Murder Loves Company (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Family Lies - full transcript
A reunited family begins to point fingers at each other when a house fire kills one of their own, and somewhere in the ashes are the clues to a murder.
[ Fire crackling ]
Narrator: A devastating Blaze
engulfs a family's home...
- [ Screaming ]
- Is there somebody in the house?
I can't see 'em!
[ Siren chirps, radio chatter ]
...and reveals
a horrific murder.
Royal: There was nothing
discrete about this.
This was like a volcano
just erupted.
It was so horrible. No human
should ever be killed like that.
Narrator: But when everyone
starts pointing fingers...
Burns: A household full
of family members
who all have the same motive.
...years of buried anger
will surface
before the killer
among them can be exposed.
Burns: If you can trust anybody,
it's supposed to be your family.
[ Crow cawing ]
Narrator: On the crisp fall
evening of October 29, 2017,
authorities in a small Iowa town
receive a panicked 911 call.
It was a family member
from inside the house
who made that call.
- Clear!
- Let's go!
- Is there anybody in the house?
- Burning! Call them!
- Somebody's in the house.
- [ Screaming ]
Christina: My aunt was screaming
really bad.
She was scared, and I don't
think anybody had shoes on.
They were in their pjs.
Narrator: Eight members
of the Luevanos family
are out front
of the burning home,
all shaken, yet thankful
to be alive.
What's the e.T.A.
On the fire department?
However, with the fire
department still minutes away,
it's unlikely their home
will be saved.
- They're not doing anything!
- Have you heard fire at all?
[ Woman screaming ]
A town this size, that is an
all-volunteer fire department,
so nobody is living
at the fire station.
All those guys are having to go
to the fire department,
get dressed,
get on the fire trucks,
and come and respond,
and same with the EMT crews.
We can't get in there.
You can't see more
than three feet in there.
Next thing I remember
is I'm outside the front door
and I scream.
Everybody made it out,
and somebody screamed,
"no!
There's still someone inside!"
- Clear!
- Way in the back.
- He's on fire in the...
- Hold on, hold on!
County 151, we have two houses
completely on fire.
[ Police radio chatter ]
Happy birthday to you
narrator: The Luevanos home
on 15th street...
To you
...is known for being
the center of the universe
for a true
multi-generational family.
84-year-old grandfather
Luis Luevanos
is the oldest one
living in the house.
Margarita: Family would always
get together at that house
and would always love
being there.
It felt like they're
in their own house.
We would have drinks, music,
they would dance, laugh...
Margarita:
We have a big yard in the back,
and we'll sit there
and have some beers
and we'll tell stories.
Narrator: With three generations
all living under one roof,
life is not without
some friction.
[ Liquid splashing ]
- [ Sighs ] I'm exhausted.
- I'm tired, too.
I just finally got some sleep
last night myself.
Although they still have their
share of sibling squabbles,
Margarita Soto
and her two sisters,
Elena Martinez
and Carmen Aguilar
form the heart of the family.
As children, their mother
took them
from Mexico to Houston, Texas,
leaving their father,
Luis, behind.
They each went
their separate ways,
living different lives
until moving close together
in adulthood.
They all have different
life histories
that they all brought that
they didn't share together.
Those different perceptions
are bound to create
some level of conflict.
If you can trust anybody,
it's supposed to be your family.
Unfortunately, in all the time
I've been doing this,
that faith in the family unit
gets tested time and time again.
- I kicked down the door.
- [ Screaming ]
Narrator: As the wait for
the fire department continues,
a police officer
attempts to rescue
the one remaining family
member inside.
- Luis!
- He's there!
In that back room
back there, sir!
Officer: Where?!
[ Fire alarm ringing ]
- Who is in the house?!
- Way back there!
- Who?!
- Right there!
- He's in that room!
- [Bleep]
Whoa.
- Who is in the house?
- That old guy in the room!
- Where?!
- The room you looked in!
My grandfather was stuck
in the house.
[ Ringing continues ]
Officer: [ Grunts ]
Officer: Two county, advise them
there's a 10-33,
there's somebody in the house!
I can't see them!
[Bleep]
Giere: The officer tried to gain
access to the back bedroom,
but it was so smoky, he could
not get into the bedroom
to pull Luis Luevanos
out of the structure.
[ Police radio chatter ]
- He's inside!
- [ Coughing ] I can't see him!
At the same time,
he was inside the house,
trying to open the door
from the inside,
another officer had gone
around to the back door.
With the help of one
of Luis' grandsons, Santos...
The dog was in there.
My grandpa's in there.
...the officer breaks
the door down.
[ Police radio chatter ]
[Bleep] [Bleep]
Officer:
I can't get in there.
That, too, proved to be
a futile effort in that
there's too much smoke
within the bedroom.
- They're coming!
- [ Screaming ]
Repeat, Peter.
They're here. Okay.
Narrator:
16 minutes after the 911 call,
the volunteer firefighters
arrive...
You need to get
these people out of here.
Okay. Hey! Everybody!
Let's go over here!
Let them do their job.
Let them do their job.
Come over here.
Narrator: ...And the Blaze
is extinguished.
As they work their way inside,
they discovered an elderly male,
deceased, in the back bedroom.
That back bedroom
was the bedroom
that had the heavy
fire damage to it.
- Do you know how many?
- We already found one.
Narrator:
It's too devastating for words.
The family patriarch,
Luis Luevanos, is dead.
Officer:
Put it on to keep warm.
When they told me,
"your dad is gone,"
that killed me because
I couldn't grab him,
I couldn't get in there
to help him.
[ Sobbing ]
My dad is not alive?
And I started crying,
and I said,
"I can't deal
with this right now."
Santos comes over.
He hugged me and gave a kiss
and says to me, "I'm sorry.
I tried to help him,
and I couldn't."
Narrator: All mourning
is then put on hold
because another life
is in danger.
Elena, Luis' middle daughter,
is suffering from severe
smoke inhalation.
Margarita: My sister got sick,
so they rushed her
to the emergency room.
[ Sniffles ]
[ Police radio chatter ]
Narrator: The fire looks like
a terrible accident,
possibly caused by frayed wires
or a lit cigarette.
Still, when the smoke settles,
a routine investigation
gets underway.
I went and talked with
some of the witnesses
who lived in the house
just to get a feeling
of what they saw
before we started sifting
through the scene.
The victim's grandsons,
Santos and Gabriel
describe the terrifying ordeal.
Gabriel: Basically woke up to
the smell of smoke,
went out to the hallway,
saw that there was
smoke all over.
Mom!
The door!
- What's going on?
- We gotta go! There's a fire!
What?! [ Gasping ]
At roughly 2:30 that morning,
they all came down...
- Where's your brother?
- He's downstairs.
- Get him, get him.
- We'll get him. We'll get him.
I know.
...and realized that his room
where the grandfather stayed
had smoke coming out of it.
The smoke was too heavy
to actually go into the room
and get the grandfather.
And there was flames and smoke.
It was so hot.
And we just all ran
out the back.
Narrator: A day later,
the fire is officially
classified as an accident.
But then detectives
get an unexpected call
from the medical examiner.
[ Telephone ringing ]
Burns.
Man: Hi, I have the autopsy
report from the victim
and, yes, he was burned,
but there's some inconsistencies
here.
I'll be right down.
The autopsy revealed that
he had been stabbed three times.
There were two stab wounds
to Luis' torso
and a third stab wound
to the side of Luis' face.
He was still alive
during the fire.
Clearly, we've got a murder
on our hands here.
Woman: There's a fire
in the apartment!
[Bleep]
Narrator: This means the fire
was set to cover it up.
That makes everyone
in Luis Luevanos' family
a prime suspect,
but who among them
is the killer?
Narrator: Rock valley, Iowa,
is a typical Midwest town
with faith and community
at its heart.
The town's located
in northwest Iowa.
It's a smaller town
of about 3,500 people.
Royal: Everyone knows everyone,
and if you don't know them,
you'll know their brother,
their sister,
their mom,
their dad, their grandfather.
Narrator:
This is why in the fall of 2017,
everyone in town is shocked
when 84-year-old grandfather
Luis Luevanos' death
is ruled a homicide.
Three days after the fire,
investigator Matthew burns
is assigned to the case
with special agent Andrew giere.
Andrew: Hey, burns.
Hey.
After you.
Giere:
There wasn't a lot of evidence
that you take
from the actual fire,
especially when the room
reaches flashover,
meaning everything goes up,
which is what happened
in that room.
Narrator:
Inside the Luevanos family home,
they find no trace of accelerant
and no murder weapon.
If there were any evidence
of an altercation,
it went up in flames.
Burns: Certainly we couldn't
rule the possibility
of some sort of home invasion,
but fairly early on
in the investigation,
that just seemed to be
less and less likely.
Narrator: And the feeling Luis'
murder is an inside job
grows even stronger
when investigators
make a horrific
and unexpected discovery.
Burns:
There was a dog found outside.
There's nothing unusual
about finding dead pets
in a house fire,
but usually they burn,
or they suffocate
and then they burn.
And this dog didn't seem to be
burned or have any singed fur.
Narrator: If the dog was killed
recently, but not in the fire,
what happened to the animal?
Who would've harmed it?
Burns: When you have something
like that at the scene,
that's kind of raising some
people's hackles a little bit.
[ Vehicles passing ]
[ Wind rushing ]
[ Crow cawing ]
Narrator: Though three
generations of the family
lived in the house,
it's rented in eldest daughter,
Margarita's, name.
Investigators find her at the
hospital with her sister, Elena.
Margarita: That morning of
the fire, my sister got sick,
so they rushed her
to the emergency room.
Just trying to make sense
of all this.
- Margarita?
- Yes?
Can I have a word
with you outside, please?
Uh, sure.
The officer that was
investigating the fire
came up to me
in the emergency room
and said he had
some questions for me.
Narrator: She tells them more
about her father, Luis.
His relationship with
his daughters came late in life.
He was a former law enforcement
officer in Mexico
before moving up
to the United States.
Narrator: Soon after arriving
in Texas with his family,
Luis' wife left him, taking
their three daughters with her.
When I first met my dad,
I was 18.
He had a little store
at a flea market
and a friend of my mom told me,
"I know where your dad is at."
So I went where my mom's friend
told me he was.
I see this tall guy
with a cowboy hat.
And I said, "Luis?"
He goes, "yes?"
And I said, "I'm your daughter."
He was happy.
Narrator: In 2016,
Luis' health is in decline,
so Margarita brings him to Iowa
to be reunited with all three
of his adult daughters.
The doctor told me, "your dad
cannot be alone no more.
So either you take him with you,
or he goes to a nursing home."
And he said he wasn't going
to go to the nursing home.
He's like, "kill me now."
The doctor goes, "well, then,
that means
you're going to Iowa."
Narrator: Margarita moves her
father into the large house
on 15th street
where she's living with
her husband and kids.
Would you like me to make you
something to eat?
No?
You're not hungry?
Christina: My mom told me that
my grandfather was gonna
come and live with us.
He doesn't know us,
but he wants to get to know us.
Come on, dad.
Here's your room.
Giere: At different points
leading up to the fire,
the sisters had all taken turns
caring for Luis
and having him stay
at their residence.
Narrator: After living
with Margarita for a time,
Luis leaves to stay with
his youngest daughter, Carmen.
Margarita: He wanted
to spend time with her,
kind of get to know her.
Dad had a nickname for her...
My drunkie...
And my sister
would always get mad
'cause dad would call her that.
"Don't... don't call me
like that!"
My sister would say.
4 1/2 months later,
middle daughter Elena
offers to take her turn
caring for their father,
but with a catch.
She wants to move
her whole family
into the 15th street house.
Margarita:
She needed a place to stay,
and she has four kids
of her own,
and two of them had kids
already.
She was there with us
a whole month,
and it was crowded.
I had Christina and my son
living with me.
There was a lot of people
in the house.
People were physically
and emotionally, you know,
bumping
into each other sometimes.
Narrator: It's not long before
the crush of family members
under one roof
is too much for Margarita.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
She decides to move
out of her own home,
provided Elena helps their dad.
I was offered another place
that I was gonna buy,
so I told her that she
could stay in that house.
All she had to do is take care
of dad when I was at work.
Narrator: With people being
pushed out and moved around,
it's easy
to imagine tempers flaring.
Grandfather Luis' needs
only add to the pressure.
Dad, I got you some water.
Just taking care of your
most ideal 84-year-old man
is gonna just present
its own logistical difficulties
and problems
amongst the family members.
Nobody ever feels like
the other ones
are taking on
as much responsibility
as they should be.
He has these three
wonderful daughters.
He didn't raise them,
and now he just shows up
into their life in this capacity
and just expects his children
to be a parent to a parent.
That takes a lot of
rebuilding and forgiveness,
and I don't know if everyone
has the capacity
in their heart to do that.
I don't know if I would.
I really don't.
[ Sighs ] Um...
We had a call in the middle
of the night...
Narrator: The police
ask Margarita where she was
on the night of the fire.
...and told me that
our house was on fire.
Margarita:
I was at my new house.
Our neighbors called my husband,
and he answers and he goes,
"what?!"
And all I see if he's trying
to grab the keys.
And I said, "what's going on?"
He goes, "stay here."
I said, "no."
I said, "I'm going with you."
And he didn't tell me anything.
And I said, "what's going on?"
He goes, "I don't know
how to tell you this.
The other house is burning."
Narrator: Margarita and her
husband race to the house,
arriving just in time
to see it go up in flames.
The phone call provides
Margarita with an alibi.
It also turns the spotlight
onto the only sister
in the house
on the night of the fire...
Elena.
Officer:
The fire had started already...
Elena: [ Sobbing ] Yeah,
'cause it smelled like smoke!
Was anybody with him
when he was...
Nobody was down there!
Officer: County 152,
house is completely on fire.
Narrator: In November 2017,
three days after a house fire
claims the life
of Luis Luevanos,
detectives are untangling
the complicated dynamics
of his family
and wondering
if one of them is a murderer.
Burns: Prior to Luis' death,
the tension was,
"who's gonna take care of him?
How are we gonna properly
take care of him?"
And now it had shifted to
what sides are being taken,
and "who killed our father?"
It was tense.
Narrator:
And with each passing day,
suspicions surrounding
his three daughters grows.
[ Indistinct conversations,
radio chatter ]
As far as investigators know,
Elena was the only sister in
the house when the fire was set.
She, too, said that they were
in the upstairs,
the grandfather lives downstairs
on the main level...
[ Coughing ]
Mom! Mom! Open the door!
There's a fire!
...and that they were unable to
go in and get the grandfather.
They then exited the structure
and called 911.
Narrator:
Elena's story is consistent
with that of her two sons,
Gabriel and Santos.
And without reservations,
she points her finger
at older sister Margarita.
My sister was saying that I was
the one that killed my dad.
That was a lie.
My sister just made that up.
He was my dad. I loved him.
According to Margarita,
their father favored Elena...
...in spite of Margarita's
attempts to be helpful.
Are you sure
you're doing it right?
Yes, dad.
I'm putting the pill in...
But the orange one
goes first.
Christina: My parents left
the white house, but my mom,
she would still help
my grandfather.
She would be awake from 4:00
in the morning
and come home from work.
Even if she was tired,
she would still be there
for my grandfather.
Dad, I'm going to put an orange
pill in each one. Okay?
Why don't you let
Elena do it?
Okay, dad.
We'll let Elena do it.
[ Spray bottle squeaking ]
Margarita: The way I saw it,
my sister was just
taking the opportunity
of getting whatever
she could from him,
that she thought
she was gonna get something.
And I got mad at my sister.
I said everything in that house
was mine.
And I said, "and I'm paying
for dad,
so stop causing problems
between me and my dad."
Narrator: With all the tensions
and jealousies in mind,
police move on to investigate
the last of the three sisters...
Carmen.
I think it was like six months
that we had him at the house.
And then he moved to her house.
Narrator: Three months later,
police get a report
from a concerned neighbor
and stop by
to make a welfare check.
[ Knocks on door ]
Officer: Hello?
The neighbors called the police
'cause they were worried
that my dad had been there
for a whole week
and they didn't see
anybody there.
Sir?
One of the officers
went and checked.
Sir?
Sir, are you okay?
And they found my dad there
by himself in the house.
Nobody was there.
Are you here alone?
Narrator: Luis doesn't know
how long he's been on his own.
It appears Carmen
has left abruptly,
leaving her father behind.
I'm just gonna take a quick
look around, okay?
Christina: She left him there.
He's an 84-year-old man.
[ Knocks on door ]
Are you Margarita?
Yes.
This your dad?
Yes.
Margarita:
They brought my dad to me
and explained to me that
they were worried about my dad.
They didn't think that
he was supposed to
stay there by himself.
It wasn't safe.
My sister was not
taking care of him,
so I thought, okay,
she just was, like...
It's something else that
she had to worry about.
So, I guess when she figured out
that she didn't need my dad,
she didn't want him.
Narrator: Carmen is the only one
of Luis' daughters
that never lived
in the family home,
meaning she wouldn't
lose anything
if it burnt to the ground.
Four days after Luis' murder,
detectives pay Carmen a visit.
Margarita:
My sister told the cops that
he wasn't there by himself,
that she was still
taking care of him.
And she said I was lying,
that she never abandoned him.
Narrator: Carmen is adamant she
was nowhere near the family home
when the fire was set.
Then she completes
the circle of finger-pointing.
Carmen says it's really
middle sister Elena
who was so frustrated by Luis
that she wanted to get him
a bus ticket back to Mexico.
The bad blood between
the three sisters
makes them all
possible suspects.
But they're not the only members
of this complex family.
Someone had a motive to murder
the family patriarch.
But who?
Narrator:
Luis Luevanos' three daughters
have given investigators
a flurry of nasty stories...
...but no real evidence
to help solve his murder.
Burns: The police department
had spent some time
getting involved
in some of the disputes
the sisters were having
amongst themselves.
Luis was kind of the catalyst
for those disputes.
Narrator: From what
investigators can surmise,
none of these accusations are
strong enough to prove motive.
Could the killer be someone
else in the family?
All of these family members
were affected by Luis' presence.
We had multiple other adults
in that house
who certainly could have been
involved with Luis' death.
[ Keyboard clacking ]
[ Telephone ringing
in distance ]
Narrator: The expansion
of their suspect list
begins with Margarita's
daughter, Christina.
We had to be cautious about
where various loyalties
within the family might lie.
Narrator: Christina left
the family home with her husband
only hours
before the fire was set.
I had just moved that same day
to my new apartment
because the house
could get crowded,
so it's best if I move out.
Narrator: Christina's place
is just blocks away
from the family house.
[ Siren wails ]
Christina: I heard the sirens,
and then I got a phone call
from one of my friends,
and she was screaming really
loud, so I got really scared.
I ran two blocks from my
apartment, and I saw the fire.
All the people that lived
in the house
were outside really scared.
Officer: Can I get a blanket
on you, ma'am? That's it.
It's alright.
[ Gasping ]
Narrator:
Christina offers detectives
some troubling background
about the family dog
that was found dead in the yard.
Christina:
That dog was my son's.
His name was Teddy.
I took care of him
ever since he was born.
I know he's a dog and all,
but I felt like he was
like another son to me.
That dog was my son's
best friend.
Narrator: Could the dead pet
and Luis' murder be related?
With the family all pointing
the finger at each other,
police want to see if neighbors
might be able to confirm
someone's side of events
or if they noticed
anything unusual
in the days
leading up to the fire.
So, just walk me through exactly
what you saw in the backyard.
I saw fire in a trash can.
It was really out
of the ordinary.
A neighbor talked about
a little garbage fire...
Like, maybe a mattress
and some clothes...
That happened out the back
of that residence,
I think within the past week.
Narrator: She couldn't tell
who set the fire.
It struck us
as a possibility of...
Was somebody practicing
for the house fire?
Narrator:
Detectives set out to determine
who was home at the time
and turn to look
at the younger generation...
Luis' two grandchildren,
Gabriel and Santos.
The grandsons of the deceased
were living with him
in the structure
at the time of his death.
Narrator: Police uncover photos
online of Gabriel
posing with
a semiautomatic rifle.
Police go to speak with Gabriel
and his girlfriend,
who was also at the house
when the fire erupted.
One of your neighbors
was telling us
about a small,
little garbage fire
that happened prior
to the day of the house fire.
Do you know anything
about that?
Look, I get where
you're going with this,
but I had nothing
to do with any fire.
Well, after looking
at your social media,
we noticed a rather
large weapon there.
Doesn't look good.
[ Sighs ]
It's just a picture.
That's all it is. I would never
do anything to hurt my grandpa.
I love him.
Giere:
We did not find any weapons
that we were able to say
was the murder weapon.
So, you didn't see
anything?
Gabriel:
I didn't see anything.
Uh, actually,
I remember something.
Um, I remember we were all
running out of the house,
and Santos stayed behind
to, like, go over to
the sink and splash water
on his face or something?
I don't remember exactly,
but...
Burns: The girlfriend is having
a tough time squaring away,
why is Santos just casually
washing his hands
and face at the sink
while there's this smoke pouring
out of grandpa's bedroom?
Narrator:
On the night of the fire,
19-year-old Santos
is the family member
who helps break down
the back door
in an effort
to save his grandfather.
Now Gabriel and his girlfriend
are describing a very different
demeanor that night.
[ Woman screaming ]
Before speaking to Santos,
investigators revisit
the police videos.
Certainly, the bodycam footage
was pretty revealing to us
as we started to go
through it and watch it.
[ Woman sobbing ]
Giere: Santos' behavior
seemed to be very suspicious
for someone who had just lost
their grandfather in a fire.
His behavior was very erratic
and didn't seem to be
along the same lines
as his other relatives,
who were very upset
and grieving at that point.
Burns: And then he repeatedly
approached firefighters
and police officers and asked,
"well, can you tell
what started the fire?"
He's not asking,
"is Luis alright?"
And what was most striking
to us was
when he asked if Luis
was completely burned.
That got my wheels turning.
Hey, giere.
Check this out.
Narrator:
If Santos is responsible,
they still need to prove it.
This means they need
to figure out why.
Narrator:
Cutting through the drama
surrounding a multi-generation
family is never easy.
But it is a must
for rock valley detectives
working the murder
of Luis Luevanos.
With the help of bodycam footage
from the night of the fire,
all eyes are on 19-year-old
grandson Santos.
We're watching Santos
run with one of the officers
to the back of the house,
telling this officer,
"hey, he's still in there.
There's still somebody
in there."
And then we see him
trying to kick the door down.
Officer: Do you see fire,
or is it just really sm...
Matthew:
Look at that kick.
What kind of kick is that?
Santos:
The old guy's in there!
Burns:
He initially went up and just
takes this odd-looking kick.
He almost bounced himself
off of the door.
It was just an odd thing
to watch.
It looked, in that moment, to be
pretty halfhearted to me.
This is a very large individual,
and we're not talking about
fort Knox here.
You would think somebody
who was 6'3"
could give it a better effort.
Nah, that's a fire.
The old guy's in there.
Officer: Don't go in.
Aah!
[ Woman screaming ]
Hi, this is detective burns.
I was just wondering if
I could speak with Santos.
Narrator: Detectives reach out
to the family to find Santos
and get a big surprise.
Where did he go?
The day after the fire,
Santos' mother had, in fact,
put him on a bus to live
with his father in Utah.
The explanation we got was that
Santos was getting stressed out
by what was going on.
Royal: If my grandparent died,
first thing I would do would be
to go be with my family.
I wouldn't mysteriously just get
on a bus and head to Utah.
So that put a huge target
on his back.
Thank you.
Narrator: Investigators set out
on a 1,000-mile drive
to track down
their lead suspect.
Alright, I got him.
Bringing him in.
Santos is successfully captured
and brought in for questioning.
Can you just tell me
one more time
where you were
at the time of the fire?
Burns: We had a very cordial
conversation with him
for several hours.
I initially just wanted to get
his version of events
and see what he could tell me
about what happened that night.
Upon questioning him,
he denied any involvement
in setting the fire.
Narrator:
But when police present Santos
with the bodycam evidence,
he finally breaks down.
Burns:
Seeing his own body camera
coverage, he got emotional.
And I said,
"Santos, what did you do?"
And he told me,
"I stabbed my grandpa."
Santos confessed to going
into the back bedroom
of his grandfather.
And then Santos stabbed him.
[ Knife squishes ]
[ Gasping ]
Royal: There was nothing
discreet about this.
This was like a volcano
just erupted.
[ Groaning ]
[ Knife squishes ]
And then he proceeded
to set the bed on fire.
Burns:
Santos told me that the manner
in which he started the fire
was simply to hold a lighter
to Luis' bed sheets.
[ Fire crackling ]
Narrator: Santos also confesses
to killing the family dog
just days prior to the fire.
The dog was barking,
is what he told me.
He was just tired
of the barking.
Narrator:
Santos claims he snapped
after months of grandfather Luis
bullying him.
There were allegations that Luis
had pulled a knife on Santos,
so there was
some bad blood there.
Narrator: Santos tries
his hardest to paint grandfather
as an aggressive villain.
Luis' other family members
describe him
as a sweet and gentle man.
Christina: My grandfather
had just met my daughter,
and he fell in love
with my daughter
and would say
that she was so beautiful
and that my grandfather loved
her eyes and her nose,
and so that's how we started
to get to know him.
We would sit
and have conversations.
Royal: He seemed like
the grandpa next door
who waves to your kids.
He was the last person
you would imagine to die
so violently and in such
an undeserving way.
Margarita:
When they told me that Santos
was the one that murdered
my dad,
kind of broke me
into two pieces...
My dad, my nephew.
I love both of them.
I lost two people that day.
[ Sobbing ]
Burns:
Santos ended up pleading guilty
to second-degree murder
and first-degree arson.
The second-degree murder charge
in Iowa is a 50-year sentence
with 35 years mandatory minimum,
so he will absolutely do
35 years for this.
I was just hurting with anger
and hate towards him.
I said I have never felt that,
not until that day.
Narrator: A devastating Blaze
engulfs a family's home...
- [ Screaming ]
- Is there somebody in the house?
I can't see 'em!
[ Siren chirps, radio chatter ]
...and reveals
a horrific murder.
Royal: There was nothing
discrete about this.
This was like a volcano
just erupted.
It was so horrible. No human
should ever be killed like that.
Narrator: But when everyone
starts pointing fingers...
Burns: A household full
of family members
who all have the same motive.
...years of buried anger
will surface
before the killer
among them can be exposed.
Burns: If you can trust anybody,
it's supposed to be your family.
[ Crow cawing ]
Narrator: On the crisp fall
evening of October 29, 2017,
authorities in a small Iowa town
receive a panicked 911 call.
It was a family member
from inside the house
who made that call.
- Clear!
- Let's go!
- Is there anybody in the house?
- Burning! Call them!
- Somebody's in the house.
- [ Screaming ]
Christina: My aunt was screaming
really bad.
She was scared, and I don't
think anybody had shoes on.
They were in their pjs.
Narrator: Eight members
of the Luevanos family
are out front
of the burning home,
all shaken, yet thankful
to be alive.
What's the e.T.A.
On the fire department?
However, with the fire
department still minutes away,
it's unlikely their home
will be saved.
- They're not doing anything!
- Have you heard fire at all?
[ Woman screaming ]
A town this size, that is an
all-volunteer fire department,
so nobody is living
at the fire station.
All those guys are having to go
to the fire department,
get dressed,
get on the fire trucks,
and come and respond,
and same with the EMT crews.
We can't get in there.
You can't see more
than three feet in there.
Next thing I remember
is I'm outside the front door
and I scream.
Everybody made it out,
and somebody screamed,
"no!
There's still someone inside!"
- Clear!
- Way in the back.
- He's on fire in the...
- Hold on, hold on!
County 151, we have two houses
completely on fire.
[ Police radio chatter ]
Happy birthday to you
narrator: The Luevanos home
on 15th street...
To you
...is known for being
the center of the universe
for a true
multi-generational family.
84-year-old grandfather
Luis Luevanos
is the oldest one
living in the house.
Margarita: Family would always
get together at that house
and would always love
being there.
It felt like they're
in their own house.
We would have drinks, music,
they would dance, laugh...
Margarita:
We have a big yard in the back,
and we'll sit there
and have some beers
and we'll tell stories.
Narrator: With three generations
all living under one roof,
life is not without
some friction.
[ Liquid splashing ]
- [ Sighs ] I'm exhausted.
- I'm tired, too.
I just finally got some sleep
last night myself.
Although they still have their
share of sibling squabbles,
Margarita Soto
and her two sisters,
Elena Martinez
and Carmen Aguilar
form the heart of the family.
As children, their mother
took them
from Mexico to Houston, Texas,
leaving their father,
Luis, behind.
They each went
their separate ways,
living different lives
until moving close together
in adulthood.
They all have different
life histories
that they all brought that
they didn't share together.
Those different perceptions
are bound to create
some level of conflict.
If you can trust anybody,
it's supposed to be your family.
Unfortunately, in all the time
I've been doing this,
that faith in the family unit
gets tested time and time again.
- I kicked down the door.
- [ Screaming ]
Narrator: As the wait for
the fire department continues,
a police officer
attempts to rescue
the one remaining family
member inside.
- Luis!
- He's there!
In that back room
back there, sir!
Officer: Where?!
[ Fire alarm ringing ]
- Who is in the house?!
- Way back there!
- Who?!
- Right there!
- He's in that room!
- [Bleep]
Whoa.
- Who is in the house?
- That old guy in the room!
- Where?!
- The room you looked in!
My grandfather was stuck
in the house.
[ Ringing continues ]
Officer: [ Grunts ]
Officer: Two county, advise them
there's a 10-33,
there's somebody in the house!
I can't see them!
[Bleep]
Giere: The officer tried to gain
access to the back bedroom,
but it was so smoky, he could
not get into the bedroom
to pull Luis Luevanos
out of the structure.
[ Police radio chatter ]
- He's inside!
- [ Coughing ] I can't see him!
At the same time,
he was inside the house,
trying to open the door
from the inside,
another officer had gone
around to the back door.
With the help of one
of Luis' grandsons, Santos...
The dog was in there.
My grandpa's in there.
...the officer breaks
the door down.
[ Police radio chatter ]
[Bleep] [Bleep]
Officer:
I can't get in there.
That, too, proved to be
a futile effort in that
there's too much smoke
within the bedroom.
- They're coming!
- [ Screaming ]
Repeat, Peter.
They're here. Okay.
Narrator:
16 minutes after the 911 call,
the volunteer firefighters
arrive...
You need to get
these people out of here.
Okay. Hey! Everybody!
Let's go over here!
Let them do their job.
Let them do their job.
Come over here.
Narrator: ...And the Blaze
is extinguished.
As they work their way inside,
they discovered an elderly male,
deceased, in the back bedroom.
That back bedroom
was the bedroom
that had the heavy
fire damage to it.
- Do you know how many?
- We already found one.
Narrator:
It's too devastating for words.
The family patriarch,
Luis Luevanos, is dead.
Officer:
Put it on to keep warm.
When they told me,
"your dad is gone,"
that killed me because
I couldn't grab him,
I couldn't get in there
to help him.
[ Sobbing ]
My dad is not alive?
And I started crying,
and I said,
"I can't deal
with this right now."
Santos comes over.
He hugged me and gave a kiss
and says to me, "I'm sorry.
I tried to help him,
and I couldn't."
Narrator: All mourning
is then put on hold
because another life
is in danger.
Elena, Luis' middle daughter,
is suffering from severe
smoke inhalation.
Margarita: My sister got sick,
so they rushed her
to the emergency room.
[ Sniffles ]
[ Police radio chatter ]
Narrator: The fire looks like
a terrible accident,
possibly caused by frayed wires
or a lit cigarette.
Still, when the smoke settles,
a routine investigation
gets underway.
I went and talked with
some of the witnesses
who lived in the house
just to get a feeling
of what they saw
before we started sifting
through the scene.
The victim's grandsons,
Santos and Gabriel
describe the terrifying ordeal.
Gabriel: Basically woke up to
the smell of smoke,
went out to the hallway,
saw that there was
smoke all over.
Mom!
The door!
- What's going on?
- We gotta go! There's a fire!
What?! [ Gasping ]
At roughly 2:30 that morning,
they all came down...
- Where's your brother?
- He's downstairs.
- Get him, get him.
- We'll get him. We'll get him.
I know.
...and realized that his room
where the grandfather stayed
had smoke coming out of it.
The smoke was too heavy
to actually go into the room
and get the grandfather.
And there was flames and smoke.
It was so hot.
And we just all ran
out the back.
Narrator: A day later,
the fire is officially
classified as an accident.
But then detectives
get an unexpected call
from the medical examiner.
[ Telephone ringing ]
Burns.
Man: Hi, I have the autopsy
report from the victim
and, yes, he was burned,
but there's some inconsistencies
here.
I'll be right down.
The autopsy revealed that
he had been stabbed three times.
There were two stab wounds
to Luis' torso
and a third stab wound
to the side of Luis' face.
He was still alive
during the fire.
Clearly, we've got a murder
on our hands here.
Woman: There's a fire
in the apartment!
[Bleep]
Narrator: This means the fire
was set to cover it up.
That makes everyone
in Luis Luevanos' family
a prime suspect,
but who among them
is the killer?
Narrator: Rock valley, Iowa,
is a typical Midwest town
with faith and community
at its heart.
The town's located
in northwest Iowa.
It's a smaller town
of about 3,500 people.
Royal: Everyone knows everyone,
and if you don't know them,
you'll know their brother,
their sister,
their mom,
their dad, their grandfather.
Narrator:
This is why in the fall of 2017,
everyone in town is shocked
when 84-year-old grandfather
Luis Luevanos' death
is ruled a homicide.
Three days after the fire,
investigator Matthew burns
is assigned to the case
with special agent Andrew giere.
Andrew: Hey, burns.
Hey.
After you.
Giere:
There wasn't a lot of evidence
that you take
from the actual fire,
especially when the room
reaches flashover,
meaning everything goes up,
which is what happened
in that room.
Narrator:
Inside the Luevanos family home,
they find no trace of accelerant
and no murder weapon.
If there were any evidence
of an altercation,
it went up in flames.
Burns: Certainly we couldn't
rule the possibility
of some sort of home invasion,
but fairly early on
in the investigation,
that just seemed to be
less and less likely.
Narrator: And the feeling Luis'
murder is an inside job
grows even stronger
when investigators
make a horrific
and unexpected discovery.
Burns:
There was a dog found outside.
There's nothing unusual
about finding dead pets
in a house fire,
but usually they burn,
or they suffocate
and then they burn.
And this dog didn't seem to be
burned or have any singed fur.
Narrator: If the dog was killed
recently, but not in the fire,
what happened to the animal?
Who would've harmed it?
Burns: When you have something
like that at the scene,
that's kind of raising some
people's hackles a little bit.
[ Vehicles passing ]
[ Wind rushing ]
[ Crow cawing ]
Narrator: Though three
generations of the family
lived in the house,
it's rented in eldest daughter,
Margarita's, name.
Investigators find her at the
hospital with her sister, Elena.
Margarita: That morning of
the fire, my sister got sick,
so they rushed her
to the emergency room.
Just trying to make sense
of all this.
- Margarita?
- Yes?
Can I have a word
with you outside, please?
Uh, sure.
The officer that was
investigating the fire
came up to me
in the emergency room
and said he had
some questions for me.
Narrator: She tells them more
about her father, Luis.
His relationship with
his daughters came late in life.
He was a former law enforcement
officer in Mexico
before moving up
to the United States.
Narrator: Soon after arriving
in Texas with his family,
Luis' wife left him, taking
their three daughters with her.
When I first met my dad,
I was 18.
He had a little store
at a flea market
and a friend of my mom told me,
"I know where your dad is at."
So I went where my mom's friend
told me he was.
I see this tall guy
with a cowboy hat.
And I said, "Luis?"
He goes, "yes?"
And I said, "I'm your daughter."
He was happy.
Narrator: In 2016,
Luis' health is in decline,
so Margarita brings him to Iowa
to be reunited with all three
of his adult daughters.
The doctor told me, "your dad
cannot be alone no more.
So either you take him with you,
or he goes to a nursing home."
And he said he wasn't going
to go to the nursing home.
He's like, "kill me now."
The doctor goes, "well, then,
that means
you're going to Iowa."
Narrator: Margarita moves her
father into the large house
on 15th street
where she's living with
her husband and kids.
Would you like me to make you
something to eat?
No?
You're not hungry?
Christina: My mom told me that
my grandfather was gonna
come and live with us.
He doesn't know us,
but he wants to get to know us.
Come on, dad.
Here's your room.
Giere: At different points
leading up to the fire,
the sisters had all taken turns
caring for Luis
and having him stay
at their residence.
Narrator: After living
with Margarita for a time,
Luis leaves to stay with
his youngest daughter, Carmen.
Margarita: He wanted
to spend time with her,
kind of get to know her.
Dad had a nickname for her...
My drunkie...
And my sister
would always get mad
'cause dad would call her that.
"Don't... don't call me
like that!"
My sister would say.
4 1/2 months later,
middle daughter Elena
offers to take her turn
caring for their father,
but with a catch.
She wants to move
her whole family
into the 15th street house.
Margarita:
She needed a place to stay,
and she has four kids
of her own,
and two of them had kids
already.
She was there with us
a whole month,
and it was crowded.
I had Christina and my son
living with me.
There was a lot of people
in the house.
People were physically
and emotionally, you know,
bumping
into each other sometimes.
Narrator: It's not long before
the crush of family members
under one roof
is too much for Margarita.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
She decides to move
out of her own home,
provided Elena helps their dad.
I was offered another place
that I was gonna buy,
so I told her that she
could stay in that house.
All she had to do is take care
of dad when I was at work.
Narrator: With people being
pushed out and moved around,
it's easy
to imagine tempers flaring.
Grandfather Luis' needs
only add to the pressure.
Dad, I got you some water.
Just taking care of your
most ideal 84-year-old man
is gonna just present
its own logistical difficulties
and problems
amongst the family members.
Nobody ever feels like
the other ones
are taking on
as much responsibility
as they should be.
He has these three
wonderful daughters.
He didn't raise them,
and now he just shows up
into their life in this capacity
and just expects his children
to be a parent to a parent.
That takes a lot of
rebuilding and forgiveness,
and I don't know if everyone
has the capacity
in their heart to do that.
I don't know if I would.
I really don't.
[ Sighs ] Um...
We had a call in the middle
of the night...
Narrator: The police
ask Margarita where she was
on the night of the fire.
...and told me that
our house was on fire.
Margarita:
I was at my new house.
Our neighbors called my husband,
and he answers and he goes,
"what?!"
And all I see if he's trying
to grab the keys.
And I said, "what's going on?"
He goes, "stay here."
I said, "no."
I said, "I'm going with you."
And he didn't tell me anything.
And I said, "what's going on?"
He goes, "I don't know
how to tell you this.
The other house is burning."
Narrator: Margarita and her
husband race to the house,
arriving just in time
to see it go up in flames.
The phone call provides
Margarita with an alibi.
It also turns the spotlight
onto the only sister
in the house
on the night of the fire...
Elena.
Officer:
The fire had started already...
Elena: [ Sobbing ] Yeah,
'cause it smelled like smoke!
Was anybody with him
when he was...
Nobody was down there!
Officer: County 152,
house is completely on fire.
Narrator: In November 2017,
three days after a house fire
claims the life
of Luis Luevanos,
detectives are untangling
the complicated dynamics
of his family
and wondering
if one of them is a murderer.
Burns: Prior to Luis' death,
the tension was,
"who's gonna take care of him?
How are we gonna properly
take care of him?"
And now it had shifted to
what sides are being taken,
and "who killed our father?"
It was tense.
Narrator:
And with each passing day,
suspicions surrounding
his three daughters grows.
[ Indistinct conversations,
radio chatter ]
As far as investigators know,
Elena was the only sister in
the house when the fire was set.
She, too, said that they were
in the upstairs,
the grandfather lives downstairs
on the main level...
[ Coughing ]
Mom! Mom! Open the door!
There's a fire!
...and that they were unable to
go in and get the grandfather.
They then exited the structure
and called 911.
Narrator:
Elena's story is consistent
with that of her two sons,
Gabriel and Santos.
And without reservations,
she points her finger
at older sister Margarita.
My sister was saying that I was
the one that killed my dad.
That was a lie.
My sister just made that up.
He was my dad. I loved him.
According to Margarita,
their father favored Elena...
...in spite of Margarita's
attempts to be helpful.
Are you sure
you're doing it right?
Yes, dad.
I'm putting the pill in...
But the orange one
goes first.
Christina: My parents left
the white house, but my mom,
she would still help
my grandfather.
She would be awake from 4:00
in the morning
and come home from work.
Even if she was tired,
she would still be there
for my grandfather.
Dad, I'm going to put an orange
pill in each one. Okay?
Why don't you let
Elena do it?
Okay, dad.
We'll let Elena do it.
[ Spray bottle squeaking ]
Margarita: The way I saw it,
my sister was just
taking the opportunity
of getting whatever
she could from him,
that she thought
she was gonna get something.
And I got mad at my sister.
I said everything in that house
was mine.
And I said, "and I'm paying
for dad,
so stop causing problems
between me and my dad."
Narrator: With all the tensions
and jealousies in mind,
police move on to investigate
the last of the three sisters...
Carmen.
I think it was like six months
that we had him at the house.
And then he moved to her house.
Narrator: Three months later,
police get a report
from a concerned neighbor
and stop by
to make a welfare check.
[ Knocks on door ]
Officer: Hello?
The neighbors called the police
'cause they were worried
that my dad had been there
for a whole week
and they didn't see
anybody there.
Sir?
One of the officers
went and checked.
Sir?
Sir, are you okay?
And they found my dad there
by himself in the house.
Nobody was there.
Are you here alone?
Narrator: Luis doesn't know
how long he's been on his own.
It appears Carmen
has left abruptly,
leaving her father behind.
I'm just gonna take a quick
look around, okay?
Christina: She left him there.
He's an 84-year-old man.
[ Knocks on door ]
Are you Margarita?
Yes.
This your dad?
Yes.
Margarita:
They brought my dad to me
and explained to me that
they were worried about my dad.
They didn't think that
he was supposed to
stay there by himself.
It wasn't safe.
My sister was not
taking care of him,
so I thought, okay,
she just was, like...
It's something else that
she had to worry about.
So, I guess when she figured out
that she didn't need my dad,
she didn't want him.
Narrator: Carmen is the only one
of Luis' daughters
that never lived
in the family home,
meaning she wouldn't
lose anything
if it burnt to the ground.
Four days after Luis' murder,
detectives pay Carmen a visit.
Margarita:
My sister told the cops that
he wasn't there by himself,
that she was still
taking care of him.
And she said I was lying,
that she never abandoned him.
Narrator: Carmen is adamant she
was nowhere near the family home
when the fire was set.
Then she completes
the circle of finger-pointing.
Carmen says it's really
middle sister Elena
who was so frustrated by Luis
that she wanted to get him
a bus ticket back to Mexico.
The bad blood between
the three sisters
makes them all
possible suspects.
But they're not the only members
of this complex family.
Someone had a motive to murder
the family patriarch.
But who?
Narrator:
Luis Luevanos' three daughters
have given investigators
a flurry of nasty stories...
...but no real evidence
to help solve his murder.
Burns: The police department
had spent some time
getting involved
in some of the disputes
the sisters were having
amongst themselves.
Luis was kind of the catalyst
for those disputes.
Narrator: From what
investigators can surmise,
none of these accusations are
strong enough to prove motive.
Could the killer be someone
else in the family?
All of these family members
were affected by Luis' presence.
We had multiple other adults
in that house
who certainly could have been
involved with Luis' death.
[ Keyboard clacking ]
[ Telephone ringing
in distance ]
Narrator: The expansion
of their suspect list
begins with Margarita's
daughter, Christina.
We had to be cautious about
where various loyalties
within the family might lie.
Narrator: Christina left
the family home with her husband
only hours
before the fire was set.
I had just moved that same day
to my new apartment
because the house
could get crowded,
so it's best if I move out.
Narrator: Christina's place
is just blocks away
from the family house.
[ Siren wails ]
Christina: I heard the sirens,
and then I got a phone call
from one of my friends,
and she was screaming really
loud, so I got really scared.
I ran two blocks from my
apartment, and I saw the fire.
All the people that lived
in the house
were outside really scared.
Officer: Can I get a blanket
on you, ma'am? That's it.
It's alright.
[ Gasping ]
Narrator:
Christina offers detectives
some troubling background
about the family dog
that was found dead in the yard.
Christina:
That dog was my son's.
His name was Teddy.
I took care of him
ever since he was born.
I know he's a dog and all,
but I felt like he was
like another son to me.
That dog was my son's
best friend.
Narrator: Could the dead pet
and Luis' murder be related?
With the family all pointing
the finger at each other,
police want to see if neighbors
might be able to confirm
someone's side of events
or if they noticed
anything unusual
in the days
leading up to the fire.
So, just walk me through exactly
what you saw in the backyard.
I saw fire in a trash can.
It was really out
of the ordinary.
A neighbor talked about
a little garbage fire...
Like, maybe a mattress
and some clothes...
That happened out the back
of that residence,
I think within the past week.
Narrator: She couldn't tell
who set the fire.
It struck us
as a possibility of...
Was somebody practicing
for the house fire?
Narrator:
Detectives set out to determine
who was home at the time
and turn to look
at the younger generation...
Luis' two grandchildren,
Gabriel and Santos.
The grandsons of the deceased
were living with him
in the structure
at the time of his death.
Narrator: Police uncover photos
online of Gabriel
posing with
a semiautomatic rifle.
Police go to speak with Gabriel
and his girlfriend,
who was also at the house
when the fire erupted.
One of your neighbors
was telling us
about a small,
little garbage fire
that happened prior
to the day of the house fire.
Do you know anything
about that?
Look, I get where
you're going with this,
but I had nothing
to do with any fire.
Well, after looking
at your social media,
we noticed a rather
large weapon there.
Doesn't look good.
[ Sighs ]
It's just a picture.
That's all it is. I would never
do anything to hurt my grandpa.
I love him.
Giere:
We did not find any weapons
that we were able to say
was the murder weapon.
So, you didn't see
anything?
Gabriel:
I didn't see anything.
Uh, actually,
I remember something.
Um, I remember we were all
running out of the house,
and Santos stayed behind
to, like, go over to
the sink and splash water
on his face or something?
I don't remember exactly,
but...
Burns: The girlfriend is having
a tough time squaring away,
why is Santos just casually
washing his hands
and face at the sink
while there's this smoke pouring
out of grandpa's bedroom?
Narrator:
On the night of the fire,
19-year-old Santos
is the family member
who helps break down
the back door
in an effort
to save his grandfather.
Now Gabriel and his girlfriend
are describing a very different
demeanor that night.
[ Woman screaming ]
Before speaking to Santos,
investigators revisit
the police videos.
Certainly, the bodycam footage
was pretty revealing to us
as we started to go
through it and watch it.
[ Woman sobbing ]
Giere: Santos' behavior
seemed to be very suspicious
for someone who had just lost
their grandfather in a fire.
His behavior was very erratic
and didn't seem to be
along the same lines
as his other relatives,
who were very upset
and grieving at that point.
Burns: And then he repeatedly
approached firefighters
and police officers and asked,
"well, can you tell
what started the fire?"
He's not asking,
"is Luis alright?"
And what was most striking
to us was
when he asked if Luis
was completely burned.
That got my wheels turning.
Hey, giere.
Check this out.
Narrator:
If Santos is responsible,
they still need to prove it.
This means they need
to figure out why.
Narrator:
Cutting through the drama
surrounding a multi-generation
family is never easy.
But it is a must
for rock valley detectives
working the murder
of Luis Luevanos.
With the help of bodycam footage
from the night of the fire,
all eyes are on 19-year-old
grandson Santos.
We're watching Santos
run with one of the officers
to the back of the house,
telling this officer,
"hey, he's still in there.
There's still somebody
in there."
And then we see him
trying to kick the door down.
Officer: Do you see fire,
or is it just really sm...
Matthew:
Look at that kick.
What kind of kick is that?
Santos:
The old guy's in there!
Burns:
He initially went up and just
takes this odd-looking kick.
He almost bounced himself
off of the door.
It was just an odd thing
to watch.
It looked, in that moment, to be
pretty halfhearted to me.
This is a very large individual,
and we're not talking about
fort Knox here.
You would think somebody
who was 6'3"
could give it a better effort.
Nah, that's a fire.
The old guy's in there.
Officer: Don't go in.
Aah!
[ Woman screaming ]
Hi, this is detective burns.
I was just wondering if
I could speak with Santos.
Narrator: Detectives reach out
to the family to find Santos
and get a big surprise.
Where did he go?
The day after the fire,
Santos' mother had, in fact,
put him on a bus to live
with his father in Utah.
The explanation we got was that
Santos was getting stressed out
by what was going on.
Royal: If my grandparent died,
first thing I would do would be
to go be with my family.
I wouldn't mysteriously just get
on a bus and head to Utah.
So that put a huge target
on his back.
Thank you.
Narrator: Investigators set out
on a 1,000-mile drive
to track down
their lead suspect.
Alright, I got him.
Bringing him in.
Santos is successfully captured
and brought in for questioning.
Can you just tell me
one more time
where you were
at the time of the fire?
Burns: We had a very cordial
conversation with him
for several hours.
I initially just wanted to get
his version of events
and see what he could tell me
about what happened that night.
Upon questioning him,
he denied any involvement
in setting the fire.
Narrator:
But when police present Santos
with the bodycam evidence,
he finally breaks down.
Burns:
Seeing his own body camera
coverage, he got emotional.
And I said,
"Santos, what did you do?"
And he told me,
"I stabbed my grandpa."
Santos confessed to going
into the back bedroom
of his grandfather.
And then Santos stabbed him.
[ Knife squishes ]
[ Gasping ]
Royal: There was nothing
discreet about this.
This was like a volcano
just erupted.
[ Groaning ]
[ Knife squishes ]
And then he proceeded
to set the bed on fire.
Burns:
Santos told me that the manner
in which he started the fire
was simply to hold a lighter
to Luis' bed sheets.
[ Fire crackling ]
Narrator: Santos also confesses
to killing the family dog
just days prior to the fire.
The dog was barking,
is what he told me.
He was just tired
of the barking.
Narrator:
Santos claims he snapped
after months of grandfather Luis
bullying him.
There were allegations that Luis
had pulled a knife on Santos,
so there was
some bad blood there.
Narrator: Santos tries
his hardest to paint grandfather
as an aggressive villain.
Luis' other family members
describe him
as a sweet and gentle man.
Christina: My grandfather
had just met my daughter,
and he fell in love
with my daughter
and would say
that she was so beautiful
and that my grandfather loved
her eyes and her nose,
and so that's how we started
to get to know him.
We would sit
and have conversations.
Royal: He seemed like
the grandpa next door
who waves to your kids.
He was the last person
you would imagine to die
so violently and in such
an undeserving way.
Margarita:
When they told me that Santos
was the one that murdered
my dad,
kind of broke me
into two pieces...
My dad, my nephew.
I love both of them.
I lost two people that day.
[ Sobbing ]
Burns:
Santos ended up pleading guilty
to second-degree murder
and first-degree arson.
The second-degree murder charge
in Iowa is a 50-year sentence
with 35 years mandatory minimum,
so he will absolutely do
35 years for this.
I was just hurting with anger
and hate towards him.
I said I have never felt that,
not until that day.