but no, richard birdsall was a troubled man. >> we know something's wrong.rtner and i just feel something's wrong. but we don't know yet. >> wrong? well, of course it was. but the wrong the detective had in mind was not the grief or the loss or the vitriol thrown at the place. no. it was almost like a smell, the kind that sticks in your nose. something off. coming up -- one of the strangest things of all was the alleged killer himself. not your typical burglar. >> in his words he always wanted to be a cop. >> and this wasn't your typical burglary. >> i worked burglary division for four years, but i've never had one come with a device that's used simply for killing. >> when "dateline" continues. crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. it works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. gum detoxify, from crest. (count) time for one chore [thunder crashing], ah! ahh! my mower! (burke) the number "one." seen it, covered it. at farmers insurance, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. (be

with more of our story here's keith morrison. >> detective richard birdsall didn't believe for a momenthat he was investigating a burglary gone bad. for one thing, a guy doesn't travel 70 miles just to break into a house. but for all his suspicions, birdsall couldn't prove a thing. that is, until a man who knew nick harvey called the police and said -- >> nick harvey came to him and offered him some money, several hundred dollars to say can you drive me down to long beach? >> reporter: he agreed. they met at a park and ride parking lot, and he drove nick's car. the driver also said nick told him why he needed to go to long beach. >> nick harvey said he was an enforcer for the local drug dealers up there. so he thought he was coming down here just for that one reason. >> reporter: honestly, he had no idea the agenda included murder, said the driver. >> he never knew that he was going to come down to take someone's life. >> reporter: of course, the guy was probably lying. so they put him under arrest. anyway, his claim that he thought he was driving a drug enforcer didn't make a lick of s