Her life was just beginning. Andrea canning amber made friends for life. There was just no trying with our friendship. It just was. Eaamber made friends for lif there was no trying with her friendship. It just was. That h life didnt last long im on the floor, face down, and she has a plastic bag wrapped around her head. Most people that rob a store dont kill anybody. My whole world just died right there. For months, the murder stayed cold. Didnt have witnesses, didnt have video. We go down and talk to the detective. We wouldnt let it go. Then, a break. Another victim. He would duct tape me. Duct tape my mouth. She knew his secret, would she risk revealing it . Something is going to happen tonight. A killer ready to run, face to face with the one person who might be able to stop him. He just reached over the Glove Compartment and he pulled out the gun. I said please dont kill me. I wanted to get out of there alive. Hello and welcome to dateline. Amber belkin was loa force to reckon with. A petite young woman whose big dreams and omdrive made her see unstoppable. Then, she was found murdered. Was amber the victim of a robbery gone bad or was this brutal crime personal . Three people knew the truth. Two of lethem would risk their lives to reveal it. Heres Keith Morrison with, everything she knew. It was a Monday Morning in january. , 2007. 9 08 a. M. A young woman in san antonio texted her boyfriend. I love you. Thats all it said. I love you. Nothing more. Downtown, the alamo had just opened its doors. A few tourists began boarding little boats to gaze at remnants of Texas History along urban stretches of the san antonio river. Several miles away in the farther reaches of the modern city, the manager of a Video Game Store began his daily ritual. His name was mariano rivera. The managers typically get there ivat 9 00 in the morning. Grab the money, take it with you, and go to the bank. Similar process in the sister store. Same company, not far away. That one managed by the woman who sent the text to her boyfriend. Except this was strange. As the morning slipped by, her store remained closed. Mariano got a call from the district manager. Can you go over there and maybe you can see something . See whats going on. He did. He saw ata white car in the parking lot. Looked like the young womans car. He peered into the store window. Nobody there. And i thought, man, this is strange. Where is she . I kept calling. Nothing. Her name was amber belkin. Tiny, just 52, 100 pounds. But energetic, ambitious, and very much in charge. She was a fire cracker. Thats the easiest way to put it. Matt is in texas politics nowadays. Back then he worked in amber belkins store. She would let you know what she wanted. She was one of the kindest souls ever, that i ever met. It depended on what side you met her on. She loved her job. She did. Monica peck and ashley were ambers best friends. Was she cut out to be a manager . Oh yeah. She was fierce. But she was still friendly. She loved all her employees. She loved all of her customers. She was only 25. She was a store manager. So it was a very good sense of, shes doing it. Shes making something of her life. She had goals. She had ambitions. She wanted to go back to school. She wanted all of it. No the that she set out to work in a game store. She wanted to be a veterinarian. She was just so loving. We couldnt pass a turtle on the road. She would find random animals on the side of the road. Like her little dog, buddy. Ambers parents, lee and randy. She actually ran for buddy across the expressway and the hair was all matted up. Looked like dreadlocks. She said, i cant put it back out on the road. It will get killed. I opened the door and let it in. Amber was their only child. They doted on her, from the day she was born. And she was good in return. She helped anybody that needed it. They didnt even have to ask. She was going to make sure that keyou were protected. Atbut now, where was amber . Why was e her store not open . Why didnt she answer the phone . Early afternoon, still no sign of amber. So again, the district manager called mariano. Something is just strange. Sent him back for a second look. So again, mariano looked in through the big front window, but this time he saw someone. Ambers assistant manager, brandon, just standing there behind the counter. I knock on the door and so he lets me in and i said, brandon, he said have you seen amber . He said no, but something is strange. It looks like there was some kind of struggle or something happened. Things got knocked over. My first thought was, where is amber . He said he didnt know. Of course, right away, im thinking, what is going on with this guy . Clearly sees theres something wrong, he must recognize her car. Thats her car outside, you see it. You see theres things on the floor. Why havent you reacted right away and call someone or check the rest of the store. But he hadnt. So, mariano ran to the back office. The only other room in the store. Not a moment hell ever forget. Not for the rest of his life. And when i run to the back. Amber is on the floor, face down, and she has a plastic bag wrapped around her head. And instantly, i knew what happened. One mystery solved. Amber was no longer missing. But a much bigger mystery remained. Coming up. Most people who rob a store dont kill anybody. Maybe the robbery was just a cover for murder. He had the classic motive. It does seem personal. When dateline continues. And you know i didnt. It makes my running shoe look like new its amazing. Its so good. It makes it look like i have magical powers. Magic eraser and sheets make cleaning look easy. Sorry, party is cancelled. Waiting on the cable internet guy. First, i had cable. But those cords werent me. So he switched to tmobile. Home internet, with 5g. 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Get tickets [ screaming ] get tickets skadoosh. Get tickets Keith Morrison there are some things, which once seen, can never be unseen, amber belken sprawled in death there reare some things whi once seen, can never be unseen. Amber belkin sprawled in death in the back office of a Video Game Store. Her head wrapped in a plastic bag. Mariano rivera dialed 911. His mind horrified confusion. He stared at Brandon Beale. I was angry. I was upset. You know, and then im looking at brandon like, i dont understand. How did this happen . And you know, i dont want to blame anybody, but your first thought is, who was around . Who can you look at and say maybe he has something to do with it. It has to be a shocking thing to discover. Its hard to describe. You have a million emotions running through and you dont know what to make of them. The police came, took one look, and called raymond roberts. Then a detective with the San Antonio Police department. It looks like a robbery gone bad, store is in disarray. The clerk is found in the back office, shes dead. Try to get some information, are there any witnesses . No, sir. Youre telling me to hold the scene down and get the crime scene detectives out there. The news indistinct, unconfirmed, spread throughout the texas afternoon. Someone is dead in ambers store. Most people didnt know who, including ambers father, as he headed over there. I jumped in my truck and i called a friend of mine who is a Defense Attorney and i said, i need you to call anybody that you can to see what you can find out. And i was just about there and he called me and he said, how far are you from there . And thats when he realized it wasnt that amber found someone dead. They found her. And my knees just buckled and i just my whole world just died right there. Thats a pretty dreadful feeling. Its the worst feeling in the world, because you totally realize no one can fix this. Nobody can bring her back. Not for them. Not for her friends. Everything just stopped. Disbelief. Disbelief. Your earth shatters. I sat on the curb and cried. Everything around me was just a blur. Inside the store, Detective Roberts had a look around. Theres a bunch of dvd games on the ground. Where the Cash Register was at the front, the till is open. The drawer is open. Change laying around. More dvds on the ground in the back. Like somebody came in, ransacked it. Ransacked the place and took off, yeah. He went around to the back alley. Was this an escape route . Either had their car out here in the alley, picked up the boxes and took off. Wouldnt think robbing a game store would be worth killing someone in the process. Normally during a robberies, theres just robbery, no murder. This was certainly a robbery, given the mess and the empty safe. We checked the bank. There was no deposit made for that morning. There was 1900 stolen. Three or four big video games, play stations, and ps3, and dvd games. All that was taken. The haul totaled just under 6,000. Maybe the store Surveillance Cameras could tell the detective who took it. Except theres no Surveillance Video in the store. Theres none in the strip center that the store is located in. Theres no video. There was video at the starbucks next door, but it only showed the front door. Thats it. You dont see anything. Who would know that . Who would know it was the video game companys only store in san antonio not equipped with cameras . The answer was obvious, thought the detective, an employee would know. Just like an employee would know amber hadnt taken the cash to the bank yet. Then mariano told the detective about Encountering Brandon and he couldnt understand why brandon didnt look for amber until he, mariano, arrived. His first thought, i think there might have been a robbery. Let me make sure the robbers arent in here, also, let me see where amber is. Just what the detective was thinking. He talked to ambers coworkers. They said she had issues with brandon. They had never learned to Work Together yet and when you have a guy like that who is not really the same type of attitude or mentality that the rest of us were, it causes some problems. Did she trust him . You know, i dont know. I think some instances, no. Even ambers parents said they knew she was dissatisfied with brandon. Because she had written him up. She prepared a negative work review. She was going to turn it in that day. Its just his last chance, mom, she said i cant allow him to continue to make these mistakes. So, motive . Opportunity . Behavior that didnt seem innocent . I mean, he had the classic motive. He didnt want her to write him up. Yeah. Didnt want to get fired. Seemed like a personal crime. Most people that go in and rob a store, they dont have the intentions to kill anybody. Putting a plastic bag on her head, squeezing it tight, takes four or five minutes probably. Takes a commitment. Yeah, no kidding. Know she is struggling. Shes not just laying there. That takes awhile. That takes it does seem personal. They had brandon in the backside of a patrol car. Detective went to talk to him. He tells me a story and its just not making any sense. So he had brandon taken downtown and questioned by a colleague known for her special interviewing skills. Shes a real good detective. She has a way with getting stuff out of people. About an hour later, im at the scene. She calls me back, yeah, something is up with this guy. Coming up. Ambers parents were convinced it was brandon. Everything pointed to him. Would that explain what ambers mom saw at the funeral . He put one of the game stop tag holders that had their id on it. He put one of those in her casket. When dateline continues. When dateline continues. What can you do with sensitive skin . Cetaphil moisturizing Lotion Hydrates for a full 48 hours. Because a lot can happen in 48 hours. Dermatologistrecommended cetaphil. We do skin. 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Amber belkins funeral was huge, as if she had been adopted by the Community Around her. Over 600 people. The ones that couldnt get into the chapel waited in the lobby and in the parking lot. Was that a comfort . A very big comfort. She touched that many lives. They loved amber. They said, we love amber. Asambers parents watched, they could not stop seeing in their heads another scene. The one in the back room of the Video Game Store. The way she was killed. That told me it was personal. She had to be so frightened. And when she tried to pick up the phone, i know it was to call us. And he yanked the phone out of the wall. Was it Brandon Beale . By the day of the funeral, they were sure. We definitely thought brandon did it. Everything pointed to him. Then, as mourners filed by to pay their respects, suddenly, there he was at the funeral. In front of them. Brandon beale. Did you think, my god, her killer has come to the funeral . Oh, he came and shook my hand and i got up and my knees just fell weak and i just fell. Then, said ambers mother, she was sure she saw brandon walk right up to the casket and put something into it. He put one of the game stop tag holders that had their id on it. He put one of those in her casket and i got that thing out of there as fast as i could and put it in a tissue and put it in my purse, because i thought, thats the last thing i want buried with my daughter. Was that id potential evidence, she wondered . Was brandon trying to bury evidence with ambers body . So mom was automatically thinking, it has to be brandon. A week after the murder, Detective Roberts questioned brandon on video tape. Going back over everybody we talked to, trying to figure this thing out. Brandon repeated the story he had been telling from the start. He was nowhere near the store that morning. Got up, let my dog out. Watched sports center. And then at 9 45, i left to go help my fiances parents move. He didnt get to the store, he said, until after 2 00 p. M. , for afternoon shift. And when he got there, insisted it was still closed. So he panicked. Was he supposed to open that morning . Im about to put my stuff in, so i can check the computer. He looks around and sees the dvds on the floor. The cashier drawer open. He sees all this and thought, hmm, he starts going about to open the store. He thought hmm . Yeah, hes not looking for amber. Brandon told Detective Roberts he had no idea amber was in the store. No idea amber intended to submit a negative work review about him that very day. Didnt notice her car in the parking lot, he said. Didnt think the obvious mess in the store meant they had been robbed. You saw the disarray. Yeah. If an employee saw that disarray. Normal person would go in and start looking, something is up. Something is wrong here. So roberts got a Search Warrant for brandons house and car. Maybe they would find some of the stolen dvds and Game Consoles there. They did not. But there had to be something. For weeks, the detective looked for evidence on Brandon Beale. Randy and mom called me 24 7. Every day. Two or three times a day. Brandon, brandon, brandon. Detectives questioned his fiance. Her parents. They scoured his Phone Records. We did everything we could to try to get some kind of evidence on brandon and there was none there. There was none there, because he didnt do it. That alibi about helping his fiances parents checked out. And his Phone Records revealed he was miles from the store when amber was murdered. Finally, Brandon Beale was cleared. Did you at some point think, im going to be charged with murder . Yes, i did. The memory still fresh. I had nightmares of going to jail, you know, it was hard for me to sleep. That terrible day. My whole Thought Process was, i have to get this store open, because i think i screwed up. Why didnt he notice they had been robbed . Some stores are messier than others. Maybe that meant whoever was on the night before didnt put things away. That was my Thought Process. Totally opposite of, hey, theres somebody dead here. Brandon was 23 then. And terrified. Im just thinking, you know, they are trying to put this on this young black man, you know . When they questioned his fiance, now wife. They were trying to convince her that i did it. They would say things to her, how can you sleep with a murder, you know he did it. You are possibly next. When they searched his house. It seemed like a scene out of a movie. Going through drawers, throwing our clothes. They left my house array. Even when he was finally cleared, he said no one told him, nor he was told amber written him up. He agreed they hadnt seen eye to eye on some things. And until we spoke with him, he said, he had no idea ambers mother believed she saw him put something into ambers coffin. Did you walk over to the casket and put in a lanyard or something . No. No. That was my very first funeral. I didnt even get that close to the casket. But brandon is a father now, two kids. So, he told us, he thinks of ambers parents and understands. I couldnt imagine, you know, losing one of my children. If Brandon Beale didnt kill amber belkin, then who did . Coming up. Im sitting at the office, and phone rings. A caller reluctant to give his name, but gives up someone elses. I know who killed this girl. When dateline continues. Shingles doesnt care. Shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. Ahhh, theres nothing like a day out with friends. Thats nice, but shingles doesnt care 99 of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate at any time. A perfect day for a Family Outing guess what . Shingles doesnt care. But shingrix protects. Only shingrix is proven over 90 effective. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. 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Initial reports indicate the plane may have been going too fast when it took a turn on the tarmac. Now back to dateline. Im andrea canning. Brandon beale believed he was going welcome back to dateline. Im andrea canning. Brandon beale believed he was going to be charged with the murder of game store manager, amber belkin. , but detectives verified his alibi and Phone Records placed him miles from the crime scene. Police initially play out a hunch that the culprit must have had a gamestore connection. Now, a call from an Anonymous Tipster was about to breathe new life into that theory. Here is Keith Morrison with, everything she knew. Brandon beale did not kill his boss, amber belkin, which meant the detective had a big problem. We had everything going against us. Didnt have witnesses. Didnt have video. Didnt have dna. Didnt have fingerprints. Didnt have nothing. He went public then, had to. We held a big News Conference with the parents, mom and dad. Pleading for help. Crime stoppers put up a lot of money. Nothing. I was hoping, you know, money talks. 100,000 reward. Its a lot of money. Nothing. We put fliers up all over san antonio. We wouldnt let it go. But as months went by without a single solid lead, Detective Roberts zhang through frustration and into a kind of despair. My girl. She resembled my daughter. Same build, same color of hair. Ambers favorite book, if you give a mouse a cookie, i read that to my daughter a million times. You know, you do this for an extended period of time. You try to distance yourself from it. You got it. The worst mistake is getting too close to it. Yeah. Close to the family, mentally, physically, for the detective. We do that every case, youre no good. Youre burnt out. And then, about seven months after ambers murder. Im sitting at the office. The phone rings. The caller claimed to know something. Whats your name . I dont want to tell you my name. Just call me joe. So i know who killed this girl. I said okay, who . A guy named geovany. I said what makes you think this guy did it . He asked me if i wanted to do a robbery with him, you know, before. I said oh, okay. Fascinating. He used to both work for eb games. I said why did he want to do this robbery . He said there were no cameras. Both of them did work for eb games. So im thinking, finally got a break. The detective asked joe to come in for a talk. Joe told him that at first, he didnt think giovannis request was serious. You dont think your best friend wants to actually go do something. After he heard about amber, it all clicked. Giovanni must have killed her, but how much stock could he put in with this guy, joe . Who was this giovanni anyway . The detective checked for priors. There wasnt much. Had a record as a juvenile. Fingerprints that we lifted from the crime scene. Theres hardly any that are legible. And none was a match. Now youre stuck as an investigator. You have this one witness, and you want to tie the suspect to the scene, but theres nothing to tie him. Theres nothing. I have nothing to hit him on. But worth a try. He brought giovanni in for an interview. It will do damage to my stomach. Of course, he denies it. Im real comfortable thinking you are responsible for this murder. Thats crazy, sir. Was it crazy . No way to prove, really. And then a couple days later, Detective Roberts brought the tipster, joe, back in. This time joe poured it all out, said giovanni actually told him straight out that he killed someone. I was in shock when he told me that. I was like, wow, i was scared, too, because i was in a car alone with him, i freaked out, what is he going to do to me . That was huge. If joe was telling the truth. But, just one guys accusation, no idea how credible it might be. Wasnt much to go on. Still, all they had, so i saw an Arrest Warrant and a Search Warrant. Bring it to the magistrate. She reads it. Says its about time. This was in the news, this was a high profile case. Rich white girl dies at work. People went crazy. Shouldnt have mattered, but people went crazy. They want justice. Go get the Search Warrant signed. Go get the Arrest Warrant signed. Its my birthday. Oh my. Man, its the best birthday present ever. He got a call from his sergeant. He says says ray bob, dont say anything. I want you to do what im telling you to do. Giovanni would not be arrested afterall. Just not enough evidence. The prosecutor had made it clear he didnt want to try him and fail in court. But, the detective still had a warrant for giovannis dna. So he went to his house, unannounced. He opens the door. I said got a warrant for you. Didnt say Search Warrant, didnt say Arrest Warrant. And he sinks. He turned back to his wife and said, im going with them. He was defeated. Head down, shoulders zhang down. He put his hands behind his back. Like he was ready to be handcuffed. He thought he was going to go to jail. Thats a tale. Giovanni gave them a dna sample. I had somebody else take him back home. I called my friends at s. W. A. T. I said, keep an eye on this guy. Sure enough, just hours later, he got a call. S. W. A. T. Calls me and says, hes loading everything. Hes moving. They pulled giovanni over, asked him, where was he headed . Im getting out of here. Giovanni was going to loredo, texas, along the mexican border. Nothing ray bob could do about it. The case went pretty much nowhere after that. For many months. Until there was a woman. She was terrified. And did she have a story to tell. Coming up. A young mother locked in with a killer. He just reached over the Glove Compartment and he pulled out the gun. I said please dont kill me. When dateline continues. You want whats best for them. You are the one i want ohh, ohh, ohh so ask your vet about nexgard® plus. Its oneanddone monthly protection from fleas and ticks. Plus heartworm disease, roundworms, and hookworms. 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A tipster told police that his friend, giovanni rivera, killed amber belkin while robs the store. Detectives believe the story, but didnt have enough evidence to make an arrest. Now, someone else close to giovanni was about to step forward and her chilling tale would blow the case wide open. Here is Keith Morrison with everything she knew. Detective ray bob roberts roared down the highway to loredo. He just gotten a call from the police there. Giovannis wife wanted to talk. Her name was veronica. And what a story she told. I made a dumb choice. I was really young. I got pregnant really young. Still in high school . Yup. She tried to resist him. When she was pregnant. Our family would insist we get married, and i listened to everyone except my own feelings. Once they were married, she said, he demanded sex whenever he wanted it. Whenever he would touch me, i would feel sick and i would tell him to stop. There were times when he would get angry or frustrated and then he would force himself on me. And, right beside Sleeping Children and their one small bedroom. He would duct tape me, duct tape my mouth, duct tape, you know, my wrists to the leg of a chair and just to keep me quiet. I was very afraid. Again, i was young. Much too afraid to tell. While detectives search for more clues in ambers death. One day inin late 2007, as she watched tv, she saw the news of ambers murder. I said look at this. Wow, isnt that crazy . And he just looked and he just said, wow, he mirrored my reaction to it. Wow, i cant believe it. I never thought for one second, like he acted normal that whole time. That is until after the police knocked at their door in the fall of 2007. After joe reported giovanni. After Detective Roberts got that Search Warrant for giovannis dna. We were asleep and it was early in the morning and then we heard a pounding at the door. And you know, that woke us up. That woke me up. Were like, whats that . And he got up first and he went to go check. Then he returned and told her, its the police. They think i killed someone. I was like, did you . Whats it like to hear that . I was shocked and mortified. He says, because i did kill someone. And thats all he said. I killed someone. Who . Why . And im assuming maybe he had an altercation with someone, maybe a friend or some guy down the street. I dont know. Giovanni only said were going to move to loredo, lets go. The next day. A very rapid move. Unprepared. Just fast. Veronica was beside herself. Paralyzed by fear. How do i tell somebody . Do i tell a Family Member . What do i do . I just stay quiet. I was so afraid to say something. And then one night she worked up the courage to ask him a question. I said, did this have anything to do with what i saw on the news that day . He said yes. I did that. That was me. What was that like to hear . I started crying, sobbing, like oh my god. I go, why . Why did you do that . He said, we needed the money. She begged him, turn yourself in. Instead, he went to his mother. She would cry to him, no, please dont go. You dont want to leave your children. They are never going to see you again. Im trying to do it as peacefully as i can, without making him angry toward me. Around dinner time, veronica told him, she had enough. The marriage was over. Then he said, you know what . Lets go for a drive. Lets go get the kids something to eat. Instead, he drove her to a secluded area. Dirt all around, empty. And no people, no one in sight. Thats when he pushed the autolock. The car lock. The car lock, it locked all the doors. Thats when i was like, okay. Something is going to happen tonight. Something is going to happen. Because we were in the middle of nowhere. How am i going to get out of this . And i look over and he just reached over the Glove Compartment and he pulled out a gun. I said please dont kill me. He said, dont worry, just do what i say. Get into the backseat, he ordered. He followed her. And then he raped me back there. And i started crying. I started praying. I wanted to get out of there alive. But it wasnt veronica who would die. It was giovanni. He pulled her out of the car, take the gun, he said, shoot me. I said, i cant do that. Hes like, yes, youre going to do it, because if you dont do it, im going to come after you. And im going to come after the children. Im going to come after your family. And whoever you end up with, im going to come after him, too. So you need to end my life tonight. Joe, i cant do this, i cant kill you. I cannot be like you. I cant do this. She tried to reason with him, she said, told him, if she killed him and went to prison, their children would have no parents. Just said anything i could say to get him out of this mentality. And it worked. He drove home. Told her what she had to do. He had me lay down next to him, made sure i was right there. I was awake all night because i was afraid he would do something while i was asleep or to the children. The next morning, he said, im just going to disappear. He drove veronica and the kids to her mothers house, and he took off. What did it feel like to walk away from him . Im almost there. Its almost over. I run in there and i said, i need to make a phone call. And i need to tell the police what happened. And she did. They said, why did you take so long . I was so afraid. But im here now and im telling you everything i know. Everything that he told me. But now, he was truly gone. A man hunt goes into overdrive and stretches across the border. Coming up. Were in a jail. A cold, stinky, loud jail. Confronting a killer, healing a wound. They were grateful that i said something. That i did the right thing. When dateline continues. And who doesnt love a good throwback . emergenc crystals. Were traveling all across america, talking to people about their hearts. 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Cool right . Amazing. Harness the power of xfinity internet and stay connected to the things you love. Ah, theyll be like this for hours. Hello dad, hello dad, hello da. Uhoh. Good bunnies. Ahh welcome back. Veronica rivera had gone to police with a horrific tale. Her husband, geovany, confessed to her welcome back. Veronica rivera had gone to police with a horrific tale. Her husband, giovanni, confessed to her that he killed amber belkin. He raped her, then begged her to kill him. She couldnt do it and now, giovanni was on the run. Heres Keith Morrison with the conclusion of, everything she knew. The day veronica called police was the beginning of the end for giovanni rivera. Im drafting an Arrest Warrant. Not that easy. All they knew was, the gun is somewhere. Probably mexico. But it was a full six weeks before they tracked him down. Surprised him at a relatives house, sure enough, in mexico. As he played one of the video games he stole from ambers store. Detective roberts finally got his suspect exactly where he wanted him. Were in a jail. A cold, stinky, loud jail. Im Detective Roberts from the San Antonio Police department. All this background noise, Read Giovanni his rights, and he starts talking. Ive had this guilt for a long time. Ive been wanting to turn myself in, but i was putting the needs of others before me. Put the needs of others before me . Really . He says, i need money, he begins. Theres no video. He drives there and he tells me i had tape and a knife. Whats the tape for . Tie them up. He claimed he didnt know it was tiny amber belkin running the store that day. In my heart, i think he knew. Giovanni worked for the game store company, knew who managed the stores, and he knew amber. If he was going to pick somebody to rob, why wouldnt he pick this 52, 100 pound young woman . Instead of brandon, who is big guy. Instead of all these he knew. When he got there, said giovanni. She recognized me, and when i was in there, i asked for the money. I tried to explain to her. Im having some problems. And she said, just take the money. But then, he claims she reached for the phone, so he took her down. Taped her wrists with duct tape. Like he had often done to his wife. Thats when she panicked and she wanted to scream. I covered her mouth and i said, please dont scream. Dont scream like that. Now im saying, i cant do this. Everything i gained, my family. I already hit the point of no return. He put a bag on her head, he said, he squeezed it tight. Around her neck. He held it there. And when she stopped moving, i heard her gurgling. I didnt hear her screaming. I stopped and i said, okay, i turn around and i untied her. I heard her gasp, but she didnt respond anymore. Thats when i left. I already had the money and i put the stuff that i wanted in the pickup so i could sell. I left out the back door. Giovannis story would not be tested in court. He took a plea deal. Murder. Life in prison with parole possible the year 2038. At the sentencing, the belkins confronted the killing of their only child. Was it helpful . It is. It is no. Not for you . He sat back on the constables desk tapping his foot, just looking around. Like, youre wasting my time. It would have been beneficial if i had heard him say, i am really sorry. I am so sorry mr. And ms. Belkin. Amber didnt deserve to die. Im so sorry. What did he say . Nothing. But the belkins did get an apology from someone else. Giovannis now exwife, veronica. Hi. They met for the very first time when we shot this story. Ive blamed myself for not saying something sooner. For waiting too long. And i always felt like they had some anger towards me. But blame her, no. They knew she was a victim, too. In fact, giovanni pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting veronica. They were really nice. They were grateful that i said something. That i did the right thing. We dont have any ill feelings at all. She is a wonderful girl. They are broken, still, and always will be. And they cling now to ambers best friends, ashley and monica. Our adopted daughters, which are ambers friends through thick and thin. They have each named daughters after amber. And they hang on to memories, like gold. Its like you have to put it in a box, and just keep it there for safekeeping. Thats what you have. You hold on to. It hurts. It hurts. Life will never be what it was with her. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im andrea canning, thank you for watching. Good morning, lets get to the