he was definitely charismatic. he lived every single day. he knew that it was dangerous, but no one ever knew that someone would die over it. >> he was the new kid in town. super popular. all about adventure. the day was like awesome. >> he just jumped into the culture. >> liked to show off a little bit. >> they were the neighbor just down the block. a family in fear. >> they had their vehicles broke into. she was scared. >> someone had been sneaking into their home and now, someone was in their garage. >> this was a burglar who had broken in. >> i was sitting there panicking like he's coming at me into in a flash, it was over. that charismatic kid dead on the floor.

garage that night? >> it was just like the last person that would come to my mind. >> a neighbor protecting his home or preparing a trap? >> makes the statement it's showtime. >> it's showtime. >> exactly. >> a teenager, a father, a murder. no one would be. >> we were all taken aback. >> i'm lester holt, and this is "dateline." here's josh mankiewicz with "deadly exchange." >> it's a dilemma that confronts every teenager. how to simultaneously fit in with your friends and rebel against everyone else. that is made a little easier by the knowledge, maybe the certainty that you're going to live forever. >> kids do dumb stuff all the time. >> so sn

other teenagers to drink, party, or just hang out, that's nothing new. usually teens sneak back home safely. this wasn't one of those times. >> some kind of like joke and i like just couldn't believe it really. i was just freaking out. i was like it can't be, it can't be. >> it was april of 2014 when two bright foreign exchange students living in montana slipped out of their home. >> he's barely breathing. > just minutes later, their amazing american adventure came to a sudden and tragic end. >> and where is he bleeding from? everywhere. it's horrific. >> no one ever knew that someone would die over it. >> it was just the worst thing that cog having ever happened to us. >> it all began so differently for . diren dede was an exchange student from hamburg, germany, excited to soak up anything and everything american. at 17 it, he had landed in a special corner of the west. missoula, montana.

>> he was definitely charismatic. >> dana, anna and chance were three of his closest friends at big sky high school. >> he was way different than all of the other foreign exchange students that usually come. he was really outspoken and outgoing, and he just jumped right into the like the culture. >> he wanted to do everything there was to do in missoula. >> and he was an electric athlete. >> uh-huh. >> it was no coincidence that is jay bostrom, the teacher who recruited diren to big sky also happened to be the school's soccer coach. >> no holds barred, just go get it done. when he played, that's how he played. i think the guys were immediately liking this guy's cool, kind of a bad ass. >> he's like a pretty stocky kid. >> he was tough, i'm sure. he threw down.

>> yeah. >> and according to his friends will, his soccer skills and his good looks definitely helped him with the opposite sex. >> he's always talking to girls. american and the girls back home in germany. >> a man of the world. >> exactly. >> the other soccer girls always said that he would never miss a chance to take his shirt off when he was running around the field because they knew he was going to put on a show for them. >> he lived with his host parents randy and kate in the prospect neighborhood, a hilly subdivision of missoula. >> he was a terrific kid. you could see that right off the bat. >> and he called you mom and dad? >> he did. he really became our son. there was no doubt about it. >> but he was more than just a fun kid, he was engaged in the world. >> this was not your typical american teenager. >> no. >> kind of wants to talk about, you know, sports stars and you know, maybe the latest fashion and.

>> not at all. >> no, it's like so what do you think about the situation in ukraine? you know. >> by the end of the school year in 2014, diren had a solid circle of friends. he was with another exchange student this one from ecuador, robby pazmino. >> we had so many things in common. the same wishes and dreams. >> they're a package deal. >> you see one, you're going to see the other. >> oh, yeah. >> saturday april 26th was no different. the boys spent the evening playing video games and listening to music in randy and kate's basement. >> i went down 10:30 or so that night. told him maybe crank the music volume down a little bit. >> but around midnight, diren was bored.

and suggested he and robby take a walk. >> it was kind of, i'm just really tired, diren. come on. like okay. >> so while kate and randy slept upstairs, they slipped out the back door for a walk around the neighborhood. they headed up a nearby hill and then turned on to deer canyon road. then robby says diren suddenly walked off in a different direction and he lost sight of him. >> he isn't coming. i continue walking. he says he called out to diren but there was no answer so he kept walking figuring he was catch up. that is when i heard someone yelling you're there, i see you there, something like that. after that, just the shots like three or four shots and i just start running. >> gunshots in a quiet residential neighborhood. a now terrified robby ran back home. >> he was faster than i am. i said he's probably coming. i was almost sure that he would come. >> but diren wouldn't return and what happened to the german exchange student would

simultaneously make headlines around the world and get americans asking, how far can you go to protect your home and family. >> when we come back -- >> 911, what are you reporting? >> a robbery. >> an urgent call to 911. >> somebody's entered into our garage. shots were fired. >> and an urgent question. where was diren? >> like there's no way possible nothing like this has remotely happened. yo- wh- ah- he- [gas pouring] [slurps loudly]

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sunday morning was less than an hour old. when the sound of gunshots ricocheted through the prospect neighborhood of missoula, montana. >> 911, what are you reporting? >> a robbery. >> okay, what's going on? >> somebody entered into our garage. shots were fired. >> go, man. someone got shot. >> a robbery was rare in prospect, but a shooting was unheard of. dashcams captured the chaos as first responders raced to the scene. >> stay to the right. what's the number? >> stop, stop. >> it was all happening just a few hundred feet from where foreign exchange student different dede lived with his host family. >> i kind of woke up with a start, heard four loud pops, bang, bang, bang, fairly close together and then a pause and then another bang.

got out of bed. >> so i went downstairs just to make sure i could lay my hands on robby and diren. he came downstairs with me and said, "where's diren?" >> he said he didn't know. >> i thought that was kind of weird and i looked in the rec room and didn't see diren. so i came back to him, i says what's going on? where's diren. >> robby fessed up, he and different had sneaked out. he told randy how diren had walked off on his own and then robby said he had heard gunshots. alarmed randy woke up his wife and the three of them went to deer canyon road. >> how far away from your house was this? >> 80 yards, just the next street above ours. >> so this is the neighbor's house. >> the neighbor's house. >> when police got there, police

stopped them. >> we were hoping he would walk out somewhere, show up and come out the door. >> not around the back? >> i walked up to the police officer. gave him a name and description and that's when she kind of went, well, just wait here for a second. and then came back and said i think you guys need to go to the hospital. and that it wasn't good. and as soon as she said that, i thought, gosh, we just passed an ambulance running up there. and he must have been in the ambulance. >> what happened on that quiet street? did diren and robby stumble into a burglary in progress or some violent home invasion? the police asked robby to answer some questions. while kate and randy rushed to the hospital. >> it wasn't long after we got there that the er doc came out and explained that his wounds

longer alive. >> terrible feeling. >> it was horrible. i went outside the hospital many times and just screamed. then i -- it was we lost our son, too. i'm sorry. when they brought us in to identify his body, it was horrific. looking at his beautiful body no longer complete. it was terrible. i think i screamed. >> diren dede would never make it to his 18th birthday. >> i thought it was a joke. i was like it's no way possible. nothing remote like there has happened to me or anything in missoula growing up. it was obviously a shock. >> it was like the last person that would come to my mind i guess.

>> diren's soccer coach assumed that whatever happened to his star player, it wasn't diren's fault. >> i'm trying to imagine did he go to a party and get shot by another kid? was he downtown missoula and got in a scuffle? i didn't understand it. what do you mean he's shot? i didn't understand it. >> so what did happen? police quickly concluded only one person was mentioned. the intruder mentioned in that 911 call. >> who got shot? >> the robber. >> so they entered your garage and who shot him? >> my husband. >> and cops quickly learned something those who thought they knew diren well could scarcely imagine.

victim. the young exchange student was the apparent opposite. and he was the burglar. >> like someone's trying to break into your car right now. >> police were about to hear a story from the man holding the gun that night. a story of terror and a family under siege. >> and we've been sketched out. we don't feel safe. i'm on edge about everything. >> coming up -- >> they had had their vehicles broke into. she was scared. >> two frightened homeowners victimized two times before. what had happened inside that garage? >> i was sitting there panicking you know, like he's coming at me.

apparent burglary inside a neighbor's garage in the quiet town of missoula, montana. now diren dede was dead and police were investigating. does that happen a lot here, people shoot burglars who are in their homes? >> no, it doesn't. >> missoula police department detective be guy baker had the case. soon he was interviewing the guy who pulled the trigger. >> i'm a detective. >> markus kaarma and his common-law wife had just moved to missoula. they were looking for a quiet, safe, and kid friendly place to raise their child. police spoke with janelle at the scene and recorded their talk

with kaarma at the station. >> so we want to talk about what happened tonight at your house. >> the couple told investigators the story actually began with a burglary three weeks earlier. and then just ten days after that, the burglars returned. >> somebody had trespassed in their vehicles and in their garage which was unlocked. >> cash, credit cards and a cell phone were taken. the couple filed a police report, but the burglaries remained unsolved. now markus kaarma said he feared they were being targeted. >> we've pretty much been living in fear and it sucks and to know that we're being watched and targeted and knowing how hard it is for you guys to actually catch a burglar with no evidence. >> kaarma said they no longer felt safe in their own home and were terrified they would be robbed again. >> we've been sketched out. we don't feel safe. i'm on edge about everything.

their neighbors to warn them about the string of burglaries and to suggest everyone lock their cars and garages. >> having somebody burglarize you is a terrible feeling and it does leave people feeling violated and angry. >> yes, i would agree. >> so that's not uncommon for people to be upset and extremely vigilant after a burglary. >> i would agree, it's not. >> the more time that passed with the burglars at large, the more fearful markus and janelle said they became. in part because he was a seasonal firefighter and would have to travel for work soon. leaving mother and child alone for months. >> she was scared that markus was going to be going off on a seasonal employment here soon. >> so kaarma told police his

>> it's got motion sensor 1 and 2. >> she had placed a baby monitor on the east wall of the garage. >> a video baby monitor. >> once the alert sounded due to the motion detector, then they could see what the baby monitor could see. >> all of that was connected to a smartphone app so when the motion sensors were triggered, an alert would allow them to view live video of their garage. thankful saturday night, kaarma said they were trying to relax after putting their son to bed. >> i had recorded the movie "lincoln." we were watching that. about a third of the way through that, i'm not sure what the time was, it was dark outside. but you know, we went outside and had a smoke in the garage like we always do. we would usually leave the garage door open to air it out. >> but five minutes later, an alert from the motion sensors. someone was in the driveway, are an intruder. perhaps the same one who had targeted them before. these photos are from thme

security system. that's diren entering the garage. markus kaarma says he grabbed a loaded shotgun he had for protection. >> i was sitting there with the gun in my hand staring at the lock on my front door and i can't tell if locked or unlocked. i'm starting to shake at that point. the adrenaline's coming like oh, my god, these guys actually came back to the house. >> kaarma said his wife stayed back while he went out the front door and turned toward the garage. >> a few quick steps around my front, you saw where my truck was parked pretty much with my butt touching my grill guard. that's where i stood. and then she flipped on the light. >> kaarma told the detectives he was blinded by the sudden light and realized the only way for the intruder to get away was to go past him. then -- >> i heard something move like a piece of metal hit the cement.

either that or a piece of metal hit a piece of metal. it sounded like either a metal or wrench being picked up or maybe the axes. >> so markus kaarma says he did the only thing he could to protect himself. >> immediately, i fired high up into the right corner of the garage. here i am looking at my garage. i think i had in total four rounds were shot, all directly one, two, three, four. >> if i live in montana, what right do i have to shoot someone who has entered my house? >> you have the right to use any force necessary in defense of yourself but no greater force. >> okay, but i mean, this was a burglar who had broken in. you don't know who he is. you know it's somebody that you don't know and they have crossed that invisible line from outdoors to indoors and they are by that definition alone i would say a threat to me. >> well, you got to be able to articulate the threat.

>> and kaarma told investigators there was a real threat. the garage was full of tools the intruder could grab and use against him. >> i imagined an ax flying through the air and hitting me in the skull. >> and kaarma said he was positive he heard that scraping sound just moments before he fired the shotgun. >> i'm describing the sound when i say it hit what i am picturing in my head as i'm going to die. >> to hear markus kaarma tell it, he had faced down a threat. it was kill or be killed. and that was justifiable homicide. the how long soccer star who was by now in the morgue must have had a darker side that many didn't see. detectives decided to dig deeper into the lives of both diren dede and the man who shot him. what they learned would only deepen this mystery. >> coming up -- true or false, diren was co

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when he was killed in a neighbor's garage, exchange student diren dede was just two months away from returning to his family in germany. the man who shot him said he feared for his life and from diren's best friend robby, police learned the teen did enter the garage to steal. >> as robby described it, diren was not the first kid in missoula to go sneaking into unlocked garages. he said the kids weren't after money, credit cards or valuables. this stunt happened often enough that it had a name. garage hopping. and the target was usually beer. >> the reason for garage hopping or garage shopping i've heard it called both was for kids to go in and look for alcoholic beverages that they could easily get and take. >> until this shooting that sort of wasn't on anybody's radar in law enforcement. >> no, i had not heard of garage hopping, no. >> these three friends of diren said they've never gone garage hopping but they know all about it.

>> you all know people who do it? or have done it? >> yeah. >> they understand it's illegal. >> yeah. >> but it seemed harmless. >> exactly. it's just like they're like hey dude, this is a way for you to get some extra beer you know when you're on a saturday night. >> i mean, did you think to yourself, you know, oh, my god, we didn't tell him how dangerous that could be. >> no one knew. no one would be like don't walk into that garage. you never know if someone's going to shoot you. >> robby told police diren had done it before but never taken cash or valuable property. >> he wasn't a criminal. i was like a kid. he was a kid trying to have fun and doing what the other guys do, be trying to be part of them. >> was it really that innocent? true or false, diren was committing a crime. >> he was. >> entering somebody else's home even their garage, that's a crime. >> yes. >> even if the door's open? >> yeah. >> and if kaarma's life was threatened, he had the right to shoot.

didn't he? but as police went over kaarma's story about what happened just before the confrontation, something stood out. when kaarma was describing how his wife first noticed someone was approaching their garage. >> she's like showtime. she's like i see something. a flashlight. >> he says janelle makes the statement it's showtime. >> it's showtime. >> exactly. >> suggesting what, that they've been getting ready for this all night? >> that seemed like a very interesting statement to me. it's showtime. >> it didn't seem to fit with someone claiming to be terrified in his own home. then kaarma told police he took his time going out to confront the intruder. >> i stood up off the couch and just kind of slowly walked over towards the front door, and she's like hold on, hold on. >> all of which might make you wonder with all that time to think, why not just stay inside? lock the doors and call police.

>> i think the easiest thing that could have been done is once they were aware someone was outside being alarmed by the tones in their phone, they call 911. >> and while kaarma said he feared for his life, police found no weapon, no ax or tool near diren's body. the teenager was unarmed. and another red flag. kaarma said he couldn't see into the garage. but cops talked to the doctors who treated diren and they examined the shotgun pellet patterns on the garage wall. >> he said he can't see anything. yet, he's able to track a moving person in the garage and he hits him two out of four times. >> one, two, three, four. >> i didn't believe that he's just randomly shooting from right to left. >> so you're thinking to yourself, this does not look like a justifiable shooting. > no, at this point it's looking like we have a deliberate homicide. >> the county attorney's office agreed. detective baker delivered the news.

prosecutor. she wants you to be taken into custody. so that's what's going to happen. >> for what? >> for homicide. >> what? >> seemingly stunned, kaarma borrowed the detectives phone to call janelle. >> hey. >> hi. >> i'm being charged with murder. >> you're joking. >> no. how is that deliberate homicide? >> it's just the way the statute reads. >> he was pretty surprised. >> he was surprised and he was very emotional at that point. that's the most i saw markus be emotional during this whole investigation. >> diren's host parents had a tangle of emotions as they processed what police said had had happened. >> not the kid we knew. wouldn't expect that. >> they were disappointed with diren's actions. but livid with kaarma's. >> i just got more angry and more angry that that happened d

that? >> just that why? it was the why at that point. you know, why would someone feel compelled to do this. >> markus kaarma faces a deliberate homicide charge for killing a 17-year-old german exchange student. >> all of it was the opening gun to a national and international debate played out in the media over who was really the victim in this case. >> he is defending his castle. he has the right to do that. >> many were outraged that a homeowner could be arrested for defending his family and property. catherine hockey is a crime reporter at the local "missoulian." >> and some people were like, of course, i could shoot somebody in my home. that was in the beginning of the case. i received a lot of angry phone calls from people. a lot of people were afraid this would intrude on their rights to protect their home with a gun

>> the german press also followed the story closely. their take echoed the thoughts of many in this country. that diren was the victim of an american cowboy culture that glorifies gun violence. >> and they were really incredulous that somebody could shoot somebody for coming into their house. they just didn't understand how that worked in montana. >> but this is america, not germany. aren't you allowed to protect yourself, your home, your family? was even that on trial now? dogma and be karma were about to collide. >> coming up -- >> this is your house. you defend it as you choose to defend it. he knew that it was a kid coming in his garage. >> battle lines were drawn. and a revealing recording. >> then i heard the kid yelling, no, no, no, please. >> did diren plead for his life?

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eight months after diren dede's death, markus kaarma went on trial for his murder. seeking justice for their son, diren's parents traveled from germany to a montana courtroom where they were befriended by the same group of kids who had loved their boy.

for it. and they were really, really awesome. they were a lot like diren. >> his parents watched as the man who shot their son faced the charge of deliberate homicide. kaarma's defense team led by attorney paul ryan, that was outright excessive. >> it was a man who was fearful. >> ryan laid out a basic narrative. markus kaarma twice a victim of burglars reasonably thought diren dede was another one and dangerous. >> he thought that he was dealing with drug-seeking type individuals that were erratic and who knows how they're going to respond. >> he told the jury his client had reason to believe diren dede was armed and ready to attack. >> because he felt his life was threatened by the movement specifically of mr. dede and he had to take the steps unfortunately to take his life. >> the danger of a burglar is when there's a confrontation and they all want to escape and they'll do whatever they can to

get away. >> the defense said there was no debate over one central fact. diren dede went into that garage to steal. and on the stand, kaarma's lawyer got diren's friend robby to admit that despite warnings, diren didn't see much wronging with garage hopping. >> i think diren never felt like it was a crime. >> but you were warning him. you were telling him it wasn't right, it was reckless, it was dangerous, right? >> yeah, yeah. like i understand but he maybe didn't understand. >> in fact, the defense suggested that diren was part of a local burglary ring that was stealing more than just beer. and may have been behind the previous break-ins at the kaarma house. >> they all knew each other. they all went to big sky. >> defense attorney ryan argued the police never really investigated those burglaries at kaarma's house and with no arrests, his client was left in a fearful agitated state.

a psychiatrist who examined kaarma diagnosed it as high magnitude stress. >> your body changes dramatically as far as how you react to things. fight or flight. and while some people may have retreated or called the police or whatever, he came forward and confronted the individual. >> can't control it. his body went into fight mode. >> the defense said kaarma felt threatened in his home and was within his legal rights to shoot. under something called the castle doctrine. castle doctrine. . >> the legislature has made decisions that it should be easier to protect yourself within your house. you may or may not like the castle doctrine. i never asked you to like the law and the judg

either. but he said you have to follow the law. >> defense attorney ryan insisted that markus kaarma was guilty of nothing more than protecting his family. >> this is your house. you defend your house as you choose to defend it. >> by the time the defense rested, those closest to diren dede thought that markus kaarma's lawyers had redefined what this case was about. >> who diren was got lost in all this. >> a lot of stuff i heard made him sound like a foreigner who came here to stir the pot and make trouble and actually -- >> and commit crimes. >> right, yeah. >> but to prosecutes andrew paul and jennifer clark, the real criminal in this case was markus kaarma who was, plain and simple, a murderer. >> the packet is that the defendant was angry and vengeful. he knew that it was a kid coming in his garage. he has his .12-gauge in his hand and he waits. >> to counter the defense's gg

of some ring of thieves targeting markus kaarma, investigators tracked down the teens who had hit kaarma's garage. the ones who took the cash, credit cards, and -- >> he had a bong and a jar of weed and some alcohol. >> did you know a man named diren dede? >> not personally, no. >> to the best of your knowledge, was he involved in a burglary ring? >> no. >> so did kaarma really fear for his life that night? prosecutors said ballistics told the story. the first shot to hit diren was to the back of his left arm. meaning he couldn't have been charging toward markus kaarma. >> and then he's got to do it one more time. he's got to make that final blow. >> and the final shot was straight to the head. but prosecutors weren't done. they had what they thought was explosive evidence. just before the trial began, a recording surfaced, made the night of the shooting of a conversation an officer at the

before the final shot, she heard diren beg for his life. >> then i heard the kid yelling, no, no, no, no, please. and then but by then, there was already a shot fired. >> and the prosecution said that after the shooting, kaarma sounded like a man who was proud of himself. >> there's an article online already and the comments are all in your favor. >> really? >> this is a jailhouse phone call between kaarma and his wife. talking about the news coverage. >> why is he being charged? this is bull [ bleep ]. >> why was he arrested. >> yes. tomorrow morning, will you buy 100 copies or something of the paper? >> what did you say, hon? >> dvr, record the local news tonight on tv and keep the newspapers from tomorrow. >> and he seemed to be very proud of that fact versus remorseful. >> but was this is premeditated murder? the only other witness to the shooting was about to tell her st

>> coming up -- a purse left as bait? >> the purse was -- >> and one more revelation. >> she said he had been sitting up for three nights with a shotgun. >> a hairstylist is about to provide the most hair-raising testimony of all. markus kaarma was on trial

markus kaarma was on trial for killing an unarmed teenager in his garage. the prosecution was about to argue that not only was the shooting unjustified, it was planned, premeditated murder. to prove it, they put the defendant's wife, janelle pflager on the stand as a reluctant key witness. janelle told the jury the same thing she and the defendant had said all along. they were living in fear of intruders. >> literally every day, i would look over my shoulder very worried all the time. >> so then why did they leave their garage door wide open on the day of the shooting? especially after they had warned their neighbors to keep their garages locked?

cigarettes in the garage and wanted to air it out. >> i believe that it would be my right to have my garage door open to air out. >> the prosecution argued that janelle and her husband left the garage door open on purpose because they were setting a trap. janelle denied it but admitted she had deliberately left a purse in the garage with items in it that could be traced back to her. the prosecution said that was bait. >>. >> the purse was for him to take so they didn't come into the house so when i called the police and i say here is something traceable. >> so an open door and a purse in plain sight. the prosecutors said janelle and her husband set the stage, then waited and watched. so when diren walked in, they weren't scared. he were excited. >> it was like showtime.

saying those words. >> do you remember saying showtime? >> no, i don't remember saying that. not usually a comment i make. >> in court, janelle also changed her story about what she heard in the garage that night. now denying that diren had been pleading for his life. >> then i heard the kid yelling, no, be no, are no, please. >> your testimony here today is that you never heard him say a word? >> right. >> i sort of get the feeling janelle didn't do you a lot of favors on the witness stand. >> no, she didn't. >> she denied saying something that could be played on tape. >> right. yeah, janelle talks a lot. and as a defense attorney, that often doesn't work out very well. >> janelle was never charged in the case. why wasn't wane janelle charged in this?

>> her statements to the officer, she wanted to catch the burglars. she wanted to identify them. >> prosecutors say they had no evidence that janelle knew her husband was going to harm someone. so what exactly was markus kaarma thinking? prosecutors brought in two witnesses to support the argument that the shooting was nothing short of a planned execution. >> he said he had been sitting up for three nights with a shotgun waiting to kill some f'ing kids. >> she works in the salon where markus kaarma got his haircut just days before the shooting. the woman said kaarma came if ranting about his recent burglaries and his chilling plan to fix them. >> i did say to him, oh, my gosh, have you called the police? and he says, well, the f'ing police will not do anything about it. and then he had mentioned that he wouldn't mind if a couple did come by because he wouldn't mind shooting a couple of them also. >> her co-worker told the jury she heard it, too. >> he was going to kill them. take care of it.

>> did he use those words, take care of it? >> i think it was fix it. >> okay. do you recall him saying anything else? >> he said i'm not kidding. you will see this on the news. >> say that. >> i'm not kidding. i'm not kidding. you're seriously going to see this on the news. >> it's intent to kill, right. he's announcing it. >> he's lying in wait. >> and he's telling them you wait and see. you're going to see this on the news. >> that's a defense attorney's nightmare. >> yeah. >> is testimony that your client told somebody else, i'm going to commit this crime and then they're later charged with that crime. >> correct. >> as the trial came to an end, diren's friends gathered to support his visiting parents. >> there was a huge group of kids who went to the closing statements. so we went to support them on those last days. we filled up the stands or the seats with i don't know how many kids. >> the tree in front of our house became essentially the memorial for diren. and more and more things showed up that so we felt more and more loved by missoula than we probably ever have, you know,

show support for us. >> but jurors had to consider the law and nothing else. here's how the prosecution laid it out. >> the issue in this case, what the defendant believed at the time he shot and killed diren dede, was that belief reasonable and was the deadly force used necessary? that's your issue. >> jurors went to deliberate. and after eight hours over two days, they returned to court. >> we the jury find the defendant markus hendrick kaarma guilty. >> the courtroom erupted in applause and in tears. and while they say the verdict was a relief, diren's host parents still feel the raw pain of his death. >> nothing brings diren back and so it's still -- it's just heart breaking that someone felt

compelled to do this. >> would you be host to another foreign exchange student? >> no. my heart's too broken. i couldn't do it. >> two months after the verdict, markus kaarma addressed diren dede's family at the sentencing hearing. >> i took another man's life and i'm sorry i can't fix that. i did what i felt was necessary to protect my family and myself. and i hope that no one ever finds themselves in a position that i was put in. >> the judge sentenced him to 70 years in prison. >> i almost wish he never said sorry because it was so empty and his face had just no expression. it was like scary almost like we were all like taken aback. i was like take it back. there was no meaning in that. >> and they say garage hopping is no longer popular. >> have attitudes changed about all of that since then? >> of course. >> yeah, i haven't heard a thing about it since.

>> yeah. >> diren's friends are hoping people will forget the one deadly mistake diren made. and remember instead the bright, charming guy they loved. >> you know, you're all pretty young to have to go through this. do you feel like this has changed you? >> yeah. 100%, yeah. every day you wake up, you think obviously something like that could happen. and you need to like do things that matter. >> life seem a little more precious now? >> uh-huh. he's encouraging us to do a lot of things. i think he's still pushing us. >> that's all for now. i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us.

this sunday, president trump promised to change washington, but is it possible washington is changing him? >> this is more work than in my previous life. i thought it would be easier. >> the president fights to beat a 100-day deadline he calls ridiculous with an outline on taxes. >> we are going to cut taxes and simplify the tax code. >> that faces stiff opposition. another attempt to repeal and replace obamacare. >> we think it is a really good step in the right direction. >> that is still short. and a promise to get rid of nafta. that turns into a decision to negotiate instead. last night the president took a victory lap in a campaign-style stop in pennsylvania. >> we are keeping one promise after another. >> this morning i'll talk exclusively with the vice president, mike pence, who joined me here live. plus, two senators from opposite sides of the aisle on what it would take for our two parties to finally work

together. and winners and losers. what president trump's tax outline could really mean for the people who support him the most. joining me for insight and analysis, chris matthews, host of hardball at msnbc. helene cooper, from "the new york times." nicolle wallace and danielle pletka of the american enterprise insurance stuen enterprise interstatustitute. it's "meet the press." . >> announcer: celebrating its 70th year, this is "meet the press" with chuck fotodd. president trump certainly looked like he was eager to cross the finish line. but this week the president has struggled to put big legisve

points on the board. he's put neil gorsuch on the supreme court, rolled back some regulations and stayed true to his promise to restrict immigration. but in what may be the most revealing moment of the week, the republican house rejected his call for a $1 b$1 billion d payment on the wall. >> we are keeping one promise after another and, frankly, the people are really happy about it. >> reporter: in harrisburg, pennsylvania last night the president marked 100 days in office in his favorite element. >> we're going to have the wall. major tax relief for the middle class. premiums way down, we're going to get the deductibles way down. we're going to take care of every single need you're going to want to have taken care of but it is not going to cost that