. >> prosecutors kristen richardson and carla carlstrom, promised the jury pieces of a puzzle.timately reveal a resentful, hateful husband, whose frustrations had boiled over. >> i think it was actually, i think the phrase it truly was a crime of passion. >> at the core of the prosecutors' case, david was a sexist philanderer who viewed his goody-two-shoes wife as a weight around his neck. so he put his hands around hers after an argument to free himself of the burden. david they said then turned to nici's problem with pills as his cover-up. >> why kill her? >> it wasn't a plan to murder. if it was something he planned to do, sure, he could divorce her. this was not a plan. this was something that erupted one night in a fit of rage. >> because they thought there was no premeditation, david pietz was charged with second, not first, degree murder. but proving he snapped and strangled nici in their condo wouldn't be easy. this was a highly circumstantial case with little direct evidence pointing david's way. >> in terms of the bedroom or the house, there is no physical evidence le