you just wonder how this could happen. it seems very surreal. >> a quiet night at home shattered by a gunshot. >> she came out of the shower and i heard a pop. and there's blood. >> a young life dying on the floor. >> she wasn't talking at all. i'm asking, what happened here? >> i was utterly confuse. >> so many different stories about what might have happened. >> he said many things that night. >> maybe someone shot something at the house. >> at one point he said it was 80% suicide. >> police had their own theory. >> i thought, oh, man, there's something going on here. >> we don't see a lot of women commit suicide naked. >> his stories weren't adding up. >> but something else was it adding up either. a key piece of evidence. >> we went to the house and we walked in and we think, ha. >> would in the stake in measurement send an innocent man to prison? or free a guilty one? >> we thought it was over. we thought this was settled. >> one suspect, so many stories, only one of them could be true. >> something is going to break. and when it does, the truth is going to be known. >> hello and welcome to "dateline". heidy wagner and conrad truman had a powerful connection. a deep love envied by others. then one fateful night, the young couple was jolted by unforeseen tragedy when heidy was killed by a single john gunshot to the head. in the aftermath, fingers were pointed. but where the aimed at an innocent man? here's josh mankiewicz with "as night fell". >> they seem so icongueous. the soaring majesty of utah's wasatch mountains and the story of a beautiful woman, struck down in her youth. it was a lot of things. tragic. crushing. stunning. but was it an accident? or a suicide? or a murder? police felt they knew. but as most cops who will tell you, both the evidence and the jury have their own stories to tell. and the answers are not always so clear. certainly, that is true for this story. and quite possibly for the woman at its heart. her name? heidy wagner. >> as a baby, she was favored. everybody loved her. she could do no wrong. >> autumn was one of heidy's four sisters. >> she was just special. she would walk into the room and she was ready for that good time. >> heidy grew up with no fewer than seven older siblings. tell me about her growing up? >> she was a fun loving girl. she was rather shy, though. so heidy seemed like an appropriate name. >> heidy's mom, janet. >> the family was boisterous. she's kind of get embarrassed easily. she hide her face. [laughs] >> as heidy gold or, she was still cute and bubbly. but make no mistake, heidy was no pushover. >> she was kind of intimidating, actually. for being so small you wouldn't think so. >> at just 20, heidy started working in the not entirely feminine gas and chemical industry just outside salt lake city. sandi sanchez was one of heidy 's coworkers. >> we worked with hazardous chemicals and gases. [laughs] crazy things you would expect a couple of girls to want to do. >> seemed heidy to thrive in a workplace that favored hard hats over heels. >> it was dangerous if you didn't follow the rules. in fact, quote from heidy, everything is dangerous. it's just what will kill you the quickest. >> two sandi sanchez, it heidy came more than just a coworker. >> i considered her my best friend. she was a person that you knew would never stab you in the back. she was a person you knew would always have your. back >> in person, she could be both. sweet and salty. and that caught the attention of one of her colleagues, 25 -year-old, conrad truman. >> i noticed her first in the hallway. >> what did you think? >> i thought she was cute. and i noticed her hard hat and they had a little personality stickers. and her said, it's all about me, deal with it. i was kind of thinking, this girl is kind of a feisty girl. >> soon, conrad asked heidy out on a date. >> i'm not that type usually. i don't get super serious. but it was almost like we were inseparable after. that >> it was that first night? >> yeah, yeah. >> this tough girl even shared conrad's interest in guns. >> we would go to the range, shooting at the hills. >> and she knew how to handle a handgun? >> yes. >> one year into their courtship, conrad decided to pop the question. in true utah form, he chose a mountain on which to do. it she have any idea was coming? >> no. so, i got on one knee and i asked her and i started bowling. and she just said yes, right off the bat. >>conrad's colette couldn't believe it when her little brother first introduced heidy to the family. >> i was actually really surprised when i first met her. like, how did he land that girl? they just seemed to be such a great match. >> you saw love and chemistry there? >> oh, it was almost awkward. they were definitely unenviable couple. >> another year later, came the wedding. >> it was amazing. we went on a lift, chairlift. and then all of the guests went down these slides. so, it was just so them. they said their vows and he's kind of doing this champion pose. like he was just, everything was right with the world. >> the enviable couple was just starting out. with a future as bright as their smiles. until that is, a sunday evening in september, 2012. three years after the truman were married. tell me about that day? >> that day was just like any other day. >> as night fell, heidy decided to take a bath. conrad said he went to the kitchen to get something to eat. as he faked himself a sandwich, he said he heard a noise coming from the direction of the bathroom. >> it was like the new year's poppers or the halloween poppers. where you can pull too strings or you can pull one. and confetti and stuff come out. >> that's when conrad said he turned and saw heidy standing there in the holy, naked. >> she wasn't talking. she was not talking at all. she was coughing. she was heaving. >> she was bleeding? >> she was bleeding out of her mouth and nose. i needed to call 9-1-1 immediately. >> 9-1-1. what is your emergency? >> orem, utah. come quick! >> an unimaginable shocking scene. heidy on the kitchen floor in a pool of her own blood. on conrad the phone, pleading for help. >> there's so much blood. if you don't get here right now, she's going to die. i don't know what happened. i really don't know what happened. oh, my god. >> it was bad to begin with and it got so much worse. >> as you will learn, truer words may never have been spoken. >> what happened in that house? coming up -- >> i'm asking conrad what's going on. he said, i don't know what happened. everything was just different answers. different theories. different little things. >> a search for answers and a race to save heidy. >> this is not happening. this is really not happening. >> when "dateline" continues. across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. caplyta can help you let in the lyte. ask your doctor about caplyta. find savings and support at caplyta.com. for my best skin, it's olay. better than a basic moisturizer olay starts working day 1 to visibly smooth and firm for a lifted look in one month, skin looks up to 10 years younger results you can see, in one jar olay the power goes out and we still have wifi results you can see, to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity. >> something was wrong at the home of the xfinity 10g network. truman house. >> she came out of the shower and i heard a pop. and there's blood. and she's in blood. >> i have officers and paramedics on the way. okay? >> the 9-1-1 call came into the orem, utah, police but department at about 11 pm. that september night back in 2012. >> we got a call of a gunshot wound or some sort of injury. >> sergeant bill crook went to the truman home. >> so we all rushed to our cars and hit that direction with lights and cyrene's. >> on the other end of the phone was conrad, kneeling on his kitchen floor, covered in blood. and consumed by panic. >> it was devastating. it was a nightmare. you can't even explain it. >> with one hand he held the phone. with the other, his bleeding wife. >> it was so hard when it's your loved one like that. i had no -- i just did the best i could to try to keep her breathing. >> by then, conrad said he realized heidy had been shot in the head. >> when you went to heidy did you see a gun? >> no. >> he remembered the pop he had heard and wondered if a stray bullet might have come through the bathroom window and hit heidy. >> i was trying to think of the noise and how it was it very loud. and maybe someone could have shot something at the house. >> it seemed far fetched. but he said, neighborhood vandals had recently been shooting the back of his house with paintballs. >> i was utterly confused. within minutes sgt. crook arrived, conrad i now had moved to the director of his home to weigh from down. >> he had blood on his hands. and he was screaming and shreaking. >> lead conrad the sergeant through the front door, up the stairs, and then it was a scene straight from a horror movie. >> i could see heidy laying there. she was naked. blood everywhere. right at the top of the stairs was a horrific scene. >> what is conrad doing? >> well, he's screaming and he's yelling. and >> as as these police photos make clear, covered in blood. >> i'm asking him, conrad what's going on? what's happened here? >> he said she was in the bathroom, i don't know what happened. everything was just different answers and different theories. different little things. >> right away, sgt. crook went to check one of those theories. a stray bullet. perhaps coming through the bathroom window. >> the window is closed. there is no bullet hole. >> nothing to indicate anybody but he fired a shot? >> that's correct. >> he returned to the kitchen and that's when he discovered a gun. lying on the kitchen floor. what did you think had happened? >> honestly, i didn't know. was this an accident? and attempted suicide? or something far more sinister? at least for now those answers would have to wait. heidy with clinging to life. >> my focus at that time was honestly to help heidy. >> paramedics took heidy to a nearby hospital. conrad followed in a police cruiser. a dash cam recorded the absolute desperation in his voice. >> this is not happening. this is really not happening. i really don't understand any of this. this is so crazy. >> about an hour after conrad arrived. hospital staff delivered the devastating news. heidy wagner truman could not be saved. >> it was pain. it is misery. it was why? how? >> in a neighboring town, heidy's mother, janet, would soon agonize over those very same questions. it was after midnight when two police officers came to her door. what must that be like? >> the most horrendous thing ever. and i would never want anybody to have to feel that. that pain, that agony of knowing that your daughter, for whatever reason is gone. is gone. >> the officers wouldn't give it janet any details. only where her daughter had been taken. >> i'm driving down to the hospital and i make a comment to my daughter, i go, you know, autumn, as hard it is that we lost heidy, we're going to have to be supporting conrad. because he must be overwhelmed with grief. >> conrad's sister colette was thinking the same thing as she raced to the hospital. what kind of condition was your brother in? >> he was just a total wreck. just absolutely hysterical. didn't know how it could've happened. >> no one did. but back at the truman home, sgt. crook had started analyzing the evidence. and was already developing a theory. >> i thought, oh, man. there's something going on here. >> you had a feeling? >> i had a feeling. yes. it wasn't just me. everybody was looking around like there is something wrong here. we needed to check it. >> coming up -- was a an accident, suicide? >> she's completely naked. we don't see a lot of women commit suicide naked. that's not normal. >> or something else? >> i felt like they thought i did something. >> when "dateline" continues. fda-approved rsv vaccine. arexvy is used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people sixty years and older. rsv can severely affect the lungs and lower airways. arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv and over 94% effective in those with these health conditions. 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( ♪♪ ) >> as the sun inched above utah 's wasatch mountains, questions swirled at their base. how did heidy truman wind up on her kitchen floor, shot in the head? for sure, police were wondering about her husband. after all, conrad truman was in the house when heidy was shot. and there was no evidence of an intruder. >> i felt like they thought i did something. >> soon after he arrived at the scene, sergeant bill crook did begin to have his suspicions. >> were telling him, comrade back off. and he wouldn't. >> he was what? moving around? keeping paramedics from being there? >> yes, sir. >> there were other scenarios that needed to be explored like accident and suicide. that's when detective tom wallace came in. >> there'd been a number of theories. we obviously are going to exhaust them. that's going to happen. the medical examiner did not make wallace's job any easier. his preliminary finding, heidy's manner of death could not be determined. so, wallace tackled each theory one by one. accident seemed to hard to believe. thanks to conrad, heidy had firearms experience. can you think of any way could've been an accident? >> no. heidy would it have been so careless. >> so, what about suicide? >> she's completely naked. we don't see a lot of women that commit suicide naked. that's not common. >> did you find anybody that heidy had spoken to about suicide, or about being depressed? >> no. >> neither heidy's mother janet nor her sister autumn, could imagine heidy even thinking about taking her own life. >> heidy would never do that, in fact she was against that. she had a friend who committed suicide and she thought it was selfish and in her words, dumb. >> heidy ever tell you she was depressed? >> no. >> ever act depressed? >> no. she was probably one of my happiest, most upbeat kids. >> that left wallace with homicide. and it put conrad back in the police crosshairs. wallace decided to speak to the officers first on the scene about their experience with conrad. >> everyone felt his behavior was odd. >> he's yelling but it's a violent yelling. he's like, if you don't save her, i'm going to (bleep) kill you. >> crook found those threat so alarming, he took out his phone to require them. >> you are going to (bleep) die. everyone is in your life is gonna (bleep) die. >> it could be the way this guy reacts to trauma. but i'm telling you, it was a red flag at those times. >> also red flag, conrad was drunk. he admitted he and heidy had been drinking earlier that night. >> i can see in his eyes, the redness. >> red flag number three, conrad told crook he and heidy had been arguing. a minor dustup, he said. no big deal. but enough for heidy to draw a bath and asked to be left alone. >> she went and locked herself in the bathroom and then he details how he picked the lock and went in the bathroom. and then she kicked him out. to me, that's another -- it's just more proof of there was an argument. a bigger argument. >> as for the location of the gun itself, that too was suspicious. >> that gun is how far from heidi? >> i would say eight feet, ten feet, maybe. it's far enough away that it was not a normal, if she shoots herself and fall to the ground type of thing. >> later that morning, police ask conrad the to come to the station for more questioning. >> they can say whatever they want, i did not hurt my wife. and i know that. bottom of my heart, i did not hurt my wife. >> heidy's family thought otherwise. after finally learning from the police the details of how heidy died. >> the minute i heard how she died, i knew he did it. >> it sounds like he had a temper and he is very intoxicated. and he did something that perhaps he didn't plan? i just knew he did it. >> detective wallace next poured over conrad's statements to police about what happened that night. as wallace saw it, conrad's story went like this. conrad was in the kitchen, heidy was in the bathroom. at some point, conrad heard a pop and when he turned, he saw heidy standing somewhere between the kitchen and the bathroom hallway, bleeding. >> and he either runs over to catch her, or she falls down. >> wallace then went back to the truman home, making detailed measurements of the kitchen and surrounding rooms. he wanted to see if conrad's story checked out. his conclusion, it did not. >> her body is at the top of the staircase. it doesn't add up that she would've traveled the distance that he is saying she would have gone, and then fallen at that location. >> it was hard for to wallace believe heidy could have traveled from the bathroom to the top of the stairs, after sustaining such a severe head wound. >> she would've fallen immediately to the ground. >> shared wallace his findings with assistant district attorney craig johnson. johnson agreed. everything pointed to conrad. why would conrad want to kill his wife? >> under the circumstances, i'd say the motive was just based on that heat of passion. argument that they were having. alcohol, a fight, and a gun, that is where we got murder. >> at the same time, johnson was still reluctant to press charges. remember, the states own medical examiner couldn't say whether heidy's death was a homicide. and johnson knew that would be a huge hurdle in court. >> based on my experience, courts with juries, and medical examiners carry lot of weight. so, johnson and wallace showed the m. e. a 96-page powerpoint presentation of all their evidence. including those measurements. hoping something would sway him. the presentation worked. the medical examiner changed his ruling. two homicide. it sounds like one of the things that got the medical examiner to move from any conclusive to homicide, was the measurements of the crime scene suggested that her body was too far from mr. truman said she had been shot. >> exactly. >> so, after a ten month investigation, the orem police department and the da's office arrested conrad truman. and charged him with his wife's murder. >> my mom called me and i fell to the ground, crying and so happy that he was finally behind bars. >> going into trial, what did you think? >> i thought we had a strong circumstantial case. >> at trial, the prosecution argued domestic violence ending in homicide. the defense? self inflicted gunshot wound. the jury sided with the state. conrad truman was convicted of heidy's murder. >> it was like, finally, got him. finally got him. >> and as far as you knew, that was it? >> that was it. >> did you think that was it? >> i did. >> but if you think that was it, well, then you haven't been watching enough "dateline". >> coming up -- heidy's heartbreak. >> she did not know her dad and she had always wanted that. that really bothered her. >> and conrad truman's hope. >> this is going to work out. it has to because i didn't do this. >> when "dateline" continues. dupixent helps you du more with less asthma. and can help you breathe better in as little as two weeks. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. ask your specialist about dupixent. lowe's knows when you open up your home this holiday you open up your kitchen. during black friday every day we've got deals on samsung appliances fit for any kitchen and - any budget so you can open up the possibilities. shop black friday every day deals now. in store and online. my skin has been so much smoother so much more hydrated. it's olay! with olay hyaluronic body wash 95% of women had visibly-better skin. and my skin is so much more moisturized. see the difference with olay. after advil. feeling better? on top of the worlddddd!!! before advil. the former first lady is being advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. when pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liqui-gels. remembered for -- and, but today to learn. >> just more than two years after his wife heidy's death, conrad truman stood convicted of her murder. he was looking down the barrel of a life since one sentence, when he returned to a utah courtroom to learn his punishment. this is the moment where some convicted killers ask for mercy, because of their difficult lives. or tell the court they've been misunderstood. and sometimes, of course, they don't speak at all. but not conrad truman. >> listen to me, please. i can't say sorry. for something i did not do. >> i understood speaking out would make it worse. but i was like, i don't know. i was like, (bleep) with this, i need to speak my mind. i didn't kill my wife. there is no way. there need to be some proof. that's why there is no proof. this is just a big injustice. >> the judge had heard that before. the sentence he imposed? 16 years to life. crushing for conrad and his family sitting behind him. including sister colette. >> you want to believe that the things turned out the way they're, supposed to. and that's just not always the case. >> in prison, conrad did what many do. he retraced the steps that led him there. and he thought a lot about the night heidy died. as conrad saw it, the police rushed to judgment began precisely when officers first rushed into his front door. >> i just felt like, this guy is drinking. there's firearms in the house. so, he must have shot her. >> well, why could it be exactly that simple? this wouldn't be the first time that mixing alcohol, an argument, and a handgun, led straight to a prison sentence. told conrad us what he told police. it isn't that simple. sure, he and heidy had been drinking, and yes they had been arguing. but, he said, neither was an explanation for what happened. >> i could've upset her with some of the things i said. you know? or the way i've acted with -- not being attentive. you know? to her. i know i do that sometimes when i drink. i don't see a lot of attention. >> this still doesn't seem like grounds for a gigantic fight. >> no. it got to the point where i think i had upset her. i was really -- i just know she want went to go take a bath. >> which is what she did when she was irritated? >> yes. >> conrad also shared with us how he picked the bathroom lock. not, he said, to confront heidy, but just to apologize. >> she just said get out. i was like, ok. so, i just let her be. >> as for conrad's behavior after police arrived at his door, he said, he had good reason for acting that way. >> i was trying to save my wife. i don't know. does that make sense? i just wanted her to live. >> i get how frantic you must have been. i'm not sure i understand the threatening part of that? and i think that's one of the things that ended up getting you in trouble. >> could be. i was like, how do i explain this to you guys? get her help. and when you can't explain that to someone, i just started to make threats. >> well, if all that is true, then why and how did heidy wind up with a bullet in her head? i think police found it hard to believe that you could be right there, with her, in a very small area. and she's shot. and you don't know what happened. >> yeah, maybe in their heads -- in their in mine i was confused. >> can this be an accident? >> what i say to that is i do see. i don't know what happened. >> that's how he felt just hours after the shooting. but as the months passed, came conrad to the conclusion, may heidy have taken her own life. his wife, he said, was not as tough as she appeared. well she is that person? was she a depressed person? >> when she drank a little bit, you could see it come out. it was in every time. but it did. >> heidy's friend sandi sanchez also saw another side to heidy. >> that strong, funny, you know, person, also had some things inside that were very painful. >> according to sandi, those things had to do with heidy's upbringing. most significantly, heidy grew up not knowing the identity of her father. >> that really bothered her. you know? she did not know her dad. and she had always wanted that. >> it bugged her. tremendously. >> enough to take her own life? had she ever attempted suicide before? >> never to my knowledge. >> she never talked about? it >> no. >> it's very hard to believe what was going on in's life at the time. would seem like a pretty happy marriage to you. she's going to do spur of the moment to decide commits suicide like that? >> that's a tough question. it's like, how do you really know when someone is going to do that, you know? >> as he left his life behind bars, conrad continue to speculate. he also tried to stay hopeful. >> i was just like, this is going to work out. it has to because i didn't do. this >> conrad's family never gave up on him. so, they scraped together the money to hire conrad some new attorneys. >> mark and ann looked into the case. to them it was immediately apparent that there were a lot of problems. >> mark mark moffat and ann taliaferro were those attorneys. one of the first things they did was visit what had become the scene of the crime. >> we went to the house and we walked in and we think, a ha. >> within moments of being in that home, we knew immediately that there was a huge problem. >> not a problem for them. more for the people who had put conrad truman away. >> coming up -- is an innocent man in jail for someone's mistake in math? >> i remember thinking, well, that's strange. that couldn't be right. >> we immediately starting measuring right away and we knew there was a big problem. >> when "dateline" continues. a powerhouse lotion that moisturizes, heals, and smooths dry skin. with 7 moisturizers & 3 vitamins. and... new gold bond healing sensitive. clinically shown to heal & moisturize dry, sensitive skin. gold bond. every parent knows when it's time to go into protect mode. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of illness-causing bacteria detergents leave behind. clean is good. sanitized is better. tiny, branch, poppy on another musical adventure. you see that button? yeah. press it. hold onto your cupcakes. ♪ ♪ ooh! too much hustle is a thing. look at that. >> while conrad truman sat in a utah state prison, marking time, his sister searched endlessly for ways to get him out. >> was there a time where you, or anyone else in your family thought, maybe we don't know him as well as we thought we did? >> no. >> he could not have killed her? >> not possible. >> so much about conrad truman 's trial bothered his sister. but one detail in particular kept gnawing at her. it had to do with the diagrams used by the state. they depicted the area where heidy's body was found. >> i remember thinking that is strange. that could not be right. >> post verdict, colette shared her concerns conrad with's new attorneys, mark moffat and ann taliaferro. the defense team decided to visit the truman home, to see for themselves if the states diagrams were accurate. later, she made that same trip with moffat, who showed us what they discovered. >> this was the area in question, and it is pretty small? >> it is, really small. we immediately started to measure, and we knew right away, there was a big problem with the diagrams >> the problem? all of those measurements were off. >> instead of 139 inches, somebody took the figure one three nine and interpreted to be 13. 9 feet. 33 inches became 3. 3 feet, and on, and on, and on. >> according to moffat, those flawed measurements, which were used in court, made the house appear much bigger than it was. >> they used the seam of distance, to argue that mr. truman was lying about where he said his wife was when he heard what turned out to be this fatal shot. >> at trial, the prosecution argued that to believe conrad, you'd have to believe heidy shot herself in the bathroom, and then walked 12 feet before falling to the floor. and according to the medical examiner, that was impossible. he testified heidy's head wound was so severe, she could have al most walked a step or two. >> this issue of distance was this big issue. >> but for ann taliaferro, just seeing the house and how small it was was proof enough that the prosecution's argument could not hold up >> when you walk in the house, there is no way there is even 12 feet there. >> what is more, according to the defense team, conrad never told the police that heidy shot herself in the bathroom. instead, he told them he had no idea where she was when he heard the shot. >> tell me your theory of what happened here. >> we believe that heidy truman shot herself in this very area, and we believe that she fell right in the area, directly in front of me, on the ground. and this is the very area where she was found when law enforcement entered the home that night. >> which they also said was completely consistent with the testimony that heidy would have fallen after only a step or two. >> she would have gone to the ground immediately >> your argument is that she did fall down, and she fell right about here? >> yes, that is exactly what our argument is. >> according to moffat, this was not a simple mistake. >> is this just a case of a small thing from the police department, making some incorrect measurements, adding up some figures wrong? >> i do not believe so. i believe they will fully lied to secure a conviction against conrad truman >> and for these attorneys, there were more issues with the states case. one had to do it gunshot residue tests be defense learned police swab both heidy and conrad's hands, but those swabs were never sent to the lab. >> when you have gunshot residue that was never tested, those things matter. >> the defense team decided to test those swabs themselves. conrad's hands were negative for residue. there was a question as to whether conrad had washed his hands before they were tested so those results or meaningless >> that is probably why they did not test in the first place. >> as for heidy's swabs, there was no residue on her left hand, but there was on her right hand. and significantly, heidy was right handed >> when you have gunshot residue in a look ocean, and in a quantity that is absolutely consistent with firing a semiautomatic weapon, one of the possibilities is that she fired a gun. you cannot discount that. >> but deeper, moffat and taliaferro got into the case, the more it seemed to them that heidy's fatal wound was self inflicted. they believe the head wound, a contact wound, ruled out homicide. >> a contact gunshot wound to the right temple are the most common sight of self inflicted gunshot wounds that there are. >> moffat and taliaferro decided to take their findings to the m. e., hoping to sway his ruling on the matter of death once again just as police did, prior to conrad's arrest. >> we gave him a bunch of information, and then he, on his own, with his investigator went to the home to look at it. >> and the result was just what they had asked for. heidy truman's manner of death, once undetermined, then a homicide was now officially, once again, undetermined. it was man out from forensic heaven. >> how often do they change their findings and then change them back? >> i have never had a case where this has happened, ever. >> it took another year, but conrad truman's conviction was overturned, he was granted a new trial. >> i did not even think that was a possibility, for them to change it, i never would have thought that. >> is there a part of you that things, i can't get my own about this? >> that's exactly how i felt. >> i was beyond happy. we were just absolutely over the moon. >> for heidy's family, it was just the opposite >> we could not believe it. >> you thought it was over? >> we thought it was over, settled. >> that was the hard, hard moment. we hated it. we just thought, so what are they going to come up with this time? >> and we know that is what you are thinking as well. >> coming up, a new trial, a new jury, a different verdict? >> there was enough there, beyond a reasonable doubt. >> why would you come back if it did not work out the first time? >> when dateline continues. how long have you been tracking the value of our car? should we sell it? 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[♪♪] ask your doctor about hormone-free veozah there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%. try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. it cleans so well, you can replace multiple cleaning products. try dawn powerwash. nurtec is the only medication that can treat and prevent my migraine attacks, all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. talk to your doctor about nurtec today. >> conrad truman had been convicted of murder. and had already served more than three years. now, the revelation of those flawed police measurements had led to conrad truman's new trial. that stunned everyone in the utah county da's office. especially the man responsible for conrad's conviction. prosecutor craig johnson. >> this was something that really took us by surprise. >> the defense says you have to have known. >> no, that's their take and they're doing their job to represent their client. but i can tell you categorically, that's not correct. >> just as stunned was the man whose team took the measurements. lead attacked of tom wallace. what went wrong? >> how did that happen? >> in the process of transposing numbers from actual measurements at the scene to the crime scene program, numbers were just transposed wrong. >> wallace admits the error but says it was minor. that conrad truman did not deserve a new trial. >> it's not that significant as they made it out to be. >> did those incorrectly entered measurements change your opinion of conrad's guilt. should they change anyone's opinion? >> they didn't change my opinion. >> nor did they change the opinion of the district deputy district attorney who decided to take on the task himself of prosecuting conrad once again. >> i think craig had been on the case for a long time, so i wanted fresh eyes. i went through all the evidence and even with medical examiner changing his opinions, i still felt that there was enough to go for it. that, we knew that going into it it was going to be tough. >> at trial, the prosecution's case was familiar. starting with the officers who testified about conrad's rambling, often incoherent description of what had happened that night. >> the core of our case were his inconsistent statements. >> the story was hard to follow. he was jumping around all over. and wasn't making sense to me, so it was hard to follow. >> those officers also told the jury about conrad's threats. >> he was telling us we were going to slow. that we needed to hurry up or he was going to kill us. >> will (bleep) kill you if you don't get out my way. >> if you're making these violent threats to people who were there trying to help your wife, how are you treating your wife when it's only you and her alone? >> taylor then tackled the theory of suicide by calling witnesses to testify heidy was not suicidal. >> in your experience as heidy 's mother, was she a sad or depressed person? >> no. i did it see her that way. >> did heidy's not knowing her father are not really knowing who he was, make her depressed or sad? >> no. no. >> the prosecutor pointed out conrad's story evolved over time. immediately following the shooting on the way to the hospital, conrad insisted heidy would never commit suicide. >> i think something shot her, or some -- because she would never shoot herself. she would never shoot herself. >> taylor argued that was only later, after suspicion against conrad had mounted, that he changed his tune. as for the gunshot residue on heidy's right-hand, taylor called an expert to say it proved nothing. >> nobody can identify a shooter are based on the results of this test. that is the major limitation of this test. >> defense attorney mark moffat answered by telling the jury that before being allowed to wash his hands that night, had conrad pleaded with police to confirm he had no residue on them. >> he's telling them, test my hands, test my hands. i didn't shoot a gun. >> did you wash your hands before seeing that? >> no, absolutely not. never washed my hands until they said go wash your hands. >> conrad's attorneys were working hard to establish reasonable doubt. and the state medical examiner shifting opinion on heidy's manner of death, only help them. that's your case right there. >> you would think. >> i mean, if he has a reasonable doubt, hard to argue a jury shouldn't. >> exactly. >> the medical examiner told the jury that in the final analysis, he didn't know the manner of heidy's death. >> i finalized the autopsy report with the cause of death as a gunshot wound and the manner of death as could not be determined. >> the medical examiner also testified how, in his experience, a contact wound like heidy's is rare in homicide cases. >> with a contact gunshot would, it would be consistent with the wound that is self inflicted. >> after 15 days of testimony, the jury began to deliberate. so you felt pretty good leading up to the verdict? >> yes, there was enough there beyond a reasonable doubt. >> conrad was having a much harder time. >> it was really difficult. you know? because why would things work out if they didn't work out the first time. you know what i mean? >> could the council please stand. >> eight hours later, the verdict. hold up your hands. you're not wearing handcuffs. >> no cuffs. >> you're not in custody? >> i'm free. >> that's right. this time, conrad truman got the verdict he wanted. not guilty. >> conrad just kept saying, did they say not? >> yeah he just grabbed my arm and said, are you sure? >> in the courtroom, conrad's family sheared tears of joy. >> i was giggling and crying at the same time. it was weird. [laughs] >> on the other side of the courtroom aisle, were tears of a different kind. >> i don't know. my heart sank and i just was in shock. >> you fainted? >> i did. i couldn't believe there was this -- it was a situation where that long shot happened. where he would be freed. >> juror brian christiansen said he and his filler jurors had no choice but to set conrad free. >> i believe that we all pretty much felt that he probably did it. >> but you voted to acquit? >> we voted to acquit. >> because you had reasonable doubt? >> we had reasonable doubt. >> whether you believe mr. truman is innocent or not, those measurements either put an instant man in prison. or let a guilty man go free. >> so, you're right. my opinion hasn't changed. do i think he got away with murder, yeah, i do. >> what's it like out your work ends up freeing a guy you helped convict. >> it's frustrating to know that he something inconsequential actually ended up freeing him. >> what's life been like for your family since then? >> we're trying to put pieces together. >> for heidy's family that is easier said than done. >> i miss the things that we had together. i miss the simple conversations. i miss her savviness. i miss her wonderful personality. she lives on forever in our hearts. >> conrad is left looking both backward and forward. >> i mean, i would do anything to take another day, another walk with, her. i loved her. and i do love her. still. >> you got a lot of life left. a lot. how are you going to live it? >> to the best of my abilities. >> there are jurors who think he might have done it. but i had a reasonable doubt. i couldn't vote to convict. >> well, god bless them. there's a lot of people that do believe in me. >> he's made his own peace with a simple truth, the very thing that freed him, reasonable doubt, could also shadow conrad truman for the rest of his life. >> that's all for "dateline". i'm natalie morales. thanks for watching. hello, i'm andrea canning. and this is dateline. >> it is a murder mystery, he has got a wealthy family. it's difficult for everybody. there is a club of people consumed by tr t