Dateline: Consumed - 5 harrowing details about the Julie Griffith murder case, revisited 

The 2014 murder case of Julie Griffith in Reidland, Kentucky, stunned a close-knit community and was the subject of a Dateline NBC investigation. Julie, a 55-year-old grandmother and church member, was discovered dead in her torched home with her two dogs.

As per WKMS, her 56-year-old husband, Keith Griffith, first came across as a distraught husband, but later pleaded guilty to murdering her, arson, and ordering a hit on the lead investigator. The Dateline NBC episode "Consumed," which covers the Julie Griffith murder case, originally aired on April 8, 2016.

The following are the turning facts of the case, recreated from court testimony, police statements, and newspaper reports.

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Dateline's "Consumed" revisits Julie Griffith's murder: Husband's guilty plea, arson cover-up & failed hitman plot exposed

1) A staged fire concealed a premeditated murder

As per WTWQ, Julie Griffith was found dead in her home in Reidland on January 17, 2014, after someone walking by reported a fire. While Keith Griffith reported working as a traveling salesman, investigators concluded he shot Julie three times in the chest before setting the fire to cover up evidence.

The autopsy revealed homicide, and the couple's two dogs died in the fire, prompting animal cruelty charges. Surveillance video later undermined Griffith's alibi, depicting him returning home about the time of the murder.

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2) A marriage in decline and hidden motives

According to reports, despite Keith and Julie Griffith having been together for 35 years, they had become estranged, and the pair was living apart. Prosecutors pinpointed two motives: financial reward and a new love interest.

Keith had taken out a $250,000 life insurance policy on Julie only eight days before her murder. He was also reportedly house-hunting with another woman, whom he intended to introduce to his family at a concert.

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3) The foiled hitman scheme against the chief investigator

As per WKMS, while he waited for trial in 2015, Keith Griffith paid someone $10,000 to kill Detective Matt Carter, the detective investigating the murder. The scheme collapsed when the would-be assassin tipped off law enforcers.

The FBI corroborated Griffith's role, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to soliciting a crime. Sheriff Jon Hayden characterized Griffith as "actively engaged" in the attack planning, including giving a map to Carter's house and designating the instrument to employ.

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4) A guilty plea brings an end to a long, agonizing legal struggle

As per WKMS, Griffith pleaded guilty in January 2016 to murder, arson, evidence tampering, animal cruelty, and solicitation, for which he received a 30-year sentence. The plea spared Julie's family a trial, although Griffith's son at first had trouble believing his father was guilty. At the time of sentencing, Griffith broke down and said,

"No excuse for what I did. I can't take it back.".

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5) Investigative challenges and surveillance footage

According to reports, the case relied on circumstantial evidence, such as security footage contradicting Griffith's claims. There was footage of him removing his clothes after the murder and driving his SUV in the vicinity of the crime scene during the fire. The detectives also observed that an intruder would not have been able to pass by the family's hostile dog, Cleo, without waking up the household.

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Julie Griffith's killing uncovered a well-planned plot that included insurance fraud, arson, and a botched assassination. Keith Griffith's 30-year prison sentence capped a case that was characterized by deceit, but the horror etched deep wounds in McCracken County.

As Dateline NBC's "Consumed" revealed, the investigation pointed out the difficulty of prosecuting cases in which physical evidence is eliminated, the determination it takes to unravel a betrayal by a spouse.