reload his gun. haile, coming into the house, looking for her cousin. so, she comes in, and goes right to the basement. starts walking down. and that s when he shoots her. here, on the recording, is what the prosecution says is a pivotal moment. in his interview with investigators, byron had said he felt threatened by haile. and that she had been laughing at him, when he fired. she laughed at me. but on that audio recording of the shooting, which again, we have edited, the prosecution says haile clearly sounds terrified. oh, my god. she s screaming, in a high pitch. saying, oh, my god, oh, my god. and after he is done shooting, this is what byron says. bitch. those, in court, saw byron smith wipe away tears as the audio played. there was stunned silence saved for the quiet sobs from nick and haile s
coming up a grainy image captures a clue. is that nick? you see him, on different cameras, different angles, walking around the house. is that haile? when dateline continues. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it s from the most reliable 5g network in america? (vo) when it comes to your business, not all bars are created equal. so switch to verizon business unlimited today. twas a wintry day, and at ihop quite soon hot cinnamon apples would be coaxed with a spoon on the fluffiest french toast with red currants on top we wish you a happy holiday, only at ihop. new gingersnap apple french toast, part of our new holiday menu. try all three flavors. the virus that causes shingles is sleeping. in 99% of people over 50. it s lying dormant, waiting. and could reactivate. shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks.
the shooting, sergeant luberts was surprised at how calm and matter of fact he was for most of the interview. you would think, after such a horrific event, shooting and killing two people that broke into your house. that he would be very emotional. maybe, crying, at times. i didn t notice any of that, from byron smith. he just maintained his composure, which was rather odd. much stranger, still, the investigator thought, was byron s account of what happened a few-minutes after he shot nick. haile entered the house and byron fired, again. it jammed. trigger clicked and she laughed at me. i just pulled out the. 22 and shot her. if you are trying to shoot somebody and they laugh at you, you go again. was haile really laughing, as he shot her? to the sergeant, it seemed like such a bizarre detail. and then, byron told them this. i thought she was dead, and
motivation of having friends. and wanting to please friends. the evidence appeared to, all, be there. clearly, captured on that surveillance video. nick and haile had broken in, and byron smith seemed to have every reason to be afraid. the impression that he kind of left on me was that he was living in fear. he was not sleeping. it was, obviously, bothering him, physically and and emotionally. at first, even nick s mom, while she didn t want to believe much of what she was learning about her son, try today imagine herself, in byron s shoes. i don t believe that breaking and entering is right. and i don t wouldn t have expected it out of my son. it looked like a tragedy, all around. two intruders and a fearful homeowner, with no choice but to shoot them. we know you have a right to protect your home, and to protect yourself. but a quick survey of the scene told sheriff wetzel that the teenagers were unarmed. as with any shooting, it would require more investigation.
out of camera range, shatters a window and enters the house. minutes later, the camera shows another, hooded figure. this one, carrying a purse and a cellphone. it s haile. on the video, it shows the female had come walking through the yard, up toward the house. all on tape, clear as daylight. but why? what were nick and haile up to that day? they both went to my school, at one time. dylan lange is the son of byron s friends, john and kathy. in little falls. you know, your regular, high school crowds. like, the jocks and the goth kids. then, you have a group that is misguided. dylan didn t know haile well, but says, at school, nick was no angel. what did you know act those about those two teenagers? i knew that nick was aggressive. he would be the kid, who would push up against the locker. kind of a bully? right. he was a bully.