Husband's Lies Unravel in Cold Case

0:00In St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 25th, 2010, 25-year-old Heidi Firkis died from a gunshot wound in her home. Her husband, Nick, 27, called 911 moments after her frantic plea about a possible break-in. He claimed an intruder forced his way inside, leading to a struggle where his shotgun fired twice, accidentally hitting Heidi in the back and him in. The thigh. Investigators found no evidence of forced entry or an intruder. The house they need with nothing disturbed, neighborhood searches came up empty, and canine units detected no sense. Meanwhile, records revealed the couple's severe money woes, including over $15,000 in credit card debt and a hidden eviction notice. Set for the next day, Nick kept quiet about their finances to friends and family. A few months later, he started dating Rachel Watson, married her in August 2012, and they had three children. The Rachel grew suspicious when she uncovered unpaid property taxes risking foreclosure, echoing

1:01the past troubles. In 2019, Sergeant Nicole Cipes reopened the cold case. FBI experts analyzed the 911 audio for background noises from a third party and built a virtual model showing the shots looked deliberate. Not from a chaotic fight, Rachel then shared her own concerns with police. Nick faced arrest in May 2021 on murder charges, later upgraded to first degree. After a short deliberation in February 2023, jurors convicted him, sentencing him to life without parole that April. The Minnesota Supreme Court upheld the verdict in February 2026, closing a 13-year quest for answers. Local news, power by AI. This is Durham News Today. I'm Corey with the story.