Transcript

The Ghost of David Coffin | Full Episode

From 48 Hours · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 43 min · 6,119 words · 185 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "The Ghost of David Coffin | Full Episode", an episode of 48 Hours published January 20, 2026 (43 min, about 6,119 words). It mentions 14 people, works and ideas, including Scott Davis, David Coffin, Megan Lee, Sheila Ross, Rick Chambers.

What this episode is about

The case of David Coffin centers around the mysterious death of a vibrant 41-year-old man found in his burning home, raising questions about a potential murder rather than a tragic accident. Eyewitness accounts and insights from legal authorities highlight the chaotic aftermath of the fire and the shocking discovery that Coffin had been executed before the blaze, leading to an investigation steeped in unanswered questions and a search for justice.

Key takeaways

  • A fire too hot to handle reveals a chilling truth: David Coffin's flames masked a malicious intent.
  • In a plot twist worthy of a thriller, the murder mystery ignites from a fiery scene, but forensic evidence fizzles.
  • While flames engulfed his home, David Coffin's life was extinguished; a striking reminder of life’s fragile nature.
  • Megan’s double tragedy—her boyfriend murdered and her estranged husband ambushed—echoes the chaos of a nightmare come alive.
  • In a case with more twists than typical TV drama, one man's tragedy becomes another's conspiracy-wrapped conundrum.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: David Coffin, Megan Lee, Sheila Ross, 48 Hours Mystery
  2. – 10:00: Scott Davis, David Coffin, Rick Chambers, Bob Coffin
  3. – 15:00: Scott Davis, David Coffin, Megan Lee, Rick Chambers
  4. – 20:00: Scott Davis, David Coffin, Rick Chambers, Bruce Morris
  5. – 25:00: David Coffin, Scott Davis, Megan Lee, Palo Alto
  6. – 30:00: Scott Davis, David Coffin, Sheila Ross, Megan Lee
  7. – 35:00: David Coffin, Scott Davis, Amy Lynn Bradley
  8. – 40:00: Scott Davis, David Coffin, Amy Lynn Bradley, Megan Lee
  9. – 42:35: Megan Lee

Notable quotes from "The Ghost of David Coffin | Full Episode"

  • David Coffin was a 41-year-old male who was full of life, very attractive, a lot of fun.
    about David Coffin · at
  • My name is Sheila Ross. I'm an assistant district attorney in Atlanta, Georgia.
    about Sheila Ross · at
  • It was late at night on December 10th, 1996 when Megan Lee watched firemen struggle to gain control of the inferno at the home of her boyfriend, David Coffin.
    about December 10, 1996 · at
  • The first incident involved her estranged husband, Scott Davis. Scott told her he had been ambushed that evening right in front of his house. The person was wearing a ski mask, put a gun to his head, sprayed him in the face.
    about Scott Davis · at
  • And lots of affection and he was gorgeous. Bob Coffin has fond memories of his older brother.
    about Bob Coffin · at
  • Once you started taking it apart started to fall apart like a house of cards. Detective Rick Chambers was convinced that the man who murdered David Coffin had given himself away.
    about Rick Chambers · at
  • Scott's father, Dr. Dave Davis, is a prominent Atlanta psychiatrist.
    about Dr. Dave Davis · at
  • Attorney Bruce Morris began representing Scott Davis the day he became a murder suspect. he's an interesting fellow. he grew up in a wonderful family and had all of.
    about Bruce Morris · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Scott Davis — Person · Primary suspect / defendant · 28 mentions · first at
    Estranged husband of Megan Lee; accused and ultimately convicted of murdering David Coffin, with the case hinging on motive, timeline, and alleged incriminating statements.
  • David Coffin — Person · Victim / central figure · 24 mentions · first at
    Murder victim whose death and house fire anchor the episode’s narrative and the later prosecution of Scott Davis.
  • Megan Lee — Person · Key witness / motive nexus · 7 mentions · first at
    David Coffin’s girlfriend and Scott Davis’s estranged wife; her relationships and testimony provide the prosecution’s motive theory and a key statement about David being shot.
    My name is Megan Lee and in 1996 I was dating David Coffin.
  • Sheila Ross — Person · Prosecutor / referenced expert · 4 mentions · first at
    Assistant District Attorney who revisits the case via cold case work, drives the re-indictment, and prosecutes Scott Davis despite limited physical evidence.
  • Rick Chambers — Person · Lead investigator / homicide detective · 3 mentions · first at
    Homicide detective who becomes suspicious of Scott Davis’s account, identifies inconsistencies, and advances the theory linking the attacks and the murder.
  • Dr. Dave Davis — Person · Defense-side witness / referenced expert · 2 mentions · first at
    Scott Davis’s father; a prominent psychiatrist who publicly profiles criminals and later testifies, offering an alibi and defending his son’s character.
  • Bruce Morris — Person · Defense attorney · 2 mentions · first at
    Represents Scott Davis, challenges the lack of physical evidence, and frames the prosecution as speculative and evidence-poor.
  • Bob Coffin — Person · Family member / victim advocate voice · 1 mention · first at
    David Coffin’s brother; provides personal characterization of David and delivers a victim-impact statement at sentencing.
  • Amy Lynn Bradley — Person · 4 mentions · first at
    At his side, Christine Bradley, a parillegal on his team whom he has been dating. I didn't think this would ever go to trial.

Concepts & topics

  • December 10, 1996 — Concept · Key event date · 2 mentions
    The date when the murder of David Coffin occurred, marking the beginning of the case.
  • 48 Hours Mystery — Concept · 1 mention · first at

Places & events

  • Sydney, Australia — Place · Secondary setting · 1 mention · first at
    Location where Megan Lee moved to escape from Scott Davis.
    Get out of town. First, she moved to Minneapolis, but she still didn't feel safe. Eventually, she moved here, halfway around the world to Sydney, Australia, which is about as…
  • Palo Alto — Place · Secondary setting · 1 mention · first at
    Location where Scott Davis moved after the events in Atlanta.
    Scott also left Atlanta and moved to Palo Alto, California.

Media & podcasts

  • 48 Hours Mystery — Media · Referenced media · 1 mention · first at
    The show that covered the mystery and trial of David Coffin's murder.
    The ghost of David Coffin. Tonight's 48 hours mystery.

Full transcript with timestamps

The street was blocked off and there was lots of fire trucks there. The house was fully involved in flames. I said, "Is that 9:51?" And they said, "Yeah." And I said, "That's my boyfriend's house."

And they said, "Do you know how to get in touch with your boyfriend?" I said, "No, I haven't talked to him today." And I believe it was the police chief. I'm not sure. Came up to me and said, "Are you the next of Ken?" And I said, "Why?" And they said, "We found a body in the kitchen.

David Coffin was a 41-year-old male who was full of life, very attractive, a lot of fun.

He was beautiful and outgoing and athletic. My name is Megan Lee and in 1996 I was dating David Coffin. He liked to ski hard slopes. He liked to live life to the fullest. Very Robert Redfordesque. David came from the Coffin family of the Northeast. It's a very prominent family.

He was a good kid. He loved the outdoors. He had a big retriever and that dog and he went absolutely everywhere. Flames were shooting out of his roof 20 to 30 feet in the air. When they got the fire under control, they walked through once, found nothing, walked through the second time, and actually a firefighter stepped on the body of David Coffin. People who die from the fire, they're usually found on their stomachs because they're trying to crawl out of the house. He was on his back when they discovered him. That led the firefighters to believe that he did not die from the fire. That this was a murder case. He literally was just executed in cold blood. All that remained of David Coffin was charred remains.

My name is Sheila Ross. I'm an assistant district attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. The fire to David Coffin's body and to his home was very, very devastating and destructive. We're talking no hairs, no fibers, no DNA, no fingerprints from any of the things that came from the home.

At that point, I had no idea who wanted to kill David Coffin. My world no longer made sense.

It's the hardest case I have ever fought in my entire career. The ghost of David Coffin. Tonight's 48 hours mystery.

It was the most tragic, unbelievable time of life. It was late at night on December 10th, 1996 when Megan Lee watched firemen struggle to gain control of the inferno at the home of her boyfriend, David Coffin.

His best friend came on scene and I had to tell him that David was dead. And you see flames shooting out of the roof of your best friend's house. The feelings are horrible.

Like Megan, Craig Foster was also in disbelief. You think, Jesus, this like a movie? You don't know what to think.

Their grief and fear only deepened when fire officials revealed that David had died before the fire even started. All I remember is laying down on the pavement. [snorts] Hysterical. Adding to the horror, it was the second time that same night someone close to Megan was the victim of violence. The first incident involved her estranged husband, Scott Davis. Scott told her he had been ambushed that evening right in front of his house. The person was wearing a ski mask, put a gun to his head, sprayed him in the face with mace, and said, "Stay away from Megan." And my name is actually pronounced Megan.

Now, hours later, Megan's soon to be ex-husband had even more bad news. He said, "Oh my god, I was attacked again tonight. I've got police here." In that second attack, Scott Davis said the asalent used his gun. Patrolman Michael O' Conor took the report.

The suspect turned around and shot at Scott Davis. Scott then returned fire with five rounds from a shotgun. Um, the [snorts] suspect was able to hop the fence and and run off.

Scott also said that before all the shooting, the man set fire to the back of his house by the patio. Scott managed to put it out, but the timing was terrifying. It was just hours after David's house was set a flame.

It was a fairly bizarre kind of a copycat kind of a thing going on that was very confusing to all of us.

Homicide detective Rick Chambers naturally suspected there had to be a link between the two victims.

The same person that killed David Coffin is going to be the same person that attacked Scott. wanted to get his story while it was still fresh in his mind.

Although she was connected to both victims, Megan could not imagine who would commit the crimes. Who would attack her aranged husband? And why would that same person cut down her new boyfriend, David Coffin, in the prime of his life?

He was just a really laidback, nice, easy Kanukica character. He showed me lots of attention and lots of affection and he was gorgeous. You know,

Bob Coffin has fond memories of his older brother. He was very much his own man. He was very independent minded and he played by his own rules and it was a great set of rules. David was a 41-year-old entrepreneur looking for business ventures in Atlanta when a friend introduced him to Megan.

They were like any couple that was 6 months into an early romance. Craig began to wonder if David's bachelor days were numbered.

David and Megan did get serious rather quickly. She had a lot of the qualities that he desired.

But there was one rather sticky issue. Megan's divorce from Scott Davis was not yet final.

I was very honest with him that I was going to go on with my life and that included dating other people.

David Coffin spent Thanksgiving week with his father and told him about his new girlfriend.

He would say he'd say, "Dad, he would love her." Did you think you would be meeting her soon?

Yes. Oh, I would put money on it. But David Coffin, Senior, patriarch of a wealthy and established New England clan, was a cautious man. He advised his son to take his time.

I said, "All right, but be be very careful." Did he tell you she was married still?

She told me the whole story. Were you concerned? I was concerned. In fact, Scott Davis was not quite ready for divorce and was having a hard time letting Megan go. They kept on talking about this line. Don't cross this line.

And what was the line? Um, the line was having an intimate relationship with somebody.

And were you sleeping with David? And so I crossed that line. After Thanksgiving, David returned to Atlanta and spent the next weekend at Megan's apartment.

Here was this smart, interesting, attractive man, you know, wanting to spend time with me. And um, that felt really, really nice. That Sunday morning, David came home and found someone had broken in.

The TV was pulled over. The office and the desk was all in disarray. The drawers were open.

Most of his prized possessions were there, but a few were missing, including watches, guns, and his beloved Porsche.

It was a special car that was a collector type car that they didn't make many of. Two days later, David's house was torched and he was dead. In the wee hours, Megan went to the police station to give a statement. She wasn't alone, though. Scott Davis was there too.

He was the only person a who had actually seen an asalent or actually had a conversation with an asalent. But the more Scott Davis spoke, the more suspicious Detective Chambers grew about what he was saying, especially one critical detail.

He said, "I didn't shoot him. I didn't shoot David." And what struck you about that statement?

I didn't know how David Coffin had died. No one knew. That was the first time the penny dropped. And I went, "Oh my god. Oh my god. The whole story itself once you started taking it apart started to fall apart like a house of cards. Detective Rick Chambers was convinced that the man who murdered David Coffin had given himself away.

David was shot. I think you think so. I think I did. Even before investigators knew how David died, Scott Davis was telling them it was a gunshot. He said that's what Megan, his aranged wife, told him.

When I heard that from her, that's what, you know, that's what I thought I heard. thought you thought you heard what?

Yeah, I thought I heard her tell me that he was shot. I'm telling you what I thought I heard. You know, I mean, I had guns going off everywhere today. I mean, this is hard for me.

But Megan said she had no idea how David died. And the detective in charge now seriously doubted Scott's claim that someone had also attacked him.

Whoever had done this had killed one person and burned a house. Why did he let Scott live? You going to set a fire on try to burn somebody's house down? You going to set it on their concrete patio?

So this was not adding up to you? No. Scott was the prime suspect, but he was hardly a typical murder suspect.

It was disbelief. Scott's father, Dr. Dave Davis, is a prominent Atlanta psychiatrist.

My whole family was very upset, very brokenhearted, surprised, shocked. a forensic psychiatrist.

None of this surprises Dr. Dave Davis in Atlanta, who made media appearances profiling criminals.

Well, there's not just one motivation. Some are revenge motivated. He now found himself defending his own son.

Scott has never been in trouble. I mean, he's never done anything like this. I've never known him to be violent. The whole thing just seemed outrageous to me. Scott was a 24year-old graduate student when he met 19-year-old Megan Lee.

He was running for county commissioner. He had just finished his MBA. I mean, he seemed very mature to me and at the time that was really attractive and um he seemed grown up where I was just trying to be grown up.

They dated for 5 years, but it was a rocky relationship. We broke up a lot during our relationship, always initiated by me. I just kept on feeling like we weren't really connecting in the way that I wanted to connect.

After every breakup, Scott would beg for another chance, often in writing. He would always say that he had changed, that he had realized all these things about himself and um that he was making big changes in his life. And

And you believed him? Absolutely. every time I ended up believing him. Eventually, Scott and Megan married.

I was very able to talk everybody into this, including myself, that um we always got back together. He loves me so much. We want the same things out of life. These are all good foundations for marriage. A European magazine featured their wedding with a photo spread, calling the event the perfect American wedding, Hollywood style.

The wedding itself was magnificent and one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever

I've ever been to. Yes. You think he was happy when they got married? Oh, yes. And I think they both were happy when they got married. Professionally, Scott Davis's star was rising as a technology consultant, but his personal life was soon in trouble. He seemed to lose interest in the relationship very, very quickly. Um, so I think he liked the chase more than he liked the prize. He didn't seem interested in me or our relationship at all the minute we got married. In any area.

In any area. In any area. After just two years, Megan filed for divorce and left him. When you moved out, in your mind, that was it.

That was it. You never had a second thought about getting back together? Never a second thought.

Scott reverted to old habits, pleading with her in multiple, often lengthy letters.

I think you're the most wonderful and gorgeous woman on this earth. I want to give you everything in life you want. letters that took an ominous turn when Scott got wind that Megan was hitting it off with a man he knew.

Multiple dates with one person leads to expectations which do not bode well with me. This is especially true with a person such as Dave. If things with other men are getting sexual for you, I will never be able to forgive that considering we are married. He was even by his accounts, you know, quite committed to pursuing her and getting her back. This was a pattern.

He's a persistent guy. I taught him to be persistent. So, he kept thinking she was going to come back.

But persistence seemed to turn to obsession. In December 1996, during that weekend that David and Megan spent together at her apartment, Scott called Friday night five, six times, I think, in the middle of the night. Saturday night, he called 30 times. When David got home Sunday morning to find his house vandalized, he called police, but he and his friend Craig Foster thought they already knew who was responsible.

The only thing we could come up with was that Scott Davis had come over upset the night before because he knew that David was with Megan and had ransacked the house. Craig advised David to back off from Megan until her divorce was final

and he agreed. Now, I don't know whether he ever could have done that because I think David was falling in love with Megan at this point.

That Tuesday night, David was found dead and within hours, Megan's aranged husband was talking to the police.

The more he talks, the less believable the story is. On Wednesday, Scott left Megan one last desperate message.

I just got back from the police station and uh students really getting in my face telling me that they thought I had something to do with this and I hope you don't believe that.

Please call me. Please call me. Please call me. And you never called him back? Never called him back.

3 days after David Coffin's body was found, Scott Davis was arrested. Police do say though that Coffin and Davis knew each other. Perhaps

the man who claimed to be a victim was now a murder suspect. At which time the details of the state's case against him may be revealed.

And you felt the case was strong. Oh, I I knew the case was strong. He had motive. He had opportunity. And he was providing us with our case.

When I first met Scott, he was absolutely just unbelievably frightened that the police were focusing on him in a murder case.

Attorney Bruce Morris began representing Scott Davis the day he became a murder suspect. you know, he's uh an interesting fellow. Uh he grew up in a in a wonderful family and had all of the opportunities that you would want to have growing up.

Morris was hired by psychiatrist Dave Davis, Scott's father. Have you never met anyone who was acting normally all along and snapped?

Yeah, but he he I don't he was talking to him through that period of time. He wasn't snapping.

But Detective Rick Chambers says Scott came unhinged when his soontobe ex-wife Megan started showing serious interest in another man.

Scott Davis had everything he wanted all his life. And the one thing he lost, couldn't stand it. Chambers believes Scott Davis killed David Coffin, then tried to cover his tracks by inventing a fictitious asalent.

What he's actually trying to do was say, "Hey, there no way I could have done this." See, cuz I'm a victim as well.

Police used phone records and witness statements to create a timeline, showing that Scott had ample opportunity to execute the crimes on Saturday night. They believe while David was with Megan, Scott ransacked David's home and took a few choice treasures.

One thing David Coff love supposedly was that Porsche on Monday night. They say Scott returned this time to confront David.

Do I think Scott Davids went there with the intention of killing David Coffin that night? No, I don't think so. I think he went there with the intention to scare him. Bob small struggling suit. Scott shot him.

Then on Tuesday night, Chambers says Scott returned again and set the fire. A lot of physical evidence right there where that fire was at.

But the timeline had a problem. David's stolen Porsche was also set on fire. It was found Tuesday morning, miles from where Scott was seen at work.

Scott could not have started the Porsche fire. After 90 days in jail, Scott posted a half million dollar bond and was released. Can you definitively answer the question, did Scott Davis kill David Coffin?

I can tell you that Scott Davis, from the first moment I ever met him, has unequivocally said, "I am innocent. I didn't do this.

The pending case against Scott Davis had other issues. A gun taken in the burglary was found near David's body, but was too badly burned to have any prints on it.

There's no physical evidence against Scott whatsoever. There's no DNA, no fibers.

A search of Scott's house and car also came up empty. None of the stuff that was stolen from David Coffin was linked to Scott. Nothing like that. The district attorney chose not to seek an indictment and in June 1998, 18 months after Scott Davis was arrested, the charges against him were dropped.

We believe the case was absolutely completely and forever over. Scott's divorce from Megan Lee was now final, but Megan wasn't taking any chances. Megan says she felt she had to get out of town. First, she moved to Minneapolis, but she still didn't feel safe. Eventually, she moved here, halfway around the world to Sydney, Australia, which is about as far away from Atlanta and from Scott Davis as she could get. Who do you think is responsible for David Coffin's death?

Scott Davis. I would love to believe that it was anyone else other than the person that I'd been married to, but I know I know nothing else makes sense and I've tried.

Scott also left Atlanta and moved to Palo Alto, California. He's technological wizard

where he set up shop as a computer consultant. He was very successful, had a lot of friends. He was in hog. But Scott Davis's new found freedom was not sitting well with David Coffin senior.

I would I was not a happy camper. Did you ever suspect it could have been someone else?

No. You've always and immediately no question. Absolutely no question in my mind.

Coffin made relentless efforts to keep the case active. Were you pressuring the DA?

Well, I told him I wasn't going to go anywhere. He offered rewards, substantial rewards.

The reward went from $100,000 to $200,000 to $300,000. Correct. But as the years passed, little new evidence surfaced. Megan was now happily married to an Australian man and had two children. But she was never able to shake her past. There has not been a day in 10 years that I've not thought about the events of December 96. Not a day. Scott, meanwhile, was getting ambitious. In 2003, California's governor was recalled, sparking a wild free-for-all election. San Jose Mercury News reporter Josh Quan got a tip to check out one of the 135 hopefuls.

I was I was shocked. I was stunned. a candidate named Scott Davis. He had sort of a sense of himself that he was he was meant for more um and uh that being a business consultant wasn't going to be his legacy.

When Quan asked Scott about his arrest for David Coffin's murder, Scott told him the charges had been dropped. There was no evidence against him.

And he said, um, you know, this wouldn't have happened to me if it wasn't for my ex-wife. And he said that Megan, his ex-wife, was the one who sort of incited the police to go after him.

He has to live with the fact that he murdered David. And and I was hoping that was destroying him. When he ran for governor of California, that's when I realized I thought, you know what, he hasn't given this a second thought. With his past outed, Scott gave up his run for governor, but he was now under new scrutiny in Atlanta.

Would you describe him as a smart person? I think he's very smart, but he's impulsive.

Enter prosecutor Sheila Ross. She was heading a cold case unit and taking a fresh look at the old evidence.

And when I looked at everything, I was literally disgusted. I was disgusted that he had gotten away with it.

The state had virtually no new evidence against Scott Davis, but there was now a very determined prosecutor.

The defendant is wealthy. And and and let's face it, he's he's wealthy and comes from a very good family here in Atlanta. And that creates a whole new dynamic. It's a different dynamic because wealthy people have advantages that poor people do not have. and they work the legal system.

This time the DA convened a grand jury and Scott Davis was indicted. In November 2005, Scott was arrested again and charged with murder. So when he was arrested, what was your reaction?

Outrage. Just outrage. He was able to post a million dollar bond and was released.

Dr. Davis, is there any any shred of doubt in your mind of Scott's innocence? None whatsoever.

But after nearly 10 years, Scott Davis is about to stand trial for the murder of David Coffin.

10 long years after David Coffin's house was set on fire. All right. Scott Davis is finally standing trial for murder.

I'm innocent and I feel very confident that I will be acquitted. Do you believe him?

Absolutely. At his side, Christine Bradley, a parillegal on his team whom he has been dating.

I didn't think this would ever go to trial. Just bring in the jury. I wasn't going to give up.

David Coffin Senior's persistence has paid off. I was in it for a life. Sometimes to do the right thing, you just have to take a chance.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross knows there is no physical evidence. He did not commit these crimes.

And defense attorney Bruce Morris wastes no time pointing that out. There is no DNA evidence. There is no blood evidence.

Most of that burned in the fire. And virtually all the evidence that was collected, more than 40 items, has been lost or discarded by the state. Only photographs remain. And you believe that any one of these items, had you had access to them, could have exonerated Scott?

Certainly could have helped us with leads. Yes. But Ross contends she can prove that Scott Davis had a motive to kill.

He was a competitive man who wasn't going to lose his wife to the likes of David Coffin. and he targeted the competition. He hunted his competition. He stalked his competition and he ultimately killed him.

Ross called Scott's former wife to the stand. Do you recognize the person in states exhibit 4?

That's tough. You know, Megan Lee, the woman Scott once so doggedly pursued, has voluntarily flown in from Australia. I didn't feel like I could breathe when I first got up there.

Is that the person that you were dating? It was. Yes. How important is Megan to this case?

Megan is is the motive? I think the case would have been very difficult without her.

Sorry. Over the course of three grueling days, Negan testifies about her failed marriage.

The minute we got married, he wanted nothing to do with me. I felt very alone in my marriage. Megan, please pick up the phone. I need to talk to you about this stuff.

She listens to Scott's messages, pleading for her to come home. Megan, please. Please. You're killing me. Please for me.

And tells jurors about Scott's fixation with the new man in her life. He kept on saying, "I know David's there. I know David's there."

And was David there? Yes, he was. Perhaps most important to the state's case, Megan contends that when she told Scott about the fire at David's house, Scott said something very incriminating.

He said, "Oh my god, the police are here with me and they said they had just come from a scene in Buckhead where a guy had been shot in the head and his house had been burned down."

David Coffin had been shot in the head. That comment Scott allegedly made is key to the case because at the time, police didn't even know how David had died. So, the question is, did Scott slip up and say something only the killer could have known?

Are you 100% certain that it was Scott who told you? 100% certain. Remember, Scott said it was Megan who told him about the shooting.

If Megan knew first, how do you think Megan knew that information? I don't know is the answer.

Megan admits that initially she told police she didn't know how David died. And all the horror she says she forgot, but she now remembers she told friends about the shooting after talking with Scott.

You did not tell Scott. No. That David Coffin had been shot in the head. No. Do you think Megan is lying?

I think Megan said it. Whether she was hysterical and doesn't remember it or is lying about it, I don't know.

Ross says the real liar is Scott Davis. He did himself in. He did himself in, she says, by spinning an elaborate tale about being a victim.

Like he's being haunted by the ghost of David Coffin. And he started realizing all the mistakes that he may have made in perpetrating the crime. And then he impulsively tries to cover up what he had done. It was as if he was coming by us with a flashing sign saying, "Follow me."

Police testify they found nothing to corroborate Scott's story. No evidence that someone took a shot at him.

Nothing that indicated a shell casing from a handgun. No signs that Scott had shot an asalent, despite his claims that he shot at someone five times in his small backyard.

Getting shot with a shotgun's fairly traumatic, so it should have left some indication if he had been hit and we didn't locate anything like that. Ross says Scott kept digging himself a deeper hole.

It's his impulsiveness that did him in because he's always trying to outthink the police. He's trying to outthink everybody, outsmart everybody.

Good morning. She says Scott even tried to enlist a friend to provide a false alibi.

He said, "Let's get our story straight." Instead, that friend turned on Scott and called the authorities.

It is the cover up that gets him in the end. But Christine Bradley insists there was nothing to cover up.

I was sitting next to an innocent man. Was that difficult for you during the trial dating someone who's accused of murder?

Stressful, certainly. Mhm. Um, never worked so hard in my life. All right, let's bring in the jury.

When the defense lays out its case, you swore in front of testimony. Dr. Davis takes the stand. He tells jurors about the toll the accusations first took on his son 10 years ago.

He sounded panicked and terrorized. I'd never ever heard him like that before. It was consistent with just being accused of a crime that he did not commit.

When did you see Scott next? Davis also provides his son an alibi for Saturday evening. Around the same time the state believes David's house was ransacked.

Came over to my house. It was about 6:30. I was I remember I was watching the news.

That takes prosecutor Kelly Hill by surprise. The first time you've ever told anyone in law enforcement that your son was at your home on Saturday, December 7th is as you sit here today before this jury. Isn't that correct, Dr. Davis?

Correct. Do you think Dr. Davis was lying? I think he was. Yeah, but the state cannot dismiss the fact that David's stolen Porsche was found burning around the time Scott had a meeting at work.

Scott Davis may not have lit the actual match to the Porsche. Do you today believe it's possible that somebody else helped him?

I absolutely believe that it is possible that somebody else helped him. Yes. After nearly six weeks in court,

he killed his competition and more than 60 witnesses. Where is the evidence? The trial ends without Scott taking the stand.

I watched him like a hawk. Just like a hawk. Did he ever make eye contact with you?

Yeah, I could stare him down any day. With the case in the jury's hands, there is a lot at stake for Scott Davis. In your mind, it's absolutely not possible that he had anything to do with this?

Absolutely not possible. There's a lot at stake for Christine Bradley, too. Are you in love with Scott?

Yes, very much so. Is he in love with you? Yes, very much so. After testifying at Scott Davis's murder trial Megan Lee has flown home to Australia. But she is still thinking about David Coffin. He was the most down to earth, unpretentious guy you can imagine.

He had a great laugh and a wickedly good sense of humor. David's father is glad he finally got to meet the woman his son was once so taken with.

I told her, I said, "I I think it's wonderful of you to come all the way to do this, to set yourself up for a difficult time." And she said, "I felt I had to do it for the Coffin family." It shows a lot of guts. I obviously saw what David saw in there.

As the jury deliberates, Scott's girlfriend, defense team parillegal Christine Bradley, waits anxiously.

How was Scott feeling going into deliberations? Helpless. Nervous? Of course. Hours turn into days. Then court recesses for the weekend with no verdict. Scott and Christine relieve some tension by watching his old high school play football.

No way. [screaming and cheering] The following Monday, after nearly 4 days of deliberations,

okay, I understand we have a verdict. Scott and Christine will soon find out they'll be able to leave the courtroom together.

We can bring in the jury. Defendant, please rise. Prosecutor Sheila Ross warns the Coffin family that there are no guarantees.

I told them to expect anything. Your honor, on this uh 4th day of December 2006

that anything is possible. State of Georgia versus Scott Winfield Davis and just brace for impact.

We the jury find Scott Davis guilty. It is a bittersweet victory for David's father.

When you heard the words guilty. I just broke up. Was that the first time in 10 years?

First time. But for Scott's parents, it is a devastating blow. When the jury walked in the room, I could tell by the look on their faces they none of them, not one jury person looked at us and my heart sank. Couldn't believe it.

Christine can't believe it either. I was absolutely not prepared for a guilty verdict.

While Christine faces an uncertain future, Megan is finally able to come to terms with her past.

I just felt like, oh my god, I'm not scared anymore. And I don't think I was truly sort of recognizing how scared I was until they said, "We find Scott Davis guilty."

At the sentencing, David's brother, Bob, speaks for the Coffin family. Thank you, your honor. Ladies and gentlemen, David Coffin Jr. was burglarized, shot in the head, and had his body burned at the hands of a coward. So then was it worth all of the agony and the conversations and the pushing and the proddding?

At the end of the day, you bet. Justice served. The sentence is mandatory. Okay, Mr. Davis, if you'll please rise. You've been found guilty of [clears throat] the crime charged and I sentence you to life in prison.

But just before he is led away, Scott Davis addresses the court for the first time. Your honor, I have nothing but sympathy and I feel nothing but empathy for the Coffin family and their loss. However, I've maintained my innocence throughout this and I still maintain my innocence. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Davis. This will stand. After his conviction, Scott asked his girlfriend to read a letter he had written to 48 hours. I can't explain in words the horrible feeling of being sentenced to life in prison for a crime you didn't commit. I with my family, friends, and attorneys will fight with all my strength and courage to regain my deserved freedom. Until then, I will not rest.

How long do you think you'll stay together under these conditions? I'm not going anywhere.

But she may be waiting a long time. David's father is determined to keep Scott right where he is.

Should he be in prison for life? Yeah, at the least. Yes. This is the last picture that was taken of David. And that was 2 weeks before he passed away.

It was on that fateful weekend that his son told him about the new woman in his life, Megan Lee. He said to his father about you, "This might be the real deal." How do you feel about that? When he died, we never had a first fight. We never had a disagreement. So, he died the perfect man.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Ghost of David Coffin | Full Episode"?

Megan Lee (Guest), Sheila Ross (Guest), Scott Davis (Guest), Rick Chambers (Guest), Bob Coffin (Guest), Bruce Morris (Guest), Christine Bradley (Guest), David Coffin Sr. (Guest).

What is "The Ghost of David Coffin | Full Episode" about?

The case of David Coffin centers around the mysterious death of a vibrant 41-year-old man found in his burning home, raising questions about a potential murder rather than a tragic accident. Eyewitness accounts and insights from legal authorities highlight the chaotic aftermath of the fire and the shocking discovery that Coffin had been executed before the blaze, leading to an investigation…

What is mentioned in this 48 Hours episode?

14 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Scott Davis, David Coffin, Megan Lee, Sheila Ross, Rick Chambers, Dr. Dave Davis. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Ghost of David Coffin | Full Episode"?

The episode runs 43 min; the transcript is about 6,119 words in 185 timestamped sections.

More from 48 Hours

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.