this is "nightline." >> tonight, deadly new year's. a young mother shot dead. but who pulled the trigger? her death ruled a suicide. now her husband, a former sheriff's deputy, on trial for murder. >> i didn't pull the trigger. >> tonight potentially damning evidence from a former officer, bombshell testimony that could change the entire case. plus dropping 70 pounds. of cocaine, that is. the jet blue flight attendant now facing federal charges. how the beauty queen and college track star kick observed her gucci heels and dodged police before airport screeners say they found coke in her carry-on. undercover thief. alleged criminals posing as utility workers to get inside your house. what our experiment reveals about how they get in.

>> and how you can keep safe. but first the "nightline 5." . ♪ ♪ come on and do it come on let's go ♪ ♪ got to get moving come on let's go ♪ >> they'll always be our babies so there will be things to keep us up. tonight johnson's can help with a bedtime routine, clinically proven to help them fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. tonight we sleep. >> number one in just 60 seconds.

good evening. thank you for joining us. it was a new year's eve party that ended in tragedy and raised a troubling question.

three take her own life? now her husband is on trial for her murder. what the neighbors say they heard that night, will it change the case? here's abc's clay son sandell. >> reporter: that night seemed to hold no sign of the terrible act that was about to take place. >> two, one, happy new year! >> reporter: after all, a happy couple celebrating new year's eve. dancing away the last hours of 2011 was what friends of tom and ashley fallas would later recall. but the sounds of laughter turning to this. >> my wife just shot herself in the head, please help me, please help me! >> reporter: shortly after midnight tom fallas calls 911. >> ashley, no! ashley, no! ashley, no! listen to me! hey! >> reporter: ashley, a mother of three, is mortally wounded in her bedroom from a single gunshot wound to her head. her three children still inside

>> sir -- >> stay here, come here, you stay here! you are not leaving me! >> reporter: at the time, five law enforcement agencies rule it a suicide. but today, four years later, the same men you hear apparently helping his wife cling to life -- >> you're not leaving me! don't leave me! stay right here, look at me! >> sir -- >> look at me! you can hear me? i know you can hear me. >> reporter: he's now on trial for her murder. the prosecution painting a damning picture of an enraged deputy corrections officer out of control. >> i just told you -- >> why do you -- that is not from you -- >> you know what -- yeah, itress are when you shave your chest? you sit there and i do this all freaking day -- >> you're just trying to make more scratches right now. >> reporter: in the interrogation video from that night obtained from abc news, early clues according to the prosecution that fallas was hiding something. >> the scratch mark that's on your chest, what is that?

you have a long red -- >> oh, probably because i've been doing this all frickin' night. >> reporter: signs of a possible altercation. >> i just had to ask -- >> she -- she hit me. it was a playful hit that she hit me earlier. and it was in front of people. it was just like a -- boom. >> reporter: questions of whether ashley could have shot herself. >> her head is clear in the back. she'd have to go like this, tom, look at me. she'd have to go like this, clear back here. it isn't where she could easily reach. >> i didn't -- oh my gosh. >> reporter: and earwitness accounts that seem to hint at a struggle. >> there was somebody awake and they actually heard your argument and your conversation between you and your wife. >> really, what conversation was that? >> she's telling you to get off of me, get off of me. and you're just saying, don't leave me, don't leave me. >> oh -- >> explain that. >> reporter: fallas was adamant. >> i didn't shoot my wife! >> reporter: but ashley's mother, jenna

did, pointing to tom fallas' behavior. >> the end of the night i think his behavior towards her was very threatening and very volatile and very scary. >> reporter: in fact, ashley fallas' family has wondered if law enforcement purposely omitted information from their reports in order to protect tom fallas, one of their own. >> here you have the victim's family essentially saying the original police department, who was investigating this, wasn't investigating it properly. because maybe he was a fellow law enforcement official. >> reporter: evans police have publicly 10 need any wrongdoing and say there was never a cover-up. but this week prosecutors put two eyewitnesss on the stand who said they'd heard fallas confess to the crime. former sheriff's deputy chris graves. >> and at that point you said, that's when you heard him screaming something what did you hear? >> i heard him screaming, "i can't believe i

can't believe she's dead." >> when you say screaming, how loud are we talking? >> loud. >> reporter: next-door neighbor nick glover, just 15 at the time. >> what i heard him saying, "oh my god, what have i done?" >> reporter: testifying he overheard fallas confessing to fallas' parents. >> he proceeded to say, "i shot my wife." >> how certain are you or are you not that the voice you're hearing is tom fallas' voice that you're seeing standing in that quadrant of your driveway? >> i'm 100%. you can't hear something like that and forget about it. i mean, that's going to be embedded in your mind for years to come. >> reporter: it was damning testimony. but even before the defense started presenting its case was reasonable doubt starting to rear its head? that confession glover said he overheard fallas make to his parents, they say it never happened. >> at that point in time, did tom ever make a statement to you that he shot ashley?

>> not at that time, not at any time. >> reporter: the defense poked holes in former deputy graves' account, pointing out that for years he never told anyone of the alleged confession and had lost his job for lying. >> talk about that for a minute. you said that you were employed at the sheriff's office until april or may of 2015. why is it you're no longer employed there? >> i was fired. >> why were you fired? >> for this case. >> what specifically, with respect to this case? >> i was terminated for lack of candor and honesty. >> and you can see the entry into the actual -- >> reporter: and today bombshell testimony from a prosecution expert. >> so we know the position of the gun -- >> reporter: remember that interrogation where police implied that tom's wife had been shot in the back of the head? >> i'm telling you that the wound is back here, though. >> i didn't pull the trigger! >> reporter: in day-long testimony the state's own crime scene investigator dan gillham teif

>> the temple, the entry wound right here, the hairline. you can see the red dot over here on the back side of the head. >> reporter: repeatedly refuting the idea that tom could have shot ashley. >> mr. fallas was holding the gun instead of miss nielsen in this angle and direction, first of all, is that an unnatural position? for another person to be holding the gun in that manner? >> it is for me. >> reporter: and what about gunshot recess due, gsr, typically found on the hand of the person who fired the gun? >> okay, where's the gsr on my hands? >> we're going to do them. we're going to find that out. >> okay, find it out. you know what? i would like to know where the gsr is on my hands. you better be testing her hands too. you guys are sitting here frickin' trying to find something, this is ridiculous. >> no, it's talking to everybody, and you know that we have to do a complete, thorough investigation. so it isn't any milking. if you had any knowledge of it u

>> it's undisputed that the bullet went from right to left. >> reporter: the defense in opening remarks promising a surprising turnabout. >> ashley fallas had gsr on body of h both of her hands. tom fallas didn't have any gsr on his hands. >> reporter: with the prosecution painting tom fallas as an angry man, out of control, a contrasting picture emerged this week of his wife. bottles and bottles of her anti-depress ant medication in the bedroom. and previous signs of depression. >> ashleyaid on july 24th, 2011, dear tom, i'm sorry with all that i have caused. i'm not happy about it. i'm sorry for your pain but i can no longer go on living this life. >> the prosecution does not have an easy case here. because they have this enormous legal burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. so if these jurors believe he might have confessed, he probably confessed, but they're not sure about it, and that's the strongestie

in the case? then they'll still probably be acquittal. >> reporter: the case with its wildly dwernling theories of the tragic night ashley fallas met her end is scheduled to go to the jury the week after next. for "nightline," i'm clayton sandell in denver, colorado. up next, don't fall prey to the charming utility guy. he could be out to rob you. but first, the former beauty queen turned alleged drug mule. she's accused of approaching airport security with what ended up being nearly 70 pounds of cocaine in her bag. a story so bizarre it plays like a scene from a movie. there she is, marcia gay reynolds, jet blue flight attendant, seen on surveillance video, dressed in street clothes and using her airline i.d. bag to get through the known crew member security checkpoint, she's randomly selected for a secondary search. reynolds, a former track

kicks off her heels and bolts. police say leaving drug-filled bags behind. running down the up escalator and out the terminal. but the story doesn't end there. on saturday she flew to new york as a flight attendant on a jet blue flight and was on the loose for five days before turning herself in yesterday afternoon. today reynolds' bail was revoked and tonight she remains in custody. >> she may not have been fully aware what was in the bags. >> reporter: she's facing charges of possession with intent to distribute. officials say they're now on the lookout for an alleged co-conspirator. -assist systems. it recognizes pedestrians and alerts you. warns you about incoming cross-traffic. cameras and radar detect dangers you don't. and it can even stop by itself. so in this crash test, one thing's missing: a crash. the 2016 e-class. now receive up to a $3,000 spring bonus

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it's a suburban crime wave that starts with a friendly knock on your door. impersonators posing as utility workers looking for more than a meter reading. uncovering the unexpected and what you need to know to be safe in your own home. here's abc's geo benitez. >> reporter: police say this man is not who he says he is. impersonating an electric worker just last month, he threatens to turn off this woman's power unless she coughs up cash for a supposed overdue bill. >> i said, could i have your i.d.? and he said no. >> reporter: our affiliate wpbf-tv capturing the encounter. police later arresting him charged with robbery, battery, fraud, and is awaiting trial. this just one example of an alarming criminal threat, impersonators disguising themselves as utility workers and talking their way into homes. like this duo in queens, new york. police say they made off with $70,000. >> there was a person in

>> reporter: three weeks ago in michigan, a frightened homeowner held at gunpoint by another alleged imposter. no arrests have been made. >> he's like, we had a gas leak in the neighborhood. he said that he was from the gas company. >> these guys are very good. they're very articulate. >> reporter: terry mayens at pennsylvania american water is one of the leading authorities battling the issue. >> these guys are good, they hit an area then they're gone. >> reporter: to find out how easily it can be done, i'm going undercover. disguised as a water company worker. equipped with a fluorescent vest, hard hat, clipboard and walkie-talkie. all purchased online for about $60. >> let's go. >> reporter: my team dropping me in summit, new jersey. >> we're going to knock on these doors. and see what happens. see if these people let us in when we tell them we're w

and obviously we're not. >> reporter: our cameras, producers, and members of the summit police department watching from the street, out of sight. >> certainly looks official. here we go. >> hi, how are you? we're checking water pressure around town, do you mindfy check your faucet in the kitchen? >> officer matt tarantino tracking every move. >> she's talking through the door, that's great, that's good. she's talking to him through the door. she didn't recognize him. you can see there she's holding the door wide open for him. so immediate access into the residence. >> reporter: to our surprise -- >> mind if i check your faucet? >> come on. >> reporter: within seconds of meeting a total stranger, six of the seven homeowners who answer the door invite me inside. >> these people think that i'm taking official notes here. but i'm just doodling. >> reporter: i immediately come clean. >> before i come in i should tell you, my name is geo benitez, i'm with abc news. we're with abc news. we have cameras here.

why were you so willing to let us in? >> i was looking for a badge. >> do you want to come in? >> what let your guard down? >> i saw the cap and the clipboard and i thought you were authentic. >> reporter: pat didn't think twice before letting me into her home. >> no one ever comes in here to test the water. it's always from the street, i think. >> does that raise any red flags for you? >> not today it didn't. unfortunately. if i saw someone was threatening me, then i probably would have yelled, screamed, i would have went out through the side door. you never think it's going to happen to you. and look, it did happen to me, unfortunate. >> reporter: in the end, only one person asked for i.d. >> mindfy which can your kitchen faucet? >> show me some i.d.? >> you asked the right question. you are the first one to actually ask for i.d. >> there is no logo anywhere. not even on the hat.

a logo outside. so they had nothing. they really had nothing. >> you had on vest on, you looked official. a couple of people said, i let you in because you looked the part. that's something we want to encourage people to not take at face value what they see. >> this is our water tanker we take out in case there's a main break somewhere. >> this is where the let me jit utility workers are working? >> exactly. >> reporter: we write obring ou results to terry and his team. >> let him right in. i was looking for a badge. >> does it surprise you most of these homes all said, yeah, come on in? >> it doesn't, frankly. it doesn't. people have a natural trust. and these imposters play off that trust. >> reporter: he shows us a variety of official vehicles. and that company logo he says you always need to look out for. >> what are the things you look for when a utility worker is coming to your door? >> they'll have a company logo on their clothing. also, there is a vehicle outside? make sure it's a branded

vehicle. >> is it really common for a utility worker to even go on legitimate business into the house for anything? >> that's the thing. it's extremely rare for a utility worker to show up unannounced for no reason. >> reporter: to keep your home secure, police say know the names of all your utility companies. ask to see a photo i.d. with a company logo. and check for checks marked with that company emblem. >> oftentimes it's what you don't see that you have to be concerned about. you don't know the capabilities of the person entering your home. >> if they have a weapon -- >> you have no idea, exactly. >> reporter: keep all doors locked, including screen and storm doors. >> you can open your interior door to communicate but keep that will screen door locked maintains that physical barrier. >> reporter: when in doubt call the utility company or the police. >> they're on your property. you want to make sure the business they're conducting is legitimate. >> i appreciate it, guys. teaching me a lesson. >> high five for doing the right thing. >>

i'm geo benitez in summit, new jersey. up next, rock 'n' roll fans in cuba finally getting satisfaction. alriwe could do tacos.hink boys? we could do some thai. ooo... how 'bout sushi, eh? (dog yawns) no, we're not having barbecue... again. (dog groans) why? because you're on four legs, and i'm on two... and i'm driving. that's why. (dog whines) sushi it is. lease a 2016 lincoln navigator for $599 a month only at your lincoln dealer. that's why i run on quickbooks. details.

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finally tonight, the british invasion has arrived in cuba. rolling stones capping off an historic week. >> ladies and gentlemen!

♪ ♪ >> reporter: tonight cuban fans of the iconic rock band getting exactly what they need. ♪ satisfaction >> reporter: the rolling landscape echoing to the music of the rolling stones. ♪ and i like it >> reporter: the concert three days after president obama's historic visit where the commander in chief declared an end to the last of the cold war in the americas. in a statement before their arrival the band said, we have performed in many special places during our long career but this show in havana is going to be a landmark event for us and we hope for all our friends in cuba too." after this week of real worry and angry words both here at home and abroad, muse pick the stones reminded us of the words of danish writer hans christian andersen. where words fail, music speaks. thank you for watching. tune into

as always we're online 24/7 at "nightline's" facebook page and abcnews.com. good night, america. have a good weekend. hello. raymond? even better. i'm robert, the brother. well, hi, i'm carol marshall from humm vac cleaning systems international. oh, please, come in. thank you. ah, you must be raymond. yeah. hi. hi. i spoke to your wife last night about coming by to demonstrate our system.

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