I would give anything if she were alive today. Such a sweet, young wife and mom. Such a shattering death. I cried all night long. He was downstairs with the kids. She was upstairs in the bath. Then it happened. Please, help me okay, how long has she been in here . I dont know. She was taking a bath we didnt know if it was a tragic accident or something else. Questions quickly swirled about a wifes secret. What did you do today . She did have an addiction to prescription pills. And a husbands story. She was flat on the floor. Was it an accident, or maybe murder . She said, im scared of him. The whispering started almost immediately youre a murderer. When youre innocent, you dont think it can happen. Just wait until the spellbinding moment in court. Ever imagined in my life. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres josh mancewiecz with small town. Reporter sometimes, the fresh air of a small town can hide a lot of dirty laundry. My worst fear was all of a sudden true. Sometimes, sudden death can lay bare every secret. She had felt like she was abusing it. Reporter what happened in this small town would tear apart a marriage. And at the same time, separate two families that were once united by love. Reporter boone, iowa. On flat land just north of des moines, is a company town. Headquarters for one of the largest grocery chains in the midwest fareway. Its a family owned company, and Rick Beckwith is a third cindy raised a family of five here. Their youngest daughter, emily, the sweet, but quiet one. Kind of a shrinking violet . Well, the older sisters said that she never got spanked. She didnt. Shed just remain silent and look at me with those big, brown eyes, and it was over. Even though emily was from a prominent, wealthy family, her friend lisa says emily never flaunted it. Everyone knew that emily was a beckwith, but i never felt less of a person in the presence of emily or any one of her family. Emily was the girl everyone wanted to be friends with, and every boy wanted to date. According to friends shannon and sara. Couldve had any oh, anybody. Boyfriend. The, all these boys were fallin gaga over her. Yeah, gaga over her. I mean, she was gorgeous. I mean youve seen pictures of her. Even in high school, she was gorgeous. But it just wasnt her thing to date. Reporter by the time she was 21, emily had moved about missouri. Working in a hair salon. One night in 2001 she went to a bar, and a local boy named alex fazzino spotted her from across the room. And its one of those, like, aha moments you might say. I was like, oh i have to go talk to that girl. Reporter after a few dates, alex say he knew she was the one. Whatd you like about her . What didnt i . Shes beautiful, she was very nice, she dressed impeccably. Yeah, what what didnt i . Reporter alexs mother, joanne, knew something was happening when her son asked if he could bring emily to sunday dinner. He said, id have met someone and i would love to be able to bring her over so that you all can get to know her better. And you thought, well, here we go . Yes, i did. Reporter back in boone, emilys family heard about the she called me up and said, i met this fella, hes italian. And she said, youre gonna love his family. Theyre louder than us. And she fell in love with the whole family, immediately. Reporter emilys sister, ammie, could see they were in love. Her eyes sparkled, alexs eyes sparkled when they were together. Oh, just huge smiles on both of their faces. Reporter the girl who never dated was swept off her feet. Emily and alex married may 10th, 2003. How many people . Oh i would guess at least 400. Thats big. Yeah, i mean, for an italian wedding its maybe midsized. But [ laughter ] reporter the couple had a son, nick, and a year later, alex took up emilys parents up on an invitation to move to boone. It was an open offer if he wanted to come and work for fareway. Her father offered alex an opportunity as a Family Member to move way up the ranks and at went. Reporter alex took an entrylevel job at a Fareway Store near boone. The beckwiths gave the couple this house, just a five minute drive from their own. Soon, there were two more additions to the family, ricky and coco. All emily ever wanted to her nightly bath, and alex was doing things his wife normally did. I was helping with laundry. I helped with the kids with with their bath. Reporter alex says he heard emily start her bath, as he and the kids watched peter pan. There was a lot of sword fighting and things like that and music, and it was really loud. And when it got quiet, i could hear the the water still running. Reporter alex says the water was running for about 20 to 30 minutes, so he went upstairs to see what was taking so long and came upon a horrible scene. Emily was submerged in the tub, unconscious. I tried to as hard as i could to get her out of that tub as fast as i could. She slipped out of my arms. I started screaming, help. I ran to the phone to call 911. And all i could say was, help. 911 whats your location and emergency . Help, help, help whats going on . Whats going on . It was the worst seconds of my life. Reporter but there was much more to come. Two lives, and so many secrets, would soon be put under a microscope. That bathroom . When we come back what did you think this was . We didnt know if it was a tragic accident or something else. Its the addiction, you know. Its the addiction that did it addiction . Meet the piadina. The newest addition to Olive Gardens lunch duos menu. Paired with your choice of unlimited soup or salad starting at just 6. 99. Think of it as a quesadilla that speaks fluent italian. Olive garden. Seresto makes it easy to help protect your dog or cat from fleas and ticks. With the performance you expect from a monthly topical in a nongreasy collar. Seresto kills and repels fleas and ticks for. From bayer. Most people know the four cs of a diamond. Now, kay jewelers brings you. The newest c chocolate. Levian chocolate diamonds. Only levian, masters of jewelry design for centuries. Makes jewelry with rare chocolate diamonds. Save up to 20 on select levian styles, pwith Dazzling Designs at kay, the numberonep Jewelry Store in america. Levian chocolate diamonds. For the sweetest thing in guys, go away kids, please. Please. On the tape, you dont sound like you think theres much hope of reviving her. No. Of me personally reviving her, i didnt. You dont know cpr. No. Reporter but with the operators help, alex tried. Tilt her head back, okay. Shes did you im just gonna did you do that . Yeah. Reporter Sergeant John wiebold of the Boone Police Department got the call and arrived at the house with two other officers. His body camera was rolling as alex led them to the bathroom. As we entered the master bathroom, emily was laying on the floor, face up, and she had a bluish tint to her. Please help me okay, how long has she been in here . I dont know, she was taking a bath. Could you tell whether she was still alive . I checked right away. I checked for a pulse and breathing, didnt feel any, so i instantly started cpr. How long . I dont know. Shes freezing cold. Blood . No blood. No blood anywhere. She did have a big bruise on her forehead. What was around, anything . The bathtub was full of water, and there were oil droplets on top the water, like bath oil. There was music playing from an ipad on the sink area. Reporter emts loaded emily into an ambulance and raced to the hospital. When her mother, cindy, got the call, she went straight there. And they told me that she was in an emergency room, and then a fellow came in and hung his head and he said, shes gone. Reporter Emily Fazzino was dead at the age of 32, and no one knew why. When you went home that night, whatd you think this was . I didnt really know. It was a suspicious death for sure. We didnt know if it was a suicide or a tragic accident or something else. Reporter around midnight, police asked alex to give a statement at headquarters. I pulled her and she just flopped, you know. She just flopped on the floor. You went in in those initial interviews, youre not represented by an attorney. And you talked to the police, and you handed over your phone . Yes. Almost as if you had nothing to hide. I didnt. Reporter he also told the Police Something very few people knew. His wife had a dependence on prescription drugs. Alex said he was sure emilys addiction had killed her. You know, its really not my wife that did it, its the addiction. What did you think had happened . I didnt know if, you know, she took a handful of pills. I was i was having a hard time trying to reconcile if she killed herself, or if she just overdosed. You thought overdose either deliberate or unintentional. Yeah, thats i thought it was a reasonable assumption. Reporter reasonable, because alex said hed been dealing with his wifes addiction for more than a year when he discovered she had stolen pain pills from his father. And then, a few months later, strange question during a checkup. He says, and hows your shoulder . And i said, well, its fine. Why do you ask . He says, well, i wanted to make sure the vicodin i prescribed you are working. I said, excuse me . And, i mean, i started crying. You hadnt asked for any vicodin. Correct. Reporter vicodin is an opioid, a powerful pain medication that can be highly addictive. Emily had asked for the prescription, saying it was for alex, but he says she ended up taking the pills herself. Alex says he confronted emily. I said, youre gonna have to choose between your family and this medicine. I said, im not gonna stay married to you if you continue down this road. And she said . She said, okay. Reporter she said it, and she may have meant it. But alex says in the months before she died, emily would seem okay one day, but not the next. Like, a glaze. She and then she would be fine for a period. Reporter finally, in december, 2011, two months before her death, emily reached out to her mom for help. Did she say she had become addicted to this painkiller . I dont know if she used the word addiction, but she had felt like she was abusing it. And alex was upset about it. Reporter emilys doctors had recommended inpatient rehab. Instead she decided to detox at her mothers house, and to hide it from alex and the kids by saying she had mono. The reason is because they were scared of what it would do to their image. Is the reason that you put out this cover story about emily having mono, is that because sending her to rehab wouldve been some kind of embarrassment to your family and you didnt want your name tarnished . Absolutely not. Weve always done the best thing emilys desire to keep it from alex. Reporter emily went cold turkey. Cindy says the first couple of days, her daughter hardly left her bed, suffering from severe headaches. After only four days, emily went home. Did you think she was she was clean, off drugs, that that problem was behind her . I knew that she was still tired. But no longer addicted. No. You were convinced that had been dealt with. Yes. Reporter alex didnt find out about the detox until much later, but he says in the weeks before she died, emily still had a stash of pain pills. How many times did you say to your wife, if you dont get off the drugs, im gonna have to leave you . At least three. But she wouldnt do it . She would fall back into her old habits. She would never agree to rehab . No. Are on the same page. Everything is fine. Reporter so alex was telling everyone that his wife was a victim of her own demons. But soon, new evidence emerged that would send this case in a more sinister direction. Coming up results came back clean. So it wasnt an overdose . It wasnt an overdose. Reporter what, then could it have been . What could have killed emily . She was scared. There was something wrong. When dateline continues. But its only 2. Guess youll just have to see a movie. Then get some dinner. What a pity. Wait, you shot that . Its beautiful. Put this on our homepage now. Can i have three tickets for onions please . This was like seeing the onion on a molecular level. This is talent. Why are we not representing it . tan bonitas 4k on an iphone, wake up people and the winner is. Onions. [cheering] you have more important things to do. So, well meet you at the car with applebees carside to go. Download our new app now and save 5 on your first order. In our house, imagination runs wild. But at my table, i keep the food real. Like country crocks recipe made with real simple ingredients. And no artificial flavors or preservatives. Real Country Fresh taste from real ingredients. Welcome to crock country. kay, babe, i think we should head north, past the park. kay. Oh, hit up jimmys for some chicken and waffles. Oh, and those truffle fries. Its less than a mile. Come on, we can do better than that. Okay, uh. Ooh, juanitas oh yeah, those chimichangas. Oh, with the mangoguac. Stop it 3. 5 miles. Oh. So worth it. Yeah, we got this. 3 point nothing. Hey yeah . Baby. Oh yep. Thought you had him. vo fitness in real life. Now thats the good stuff. Remember this commercial . It s selling you toilet paper, which, eventually, you will need to buy. And if you buy it or anything else using the new chase freedom unlimited card, you can earn unlimited 1. 5 cash back. So you can also earn 1. 5 cash back on that moisturizer. Or wood paneling, or an even more haunting toilet paper dispenser. Then you can spend that cash on anything. Lost his wife, emily. Despite his grief, he still had to be strong for his children. Whatd you tell your kids . I remember hugging them. I remember just telling them that mommy went to heaven and that she cant come back. Reporter as two families mourned and said goodbye, alex had to come to grips with the fact that he was now a single dad with three kids under the age of seven. Its sickening to know that if emily would have got the help she needed, she could still be here for my kids. And probably for me. Reporter while emilys family tried to cope with their loss, state investigator Don Schnitker was operating on the assumption that her death was linked to her addiction. She did have a drug problem. She had an addiction to opiate medication prescription pills. Mean no crime, just a regrettable accidental death or even a suicide. But then, six weeks later, something that changed the entire focus of the investigation. Emilys toxicology report came back. Results came back clean. She wasnt under the influence of opiates at the time of her death. So it wasnt an overdose. It wasnt an overdose. Reporter no trace of the opioid pain pills emily had been abusing. There was nothing in her system that would have killed her. There was no alcohol in her blood. So now, investigators had to take a new look at the case, starting with the photos of the bruises on emilys body. Remember, police saw a bump on her head, but during her initial exam the medical examiner found more. She had areas of trauma to all four sides of her head, so the front of her head, both left and right side of her head, and the top of her head. Possible that those injuries could have occurred while alex was dragging his wife out of the tub . I dont think so. Reporter and there were she had strap muscle bruising, so muscles to her neck area that were of concern that maybe she was possibly held under the water by her neck. Remember, alex said hed tried cpr on emily. Those injuries couldnt be caused by somebody trying to do c. P. R. , even somebody who didnt really know what they were doing with c. P. R. . Our feeling is no. How could emily have gotten those bruises . Well, i know she hit her head when i was getting her out of the bathtub. Or you would when i picked her up, i mean, i heard it. I heard it hit when i was pulling her out. Her her head hit. The side of the tub . The floor . I dont know. I was heaving her out. It was so hard to get her out. Would you have bruised her neck doing that . I dont know. Reporter agent schnitker wanted to know what might be the fazzino marriage. He listened to another 911 call. And hes taking everything of mine and trying to take pills, too. Reporter one week before her death, emily called 911 to complain about alex. Hes like trying to take property that is not his. Emily came home inebriated the night before, and id had it. Id had it. And i grabbed whatever pills i could grab and i was gonna flush them down the toilet. And she got angry. She got angry. She called 911. Reporter no one was arrested or charged in the incident, but it seemed to be the breaking point. The next day, emily filed for divorce. Then alex did the same. Both asked for full custody of the children. And both were still living in the same house. A few nights later, emily called her father, rick. The words were saying one thing, the voice was telling me what was the voice telling you . She was scared. There was something wrong. Reporter they hung up around 6 00 p. M. Two hours later, emily would be dead. I will never forget that phone call. Because that was the last time i heard her voice. Reporter for investigator schnitker, a new picture was emerging. A marriage in shambles, a husband pushed to the edge. Maybe this wasnt an accident or suicide. Maybe it was murder. It seems hard to believe that alex would kill his wife and his kids are just a couple of rooms away. But thats if youre thinking that this is well thought out you know, oftentimes couples get in arguments and they escalate and somebody dies. You had seen your wife endanger her life. You werent angry at your wifes inability to kick her habit . No. I was disappointed that this happened. But but angry . No, i was never angry with emily. Reporter but emilys family and friends say they were angry at alex. The beckwiths and fazzinos once so close, were now splitting along family lines. Coming up i just kept saying over and over, he murdered her. Youre a murderer . Thats what they were saying. Reporter thats not all they were saying. Did you say that alex and his family are in the mafia and that women who try to divorce wind up dead . This is me. I am, am, am. I am myself, myself, myself. Since 1961, Pearle Vision has provided the neighborhood with expert eye care. That was dr. Stanley pearles vision and we still proudly carry on his legacy. Today, doctors like Lisa Hamilton perform eye exams that can help detect diabetes. Because we care for you. And your eyes. This is genuine eye care, in your neighborhood. Reporter rumors were flying around the town of boone, iowa, right after Emily Fazzinos death. Family and friends thought alex fazzino had killed his wife. I just kept saying over and over, he murdered her. He murdered her. Immediately. Yeah. Within a within a day. Youre a murderer . Thats what they were saying. Reporter and not just a murderer. Emilys sister, ammie, told investigators alex was also a mobster. Did you say that alex and his family are in the mafia, in organized crime, and that women who try to divorce their way out of the fazzino family wind up dead . That was information that emily had told me. Ammie doesnt realize that, of my moms six siblings and my dads one sibling, there have been 11 divorces. Those people all still alive . Theyre not all still alive, but none of em were killed. But they werent murdered. Right. So the fazzinos are not some hooked up organized crime family . No, and i resent her saying that. Reporter alex insisted the investigators determined. Did you pick up in your investigation any indication that the fazzino family is involved in organized crime . No. You didnt find any evidence that that was true. No. Or that in any played any role in in in emilys death, no. Emilys death at all. No. Reporter to get away from all the fingerpointing, alex took his kids to kansas city and moved back in with his parents. We all suffered. Our family as a whole suffered with the accusation that my son was a murderer. Reporter four months later, the investigation took another turn when the medical examiner released the final autopsy report. She ruled the cause and manner of death, undetermined, meaning she couldnt say how emily died. Prosecutors dan kolacia and scott brown had been assigned to the case. The fact that you cant say for sure and the medical examiner couldnt say for sure, that makes this a bigger mountain to climb, doesnt it . Based upon the evidence. It doesnt mean that it didnt need to be prosecuted, just because we have an undetermined call doesnt mean we dont push forward. Reporter so, they asked a different medical examiner to look at the case a south dakota pathologist, dr. Brad randall. And dr. Randall gave an opinion of the injuries are highly suggestive of a struggle and ruled it a homicide. Reporter homicide, and there was only one suspect. In april of 2013, 15 months after emily died, alex azzino was arrested and charged with his wifes murder. They said, youre under arrest. And, i was in complete shock. When youre innocent you dont think it can happen. You think theyre gonna come to their senses, theyre gonna see it. But, no. Reporter he spent three weeks in jail before being released on bond. Truth will come out. Marguerite says her brother was charged with murder because of small town politics. What was it that you think kept the state sort of moving forward with with the idea of prosecuting . Well, i think it was the beckwiths. I think the power that they have in that community and i believe that they were putting political pressure on the state to prosecute this. The suggestion that there was some sort of political pressure that was put on my office to push this case forward or to charge it is absolute nonsense. It didnt happen. Reporter as alex waited for trial, things got worse. His 5yearold daughter coco was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a bone marrow transplant. His daughters illness took a huge toll on our family but i will say this about my son i saw him as very strong, you know . He was handling things that i dont think most people could. Reporter finally, four years fazzino went on trial for her murder. Please rise. Reporter because of pretrial publicity and the high profile beckwith name, the case was moved out of boone, 200 miles away to decorah, iowa. Where the fazzinos and the beckwiths were now separated by much more than the courtroom aisle. The prosecutor told the jury, that after a detoer eriorating relationship and with divorce papers filed, alex lost it that night, and killed his wife. Alex had everything to gain by emilys death. And he had everything to lose by emily being alive. Alex would lose his kids, would lose his job. Would lose his house. And lose money in the fight for divorce. Reporter the state started its case using alexs own words. Help, help. Oh my gosh. 9 11. What is the location of your emergency. Reporter prosecutors said this wasnt grief, it was remorse. In that initial 911 call, alex sounds pretty genuinely traumatized to me. He doesnt sound like somebody who was faking it. Part of the argument to to the jury is that it has to be a horrific thing to commit a murder. What were hearing is his horror at having just committed a murder of someone who is close to him. That would be a way to characterize it, yes. Reporter prosecutors claimed that in that 911 call, alex had already concocted a story that emily committed suicide or died from a drug overdose. My wifes killed herself. My wifes killed herself. Please help me. Who . Reporter even at that Police Interview a few hours later, prosecutors said alex was pushing his theory that emily had somehow overdosed. Maybe she didnt kill herself. Maybe it was an accident. Reporter then the prosecution called the state medical examiner to tell jurors evidence, the toxicology report. Did you also have testing done on body fluids and blood that had been taken from Emily Fazzino at her autopsy . Yes, i had, many many toxicology tests. Reporter she told the jury emily had no drugs in her system that would have killed her. The drug tests were that were done did not show opiates in her system at all. Reporter you think it didnt play a role . I dont think it played a role that night. Reporter and even though shed initially ruled the cause of death undetermined, the state medical examiner had a surprising change of heart on the witness stand. Which manner of death do you favor over the others . In this case im much more strongly leaning toward homicide than any of the other man, manners of death. Reporter and that second pathologist said there was no doubt about his conclusion. Bruises front, back, left and right of the head would be consistent with homicide. Windpipe and larynx would be consistent with a homicide. Reporter murder by strangulation. Prosecutors now called family and friends to testify that emily felt threatened by her husband. Her sister, ammie. How would you describe Emily Fazzino in the months leading up to her death . Sad. Why was Emily Fazzino sad, do you know . Cause she wanted, she wanted to get away from alex. Reporter the childrens nanny also recounted a conversation with emily just before her death. I asked emily two questions. The first one was if she was scared of alex. What was emilys response . Her response was yes. What was the second one . I had asked her if she was worried that alex would harm her or kill her. What was emilys response . She nodded her head yes. Later, Emily Fazzino was dead. Prosecutors said there was only one conclusion alex murdered his wife. The only explanation here after looking at all the evidence, all the circumstances, is that the head injuries were inflicted, and who wouldve done that. Alex fazzino. May it please the court. Reporter now it was the defenses turn. This was to be a trial of two emilys. Did you drink a lot tonight . No, i had 3 cocktails. Reporter the surprise evidence alex had up his sleeve. Why why why does it matter . Whatd you do today . Under the influence . When dateline continues. Believed to calm these nerves. Tfor some, lyrica relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. R lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, p weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. P dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery p until you know how lyrica affects you. P those who have had a drug or alcohol problem r may be more likely to misuse lyrica. With less pain, i can be more active. Ask your doctor about lyrica. Breyers Peanut Butter gelato, rich chocolate sauce. Peanut butter cups. Tonight is perfect. Can someone read me another story . Daddd . Mmm coming breyers gelato indulgences jared we have thousands of pieces of Diamond Jewelry. But we only sell the one. That lets her know shes the bright shining center of your world. Thats why he went to jared. Its the Jared Diamond jewelry spectacular. Featuring our best prices of the season storewide. From mothers day gifts to engagement rings, youll find the one amazing piece of Diamond Jewelry shes sure to love. Thats why he went to jared. This isnt just an applebees 2 for 20 deal. Its a celebration of your daughters first haircut that she gave. Herself. 2 entr\es and an app for just 20 at applebees. General mills is removing artificial flavors so you can love cereal. Again unlimited data from at t means you can stream it all. Like that Anthony Michael hall movie where he fights with the girl. The one where he gets rejected by the girl. Even stream the one where he creates the girl. With unlimited data, you can stream all the Anthony Michael hall movies you want. I wonder what hes up to these days maybe hes shopping in an at t store . Get unlimited data and your fourth line free when you have at t wireless and directv. Plus, up to 650 in credits reporter by this time, the love that had once joined the beckwith and fazzino families was long gone. In an iowa courtroom, both families had listened for a week. Alex fazzino murdered Emily Fazzino on january 29. Reporter as prosecutors painted alex fazzino as a wife in a fit of rage. I gotta ask you this straight out. Did you play any role in killing your wife . Physically, no. I mean i, ill always feel a little responsible that i couldnt get through to anybody to get her help. And ill carry that with me for all of my life. Reporter defense lawyers, bill kutmus and trever hook insisted that there was no murder here, or any crime at all. This case should have never been prosecuted. That was where you came down right, was from the beginning, was that the case shouldnt have been brought . Absolutely not. I took that position because of the lack of evidence. Alex fazzino was totally innocent. Theres no more pressure than when you if you have an innocent person that youre trying to defend on this kind of a charge, firstdegree murder. Reporter kutmus says that from the beginning, prosecutors targeted alex and refused to they reviewed all the information, the toxicology reports, Everything Associated with her death. They concluded, we dont know what the cause of death is. We dont know the manner of death. And what happened almost a year and a half later, the state finds some guy from sioux falls, south dakota, a pathologist who said that the manner of death was was a homicide. They found this person. Reporter kutmus stated his case to the jury. Emily fazzino passed away as a result of an accidental drowning. And that will relate to her addiction. Reporter he said the only crime was that emily never received the help she needed. The defense called emilys mother to the stand to show that detox at her house was at best amateur hour. You have no certificate or any license. No i dont. Are you telling this jury that you know all the subtleties of withdrawal . Absolutely not. Reporter kutmus tried to emily had gotten completely clean before she died. Were you in denial at that time about your daughters condition. Absolutely not. Reporter to drive home that point, the defense called witnesses who say they saw signs emily was still abusing those pain pills and alcohol in the weeks before she died. One of them was alexs mother. She was argumentative. Agitated and she didnt really seem to comprehend sometimes what we were talking about. Reporter signs, the defense said, that are evident in this video. What did you do today . Well reporter it was a facetime call alex said he recorded less than two weeks before emily died. I got, i cant, i dont know. Why, why, why does it matter, whatd you today what . Whyd you record that facetime call . To ensure id get custody of the kids in a divorce. Was sort of impaired in the course of her daily life. Right. Its hard to argue with whats plain to see on video. Did you drink a lot tonight . No. I had three cocktails. Reporter the defense theory . Just before she died, knowing she was facing a child custody battle and would be tested emily took herself off the drugs one final time. She goes cold turkey. What happens . Its clear. Withdrawal happens two or three days later. Withdrawal and what does withdrawal do . Seizures, fainting, dizziness, unsteadiness, weakness. She couldve fallen in that bathtub. Unable to even lift herself up. And that also explains why there werent any of those drugs found in her system . Correct. Exactly. Reporter could Emily Fazzino have simply drowned accidentally in the tub . Alexs attorneys were hoping to of the jurors, but what about s . They called their own pathologist who said he didnt know what had caused them. Do you know any determination where they could conclude how that particular injury occurred. No, sir. Its unknown to them and to me, unlike the tv shows you cant just look at that and tell exactly how it happened. Reporter no expert, they argued, could say for certain that that there had even been a murder. I do not know the cause of death, i do not know the manner of death. Thats not an intellectual failure, thats intellectual honesty. Reporter and the defense was all too happy to remind jurors that even the states own m. E. , dr. Catellier, had come to the same conclusion in her original report. The cause of death, undetermined. Well is there anything in dr. Cataliers original autopsy report, that you take issue or disagree with . No sir, i actually agree with it whole heartedly. Homicide. Would you agree with that . No sir, i would respectfully disagree with that. Reporter the defense conclusion, it wasnt alex who killed emily, it was what was in those pill bottles. This is the marital issue. This is what he screamed about, and he howled about. But no one would listen. Do justice to alex fazzino. Find him not guilty. Reporter jurors would now have to decide if alex fazzino was a killer, or a wrongly accused husband who had tried only to save his wife. Reporter coming up. You prepared for a guilty verdict . Yeah. Reporter two families on edge. Four years of questions. Reporter and the verdict the ultimate courtroom drama. That was fast yeah, sprints killing it. The sprint lte network is now more reliable than ever. So why overpay for wireless . Switch to sprint and save 50 on most rate plans. If we dont win you over in 30 days, well refund your money. Ive got allergies. And im doing just fine. Claritin provides 24hour relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 allergens. Yeah, over 200 allergens with claritin my allergies dont come between me and victory. Live claritin clear. Olive garden is bringing tempting new layers to our famous lasagna. With three new irresistible dishes like chicken parmigiana lasagna. And seafood lovers lasagna. All with our unlimited salad and breadsticks. And all starting at 11. 99. Every insurance policy has a number. But not every Insurance Company understands the life behind it. For those whove served and the families that have supported them, we offer our best service in return. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Get an insurance quote and see why 92 of our members reporter four years after Emily Fazzinos death, her husbands fate was finally in the hands of a jury. Alex says he was confident during the nearly threeweek trial, but says doubt crept in during those final minutes. You prepared for a guilty verdict . Yeah. I wrote a note to my children. Reporter whats it say . Nick, ricky, and coco, i loved your mother, and i never hurt her. I would never leave you. Like your mom is always in your heart, i will be, too. You kids are the light of my all my love, now and forever, dad. Reporter the first day, the jury went home without a verdict. As the hours ticked by the next morning, still nothing from the jury. In the afternoon, alex got a phone call. The jury had reached a decision. When they called me and said the jurys in, i could barely breathe. Reporter emilys family and friends rushed to the courthouse. Prosecutors were confident. We did the best that we could in putting on the evidence that we had and and hopefully the jury would see it our way and convict him. Reporter the Defense Attorneys were confident as well. We had the facts. We had the experts. But but you never know. But you never know. Good luck honey. I love you. I dont need luck, dad. Reporter both sides couldnt be any more raw, or more on edge. Alex was facing life in prison. And finally, after four long years is this the verdict of each and every one of the members of the jury . Reporter here it was. In the matter of the state of iowa Plaintiff Versus we the jury find the defendant not guilty. [ cheers ] thank you, lord reporter not guilty. The words alex and his family had been waiting to hear. Even his veteran Defense Attorneys couldnt hold it together. I held off crying until bill started crying. Yeah. He he started it. And thats what sent me over the edge. Reporter and one never cries if you think your clients guilty. No. You dont. God bless you, bill. Cr thank you. Reporter on the other side of the courtroom, emilys family and friends could barely move. With the verdict, the divide between these two families became complete. Thank you so much. Reporter the celebration across the aisle became too much for emilys mother to take. Shut up, shut up i went in shock. Alls i can remember is people jumping up and down like cheerleaders. I didnt know until afterwards. Reporter as they left the courtroom, the reality of what had happened sank in. Back inside, alex says felt he far from victorious. Theres not much to be excited about. Emily is still gone. And my kids dont have their mother. I felt completely unchanged. I was innocent when i walked in the courtroom and im innocent when i walk out of the courtroom, so whats there to high five about . Reporter you know there are people that are never gonna believe youre innocent . Yeah. Im very aware. Reporter youre okay with that. Im not okay with it. I cant let it bother me. Im not gonna let what somebody says keep me from holding my head up high. Reporter emilys parents are among those who still believe in alexs guilt. But strangely enough, something current into our conversation. This isnt easy for me to say, i hope that the rest of his life he spends doing as much as he possibly can for his children. We dont have bitterness inside. Or hate. Or hate. He was found innocent. Its over. Were walking down the the road of life. Reporter their granddaughter coco is dancing down that road. This month she turned seven years old, cancer free. But alex says big moments like these will forever be tinged with sadness. Graduating from kindergarten, my sons first big hit. Every one of those moments for me, its not the happiest because emilys not there. Shes not there for for them and for me. To share in it. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Now at 11 00. We realized it was neither of us, that somebody came in during the middle of the night. Creeping through the house, rifling through drawers. He got in using a garage door remote. Shady deals, yet another corruption investigation. This time, it may involve a top advisor to governor cuomo. Crime fighting on vacation. Good evening, everyone. We begin with the nighttime breakins. A burglar slipping in while people are sleeping. When you see the video, its creepy. Michael george is in long island