Emotional testimony from a killer. A murder defendant's unusual defense. And travel scam safety tips.
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What are the key stories in this week's Dateline episode?
Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. I'm Andrea Canning. It's March 6th, and here's what's on our docket. Fireworks in a Kansas courtroom as Dana Chandler, the woman representing herself at her third trial on charges she murdered her ex-husband and his girlfriend, calls the lead detective as a defense witness.
Were there my fingerprints in the house?
No.
Were there any of my hair in the house?
No. In Dateline Roundup, what we know about the investigation into the mysterious death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman.
They're combing through hours of body camera footage from the deputies who responded to the scene. They may soon release some of that footage.
Plus, NBC News chief consumer investigative correspondent Vicky Nguyen is back to share her tips on how to avoid being scammed while booking your next vacation.
If the price is too good to be true and you are not using your credit card, which has a lot of fraud protection, be very, very careful.
But before all that, we're heading back to Los Angeles and the latest bombshell testimony in the trial of a woman accused of plotting with her lover to murder her hairstylist husband. Six weeks into the prosecution's case against Monica Sementilli, the state has called an array of witnesses, from the paramedic who responded to the murder scene to a host of LAPD detectives to Monica's own daughter, Jessica. On Tuesday morning, they called one of their star witnesses.
You may call your witness.
Thank you. Do people call Christopher Austin? No.
Prosecutors say Christopher Austin helped Monica's lover, Robert Baker, kill her husband, Fabio. In January, Austin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role in the crime and agreed to testify against Monica, who he says knew about the plot. This week, we finally heard his emotional testimony in court. Dateline producer Chetna Joshi is back to tell us what Christopher Austin had to say. Chetna, thanks for joining us again. Yeah, thanks for having me. So, Chetna, the prosecution started by talking a bit about Christopher Austin's relationship with Robert Baker, which had been a bit of a mystery to you, Chetna, your team, Dateline, until now. So what did we find out about their connection?
Yeah, so we learned that Christopher Austin was about in middle school when he met Robert Baker and that his dad and Robert Baker were very good friends.
Did you have a term that you referred to him as?
Yes.
What is that?
I called him Uncle, short for Uncle.
What was Christopher Austin's role in Fabio Sementilli's murder?
And is Rob older than you then?
Yes.
How much older?
Same age as my dad, I guess. I'm not a math guy. 30 plus years older than me.
As the years went on, Christopher Austin and Baker developed a friendship. Christopher Austin even worked for him almost as an assistant. And, you know, kind of the way he put it, doing whatever Baker needed him to do.
OK, so the prosecution walked through Christopher Austin's arrest last October. Now, this is more than seven years after the crime. When the detective met with him, Austin said he was shown photos of himself and Baker jogging and inside the black Porsche that they took from the cement tilly house after the murder.
This is when Austin testifies that, yeah, he understands, like, he knows why he's there. And so when detectives finally bring him in for an interview, Christopher Austin admits to them that, yes, he was there and that, yes, he stabbed Fabio.
Oh, my gosh. That's intense. And interestingly, when Austin was arrested, he was taken to a cell where they had planted an undercover officer. Does he get anything good out of him?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are the key stories in this week's Dateline episode?
0:32–3:02
2
What is Dana Chandler's defense strategy in her murder trial?
3:02
3
What are the latest developments in Gene Hackman's mysterious death?
0:56–1:10
4
How can you protect yourself from travel scams?
1:10–1:27
5
What was Christopher Austin's role in Fabio Sementilli's murder?
1:27–5:10
6
How is Dana Chandler representing herself in court?
5:10–28:15
Speakers
12 identifiedMore from Dateline NBC
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