Jarrod Davidson: Murderous family secret

During Mindy's sentencing, Perlin wanted to leave no wiggle room for an appeal on the amnesia issue. He told the judge of a taped phone call that Mindy had made while in prison, talking about circumstances from 13 years ago.

According to the Santa Barbara Independent, Jones had "recited an inventory of household possessions, including a coffee maker and a washer and dryer [she] didn't want to go unused."

Families on both sides made pleas to the judge one for leniency and the other for the maximum punishment. Malinda's older daughter, Casey, said, "She doesn't have a mean bone in her body."

The judge sentenced Mindy to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered her to pay the Davidsons $5,000.

Jarrod's grave

The following year, Kelee was interviewed by NBC's Dateline while in prison. She announced she wanted to regain custody of Malia. She also claimed to feel guilt over Jarrod's death but maintained her innocence for the crime itself, blaming her parents. Kelee was released from prison on July 6, 2007 and moved to the central California desert area where she remains on parole.

Philip died on May 19, 2007, in prison. He spent his final years trying without success to withdraw his guilty plea. And Malinda, who some believed had been the mastermind of the murder plot, has faded into obscurity within the California prison system.

Detective Sorenson, meanwhile, says he doesn't know if Kelee has regained any type of child custody. "People ask me that all the time," Sorenson said. "The answer is, I don't know. I spent two years of my life on that case and it was horrible tragedy. I'm trying to forget it."