. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® positively radiant has an active naturals® total soy formula.

it helps reduce the look of brown spots in just four weeks. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results™. it's great on strawberries apples... bananas... rice cakes... raspberries... toast! [ kelly ] jif hazelnut spread makes anything your new favorite thing. spoons! which is why this choosy mom chooses jif.

technology has improved our lives, in small ways. in big ways. but what about this? couldn't this be better too? at redfin we asked ourselves the same question. which led us to create new ways to take you inside a home or instantly schedule a tour. but we paired that with our own agents who aren't paid on commission but on your happiness. and that's what makes it all work the world has changed and now real estate has too.

♪ >> reporter: after the vibrant 19-year-old with a passion for music was strangled in her own bed, her grief-stricken parents couldn't stop thinking about the way she died. >> that's such a dark place to go, to think about her last moments. >> doesn't get any darker than that. and i laid on her bed early on and held my breath long as i could, trying to black out, to see how that was. which is nothing like what she went through. >> reporter: police thought she had been targeted. but now some of her friends

wondered if her murderer was the same person who attacked a woman in a nearby park. >> when i found out about that, i was almost thinking in my head, like, who's next? you know? if he's still out there, he could still be plotting, he could still be hunting. >> i was like, who is this guy? >> reporter: this is melissa richards, the victim of that attack. it happened three days before jessie was killed. her courageous story of survival is amazing. >> you arrive at the park. and what's the first thing you see? >> a blue minivan. >> anything out of the ordinary? >> no. >> reporter: melissa richards and her dog, remy, went for a walk in richfield park. and when they returned -- >> the guy was still parked in the car. and what i noticed was him looking out of the driver's side window. >> did it seem weird? >> i just thought he wanted his privacy. and then about here, i hear somebody running behind me. so i look back and go, oh, you

scared me. then i noticed he had a knife in his hand, and he was still coming towards me. >> reporter: before melissa could run, she was knocked to the ground, and her attacker pinned her down on her stomach. but melissa fought back and did something almost unthinkable. she grabbed the knife by the blade. >> you grabbed the knife with your bare hands? >> right. >> what -- what possessed you to do that? >> well, it was either i try to save myself, or let this guy do whatever he wants to me. >> reporter: with melissa resisting, the attacker apparently panicked and seemed to give up. >> he finally was just -- kinda got up off me. he was still holding onto the knife and he was like, can i just go? and i said no. >> reporter: a defiant melissa wanted her attacker to stay put and answer for his crime, but instead, he dropped the knife and fled. >> so he ended up running back

to his car. i got in my car, and i got out of here as fast as i could. >> reporter: wounded and bloody, melissa picked up the knife and got herself to a hospital for stitches. there she was met by detective clausing of the washington county sheriff's department. >> this wasn't a robbery. he didn't say, give me your purse. this wasn't a dog knapping. he didn't say, give me your dog. this was a vicious personal attack on a stranger. >> reporter: melissa had never seen her attacker before, but lucky for investigators, she had an almost photographic memory. >> he was wearing glasses. he had blond shaggy hair. i said he's about 6'2", 210 pounds. >> did he look like a normal guy? >> uh-huh. yeah, especially with what he was wearing. just normal clothes from kohl's. >> reporter: melissa could even tell police the make and model of his van. >> she knew it was a blue dodge caravan, likely around 2000 to 2002.

>> reporter: despite that great description, investigators could not identify melissa's attacker, and he was still at large when jessie was murdered. and while some of jessie's friends had been speculating about a link, investigators disagreed. >> you're not linking the two crimes or -- or trying to force them -- >> no. >> -- to fit together? >> not at all. one's in a park with a knife, and the other one's in a private home with strangulation. >> reporter: so the two investigations remained separate and hartford police continued to look for new leads in jessie's case. one by one, they called in her heartbroken friends to ask them what they knew. >> did you consider any of her friends as possible suspects? >> never. >> not one friend. >> never. >> reporter: the interviews with jessie blodgett's friends revealed nothing new. then detectives in the park case got a huge break. one that would change the course of both investigations. melissa's description of her

attacker's van triggered the memory of a deputy who routinely patrolled the park where she was assaulted. >> deputy meyer had approached us in the detective bureau and said several weeks ago i was in that park. there was a blue van parked in the exact same spot that you had described, parked the exact same way. >> reporter: at the time, the deputy thought the van seemed suspicious and ran its license plate, but he found nothing alarming and continued his patrol. now, his intuition was telling him the van was the same one involved in melissa's attack. he had no paper record of the plate, but in his squad car, the computer kept a log of old searches. and after hours of backtracking -- >> bingo? >> it wasn't a bingo, but it was very good. >> close? >> yeah it was close. >> reporter: the van belonged to a laura and melvin bartelt. records showed that melvin was too old to be melissa's

attacker, but detectives learned the bartelts had a 19-year-old son who matched melissa's description perfectly. and when detective clausing called that son's cell number, it rang somehwere that would surprise everyone. >> he answered. i introduced myself. i said i needed to speak with him. his name had come up in a incident. i asked him where he was. he told me he was at the blodgett house. and i said, where? >> reporter: coming up -- was this the break detectives so desperately needed, or just a strange coincidence? >> we were saying, no, not this kid. >> there's no way that he could have killed our friend. >> reporter: when dateline continues. let's go tell everybody. we're doing things like putting lte radio's at the top of our towers. to maximize power. and give you the strong signal you deserve. that's awesome! isn't is awesome?! so ya'll optimizied it? we optimized it! people of earth... oh boy... ...america's strongest lte signal is here!

i've had a lot of hondas. we went around the country talking to people who made the switch to ford. i loved the look of the fusion... we test drove it...i was like "this is my car". all-wheel drive is amazing... i felt so secure. you can do it, emmie! ecoboost is when you can take a four cylinder and make it feel like a six cylinder... i was really surprised... i drove the fusion... and i never went back. make the switch to america's favorite brand. check out special offers on ford fusion at ford.com or see your local ford dealer. ♪ let's embrace snuggly softness. let's breathe in freshness for 30 days. let's find a value to feel good about. let's make the world a softer place. let's snuggle.

i bring the gift of the name your price tool to help you find a price that fits your budget. uh-oh. the name your price tool. she's not to be trusted. kill her. flo: it will save you money! the name your price tool isn't witchcraft! and i didn't turn your daughter into a rooster. she just looks like that. burn the witch! the name your price tool a dangerously progressive idea. when hollywood's premiere jewelry designer, neil lane, creates a ring for today's biggest stars... ...he designs it to look fabulous from every angle. and for his collection at kay jewelers... ...he does the exact. same. thing. yes! neil lane bridal. uniquely beautiful hand-crafted rings at kay the number one jewelry store in america. my collection is vintage inspired... ...with flowing lines that evoke a sense of timelessness.

because i want every woman to feel like a star. ♪ every kiss begins with kay. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: it was a promising lead for investigators searching for the young man who so brazenly attacked

melissa richards with a knife. they had a suspect who matched her description. a suspect whose parents owned a blue mini van just like the one she'd spotted at the scene. >> he was showing up in 15 minutes, so we were talking about how we were going to talk to him. >> reporter: their person of interest arrived, friendly and cooperative. >> my name is joel clausing. that's aaron walsh. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: almost immediately, investigators noticed suspicious cuts and bruises on his body. >> what's that on your thumb? >> got stabbed with a screw at work. >> how? >> we have a, like a cart that we move stuff around on. >> he had a cut on his thumb. he had road rash on his leg. he had injuries which looked consistent with the injury someone might have had with attacking melissa richards. >> reporter: detectives were skeptical about the work injury story. in fact, they weren't sure this 19-year-old even had a job. >> if we check with your

employer, would they, would you still have your job? >> no. >> okay. that's what i thought. how long -- when did you lose your job? >> a while ago. >> it's the first time we had him in a lie. i picked up -- picked up my chair, moved it over next to him. we started a different phase of the interview. >> no more lies. it just makes things worse. >> reporter: so after the detective's warning, the suspect tried another story. this time, he claimed he'd cut his finger while cooking. >> nobody in their right mind would lie about cutting themselves if it happened at home cooking. okay? >> okay. >> what happened? just be honest. >> i have gone to the park before. i have been there. >> reporter: as the police continued to press the young man, he began to crack, and quickly. >> and you were in your van, correct, or your mom's van or your dad's? >> yes. >> and you had -- you went after

that girl, right? >> yes. >> reporter: he admitted to going after melissa richards with a knife, and then offered a bizarre explanation for why he did it. >> i wanted to scare someone else because everyone else is so confident. i don't understand it, and i need someone else to be like me. >> reporter: detectives placed him under arrest, but were far from finished. the reason? remember what he told detectives when they reached him by phone. >> where were you at again? >> a house in hartford, jessie blodgett's house. >> reporter: that's right, the confessed attacker was also a friend of jessie's. >> is that the girl that just passed? >> yeah. we were visiting her parents. >> reporter: his name was daniel bartelt, "dan" to his friends. and he was the same "dan" jessie had been writing this music with

that summer. ♪ detective clausing called hartford police right away. they had a suspect for them in custody. jessie's parents refused to believe the news. >> we were saying, no, not this kid, no. >> he's a friend of ours and our daughter's. >> yeah, he's a little screwed up. he just got back from college. and he doesn't know what he's doing right now, blah, blah, blah. but we don't think it's dan. >> reporter: after all, daniel was more than jessie's friend. he was her first love in high school. and had never been in trouble. >> he had everything going for him. he was a top notch student, straight a student. >> he got the lead role in most of the musicals. very talented. >> i was like, i like this kid, you know, just because, you know, he could make me laugh. and he came from a nice family. >> we said, it's not dan, he's a good kid. >> reporter: jessie's friends

agreed. when detectives called daniel's cell phone, they were with him at the blodgett house grieving together. >> we were all crying, and our friend dan's -- his phone rang. and he was like, i got called into the police station for questioning. >> reporter: amelia and jackie were the ones who drove daniel to the police station that afternoon. they'd assumed it was just routine questioning about >> i was like, well, you know, dan, like, they might question you as a suspect. that's what they've been doing for all of her male friends. and he was like, oh, yeah, i didn't even think about that. >> reporter: now, even with dan under arrest for the park attack, they couldn't imagine their friend was capable of murder. >> i was thinking it was a mistake. like, yes, maybe dan did attack this girl in richfield but there's no way that he could have killed our friend. >> reporter: but the detective who'd just interrogated daniel thought the opposite. >> did you believe daniel could've killed jessie? >> yes. it was just a sense you got, a feeling you got. >> that you were sitting across from a killer? >> yes. >> reporter: detective thickens went to grill dan himself.

>> i was hopeful that we might get more information that would advance our case. >> when was the last time you saw her? >> last week i think. >> reporter: daniel admitted to having romantic feelings for jessie, but swore through sobs he had nothing to do with the murder. >> what do you think happened to jessie? >> i have no idea. >> do you think it could have been accidental? >> i don't know why someone would do that to her. >> reporter: but detectives didn't believe him. and he fit the profile of the killer they were looking for. someone who knew jessie and her habits. >> she usually wouldn't get up before 11 or 12. >> all right. >> i would text her in the morning, ask if she wanted to hang out or something, and she wouldn't respond. >> he knew where she was gonna be, knew she didn't have a dog in the house, knew she didn't have siblings, knew where her

parents were gonna be. >> reporter: and as for his emotional denial, they thought it was an act. >> he was making these noises, gulping and -- and sobbing noises, as if he was crying. he didn't shed a tear during that entire time i talked to him. in my gut, i knew he had done it and now i needed to go out and prove it. >> reporter: coming up -- hold it! come with me. new dannon oikos triple zero is my go to protein snack. cam, protein from yogurt? yup, this greek nonfat yogurt packs 15 grams of protein punch.

but what else? unlike some other protein snacks, it has 0 added sugar 0 artificial sweeteners and 0 fat. mmm... will it up my game? no man! new dannon oikos triple zero official yogurt of the nfl. mmm dannon. even ragu users chose prego homestyle alfredo over ragu classic alfredo. prego alfredo?! why can't everything i try be this great? ha ha! woah! (monkey squeals) (sigh of relief) choose taste. choose prego. before larry instantly transferred money from his bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k."

larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. [ male announcer ] are you so stuffed up, you feel like you're underwater? try zyrtec-d® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms... so you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec-d®. find it at the pharmacy counter. ♪ the quarter pounder with cheese! what it lacks in frills, it makes up for in beef! it's everything you love about a burger .... and absolutely nothing else. ba da ba ba ba ♪ if you have medicare part d, walgreens gets that you might be at the corner of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i wish i'd looked some more." that's why walgreens makes it easy to switch your prescriptions and save money.

just stop by. and leave all the legwork to us. switch your prescriptions to walgreens where you could save even more on medicare part d with copays as low as zero dollars. at the corner of happy and healthy.

♪ >> reporter: daniel bartelt had confessed to a violent attack against a woman in a park. but after police spoke with him, they realized he could also be guilty of something far worse. >> did you leave that interview having any doubt that dan was the killer? >> none whatsoever. >> reporter: daniel told investigators on the morning jessie was killed, he was in a park, reading a book. and when they checked the security cameras -- >> we found video that put him there. >> reporter: but that didn't mean daniel was innocent. detectives decided to search the park, combing through more than a dozen garbage bins, hoping to find anything that linked daniel to jessie's murder. and in one garbage can this cereal box full of ligatures. ropes that were very likely the murder weapons used to strangle jessie. plus a whole lot more.

bloody sanitizing wipes, tape, shoe laces. >> i guess he didn't believe that we would have made the effort to go through the garbage to find anything. >> reporter: police sent the evidence for testing and forensics showed that both jessie and daniel's dna were on the ropes found in the park. detectives shared the incriminating discovery with jessie's parents. >> i had trouble getting it, that it was dan. the realist in me knew it was him. the other half of me was like, what happened to dan? >> reporter: daniel bartelt was officially charged with murder. buck and joy tried to wrap their heads around what happened to the funny teenager and had nothing but empathy for his parents. >> they didn't do this. they did nothing wrong. they provided a great environment for him, for his sister. they're good people. >> i can't say that he's totally evil. but something went very wrong. i don't know what. >> reporter: and they also felt sorry for randy talley, the cast

member briefly rumored to be involved, now completely cleared. >> i felt bad. just more collateral damage from one person's evil choices. >> reporter: and though the dna evidence linking daniel to the murder seemed to give the da a slam-dunk case, daniel pleaded not guilty. gary schmaus was his attorney. >> some people might say that there was overwhelming evidence against daniel. why go to trial? >> you go to trial when your client and -- and in this case dan -- denies having committed the crime. >> reporter: when daniel's trial began, the courtroom was full of conflicted hearts. supporters on both sides knew or cared for jessie and daniel. >> what was it like watching one friend being tried for killing another? >> it's like i was watching a tv show. you're in the same room as the person that, you know, murdered your friend.

it's crazy. >> it was the strangest mix of emotions. when he walked in from the backroom of the courtroom i wanted to hug him and make him feel better. i felt his humiliation and shame. i wanted to punch him. >> reporter: prosecutors said from the start, there was no easy explanation for why daniel did what he did. >> why did he pick jessie, was he mad at jessie? no, he wasn't mad at jessie. he picked jessie because she was convenient. >> reporter: but the da did say there was evidence that showed the seemingly sweet young man had been secretly obsessed with murder. on his computer police found disturbing internet searches. >> what does he do in the days and events leading up to this crime? he does a search for serial killers on wiki, a little bit later serial killers by number of victims. >> reporter: their most alarming find was a violent, pornographic film with a plot eerily similar

to how jessie was killed. prosecutors claim daniel used it as an instructional video. >> at some point in the movie he pulls out a binding, um, and places it around her neck, um, he then strangles her. >> there were searches on serial killers. there were searches on bondage -- >> did dan, then, who was big into the theater, a straight-a student -- was he also a serial killer in training? >> i think that's the potential. >> reporter: prosecutors showed the jury all the physical evidence. the dna, the tape, the wipes, the likely murder weapons that tied daniel to jessie's death. through it all, daniel sat quietly at the defense table, looking at no one, and showing little emotion. even when the da presented evidence the public had never heard before.

dna that the state argued showed he not only killed jessie but also raped her. >> daniel's dna was found under jessie's fingernails and inside her. that must have been one of the toughest pieces of evidence to combat in front of the jury. >> difficult. difficult. you know -- didn't have -- really an alternate explanation for that. and don't have one as i sit here right now. >> reporter: in any case, daniel was never charged with rape. and for the murder? the defense rested without calling a single witness to the stand. the jury deliberated just three hours. >> we the jury find the defendant, daniel bartelt, guilty of first-degree intentional homicide as charged in the information. ladies and gentlemen, is this your verdict? >> it's not a good day for anybody. nobody won. >> reporter: months later, at

the sentencing, buck stunned the courtroom when he said this. >> dan, i forgive you. as i have every single day since we found out it was you. >> reporter: and in response to such unbelievable grace, daniel, looked straight at joy and buck and continued to deny his guilt. >> buck, joy, i can't give you the answers that you're looking for. i pray for you, for all of you. and i hope that eye believe that someday i will be before a court that will know that my conscience is clear. i love you and i'm so sorry for your loss. >> he's such a liar. he looked right in our face. i mean, with all this evidence that -- there's just no refuting it, do you know what i mean? and then for him to still be looking at me saying this, i'm thinking, kid, do you honestly believe that i believe you with

this? >> i think dan's a sociopath. he doesn't seem to have the -- the conscience. or if he does, he doesn't care. >> reporter: buck and joy have accepted they may never hear the truth from daniel or know why he turned so violent. but the blodgetts are doing their best to move on. for buck, jessie's untouched room is a constant comfort while for joy it's a painful reminder. >> are you gonna move? >> i'm staying here because that's what he wants. but i would move tomorrow. >> do you feel that if -- if you leave you're leaving jessie? >> not exactly. i feel like she's with me everywhere. and maybe we should talk again 'cause i didn't know you still felt so much that way. >> reporter: daniel is now 20 years old and was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. for the attack on melissa richards, he was sentenced to five more years.

>> melissa's our hero. if it wasn't for her, they wouldn't have caught him. we are forever indebted and thankful to her for that. >> the police and the blodgetts commend you and do feel that other women could have been murdered if it wasn't for you. >> i tried to help as much as i could. i just wanted to help 'em out. i don't know. i tried. ♪ >> reporter: jessie's parents have started an educational campaign in their daughter's honor, called, "love is greater than hate." >> i'm doing it for the millions of people who will be jessie. if not murdered, sexually assaulted and have their lives changed forever because of it. >> reporter: those who loved jessie, say her zest for life changed them for the better and still lives on through her music and her spirit. >> we started thinking differently because of her. we started acting differently because of her. >> have the tables turned? you were always the one proud of her.

and now, do you feel she's the one proud of you? >> i feel like now she's the one lifting me up and encouraging me through life, where it used to be the other way around. ♪ there's nothing i wouldn't do ♪ ♪ i'll be here ♪ ♪ i'll be here for you ♪ >> that's all for this edition of "dateline," we'll see you ring

ring!... progresso! it's ok that your soup tastes like my homemade. it's our slow simmered vegetables and tender white meat chicken. apology accepted. i'm watching you soup people. make it progresso or make it yourself you say avocado old el paso says... zesty chicken and avocado tacos in our stand 'n stuff tortillas . (record scratch) you say stand n' stuff tortillas old el paso says... start somewhere fresh right now at 11:00, 11,000 document just released on the police shooting of an unarmed man. we'll bring you the latest information. a warning tonight from wssc