Sgt. Nichole Sipes’ work on the homicide case led authorities to file charges last week against husband. Written By: Mara H. Gottfried / St. Paul Pioneer Press | 2:44 pm, May 23, 2021 × St. Paul Police Department Sgt. Nichole Sipes, right, talks about the investigation as Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, left, and Deputy Chief Don Benner, center, look on during a news conference at the Ramsey County Attorney's Office in St. Paul on Thursday May 20, 2021. Police arrested Nicholas James Firkus, 38, of Mounds View, Minn., on suspicion of murder in the 2010 homicide of his wife, Heidi Firkus, in St. Paul. (Craig Lassig / Special to the St. Paul Pioneer Press)