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“Out of the Darkness”: Dateline NBC Revisits Robert “Bob” Poynter Homicide July 3 2026

Ryan Gill

Dateline NBC revisits the murder of Texas firefighter Robert “Bob” Poynter in “Out of the Darkness,” airing Friday, July 3, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT on NBC.

The episode follows correspondent Josh Mankiewicz as he examines a case that began as a terrifying report of a roadside ambush and became a murder investigation centered on betrayal, insurance money, digital evidence, and a plot prosecutors said was orchestrated by Poynter’s wife, Chacey Poynter.

A Respected Fire Captain Killed on a Rural Road

Robert “Bob” Poynter was a veteran Texas firefighter and captain who had spent nearly two decades serving with the University Park Fire Department. Friends and colleagues described him as dependable, kind, and devoted to his family. He was remembered by fellow firefighters as the kind of person who brought calm to emergencies and comfort to people in crisis.

By September 2016, Poynter’s personal life had become strained. His marriage to Chacey Poynter, who was much younger than him, had deteriorated after years of conflict, suspicion, and infidelity. Prosecutors later argued that Robert was preparing to end the marriage and that Chacey feared losing custody, financial security, and access to his life insurance benefits.

The 911 Call That Started the Case

On the night of September 9, 2016, Chacey Poynter called 911 from a remote road near Royse City, Texas. She reported that her husband had been shot in the head while trying to help her with her Jeep, which she claimed had become stuck on an unmaintained county road.

When police arrived, they found Robert gravely wounded inside the vehicle. Chacey appeared frantic and emotional, telling officers that an unknown man had emerged from the darkness and shot her husband. Police body camera footage captured her statements at the scene, including her description of a shadowy figure and her repeated claims that she did not know who fired the shot.

A Story That Did Not Fit the Evidence

Investigators first considered the possibility of a random roadside attack, but Chacey’s account raised immediate concerns. The road was isolated, muddy, and rarely used. Detectives questioned why a stranger would be waiting in such a place, shoot Robert at close range, and then allow Chacey to escape as the only witness.

Her story also changed as officers questioned her. She spoke about marital problems, divorce, custody fears, and her relationship with another man while her husband’s body was still at the scene. Investigators later said those details shifted the case away from a random ambush and toward a planned killing.

The Marriage Behind the Murder

Robert and Chacey Poynter married in 2009 after beginning a relationship while Robert’s first marriage was ending. They had a daughter together, but friends and relatives said the marriage later became troubled. Robert’s older daughters from his first marriage also became aware of Chacey’s affairs.

According to trial evidence, Robert had discovered signs that Chacey was cheating and had installed a security camera at the home. Footage captured one of Chacey’s lovers at the house shortly before the murder. Robert had also contacted a divorce attorney and was considering major changes to his life, including selling the home and seeking custody arrangements involving their daughter.

Michael Garza and the Affair That Became Central to the Case

Although some summaries of the case have misstated the identity of the gunman, the convicted shooter in the Robert Poynter case was Michael Garza, one of Chacey Poynter’s lovers. Garza was a truck driver who had become involved with Chacey in the months before the killing.

During questioning, Chacey first claimed she did not know who shot Robert. After hours of interrogation, she admitted that “Mikey” had done it. She later claimed that Garza was supposed to confront Robert, not kill him, and that she did not know the plan would end in murder.

Text Messages, Affairs and the Alleged Motive

Prosecutors built their case around Chacey’s digital communications. They said she had sent thousands of messages to multiple men and had repeatedly portrayed herself as trapped in an abusive marriage. Investigators said they found no evidence to support her claims that Robert was violent toward her.

The prosecution argued that Chacey wanted Robert “gone” because she stood to benefit financially and feared losing custody of their daughter. Robert’s life insurance policy, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, became a central part of the alleged motive. Prosecutors said Chacey had helped position herself to benefit from his death while seeking someone willing to remove him from her life.

The Murder Weapon and the Case Against Garza

After Garza was identified as the suspected gunman, authorities searched for evidence tying him to the shooting. Weeks later, a farmer found a shotgun in a field less than a quarter mile from the murder scene.

Investigators determined the weapon was connected to Garza’s family. Prosecutors said the shotgun and ammunition were consistent with the fatal injury Robert suffered. The discovery strengthened the case that the shooting was not spontaneous, but part of a planned attack in which Robert had been lured to an isolated location.

Michael Garza’s Trial and Sentence

Michael Garza went to trial first in July 2018. He pleaded not guilty and claimed he did not shoot Robert Poynter. At trial, he suggested Chacey may have been responsible and offered an alibi involving work on a family farm.

The jury rejected his defense. Garza was convicted of murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison. His conviction marked the first major courtroom victory for Robert’s family, but prosecutors still had to prove that Chacey had not merely witnessed the killing, but helped set it in motion.

Chacey Poynter’s Trial

Chacey Poynter’s trial focused on whether she had knowingly lured Robert to his death. Prosecutors argued that only Chacey could have convinced Robert to come to that rural road. They said she created the emergency, brought him to the location, and then tried to stage the aftermath as a random shooting.

The defense argued that Chacey was guilty of poor judgment, not murder. Her attorneys said Garza acted on his own and that Chacey called 911 because she had not expected Robert to die. Prosecutors countered with her own statements, text messages, body camera footage, interrogation footage, and evidence showing that she had lied repeatedly about what happened.

The Verdict and Outcome

After a two-week trial, Chacey Poynter was convicted of murder. Jurors sentenced her to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Robert Poynter’s life insurance benefits were ultimately split among his three daughters. Custody of Robert and Chacey’s daughter was shared between Chacey’s mother and stepfather and Robert’s parents. For Robert’s family, the verdict confirmed what prosecutors had argued from the start: that he had been betrayed by the person who summoned him to the road where he died.

Why Dateline Is Revisiting the Case

“Out of the Darkness” examines how investigators moved beyond Chacey Poynter’s first version of events and uncovered the truth behind Robert’s death. The episode uses police body camera footage, interviews, and case evidence to show how a murder scene that first looked like a roadside attack became a story of deception and conspiracy.

At the center of the episode is the collapse of Chacey’s account. Her 911 call, her statements to police, her hidden affairs, her text messages, and the physical evidence all became part of a case that exposed the killing of a respected firefighter as anything but random.

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