angry about what happened. >> it would be easy to be angry? >> it would be very easy to be angry. i don't want them to see the bad part of it. i want them to turn that bad situation into something positive. >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >> she answered the phone call her, text messages. i could see that the windowpane was broken. the glass was on the ground. >> a valentine's day that started with roses and ended in a different shade of red. >> everything stopped. i was just in shock. >> we knew that there was somebody bad out there doing something. >> she was a wife, a mother, a missionary. >> to me, it sounds like a saint. >> she probably was. >> but something had been happening behind closed doors. >> there is nothing more important to me than you and this relationship. >> was it love?

>> this was his valentine's day present. >> or hate? >> 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. >> 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. >> we had 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 where somebody broke in. >> my world had just been shattered. >> they're perfect world broken by and act so evil, it tore a family apart. >> the worst day of my life. >> and put an entire town on edge. >> the extra extra cautious, lock your doors, lock your windows. pay attention to strangers in the area. >> they devoted their lives to others. who would ever want to hurt them? >> it's just absolutely a despicable act. >> for a day that ended so tragically, it began in a happy way. with flowers and expressions of love. with nathan and dennis leuthold had met earlier, back in the eighties when they were students at a small baptist school in central illinois. even at that young age, nathan knew there was something to the sparkling little girl. >> i was in third grade and she was in fourth grade at the time. and i doubt she even knew i existed. but even then, i thought she was the cutest girl in school. >> what was it that you liked about her so much?

>> it was the curly hair and the bouncy curls, and just the happy-go-lucky smile. in junior high, i began to see her character. and see what kind of person she was that. >> it was in high school that nathan and denise got to know each other better. but they didn't date, as most teens do. because they both came from religious families. >> our parents didn't really believe in dating. so we are just good friends. i went to her church activities, she came to mine. we saw each other in school. that's how it started. she was my first girlfriend, and i only girlfriend. >> norm junior got to know nathan and -- when his wife taught at the high school. death nathan was a basketball player, denise was a cheerleader. >> they were inseparable. they just goof around with each other. just a loving puppy love way. and it just grew into something special between the two of them.

and we knew they would be together. >> what's more, with 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 woman, a wife, a mother. and i saw that denise really favored her mother. so i said, that's why. want >> for denise's mom, diane newton, the feeling was mutual. was he over all the time? >> yes. he practically lived at our house. >> when denise went off to college in minnesota, nathan, a year younger, soon followed. to no one surprise, the couple got engaged a year later. diane knew it was coming. >> i was surprised when he was the first one that she dated and they ended up getting married. >> that was in july 1995. >> i was always very happy being a wife and mother. so, i was happy for her that she had found someone to love. to share her life with. >> right before we did our vows, denise had prepared a song talking about everything that she had wanted was in me. and that our marriage was going to be the kind that she had always hope for, and dreamed for as a little child.

and it was a wonderful day. >> after the young couple settled in their hometown of peoria, illinois, denise went to work at an insurance company. while nathan started a career in jails sales. but he couldn't shake a higher calling. for several years he had big dreamed of becoming a baptist missionary. in 1998, they finally seized the opportunity when another young couple at their church began their own missionary work in lithuania. >> i approached the fella and said, what would you think about denise and i coming and helping you guys? he said that would be great. >> they moved in with us for six months. sold all their possessions, try to save up money. >> we didn't know any lithuanian at the time. didn't know the language, we were studying it. trying our best. but it was definitely a shock. >> they returned home after a year and soon welcomed a son, seth and a daughter, julia. in 2002, the fan really went back to lithuania, which became their second home on and off for the next eight years.

that's a big undertaking -- >> right. i think it was very hard for denise to leave her family, to leave everything she had known. and to go over to a strange country, you know, with a toddler and a baby. it was traumatic experience for her, i think. >> this is because really, nathan, wanted to do it? >> right. she was supporting him. it wasn't really her calling. she was basically just being a wife and a mother. >> but denise also became very devoted to the church there. >> denise was very musical and she played the piano for the children, taught them songs. talk a little girls especially, bible stories.

>> they grew particularly close to some of the children at their and their families. >> we had helped women who had been in abusive relationships. we had brought several list winnie and students tonight it seized over the years. for cultural reasons, musical purposes. >> their generosity extended to a young lithuanian they had gone to know well. aina dobilaite. who eventually came to the u. s. as a college student. she even lived with them for a while in peoria. >> nathan has a very big heart for people. he just loves to help people out. and just wants to do the lords work. >> by the fall of 2010, nathan and denise we're living back in the states. by then, they had a third child, jenelle. their days were filled with shuttling kids to school and daycare, and raising funds for their next overseas mission. 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 could see that the windowpane was broken. glass was on the ground. at that point, i began to put things together that someone had broken into the home. and at that point i called the

police, called 9-1-1. >> 9-1-1. where is the emergency? >> ah, we've got 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 calls, candies or flowers this valentine's day. no one can find denise. >> she hadn't entered her phone calls. she hadn't answered her text messages. >> and what police find is terrifying. >> everything stopped. i just kept looking at my daughter. my world had just been shattered. and i have to tell her at some point. >> when dateline continues.

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seth, 12, julia, 10 and jenelle, 4. we're living with denise is. parents nathan says it felt good to be home. >> we had tremendous friends and family here in the states. and that's always what we miss the most. >> being back in the states also made gave nathan an opportunity travel to churches where he reported on his and denise's missionary work and raised more funds so they could soon return to lithuania. in the u.s., they could also celebrate holidays, american style, as they did on valentine's day, 2013. >> as is our tradition on holidays, easter, christmas, or birthdays or, valentines -- we started off with first thing in the morning. so, the children had their valentine sacs that denise had prepared sitting at the table for them. >> and for his wife? >> well i gave to her was the roses and the card that i had bought the night before in place on the table.

>> after the early morning celebration, the family was back to their usual routine. taking the kids to school, shopping, running errands. denise's parents were at work. but 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 us to pick up her up? >> the i said denise should be there there. she must of been late. >> turns out no one had been able to reach denise for a while. including nathan. >> she hadn't answered her phone call. she had answered her text messages. i said, just wait for minute. i'll get jenelle from daycare and let you know. and when i picture up from daycare. they said she still hasn't come, she hasn't called. i said well, i'll run by the house and see if she's there. and as soon as i got to be pulled into the driveway, the garage doors open. >> was that odd? >> very odd. there's no car in the garage. but the garage door is open. and then as i got about halfway into the garage, i could see that the windowpane 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 that the person

could still be in the house? >> i did. and at that point, i just decided the best thing was to not enter the house. i am not a real confrontational type of person. never been in a fight in my life. if i had to defend my family, i would. but i don't go looking for. i wasn't going to try to stop somebody who is in the house. the police would get them later. >> with his young daughter in the car, nathan backed into the neighbor's driveway across the street, so he could watch the house as he called 9-1-1. >> what's the problem? >> we've got 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 where somebody broke in. i've not gone in the house yet. >> nathan waited with his daughter at the neighbor's house, repeatedly calling family members to see if anyone had heard from denise. then the police arrived. >> detectives jason lee and sean curry were among the first on the scene. >> by the time we got here, officers were starting to rope everything off. securing the inside of the house.

>> 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 their door where we saw him found her laying down. just right in the front door here. >> they quickly determined she had been killed by a single gunshot to the head. she didn't even have time to take her coat off. her gloves, anything. so when she entered that door, that shot was immediate. >> the weapon appear to be a 40 caliber handgun. but no sign of a gun. >> did it seem like had denise possibly startled a burglar? >> when we got there, it looked like he interrupted a burglary. when she came home the, house

had been ransacked like somebody had broken in through the back door. started going through the house. she had maybe startled a burglar when she came in through the front door. >> well investigators combed the quick the crime scene, nathan 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 through my father. i was calling my dad and dad said well i'm 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 to that realization, what is going through your mind? >> everything stopped. i went looking at my four -year-old daughter, who is the image of her mother. curly hair and bouncy step.

and i just kept looking at my daughter and i wanted to hug her. i wanted to just let all of the pain that was associated with knowing. but there she was standing, staring at me, just smiling. my world had just been shattered. and i had to tell her at some point. >> denise's mom had no idea what happened. but she rushed to him when nathan told her they had been a break-in. >> i drove out there, the roads were all blocked. >> that a sick feeling when you see all those?

>> yeah. >> what were you thinking? >> i didn't know what to think. i try to run up there to go to the house and they were like, no you can't going. i'm like well, i just want to know, 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 policeman came in and told me that she had been shot. the worst day of my life. >> now she had to tell her husband, denise father's. >> fell apart, cried. i guess it's every parent's worst nightmare. they 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 fall of a murder on valentine's day. >> did you feel like we have a mystery on our hands? we've got to solve this? >> yeah, we knew we had something bad. and we knew that it was going to take a lot of work to get to the point where we knew who done it. >> coming up -- a possible clue. >> and then pulled into our driveway. >> without the headlights on? >> without headlights? >> without the headlights. >> nathan remember seeing a suspicious car near his house not long before the murder. >> this is kind of weird.

pulled in the driveway. i immediately go through -- by the front door and flip the lights on. the car leaves. >> was the killer in that car? when dateline continues.

>> it was hard to believe denise leuthold, mother of three young children, had been found shot to death in her home in peoria, illinois.

leuthold's friend couldn't comprehend the news. >> who could do this to a great young woman? a family of three children, 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 2 watches. a couple hundred dollar watches. nothing -- >> what about money? >> no. >> a laptop, digital camera, and jewelry had been stolen. two guns had also 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 to ask myself the same questions i first pulled in the driveway. >> nathan gave detectives a clue, though. he said he remembered seeing a suspicious car in the neighborhood late at night. a couple of weeks before the murder. >> pulled in our driveway with the headlights on. >> without headlights? >> without headlights on. they were on in the road, but they turned in, they turned them off. you know, this is kind of weird, pulled in the driveway, i immediately go through into the front door, and it'll be outside lights on. the car leaves. >> then a few days before the murder, he said it happen again. >> similar situation, but this

time into the neighbor's driveway. >> that time, nathan called police, and spoke with an officer. >> there were people who were casing the neighborhood. >> people in peoria, illinois were spooked. could a burglar going to kill be on the loose? >> it caused a lot of stress in the neighborhood. political school lock down that day, this stuff doesn't happen in this neighborhood. >> if you come down during the day people are riding their bikes. people in the park walking around. it's not like a high crime area where those gunshots all the time. it was enough to scare everybody. >> it was a big story in town. >> be extra cautious lock your doors, lock your windows, pay attention, strangers in your area. >> what was the mood of the neighborhood? >> very erie. >> beau ebenezer was a reporter in peoria. >> a lot of people really wanted to know what happened. they're going to sleep every night, not really sure who killed their neighbor. >> one neighbor says with two

small kids at home, she's feeling panicked and even a little paranoid. >> tips started coming in right away. diane parrish, who lived a few houses from nathan and denise, remembered seeing a strange man on her street right around the time of her murder. >> describe the man you saw walking along this road? >> he had a black hoodie sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up, and his hands were in the pocket. i will never forget the look on his face. >> what was audible to look on his face? >> he was very agitated. i knew immediately something was wrong with him. >> neighbors were anxious, and detectives were puzzled. denise's neighborhood was normally very quiet. not the type of place it expect a burglary, even if she had accidentally stumbled upon an intruder, how had it turned so vicious so quickly? >> why would somebody want to turn it to this particular

house? >> it's not typical as far as a burglary that results in a murder. >> maybe it wasn't a burglary at all. coming up, if it wasn't a burglary, what was it? was nathan's life also in danger? >> nathan's parents told me nathan and three children have been moved to a safe house just to protect them. when dateline continues.

>> it looked like a burglary gone bad. 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 just happens to be a lot worse. >> it's not typical as far as a burglary that results in a murder. it doesn't happen very often. >> this was an odd one. detectives needed to know more about the needs and begin questioning her family, including nathan, her husband of 17 years. >> you talking to us and cooperating with us is the best information we can get. >> we want to talk to the people closest to her first to

figure out what makes her tick, what's her routine like. >> did you start to think someone may have targeted denise? >> we didn't know. i mean, nathan, he is going to be our best witness, you know? you're living with this lady, married for a long time, you know her routine. >> did you think maybe someone had a reason to be in that house, outside of just a random burglary? >> we didn't know. but we needed to lockdown at that point, initially. we needed to make sure we locked down what she planned on doing that today. >> and they started at the very beginning. >> she woke about 6:45 which is normal. i was already shaving and showering. >> where the kids up? what time did they wake up? >> she gets them up at 6:45. >> nathan told police he took the two older children to school and went on a series of errands that day, including going to a spotty by gift certificate for denise. >> was it for? >> a massage. >> do you remember how much you spent? >> $74. >> police learned the spent the morning at home with four year

old jenelle until she drover her to daycare in the afternoon. nathan said denise had her own list of things to do that day. >> she had gone to the mall, head of the errands to run. >> we're going to try and get video of her. we have to figure out where she was at and -- >> we have to place the last time we can see her, and we can narrow the window down. >> it's tedious and we appreciate you cooperating, believe me. >> by mid afternoon, when denise should have been done shopping and on her way to pick up julia, nathan said he tried reaching her but couldn't. at first, he wasn't concerned. >> so i called, she didn't answer. no big deal, she's driving. so i center text. >> he became worried once he got home and saw denise's wasn't in the driveway. it looked like the house have been broken into. >> i don't know what to think. she's not answering my phone calls, she's not answering my mom's phone calls. she didn't go to the school. she didn't call. where is she at? if she's late, if she broke down, if she had a flat tire, she would've called from her

cell phone. i'm going through all these 101 options and my head. >> detectives asked nathan the uncomfortable questions they ask anyone who's spouse has been murdered -- >> this is kind of a personal question, and take no offense because we have to cover every base. at any time has a wife ever done anything behind your back, have you had any issues, any boyfriends, anything like that? >> no. >> what about you? >> no. >> did he describe a good marriage? >> yes. he described denise as the backbone of the family. if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be able to do his work. she does everything for the kids. >> she is the main one that holds it all together. she did everything that made the kid's lives spin. >> then he sounds like a saint. >> she probably was. >> everyone we talked to had nothing but good things to say about her.

>> must have really perked your attention, that this woman is considered to be this amazing mom, does this religious work, why would you have any enemies? >> i mean, nothing was coming to the forefront. >> nathan said he was doing his best to hold it together so he could help them catch the killer. he was anxious to be with his children. >> we appreciate the cooperation, and as much information we can get from you, the better. it's going to help us. >> help me get back to my kids tonight. >> we hope you will be. >> i can't leave them all that long. >> nathan finally did leave the police station late that night. hours after his wife had been killed. he went to his sister's home, where his children were sound asleep. >> i was exhausted. i was emotionally spent. i spent the next several hours with my mother, my sister, and at some point i fell asleep. my sister trying to comfort me.

>> the next day, nathan said he was struggling with the fact that his wife was gone. and now how to explain that to his kids. >> i had been with jenelle when i found out. i hadn't been with seth and julia. at that point, i didn't know what they, knew what they found, out what they had seen on the news or whatever else. i didn't want them to find out the way that i had. >> how did you tell the children, that their mother had been killed? >> it was friday morning,. 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 to one of the bedrooms,

and it was the oldest two at that point, set and julia, and my sister was there with me, and we sat down on the bed, and i said mom went home to be with god. we know she loves us. we know that we loved her. at that point, i reached out for them. and we just hugged. and it was quiet. my tears soaked their faces, and their tears soaked my face. and then we prayed. and we thanked god for the most wonderful mother and wife to have ever been on this earth. >> later, nathan took the children and went to stay at a church mission house a nearby town. >> nathan's parents told me nathan and the three children had been moved to a safe house, just to protect them. they didn't know if they are 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 him, when we were in the living room alone together, and it was complete silence. it felt a little awkward, but i could see him just staring into space, almost. >> in the meantime, denise's parents made the difficult choice to return to their home, the scene of the crime. a few days later, they ask 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, that 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. coming up, this is strange. denise had just gotten home when she was killed. so, where was her car? some place else? >> she's been shot in the house, okay? i need to figure out how that car got to robinson park. >> when dateline continues.

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death, nathan and his children 's day-to-day church mission houses. 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 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 are wondering the same thing, they also began to ask other questions. >> we kept going over the robbery, like how it would've happened, and it didn't really make sense. >> what was suspicious about what was taken? >> i worked at a store that sold high-def tvs, we had a lot of small ones they could've just picked up, taken away. you know, electronics, blue ray

players, none of those things were touched. i only had probably three rings that were of any value but those three rings were taken. those are the only three that were valuable? >> something seemed off to police as well. >> the more we start looking at the house, it didn't seem like a real burglary. there was a junk drawer that was perfectly laying on the floor. why would a burglar even go through a junk drawer, pens? things like that, scissors. and then lay it? >> they idolized things nathan had told him during his interview at the police station the night of the murder, like the fact he owned three guns. >> i got a shotgun. >> well do you know what -- >> 12 gauge shotgun. >> what else you got? >> i have a 22. silver with pearl handle, little. they have a primary, one which is a glock. >> which model? >> model i don't know it's a

40. >> a lot of things about the 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 murder. >> how did he explain that? >> it couldn't. >> i think he was trying to allude to the fact of the burglar must-have got into it and taking it. >> nathan told police he kept that gun in a plastic case. >> you kept it locked then? how hardwood before someone departed open? but you need a crowbar something? >> no. >> there is no broken case at the house. that said a lot to the detectives. >> i asked him why out of the box? he didn't know but tried to insinuate burglar target. burglars aren't going to take a busted lock box after the kill somebody. they're gone. >> nathan told them he last fired that gun in oklahoma. >> a couple weeks ago? >> i could look at mike calendar but yeah, a couple weeks ago. >> nothing here lately? >> i shot the 40 when i was there. >> there is something else troubling police.

even though denise had been killed in her home her car was found in a nearby park. the police figured whoever drive it over there must have been involved in the denices murder. >> this is the problem. she's been shot in the house, i need to figure out how that car got to robinson park. >> a key to that car was found tangled in denise is hair, under her head. so, clearly, that key was 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 because i'm trying to find a set of keys. >> i know there's one set of keys, and whenever i have borrowed -- when i've driven the car to get something fixed on it, oil change, whatnot. i just ask for the keys and she gives me the keys. or she says, there on the plate. >> none of that made any sense to the detectives. there had to be a second key somewhere visible in the house in order for an intruder to easily find it and drive the car to the park. there was no other way, they said. >> -- and he shoots are.

that guy is getting out of town. he's not going to wait to try and find a spare set of keys in the house. he's leaving. >> questions about denise is car lead to questions about nathan's car, and something he said caught the detectives attention. >> was your vehicle, every at robertson park today? >> my vehicle was that robertson park today, yes. >> for what? when was this? >> early this morning. not early, but it would've been before i came back to the house. >> but was it down there for? >> a pulled over to make a phone call. >> it turns out on the day of the murder, nathan was at the same park where denise is 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 us to believe your wife was probably shot with a 40 caliber handgun. okay?

and then, furthermore, to have her car the street at the park, right, where you failed to tell us that you are there prior to going home earlier that day. >> it was a short phone call. i didn't think -- >> i know, but i mean, thing is, we're talking about things that once you start piecing things together, we're trying to figure things out. >> i understand. >> okay, so if you are at the park, at the exact same park your wife's car was at, i need to figure out how your wives car got there. >> okay. i don't have the answer. >> you don't have a key either. >> correct. >> it wasn't just that nathan stop 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 lithuanian exchange student. >> that's how she came on your radar? >> she was 20 year old aina dobilaite, the young exchange student who had been close to the family for years. she baby sat for them in the 20th, and they were sponsoring her as a student in the u.s..

what was that call about? >> it kind of kept snowballing from there, we figured we had to go up and track her down. >> coming up, a missionaries an usual close relationship with a young exchange didn't. >> did you outright ask her where you having a sexual relationship with nathan? >> yes, she denied it. >> when dateline continues.

>> police found denise leuthold, a 39-year-old 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, detective started to see things differently. >> things weren't adding up. we're not accountants, but we know it doesn't add up. >> police wanted to look more closely at the lithuanian student nathan had spoken to on the phone the day of the murder. he and denise had met her on their first missionary trip in 1998.

>> there is a church that was their already established, and that church really took us in and did their best to communicate with us and helped us out and there was a particular women in the church we worked with, it was aina's mother. >> dobilaite just a child at the time. as she grew, up a relationship with the family grew as well. >> a teenager, very clear she had given her life to the lord and wanted to serve him. she was always the one volunteering, helping out church alongside her mother. she was very gifted, and music, and as we started branching out the ministry, aina was the one that took care of music. >> when she was 16, she became a babysitter for nathan and denise's three children. >> aina was the one helping us with children at church. it was natural for denise to want to hire her, and we trusted her 100% with them. and that's how she came to be a part of our family. >> you ended up bringing her over to america?

>> we were sponsoring, her yes. she came here for education. her desire from the beginning was to go back to help her own country and the church there. how to use music for the lord. >> that sponsorship started in the fall of 2010, one aina came to the u.s. to study at a christian college in florida were nathan would occasionally visitor. but what did denise think about that? >> i asked for more than once, aren't you jealousies traveling around with this young girl? she was like, no. she wasn't jealous. at all. >> this was a girl they wanted to -- >> exactly. and she trusted nathan. >> during school vacations, aina would stay in peoria with the whole family. >> she was really good with the kids. she seemed like she was a sweet girl. >> if your daughter elector -- >> she was a friend of our daughters. and son-in-law. see accepted her into our home. >> in december 2011, aina leapt that florida school. she was so close with the

leuthold family, she moved in with nathan, denise, and denise's parents well she attended a community college in peoria. >> it wasn't the first time we've done that. so aina was one of many we worked with. it was very natural. >> we had sponsored other lithuania students before to come here. it didn't really seem strange to us that's what they were doing. >> they were making a difference in this girl's life? >> they're giving her a chance to come here, get a college education here. >> six months before denise's death, aina transferred to a college in chicago, 160 miles from peoria. police drove there to talk to her. >> when we first art of the interview, there was a lot of background information, and we were coming across this concern for denise. he lived for him for 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, all of a sudden perfectly speaking english girl starts in, i don't understand that. or i'm not going to answer that question. it turned into more of a cold stare, and no emotion whatsoever. >> you describe it like a staring contest? >> we throughout their 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 take you into their home, right back from the idea, you live with them. that doesn't bother you? and she just looked at me, stone cold. i cried enough over the weekend. >> detectives asked her about something they learned as they traced nathan's movements today at the murder. remember, one of the places he said he visited was this day spa, where he body valentine's day gift certificate for denise. when detective stopped there, they discovered nathan had been bringing another woman to the spa. it was not other than aina.

it happened so often, the owner said, she thought they were a couple. >> he's taking this woman and her early twenties, an exchange student, to the spa. >> to get massages, to get her waxed up. in the front yard, if my wife found up i was boxing a 20 year old. it didn't make sense. i kept on explaining. i asked her what is he waxing up? she didn't answer. >> they asked her about the bill, which nathan paid. >> she framed it as it's his money, and it's denise's money. if he is spending the money, she should be all right with it. >> did you ask, are we having a sexual relationship with nathan? and what was her response? >> she denied it. >> then aina mentioned some of the sparked her curiosity. she studied music her whole life, and had gone to college in florida to play the piano. but she told detectives she left the school because of problems with her hands. >> it was officially titled

academic withdrawal. >> they subpoenaed aina's school records. >> the records we got said her dismissal had something to do with inappropriate relationships with her sponsor, including staying off campus overnight with just them. >> 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? >> the communicated a lot more than nathan lead on. it didn't look like a typical sponsor relationship. there was multiple texts and calls every day. >> she's denying a sexual relationship with the text messages, suggesting otherwise? >> there was one that mentioned the chin, and he asked her if she was wet. i didn't find that appropriate for their relationship they were leading on. the biggest thing was the sheer volume of contact they had. you're saying you're just

checking on her, making sure she's doing good in school. it had the appearance of a dating type of relationship. >> coming up, more questions for and about nathan. >> my husband that he's a missionary, he wouldn't kill anybody. >> when dateline continues.

had denise looted been killed by an intruder? or part of a blur glee gone wrong? had someone close to her been involved? denise's parents believed her daughter had been killed by a stranger. until their minister came to visit one day. he asked us, do you have any suspicions that your son invalid was involved? and we both answered no, as wait a minute, then i started having suspicions. my husband was kind of shock

because he thought 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 whereabouts that day. they collected surveillance video from the police as he said he'd been. and while he was at those places, chase bank, starbucks and the day spa, a car wash. there was a problem. we were able to account for him up to about 11:30 in the morning. but then there was a gap between leaving the starbucks around 11:30 and then he shows up at the same starbucks around 12:45 pm. and in between there we could not account for him in any way. that gap was crucial. and it was during that timeframe that police believe that the murder happened. detectives even traced a route they nathan might have taken that day. from the starbucks to, the park a quick walk to his house, and then back to the starbucks. to see if he could've done it in time. six minutes 55 seconds.

>> not only possible, they said, but probable. more likely, they figured, then a stranger breaking into the house during the 20-minute denise was out. it's inconceivable to think that somebody breaks into the out of that exact same times, rummage through the house, finds a glut loaded 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 if 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 a park. they believe nathan was lying to them, and that he had used that key to move the car. another suspicious finding? a black hoods reset sweatshirt on the floor of nathan in denise's bedroom. investigator said it seem to

match the one that strange man was wearing in the neighborhood that day. someone was in a hurry, threw it off, and took it down. something else was even more troubling. police had ordered an extensive analysis of nathan's laptop. 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. just because you delete something doesn't mean it's gone. and what they found for them. it ranged from how to silence a 40 caliber handgun, glock specifically, which is the gun that he owned and she was shot with. how to silence that. had over days someone on insulin. electrocution in the bathtub. things like this. and this goes back several months before the murders. >> he's potentially all these ways to kill his wife. >> i honestly think he planned it out. did you straight-up ask him,

did you have anything to do with your wife's death? >> and? >> he denied. not only did he deny killing his wife, nathan told him that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of those internet searches that the police uncovered. >> electrocution in the bathtub, how to silence a gun. we had started a foundation overseas called hope for tomorrow. to combat suicide. and we were doing research and looking at block sites where young people were desperate people, we're giving information about what they were thinking. still, it was obvious from nathan's interview 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, you have a freak >> no i don't i do not have a preconceived notion in my head. but when you are painting a picture i'm trying to put the pieces together, as a homicide

investigator i have to either rule you in or rule you out. and you want to room in based on one? i'd rather rule you out so i can move on. but i want to rule you out because i hope you didn't do it. >> between learning about china and all the evidence that they had collected, police had enough to arrest nathan. three weeks after denise had been killed, they pulled their husband over, and he just dropped his kids off at school. they handcuff me. 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 we going? what's going on? >> we're taking you to jail for the murder of your wife. >> he seems scared, he seemed surprised. i think it was disbelief that he was being arrested. >> it was a shock. nathan lieu thought, missionary

and father of three, native son a furious, was now on his way to jail. to await trial for the murder of his wife. his friend normal rick who had known the couple for decades, was stunned. >> there is no doubt in my mind that nathan was arrested because they needed somebody in jail. there's no way that i can ever fathom nathan doing this. to his wife. coming up, hard to imagine anyone doing something this evil if it's true. this was hill his valentine's day present to china, and that's despicable. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues. when found out their symptoms.. leg pain, swelling and redness - were deep vein thrombosis. a blood clot which could travel to the lungs

and lead to a pulmonary embolism. or difficulty breathing - and be deadly. if you have one or more of these symptoms, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. ♪ ♪ at lowe's, you never have to be finished with your finishing touches. with aisles of ways to refresh and restyle. for whatever style you're feeling. at prices you're really feelin. shop the lowe's bath style & save event now in-store and online. two loads of snot covered laundry. only one will be sanitized. wait, what? adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria detergent alone, can't. let's get ready for jalapeñoooo popperrrs! turns out, michael buffer speaks like that all the time. and it turns out the general is a quality insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage, go with the general. three weeks after denise lieu

told was shot to death her, husband nathan was arrested for her murder at first, denise

brother could quite to a process. he was part of our family for 17 years. he was like a son to us. and to think that he could actually just shooter in the head. and this is a man who's devoted his life to being a good person? exactly. but by the time nathan went on trial, she had changed her mind. >> he had been leading a double life. >> just a bad dream that wouldn't end. >> this just won't end until nathan is convicted. >> here at the pure county courthouse the >> trial was big news in trial in town. he was a missionary, accused of killing his wife in an upscale neighborhood. things like that just don't happen in pizzeria. nathan pleaded not guilty. he insisted he would have never done anything to harm his beloved wife.

>> there was a time, the first two thing 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 just want to 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 have eyewitness identification, dna, gunshot residue, motive? and they all point to one person. and he sitting right across from you. >> nathan's trial began on july 14th. exactly 17 months after the murder. reporter, bo ebenezer, covered the trial for nbc's w. ike in pizzeria. >> we're a lot of people anxious for this trial to start? >> i think a lot of people are anxious, especially the family, the family wanted to find out what really happened.

>> jody hoops and jerry brady were the ones who tried the case. they said what really happened was a cold blooded execution. >> ladies and gentlemen, burgers committed burglaries. killers execute in a style consistent with what the defendant did. hiding in that cubicle to kill her the moment she walked through the door. >> the state's theory? that nathan put his plan into action when denise left to put take the daughter to daycare. >> first he took the car in robinson park. something close to 12:15 to 12:20, walked into the house, went into the house the burglary was already staged, if not he went ahead, and then he knew that she would be coming back stood as the doorway and as soon as the door open denise tried trenchcoat off any shot on the back of the head. >> he then drove denise's car

to the park and hopped back in his own car and drove to starbucks. arriving at 12:45. 12:45 to 12:50, five minutes only. but long enough to be on that camera. and long enough, they said, for nathan to wash his heads to get the gunshot 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 that he sees the door open in glass, that's the extent of his knowledge. but with that he calls the police. he knew full well would we call the police about from our perspective that's what makes this case so disturbing. the cold calculating 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 9-1-1 that day. i observed some kitchen cabinets open and in my

experience, as a police officer, and investigator. what usually occurs, in a kitchen it's not a common place, where people would look for items. in a burglary also, items are scattered about, george dumped on the floors. i felt that this was not an ordinary burglary, and i express that to my partner. >> while he found the crime scene odd for burglary, it was nathan's behavior that struck the officer even more. >> describe his demeanor. >> as i'm speaking to him, he never showed any sort of a motion, where asked any questions of me as to what was going. on >> prosecutor said nathan also showed no emotion during his police interview. even when the detective told him denise was dead. >> you can't tell me things about her, so there's. >> i can tell you she's. that he told me that. >> okay. >> prosecutors played the

interview for the jurors, hoping they would see what they saw. >> when the police force gave us the case, i watched his videotape statement, finance into it i knew he did it. i news guilty. his demeanor, his attitude, he tried to take over the conversation. not a single tier woodshed. >> they presented evidence that the bullet casing found at the scene, was from a glock 40. the kind of gun nathan owned. >> the only firearm that can generate those marks, it's 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 are able to find the gun, was that a factor? >> yes that was a concern. >> i think anytime in a murder case where you don't have a handgun or the weapon or whatever it was. it's an uphill battle. that's with the jury wants. they want the smoking gun. and we did not have it. >> still, prosecutors thought they had more than enough evidence to prove their case. remember diane parish who said

she simon a black hooded sweatshirt walking towards denise's house, on the day of the murder. she was the closest thing people had to an eyewitness. >> the whole thing struck me as wrong. and 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 that he knew we were gone, that he would rob us. >> she did not recognize the man that day, but later, she looks at a police photo lineup, and she quickly pointed to this man. in it turned out to be, nathan. >> did you think it was possible when you are looking at this photo lineup, maybe you've seen nathan in the neighborhood in subconsciously you are choosing that photo, because you had already seen him before? >> no. >> why are you so sure? >> because of the look on his face. i knew i did not make a mistake. >> when 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. everybody was glued to her testimony. i don't think there is a person in that courtroom, that disbelieved where she was saying. >> prosecutors said it must of been nathan the neighbors saw that. because police found a black hooded sweatshirt on his bedroom floor. what's more, an expert testified it had gunshot residue on the right cough. >> nathan said he had been at the gun range. is that feasible? that he was shooting off his gun at the gun range? >> what's important about that too he said there was an oklahoma. two weeks prior. there is no way that there would've been gunshot residue on that sweatshirt so. >> on the stand another neighbor who did not want to be videotaped, testified that she heard a gunshot 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. >> can you state your name? >> david smith was a fellow in may 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, at first he told me that he was thinking about some poisoning. or some type of potassium or something like that. >> according to the inmate, nathan said he ran a lot of aaron's on the day of the murder. to create an alibi, and -- >> he told me he presented some gifts. some valentine's day gift 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 mike it's seen him while he was

walking. obviously, nobody knows that except nathan,, and it's consistent with our evidence. >> once more, the inmate also testified widen ethan wanted tunis out of his life. >> well he said that, he said that she was overbearing. in that he had got to the point, where he wanted to move on with his life. that he had met someone else, and stuff like that. >> did he tell you the name of that someone else? >> some student named lana or something like that. >> but it was with the inmate told prosecutors about the timing 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 president to this other chick. i think you referred to her as anna? >> yes. yes. >> and there it was, nathan's

motive. prosecutors said he killed his wife so he could be with his true love, china. >> this was his valentine's day present to her. in that is despicable. >> she, who prosecutors said was natives motive for the murder, was about to take the stand. a star witness at the biggest trial in town. >> please state your name. >> coming up. nathan snow. >> there is nothing more important to me than you in this relationship. and a note to him, from the woman he is accused of murdering. >> she was speaking from the grave at that point. >> absolutely. >> when dateline continues. absolutely. absolutely. >> whe the best almonds make the best almondmilk. blue diamond almond breeze.

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two loads of snot covered laundry. only one will be sanitized. wait, what? adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria detergent alone, can't. nothing 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. >> his real valentine, this 20-year-old lithuanian sponsor student. >> this woman, his motive for murder. >> i think she was a big bombshell. >> she testified in both english and in lithuania, and through a translator.

>> nathan, visited you in hotels off campus. on at least five occasions. correct? >> a i can't remember how many times. >> during those visits, you went to a motel with nathan. and just the two of you, were present. part of the time. correct? >> i'm not sure if every time we were at the hotel we were alone. >> did you spend the night, with him? >> i know was called as a witness for the prosecution. which granted her immunity to talk. her testimony made it clear she was not eager to help the state. >> when he visited you in chicago, in 2012 did he buy your presents? >> 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 first graded prosecutors. >> in fact, you are proficient in both written and spoke in english, is that correct? >> yes. >> still, the prosecution thought she was an important witness. -- i think it was significant for the jury to see aina. we could give him the text messages, the emails, in the phone calls in the jury would hear all of that. >> the state showed the jury texts between nathan and aina, the day the murder. they started in the morning with mutual halos. at 8:37 am, nathan texted aina. i know there is a lot to do today. i pray there is enough time to do everything. at the lectures and meeting, take care of yourself. then, after nathan arrived home mid afternoon she 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 all my, why happened? concern for the family. so i suspect that based on that response. that in all likelihood, she had some knowledge x to what was going to take place. >> prosecutors accused her of coaching her -- cover-up the relationship. those calls were in lithuania and. but the trial english translations of what he said, were read out loud. >> i am your spiritual adviser, or your clergy here in america, there is nobody else who speaks lithuanian. this may be important in the future. because just as all your communication with the attorneys, communications with your clergy is also private. >> but, prosecutor said. there was no covering up letters that nathan had center. including this one, read by an interpreter, or during a

deposition. >> 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 as a deeper meaning and purpose. because you are my world and my everything, and that will never change. >> with words like that, prosecutors did not believe her denials of an affair with nathan. >> they made her read aloud another know that nathan had center just a month before the murder. >> i let you down and i'm sorry. i won't make excuses. that would not be fair to. you deserve someone who respects you and puts the relationship first. from now, on i want to do all that i can, to be that person. there is nothing more important to me than you in this relationship, i am so blessed to have you in my life and i know it. >> i think she presented herself for what she was she was a relationship with him. and i think she tried to minimize the relationship. >> nathan and i were making eye contact quite a bit throughout the trial. sometimes when she would answer a question or she said something he did not like he kind of laughed, and through his hands up in the air, in

disappointment. >> prosecutors had another piece of evidence they said proved an affair. a secret that shook the courtroom. it challenge the very core of nathan's defense. that denise was at the center of his life. and that he would never hurt her. it was a gut wrenching note, written by denise. discovered tucks in her day planner. >> in a murder case, you do not have the victim. you never get to hear the victims story. that person is dead. in 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. and police investigator read the no in court. >> i have tried to please you for 17 years, and have never succeeded. i have never been good enough never done enough. i know that you want me did i'm not stupid. >> denise seemed to confirm that she believed her husband was having an affair. well she didn't name aina, she mentioned much ogre woman.

>> you love to humiliate me by running around the 20-year-old, fine i won't grovel. if i have him please do in 17 years. nothing i do know 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 i'll have you waiting. >> it was devastating. i was shocked, 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 and away. >> absolutely, absolutely, to the jury, to everybody, that story that no 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. >> is this your judgment that he this happened because he was having an affair, if there is not a scintilla of evidence that that was the case. >> coming up, >> he was the

only person with whom i could talk lithuanian. >> were you in nathan over? lovers >> no. >> when dateline continues. no no >> at prices you're really feelin. shop the lowe's bath style & save event now in-store and online.

nathan in 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 fathom to hear. and to say that i had an affair, is absurd. >> i think nothing was being tested by god. about his fate. and i just thought, nathan, you have to be strongman, we will get through. this >> nathan's lawyer was this man. a former prosecutor turned defense attorney.

you argued the investigation was faulty. >> there were certain preconceived notions, of who did it. for lack of a better term. that never went anywhere. and for that reason, i am going to ask you to find nathan not guilty. >> he insisted, the cops zeroed in on nathan ray from the start. and never pursued any other weeds. >> this was an incomplete investigation. that while the spouse nathan in this case, would've been the logical place to start the problem with that is if you follow that gut feeling, that is going to cause you very likely, to miss other things. in this case, to simply not look for them at all. >> for instance, what about those cars nathan steadied scene in the neighborhood, which he thought were suspicious? not too long before the murder. his attorney called a neighbor to the stand who'd also seemed strange activity. >> i observed a vehicle parked,

with its headlights on, for some extended period of time, 5:10 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 residents. and that made me uncomfortable. >> when he cross-examined in diane, parachute identified nathan is the man in the sweatshirt, the day of the murder. she admitted that her husband had a different recollection. >> you and your husband head headed discussion about the race of the person who is walking along the side of the road? >> that's correct. >> and your husband doctor parish, thought it was a black man? >> that is 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 sweatshirt, they never tested his hands for the substance.

>> why not cut to the chase and take a test from nathan? >> turner said there's also an issue in the states timeline. based on court testimony, the murder occurred at around 12:30 pm. after that, prosecutor said anything would've 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 pm. >> and he would have had to done all of 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 when investigators said we're nathan steps that day. >> i have just left denise and nathan's house, 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 the second car we are going to drive to starbucks. let's see how long that takes. red light, will add on a little bit of time. we are now at four and a half minutes. going just about the speed limit, right, on which is 45 miles per hour. . we are pulling into the starbucks parking lot. we are looking at a travel time of seven minutes and 55 seconds. in, all added up to nine minutes and ten seconds of driving. that would've left him just under six minutes, to ransacked the house, and shoot denise. his lawyer, says that would've been nearly impossible. >> the timing just really gets to the point where, it's almost

not realistic. >> and what about the states witness who claim 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-examination. >> do you really believe, that david smith is the type of person, that nathan is going to confide in? and then sink council from? >> according to the defense, the main weakness with the states case, was motive. an affair with aina. his attorney argued, there was no evidence to support the theory that nathan killed his wife, so he could be with the 20-year-old. no matter who asked her, she insisted her relationship with nathan, was platonic. >> what is your relationship between you and nathan? >> he is my sponsor. i worked for him, i did a lot

of translating work, and helping with organizing christian conferences in line with a mega. he is also, was kind of like my mentor. and, here in america, he was the only person with whom i could talk lithuania and. he was a friend. >> the defense attorney, said the state was making more of those spa visits, that was really there. >> would nathan be there with, you when you are having the waxing? >> he was there to drive me into pay for it. >> but he was not there when that was done, when the procedure was done? >> no. >> were you in nathan ever lovers? >> no. that's been asked of you many times. the police asked you about that, correct? >> yes that's right. in the answer is never changed hands? it >> that's right. >> 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, that nathan made from jail, over his 16 months there. >> 1700 hours. a recorded telephone conversations, involving nathan. 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 tapes, do you have any indication at all, that nathan and aina our lovers? >> in fact, for all the searches through nathan's and nine's cell phones, he discovered something that he says is especially telling.

>> how many people, particularly young, people are going to have a relationship, with the 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, nathan pulled the trigger, the defense attorney said all the prosecution had, the lies, interpretations, and no admissions. >> not, guilty that's when ethan's. and i would suggest irrespective we, that's with the verdict should be returned. >> though nathan did not take the stand, he would have plenty to say about the evidence and his-ism since. particularly that chilling no, it left behind by his wife. >> she essentially spoke from

the grave. saying that, you wanted to kill, her that you are humiliating her with a 20 year old. coming up, nathan's answer, and the jury's verdict. >> i was 99% sure that they had to come back with a guilty verdict. there is that 1%. >> when dateline continues. there is that 1% there is that 1% >> i'm asking about prevnar 20. because there's a chance pneumococcal pneumonia could put me in the hospital. if you're 19 or older with certain chronic conditions like copd, asthma, or diabetes, you may be at an increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. prevnar 20 is approved in adults to help prevent infections from 20 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. in just one dose. don't get prevnar 20 if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. adults with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects were pain

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why don't you do cool spins? uh, people need to read it. i can't read it. [ chuckles ] that's 'cause you're like 4. 4 1/2. switch to progressive, and you can save hundreds. you know, like the sign says. nathan's murder trial is

nearing its end, 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? >> yes i do. >> why did you decide not to take the stand? >> i had chosen to testify, prior to trial. but is the state continued to take things out of context and continue to throw as much might 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 was not going to give them any more fuel, or any more fire, to use or to misconstrue. >> but, he wanted to set the record straight with us. insisting he is innocent. he also wanted to say that the police never looked past him, to catch the real intruder, and what was a real burglary. the police believe it was staged. that it just looked too perfect, the way everything was placed. and what was taken. >> things were stolen. insurance claims verified they were stolen. they made the claim on those items. it was a burglary. did it look like a normal burglary? i'm not sure when 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 a 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 drivers 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 her. 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 them to say. >> like i needs text, the day of the murder. why did minus say after the robbery, interesting smiley face? >> you're asking me with somebody else meant. i just assumed, she hit the wrong prompt. nor did i give it much to the

thought to the word interesting. i understood it to mean, that's interesting is in that sod. that's the way i've used the word over and over again. over the years. >> one 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 on valentine's day? as a gift? i am not sure what takes a secure person. the person to actually do that, or the person to suggest that. >> and what about those haunting words, written by denise, in that note found in her day planner. clearly aimed at nathan? how would he answer that? she essentially spoke from the grave. saying that, you wanted to kill

her. that you are humiliating her with a 20-year-old. >> the part you're referring to her, 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, who are super close sister, her mother, her father. she never called police. she never called a counseling hotline. she never did any domestic battery, any restraining. order anything. because there was nothing. >> did you i heard it? >> 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 cheaters lifestyle. the jerry springer show mindset. it fits those things 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 selfish perspective, it's my life. my future. my freedom. it means that i can go back to being, the father to the children. the children will be robbed of just one, parrot not of both. one was stolen away, by someone who was seeking gain.

in a guilty verdict, would steal from the children there other parent. >> for denise's family, that's exactly what they were hoping for. for the man they had known since he was a young boy, who lived with them. now they believe, lied to them. when they went into deliberations, i was 99% sure that they had to come back with a guilty verdict. but there's the 1% you thinking, oh no, what if someone. >> i wasn't sure what the jury was going to come back with there is a lot of evidence provided by the prosecution and i think they did a great job. but a lot of time it was a lot of circumstantial evidence. there's no evidence actually pointing to someone seen nathan do the crime. i think it was very hard to tell what the jury was going to do. >> it was a highly circumstantial case. no hard proof that anything killed in these and no clear evidence that 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 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, that i had when i heard my wife had been shot. i just remember hearing the locks and it just got that much greater. >> the judge sent since nathan to 80 years in prison. seeing how shameful it was that nathan had killed tunis in her own home. >> you pick this happy place for suction ugly act. it seems only appropriate that you will end your life, in a very different type of place. cold in isolated. >> for the state was a satisfying ending to a case they had to painstakingly

stitched together. >> i think he tried to portray this image of a wonderful person, when in reality, he was nothing more, then a cold blooded killer. >> as for denise's parents, they are still hurting from such a sudden loss. at least they have four children close, is they are now raising them. >> how did you tell them their father killed their mother? >> they knew that, they knew he'd been in trial for murdering their mother. and then a jury had convicted him. and, right away the older boy said well, everybody makes mistakes. and 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, was not. >> i felt bad for my husband, because he told someone, that he always thought that we had

the perfect family. the perfect life, and you really don't expect something like that to happen to you. in reality, bad things happen to good people all the time. >

this sunday on the brink. >> russia giving every indication that it plans to invade ukraine. >> the troops in. >> shelling intensifies in eastern ukraine. a possible pretense for a russian invague. >> we're talking about the potential for war in europe. >> ukraine's president zelensky calling for sanctions now. >> you are telling me that it's 100% that the war will start in a couple of days. then what are you waiting for? >> we'll get updates on the