Dateline NBC “Out of the Darkness” July 3 2026

Dateline NBC presents “Out of the Darkness” on Friday, July 3, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT on NBC. Correspondent Josh Mankiewicz revisits the shocking Texas murder case of firefighter Robert “Bob” Poynter, whose wife initially claimed he had been shot by a stranger on a remote country road. As investigators examined dramatic police body camera footage and uncovered hidden secrets, they discovered a calculated murder plot fueled by an extramarital affair.

Bob Poynter was a respected fire captain from Royse City, Texas, who had devoted decades to the fire service. After ending his first marriage, he married Chacey Poynter, who was significantly younger than him. Friends initially believed the couple had found happiness together, but behind the scenes their marriage had become increasingly strained. Bob’s demanding work schedule often kept him away from home, and prosecutors later argued the relationship had deteriorated long before the shooting.

Everything changed on the evening of September 9, 2016, when Chacey called 911 reporting that Bob had been shot while the couple were driving along a quiet rural road in Kaufman County. She told dispatchers they had pulled over after seeing what appeared to be a stranded vehicle when an unknown gunman suddenly opened fire. Responding deputies found Chacey desperately attempting to help her gravely wounded husband, while police body camera footage captured the frantic efforts to save his life.

Investigators initially treated the shooting as a possible roadside ambush. However, detectives soon noticed inconsistencies in Chacey’s account of what had happened. Physical evidence at the scene failed to support the version of events she described, and investigators questioned whether an unknown assailant had ever been present.

As detectives dug deeper into the Poynters’ marriage, they uncovered evidence that Chacey had been engaged in an affair with Shawn Todd, a police officer from Royse City. Phone records, text messages and other digital evidence revealed extensive communication between the two leading up to Bob’s death. Prosecutors alleged the pair conspired to kill Bob so they could be together and benefit financially from his death.

The investigation ultimately identified Shawn Todd as the gunman. According to prosecutors, Chacey deliberately lured her husband to the isolated location, where Todd was waiting. After Bob was fatally shot, Chacey allegedly staged the scene and made the frantic 911 call in an effort to convince investigators that the shooting had been a random act of violence.

Shawn Todd later accepted a plea agreement, admitting his role in the murder and agreeing to testify against Chacey. During Chacey Poynter’s trial, prosecutors presented Todd’s testimony alongside cellphone records, forensic evidence and the police body camera footage captured immediately after the shooting. The defense argued Todd acted alone and that Chacey had no knowledge of the plan, but jurors ultimately rejected that argument.

In 2018, Chacey Poynter was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Shawn Todd received a reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with prosecutors.

In “Out of the Darkness,” Josh Mankiewicz explores how investigators unraveled what first appeared to be a tragic roadside shooting. Through interviews with friends, family members and investigators, along with the crucial police footage recorded at the scene, the broadcast examines how a carefully crafted story collapsed under scrutiny and how evidence from one dark Texas road ultimately exposed a deadly conspiracy.