she was shot in broad daylight. i was absolutely astonished. >> he was somebody special. it was so tragic. >> how does that happen? >> there are many possible suspects here, when you look at the gucci family. >> there is so much hatred, resentment, and the anger. it was like warfare. >> she was trying to strong-arm him. >> she had the power. she could never forgive what he did to her >> they called her the black. which >> they called her a sorceress. >> they thought that they were doing all kinds of crazy things. >> he was afraid. >> the name, the money, defamed, the drama. >> there is no life that does not have a price. >> in the heart of milan italy is one of the most prestigious shopping streets in the world. to step through the heavy glass doors means crossing the border from the ordinary, and the mundane, into luxury, privilege, and glamour. >> really, it is the world that so many people aspired to live in. >> once upon a time, just a few blocks from this fairytale world of gold fringed dresses and thousand dollar handbags, haute couture gave live to hatred. beauty became betrayal. >> the story makes a greek tragedy look like a children story. >> it happened, one morning, in march, in 1995 when a man, rich beyond measure, a man in love, strolled into his office, and greeted his dorman with a smile. then, his worst fears were realized, as he was assassinated, in a hail of bullets. >> he knew that they were plotting against him, to put him out. >> the murder that occurred on the carpeted steps of this luxury building was so brazen, so infamous, then another red carpeted world took notice. >> this is more than dynasty, it is more than dallas. i'm just so surprised at his taken more than two decades to arrive on a movie screen. >> lady gaga, adam driver, i'll pacino, starring in the movie house of gucci, a murderous saga, taking place behind the catwalks at luxury stores, but perhaps, the most famous fashion brand of the mom. a saga that, at its heart, as a cunning, and vindictive villain who, some say, had no heart at all. what was noteworthy about the killing is not how it happened, but who it happened to. the victim was 46-year-old maurizio gucci. the former ceo of the sprawling gucci empire. a celebrity, and third generation of scion of one of fashions most notable families. >> when the news came out that maurizio was shot, in broad daylight, in downtown milan, it was absolutely shocking. >> sara is an editor at bloomberg, and the author of house of gucci. the book the movie is based on. >> this is not the type of thing that happened, ever, in milan. it just didn't happen. it was a prosperous business, and financial center. the thing that made it more sinister was it was not clear who would have done such a thing. maurizio was such a charming, charismatic, nice man. there was no sense that he had enemies. >> maurizio that morning, on march 27th, as he did on every morning, was just walking to his office. >> he is an nbc news correspondent, based in italy. he was born and raised in milan, living in the city when gucci was murdered. he says that maurizio began that fateful day, just like any other. with a polite hello to his norman >> they said hello, hello, they greeted each other, and just as maurizio was walking up the stairs, a man came in, and shot him, in cold blood, twice in the back. maurizio fell on the stairs, turned, was shot again, and then he finished him off with a shot in the head. >> what about the door man? we'll see there? >> the door man hit behind the door. he saw it all, but was trying to hide. as the killer was coming out he saw him, at the last minute, and shot him to. he didn't want to leave witnesses. >> sounds like a professional hit job. >> more like an execution. >> the murder was shocking, because even to those unfamiliar with the world of high fashion, gucci was a household name. it was the brand that made the phrase, made in italy, famous, around the world. it's fancy handbags, and loafers, a sign of style, and prestige. >> news spread like wildfire. everybody here, within minutes, news that mauricio had been shot. this place was packed, and people came to see what had happened. >> it was a crime scene? >> still, there was bullet markers on the floor, bullet markers on the staircase. here, there was cameramen, there, you had photographers. then, the entire world would see, eventually, the body of mauricio gucci, coming out, being paraded, essentially, in a way she, on a gurney >> the investigation into maurizio gucci's murder, and their world of luxury, and glamour, into the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. exposing how gucci's rise to fashion, lori, took a steep, and sudden fall with jealousy. double crossing, and, ultimately, violence. >> coming up -- >> he was somebody special. somebody i never thought i would have the honor to have known. >> a bold killer, in broad daylight. who could it be? >> it was difficult to understand. it was difficult to justify. >> you had no initial suspicions as to who is behind it? >> no. it was so farfetched, you don't even ask yourself, who would do it? >> when dateline continues. let's get real clear. if you have psoriasis and are experiencing joint pain, it could be psoriatic arthritis. both are believed to be caused by excess inflammation inside the body. get real with your dermatologist and ask about real clear skin, today. get real with your natalie morales: maurizio gucci, a prominent, larger >> maurizio gucci, a prominent than life member of the world's most famous fashion member of the world's most famous fashion family was assassinated in broad daylight, in milan. his family, and friends, process assessing their disbelief, and their grief. >> i'm going to cry. he was somebody special. somebody i never thought i would have the honor to have known. >> sherry met maurizio in 1984, at a sailing regatta. >> he was wearing white jeans, and a blue shirt, and i will never forget it as long as i live. he had his famous aviator glasses. i remember, one day, asking an american friend, who is this guy? they said, sherry, that is mauricio gucci. >> sherry knew maurizio as reputation by a powerful, and wealthy man. once i got on the boat, she found him to be unassuming, and humble. >> he didn't have champagne --, and water, and i was in heaven. i really enjoyed being with him. he was just so playful. >> i would always remember him with a big smile. he was always positive. >> he had one spin his business partner, and advisor, couldn't believe the news. >> it was difficult to understand, it was difficult to justify. >> you had no suspicions as to who is behind it? >> i never asked myself, who could it be? he was so farfetched, and you don't even ask yourself, who would do it? >> the mantra task of figuring that out, was carlo. an experienced prosecutor who, nonetheless, had never investigated a high-profile murder. as soon as he had arrived at the scene, he learned, even though the hitman shot the buildings or man, miraculously, the door man survived. the gunman had only shot him in the arm, leaving a witness alive. >> translator: the dorman tried to give us a sketch of what he looked like, but he only saw him for a few seconds. he was terrified, trying to protect himself. the reporter could not focus on the appearance. >> but, he did have information about the gun. >> the door man noticed the length of the gun was unusual. the door man heard the shots, single shots is silencer. the shot so muted. >> despite this telltale detail, the prosecutor decided, this was not a professional hit. >> no, exactly, a professional killer would have killed the norm and, because of the proximity. the killer would have shot him in the middle of the head. he wouldn't have missed. >> so, who was the gunman? why had he killed maurizio gucci? investigators knew when it came to murder, the motive was usually love, or money. >> the first thing we thought was to follow two separate leads. family, and business. >> but, the prosecutor realized, quickly, when your name was gucci, family and business was often the same. >> the gucci name, now, is a brand. but it was born just a very simple name of my great grandfather, guccio. they opened a little shop in florence in 1923. >> patrizia gucci's maurizio niece, and the author of a memoir about her famous family. she played, as a child, on the floor of the gucci factory. inhaling the smell of leather, as artisans, expertly, crafted it into the world's hottest accessories. >> a lot of love, and passion. especially for their job. they put all passion, all creativity, all energy, and their life. >> what started as a small factory, began to grow, first throughout italy, then europe. before long, gucci conquered america, too. beguiling the rich, famous, and powerful. patrizia still remembers an envelope that her grandfather sent back home from new york. >> with a check inside. signed, john fitzgerald kennedy. so, my grandfather was so proud of this. >> maurizio was born into this proud, and talented family, in 1948. his mother, tragically dying, when he was just five years old. he was raised by his father, rodolfo, a former silent film star, inheriting half of the family business. >> it was a relationship, always, where he was told to do things. he had to do them in a certain way, that he was a gucci, and therefore, needed to adjust to a cliché. there was never a moment of, sort of, contact. which is, what i think, he missed a lot. especially not having had a mother. so, his father was, potentially, the one who gave him the affection, and the rational behavior, but he only got the rational behavior, without the affection, and with a lot of toughness. >> maurizio did what his father expected of him, but all of that changed at a party in 1970 where maurizio met a chic, glamorous young woman named patrizia. >> she loved good style, she was ambitious, and she had been pushed by her mother to not only marry well but to marry a big name. >> patrizia's stepfather owned a successful trucking business, so patrizia had money but she lacked the social status, to which the gucci's belonged. nevertheless, maurizio fell head over heels for patrizia and proposed to her on their second date. >> she was incredibly beautiful, she was compared to elizabeth taylor. but i think it was actually her personality that made her very dynamic. >> dan wickford was peoples magazines editor-in-chief. >> she's very fun, very funny and very clever. she knew what she wanted and she went out to get it. so she wanted to get to that next economy of society and she met maurizio and found her way. >> she found her way but she found love too, right? there was a true love story. >> it felt like a love story. i love story turned very romeo and juliet when rodolfo actually said he didn't approve of patrizia. >> maurizio's father became even more dramatic when his son told him that he proposed to patrizia. >> he was very concerned over patrizia and how she spent money and how she wanted to lead her life. >> domenico who was gucci ceo -- and confidant. did he view her as a gold digger? >> yes, you can describe it that way, yes. >> and even gone all the way to the cardinal of milan to ask him to prevent the marriage from happening and the cardinal told him, no, if they are in love, we cannot do anything to stop them from wedding. >> desperate, rodolfo gave his son an ultimatum. it's either her or me. the choice maurizio made would be life-changing. but in ways he could not foresee. >> coming up -- >> she reminded me of joan collins. she was dripping in jewels, and makeup, and heels. >> she was a person who was very used to getting her way. >> love or family. which would maurizio choose? >> there was a lot of anger and frustration, and jealousy. this was not a friendly family environment. >> when dateline continues. heart failure and seemingly unrelated symptoms, like carpal tunnel syndrome, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat could be something more serious called attr-cm, a rare, underdiagnosed disease that worsens over time. sound like you? call your cardiologist, and ask about attr-cm. even the most chill of parents know when it's time to go into protect mode. nothing kills more viruses on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. ♪ with gold bond... you can age on your own terms. retinol overnight means... the smoothing benefits of retinol. are now for your whole body. plus, fast-working crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. gold bond. champion your skin. rsv is out there. for those 60 years and older protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. i chose arexvy. rsv? make it arexvy. this holiday season, give them a gift they will love from their head to their mistletoes blendjet 2 gives you ice crushing power on-the-go. so you can blend up a delicious smoothie, protein shake, or cocktail anywhere. blendjet 2 is usb rechargeable. and best of all, it even cleans itself. what are you waiting for? go to blendjet.com and take advantage of our massive holiday sale! natalie morales: it was ana battle for the loveur of maurizio gucci. in one corner, patrizia reggiani, the up and coming socialite who had captured his heart. >> it was a battle for the love in the other, maurizio's domineering father, of maurizio gucci. in one corner, patrizia reggiani, the up and coming socialite what captured his heart. in the other, this maurizio is dominating father who believed patrizia was only in it for the money and the name. not only did rodolfo not approve, didn't he give maurizio an ultimatum? >> he said it's either me or her and love did prevail for maurizio. he chose to marry patrizia. >> rodolfo was furious, he refused to come to come to the wedding. in fact, no one from the gucci family came to watch the happy couple walk down the aisle. finally, after two years of their estrangement, maurizio lead's on coal persuaded maurizio and his father to reconcile. then he persuaded maurizio to come to new york and work for him. >> go to 100%. >> so although was the marketing and expansion genius of the family. he opened the first store in rome, the first story in new york, the first story rodeo drive. he had a vision for how good she could be an empire. >> aldo used to say that my family is like a, train i'm the, train their the caboose. >> they moved to manhattan to where he learned hard from uncle aldo. while she gave birth to two daughters. she also began to make an impression on high society. >> she was always perfect. makeup was perfect, and she had beautiful jewelry. she's always impeccable. i can tell you she was a person that was very use to getting her way. certainly she got away with maurizio. he was bending over backwards to accommodate whatever she wanted. >> whatever she wanted she got? >> yes. >> by the early 1980s, gucci was firmly established as a must stop for the rich and famous. with 60 luxury boutiques around the world, the company had become an empire. as investigators explored maurizio's rise to the top of gucci, they learned maurizio and patrizia were both reveling in his success and the richest brought. >> that this phenomenal penthouse apartment in the olympic towers. they were the gucci couple around town. everyone knew who they were. >> new york's new power couple strutted their stuff at famous celebrity haunts like studio 54. >> at this point, patrizia is really enjoying life. she loves everything that's going on in new york. celebrities, fun, money, parties, new york is all about that. >> there was a famous interview that patrizia did and she talked about her lifestyle. >> patrizia said i would rather weep in a rolls-royce than be happy on a bicycle. which is just crazy. it's sums her up, that she is fascinated by luxury things. >> maurizio was too. he bought a ship called the creole then the largest wooden sailing boat in the world. jerry loud was an avid sailor who helped him renovate it, stir it into bow. >> we bought shape skin from japan. we traveled in art and mostly denmark. he liked the turkish and moroccan tiling. we went to -- to buy all the glassware and design all the dishes. >> their renovation came five years and the cost, $25 million. >> i think he was used to luxuriant surrounded himself with as much as he could. because he was brought up that way. he lived that life. and i don't know if he had any boundaries. it didn't occurred to him. >> maurizio started sponsoring sailing teams and races all over the world. he brought patrizia who didn't quite fit in. >> maurizio what arrived by helicopter and often she would accompany him and she reminded me of joan collins. she was dripping in jewels and makeup and heels, it was not appropriate because you're sailing. you are in sneakers, and jeans. and she would stand there and, i don't even know what she was thinking, but she would not participate in the out all. she seemed above it all and can be bothered by it. >> patrizia not only strutted her stuff in high society, she did it at gucci to. >> she tried to make decisions for him as far as who he would work with and tried to steer him in the direction that she thought the company should go in. that's how she was using her marriage. she wanted more money. more, and more, and more, and more. >> so maurizio had described his father as being domineering, but then he marries patrizia who turns out, she seems to be domineering as well? >> that's for sure. i think she was more domineering than rodolfo. >> when rodolfo died in 1983 and maurizio inherited half the company, patrizia's wish came true, her husband was finally on top. >> obviously maurizio is upset that his father died but he left him in such a strong position. >> now, maurizio had more shares in the company than anyone else, even his uncle and mentor aldo. but when maurizio tried to exert his new power, aldo slammed on the brakes. >> there was a lot of anger and frustration and jealousy. this was not a friendly family environment at all. >> investigators wondered, did the ensuing fight for the heart and soul of gucci lead to murder? >> coming up -- >> it could transform a caress into a scratch. >> inside the empire, infighting and intrigue. >> the animosity was so severe that the italian press would say instead of g is for gucci, g is for "guerra", war. >> i witnessed that on many occasions. >> and maurizio on the run. >> he called me he said, you couldn't believe what happened to, me he said the weed she is here, they're coming for you, you have to leave now. >> when dateline continues. an appeals court that has claimed four blanket immunity allowing civil trials brought by capitol police officers and others to proceed. a judge then issued a similar ruling in terms of federal criminal case. tributes are pouring in for the first female justice of the supreme court, sandra day o'connor, who died friday at the age of 93. former president barack obama, who awarded o'connor the presidential medal of freedom in 2009, praised her for being a trail blazer. now back to dateline. back to dateline maurizio's murder, they wondered, did his sudden rise ♪ ♪ ♪ to power at gucci ruffle any feathers, especially those >> as investigators were searching for clues that would bring them closer to solving maurizio's murder, they wondered did his sudden rise to power a gucci ruffle any feathers? especially those of his preening uncle aldo? >>so aldo wasn't really ready or willing to give up control because, you have to realize, aldo was gucci. he was gucci and gucci was him. he was the engine. he had b