overwhelmed to know so many of you were thinking of her all those years later. >> angie was really special. she never left our hearts and minds. >> you still think about her. >> i do. >> you fought hard to find out who killed her? >> i did. >> do you feel accomplishment? >> i feel maybe she can now rest in peace. she died a horrific death. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. hello. i am craig melvin. this is dateline. rachel brady: ever since it, it's been replaying in my head over and over. >> ever since i heard it, it's

been replaying in my head over and over. it was very unbelievable. >> it happened on thanksgiving. two teenagers missing. >> i buried my head and i started to cry. >> where they were and what they did would launch a terrifying case. >> why did this happen here? >> with a deadly end. >> nobody is leaving until we figure out what happened. >> a man at home alone and afraid. what what you felt a you felt in danger? >> you have a right to protect your home and yourself. >> he planned. he was prepared and he was determined to kill. >> the most chilling detail, what you will hear on tape. >> i am still shaking.

>> hello and welcome to dateline. growing up cousins nick brady and haile kifer were close. nick love to choke and she loved to laugh. they were together that cold november day when tragedy struck. the horrible incident was there for police to hear on a perfectly clear recording. why was what happened so unclear? a mystery that would divide a community and spark a national debate. here is kate snow with 12 minutes on elm street. >> 12 minutes, not a long time. for three people whose paths collided on thanksgiving day, 12 minutes was all it took for their lives to explode in a flash. >> i refuse to live in fear. >> 12 minutes that would haunt

their family. >> said this can't be happening. >> have a second of those terrifying minutes would be fiercely debated. >> your instinct is, however you need to do it. >> a town divided over what happened inside this house on elm street. >> a lot of weird things happen in trial. i've never had evidence such as this. >> this might be more than what we are being told. >> before all the fear and finger-pointing, it was just another thanksgiving weekend in november 2012, in the small town of little falls, minnesota. >> everybody knows everything about everybody. >> this 18-year-old rachel was spending the holiday with her brother nick and their 18-year- old cousin haile kifer. >> we were always together and

we would go camping. we were always doing something. me and haley were always together. >> nick was a fun-loving one and kimberly is his mom. >> he found joy in everything and he would find something to make you smile. >> he would hug me. he would say, rachel, my big sister. and he would make me laugh every time. >> they liked to tease each other like when rachel called nick the nickname he had when he was a little boy. nicole baby. that was the family nickname? >> his good friends would call him that after they heard me calling it. he would get so mad for saying it in front of his friends. >> nick was into sports and love the outdoors and so did his cousin haley who was as bright and active as she was -- he was. >> she was vivacious and very athletic. she was in gymnastics and softball and track.

>> the clothes nick cousins spent the wednesday before thanksgiving together. rachel said there isn't that much for teenagers to do so they would drive around town in the red mitsubishi nick rebuild himself. spent they would cruise everywhere. >> spending the day with no cares. >> have. >> they spent the night together at a friend's apartment. thanksgiving morning, nick and haile left around 11:00 a.m. >> they said they were going to go to my mom and dad's house. >> the plan was to meet at grandma's house. nick and haile never showed up. kimberly and rachel tried calling them. is a strange for nick to not answer his phone? >> absolutely. >> even if i told over and over, he would a answered and said, what do you want? >> strange for haile to not answer her phone? >> extremely. >> the weather had started

snowing. >> i'm thinking, the weather. maybe he got stranded and i was hoping that he was staying overnight in a safe place. >> are you worried about a car accident? >> i was. >> friday morning, there was frightening news. >> we heard about a car accident they had a red car and we thought it was him right away. we went and looked and it was car pieces for a different car. than one that was in him, we started to get extremely worried. we drove up and down the back roads. up and down the highway. anywhere i could think of. >> anywhere. >> rachel posted messages on facebook, has anyone heard from haile or nick ? nothing. by friday afternoon, they were out of their minds with worry. >> we called and called and called. no answers.

nothing. i said nick, this is serious. >> i started crying and there's -- making fun of me. >> this better not be a joke. >> before the day was over, the family would find out it was no joke. something terrible had happened to nick and haile but it was not a car crash or accident. it was somebody no one in little falls could see coming. >> across town, police gather at a crime scene and concerned neighbors fear the worst. coming up. >> worry and panic that something is wrong. >> someone else had met with trouble that day. e that day. (vo) if you have graves' disease, your eye symptoms could mean something more. that gritty feeling can't be brushed away. even a little blurry vision can distort things.

and something serious may be behind those itchy eyes. up to 50% of people with graves' could develop a different condition called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. see an expert. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid before it begins. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. progress. choose acid prevention. moving in a positive direction. we all want our lives to do that. why is progress also in our name?

we've always believed insurance should do more. that's why we've gifted over a thousand vehicles to veterans , funded housing programs for families in need and why we're working to make roads safer... you're doing good. ...and housing more fair. for us, that's real progress. ♪♪ stay ahead of your moderate-to-severe eczema. and show off clearer skin and less itch with dupixent, the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. [♪♪] your skin is ever-changing, take care of it with gold bond's healing formulations of 7 moisturizers and 3 vitamins.

for all your skins, gold bond. protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. choose advil liqui-gels for faster, stronger and longer-lasting relief than tylenol rapid release gels. because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. so for faster pain relief, advil the pain away.

because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. kate snow: the friday after thanksgiving, 2012, kimberly thanksgiving 2012, kimberly brady was worried that her son nick and her niece haile never showed up for thanksgiving dinner. they had been missing for more than 24 hours. friday afternoon, the family was frantic. he decided to call the police? >> we want in right away. >> filled out a missing persons report for both of them. >> as they process the reports, three other sheriffs deputies

were on elm street investigating something so troubling they later called in a crime scene van. that got the attention of john and kathy who saw the van gogh straight toward the house of their good friend, byron smith, a 64-year-old retired man living on his own. >> i was decorating the christmas tree and i saw a huge truck go down this road called the crime scene unit. i shouted for john. i said, called byron's cell phone. something has happened. >> what did you think had happened? >> i thought he was dead. >> kathy and jen feared the worst for their friend who seemed out of sorts. everything was fine when byron first moved back to his hometown of little falls five years earlier after a career that took them all over the world with the u.s. state department. >> he was talking about living

in moscow, cairo, and it's amazing. >> a worldly guy. >> very much so. a great conversationalist and fun to talk with. >> recently, byron was not himself. his house had been broken into and the thieves taking money and precious family heirlooms. they said their friend who mentored boy scouts and let there son's rock band jam in his garage had become afraid. >> he was acting real quiet, scared. >> then the crime scene van showed up outside his home and kathy was sure her friend was in trouble. >> worry and panic. something is wrong. >> she was right. something was wrong. burglars struck again and this time byron was home and he had a gun. he managed to defend himself and survive the break-in. >> if you break in someone's home, you better not have an

expectation that you will walk out alive. >> nickel was the sheriff and byron told the deputies he had been in his basement when two intruders broke into his house and crept downstairs. byron shot both of them dead. >> minnesota law is clear on this. you have the right to use deadly force against another person if you believe your life or the life of another is in immediate jeopardy. >> as investigator secured the team at byron's house, the sheriff's office was calling another family. kimberly brady had been trying to find her son and her niece haile and now investigators knew what had happened to them. they drove out to speak with kimberly, and they brought a chaplain. >> as soon as i saw them turn the corner, i knew something, i knew he was gone. i didn't know how or why. then i remember the door open and the chaplain came up. i said no. i don't remember if i said

anything else. he was like, your son is dead. >> nick and haile were dead. kimberly fell to her knees and then the chaplain told her it was no accident. >> he was like, your son was shot. shot? that was sent -- >> doesn't fit. >> i remember feeling, said what do you mean shot? they said, he was shot three times. i said what do you mean shot three times? that was it. i couldn't function and i couldn't hear. >> were you there during that? >> i walked in and then my dad said somebody shot nickel baby . i went outside and sat in the snow. i buried my head and i started

to cry. and then, he tapped me on the shoulder and told me haile is gone too. >> your brother and best friend. do you remember what was racing through your head, rachel? >> basically why? we all couldn't believe. >> harder to absorb, how and where nick and haile were shot. they were the intruders byron smith killed. >> it was very unbelievable. >> what happened in that basement? the answer would lead to a heated debate. how far is too far when it comes to defending your home? when do you cross the line between victim and criminal? >> coming up. an image captures a clue. is that nick?

>> you see him walking around the house. >> is that haile? aile?

kate snow: the story of what happened on elm street spread the story of what happened on elm street spread quickly around little falls, minnesota. that two teenagers had broken into byron smith's house leaving the terrified homeowner

no choice but to shoot them in self-defense. his friends and neighbors john and kathy had no trouble believing it. >> it was scary. it was personal to him because they were attacking his home. >> the family of those intruders? they were in shock. >> i didn't believe it. it was not right. it was untrue. >> nick brady and haile kifer had gone missing the day before, thanksgiving. now, as she learns the circumstances of her son's death, nick's mother had questions. >> how do you reconcile your beautiful boy who loved the outdoors and what they're telling you that he broke into somebody's house? >> i couldn't imagine it. it was so not him. i had a lot of trouble. >> kimberly never heard the name byron smith but rachel had. >> i knew my brother had worked

for him in the summer. i didn't know him at all. >> nick had done yard work at byron smith's house and now the sheriff had evidence of what he was doing there again. byron set up surveillance camera at his home, frightened after break-ins. the cameras proved there was no mistake about the break-in. just after 12:30, the cameras pick up a man approaching the house. the hooded figure is nick and he looks through several windows as if checking to see if someone is home. he clutches his hood, concealing his face. jeremy, investigator sergeant with the more send county sheriffs department. >> you could see there was what was casing done on nicholas brady's part. >> he heads towards one of the cameras and tries to dismantle it then walks out of camera range, shatters a window, and enters the house. minutes later, the camera shows another hooded figure. this one caring of food and set

cash person cell phone. >> issues a video came walking through the yard towards the house. >> clear as daylight. but why? what were nick and haile up to that day? >> they both went to my school. >> dylan is the son of byron's friend. >> the regular high school crowd. the jocks. then you have a group that is misguided. >> dylan didn't know haile well but said at school, nick was no angel. what did you know about those two teenagers? >> i knew nick was aggressive. he would be a kid who would push you against the locker. >> kind of a bully? >> he was a bully. >> and as it turned out, they. they determined nick had been behind a previous burglary at

byron's house. just a month earlier, he and a friend broke through the door and stole thousands of dollars in cash and priceless family heirlooms and more disturbingly? two guns. they took things that were important personally? >> as. and when he took the gun, he thought he would be shot by his own gun. >> it looked like a classic case of troublemaking kids crossing a line into dangerous criminal behavior. >> you have two teenagers who seem to be running rampant. you can see they had a change in their lives. >> when investigators located nick's car parked in a secluded street, they found items stolen from another house. >> maybe it was the motivation of money and having material items. may be the motivation of having friends. >> the evidence appeared to be there. clearly captured on the surveillance video. nick and haile had broken in

and byron smith seemed to have every reason to be afraid. >> the impression he left on me as he was living in fear. he was not sleeping. it was bothering him physically and emotionally. >> at first, even nick's mom while she didn't want to believe much of what she was learning about her son, try to imagine herself in byron's shoes. >> i don't believe breaking and entering was life and i wouldn't have expected it out of my son. >> it looked like a tragedy. two intruders and a fearful homeowner with no choice but to shoot them. >> you have a right to protect your home intercell. >> a survey of the she seen told him that they were unarmed. it would require more investigation. >> it would be ordinary with two people dead in a home that nobody is leaving until we figure out what happened.

>> beginning with one question. a pretty big one. >> why in the world are we only hearing about the shooting of two people a day later? >> it turns out the sergeant and other deputies had rushed to byron smith's house friday afternoon only to learn the break-in and shootings happened thursday, on thanksgiving day. >> i asked why didn't you call law enforcement? he told me i didn't want to bother you on thanksgiving day. >> that struck the sheriff azide. >> nobody worries about wrecking our thanksgiving. >> the intruders had been dead for 24 hours when byron called a neighbor for help and asked him to call the sheriff's office. and you found out that byron smith had waited 24 hours -- >> my mind was why? if he was so scared, wouldn't you be on the phone? families were waiting. >> for him to say, he didn't

want to bother anybody on thanksgiving? >> it became clear that there were things that were strange about the case. >> investigators are about to learn more about the shooting in the house on elm street and what happened next? it would tear the town apart. >> coming up. >> i was no longer willing to live in fear. fear. protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback?

♪♪ now with vitamin d for the dark days of winter. upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast.

hi, i'm richard lui with a news update. and manhunt is underway in kentucky. officials say numerous people were shot north of the city of london. the mayor says no one was killed. the suspect, a 32-year-old joseph couch on the run and considered armed and dangerous. in wisconsin, health officials are recalling eggs after a multistate salmonella outbreak. the cdc said more than 65 people were infected with 24 hospitalizations. and now back to dateline.

i'm craig melvin. was byron smith justified in killing two teenaged intruders? welcome back to dateline. i am craig melvin. was byron smith justified in killing two teenaged intruders? nick brady and haile kifer were both unarmed when he shot them. also troubling to police were that he waited a full day to call for help. now, smith was about to give detectives a chilling account of what happened in his basement and it would turn this case on its head. here again is kate snow with 12 minutes on elm street. >> reporter: nick brady and haile kifer had broken into byron smith's house. the frightened homeowner said he shot them in a moment of self-defense. investigators had questions for byron so the sergeant escorted

him down to headquarters right away that friday. >> can you tell me your full name? >> i just wanted his story. i wanted to find out the facts and what happened. >> whoever it was breaking into my home had been doing it for so long that i was no longer willing to live in fear. >> byron explained how he had been terrified after that break in a month earlier when two of his guns were stolen. >> these are people who have stolen my guns. i figured they were willing to use them >> byron wasn't home during the other break-ins but this time he was as seen on home security cameras, he said he moved his truck a few blocks away that morning so he could clean his garage. they must've thought he was not there. >> i needed to clean the garage and i wanted it out of the way. >> byron said how he was in the basement when he heard the first intruder break-in

upstairs and head down toward him. >> if you heard foot steps coming down the stairs? >> yes then i saw his feet and then i saw was like so when i saw his hips i shot. >> it was nick. byron shot him three times. >> i was reacting. >> what were you reacting to is what i'm asking? >> the previous losses. i spent 20 years overseas. a couple of years in bangkok. 20 years overseas and not one problem. i retired to my peaceful hometown. >> while his voice broke a few times during his account of the shooting, the sergeant was surprised at how calm and matter-of-fact he was for most of the interview. >> you would think after such a horrific event, killing two people who broke into your house, that he would be very emotional. may be crying at times. i didn't notice that from byron

smith. he maintained his composure which was rather odd. >> much stranger, the investigator thought was his account of what happened a few minutes after he shot nick. haile enter the house and byron fired again. >> she laughed at me. i pulled out the 22 and shot her. if you try to shoot somebody and they laugh, you fire again. >> was haile really laughing? to the sergeant, seemed a bizarre detail. then byron told them this. >> i thought she was dead and it turned out she was in. i did a good clean finishing shot. >> he shot haile six times in all and with that the investigators came to believe this was something other than a simple case of self-defense. >> my question, byron, is why did you shoot again? she didn't have a weapon in her hand.

>> i don't know if she had a weapon until later. i wasn't looking at her hands. >> she was laying there hurt. she wasn't threatening you. i'm just asking. >> there was a continuation of the use of deadly force after it appeared the threat had stopped. that made us believe it needs to be looked at by the prosecuting attorney. >> byron smith was arrested that day but later released on bond. a grand jury was convened to look at the case. in little falls, his friends were shocked that authorities could believe that byron was anything but an innocent victim. >> it was ridiculous that he would be this cold-blooded killer. he's a quiet, soft-spoken person. i didn't fathom it. >> while he was free on bond, they couldn't bear to go back to his own home. they took him in. >> i could hear him many nights, i'm so sorry. i feel so bad.

i didn't want to hear anybody. >> the case became a big controversy in little falls. did people take sides? >> absolutely. people became more opinionated about what happened. >> some people would come up to me, he's going to prison. i said, you haven't heard the whole story. >> i think byron has a lot of support in this area. >> bill anderson was byron's neighbor. he called the authorities the day after the shooting. >> would have done the same thing mr. smith did? no doubt in my mind. >> it seemed like a box of puzzle pieces. >> the prosecutors were in charge of evaluating the case against byron, and they knew it was controversial from the start. >> when brent and i got involved, the email started. the phone calls, castigating us for taking this.

doesn't a homeowner have the right to defend their dwelling? i didn't argue with people. stay open and let the evidence,, and let's see if you hold that same view. >> after looking at all the evidence, the prosecutors believed there was a strong case. the moment nick broke the window and entered the house, didn't byron smith have the right to defend himself? >> yes yes, he did but that's not what he did. he went way, way beyond defending himself. >> the grand jury in minnesota agreed. in april 2013, five months after the shooting, byron smith was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder. now, there would be a trial in the case everyone was talking about with revelations from both sides. >> coming up. murder for self-defense? >> why did he wait so long before calling authorities? >> reporter: -- -

have you alwae losing weight and keeping it off? same. discover the power of wegovy®. ♪ ♪ with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds. ♪ ♪ and i'm keeping the weight off. wegovy® helps you lose weight and keep it off. i'm reducing my risk. wegovy® is the only fda-approved weight-management medicine that's proven to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight. wegovy® shouldn't be used with semaglutide or glp-1 medicines. don't take wegovy® if you or your family had medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop wegovy® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. wegovy® may cause low blood sugar in people with diabetes, especially if you take medicines to treat diabetes.

tell your provider about vision problems or changes, or if you feel your heart racing while at rest. depression or thoughts of suicide may occur. call your provider right away if you have any mental changes. common side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. with wegovy®, i'm losing weight, i'm keeping it off. and i'm lowering my cv risk. that's the power of we. ♪ ♪ check your cost and coverage before talking to your health care professional about wegovy®. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients.

nexgard® plus helps you protect your dog from fleas, ticks, heartworm disease, and more... all in one delicious, monthly, soft chew. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. nexgard® plus: the one you want for one-and-done protection. protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? ♪♪ now with vitamin d for the dark days of winter.

now with vitamin d kate snow: byron smith's first-degree murder trial got underway in april 2014, and just like the town byron smith first-degree murder trial got underway april 2014 and like the town itself, carved by the mighty mississippi river, the people of middle -- little falls found themselves divided. on one bank to those who saw byron is a cold-blooded killer

who fired nine shots at two unarmed teenagers. >> when you're talking about multiple shots, down on the ground. it jumps out at you, this is premeditated murder. >> on the other bank with those who viewed him with every right to defend himself and his home against intruders. >> they weren't invited for thanksgiving dinner. they didn't come through the door. they certainly found a window to come in. >> nicks mother, kimberly, was determined even through her own grief not to make up her mind until she heard all the facts. >> i kept an open mind because of he was fearful for his life, i couldn't fault him for defending himself. i waited until i heard the evidence. >> the evidence said byron smith's defense attorney would show his client had done nothing wrong. >> this is a case about a base -- big misunderstanding. it's about byron smith being accused of a crime he did not commit. >> did you believe byron smith

was justified in shooting nick brady and haile kifer? >> yes. it's not something you wanted to do. he didn't ask them to burglarize his home in a violent way on thanksgiving. they chose to do that. he reacted. >> the defense came to court confident a jury would see it that way. in minnesota, you have the right to protect your life. you have the right to protect your home and property as long as it's reasonable. >> if somebody breaks in your home and commits a felony, offense, in your home, you can kill that threat. >> he said everything byron did that thanksgiving day and the next was evidence he was truly terrified inside his own home. why did he wait so long to call authorities? >> fear. he was afraid there was a third or fourth or fifth person.

he's afraid of the backyard, front yard, stairway, door. he's in utter fear and goes in a closet and hides in his own house until the fear subsides. >> as for smith's calm demeanor and the matter-of-fact way he described the killings? >> i pulled it out and shot her. >> the defense said he was a man trying to help authorities any way he could. >> on the exterior, he appears to be calm. he is talking about how frightened he is internally. he is trying to explain what happened. he's trying to help them solve what occurred. >> with the defense be able to convince the jury that byron smith's own account of the shooting, holly gave haile his self-described finishing shot, was really justified? >> i did a good clean finishing shot. >> from a human standpoint,

sounds cold-blooded. >> it does. i had to deal with the way it sounded but it's not evidence of what he is thinking. it's evidence of a motion. it is not evidence of murder. >> he thought the strongest evidence to justify the shootings was the fact nick brady had broken into byron smith's house before and had stolen guns. so byron had every reason to fear for his life. you wanted to show these were kids up to no good. >> that's not what i wanted to do. i want the jury to see the truth rather than to paint a picture the media was playing of the high school photographs. >> the judge said testimony about nick's involvement in the previous break and was irrelevant and inadmissible. he also couldn't say in court that there was evidence that nick and haile together had dropped another house too. >> unfortunately, the judge would not allow that evidence to come in and i thought he was making a grave error.

>> how many witnesses did you have who weren't allowed to speak? >> about half a dozen. >> byron smith friends watching could only hope the jury would see things as they did, that he was a scared man who defended his life and property. >> we knew him as our friend byron. it was ridiculous to us for authorities calling him a cold- blooded killer. >> it would be an uphill battle in the court of public opinion top prosecutor's. they knew they had the burden of proof. >> a try a lot of murder cases and this seemed like a real challenge. >> why? >> a lot of people thought we would lose it. >> people look at it as a referendum that it's okay to protect your property in life. you don't see it this way? to prove murder in the 1st degree, the state would have to show that byron acted not just with excessive, unreasonable force, but with premeditation.

while the defense may have had a lot of townspeople on its side, the prosecution had something else. yone cold.. can you ever erase that in your memory? >> the revelation that stopped everyone cold. >> can you ever erase that from your memory? your memory? dupixent can help people with asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. even this. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. tell your doctor right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection.

don't change or stop asthma medicines including steroids, without talking to your doctor. ask your specialist about dupixent. introducing new advil targeted relief. the only topical pain reliever with 4 powerful pain-fighting ingredients that start working on contact to target tough pain at the source. for up to 8 hours of powerful relief. new advil targeted relief. upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots.

rsv? make it arexvy.

arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. kate snow: there are people who think byron smith is a hero. what do you say to them? there are people who think evan smith is a hero. what do you say to them? >> i say he is a murderer. murderers can't be heroes. >> in a sharply divided minnesota courtroom, the prosecution argued that byron smith was no fearful innocent victim but any agreement bent on violent confrontation. he told investigators from the beginning that he was reading a book in the basement. he was caught unaware. you don't buy that? >> no. not at all. >> prosecutors said they had evidence it was premeditated murder. they told the jury, byron set a trap for the burglars. remember the story about moving his truck to clean the garage?

the prosecutor said that was a lie. that byron had moved the truck to make it look like he was not home. you think byron wanted to catch the people who had been breaking into his house? >> he planned. he prepared. he was determined to kill whoever was breaking into his house and stealing his property. >> the prosecution said byron was in the basement not to read a book to wait, like a hunter. >> it seemed like byron smith was deer hunting like a lot of folks doing minnesota. you get in your stand and you wait and wait and when a deer comes by, shoot and kill it. seem like that's what he did with these kids. >> could they prove it? the prosecutors had something mae had never encountered in nearly half a century of combined trial work. do you remember when you listen to it? >> i do. it knocked me out.

i've never been able to hear a murder actually occurring. >> byron smith recorded the break-in and shooting. investigators found this digital audio recorder in the basement. it captured within six hours worth of audio that day. you ended up with a trove of information. his own words on tape. >> indeed. >> here is byron smith shortly before the break-in talking to himself. >> in your left eye. why would he say that half an hour before anyone came over? well, when you go through the autopsy photographs, you see he shot haile kifer in her left eye. >> he was planning where he was going to shoot an intruder? >> not just shooting but where in the face is going to shoot them. >> it sounds like byron is planning not just the shooting but his defense. he practices contacting a lawyer. >> i realize i don't have an

appointment but i would like to see one of the lawyers here. >> 10 minutes later the practicing is over. recorder captures something real. how quickly did everything go down that they? >> 12 minutes. >> told minutes from the for shot fired at nick brady to the final one fired at haile kifer. >> it was frightening. >> prosecutors played all 12 minutes in court at first warned nick and haile's family, who sat through every day of the trial, that they may not want to hear it. you suggested they shouldn't be there? >> more than once. >> why did you want to be there? >> you need to hear the whole story to understand it, i think. you can't just make a snap judgment. >> this is the sound of nick entering the home. walking down the stairs to the basement.

>> as he is going down the stairs, you can hear him get shot. >> we won't play that part but listen to what byron says after shooting nick three times. >> you are dead. >> then there's a rustling sound that the prosecution says is byron unfolding a tarp that he uses to move nick's body. you can then hear byron reload his gun. 10 minutes go by and then the recording picks up a whisper. it is haile coming into the house looking for her cousin. >> she comes in and goes to the basement, starts walking down, and that's when he shoots her. >> on the recording is what the prosecution says is a pivotal moment. in his interview with investigators, byron said he felt threatened by haile and she had been laughing at him

when she fired. >> she laughed at me. >> and that audio recording of the shooting which we edited, the prosecution said haile sounds terrified. >> she is screaming in a high pitch saying oh my god, oh my god. >> after he is done shooting, this is what byron says. those in court soft byron smith wipe away tears as the audio played. there was stunned silence save for the quiet sobs from nick and haile's families. can you ever erase that from your memory? >> not ever. >> ever since i heard it, it's been replaying in my head over and over. i feel anytime i hear somebody say oh my god, that's what i think of. >> the prosecution wasn't done with that recording. >> i'm sure she thought she was a real pro. >> byron continue to talk after the teenagers were dead. >> i felt i was cleaning up a

mess. i don't see them as human. i see them as vermin. >> by now, kimberly heard all the facts she needed. what you hear when you hear those words? >> pure evil. i don't know how you can't hear it. about anybody two precious kids. i don't believe he was scared. i believe it was premeditated murder. >> in court, the defense said that recording, as disturbing as it is, approved no such thing. >> i tried to be a good person. >> shows a man driven mad with fear. >> i am totally safe. i am shaking a bit. >> he is talking to himself. mumbling things. >> he sounds like someone is maybe losing his mind.

>> are lost their mind. he simply had no ability to deal with reality at that time. >> after a week of testimony, the case went to the jury. it was anyone's guess which portrait of byron smith those tall people would believe. the cold blooded killer lying in wait for the terrified man under siege in his own home? what were you thinking as the jury went out to deliberate? >> i gave it all to god. i was pretty peaceful. >> just put your faith in him? >> and waited. >> the jury was back and listen four hours. the verdict? guilty of first-degree murder for killing both nick brady and haile kifer. >> i waited. i heard. i believe dan then it was said. >> i was happy to see him taken away. there was no winners. >> it doesn't give you your

brother and best friend back. >> exactly. >> i put my head in my hands and said thank god for them that they got that. >> the family. >> yes. >> but byron supporters felt the opposite of relief. >> shocked. stunned. >> it was a one sided trial. >> kathy said there's so much more to her friend the jury never learned. >> he just came here to retire and wanted a quiet life. >> this is utter sadness. >> it was 12 minutes that changed so many lives in so many tragic ways. byron smith will live out his retirement in prison having received an automatic life sentence and nick brady and haile kifer, two young cousins who made a terrible decision to

enter the home, paid for it with their lives and their loved ones are left to mourn a future that will never be. you have a baby girl not too long ago. nick and haile weren't here to see that . >> i think this probably one of the hardest parts about all of it. i would've loved to see my brother hold her. >> he would've been uncle nick. >> uncle nickel baby. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. of dateline. hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." is i i am craig melvin. and this is "dateline". everyone says that you and your sister with your mom's life. >> five years later, gone.