She was brave. She was incredibly brave. Why didnt i know she needed me and she was alone and she was hurt . Nothing was the same after that. Nothing. They found her in the soccer field. The student killed by a single bullet. I hit the floor. I remember the pain. The pain comes rushing back, that someone would shoot my child. Why . This was a small town whodunit. What happened that night . Was the answer in her circle of friends . We are trying to find out why. Became and talk to me. Four fbi agents. He is there and has a gun. How can it not be him . A secret spills out in court. It was a bombshell. It definitely was. I felt my heart was ripped out. Halee rathgeber was barely out of her teens, but to friends and siblings, she displayed hello, and welcome to dateline. Halee rathgeber was barely out of her teens but to friends and siblings, she displayed a maternal instinct. Halee enjoy taking care of others so it made sense that she was studying to become a nurse. What made no sense was anyone could want her dead. The crime scene told investigators little, but a jaw dropping moment spoke volumes. Here is on the outskirts of town. Im eemiles from my family i new york but im driving through place that feels like home. Quaint downtown. The kind of place you feel safe. This is southwest indiana. You can see the early days of the midwest in these historic buildings. Open farmland everywhere. Hometown usa a place for putting down roots. Turn left and county road for 75 then your destination will be on your left. There it is. A gravel lot but a soccer field. A spot to play sports, to hang with friends. Not a place for a young woman to die. It is jarring to think that when a life ends, so much begins. A familys grief and a community shocked. In this case, right here where i am standing, a murder investigation. Heather collins has been always proud of her three girls. Especially, her oldest daughter, halee who even at a young age was eager to lend a helping hand. Theres so many pictures of her holding the baby sister. Taking care of them. Yeah. Shes always leading the way. My kids always wanted to feed the bottle. She was the best diaper changer. A mothers help her and her sisters best friend. With halee she felt safe. She is what you picture an older sister being like. The big protective, dont miss my sisters are all come at you. That continued all through school, even extended to friends. Carly and ansley. She acted like everyones mom because she was so caring. She was tall and all of our friends were short. She stuck out and she didnt care that she was tall. She would wear heels and wedges. We would go places and she would tower all of us which made the mom thing all the more funny. She was the first one they notice. The world was her catwalk . Pretty much. Beautiful girl. Yet. I love that im told i look like her. That is sweet. Her beauty was more than skin deep. Tattoos testified to her strong faith. This is her dad. The most important line was in those last fortunate than we are. I think she grasped that. And drew strength from it, especially in difficult times. One night in particular was a defining moment for young haley. She was 12 when she went to a friends house for a sleepover. That night, the brother of the girl that my daughter was staying with, he was 19 and my daughter was 12. He tried to molest her. At first, she said nothing to her parents. When she learned the man had prayed another girls, her instinct to help lead her to act in a way few her age would have the courage to. She testified and send him to prison. After that, thats when people realized they could always go to halee. She would fix anything and stand up for the weak , less fortunate. It was no surprise when she announced she wanted to continue helping others as a nurse. After high school, she enrolled at the nearby university of southern indiana. I hear she was constantly buried in a book. She worked very hard. Where does it come from . I dont know. She had so much drive and she was going to get it. She was waiting tables at the Texas Roadhouse. That is where she met and started dating isaiah hagan. A shy fellow wager. He seemed nice and he seemed to let haley do her own thing which i like. How did you feel when you saw them together . They were not loveydovey at all which i prefer, to be honest. He joked with us. He took an interest in talking to us which is more than i can say for a lot of guys. It didnt last long although they remained good friends. Besides, 20yearold halee is focused on school work. On a sunday in late april 2017, she was him studying for a big exam the next day. Hours later, the sun was rising and her mom was starting her morning. I was reading facebook and having coffee on a monday morning. Sitting on my porch. High School Across a news article. It was shocking. Police found a body in a soccer field. It says its a young female so i started looking for the younger two because they are in high school. I just want to make sure everybody is safe. Heather founder two youngest. They were okay but halee is not answering her phone and friends told heather she did not show up to take her exam at the university. It is not like her to miss class. Not like her to have her phone turned off. Not like Halee Rathgeber to go missing. Coming up. What had happened to halee . Are you getting a sick feeling . I was sick all morning. I started screaming her name. My stomach dropped. When dateline continues. O started disrupting my day. Td felt embarrassing. I felt like disconnecting. I asked my doctor about treating my td, and learned about ingrezza. Ingrezza ingrezza is clinically proven for reducing td. Most people saw results in just two weeks. People taking ingrezza can stay on most Mental Health meds. Only numberone prescribed ingrezza has simple dosing for td always one pill, once daily. Ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntingtons disease. Pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. Dont take ingrezza if youre allergic to its ingredients. Ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. Report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening. Sleepiness is the most common side effect. Take control by asking your doctor about ingrezza. Ingrezza ayude a mantener nuestras Comunidades Seguras y sanas deshagase de Los Medicamentos que no necesita. Los puede perder, se los pueden Robar O Los Pueden Usar en forma indebida. Guardelos bien y devuelvalos el 27 de abril, dia nacional de recoleccion de Medicamentos Recetados organizado por la dea, administracion para el control de drogas. Encuentre un sitio de recoleccion en deatakeback. Com. Heather collins couldnt get the news out of her mind. That morning, april 24, 2017, local police o Heather Collins could not get the news out of her mind. That morning, april 24, 2017, local police found the body of a young unidentified woman at a nearby soccer field. Immediately, im worried about whose child was this. It certainly wasnt hers. Thats where heather told herself and yet she was worried. She could not reach halee by phone. I called her Friend Ansley and said, have you heard from halee . I know you have her apartment key, can you drive over and see what shes doing . She saw halees car outside the apartment Meaning Halee must be inside. Ansley put the key in the front door. I said halee and started screaming her name. My stomach dropped. I was like, oh, my god, where is halee . Her sister emily was driving to work with a friend. Suddenly, a sense of doom washed over her. I am freaking out somethings wrong. Just Out Of The Blue . I was driving and i said i have to find my sister. Something is wrong. Emily posted a picture of halee on instagram. If anyone hears from my sister, contact me. Friends responded, telling her police were trying to identify a woman found dead that morning. Thats when people started sending me the article. Oh, my gosh. At the time, i said i know youre tried to be helpful, but thats not her. I didnt feel i was in denial. I knew that was not my sister. The sheriffs Detective Paul was just pulling up to the soccer field to begin his investigation. Officers had already roped off the scene. When you pull up, what do you see . A body laying here with a terrible wound to the head. This is a desolate area. When people are playing soccer, its active, but in the middle of the night . Its pitch black in the middle of the night. The nearest neighbor is probably half a mile, Straight Line away separated by trees. The detective could tell the woman had been murdered. Left to die in agony. The coroner would cite the cause of death as a gunshot wound. What did it tell you she was shot in the back of the head . She knew and trusted the person she was with. Could you get a sense of her last moments . The evidence shows she had lived for a while after being shot. You could see it in the gravel . You could. It almost looked like a snow angel where her leg moved back and forth. This was odd. Next to the woman Leia Blue Tie will. Other than that, there was little to the crime scene. Did you find a weapon . A bullet . A casing . No. We had detectives get on their hands and knees with scissors and cut the grass away looking for a shell casing or bullet or anything. We did not know who she was. There was no identification or phone. Nothing laying with her to help identify her. The mystery would be solved soon enough. Heather in a panic, called a friend for help. I contacted a detective i knew. I and getting chills already. I was sick so morning. There was so much anxiety and i did not know what to do. She gave the detective halees name nt forwarded the information to the sheriffs office. Investigators there immediately checked facebook or they found transfer 13 profiling picture. There was a tattoo visible that matched. We were pretty certain at that point who the victim was. Investigators called heather and asked to speak with her in person. She walked into the meeting, dreading what they might say. They said there is a body found. We have identified her as halee. Your whole world is shattered. Nothing was the same after that. Nothing. Every time i talk about it, the pain comes rushing back. How awful, and ive never felt so awful. I remember i did not want to exist anymore. The family was horrified to learn that halee, 20 years old, had been murdered by a shot to the back of the head. That was the most shocking part. Never in 1 million years would i think someone would shoot my child. As you are processing the most horrific news you have ever had in your life that your daughter is gone, do you ask these detectives who did this . They asked me. Who do you think, you know. One name spring to mind immediately. Heather blurted it out. Their eyes, they could not believe what they were hearing. They knew that name from another case and halee new at too. She said what if they want to talk to me . I said you talk. She could be poking a hornets nest and starts making accusations. Sations. S. But then i had open heart surgery. My tip is, find healthy ways to cope with stress, because open heart surgery, its pretty stressful. announcer you can quit. Call 1800quitnow for help getting free medication. Im adding downy unstopables to my wash. Now ill be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. Get 6x longerlasting freshness, plus Odor Protection. Try for under 5 i still love to surf, snowboard, plus Odor Protection. And, of course, skate. So, i take Qunol Magnesium to support my muscle and bone health. Qunols extra strength, high absorption magnesium helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. Qunol, the brand i trust. Hi, im tali and i lost 85 pounds on golo. upbeat music i started golo because i was unhealthy due to my weight. The minute i started taking the golo release, i knew it was working. I was not hungry, and i did not have any cravings. Since losing weight with golo, im healthier now than ive ever been, and my doctor is thrilled. Golo is so much more than weight loss, its gonna give you your life back. Tharon rathgeber never thought hed outlive his own daughter. When they said shed been murdered, he never thought he would outlive his own daughter. When they said she had been murdered, i went to The Dark Side we all have. I wanted to kill myself because i was not there to protect her. It was hard for him to know how to move forward but even in death she was a comfort to her family. Her tattoo that had some 46 5. God is within her and she will not fall. He will help her at break of day. Its difficult to imagine why any human would do anything that horrific to another human being. The detective look for answers with grim determination. Halees murder was not the only tough case weighing on him that april morning. A few weeks before, he and his partner were assigned to look in a suspicious death of a 10 monthold baby. When detective spoke to heather after her daughters death, she revealed something that stunned them. Halee was a godmother of jackson. Their jaws drop. She said baby jackson was the son of halees old school make , jordan. She got the baby to play with without having a baby. A terrible accident. Jackson had fallen downstairs. Halee rushed to the hospital were jordan explained what happened. Her boyfriend, a man at drop the baby down the stairs after tripping over a diaper bag. Jordan was crying and we gave her a hug. I looked at halee and she was looking at me. What are we going to do . They got jordan food i went to her apartment to get her clean clothes. Halee was a, do you know whats weird . The diaper bag is sitting right there. As soon as you walk in, it was sitting by the couch. It didnt look like it had fallen down the stairs. You were thinking we mightve caught thaddeus in a big lie . Yeah. After two days on life support, jackson died. Halee agonized about whether she should tell police about her suspicions. She said what if they want to talk to me . You talk. The more her mom thought about it, the more she worried what would happen to halee if she spoke out. That he is had a bad reputation. Halee could be poking a hornets nest. She could have. Making accusations. Now, halee is dead in heather wondered if her fears had come true. Had that he is killed halee to shut her up . He was licking a serious charges. If i think of someone who had reasons to hurt her, that would be number 1. The day after halee was murder, someone sent her a snapchat video. It was that he is brandishing a gun. I was positive at that point he did it. Heather was not the only one pointing the finger at that he is. Halees knew she had gone to see jordan the night she died. There is these messages the night she was murdered was she was messaging back and forth with jordan. Im going to pick up my wallet from your house. Late at night, the night she was killed. That was the theory and she went and told jordan that he is kilter over it. Investigators decided it was time to find out what thaddeus and jordan knew. That he has refused to talk but jordan did. We did Interview Thaddeus girlfriend and she said they were home all night. We checked out Surveillance Video from the neighborhood and we could see halee come in the neighborhood when she went to get the wallet but we never saw jordan or thaddeus lee. It seemed he had a good alibi and heather buried investigators seemed no closer to making an arrest. The fear was overwhelming. I kept saying, i hope they make an arrest before her funeral. I cant wonder who was hugging me and coming through this line. To they hurt her . As heather prepared for her daughters general, investigators were already talking to someone who would be standing in the line of mourners. Someone close to halee. Coming up. Video from the night of the murder. Police have a few questions for halees friends. Are you thinking, they think i might be involved . Involved . For your most brilliant smile, crest has you covered. laughing nice smile, brad. Nice thanks . Crest 3d white. 100 more stain removal. Crest. This isnt charmin no wonder i dont feel as clean. Heres Charmin Ultra Strong. Ahhh my bottoms been saved with its diamond weave texture, Charmin Ultra Strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. Enjoy the go with charmin. What can you do with sensitive skin . Cetaphil gentle Skin Cleanser does more than clean. It actually protects skin by keeping it hydrated. So youre always ready for the unexpected. Cetaphil. We do skin. You do you. Hey hon. Hey dad. sniffs that smell could be 8,000,000 odor causing bacteria. Good thing adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99. 9 of bacteria that detergents leave behind. Clean is good, sanitized is better. We are hours away from Opening Statements in the Hush Money Trial of former president trump. Prosecution will begin to lay out its case against mr. Trump after the jury was seated last week. It comes as the latest Election Poll reveals record disinterest in the president ial race. 64 of voters said they were very interested in a Trump Administration rematch. The lowest number since 2008. Detectives wondered if Halee Rathgebers murder was tied to another recent death. Welcome back to dateline. I am orandrea canning. Detectives wondered if the murder was tied to another recent death. Her godson reportedly died in a horrible accident. Halee suspected the mothers boyfriend, thaddeus, may have harmed the baby on purpose. To thad killed halee to silence her . Police plan to retrace her final footsteps. A trail that would lead in a surprising direction. Here again is on the outskirts of town. The young people who worked with halee at the Texas Roadhouse were reeling. The shock of her murder, the fear. Later jake allen was one of them. They were going to have a Candlelight Vigil at the soccer field where she was found. I was about to leave my apartment and my roommate told me, theres somebody at the door. It looks like a cop. Investigators wanted to talk to jake about his best friend, isaiah hagan, halees x. They asked what he and isaiah had been up to the night to halees death. Police recovered Security Camera video showing i see a picking her up a little after 10 30. An hour or so later he met up with jake. They played video games and went to walmart where this camera captured them at about 2 00 a. M. There was no sign of halee. Were you thinking they think i might be involved . Yeah. Jake told police he had not seen halee that night, but isaiah told him where he had taken hurt. To a local park a few miles from the soccer field. He said he dropped her off and went his separate way because she wanted to meet somebody. That didnt sound right to jake. I didnt think he would let her be alone at that time of day. He was overprotective. There was Something Else that bothered him. Jake told police that the isaiah he knew had been a stand up guy. Recently, he had heard stories about Isaiah Stealing from people. His roommate told me he owes his rent and stole my tv. I said what . He was on a downward spiral. He had been Borrowing Money too and halee had helped him out. She mentioned she loaned him 600 to pay his rent. Thats a lot of money. Apparently, not enough. Me and halee had been hanging out. She said it looks like somebody took money out of my bank account. She said i can pull up a picture and she pulled up a picture of the check and it said to isaiah hagan for groceries. It was 300. Halee told friend she had forgiven isaiah after he promised to pay her back. Three days after halees death, police decided it was time to talk to isaiah themselves. He sat there and i sat here. What was his demeanor like . Its a big case. He was surprisingly calm. He was very quiet. Didnt show much emotion at all. Isaiah told investigators the same story he told jake. He picked halee up and dropped her off at the local park. What he did not know was that more than one dozen investigators were watching his interview remotely from the next room. They had proof he was lying. They checked park Security Cameras, and there was no trace of isaiah and halee. Cell phone data showed where they had really gone. To the soccer field where halees body had been found. We saw him leave her apartment complex. The cell phones are traveling together. They are definitely together at this point if you go by their cell phones. And they are going straight to this location. What happens to the cell phones once they are here . Her cell phone goes dark and remains dark. His stays on and we see his Cell Phone Leave here and go back to evansville. I see a didnt miss a beat when he was confronted with that information. He insisted he left halee alive and well with her wallet and phone at the soccer field. Investigators question that too. Their Analysis Shows her phone had been in the same location as isaiahs phone hours later when he was long gone from the soccer field. The detective pressed isaiah to explain, moving his chair closer. Isaiahs explanations kept changing. Happened to catch his eye when his headlights hit it. Andrea canning hes just driving along, and there it is . Paul kruse yeah. Andrea canning and does he pick it up . He said it happened to socat his eye when his headline hit it. He was driving and there it is . Does he pick it up . Thats what he said in that version. Where was the phone now . Isaiah said he threw it out his car window, but that didnt make sense. After the body had been found, saying are you okay or something. He knows she will never get the message because he threw her phone out the window. He was establishing a alibi . The detective raised the heat again. He tag teamed with other investigators to get isaiah to confess. We are trying to find out why you did this. Why . I didnt. I would never hurt halee or do anything to her. Isaiah stuck to his story. It was 3 30 a. M. When investigators finally let him go home. Jake said an fbi agent told him to keep clear of isaiah. He did not know what to think. Hes never been an aggressor. He has never been temperamental or violent. You must of had conflicting feelings because something is bothering you and yet you dont think hes capable of murder. Coming up. Was isaiah really behind this . It seems a leap to go from forging checks to coldblooded murder. Blooded murder. Tide pods childguard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. To close, twist until it clicks. Tide pods childguard packaging. i did just pay 60 less for my ticket with the gametime app. its the best place to get lastminute deals on tickets. i guess im just a better fan than you. Crowd Cheering ive got to get the gametime app. download the gametime app and use promo code viva to get 20 off your first purchase. download the gametime app and as his father, iiva poured everything i could into that young man. And to even be considered to have committed asked his father, poured everything i could into that young man. To even be considered to have committed such a heinous act to another person was just inconceivable. Isaiahs father was dumbfounded when police told him his son was a suspect in Halee Rathgebers murder. He and his wife, a Corrections Officer who worked for the sheriff said isaiah had always been a good son. He was pretty shy as a kid. Goodnatured. Happy. Easy to get along with. Eager to please. Everyone loved him. They said they raised isaiah to put his faith first. The family went to church several times a week. There are other love was sports. Isaiah was a gift a Soccer Player and scored a partial scholarship to college. He talked about wanting to be a teacher and teach athletics. They did not know much about his relationship with halee. They didnt realize how much she meant to their son until he told them she died. He was very distraught. He was collapsing to the floor and we caught him. Police believed isaiah was a coldblooded killer who shot halee from behind and then robbed her. They hold them to the station again. Isaiah asked to speak to his mother, donna, the Corrections Officer who had brought suspects to these Interrogation Rooms for years was allowed to see her son alone. All i could do was hold him. I felt extremely helpless. Whatever they talked about, donna would not tell detectives. Isaiah stop talking too. Police were convinced they had the right suspect. They charged isaiah with two counts of murder and one count each of robbery and obstructing justice. When the trial began in the summer 2018, the prosecutor knew proving the charges would be difficult. His case against isaiah was largely circumstantial. This was not a slam dunk. The Prosecution Team lead every up dess laid out every piece of the puzzle. We wanted to show isaiah was the last person to see her alive. He lied about her cell phone and he had Money Problems. He did a lot of things to cover his tracks. The prosecution presented the most explosive piece of evidence they had. Gwinnett investigators found when the search the phone of hagan. We were able to locate a towel from the home that was actually the same make and model of the towel that was located at the soccer field. There was Something Else investigators discovered, he owned several guns and one was missing. Did you think that maybe isaiah took it . It would not be something we would suspect. He did not like guns. He wasnt comfortable around them. The prosecution said isaiah owed his father cash and the night halee died, he sent a text to his son. Got the money yet . We know he left 210 for his dad the next morning. One of the things that seem somewhat weak matas the motive. We are talking a couple hundred dollars . To just kill somebody . I have prosecuted cases where someone was killed for less than they. It seems like a leap from forging checks to coldblooded murder. Its not the usual situation. It was not the usual situation because it did not happen. That is what i say is Defense Attorney said. He argued the prosecution had been fixated on isaiah from the start and build a case out of gases and nothing more. No physical evidence. They had no gun. They had no bullet or casing. The blue towel investigators found at the crime scene . Dna testing on the towel showed none of Isaiah Hagans dna was present. There was one thing plain to see. Isaiahs lies in the interrogation video. The prosecution played the entire 9. 5 hours of it to the jury. Anytime somebody says something the state contends is not true, you have to try to understand the dynamic of where it was said. He noted detectives questioned isaiah aggressively for hours and used infiniti profanity and invaded his face and intimidated him. Maybe he theorized isaiah simply lied to make them go away. Were you worried the jury would hear lies and thats going to trump everything is . This guy is lying. Why should he believe he didnt kill her. We had no confession first and foremost. Isaiah never said anything like i killed Halee Rathgeber. If he did not kill her, who did . The defense pointed to thaddeus rice, the man halee suspected of killing jackson. He was eventually found guilty of neglect of a defendant and reckless homicide. At the time of halees murder, he was roaming free. Had he been worried that halee at evidence against him . She knew about the suspicious circumstances around jacksons death. He and jordan were the last two to see halee other than isaiah, we believe, based on information we were provided in discovery. It seems curious that for some reason, they were not pursued. According to the defense, there was other evidence that showed isaiah could not have killed halee. After her cell phone stopped sending a signal before 11 30 on the night she died, it had mysteriously turned on about four hours later and pinned of his cell phone cell tower near the soccer field. When that happened, data showed isaiah was miles away. At the time her phone came back on and started traveling, it was nowhere near isaiah hagan. He was in a different county so he could not of been pinging of the same tower. And he thought it meant someone else had halees cell phone the prosecution insisted isaiah had the phone all along. It looks like it powers pack the at the soccer field but we have the theory that when you power your phone off, hits in the last hour it was off when it powers down. Is that exact sensory theory . It is a theory but we have found zero evidence there was anyone else involved other than isaiah hagan. Prosecution and police believed she was shot before isaiah left the soccer field. s alibi doesnt hold up because she was dead. Thats hard for me to understand because there was testimony by the coroner that he could not determine a time of death. Halees friend who attended the trial watched with growing uneasiness as the defense poked holes in the prosecutions case. Every day my dad would ask how the trial went. Every day. We are not going to get this conviction. It was that bad . It was that bad. And then a bombshell . Coming up. A stunning moment in court. Isaiahs mom on the stand. What would she reveal . Wanna know a secret . More than just my armpits stink. Thats why i use secret whole body deodorant. Everywhere. 4 out of 5 gynecologists would recommend whole body deodorant, which gives you 72 hour Odor Protection from your pits to your sfx deoderant being sprayed secret whole body deodorant. terrie if youre a smoker. I have a tip for you. Make a video of yourself. Before all this happens. announcer you can quit. Call 1800quitnow for help getting free medication. Ill be honest. By the end of the day, my floors. Yeesh. But who has the time to clean . Thats why i love my swiffer wetjet. Its a quick and easy way to get my floors clean. Wetjet absorbs and locks grime deep inside. Look at that swiffer wetjet. My Mental Health was better. But uncontrollable movements called td, tardive dyskinesia, started disrupting my day. Td felt embarrassing. I felt like disconnecting. I asked my doctor about treating my td, and learned about ingrezza. Ingrezza ingrezza is clinically proven for reducing td. Most people saw results in just two weeks. People taking ingrezza can stay on most Mental Health meds. Only numberone prescribed ingrezza has simple dosing for td always one pill, once daily. Ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntingtons disease. Pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. Dont take ingrezza if youre allergic to its ingredients. Ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. Report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening. Sleepiness is the most common side effect. Take control by asking your doctor about ingrezza. Ingrezza hink taking a few of about ingrezza. My buddys pain pills would be that big of a deal. Holding on to an old prescription . Who cares . My grandma wasnt going to use those pills anyway. It wasnt a problem. Our stories are different, but the outcomes are the same. You could save someones life. Its time to take back your unused or expired Prescription Drugs before they end up lost, stolen, or simply misused. Help keep our Community Safe and healthy at deas take back day, april 27th. Help keep our Community Safe welcome back. Isaiah hagan was on trial for the murder of his exgirlfriend, Halee Rathgeber. Welcome back. Isaiah hagan was on trial for the murder of his exgirlfriend Halee Rathgeber. Prosecutors argued his Money Problems and the web of lies he spun to investigators proved he was the killer. The defense countered that detectives intimidated him into telling those tales. Soon, someone close to isaiah would take the stand and revealed an explosive secret. Here is the conclusion of on the outskirts of town. As each day of trial past, Heather Collins became less hopeful. There was no direct evidence tying isaiah hagan to her daughters ski murder. No gun. No dna. No eyewitnesses. Nothing to prove isaiah was a killer. I was at the point where i was prepared for him to be walking the streets. The prosecutor urged patients. We knew we did not have enough evidence to convict at that point. Thats why you go to the end. There was one person he one of the jury to hear from. Donna, i say is mom. The prosecutor had no idea what she would say on the stand, but he had reason to believe that isaiah confided in her the day at the Police Station about the night halee died. The mom takes the stand as a reluctant witness. Yes. Would a mother reveal something he told her in confidence . Tell us what happened. I dont remember what question was asked, but the answer that she gave was that isaiah had told hersh he had shut halee and did it accidentally. With those words, donna turned the trial upside down. Instead of defending her son, she pointed the finger at him. That almost doesnt happen in tv dramas because its too hard to believe. Truth is stranger than fiction. Isaiahs attorney could not believe what he was hearing. I started sweating. I felt like i had been sucker punched. Did she just torpedo your defense . Yes. She said something we did not expect. As i sat there in that moment, had no idea how to address it. No one saw it coming. It was probably the first time everyone cried. It was an amazing gift. The judge called for recess and cleared the courtroom. All sides left to absorb the enormity of what happened. Heather drove to the soccer field to reflect. She on his trail dashed halee by wearing the same tattoo her daughter once had. The prosecutor one home, humbled by a womans confession. I dont know that ive ever had more faith in the words coming out of somebodys mouth then a mother that would actually say that against her son. You almost look like youre getting emotional. I am getting emotional. The Defense Attorney got straight to work. He needed a new plan to save his client. When court reconvened, he called donna back to the stand. His goal, to show the jury she could not be believed. On cross examination, she admitted that she believed that if the jury heard that isaiah said it was an accident, they could not convict him of murder. You think perhaps his mother had said these things so her son could get perhaps a lesser sentence . Yes. The problem is the genie is out of the bottle and the jury cannot then hear what she said. How do you overcome that . I think it goes back to, we have no confession. No direct evidence. No dna and we have no other significant piece of evidence that is compelling. In his closing, he made the same arguments to the jury. The damage was done. It only took the jury four hours to find isaiah hagan guilty on all four counts against him including murder. Thats the most relief i have felt since it all happened. All i wanted forever was just to get justice for her. But they were angry. They didnt believe isaiah shouldve been convicted of the most serious charge against him, murder. You were in the courtroom for the verdict . Yes. What is that like for you two . I was in disbelief and devastated. How did we get here. How did we get here . I know its not right. I know this is not right. Their pain was compounded when isaiah was sentenced to 60 years in prison. On appeal, the court ruled three of his four convictions relied on the same evidence in what amounted to double jeopardy. His Robbery Conviction was reduced to theft, a misdemeanor, and one of the two Murder Convictions was thrown out. On the remaining count, the jury verdicts stood as did isaiahs sentence. We want him to know that we love him. We are going to be there for him no matter what. We will always love him regardless what anyone has to say. He is my son. As long as im living. This is a special place. We came here a lot when she was little. Heather doesnt want to think anymore about isaiah hagan. She comes to this park to think about halee and the good times they had here is a young family and the woman she could have been. I dont think any of us have come to terms with what happened. Shes really gone. You think she will come walking back in the door to pick up her laundry. Emily picks up the phone to call her big sister. Only to have the reality come crashing down. Only to be left with one sad, unanswerable question. Why did isaiah do it . I wonder how he could do Something Like that. Why was he so desperate to hurt someone so kind . There is no one who could say she wasnt the most giving person so why would you not ask . If you wouldve asked her, im sure she wouldve given you the world. World. Im andrea canning. Thank you for watching. This sunday, wartime support. The bill is passed. After months of delays, republican speaker mike johnson