rage. the national epidemic. but there's never been a case as shocking as this. >> a car came up behind us.horn. >> reporter: that las vegas mother of four, supposedly followed home. gunned down. of road rage. her family destroyed by grief. but was in the headlines the whole story?

>> so much of the story has changed./20" returns to where it all began, and ended. did you think there was going to be a shootout? >> no, until they started >> we're putting all the pieces together. an entire family, telling whatfore. the victim, painted as a villain? >> people started to wonder, should i feel bad for her? animal. are you happy? >> reporter: the suspect, no stranger. he's their neighbor. and one of his best friends, who cracked the case to "20/20." >> this tears me up. >> reporter: because after tonight, whatever happened in vegas doesn't stay in s were a movie, it would almost be too unrealistic. >> we're like, what is the

>> reporter: a intersection. >> good evening. i'm david muir. >> and i'm elizabeth vargas. a honk of a horn turned ato a nightmare. >> for the first time, the people that were right there are now reliving ite come up on the one-year anniversary, the question remains. was road rage really the cause? here's >> reporter: it's a cool thursday night in america's favorite adult playground, las vegas. and the strip is alreadybut across town, near another playground, in a part of vegas where people actually live, a local momut tonight's mystery in gear.

giving her daughter her first driving lesson..m. at night? >> i wanted to go at night, because there's no cars around you could did you pick that area? >> it's close to home. >> reporter: so, they go to this empty parking nearby high school. tammy and husband bob have raised four kids in this orhood. >> we live in las vegas. it's a 24-hour town. >> reporter: bob is on business in california, a traveling vendor, selling hats and at fairs and sporting events. son robert jr. is with him. the others, back in vegas. the n, at home.

she takes the wheel, delicately car. then the lesson moves from the parking lot to the neighborhood's main streets. >> we stopped and she pulled over, seats. >> reporter: tammy takes the wheel. she's going at a snail's pace, when suddenly, an er appears. >> a silver car, he's riding our bumper. >> reporter: that honk of the horn, something we've all done, would change everything. you pull up here. >> she turns right. and right >> reporter: she says that silver car suddenly sideswipes them. who is this guy? >> i didn't recognize eporter: were you scared? >> yes, i was really scared.

take your time. >> he says i'm going to kill you daughter. >> reporter: in a panic, crystal says they flee the scene. but what happens next is a tonight. everyone agrees that sometime after 11:00 p.m., two cars go to the end of the cul-de-sace myers live. and a sedan, in hot pursuit with a gun. you heard the shots? >> did you know she had been hit? >> yeah, i was screaming, mom's been shot. >> reporter: brandon remembers running to his mother's the sedan leaves the scene. >> i was screaming, mom, please stay here. stay here. >> everybody was telling her to stay awake, closing her eyes.

head. brandon dials 911, and at 11:34,is rushed to the hospital. did you have any idea who had shot your mom? >> no. all i saw was reporter: bob gets fragments from a distraught crystal. and face. >> reporter: he drops everything, and begins driving fast are you driving? >> 100 miles an hour. >> reporter: every thoughtwith concern for his wife. it's not until the early morning hours of february 13th, when bob gets a call from police.

followed your wife home and shot her. >> reporter: he begins to call tv stations, asking for ranting interviews. >> i'm speechless. i've been with this woman 25 eporter: he's now the vocal spokesperson for the myers family. >> he called oury, i'm angry about this. how could someone do this? >> i didn't want to freeze out the media. you can't find the media's help. >> reporter: by daybreak, bob arrives and sees his wife's lifeless body. >> i i said, i'm here, baby. and i said, it's going to be okay. you know? >> reporter: but his optimism is

not going to make it. i told my wife, no matter what it takes, i'll find out who did this to r: later this morning -- >> i'm right here. you know what you did. come here. >> reporter: he stands before cameras saying as many as three killers in the car. by the end of the day's news cycle, here's the official >> police say three suspects nearly collided with her green buick. >> reporter: as the buick becomes a makeshift memorial,ooks to be just another victim in a string of road range incidents. mostn austin, texas,

baseball bat and a wooden pole.own in her own driveway. but despite all the attention, no arrests. the next day, february 14th, a ing valentine's day. vegas police release the security video of the sedan cruising the neighborhood, andth it a come posite sketch. they say it's description of one of the men. >> as far as we can tell, there was no prior contact, they're complete there's a manhunt, everyone is like, could this happen to me? night, an

at 7:05 p.m., he disconnects his beloved wife from theator. >> she'll never leave my heart, but she's gone. i didn't want my baby to suffer. but i didn't want her to go either. >> reporter: but you had to do it. >> had to. >> reporter: but before tammy can have's about to be buried. >> tammy myers went looking for >> are you happy? >> reporter: as the story takes the first of what will be many sharp turns. was the innocent victim really all that innocent? >> maybe this isn't whatwas in the beginning. >> reporter: and a young woman

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but now, there's as many whispers about shooting victim tammy myers as facts about her. just earlier, police announce a stunning discovery. >> the reason i wanted everyone here was just to clarify some>> reporter: a big piece of the myers account has been missing. turns out, between that alleged road rage incident and the, myers returned home, dropped off her daughter, and instead of dialing 911,er son and went back on the road. >> she had her son come out and find who frightened them on the >> she got her 22-year-old son

people start to wonder, should i be feeling bad for >> when the police held a press conference, saying myers went back out, they started to think, wasn't what i thought it was. >> reporter: suddenly, the family is feeling on social media, people began to turn on your wife and son. bob is suddenly doingl, insisting this isn't a vigil for a vigilante. >> my son is not an animal. he's a hero in my so, what's brendan's story? he says his mom was convinced

house to make good on his death threat. >> i said, let's call 911.orter: why did you grab the gun? >> just safety precautions. >> reporter: brandon takes me on a drive to relive that night frightened mom behind the wheel. >> her mouth was open. >> reporter: he pound ints out the spot where he says his mom and sister were sideswiped. nobody is here. so, they decide to go home. but then, just as they make a right turn by the junior high school, he says they spot a silver as really right here in front of us. >> reporter: things would

shootout in the brandon and the shooter exchanging more than 20 rounds. but the exact how and who of the incident still puzzles police. that oman picks up a phone. you called the police? >> i felt i had to. conflicted? >> i still am. >> reporter: they interview this woman, caitlin christian. for the first sharing her story. >> i was sleeping, and my phone was going off the wall. >> reporter: she says it's her good friendwsch. >> he said, i need to come over. something important. >> reporter: how did he sound? >> reporter: she says he comes

in the neighborhood, saying he may have shot a rival drug then he shows you something. >> he pulled out his gun and extra clips for the gun. >> reporter: extra leaves. then days later, it hits caitlin, he may have been involved in the myers eard there was a mom of four that was killed. what goes through you at that moment? >> how could this happen? i didn't finish the i got up and called the police. >> reporter: she makes a wrenching decision to turn in her how did you feel? >> terrible, but there's always a right and wrong. >> reporter: the next day, home.

>> we're in the tactical phase, trying to take the suspect into custody.ery confusing scene, everybody is arriving on-scene. >> reporter: one of those arriving, the suspect's us distress. >> please! turn your [ bleep ] phone off. >> reporter: but questions are r one thing, erich doesn't drive, and bears little resemblance to crystal myers' the shooter. and just as bizarre, the location of his house. just a block away from the we go over the map with dan abrams. the irony, the suspect is rightound the corner.

block away. >> you can see his home from my reporter: and you walked over to his front door, really angry. >> pajamas and were yelling. >> oh, i was upset. >> reporter: bob myers is and in that moment, his understandable grief turns to unforgiving anger. >> there's the block away! are you happy? my wife was the victim. she lost her life. and it was like, they werell over again, repeatedly, daily. >> reporter: finally, a shirtless nowsch surrenders. been taken into custody. >> reporter: police have

prepared for the shocking wsch is about to spin a whole new version of the story. >> i freaked out. i was like, ter: stay with us. here in the city, parking is hard to find. seems like everyone drives. and those who do should switch to geico because you could save hundreds on car insurance. ah, perfect. x evening, sir. hello! here's the keys. and, uh, go easy on my ride, mate. hm, wouldn't mind some of that beef wellington...h you could save on car insurance, go to geico.com. zah!

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tt4watu# s4 " dzlq wfd 'b$ tt4watu# s4 " gzl& >e\ continues. on "20/20." >> a teenager in custody. >> his namenowsch. >> reporter: while the media churns the news of the with his thoughts, while others are thinking, just who is this kid? >> his instagram account is fulls of drugs.

drug dealer, known as>> got you water. all good? >> mm-hmm. >>ter: his father committed suicide when he was 10, and lives with his mother. he may be in need of a fourather figure, and the detective is happy to oblige. after some friendly talk -- >> so, tell me about reporter: the cuffs are off. trust building. and very slowly, the detective starts pulling the what's this about? >> you guys think i did something. >> reporter: nowsch says he's nopot ahead head that likes to

street froms was giving the driving lesson. but he says on the night of the murder, he was hanging out at this guy's house. rapper named young crane. then, talk of weapons. >> have you ever been in possession of any handguns, realyeah. but i got rid of it. >> y a month ago. >> describe it. >> reporter: much-needed protection, nowsch says, because rival threatening him and his family. an hour later, detectives finally reveal their hand, letting him know they've already

caitlin has already told them. >> i knew about that gun you were talking about,u ever told me. >> this is crazy, dude. >> it is. everybody is trying to see you do the right thing. but everybody realizes, you made a bad mistaket. okay? and the fact that you sought out katie to talk to that night, that lets me know this bothering you. >> reporter: he can no longer handle the weight. >> come here. tell me what happened, okay? get this off your didn't mean to hit no mom and bros. >> so, tell me what happened. tell me from the beginning, now, get ready for nowsch's story, beginning just after 10:00 p.m. that night, he's in the park,

notices the buick circling slowly in the parking lot. >> she was just following, everywhere i went, that car was reporter: he says he was sure someone was stalking him. so, he calls a friend so he can get away. >>s car was out of sight. >> reporter: the friend arrives in a silver audi sedan. nowsch thinks enemy ies but then they find him again. he tells police something thatem, someone in the other car was brandishing a gun at him. >> so far, you're telling us that they were waving a gun.me. nobody but you has said that. >> reporter: and reveals something else that thus far has

he fires shotscar, even before the fatal shooting. >> i started shooting them. >> reporter: he says the cars separate, and he starts headingt as he turns on his street, suddenly, they're face-to-face. and nowsch follows that car into the >> i thought they were the guys that had been threatening me. >> what did you see when you pulled? >> i run up to the p thinking, they're going to grab more straps. i got fter unloading his gun, nowsch flees the scene, thinking he protected his family. only days later, he realizes just destroyed one. what was his reaction when he realized?

how did he go from punk kids looking for me to the life of a mother? >> reporter: he saves his urprise for last. saying he knows myers, has eaten dinner at her table. >> so you know the family? >> i know the whole >> anything you want to tell the family? >> i thought they were going to harm my family out. not a family's mom. reporter: the stunning relationship is confirmed for the first time when bob later addresses the ow bad he was, but we didn't know this bad. >> reporter: claiming his wife had mentored that troubled she was really good to him. she fed him, gave him money. told him to pull his pants saw it as odd

you knew him and then later on, se i didn't know. i didn't know his last name. i just knew him as erich. ectives leave him alone in a room, to call his mother and say he won't be>> mom, i love you. i've already told them everything. the reason i confessed, they knew everything. >> reporter: but the case is far from ch won't give up the driver of the silver sedan. and claims no knowledge of a prior road rage was there a darker side to the relationship between the ammy and her killer? >> she used to come to the park ande things off of him. >> reporter: stay with us.

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"20/20" continues with a dangerous intersection. >> reporter: ten days after the shooting of tammy myers, a -eyed erich nowsch is ushered into a courtroom for the first time. an image friend caitlin to tears. what do you see in this shot? >> just terrified. >> reporter: he looks the picture of a confused kidou think? >> yeah. >> reporter: in court, nowsch is with his new defense team. they're known around town for their assertive and now, for an assertive

>> we're conducting our own and some appear to be bearing fruit. >> reporter: they want the tossed out. saying he had smoked pot, and was impaired while making the e was high, and the police knew it. that compromises the result. >> reporter: and they claim the killing of myers was justified. >> to point to self defense in this situation. >> reporter: do you think erich should go to prison as a murder?no. >> reporter: because she says for months, erich was facing a barrage of threats from what hee rival drug dealers.

text messages, saying they wero skin him, his baby well. >> reporter: you saw the text messages? >> absolutely. he thought they had come for him the night of february 12th. >> in his mind, this was them coming at me, this is mef. >> reporter: and she believes nowsch's claim that he saw someone pointing a gun at him, and he began s no doubt in your mind, that he saw someone wave a gun at him. >> no doubt, he felt threatened, it wasem. >> reporter: but brandon says he didn't wave his gun. and local reporter jackie

believing them. what was the true relationship betweenh? >> she would come to the park and try to purchase things off of r: heinrich points out that they found a painkiller in myers' purse. nowsch nevernything of the sort in his interrogation. but the accusations lead to headlines that the shootout was g dealing. >> the one thing we can positively say about this, it was not about road rage. >> reporter: and the

defense trying to muddy the water.anybody in your family ever buy drugs from him? >> definitely not. >> reporter: some question the fact that your wife had painkillers >> she had a prescription for it for three years. >> how do you plead? >> not guilty. on march 12th, nowsch pleads not guilty. who was driving the car, but cell phone records lead to his buddy, derrick andrews. now they're in a courtroom with

>> this was an act of unprovoked force, with mr. nowsch, and mr. andrews being the driver. >> reporter: could he be that in the sketch? the first alleged road rage incident that started it all? thehey figured it all out. but truth isn. >> turns out, everybody is wrong. >> reporter: don't go away. but don't worry, you'll always be comfortable. v/o : the first hug they ever feel is from you.the second hug feels just as good. huggies gentle absorb liner draws more runny mess away than pampers swaddlers. care

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gerous intersection continues on "20/20." >> reporter: with arrests made, suspects in brought, finally, the

jurors will hear nextthe d.a. thinks he can finally explain what happened. >> there's nothing to support that mrs. myers wasything other than giving her daughter some driving lessons. >> reporter: but what happened next is a series of agic coincidences. 10:10 p.m., tammy is offering that driving lesson to her daughter in the parking lot. by sch is in a park across the street. he's carrying a handgun, and the weight of the world on hisoulders, after death threats from rivals.

>> just out for some driving orter: 10:50 p.m., after the lesson, myers gets back behind the wheel and drives home. 10:56 p.m., a silver sedan passes them. her daughter slams on the horn. it's d rage, as the silver car stops. the driver walks out, and says, i'm going to kill you and your daughter. back at the park, nowsch isy friend, derrick andrews. coincidentally, driving a different sedan.

brandon, who grabs his pistol. he happens to be a registered handgun a mistake, but it is what it is. >> reporter: the search begins. mom and son take off looking for the road they locate him, so they think. >> it was right here in front oforter: what does she see? >> those are the ones that threatened to kill me and your ter: a fatal instant of mistaken thinks she's found the car here. and it's at that same moment that nowsch thinks he's being followed by this green car.ou have both of them

mistakenly paranoid about the reporter: then the same exact green buick is spotted, nowsch surmises he's the one about to be attacked. moments later, shots fired. ut not the last time bullets would fly that night. >> at that point, the evidence shows that mr. his weapon in a threatening manner. >> i said, mom, we're getting shot at. at that point, she'sorter: he says he didn't hit anybody. >> this should have been the end of it. nowsch has now gotten drug dealers he thinks are behind him. they've learned their lesson. off. each heading parallel streets. but remember, they only live a

and in a cruel twist of fate, they wind up on the same the myers pull into the cul-de-sac. andrews follows them in. >> that's when they gotcar. >> the minute he follows them into the cul-de-sac, he's now become a threat. >> reporter: what did you think was about to happen? was going to be a shootout? >> no, until they startedything was slow motion. it was weird. >> reporter: nowsch empties reloads. >> the evidence shows mr. nowsch, for stupid reasons, chose to drive in he was familiar with, saw two people and opened fire.

away, and brandon sees his mother on the ground. justnd you would have both made it into the house. >> yes. >> there's no evidence to suggest that brandon or mrs. anything to legally provoke and give mr. nowsch the legal right to use deadly force. >> if the p

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last time on circle. they're moving. >> i catch myself all the time calling her. i sit in my chair, go,, babe? nothing comes back. >> reporter: the quiet cul-de-sac, once at for the boys' football fun, will now be the woman they couldn't protect. the family has had a book written. bob will wait until after lay his wife's ashes to rest. >> everything that was said about my wife, when i put her in the ground,l the truth

and i think the only way that will happen is a trial. >> she was a nice help a troubled kid. that's what the evidence will show, and nothing more. >> reporter: just this week, another incident ineen the driver of this truck and a motorcyclist. need this to give peace a chance. in the wake of his mother's death, he surrendered his s have it. i told them, i don't want it back. they can keep it. >> reporter: for crystal, the youngest myers child, lifeicult. the loss, the scorn, the guilt. you saw everything. >> yeah. i ask myself, what if wego?

i had never honked the horn, itbeen different. >> reporter: crystal is coping through music. you say you've written a song? >> yeah, i did. >> reporter:nd singing a little bit? the angel fly and let the song go and oh she'll be all right,e people judging us everywhere we go the pain will never leave >> a loving any questions still remaining. what was the real relationship between erich and