would finally have achieved her lifelong mission to care for people, and make them well. cool >> she pops in my head. and i'm just sad. she would have been one heck of a nurse. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i'm natalie morales. thank you for watching. i'm craig melvin, and i'm natalie morales. this is dateline. >> during the middle of the night i heard this loud noise. it sounded like someone who's in the house. i opened up her door to her bedroom, and i thought, i'm hearing things. >> your instincts were right, that something was happening in the middle of the night. you think your child is safe in your home. >> she was just 16. emma the honor student.

cheerleader, volunteer. >> she can get along with anybody. >> always so kind hearted and sweet. >> she wanted to be a nurse and she had a plan. >> she went to sleep, one sunday night, i never woke up. >> i saw 16-year-old female, laying in a bed. >> there was a bullet hole in the wall. >> so she's been? shot >> someone and fired a shot. from outside the residence. >> was among the target? that weekend, she had seen a mysterious figure dressed in black. >> turn the doorknob, she's in fear, she's in a panic. >> she was shaking. >> now, to brave friends set out on a secret mission. could they help catch a killer? >> you're trying to bring down a murder suspect. >> i just knew something had to be done. >> and all became a lot more real. >>

>> hello, welcome to dateline. emma walker was a spirited teenager with a knack for stirring up one. pretty and smart, she had her whole life ahead of her. after her death the detectives faced a tough investigation. whoever shot emma, had been brazen, and it would take a bold plan to catch a killer. here is andrea canning, with noises in the night. >> when the autumn chill seeps into this community, just north of knoxville, tennessee. hundreds of high school students are drawn to the blaze of friday night lights. to cheer on their hometown heroes the bobcats. she was the friday night light, who perhaps story and brightest of them all. and walker, the bobcats cheerleader since your freshman year. >> she was a really good cheerleader. some cheerleaders were just go through the motions, but emma

would put her own sparkle, i guess, into what you would do. >> fellow cheerleaders, cassie and lauren, say their friend emma, could be sassy to. >> i am kind of a big deal. >> and i take it that she said that with a hint of sarcasm? >> yes. >> >> people who didn't know her were like, oh, she's like a super pretty cheerleader. oh no, but then they would meet her, and say she's a nice person. >> he gained a nathan were her longtime school friends. >> once you got to know her, you are like, wow, she's down to earth. supersweet. >> she had a smile that could light up a room. beautiful smile. >> and was parents, jill and mark say that infectious smile was the hallmark of her playful personality. >> she like to play jokes on me, grab my iphone, take selfies of

herself. i had no idea. >> and we volunteered at an animal shelter. at school, she was honorable student, with a clear career goal. >> she wanted to be our nurse. when we will talk about the different professions and, we get to the ones about babies, she says where she wants to do. >> it's no surprise, and we got noticed by boys at school. there was one boy that she definitely noticed back. >> that's really all she talked about, at first. he super cute. >> he was really goal. two years older than emma, popular, to. a stand out wide receiver, on the bobcats team. >> did you ever think reilly would make to the nfl? >> if there was anybody that was gonna do, it was. riley >> riley's friends from gay school, alex and noah, so he wasn't just high school jock, he was active at church, and love star wars movies. >> he was a nerdy guy, that's how we met him. >> obviously. >> and then a little bit later,

in high school, he got more into football. but, he kept with his nerve roots. >> he was really funny, i think that's why him and emma got together. they were both super goofy. >> she had a big crush on him. >> yeah, she did. >> there was just one problem, riley already had a girlfriend. he said he broke up with her to data. >> things got serious pretty quickly between the two of them? >> yeah. >> but, as the months borne by, it became clear that riley, the star footballer, was also a player. it turned out his ex, wasn't really annex, after all. >> he had promised his ex girlfriend that he would take or to prom that year, and take and why his senior year. >> she was okay with? this >> she wasn't okay with it, but she did let it happen. >> she couldn't let go? >> no. >> that must be hard for a parent, when you see a guy, who's got two girls on the go. that's not cool.

>> no, that's not cool. she was young and had a mind of her own, and didn't want to voice your opinions. >> and was determination to be with riley cause a lot of tension between her and her parents. how does it work when you're trying to be good parents and your daughter has a strong personality? >> it's difficult. >> very difficult. >> i mean, she was very stubborn and thought her way was the right way. she wanted to learn for herself. >> allen riley dated on and off in high school, for two years. when riley graduated and went off to college, just a half an hour away, they tried to keep their relationship going. but, just before thanksgiving, in rallies freshman year, mo said she saw snapshots of riley with other girls on campus. so she broke up with him for good. amara's parents say the tension at home evaporated. it must felt so good to be the happy family again. >> it did. the whole household was

different. >> the household was incomparability long. on november 20th, 2016, a sunday, and one for ice cream with her dad. they plan to get up early for school the next morning. >> i told her, goodnight. love you, i'm going to bed. during the middle of the night, i heard this loud noise. >> what kind of noise was? it >> is sounded like someone was in the house. and that they open the door and slammed it. and then i heard it again. >> mark jumped out of bed to check on a minor brother. >> i opened four door to her bedroom, and i started or for probably 15 to 20 seconds. she was just lying, asleep, in her bed. i shut the door, and went to my son's bedroom, and he was asleep. i thought i'm hearing things. so, when i checked the doors around the house, and went to

bed. >> in the morning, and was mom, jill, woke up early. >> i want to wake her up, and i couldn't wake up. >> what's going through your mind, in that moment? >> i had no idea. i can't recall a lot of it. i just know our checks for a pulse. >> and there was no pulse? >> no pulse. >> so, you know -- >> i was younger brother, evan, also rushed. in >> poor, evan. two >> i'm sure that something you wished -- >> i wish he never had to experience it. it's like a nightmare. >> jill call 9-1-1. >> i just got to work on my daughter for school, and she has no pulse. >> you said that she's nonresponsive? >> yeah. >> what had happened to emma walker? >> coming up, the investigation begins. >> i saw 16-year-old female, laying in a bed, with a small amount of blood on her pillow.

>> people had thought that she might have overdosed on something. >> they thought that she had ingested poison, or whatever. >> this is a mystery, right now. >> it's all a mystery. >> when dateline continues.

it's's monday november 21st,

2016 was supposed to be a regular school morning. instead, first responders were responding to the walker family home. were that something horrible

had happened to emma was tearing through town. friends calling friends. >> we were just balling. i was like, you need to breathe what's wrong? >> i was dead. i said, we'll be talking? about a really deregistered my mind, like, -- >> it didn't seem real at first to nathan, either. >> i was like, that's my best friend, but no, she impasse away. it just hit me, and i started. balling >> and was ex-boyfriend, riley, was that his college dorm, when his phone was flooded. >> he grieved on social media. >> we know how much he loved her, and -- she doesn't deserve this. she's in a better place now. >> tell god about her bible verse. >> you know, he's lost -- >> a lot of people had commented, i'm so sorry. prayers for you. >> still, no one knew how emma died. what are some of the rumors that are now floating around on

social media about what happened to him? >> people had thought that she might have overdosed on something. >> some people said -- >> people who didn't know her were like, saying that she killed herself. >> was there any part of you that was confused and thinking, maybe it's possible? >> no. >> no part of me thought that emma will ever take her own life. >> this is a mystery as to what happened. and was there, and you know that she is not survived whatever's happen, but you don't know what. >> it's all a mystery. >> investigators arrived with just sketchy details from first, responders. >> they thought that originally was a suicide, that she had ingested something like poison, or whatever >> knox county major was assigned to investigate the case with an major case detective. >> 16-year-old female, laying in her bed with a small amount

of blood on a pillow and some people had confuse that with -- that she had gotten sick, or had ingested something. but when the detective looked closer, he saw something unusual. >> first responses didn't really see the hole in the wall. there >> there was a hole in the wall next to her bed. it was only visible next to her pillow. but investigators inspected her head, they saw small entry ruined. >> so she's been? shot >> yes ma'am. >> shot in her own bed. >> the bullet went just left and above the ear color >> she would've had to been shot through the wall? >> yes. it's obvious. that someone fired a shot to outside the residence into the residence. >> this is not the kind of neighborhood that has drive-bys shootings. right? >> yes.

that is correct. it is a fairly low crime area. >> as detectives processed what was now a crime scene, they found more clues about what might have happened. >> we determined that there was a second shot that had been fired through the other wall of the house. >> so. bullet holes through two separate walls of the house. and then there in the yard? >> we found a shell casing. and then as we went to the other wall of the residents, we found a spent casing and arrive round. >> when emma's parents learned what happened, they were barely able to take it in. >> they had told us she was shot. >> it's unthinkable! >> emma's father recalled those noises in the night. >> just thinking that those noses i heard were gunshots, but they didn't sound like

gunshots. >> but your instincts were right. that something happen in the middle of the night. >> and you think your child is safe in your home, sleeping. >> but who would want to kill this sweet, popular girl? whose life was to care for newborn babies? it turns out that emma walker's life had been anything but normal. and might be the key to unraveling the mystery. >> coming up. >> she sees a person dressed all in back. >> a mysterious figure at emma's door. >> then this person comes to the front door, and starts trying to get in the house. beating on the door, she's inferior, she's in panic. >> i have to say, i would've been terrified. >> definitely. >> when dateline continues. fied >> definitely. >> when dateline continues

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her own bed. at 16 years old, she had her whole life ahead of her. >> there are great things that she would've done. >> prompts, graduations, and things we'd never get to see. you know. getting married, having kids. >> as emma's family began to match in life without her, police were focused on finding her killer. they were talking to her family and friends about the days right before the shooting.

>> there is a lot of behavior in the two days not explain. >> it was a weekend before -- friday night, emma and a group were celebrating at a friends house. she received a text message from an unknown number. a message says something about riley, she was taken. >> something about riley. >> so he has low riley? >> yeah someone kidnapped him. >> rightly kidnapped? >> the strange messages kept coming. then emma's phone rang. john >> he was screaming in the back like help me help me! he was crying. >> emma and her friend rushed out of the house and there was riley. >> he had his hand on his had. he was confused. >> she was yelling at have. he was angry. >> she and her friends thought the whole thing with some kind of crank.

>> it is very farfetched for him to be kidnapped. we did not think twice about it. >> but if the kidnapping was a joke, what happened the next morning was no laughing matter. emma's friends told police that that saturday she drove herself home. guam >> as she's approaching her residence, she sees a person dressed all in black. and as she gets closer, he cinches his hood up and puts his sunglasses on. >> and was texting her friends the play by play. >> as she gets to her residence, this person comes to the front door and tries to get into the house. beating on the door. she is in a fear. she is in a panic. so she reaches out to the one person that she thinks can help her. which was riley. >> emma had just broken up with riley, and was angry at him for what she thought was that strange kidnapping the night

before. >> so she texted him this. i hate you but i need you right now. she facetimed called him and asked him to come over. >> why do you think she reached out to him? given what -- >> i think he was a sense of security to her. and i know he was a protector from other things. >> reilly searched the house and neighborhood, but saw no signs of anyone and did not call the police. by now, detectives were investigating the murder. they discovered surveillance footage from the made for hood. >> so this was the mysterious man in black? >> at that point it is. >> were you able to see a face? >> now. >> a possible intruder? an attempted kidnapping? what was going on? police need to talk to reilly right away. >> they asked him for details about the kidnapping. he insisted it really happened.

>> i didn't want to make with it. i went to my stepdad's house, and i pulled in the driveway. and this van pulled of across from the semi were circle. and these two guys were like walking across the street. the next thing i know, one of them grabs my bag. the other ones around the corner and they just -- put their hands on my face, and just took me -- >> well why would someone do that to you? >> i generally have no idea. >> they did ask me -- they were like -- you know like, who would you want to talk to for the last time? so i start freaking out, and i said emma. they made me call emma. and i was just crying, screaming. she thought it was a joke, she thought it was a prank call. >> emma did not by riley's kidnapping story. but she was genuinely terrified when she called him the next day about the man in black. >> and that's when she facetime called me. she was crying in freaking out.

>> that is the only person really could think of who would want to hurt emma. >> the only thing i thought of was, the person who heard her, that saturday morning, that was the first thing i thought about. >> riley told the police that even though he and emma had broken up, he still cared about her. in fact, they spoke on the phone in the hours before emma was shot. >> i just told her how much i loved her and, that i was sorry that she didn't want what we had any more. she said she didn't care about the relationship anymore. she said she cared about me, she loved me, and -- >> riley said that she he spent the last time crying about it. >> i was just in the parking lot looking at pictures of us. >> he woke up to people calling about their condolences. >> so i was like what do you talking about? did you hear what happens?

-- >> reilly -- and now he had lost the love of his life for good. but this pair of seasoned investigators had their radar up. >> you just start seeing more of his personality, and seeing that he had to have her. >> coming up. a closer look at that mysterious man in black. >> she had actually seen the man in black. she recognized him by his gate, the way he walked, the way he carried himself. >> who was he? when dateline continues. himself. >> who was he? when dateline continues. ♪ got my hair ♪ ♪ got my head ♪

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clarified, the quarterback decision is not yet final. now, back to dateline. >> welcome back to dateline, i'm natalie morales. who shot emma walker? the day before she died, a menacing man dressed in black showed up at her house, triggering a panics call to rags boyfriend, riley goal. riley told police, by the time we got there, the man was gone. now, detectives were about to discover something reilly didn't tell them. and, it would send the investigation into overdrive. once again, here is andrea canning with noises in the night. >> and walker had been murdered. all over twitter, riley gall was a grieving ex. what did he change bio two? >> living every day through and walker. >> rest easy my angel. >> now, i must friends were

looking back on her romance with riley. they remembered a high school boyfriend who's jealous, possessive, and even obsessed. >> he started to get really controlling of her. where she was, which she did. if you want to hang out with our friends, he was like, you're not going. >> he didn't want her to hang out with people. he was just him in her. >> if emma one summer went without him -- >> he would text or 4200 times. >> he would lower phone. up amara, emma, emma, talk to me, text me back. >> hemisphere is not the religion was toxic. they had seen their daughter change. this new personality with riley, in the picture, was not one that you recognized? >> no. not with him. her fun loving self was no longer -- it was very closed off.

more in a room. angry at us. >> was it kind of like her spark had been extinguished? >> yes. >> her parents said riley seemed intent on driving a wedge between emma and her family. >> he would tell her that she generally have parents. that she really had a brother. i think he just wanted her to think that he was all she had. >> this is a nightmare situation for apparent. >> yes. >> jill and mark had always been involved parents. monitoring their kid social media, and cell phones. they even had a tracker on car and was car. when things got bad with reilly, they tried to limit a most contact with him. but, he always seemed to find a way around the rules. >> he would show up to our church because they couldn't tell him to leave. or, a basketball game, because it's a public event, so they can tell him that he shouldn't be there. >> when am i finally broke up with him a week before he died,

even his close friend said it seem like he was. unraveling were you worried about? tim >> yeah, very. >> i think this is when we started to see if he wanted to do something, he could. he >> seemed a little unstable? >> yeah. >> now that mo was dead, her friends weren't buying his sad messages on social media. what are you thinking when you're reading the posts? >> he's trying to cover up for himself. >> did you think he did? it >> i thought he had something to do with it. >> police were thinking the same thing, as they listen to stories about emma and riley. >> based on my experiences as detective, it was an abusive relationship. not physically, but it was a psychological and emotional type of abuse. >> police were skeptical of everything that reilly said. they didn't believe the kidnapping story. when they talk to one of them was friends in the neighborhood, they were even more suspicious. the friends was certain that

riley was the mysterious man in black. >> she had actually seen the man in black, and believed to be riley, and she recognized by his build, buys -- by the way he walked and carried him. self >> during that interview, police were closely watching riley. they noted how he referred to emma in the strangest way. >> the girl, she texted me. >> which girl? >> the one that passed away. >> oh, okay. >> what's your name? >> emma. >> this is someone that he's professed's love to, and got on social media and spoken out about how she uses everything. but, yet when he goes to talk to me in the interview, he refers to her as the girl. >> as interview progressed, police shot to nail down rallies whereabouts the night and was shot. he stuck to the same story, he was at his college, in maryville, tennessee. almost a half hour away, crying

in his car over the breakup. i >> remember getting back my dormant for 30, and are removing awake because yes me when i was getting insulate. >> as police questioned riley -- 's anybody -- they became more and more skeptical, and he was picking up on it. >> i hope to god i am not a suspect in her. death >> did i say you were? >> i hope you don't think. it >> based on my years an experience -- it was phony. >> i would hurt myself before i heard her, and that's what i'd. >> did you shouldn't have was? house >> no, sir. >> despite his denial, riley was now the prime suspect. but they, had to let him go. didn't have enough evidence. there was a missing piece to the puzzle. where was the gun that killed emma? it would take two young men, on a dangerous mission to find it. >> riley gall is about to become the target of a secret operation. >> coming up, --

they set up a listing device >> and the police could hear you >> yeah. >> could these two friends find that missing gun, and the killer? this potentially could be very dangerous. >> absolutely. you're gonna have two boys in a car with a guy that's believed to have killed somebody with a murder weapon, this is a huge dangerous. thing >> when dateline continues. when dateline continues. continues. ...it's time to make a stand. start a new day with trelegy. ♪...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ no once-daily copd medicine... with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it.

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was killed, riley's grandfather called police about a handgun he owned. >> he calls a report that the gun is stolen. >> that missing gun was a problem for riley, too. he lived with his grandfather. the gun was the same caliber as the one used to kill emma. police didn't think that that was a coincidence. did he express that he knew where the gun? was or, did you deny -- >> he denied. >> after's denials to police, reilly reached out to his close friends, alex and noah. since his breakup with emma, riley had been leaning on them for support. wouldn't he say about how he felt about it? >> he was torn up. throughout this whole time, i tried to spend as much time with him as i could. just to be there for him. >> reilly confided in alex and no, again. he said he would never hurt

emma. he had nothing to do the shooting. but, he did have his grandpa's gun. >> they're gonna find a way to put this on me if they find the gun. can you help me get rid of this? >> the boys were willing to come for riley, but not help get rid of evidence in a murder investigation. instead, they called lieutenant merit. it's amazing that they called. >> absolutely. >> this is a big piece of the puzzle. >> absolutely. they could very well mind their own business. >> riley told his friends that he plans to go to the bluffs, high above the tennessee river, and toss the gun into the water. police hatched a plan, a bold and risky sting operation. have alex and noah go with riley, and the moment they see the gun, signal detectives who would swoop in and make an arrest. this potentially could be very dangerous. >> absolutely. you have two boys in a car with a guy that's believed to have already killed somebody with a murder weapon, this is a

dangerous thing. >> dangerous, for sure. and then, detectives made it even more complicated. they decided to secretly recorded the whole thing. >> they set up a listening device in the car. i had a little one inside the coat of my jacket, which sock to because i couldn't take off my jacket the whole time. >> and then he got the -- >> and the police could hear you, but you can hear them? >> the. >> everything came together with lightning speed. just hours after calling police, 18 year olds, alex and noah, we're wired up, and ready to be really. -- they're very vulnerable in this position. >> my parents just moved to north carolina, i was on my own. i don't have -- you deny tell your parents >> i didn't. >> i texting a secret to detectives, the moment they see

the gun. without tipping off riley, the pressure was intense. >> holy -- , van. >> this is insane. >> riley came over to nose house. the mission was underway. >> i know that she really loved and cared about me. we spent two years together. >> police were nearby, listening in. as instructed, the boys tried to be natural. >> i'm sorry about i'm a, dog. >> i really want to be so upset, and i can't, because i'm more worried about getting -- and put away from murder. that i didn't commit. never in my life and i kill. >> love you,. bro it's a carrier to do with all this. >> riley clearly had no clue about the sting. he had faith in his friends. >> i'm trusting you guys, like, with my life, because i mean, this is 70 years in jail if i get convicted of something i didn't do. what >> can you just give them the gun? >> just --

it just needs to be gone. for whatever reason, just disregard. you guys don't have to come with me if you don't want. >> i mean, i got your back. >> if it's in the tennessee river, they will never find it. >> the boys headed out, first up, riley stepfather south where, he had the gun. he came out holding a plastic arby's back. detectives were still tracking the boys closely, or trying to. it's kind of a crazy part here. we have detectives watching him leave now from stepdads. and at some point we lose them. we lose sight of the vehicle. we have lost the wire. >> is that a heart beating? moment >> yes. we want to keep up with them. the >> police did find them again. to see the boys make an odd detour. they stopped first some drive-through fast food. >> yeah. i need a cajun chicken.

with two sides of hush puppies. with chili and cheese on it. and a large dr. pepper. >> have you ever -- had >> no. >> oh my god try it. >> gosh >> you're in the middle of this tropical operation, and you decide to go virtually cheese fries? >> why cool? >> it was like we are saying goodbye to one of our best friends. it was almost like comforting to have it be like it was before. >> they got to the bluff surround 11:00. and pulled into an apartment complex parking lot. alex knew the code for the gate, he used to make deliveries there. and now for the big moment. the camera did not catch it, but alex and know i will never forget. it riley pulled a gun out of the bag. >> oh my god. >> noah texted the detectors. they were supposed to pounce. but 30 seconds past, then a

minute. no police. they saw the suv outside the gate. what was the delay? two minutes. still no police. the tension was unbearable. then alex did something audacious. he took the gun out of riley's hand. >> this is a real gun. >> alex, why did you take the gun from riley? that was kind of a bold move. >> yeah it really was. >> i was tripping from the backseat. >> i was just -- and reilly grabs it back out of my hands. that was scary. >> and that was when police got through the gate. and made their move. >> what's the? >> let me see your hands! everyone out of the vehicle now! >> riley was cuffed and taken away. the gun stayed in the car. >> we pulled out the vaccine, just to see the serial number. >> the mission was a success. alex and noah were --

law riley was charged with the murder of emma and taken to jail. it was the end of a long, crazy day. the football hero was behind bars. how did it all come to this? >> he was controlling. but you never thought he was of murder. >> and in a case already full of surprises, the biggest one was still to come. >> coming up. a sudden change in riley's story. and it's a stunner. >> as crazy as it is, and as bizarre as it is, he was hoping that he could come to her rescue. >> what riley is saying is, i am not a cold blooded killer. >> with the jury believe? it >> in the case of first degree murder, did you reach? verdicts >> when dateline continues. murder, did you reach murder, did you reach verdicts >

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after my car accident, ♪ call owondnder whahatmy c cas. eight million ♪ so i called the barnes firm. almost a year and a half had i'm rich barnes. youour cidedentase e woh than insurance offered? call the barnes firm now to find out. yoyou ght t beurprpris passed since emma walker was shot and killed through the wall of her bedroom. her ex, riley gall, pleaded not guilty to her murder. the prosecutor prepared for a high profile trial. >> why do you think this is gotten so much attention? >> people can relate to getting

in trouble, and being in love. people can relate to break ups. and one thing that really scare people in our community, was that amulet was asleep. in her home. in her own bed. >> was it stressful as the trial approached? >> yes. >> just the worries of what the turnout would be. >> what they would have to prove to a jury that it was riley who pulled the trigger. >> what was your strategy going into this trial? >> i think the main thing we needed to focus on in the beginning was putting him there the nights -- so i think the cell phone records, and the gps locations were very important up until that moment. >> he placed himself in memorable, and they placed him back in oxford. >> so he had clearly turner told a lie about where he was? >> yes. >> the picture that we painted of riley gall, was a deceiver. someone who is phony.

someone who you couldn't get the truth out of if you had tried. >> but on the first day of the trial, riley's defenses attorney had up ended the case with a crazy admission. riley was there, fired the gun, but it was not murder. >> that was a very stunning thing. >> for crime reporter, jamie's other field, she saw a jobs drop. >> what he said was that reilly never intended to kill her. and in fact, assume he would not kill her if he shot through a wall. >> we will ask you to find mr. gall guilty of reckless homicide. >> not premeditated murder. >> in tennessee, that is 2 to 4 years in the penitentiary. >> that would be a huge difference! >> all the states -- went out the window. >> the defense said that riley was not some crazy killer, just

crazy in love with emma. in a disarm to win her back. >> when riley fired that shot in the backyard, as crazy is it is, and as bizarre as it is, he was hoping that he could come to her rescue. >> the defense told the jury that reilly only meant to scare them up with the gunshots. and if emma needed the comfort, he would swoop in and be her night. they ided that he had no idea that those ballots would pass through the house. >> some of us who know about firearms, may very well know, that if you shoot, it may not go through the wall. some of those may. so i submit to you, riley did not know. >> the defense knew that miley was the man in black, but admitted that the kidnapping story was a ruse. riley's attorney says it showed

how desperate he was to be with her. >> what riley was trying to do is to get an opportunity to see emma. that's when he was trying to do. >> and then they said the common theme of his defense, that rather than killing emma, wet he intended to do was to play a rescuer. >> it almost does sound like he was trying to scare her. when you first hear it. >> i thought the same thing. but i went out to the scene. and looked at the house. and looked at where he was standing. it was five feet away from the house where the measurements were? if i pulled a gun at you and pull the trigger. it was that close. >> so close, they said, it was obvious that riley was shooting the kill. >> shoot up in the air, shoot into the window. anywhere but where you shot. >> they agreed with the defense on one point, riley was desperate to be with emma. but that desperation had become dangerous. >> prosecutors argued, of

course he was the man in black. after that, when the kidnapping strung failed, he said that reilly gave up on winning her back. instead, he sneaked into her backyard, stood outside her window, and fired. knowing exactly where she slept on the other side. >> in this case, i sought revenge. i think that he sought, to get back to it her, for what she was purposely putting on him, like breaking up with him. >> and after he killed her, the prosecutor says he went to great lengths to cover his tracks. >> and he's going to throw it off the bluff? >> yes sir. >> they showed the video of the undercover sting. and how reilly had to admit pilate his closest friends to cover it up. >> i trust you guys with my life. >> his plan was to get away with this. his plan was never get caught. >> which with the jury believe?

a reckless act, or premeditated murder? they went off to deliberate. and came back for hours later. >> in count one, charging the defendant with first degree murder did you reach a verdict? >> yes we did. guilty. >> you hear guilty? what's that moment light? >> relieved. >> it's a sense of relief. >> riley was sentenced to life in prison. he will be in his 70s by the time he is eligible for parole. >> all of the investigators and all of the work, we are almost more proud of -- >> i mean are there any heroes in? this >> i think they are. >> lieutenant, the walkers, they call you the heroes. what do you say to that? >> just doing when i had to do. >> it took a lot of guts to do what you did. >> we appreciate that. >> as for emma, who used to joke that she was kind of a big deal. she has actually become one.

with tributes are all over town. and a scholarship in their name at central high. and a dog park, dedicated to the young animal lover. >> this is a fun, happy place for people to remember her. >> and here at the east tennessee children's hospital, a nicu place has been named in her memory. but they say the best way to honor the her daughter, is to remember what happened. detective -- says it's important to understand when teenage drama, turns into dangerous behavior. >> i think we need to educate our young people about wet a healthy relationship is, and what is psychological use, and what is emotional abuse. >> i hope that with someone gets out of his story is, awareness. learn what is healthy for you. >> emma may be gone, but for those who loved her, the young girls still sparkles. >> she would want to be out

there. and she would want us to be laughing and having fun. you know, you can't cry all day. you still have to live life. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am natalie morales, thank you for watching. natalie morales, >> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> this is "dateline. " i knew she would never leave her kids in the middle of a hurricane so i always knew it wasn't going to be good. >> crystal was gone, and there were lots of reasons to worry. >> she had numerous lovers, membmen and women. >> you had the husband and boyfriend failing polys. >> on the same day. >> the answer would have to wait. >> hurricane harvey is moving in this direction and high water rescues. >> we're stuck in the house and