of dirty clothes of the. >> can the restaurant industry help bay the road to recovery? >> i want you to know dinner is being prepared by alcoholics. >> they need what we have of the will. >> some hopeful. >> join me as i try to figure out, what's eating america? she hadn't answered her phone cause. she hadn't answered her text messages. i could see the window pane was broken. >> a valentine's day that started with roses ended in a different shade of red. >> everything stopped. i was just in shock. >> we knew that there was somebody bad throughout doing something. >> she was a wife, a mother, a missionary. >> denial east sounds like a saint. >> she probably was. >> but something had been happening behind closed doors. >> there is nothing more important to me than you in this relationship. >> was this love in.

>> hfs his valentine's day present to aina. >> one shot to the head. >> what was the motive for a valentine's day murder? >> we had a note that she had written. >> she was speaking from the grave, in a way. >> that note was powerful. it happened on the least likely day imaginable. a day devoted to love and affection. valentine's day. and it happened to the last people on earth you would expect. a religious family dedicated to god and making the world a better place. >> a break-in. >> is it going on right now? >> i don't know. the garage door is open. there is glass from the back door. >> my world had just been shattered. >> their perfect word broken by

an act so evil, it tore a family apart. >> the worst day of my life. >> and put an entire town on edge. >> be extra cautious. lock your cars. loving your windows. pay attention to strangers in your area. >> they devoted their lives to others. who would ever want to hurt them? >> absolutely a despicable act. >> for a day that ended so tragically, it began in a happy way. with flowers and expressions of love. nathan and denise leuthold had met 30 years earlier, back in the 80s, when they were both students at a small baptist school in central illinois. even at that young age, nathan knew there was something to this sparkling little girl. >> i was in third grade and she was in fourth grade at the time. i doubt she even knew i existed. even then, i thought she was the cutest girl in school. >> what was it you blikd her so much? >> it was the curly hair and the

bouncy krurs ae y curls and the lucky girl. >> it was in high school that nate an and denise got to know each other better. they didn't date as most teens do because they both came from religious families. >> our parents didn't really believe in dating. we were just good friends. i went to her church activities and she came to mine and we saw each other in school. that's how it started. she was my first girlfriend. my only girlfriend. >> norma got to know his wife well. nathan was a basketball player then. denise, a cheerleader. >> they were inseparable. they would just goof around with each other. in a long, maybe puppy lovish way. and it just grew into something special between the two of them and we knew they would be together. >> what's more, nathan admired denise's parents and was inspired by what he saw as a perfect marriage. >> i looked at denise's mom and

i saw what she was as a wife, a mother, and i saw that denise really favored her mother. i said that's what i want. >> for denise's mom, dieanne newton, it was mutual. was he over all the time? >> yes. he practically lived at hour house. >> when denial east went off to college in minnesota, nathan soon followed. to no one's surprise, they got engaged a little while later. she knew it was coming. >> i wasn't surprised that he was the first one she dated and they ended up getting married. >> that was july 1995. >> i was very happy being a wife and a mother. i was happy that she found someone to love and share her life with. >> right before we did our vows, deny hees prepared a song. talking about everything she wanted was in me. and that our marriage was going to be the kind that she had always hope for and dreamed of as a little child. it was a wonderful day.

>> after the young couple settled in their home town of peoria, illinois, denise went to work at an insurance company while nathan went to work in sales. he couldn't shake a higher calling. for several years, he had dreepd of becoming a baptist missionary. in 1998, he finally seized the opportunity when another young couple at their church began their own work in lithuania. >> i approached the fella and said, what would you think about denise coming and helping you guys? he said that would be great. >> they moved in with us for six months. they sold all the possessions. tried to save up money. >> we didn't know any lithuanian at the time. we were studying it, trying our best but it was a shock. >> they rurneturned home after year and welcome ad son, seth, and a daughter, julia. they went back to lithuania

which became their second home for the next seven years. >> i think it was hard for denise to leave her family, everything she'd known and to go to a strange country with a toddler and a baby. it was traumatic experience for her, i think. >> this is because nathan wanted to do it? >> right. she was supporting him. wasn't really her calling. she was basically being a wife and a mother. >> but denise also became very devoted to the church there. >> she was very musical. she played the piano for the children and played sxongs taught the little girls especially, bible stories. >> they grew particularly close to some of the children and their families. >> we had helped women who had been in abusive relationships. we had brought several lithuanians to the united states over the years for cultural reasons, for musical purposes,

for sports. >> their generosity extended to a young lithuanian they had gotten to know well. aina dobilaite who came as coming student. she even lived with them in peoria. >> nathan has a very big heart for people. he just loves to help people out. he wants to do lord's work. >> by the fall of 2010, nathan and denise were living back in the states. by then they had a third child, jenelle. their days were filled with shuttling kids to school and daycare. life with three young kids was busy, hectic, normal. but then came valentine's day, 2013. when nathan pulled into their driveway mid afternoon and discovered something terribly wrong. >> i can see the window pane was broken. the glass was on the ground. i began to put something together. someone had broken into the

home. i called police. i called 911. >> what is the emergency? >> we have a break-in. >> a daring burglary in the middle of the day that would rob this family of everything. coming up -- there would be no more cards, candy or flowers this valentine's day. no one can find denise. >> she hadn't answered her phone calls of she hadn't answered her text messages. >> what police found was terrifying. >> everything stopped. i kept looking at my daughter. my world had been shattered and i have to tell her at some point. >> when "dateline" continues. amazon prime video is on xfinity x1.

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after many years working overseas as missionaries, the leuthold family had returned with their three kids. they were living with denise's parents. nathan said it felt good to be home. >> we had tremendous friends and family here in the states. that's always what we missed the most of the. >> being back in the states gave nathan an opportunity to trav to churches where he reported on his and denise' missionary work and raised more funds so they could soon return to lithuania. in the u.s. they could celebrate holidays american style as they did on valentine's day, 2013.

>> as is our tradition on holidays, whether it is easter or christmas or birthdays or valentines, for the children we started right off the bat first thing in the morning. so the children had their valentines sack that's denise had prepared on the table for them. >> for his wife? >> my gift was the roses and the card that i had bought the night before and placed on the table. >> after the early morning celebration, the family was back to their usual routine. taking kids to school. shopping, running errands. denise's parents were at work. that day something happened that was completely out of character for denise. she failed to pick up julia from school. >> my parents called me. do you want to us pick her up? i said she'll be there. >> no one had been able to reach her for a while including nathan she hadn't answered her phone cause or text messages. i said just wait a few minutes.

let me get jenelle out of daycare. they said she hasn't come or called. i said i'm right by the house. i'll run by the house and see if she's there. as soon as i pulled into the driveway, the garage door was open. >> is that odd? >> very odd. floss car in the garage but the door is open. as i got halfway into the garage, i could see the window pain was broken. the glass was on the ground. at that point i began to understand that someone had broken into the home. >> did you fear the person could still be in the house? >> i did. at that point i decided the best thing was to not enter the house. i'm not a real confrontational kind of person of i've never been in a fight in my life. if i had to defend my country, i could but i wasn't going to look for it or try to stop somebody. whatever is in the house they can take. the police will get them later. >> with his young daughter in the car, nathan backed into the make the's driveway across the street so he could watch the

house as he called 911. >> what's the problem? >> we've had a break in. >> is it going on right now in i don't know. the garage door is open. there is glass on the back door. i've not gone in the house yet. >> nate an waited his daughter at the neighbor's house. repeatedly calling family members to see if anyone had heard from denial east. then police arrived. the detectives were among the first on the scene. >> by the time we got here, ofgsers were rubbing everything office. >> they didn't find an intruder. instead they found something far worse. >> while searching the house they discovered a female down that was obviously deceased in the house. >> 39-year-old denise leuthold lying in a pool of blood. had barely made it inside the house. her coat was still on. >> on the other side of the door is where we found her laying

down. right in the front door. >> they quickly determined she had been killed by a single gunshot to the head she didn't even have type will the take her coat off. the gloves, anything. when she entered the door, it was immediate. >> the weapon appeared to be a .40 caliber handgun. but no sign of the gun. did it seem like denise had possibly startled a burglar? >> when we got there, it looked like she interrupted a burglar. she came home. the house had been ransacked like somebody came through back door and maybe startled the burglar when she came in through front door. >> while investigators combed the crime scene, nate an anxiously watched the police activity from the house across the street. >> how did they tell you what they had found? >> the police were not the first people to tell me. unfortunately, i found out about it from my father. i was calling my dad and dad

said, i'm will on my way. i just heard on the radio the local news media just put it on the radio that at your house, somebody was shot. >> nathan realized it had to have been denise. >> when you came tom realization, what's going through your mind? >> everything stopped. i'm looking at my 4-year-old daughter. who is the image of her mother. the curly hair and the bouncy step and i just kept looking at my daughter. and i wanted to hug her. and i wanted to, i wanted to just let out all the pain that was associated with knowing there she was standing there,

just smiling. my world had just been shattered. and i have to tell her at some point. >> denial east's mop will had no idea what happened but she rushed home with nate an told her there had been a break-in. >> i drove out there. the roads were all road blocked. >> is that a sick feeling? >> i didn't know what to think. i tried to run up there to go into the house. they're like no, you can't go in. i said i just want to know what happened to my daughter. is she in there? where is she? they eventually took me downtown. and then one of the policemen came and told me she had been shot. the worst day of my life. >> now, she had to tell her husband, denise' father. >> i fell apart and cried. i guess it is every parent's worst nightmare, to have a child taken from them. >> as denise's family reeled

from their unimaginable loss, this quiet central illinois community was just starting to grapple with the fallout of a murder on valentine's day. >> did you feel like, we have a mystery on our hands. we have to solve this. >> we knew we had something bad. and we knew it was going to take a lot of work the get to the point where we knew who done it. >> coming up, a possible clue. >> the headlights are on. >> nathan remembers seeing a suspicious car near his house not long before the murder. >> this is kind of weird. i pulled in the driveway. i go through where the front door is and the outside light. >> was the killer in that car? when "dateline" continues. it's time for the ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed.

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it was hard to believe, denise leuthold, mother of three young children, had been shot to death in her home if peoria, illinois. their friend couldn't comprehend the news. >> who could do something like this to a great young woman? a family of three children and a great husband. >> nathan said when he lost denise, he lost his foundation. >> my wife, my best friend from third grade. the mother of the three most important children in the world

to me. how do i function now without her? >> with the house now a crime scene, nathan went with detectives to the police station where they asked him if he could think of any reason his family would be targeted. >> do you have any personal problems with anybody? >> no. >> does your wife? >> no. >> was there anything of extreme value? >> in the house? >> in your room. in that room in particular. >> i had two watches. >> a laptop, digital camera and jewelry had been stolen. two guns had been taken including a .40 caliber glock. the same caliber used to kill denise. had the intruder used that weapon to shoot her? >> do you know why anybody would want to break into that house? >> i've been trying answer that same question.

>> nate an gave detectives a clue when he said he reynold seeing a suspicious car in the neighborhood a couple weeks before the murder. >> they pulled in without the headlights. they were on on the road. when they were on the road, they turned them off. turned into the driveway. i go through into the, by the front door and the outside lights on. the car leaves. >> then a few days before the murder, he said it happened again. >> a similar situation. this time in the neighborhood. >> that time nathan called police and spoke to an officer. >> his phrase was they were probably casing the neighborhood. >> people in peoria, illinois, were spooked. could someone be on the loose? >> the local school down the street. they locked it down that day. this stuff doesn't happen here. >> the kids are out riding their

bikes on the side streets. people are in the park walking around. it is not a high profile area. it was enough to scare everybody. >> it was a big story in town. be extra cautious. lock your doors, your windows. pay attention to strangers. >> what was the mood of the neighborhood? >> it was very eerie. >> he is a reporter for tv in the community. >> a lot of people want to know what happened. they're going on sleep every night not sure who killed their neighbor. >> one neighbor said with two small kids at home, she's feeling panicked and even a little paranoid. >> tips started coming in right away. this would that reynold seeing a strange man on her street right around the time of the murder. >> so describe the man you saw walking along this road. >> he had a black hoodie sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up. his hands were in the pocket.

and i will never forget the look on that man's face. >> what was so odd about the look on his face? >> he was very agitated. i knew immediately something was wrong. >> neighbors were anxious and detectives were puzzled. denise's neighborhood was normally very quiet. not the time of place would you expect a burglary. even if she had accidentally stepped in to a burglar. >> why would somebody want to come into this particular house? >> it's not typical as far as a burglary that results in a murder. >> maybe wasn't a burglary at all. coming up, if it wasn't a burglary, what was it? was nathan's life also in danger? >> they said they had been moved to a safe house to protect them. >> when "dateline" continues.

the death toll from coronavirus is climbing worldwide to more than 1,700 people. meanwhile, american passengers quarantined aboard the diamond princess cruise ship in japan began evacuating the vessel sunday to be flown back to the united states. and flooding in mississippi has started evacuations. the governor has declared a state of emergency as search and rescue begins their work. now back to "dateline."

it looked like a burglary gone bad of the denise leuthold, mother and missionary, brutally shot and killed in her parents' home where she and her family had been living. >> typical scenario, robberies happening in peoria. this one happens to be a lot worse. >> it's not typical as far as a burglary that results in a murder. that doesn't happen very often. >> this was an odd one. detectives needed to know more about deny sxees began questioning her family including nathan, her husband of 17 years. >> you talking to us and cooperating with us is the best information that we can get. >> we want to talk to the people closest to find out what makes her tick. what is her routine like. >> did you think that someone may have targeted denise? >> we did now.

nathan, he's going to be our best witness. you're living with this lady. you've been married a long time. you know her routine. >> did you think maybe someone had a reason to be in that house outside a random burglary? >> we did know but we needed to lock down at that point initially. we needed to lock down what she planned on doing that day. >> and then started at the very beginning. >> she woke up about 6:45 which is normal. i was already shaving. >> were the kids already up? >> about 6:45. >> he told police he took children to school and won't a series of errands including going on a day spa to buy a ticket for denise. >> do you remember how much you spent? >> $74. >> police learned that he spent the morning at hope with jenelle

until he drove her to daycare. she had a list of her own things to do. >> she went to the mall and had some other issues. >> we're going to try to place the last time we can see her. we can narrow the window down. >> it's tedious. we appreciate you cooperating. believe me. >> by mid afternoon when denise should have been on her way home from shopping and picked up julia, he couldn't receive her. at first he wasn't concerned. >> she didn't answer. no big deal, she's driving. >> but he bap worried when he got hope and will saw denise's car wasn't in the driveway and it looked like the house was broken into. >> i don't know what -- she's not answering my phone calls. she didn't go to the school.

if she had a flat tire, she would have called from her cell phone of i'm going through all these 101 nopgss my head. >> they then asked him the questions they ask anyone whose spouse has been murdered. >> has the personal question. take no offense. at any time has your wife done anything behind your back? have you had any issues? boyfriends? what about you? >> did he describe a good marriage? >> yeah. he described denise is the back bone of the family. if wasn't for her, he wouldn't be able to do his work. that she does everything for the kids. >> she's the main one. she did everything to make the kids' lives stand. >> denise sounds lying a saint. >> she probably was.

>> every one we talked to had nothing but good things to say. >> it must have seemed like she's this amazing mom, does this religious work. why would she have any end ms. in nothing was coming to the forefront. >> nathan was anxious to be with his children. >> we appreciate the cooperation. as much information as we can get from you, the better. that will help us. >> and we hope you will be. i can't leave them all night long. >> nathan finally did leave the police station hours after his wife had been killed. he went to his children's home where his, he went to his sister's home where his children were fast asleep. >> i was exhausted. i was emotionally spent. i spent the next several hours with my mother and my sister. and at some point i fell asleep

with my sister just trying to comfort me. >> the next day, nathan said he was struggling with the fact his wife was gone and now had to explain that to his kids. >> i had been with janelle when i found out. i had not been with seth and julie. i can't i didn't know what they had found out, what they had seen on the news and i didn't want them to find out the way i found out. >> how did you tell the children that their mother had been killed? >> i believe the children suspected something. after they had eaten, and after i had spent time begging the lord for wisdom and strength to know what to say, we took them upstairs on one of the bedrooms. it was just the oldest two at that point. seth and julia. my sister was there with me.

and we sat down on the bed. and in, mom went home to be with god. we know that she loves us and we know that we loved her. and at that point, i reached out to them. and we just hugged. and it was quiet. my tears soaked their faces and their tears soaked my face and then we prayed. we thanked god for the most wonderful mother and wife that had ever been on this earth. >> later, nathan took the children and went to stay at a church mission house in a nearby town. >> nathan's parentsed me that nathan and the three children had been moved to a safe house just to protect them. because they didn't know if they were being targeted for

anything. >> his friend norm often brought them home cooked meals. >> nathan was very quiet. almost in a state of shock maybe. i had noticed hip, when him and i were in the living room alone together. and it was just complete silence. it felt a little awkward. but could i just see him staring into space almost. >> in the meantime, denise's parents made the difficult dhois return to their home. the scene of the crime. and a few days later, they asked nathan and the kids to come over to be with family. >> how was he with you the first time you saw him after denise was killed? >> he seemed very emotional. he originally said he didn't want to come back in the house. the kids were afraid to come in. >> it was a lot to take in. denise was dead. three young children were without a mother and nathan said

he lost the love of his life. detectives worked around the clock to solve the crime. and as they did, they began to get the idea that not everything was as it seemed. he coming up -- this is strange. denise had just gotten home when she was killed. why was her car someplace else? >> this was the problem. she was shot in the house. i need to figure out how that car got to rob's apartment. >> when "dateline" continues.

in the weeks after denise's death, nathan and his children stayed at a church mission house. when his friend norm visited, he said nathan seemed quiet. stoic. >> i've never seen nathan in an emotional state as far as crying or in panic or anything like that. i just took it as, he was just really stressed out. and what's happening to my family right now? why did this happen? >> as denise's parents were wondering the same thing, they began to ask other questions. >> we kept going over the robbery. like how it would have happened. and just, it didn't really make essential. >> what was suspicious about what was taken? i worked at a store that sold high def tvs. we had a lot of small ones that

they could have picked up and taken away. electronics, blu ray players, none of those were touched. i have only three rings of any value but those three rings were taken. why would a burglar know that those were the only three that were valuable? >> something seemed off to police as well. >> the more we started looking at the house, it didn't seem like a real burglary. there was a junk drawer perfectly laying on the floor. why would a burglar go through a junk drawer with pens, scissors. >> they also analyzed things nathan had told them the night of the murder. like the fact that he owned three guns. >> a shotgun? >> do you know what a 12 gauge shotgun? >> what else you got? >> i have a .22. and then i have another one. >> what model? >> there were a lot of things

about nathan's guns that didn't add up for police. starting with the fact that he happened to own the same type of gun used in denise's murder. >> how did he explain that? >> he couldn't. he just -- >> i think he was trying to allude to the fact the burglar must have gotten to it and taken it. >> nathan told police he kept that gun in a plastic case. >> you kept it locked? how hard would it be for someone to pry it open? would you need a crowbar or something? >> but there was to broken case at the house. that said a lot to the detectives. >> i asked what happened to the box? he didn't know. he tried on insinuate that the burglar took it. well, they're not going to do that. >> he said he last fired it in oklahoma. >> a couple weeks ago. >> nothing here lately? >> i shot the the 40 when i was there. >> there was something else

troubling police. even though denial east had been killed in her home, her car was found in a nearby park. the police figured, whoever drove 30th must have been involved in the murder. >> here's the problem. she was shot in the house. i need to figure out how the car got to the park. >> a key to that car was found tangle in the denise's hair. under her head. so clearly that key wasn't used to move the car. there had to be another one. >> i'm trying to figure out how many sets of keys are out there. >> i know there is one set of keys. and whenever i borrowed the car, drove to it get the oil changed, what not, i ask her for the keys. she gives me the keys or says they're on the plate. >> none of that made any sense to the detectives. there had to be a second key visible in the house for the intruder to easily find and it drive the car to the park. there was no other way.

>> to say denise interrupted a burglar and he shoots her. he's getting out of town. he won't wait to try to find a spare set of keys in the house. he's leaving. >> questions about denise's car led to questions about nathan's car and something he said caught their attention. >> was your vehicle ever at robinson park today? >> my car was there? yes. >> when was this? early this morning. not early but it would have been before i came back to the house. >> what was it down there for? >> i pulled over to take a phone call. >> so it turns out on the day of the murder, nathan was at the same park where denise's car was later found. and that's when one of the detectives got frustrated with nathan's whole story and confronted him. >> it's not a coincidence that we're missing a .40 caliber glock handgun and there's evidence that leads to us believe your wife was probably

shot with a .40 caliber glock handgun. and then furthermore, to have her car down the street at the park right where you fade to tell us that you were there prior to going home earlier that day. >> it was a short phone call. i didn't think about things like that. >> we're talking about, once you start piecing things together, we're trying to figure things out. >> i understand. >> so if you're at the park, the exact same park your wife's car was at, i need to figure out how your wife's car got there. >> i don't have the answer. >> you don't have the key either. >> correct. >> wasn't just that nathan stopped to take a short phone call. it was who was on the other end of the line that piqued their interest. >> he said he received a phone call from a lithuanian exchange student. >> that's how she came on your radar. >> she was 20-year-old aina.

she had been an exchange student and they were sponsoring her. what was that call about? >> it just kept snow balling. we figured we had to go track her down. >> coming up -- a missionary's unusually close relationship with a young exchange student did you outright ask her, were you having a sexual relationship with nathan? >> yeah. she denied it.

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police found denise leuthold, mother of three, shot to death in her home. at first it looked like a possible burglary gone bad. after questioning her husband, nathan, and combing the crime scene, detectives started to see things differently. >> things weren't adding up. we're not account dlangts but we know when it doesn't add up. >> police now wanted to look more closely at the lithuanian student he had spoken to on the day of the murder. >> it was a church there, already established. that church really took us in and did their best to communicate with us and helped us out. and there was a particular woman in the church we worked with. that was aina's mother. >> she was just a child at the time. as she grew up, her relationship with the family grew as well. >> as a teenager, it was very clear that she had given her

life to the lord and wanted to serve him. she was always the one volunteering. helping at church. she was very gifted in music and as we started branching out in ministry, aina was the one who took care of the music. >> when she was 16, she became a baby sitter for nathan and the three children. >> aina was the one they know children at church and it was natural for denial east to want to hire her. we trusted her 100% with them. and that's how she came to be a part of our family. >> then you ended up bringing her to america. >> we were her sponsors, yes. she came here for the education. her desire was to go back to help her own country and the church there's how to use music for the lord. >> that sponsorship started in the fall of 20 twen when she cape will to the u.s. to study at a christian college in florida where nathan would occasionally visit her. what did denise think about that? >> i asked her more than one

time, are not you jealous he's traveling around with this young girl? she was like, no, she was not jealous it's a all. >> this was a girl -- >> exactly. she trusted nathan. >> during school vacations, aina would stay with the whole family in peoria. >> she seeped like a sweet girl. >> if your daughter like her? >> she was a friend of our daughter's and sondla-in-law's. >> then aina left the school. she was so close to the family, she moved in with nathan, denise and denise's parents while she attended college in peoria. >> we had double that with others. it was very natural. >> they had sponsored other lithuanian students before to come here. so it didn't really seem strange to us that that is what they were doing. >> they were really making a difference in this young girl's

life. >> yes. they were helping her get a college education here. >> six months before denise's death, aina had transferred to a college 160 mize away peoria. >> had there was a lot of background information. we were coming across as more concerned for denise. you lived with then for x amount of years. you've known the family and she was fine. as we started ramping up the questioning, getting more direct about her relationship with nathan, then all of a sudden, perfectly speaking english girl starts saying i don't understand that. or i'm not going to answer that question. and then it turned into a, more of a cold stare and no emotion whatsoever. >> you describe it like a staring contest. >> yeah. we threw out there crime scene pictures of denise laying dead. autopsy pictures to get a reaction. she had no emotion.

i called her out on it. i said these people talk to into your home. brought you back from lithuania. you live with them. that don't bother you? she looked at me stone called and said i cried enough over the weekend. >> then detectives asked her about something they learned as they traced nathan's movements the day of the murder. remember one of the places he said he visit waud this day spa where he bought a valentines gift certificate for denise. when detectives stopped there, they discovered that nathan had been bringing another woman to the spa. and it was none other than ain'ta. hit happened so often, she thought they were a couple. >> he's taking this woman in her early 20s, an exchange student to the spa. >> to get massages and to get her waxed up will my stuff would be in the front yard if my wife found out i was doing that with a 20-year-old. i even asked her, what is he waxing up? she would just glare.

i ain't answering. >> they also asked her about the bill which nathan paid. >> she framed it as, it is his money and denise's money ff he's spending the money, she should be all right with it. >> did you outright ask her if she was having a sexual relationship with him? >> yes. she denied it. >> then she said she had studied music her whole life and had gone to college in florida to play the piano of but she told detectives, she left the school because of problems with her hands. >> it was titled like an action demwick drawl. >> so they subpoenaed her school records. >> the records we got. her dismissal had something to do with inappropriate relationships with her sponsor including staying off campus overnight with just them to. that sponsor, of course, was nathan. police learned more about their relationship when they pulled nathan and aina's phone records.

>> what did you find on her phone? >> just that they communicated a lot more than nathan let. on it didn't look like a typical sponso sponsor/sponsee relationship. multiple texts and calls every day. >> she's denying a sexual relationship. were the text messages suggesting otherwise? >> there was one that mentioned -- i think she was done at the gym, and he asked her if she was wet. i didn't find that appropriate for the relationship they were leading on. the biggest thing was just the sheer volume of contact that they had. you're saying you're just checking on her and making sure she's doing good in school. >> it had the appearance of a dating-type relationship. >> coming up -- more questions for and about nathan. >> my husband thought, wow, he's a missionary, he wouldn't kill anybody. >> when "dateline" continues.

had denise leuthold been killed by an intruder, part of a burglary gone wrong, or had someone close to her had been involved? denise's parents believed their daughter had been killed be a stranger until their minister came to visit one day. >> he asked us, well, do you have any suspicions that your son-in-law was involved? >> wow. >> and we both answered no, but as soon as i said no i'm like, well, wait a minute, you know, then i of course started having suspicions. my husband was kind of shocked that -- because he just thought, well, he's a missionary. he wouldn't kill anybody. >> but investigators weren't so sure. they began to take a hard look at nathan's whenabout that day. they collected surveillance video from the places he said he had been. while he was at this places, chase bank, starbucks, the day spa, a car wash, there was a problem. >> we were able to account for him up until about 11:30 in the mortga morning and then there was a gap

him leaving the starbucks around 11:30 and shows up at the same starbucks about 12:45 p.m. we couldn't account for him. >> that gap was crucial. it's during that timeframe police believe the murder happened. the detectives traced a route they believed nathan would take from the starbucks to the park, a quick walk to his house then back to the starbucks to see if he could have done it in time. >> six minutes, 55 seconds. >> not only possible, they said, but probable. more likely, they figured, than a stranger breaking into the house during the roughly 20 minutes denise was out. >> it's unconceivable to think somebody breaks into the house that exact same time, rummages through the house, finds a glock, pries it open, loads it up, hides behind the door to execute her. it just can't happen. >> something else that didn't make sense, they said, was that

denise's car was not in her driveway. >> after the murder, they found her silver ford here in this nearby park. nathan had told police he only knew of one key, the key that was found at the crime scene, but now police had a second key that they found in this trash can in the park. they believed nathan was lying to them and that he had used that key to move the car. >> another suspicious finding, a black hooded swihaeatshirt on denise and nathan's bedroom. >> it appeared to us that somebody was in a hurry, took it off, threw it down. >> but their was something else that was even more troubling. police had ordered an extensive analysis of nathan's laptop been and a couple of weeks after the murder, they received a report. >> the computer expert explained that his browser was set to delete anything he looked up, but as we found out, just because you delete something doesn't mean it's gone. >> and what they found floored

them. >> and it ranged from how to silence a .40 caliber handgun. >> glock specifically, which is the gun he owned. >> he owned and she was shot with. how to silence that. how to overdose somebody on insulin. >> bathtub. >> drowning. >> electrocution. >> in the bathtub. things like that. this goes back several months before the murder. >> so he's potentially thinking up all these different ways to kill his wife. >> well, you know, i honestly think he planned it out. >> did you straight up ask him, did you have anything to do with your wife's death? >> yeah. >> and? >> he denied it. >> he said not. >> not only did he deny killing his wife, nathan told us there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for all the searches the police uncovered. >> electrocution in the bathtub, how to silence a gun. >> we had a -- started a foundation overseas called hope for tomorrow to combat suicide. and we were doing research and looking at blog sites where

young people, where desperate people were getting information about what they were thinking. >> still, it was obvious from nathan's interview video that detectives had questions about his story early on. >> i would love to think that you're a god-fearing man and you would never do that, but -- >> but you have a preconceived idea in your head. >> no, no, no, i don't. trust me, i do not have a preconceived idea in my head, but when i'm painting the picture and i'm trying to put the pieces together, okay, as a homicide investigator, i have to either rule you in or rule you out. >> and you want to rule me in based upon -- >> no, no, no, no, no, i'd rather rule you out so i can move on. >> rather rule me out based upon what. >> rule you out? i want to rule you out because i hope you didn't do it. >> between learning about aina and all the evidence they collected, police had enough to arrest nathan. three weeks after denise had

been killed, they pulled her husband over. he had just dropped his kids off at school. >> they handcuffed me, and they put me in their car. at that point, i didn't know where we were going. and finally, i asked them, i said, where are we going? what's going on? we're taking you to jail for the murder of your wife. >> he seemed scared. he seemed surprised. i think it was disbelief that he was being arrested. >> it was a shock. nathan leuthold, missionary and father of three, a native son of peoria, was now on his way to jail to await trail for the murder of his wife. his friend, norm alrick, who had known the couple for decades, was stunned. >> there's no doubt in my mind that nathan was arrested because they needed somebody in jail. there's no way that i could ever

fathom nathan doing this. to his wife. >> coming up, hard to imagine anyone doing something this evil, if it's true. >> this was his valentine's day present to aina, and that is despicable. >> when "dateline" continues. ct] hey. you fell asleep with your sign again. "you fell asleep with your sign again." no, i didn't. okay. switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. you know, like the sign says. but when allergies attack,f any and the excitement fades.. allegra helps you say yes with the fastest non-drowsy allergy relief and turning a half hearted yes, into an all in yes. allegra. live your life, not your allergies.

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three weeks after denise leuthold was shot to death, her husband nathan was arrested for

her murder. at first denise's mother couldn't quite grasp it. >> he was part of our family for 17 years, and, you know, he was like a son to us. and to think that he could actually, you know, just shoot her in the head -- >> and this is a man who has devoted his life to being a good person. >> right, exactly. >> but by the time nathan went on trial, she had changed her mine. mind. >> he had been leading a double life. >> was this just the bad dream that wouldn't end? >> right, it just kept going on and on and on. >> this won't end until -- >> exactly. >> nathan is convicted. >> exactly. >> here at the peoria county courthouse -- >> the trial was big news in town. after all, the defendant was a missionary accused of killing his wife in their home in an upscale neighborhood. things like that just don't happen in peoria. nathan pleaded not guilty. he insisted he would have never

done anything to harm his beloved wife. >> ever the time there was a difficulty in life, the first person i would talk to would be denise, and there were several times within the first few days after her death, trying to figure out what to do with the children next. i wanted to just grab the phone and call her. she was my support. >> but denise was not there to support nathan because, the state argued, he killed her. >> you will have eyewitness identification, dna, gunshot rescue, motive, and they all point to one person, and he's sitting right across from you. >> nathan's trial began on july 14th. exactly 17 months after the murder. reporter beau ebenezer covered the trial for nbc's wktv in peoria. >> were a lot of people anxious for this trial to start? >> i think a lot of people were

anxious, especially the family. the family wanted to find out exactly what happened. >> jodi and jerry were the prosecutors who tried the case. they said what really happened was a cold blooded execution. >> ladies and gentlemen, burglars commit burglaries, killers execute in a style consistent with what the defendant did. hiding in that cubical to kill her the moment she walked through the door. >> the state's theory, nathan put his plan into action when denise left the house to take their daughter to daycare. first, he drove his car to the park down the street. >> barkparked his car in robins park, somewhere close to 12:15, 12:20, walked up to the house, went into the house, the burglary was probably already staged. if not, he went ahead. then he knew that denise would be coming back, stood in the doorway, and as soon the door opened, denise tried to take her coat off and he shot her in the back of the head.

>> nathan then drove denise's car to that same park, prosecutors said, and hopped back in his own car and drove to stubbs, arriving at 12:45. >> long enough they said for nathan to wash his hands to get the gun shot residue off then leave to start his afternoon errands before picking up janelle from daycare. >> about 3:00, the defendant returns home. wants you to believe he sees the door open and glass. that's the extent of his knowledge. but with that he calls the police. >> he knew full-well when he called the police what they were going to find. >> from our perspective, that's what makes this case so disturbing, the cold, calculated manner in which he did this. >> one of the first officers to testify for the state described the scene at the house just after nathan called 911 that day. >> i observed some kitchen cabinets open, and some kitchen

drawers on the floor. in my experience as a police officer and investigator, when a burglary occurs, the kitchen is not a common place that a burglar would look for items. in a burglary, items are scattered about, drawers dumped on the floor. i felt this was not an ordinary burglary and i described that to my partner. >> while he find the crime scene odd for a burglary, it was nathan's behavior that disturbed the officer even more. >> describe his demeanor. >> as i'm speaking to him, he never showed any sort of emotion or asked any questions of me as to what was going on. >> prosecutors said nathan also showed no emotion during his police interview, even when a detective told him denise was dead. >> you can't tell me things about her that i'm not -- you can't tell me things about her. >> i can tell you she's dead. >> he told me that. >> okay.

>> in the elevator. >> prosecutors played the interview for the jurors, hoping they would see what they saw. >> when the police first gave us the case, i watched his videotape statement. five minutes into, i knew he did it, i knew he was guilty. his demeanor, his attitude, he tried to take over the conversation. not a single tear was shed. >> they presented evidence that the bullet casing found at the scene was from a glock .40, the kind of gun that nathan owned. >> the only firearm that could generate those marks would be a glock. >> and are you able to say that within a reasonable degree of scientific certainty? >> yes. >> but police never did find the murder weapon. >> did you worry that you weren't able to find the gun? was that a factor -- >> well, obviously it was a concern. >> i think any time in a murder case when you don't have the handgun or the weapon, whatever it was, it's an uphill battle. that's what the jury wants, they wanted smoking gun, and we didn't have it. >> still, prosecutors thought they had more than enough

evidence to prove their case. remember diane parish who said she saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt walking toward denise's house on the day of the murder, she was the closest thing police had to an eyewitness. >> the whole thing struck me as wrong. i thought -- i told my husband to slow down. i wanted to get a good look at him, and i was worried that he saw us pulling out of our driveway, and if he knew we were gone, that he'd rob us. >> she didn't recognize the man that day, but later when she looked at a police photo lineup, she quickly pointed to this man, and it turned out to be nathan leuthold. >> did you think it was possibly when you're looking at this photo lineup maybe you'd seen nathan in the neighborhood and subconsciously you were choosing that photo because you'd already seen him before? >> no. >> why were you so sure? >> because of the look on his face. i knew i didn't make a mistake. and i was very careful when i looked at the photos so i would

not make a mistake. >> when she testified, you could hear a pin drop in that courtroom. i mean, everybody was colludegl her testimony. i don't think there was a person in that courtroom that disbelieved what she was saying. >> prosecutors said it must have been nathan the neighbor saw that day because police found a black hooded sweatshirt on his floor. what's more, an expert testified it had gun shot residue on the right cuff. >> nathan said that he had been at the gun range. that feasible if he was -- >> no. >> shooting off his gun at the gun range. >> what's important about that, too, he said that it was in oklahoma two weeks prior. there is no way there would have been gun shot residue on that sweatshirt still. >> on the stand, another neighbor who did not want to be videotaped, testified she heard a gun shot that day between 12:30 and 12:40 in the timeframe detectives thought denise was killed. prosecutors said that gave nathan the opportunity to kill denise. now they had to explain why he

did it. so they called this man to the stand, who said he could answer that precise question, because nathan told him everything. >> would you state your name. >> david d. smith. >> david smith was a fellow inmate of nathan's at the county jail. he said nathan told him he researched ways to kill denise on his laptop. >> did he talk about how he was planning to kill his wife denise? >> well, first he told me that he was thinking about some poisoning, with some type of incident or potassium. something like that. >> according to the inmate, nathan said he ran a lot of errands on the day of the murder to create an alibi and -- >> he told me he had presented some gifts, some valentine's day gifts and stuff to his wife, and so that everything would look fine. >> how important was david smith, the jailhouse snitch? >> david smith said that nathan was worried that a lady might

have seen him while he was walking. well, obviously nobody knows that except nathan, and it's consistent with our evidence. >> what's more, the inmate also testified why nathan wanted denise out of his life. >> well, he said that -- he said that she was overbearing, and that he had got to the point where he had wanted to move on with his life, and he had met someone else and stuff like that. >> did he tell you the name of that someone else? >> somebody -- some student named ana, alana, something like that. >> but it was what the inmate told prosecutors about the times of the murder that they found particularly chilling. smith testified that nathan told him he planned the murder specifically for valentine's day. >> it was supposed to be some type of present to this other chick. >> to the -- i think you referred to her as ana? >> yeah, yeah.

>> and there it was, nathan's motive. prosecutors said he killed his wife so he could be with his true love, aina. >> this was his valentine's day present to aina. and that -- that is despicable. >> aina, who prosecutors said was nathan's motive for the murder, was about to take the stand. the star witness at the biggest trial in town. >> please state your name. >> aina dobilaite. >> coming up -- nathan's note to aina. >> theirs nothing more important to me than you and this relationship. >> and a note to him from the woman he's accused of murdering. >> she was speaking from the grave in a way. >> absolutely. >> when "dateline" continues. just like your fingertips, your lips have a unique print

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i'm frances rivera with the hour's top stories. residents of the capital of mississippi are bracing themselves for what could be catastrophic flooding. the governor of the state has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to evacuate. he says the water isn't expected to recede for a number of days. two snowmobilers died in colorado after they were burden by an avalanche they triggered accidentally. a third person who was traveling with the group was able to escape and notify authorities. now back to "dateline." nathan leuthold was on trial for murdering his wife on valentine's day 2013. a scenario impossible to have

predicted for a man devoted to god, who appeared to have been happily married to his high school sweetheart for 17 years. what would make him commit such a crime? the state argued he was in love with another woman. >> the motive? his real valentine, their 20-year-old lithuanian sponsor student. >> aina dobilaite, his motive for murder. >> i think aina was a big bombshell. >> aina testified in both english and lithuanian through a translator. >> nathan leuthold visited you in hotels off campus on at least five occasions, correct? [ speaking foreign language ] >> i can't remember how many times. >> during those visits, you went to a hotel with nathan and just the two of you were present part of the time, correct? [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: i'm not sure if every time we were at the hotel we were together alone. >> did you spend the night with mr. leuthold? >> aina was called as a witness for the prosecution, which granted her immunity to encourage her to talk, but her testimony made it clear she was not eager to help the state. >> when mr. leuthold visited you in chicago, in 2012, did he buy you presents? [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: i'm not really sure what presents mean. >> despite having studied in the states for four years, aina seemed incapable of understanding english at times, which frustrated the prosecutors. >> and, in fact, you are proficient in both written and spoken english, isn't that correct? >> translator: yes. >> still, the prosecution thought she was an important witness. >> i think it was significant for the jury to see aina. we could get in the text

messages, we could get in the emails, we could get in the phone calls and the jury's going to hear all that. >> the state showed the jury texts between nathan and aina on the day of the murder. they started at 6:30 a.m. with mutually hellos. at 8:37 a.m., nathan texted aina. i know there is a lot to do today. i pray there is enough time to do everything. have good lectures and meeting. take care of yourself. then, after nathan arrived home midafternoon, aina texted him, and he replied, i can't now, police checked. it looks like the house was robbed. aina responded, interesting, followed by a smiley face. >> you would respond with, oh, my, what happened? concern -- >> prosecutors accused nathan of coaching aina during jailhouse

phone calls on how to cover up their relationship. those calls were in lithuanian. for the trial, english translations of what nathan said were read aloud. >> i am your spiritual adviser or clergy here in america because there is nobody else who speaks lithuanian. this may be important in the future because just as all of your communication with the attorney is private, communication with your clergy is also private. >> but, prosecutors said, there was no covering up letters nathan had sent aina, including this one read by an interpresenter during a deposition. >> translator: i love you because you understand me better than anybody else and because i am a better person with you next to me. my life has a keepdeeper meanind purpose because you are my world and everything and that will never change. >> with words like that, prosecutors didn't believe aina's denials of an affair. they made her read aloud another note. >> i let you down and i'm sorry.

you deserve someone who who respects you and puts the relationship first, and from now on, i want to do all that i can to be that person. there is nothing more important to me than you and this relationship. i'm so fwlblesed to have you in life. >> i think she tried to minimize the relationship. >> nathan and aina were making eye contact quite a bit throughout the trial. sometimes when she would answer a question or said something he didn't like, he kind of laughed and threw his hands up in the air in disappointment. >> and prosecutors had another piece of evidence they said proved an affair, a secret that shook the courtroom. it challenged the very core of nathan's defense, that denise was at the center of his life and he would never hurt her. it was a gut-wrenching note written by denise discovered tucked in her day planner. >> in a murder case, you don't have the victim. you never get to hear the victim's story. that person is dead. and here we had a note that she

had written that laid the whole thing out. >> the highly personal, very painful note was obviously aimed at nathan. the police investigator read the note in court. >> i have tried to please you for 17 years, and never succeeded. i've never been good enough. never done enough. i know that you want me dead. i'm not stupid. >> denise seemed to confirm that she believed her husband was having an affair. while she didn't name aina, she mentioned a much younger woman. >> you want to humiliate me by running around with a 20-year-old? fine. i wont grovel. if i haven't pleased you in 17 years, nothing i do now will please you. how long are you going to do this to me? oh, yeah, until i break. that's what you said, isn't it? well, happy waiting. >> it was very devastating. i was -- i was shock that it had gone that far. so, she really was jealous, even though she said that she wasn't. >> she was speaking from the

grave in a way. >> absolutely. absolutely. to the jury. to everybody, her story. i mean, that note was powerful. powerful. >> powerful but not proof, said nathan's attorney. in fact, he argued that there was no evidence that nathan had done anything wrong at all. >> premature judgement that this all happened because he was having an affair, and i would submit as i started off with you, there is not a xfiniscintif evidence that that was the case. >> coming up, -- >> he was the only person with whom i could talk in lithuanian. he was a friend. >> were you and nathan ever lovers? >> no. >> when "dateline" continues. did you know that febreze air effects

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nathan leuthold had spent a week listening to prosecutors paint him as a monster who had planned the execution of his wife. now it was time for the defense to fight back. >> to say that i killed my wife

goes beyond what i ever fathomed hearing from anyone. and to say that i had an affair is absurd. >> i think nathan was being tested by god about his faith. i just thought, you know, nathan, you got to be strong, man. we'll get through this. >> nathan's lawyer was hugh toner, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney, who argued that the investigation was faulty. >> that there were certain preconceived notions of who did it, for lack of a better term. that never went anywhere. and for that reason, i'm going to ask you to find nathan not guilty. >> toner insisted the co-s zeroed in on nathan right from the start and never pursued any other leads. >> this was an incomplete investigation. that while the spouse, nathan in this case, would have been the logical place to start, the

problem with that is if you follow that gut feeling, that's going to cause you very likely to miss other things, and in this case simply not look for them at all. >> for instance, what about those cars nathan said he has seen in the neighborhood which he thought were suspicious not too long before the murder? his attorney called a neighbor to the stand who had also seen strange activity. >> i observed a vehicle parked within its headlights on for some extended period of time, five, ten minutes at least, which i considered to be somewhat unusual. and i felt with the direction of the headlights that whoever was in the vehicle could probably see me in my residence and that would have been uncomfortable. >> when he cross-examined diane parish, who identified nathan as the men in the sweatshirt, she admitted her husband had a

different recollection. >> you and your husband had had a discussion about the race of the person who was walking along the side of the road? >> that's correct. >> and your husband, dr. parish, thought that it was a black man? >> that's correct. >> another problem with the investigation, the defense pointed out, was that while the state made a big deal about the gunshot residue on nathan's sweatshirt, they never tested his hands for the substance. >> why not cut to the chase and take a test from nathan? >> toner said there's also an issue with the state's timeline. based on court testimony, the murder occurred at around 12:30 p.m. after that, prosecutors said nathan would have had to drive denise's car to the park, get in his own car, and then drive to starbucks where he was seen on surveillance video at 12:45 p.m. >> and he would have had to have done all that without leaving any blood smears, getting any blood on him. >> it was all coming down to

that crucial 15-minute window. we decided to see for ourselves how long that drive would take. we retraced what investigators said were nathan's steps that day. >> i've just left denise and nathan's house and i'm heading to robinson park, which is just a few blocks away. ♪ >> i am now arriving at robinson park. it took me one minute and 15 seconds. this is where police say the cars were switched. >> so, now we are going to switch cars, take another drive. in this second car, we're going to drive to starbucks. let's see how long that takes. red light's going to add on a little bit of time. we're now at 4 1/2 minutes. going just about the speed limit right on, which is 45 miles per hour. pulling into the starbucks parking lot.

we are looking at a travel time of seven minutes and 55 seconds. >> in all, it added up to nine minutes and ten seconds of driving. that would have left him under six minutes to ransack the house and shoot denise. his lawyer, hugh toner, said that would have been nearly impossible. >> the timing just really gets to the point where it's almost not realistic. >> and what about the state's witness who claimed that nathan had confessed the whole crime to him? the defense argued david smith was a jailhouse snitch, a convicted felon who had gotten a deal for his testimony. he was not even worth cross-examining. >> do you really believe that david smith is the type of person that nathan is going to confide in? and then seek counsel from? >> but according to the defense, the main weakness with the

state's case was motive, an affair with aina. toner argued there was absolutely no evidence to support the theory that nathan killed his wife so that he could be with a 20-year-old. no matter who asked her, aina insisted her relationship with nathan was platonic. >> what's the relationship between you and nathan? >> he's my sponsor. i worked for him. i did a lot of translating work and helping with organizing christian conferences in lithuania. and he is also -- was kind of like my mentor, and here in america, he was the only person with whom i could talk in lithuanian. so it was a friend. >> the defense attorney said the state was making more of those spa visits than was really there. >> would mr. leuthold be there

with you when you were having a waxing? >> he was there to drive me and to pay for it. >> but he wasn't there when that was -- the procedure was being done? >> no. >> okay. were you and nathan ever lovers? >> no. >> that's been asked of you many times, correct? police asked you about that, correct? >> that's correct. >> and that answer has never changed, has it? >> that's correct. >> his bottom line was this, the state never even came close to proving a sexual relationship, not even with the hundreds of hours of taped phone calls nathan made from jail over his 16 months there. >> 1,700 hours of recorded telephone conversations involving nathan leuthold. do the math. at 40 hours a week, you're approaching darn close to almost an entire work year.

listening to telephone conversations involving nathan. where in any one of those things do you have any indication at all that nathan and aina are lovers? >> in fact, for all of the searches through nantthan's and aina's cell phones, toner discovered something he said is particularly telling. >> how many people, particularly young people, are going to have a relationship with a significant other and not have a picture of their significant other? did they find any photos, anything where it would indicate that nathan and aina were involved in that way? no. >> without a motive and without hard evidence, nath nathan pull

trigger, toner said all the prosecution had were lies, misinterpretations and omissions. >> not guilty. that's what nathan is, and i would suggest you respectfully, that's what i'd ask the verdict that you return. >> though nathan leuthold did not take the stand, he would have plenty to say about the evidence and his innocence, particularly that chilling note left behind by his wife. >> she essentially spoke from the grave, saying that you wanted to kill her, that you were humiliating her with a 20-year-old. >> coming up, nathan's answer and the jury's verdict. >> i was like 99% sure that they had to come back with a guilty verdict, but there is that 1%. >> when "dateline" continues. these are real people,

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can we go get some ice cream? alright, we gotta stop here first. ♪ ♪ from smarter atms, to after hours video tellers ♪ ♪ comcast business is connecting thousands of banks to technology that turns everyday transactions into extraordinary experiences. hi there. how are you? do you have any lollipops in there? (laughing) no, sorry. we're helping all kinds of businesses go beyond customer expectations. how can we help you?

nathan leuthold's murder trial was nearing its end when he had to decide whether to testify. at the last minute, he chose not to. >> you understand that that's not something you'll be able to take back? >> okay. >> why did you decide not to take the stand during the trial? >> i had chosen to testify prior to trial, but as the state continued to take things out of context, and continued to throw as much mud as they could on the wall hoping that some of it

would stick, they had moved beyond what i felt were the facts of the case. i wasn't going to give them any more fuel or any more fodder to use or to miss construe. >> but he wanted to set the record straight with us, insisting he's innocent. he also wanted to say that the police never looked past him to catch the real intruder in what was a real burglary. >> the police believe it was staged, that it just looked too kind of perfect, the way that everything was placed, and what was taken. >> but things were stolen. insurance claims verified they were stolen and paid the claim on those items. it was a burglary. did it look like a normal burglary? i'm not sure what a normal burglary looks like. >> but what really upset nathan was how the state depicted his relationship with aina, someone he had known since she was a

little girl, someone he had mentored. >> you can see how it would look bad, going to the spa, getting aina waxing treatments, the text messages that went back and forth. it seems like there was something going on. >> aina had no driver's license at the time. she had no way of getting around. i was a translator. take her for waxing treatments. it's not as if i'm in there watching or whatever else, so you check the records, the waxing treatment was the same day i'm getting a haircut. at the same place. take things out of context, you can make them say whatever you want to make them say. >> like aina's text the day of the murder. >> why did aina say after the robbery, "interesting" smiley face? >> you're asking me what somebody else sent. i just assume that aina hit the wrong prompt. nor did i give much thought to

the word "interesting." i understand it to meant that's interesting, as in that's odd. that's the way i've used the word over and over again throughout the years. >> wasn't of the harshest accusations that has come out of all of this is that you killed your wife and it was a valentine's day gift for aina. >> the harshest statement has been that i killed my wife. it doesn't matter what day it was. i intentionally did it on valentine's day as a gift? i'm not sure what takes a sicker person, the person to actually do that or the person who sugge suggests that. >> and what about those haunting words written by denise in that note found in her day planner clearly aimed at nathan, how would she answer that? >> she essentially spoke from the grave saying that you wanted to kill her, that you were

humiliating her with a 20-year-old. >> the part you're referring to says, i know you want me dead. i'm not stupid. now, to say that that implies that she felt in danger seems to go against the facts. she never shared that with her best friend. her super close sister. her mother. her father. she never called police. she never called a counselling hotline. she never did any domestic battery, any restraining order, any anything because there was nothing. >> did you want her dead? >> no. why would i want her dead? >> to be with aina, to groom aina as your new wife. that is the accusation. that is the accusation by those who from day one wanted to

portray something that fits modern society, fits the culture we live in, fits the cheater's lifestyle, "the jerry springer" show mind-set. it fits the profile of making things look salacious. >> the jurors, of course, never heard any of that because nathan never took the stand. >> how nervous were you when the jury went to deliberate? >> from a purely selfish perspective, it's my life. my future. my freedom. it means that i could go back to being the father to the children. the children will be robbed of just one parent, not of both. one was stolen away by someone who was seeking gain. and a guilty verdict would steal

from the children their other parent. >> for denise's family, that was exactly what they were hoping for, for the man they'd known since he was a yuck boy who lived with them, and now they believe lied to them. >> when they went into deliberations, i was, like, 99% sure that they had to come back with a guilty verdict, but there's that 1% you're thinking, oh, no, what if someone, you know, -- >> i really wasn't sure what the jury was going to come back with. there was a lot of evidence provided by the prosecution. i think they did a great job, but at the same time, it was a lot of circumstantial evidence. there was no evidence that actually pointed to somebody do the crime. so i think it was very hard to tell what the jury was going to do. >> it was a highly circumstantial case. no hard proof nathan killed denise and no clear-cut evidence nathan and aina were lovers. but whatever it was jurors heard and saw in that courtroom, it was enough.

in a mere 90 minutes, they reached a verdict. >> we, the jury, find the defendant, nathan leuthold, guilty of first-degree murder. >> what went through your mind when you heard that one word, "guilty?" >> it was very close to the same feeling i had when i heard that my wife had been shot. i just remember hearing that the loss just got that much greater. >> the judge sentenced nathan to 80 years in prison. saying how shameful it was that nathan had killed denise in her own home. >> it seems only appropriate that you will likely end your life in a very different type of place, too. cold and gray isolated in the penitentiary. >> for the state, it was a satisfying end to a case they had to painstakingly stitch

together. >> i think he tried to paint this image of a wonderful person, when in reality he was nothing more than a cold-blooded killer. >> as for denise's parents, they're still hurting from such a sudden loss, but at least they have their children close as they are now racing them. >> how did you tell them that their father killed their mother? >> they knew that he had been on trial for murdering their mother, and that a jury had convicted him. and by the way, the older boy said, well, everybody makes mistakes. my husband said, no, your dad made bad choices. everyone has choices in life, and he made some really bad choices. >> bad choices that left denise's parents coming to terms with the notion that everything they knew to be true wasn't. >> i felt bad for my husband because he told someone that he always thought that we had the perfect family, the perfect life, and he just -- you really

don't expect something like that to happen to you. when in reality, you know, bad things happen to good people all the time. with his numbers rising in the polls, former new york city mayor michael bloomberg is feeling the heat from this democratic presidential contenders. we're going to show wow what his rivals are saying. plus william barr is facing calls to step down. more than 1100 prosecutors and department of justice officials say he needs to resign. and the latest on the growing coronavirus outbreak. more than a dozen americans who were evacuated from a cruise ship in japan were found to be infected with the virus before boarding a plane to the united states. we're going to go live to hong kong for the latest.

good morning, everyone. it is monday, february 17th. i'm ammayman mohyeldin. getting up early for you is normal, right? >> this is excellent. >> welcome on board. you're doing double duties sundays. >> just want to get in as much as possible. you know. >> welcome. we want to begin with the race for the white house. the scrutiny intensifies on mike ploom berg. he won't be on the ballot on saturday or one week after that. but as the former new york city mayor rises in the polls, democrats are sharpening their attacks before their big test on super tuesday 15 days from today. here's what we heard from bloomberg's rivals over the weekend. >> $60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. there's a lot to talk about with michael bloomberg. y'all are going to start

focusing on him like you have on me. which i'm not complaining. >> what kind of ally would you have called michael bloomberg for the obama administration? >> on several issues like guns, he was a real ally. he was a real ally. but if you notice, he wouldn't even endorse barack in 2008. he wouldn't endorse him. you know, he endorsed bush, endorsed the republican before that. all of a sudden it's his best buddy. and he would not endorse him. you take a look at the stop and frisk proposal. you take a look at his ideas on red lining he's talking about. you take a look at what he's done relative to the african-american community. i'm anxious to debate michael on the issues related to what we're going to face on super tuesday. >> like i have come on your show multiple times and a number of other candidates have come on and answered tough questions. he's got to do the same thing.

he hasn't gone on the sunday show since he announced. instead he's just running ads. and i don't think you should be able to hide behind the ads. i think you should not only go on these shows. i think he should take the debate stage. that's why i have actually been supportive of him on that debate stage. because i know i can't beat him on the airwaves but i can on the debate stage. >> the part i object to is the billionaire being able to reach in his own pocket and throw down, you know, couple of hundred million dollars in order to finance their campaign. because what that does is that just short circuits all of democracy. >> regardless of how much money a multi-billionaire candidate is willing to spend on his election, we will not create the energy and excitement we need to defeat donald trump if that candidate pursued, advocated

for, and inacted racist policies like stop and frisk. which caused communities of color in his city to live in fear. >> the bloomberg campaign is also down playing a report from the right leaning website drudge report that he is considering hillary clinton as his running mate. the website cited sources close to the bloomberg campaign. the campaign did not deny the report writing in a statement, we are focused on the primary and the debate, not speculation. others also noticed that the report clouded the news cycle after "the new york times" and "washington post" released deep dive stories on saturday morning that detailed bloomberg's philanthropy for influenced network and history of alleged sexist comments. we'll get into those headlines just ahead. some key endorsements are laying ground work as the race heads into nevada this coming weekend. on friday new york mayor bill de blasio endorsed senator sanders.

he said i'm standing with bernie because he stands with working families and always has. new yorkers know all too well the damage caused by donald trump's seen phobia, bigotry, and recklessness. sam donaldson gave his endorsement to michael bloomberg. in an op-ed posted to cnn's website friday, donaldson said mike bloomberg is the president we need to bring people together and unite our country. as a self-made man and three term mayor, bloomberg has proved himself to be an effective leader and problem solver. and in an endorsement bound to be key in nevada, kate marshall offered her support to joe biden in a statement released yesterday. in a moment of such intense partisanship and division, the most radical message we as democrats can offer is one of unity and moving past the washington gridlock. joe embodies that spirit and gives me hope we can move as a country past our current

political climate. all right. joining us now for the hill, julia manchester. great to have you with us on this monday morning. lots to get into here, but based on your latest reporting, what are democratic insiders telling you about the moderate vote that is so coveted in this democratic race? >> to quote one operative i spoke to, he said the moderates in the race are simply cannibalizing each other at this point. if you look at the results out of new hampshire, if they were one candidate they would have beaten bernie sanders and won that nomination. i think there's concern on the moderate side of the aisle on the democratic party that there are simply too many candidates and that is there is a lot of infighting on this side, bernie sanders is sucking up all this energy and building his support. moderates tend to say that bernie sanders has a ceiling of support. he won't tend to grow it. however, we have seen his support grow exponentially throughout the campaign. really be interesting to see where that goes.

but on the moderate side of the aisle, one thing i'd like to point out one more time is we don't know how mike bloomberg another moderate is going to impact this. so i don't know if that field is going to be completely set until we see his impact on march 3rd. >> julia, going into nevada, how do the candidates stock up when it comes to resources, staffers, and the state? >> well, bernie sanders and joe biden have more robust operations in the state. bernie sanders has had essentially four years to build up his operation in the state since 2016. joe biden looks at nevada as a very strong point in his campaign. however, if you look at amy klobuchar and pete booth jeutti they're actually rushing to staff up in nevada and even south carolina. these aren't states that they're particularly comfortable with. it's not particularly their base that they're strong with there. there's more minorities in those states and clearly those two candidates do much better with white voters. so you're seeing a bit of a rush on their part, but you're also

seeing even though he's not on the ballot in nevada, bloomberg is still blanketing the state with ads due to his national ad buy. so it's interesting to see how he plays a part in that as well. >> as we mentioned, bloomberg is not on the ballot this upcoming weekend in nevada, but he is expected to make it to super tuesday. what impact could bloomberg have on this race once he gets to super tuesday? >> you know, i think he's obviously going to impact the moderate side of the race. we've seen a couple of different front runners in that lane since the beginning of this race last year joe biden being the most prominent of them. but ever since he's declined, we've seen amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg rise up. so it'll be interesting to see how bloomberg takes over that lane if he can really dominate it. we'll also see him if he dominates that lane, we'll get a chance to see him go head-to-head with bernie sanders. bloomberg has been funding this with his own money, billions and billions of dollars. however, at the same time you

have bernie sanders who has very strong grassroots fund raising organization. so you'll get to see those two apparatuses kind of go head-to-head and we'll get to see who is more successful and who has a bigger impact. >> julia, what are democrats saying about the possibility of a brokered convention? >> it's a very -- i think a lot of them are very concerned about it. you know, obviously it's not -- they say that this is months in advance. we still have, you know, obviously nevada, south carolina, super tuesday to get through. but you have this support that is split throughout the party. and there's obviously concern among establishment democrats, among the rise of bernie sanders and what impact he could have on the party. so there are so many different candidates. support is split in so many different directions that they would say it's a real possibility. >> all right. julia manchester live for us. we'll talk to you again in a bit. still ahead, the latest on the growing coronavirus threat. countries around the world are

racing to track down passengers from a cruise ship after one tested positive for the virus. plus president trump takes a lap at the daytona 500 before the race gets canceled. those stories and to check on weather when we come right back. - i've been pretty stable with

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welcome back. countries are racing to track down more than 1,000 cruise ship passengers that disembarked in cambodia after an american passenger tested positive for the coronavirus. the cruise ship had been shunned at several ports in fear it might carry the coronavirus. but after reassurance, the ship was disease free, cambodia finally agreed to let them embark. however, an american was stopped at a malaysia airport testing positive for the virus sending health officials scrambling to track down passengers in order to stop the virus for spreading. it's unclear how well the passengers were screened before allowed off the ship. also 14 other americans who were

evacuated from a cruise ship in japan were found to have been infected before boarding a plane to the united states. >> all right. joining us now from hong kong, bill neely. bill, a lot of developments over the weekend about the coronavirus. what's the very latest on terms of the global efforts to contain the spread? >> yeah, good morning, ayman. the latest is just about now at lackland air force base, the second of two charter planes is about to land with dozens more americans on board. 380 in total on two planes. earlier at lackland air force base in california the plane landed with very relieved americans on board who've been trapped on the diamond princess cruise ship for about two weeks. now, on both planes, pretty difficult conditions they were asked to bring extra layers of clothing, bring their own food.

as you say, 14 americans were allowed on board those planes even though they were shown to be infected. now, they had no symptoms. they were put in special isolation units by officials who are wearing special hazmat protective suits. so they were separated from the rest of the passengers, but a very difficult journey after what has been really the holiday from hell. some americans decided to stay on the cruise ship because they didn't like the idea of possibly being infected on the plane. and a lot of americans, of course, are still in hospitals in japan being treated for the virus. but just within the last few minutes, guys, some startling statistics about the diamond princess itself. so on that ship, 99 more people in the last 24 hours have tested positive. 454 people on that ship tested

positive. now, that is an infection rate of about 50% of those who've been tested. so it makes that ship not just the biggest cluster cluster of s outside china, but possibly the most infectious place on earth for the virus. so the quarantine policy that was cooked up by the japanese government on all the other governments including the u.s. government clearly failed catastrophically and i think that is going to be something that scientists and health experts are going to be watching and analyzing in the future because that policy clearly failed, but for 380 americans back on u.s. soil, not back home because they will now have 14 days of quarantine before they can actually go home. guys? >> bill, i wonder how much of this is about containing the virus and how much is about containing the hysteria around this virus. >> reporter: well, that's a very

good point because, you know, people around the orlando with deeply, deeply worried about this. i know in the uk, for example, a school district said, you know, pupils could come to school as normal. the uk has almost no cases of this virus, no deaths, there's only been one death in europe, but it doesn't stop people really worrying about it and interestingly japan has just reported a new level of infection there. real worries that there are more cases in more places than they thought. the tokyo marathon, which is due to take place in about a week's time, they've had to cut back on the number of people who can actually run in that. so there's global concern about what is, of course, a global problem because this virus knows no borders and that's the issue. >> and to your point there has been some stigma here in the united states as well. elizabeth warren presidential candidate over the weekend

making a point by visiting chinatown on the campaign trail to support asian businesses that have been infected by some of the hysteria gripping the asian community around the country. bill neely live in hong kong. thank you very much. let's switch gears, bring in gentleman necessary can a web with a quick check on your weather. >> people are thinking spring, right? >> it feels very warm outside. >> compared to last week, temperatures have jumped up 30 degrees across areas of the northeast and that's causing a problem, though, for the south and southeast. we are talking about historic rain gauges there, making their way up across mississippi and we haven't seen this in about 100 years. the flooding that's going to be taking place throughout today, we will start to see the rivers cresting in that area, expected to recede but more storms will pop up for your tuesday, wednesday afternoon. accumulation totals range from 1 to 2 inches but they just don't need any more rain in this area. hopefully that's going to push out and the rivers really start

to recede, but with the warmer air causes things to melt very quickly. also to start off your week we are watching this very weak disturbance making its way from the upper midwest, midwest to northeast by tomorrow and this will cause a little bit of snowfall for the higher elevations to northern new england, 6 to 8 inches, so you will be playing in that to start off the week before that warm air continues to pump in. we always like to see that surge here, but we never really expected for mid to late february. look at these temperatures, san antonio today 80 degrees, that's well above average, 62 for nashville so 10 to 15 degrees above average. tomorrow lose that big winter coat, 53 for philadelphia, head to the beach for myrtle beach, 64, but there's always a change, the weather pattern, that dip in the jet it's going to happen very quickly and that cold air by friday afternoon minnesota i don't want to be there, we will

see single digits with wind chills in negative dimgt territory. i don't think winter is over just yet, guys. >> thanks, janessa. still ahead a look at how kboebls legend kobe bryant was honored during the nba's all-star weekend.

gentlemen, start your engines. >> all right. so that was president trump yesterday at the daytona 500

where he delivered the opening command for nascar's biggest event. president trump kicked off the race with a flyover in air force one, which was somewhat historic, it was the first time a sitting president has ever done that. he then proceeded to take his motorcade on a warm up lap before the competition which he dubbed a contest for pure american glory. president trump is only the second president in history to attend the daytona 500 and when asked what he enjoys most about nascar, he replied, i think it's really the bravery of these people, it takes great courage. here is the president addressing the crowd of over 10,000 people before the nascar drivers revved up their engines. >> the daytona 500 is a legendary display of roaring engines, soaring spirits and the american skill, speed and power that we've been hearing about for so many years. the tens of thousands of patriots here today have come for the fast cars and the world class motor sports, but nascar

fans never forget that no matter who wins the race, what matters most is god, family and country. >> all right. however, following the president's grand setup for the race it was unfortunately postponed today after two rain delays. it was a weekend of touching tributes for the late nba legend kobe bryant, his daughter gianna and several others who died in a helicopter crash last month in los angeles. fans, players and even a former president honored him at the all-star ceremonies in chicago. nbc news correspondent sara marmen has the details. >> reporter: this one was for kobe and gianna. 24.2 second tribute honoring the lakers legend and his daughter at the nba all-star week nend in chicago snow for us to be able to honor kobe bryant and his legacy it's a beautiful time. >> reporter: it was the first big meeting of the nba family since the tragic crash and number 24 was on everyone's

minds. former president barack obama recalling his final conversation with bryant. >> i asked him, do you miss basketball? he said, i don't miss it at all. i don't touch a basketball. he said, because i am now just as competitive and focused on this second phase. >> reporter: the all stars were personal for kobe, he was the youngest player ever to compete in an all star game named mvp four times. and one of the weekend's most point yont moments nba commissioner adam silver announced the all-star game's mvp award will be permanently renamed to honor the lakers hero. >> nobody embodied all-star more than kobe bryant. >> reporter: the nba community rallying to remember a legend gone far too soon. >> our thanks to sara harmen for that report. still ahead 2020 candidate amy klobuchar says she has raised over $12 million since the new hampshire primary. we will talk about where she and other democrats stand ahead of

the nevada caucuses. new reporting that federal prosecutors in new york are moving forward with an investigation into the president's personal attorney rudy giuliani. those stories and more coming up next.

can we go get some ice cream? alright, we gotta stop here first. ♪ ♪ from smarter atms, to after hours video tellers ♪ ♪ comcast business is connecting thousands of banks to technology that turns everyday transactions into extraordinary experiences. hi there. how are you? do you have any lollipops in there? (laughing) no, sorry. we're helping all kinds of businesses go beyond customer expectations. how can we help you?

welcome back, i'm ayman mohyeldin alongside alishia men then dez in for yasmin. mike bloomberg is naysing new scrutiny regarding past allegations of sexism and profane comments towards female employees. according to the post there have been several lawsuits alleging

women were discriminated against at bloomberg's information company including a case brought by a federal agencies and one filed by a former employee who blamed bloomberg for creating a sul tour of sexual harassment and degradation. the most hoe profile case was from a saleswoman, she alleged that bloomberg told her to kill it when he learned she was pregna pregnant. bloomberg denied the allegation and reached a confidential settlement. while this has received note over the years a review by the post of the thousands of pages of court documents, depositions underscores how bloomberg and his company have fought the claims. >> the post notes in a number of cases have been, dismissed in bloomberg's favor or closed because of a failure of the plaintiff to meet final deadlines. the cases do not involve accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct, the allegations have centered around what

bloomberg has said and about the workplace culture he fostered. bloomberg declined an interview ask with the post but on saturday he tweeted i would not be where i am today without the talented women around me, i have depended on their leadership, advice and contributions. as i've demonstrated throughout my career i will always be a champion for women in the workplace. 2020 candidate pete buttigieg was asked about the allegations against mike bloomberg yesterday. here is how he responded. >> how troubled are you by these allegations and this evidence of alleged sexism and racism? >> well, i think he's going to have to answer for that and speak to it. look, this is a time where voters are looking for a president who can lead us out of the days when it was just commonplace or accepted to have these kinds of sexist and discriminatory attitudes. you know, right now this is our chance to do something different. obviously there is no comparison to this president and the way

that he has treated and talked about women and people of color and continues to do so to this day, but we in our party hold ourselves to the highest standard. >> in a new poll it shows senator bernie sanders as the front runner ahead of the weekend's nevada caucuses. according to the latest "las vegas review-journal" poll sanders has 25% support, seven points ahead. former vice president joe biden follows in second place with 18% and there is a four-way tie for third place with senator elizabeth warren at 13%, tom steyer at 11 and both senator amy klobuchar and former mayor pete buttigieg at 10%. all four candidates sit within the poll's overall four-point margin of error. former mayor pete buttigieg has turned his focus to senator bernie sanders in hopes of keeping his lead in the delegate count. over the weekend buttigieg looked to draw contrast between his and sanders health care plans tweeting medicare for all who want it covers every american and won't raise taxes on the middle class. bernie sanders' plan raises

taxes on every american making over $29,000. this election will decide which plan we take on donald trump with. the former south bend mayor also slammed the plans costs and sanders attacks on union supporters over medicare for all. >> we could get completely trapped down the rabbit hole of a debate over whether to abolish private insurance which most americans don't want or we can deliver quality public insurance that is available to everybody who is so vulnerable that is affordable or even free if you wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. with he can do that because the american people want it to happen and then it actually moves through congress and gets done instead of us being here four years later debating how long it's going to take to deliver. >> you know, it's really disturbing to see the culinary union attacked when these are workers who have stood up and fought for, among other things, good health care plans. they are not interested in washington taking away their choice. >> and former vice president joe

biden is calling out 2020 rival senator bernie sanders, it comes after nevada's culinary union accused sanders supporters of harassing its members after the group raised questions about sanders health care policy. speaking yesterday on "meet the press" biden says sanders has not done enough to condemn the behavior. >> if his supporters are attacking culinary union members who is responsible for that? >> look, he may not be responsible for it, but he has some accountability. i'm going to -- put you in a spot you don't have to -- you know me well enough to know if any of my supporters did that, i'd disown them. flat disown them. the stuff that was said online, the way they threatened these two women who are leaders in that culinary union, it is outrageous. just go online, i invite anybody to go and take a look the things they said, the vicious, malicious, misogynistic things

they said, the threats they put out and to say, i dissociate is one thing. find out hot hell they are. if any of them work for me, fire them. find out. see what's going on. >> you don't think he's been curious enough? >> i'm hoping he's looking, but i tell you what, so far i don't think it's sufficient just to say i dissociate myself. >> senator amy klobuchar announced yesterday that her campaign raised more than $12 million since her strong debate performance in new hampshire. which is more than the $11.4 million she raised in all of the fourth quarter. here is the minnesota senator on "meet the press" yesterday. >> what has happened since that debate in just a little over a week is that we raised over $12 million online, mostly from just regular people, new people who gave. that's the first time in a campaign like this that you've seen a surge from people just seeing a debate and deciding, do you know what, i like this person and i think she's going to have my back and i think she

can lead this ticket to victory which is the number one concern of democrats. >> all right. joining us once again from washington political reporter to the hill julia manchester. great to have you back with us. let's pick up on amy klobuchar there for a moment. she seems to be gaining more and more traction by the day, raising more than $12 million since her debate in new hampshire and yet despite that bernie sanders is still polling at the top. what do you make of the candidates concern positions going into nevada? >> going into nevada it's clear that sanders obviously has the advantage here. i mean, this is a state that he has spent a lot of time and resources in, he's very laser focused on t for amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg, however, like i said in the last segment, this is going to be an uphill battle for them. in iowa and new hampshire they performed well because that is where they are most strongest, it's close to the midwest and iowa and obviously both states are very white and that's the kinds of voters that amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg do well with. now, joe biden is really looking

to have a come back in nevada, especially south carolina, but also once again, banking on that more diverse voting base. so, however, at this point i think sanders definitely has the advantage despite that bit of a scuffle with the culinary union. >> julia, let's circle back to mike bloomberg. the "washington post" is reporting he has been accused of sexism and profane comments towards women. how do you think that factors into the race? >> i think it factors into the race in a huge way. if you look on the republican side of the aisle in 2016 obviously there were unearthed comments of donald trump making sexist and very lewd comments and talking about sexual assault essentially that were unearthed from president trump, and we saw that the republican party and the republican establishment although they condemned him, he still won the election. i think the democratic party is going to have to find a way to essentially contend with this really in terms of where to go from here because if they're going to attack president trump

for his comments, i think there needs to be a fairness in how they deal with michael bloomberg and his comments. >> let me get your thoughts on the internal fighting taking place on the democratic side. you have mayor pete hitting bernie sanders about medicare for all, you have the biden campaign going after bernie sanders because of the bernie bros or the supporters going after the culinary union. what do you make of the level or intensity of some of the attacks taking place by the candidates against themselves. >> i think right now we are at the point in the campaign at the point in the cycle where this is normal. i think we are obviously in the middle of these page oral important nominating contests and you have iowa where, you know, there was a very, very close finish between mayor buttigieg and senator sanders and there's also a close finish between the two of them with sanders getting a victory in new hampshire so obviously tension there and you have joe biden who is the front runner for so long who is now really declined in

the polls and finished very poorly in iowa and new hampshire. so you are at a point where a lot of these candidates are struggling to get back on top, some candidates are on top for the first -- you know, in the top tier for the first time such as amy klobuchar, but at the same time you are at this point in the race where all the gloves are off and they want to be performing as well as they can in these contestes. >> julia, still an open question whether or not mayor bloomberg makes the debate stage. if he is on that stage, how does that play out? >> it plays out in a huge way. you know, although he is not on the ballot in nevada, i think he will still -- his campaign tells me he will debate if he does qualify, but he's going to have a target on his back big time. i think a lot of these candidates are very much telegraphing how they would go after bloomberg on a debate stage. so he will have a target on his back from the progressive side with bernie sanders and on the moderate side you're going to see joe biden going after him on issues like stop and frisk or

maybe his perceived relationship with barack obama. >> we have talked extensively about how iowa and new hampshire don't necessarily reflect the broader part -- don't reflect the broader part of the democratic base or the country for that matter. a lot of this rides into super tuesday where the race do you think could be defined. >> absolutely. i think the race will be defined in super tuesday and especially maybe south carolina and super tuesday. i would argue that african-american voters are very much the backbone of the democratic party and you're going to see them voicing -- you know, voicing their preferences i think in south carolina obviously and super tuesday, but you're also going to see mike bloomberg making a splash in super tuesday and we will get to see the impact of these multi-billion dollar ad buys that he has been making. >> all right. julia manchester, thank you. still ahead, we will have the new calls for attorney general bill barr to step down. we are also following a report that federal prosecutors have advanced their investigation into the

president's personal attorney, rudy giuliani. we will have a lot more on that. your first look at "morning joe" is back in a moment.

welcome back. the "washington post" is reporting the federal prosecutors from the southern district of new york are contacting witnesses and seeking to collect additional documents in an investigation related to president trump's personal attorney rudy giuliani. the recent steps indicate that the probe involving giuliani and his two former associates lev parnas and igor fruman is still moving forward despite the fact that the justice department recently set up a process to evaluate his claims about alleged wrongdoing in ukraine. according to the post people familiar with the matter said attorney general william barr was briefed on the investigation in manhattan related to giuliani's associates shortly after taking office a year ago, but his involvement since then is unclear. both a spokesman for the u.s. attorney's office in manhattan and a spokeswoman for the

justice department declined to comment. in a text message friday giuliani said he has not been contacted by investigators. he wrote in part, quote, they have asked me for not a single thing and i didn't do anything remotely illegal and can demonstrate that if they ever care to ask. i do believe it's unfair if they are investigating, but i have no indication they are. and former u.s. ambassador to ukraine bill taylor appeared on "60 minutes" yesterday where he gave his take on russia and the mysterious dnc commuter server that president trump claimed was hidden in ukraine. >> the russians are fighting a hybrid war against ukraine, but it's not just about ukraine, they're fighting a hybrid war against europe and against the united states. the war that the russians are fighting in ukraine, we have a stake in. we have a stake in, but it's not just the military war, because hybrid war is more than tanks and soldiers, hybrid war is

information war. it's cyber war. it's economic war. it's attacks on elections. and as we know they have attacked our elections. >> did anyone at the state department ever direct you to investigate whether there was this server in ukraine? >> no. >> why not? >> no one took it seriously. >> what are the chance that is this whispering campaign about a democratic national committee server in ukraine is actually a russian intelligence operation, a russian disinformation operation? >> the russians are very good at that. it's these fake stories that they have propagated and that's what they do, they do it pretty well. we have to be on barred against that. attorney general william barr is facing new calls to step down. in an open letter more fan 1,100 former federal prosecutors and justice department officials are calling on barr to resign after he intervened in the roger stone

case last week. they write in part each of us strongly condemns president trump's and attorney general barr's interference in the fair administration of justice. they go on to say mr. barr's actions in doing the president's personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than his words. those actions and the damage they have done to the department of justice's reputation for integrity and the rule of law require mr. barr to resign. according to the "washington post" justice department employees around the country had a wide range of views on barr's recent actions, especially his interview with abc news last week where he said president trump's tweets make it impossible for him to do his job. the post notes that some inside the department were heartened by his remarks, one employee even told the paper, finally. but the post also notes that others were more skeptical, wondering if barr and trump orchestrated the interview with a means to provide the attorney general with political cover to investigate the cases trump has fixated on most.

let's bring in janessa webb with a quick check on your weather. >> let's start off monday with trivia. >> i think this is your debut. >> this is your debut. who is snowier, el paso or philadelphia. >> i feel like the obvious answer would be philadelphia so i'm going to go with el paso. >> i will go with philadelphia, i will be the con trainian. >> look at this. >> you're right. >> 2.3 inches. their average is 3.2 so still below average for this time of year. we are going to continue to see that warmer air pushing in and winter is kind of at a drought here across the northeast to the midwest as well. we're well below average, temperatures are pumping up and look at this this morning, jacksonville 58 degrees. now, theres a temperature divide this morning across detroit, 25 degrees, pittsburgh you are at a chilly 23 with winds starting to be pretty blustery in that area. also the big weather story throughout the weekend was the river gauges. we have 169 locations under

flood stages and so we're pretty early for the flooding to be impacting the south and southeast, but people are thinking spring and with the warmer air comes the potential flood threat. for today the river at pearl and mississippi is going to start to recede, that's great news even though it has already crested. tomorrow is the big problem. we will see a surge of moisture make its way from mississippi to alabama, potentially putting another 2 to 3 inches in that area. we really don't need that right now with three locations across mississippi under flood concerns, flooding major areas on roadways and some homes in that area. so watching that pretty closely. it does not look like it will hit a record stage but this is just an unfortunate situation with the third highest crest in over 100 years. we will continue to watch that storm system make its way offshore and then finally by wednesday, thursday things will start to dry out. it should be a really pleasant

day today across the mid-atlantic to the northeast with highs above average, unfortunately we are just starting off this week with stormy conditions across the upper midwest to the south, but i like to end the week talking about the weekend on a monday, cool and dry by friday afternoon and then things really start to calm down across the country from the pacific northwest, coast to coast, we are going to see dry and pleasant conditions. >> can't complain about that. you used to live in miami, have you had those moments in a new york winter when you look and say it's 81 degrees in miami, what am i doing here? >> moments? every day. investigating the investigators as the feds close their case on andrew mccabe. the justice department is now looking into the fbi interview that led to michael flynn's guilty plea. the latest on that up next.

welcome back. the justice department told lawyers for former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe that he will not face criminal charges after being accused of lying to investigators about a leak to the media. the u.s. attorney's office in washington sent mccabe's attorney a letter on friday announcing the decision writing, quote, after careful consideration the government has decided not to pursue criminal charges against your client, adding, based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information n information known to the government at this time we consider the matter closed.

mckaine's attorneys said at long last justice has been done. the decision came the same day it was revealed that a federal judge months ago expressed concerns that mccabe's case was looking like a banana republic prosecution. president trump was infuriated by the move, a senior white house official told the "washington post" trump ranted privately to associates about the announcement telling one he has always known mccabe was a bad guy. sources tell nbc news that the justice department has opened an inquiry into the criminal case against former national security adviser michael flynn. we are told the attorney general has assigned the u.s. attorney for the eastern district of missouri to conduct a review. "the new york times" framed barr's decision to install an outside prosecutor as, quote, highly unusual and so trigger more accusations of political interference by top justice department officials. back in 2017 flynn pled guilty to lying to the fbi about his conversations with russia's ambassador to the u.s.

last month flynn filed papers to withdraw his guilty plea and now the doj is looking into the fbi's interview with flynn which was conducted just days after the president's inauguration. the justice department declined to comment. so trump sparked outrage or twitter over the weekend after tweeting a "new york times" article with a ralph waldo emerson quote to refer to himself as a king. the police modified a section of peter a baker's spore about trump's impeachment posting. ralph wand dough emerson seemed to foresee when you strike at the king you must kill him. mr. trump's foes struck at him but did not take him down. he emerges from the biggest test of his presidency emboldened, ready to claim exoneration and take his case of grievance, persecution and resentment to the campaign trail. he ended his commentary to the end of the tweet, the greatest witch-hunt in american history. still ahead the latest on

the campaign trail as democrats up their attacks on mike bloomberg. we will go to nevada ahead of saturday's caucuses.

with his numbers rising in the polls former new york city michael bloomberg is feeling the heat from his fellow democratic presidential contenders. we will show what you his rivals are saying. plus attorney general william barr is facing calls to step down. more than 1,100 former prosecutors and department of justice officials say he needs to resign. and the very latest on the growing coronavirus outbreak. more than a dozen americans who were evacuated from a cruise ship in japan were found to be infected with the virus before boarding a plane to the united states. we will go live to hong kong for the latest. good morning, it is monday, february 17th. i'm ayman mohyeldin alongside and a warm well tomorrow alicia men menendez who will be pulling double duty on the weekends, you host a show on saturday and sunday. we appreciate you getting up and joining us this whole week. we want to begin with the

race for the white house as scrutiny intensifies for mike bloomberg. he won't be on the ballot this coming saturday or the ballot in south carolina one week after that, but as the former new york city mayor rises in the polls democrats city mayor rises in the polls, democrats are sharpening their attacks before his first big test 15 days from today. here's a bit of what we have heard from bloomberg's rivals over the weekend. >> $60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. there's a lot to talk about on michael bloomberg. you all are going to start focussing on him like you have been on me. >> what kind of ally would you call michael bloomberg for the obama administration. >> on several issues like guns, he was a real ally. he was a real ally. but if you notice, he wouldn't endorse endor endorse barack in 2008.