1 00:00:07,173 --> 00:00:08,408 - Hi. [man laughs] 2 00:00:08,675 --> 00:00:10,010 Say hi. 3 00:00:10,710 --> 00:00:12,278 [Laurie] She was kind. 4 00:00:12,312 --> 00:00:14,981 She would do anything for anybody. 5 00:00:15,015 --> 00:00:16,783 [Faith] Nikki Halpin had a big heart. 6 00:00:16,816 --> 00:00:18,818 She was in love with love. 7 00:00:18,852 --> 00:00:21,121 - She was just a flirty individual, 8 00:00:21,154 --> 00:00:22,622 as social as they come. 9 00:00:22,655 --> 00:00:25,525 - She said, "I just saw the most handsome man walk in 10 00:00:25,558 --> 00:00:27,093 in a uniform." 11 00:00:27,127 --> 00:00:29,195 - When they were first married, 12 00:00:29,229 --> 00:00:31,965 Nikki and Don's relationship was magnetic. 13 00:00:32,665 --> 00:00:35,502 [Faith] But sometimes, love just isn't enough. 14 00:00:36,302 --> 00:00:39,105 - Everything was stacked against both of them. 15 00:00:39,873 --> 00:00:42,042 - After their divorce, she's involved in 16 00:00:42,075 --> 00:00:44,210 other relationships with other people. 17 00:00:44,678 --> 00:00:47,781 - She was lucky to find somebody who was decent. 18 00:00:47,814 --> 00:00:49,549 [Faith] Nikki gets back on her feet, 19 00:00:49,582 --> 00:00:51,685 but is struck down once again. 20 00:00:55,889 --> 00:00:57,757 - He hears his mom screaming 21 00:00:57,791 --> 00:00:58,892 and then all of a sudden, 22 00:00:58,925 --> 00:01:00,460 there's no more screaming. 23 00:01:01,194 --> 00:01:04,097 - I've been in law enforcement a lot of years. 24 00:01:04,130 --> 00:01:04,931 It was a bad scene. 25 00:01:04,964 --> 00:01:06,766 [Faith] How did one woman's search 26 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,501 for their perfect partner... 27 00:01:08,535 --> 00:01:13,840 - He was not ever what I expected Nikki to end up with. 28 00:01:14,407 --> 00:01:17,077 - He showed classic signs of a stalker. 29 00:01:21,114 --> 00:01:23,283 [Host] turn into a killer relationship. 30 00:01:23,316 --> 00:01:25,418 - I told her not to be afraid, 31 00:01:25,452 --> 00:01:27,287 and that's the last time I saw her. 32 00:01:28,621 --> 00:01:39,666 [dramatic music] 33 00:01:40,867 --> 00:01:44,304 - What happens to us in life is largely beyond our control, 34 00:01:44,337 --> 00:01:46,806 but how we react to what happens? 35 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:48,775 Well, it makes us who we are. 36 00:01:48,808 --> 00:01:50,744 Nikki Halpin is a fighter, 37 00:01:50,777 --> 00:01:53,113 for herself and for her family. 38 00:01:53,146 --> 00:01:55,415 She's been that way since she was little, 39 00:01:55,448 --> 00:01:58,118 and when it comes to romantic relationships, 40 00:01:58,118 --> 00:02:00,553 she hopes love will win the day. 41 00:02:00,587 --> 00:02:03,590 But love, as I've seen time and time again, 42 00:02:03,623 --> 00:02:04,891 can't conquer all. 43 00:02:04,924 --> 00:02:08,061 [dramatic music] 44 00:02:09,829 --> 00:02:12,932 [upbeat music] 45 00:02:12,966 --> 00:02:15,502 [Laurie] My daughter, Niccole Gomm Halpin, 46 00:02:15,535 --> 00:02:17,637 was born in 1971. 47 00:02:17,971 --> 00:02:20,173 She was a good baby, 48 00:02:20,206 --> 00:02:21,808 but once she got a little bit older, 49 00:02:21,841 --> 00:02:23,610 she had to be the boss of everything. 50 00:02:25,779 --> 00:02:26,913 - As a big sister, 51 00:02:26,946 --> 00:02:28,648 she was always very protective of me. 52 00:02:28,682 --> 00:02:30,750 I was quiet and shy, 53 00:02:30,784 --> 00:02:33,353 but she is as social as they come. 54 00:02:33,386 --> 00:02:36,289 [upbeat music] 55 00:02:36,322 --> 00:02:39,859 [Laurie] When Nikki was in middle school, 56 00:02:39,893 --> 00:02:42,095 she was so studious, 57 00:02:42,128 --> 00:02:44,264 but as she got into high school, 58 00:02:44,297 --> 00:02:46,566 she became very friendly with all the boys. 59 00:02:47,767 --> 00:02:50,370 - She was just a flirty individual. 60 00:02:50,403 --> 00:02:52,372 [Faith] After high school, Nikki enrolls at the 61 00:02:52,405 --> 00:02:54,341 University of Massachusetts, 62 00:02:54,374 --> 00:02:57,844 but she is eager to get a taste of the real world. 63 00:02:58,211 --> 00:02:59,913 - She wanted to make money, 64 00:02:59,946 --> 00:03:01,948 so she came home from college 65 00:03:02,048 --> 00:03:05,218 and got a job at the bank, 66 00:03:05,251 --> 00:03:06,486 and one day she said, 67 00:03:06,519 --> 00:03:09,856 "I just saw the most handsome man walk in in a uniform." 68 00:03:10,223 --> 00:03:12,392 "He is a prison guard, 69 00:03:12,425 --> 00:03:15,095 and he looks just like Arnold Schwarzenegger." 70 00:03:16,496 --> 00:03:17,297 - Thank you. 71 00:03:17,330 --> 00:03:18,732 [Faith] The Schwarzenegger-lookalike 72 00:03:18,765 --> 00:03:20,500 is a man named Don Halpin, 73 00:03:20,533 --> 00:03:24,070 and 22-year-old Nikki falls head over heels for him. 74 00:03:24,070 --> 00:03:26,906 - She liked the fact that he had a steady job, 75 00:03:26,940 --> 00:03:28,375 and he could have fun, 76 00:03:28,408 --> 00:03:30,076 it was like a great combo. 77 00:03:30,643 --> 00:03:32,345 - He seemed to adore her. 78 00:03:32,912 --> 00:03:34,214 [Faith] Love is in the air, 79 00:03:34,247 --> 00:03:36,583 but there's an elephant in the room. 80 00:03:36,616 --> 00:03:40,820 Don is 41 years old, nearly twice Nikki's age, 81 00:03:40,854 --> 00:03:44,424 and Nikki's mother is more than a little concerned. 82 00:03:44,457 --> 00:03:46,793 [Laurie] He was 18 years older than her. 83 00:03:46,826 --> 00:03:48,928 Five years younger than me, 84 00:03:48,962 --> 00:03:51,164 and he had been married several times, 85 00:03:51,197 --> 00:03:53,299 and he had two kids. 86 00:03:53,733 --> 00:03:54,701 I said to her, 87 00:03:54,734 --> 00:03:57,837 "That's a lot of baggage to deal with, Nikki." 88 00:03:58,304 --> 00:04:04,044 He was not ever what I expected Nikki to end up with, 89 00:04:04,077 --> 00:04:07,681 but she wasn't listening to anything we said. 90 00:04:08,348 --> 00:04:09,649 Nothing. 91 00:04:10,283 --> 00:04:12,686 And then, not even six months later, 92 00:04:12,719 --> 00:04:16,956 she comes home and she said, "We got engaged." 93 00:04:17,490 --> 00:04:20,660 And then a month later, she says, "I'm pregnant." 94 00:04:21,327 --> 00:04:24,597 And I just said, "Well, Nikki, you're gonna be married, 95 00:04:24,631 --> 00:04:26,966 and then instantly have a child to raise. 96 00:04:27,067 --> 00:04:29,436 That's gonna be difficult for you." 97 00:04:32,105 --> 00:04:33,840 [Faith] But when you're young and in love, 98 00:04:33,873 --> 00:04:37,277 potential problems are the last thing on your mind. 99 00:04:37,310 --> 00:04:39,279 In the summer of 1994, 100 00:04:39,312 --> 00:04:40,947 Nikki marries Don. 101 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:42,816 She's three months pregnant. 102 00:04:44,584 --> 00:04:47,287 - When they're first married, Nikki and Don's relationship 103 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,090 was like magnetic, they just connected. 104 00:04:50,123 --> 00:04:52,659 And they were totally great together. 105 00:04:53,660 --> 00:04:54,828 [Man] Where are we? 106 00:04:54,861 --> 00:04:55,695 - Where are we? 107 00:04:55,729 --> 00:04:56,696 We're at the pier. 108 00:04:56,730 --> 00:04:57,530 [Man] Where? 109 00:04:57,564 --> 00:04:58,832 - St. Petersberg. 110 00:04:59,299 --> 00:05:01,101 - She loved being pregnant. 111 00:05:01,134 --> 00:05:04,104 And then Nikki went into mom mode. 112 00:05:04,137 --> 00:05:09,109 [dramatic music] 113 00:05:09,142 --> 00:05:14,347 - Max was born on November 21st, 1994. 114 00:05:15,148 --> 00:05:16,683 If you looked at him, you would say, 115 00:05:16,716 --> 00:05:18,251 "What a beautiful baby." 116 00:05:18,284 --> 00:05:21,121 You could not tell outside, visibly, 117 00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:22,889 that anything was wrong with him. 118 00:05:23,757 --> 00:05:26,693 [Jenn] Max is born with Hydrocephalia. 119 00:05:26,726 --> 00:05:28,094 He had too much water on the brain. 120 00:05:28,128 --> 00:05:29,162 It was very bad. 121 00:05:29,195 --> 00:05:31,064 It was like life or death. 122 00:05:31,097 --> 00:05:34,534 [dramatic music] 123 00:05:34,567 --> 00:05:38,371 They had to make a decision to treat him and try to give him 124 00:05:38,405 --> 00:05:40,573 shunts to release the pressure on his brain, 125 00:05:40,607 --> 00:05:42,475 and then he had to go on a machine, 126 00:05:42,509 --> 00:05:44,711 and I guess that affected his brain. 127 00:05:45,378 --> 00:05:48,515 [Laurie] The doctor said, babies that go on this, 128 00:05:48,548 --> 00:05:51,885 usually they end up with issues for life. 129 00:05:52,686 --> 00:05:55,455 - Learning that your newborn has a serious medical condition 130 00:05:55,488 --> 00:05:58,158 with long-term implications would be devastating 131 00:05:58,191 --> 00:05:59,559 for any mother, 132 00:05:59,592 --> 00:06:02,929 but the battle for Max's health has just begun. 133 00:06:03,029 --> 00:06:05,532 During one of his treatments, one of the medical staff 134 00:06:05,565 --> 00:06:08,101 mistakenly gives him the wrong medication, 135 00:06:08,134 --> 00:06:10,737 with potentially detrimental effects. 136 00:06:10,770 --> 00:06:13,907 Max recovers, but Nikki and Don file a lawsuit 137 00:06:13,940 --> 00:06:14,941 against the hospital, 138 00:06:15,041 --> 00:06:17,377 and while it winds its way through the courts, 139 00:06:17,410 --> 00:06:20,714 there's a bright spot in the fall of 1996. 140 00:06:20,747 --> 00:06:23,383 [upbeat music] 141 00:06:23,416 --> 00:06:27,354 - Drew was born two years after Max, 142 00:06:27,387 --> 00:06:31,591 and he was a perfectly healthy, active baby. 143 00:06:31,624 --> 00:06:33,560 [Nikki] What else do you see? 144 00:06:33,593 --> 00:06:36,796 [Laurie] But Nikki was wrapped up in, in Max, 145 00:06:36,830 --> 00:06:38,064 because for years, 146 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:41,167 Max couldn't walk, he couldn't talk. 147 00:06:41,201 --> 00:06:42,736 It was awful. 148 00:06:45,905 --> 00:06:49,409 [Faith] In 1997, when Max is three and Drew is one, 149 00:06:49,442 --> 00:06:52,412 Nikki and Don decided to make a big change. 150 00:06:52,445 --> 00:06:55,849 For Max's health, they moved from the cold of Massachusetts, 151 00:06:55,882 --> 00:06:57,550 to the warmth of Florida. 152 00:06:59,919 --> 00:07:03,223 - The atmospheric pressure would not cause him 153 00:07:03,256 --> 00:07:05,225 as much pain down there as it would up north. 154 00:07:05,258 --> 00:07:07,861 [Nikki] Yay! 155 00:07:08,294 --> 00:07:10,030 [Man] Cheese! 156 00:07:10,663 --> 00:07:13,233 [Faith] Max does show signs of improvement, 157 00:07:13,266 --> 00:07:15,535 but there are new struggles. 158 00:07:15,568 --> 00:07:19,539 - Don retired from the prison system. 159 00:07:19,572 --> 00:07:23,810 So Nikki was out there working probably 35, 40 hours a week. 160 00:07:24,411 --> 00:07:26,479 - Bye Max, bye Mom. 161 00:07:28,481 --> 00:07:31,051 - He was supposed to be watching the kids, 162 00:07:31,051 --> 00:07:32,452 and she'd come home 163 00:07:32,485 --> 00:07:34,154 and nothing was done at the house. 164 00:07:34,187 --> 00:07:35,855 So she was really aggravated. 165 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:40,293 Don was working nights as a bartender, 166 00:07:40,326 --> 00:07:42,095 then he started drinking. 167 00:07:44,664 --> 00:07:47,167 [Jenn] I think everything was stacked 168 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,069 against both of them. 169 00:07:49,069 --> 00:07:50,503 Their world was just like, 170 00:07:50,537 --> 00:07:52,539 just colliding, colliding, colliding. 171 00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:56,743 [Faith] In 2001, after eight years of marriage, 172 00:07:56,776 --> 00:07:59,279 29-year-old Nikki reaches her breaking point, 173 00:07:59,312 --> 00:08:01,348 and the couple separates. 174 00:08:02,649 --> 00:08:06,019 But Nikki doesn't give up on life, or love. 175 00:08:06,486 --> 00:08:08,021 Just a few months later, 176 00:08:08,054 --> 00:08:10,023 she has a new man in her life, 177 00:08:10,023 --> 00:08:14,527 a 31-year-old air conditioning repairman named Dan Welch. 178 00:08:15,462 --> 00:08:18,698 - Nikki thought Dan was Mr. Right for her, 179 00:08:18,732 --> 00:08:20,300 'cause he was checking all the boxes. 180 00:08:20,333 --> 00:08:23,069 Cute, blue eyes, fixes things. 181 00:08:23,336 --> 00:08:25,138 [Laurie] What impressed her the most was 182 00:08:25,171 --> 00:08:26,506 he loved her kids. 183 00:08:27,507 --> 00:08:29,843 She was falling in love with him, 184 00:08:29,876 --> 00:08:33,513 and she wanted him to fall in love with her. 185 00:08:33,947 --> 00:08:37,450 [Faith] Nikki's divorce from Don is finalized in 2003, 186 00:08:37,484 --> 00:08:40,620 and she's granted primary custody of eight-year-old Max, 187 00:08:40,653 --> 00:08:42,856 and six-year-old Drew. 188 00:08:42,889 --> 00:08:45,592 Months later, the hospital where Max was treated 189 00:08:45,625 --> 00:08:48,361 as an infant settles the lawsuit. 190 00:08:48,395 --> 00:08:52,098 A 1.5 million dollar trust is set up for Max, 191 00:08:52,132 --> 00:08:56,069 and a judge designates Nikki as the sole custodian. 192 00:08:58,938 --> 00:08:59,739 - Eeeeeeee! 193 00:08:59,773 --> 00:09:02,709 [Jenn] Whoever has custody of Max, 194 00:09:02,742 --> 00:09:06,312 has this trust helping them for a house and a car, 195 00:09:06,346 --> 00:09:08,581 for the rest of Max's life. 196 00:09:10,784 --> 00:09:12,519 [Laurie] I'm sure Don was upset. 197 00:09:12,552 --> 00:09:15,188 He probably thought Nikki set it up that way, 198 00:09:15,221 --> 00:09:16,523 but she didn't. 199 00:09:16,556 --> 00:09:17,857 [Faith] With money from the settlement, 200 00:09:17,891 --> 00:09:22,395 Nikki buys a home for herself and her boys in Safety Harbor. 201 00:09:22,429 --> 00:09:25,031 It's also the perfect place to settle down, 202 00:09:25,031 --> 00:09:27,634 and Nikki hopes Dan feels the same. 203 00:09:27,667 --> 00:09:30,804 [Laurie] Two years into the relationship, Nikki said, 204 00:09:30,837 --> 00:09:33,840 "Dan, I would like to get married." 205 00:09:33,873 --> 00:09:37,043 And he said he wasn't ready for that yet. 206 00:09:39,279 --> 00:09:41,581 So, Nikki called it quits. 207 00:09:43,216 --> 00:09:46,252 [Faith] Again, Nikki forges ahead. 208 00:09:46,286 --> 00:09:48,088 Hoping the third time's the charm, 209 00:09:48,121 --> 00:09:51,591 in September, 2003, she begins seeing a man she meets 210 00:09:51,624 --> 00:09:53,426 on a dating website, 211 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:57,297 32-year-old engineer Chris Catuogno. 212 00:09:58,064 --> 00:10:00,834 - She was looking to find somebody who was decent, 213 00:10:00,867 --> 00:10:02,302 and had a job, 214 00:10:02,335 --> 00:10:04,537 and liked her kids. 215 00:10:05,338 --> 00:10:07,140 Chris was a nice guy. 216 00:10:07,173 --> 00:10:10,410 [suspenseful music] 217 00:10:10,443 --> 00:10:13,380 [Faith] On the night of January 8th, 2004, 218 00:10:13,413 --> 00:10:15,982 Chris goes out with Nikki and her boys. 219 00:10:16,850 --> 00:10:20,320 Then, just before 10:00 PM, Chris makes a call 220 00:10:20,353 --> 00:10:23,023 to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Dispatch. 221 00:10:23,990 --> 00:10:25,025 [phone ringing] 222 00:10:42,008 --> 00:10:44,577 [dramatic music] 223 00:10:44,611 --> 00:10:46,279 - Time's ticking. 224 00:10:46,312 --> 00:10:48,448 I need to get inside the house. 225 00:10:48,481 --> 00:10:51,351 - We asked Drew if he knew who the man was, 226 00:10:51,384 --> 00:10:53,987 and he did say it was the man who knocks on the windows. 227 00:10:54,688 --> 00:10:57,023 - This is something that is gonna play over and over 228 00:10:57,057 --> 00:10:58,858 in his head for the rest of his life. 229 00:11:13,606 --> 00:11:17,444 - On January 8th, 2004, just before 10:00 PM, 230 00:11:17,477 --> 00:11:20,213 Chris Catuogno calls the Pinellas County, Florida 231 00:11:20,246 --> 00:11:22,082 911 center from his home. 232 00:11:22,082 --> 00:11:25,685 He has 32-year-old Nikki Halpin on the other line. 233 00:11:25,719 --> 00:11:28,188 Chris had just been out with her and her two boys 234 00:11:28,221 --> 00:11:31,691 a half-hour ago before she dropped him off at his home. 235 00:11:31,725 --> 00:11:34,227 But now, she's at her house 236 00:11:34,260 --> 00:11:36,162 and something is desperately wrong. 237 00:11:41,935 --> 00:11:44,404 [Officer] I'm patrolling the Safety Harbor area 238 00:11:44,437 --> 00:11:46,006 a little before 10:00 PM. 239 00:11:46,973 --> 00:11:50,944 I receive the call over the radio. 240 00:11:50,977 --> 00:11:52,479 [sirens wailing] 241 00:11:52,512 --> 00:11:54,414 [dramatic music] 242 00:11:54,447 --> 00:11:57,250 I start pounding on the door. 243 00:11:57,283 --> 00:11:58,718 Time's ticking. 244 00:11:58,752 --> 00:12:01,054 I need to get inside the house. 245 00:12:02,055 --> 00:12:03,156 By that time, 246 00:12:03,189 --> 00:12:05,625 the neighbor had come over, 247 00:12:05,658 --> 00:12:07,160 and as soon as he yelled, 248 00:12:07,193 --> 00:12:09,529 the boys actually appeared, 249 00:12:09,562 --> 00:12:11,498 because they were familiar with him. 250 00:12:12,298 --> 00:12:14,768 [Faith] Nikki's terrified seven-year-old son Drew 251 00:12:14,801 --> 00:12:16,102 unlocks the door. 252 00:12:16,136 --> 00:12:18,605 Nine-year-old Max follows close behind. 253 00:12:19,272 --> 00:12:22,842 - I asked Drew, "Hey, where's your mommy?" 254 00:12:22,876 --> 00:12:24,944 And he looked at me and said, 255 00:12:24,978 --> 00:12:28,181 "Mommy's in her room, and she's hurt." 256 00:12:29,349 --> 00:12:31,151 I had a backup with me. 257 00:12:31,184 --> 00:12:33,253 Whoever did it could still be there. 258 00:12:34,254 --> 00:12:36,923 The backup cleared the house, 259 00:12:36,956 --> 00:12:40,393 I move in the direction that Drew pointed out. 260 00:12:40,794 --> 00:12:42,662 When I get into the room, 261 00:12:42,696 --> 00:12:44,164 I find Niccole. 262 00:12:45,198 --> 00:12:46,833 And it's not a good scene. 263 00:12:48,702 --> 00:12:50,670 There's a lot of blood. 264 00:12:50,704 --> 00:12:53,106 Nicole's laying on the bed. 265 00:12:53,106 --> 00:12:56,943 I can see trauma to the side of her head. 266 00:12:58,878 --> 00:13:02,215 I distinctly remember shouting over my shoulder 267 00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:05,418 to the neighbor, "Take the boys and go to your house, now!" 268 00:13:06,319 --> 00:13:08,421 [Faith] Deputy Ferguson can tell Nikki Halpin 269 00:13:08,455 --> 00:13:10,056 is still alive, 270 00:13:10,056 --> 00:13:11,324 barely. 271 00:13:12,058 --> 00:13:15,061 - Fire rescue was there within a minute. 272 00:13:16,062 --> 00:13:19,499 She was transported by helicopter 273 00:13:19,532 --> 00:13:21,167 to the trauma center. 274 00:13:21,201 --> 00:13:23,236 [dramatic music] 275 00:13:23,269 --> 00:13:27,073 - I received a call from my sergeant explaining that 276 00:13:27,073 --> 00:13:30,443 a woman had been attacked in a small town called Safety Harbor. 277 00:13:31,244 --> 00:13:32,579 After getting briefed, 278 00:13:32,612 --> 00:13:34,748 my urgency is to talk to the boys, 279 00:13:34,781 --> 00:13:37,083 who can tell me what happened inside that house. 280 00:13:38,852 --> 00:13:40,720 - Any time a young child is an eyewitness 281 00:13:40,754 --> 00:13:43,289 to a violent crime, it's traumatizing. 282 00:13:43,323 --> 00:13:46,526 I can't imagine how frightened Nikki's sons must have been. 283 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:48,962 And the last thing investigators want to do 284 00:13:48,995 --> 00:13:50,997 is have them relive the trauma. 285 00:13:51,097 --> 00:13:53,967 But detectives need to ask the boys some questions 286 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:55,535 while the events of the night 287 00:13:55,568 --> 00:13:57,404 are still fresh in their minds. 288 00:13:57,437 --> 00:13:59,239 They'll need to tread lightly. 289 00:13:59,272 --> 00:14:02,108 [dramatic music] 290 00:14:02,142 --> 00:14:03,410 - Whenever we're talking to children, 291 00:14:03,443 --> 00:14:05,045 especially young children, 292 00:14:05,045 --> 00:14:06,880 what we need to do is make sure that they understand 293 00:14:06,913 --> 00:14:10,617 the differences between a truth and a lie. 294 00:14:10,650 --> 00:14:12,819 - Max is not able to communicate, 295 00:14:12,852 --> 00:14:14,387 so then, we met Drew. 296 00:14:15,188 --> 00:14:18,458 He said they dropped mom's boyfriend off at his house. 297 00:14:18,658 --> 00:14:20,193 They came back to their house, 298 00:14:20,226 --> 00:14:22,062 where he was starting to do homework. 299 00:14:23,063 --> 00:14:26,399 - Drew tells us that his mom went with Max, 300 00:14:26,433 --> 00:14:27,667 and at some point, 301 00:14:27,701 --> 00:14:30,070 he hears his mom scream. 302 00:14:31,304 --> 00:14:33,907 He then sees someone dressed in all black, 303 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:35,642 wearing a ski mask, 304 00:14:35,675 --> 00:14:37,077 and he thought that person had 305 00:14:37,110 --> 00:14:39,346 a silver baseball bat in his hand. 306 00:14:39,946 --> 00:14:42,082 He hears her scream again, 307 00:14:42,082 --> 00:14:45,085 and then all of a sudden, there's no more screaming. 308 00:14:45,085 --> 00:14:47,520 - Drew said he got down on the ground and hid, 309 00:14:47,554 --> 00:14:49,556 and after the man left, 310 00:14:49,589 --> 00:14:51,558 he got up, he went into the bedroom, 311 00:14:51,591 --> 00:14:55,929 his mom was lying on the bed on her back. 312 00:14:55,962 --> 00:15:00,033 - Then he sees his brother Max hiding behind the bed. 313 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:03,303 At that point, they ran to the bathroom, 314 00:15:03,336 --> 00:15:04,471 locked the door, 315 00:15:04,504 --> 00:15:06,106 and they hid in the tub. 316 00:15:06,139 --> 00:15:08,575 [somber music] 317 00:15:08,608 --> 00:15:10,210 He's seeing all of this, 318 00:15:10,243 --> 00:15:14,047 the worst things that you can possibly see as a child. 319 00:15:14,047 --> 00:15:17,317 This is something that is gonna play over and over 320 00:15:17,350 --> 00:15:19,786 in his head for the rest of his life. 321 00:15:20,754 --> 00:15:23,523 - We asked Drew if he knew who the man was, 322 00:15:23,556 --> 00:15:26,559 and he did say, "It was the man who knocks on the windows." 323 00:15:27,627 --> 00:15:29,729 When we said, "Who's the man that knocks on the windows?" 324 00:15:29,763 --> 00:15:30,897 He leaned forward, 325 00:15:30,930 --> 00:15:32,732 and there was a clock on the nightstand 326 00:15:32,766 --> 00:15:36,369 and he said, "Hey Ed, 327 00:15:36,403 --> 00:15:40,473 this is the latest I've ever stayed up in my entire life." 328 00:15:40,507 --> 00:15:42,709 And it was 1:41 on that clock. 329 00:15:42,742 --> 00:15:44,444 That's the end of the interview. 330 00:15:45,412 --> 00:15:47,914 [Faith] Detectives plan to circle back with Drew later, 331 00:15:47,947 --> 00:15:49,716 hoping to find out more about the 332 00:15:49,749 --> 00:15:51,718 "man who knocks on the windows." 333 00:15:51,751 --> 00:15:53,086 In the meantime, 334 00:15:53,086 --> 00:15:54,454 they learned that Nikki is 335 00:15:54,487 --> 00:15:58,091 still unresponsive in the ICU. 336 00:15:58,091 --> 00:16:01,728 - We knew she had been hit in the head with a blunt object. 337 00:16:01,761 --> 00:16:03,463 From the bruising, the weapon could have been 338 00:16:03,496 --> 00:16:04,764 something round. 339 00:16:04,798 --> 00:16:06,766 Nikki was in critical condition. 340 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:08,134 She was in a coma, 341 00:16:08,168 --> 00:16:10,870 and the prognosis was not good. 342 00:16:11,271 --> 00:16:13,406 - Next, investigators turned their attention to the man 343 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:18,345 who was with Nikki a few hours before, and called 911, 344 00:16:18,378 --> 00:16:19,913 Chris Catuogno. 345 00:16:21,147 --> 00:16:23,883 - Christopher Catuogno is 32 years of age. 346 00:16:23,917 --> 00:16:27,120 He was an engineer for a local company. 347 00:16:28,054 --> 00:16:31,057 [Robert] Chris begins to take us through the night. 348 00:16:31,057 --> 00:16:33,660 After going out with Nikki and her boys, 349 00:16:33,693 --> 00:16:35,528 she dropped him off at home 350 00:16:35,562 --> 00:16:39,065 and told him that she was headed straight home. 351 00:16:39,065 --> 00:16:42,435 Now, she lives approximately 15 minutes away 352 00:16:42,469 --> 00:16:43,903 from where he lives. 353 00:16:44,304 --> 00:16:47,207 [Faith] Chris tells detectives that at 9:33 PM, 354 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,542 less than five minutes after Nikki and the boys 355 00:16:49,576 --> 00:16:51,144 dropped him off at his house, 356 00:16:51,177 --> 00:16:54,614 he received an instant message from her home computer. 357 00:16:54,647 --> 00:16:57,784 [dramatic music] 358 00:16:57,817 --> 00:16:58,785 - It's her handle, 359 00:16:58,818 --> 00:17:02,322 and it's the letter "H" and the letter "B". 360 00:17:02,355 --> 00:17:06,026 So, he answers it thinking that she was typing "hi" 361 00:17:06,059 --> 00:17:09,029 and just hit the B and said, 362 00:17:09,062 --> 00:17:10,930 "Hey, how did you get home so fast?" 363 00:17:12,265 --> 00:17:16,803 Later, he gets a another message from Nikki and says, 364 00:17:16,836 --> 00:17:18,405 "Hey, I didn't write that. 365 00:17:18,438 --> 00:17:19,806 I'm gonna look around." 366 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:24,411 [suspenseful music] 367 00:17:24,444 --> 00:17:26,579 [Robert] He then receives a phone call from Nikki, 368 00:17:26,613 --> 00:17:29,582 and she's saying something weird is going on. 369 00:17:29,616 --> 00:17:31,451 I just want you to stay on the phone with me 370 00:17:31,484 --> 00:17:33,086 while I check the house. 371 00:17:34,854 --> 00:17:36,489 Then at some point, 372 00:17:36,523 --> 00:17:37,924 he hears her scream. 373 00:17:46,232 --> 00:17:48,501 [Faith] As detectives listened to Chris's story, 374 00:17:48,535 --> 00:17:50,203 something doesn't sit right. 375 00:17:51,071 --> 00:17:52,839 - If I'm on the phone with my girlfriend, 376 00:17:52,872 --> 00:17:55,342 and I hear an attack, 377 00:17:55,375 --> 00:17:56,609 I'm in my car. 378 00:17:56,643 --> 00:17:59,079 I'm going to, 379 00:17:59,079 --> 00:18:00,647 wherever this person was. 380 00:18:09,356 --> 00:18:11,491 [Faith] At this point, the investigators aren't sure 381 00:18:11,524 --> 00:18:13,226 what to make of Chris. 382 00:18:13,259 --> 00:18:15,428 At 3:00 AM, they end the interview 383 00:18:15,462 --> 00:18:18,398 and detectives follow Chris back to his house. 384 00:18:18,431 --> 00:18:20,734 - When we asked Chris about taking his computer, 385 00:18:20,767 --> 00:18:22,135 he was hesitant, 386 00:18:22,168 --> 00:18:23,136 so I explained to him that, 387 00:18:23,169 --> 00:18:25,038 "Hey, you know you don't want to give this to us, 388 00:18:25,038 --> 00:18:27,674 you don't have to, but not doing it, you know, 389 00:18:27,707 --> 00:18:28,875 raises our suspicions." 390 00:18:28,908 --> 00:18:31,044 And he thought about it for a few seconds 391 00:18:31,044 --> 00:18:34,447 and then he agreed to allow us to have the computer. 392 00:18:36,282 --> 00:18:38,418 [Faith] Meanwhile, in northeastern Massachusetts, 393 00:18:38,451 --> 00:18:40,420 Nikki's parents are blissfully unaware of 394 00:18:40,453 --> 00:18:44,224 the unfolding tragedy 1,500 miles away. 395 00:18:44,257 --> 00:18:47,160 That is, until local police knock on their door. 396 00:18:48,328 --> 00:18:51,364 [Laurie] He says, "I'm very sorry to tell you, 397 00:18:51,398 --> 00:18:54,434 somebody attacked your daughter, Nikki." 398 00:18:54,467 --> 00:18:57,070 And I said, "Oh my God, is she all right?" 399 00:18:57,103 --> 00:19:00,540 And he says, "She's alive right now. 400 00:19:01,408 --> 00:19:04,911 That's when he asked me, "Do you know any of the men 401 00:19:05,011 --> 00:19:08,381 in Nikki's life who would wanna hurt her?" 402 00:19:08,782 --> 00:19:11,885 I said, "Well, if I had to guess, 403 00:19:11,918 --> 00:19:14,921 I'd put my money on Don. 404 00:19:15,021 --> 00:19:18,391 He's the ex-husband, the father of her kids. 405 00:19:18,425 --> 00:19:22,495 He would get control of the estate 406 00:19:22,529 --> 00:19:25,899 that was being held for their son." 407 00:19:26,900 --> 00:19:29,602 - Once we hear the fact that there's a large settlement 408 00:19:29,636 --> 00:19:33,506 involved and we're actually talking 1.5 million dollars, 409 00:19:33,540 --> 00:19:35,241 and basically the only one who has control of 410 00:19:35,275 --> 00:19:37,043 that trust is Niccole. 411 00:19:37,444 --> 00:19:40,413 There would be 1.5 million reasons why Don 412 00:19:40,447 --> 00:19:43,116 might want to have Nikki disappear. 413 00:19:48,921 --> 00:19:52,624 [dramatic music] 414 00:19:52,658 --> 00:19:55,494 - Six hours after Nikki Halpin was brutally attacked 415 00:19:55,527 --> 00:19:58,530 in her own home in front of her young boys, 416 00:19:58,564 --> 00:20:01,900 the 32-year-old mother clings to life at a trauma center 417 00:20:01,934 --> 00:20:03,902 in St. Petersburg, Florida. 418 00:20:03,936 --> 00:20:05,371 Back at the crime scene, 419 00:20:05,404 --> 00:20:07,940 detectives continue to search for clues, 420 00:20:07,973 --> 00:20:09,942 but will they find anything that points them 421 00:20:09,975 --> 00:20:11,944 towards Nikki's attacker? 422 00:20:11,977 --> 00:20:15,214 [dramatic music] 423 00:20:15,247 --> 00:20:16,915 - Any potential evidence in that residence, 424 00:20:16,949 --> 00:20:18,784 we're sending off to the lab, 425 00:20:18,817 --> 00:20:20,619 but there was no smoking gun. 426 00:20:21,687 --> 00:20:23,255 It was very interesting, 'cause there's no signs of 427 00:20:23,288 --> 00:20:26,492 any forced entry, so, you do have to suspect 428 00:20:26,525 --> 00:20:30,396 any paramour, boyfriend, husband, ex-husband, 429 00:20:30,429 --> 00:20:32,831 would be statistically what you're gonna focus on. 430 00:20:33,365 --> 00:20:35,834 [Faith] Some of that focus is on Chris Catuogno, 431 00:20:35,868 --> 00:20:37,603 Nikki's current boyfriend. 432 00:20:37,636 --> 00:20:40,639 Detectives plan to track his digital footprints. 433 00:20:40,673 --> 00:20:41,974 - We're gonna pull his cell phone records. 434 00:20:42,007 --> 00:20:45,511 We're gonna pull his cell tower to see where that phone was, 435 00:20:45,544 --> 00:20:47,813 within, you know, three to five miles. 436 00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:50,149 [Faith] But detectives also need to look into 437 00:20:50,182 --> 00:20:52,785 Nikki's ex-husband, Don Halpin, 438 00:20:52,818 --> 00:20:53,886 who stands to gain a lot 439 00:20:53,919 --> 00:20:56,655 from the settlement Nikki received from the hospital 440 00:20:56,689 --> 00:20:58,290 where Max was born. 441 00:20:58,323 --> 00:21:01,894 Around 5:00 AM, detectives arrive at Don's townhouse 442 00:21:01,927 --> 00:21:03,295 in Clearwater. 443 00:21:11,070 --> 00:21:13,405 - We sat down at his kitchen table, 444 00:21:13,439 --> 00:21:15,874 and we had a long interview with him. 445 00:21:27,753 --> 00:21:30,322 - After their divorce, she's like immediately involved 446 00:21:30,356 --> 00:21:32,324 in other relationships with other people. 447 00:21:32,358 --> 00:21:35,094 Is that enough to drive him over the edge? 448 00:21:35,894 --> 00:21:38,664 [Faith] Then detectives ask about the 1.5 million dollar 449 00:21:38,697 --> 00:21:40,265 settlement for Max. 450 00:22:01,053 --> 00:22:04,957 - We said to Don, "Well if something happens to Niccole, 451 00:22:05,057 --> 00:22:06,191 who becomes the guardian?" 452 00:22:06,225 --> 00:22:07,793 And he says, "Oh, I do." 453 00:22:07,826 --> 00:22:11,330 There's definitely a motive there to commit this crime, 454 00:22:11,363 --> 00:22:14,800 which would be taking charge of that large amount of money. 455 00:22:15,901 --> 00:22:19,071 [Faith] Finally, detectives asked Don if he has an alibi 456 00:22:19,071 --> 00:22:20,873 for the time Nikki was attacked. 457 00:22:27,780 --> 00:22:31,784 - The Don CeSar is a nice hotel down on St. Pete Beach. 458 00:22:31,817 --> 00:22:34,386 That is probably a good 45-minute drive 459 00:22:34,420 --> 00:22:37,990 from the Don CeSar to where Nikki lives. 460 00:22:38,090 --> 00:22:40,426 We needed to verify he was at work. 461 00:22:42,227 --> 00:22:44,663 [Faith] Just before leaving, detectives asked Don 462 00:22:44,697 --> 00:22:47,633 if he has anything else to add to his statement. 463 00:22:48,100 --> 00:22:51,870 - He says, "Let me tell you who was stalking her." 464 00:22:51,904 --> 00:22:53,939 And he tells us about Dan Welch. 465 00:23:02,948 --> 00:23:05,050 - That's why he said if anybody did this to her 466 00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:06,418 that knows her, 467 00:23:06,452 --> 00:23:09,121 it's Dan, the ex-boyfriend. 468 00:23:09,154 --> 00:23:11,490 - He's all of a sudden now blurting out the fact that it's 469 00:23:11,523 --> 00:23:14,760 Dan, is there something that he's trying to mislead us on? 470 00:23:14,793 --> 00:23:18,130 But we're hearing all of this stuff, it's like, 471 00:23:18,163 --> 00:23:19,565 you know what? 472 00:23:19,598 --> 00:23:21,300 We need to take a close look at Dan. 473 00:23:22,868 --> 00:23:25,604 [Faith] Detectives need to track down Dan, 474 00:23:25,637 --> 00:23:28,741 but they're still keeping Don at the top of the list. 475 00:23:28,774 --> 00:23:31,944 After all, jealousy and money are two of the biggest reasons 476 00:23:31,977 --> 00:23:33,145 that marriage has fail, 477 00:23:33,178 --> 00:23:34,747 and murders happen. 478 00:23:34,780 --> 00:23:37,683 But at this point, Nikki is still holding on, 479 00:23:37,716 --> 00:23:40,386 and her parents and sister catch the first flight 480 00:23:40,419 --> 00:23:41,954 from their home in Massachusetts 481 00:23:41,987 --> 00:23:43,122 to be by her side, 482 00:23:43,155 --> 00:23:46,158 and to check on Max and Drew, who are being cared for 483 00:23:46,191 --> 00:23:47,993 by a family friend. 484 00:23:49,194 --> 00:23:51,163 [Jenn] The boys were not saying much. 485 00:23:51,196 --> 00:23:53,132 Drew just looked straight upset, 486 00:23:53,165 --> 00:23:55,734 'cause he comprehended what was going on. 487 00:23:55,768 --> 00:23:58,137 Max looked like 488 00:23:58,170 --> 00:24:00,406 he just saw a ghost. 489 00:24:00,439 --> 00:24:02,041 He was kind of shut down. 490 00:24:03,642 --> 00:24:06,045 [Faith] But as Nikki's family keeps vigil, 491 00:24:06,078 --> 00:24:08,814 hope begins to fade. 492 00:24:08,847 --> 00:24:16,355 [somber music] 493 00:24:16,388 --> 00:24:19,258 - I said, "This is, this is not good." 494 00:24:19,858 --> 00:24:23,495 My mom was trying to still be like, the pillar. 495 00:24:24,797 --> 00:24:26,765 - Her hair was shaved up to a certain point 496 00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:29,601 and she had bandages wrapped around her head. 497 00:24:30,202 --> 00:24:32,504 She was on the breathing tube. 498 00:24:33,405 --> 00:24:36,075 I knew she was not gonna live. 499 00:24:46,886 --> 00:24:49,356 - It's Friday morning, January 9th, 500 00:24:49,389 --> 00:24:52,692 12 hours after Nikki Halpin was savagely attacked 501 00:24:52,726 --> 00:24:53,827 in her own home. 502 00:24:53,860 --> 00:24:56,963 Her family and friends are holding vigil by her side, 503 00:24:56,996 --> 00:24:59,199 hoping she'll be strong enough to survive the 504 00:24:59,232 --> 00:25:02,235 toughest battle of her life, and wondering, 505 00:25:02,268 --> 00:25:03,570 who did this? 506 00:25:03,603 --> 00:25:06,206 Detectives have three possible suspects, 507 00:25:06,239 --> 00:25:09,042 all of them with romantic ties to Nikki. 508 00:25:10,677 --> 00:25:13,580 - We were concerned with Chris. 509 00:25:13,613 --> 00:25:17,217 He hears the attack and he doesn't respond immediately. 510 00:25:17,250 --> 00:25:19,252 It sure looks suspicious. 511 00:25:19,686 --> 00:25:22,922 Don is still a viable suspect because of the benefits 512 00:25:22,956 --> 00:25:25,725 that he's gonna receive from Nikki's death. 513 00:25:25,759 --> 00:25:27,560 Cell phone records, financial records, 514 00:25:27,594 --> 00:25:30,230 all these have to be subpoenaed and reviewed. 515 00:25:30,263 --> 00:25:32,232 And then there's Dan Welch, 516 00:25:32,265 --> 00:25:34,601 the ex-boyfriend of Niccole Halpin. 517 00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:37,837 We had received information about stalking incidents. 518 00:25:38,738 --> 00:25:40,974 [Robert] Dan was showing up at her house at all times of 519 00:25:41,074 --> 00:25:42,075 the day and night. 520 00:25:42,075 --> 00:25:44,978 Don told her, "Look, you probably need to get 521 00:25:45,078 --> 00:25:46,646 a restraining order." 522 00:25:47,414 --> 00:25:49,783 [Faith] Could the man in the window be Dan Welch? 523 00:25:49,816 --> 00:25:53,453 Or is it possible that Don is trying to distract detectives 524 00:25:53,486 --> 00:25:55,488 by pointing the finger at Dan? 525 00:25:58,091 --> 00:26:00,126 - You know, we go home and get a couple of hours of sleep, 526 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,595 but the first thing that I did on my way into work 527 00:26:02,629 --> 00:26:06,833 is I went to the Don CeSar to check on Don's alibi. 528 00:26:07,667 --> 00:26:10,136 Don Halpin clocked out a few minutes after the actual 529 00:26:10,170 --> 00:26:12,539 attack would've occurred. 530 00:26:12,572 --> 00:26:15,608 I was able to verify with a manager that he was there. 531 00:26:15,642 --> 00:26:18,712 There was even surveillance cameras that show him leaving 532 00:26:18,745 --> 00:26:20,613 the area of the hotel as well. 533 00:26:20,647 --> 00:26:23,083 But that doesn't mean that he couldn't have had someone else 534 00:26:23,116 --> 00:26:24,150 do this for him. 535 00:26:26,086 --> 00:26:28,955 [Faith] Still, with Don looking less likely, 536 00:26:29,055 --> 00:26:32,058 detectives turned their attention to the man Nikki dated 537 00:26:32,058 --> 00:26:34,494 after she broke up with Don. 538 00:26:34,527 --> 00:26:36,529 - Dan Welch is 35 years of age, 539 00:26:36,563 --> 00:26:39,499 and he's an AC repairman by trade. 540 00:26:40,066 --> 00:26:41,568 We checked Mr. Welch's background, 541 00:26:41,601 --> 00:26:43,203 found no criminal history. 542 00:26:43,770 --> 00:26:46,773 [Faith] At around 3:00 PM, Detective Snipes and Judy 543 00:26:46,806 --> 00:26:49,309 arrive at Dan Welch's home in Clearwater, 544 00:26:49,342 --> 00:26:51,978 about six miles from where Nikki lives. 545 00:26:52,078 --> 00:26:55,315 - We told him we were there to talk to him about Nikki, 546 00:26:55,348 --> 00:26:57,183 and he said, "Who?" 547 00:26:57,217 --> 00:26:59,185 So we said, "Niccole Halpin." 548 00:26:59,219 --> 00:27:00,653 - And he goes, "Oh, Niccole, yes, 549 00:27:00,687 --> 00:27:02,322 I've been waiting for you to come to the house. 550 00:27:02,355 --> 00:27:03,923 I heard about this on the radio today." 551 00:27:05,258 --> 00:27:08,795 - He invites us inside the house and I noticed sitting 552 00:27:08,828 --> 00:27:13,433 on a small table what appeared to be this five-cell, 553 00:27:13,466 --> 00:27:15,368 very large flashlight 554 00:27:15,402 --> 00:27:17,437 that was kind of silver in color. 555 00:27:18,038 --> 00:27:21,107 When I saw it, the first thing that I thought of was 556 00:27:21,141 --> 00:27:24,110 Drew telling us that he saw a silver baseball bat. 557 00:27:26,146 --> 00:27:29,683 Detective Judy and I look at each other, and right away, 558 00:27:29,716 --> 00:27:32,719 both of us think this could potentially be 559 00:27:32,752 --> 00:27:34,254 the weapon that he used. 560 00:27:34,888 --> 00:27:36,890 I tried not to stare at it. 561 00:27:36,923 --> 00:27:39,059 We have to have a consent to search form 562 00:27:39,059 --> 00:27:41,361 before we can take anything out of that house. 563 00:27:41,728 --> 00:27:43,797 - We don't want to alert Mr. Welch to it. 564 00:27:43,830 --> 00:27:46,900 We just noted it, we'll come back to that later. 565 00:27:47,834 --> 00:27:49,602 [Faith] The detectives take Dan to the station 566 00:27:49,636 --> 00:27:51,137 for an interview. 567 00:27:51,171 --> 00:27:53,707 - Dan told us he fell in love with Niccole. 568 00:27:53,740 --> 00:27:56,076 He just thought she was a very attractive woman, 569 00:27:56,076 --> 00:27:57,277 full of life. 570 00:27:57,310 --> 00:28:01,514 - He explained that he didn't really want to get into 571 00:28:01,548 --> 00:28:03,817 a long-term relationship. 572 00:28:03,850 --> 00:28:07,387 She got tired of waiting on him and decided to move on. 573 00:28:07,420 --> 00:28:09,889 He said, you know at this point, that he had moved on as well, 574 00:28:09,923 --> 00:28:11,791 that he had a new girlfriend. 575 00:28:12,225 --> 00:28:14,060 [Faith] When detectives asked Dan where he was 576 00:28:14,094 --> 00:28:15,161 the night before, 577 00:28:15,195 --> 00:28:18,598 he says he was working out with his neighbor, Larry. 578 00:28:18,631 --> 00:28:21,067 - Larry was training for a marathon, 579 00:28:21,101 --> 00:28:24,871 and he would go out a couple times a week and run 20 miles, 580 00:28:24,904 --> 00:28:26,706 and Dan would get on his bicycle 581 00:28:26,740 --> 00:28:29,175 and he would ride along with him. 582 00:28:29,209 --> 00:28:31,911 - He said, "My neighbor will vouch for me." 583 00:28:31,945 --> 00:28:34,280 [Faith] Detectives plan to take Dan up on his offer 584 00:28:34,314 --> 00:28:35,682 to speak with the neighbor, 585 00:28:35,715 --> 00:28:38,351 but first they swab him for DNA. 586 00:28:38,385 --> 00:28:41,121 - He provided us with a blood sample as well as 587 00:28:41,154 --> 00:28:42,655 his latent prints. 588 00:28:42,689 --> 00:28:43,590 We asked him about a polygraph. 589 00:28:43,623 --> 00:28:44,557 He said, "Absolutely." 590 00:28:44,591 --> 00:28:45,592 "We'll call you for that." 591 00:28:45,625 --> 00:28:47,594 He said, "No problem." 592 00:28:47,627 --> 00:28:50,063 We drive him back to his house. 593 00:28:50,063 --> 00:28:53,333 Dan says, "Hey, do you wanna search my house?" 594 00:28:54,968 --> 00:28:57,303 So I asked him if I could bring out a forensic team, 595 00:28:57,337 --> 00:28:58,605 and he said, "Absolutely." 596 00:28:58,638 --> 00:29:00,206 He's very cooperative, 597 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:01,708 but he's also very nervous. 598 00:29:01,741 --> 00:29:04,377 It was a strange vibe that you got from this gentleman. 599 00:29:05,478 --> 00:29:08,281 So we are awaiting the arrival of the team 600 00:29:08,314 --> 00:29:11,217 and Mr. Welch gets a phone call 601 00:29:11,251 --> 00:29:12,886 and he says, to whoever he's talking to, 602 00:29:12,919 --> 00:29:15,288 he says, "You're not gonna believe this, 603 00:29:15,321 --> 00:29:16,489 I'm a prime suspect." 604 00:29:18,391 --> 00:29:21,828 - The first thing that we do is we look at each other like, 605 00:29:21,861 --> 00:29:24,330 "Okay, we never said that to him." 606 00:29:25,165 --> 00:29:28,168 - And then he said, "No, she was not raped, 607 00:29:28,201 --> 00:29:30,837 no, nothing was stolen 608 00:29:30,870 --> 00:29:33,073 and no, she was bashed in the head." 609 00:29:33,740 --> 00:29:35,475 - None of the three of those things had ever been 610 00:29:35,508 --> 00:29:38,244 released in the media. 611 00:29:38,278 --> 00:29:40,313 - We both look at each other and just not our heads, 612 00:29:40,347 --> 00:29:41,715 we're on the right track. 613 00:29:42,849 --> 00:29:44,651 He hung up the phone, so we inquired, 614 00:29:44,684 --> 00:29:45,719 "Hey, who are you talking to?" 615 00:29:45,752 --> 00:29:48,054 He said, "Oh, that was my girlfriend, Stephanie." 616 00:29:48,054 --> 00:29:49,356 And that's all he tells us. 617 00:29:51,758 --> 00:29:54,694 - Around 10:00 PM, three members from the forensics team 618 00:29:54,728 --> 00:29:57,063 arrive at Dan's home. 619 00:29:57,797 --> 00:30:00,266 - We searched his master bedroom. 620 00:30:00,734 --> 00:30:02,535 I removed all the clothing from the drawers. 621 00:30:02,569 --> 00:30:04,204 - Is there a ski mask? 622 00:30:04,237 --> 00:30:06,439 Is there a hoodie, 623 00:30:06,473 --> 00:30:11,144 or a dark sweater or something that was described by Drew 624 00:30:11,177 --> 00:30:14,881 that could potentially tie him to the scene? 625 00:30:14,914 --> 00:30:18,318 And unfortunately, we weren't able to find anything at all. 626 00:30:20,053 --> 00:30:22,422 - We were getting ready to leave, Dan walks at me 627 00:30:22,455 --> 00:30:24,357 with a flashlight and he goes, 628 00:30:24,391 --> 00:30:25,392 "Hey, take this. 629 00:30:25,425 --> 00:30:26,526 I know you want it." 630 00:30:26,559 --> 00:30:29,596 And he hands me a three-cell Mag light. 631 00:30:29,963 --> 00:30:31,798 It's not a five-cell Mag light, 632 00:30:31,831 --> 00:30:33,600 which is what we saw earlier. 633 00:30:33,967 --> 00:30:37,170 And the flashlight he gave me was gold in color. 634 00:30:37,203 --> 00:30:40,206 He's distracting me by giving me the wrong flashlight. 635 00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:41,574 - And I was like, "Oh my God, 636 00:30:41,608 --> 00:30:44,511 what happened to that larger silver flashlight?" 637 00:30:44,544 --> 00:30:47,047 [dramatic music] 638 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,049 [Faith] Detectives take the smaller flashlight 639 00:30:49,082 --> 00:30:51,051 and tell Dan they'll be in touch. 640 00:30:51,418 --> 00:30:54,087 Then they pay a visit to his neighbor, Larry, 641 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,956 to see if Dan's story checks out. 642 00:30:56,990 --> 00:30:58,758 [Robert] Larry is telling us we're starting to run, 643 00:30:58,792 --> 00:31:01,461 and we had planned to go 20 miles, but he says, 644 00:31:01,494 --> 00:31:02,896 Dan starts telling me, you know, 645 00:31:02,929 --> 00:31:05,065 "My stomach's upset, I don't feel good, you know, 646 00:31:05,065 --> 00:31:06,766 I think I need to go back home." 647 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:09,936 He says, "But it was sometime around 9:01, 9:02." 648 00:31:12,105 --> 00:31:15,342 - Nikki was attacked at approximately 10:00 PM. 649 00:31:15,375 --> 00:31:17,711 - It was pretty clear Larry knew that Dan was 650 00:31:17,744 --> 00:31:19,846 trying to use him. 651 00:31:19,879 --> 00:31:21,948 He says, "I'm not gonna be his alibi." 652 00:31:22,782 --> 00:31:24,417 - After we talked to Larry, 653 00:31:24,451 --> 00:31:26,820 Dan Welch shoots right to the top of the list. 654 00:31:28,788 --> 00:31:30,323 [Faith] The detectives leave Larry's home 655 00:31:30,357 --> 00:31:32,258 the morning of January 10th, 656 00:31:32,292 --> 00:31:35,295 confident they've identified their prime suspect, 657 00:31:35,328 --> 00:31:36,930 Dan Welch. 658 00:31:38,164 --> 00:31:41,868 But by evening, the mood shifts with news from the hospital. 659 00:31:41,901 --> 00:31:44,637 Nikki's condition is grave. 660 00:31:45,438 --> 00:31:48,441 - It had to come down to the family making the decision: 661 00:31:48,475 --> 00:31:50,877 do we keep her on life support 662 00:31:50,910 --> 00:31:52,479 or do we let her go? 663 00:31:54,447 --> 00:31:56,583 - I was looking at the screen with the brain activity 664 00:31:56,616 --> 00:31:57,617 for like hours, 665 00:31:57,650 --> 00:32:01,054 and there was not one movement. 666 00:32:01,855 --> 00:32:03,323 It was like, 667 00:32:03,356 --> 00:32:05,058 just straight across. 668 00:32:06,659 --> 00:32:08,194 - I said to everyone there, 669 00:32:08,228 --> 00:32:11,331 "If you wanna go in and say goodbye, 670 00:32:11,364 --> 00:32:12,932 you have to do it now." 671 00:32:14,501 --> 00:32:17,537 - When I went in to say goodbye, 672 00:32:17,570 --> 00:32:21,474 all I could think of was how she's like, full of life. 673 00:32:21,508 --> 00:32:23,643 You know? She's like, 674 00:32:23,677 --> 00:32:24,978 so outgoing. 675 00:32:25,078 --> 00:32:28,148 And like, so full of life to just die at 32. 676 00:32:28,181 --> 00:32:30,884 'Cause, like that, just doesn't even make sense to me. 677 00:32:31,384 --> 00:32:33,820 - It was just horrific. 678 00:32:33,853 --> 00:32:35,822 Really horrific. 679 00:32:35,855 --> 00:32:38,358 I started singing the song that I sang to her 680 00:32:38,391 --> 00:32:39,993 when she was a baby. 681 00:32:40,093 --> 00:32:43,196 * Nikki's momma's baby, * 682 00:32:43,229 --> 00:32:44,597 * by-low, * 683 00:32:44,631 --> 00:32:46,232 * my baby. * 684 00:32:46,266 --> 00:32:49,202 * Go off to sleep, my love. * 685 00:32:49,235 --> 00:32:52,505 [somber music] 686 00:32:52,539 --> 00:32:53,606 [dramatic music] 687 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,276 - We've just got detail, after detail, after detail, 688 00:32:56,309 --> 00:32:59,446 that just keeps pointing at his direction. 689 00:32:59,479 --> 00:33:01,681 - When they said, "Niccole, calm down," 690 00:33:01,715 --> 00:33:02,916 I said, "That's him." 691 00:33:02,949 --> 00:33:04,818 - And she said, "I think my boyfriend is trying to use me 692 00:33:04,851 --> 00:33:06,186 for an alibi." 693 00:33:10,890 --> 00:33:13,593 [somber music] 694 00:33:13,626 --> 00:33:17,564 - On Sunday, January 11th, with no hope for recovery, 695 00:33:17,597 --> 00:33:20,567 Nikki Halpin's family makes the gut-wrenching decision 696 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:22,902 to take her off life support. 697 00:33:22,936 --> 00:33:24,437 It's a profound loss, 698 00:33:24,471 --> 00:33:26,973 and it puts renewed pressure on detectives 699 00:33:27,073 --> 00:33:29,743 to find this beautiful young mother's killer. 700 00:33:29,776 --> 00:33:32,479 [ominous music] 701 00:33:32,512 --> 00:33:35,448 - We have Dan Welch having knowledge 702 00:33:35,482 --> 00:33:37,183 inside that crime scene, 703 00:33:37,217 --> 00:33:39,719 offering up a weapon that was 704 00:33:39,753 --> 00:33:41,721 potentially the murder weapon. 705 00:33:42,255 --> 00:33:44,457 He put himself right at the top of the suspect pool. 706 00:33:45,792 --> 00:33:47,894 [Faith] Just hours after Nikki is removed 707 00:33:47,927 --> 00:33:49,295 from life support, 708 00:33:49,329 --> 00:33:52,999 Dan arrives at the sheriff's station for a polygraph. 709 00:33:53,099 --> 00:33:56,403 No one is prepared for the overwhelming results. 710 00:33:56,803 --> 00:33:59,339 - Our polygraph examiner comes out of the room and tells us 711 00:33:59,372 --> 00:34:03,743 that Dan failed every single question on the exam. 712 00:34:04,844 --> 00:34:08,581 - So computer polygraphs go from zero to negative 23, 713 00:34:08,615 --> 00:34:10,483 zero to a positive 23. 714 00:34:10,517 --> 00:34:12,786 He said, "I've never seen anything higher in negative 13. 715 00:34:12,819 --> 00:34:15,188 Your boy rang it up to negative 20." 716 00:34:29,069 --> 00:34:31,204 - He's just doing nothing but lying, 717 00:34:31,237 --> 00:34:32,939 but we still don't have enough to arrest him. 718 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:36,443 [Faith] This is one of the toughest parts of the job. 719 00:34:36,476 --> 00:34:39,079 Detectives are sure they have their killer, 720 00:34:39,079 --> 00:34:41,715 but they have no choice but to watch Dan Welch 721 00:34:41,748 --> 00:34:43,383 walk out the door. 722 00:34:43,850 --> 00:34:45,585 Later that Sunday afternoon, 723 00:34:45,618 --> 00:34:49,089 Nikki's family makes an unusual request, 724 00:34:49,089 --> 00:34:51,791 they want to visit the scene of the crime. 725 00:34:51,825 --> 00:34:53,159 - I wanted to 726 00:34:53,193 --> 00:34:56,096 go see the house just for my own peace of mind. 727 00:34:56,096 --> 00:34:59,532 [dramatic music] 728 00:34:59,566 --> 00:35:02,836 The detectives got me like, to myself and they said, 729 00:35:02,869 --> 00:35:04,170 "Who do you think did this?" 730 00:35:04,204 --> 00:35:06,272 And I said, "It's Dan Welch." 731 00:35:07,807 --> 00:35:12,245 - We learned that Dan showed classic signs of a stalker, 732 00:35:12,278 --> 00:35:14,114 harassing phone calls. 733 00:35:14,147 --> 00:35:16,549 Many times, he rode past her house on a bicycle 734 00:35:16,583 --> 00:35:18,918 and just stared at the residence. 735 00:35:19,519 --> 00:35:21,788 - He's coming over to the house at nighttime, 736 00:35:21,821 --> 00:35:22,856 knocking on the door, 737 00:35:22,889 --> 00:35:24,891 he's banging on the windows. 738 00:35:25,759 --> 00:35:28,395 [Faith] Nikki's son Drew told detectives about the 739 00:35:28,428 --> 00:35:31,564 "man in the window" on the night of his mother's attack. 740 00:35:31,598 --> 00:35:34,067 And although Drew never identifies Dan Welch 741 00:35:34,100 --> 00:35:35,435 as that man, 742 00:35:35,468 --> 00:35:38,438 detectives don't believe it's a coincidence. 743 00:35:38,938 --> 00:35:41,174 - When you look at this objectively, 744 00:35:41,207 --> 00:35:44,277 he is displaying all of the traits of a stalker 745 00:35:44,310 --> 00:35:45,578 that's gonna turn violent. 746 00:35:48,214 --> 00:35:51,818 - On Monday, January 12th, the day after Nikki's death, 747 00:35:51,851 --> 00:35:56,189 the Pinellas County medical examiner completes the autopsy. 748 00:35:57,457 --> 00:36:00,260 - Her cause of death was blunt force trauma. 749 00:36:00,293 --> 00:36:04,330 The intent there was to cause great bodily harm and death. 750 00:36:07,467 --> 00:36:09,502 [Faith] What the medical examiner can't determine, 751 00:36:09,536 --> 00:36:11,771 is the weapon that was used to kill Nikki. 752 00:36:11,805 --> 00:36:15,475 It could be anything, from a large stick to a baseball bat, 753 00:36:15,508 --> 00:36:18,378 but could it also be a heavy, metal flashlight? 754 00:36:19,212 --> 00:36:21,548 - There was no DNA on that three-cell mag light. 755 00:36:21,581 --> 00:36:23,850 We never found that five-cell mag light, 756 00:36:23,883 --> 00:36:25,452 probably the murder weapon. 757 00:36:27,287 --> 00:36:28,621 [Faith] That same day, 758 00:36:28,655 --> 00:36:31,458 detectives catch a much-needed break. 759 00:36:31,491 --> 00:36:32,926 [phone rings] 760 00:36:33,193 --> 00:36:34,894 - We get a phone call at the sheriff's office from a 761 00:36:34,928 --> 00:36:37,464 Stephanie Hayes who says, "Hey, I need to talk to somebody, 762 00:36:37,497 --> 00:36:40,200 I think my boyfriend is trying to use me for an alibi." 763 00:36:41,568 --> 00:36:45,505 - Then she proceeds to tell us that Dan called her 764 00:36:45,538 --> 00:36:48,074 from his home to show that he could not have been 765 00:36:48,108 --> 00:36:51,511 at Nikki's house at the time she was attacked. 766 00:36:51,544 --> 00:36:54,414 - She says, "My phone rang and it was 10:14 PM, 767 00:36:54,447 --> 00:36:56,816 he was completely out of breath." 768 00:36:56,850 --> 00:36:58,618 - She had to ask him, "What's wrong with you?" 769 00:36:58,651 --> 00:37:01,755 Because he was breathing so heavy, and he's like, 770 00:37:01,788 --> 00:37:04,324 "I'm just putting some stuff in my work van." 771 00:37:04,357 --> 00:37:06,326 He had already loaded up his work van, 772 00:37:06,359 --> 00:37:08,461 so she knew that he was lying about that. 773 00:37:09,496 --> 00:37:11,798 - So what was Dan really doing? 774 00:37:11,831 --> 00:37:14,901 Detectives recall that on the night Nikki was attacked, 775 00:37:14,934 --> 00:37:16,636 Dan claimed he was riding his bike 776 00:37:16,670 --> 00:37:19,406 while training with his neighbor Larry. 777 00:37:19,439 --> 00:37:21,941 - We believed that when he left Larry's house that there's a 778 00:37:22,042 --> 00:37:25,311 good chance that he rode his bicycle over to Nikki's house. 779 00:37:26,179 --> 00:37:28,381 This also explains if you're riding hard, 780 00:37:28,415 --> 00:37:29,516 trying to get home, 781 00:37:29,549 --> 00:37:32,052 and then get on the phone to try to set up your alibi, 782 00:37:32,052 --> 00:37:33,620 why you would be out of breath. 783 00:37:35,388 --> 00:37:37,724 We've just got detail, after detail, after detail 784 00:37:37,757 --> 00:37:41,127 that just keeps pointing at his direction, 785 00:37:41,161 --> 00:37:45,298 and we still don't quite have enough in discussion with the 786 00:37:45,331 --> 00:37:47,934 state attorney's office to be able to make the arrest. 787 00:37:49,135 --> 00:37:51,371 - We're sending off items to the lab. 788 00:37:51,404 --> 00:37:54,274 Any latent prints that are recovered by forensics is going 789 00:37:54,307 --> 00:37:56,309 to our AFIS section, 790 00:37:56,343 --> 00:37:58,078 and all the interviews that we conducted 791 00:37:58,078 --> 00:37:59,446 have to be transcribed, 792 00:37:59,479 --> 00:38:01,114 and that's a lengthy process. 793 00:38:01,815 --> 00:38:04,651 [Faith] While they wait, investigators finish examining 794 00:38:04,684 --> 00:38:07,821 Chris Catuogno's computer, cell phone data 795 00:38:07,854 --> 00:38:09,689 and home phone records. 796 00:38:09,723 --> 00:38:12,025 - We were able to verify everything he said. 797 00:38:12,058 --> 00:38:14,527 Don Halpin is also eliminated. 798 00:38:14,561 --> 00:38:17,163 We subpoenaed his bank records and find no 799 00:38:17,197 --> 00:38:19,332 large money transactions that were not explained. 800 00:38:19,766 --> 00:38:21,801 [Faith] With no other viable suspects, 801 00:38:21,835 --> 00:38:23,636 detectives hit a wall. 802 00:38:23,670 --> 00:38:25,939 But one month after Nikki's murder, 803 00:38:26,039 --> 00:38:28,842 a diligent staff worker at headquarters picks up on 804 00:38:28,875 --> 00:38:31,845 something that changes the trajectory of the case. 805 00:38:32,645 --> 00:38:34,948 - We have an administrative assistant, Genevieve Myers, 806 00:38:35,048 --> 00:38:37,751 dedicated employee, transcribing the interviews. 807 00:38:37,784 --> 00:38:40,854 The last thing she does is the 911 call. 808 00:38:41,955 --> 00:38:44,624 So on February 16th, 2004, 809 00:38:44,657 --> 00:38:46,726 Genevieve come barging into our office, 810 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,397 she said, "Dan Welch is on the 911 call. 811 00:38:50,430 --> 00:38:52,832 You can hear him, clear as a bell, 100%." 812 00:38:52,866 --> 00:38:55,802 - She's adamant, "Take my headphones and put 'em on." 813 00:38:56,603 --> 00:38:58,605 Wait a minute, back that up and play it again. 814 00:39:00,874 --> 00:39:04,678 - I could hear, "Niccole, calm down." 815 00:39:08,348 --> 00:39:10,617 - Detective Judy made us listen to it, 816 00:39:10,650 --> 00:39:13,553 and nobody called her Niccole, 817 00:39:13,586 --> 00:39:14,487 only Dan. 818 00:39:14,521 --> 00:39:17,490 So when they said, "Niccole, calm down." 819 00:39:17,524 --> 00:39:18,825 I said, "That's him." 820 00:39:19,325 --> 00:39:21,061 - I go, "Holy cow, 821 00:39:21,094 --> 00:39:23,029 Dan Welch is on the 911 call, 822 00:39:23,029 --> 00:39:24,431 it's time to make an arrest." 823 00:39:29,802 --> 00:39:31,837 [dramatic music] 824 00:39:31,870 --> 00:39:34,506 - On February 19th, 2004, 825 00:39:34,540 --> 00:39:35,874 more than five weeks after 826 00:39:35,908 --> 00:39:37,910 Nikki Halpin was brutally murdered, 827 00:39:37,943 --> 00:39:41,080 investigators are sure that the voice of her killer 828 00:39:41,113 --> 00:39:43,248 was captured on the 911 call. 829 00:39:46,418 --> 00:39:49,221 - Detectives are ready to arrest Nikki's ex-boyfriend, 830 00:39:49,254 --> 00:39:52,458 Dan Welch, but the prosecutor hits the brakes. 831 00:39:53,692 --> 00:39:55,160 - We have a state attorney that's been assigned 832 00:39:55,194 --> 00:39:56,562 to this case from day one, 833 00:39:56,595 --> 00:39:58,597 so we play the 911 call for him. 834 00:39:58,630 --> 00:40:01,500 He wants someone to take a computer 835 00:40:01,533 --> 00:40:04,503 and verify that's Dan's voice. 836 00:40:04,536 --> 00:40:06,372 That technology does not exist, 837 00:40:06,405 --> 00:40:08,540 that's stuff for television. 838 00:40:08,574 --> 00:40:10,909 - Our priority at that point is to see if we can get the 839 00:40:10,943 --> 00:40:12,878 tape cleaned up so that we could hear it better. 840 00:40:14,646 --> 00:40:16,782 [Faith] The process takes months. 841 00:40:16,815 --> 00:40:20,219 Even then, the evidence is still circumstantial. 842 00:40:20,252 --> 00:40:21,553 Once again, 843 00:40:21,587 --> 00:40:24,356 the investigation comes to a standstill. 844 00:40:25,224 --> 00:40:28,360 Then, on February 1st, 2005, 845 00:40:28,394 --> 00:40:31,196 more than a year after Nikki Halpin was attacked, 846 00:40:31,230 --> 00:40:34,833 detectives get some help from an unexpected source. 847 00:40:34,867 --> 00:40:37,636 [suspenseful music] 848 00:40:37,670 --> 00:40:40,773 - Dan's sister heard about this recording. 849 00:40:40,806 --> 00:40:42,708 She wanted to be able to listen to it, 850 00:40:42,741 --> 00:40:45,644 so that she could tell Dan, "Stop worrying about this. 851 00:40:45,678 --> 00:40:47,780 This is no big deal, this is not you." 852 00:40:48,414 --> 00:40:50,349 - So we set up a meeting location with her, 853 00:40:50,382 --> 00:40:51,950 and we play the call. 854 00:40:54,620 --> 00:40:57,856 - She immediately recognizes Dan Welch's voice. 855 00:40:59,758 --> 00:41:01,727 She begins to cry. 856 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:03,062 "That's 100% my brother, 857 00:41:03,062 --> 00:41:04,596 that's the maddest I've ever heard him." 858 00:41:07,933 --> 00:41:11,503 - There's no better witness to say that that's Dan's voice, 859 00:41:11,537 --> 00:41:12,438 than her. 860 00:41:13,238 --> 00:41:14,573 We finally got to the point with the 861 00:41:14,606 --> 00:41:18,143 state attorney's office, they were willing to move forward. 862 00:41:18,177 --> 00:41:21,080 [dramatic music] 863 00:41:21,980 --> 00:41:24,183 [Faith] The state attorney may finally be willing 864 00:41:24,216 --> 00:41:25,317 to move forward, 865 00:41:25,351 --> 00:41:28,454 but detectives still have to build the strongest case, 866 00:41:28,487 --> 00:41:30,989 and that takes more time. 867 00:41:32,524 --> 00:41:34,526 - You only have two eyewitnesses. 868 00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:37,996 One of them literally can't tell us anything at the time. 869 00:41:38,097 --> 00:41:39,932 The other one can only tell us that they saw someone 870 00:41:39,965 --> 00:41:41,200 wearing a mask. 871 00:41:41,233 --> 00:41:44,403 - There was absolutely no DNA in this investigation at all. 872 00:41:44,436 --> 00:41:45,904 There really no smoking gun in this case, 873 00:41:45,938 --> 00:41:48,674 other than the 911 call with Dan's voice on it. 874 00:41:48,707 --> 00:41:51,977 We have the stalking incidents, 875 00:41:52,011 --> 00:41:54,847 but we had to eliminate every other possibility, 876 00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:56,615 every other probability 877 00:41:56,648 --> 00:41:58,183 before they would let us go forward 878 00:41:58,217 --> 00:41:59,918 with the prosecution of this case. 879 00:42:00,919 --> 00:42:04,390 [Faith] Investigators dot every "I" and cross every "T" 880 00:42:04,423 --> 00:42:07,059 in order to prove that Dan Welch killed Nikki Halpin. 881 00:42:07,593 --> 00:42:09,762 But will it be enough? 882 00:42:10,562 --> 00:42:12,564 - January 20th, 2006, 883 00:42:12,598 --> 00:42:15,501 over two years after Niccole Halpin's murder, 884 00:42:15,534 --> 00:42:17,936 the grand jury returned an indictment 885 00:42:17,970 --> 00:42:19,338 for first degree murder. 886 00:42:20,339 --> 00:42:22,574 [Faith] But the case never goes to trial. 887 00:42:22,608 --> 00:42:26,845 In May, 2007, more than three years after Nikki's death, 888 00:42:26,879 --> 00:42:31,083 39-year-old, Dan Welch pleads guilty to second degree murder 889 00:42:31,083 --> 00:42:32,217 and burglary, 890 00:42:32,251 --> 00:42:35,087 and is sentenced to 25 years in prison. 891 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:37,956 He is eligible for parole in 2028. 892 00:42:42,094 --> 00:42:43,462 - Nikki's still dead, 893 00:42:43,495 --> 00:42:45,097 but at least you can give the family 894 00:42:45,130 --> 00:42:46,699 a little bit of justice. 895 00:42:47,733 --> 00:42:51,503 - Nikki's story is one that I'll always remember, 896 00:42:51,537 --> 00:42:54,573 mainly because we had two small children that had to 897 00:42:54,606 --> 00:42:57,409 sit there and witness this. 898 00:42:57,443 --> 00:42:59,812 That's the thing that bothered me the most. 899 00:43:01,814 --> 00:43:05,050 - I know she'd actually be so happy that Max 900 00:43:05,050 --> 00:43:07,386 is doing so well. 901 00:43:07,419 --> 00:43:09,388 And Drew, 902 00:43:09,421 --> 00:43:10,456 he's fantastic, 903 00:43:10,489 --> 00:43:12,858 he's unbelievable. 904 00:43:13,492 --> 00:43:15,127 - I try and remember always, 905 00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:17,763 just what she was in this world, 906 00:43:17,796 --> 00:43:21,133 and what she was to other people in this world. 907 00:43:21,166 --> 00:43:23,869 She would do anything for anybody. 908 00:43:23,902 --> 00:43:27,539 I'd want everybody to remember her for her kindness. 909 00:43:27,573 --> 00:43:30,476 There was a beautiful smile, and her kindness. 910 00:43:30,509 --> 00:43:33,912 [gentle music] 911 00:43:33,946 --> 00:43:36,548 [Faith] Nikki Halpin was a fighter until the very end. 912 00:43:36,582 --> 00:43:38,417 She fought for her children. 913 00:43:38,450 --> 00:43:40,953 She fought for the future she envisioned, 914 00:43:40,986 --> 00:43:42,921 and she fought for love. 915 00:43:42,955 --> 00:43:44,490 But nothing could defeat 916 00:43:44,523 --> 00:43:46,592 a killer relationship.