(NBC News) — Tonight on “Dateline,” former York Mayor Melvin Roberts is a wealthy businessman and legendary defense attorney in his small town. When he is found murdered, detectives discover there is an overwhelming list of potential suspects.

Here’s a preview of Andrea Canning’s report:

Police on duty raced through the rainy night, dashboard cam rolling, expecting to investigate a robbery.

But what they found had detective Billy Mumaw’s phone ringing as he sat down to dinner.

BILLY MUMAW: I was called at home and told that they — I needed to come in. There’s a robbery that occurred.

When the detective went up the driveway to the back of the house, he discovered a woman, huddled in her car. She had been bound in duct tape.

BILLY MUMAW: I walked up to the car and I noticed that she had duct tape around her head.  She also still had some duct tape around her wrists. 

And not more than a few feet from this blue and white suburban, police found a bloodied and lifeless gray-haired man.

It was a bit of a shock for detective Mumaw. The victim was someone he knew well.

BILLY MUMAW: It was pretty surreal. 

The man on the ground was Melvin Roberts and everyone knew him.  He was a former mayor of York, one of the town’s wealthiest businessmen and a legendary defense attorney.

BILLY MUMAW: I’d had a few cases with him.  Kind of a stern man but always friendly. 

And the woman who had called police to the scene was Julia Phillips, Melvin’s longtime girlfriend.

BILLY MUMAW: she was worried that Melvin was dead.  She said she didn’t know what had happened to him.

Investigators at the scene told Julia the devastating news.  Melvin had been murdered.

ANDREA CANNING: Is that a little jolt Melvin Roberts is the victim?

BILLY MUMAW: Yeah.  ‘Cause Melvin’s not the type of a person to be a victim of anything.

Watch “Dateline: Death In The Driveway” tonight on NBC4 at 10 p.m.