tracking the fire hose of actions coming out of donald trump's white house. we're calling it you should know. you know why? because you should. let's take a deep breath together after this long week. i know i need it. i wish you guys all a very good night from all of our colleagues across the networks of nbc news. thanks for staying up late tonight and for watching us every day. this is an important time and you need to know what's going on. you to know what's going on. you see, at the end of monday. we had a brutal murder in a small town. that house has this story to tell. are we going to be able to figure out what that story is? keith morrison: it's the playground of snow and gold, and she was at its heart-- beautiful, privileged, magnetic.

whether it was the taxi driver or her movie star friends, she had a very genuine connection with people. keith morrison: but what happened one night in her secluded chalet sent shivers through this glamorous ski town. i was going into shock. hyperventilating. keith morrison: murdered in her sleep. it did appear that it was a crime of rage. keith morrison: where would investigators start? an ex-boyfriend? there were some stories about there was a jilted lover. keith morrison: her new tenants? they were a couple that had been pushed over the edge. keith morrison: her old friend? there's no way she saw what she said she saw. keith morrison: the real killer would stun them all. took my world and just flipped it upside down. we were all wrong. everybody was wrong in this case.

kathy carpenter: please! my friend! this is-- oh, my-- my friend! oh, my god! my friend! keith morrison: a cold night february 2014. kathy carpenter: she's not-- [stammering frantically] keith morrison: 911 callers can often be hysterical. this one was all, but incomprehensible. kathy carpenter: i found my friend in the closet and she's dead! keith morrison: but then this sort of thing just doesn't happen to people like the one now lying dead in the closet. kathy carpenter: she's dead. full of blood, wrapped in a sheet. keith morrison: and certainly, not in the caller's zip code. we don't see very many homicides in pitkin county. keith morrison: but there are moments when no place is safe. no person. not the storied victim, not her secure and pampered shangri-la in the snow. there are no words for it, when a childhood friend dies. keith morrison: yes, and nancy pfister--

life of the party, confidant of bellhops and billionaires-- who would want to harm her? and why? aspen, colorado. the tiny municipal airport here tells a story in the long line of private jets parked and waiting for their well-heeled owners to come down from their mountainside chalets. their beginner castles, as the late nancy pfister used to call them. half playfully, of course. these were her friends, as were the passing tourists and ski bums and busboys and just about everybody. mary conover met nancy when they were both teenagers. you cannot come to this town without meeting nancy. i mean-- come on, really? everybody met nancy at one point or another. i've never known another person like her. as joyful and outsized personality and all of that

that she was, she had a very deep and soulful connection to the world. keith morrison: some special sauce in nancy pfister. and when she smiled. billy clayton: it was just pure radiance. it was just beaming. keith morrison: billy clayton was perhaps, closer to nancy than anybody. almost like a brother. billy clayton: it was like she had a secret and she wanted to share it with you. and that secret was, let's all lighten up and have fun and enjoy life and be grateful. keith morrison: nancy had reason to be grateful. she was born into a legendary aspen family, a bit like local royalty. her father, art pfister, made a fortune when he turned his ranch into the buttermilk ski resort. and her mother, betty, was a world war ii pilot who, in later years, flew a helicopter. parked it in her driveway. and nancy? stories about nancy would fill a book. like the one about, how she met jack nicholson.

billy clayton: a convertible pulled up and asked them directions. and nancy said, well, i'll take you there, but i want to ride in that nice car of yours. and the next thing you know, she and jack are best friends. keith morrison: nancy could and did live any way she wanted, out loud. billy clayton: many, many times, when i just thought we were going to have a normal day, she would say, let's go to st. barts, or let's go to hawaii, or let's go somewhere. and i'd go, ok. keith morrison: but a relationship with the impulsive and gregarious nancy, billy had to admit, came with a price. your business was her business. your stuff was her stuff. sometimes, she just expected her friends to give her the stuff she wanted. it was quite a job to love nancy. keith morrison: so after what happened to her, flies on a carcass. the tabloids feasted on the gossip and half truths that flew around town. she was a spoiled, wild child, they howled. jack nicholson's party girl. hunter s. thompson's drinking buddy.

an incurable flirt once engaged to michael douglas. all very breathless, these stories about the, quote, "aspen socialite." and insulting, said her friends. didn't paint nancy's character accurately at all. some people collect famous people as friends, and it's important to them to be able to talk about-- definitely not her. no? mm-mm. she had a lot of famous friends. she had a lot of friends who were not famous. she treated everyone the same way. she had a very genuine connection with people. she didn't have the entitlement that made a snooty little rich kid or something. she had an entitlement that every day of life was precious and should be lived to the fullest. keith morrison: nancy was a traveling philanthropist, a devoted environmentalist. she had a daughter, too, juliana. born when nancy was 29. and sometimes, she took juliana with her when she traveled, but sometimes, she didn't.

mary conover: nancy had a lot of very close friends and people who loved juliana, and we all raised our children together. keith morrison: unusual? oh, certainly, but. she just truly, deeply loved juliana and did feel that this was her greatest role of her life, was to be a mother. keith morrison: thing is, nancy pfister trusted people, even with the care of her own daughter, with her house, with her money. like the teller she happened to meet in her local bank. she loved people. all kinds. it didn't matter who you were. keith morrison: kathy carpenter was that teller. and one day, out of the blue, nancy asked her to lunch. kathy accepted and learned firsthand, another of nancy's hallmark traits. she was, sometimes, brutally honest. no edit button. no edit button. i like that. yes, no edit button.

she actually, when i first met her, told me that i was very fat. that's-- what a thing to say to somebody when you first meet them, though? hi, be my friend. you're fat. yeah, you're fat. you're beautiful, but you're fat. keith morrison: though, she was blunt, undiplomatic, but irresistible. by the time lunch was over, nancy and kathy were fast friends. just how nancy was. like when she made plans to leave town for the winter, she decided to rent her house to a retired doctor and his horticulturalist wife, total strangers whom she befriended in a heartbeat, actually, invited them to move in a month early. and so she and dr. trey styler and his wife, who also happened to be named nancy, they all lived together like roommates. she kind of said, i'm going to take you under my wing and have you meet all my friends, and i know a lot of people around here. keith morrison: but now, in february 2014, at just 57, nancy pfister was gone.

murdered, apparently in her own bed. while the grief was still very fresh, much of aspen crowded into the storied hotel jerome for a memorial that was more like a goodbye party. billy clayton: however she died, we need to celebrate her life. that's what she would have wanted. because her life was a celebration. keith morrison: except, one person notably absent from the overflow crowd in the jerome wasn't celebrating, but certainly could hear the music and laughter that burst out of hotel windows that night and drifted down the street and into a particular cell in the county jail. coming up-- kathy carpenter: when i opened that door, that odor is so overwhelming, it hit me in the face. and i looked down. keith morrison: --what had happened to nancy pfister? the awful discovery that launched this aspen mystery-- woman: that house has this story to tell

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[music playing] aspen, colorado is the center of the universe, for a certain crowd, that is. in 2014, as always, an avalanche of skiers crowded onto lifts and filled the restaurants and bars and shops that line aspen's carefully-tended avenues, a lovely, if pricey, skiing heaven. except, that is, for nancy pfister. keith morrison: did she ever think of leaving here permanently? i know she was away a lot. she thought of it all the time. she thought about it because aspen's changed so much. it's not that sleepy little town. there's traffic. i got stuck in traffic today. keith morrison: with her daughter, juliana, grown and out of the house by then, nancy, at the peak of ski season, had no reason to winter in aspen, which is why she rented her house

to that retired doctor and his wife from denver, while she sipped her champagne in warmer climes, this year, australia. so it was a surprise when, this february, she notified her friends she was coming home early. she arrived in aspen saturday, 22nd of february. kathy carpenter picked her up at the airport. i got with her that evening, helped her and pack, kind of get organized. how was it to have her back? it was wonderful. it was fun. she shared a lot of her video clips that she took on her trip. did you stay over the weekend, or-- i did. she asked me if i would stay with her, so i did. keith morrison: on monday morning, february 24, kathy got up early and left for work, leaving nancy and her dog, gabe, at the house. knowing nancy would need peace and quiet to get over her jet lag, she put a note on the front door asking would be visitors to leave nancy alone. she did not want to be disturbed. nancy pfister never wanted to be disturbed when she slept.

right. you do not call her. you do not wake her. she always slept with her earplugs and her eye mask and everything shut. close the door, and do not disturb. keith morrison: billy clayton also left nancy alone, but felt much better just knowing she was home. billy clayton: i worried about her constantly when she was away from aspen. but when she returned to aspen, i didn't worry about her. i would relax. i sent her an email-- there was a photo of my four-year-old son-- to aunt nancy, we're so glad you're home. because when you're home, we don't worry about you, and everything's good. keith morrison: but billy didn't hear back, not a word. and then on wednesday, the people who'd been renting nancy's house called kathy. they'd moved out quickly on nancy's return, having going back and forth to the house all week clearing out the last of their stuff. they found it odd that they hadn't seen nancy, not once. so this is monday, tuesday, and then wednesday,

and you still hadn't seen her? still hadn't seen her. keith morrison: but they did see nancy's dog, gabe. and then i went and called kathy, and said, this dog has been alone for two days. it's clear that she hasn't been back. i was concerned because, normally, that's not nancy's behavior. she would call me and ask me to pick the dog up. keith morrison: so after work, kathy drove up to nancy's place on buttermilk mountain to check on her friend. what was it like when you went inside the house? i called her name out, and gabe was there. he was happy to see me. keith morrison: but nancy wasn't there. kathy checked her bedroom. you know, stuff that was there that i unpacked, it was clear, cleaned up. and when i turned, went to the closet, it was locked. was it usually locked? no. i mean, not with nancy pfister home. keith morrison: kathy knew that when nancy rented her house, she kept her personal belongings locked in a closet in the master bedroom.

but she and kathy had unlocked it when she got home. at that point, i was not feeling comfortable. something was not right. keith morrison: kathy, who often house sat for nancy, had a spare key, but it was back in her house. so she went home, got the key, returned, opened the closet door. when i opened that door, that odor is so overwhelming. it hit me in the face. and i looked down, and i could see the shape. keith morrison: a shape hidden under a pile of blankets and coverings. but with one glimpse, kathy just knew, she said. it was nancy pfister. hard to get that image out of your mind? it is. it's kind of stuck there? it is. keith morrison: kathy fled the house, got in her car, called 911. kathy carpenter (on phone): oh my god. no.

it's pretty desolate up there. so i jumped in the car, and i thought, i'll just drive down the hill and get to the police department. kathy carpenter (on phone): no. i-- i-- i don't know. keith morrison: her hysterics made it very hard for the dispatcher to comprehend exactly what was going on. dispatcher: can you get near your friends? kathy carpenter (on phone): no. no, i can't. keith morrison: then, finally understanding, the dispatcher told kathy, pull over, wait for the first responders. dispatcher: i want you to pull over and put your flashers on. kathy carpenter (on phone): ok. when the police arrived, they-- i stepped out of the vehicle. i think i was going into shock, hyperventilating. keith morrison: dashcam video shows a distraught kathy as she was taken to the hospital. and sheriff's deputies arrived on buttermilk mountain to look in that room and confront a mystery. that house in that room in particular has this story to tell, and are we going to be able to figure out what that story is?

keith morrison: coming up. she had died from blunt force trauma to the head, and it appeared she had had several blows to the head. any defensive wounds? no. so this appeared to come out of the blue for her? it did appear to be, yes, a premeditated crime that occurred while she was sleeping. keith morrison: more than one suspect and maybe more than one killer. hard to do that alone. it is awkward and difficult to move a body. keith morrison: when "dateline" continues. 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.

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it for your menopause journey. >> we saw elon musk take kind of a powerful role. did anything about how he wielded his power surprise you? do you not need a katrina level type of response that is rebuilding to make sure it won't happen again? you've obviously made a decision to resign. are there any lessons that can be learned as you're talking to members of your congregation, what do you tell them about how to stand up for their own moral beliefs, but their own moral beliefs, but still find grace in this moment? [music playing] lisa miller, then the da's investigator for the county that includes aspen, is a tall, rangy woman with an impish grin that looks like it's hiding a secret. investigator miller was in an unfamiliar situation up here on buttermilk mountain. murder in aspen? just doesn't happen. or hadn't at least in more than a decade. lisa miller: i was a little surprised that we had a murder in aspen.

and being called to a person's home like nancy pfister, i should think especially so. correct. keith morrison: and yet, here she was in nancy's living room, looking out the big picture window. lisa miller: the juxtaposition of arriving at that house and taking a look at this beautiful scenery and then knowing an act of terrible violence had occurred just down the hallway. keith morrison: though in the bedroom, she saw surprisingly little evidence of it. lisa miller: there was a small blood smear on the headboard. there was a couple small droplets of blood on the carpet and a little bit of spatter on the wall. keith morrison: and the body in the closet? well, when first responders opened the door-- they knew they were looking for a body. and they open the door, and they look inside, and they didn't immediately recognize the body. you just looked down and you saw white coverings.

keith morrison: and underneath those coverings? lisa miller: miss pfister had been bound with extension cord. she had multiple plastic bags over her head that had been bound and secured tightly. and then another large one of the tear-resistant, darker-colored bags over her body also. keith morrison: with blankets wrapped all around that. investigator miller could clearly see that the killer, whoever it was, had gone to a lot of trouble to hide what he or she had done. but there was no hiding now. when the crime scene personnel started taking a look, they flipped the mattress and found blood on the bottom part of the mattress. keith morrison: so it was clear, nancy was killed on the bed, dragged to the closet, stashed there, wrapped up like a mummy. then whoever did it took the extra trouble to flip the mattress in an effort to hide the soaked-in pool of blood. andrea bryan was the deputy district attorney

and started working on the case the night nancy's body was found. we learned that she had died from blunt force trauma to the head, and it appears she had had several blows to the head. any defensive wounds? no. so this appeared to come out of the blue for her? it did appear to be, yes, a premeditated crime that occurred while she was sleeping. keith morrison: it looked as if it happened early monday morning. and then the body lay in the closet undiscovered until wednesday evening. the investigators began compiling a list of possible suspects. it's a long list. billy clayton: none of us really lived like nancy, so open. i mean, she was totally open to strangers. keith morrison: that openness made nancy friends everywhere she went, said billy. but when nancy opened herself up, people didn't always like what came out. say whatever she thought. say what she thought when she thought it. did she realize she was going to maybe make a negative impression sometimes when she did that? well, she definitely pissed people off. there's no doubt about that.

many times, i could just see people's the steam coming out of their ears, and they're thinking, no one's ever talked to me like that before. but her thinking was someone should have a long time ago. keith morrison: no question, nancy rubbed some people the wrong way, spoke her mind a bit too often maybe, treated friends a little like her personal servants sometimes, like kathy, for example. did she treat you more like a friend or like she was your boss? you know, friends, and just depending on the day. and some days, you know, she would boss me around. news. >> this. >> hour for you coming. >> out of. >> the gaza strip, where the cease fire. >> agreement between israel. >> and hamas. >> now leading to another. >> three hostages being released. >> to the. >> idf, the. israeli military, including. >> one us. >> citizen, which. >> just happened. american keith siegel. >> 65 year old. >> just released, as well.

>> as israelis yarden. >> bibas and. >> ofir calderon. >> have already. >> been received. >> by the idf. that happened a little bit earlier. we're talking. >> about the two israelis. >> they will now. >> make their way into israeli. >> territory, where they will. >> be. >> reunited with. >> their families. >> and i allude. >> specifically to keith siegel. >> who will make that journey. yarden bibas and ofir calderon have already done that. >> nbc news. >> chief international correspondent keir simmons. is in the. >> so-called hostage. >> square in tel aviv. for us. and keir, what just happened? >> the ripples of cheers and applause across this crowd and hostage square, who have been watching the handover of keith siegel in gaza city, a different location from the other handovers today and in previous days. during this ceasefire. keith siegel looking pretty well, i have to say, wearing a cap. just as you look at these images, let me tell you a little bit about him. his family described him as a peacemaker, a

vegetarian, somebody that on his kibbutz learned arabic in order to talk to the workers there. and then they describe the heartache of the past more than 480 days. his daughter shira delayed her wedding because her father wasn't there. his 98 year old grandmother, mother, his daughter's grandmother died while he was in captivity. he wasn't able to be at the funeral, and now we have been watching images of his wife, aviva, celebrating even before this incredible moment when he is putting escorted to the red cross vehicles. and as you can see now, driven slowly away in scenes that we have become a little bit used to. but this is the first time that an american citizen has been freed during this ceasefire, the first time in more than a year. you know, i

have to tell you, richard, that his wife, his wife, aviva, was also held hostage. they were driven into gaza in their own cars by hamas and other other militant groups. and she was released. and when she was released, he said to her, i will be out within days. of course, it's now been more than 480 days. and she is waiting now to be reunited with him. as you watch these images of keith siegel finally being driven out of gaza. >> and keir, how did. >> it go. with the. >> two israelis. >> that were. >> passed from hamas. >> over to. idf earlier this? >> as we watched. >> some video from. >> earlier of. >> keith siegel, as. >> you were. >> mentioning there. that was, of course, in question. >> earlier in. >> this week. >> on. >> thursday, where.

>> benjamin netanyahu, the prime. >> minister of israel, was quite. >> concerned about. >> the entire process. >> yeah, that's right. those images on thursday were completely different to what we're seeing now. i think there's a message here from hamas that the handover on thursday was controlled by islamic jihad, a different group there in gaza. i think this is there are many messages being sent even while events like this are happening. i think this is hamas saying we know how to do this properly, if you like. there are also, once again, you can see, you know, hamas militants in clean uniforms with weapons, again, trying to send a message to the israelis even while they release israelis. you know, you ask about those other two hostages who've been released today. jardin phébus are released, but really bittersweet. every one of these handovers are bittersweet, but for him, particularly so because his wife and two children were

also taken hostage. and there's no sign of them, including his his little boy cafe, who was just a few months, just ten months old when he was held, when he was taken, his first birthday happened in captivity. and now yadin is free. but we don't know whether he is only learning now what may have happened to his his wife and children. we don't know. meanwhile, the other hostage affair, as you described, he is being released to his two daughters, teenage daughters who have been waiting for him all this time. so, you know, we're going to see heart wrenching scenes in the coming hours as these families are reunited and not reunited. >> so, keir. as we. >> learned that the israelis. >> are now. >> in the hands. of the idf. >> now, if you will. >> back in. >> their. >> homeland. >> what's the next.

>> step for keith siegel? does he cross the border? >> does he get. >> into the typical helicopters? >> and then where. >> does he move to? do we know? >> yeah, he will be taken to hospital to the hospital that that will be the first step. you know, you can't tell honestly from these from these images. we know this now. how hostages are doing perhaps physically. certainly mentally. of course there's a whole process that the israelis have to re acclimatize, if you like, people who've been in captivity for so long, the circumstances in which they were held, we know a little bit about, in keith's case, because his wife was released. we know that at one point they thought they wouldn't make it in those tunnels when they were being held. we know that as an for example, keith, is somebody, you know, we know something about the spirit of this man that every day he asked to fellow

hostages in captivity to think of one thing that they one good thing about today, every day. now, maybe he carried on doing that after his wife was released, but equally, even though he said to he said to his wife, look, i will be strong at the moment at which they were separated, we're going to find out how strong he is. and clearly there's going to be a process and this has to have an impact. >> cure. >> as of. >> today. >> then 13. hostages released plus four thais. five thais. >> i believe thai. >> nationals. >> a total. >> of 583. if it does. >> come to pass. >> later today. in fact. i should drill down. >> on that with you right now. keir. >> what's going to be happening on. >> the israeli side in terms of palestinian. >> prisoners. >> being released. >> from this? >> so there are palestinian, there are large numbers of palestinian prisoners will be

released. that's the that's the agreement. that's the process. given how, you know, orderly this handover appears to be i think that will happen on thursday because of the scenes that we saw then prime minister benjamin netanyahu delayed the handover while he said he sought assurances from what he describes as the mediators and from therefore, hamas through the mediators, an assurance that there would be that they wouldn't see scenes like that on thursday. again, it looks like what we're seeing here is, is in some ways a response to that. so i think you will see those palestinian prisoners handed over. and then there is a political process. let's not forget that richard ahead. so prime minister netanyahu will head to washington early next week to meet with president trump. he'll be the first foreign leader to meet with president trump since the inauguration. and then around midweek, i'm told by diplomats

in the gulf the talks for the second stage will begin. now, that second stage involves potentially the release of more hostages. also, i got to tell you the release of the bodies of those who've died in captivity. so that's the next stage. and then there's a third stage. and that's if you like the political stage where they begin to be talks about whether how to reconstruct gaza. they have to agree a permanent ceasefire. so this is this is not a permanent ceasefire at this stage. so they have to agree on that. and then there are talks about who runs gaza, how to reconstruct gaza. i think even while these handovers are happening, you're seeing hamas trying to send a message to say we're still in charge. there are questions, of course, about what kind of hamas it now is. they have been substantially weakened by the israeli onslaught on gaza. but those

questions that are still ahead about what the future holds, those are very, very difficult questions. listen, for the people here in hostage square, the important thing is that hostages are being released and they are hoping for more. and so far, the ceasefire is holding. >> those that you've spoken. >> with here. >> they're in hostage square. >> and otherwise. >> what's the. >> reaction now, this fourth tranche if you will exchange. >> going both ways. >> if it. >> completes. >> as many hope it. >> does today. >> on. >> this fourth. >> grouping. >> what's the reaction. >> to will this. >> make it to the end, if. >> you will, of. >> this deal. >> well, well there i can tell you every single person that i would that i could speak to in this square would tell you that they really hope it does, and that they are worried also about what what comes next, about what what the future holds about their security is, you know, you

have people in gaza worried about what their future holds. you have israelis here worried about what their future holds. i've got to tell you that the reaction so far here, the people watching has been celebratory. but also, you know, it's a fairly relaxed atmosphere. this this is becoming a little bit familiar. and that's something that you kind of want. right. you know, the familiarity of it tells us something that the process about how the process is working that steadily as these hostage handovers take place, that the ceasefire is becoming, is holding. and i think that's one thing. yes, i've spoken to i've spoken to diplomats on all sides through this process. and one of the things that the diplomats in the, in, in the gulf, particularly in qatar, will tell you, is that what they

aim to do is to build some kind of confidence, to build, you know, some kind of. agreement that can lead to more negotiations and potentially more agreements. and that's what they hope for. but it is fragile. i mean, you don't want to underestimate that. this is this is a fragile process. and it is not inconceivable that that conflict can return to gaza at any moment. honestly. >> a minute left here, keir. >> you just described. >> the complexity. >> and the fragility. >> with what. >> we might. expect to be 9 or. >> 10 of these exchanges. >> one might say, well. >> that's a way. >> to. >> keep it together. >> the other. >> way to look. >> at. >> it is. >> there's a lot of things that can go wrong. >> ncaa oh, they really are. you know, just as an example, one part of this process, as i mentioned, is that the bodies of those hostages who didn't make

it will be brought out of gaza. and think about the impact of that on the, on the on the national feeling here in israel when that happens and that's going to be happening while these talks are taking place, to try to figure out what what the future holds. so no, no, certainly the fragility is real. and while you have hamas visibly demonstrating that it still exists and that it still has some control in gaza at these moments of handover, there is almost everybody in the process does not want to see gaza, hamas leading gaza in the future. hamas has a different view, clearly. and there, there, you see, you know, a conflict of interests which has to be resolved at some stage. but just for now, though, richard, just a bittersweet celebration over the

release of keith siegel. >> keir simmons, thank. >> you, as. >> always, our chief international correspondent there. in israel with now. >> the fourth. >> day. >> the fourth. >> exchange of. >> this peace deal. >> keir. >> thank you so much. >> for your reporting. >> we're going to. >> continue following. >> this breaking news story. >> and bring you updates from the middle east throughout this morning. >> i'm richard. >> lui here at. >> msnbc world headquarters. in new york. >> now back. >> to your regular scheduled programing. >> week. maybe that's why it's number one at gnc, but you can only get your complimentary sample by texting flow to. 369369 plus text now, and will include a tube of insta flex pain cream with its exclusive oxygenated oil for fast acting relief from the pain of arthritis, backaches and sore muscles. absolutely free text. flow to 369369. >> there's only. >> 47 aneurysm. did he have life insurance? do you.

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washington and hear from someone who's been there. you need your morning joe weekdays at six only morning joe weekdays at six only on msnbc. [music playing] basalt, colorado is just down the highway from aspen. you could see the same mountains, breathe the same air. but when trey and nancy styler checked into their motel, they were entering a world far beneath the rarefied heights of nancy pfister's mountainside retreat. no billionaire starter castles here. this is where many of the people who work in aspen live. and here, the stylers thought they were done with nancy pfister, moving on. and then there was a knock at the door at 5:30 am. it was sheriff's deputies. they had questions, they said, about a dead body.

and i said, what dead body? and he wouldn't tell me. who died? wouldn't say a word. keith morrison: the deputies escorted them to the back seats of separate cars but said not a word as drove down to the station. nancy listened to the chatter on the radio. i heard her sister's names being mentioned on the police radio, nancy's sister's names. and i thought, well, it must be something to do with nancy. keith morrison: at the pitkin county sheriff's office, deputies put nancy and trey in different interview rooms. and he had read me my miranda rights beforehand. and i said, i don't need an attorney. i said, i haven't done anything wrong. i said, i'll be happy to answer questions. keith morrison: which were, at least to begin with, pretty basic. detective: where did you and trey come from? nancy styler: we're from denver. we met at the university of colorado medical school.

they asked me if i knew any of the men that she had dated, if i knew anyone that would want her dead. keith morrison: but she didn't think it was that sort of thing at all, said nancy. she told the detective she was pretty sure she knew exactly what happened to nancy pfister. i said, you're going to find the tox report. you're going to find out that she committed suicide. i was absolutely sure that that's what happened. keith morrison: but of course, investigators knew nancy pfister did not die by suicide. they knew someone beat her to death, attacked her as she slept. and they knew all about the rental arrangement that started well and went to hell and about the styler's rapid fall from success to ruination. their financial situation was dire, and he was trying to pawn a very nice ring. he was a desperate man? he was very desperate. keith morrison: they also knew from kathy carpenter how angry nancy styler was at nancy pfister.

what kinds of things did she say? just that i hate that woman. you know, nancy styler was upset. i could kill her? she did say that. oh, i could just kill that woman. did nancy styler admit that she had threatened nancy pfister, that she had said, you know, i'd like to kill her? she was, i think, pretty open about her feelings for nancy pfister, and she made some statements that were certainly consistent with that. nancy styler: i said, you know, i would like to wring her neck because she is such a drunk and making me so crazy. keith morrison: nancy styler's personal opinion of nancy pfister had soured to such a degree she did not hesitate to speak ill of the dead, whether true or not. nancy styler: there is not one person who said a nice thing about her, not one person. keith morrison: investigators put dr. styler in a separate room. they dressed him in an orange jumpsuit even though he wasn't under arrest,

and they asked a few softball questions. detective: and do you like william, or would you rather have trey, or-- trey styler: frankly, i'll answer to anything that-- keith morrison: but it wasn't long before the tone changed. the accusations began. sheriff: you had no idea. why did you go in there and hurt nancy? maybe you don't even know, but i know it's true. i know it's true. keith morrison: the sheriff himself, a close friend of the late nancy pfister, tried to get trey styler to admit that in a desperate rage, he killed nancy. sheriff: you did this, man. you did it. and the quicker you start saying that, the better this is going to be. keith morrison: but trey insisted they were going after the wrong guy. he was innocent. trey styler: how can you know it's true when it's not true? keith morrison: over and over, trey stressed and demonstrated how his 65-year-old body, ravaged by disease, was far too frail to have done what was done to nancy. trey styler: --because you can see i'd be a formidable adversary in a fight. keith morrison: but it had already dawned on detectives.

the more trey claimed to be physically incapable-- trey styler: my condition is such that i don't think i could beat up a kid. keith morrison: --the worse it looked for his wife. lisa miller: we definitely had to look at the fact that he had assistance potentially. trey styler: my wife does everything. i'm [bleep] disabled. i can't do [bleep]. keith morrison: trey still insisted, took a polygraph. maybe he shouldn't have. and he fails his polygraph? yes, he did fail as polygraph. you're smiling. failed it badly, or what? my understanding from the polygrapher that's running the test, he did fail it badly. keith morrison: not admissible in court, but an investigative tool they say. didn't look good for the stylers, but desperation and anger do not by themselves a murder case make. and to make things a little extra difficult, investigators knew they couldn't count on dna at the scene to link the stylers to the crime.

it could easily be explained because of where they were living. they were staying in that bedroom. keith morrison: so the investigators drove the stylers back to their motel and went on with the hard work of a murder investigation. they'd have to find a piece of good, solid evidence to tie someone, maybe the stylers, to the crime. it didn't look so far as if such a thing existed. and then-- occasionally, something fortuitous happens to law enforcement. keith morrison: how is that old saying go? one man's trash is another man's treasure. coming up. this broke the case. keith morrison: it seemed like magic, a grab bag of evidence suddenly at their feet. what was this stuff, and where did it come from when "dateline" continues.

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i don't ever see anyone coming out to maintenance anything, so it's very scary for me because i have everything i love in this home. so, we've now implemented drone technology. how is that safe for me? it enhances the inspection, so it allows us to see things faster. your safety is the most important, and if you're feeling unsafe, that's not okay. it doesn't feel like that in our hearts. i mean, it's worrisome. [dog barks] something was wrong with the equation, didn't add up.

here in aspen in the house on buttermilk mountain, the crime scene around nancy pfister's body spoke in a way. it told a story. and what it said was that at least two able-bodied people committed the murder. how else would a heavy mattress get flipped and nancy's body get dragged across the room and into the closet and get packaged in bags and wrapped up in blankets? and yet, their suspects, nancy's former tenants, were not able-bodied spring chickens, anything but athletic. and besides, there was zero physical evidence that would tie either one of them to the crime. i think we were faced with the reality that this was always going to be a circumstantial case. keith morrison: so that bedroom was keeping its secrets and might be keeping them still except for one total fluke. a couple of days later, one of those little gifts that chance or fate or something

just drops at a frustrated investigator's feet, all tied up with a neat, little bow. what do you got here? this is not just a standard trash thing? no, this broke the case. keith morrison: how weirdly flukey was this? the town of basalt, who knew, had a rule that you can't put personal garbage in public trash cans. and a city worker, a little extra diligent, happened to be poking around in the trash just randomly checking for illegal garbage disposal. tell me what this guy did and how he came across this stuff? he pulls the trash, and then he goes to another location. he was going to actually check it to see if there was any-- something stood out about it. actually does this stuff? people check it. opens the bag? and he did, and thank goodness he did because when he opened the bag, he looks inside, and he sees a prescription pill bottle.

and what was special about this prescription pill bottle is it had nancy pfister's name on it. keith morrison: of course, the city worker recognized the name. aspen and the towns around it were buzzing with news about nancy pfister's murder. in addition to that pill bottle, after which he phoned the police, what did you guys find in that bag? well, in addition to the pill bottle, the big one was a hammer, a bloody hammer. keith morrison: a bloody hammer found in the same trash as medication belonging to nancy pfister? that simply couldn't be a coincidence. police were 99% sure they'd stumbled on the murder weapon. they sent it off to the crime lab to be tested asap. but the trash bag wasn't done divulging its investigative gifts. another thing that we found that was concerning to us was the vehicle registration for william and nancy styler's jaguar. keith morrison: what's more, the trash bin was located just behind the motel

where the stylers were staying, and that was miles and miles away from nancy pfister's house. again, as we say, a little gift, actually a big, fat, juicy gift dropped right into investigators laps, and it, no question, linked the stylers to the crime. i cannot think of any other time, any other case i've ever heard about, where such obvious evidence is just kind of there. thrown out carelessly so close to where suspects are staying? yeah. keith morrison: deputies hovered around the motel to keep an eye on the stylers to make sure they didn't do it disappearing act while they and the da waited for the lab to test the hammer. and then three days later, another insanely improbable discovery. the key was found on the ground. it was right before the trash can. keith morrison: right there, just a few feet from the door of the styler's motel room, was the owner's key to the closet in which nancy pfister's body was found, lying around as if the stylers intended

to throw it in the trash but dropped it by mistake. just lying on the ground? on the ground. on the lighter portion of the concrete is where it was found. keith morrison: and then that very same day as if to punctuate the whole strange affair, the dna results came back, and-- nancy pfister's dna was on the hammer, so we were able to pretty clearly say that that was the murder weapon. keith morrison: the murder weapon, the key, and a motive, pretty much everything they needed to pin the crime on the stylers. it was march 3, 2014, not even a week since nancy pfister's body was found. they knocked on the door. i stepped out of the door, and they said we're arresting you for murder one, and slapped the cuffs on me and took me away. they led my husband out in my bathrobe. what is it like for a woman who had led a very successful life, who traveled around doing lectures

on victoria lilies to societies of like-minded horticulturalists-- to be in jail? --to be in jail for murder? it was a shock. keith morrison: it was a shock for some of nancy pfister's friends too, like mary conover. the stylers? really? it was just a big surprise. and not knowing anything about these people, it just seemed outrageous. why you would do something like that? keith morrison: but kathy carpenter, who pointed her suspicious finger at the stylers right after the murder, practically jumped for joy. when i heard that, i was joyful that they found the person who murdered nancy, and i just felt that there was justice. keith morrison: and swift justice at that. what a relief to all those souls nancy collected, who loved her like family. i was relieved that, you know, this is done. keith morrison: but could one of the biggest crimes

in aspen history really be solved that fast with so little drama? of course not. looked like a setup to you. it looked like a setup. it really did look like a setup. keith morrison: coming up. rethinking the case. something doesn't add up. bizarre is the only way i can characterize that 911 call. keith morrison: a call now becomes a clue. there's no way she saw what she said she saw. keith morrison: when "dateline" continues. even 20 years. imagine you could do this without products that just temporarily hide the symptoms. imagine no more insta flex advanced. get a complimentary sample just by texting flo to 369369. insta flex advanced is different because it targets the root

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fishy. keith morrison: nancy styler's attorney, beth krulewitch. fishy how? in terms of you've got a very well-respected physician who's now being accused of murder. and it didn't-- it was inconceivable to me that he would have killed somebody. keith morrison: plus, the elderly man they led away wrapped in his wife's blue bathrobe looked far too frail and weak to bludgeon a woman to death, carry her body, wrap it up, flip a mattress. and then been stupid enough to take the murder weapon, some pill bottles with the victim's name on them, his vehicle registration and insurance, packaged it all up in one bag, and then put it in a dumpster that was close to the motel he was staying at. made zero sense to me. keith morrison: it also made zero sense that trey's accomplice was his diminutive 62-year-old wife, nancy, even though she did actually say she could just kill that nancy pfister.

but then, lots of people around town said similar things about the outspoken ms. pfister at some point or another, not meaning it literally. i could see where she could be sitting around with kathy carpenter and they could be commiserating about what nancy pfister did or didn't do, or what she had said, or the way they had been treated. and she could have said something like, gee, i'd like to kill her. but listen, that's not evidence of first degree murder. keith morrison: besides, nancy styler was more than open about it. nancy styler: we've all said that about someone at some other-- i'd like to kill 'em or something like that, but not ever thinking-- taking it that far. yes, i did say that. but no, i didn't kill her. and if it wasn't nancy, couldn't have been trey either. because he was frail, yes, said, nancy, but also because he was never alone to do it. you were never without him. you were always together.

yeah, i said we were always together. keith morrison: what did make sense, said attorney krulewitch, is that someone else killed nancy pfister and planted the evidence against the stylers in an attempt to frame them. the final piece of it was that the owner's closet key magically appears on the sidewalk near the stylers' motel room the day they get arrested. keith morrison: it was a thought that crossed investigators' minds as well. lisa miller: we would have been amiss had we not looked at the possibility that someone was setting these people up. keith morrison: and so even with the stylers in jail, charged with murder, investigators were still quietly looking for other suspects, for someone with motive and means to kill nancy and the foresight to frame the stylers, someone close to nancy, someone nancy trusted, even loved, like the person who pointed the finger of blame right in the middle of that 911 call, kathy carpenter.

keith morrison: kathy carpenter-- she said she was nancy pfister's dear friend, but investigators were hearing a different story. their relationship had been a roller coaster, so we knew that there had been this cycle of the ladies having a good relationship, and then things would go south and they would have a bad relationship for a period of time. keith morrison: and so with all that in mind, deputy da andrea bryan went back to that hysterical phone call from kathy to 911. what did you make of it? you know, i think bizarre is the only way i can characterize that 911 call, immediately identifying suspects. it was not getting help for nancy pfister, it was, oh, you should be looking at these two people, immediately. so that was interesting. keith morrison: so it was. and just as interesting, what kathy told 911 about seeing

nancy pfister's body. the fact that immediately the deceased is identified as nancy pfister would have been impossible to do. keith morrison: impossible, said investigator lisa miller, because nancy's body was completely covered, head to toe, when kathy saw it in the closet. we're looking at photos of the crime scene. and we knew there's no way she saw what she said she saw. keith morrison: there was more. kathy, of course, had keys to nancy's house, including a key to the closet, was the last person to admit seeing nancy alive, and when she left, pinned up that "do not disturb" sign on nancy's door, supposedly because her friend needed to get over her jet lag. lisa miller: she ended up making a statement to another individual that nancy would be sleeping and resting for the next three days. and it was three days later the body was found.

correct. keith morrison: and the day that closet key magically appeared so close to the stylers' motel room. kathy carpenter was known to be in the very same neighborhood, right around that time, meeting with her therapist. so next question, was kathy carpenter truly nancy's friend and helper or her murderer trying to pin the blame on someone else? coming up-- keith morrison: the interrogation, probing questions, puzzling actions-- lisa miller: there was no tears during the time that she was trying to portray herself as crying. keith morrison: --and perplexing memories. --when "dateline" continues.

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one (800) 403-7539. when you need brutal honesty, when you need answers first thing in the morning. when you need to go deep inside washington and hear from someone who's been there. you need your morning joe weekdays at 6:00 only on msnbc. keith morrison: ski season in aspen is a time to see and be seen in crowded watering holes beneath carefully groomed world class slopes. but in late winter 2014, attention was diverted from the fashionable pursuits. now, the subject was nancy pfister's murder, and also, her freewheeling life. and in death, her reputation, to the consternation

of her closest friends, was gleefully amplified by some media outlets, and not in a good way. why do we need to throw rocks at her just because she had too much fun, really? keith morrison: billy and the others defended their remarkable, departed friend, and devoted their energy to plans for a special memorial event, which they decided would be a party. the sort of thing nancy would have loved. what did she mean to you, personally? billy clayton: she meant duration and consistency. she was the godmother of my children, and i was the godfather of juliana. sorry. i'm trying. keith morrison: but while billy and the others worked through their grief, nancy's buddy, kathy carpenter, was at the pitkin county sheriff's office answering questions.

we were still giving her the benefit of the doubt. she thought something was up. she had been worried about her friend. keith morrison: so was there an innocent explanation for why kathy seemed to see things she could not have seen? why she knew it was nancy's bloodied body that was in the closet, even though the responders saw what looked like just a pile of blankets when they arrived? could she have lifted up those blankets-- she could have. --and seen? she could have. and during the interviews, i specifically asked her, "did you step into the closet? did you lift any of the blankets? did you touch, did you manipulate in any way?" and her answers repeatedly were, no, she had not touched. she had not moved. she had not manipulated. keith morrison: and yet, at the same time,

kathy gave specific details about the body. she tells me she immediately recognized her friend because of the blonde hair and the length of that hair. "how much hair did you see?", i would ask ms. carpenter. i just had highlights. >> so how. >> many strands. >> would you say that you saw? >> would you say that you saw? so would it be if you've seen the crime scene photographs of how that body was found and how that body was in the closet, she did not see that. keith morrison: the more kathy talked--

keith morrison: --the more suspicious the investigators became. lisa miller: she's describing in the interviews, how-- where the injuries were to the forehead. i went and i reviewed the autopsy photos, and she was exactly spot on to where she indicated the injury to the forehead. keith morrison: it wasn't just kathy's words, said investigator miller. looked to her like kathy's grief with more act than real. keith morrison: and a bad act at that. she would act like she would cry. she would rub her eyes as if she was crying, but no tears were coming out. she would hold her face in her hands, but there was no mucus. there was no tears during the time that she was trying to portray herself as crying. yeah, some people cry without tears, surely.

i'm sure some people do. keith morrison: what can you tell from a thing like that? it's just always interesting when, you know, someone is going to such lengths to act like they're emotionally distraught, and the body doesn't respond in kind. in the usual way. yeah. in and of itself, maybe it doesn't mean anything, but coupled with a lot of the other facts that we were compiling and some of the inconsistencies that we were seeing. keith morrison: then she discovered what kathy did the day after she said she found nancy's body. she went to the bank, where nancy had trusted kathy with access to her safety deposit box. and kathy took from that box, the styler's last rent payment, $6,000 in cash, and an heirloom ring nancy had inherited from her mother. within 24 hours or actually, it was a little less than 24 hours of her friend being found by her, she's going into that safety deposit box,

taking $6,000 and jewelry from it. keith morrison: so investigators now had an idea fast gathering strength, that kathy carpenter was far more involved than she claimed to have been. she just made some very detailed descriptions of that body that she couldn't have made unless she had seen her before she was put in that closet. meaning right after she was actually murdered. did she provide a rational explanation for the reason for being able to do that? no. keith morrison: they brought kathy back again and again for questioning. five days almost 20 hours of questioning. during one interrogation, detectives read back the transcript of the 911 call. keith morrison: threw her own words at her. the blood she reported seeing--

keith morrison: --and how she so quickly accused the stylers. keith morrison: they told her they just knew, she was lying. listen. and i. >> am. >> am. >> going keith morrison: and kathy carpenter, like trey styler, submitted to a polygraph test, but if he failed his-- kathy carpenter failed hers worse. keith morrison: so for detectives, the only question left was, did kathy carpenter kill nancy and try to frame the stylers, or were they all in it together?

keith morrison: coming up-- i don't think anyone wanted that to be found. keith morrison: --another turn in the case-- this has been one of the more frightening experiences of my career. keith morrison: --when "dateline" continues. on medicare? living with diabetes? progress is having your coffee like you like it. the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor is covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. this is progress. ask your doctor today. ♪♪ much. >> you care, how you're a force in everything you do. even if you can't. see the finish line or picture. >> the. >> follow through. we do. we see how the caring part of you lifts everyone up. an example others look to you can't help but care.

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to the detectives investigating the murder of her friend, nancy pfister. keith morrison: she was alone with them. she could have asked for an attorney. she did not. she told the detective she didn't need a lawyer because she was innocent. but as kathy went on and on, those detectives became more and more sure she killed her friend nancy or helped at least. keith morrison: the question now, was kathy trying to frame the stylers. at first blush, it certainly looked that way. and yet, the more they thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. why? well, the trash bag containing so much incriminating evidence, for example, the one the diligent city worker just happened to stumble on--

i really think that this was actually pure luck. i don't think anyone wanted that to be found. i think, really, the simple explanation here is really the right explanation, which is that we had a great break in the case and thank goodness for that. keith morrison: the only conspiracy theory assistant da andrea bryan was buying was one that involved the stylers and kathy carpenter, all of them together committing the murder, the two women perhaps bonding over their shared frustration with nancy pfister's behaviors. it appears that they almost built, at times, a bit of a friendship around that mutual anger toward nancy pfister. keith morrison: and trey, pushed to his financial and emotional limits, was most likely the one to wield the hammer, reasoned the assistant da, while the women helped hide the body and clean up the bedroom. but if that theory was right, something went wrong after the murder. the conspiracy did not hold. andrea bryan: when kathy carpenter realized

the gravity of what she had gotten herself into, she got worried and worried that she would be fingered. keith morrison: so kathy struck first, the da's theory went, called 911, and fingered the stylers to deflect attention from herself. in the interrogation room, investigators had tried to get trey to turn on his wife or kathy. keith morrison: and they also tried to get kathy to flip on the stylers. keith morrison: but it didn't work. keith morrison: on march 14, three weeks after nancy pfister was murdered, kathy carpenter,

like the stylers before her, was charged with first degree murder and put in the county jail. the newest suspect arrested was katherine carpenter. keith morrison: billy clayton had been on the phone with kathy, just the day before, discussing nancy's memorial service. and i think i was supposed to get something for her to wear to the memorial. keith morrison: but now she was behind bars. seemed crazy, but in a town that could barely believe one of its own had been murdered, anything seemed possible now. i should have been surprised or shocked or something. but at that moment, i just-- i was like, who knows. anything could happen. i just-- i-- it didn't make any sense at all why anyone would kill her. keith morrison: and so, as billy and the others went on finalizing memorial plans, kathy, a bit late, got a lawyer, greg greer. this has been one of the more frightening experiences of my career to represent a person who is so totally

and completely innocent. keith morrison: as greer and the lawyers representing the stylers waded through the evidence, trying to sort out who did what, it became pretty clear, to them at least, that the truth about what happened in that bedroom on buttermilk mountain was still very much hidden. we were all wrong about what happened. i mean, everybody was wrong in this case. keith morrison: coming up-- wrong about what, or about whom? i started praying that the truth would be revealed. that's what i wanted is the truth to be revealed. keith morrison: when dateline continues. i'm getting vaccinated... ...with pfizer's pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine. so am i. because i'm at risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. i'm getting prevnar 20 because pneumococcal pneumonia could put me in the hospital and my risk is 6 times greater because i'm over 50.

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>> hostages released this morning. >> earlier today, hamas. >> releasing israelis. >> yarden bibas and. affair calderon. >> all three have. >> already been received. >> by israel's military. they will undergo a medical evaluation and be reunited. >> with. their families. >> in tel aviv. >> after that. >> we'll continue. >> to monitor this breaking. >> story throughout. >> the morning. >> right here. >> on msnbc. >> for now. >> for now. >> though, back to dateline. keith morrison: it was just where she would have wanted her last party, aspen's historic hotel jerome. and by their hundreds, locals crowded in out of the frigid march night, two and half weeks after the murder to tell crazy stories, and remember the amazing life of nancy pfister. woman: there were so many people that they couldn't all fit in the jerome hotel ballroom. they went out the door, into the hallways.

keith morrison: what do you say to a crowd like that? i just, basically, wanted to celebrate her life and her spirit of adventure. keith morrison: billy clayton got up, too. said what was in his heart. billy clayton: i said that if you've known me over the last 40 years or so, you know me because of nancy. when you see me, you think of nancy. she was a connector. that was her real main role, i think, in everyone's life. keith morrison: and when you look down there in that crowd, how were they reacting? a lot of tears. a lot of laughter at certain stories. and they were all just solidly there in that space at that moment. keith morrison: but at that very same moment, in a far different space just down the street from the fine, old hotel jerome, kathy carpenter wept in her cell

at the pitkin county jail, and listened. kathy carpenter: i could hear the music the band, and i just, i cried. i cried a lot. i wanted to be there. i should have been there, and it hurt. keith morrison: how could they think she had anything to do with it? there was some suggestion that you had a motive to harm nancy. absolutely not. what was my motive? there was no motive. a shared frustration with nancy styler about how difficult she was? heavens no. no. not at all. keith morrison: nancy was her best friend, she said. i loved her. keith morrison: yeah. she was-- i loved nancy pfister. keith morrison: that's why she sat through all those hours of interrogation without a lawyer, she said. she wanted to help them understand the truth. like, for example, how it wasn't at all suspicious that she knew right away it was nancy in that closet.

kathy carpenter: you know, the odor just about knocked me over, and to me, it was very apparent that, that wasn't just a pile of clothes in the closet. who else, but nancy would be in that closet? you weren't a complete idiot. you understood that was-- had to be nancy. right. who else would it be? keith morrison: and when she so quickly fingered the stylers, she said it was just common sense. they were in the house. you knew that they were pretty mad at nancy. they were mad-- they were upset with her. keith morrison: but what about those suspicious little details, like saying she saw blood on nancy's forehead, when nancy's forehead was completely covered up? keith morrison: that's easy to explain, said kathy. she never actually said that. they said that i saw her forehead. yes. kathy carpenter: i did not see her forehead. i saw blood on the headboard. keith morrison: headboard? in fact, crime scene techs did find blood on nancy pfister's headboard, but headboard is not

the word that appears in the typed transcript of the 911 call. greg greer: and on page 3 of that transcript, it says, "i saw blood on her forehead." keith morrison: kathy's attorney greg greer greg greer: i go home and listen to the tape, and i hear "headboard," but i listened to it, i bet, 10 times by myself before i told anybody else. keith morrison: sure enough, kathy, in that 911 call, did actually say "headboard," not forehead. keith morrison: a transcription error. and though investigators said that made no real difference to them, kathy's attorney is sure, the little error planted suspicion of kathy from the very beginning, and started investigators off in an inaccurate and inappropriate direction. greg greer: they used every technique in the book on her. and honestly, as i watch those interrogations,

i started thinking, i might have confessed to doing something just to make it stop. keith morrison: and they told you, you did it. yes. repeatedly? yes. and each time, what would you say? i did not do it. keith morrison: and even though it appears from the interrogation tapes that kathy did say some improbable things-- --she was on doctor-prescribed anxiety medication the whole time, she said. so in her confused fog and prompted by the investigator, said kathy, her descriptions were unclear. she may even have imagined things she could not have seen. is it possible that you were led into saying something like that? absolutely. absolutely.

you know, she was in a plastic bag, and i saw just went through the transparency of the bag. i saw a little bit of her hair. keith morrison: so why did she fail the polygraph? kathy carpenter: i was very upset, i was a very emotional, and they did tell me that in order for me to take this test properly, i could not feel any emotions. and just hearing the words, just hearing her name, it's very emotional. keith morrison: but it was true, she said, no denying it, she did take $6,000 in cash and an heirloom ring from nancy pfister's safe deposit box the day after she found the body. but it wasn't for her, she said. rather, it was to fulfill a promise to nancy.

she often would say if anything happens to me in my travels, make sure you do this, can you do that, make sure-- my little to-do list. keith morrison: and on the to-do list, that ring. kathy carpenter: she inherited a family ring from her mother, and her sisters wanted it, and she had asked me, you make sure that juliana-- if anything would happen to me that she would get this ring. that was my intention was to fulfill her wish. keith morrison: to give it to juliana. to give it to juliana. keith morrison: just as she had every intention of giving the money directly to juliana, too. so it wouldn't disappear into some disputed family trust. but then she said the investigators used everything she said and did against her. i just thought, no, this is not happening. how can they be so wrong? i have-- i had nothing to do with this. she was my dear friend. i loved her. keith morrison: kathy's attorney told her, don't worry. the case won't hold up in court. but even if he was right, the trial might be years away.

and so she did all that was left to her. and i started praying. praying that the truth would be revealed. that's what i wanted, is the truth to be revealed. keith morrison: and then, suddenly, it appeared that it was. truth, that is. but would anyone believe it? coming up, a stunner from mr. styler. mr. styler, i'm going to have you right here, sir. william styler wanted to make a statement. he was very clear about what he did, how he did it, when he did it, and in very specific detail. keith morrison: when "dateline" continues. can your pad flex with you without shifting? always flexfoam can. it's the only pad made with a flexible foam core

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access and ad free listening to rachel maddow's chart topping series. msnbc original podcasts, exclusive bonus content, and all of your favorite msnbc shows now of your favorite msnbc shows now ad free. subscribe on apple it went the way it often does in criminal cases, a period of frenetic activity followed by a sort of calm stasis, so it was with the murder case of nancy pfister. the flurry of action loosed from the moment her body was found in february 2014 to the arrest of the third and final suspect, kathy carpenter in mid-march dissipated with the spring thaw. the case now slouched towards summer. nancy's friend, billy, missing her more than ever. the last time i spoke with her, all we talked about were plans, everything we were going to do this summer, all the different ideas she had. keith morrison: but the only thing on the calendar now was a preliminary hearing scheduled for late june. all three defendants had pleaded not guilty.

and their respective attorneys-- beth krulewitch for nancy styler, greg greer for kathy carpenter-- were deciding their strategies, analyzing the evidence. the evidence, as i was seeing it, suggested to me very strongly that kathy carpenter may have done this and that she was setting up the stylers. kathy carpenter is innocent, innocent, innocent. i can't say that enough. keith morrison: but deputy da andrea bryan and her investigator, lisa miller, were preparing to argue it was a conspiracy involving all three. and then, less than two weeks before that hearing-- in the process of getting all of your material together for the preliminary hearing, what happened? i got a phone call from my assistant district attorney one afternoon. saying? saying that he had spoken with a defense attorney, specifically williams styler's defense attorney, and that william styler wanted to make a statement.

keith morrison: now that could be interesting. the good doctor was wheeled into the interview room where lisa miller was waiting for him. keith morrison: oh, but it was far more than just a statement. trey styler dropped a bombshell and blew the da's meticulously assembled case wide open. keith morrison: it was a confession. after months of strenuous denials, trey styler told them-- keith morrison: detail by detail, trey took them through the killing, how he slipped out of his motel room while his unknowing wife was sleeping and drove to nancy pfister's house intending to confront her.

keith morrison: then, he said, as he stood over the still sleeping nancy pfister, all the rage that built up inside him during his dreadful physical and financial decline, suddenly focused on the singular idea. keith morrison: so he went down the stairs, got a hammer, climbed back up to the bedroom. keith morrison: then, strengthened by a rush of adrenaline, he said, he single-handedly wrapped nancy pfister up, dragged her into the closet, and covered her up. keith morrison: and then he grabbed and took away some of nancy's belongings to make it look like she was gone. he was very clear about what he did, how he did it, and when he did it in very specific detail.

>> i do here. >> where and when and where. and in. in. >> what was. keith morrison: as for his wife or kathy carpenter-- keith morrison: and until this moment, he insisted, he hadn't told either one of them a single thing about what he did. he not only limited his wife's participation in that statement, he said she wasn't involved at all and that kathy carpenter wasn't involved at all, that he did the whole thing himself, that he had a burst of energy and he was able to do all of those things on his own. you have a skeptical look on your face. that's what he told me, yes. what did you think? having heard that, investigator miller told dr. styler exactly what she thought.

keith morrison: at this time, investigator miller was convinced all three were in it together. she looked straight at trey styler and confronted him. he was a frail, old man. surely he didn't expect she'd believe he did it all alone. are giving me an accounting of the. story where you were saying you were up and down. stairs multiple times moving dead weights. not easy work, mr. styler. >> i thought about it. >> since then. i'm reminded. >> of those stories. women lifting cars off of their lifting cars off of their children. keith morrison: but trey remained resolute, he was the lone killer.

had nothing to do with this. >> and as you styler, really and truly had nothing to do with this, i have done my best to this, i have done my best to hide it from keith morrison: how concerned are you that he decided that he was going down anyway, he might as well get them off the hook and that's really what was going on here? that's a concern in any case like this. keith morrison: so now it was decision time, take trey styler's confession at face value and release both nancy styler and kathy carpenter or send him back to his cell and proceed with the prosecution of all three. coming up-- took my world and just flipped it upside down. keith morrison: --a new explanation that not everyone was buying. william styler said that. i'm not saying that.

keith morrison: what was the truth? and whose story would prosecutors believe? i just hope that she would find forgiveness in her heart. what does she have to forgive you for? when dateline continues. 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. hi. i use febreze fade defy plug. and i use this. febreze has a microchip to control scent release so it smells first-day fresh for 50 days. 50 days!? and its refill reminder light means i'll never miss a day of freshness.

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>> 1-800-403-7539. that's one >> 1-800-403-7539. that's one (800) 403-7539. keith morrison: a full confession, the best possible solution for a murder case.

if they could believe it, that is. keith morrison: are you comfortable with that explanation of this crime? are you comfortable that, that is the whole thing? i don't know if we'll ever know the whole thing. keith morrison: around the pitkin county da's office was a nagging worry. dr. trey styler demanded, and the da approved, a quid pro quo. his full confession in exchange for his wife's unconditional release. keith morrison: but what if he was lying? how would they ever prove it? we had no facts to refute his statement to me. we weren't in that room that night that nancy pfister was murdered so we had no facts to refute what william styler was saying. so you're saying to me that kathy carpenter and nancy

styler are both innocent. neither one participated in this crime. william styler said that. i'm not saying that. keith morrison: but despite investigator miller's doubts, on june 17, 2014, after three and a half months in jail, nancy styler was released. nancy styler: and my attorney, beth, was there, and she said, "good news, you're getting out." and i said, "great." you know, they figured it out. and then she said, "but there's a catch." keith morrison: she gave nancy a letter. it was a private note from trey. nancy styler: and in this letter, he tells me about the plea bargain that he took. and one of the sentences that i've read a million times over said, "i know you're innocent, and you should believe i am, too." keith morrison: trey wrote that he was only pleading guilty to save her. he didn't actually kill nancy pfister, he wrote. he was falling on his sword for love. nancy styler: i cried that whole day. even though i was getting out, it should

have been a great time. i can't believe he's having to do this. this system is sick. it's messed up. keith morrison: three days later, june 20, dr. trey styler formally pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. that same day, the da dropped charges against kathy carpenter, and she walked out of jail a free woman. i was very grateful, very thankful, and i felt god answered my prayers. and-- but at the same time, it was still scary. i'm leaving jail after being locked up. what will people think? how will i be judged? keith morrison: she is grateful, scared, also sad. kathhy carpenter: there was sorrow for still thinking of the loss of nancy, and that he did something like this. that he did it.

you know, that was still hurtful. keith morrison: but nancy styler added a bitter anger to her whirlwind of grief and relief. if trey was innocent, as he told his wife he was, then had the real killer just walked free? nancy styler: i had kathy carpenter pegged. in my own little courtroom and every little piece of evidence that was given to me corroborated that. keith morrison: and then it was just over two weeks later, nancy took a call. trey had something to tell her. his letter wasn't quite true, he said. in fact, he and he alone murdered nancy pfister. kathy carpenter had nothing to do with it. it was-- took my world and just flipped it upside down. felt like my whole life had been a lie. you know, my whole life with him had been a lie. so what did he say about being able to withhold

that information from you? i said to him, "why didn't you tell me?" "why didn't you tell me?" and he said i was able to tuck it in a small part of my brain where i tried to admit that it wasn't there. and i said, "because if you told me, i would have brought you down to the police station, and said, he needs help." you know, "get this man the help he needs." and can you imagine that i slept next to him for six nights after that? keith morrison: nancy divorced trey and moved on with her life, writing a memoir about her experience of being charged with murder. in august 2015, trey styler hanged himself in his prison cell. he was 67 years old. he had $1 million life insurance policy that nancy collected. a year after that, she settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by nancy pfister's daughter, juliana.

nancy styler said she hopes people will remember trey for the man he once was, before physical and mental illness took over his life. as for kathy carpenter, in the aftermath of the murder, she lost her job, her home, and she lost her very best friend, she said. and she told us, she felt guilty. that's why i said i wish that i could have helped her and been there. what could i have done differently? talked her into staying there. not coming home. nobody can know the future. right, but i do blame myself. you know, that's something that i'll have to work through, but. keith morrison: and back then, she told us she had a message for nancy pfister's daughter, juliana.

i had nothing to do with the murder of her mother. i never would steal, and i just, you know, i was looking out for her and her mother's wishes. and that i just hope that she could find forgiveness in your heart, and know that i love her and her mother very much. what does she have to forgive you for? i don't know why i would even say forgive, but-- it's curious, huh? yeah. it's just, i've been portrayed as a thief, this bad person, untrusting, and i don't know why. keith morrison: trust, something nancy pfister was known for. not so much of it these days. woman: aspen will never be the same. my life will never be the same. so what has aspen lost?

a lot of history, you know? nancy was part of aspen's history. it's a huge loss for the community. keith morrison: some members of which will be telling stories about nancy pfister for a very long time. man: nancy lived a fantastic life. and i think we all need a little more dreaming like that, you know? a little more-- keith morrison: more nancy. man: --little more nancy, yeah. hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline." [music playing] hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline."r, and i prayed to god. i said, you know, i don't want to live. andrea canning (voiceover): it was a crime that engulfed a city. a young tourist murdered. reporter: he was stabbed trying to protect his mother. you had to get every one of them.