Ted Green

The prosecutors knew it would be a challenging case.

The murder weapon was never found, nor was there DNA evidence connecting Ambrose to the killing.

But they also knew time was running out.

The grand jury quickly indicted Joseph Ambrose for the first-degree murder of Mary Kay Hessey.

The then 77-year-old was arrested on November 18th, 2024 in Oklahoma, where he was living.

Ambrose was then extradited to Nebraska.

For Mary Kay's family, the arrest was gratifying, especially for Kathy.

She had promised Mary Kay's mother, Dorothy, who died in 2007, that she would fight for justice and not forget Mary Kay.

This is Aunt Dorothy asking for us to continue to search for whatever happened to Mary Kay.

I didn't want to let her down.

I told her that I would not stop, that I would continue.

Kathy and Mark were preparing themselves to finally have some answers to 56 years of questions about what happened to Mary Kay.

There were pretrial hearings where Ambrose appeared frail and on oxygen.

Months passed, and then, in July of 2025, Kathy and Mark got news they were not expecting.

A plea deal had been reached, not for first-degree murder as charged, but for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

As part of the deal, Ambrose pleaded no contest, which meant he did not have to give any details about the murder.

Kathy and Mark say they weren't consulted about the deal, which also named the deceased Wayne Greaser as the other person conspiring to kill Mary Kay.

It was a blow to Kathy and Mark and to Ted Green.

In an email to 48 Hours, Joseph Ambrose's attorney stated that Mr. Ambrose maintains his innocence.

Due to Mr. Ambrose's age, he states he took the plea bargain due to his health issues, since he may not have lived until trial to try to clear his name.