you know, you might be able to see it during the show if we like the question, senator message or comment on instagram and tiktok. thank you for watching. like it or not. we will see you next time right here. nobody without take that step. let's go. your body. your body. let's go. let's go. i'm anna garcia right now on true crime news. >> not guilty. >> the asap rocky acquitted of shooting his former friend the rapper diving into rihanna's arms as the verdict is read, did the superstar's appearance in court with their kids sway the

jury? >> we blessed to be here right now to be a free man talking to y'all. >> his attorney speaks to true crime news. >> she wanted them in court. >> plus nightmare on elm street, literally. a pair of teen burglars are shot dead by an elderly retiree. all of it recorded. >> i shoot him in the face. >> was he just defending himself or was it something more sinister? >> it goes from investigating a break in to investigating a homicide. >> we start today with new details on a story making headlines. right now. we begin with the conclusion of the trial of asap rocky. the rapper was charged with firing a gun at his former friend, and now the jury has reached a decision. >> we, the jury in the above entitled action, find the defendant, rakim mayers, not guilty of the. >> rapper asap rocky. overcome with emotion after a nearly month long trial for charges he

shot a fellow rapper, he dives into the arms of his longtime partner, rihanna. outside court a celebration. >> i'm thankful and blessed to be here right now, to be a free man, talking to y'all. thank you. all praise is due to god. >> his attorney, joe tacopina. >> he's just a good priskie rihanna is a great person. they are, and they meant a lot to me. it's an emotional bond that is not easily set aside once the case is over. >> the attorney had harsh words for alleged victim terell ephron, also known as rapper asap relli. >> you would never trust this guy with $0.05. i mean, his tongue is a stranger to the truth. i've never seen anyone implode like that on the witness stand. >> former federal prosecutor nima rahmani agreed. >> problem with the case wasn't asap rocky. it was how bad of a witness asap really was. this was someone who, on the witness stand was combative. he was evasive. he admitted to deleting evidence, including text messages.

>> asap rocky faced two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. the hip hop star, born rakim mayers, pleaded not guilty in his closing arguments. prosecutor john lewin told jurors the evidence proved rocky fired a gun at his former friend. >> evidence has demonstrated in this case beyond any reasonable doubt whatsoever that the defendant, keem mayers, that on november 6th, 2021 that he committed these crimes. >> rocky's attorney argued it was a prop gun with blanks inside to deter would be criminals, and that relli was lying. >> the man committed perjury before. >> your eyes. >> over and over again. >> lapd officers canvased the scene after the shooting but found no shell casings. two days after the incident, relli took two casings to cops himself, saying he found them on the

street. the defense was about to cast doubt on his story. >> as the police found when they got there. there was no shell casings there because he had a prop gun. >> look, we're not playing the stereotypes, but what rappers do you know that carry a fake gun? they never found that fake gun. and that's why the jurors thought it was a fake story. >> just before the case went to the jury, a heated debate broke out in court. >> it's very clear that the tone that we get when we make an objection should be sustained is, what are you doing? that's what we said. you specifically lower your voice and don't yell at me. >> rocky and relli went back years and were in the same hip hop collective in high school. but in november of 2021, their friendship imploded. relli dramatically offered his side of what happened. >> paul wight pointed down and shot the first shot. he shot the first shot. i felt my hand high. >> rocky declined to testify. tacopina claimed relli was broke, filed a $30 million civil

defamation suit against his more successful ex-friend, and concocted the shooting. >> the person had about $4,000 in your bank account, correct? i don't know, okay, i don't know. i have multiple bank accounts. >> as for that lawsuit. >> i don't know if he's going to follow through with it. i mean, he's going to get exactly this much money. >> prosecutors played this surveillance video of a man they said was rocky pulling a gun on relli. a mutual friend stood between the two. relli said bullets grazed his knuckles. the prosecution offered a plea deal, but rocky declined. it led some legal analysts to believe seeing rihanna and the couple's two toddlers in court helped rocky's case. >> she's one of the biggest celebrities in the world, and the fact that she's beautiful and she brought her kids. who doesn't love kids? jurors in l.a, they love celebrities. that's the reality. so in any criminal case, the defense wants to put the family members in the

audience to show that the defendant has support. >> after the verdict, a grateful rihanna posted her reaction on instagram. the glory belongs to god and god alone. thankful. humbled by his mercy. la county d.a. nathan hochman also reacted, posting while today's verdict is not the outcome we sought, we respect the jury's decision and the integrity of our justice system, adding in part, fame does not place anyone above the law. asap rocky, recognizing his fate and future, were in the jury's hands. >> i really want to thank the jury for making the right decision, you know? and i'm just so thankful. >> with that, the grammy nominated rapper left court a free man. coming up next after a string of break ins, a retired military vet wires up his home with cameras, and when he comes face to face with two intruders, the lethal confrontation is all recorded . >> oh my god.

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>> control is everything. >> as woman takes off with her new love. >> i kind of had

we turn now to a big tragedy in a small town. when a break in turns deadly, it has cops■? wondering whether the homeowner was protecting himself or if he was a cold blooded killer lying in wait. it's the day after

thanksgiving in little falls, minnesota. >> black friday. >> but this particular black friday will forever be known as the darkest day in the town's history. >> they were very, very. >> terrified. and as it turns out, they had very good reason to be terrified. >> little falls is a small, rural town in central minnesota. >> it's usually a trouble free little town. >> but it would never be the same again. once byron smith, living like an old hermit on elm street, invited investigators into a house that would resemble the scene out of a horror film. >> it was. >> a nightmare. >> on elm street. >> byron smith had always been an enigma in little falls, where he was born and raised. >> he was a very private person. >> he just wanted to mind his own business. he didn't really have very many friends. >> but he was said to be dismayed about the drug related crime, including a recent wave of burglaries. >> i can remember him saying, i

traveled the world. i never experienced stuff like. >> this. >> bill says. byron's home had been burglarized several times. >> in fact, it got. >> to a point when he. >> told me one. >> day he. >> says, bill, when you come down to visit. >> me. >> ring the. >> doorbell, count to ten and ring it again, for i know it's you. >> we put the cameras in, he put them in. spots where there were sort of hidden. >> byron would become even more reclusive, staying home, monitoring the newly installed security cameras on his computer. >> he didn't. >> want to. >> go anywhere because every time he. >> left. >> he would be robbed. >> cathy lane says byron wouldn't even join them for thanksgiving dinner, as he had done every year. >> he was fearful. he didn't know who was doing this. plus they stole his guns. >> and early on, that very same thanksgiving day as byron is home alone, burglars try to break in. but the intruders were about to face more than they bargained for.

>> we had a serious problem on the river with. are you okay? >> what kind of. >> problem are we talking? >> well, nakken situation would have. >> sergeant lubasz has a feeling something is amiss the moment he arrives at byron's house. >> he had his hands raised above his head like he was giving himself up for something. and it was just odd, you know, nobody usually does that. >> it doesn't initially appear that byron has done anything wrong. >> he put his hands down and he invited us into his house and then started telling us what happened. >> byron tells sergeant lubartow and a patrol partner. there had been another break in on thanksgiving afternoon. >> he then tells us he has something to show us downstairs. >> investigators head to the basement. >> it was surrounded in bookshelves. >> but sergeant lubasz quickly becomes alarmed as he looks around. >> i can see on the floor, on

the rug, right at the bottom of the stairs what appears to be a blood spot, and then i can see what appeared to be a smear of blood on the wall. >> he also spots a pair of what are obviously kids sneakers. >> it just seems odd. something's weird going on here. >> and it's about to go beyond weird to downright gruesome. >> there's a door closed, and he said, the bodies are behind here. >> the bodies of two intruders. byron admits he shot dead. >> at first it was kind of shock. it goes from investigating a burglary and a break in to investigating a homicide. >> and tragically, the slain intruders would turn out to be a pair of unarmed local teenagers who were still in high school. >> all of a sudden we have two dead kids in a guy's house. >> i knew we had one mess of a

case. >> coming up, the tale of the tapes. cops listened to byron smith's audio recordings from the shooting, and what they hear shocks them. >> it's cute. >> i'm sure. >> she thought she was a real pro. >> attention medicare beneficiaries. if you have or are eligible for medicaid, please listen closely. you may be eligible for medicare advantage plan from wellcare with a $0 or low monthly plan premium call. now we can answer your questions and help you enroll over the phone. wellcare provides access to essential benefits that go beyond original medicare, such as dental, vision, hearing, and $0 or low prescription drug co-pays with free home delivery. free over-the-counter health care items, free fitness benefits, well cares telehealth services including online doctor visits, a digital mental health and social support resource, plus

extra benefits including the wellcare spendable debit card, which you can use for over-the-counter health items. wellcare has contracted with medicare to provide plans that may be right for you. call (877) 870-2334. now that's (877) 870-2334. >> if there's a true crime you think we should know about, call the true cri news tip line

closed captioning and other considerations for true crime news provided by the. >> power of mando is now available in a spray. this innovative low ph formula stops odor before it starts anywhere on your body with long lasting cologne quality scents. men are loving this deodorant. it's the touchless way to apply whole body deodorant anywhere. >> for the best deals, go to shop.com. >> when our country. >> needed you. you answered the call. >> you took the. >> oath you served. and you

sacrificed to defend our great country. >> visiting angels. >> knows veterans. >> you are. >> the heroes among. us and we are honored to serve you. >> isiting angels, america's choice in home care. >> we're back with the shooting deaths of two teenagers who were gunned down by an elderly man after the pair broke into his home on elm street. and the entire nightmare was all recorded. police are on scene at the home of byron smith, who tells them he once again feared intruders, but this time he took care of the issue himself. detectives soon determined two unarmed teens, 17 year old nicholas brady and his 18 year old cousin haley keefer, are dead in the basement. the entire bloodbath caught on smith's own

recording. smith is taken into custody on second degree murder charges on black friday. >> i was in the basement in my favorite reading chair, reading the paperback. i hear a glass window broken. i've gotten into the habit of carrying my guns with me inside my house, because i don't know who's going to break in, and i decide that i've got a choice of either shooting or being shot. >> within seconds, nicholas brady is lying dead. >> after i shot him, i sat down in this chair and. i was just tingling. adrenaline. >> but the killing isn't over because nick brady's partner in crime is right behind him. >> and somebody else starts down the stairs. >> haley keefer is about to face the same fate. >> i wasn't thinking, i was just. they're ganging up on me, so i killed her. two. >> oh my god.

>> i have. >> to ask byron. >> after the shooting and it's done. >> why didn't you call law enforcement to report what happened? >> i was pretty much afraid to do anything. it seemed sort of irrational now. but just because my thanksgiving screwed up, i don't need to screw up yours. >> byron smith admits he shot the teens, but he says he was protecting his home after a rash of burglaries in the area. >> normally when i do something, i justify it. >> retired sheriff michael wetzel says minnesota's so-called castle doctrine permits residents to use deadly force if necessary, to protect themselves and their property. >> it's fair to say there's. >> a bit of a presumption. that he has a right to do what he did. >> but sheriff wetzel and other investigators also have reason to believe byron smith may have crossed the line from self-defense to premeditated

murder. >> and that's what was the difficult part here. he had the right to do some things he did not have the right to do. others. >> investigators soon allege byron was in wait for the expected burglars in his old man cave in the basement, guns at the ready. >> he's got a full. >> surveillance system around his house. cameras. he's watching the monitor while he's sitting in a chair waiting. nick convinces himself. nobody's home. >> the horror of what happens after nick and haley break in is chronicled on audio recordings found stashed in a bookshelf in byron's basement. >> he had been running an audio recorder that captured the actual break in the shooting and the aftermath of this entire incident. it's very chilling. >> the audio is so chilling, so disturbing that we can't play it. >> and i saw his feet, and then i saw his legs. >> so he tumbles down the stairs while he's tumbling. smith

shoots him again, this time in the back. >> and he's looking face up at me. okay then what? i shoot him in the face. >> you're dead. cover the brain and blood matter all over the floor with a rug. >> as haley comes walking down those same basement stairs. about ten minutes later, smith reloads and strikes again, hitting her in the arm. byron's rifle jams and he apologizes. >> oh, sorry about that. and she laughed at me. i just pulled out the 22 and shot her. >> investigators say a terrified and wounded haley did not laugh. they could hear her on the audio tape pleading for her life. byron shows no mercy and keeps shooting at her. >> i gave her a shot under the chin, up into the cranium. cute.

i'm sure she thought she was a real pro. >> he's bragging about what he did. very proud of the fact that he killed these kids. >> with the bombshell evidence in hand, prosecutors up the charges against byron from second degree to first degree murder. >> and the jury didn't have a question because it was all recorded. they knew what happened. they could hear him like when he was shooting haley. and he's saying that while he's shooting her. i mean, it's hard to hear. >> prosecutors say smith fired a total of nine rifle and pistol shots on nick and haley. the jury takes just several hours to find byron smith guilty of the first and second degree murder of nick brady and haley keefer. the judge sentenced him to life without parole. >> i think it was an execution of two kids that did not pose a threat to him at any time.

>> heartbroken and angry family members of nick and haley couldn't agree more. nick's grandmother telling the court he played judge, jury, prosecutor, executioner and took their lives. and he did it on purpose and he planned it. and nick's mother added, i don't believe he felt remorse. that alone would have been something, but i don't believe he felt that. but recording what he did and trying to explain ito elf may have been what led to his conviction. >> it brought the jury right there. you know, usually you're asking a jury what was his state of mind? i'll tell you what his state of mind is. listen to it. >> give a damn where she is. >> we'll be right back. health care. >> it's so outdated. >> time for. >> a change. >> at oak street. >> health. we're changing what it means to get older by

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>> on the next true crime news, a woman meets her new love online. >> they were going to leave

together and start this new life. >> dan goes off the grid. >> i kind of had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that i might never see her again. but there was no stopping her. we tried. >> but when she finally resurfaces on email, things aren't adding up. >> that she no longer. >> wanted anything to do with her family. >> as investigators try to track her down, they uncover alarming evidence about who her mystery man really is. on the next true crime news, become a true crime news insider visit true crime news.com to buy exclusive products that can help safeguard your loved ones. do you worry about safety while traveling? the guard dog security personal safety travel bundle will help you feel protected. the wedge alarm door stopper is perfect for hotel rooms, dorms, offices, or even at home. place this easy to use device under the door and the loud alarm will sound off if someone tries to enter the acuña two pepper spray offers laser assisted accuracy and sprays up to 16ft, 60% farther than most other pepper sprays. stay safe with the guard dog security

personal safety travel bundle. scan the qr code or visit true crime news.com to get these products. now. for the latest breaking crime news go to true crime news.com. watch more exclusive content 24 over seven on our youtube channel. follow us at my true crime news. you can also listen to our podcast. brand new episodes drop every week and sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing. that's it for today's true crime news. i'm anna garcia. see you next time, everyone. crime doesn't (suspenseful music) - in the middle of that charred area was a burnt up body in a trunk. (suspenseful music) - what was found around the body? - it was remnants of a hammer. (suspenseful music) plastic bag which had been over his head. (suspenseful music continues) - it was the hope that with that dental work that they'd actually be able to figure out