Prelude

Mariet Ford won a place in sports history on Nov. 20, 1982, for his role in one of the most unforgettable moments in athletics. Mariet's Cal Berkeley Bears trailed their arch rivals, the Stanford Cardinal, 19-20. The Bears received the kickoff, pitched the ball five times, and -- with no time on the clock -- evaded the Cardinal's tacklers as well as the marching band to score the winning touchdown. The kickoff return has been ranked one of the most memorable replays of all time. It is so famous, it is known simply as "The Play." CNN and SportsIllustrated ranked it among "Our Favorite Games."

Mariet's life took a turn for the worse 20 years later when his pregnant wife and 3-year-old son were murdered and their bodies set on fire. Mariet was convicted of the crime. He has always proclaimed he was innocent. And the details of the case leave Monday morning quarterbacks room to wonder: Did he do it?

3. The Polaroid

We know the truth,

not only by the reason,

but also by the heart.

-Pascal

Detective Elaine Stevenson kept a Polaroid on her desk in the homicide unit of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Inside the Polaroid’s white plastic frame, a 31-year-old mother knelt beside a 3-year-old son. The clipped style of her black hair accentuated her eyes. Her red lips curved over her white teeth as she smiled. The boy was an irresistibly cute mix of her Filipino features and those of his African-American father. The boy’s dark eyes beamed with curiosity and innocence.

The woman’s name had been Tess Ford. The boy’s name had been Mariet Ford, after his father, the man who made collegiate football history in 1982 when with no time left on the clock and the opposing band already on the field he pitched the ball so a teammate could score the winning touchdown in a kickoff return so spectacular it would forever be known as “The Play.”

The family had called the boy MoMo.

Seeing how intensely Stevenson was determined to catch whoever had killed this mother and child, her partner gave voice to the force driving Stevenson. On the white border around the Polaroid, he wrote, “Get the person who killed me and mommy.”

Elaine interviewed everyone who had known Tess -- co-workers, friends, family. Elaine checked out their stories with others she interviewed, credit card statements, calling logs. They places that failed to match up, were clues pointing toward lying. Lying was a sign of guilt. Elaine noticed a pattern. She grew suspicious.

She and her partner requested a third interview with the grieved husband-father, Mariet Ford.