Secrets at the Sunshine Hotel: the murder of Vern Holbrook

Tonight’s Dateline, “Secrets at the Sunshine Hotel” delves into the grizzly 2013 attack of 78-year-old Yakima, Washington real estate broker Vern Holbrook. The man was lured to a vacant home by a couple posing as home buyers. Luis Gomez-Monges and Adriana Mendez left their three children behind in the car when they followed Holbrook into his home, and the struck him from behind. He was found badly beaten, and with his throat cut, but was still alive.

Holbrook passed away several months later, and it became clear that there were other people involved in his murder. Two other people, Holbrook’s former daughter-in-law Jill Taylor, and her ex-boyfriend Daniel Blizzard, who had tried to buy Holbrook’s company, Aspen Real Estate in 2007. When he failed to make payments, Holbrook took back the business, which incensed Blizzard. He filed a civil lawsuit against Holbrook, and set up a company that took out a $1.58 million life insurance policy on the real estate broker.

Taylor was reportedly angry at Holbrook because he stopped supporting her and her children, which were his grandchildren. A friend claims they heard Taylor tell Blizzard that she tried to poison her former father-in-law once, and she allegedly Gomez-Monges and Mendez to Blizzard.

“Secrets at the Sunshine Motel,” airs tonight, Feb. 13 on NBC at 10 p.m.