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'Dateline' episode hits close to home in Northeast Ohio

One correspondent shares her experience covering an Eastlake crime story with 3News.

EASTLAKE, Ohio — Dateline Correspondent Andrea Canning shared a secret with the country Thursday night.

The secret, Canning says, involved a family from Eastlake who looked perfect on the outside, but on the inside was crumbling.

“This caught our attention because of the trap I guess you could call it that was laid in this murder for hire plot,” Canning told 3News. "It involved two old friends, Pat Sabo and Christine Metter, who wanted her ex and the father of their four children, to be murdered nearly ten years ago.

RELATED: 'Dateline’ to feature 'murder for hire' story out of Eastlake

Metter asked Sabo to help her find a hitman.

“There’s something that everyone can kind of relate to because it’s about two old friends connecting on Facebook,” said Canning.

That is when Canning says, “things get crazy.”

Instead of finding a hitman, Sabo went to Eastlake police. They, in turn, arranged an undercover sting.

Canning is a familiar face on Dateline and spoke with 3 News about the show’s success and why it pulls people in.

RELATED: Shaker Heights police arrest two people for stealing packages off of porches

"I think it’s because it’s real life for one,” she said. “You know, so it’s your neighbor…it could be the principal next door of an elementary school or it could be the CEO of a company--it could be anybody.”

She notes how most times the people at fault get caught, such as in Thursday’s episode, “The Eastlake Conspiracy.”

Christine Metter and her father went to prison on murder conspiracy charges.

“You know, the biggest thing that always comes up is, ‘Why didn’t they just get a divorce?’" Canning said.

She also points out how it is now tougher to get away with crime because cameras are everywhere.

Editor's Note: The below story aired on December 16, 2020

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