Transcripts For WCAU Dateline NBC 20141011

Hyperventilating. Murdered in her sleep it did appear that it was a crime of rage. Where would investigators start . An ex boyfriend . Some stories about a jilted lover. Her new tenants . They were a couple that had been pushed over the edge. Her old friend . I just remember her hair theres no way she saw what she said she saw. The real killer would stun them all. Took my world and just flipped it upside down. We were all wrong. I mean, everybody was wrong in this case im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with while she was sleeping. My, my friend, oh my, my frie , oh my god my, my friend reporter a cold night. February, 2014. Shes not. Shes full of blood reporter 911 callers can often be hysterical. This one was all but incomprehensible. I found my friend in the closet. Shes dead reporter but then, this sort of thing just doesnt happen to people like the one now lying dead in the closet. Shes dead, full of blood, wrapped in a thing reporter and certainly not in the callers zip code. We dont see very many homicides in Pitkin County. Reporter but there are moments when no place is safe. No person, not the storied victim, not her secure and pampered shangrila in the snow. There are no words for it, you know . When a childhood friend dies reporter yes, and Nancy Pfister . Life of the party, confidant of bell hops and billionaires. Who would want to harm her . And why . Aspen, colorado. The tiny Municipal Airport here tells a story in the long line of private jets, parked and waiting for their well heeled owners to come down from their mountainside chalets. Their beginner castles, as the late Nancy Pfister used to call them. Half playfully, of course. These were her friends. As were the passing tourists, ski bums and busboys and just about everybody. Mary conover met nancy when they were both teenagers. You cannot come to this town without meeting nancy. Reporter come on, really . Everybody met nancy at one point or another. Ill be showing you all the rich and famous people that i know. Reporter including this french tv crew. Nancy gave them a tour of aspen glitz. This is where all the rich and famous people come in their private jet. Ive never known another person like her. As joyful and outsized personality and all of that that she was, she had a very deep and soulful connection to the world. Reporter some special sauce in Nancy Pfister, and when she smiled it was just pure radiance, you know . It was just beaming. Reporter Billy Clayton was perhaps closer to nancy than anybody, almost like a brother. It was like she had a secret and she wanted to share it with you. And that secret was, lets all lighten up and have fun and enjoy life and be grateful. Reporter nancy had reason to be grateful. She was born to a legendary aspen family, a bit like local royalty. Her father, art pfister, made a fortune when he turned his ranch into the buttermilk ski resort. And her mother betty was a World War Two pilot who, in later years, flew a helicopter, parked it in her driveway. And nancy . Stories about nancy would fill a book. Like the one about how she met jack nicholson. A convertible pulled up and asked them directions. And nancy said, well, ill ill take you there but i want to ride in that nice car of yours. And the next thing you know shes she and jack are best friends. This is the house of jack nicholson. Reporter nancy could and did live any way she wanted, out loud. Many, many times, um, when i just thought we were going to have a normal day and do something around here, she would say, lets go to st. Barts, or, lets go to hawaii, or, lets go somewhere, and id go, okay. Reporter but a relationship with the impulsive and gregarious nancy, billy had to admit, came with a price. Your business was her business, your stuff was her stuff and sometimes, she just expected friends to give her the stuff she wanted. It was it was quite a job to love nancy. Reporter quite a job to love nancy . Yeah. She would do things she felt, uh, were okay at any time. Reporter so, after what happened to her, flies on a carcass, the tabloids feasted on the gossip and half truths that flew around town. She was a spoiled wildchild, they howled. Jack nicholsons party girl, hunter s. Thompsons drinking buddy. An incurable flirt once engaged to Michael Douglas all very breathless, these stories about the, quote, aspen socialite. And insulting, said her friends. Didnt paint nancys character accurately at all. Some people collect famous people as friends. Its important to them to be able to, you know, talk about definitely not her. She had a lot of famous friends. She had a lot of friends who were not famous. She treated everyone the same way. She had a very genuine connection with people. She didnt have the entitlement that made a snooty little rich kid or something. She had an entitlement that sh every day of life was precious and and and should be lived to the fullest. Reporter nancy was a traveling philanthropist. A devoted environmentalist. She had a daughter, too, juliana, born when nancy was 29. And sometimes she took juliana with her when she traveled, but sometimes she didnt. Nancy has a lot of very Close Friends and people who loved juliana and, you know, we all raised our children together. Reporter unusual . Oh certainly. But she just truly, deeply loved juliana and did feel that this was her greatest role of her life was was to be a mother. Reporter thing is, Nancy Pfister trusted people. Even with the care of her own daughter, with her house, with her money. Like the teller she happened to meet in her local bank. She loved people, you know. All kinds. It didnt matter who you were. Reporter kathy carpenter was that teller. And one day seven years ago, out of the blue, nancy asked her to lunch. Kathy accepted. And learned firsthand another of nancys hallmark traits. She was sometimes brutally honest. Reporter no edit button . No edit button. I like that. Yes. No edit button. She actually, when i first met her, told me that i was very fat. Reporter what a thing to say to somebody when you first meet them. Hi. Be my friend. Youre fat. Reporter so she was blunt. Undiplomatic. But irresistable. By the time lunch was over nancy and kathy were fast friends. Just how nancy was. Like when she made plans to leave town for the winter, she decided to rent her house to a retired doctor and his horticulturalist wife, total strangers whom she befriended in a heartbeat. Actually invited them to move in a month early. And so she, dr. Trey styler and his wife, who also happened to be named nancy, they all lived together like roommates. She kinda said, im gonna take you under my wing and have you meet all my friends, and i know a lotta people around here. Reporter but now, in february 2014, at just 57, Nancy Pfister was gone. Murdered, apparently in her own bed. While the grief was still very fresh, much of aspen crowded into the storied hotel jerome for a memorial that was more like a goodbye party. Well, however she died, we need to celebrate her life. Thats what she wouldve wanted because her life was a celebration. Reporter except one person, notably absent from the overflow crowd in the jerome, wasnt celebrating. But certainly could hear the music and laughter that burst out of hotel windows that night, and drifted down the street and into a particular cell in the county jail. 3 f2 y las risas paraban hasta una when we come back, the awful discovery that launched this aspen mystery. Oh my god, no hard to get that image out of your mind. It is. That house has a story to tell. 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Something to smile about. To help entertain some friends at the beach. Before earning 1 cash back everywhere, every time. And 2 back at the grocery store. Even before he got 3 back on gas. All with no hoops to jump through. Rafael was inspired to use his bankamericard cash rewards credit card to spend a night watching the stars, under the stars. Thats the beauty of rewarding connections. Apply online or at a bank of america near you. Reporter aspen, colorado, this past february, any february, is the center of the universe, for a certain crowd, that is. This year as always an avalanche of skiers crowded onto lifts and filled the restaurants and bars and shops that line aspens carefully tended avenues. A lovely, if pricey, skiing heaven. Except, that is, for Nancy Pfister. It used to be really different in the old days. But now it has gotten more towards the champagne. Reporter did she ever think of leaving here permanently . I know she was away a lot. She thought of it all the time. She thought about because aspens changed so much. Its not that sleepy little town. Theres traffic. I got stuck in traffic today, you know. Reporter with her daughter, juliana, grown and out of the house by then nancy, at the peak of ski season, had no reason to winter in aspen. Which is why she rented her house to that retired doctor and his wife from denver. While she sipped her champagne in warmer climes. This year, australia. So it was a surprise when, this february, she notified her friends she was coming home early. She arrived in aspen saturday the 22nd of february. Kathy carpenter picked her up at the airport. I hung out with her that evening, helped her unpack, and to get organized. Reporter how was it to have her back . It was wonderful. It was fun. She shared a lot of her video clips that she took on her trip. Reporter did you stay over the weekend or i did. She asked me if i would stay with her. So i did. Reporter on monday morning, february 24th, kathy got up early and left for work, leaving nancy and her dog, gabe, at the house. Knowing nancy would need peace and quiet to get over her jet lag, she put a note on the front door asking wouldbe visitors to leave nancy alone. She did not want to be disturbed. Nancy pfister did never wanted to be disturbed when she slept. Reporter right. You do not call her. You do not wake her. And she always slept with her ear plugs and her eye mask. Everything shut, close the door, and do not disturb. Reporter Billy Clayton also left nancy alone, but felt much better just knowing she was home. I worried about her constantly when she was away from aspen. But when she returned to aspen, i didnt worry about her. I would relax. I sent her an email. There with a photo of my fouryearold son. To aunt nancy, were so glad youre home. Because when youre home we dont worry about you and everythings good. Reporter but billy didnt hear back. Not a word. And then on wednesday, the people whod been renting nancys house called kathy. Theyd moved out quickly on nancys return and had been going back and forth to the house all week clearing out the last of their stuff. And they found it odd that they hadnt seen nancy not once. So this is monday, tuesday, and then wednesday, and you still hadnt seen her. Still hadnt seen her. Reporter but they did see nancys dog, gabe. And then i went and called kathy and said, this dog has been alone for two days. Its clear that she hasnt been back. I was concerned because normally thats not nancys behavior. She would call me and ask me to pick the dog up. Reporter so after work kathy drove up to nancys place on Buttermilk Mountain to check on her friend. What was it like when you went inside the house . I called her name out, and gabe was there. He was happy to see me. Reporter but nancy wasnt there. Kathy checked her bedroom. You know, stuff that was there that i unpacked, you know, it was clear cleaned up. And when i turned, went to the closet, it was locked. Reporter was it usually locked . No. Not i mean, not with Nancy Pfister home. Reporter kathy knew that when nancy rented her house, she kept her personal belongings locked in a closet in the master bedroom. But she and kathy had unlocked it when she got home. At that point, i just i was not feeling comfortable. Something was not right. Reporter kathy who often house sat for nancy had a spare key. But it was back at her house. She went home, got the key, returned. Opened the closet door. When i opened that door, that odor is so overwhelming, it hit me in the face. And i looked down, and i could see the shape. Reporter a shape hidden under a pile of blankets and coverings. But with one glimpse, kathy just knew, she said. It was Nancy Pfister. Hard to get that image out of your mind. It is. Reporter kind of stuck there. It it is. Reporter kathy fled the house, got in her car, called 911. Oh my god, no its pretty desolate up there. So, i jumped in the car and i thought ill just drive down the hill and get to the police department. I i i dont know. Reporter her hysterics made it very hard for the dispatcher to comprehend. Can you get near your friend . No no, i cant. What is she what is your friend wrapped in . Reporter then, finally understanding, the dispatcher told kathy, pull over, wait for First Responders. I want you to pull over and put your flashers on. Okay. When the police arrive, they you know, i stepped out of the vehicle. I think i was going into shock, hyperventilating. Reporter dash cam video shows a distraught kathy as she was taken to the hospital. And sheriffs deputies arrived on Buttermilk Mountain to look in that room and confront a mystery. That house, and that room in particular has this story to tell. And are we going to be able to figure out what that story is . Coming up they knew they were looking for a body. The discovery in the closet. Who was behind it . Hard to do that alone . It is awkward and difficult to move a body. More than one suspect. And maybe more than one killer . When dateline continues. Snackon it. Isnt this my breakfast cereal . Its also a snack. So, then its snackreal. Clever. Your favorite cereals. At any time of day. All at unbeatable walmart prices, guaranteed by savings catcher. Save money. Live better. Walmart. On my journey across america, ive learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want big savings on car insurance, its a bit like asking if they want a big hat. scuse me. Or a big steak. Or big hair. I think we have our answer. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Reporter lisa miller, the das investigator for the county that includes aspen, is a tall, rangy woman with an impish grin that looks like its hiding a secret. Investigator miller was in an unfamiliar situation up here on Buttermilk Mountain. Murder in aspen . Just doesnt happen. Or hadnt, at least, in more than a decade. I was a little surprised that we had a murder in aspen. Railroad and being called to a persons home like Nancy Pfister, i should think, especially so . Correct. Reporter and yet here she was in nancys living room, looking out the big picture window. The juxtaposition of arriving at that house and taking a look at this beautiful scenery and then knowing an act of terrible violence had occurred just down the hallway reporter though, in the bedroom, she saw surprisingly little evidence of it. There was a small blood smear on the headboard. There was couple small droplets of blood on the carpet and a little bit of spatter on the wall. Reporter and the body in the closet . Well, when First Responders opened the door they knew they were looking for a body. And they open the door and they look inside and they didnt immediately recognize the body. You just looked down and you saw white coverings. Reporter and underneath those coverings miss pfister had been bound with an extension cord. She had multiple plastic bags over her head that had been bound and secured tightly. And then another large one of the tearresistant, darker colored bags over her body also. Reporter with blankets wrapped all around that. Investigator miller could clearly see that the killer, whoever it was, had gone to a lot of trouble to hide what he or she had done but there was no hiding now. When the crime scene personnel started taking a look, they flipped the mattress and found, uh blood on the bottom part of the mattress. Reporter so, it was clear nancy was killed on the bed, dragged to the closet, stashed there, wrapped up like a mummy. Then whoever did it took the extra trouble to flip the mattress in an effort to hide the soakedin pool of blood. Deputy District Attorney andrea bryan started working the case on the night nancys body was found. We learned that she had died from Blunt Force Trauma to the head and it appeared she had had several blows to the head. Reporter any defensive wounds . No. Reporter so this appeared to come out of the blue for her . It did appear to be, yes, a premeditated crime that occurred while she was sleeping. Reporter it looked as if it happened early monday morning. And then, the body lay in the closet undiscovered until wednesday evening. The investigators began compiling a list of possible suspects, a long list. None of us really lived like nancy, so open. I mean she was totally open to strangers. Reporter that openness made nancy friends everywhere she went, said billy. But then again, when nancy opened herself up, people didnt always like what came out. Say what she thought when she thought. Reporter did she realize she was going to maybe make a negative impression sometimes when she did that . Well, she definitely [ bleep ] people off theres no doubt about that. She, you know, many times i could just see peoples, you know, steam coming out of their ears and theyre thinking, no ones ever talked to me like that before. Reporter yeah. But her thinking was, someone should have a long time ago. You know . Reporter no question nancy rubbed some people the wrong way. Spoke her mind a bit too often, maybe . Treated friends a little like her personal servants sometimes. Like kathy for example. Did she treat you more like a friend or like she was your boss . You know, we were friends. And just depending on the day and some days, you know, she would boss me around. And i would express how i felt. And she always apologized. Reporter and her friends forgave. Because they loved nancy for who she was. But investigators now had to figure out if someone in nancys life had stopped loving her. Or if she had simply opened herself up to the wrong person. Were working diligently at that point to follow up on other leads that were coming in. Reporter like . Leads of other people in the community that may have had some resentment towards Nancy Pfister. Reporter like perhaps a jilted lover . Might one of them have harbored some hidden rage . Her friends knew that the irrepressible nancy was also a woman who fell in and out of love often. Usually nancys affairs or romances didnt last a long time. Reporter yeah. Because there was some stories about there was a jilted lover somewhere, somebody i didnt know. So when i heard that i thought, you know, theres crazy people out there and i said, lets, lets follow it up cause you never know. Could be, you know. Reporter but no. No actual jilted lovers in nancys past, just rumor and unfounded innuendo. And besides, after taking in the bedroom crime scene, the investigators decided they were not looking for a killer. Hard to do that alone, carry a body around like that . Flip a queensize mattress . The mattress is doable but it would be awkward for a Single Person to flip the mattress on their own. And they use the term dead weight for a reason. I mean, it is awkward and difficult to move a body. Reporter but it seemed like a pretty clear indication of more than one person . Yes, that was our conclusion. Reporter Something Else since there was no sign of forced entry, her killer, or killers as they now believed, must have had a house key. Now, who might that be . Coming up the new renters the doctor and his wife. It just seemed perfect. She really likes these people. She felt that they had really great karma. What did they see . [coughing] dave, im sorry to interrupt. I gotta take a sick day tomorrow. Dads dont take sick days, dads take nyquil. The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold, medicine. Oh wait, oyou got it . Falling. We need nails. With just five minutes prep, campbells slow cooker sauces help you cook a real dinner, right in the middle of real life. Creeping up on you. Fight back with relief so smooth. Its fast. Tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. And neutralizes stomach acid at the source. Tum, tum tum tum. Smoothies only from tums. And then theres juicy chicken. The difference is hellmanns. Hellmanns is the secret to making parmesan crusted chicken so juicy and so delicious. You can make dinner disappear. Hellmanns. Bring out the best. Reporter the investigation was literally closer to home, now. That is to say the detectives investigating the murder of Nancy Pfister began looking at anybody who had access without permission to nancys house that is, people with a key. For example, the couple whod been renting the place while nancy was in australia. Dr. William trey styler, and his wife also named nancy, were hardly likely suspects but, they had to start somewhere. Mr. Styler hes an anesthesiologist, mrs. Styler from all accounts was an intelligent woman herself. Reporter trey and nancy met in the Anesthesiology Department at a denver hospital he a resident and she an instructor i heard him go up to a woman on a gurney and say hello, im dr. Styler. Ill take care of you as though i were taking care of my mother and i love my mother. Reporter the gentle doctor chaired his Anesthesiology Department by the time he retired. They lived in an upscale area of denver. Their shared hobby was growing the gasp inducing giant victoria water lily. Their unusual level of success at that or skill brought them world renown within the rarefied world of specialized botany. In fact the two of you lived kind of a charmed existence for quite a while . We did. Had 25 years of a life that i used to say i would never trade with anyone. Reporter but right around the year 2000, it all began to fall apart. Trey got sick and had to quit practicing medicine. His attempt to start a medical support business failed. He sued his medical group and lost. He sued the lawyer who took his life savings and got nothing. He had to sell his house. He moved with nancy into a rental, where they were poisoned said nancy and very nearly fatally by carbon monoxide. Again they tried to sue but were too broke to hire an attorney. And he was beside himself. Suicidal, just, you know, i cant believe what i did to the family, losing all this income, and, and i said, you know, we can do this. And so i thought of aspen, that we loved aspen. Reporter aspen. Fresh mountain air, a fresh start. They could open a spa, they decided. And thats when nancy styler picked up the phone to answer another nancys real estate ad in the local newspaper. Nancy pfisters ad. She said, oh, excuse me, i was just watering my greenhouse. I said, you know, i would love to have a greenhouse. And so we went up there and it just seemed perfect. Reporter it seemed perfect to Nancy Pfister too. Her share of the family fortune was doled out in regular but limited allowances and by renting her multimillion dollar house with the billion dollar views she would have extra cash for her Upcoming Trip to australia. So no formal lease just a handshake the rent was 4,000 a month. It was a lot of money but not for aspen. Reporter nancy asked her good friend kathy to help the renters take care of her dog while she was away, collect the rent, and be her general go between. She really liked these people. She said that um, she felt that they had really great karma. Reporter and thats part of the reason why she invited them to move in a full month before she left. But it wasnt long before the stylers discovered that living with Nancy Pfister was not quite like they thought it might be. After the first couple of days she treated me like a slave. Like, get my cigarettes. Get this. Get my drink. And i was not used to being so disrespected. Reporter treated like a slave though . I mean a slave. It was not pretty. You know, i told her, that is how nancy is. Dont take it personal. She comes off this way and that, you know. She, she really has a good heart. Reporter anyway, nancy left soon enough for austrialia but then the stylers discovered the house wasnt so perfect after all. So when i went to clean out the master bedroom and bathroom, i realized the hot water was rusty. The dishwasher didnt work. The stove didnt work. Reporter once again, the stylers sought redress. They decided to withhold rent until those things were fixed. Nancy pfister, half a world away, was not happy. Whatd she say . That she felt that these people were cons, squatters, and she wanted them out. Reporter kathy was caught in the middle, she arranged the repairs the stylers paid the money they owed gave kathy 6,000 in cash that she put in a safe deposit box for nancy. But the relationship between landlord and tenants had soured to the point that no amount of karma could preserve it. And at that point nancy styler said i dont wanna stay. We will be out february 22nd. Reporter how did Nancy Pfister feel about that . She was fine with it. She wanted them out. Reporter unable to find new tenants now, Nancy Pfister was faced with doing exactly what she hoped to avoid when she went to australia spending peak ski season in aspen. She got home february 22nd. The very day the stylers said theyd be done moving their stuff out. The problem was, they werent. She was not happy. You know, she had a few choice words, but she accepted it. She was tired, jet lag. Reporter yeah. She wanted to come home, see her dog. Reporter the stylers ended up in a motel in basalt about 25 minutes away. They stopped by the house again a few times during the week to get their things saw the dog but not nancy. And made that first, alarming call to kathy that something seemed wrong. And when kathy found the body, knowing better than anyone about the tension between the stylers and Nancy Pfister, she made sure to clue in investigators. She had some People Living there, she really pissed them off. And, um, she made threats to them about owing money. Reporter so time for investigators to visit that motel and meet the stylers. Coming up. I said, i havent done anything wrong. From motel room to interrogation room. Investigators were fishing. My daughter is studying to be a dentist, and she gave me advice. She said, dad, go pro with crest prohealth. [ male announcer ] 4 out of 5 dentists confirmed these prohealth products helped maintain a professional clean. Crest prohealth really brought my mouth to the next level. 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No billionaire starter castles here. This is where many of the people who work in aspen live. Here the stylers thought they were done with Nancy Pfister. Moving on. And then there was a knock at the door. 5 30 am. It was sheriffs deputies. They had questions, they said, about a dead body. And i said what dead body . And he wouldnt tell me. Who died . Wouldnt say a word. Reporter the deputies escorted them to the back seats of separate cars, but said not a word as they drove down to the station. Nancy listened to the chatter on the radio. I heard her sisters names being mentioned on the police radio, nancys sisters names. And i thought, well, it must be something to do with nancy. Reporter at the Pitkin County Sheriffs Office, deputies put nancy and trey in different Interview Rooms. And he had read me my miranda rights beforehand, and i said, i dont need an attorney. I said, i, i havent done anything wrong. I said, ill be happy to answer questions. Reporter which were, at least to begin with, pretty basic. Where did you and trey come from . Were from denver. Umm, we met at the university of colorado medical school. They asked me if i knew any of the men that she, you know, had dated, if i knew anyone that would want her dead. Reporter she didnt think it was that sort of thing at all, said nancy. She told the detectives she was pretty sure she knew exactly what happened to Nancy Pfister. I said, youre gonna find the tox report, youre gonna find out that she committed suicide. I was absolutely sure that thats what happened. Reporter but of course investigators knew Nancy Pfister did not commit suicide. They knew someone beat her to death, attacked her as she slept. And they knew all about the rental arrangement that started well and went to hell. And about the stylers rapid fall from success to ruination. Their financial situation was dire. Reporter yeah. And he was tryin to pawn a very nice ring. Reporter he was a desperate man . He was very desperate. Reporter they also knew from kathy carpenter, how angry nancy styler was at Nancy Pfister. What kinds of things did she say . Just that i hate that woman. You know, nancy styler was upset. Reporter i could kill her . She did say that oh, i could just kill the woman. Reporter did nancy styler admit that she had threatened Nancy Pfister . That she had said, you know, i, id like to kill her . She was i i think pretty open about her feelings for Nancy Pfister. And she made some statements that were certainly consistent with that. I said, you know, i would like to wring her neck. Because she is such a, a drunk, and making me so crazy. Reporter nancy stylers personal opinion of Nancy Pfister had soured to such a degree that she did not hesitate to speak ill of the dead, whether true or not. Theres not one person who said a nice thing about her. Uhhuh. Not one person. Reporter investigators put dr. Styler in a separate room. Theyd put him in an orange jump suit, even though he wasnt under arrest. And they asked a few softball questions. And do you like william or would you rather have trey or . Frankly, ill answer to anything. Reporter but it wasnt long before the tone changed and the accusations began. Why did you go in there and hurt nancy . Maybe you dont even know but i know its true. I know its true. Reporter the sheriff himself, a close friend of the late Nancy Pfister tried to get trey styler to admit that in a desperate rage, he killed nancy. You did this, man. You did it. And the quicker you start saying that, the better this is gonna be. Reporter but trey insisted they were going after the wrong guy. He was innocent. How can you know its true when its not true . Reporter over and over, trey stressed and demonstrated how his 65yearold body, ravaged by disease, was far too frail to have done what was done to nancy. As you can see id be a formidable adversary in a fight. Reporter but it had already dawned on detectives. The more trey claimed to be physically incapable my condition is such that i dont think that i could beat up a kid. Reporter the worse it looked for his wife. We definitely had to look at the fact that he had assistance, potentially. My wife does everything im [ bleep ] disabled i cant do [ bleep ] insistent, took a polygraph. Maybe he shouldnt have. Reporter and he fails his polygraph . Yes. He did fail his polygraph. Reporter youre smiling. Failed it badly, or what . My understanding from the polygrapher that ran the test, he did fail it badly. Reporter not admissible in court, but an investigative tool, they say. Didnt look good for the stylers. But, desperation and anger do not, by themselves, a murder case make. And to make things a little extra difficult, investigators knew they couldnt count on dna at the scene to link the stylers to the crime. It could easily be explained because of where they were living. They were staying in that bedroom. Reporter so the investigators drove the stylers back to their motel, and went on with the hard work of a murder investigation. Theyd have to find a piece of good solid evidence to tie someone, maybe the stylers, to the crime. Didnt look, so far, as if such a thing existed. And then . Occasionally something fortuitous happens to law enforcement. Reporter hows that old saying go . One mans trash is another mans treasure . Coming up this broke the case it seemed like magic a grabbag of evidence, suddenly at their feet what was this stuff . And where could it have come from . So everyone can feel like this. Switch now and get a free 4g smartphone on our reliable 4g network. After 50 mailin rebate cricket visa promotion card. The new cricket wireless. Something to smile about. Fithe columbus day mattress spectacular. Get up to 60 off plus 10 off, plus an extra 5 off or up to 60 months special financing, and free delivery and assembly. 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Hi, baby hi, mama take us home wow its new chunky beerncheese with beef and bacon soup. Beer. Cheese. Beef. Bacon. I love it. And mama loves you. [ all ] awwwwww it fills you up right. Reporter something was wrong with the equation. Didnt add up. Here in aspen, in the house on Buttermilk Mountain, the crime scene around Nancy Pfisters body spoke, in a way. It told a story. And what it said was that at least two able bodied people committed the murder. How else would a heavy mattress get flipped, and nancys body get dragged across the room and into the closet and get packaged in bags and wrapped up in blankets . And yet, their suspects, nancys former tenants, were not able bodied spring chickens. Anything but athletic. And besides, there was zero physical evidence that would tie either one of them to the crime. I think we were faced with the reality that this was always going to be a circumstantial case. Reporter so that bedroom was keeping its secrets. And might be keeping them still, except for one total fluke couple of days later. One of those little gifts that chance or fate or something just drops at a frustrated investigators feet, all tied up with a neat little bow. What do you got here . This is not just a standard trash thing. No. This broke the case. Reporter how weirdly flukey was this . The town of basalt, who knew, had a rule that you cant put personal garbage in public trash cans. And a city worker, a little extra diligent, happened to be poking around in the trash, just randomly checking, for illegal garbage disposal. Tell me what this guy did and how he came across this stuff. He pulls the trash and then he goes to another location. And he was going to actually check it to see if there was any it something stood out about it. Reporter he actually does this stuff . People check. Reporter opens the bag . Yes, and he did. And thank goodness he did. Because when he opened the bag, he looks inside and he sees a prescription pill bottle. And what was special about this prescription pill bottle is it had Nancy Pfisters name on it. Reporter of course the city worker recognized the name, aspen, and the towns around it were buzzing with the news about Nancy Pfisters murder. In addition to that pill bottle, after which he phoned the police, what did you guys find in that bag . Well in addition to the pill bottle, the big one was a hammer. A bloody hammer. Reporter a bloody hammer . Found in the same trash as medication belonging to Nancy Pfister . That simply couldnt be a coincidence. Police were 99 sure theyd stumbled on the murder weapon. They sent it off to the crime lab to be tested, asap. But the trash bag wasnt done divulging its investigative gifts. Another thing that we found that was concerning to us was the vehicle registration for william and nancy stylers jaguar. Reporter whats more, the trash bin was located just behind the motel where the stylers were staying, and that was miles and miles away from Nancy Pfisters house. Again, as we say, a little gift. Actually, a big fat juicy gift, dropped right into investigators laps. And it, no question, linked the stylers to the crime. I cannot think of any other time, in any other case ive ever heard about where such obvious evidence is just kind of there. Thrown out so carelessly so close to where suspects are staying . Yeah. Reporter deputies hovered round the motel to keep an eye on the stylers to make sure they didnt do a disappearing act, while they and the d. A. Waited for the lab to test the hammer. And then, three days later, another insanely improbable discovery. This key was found on the ground. It was right before the trash can. Reporter right there, just a few feet from the door of the stylers motel room, was the owners key to the closet in which Nancy Pfisters body was found. Lying around as if the stylers intended to throw it in the trash, but dropped it by mistake. Just lying on the ground . On the ground, on the lighter portion of the concrete is where it was found. Reporter and then, that very same day, as if to punctuate the whole strange affair, the dna results came back. And . Nancy pfisters dna was on the hammer, so we were able to pretty clearly say that that was the murder weapon. Reporter the murder weapon, the key and a motive. Pretty much everything they needed to pin the crime on the stylers. It was march 3rd, 2014, not even a week since Nancy Pfisters body was found. They knocked on the door. I stepped out of the door. And they said, were arresting you for murder one. And slapped the cuffs on me, and took me away. They led my husband out in my bathrobe. Reporter what is it like for a woman who had led a very successful life, who had traveled around, doing lectures on victoria lilies to societies of likeminded horticulturalists to be in jail . Reporter to be in jail for murder. It was a shock. Reporter it was a shock for some of Nancy Pfisters friends, too. Like mary conover. The stylers, really . It was just a big surprise. And not knowing anything about these people, it just seemed outrageous. Why you would do Something Like that . Reporter but kathy carpenter, who pointed her suspicious finger at the stylers right after the murder, practically jumped for joy. When i heard that, i was joyful that they found the person who murdered nancy and, you know, i just felt that there was justice. Reporter and swift justice at that. What a relief to all those souls nancy collected, who loved her like family. I was relieved that, you know, this is done. Reporter but could one of the biggest crimes in aspen history really be solved that fast, with so little drama . Of course not. Looked like a setup to you. It looked like a setup. It really did look like a setup. Coming up rethinking the case. Something doesnt add up. Oh my god bizarre is the only way i can characterize that 911 call. A call, now becomes a clue. Shes dead. Shes full of blood theres no way she saw what she said she saw. When dateline continues. The noquit pickerupper. Whats the best way to tackle football season . New bounty nfl prints. Available at walmart where the reward was that what if tnew car smelledit card and the freedom of the open road . A card that gave you that im 16 and just got my first car feeling. Presenting the buypower card from capital one. Redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac with no limits. So every time you use it, youre not just shopping for goods. Youre shopping for something great. Learn more at buypowercard. Com she grew up in one of aspens influential families. Now her death is a mystery. She was found murdered in her house on Buttermilk Mountain. The evidence seems to point in one direction, straight at her new tenants, the doctor and his wife. The case against them came together perfectly. Perhaps too perfectly. Here again, Keith Morrison. Reporter it was a quick business here in aspen, colorado. Not even a week after Nancy Pfisters body was found dead in her own closet, her renters were led away in handcuffs. But was it too quick, too easy . It looked fishy to me. Reporter fishy . Fishy. Reporter nancy stylers attorney Beth Krulewitch. Fishy, how . In terms of youve got a very wellrespected physician whos now being accused of murder. And it didnt it was inconceivable to me that he would have killed somebody. Reporter plus, the elderly man they led away wrapped in his wifes blue bathrobe looked far too frail and weak to bludgeon a woman to death, carry her body, wrap it up, flip a mattress. And then been stupid enough to take the murder weapon, some pill bottles with the victims name on them, his vehicle registration and insurance, packaged it all up in one bag and then put it in a dumpster that was close to the motel he was staying at. Made zero sense to me. Reporter it also made zero sense that treys accomplice was his diminutive 62yearold wife, nancy. Even though she did actually say she could just kill that Nancy Pfister. But then, lots of people around town said similar things about the outspoken ms. Pfister at some point or other, not meaning it literally. I could see where she could be sitting around with kathy carpenter, and they could be commiserating about, you know, what Nancy Pfister did or didnt do. Or what she had said or the way they had been treated. And she could have said Something Like, you know, gee you know, id like to kill her. But you know, listen, thats thats not evidence of firstdegree murder. Reporter besides, nancy styler was more than open about it. Weve all said that about someone at some other, you know, id like to kill him, or Something Like that. But not not ever thinking, you know, taking it that far. Yes, i did say that. But, no, i didnt kill her. Reporter and if it wasnt nancy, couldnt have been trey, either. Because he was frail, yes, said nancy, but also because he was never alone to do it. You were never without him. Yeah. I said we were always together. Reporter what did make sense, said attorney krulwitch, is that someone else killed Nancy Pfister and planted the evidence against the stylers in an attempt to frame them. The final piece of it was that the owners closet key kind of magically appears on the sidewalk near the stylers motel room the day they get arrested. Reporter it was a thought that crossed investigators minds as well. We wouldve been amiss had we not looked at the possibility that someone was setting these people up. Reporter and so, even with the stylers in jail, charged with murder, investigators were still quietly looking for other suspects for someone with motive and means to kill nancy and the foresight to frame the stylers. Someone close to nancy, someone nancy trusted, even loved. Like, the person who pointed the finger of blame right in the middle of that 911 call. She had some People Living there and she really [ bleep ] them off. Reporter kathy carpenter. She said she was Nancy Pfisters dear friend. But investigators were hearing a different story. Their relationship had been a roller coaster. So, we knew that there had been this cycle of the ladies having a good relationship, and then things would go south and they would have a bad relationship for a period of time. Reporter and so with all that in mind, deputy d. A. Andrea bryan went back to that hysterical phone call from kathy to 911. What did you make of it . You know, i think bizarre is the only way i can characterize that 911 call. Immediately identifying suspects, it was it was not getting help for Nancy Pfister. It was oh, you should be looking at these two people immediately. So, that was interesting. Reporter so, it was. And just as interesting . What kathy told 911 about seeing Nancy Pfisters body. The fact that immediately the deceased is identified as Nancy Pfister would have been impossible to do. Reporter impossible, said investigator lisa miller, because nancys body was completely covered head to toe when kathy saw it in the closet. Shes dead. Shes full of blood were looking at photos of the crime scene and we knew theres no way she saw what she said she saw. Reporter there was more. Kathy, of course, had keys to nancys house, including a key to the closet, was the last person to admit seeing nancy alive. And when she left, pinned up that do not disturb sign on nancys door, supposedly because her friend needed to get over her jet lag. She ended up making a statement to another individual that nancy would be sleeping and resting for the next three days. Reporter and it was three days later the body was found . Correct. Reporter and the day that closet key magically appeared so close to the stylers motel room, kathy carpenter was known to be in the very same neighborhood right around that time meeting with her therapist. So, next question was kathy carpenter truly nancys friend and helper . Or her murderer, trying to pin the blame on someone else . Coming up the interrogation. Probing questions. Puzzling actions. There was no tiears during te time she was trying to portray herself as crying. Cleans easily. Sts fingd its meal time in no time. From start to clean. Frigidaire gallery. Save more when you buy 3 or more frigidaire gallery appliances. Inwhen does the mercy rule. 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And in death, her reputation, to the consternation of her closest friends, was gleefully amplified by some Media Outlets not in a good way. Why do we need to throw rocks at her, you know, just because she had too much fun, really . Reporter billy and the others defended their remarkable, departed, friend, and devoted their energy to plans for a special memorial event which, they decided, would be a party the sort of thing she would have loved. What did she mean to you, personally . She meant um duration and consistency she was the godmother of my children and i was the godfather of her of juliana. Um sorry. Im trying. Reporter but while billy and the others worked through their grief, nancys buddy kathy carpenter was at the Pitkin County Sheriffs Office answering questions. What did you see . I just remember opening the door. Okay. And i saw, she uh was she was covered. We were still giving her the benefit of the doubt. She thought something was up. She had been worried about her friend. Reporter so was there an innocent explanation for why kathy seemed to see things she could not have seen . Why she knew it was nancys bloodied body that was in that closet, even though First Responders saw what looked like just a pile of blankets when they arrived. Could she have lifted up those bla blankets . She couldve. Reporter and seen she couldve. And during the interviews, i specifically asked her, did you step into the closet . Did you lift any of the blankets . Did you touch, did you manipulate, in any way . And her answers, repeatedly, were, no. She had not touched, she had not moved, she had not manipulated. I did not touch her. I ran out of there so fast. Reporter and yet, at the same time, kathy gave specific details about the body. I saw her the head. Like i dont remember the position but i knew her the blonde hair. She tells me she immediately recognized her friend because of the blonde hair and the length of that hair. How much hair did you see . I would ask miss carpenter. It seemed like maybe, maybe something i just. She had highlights. So how many strands would you say that you saw . So would it be like was it matted with blood . Or just a little blood . I i just remember the hair. If youve seen the crime scene photographs of how that body was found and that that body was in the closet, she did not see that. Reporter the more kathy talked. How much how much blood did you see . How much blood would you say you saw . I saw her hair on the head. Ok. I just remember on the head. Reporter the more suspicious the investigator became. Shes describing, in the interviews, how where the injuries were to the forehead. I went and i reviewed the autopsy photos. And she was exactly, spot on to where she indicated the injury to the forehead. Reporter but it wasnt just kathys words, said investigator miller, looked to her like kathys grief was more act than real. I dont i dont remember. Grab the kleenex. Oh, yeah, for the tears . Reporter and a bad act at that. There was no tears during the time that she was trying to portray herself as crying. Reporter some people cry without tears, surely . Oh, im sure some people do. Reporter what can you tell from a thing like that . Its just always interesting when, you know, someone is going to such lengths to act like theyre emotionally distraught and the body doesnt respond reporter and then she discovered what kathy did the day after she said she found nancys body. She went to the bank, where nancy had trusted kathy with access to her safety deposit box. And kathy took from that box the stylers last rent payment 6 thousand dollars in cash, and an heirloom ring nancy had inherited from her mother. Within 24 hours or actually it was a little less than 24 hours of her friend being found by her, shes going into that safety deposit box, taking 6,000 and jewelry from it. Reporter so investigators now had an idea fast gathering strength that kathy carpenter was far more involved than she claimed to have been. She just made some very detailed descriptions of that body that she couldnt have made unless she had seen her before she was put in that closet, meaning right after she was actually murdered. Reporter did she provide a rational explanation for the reason for for being able to do that . No. Reporter they brought kathy back again and again for questioning. Five days, almost 20 hours of questioning. During one interrogation detectives read back the transcript of the 911 call. You talked about, my friend in the closet is dead. Your impossible that you knew that she was dead. Impossible. Reporter threw her owns words at her the blood she reported seeing. In the dispatch you said blood on the forehead. Reporter and how she so quickly accused the stylers. She had some People Living there. Reporter and told her, they just knew she was lying. I believe that you know what happened and no listen and i am going to be able to prove that because thats my job. Reporter and kathy carpenter, like trey styler, submitted to a polygraph test. But if he failed his. Kathy carpenter failed hers worse. You absolutely bombed the polygraph. Not only that, on the 911, on the 911, right here, heres all this documentation, of deceit and guilt. Reporter so for detectives only question left was did kathy carpenter kill nancy and try to frame the stylers or were they all in it together . I dont know what theyre saying. Theyre liars. Coming up i dont think anyone wanted that to be found. Another look at the evidence and another turn in the case. This has been one of the more frightening experiences of my career. When dateline continues. Nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. Qlearquil, powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil. Fella who gets his salsa from new york city. New york city . Uhhuh. [ male announcer ] pace has that big, bold kick. Anything else just aint right. Pace. Grab the southwest by the bottle. Anything else just aint right. Olivendless bowls of pastag pastwith new sauces at 9. 99. Like roasted mushroom alfredo, and toppings like Crispy Chicken fritta. Never ending pasta bowl, unlimited pasta, garden salad, and fresh baked breadsticks. Starting at 9. 99. Only at olive garden. In the dispatch you said blood on the forehead. Reporter hour after hour, kathy carpenter talked to the detectives investigating the murder of her friend, Nancy Pfister. What did you see . I just remember opening the door. Ok. She was covered. Reporter she was alone with them. She could have asked for an attorney. She did not. She told the detectives she didnt need a lawyer, because she was innocent. But, as kathy went on and on, those detectives became more and more sure she killed her friend nancy. Or helped, at least. So right now im telling you, everything is crashing down on you. I kid you not, its absolutely coming down. Reporter the question now was kathy trying to frame the stylers . At first blush it certainly looked that way. And yet the more they thought about it the more unlikely it seemed. Why . Well, the trash bag containing so much incriminating evidence, for example. The one the diligent city worker just happened to stumble on. I really think that this was actually pure luck. I dont think anyone wanted that to be found. I think really the simple explanation here is really the right explanation, which is that we had a great break in the case and you know, thank goodness for that. Reporter the only Conspiracy Theory assistant d. A. Andrea bryan was buying was one that involved the stylers and kathy carpenter all of them together committing the murder. The two women perhaps bonding over their shared frustration with Nancy Pfisters behaviors. It appears that they um almost built, at times, a bit of a friendship around that mutual anger toward Nancy Pfister. Reporter and trey, pushed to his financial and emotional limits, was most likely the one to wield the hammer. Reasoned the assistant d. A. , while the women helped hide the body and clean up the bedroom. But, if that theory was right, something went wrong after the murder the conspiracy did not hold. When kathy carpenter, realized the gravity of what she had gotten herself into she got worried um and worried that she would be fingered. Reporter so kathy struck first, the d. A. s theory went called 911 and fingered the stylers to deflect attention from herself. In the interrogation room, investigators had tried to get trey to turn on his wife or kathy. Nancy your wife, do you want her to be involved in this . Shes wrapped up in this man. Weve had her here as long as you have. Shes telling us a lot of good stuff. Reporter and they also tried to get kathy to flip on the stylers. Somebody is going to come clean to say i did it, but this is what she knew. But she didnt tell us that. Now you are responsible for it just like them. But youre going to be the one left out that didnt tell the truth. Reporter but it didnt work. I just have my suspicions of what you see, no, no, no, no no. Okay, okay. But i didnt do anything to her. Reporter on march 14, three weeks after Nancy Pfister had been murdered, kathy carpenter, like the stylers before her, was charged with first degree murder and put in the county jail. The newest suspect arrested was katherine carpenter. Reporter Billy Clayton had been on the phone with kathy just the day before discussing nancys memorial service. And i think i was supposed to get something for her to wear to the memorial. Reporter and now, she was behind bars. Seemed crazy, but in a town that could barely believe one of its own had been murdered, anything seemed possible now. I shouldve been surprised or shocked or something. But at that moment i just i was like, you know who knows . Any anything could happen. I just it didnt make any sense at all why anyone would kill her. Reporter and so as billy and the others went on finalizing memorial plans, kathy, a bit late, got a lawyer greg greer. This has been one of the more frightening experiences of my career, to represent a person who is so totally and completely innocent. Reporter as greer and the lawyers representing the stylers waded through the evidence, trying to sort out who did what, it became pretty clear, to them at least, that the truth about what happened in that bedroom on Buttermilk Mountain, was still very much hidden. We were all wrong about what happened. I mean, everybody was wrong in this case. Coming up wrong about what . Or about whom . I started praying that the truth would be revealed. That is what i wanted was the truth to be revealed. He said that by taking both, some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. I wish id talked to my doctor sooner. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. Call your doctor if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. Antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. Elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. Call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles and confusion to address a possible lifethreatening condition. Or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. High blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. Other risks include increased cholesterol, weight gain, decreases in white blood cells, which can be serious, dizziness on standing, seizures, trouble swallowing and impaired judgment or motor skills. [ terri ] since adding abilify, i feel better. Abilify and my antidepressant make a pretty good team. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about a free trial of abilify and go to addabilify. Com. Youwhen they wakeel ] aup dry in pampers. Ut a free trial of abilify while ordinary diapers have 2 layers, pampers has 3 absorbent layers. So they stay up to three times drier. For up to twelve hours of protection. And good mornings. Pampers. Reporter it was just where she would have wanted her last party aspens Historic Hotel jerome. And by their hundreds, locals crowded in out of the frigid march night two and a half weeks after the murder. To tell crazy stories, and remember the amazing life of Nancy Pfister. There were so many people that they couldnt all fit in the jerome hotel ballroom. They went out the door into the hallways. Reporter what do you say to a crowd like that . I just basically wanted to celebrate her life and her spirit of adventure. Reporter Billy Clayton got up too, said what was in his heart. I said that if youve known me over the last 40 years or so, you know me because of nancy. When you see me, you think of nancy. She was a connector. That was her real, main role, i think, in everyones life. Reporter and when you looked down there in that crowd, how were they reacting . A lot of tears. A lot of laughter. Certain stories. And they were all just solidly there in that space at that moment. Reporter but at that very same moment, in a far different space just down the street from the fine old hotel jerome kathy carpenter wept in her cell at the pitken county jail, and listened. Could hear the music, the band. And um i just, i cried. I cried a lot. I wanted to be there. I should have been there. And it hurt. Reporter how could they think she had anything to do with it . There was some suggestion that you had a motive to harm nancy. Absolutely not. What was my motive . There is no motive. Reporter a shared frustration with nancy styler about how difficult oh, heavens no. No. Not at all. Reporter nancy was her best friend, she said. I loved her. She was i loved Nancy Pfister. Reporter thats why she sat through all those hours of interrogation without a lawyer, she said. She wanted to help them understand the truth. Like, for example, how it wasnt at all suspicious that she knew right away it was nancy in that closet. You know the odor just about knocked me over. And to me, it was very apparent that that wasnt just a pile of clothes in the closet. Who else but nancy would be in that closet . Reporter you werent a complete idiot. You understood that was had to be nancy right, who else would it be . Reporter and when she so quickly fingered the stylers, she said, it was just common sense. They were in the house. Reporter you knew that they were pretty mad at nancy . They were mad they were upset with her. Reporter but what about those suspicious Little Details like saying she saw blood on nancys forehead when nancys forehead was completely covered up . In the dispatch you said blood on the forehead. Reporter thats easy to explain, said kathy. She never actually said that. They said that i saw her forehead. Reporter yes. I did not see her forehead. I saw blood on the headboard. Reporter headboard . In fact, crime scene techs did find blood on Nancy Pfisters headboard, but, headboard is not the word that appears in the typed transcript of the 911 call. And on page three of that transcript it says, i saw blood on her forehead. I go home and listen to the tape, and i hear headboard. I listened to it ten times by myself before i told anybody else. God i dont know, i saw blood on the headboard. Reporter sure enough, kathy, in that 911 call, did actually say headboard, not forehead. I saw blood on her headboard and i, the closet was locked. Reporter a transcription error. And though investigators said that made no real difference to them, kathys attorney is sure that little error planted suspicion of kathy from the very beginning. And started investigators off in an inaccurate, and inappropriate, direction. They used every technique in the book on her. And honestly, as i watched those interrogations, i started thinking i mightve confessed to doing something just to make it stop. Heres all this documentation of deceit and guilt. Reporter and they told you, you did it. Yes. Reporter repeatedly . Yes. Reporter and each time, what would you say . I did not do it. Reporter and even though it appears from the interrogation tapes that kathy did say some improbable things i saw her, the head. Like i dont remember the position but i knew her, the blonde hair. Reporter she was on doctorprescribed anxiety medication the whole time, she said. So in her confused fog, and prompted by the investigators, said kathy, her descriptions were unclear. She may even have imagined things she could not have seen. Is it possible that you were led into saying Something Like that . Absolutely. Um, absolutely. You know she was in a plastic bag, and i saw just what through the transparency of the bag, i saw a little bit of her hair. Reporter so whyd she fail the polygraph . I was very upset. I was very emotional. They did tell me that in order for me to take this test properly, i could not feel any emotions. Reporter mmhmm, mmhmm. And that just hearing the words just hearing her name was very emotional. Reporter but it was true, she said, no denying it, she did take 6,000 in cash and an heirloom ring from Nancy Pfisters safe deposit box the day after she found the body. But it wasnt for her, she said. Rather, it was to fulfill a promise to nancy. And she often would say, you know, if anything happens to me in my travels, you know, make sure you do this, can you do that . Make sure you you know, my little todo list. Reporter and on the todo list that ring. She inherited a family ring from her mother. And her sisters wanted it. And she had asked me you make sure that juliana if anything would happen to me, that she would get this ring. That was my intention, was to fulfill her wish. Reporter to give it to juliana. To give it to juliana. Reporter just as she had every intention of giving the money directly to juliana too so it wouldnt disappear into some disputed family trust. But then, she said, the investigators used everything she said and did against her. I just thought, no, this is not happening. How can they be so wrong, i had, i have, nothing to do with this. She was my dear friend. I loved her. Reporter kathys attorney told her, dont worry, the case wont hold up in court. But even if he was right, the trial might be years away. And so she did all that was left to her. And i started praying, praying that the truth would be revealed. Thats what i wanted, is the truth to be revealed. Reporter and then, suddenly, it appeared that it was. Truth, that is. But would anyone believe it . Coming up a stunner from dr. Styler that would catch everyone off guard. The good doctor has something to say when dateline continues. R money back guarantee. Picked by farmers. Guaranteed by us. My feet felt so heavy at the they used to get really tired. Until i started gellin. I got dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles. When theyre in my shoes, my feet and legs feel less tired. Its like walking on a wave. Dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles. Im a believer and then theres juicy chicken. The difference is hellmanns. Hellmanns is the secret to making parmesan crusted chicken so juicy and so delicious. You can make dinner disappear. Hellmanns. Bring out the best. You can make dinner disappear. Acidity was in my diet. Much that it was damaging the enamel. I wanted to fix it right away. My dentist recommended pronamel. He said pronamel can make my teeth stronger. Pronamel is helping me lead the life that i want to live. Reporter it went the way it often does in criminal cases a period of frenetic activity followed by a sort of calm stasis. And so, it was with the murder case of Nancy Pfister. The flurry of action loosed from the moment her body was found in february, 2014 to the arrest of the third and final suspect kathy carpenter in mid march, dissipated with the spring thaw. The case now slouched towards summer. Nancys friend, billy, missing her more than ever. The last time i spoke with her all we talked about were plans everything we were going to do this summer, all the different ideas she had. Reporter but the only thing on the calendar now was a preliminary hearing scheduled for late june all three defendants had pleaded not guilty and their respective attorneys Beth Krulewitch for nancy styler and greg greer for kathy carpenter were deciding their strategies, analyzing the evidence. The evidence as i was seeing it suggested to me very strongly that kathy carpenter may have done this and that she was setting up the stylers. Kathy carpenter is innocent, innocent, innocent. I cant say that enough. Reporter but deputy d. A. Andrea bryan and her investigator lisa miller were preparing to argue it was a conspriracy involving all three. And then, less than two weeks before that hearing in the process of getting all of your material together for the preliminary hearing, what happened . I got a phone call from my assistant District Attorney one afternoon. Reporter saying . Saying that he had spoken with a defense attorney, specifically William Stylers defense attorney, and that William Styler wanted to make a statement. Reporter now, that could be interesting. The good doctor was wheeled into the Interview Room where lisa miller was waiting. Mr. Styler, im going to have you right here, sir. Okay. Reporter oh, but it was far more than just a statement. Trey styler dropped a bombshell. And it blew the d. A. s meticulously assembled case wide open. I lost my mind here or at least, i lost my rational mind. Reporter it was a confession. After months of strenuous denials, trey styler told them it all was me. Reporter detail by detail, trey took them through the killing how he slipped out of his motel room while his wife was sleeping and drove to Nancy Pfisters house, intending to confront her. I stuck my head in the door far enough to ascertain that she was in fact in bed and i called out her name again. Uhhuh. And she didnt respond. Reporter then, he said, as he stood over the still sleeping Nancy Pfister, all the rage that built up inside him during his dreadful physical and financial decline suddenly focused on a singular idea. There she was, vulnerable, helpless. Reporter so he went down the stairs, got a hammer, climbed back up to the bedroom. I went, got the hammer, came back, um and struck her in the head with the hammer. Reporter then, strengthened by a rush of adrenaline, he singlehandedly wrapped Nancy Pfister up, dragged her into the closet, covered her up. I wasnt as strong as i used to be. Nonetheless, i was able to do that. Reporter he then grabbed some of nancys belongings to make it look like she was gone. He was very clear about what he did, how he did it, and when he did it in in very specific detail. And so you do what . I hit her with the hammer. Where . In the head, where . In, in, in, in what was when she was in that position, the top of her head. Which would have if you dont mind. I do mind you touching me, quite frankly. This. Reporter as for his wife or kathy carpenter neither one of them were involved in any way. Reporter and until this moment, he insisted, he hadnt told either one of them a single thing about what he did. He not only limited his wifes participation in that statement. He said she wasnt involved at all and that kathy carpenter wasnt involved at all, that he did the whole thing himself. That he had a burst of energy and he was able to do all of those things on his own. You have a skeptical look on your face . Thats what he told me, yes. Reporter what did you think . Having heard that investigator miller told dr. Styler exactly what she thought i dont want you to walk out of here thinking that i have believed you hook, line and sinker, cause i will be very frank. Remember, i told you i call it like i see it. I dont buy everything that youre selling me today. Okay . Okay. Reporter by this time, investigator miller was convinced all three were in it together. She looked straight at trey styler and confronted him. He was a frail old man. Surely, he didnt expect shed believe he did it all alone. And you tell me you cant stand up. However, you are giving me an accounting of a story where you were saying you were up and down stairs multiple times. Moving dead weight is not easy work mr. Styler. When ive thought about it since then, um, im reminded of the stories um, of women lifting cars off of their children. Mr. Styler, i will do a lot of things in an Interview Room, but i am not going to compare a mother saving a child with you murdering Nancy Pfister, so lets dont go there. Reporter but trey remained resolute. He was the lone killer. The the essential truths are that kathy carpenter really and truly had nothing to do with this. Nancy styler really and truly had nothing to do with this. I have done my best to hide it from even myself, much less them and uh you know, it all was me. Reporter how concerned are you that he decided that he was going down anyway, he might as well get them off the hook and thats really what was going on here . Thats a concern in any case like this. Reporter so, now it was decision time take treys confession at face value and release both nancy styler and kathy carpenter or send him back to his cell and proceed with the prosecution of all three. Coming up it took my world and just flipped it upside down. What was the truth . And whose story would prosecutors believe . I just hope that she would find forgiveness in her heart. What does she have to forgive you for . Musical chairs. Fun, right . Welllllllll, not when your travel rewards card makes it so hard to get a seat using your miles. Thats their game. The flights you want are blacked out. Or they ask for some ridiculous number of miles. Honestly, its time to switch to the venture card from capital one. With venture, use your miles on any airline, any flight, any time. No blackout dates. And with every purchase, youll earn unlimited double miles. From now on, no ones taking your seat away. Whats in your wallet . From now on, no ones taking your seat away. 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The more gaps you might find. Like how you thought you were covered for this. [boy] check it out,mom [prof. Burke]when youre really only covered for this. Or how you figured you were covered for this. When youre actually paying for this. You might be surprised at whats hiding in your coverage. Talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. We are farmers bumpadum, bumbumbumbum [announcer] call 1800farmers and see how much you could save. I got the hammer, came back. Reporter a full confession, the best possible solution for a murder case. If they could believe it, that is. I lost my mind here, or at least i lost my rational mind. Reporter are you comfortable with that explanation of this crime . Are you comfortable that that is the whole thing . I dont know if well ever know the whole thing. Reporter around the Pitkin County d. A. s office was a nagging worry. Dr. Trey styler demanded, and the d. A. Approved, a quid pro quo. His full confession in exchange for his wifes unconditional release. And i have in good faith fulfilled my part of the bargain. Reporter but what if he was lying, how would they ever prove it . We had no facts to refute his, his statement to me. We werent in that room that night that Nancy Pfister was murdered, so we had no facts to refute what William Styler was saying. Reporter so youre saying to me that kathy carpenter and nancy styler are both innocent . Neither one participated in this crime . William styler said that. Im not saying that. Reporter but despite of investigator millers doubts on june 17th, 2014, after three and a half months in jail, nancy styler was released. And my attorney, beth, was there. And she said, good news. Youre gettin out. And i said, great. You know, they figured it out. And then she said, but theres a catch. Reporter she gave nancy a letter. It was a private note from trey. And in this letter, he tells me about the plea bargain that he took. And one of the sentences that ive read a million times over said, i know youre innocent. And you should believe i am, too. Reporter trey wrote that was only pleading guilty to save her. He didnt actually kill Nancy Pfister, he wrote. He was falling on his sword for love. I cried that whole day, even though i was getting out. It shouldve been a, a great time. I cant believe hes having to do this. This system is sick. Its, you know, messed up. Reporter three days later, june 20th, dr. Trey styler formally pleaded guilty to Second Degree murder and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Considering his health and age, it was almost certainly was a life sentence. That same day the d. A. Dropped charges against kathy carpenter and she walked out of jail a free woman. I was very grateful, very thankful. And i felt god answered my prayers. And um, but at the same time, it was still scary. Im leaving jail after being locked up. What will people think . How will i be judged . Reporter she is grateful, scared, also sad. But there was sorrow for still thinking of the loss of nancy. And that he did somethin like this, that he did it, you know, that was still hurtful. Reporter but nancy styler added a bitter anger to her whirlwind of grief and relief. If trey was innocent, as he told his wife he was, then had the real killer just walked free . I had kathy carpenter pegged in my own little courtroom. And every little piece of evidence that was given to me corroborated that. Reporter and then, it was just over two weeks later nancy took a call. Trey had something to tell her. His letter wasnt quite true he said. In fact, he and he alone murdered Nancy Pfister. Kathy carpenter had nothing to do with it. It was, took my world and just flipped it upside down, felt like my whole life had been a lie. You know, my whole life with him had been a lie. Reporter she is trying to rebuild life now. Has moved back to the east coast where she grew up and reclaimed her maiden name, filing for divorce from trey after thirtytwo years of marriage. Do you love him at all anymore . I love him. I love him, i love the man that was. I dont love this monster. Reporter it was then that nancy stylers attorney Beth Krulewitch had to admit that she had been completely wrong to think kathy carpenter was involved in the murder and set up the stylers. Had trey styler not confessed, i think theres a very decent chance that kathy carpenter could have ended up convicted and what a tragedy that would have been. Reporter or could still be, for kathy at least. Is kathy carpenter completely off the hook . Is there ever a possibility that she could face charges . There is still an investigation going. So, no, miss carpenter at this point is is not completely off the hook. Reporter and still i think theyre still a little suspicious of you, you know . Ive heard that theres still some questions in peoples minds. Reporter she knows, all too personally, what its like to lose the trust of her community. She has also lost her job, her home. And shes lost her very best friend she said. And she told us she feels guilty. Thats why i say i wish that i could have helped her and have been there. What could i have done differently . Talked her into stayin there, not comin home. Reporter nothing can know the future. Right. But i do blame myself. You know, thats something that ill have to to work through but, um reporter one person with whom kathy has not spoken since all this happened is Nancy Pfisters daughter, juliana. What would you wanna say to juliana . That i just hope that she knows the truth. I had nothing to do with the murder of her mother. I never would steal, and i just i was looking out for her and her mothers wishes. And that, um i just hope that she would find forgiveness in her heart and know that i love her and her mother very much. Reporter what does she have to forgive you for . I dont know. I nothing really. But theres just you know, what shes had to go through, and i i dont know why i would even say forgive, but reporter curious, huh . Yeah. Its just, ive been portrayed as this thief, this bad person, untrusting and i dont know why. Reporter trust, something Nancy Pfister was known for. Not so much of it these days. Aspen will never be the same. My life will never be the same. Reporter so what has aspen lost in the a lot of history, you know . Nancy was part of aspens history. Its a huge loss for the community. Reporter some members of which be telling stories about Nancy Pfister for a very long time. Nancy lived a fantastic life. And uh, i i think i think we all need a little more dreaming like that, you know, a little, little more reporter little more nancy in us . Little more nancy in us, yeah. Thats all for this edition of dateline. We will see you next friday at 9 00, 8 00 central. I will see you tomorrow on today. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good announcer nbc 10 news starts now. Right now, at 11 00, a rainy start to the weekend. Were tracking wet weather in parts of delaware, nm nj and pennsylvania tonight. Will that rain stick around until the morning . Its mainly falling in parts of delaware and south jersey, at the moment. Heres a look at the radar across the area. The philadelphia area and north and west of that is dry at the moment. In delaware, we have pretty consistent light rain coming in also through parts of cape may and atlantic county. We have all of this light rain still moving in. But as we go overnight