♪ (lighter clicks) (explosion rumbling) (music fades) . i'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." she was crying and crying. i said, what's wrong? and she says, debbie's dead. we all wanted to believe that it was an accident.

there's no possible way he could do this on purpose. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is dateline. >> she was crying and crying. i said, what's wrong? and she says, that he's dead. we all wanted to believe that it was an accident. a dark house, a husband with a gun. a wife dead on the floor. >> make sure that she is still breathing. >> oh, i don't think she is, damn it. >> there was no question who killed her. the mystery was why. >> i hear the door squeaking. and i hear a grumbling. and i hear the dog rolling. >> how could you not tell that's your wife? >> it was dark. >> i did he just kept seeing it was an accident and he didn't do anything wrong. >> others disagreed. >> we never for a second believed that he didn't know who that was that he was threatening. >> was it a tragic mistake? >> he was broken. >> or cold-blooded murder? >> he has fits of emotion, they're only down in front of the detective. >> a room too dark to see.

>> turn the light off. >> or a story too hard to believe? >> there's nothing accidental about what he did. >> a shot in the dark and now in the light of day. >> the person you know better than anybody else. you can't tell it's her when you pull that trigger? >> welcome to dateline. there is was a marriage of opposites. she the hard charging businesswoman. he the easygoing contractor. and yet, somehow debbie kelly and lars itzo made it work. or so it seemed. until a gunshot ripped through the night and leaving debbie death and a family wrapped with that. what was her death a case of mistaken identity? or the bloody and to a marriage gone bad?

here's andrea canning with the silhouette. >> what happened inside this house would destroy everything the woman who lived there had work for. she finally had it all. the career, the dream home, the marriage she had waited so long for. >> there was a brightness in her eye. >> i trusted that she knew her heart. >> they were in love. there was no other way around it. >> her life no complete. fulfilled. safe. >> we never worried about her. >> but was it all an illusion? >> send an ambulance. please. >> what happened that morning in the predawn hours in the dark? >> right in the chest. oh. >> the woman at this san antonio tennis club say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they play tennis. >> i think tennis in general just really brings out the personality. >> tennis brings out either the best or worse in you. >> as for who had the best character at their club. the answer comes as fast as a

serena williams serve, their friend debbie kelly. >> debbie for me was the whole package of a person. fair, fun, and a great leader. >> debbie, fiercely independent. driven. >> always wanted to be a career woman. >> she climbed the corporate ladder in health care. her mom and dad, jim and anne kelly, marvel that her commitment. >> she spent many, many hours traveling. and many hours working overtime. >> but debbie hadn't found as much success in her personal life. she got married in her twenties but it didn't work out. now in her forties and dedicated to her career, there was little time to look for the

right guy. >> is it hard to date? >> it was hard for her today. >> so in 2008, debbie took a new job that allowed her to focus a little more on her personal life. that's when she got serious about her tennis game. >> she was a little bit of a tiger. >> that's how she messed this bunch. >> betty, an ellen mitchell. she was not a big >> she was not a big person. she would toss the ball up in the air and smashed the ball. >> the ladies played off the court to. bonding over post-match drinks. >> she had a great laugh, throws her head back, chuckles and, just your whole body last. she had a really silly, funny, quirky. site >> so, i've heard that she was very private. would she talk about dating and guys with you? >> not with me. >> she just wasn't want to talk about herself, period. i was always trying to find her. somebody >> outage she receive, betty the matchmaker? >> she'd always go, oh no. >> husband are not, debbie was ready to plan some permanent routes. she bought a house in a gated community and began to remodel

it on her own. she told her friend all about. >> was she likened h g tv type girl? [laughs] >> yes, oh my gosh. hey, i'm going to home depot. and she's working on the sprinkler system or she's decided on materials for the floor. >> but the busy executive could do everything herself. so in 2012, she hired a contractor. his name was lars itzo. but once work got underway, lars seemed in no rush to finish the job. >> she was getting very frustrated as she says i wish this person would finish. >> but lars's siblings, can and kristie, says he was and dragging things out for money. he had an ulterior motive. >> yes, yes, he keeps flirting, talking. and we're laughing and having a good time. >> lars like debbie. and he thought it was mutual. >> he goes, can i ask her out?

yes, why can't you? >> so began an unlikely courtship between debbie, the petite powerhouse and lars, the six foot two nordic he man. >> they were goofy. [laughs] >> then he got a kick out of lars's laidback ways. this guy into the old school board games, muscle cars, and drinking dr. pepper. >> about a case it. >> what's? >> yeah. dr. pepper. >> a 12 pack. >> i've never heard someone of drinking that much of dr. pepper. >> i thought it would kill him. [laughs] >> he didn't drink a lot of alcohol at all. just dr. pepper. >> and when private debbie brought lawyers out to meet her friends, they knew it was serious. >> when he arrived with her hand in hand. >> sure, they noticed lars it was a different sort of match for their friend. >> he's very quiet. >> he's got the blond hair that would go with a guy named lars.

>> he seemed like a surfer dude. >> but to debbie, he was the right man. >> i felt like she was really in love with him. >> i can understand her thinking, maybe it's time to try something just different. >> and pretty soon, that something different was official. after a year of dating, debbie and lars were engaged. >> so baby brother finally settle down? >> he did. and he was happy. never seen him that happy. >> they married soon after at this chapel in arkansas, near her parents homes. how beautiful did she look on her wedding day? >> we think she just looks so happy. that was really important to me. >> debbie and lawyers embrace the rhythm of married life. spending weekend with family and enjoying the outdoor and her dog. but after two years together, things started to change. debbie got a coveted promotion to vice president.

>> that was going to entail more traveling and a lot more working to. >> big responsibilities, more pay, the less time at home. less time with lars. october ninth, 2015, debbie recently back from a business trip went to bed early for a morning tennis game. debbie's beloved dog slept on the floor beside her. the shades were down. lars join them a little past midnight. four hours past. and then -- >> san antonio 9-1-1. >> a, just, a gunshot. >> what had happened in that texas home? coming up -- >> i thought there was a burglar in the house. >> danger in the night. and a confrontation in the dark. >> oh, baby -- >> when dateline continues. (coughs) slow down!

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but i like this. get a light scent that lasts with no heavy perfumes or dyes. ( ♪ ♪ ) andrea canning (voiceover): 4:13 am, lars itzo called 911. with no heavy perfumes or dyes. 9-1-1. >> i'm a male, she's a female. will you send an ambulance? >> that female was shot and gravely wounded. >> i want you to walk over to her, and make sure that she is still breathing. >> i don't think she is.

>> the 9-1-1 operator guided lars through cpr. >> kneel beside her. stack your hands. >> oh, baby. oh, man. right in the freaking chest. >> police race to the house, dash cam rolling the audio kept rolling as they enter the house. >> they found lars on top of debbie's body. as an officer tended to debbie, lars tried to explain how the shooting happened. >> i thought there was a burglar in the house. thought there were multiple people in the house. >> okay, did you -- what did you hear? >> i heard voices when i was in bed. >> and where did you hear the voices at? >> upfront. >> upfront? okay, what happened? >> i got up.

i thought my wife was in bed with me. i grabbed my shotgun. >> as emts took over trying to save debbie, lars went with police to the station, they urgently needed more details. >> where were the intruders, were they armed? what did lars know, what exactly did he do? sitting in the interview room, he took them through what happened step-by-step. said he was awakened at around 4 am by strange noises in the house. >> i hear the front door, or the door squeaking. and i hear grumbling. and i hear the dog grounding. >> he said he'd never heard his dog growled before, so he was instantly on alert. >> did you think there were male voices, or female forces?

>> i thought they were male. >> he said he moved towards the sound that he heard with his shotgun, he reached this hallway where he said he saw a silhouette standing in front of him, about three feet away, and said he made the split second decision to fire his gun fearing for his life, all of this happening, he says, in the pitch black darkness. >> about how far away were you? >> me to you. >> okay. >> but the person lars shot was not an intruder, it was debbie, police quickly determined that the only shot fired in the house came from lars'gun, he said it was an accident. a case of mistaken identity. >> everything happened so fast. >> nevertheless -- >> any kind of infidelities going on between you are with her? >> no sir. i trust her complicity. completely. >> lars answered all of the questions, in return he just wanted to know one thing. >> nobody has told me anything about if she's all right. >> after two hours of talking, they broke the news. >> i don't know how to tell you, but your wife didn't make it. okay?

>> she is deceased. >> just before 10 am they let him go, he was overwhelmed with grief. >> he was completely hurt. shattered. he was broken. >> in those hours afterwards what was he talking about? >> he wasn't talking. >> he was just in shock? >> across town, her tennis friends were waiting for her to start that early morning match. one of their husbands came out to tell them about debbie. >> they called me over and and said that lars had shot her. >> how can someone shoot somebody, it did make any sense. >> in arkansas, they learned the news from their son. >> that is just the worst news that a mother could hear? how does your brain process that information, i don't think you do. i couldn't process the shooting part. just that she was gone. and part of me died the day she died. >> i kept thinking not debbie, not debbie. >> debbie's parents flew to san

antonio to spend time with lars to support him in their shared grief. >> he could hardly talk. he seemed extremely remorseful. >> was he saying everything that you would want to hear? i did it, i'm sorry. >> he apologized profusely for it and said that it was just an accident. it was dark. >> some people might be angry, but you did not go down that road. >> we did not go down that road. we supported him. >> but that support was about to be put to the test. >> coming up. >> i knew that she was frustrated. >> how strong was that marriage >> he apologized profusely for

it and said that it was just an accident. it was dark. >> some people might be angry, but you did not go down that road. >> we did not go down that road. we supported him. >> but that support was about to be put to the test. >> coming up. >> i knew that she was frustrated. >> how strong was that marriage? how dark was that night? >> that's your wife. height, weight, shape how can you not tell that that is your wife? >> when dateline continues.

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andrea canning (voiceover): lars itzo admitted he fatally shot his wife debbie but said it was a terrible accident. fatally shot his wife debbie. he said it was a terrible accident. from the very beginning, he cooperated with police. answered every question. no lawyer present. then, about eight hours after that first conversation about the shooting, lars headed back to the station and sat down for a polygraph test. >> he volunteered to go do it. he said i'll take a polygraph. >> because he said he didn't do anything wrong. >> via. >> but the polygraph indicated lars was deceptive in some of his answers. his brother and sister said it was perfectly understandable. >> he's nervous. he's in shock. >> he can even get his name right. his birthday. where he was born. >> maybe so, but his

performance on the polygraph was enough for detectives to grill him relentlessly. >> how could you not see that was a woman? >> it was dark, sir. >> no matter how dark it was, how scared he was, how could lars fail to recognize debbie, three feet away? >> that's your wife. i, we, shape. how could you not tell us your wife? >> it was dark. >> do you understand how lame that sounds, lars? >> it's the truth. >> your 36 inches from a hume human being, and you can tell it's your wife. >> i don't care if it's a pitch dark. no room is completely. doctors and the light from every. room it may not be much. but it's enough to tell the shape. otherwise you wouldn't have fired. you obviously saw something because you fired the gun. >> i said i seen a shape. >> lars insisted he thought there were intruders in the house. he and debbie were in danger. >> i thought there was somebody else in the house going down the hallway the other direction.

i thought there was one coming at me this way, that's what i think i -- >> will make you think that happened tonight? because your dog rolled? >> yes, sir. he never girls. he barks. >> there was no apparent evidence to contradict him. after an hour of questioning, police once again let lars go. six days later, he said his final goodbye to debbie. her parents by his side. how was lars at the funeral? >> very composed. very reserved. he stood up with me. >> what did that say that the family was supporting him? >> is that a lot.

it was great. >> debbie's friends were nearly as supportive. >> did you say anything to him? did he's anything to? >> you know. >> no i did not. >> they were furious at lars for doing something so stupid. so careless. everything he did bothered them. even his taste in flower arrangements that day. like the one that is pictured here. >> there was a wreath up at the front. it was a huge flower heart and in the middle of it it was broken with these lines. so it was a broken heart. and actually looked like a heartbeat and it was in such poor taste. >> she was actually shot in the heart? >> well, it penetrated the length of her heart. yes. >> as family and friends try to sort out their feelings, police reviewed the case. looking to see if this was a crime or not. since even an accident can warrant criminal charges. and sure enough, 11 days after lars fatally shot debbie, he was charged with manslaughter. >> anything you want to say? >> prosecutors karl alexander and leo gonzalez caught the case. >> why do manslaughter fit? >> manslaughter is the penal code as causing the death recklessly of an individual. essentially that's what it boils down to. it was somehow, somewhat of an accident. >> lars was released on bail. davies parents continue to

support him. >> manslaughter is still under our understanding an accident. so, we go forward from there. >> but as the days stretched in two weeks but, something cooled in the relationship. he starts >> he starts changing during my conversations with him. and he's not so forthcoming. if i ask him something he kind of holds back. >> lars's sister says his behavior can be explained. he had some into a deep depression. >> he just kept saying he wanted to be back. it was an accident. he was sorry. >> investigators, as they work through the case, looked into the couple's finances.

debbie's assets totaled more than 1 million dollars when she died. her dad was named the beneficiary on most of her investment accounts. so, lars it seemed, had little to gain by killing her. still the whisper's continued among debbie's friends. who told investigators there was another side to the marriage. >> we know that she was frustrated. >> even simple things caused attention. >> one friend voluntary that lars the, contractor was, slow to finish projects around the house. >> she did send me a picture of what lars did in the bathroom in the measurements were incorrect. so, it ended up making a whole. she goes, i just want my bathroom fix. >> she would express frustrations about lars. but sitting around on the couch all day, watching tv. >> debbie's friend ellen mitchell noticed a change in doubles behavior when she returned home from business trips. >> she would come home from some of these trips and say hey, let's go get a drink. let's have some dinner. >> and your expectation would be, i want to get home to my husband. she didn't seem to be in any particular hurry anymore. >> looking back now, debbie's

parents wonder if the marriage frayed because debbie, the modern woman, wasn't meeting lars's old-fashioned expectations. >> she was not the kind to stay home and they cookies. or walk in the door and serve you a meal. because she had worked just as hard, to. >> all these france, she does thinks, maybe he felt like he was getting shortchanged. >> he wanted more of debbie? >> right. >> all marriages have problems. very few and this badly. so investigators decided to take it and even closer look at the husband who pulled the trigger trigger. >> coming up -- >> lars seemed upset. was he? >> it's the motion his emotions are always done in front of the detectives. >> when dateline continues. ahh! watch it! ♪♪ come on!

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at the tower's top stories. ron desantis on friday reaffirmed his support for pardoning former president, trump's most prominent rival in the republican presidential race. it comes near weeks before the iowa caucus, the party's first major primary contest. and, 2024 is being welcomed across the world this morning. despite lingering severe concerns over the last, week thousands were on hand in times square. just minutes ago to watch the iconic ball drop. now, back to dateline. her marriage to lars itzo, >> as 2015 gave way to 2016, investigators weren't so sure if debbie kelly was happy in her marriage to lars itzo and they took a closer look to the circumstances of her death. they pulled all of those recordings from the day of the shooting, examined lars'behavior and turns of phrases, even things he didn't do. starting with the 9-1-1 call. this is lars in the first moments of that call. >> had a gunshot, i thought

somebody was in the house. my wife. >> and did you shoot somebody? >> yes ma'am. >> and what is your name, sir? >> my name is lars itzo. >> what do you make of this tone from lars? >> he's not really that upset. >> i thought he was having more of an oh -- instead of an oh my god moment, i just shot my wife. >> but within moments lars became frantic. hyperventilating. moaning. the question, was it for real? >> the way he switched up emotions from when he starts doing cpr, it sounded a lot like mouth breathing. and investigators also notice how his story evolved over just a few hours. in the 9-1-1 call, he set the scene this way. >> i saw a light, a flashlight or something.

i don't know what it was. i just saw a light. and i heard movement. i thought she was right next to me when i got up out of bed. >> to responding officers, he changed the order of events. telling him that he saw that light after he got out of bed. >> i got to the door. i see a flash of light coming from the front of the house. >> he added various new details to the story. >> i saw people right here, so i told her to wait here. i saw people running. i heard a dog barking. >> in his interview, lars revised his story again. that is when he said that he awoke to the front door squeaking. he offered for the first time this description of how he realized he had shot debbie. >> i hear this groaning. and i knew it was my wife. >> during those interviews lars appears heartbroken, at times falling apart. he was described as placing in

the blanket, mumbling, moaning? >> at various times, yes. >> is that not what a husband should do after something like this -- it sounds normal. >> it sounds normal, right? but when the detective looks at him and he didn't see cheers that doesn't jive with everything else. >> the motions are only done in front of the detective. there are not done when he is alone. >> what is going on when the officers are not here? >> sleeping. >> and sipping his drink, dr. pepper. free on bail, he understood that he was still under the microscope. >> it was difficult, he didn't sleep much. >> watching lars suffer was torture for his siblings. they knew how much he loved debbie and knew how much the house could be confusing at night.

>> you thought that it was important to come to the house now, why? >> because no one realizes how dark it was. >> we're here it is around 4:00 in the morning. this was large and debbie's bedroom. >> the bet was on this wall. >> he walked us through the story that lars told him countless times. >> he did know what he was saying, maybe intruders. >> there is the thought of, she is only five three, she's blond, she was wearing a light t-shirt, how could he nazi his own wife? >> at four in the morning, you don't see anything, it's dark. i don't think size, wait or complexion matters at four in the morning when your awakened by a noise and your dog is growling. >> ken wanted us to experience it with the light off. >> let's do it. >> let's shut the light off. at first, it was pitch black but as my eyes adjusted i could make out something. i can see a little bit of a

silhouette but i can't see your face. if i turn the light back on -- i believe i was standing about where lars was standing and you are standing where debris was standing. he could be able to see just the height of the person. if he has similar eyes to me. >> and that depiction means nothing at four in the morning. >> what is your reaction to that? does that change anything? >> by her size alone, he should have known it was her. a silhouette, three feet away, he should have known that that was his wife. >> prosecutors believed it was simply not as dark as lars claimed. photos from inside the house proved it. >> this was the big picture window, the drapes were never pulled back. >> just struck all were the shooting happened. >> it would've been over here. >> these are the windows at the prosecution made such a big deal out of, even the curtains are exactly the way they were the morning of the incident. they believe ambient light would've had to seep through

those window from neighboring streets, even the night sky. prosecutors believed that ambient light was enough for lars to see debbie silhouette. they factored in his inconsistent behavior, his shifting story. >> when you put it all together, there was nothing accidental about what he did. >> five months after debbie's death, the state made its move. had you already thought that maybe this was going to go away, since so much time had passed? >> i was hoping it would. >> instead, on march 3rd 2016, lars itzo was really rested, the charge this time, murder. >> coming up. >> a very thirsty suspect. >> i enjoyed doctor pepper now and again but i don't want to drink dr. pepper when my hands are covered in my wife's blood. >> but does that make lars a murderer? when dateline continues. but can be so difficult for a young homeowner turning into their parents. are those all different lettuces? uh, yes, sir. brown rice, white rice, or quinoa?

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ahh! >> was lars itzo a loving andrea canning (voiceover): was lars itzo a loving husband who made a deadly mistake or a killer husband who made a deadly mistake? or a killer trying to cover his tracks? that was the central question as the people of verses lars itzo began in december, 2016. the stakes were high. if lars was convicted of murder, he would face up to 99 years in prison. if he was convicted of manslaughter, as few as two. >> we never for a second believe that he didn't know who that was standing in front of him. >> that the prosecutors knew proving intentional murder

wouldn't be easy. especially in this case where you have someone saying, i did it, i confess. but it was an accident. i love my wife. >> yeah, we were aware of that and we were willing to accept that challenge. >> lars's attorneys david phillips and tamara may. >> this was simply a terrible accident. >> when i first met lars i, could see his remorse. and after speaking with him, i said this man didn't do anything on purpose. >> your honor at this time i'd -- offer the >> prosecution started off in dramatic fashion. they played lars's nine one called one call for the jury. as the tape rolled, lars shook hands off with his entire body. once again, the prosecution wonders was a real remorse? >> i have small children. i've seen that face before. and it usually involves, just before dirty diaper [laughs] >> now that suffers on dateline. >> he had that expression where

he was kind of turning red and never saw tear. >> next up, the first officer on the scene that night. he testified that lars didn't look like a man who had been soupy are on his mortally wounded wife. >> he was clean. he didn't have any blood on his body. once i saw him doing some cpr than he had blood on his hands. >> detectives told the jury lars went on an emotional display. >> did you see it? here >> no. >> they played that video of lars at the police station to show how he seemed to keep adding details to his story of the shooting. >> i don't know if i felt her or not. i just reached up. >> and how in the midst of tragedy, lars still have the presence of mind to ask for his favorite beverage. >> here you go, mr. itzo. >> i enjoy doc pepper every now and again but i don't want to drink a dr. pepper when my hands are covered in my wife's blood.

he doesn't even seem to take notice of that. there was one >> there was one point in the video where we actually sees it and kind of wipes it off on his blanket. >> no big deal. >> little debbie. >> the prosecution's case revolves around this question, around 4 am in a dark house, could lars see well enough to know who is shooting? >> her frequent at a frequent houseguest of debbie and lars testified she could easily see at night in their home. >> there was enough light coming through the bay windows that i could find my way. >> and remember, debbie was only about three feet away when lars shot her. prosecutor karl alexander wanted to show the jury just how close that is. what is the experience? >> terrifying. i'm a gun owner one of the absolute cardinal rules of using a firearm is you cannot point the barrel at anything

you do not intend to destroy. i knew it was unloaded. that that moment my poll skyrocketed. >> he wanted the jury to think hard. no matter how dark it was, wouldn't you recognize your own spouse? >> he knows her sent. he knows her sound. he knows her shape. he knew that was in front of him. >> after laying out how lars kill debbie, the prosecution felt the jury would want to know why. what was the motive? the couple, they said, had it a breaking point. a friend testified that her hard charging multitasking friend debbie, found lars a little to lay back. >> there was always a project that he was taking a long time. >> who do you mean? >> lars. >> so you would say she was frustrated with lars. >> yes i would. >> the prosecutors told the jury this marriage of opposites became too lopsided for lars to handle. >> she took time -- work was very important.

she took time out to go have dinner with friends and family. he wasn't a factor. >> basically she didn't consider him enough to be part of her normal everyday life. >> they said lars wanted more from debbie. when he didn't get it, he got rid of her instead. this is a new one for me. one of the possible motives whether that was brought up that lars was old school and was upset that debbie did not take his last name. >> she was a professional woman. she was very driven. that's part of why she didn't take his name. she kept everything separate. >> including her bank accounts. she never put's name on them. this was not about money. >> no it wasn't. and i think it really has to do with, he loves her more than she loves him. >> when it storm came, the defense says of course lars love debbie. which is exactly why he did not

murder her. >> lars itzo, accidentally shot and killed the love of his life. making the most horrific mistake in his entire life. >> and they called a reluctant surprise witness, debbie's own mother. who's early support for lars had waned. she did not want to testify on his behalf. >> i didn't take it well. i actually started screaming at the attorney. >> that anne took the stand. kelly filled's her check she once wrote a. debbie >> who is the name on the check? >> debbie itzo. proof, the defense argued, that independent debbie sometimes when by her married name. they called lars's friends to say the couples marriage was solid. >> how was lars's relationship with debbie? >> it was good. >> did you sense any conflict? >> now. >> kristie itzo explain how her

normally stoic brother was overcome with profound grief. >> he was crying. he was called up in a ball. we cried for 20 minutes. and all he wanted was debbie back. >> but the defense knew their case hinged on one thing, lars 's state of mind the moment he pulled the trigger. and there was only one person who could tell that to the jury. >> coming up -- a grieving husband or a liar? >> all your life the person you know better than anybody. >> when dateline continues.

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ask your gastroenterologist welcome back to "dateline." on trial for the murder of his wife, lars itzo was about to take the witness stand. what could he say to make jurors believe he simply didn't know that threatening shadow was debbie? trial for the murder of his rival, he was about to take the witness stand. what could he say to make jurors believe he simply didn't know that threatening shadow, was debbie. here is andrea canning with the conclusion of the silhouette. >> i heard a noise and at that time i knew that it was my wife. >> lars itzo stand for the murder of his wife. >> it was bliss. it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

>> whatever one in the courtroom was waiting for, the morning debris was killed. >> i heard a grumbling, and as i woke up, i got up to see what that was, and it was dark. >> lars stuck to his story that he couldn't see what he was shooting at, he thought their lives were at danger. >> i had seen movement in front of me and i had pulled the trigger at that time. >> he said he was a good man who made a horrible mistake. >> did you in any way intend to cause debbie any kind of injury? >> no, she was the love of my life. >> a mistake, he says, he would regret the rest of his life. >> it still hurts? >> every second of the day. she was sent to me from god.

if i could've made a list, she would've checked every box. >> on cross examination prosecutor carl alexander challenged lars key claim, that in the dark he couldn't distinguish debbie from an intruder. >> you know debbie's shape. >> i know her shape, yes sir. >> she's the love of your life? >> yes sir. >> the person you know better than anyone else? >> yes sir. >> and you can tell it's her when you pull the trigger? >> no sir. >> he testified for two and a half hours, but would it be enough to convince the jury that he was innocent. they now faced the decision between murder, manslaughter or not guilty. >> police stand. >> after more than six hours, a verdict. on count one, the murder charge. >> we the jury found the defendant lars itzo, not guilty.

>> but before anyone in the courtroom had time to react. another verdict. >> guilty to manslaughter. >> the verdict pleased no one. >> no, this can't be. >> for so many on debbie's side, it was as if the jury just let lars off. >> disbelief, anger -- beyond words. >> but lars family believe that prosecutors had it all wrong. >> it was about them winning, it had nothing to do with justice or the truth. >> that sentencing, in texas, they decided that they wanted to hold lars accountable. >> 15 years, just a few years shy of the maximum sentence. i spoke with lars at the state penitentiary. where he says he carries a photo of debbie in the pocket of his prison uniform. >> i kiss her picture every morning and every night. >> i asked him to describe, once again, would have been the morning he shot debbie. >> i was walking in the middle of the night. >> the story sounded familiar at first but then -- >> i saw the door closing very slowly. >> he saw the door closing slowly, as he had before?

lars added a new detail to his story, moments later, he seemed to add another. >> there are people in my house, reaching for me. >> reaching for you? >> i just saw movement. >> so i asked lars about his inconsistency's. why is your story changing? >> i don't believe it was. i don't have the script in front of me that i'm reading. this is exactly what happened. step-by-step. >> but isn't the truth the truth? >> absolutely. but to have an exact answer every time, that's not me. i will have an answer that is the truth and that is going to be said differently each time. >> then we talked about the key question, what really did he see before he fired the gun. i was in the house and it was very dark, but i could make out your brother silhouette. would you not clue in that that could be debbie and maybe i shouldn't pull the trigger? >> i didn't recognize that it was my wife. if it was, i would've pulled the trigger. >> did you see her silhouette? >> no man, i saw movement, all i saw was a shadow moving. the first thing in my mind was

to protect. >> did you stage the death? >> absolutely not. >> did you murder debbie? >> absolutely not. my wife was everything. she was great in every sense of the word. >> that offers the kelly's, little comfort. >> a real satisfaction would be to have your daughter come back. >> what do you want people to walk away from watching this program about her in her life? >> debris was an inspiration. she will always be a part of me and still is. >> so ambitious, so hardworking, so close to realizing her dreams. debbie's tennis friends say they miss her every day. >> i think debbie is all around us and supporting us and we find hints of that constantly in our lives. she was a wonderful person. >> and we were blessed to have

known her as a friend. >> that is all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melville, thank you for >> so ambitious, so hardworking, so close to realizing her dreams. debbie's tennis friends say they miss her every day. >> i think debbie is all around us and supporting us and we find hints of that constantly in our lives. she was a wonderful person. >> and we were blessed to have known her as a friend. >> that is all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melville, thank you for watching. hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." hello i'm craig craig melvin: her husband, a decorated military officer, shot in the dark of night.