i don't know the answer to that. was it a desperate act to get attention? i don't know the answer to that. i can tell you, she sure picked a colorful way to do it. >> it's hard to pull off a fake kidnapping, it just is that's all for now i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thanks for

from getting there. as of 4:30 eastern time this morning, more than 46,000 customers are without power in loose louse. now a closer look at the scene a short time ago in baton rouge. >> the national weather service just measured the height of on the river here and it's at 42.45 feet. flood stage here in baton rouge is at 35 feet. as you look now at the uss kid and down the mississippi river here in baton rouge, i've heard randy talk a lot about the river. river flooding outside of the mississippi river is another big concern here in baton rouge.

their concern right now about tropical storm barry is about the threat of flash flooding, but all the way into next week, we're talking monday, tuesday, wednesday, there is the lingering concern of more flash flooding. a lot of people in new orleans come to baton rouge to shelter from these storms. it's a bit of high ground for you. i have some family here. we considered sending my husband and the kids and everybody to baton rouge, but you really couldn't do that for this storm. the governor kept referencing it at the early press conference for tropical storm barry. he kept referencing the 2016 floods for baton rouge that devastated this area. he kept saying that this tropical storm barry could be set up to part and drop a whole lot of rain as it's coming down heavier right now, but to drop a whole lot of rain and that was a concern for people. a lot of people hesitant to come

to baton rouge to ride out the storm as they maybe typically would. in livingston parish, there is a shelter open now. they've reopened the lamar dixon expo arena. you'll remember that from hurricane katrina where they had all the pets going. that is as we're watching st. james parish, as well, which is under a voluntary evacuation and they have a shelter set up at the letcher high school. we're getting a little bit more rain here now, and that is what we expect today. that on again/off again scenario. not a lot of wind. we are watching some power outages within the capital region. within the last minute or so, they've added nearly a thousand customers out of power right now. it's looking at around 6,000 people in metro baton rouge without power at this moment.

joining me on the phone is jack merit. what is your chief concern about barry? >> it's water. we often say in the emergency management world that you run from water and you hide from wind. this is definitely setting up to be a major flash flooding event. >> can you tell us about the preparations made in advantage of this storm? >> fortunately for louisiana, it is a well exercised emergency management system in that state. they have a very close relationship with the fema administrator 6 tony robinson. this have been actively working together for many days to

prepare for this event. >> and if you could, what is your best advice to residents in the region who have not evacuated? >> get to as high of ground as you can and listen to your emergency managers. they are going to be monitoring this storm and they are going to be providing information that will be very valuable. understand that water will kill. you see standing water, turn and go the other way. >> what do you expect to unfold in the next 24 to 48 hours asbury approaches? >> it's going to be a flooding event. there is going to be significant disruption because of that water. there will be some wind. it won't be as significant as some of the previous storms. this will be a multi faceted event, but primarily the damage will be caused by flooding. >> and what about the flooding? what are the indications now

about whether they're going to hold? >> i was listening to your correspondent earlier. and it looks like some of the water levels are lower than they anticipated. you plan for the worst and hope for the best. i think they have done significant work on the levee system in louisiana since katrina. the 2016 floods caused an additional amount of focus on the levee system. at this point, we have to hope that those were designed and built to a standard that will allow it to hold back the water. >> and we have heard this storm could be a wake-up call to other parts of the country. can you expand on that? even if you're not facing this storm, you should be prepared. >> absolutely. climate is changing. whether it is temporary or permanent, it is changing and many people argue and debated the cause of that. but from an emergency management standpoint, it's irrelevant at this point. you need to be prepared to handle any circumstances where you live.

i'm from hurl arkansas. we just had the floods last month. it just doesn't hatch along the coast. anywhere where there are rivers and creeks, they back up and they can cause the same amount of damage and loss of live. >> and what about new orleans, what's the bottom line here, is it going to be okay? >> well, okay is relative. i think they're well prepared. i think the pump easy appear to be working. the gates are closed as per planned and new orleans is just going to have to handle what new orleans gets. i think they're used to this. i just hope that the folks that are down there -- >> mark merit, thank you so much for your time. we appreciate you calling in this hour. thank you so much. and that wraps up this update for tropical storm barry. i'm dara brown with the latest news, coming at the bottom of the hour.ra e pain that keeps you up again, and again.

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sunday morning was less than an hour old when the gunshots rec shayed from the prospect, montana. >> what are you reporting? >> a robbery. >> and what's going on? >> somebody entered into our garage. shots were fired. >> come on, man. >> a robbery was rare in

prospect, but a shooting was unherds of. dash cams captured the chaos as first responders raced to the scene. >> what's the number? >> stop, stop. >> it was all happening just a few hundred feet from where foreign exchange student diran dede lived with his host family. >> i kind of woke up with a start. heard four loud pops, bang, bang, bang, fairley close together and then a pause and then another bang. >> randy heard the sirens and got out of bed. >> so i went downstairs just to make sure i could lay my hands on robbie and diren. and he came down stars with me and he was like, where is diran. >> he said he didn't know. >> he didn't know? >> i thought that was weird. i looked in the rec room so i came back to him and i said, what's going on? where is diren? robbie fessed up. he and diren walked out. he told randy how diren walked

off on his own and then robbie said he heard gunshots. alarmed, randy woke up his wife and the three of them went to deer canyon road. >> how far away from your house is this? 80 yards, something like that. directly above. it's the next street above ours. >> so this is a neighbor's house? >> it's a neighbor's house. >> when they got there, police stopped them. >> we were hoping he would walk out, show up and come out the door. >> i walked up to the police officer and gave them a name and description and she kind of well, well, just wait here for a second. came back and said i think you guys need to go to the hospital and that it wasn't good. and as soon as she said that, i thought, gosh, we just passed an ambulance running up there and he must be in the ambulance.

>> what happened on that quiet street? did diren and robbie stumble into the a burglary in progress or some violent home invasion? the police asked robbie to answer some questions. while cade and randy rushed to the hospital. >> it wasn't long after we got there that the er doc came out and explained that his wounds were fatal and that he was no longer alive. >> terrible feeling. >> it was horrible. i went outside the hospital many times and just screamed. i -- and i -- it was -- we lost our son, too. sorry. when they brought us in to identify his body, it was horrific. looking at his beautiful body no longer complete. it was terrible. i think i screamed for hours.

>> diren dede would never make it to his 18th birthday. >> i thought it was a joke. i was like, there's no way possible. nothing like this has remotely happened to me or anything in missoula growing up. so it was just -- it was obviously a shock. >> it was just like the last person that would come to my mind, i guess. >> diren's soccer coach assumed that whatever happened to his star player, it wasn't diren's fault. >> i'm trying to imagine, did he go to a party and get shot by another kid? was he downtown missoula and got in a scuffle? i didn't understand it. >> so what did happen? police on the scene quickly concluded only one person was shot, the intruder mentioned in that 911 call. >> who got shot? >> the robber. he's badly injured. >> okay. so they entered your garage and who shot him? >> my husband. >> and cops quickly learned something those who thought they

knew diren well could scarcely imagine. diren wasn't a random, innocent victim. the young exchange student was the apparent opposite. he was the burglar. >> it's like someone is trying to break into your car right mow. >> police were about to hear a story from the man holding the gun that night, a story of terror and a family under siege. >> and we've been sketched out. we don't feel safe. i'm on edge about everything. >> two frightened homeowners victimized, two times before. what had happened inside that garage? coming up -- >> i was sitting there panicking, you know, and i was like, he's coming at me. >> when "dateline" continues. >> when "dateline" continues ood. best friends. advantage ii, kills fleas through contact all month long. i mean he's a wreck without me. advantage ii, fight the misery of biting fleas.

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a high school exchange student from germany had been shot and killed during an apparent burglary inside a neighbor's garage in the quiet town of missoula, montana. now, diren dede was dead and police were investigating. does that happen a lot here? people shoot burglars who are in their homes? >> no, it doesn't. >> >> reporter: missoula police department detective guy baker had the case. soon he was interviewing the man who'd pulled the trigger. >> hi, markus. >> hello, sir. >> i'm guy baker. i'm a detective. >> reporter: the homeowner was markus kaarma. kaarma and his common law wife, janelle pflaeger, had just moved

to missoula. they were looking for a quiet, safe and kid-friendly place to raise their child. police spoke with janelle at the scene and recorded their talk with kaarma at the station. >> so what we want to talk about is what happened tonight at your house. >> reporter: the couple told investigators the story actually began with a burglary three weeks earlier. and then just ten days after that, the burglars returned. >> somebody had trespassed in their vehicles and in their garage, which was unlocked. >> reporter: cash, credit cards and a cell phone were taken. the couple filed a police report, but the burglaries remained unsolved. now markus kaarma said he feared they were being targeted. >> we've pretty much been living in fear and it sucks. and to know that we're being watched and targeted and knowing how hard it is for you guys to

actually catch a burglar with no evidence. >> reporter: kaarma said they no longer felt safe in their own home and were terrified they'd be robbed again. >> and we've been sketched out. we don't feel safe. i'm on edge about everything. >> reporter: the couple even e-mailed their neighbors to warn them about the string of burglaries and suggest everyone lock their cars and garages. >> having somebody burglarize you is a terrible feeling. and it does leave people feeling violated and angry. >> yes, i would agree. >> so that's not uncommon for people to be upset and extremely vigilant after a burglary? >> i would agree. it's not. >> reporter: the more time that passed with the burglars at large, the more fearful markus and janelle said they became. in part because he was a seasonal firefighter and would have to travel for work soon, leaving mother and child alone for months. >> she was scared that markus was gonna be going off on a seasonal employment here soon. >> reporter: so kaarma told

police his wife decided to put together a homemade security system that would warn them if another intruder showed up. >> she's got motion sensor one, motion sensor two. >> she had placed a baby monitor on the east wall of the garage. >> a video baby monitor? >> once the alert sounded due to the motion detector, then they could see what the baby monitor could see. >> reporter: all of that was connected through a smartphone app so when the motion sensors were triggered, an alert would allow them to view live video of their garage. that saturday night, kaarma said they were trying to relax after putting their son to bed. >> i had recorded the movie "lincoln." we were watching that. about a third of the way through that, not sure what the time was, it was dark outside, but, you know, we went outside and had a smoke in the garage like we always do. we usually leave the garage door

open to air it out. >> reporter: but five minutes later, an alert from the motion sensors. someone was in the driveway. an intruder. perhaps the same one who'd targeted them before. these photos are from the home security system. that's diren entering the garage. markus kaarma says he grabbed a loaded shotgun he had for protection. >> i'm sitting there with the shotgun in my hand and staring at the lock on the front door. and i can't tell if it's locked or unlocked. and i'm starting to shake at that point, you know. the adrenaline's coming, like, oh, my god, these guys actually came back to the house. >> reporter: kaarma said his wife stayed back, while he went out the front door and turned toward the garage. >> a few quick steps around my front. and you saw where my truck was parked, pretty much with my butt touching my grill guard. that's where i stood. and then she flipped on the light. >> reporter: kaarma told the detectives he was blinded by the sudden light and realized the

only one way for the intruder to get away was to go past him. then -- >> i heard something move, like, a piece of metal hit the cement. either that or a piece of metal hit a piece of metal. it sounded like either a metal wrench being picked up or maybe the axes. >> reporter: so markus kaarma says he did the only thing he could to protect himself. >> immediately i fired high up into the right corner of the garage. here i am looking at my garage. i think in total four rounds were shot. all directly, one, two, three, four. >> if i live in montana, what right do i have to shoot someone who has entered my house? >> you have the right to use any force necessary in defense of yourself, but no greater force. >> okay. but, i mean, this was a burglar who had broken in.

you don't know who he is. you know it's somebody that you don't know. and they have crossed that invisible line from outdoors to indoors. and they are, by that definition alone, i would say, a threat to me. >> well, you've got to be able to articulate the threat. >> reporter: and kaarma told investigators there was a real threat. the garage was full of tools the intruder could grab and use against him. >> i imagined an ax flying through the air and hitting me in the skull. >> reporter: and kaarma said he was positive he heard that scraping sound just moments before he fired the shotgun. >> i'm describing the sound when i say it hit -- >> okay. >> but what i'm picturing in my head is i'm going to die. >> reporter: to hear markus kaarma tell it, he'd faced down a threat. it was kill or be killed. and that was justifiable homicide. the young soccer star who was by now in the morgue must have had a darker side that many didn't see. detectives decided to dig deeper into the lives of both diren

dede and the man who shot him. what they learned would only deepen this mystery. coming up -- >> true or false. diren was committing a crime. >> he was. >> but was diren the only one breaking the law? >> he said, showtime. >> he said janelle makes the statement, "it's showtime." >> exactly. >> there would be anger and astonishment on both sides. when "dateline extra" continues. ♪ ♪ here i go again on my own ♪ goin' down the only road i've ever known ♪ ♪ like a-- ♪ drifter i was ♪born to walk alone! you're a drifter? i thought you were kevin's dad. little bit of both. if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more.

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tropical storm r tropical storm barry is headed to the hughes loose coast expected to make landfall later this morning. storm surge and rainfall put the area at a high risk for flooding. in new orleans, the mississippi river is expected to crest about two feet previously lower than expected. the city's levees can protect against 20 feet in the lowest

areas. now back to "dateline." welcome back. i'm craig melvin. homeowner marcus told police he was living in a state of fear, but his answers raised more questions. what really happened in that garage and what was diren dede doing there in the first place? to find out the truth, they needed to learn more about the german exchange student. here again is josh mankowitz with "deadly exchange." >> reporter: when he was killed in a neighbor's garage, exchange student diren dede was just two months away from returning to his family in germany. the man who shot him said he feared for his life. and from diren's best friend, robby, police learned the teen did enter the garage to steal. as robby described it, diren was not the first kid in missoula to go sneaking into unlocked

garages. he said the kids weren't after money, credit cards or valuables. this stunt happened often enough that it had a name, garage hopping. and the target was usually beer. >> the reason for garage hopping, or garage shopping, i've heard it called both, was for kids to go in and look for alcoholic beverages that they could easily get and take. >> until this shooting, that sort of wasn't on anybody's radar in law enforcement? >> no. i had not heard of garage hopping. no. >> reporter: these three friends of diren's say they've never gone garage hopping, but they know all about it. you all know people who do it or have done it? >> yeah. >> right? they understand it's illegal? >> uh-huh. >> yeah. >> but it seemed harmless? >> yeah. exactly. i mean, it's just -- it's like, hey, dude, this is a

way for you to get some extra beer, you know, on a saturday night. >> i mean, did you think to yourself, oh, my god, we didn't tell him how dangerous it could be. >> but no one knew. no one would be like, hey, don't walk into that garage. you never know if someone is going to shoot you. >> reporter: robby told police diren had done it before but never taken cash or valuable property. >> he wasn't a criminal. he was, like, a kid. he was a kid trying to have fun and fit in the group doing what the other guys do, trying to be part of them. >> reporter: was it really that innocent? >> true or false. diren was committing a crime. >> he was. >> entering somebody else's home, even their garage, that's a crime? >> yes. >> even if the door's open? >> yep. >> reporter: and if kaarma's life was threatened, he had the right to shoot, didn't he? but as police went over kaarma's story about what happened just before the confrontation, something stood out. when kaarma was describing how his wife first noticed someone was approaching their garage. >> she's like, showtime. she's like, i see something. a flashlight. >> he said janelle makes the statement, it's show time. >> it's show time?

>> exactly. >> suggesting what? they'd been getting ready for this all night? >> that seemed like a very interesting statement to me. it's show time. >> reporter: it didn't seem to fit with someone claiming to be terrified in his own home. then kaarma told police he took his time going out to confront the intruder. >> i stood up off the couch and just kind of slowly walked over towards the front door. and then she's like, hold on. hold on. >> reporter: all of which might make you wonder. with all of that time to think, why not just stay inside, lock the doors and call police? >> i think the easiest thing that could have been done is once they were aware someone was outside, being alerted by the tones on their phone, to call

911. >> reporter: and while kaarma said he feared for his life, police found no weapon, no ax or tool near diren's body. the teenager was unarmed. and another red flag. kaarma said he couldn't see into the garage. but cops talked to the doctors who treated diren, and they examined the shotgun pellet patterns on the garage wall. >> he says he can't see anything. yet he's able to track a moving person in the garage and hits him two out of four times. >> one, two, three, four. >> i didn't believe he was just randomly shooting from right to left. >> and so you're thinking to yourself, this does not look like a justifiable shooting? >> no. at this point, it's -- it's looking like we have a deliberate homicide. >> reporter: the county attorney's office agreed. detective baker delivered the news. >> so we just talked to a prosecutor. she wants you to be taken into custody. so that's what's going to happen. >> for what? >> for homicide. >> what? >> reporter: seemingly stunned, kaarma borrowed the detective's phone to call janelle. >> babe. >> hi. >> being charged with murder. >> you're joking.

>> no. how is that deliberate homicide? >> it's just the way the statute reads. >> he was pretty surprised. >> yeah. he was surprised. and he was very emotional at that point. that's the most i saw markus be emotional during this whole investigation. >> reporter: diren's host parents had a tangle of emotions as they processed what police said had happened. >> not the kid we knew. wouldn't expect that. >> reporter: they were disappointed with diren's actions, but livid with kaarma's. >> i just got more angry and more angry that that happened. i mean, who thinks like that? >> just the -- why? it was the why at that point, you know. why would someone feel compelled to do this? >> markus kaarma faces a deliberate homicide charge for killing a 17-year-old german exchange student. >> reporter: many were outraged that a homeowner could be arrested for defending his

family and property. catherine hockey is a reporter at the local "missoulian." >> people were like, of course i can shoot someone in my home. and that was definitely in the very beginning of the case. i received a lot of angry phone calls from people. a lot of people were -- afraid that this would intrude on their own rights to protect their home with a gun and their own gun rights. >> reporter: the german press also followed the story closely. their take echoed the thoughts of many in this country, that diren was the victim of an american cowboy culture that glorifies gun violence. >> and they were really incredulous that somebody could just shoot somebody for coming into their house. they just didn't understand how that worked in montana. >> reporter: but this is america, not germany. aren't you allowed to protect yourself, your home, your family? was even that on trial now? dogma and kaarma were about to collide.

coming up -- battle lines are drawn. and a revealing recording. >> and then i heard the kid yelling, no, no, no, no. please. >> did diren plead for his life? when "dateline" continues. when "dateline" continues. what might seem like a small cough can be a big bad problem for your grandchildren. babies too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough are the most at risk for severe illness. help prevent this! talk to your doctor or pharmacist today about getting vaccinated against whooping cough. talk to your doctor or pharmacist today you only talk about your insurancet, when you complain about it. (garbled)....it's so painful. good point! that's why esurance is making the whole experience surprisingly painless. so, you never have to talk about it. unless you're their spokesperson. esurance. it's surprisingly painless.

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>> reporter: eight months after diren dede's death, markus kaarma went on trial for his murder. seeking justice for their son, diren's parents traveled from germany to a montana courtroom, where they were befriended by the same group of kids who had loved their boy. >> a lot of us got the chance to meet his parents when they came for it. and they were really, really awesome. they were a lot like diren. >> reporter: his parents watched as the man who shot their son faced the charge of deliberate homicide. to kaarma's defense team, led by attorney paul ryan, that was outright excessive. >> he was a man who was fearful. >> reporter: ryan laid out a basic narrative. markus kaarma, twice a victim of burglars, reasonably thought that diren dede was another one and dangerous. >> he thought that he was dealing with drug-seeking type individuals that were erratic and who knows what they -- how they were gonna respond. >> reporter: he told the jury that his client had reason to believe diren dede was armed and ready to attack.

>> and because he felt his life was threatened by the movement, specifically, of mr. dede, he had to take the steps, unfortunately, to take his life. >> the danger of a burglar is when there's a confrontation, and they all want to escape, and they'll do whatever they can to get away. >> reporter: the defense said there was no debate over one central fact. diren dede went into that garage to steal. and on the stand, kaarma's lawyer got diren's friend robby to admit that despite warnings, diren didn't see much wrong with garage hopping. >> i think diren never felt like it was a crime. >> but you were warning him. you were telling him it wasn't right. it was reckless. it was dangerous, right? >> yeah. yeah. like, i understand on this way. but he maybe didn't understand. >> reporter: in fact, the defense suggested that diren was part of a local burglary ring that was stealing more than just beer and may have been behind the previous break-ins at the

kaarma house. >> they all knew each other. they all went to big sky. >> reporter: defense attorney ryan argued the police never really investigated those burglaries at kaarma's house. and with no arrests, his client was left in a fearful, agitated state. a psychiatrist who examined kaarma diagnosed it as high-magnitude stress. >> your body changes dramatically as far as how you're reacting to things. fight or flight. and while some people may have retreated or called the police or whatever, he came forward and confronted the individual. >> he can't control it. his body went into fight mode. >> reporter: the defense said kaarma felt threatened in his home and was within his legal rights to shoot under something called the castle doctrine. >> the legislature has made decisions that it should be easier to protect yourself within your house. you may or may not like the castle doctrine. i never asked you to like the law, and the judge doesn't

either, but he says you have to follow the law. >> reporter: defense attorney ryan insisted that markus karma was guilty of nothing more than protecting his family. >> this is your house. you defend it within your house as you choose to defend it. >> reporter: by the time the defense rested, those closest to diren dede thought that markus kaarma's lawyers had redefined what this case was about. >> who diren was kind of got lost in all of this, didn't it? >> uh-huh. >> a lot of the stuff that i heard and read made him sound like some sort of foreigner who just came here to stir the pot and make trouble. >> and commit crimes? >> right. yeah. >> reporter: but to prosecutors andrew paul and jennifer clark, the real criminal in this case was markus kaarma, who was, plain and simple, a murderer. >> the fact is that the defendant was angry and vengeful. he knew that it was a kid coming in his garage. he has his 12-gauge in his hand,

and he waits. >> reporter: to counter the defense's suggestion that diren was part of some ring of thieves targeting markus kaarma, investigators tracked down the teens who had hit kaarma's garage, the ones who took the cash, credit cards and -- >> he had a bong and a jar of weed and some alcohol. >> did you know a man named diren dede? >> not personally, no. >> to the best of your knowledge, was he involved in a burglary ring? >> no. >> reporter: so did kaarma really fear for his life that night? prosecutors said ballistics told the story. the first shot to hit diren was to the back of his left arm, meaning he couldn't have been charging toward markus kaarma. >> and then he's gotta do it one more time. he's got to make that final blow. >> reporter: and the final shot was straight to the head. but prosecutors weren't done. they had what they thought was explosive evidence.

just before the trial began, a recording surfaced made the night of the shooting from a conversation an officer at the scene had with janelle. in it she reveals that just before the final shot, she heard diren beg for his life. >> and then i heard the kid yelling, no, no, no, no, please. and then -- but by then, there was already a shot fired. >> reporter: and the prosecution said that after the shooting, kaarma sounded like a man who was proud of himself. >> there's an article online already, and the comments are all in your favor. >> what? really? >> reporter: this is a jailhouse phone call between kaarma and his wife talking about the news coverage. >> why is he being charged? this is bull [ bleep ]. >> yes! >> why has he been arrested?

>> hey, tomorrow morning will you, uh, buy a hundred copies or something of the paper? >> what did you say, hon? >> dvr, um, record the local news tonight on tv and, uh, keep the newspapers from tomorrow. >> and he seemed to be very proud of that fact, versus remorseful. >> reporter: but was this premeditated murder? the only other witness to the shooting was about to tell her story. coming up -- a purse left as bait? >> the purse was for them to take. >> and one more revelation. >> he said he had been sitting up for three nights with a shotgun. >> a hairstylist is about to provide the most hair-raising testimony of all. dishes won't get clean? don't be a soaker!

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>> welcome back to dateline. kaarma's defense said he was exercising his right. now trying to convince the jury he was a man bent on revenge. and the next witness. here is the conclusion. >> marcus kaarma was on trial for killing an unarmed teenager in his garage. showing it was not only justified but planned. to prove it, they put the defendant's wife on the stand. she said the same thing.

they were living in fear of intruders. >> literally every day, i was like paranoid. looking over my shoulder all the time. >> so why did they leave the garage door wide open on the day of the shooting? >> janel said they smoked cigarettes in the garage and wanted to air it out. >> i believe it was my right to leave the garage door open to air it out. >> the prosecution suggested that they left the garage door open on purpose. she denied it but said she de b deliberately left her purse in the garage.

>> the purse was for them to take so they wouldn't come into my house so i could call the police and say here is something traceable. >> prosecutors said they set the stage and watched. so when he walked in, they weren't scared, they were excited. >> it's like show time. >> she denied saying those words. >> do you remember saying show time or something like that? >> no, i don't remember saying that. >> in court, she changed her story about what she heard in the garage that night denying that he had been pleading for his life. >> i heard the kid yelling, no, no, no, please. >> you are saying today, you

never heard him say a word? is. >> no. >> i get the feeling, she didn't do a lot of favors on the stand? >> no. >> janel talks a lot. she was never charged in the case. >> why wasn't she charged in this? >> in her statement, she wanted to catch the burglars. in all evidence, it showed that she didn't know her husband was planning to hurt anyone. >> another witness. >> he said he had been sitting up for three nights with his shotgun waiting to shoot some [ bleep ] kids. >> she worked in the salon where

he gets his hair cut. i said, my gosh, have you called the police. he said i wouldn't mind if a couple came by so he could shoot them. >> he was going to kill them. take care of it. >> did he use those words? >> he said, i'll fix it. >> was he serious? >> he said, i'm not kidding. you'll see it on the news. >> he's announcing it. he's telling them. you wait and see. >> that's a defense attorney's nightmare. testimony that your client told someone else they are going to

commit this crime and they are later tried for that crime. >> at the trial, friends gathered to support his parents. >> we went and we filled up the seats. >> the tree in front of our house became a memorial. more and more things showed up. we felt more and more loved than we probably ever have because they were trying to show support for us. >> jurors had to consider the law and nothing else. here is how the prosecution laid it out. >> the issue in this case, what the defendant believed at the time he shot and killed darin. was that belief reasonable? and was the deadly force used necessary? that's your issue. >> jurors went to deliberate. over eight ours over two days.

>> we the jury find the defendant marcus kaarma guilty. [ cheers and applause ] >> the courtroom erupted in applause and tears. they say the verdict was a relief, his host parents still feel the raw pain of his death. >> nothing brings him back but it is heartbreaking that someone felt compelled to do this. >> would you be host to another foreign exchange student? is. >> no. my heart is too broken. couldn't do it. >> two months after the verdict, marcus kaarma addressed his family. >> i took another man's life and i'm sorry. i did what i felt was necessary to protect my family and myself. i hope no one ever finds themself in a position i am

facing. >> the judge sentenced him to 70 years. >> i almost wish he wouldn't have said he was sorry. it was so empty. >> they say, garage hopping is no longer popular. have attitudes changed since then? >> of course. >> it is unheard of. >> now it is? >> yes. >> his friends are hoping they will forget the one mistake. and remember the bright young man they loved. >> you are all pretty young to go through this. do you feel like this has changed you? >> yeah. >> 100%. every day, you wake up and think something like that could happen. you need to do things that matter.

>> life seems a little more precious now? >> he's encouraging us and pushing us. >> that's it for this edition of "dateline" i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. good morning, i'm joling kent in new york. 6:00 in the east, 3:00 out west. bracing for barry, new orleans and the gulf coast bracing for the worse. firsthand look, the vice president visiting border detention centers. hear his response to the border crowding and what some of those being held had to say. >> this is a manufactured crisis because the cruelty is manufactured. >> compelling account. members of congress testifying about what they say when they took a trip to the