Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20151116

The killer was. I panicked because i thought he was reaching for his gun. And thats when i shot. Was it selfdefense . The lead detective kept telling us everyones life is in danger. Or was it Something Else . Its a lousy excuse to kill somebody. What secrets were stored on this tape . When he come out, i was ready. Villain . I just couldnt believe what i heard. Or victim . Hug your family, kiss your children. You dont know when youre going to lose them. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with miami heat. Reporter it was dusk in miami. The days heat retreated, parks filled up, soccer games were called to order. Orlando mesa loved the evening ritual. He and his 18month old son, noah. Orlando doted on the boy. He was a handson dad. Reporter and noahs mom, cindy, was there to record it all. My husband was an outdoor person. So, you know, he was always doin things with noah. Reporter and so, on a spring evening in the gathering dusk, orlando walked behind noah, who rolled along on his toy car. A Security Camera watched them toddle down the sidewalk. They disappeared around a corner. That was the worst day of my life. Reporter what happened . Well, thats still being debated, in a way. A chain of events, certainly. Of which a father son evening stroll may have been the first. But certainly not the last. But, a moment first to fill you in. Cindy, or janepsy, the name she was born with in cuba, came to miami as a teenager. She was bright, and ambitious. She learned english pretty much from scratch, became a hair dresser, experimented with her own, quite frequently, as you will see. It was back in 2006. Cindy carballo had been invited to a super bowl party. Lots of people there, in the crowd, and the noise. She didnt notice orlando mesa, but he noticed her. According to him, it was love at first sight. [ laughter ] reporter did you feel that way, too . Not at first. Reporter and then, after that super bowl party, she got very interested in that funny, handsome guy named orlando, the mechanic with the wild curly hair. He definitely was a jokester. So he made me laugh. Reporter orly, as she called him, was as ambitious as she was. He didnt just fix cars, he bought a couple of lunch trucks, and then he branched out into real estate development. Having tried marriage once, cindy was reluctant to try again. But orlando, not a man inclined to entertain doubts. And one weekend he invited cindy to a barbecue party. He surprised me. He knew that i loved mariachis. And then all of a sudden, all these mariachis, they come in and singin, and he gets on his knees and he proposed. So it was exciting. Reporter thats a day you dont forget. Never. Reporter so in short order, they got married, and had a baby, and became a family. Whyd you pick noah as a name . They had a book on baby names. And i saw the name noah. And it said it meant new beginning. So i loved it. Reporter so it was. A new beginning. As amply recorded as any new parents could make it. But, if this was the beginning, then what was this . That early evening in april 2008, orlando and noah heading down the street with his toy car. They turned the corner. Out of camera range now. And then i heard shots, very loud shots. And i went outside. Thats when i saw my husband, full of blood crying for help. Im sorry, its an image that is never going away. I didnt see my son at first. So i thought the worst. I went crazy because i thought my son was kidnapped. Reporter then from the front yard near where orlando fell, a neighbor called out. And she said, no, i have your son. My brave neighbor, she took my son from my husbands arms. When i ran to grab my son, my son was shot, full of blood. Reporter neighbors called 911 a babys been shot. Reporter in the distance, as the caller spoke to 911, a woman screamed. It was cindy. How old is the baby . [ screaming ] oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Reporter cindy held her son for dear life. Orlando tried to speak. He was askin was, honey, tell me hows the baby. Is the baby okay . Reporter then an agonizing decision, ride in the ambulance with her baby, or stay by her dying husband. Of course i was torn in two. But my main concern was my baby. So i jumped immediately in the ambulance. Reporter as cindy sped away to the hospital with noah, the paramedics worked on orlando where he fell, but it was too late. They could not save him. Detective Felix Guadarrama of the north Miami Police Department went to the hospital, to check on the boy, and deliver the bad news. Thats the toughest part of my job. Reporter how did she take it . She obviously became even more upset, yeah, everybody started crying. It was just horrible to hear the news like that. Reporter but little noah would make it. Would be ok, thanks to his fathers selflessness. My son was shot in his arm and in his leg. But you know his father protected him. Reporter held him and covered him . When they were shooting at him, he just lifted my son up. Reporter keep em away from his body. Yes. Reporter what do you miss most about him . Being with him all the time. Reporter that was when your life made sense. Thats what i knew. Us together with our baby. Reporter but now orlando was gone. And little noah was wounded and suffering. So she took him home to care for him there, in a house that felt empty. I couldnt sleep. Seeing my baby suffer with the wounds. Losing my husband. He was very loved by everyone in my family. Reporter clearly, however, there was someone who didnt feel the same way about orlando mesa. And before long, said cindy, she and the north miami police came to the very same conclusion about who that might be. When we return, cindy points to someone she thinks is a possible suspect and begs for help in bringing her husbands killer to justice. Hug your family. Kiss your children. 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Reporter they were just going for a walk, on a pleasant miami evening and yet, when her husband was gunned down and killed, her 18monthold son wounded, Cindy Carballo didnt quite get it right away, that hers was a particular kind of nightmare. This was an execution. What does it do to your head when you think that . Somebody wanted him dead. I couldnt comprehend what was happening. I was just in pain that i had lost my husband. Reporter three days after the shooting, cindy went before tv cameras at police headquarters. Hug your family, kiss your children, you dont know when youre going to lose them. Reporter holding her son, noah, his injured arm wrapped in bandages. She appealed for help to find the killers. The most Little Information that you know please come forward. Reporter police had urged her to make the appeal hoping that all that emotion would help generate some much needed leads. Though there was one lead, both amazing and ultimately frustrating. Right there just below the roof line of cindy and orlandos house was a Security Camera. North miami police major. We had video footage that we obtained from the victims home. Reporter thats the camera that captured father and son heading out of the house and down the street on that last walk they took together. Then, watch this a car barrels up to the curb. Two men burst out, guns drawn, run around the corner, out of camera range. Thats where they opened fire on orlando and noah. Within fifteen seconds, theyre back in the car, speeding away. But theyre not done. He was on the ground, they come back by and now, you have a second rally of shots. Reporter it was an execution . Yes. Reporter nobody could identify the two you can see on the video. Best witnesses could say was they were African American males with dreadlocks. One caller said she thought she saw a third man in the car besides the two shooters. I think there was about three people in the car. Reporter they found the car eventually. Abandoned. It had been stolen. And the evidence trail cooled dramatically. As for what the motive was, no one seemed to know. It was shocking because my husband was very much liked. He didnt have any known enemies. Reporter was that true . Detectives at the north Miami Police Department threw out a wide net. And, they got some help from cindy. When youre working a homicide, you you wanna reach out to the people who were close to the victim. Reporter yeah. Spouses, best friends, business associates. You want to get as much information. Are there beefs . Are there bad businesses . Reporter thats when cindy thought about her husbands new business partner, a man named ilan nissim. The guy he got involved with in real estate development. When the police questioned me and they said who are his friends and partners, did he have any incident, thats when i said, well, you know, there was an incident with this business venture. Reporter cindy met ilan nissim and his girlfriend, neketa, at a Birthday Party for their daughter who was noahs age. And then, said cindy, orlando told her later, not long before he was murdered, that ilan lost a big packet of cash orlando entrusted him with. My husband gave ilan nissim money to purchase lots to get in the business. Reporter a lot of money . My knowledge was 180,000. And there was a robbery and the money was gone. Reporter 180,000 lost . In cash . Thats the sort of thing that makes a cop sit up and take notice. Tell me about the links between nissim and orlando. What were they doing together . Some small real estate, from what we understand. Reporter but all these sound like businesses on the up and up. Yes. Reporter cindy began to suspect that nissim must have had reason to want her husband dead. But as for what he may have done. I dont think she could say she just kept saying that he had to be involved. And there was an issue over money and it was just, like, her gut feeling this guy was involved. Reporter and then, the 20th of may. One month to the day after the murder, the investigation had stalled. Cindy was at home, alone, packing to move out of the house she shared with orlando. What happened . Well, sometimes it can take a while to figure out who did what to whom. Coming up, a knock, a shot and a mystery. He made a move and i panicked because i thought he was reporter burying a loved one is never easy. Burying a loved one who was murdered is incomprehensible. And to make it somehow worse, said cindy, police told her that her suspicions about that guy ilan nissim were well placed and they gave her a warning. The lead detective, she kept telling us, this is a dangerous individual. Reporter and then, this was pretty terrifying, said cindy, after the murder, nissim called her on the phone incessantly. He always inquired about the investigation. So i felt he wanted to keep me close for information if he was maybe a suspect. Reporter and on the day of orlandos funeral who should show up, but nissim himself. Thats gotta be pretty bizarre, to have him at the funeral when you think he had your husband killed. It was. It was. I immediately told the lead detective in the case. Reporter the lead detective came to the funeral also. And she instructed us to act natural, not to let him suspect that we knew that he was the person. Reporter and to keep taking nissims calls. Cindy thought she could help police solve the case. But there was a little more involved than a pure murder investigation. The feds were in on it now, said abbe rifkin, the prosecutor assigned to the murder case. They were looking at mr. Nissim, as they were looking at her husband, as they were looking at other people who were allegedly in the drug business. Reporter the drug business . Yes. All that missing cash. And orlandos three prior convictions for marijuana and cocaine possession. Those things gave the crime the whiff of a classic drug hit. My husband unfortunately had a past. Before i met him, before i married him. Reporter mind you, orlandos crimes were not exactly big time. He pleaded guilty to all those charges and served a few days in jail. And though nissim also had a record, several assault convictions years earlier, when he was not yet 20, none of them had a thing to do with the drug trade. Still, question was, had something happened to sour their partnership . Just over three weeks after the murder, the police asked cindy to do more than just keep an eye on nissim. I was asked by the lead detective to maintain communication with him so i could work for them, wearing a wire, and help them catch this individual. Reporter a potentially dangerous thing to do, of course, wearing a wire, secretly recording conversations. Still, cindy said she would do it. And on the advice of the lead investigator, said cindy, she bought a gun for the first time in her life. She also decided to move out of her house. But as for the wire . She never wore the wire. Reporter no, she did not. And the reason . It was may 20th, exactly one month after the hit on orlando mesa. Cindy was home alone packing to move. And suddenly, an unexpected guest was at her door said cindy. Not just any guest, ilan nissim. He practically forced his way in, she said. Peppered her with questions about her husbands business. He started asking me about my husbands warehouse. And if i had my husbands keys. And i said, i dont know where he keeps his keys. Thats when he became aggressive. And he said that i knew more than ma i was telling him. Reporter she watched in terror, she said, as he walked around the house. As he looked outside and saw that her dogs were securely leashed. Unable to help her. And then, she said, it got very scary indeed. And he grabbed me. Thats when he attacked me. I was able to get away from him. He reached out to grab me again. He scratched my neck. He ripped my shirt. He chased me through the house. Reporter cindy said she ran to the living room where she kept her newly purchased gun. And nissim, right behind her, tripped on some bags she was packing. And when i turn around, he made a move. And i panicked because i thought he was reaching for his gun. And thats when i i shot. And i ran out of the house and i called 911. Somebody just tried to kill me, and i fired. I ran to the streets, hurry up come i need you to try to calm down so i can understand you. Somebody tried to kill me. Reporter had she stopped him . Were there others with him . She kept running. And shes frantically saying, oh, theyre chasing me, theyre chasing me. Reporter back at the house, police found nissim on the floor. He was very dead. They finally caught up with cindy a few blocks away, drove her to headquarters. How did they treat you that day . They treated me very well. They were very nice. After my statement, they told me that it was a justifiable selfdefense. Reporter afterwards, the lead detective dropped cindy at her parents house. And she told my family that i did the police a favor by taking out the trash. Reporter the next day, news reports quoted the police as saying nissim was a suspect in orlandos murder and that cindy was justified. Shot him in self defense. But now, regardless of that, you had just killed somebody. Youd taken another human life. Yes. Reporter that cant be easy to deal with. No, and and it felt unreal. It felt unreal. Reporter however, as you say, the police told youd taken out the trash. And did they essentially leave you alone after that . They dropped me off at my house and they my family members had nothing to worry about. Reporter you went on rebuilding your life. Correct. Reporter but as they say, dont count your chickens. Dont judge a book by its cover. Was this a story of selfdefense or revenge . I couldnt believe what i heard. The final countdown if youre the band europe, you love a final countdown. Its what you do. If you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Windex that you dont even know its there . So clear by sfx slide show smudge it with the new smudge stick even clear glass gets visibly smudged in a snap. Sfx smudge sounds against glass get it now and say no to spotless clear windex glass. Start the interview with a firm handshake. Ay,no dont do that try head shoulders instant relief. It cools on contact, and also keeps you 100 flake free. Try head shoulders instant relief. For cooling relief in a snap. Is caring. Ng because covering heals faster. To seal out water, dirt and germs, cover with a water block clear bandage from bandaid brand. Because now ive got pantene i knshampoo and conditioner hair, but im never gonna stop. The prov formula locks moisture inside my hair and the damage from 100 blowdries is gone. Pantene. Strong is beautiful. Recently weve noticed some ads created by these two birds, inviting you to stay away from the streak free shine of windex. Well dear windex users these ads are false. Sfx squeaks from Window Cleaning clean glass is better than dirty glass. Dont stand for dirty. Use windex. Wow mary, is like, every mom from the neighborhood here . Look at them all. judgie. See . You are looking good using bounce dryer sheets is paying off. Your clothes have fewer wrinkles, and static cling. Aint bringing you down. Oh and look, its that ms. Brookethinksshesallthat andabagofchips. Good thing you brought your agame. Your agame. Bounce, the 4 in 1 dryer sheet. Get your bounce on. Reporter Cindy Carballos husband had been murdered, her son wounded, and she had just killed the man she believed was responsible. It wasnt an easy load to put in the rear view mirror. But a few months after she killed ilan nissim it was noahs second birthday. And cindy decided his happiness would come first. So she organized a party. Pony rides, a pinata, the cake. Cindy, remember, had always been an ambitious person. Now that she was the family bread winner, in 2010, 2 years after the murder she and a partner opened a clinic that specialized in managing pain, located in nearby broward county, just north of miami. She hired this man to help get the business going. His name is john friskey. I was selling her computers and helping her get set up. Reporter Pain Management clinics were popping up all over south florida just about then. And some of them were suspected of being socalled pill mills, where unethical doctors got rich writing prescriptions for narcotics like oxycontin. In broward county, there was one hundred and someodd pain clinics, which is believe it or not more than all the mcdonalds. Reporter detective rob weir was part of a d. E. A. Task force set up to investigate these pill mills. And while cindy insisted she ran her clinic by the books, it came to the attention of the d. E. A. Task force. We had received complaints on it. And so we sent somebody in, see what we could do. Reporter and guess who the task force sent . John friskey, the computer expert. He also happened to be a d. E. A. Informant. Every time i went in there, i wore a wire from the dea. Reporter when you wore the wire, what were you assigned to do . My main goal was to get anything that would piece it together and prove it was a pill mill. Reporter he talked to cindy a lot. Fishing, really, for what might be evidence of medical fraud. Then one day, it was just over two years after cindy shot nissim, friskey got a very big surprise. Made me very uncomfortable. I just wanted to leave. Reporter what happened . Frisky asked cindy about her family and she launched into an amazing story about the shooting of ilan nissim. So i went through hell and back, you know . Reporter it was the story of how her husband was murdered and her son wounded, and how she suspected her husbands business partner, ilan nissim arranged it all. And then she said, when she decided the police were never going to arrest him. I was like, i have to do something. I cant let this go. I wont let it go, okay . An eye for an eye. I want his daughter to grow up without a father just like my son. Reporter and thats when a completely different story emerged about the day she shot nissim. A far cry from the one she told the police. Nissim didnt barge into her house uninvited, she said. She lured him there. I knew what was gonna happen, and you know, i was shaking inside, but outside i was calm. Reporter she told friskey, she asked nissim to take down some speakers in her bedroom. And then she went to the living room and got her gun. And then when he come out, i was ready. He came out of that room. He said [ bleep ] one. Two. Five shots. He fell on the floor. His phone still in his hand. Help. Orly asked for help too. Reporter she didnt shoot him just once, she emptied her gun into him. John friskey simply wanted to find out if cindy was operating a pill mill. Instead, it sounded like she had confessed to a much, much more serious crime. I went in the restroom. I called rob weir, dea agent, and i told him, she just confessed to murder. And she wants to go to lunch. And he said, no, get just get out of there, make any excuse. Youre not going to lunch with her. Reporter friskey gave the tape to weir. And im like, nobody could just flat out confess like that. I just couldnt believe what i heard. Reporter detective weir contacted north miami police and prosecutor, abbe rifkin, who, it turned out, had her doubts all along about the story cindy told the cops. The persona that she tries to portray of being this poor, little widow is completely belied by those tapes. I want his daughter to grow up without a father just like my son. Reporter nissims daughter is a little girl named imani. He really did love her. Reporter ever since nissim was shot, imanis mother, neketa roberts, had been hearing people say the man she loved was a killer. I couldnt see this person hurting anybody, or being this whoever they said he was. Thats not the person that i knew. Reporter prosecutors put their case together. Miami state attorney, Katherine Fernandez rundle, had to sign off and she did so without hesitation. Revenge isnt tolerated anywhere in the system, even if its understandable, and somebody might have some sympathy. Reporter theres kind of a push in that direction, isnt there . You ought to be able to kind of act out in your own defense. Sometimes revenge is just an excuse, but its a lousy excuse to kill somebody. You cannot do it. You will be held accountable. Reporter and the state of florida did hold cindy accountable. Just before christmas 2010, she was charged with first degree murder. Coming up, there was a dead man, an apparent confession and a motive. But under florida law, was it murder . It was at that point in time that you shot him to protect yourself . Yes, i did. I was in fear for my life. In my mind, he was there to kill me. When dateline continues. Ive got two reasons to take care of my heart. Thats why i take meta. Meta is clinically proven to help lower cholesterol. Try meta today. And for a tasty heart healthy snack, try a meta health bar. Windex that you dont even know its there . So clear by sfx slide show smudge it with the new smudge stick even clear glass gets visibly smudged in a snap. Sfx smudge sounds against glass get it now and say no to spotless clear windex glass. Im lmy bargain detergent shift couldnt keep up. Ter. So i switched to tide pods. Theyre super concentrated so i get a better clean. 15 cleaning ingredients or 90 . Dont pay for water, pay for clean. Thats my tide. Oh no. under his breath hey man hey peter. unenthusiastic oh. Ha ha ha joanne . Is that you . Its me. You dont look a day over 70. Am i right . Jingle jingle. If youre peter pan, you stay young forever. Its what you do. If you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. You make me feel so young. Its what you do. You make me feel so spring has sprung. Reporter words. What a lot of trouble they can be. He played my husband and he got played better. Reporter Cindy Carballos words, recorded by d. E. A. Informant john friskey, could put her away for life for first degree murder. But this being florida, she had a shot at getting the charge thrown out. The controversial stand your ground law. Both sides are ready to proceed . Reporter if cindy could satisfy this judge that she had to use lethal force to protect herself from ilan nissim, shed walk away free as a bird. If she couldnt, shed go on trial for murder. Watching in the gallery, nissims girlfriend, neketa roberts, and their daughter, imani. Are there any witnesses the defense needs to call at this time . Reporter cindy would be the first, telling the judge that, yes indeed, a tape would tell the story of what happened. But not the undercover dea tape. At was nonsense, she said. The true tape, the one that told the honest story of what she went through that day back in 2008, was her recorded 911 call. After she shot nissim. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Reporter that was the true cindy, the defense said, tearing out of the house, hysterical, panicstricken, telling the operator she was sure he was going shoot her. I thought he was gonna fire at me. So i fired and then i run. I i panicked, i panicked, please help me. Reporter sitting here on the witness stand, cindy swore her story was the same now as the one she told the cops from the start, that she was home alone when nissim, showed up uninvited. And attacked her. He got aggravated and aggressive with me and he grabbed me by my shirt. And it was at that point in time that you shot him to protect yourself . Yes, i did. I was in fear for my life. In my mind, he was there to kill me. Reporter cindy turned to the judge, fighting back tears, and explained that she fired because it looked like nissim was about to shoot her. He turns with his left hand toward his right and at that moment i just started shooting and shooting. Like there was no tomorrow because in my mind, he was reaching out for a gun that id seen him with. He was gonna shoot at me. It was so scary. Reporter cindys attorneys reminded the judge that after the shooting, the police announced cindy would not be charged. After the detectives interviewed her, no, they felt at the time that this could be a case of selfdefense. Reporter and the defense pointed out news stories of the time in which police were quoting nissim a suspect in orlandos murder. At the time, he was the person the police was investigating and the only suspect in my husbands murder. Reporter and as for that d. E. A. Undercover tape. Which so faithfully recorded what she told friskey, about planning, and vengence. An eye for an eye. This is me telling him how i felt. My embellishment on the story. Reporter it was all pure theatre, she said. She was trying to impress friskey, not confess to him. I made myself to look tougher than i was because reporter why did you do that . Because im a single mom, living in a mans world. So i wanted to sound like, im tough, you cant mess with me. Reporter cindy asked the judge to look to one statement on that tape that was all true and consistent with the fear cindy showed on the 911 call. You told friskey that you had to defend yourself against ilan, correct . Yes. I told him that i was very scared. I told him that i have to defend myself against ilan. Reporter cindys testimony appeared to be a powerful performance. But there was one person not impressed, the lead prosecutor abbe rifkin. What was your impression of her testimony at the stand your ground hearing . That she was an actress and she was putting on an act. Reporter and the act began with that 911 call. Was that the real cindy . Not a chance, said prosecutor rifkin. The real cindy was the one on that friskey tape speaking freely when she thought no one else was listening. And during cross examination, prosecutors said police were never as suspicious of nissim as cindy claimed they were. Instead, they said, it was she who pushed him as the number one suspect. At the time you were telling the police to investigate him, isnt it . He was being investigated for the murder of my husband at the time, that is correct. Reporter so, was nissim a murder suspect or not . We put the question to these two detectives. In the paper, it says that she shot in selfdefense the number one suspect in her husbands killing. So is that what the police were thinking . No. No. He was never our number one suspect. He was never our number one suspect. Reporter words. Words in court, words on tape. Which words would the judge believe . Coming up, in a case full of twists and turns, one more. That blew my mind. Reporter it was just after thanksgiving, 2012. Cindy carballo had made an impassioned case that she shot ilan nissim in self defense and under floridas stand your ground law she qualified for immunity from prosecution. He was gonna kill me. Reporter she sobbed and pleaded on the stand. Now she stood quietly to hear the judges decision. The defendants motion is denied. Reporter denied. Cindy, said the judge, failed to meet the legal burden of a stand your ground case. So, two years later, cindy went on trial for murder. Please be seated. Reporter now, prosecutors had the burden to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Evidence will show that the defendant lured mr. Nissim to the house for revenge. Reporter listen to the d. E. A. Tape, said prosecutor abbe rifkin to the jury, to hear not a victim, but a calculating, coldblooded killer. So when i knew that it was gonna be hard to catch him, i was like i have to do something. Reporter what did she do . She bought a gun, and then, prosecutors said, she invited nissim to her home. Miami dade county medical examiner, dr. Emma lew, demonstrated the path of bullets from cindys gun into nissims body. Five shots, mostly in the back. Gun shot wound a was on the right upper back. Reporter the day cindy shot nissim he wasnt even armed. And if she was as frightened of him as she claimed to be then how to explain this . Phone records that showed the two were in constant contact. Thirty times in the weeks after orlando was killed. Were talking about somebody who was clearly having a relationship with this person. Reporter well, come on. Thats a pretty thin thread, clearly having a relationship. I mean, thats your speculation, truly to god absolutely not. This is someone who was calling the victim equal number of times that he called her. Reporter then prosecutor rifkin went a step further. She discovered, she said, that cindy got pregnant after her husband was killed, miscarried at three weeks. And who did she text from the hospital . The person that she texted from the hospital a little after 6 00 in the morning was the victim. Reporter it was clear what the prosecutor was implying that nissim might have been the father. Cindy seemed stunned by the whole idea. That blew my mind. How do they come and can assert that i was pregnant by this man . It was just disgusting. Reporter and simply untrue said defense cocounsel bruce fleisher. For them to suggest that she was pregnant from nissim was ludicrous. Reporter in fact, said the defense, the states whole case was ludicrous. This was clearly an act of self defense. Just listen to cindys sister describe the time she saw nissim talking to cindy right after her husband was murdered to understand why she was so afraid. Then the next thing i see is him lifting up his shirt and he had a gun. I saw my sister looking a little frightened about it. One of the detectives had told her that this person has a long rap sheet and that she should arm herself. Reporter and after cindy shot nissim, her sister said she saw proof that cindy had been attacked. She had bruises on her arm and she had like scratches or bruises on her neck. Reporter and that shot him in the back thing . The defense called a medical expert of its own who said the first bullet was in nissims side, when he turned his body as if to reach for a gun. Within a fraction of a second he would fall forward and during that period of time he gets all the rest of the gun shot wounds. Reporter the defense wanted to ask the lead detective, diana roman, just what she told cindy after her husband was murdered. Roman has denied ever telling cindy to buy a gun or congratulating her for taking out the trash when she killed nissim. But here in court, the judge would not let the defense ask about those things, though, she did allow questions about all those texts and calls. You told janepsy to stay close to him . I asked her to maintain a communication that already existed there. Reporter but, the big issue, of course, was that d. E. A. Audio tape. I knew what was gonna happen. Reporter this tape is the one in which she seems to confess. But shes not confessing. She said that, i shot that man in self defense. I thought he was armed. Its not a confession. Did he have a weapon on him when they found em . I think he did. Reporter remember the defense argued that cindy was exaggerating wildly when she talked to the d. E. A. s friskey, embellishing to make herself look tough. But, if you listen carefully, they said, you can hear one thing cindy did say on that tape that was true, the one thing prosecutors ignored. Five big words. I had to defend myself. Reporter i had to defend myself. Now that, said the defense, was true. Somebody tried to kill me. Reporter just like the 911 call was true. To all of which the prosecutors said, nonsense. That 911 call . That was all an act. And their proof of that was something cindy said to d. E. A. Informant friskey on his tape. What does she say when she thinks no ones listening . I was really nervous. But i made it look authentic. Reporter and the judge agreed with the prosecution. Dismissed the 911 call, ruled it inadmissable. Which was a very big problem for cindy and perhaps the reason that, in her trial, she chose not to take the witness stand. We couldnt let her do it, because we saw that we were not being treated fairly in the rulings. Reporter in his closing, defense attorney nathan diamond insisted that cindy was within her rights when she shot nissim. The shots are being pulled off in rapid fire consistent with the fear of the attack that was being placed on janepsy in her home. Reporter so now, the big wait. One day, two days. On the third day, jurors said they were deadlocked. The judge sent them back. Please be seated. Reporter and hours later we the jury find the defendant guilty of first degree murder. Reporter what was it like when they said guilty . It was very, very, very difficult. I never imagined that i was gonna go to trial and not be able to tell my my side and actually how the events occurred. Reporter the sentence was swift, ordained by law. Life, no parole. Cindy told us she isnt done, she will appeal. She tells her son noah, now eight years old, that she will fight the lies that put her here. He told me that he understands because sometimes in school theres boys that tell lies about him and try to get him in trouble with the teachers. So he said, i understand, mommy. Reporter ask state attorney, Katherine Fernandez rundle, about what happened to young noah, now living with relatives and she calls it a tragedy. That is really the heart of this case. Because thats the person who really has suffered and lost everything. Reporter its been seven years since the tumultuous events that put Cindy Carballo behind bars, almost a decade since her husband was murdered in a case that still hasnt been solved. Years to contemplate the act that put her here and whether shed do it again. Yes. Because i was attacked. And i that moment i felt that he was gonna kill me. And if not having remorse makes me guilty, i dont i dont think it should be that way. Reporter perhaps not. But certainly, Cindy Carballo has years to rethink the question and her answer. Thats all for this edition im lester holt thanks for joining us. This sunday morning, a special edition of meet the press. Terror in paris. Frances 9 11. How did it happen . What signs did french intelligence miss . Do we need a new way to confront isis . Is there a risk of it reaching the United States . Kel talk to top government officials anden expert on terrorism. Plus, terror in the campaign. The democrats debated last night and jeb bush joins us this morning. Do the Current Events lessen the appeal of the outciders. Joining me are eugene robinson. Andrea mitchell. Welcome to sunday and a special edition of meet the press. Nbc news in washington, this is a special edition of meet the press with chuck todd. Good sunday morning, here is at we know about the attacks. This is the current death toll, and the number of wounded in the series of deadly attacks in and around paris friday night. France says three teams armed with assault rivals and suicide vests carried out this attack. Authorities identified one of the concert hall attackers at a 29yearold citizen of algerian origin. Its apparent that they were aware of him and his Organization Since 2010 but he was never actively investigated. One of them also entered through greece and was registered as a refugee in serbia. A number of arrests have been made in brussels leading the french to say this was a terror network. And the paris atrocities were called an attack on the civilized world. We will redouble our efforts to bring about a peaceful transition in syria, and to eliminate a force that can create so much pain and suffering. D. A. S. H. , another fame from isis or isil. What is official now is the war has entered a new faze. A bomb appears to take down a passenger plain in egypt. Killing up 224 people on d