questions, and i'm the only one that can answer those questions. >> this isn't about him anymore. it is about all of us. >> i have spent half my life working with the criminal justice system, and i have seen lives devastated by violence. we like to imagine that after the verdict the story is over, the victim and the offender are never meant to meet again. but for some, the only way to move forward is to come face to face with the person who shattered their lives. i'm here in twin lakes, wisconsin, population 6,041. people live here because they expect it to be peaceful and safe for their kids, but the chaos comes here in the form of this opoid crisis. and this town was torn apart by a horrific accident in june of 2013. nathan walters was killed by somebody high on heroin. i want to meet with nathan's mother, michelle. she's a veteran teacher in a local elementary school. she wants to meet with the man responsible for her only son's death. and i want to find out why. good to meet you. >> good to meet you, too. welcome to twin lakes. >> good to be here. it is so massive i got lost several times. how long have you lived here? >> 24 years. >> i grew up in a small town. wasn't this small, but when a bad thing happened, everybody knew about it. >> i have had too many student funerals i have had to go to. we are a gateway between chicago, milwaukee, minneapolis. the interstate system is a breeding grounds for opoids. i talk to my kids about this all the time. you have to make good choices, and your choices have consequences. and if one child changes their mind because they see my tears or they understand what my family has had to go through because of somebody else's bad choices, then it's worth my time. and it's worth my effort and it is worth my tears because my kids are worth that. all of them. >> tell me more about nathan. >> my son was part of an extended family of boy scouts. he was an eagle scout. he had just had his eagle scout ceremony a month prior to this accident. he was an old soul. he liked going fishing with his grandfather, and he liked talking to his grandfather about the why things worked, and he liked fi e ed fidget with locks. >> need help? >> i suppose. >> which would look better with this dress? >> i don't know. regular boots. >> nate was 22 months older than me, and i would always give him crap we'd only be a year apart for two months. a lot of my childhood was me trying to prove i could do things my brother could. so i followed him to cub scout and boy scout meetings. in high school he became wrestling, and i became a wrestling manager because i was like, oh, well, i can do this, too. >> there are about three things we did. it was family, faith and football. there is only one team, green bay. >> love you. >> bye! be good. be careful. bye! >> the day of the accident was pretty busy. we were all getting ready to go on vacation the next day. nathan had to go down to the neighbors and mow their lawn. >> and my brother didn't want to hassle anybody to put the trailer back on the truck to go get him. >> so he road the lawnmower back. >> it was about a mile from our house to the house where he was mowing the lawn. >> and the doorbell rang, and there was a sheriffs deputy at the door. >> and he told my dad that nate had been in an accident and had been flight for lived to children's hospital in milwaukee. >> we knew it was very serious, and we had no idea if he would be alive or not when we got there. >> he had a brain injury, and his brain was swelling. >> you're just kind of in a state of shock. you pray a lot. you hope a lot and you just assume that things are going to be okay. >> after about a week and a half in the icu, they told us if he woke up he would not be the same person. >> they told us that his organs were starting to shut down and he was not going to come back. and so we made the decision to remove life-support. >> going through all of that was really, really hard, and it still is. and then they turned off the ventilator and then he was gone. and my mom cried in my lap. >> i hope that i continue to work towards some kind of peace, and i know that my husband finds peace in his own way. but it is just not through this type of process. grief is just one of those things that everybody has to find their own way, everybody has to find their own journey. >> sometimes we talk about this as an accident. when you think about it, do you think about it as an accident, what happened to your son? >> no. i don't think it is an accident. the offender was traveling down the road, hit nathan from behind. nathan was thrown off the lawnmower and landed on the pavement. the offender was high on heroin. and when i read who the offender was, i remembered him as a student in one of the classrooms that i worked in. >> you recognized that name? >> oh, i recognized the name and i close my eyes and see his face. i could tell you where he last sat in that room. i had a yearbook from 1994, and i showed my husband. i said, that's him. that's who hit our son. >> why do you want to talk to the man who is responsible for this? >> i want him to understand that nathan was not just a part of a four person family. there is a hole in this community and no amount of jail time will fix that and if he does this again or he doesn't fix what's broken, he will cause more pain to more people. i care about what he does in his future because he took somebody great, and now the only place i can see him is in a cemetery and in pictures and in memories. that's it. and he took that. it's either testing an array of advanced safety systems. or it isn't. it's either the peace of mind of a standard 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through may 31st. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. we've transformed this home to show the keurig k-café brewer makes any house a coffee house. just pop that in for a coffee or brew a shot and froth milk for a latte or cappuccino. easy peasy. now she's a barista! it's so frothy. a little piece of heaven. thank you. but how's the coffee? 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-poof -- you're a burger. [ laughter ] -everyone acts like their parents. -you have a tattoo. -yes. -fun. do you not work? -so, what kind of mower you got, seth? -i don't know. some kid comes over. we pay him to do it. -but it's not all bad. someone even showed us how we can save money by bundling home and auto with progressive. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents. but we can protect your home and auto. we're out here at thompson security center. it is like a minimum security facili facility. but we're going because the man who took the life of nathan is there. he's been away in prison for two and a half years. i want to talk to him. i want to see what he wants to get out of this meeting. hey. how are you, sir? >> good. how are you? >> this looks like a prison. >> it does. >> somebody might actually be able to get their life together in here. >> they can. if they want to. >> if they want to. >> yes. it's their choice. >> howdy. >> how is it going? tom. >> so this does not look like a prison. >> it is pretty nice here. i mean, it's smooth. >> still not home, though. >> it's not home. >> coming to prison was a huge eye opener. knowing that i was an instrument to someone's death. >> just walk me through what happened that last night. >> i worked all day in the city of chicago putting in water mains. i got off around 5:00, cashed my check. i got the drugs. i used. and then i drove home. i remember i got to willmont to fill up with gas. i think i got a candy bar. so i go past the airport in wilmont, hit the four-way stop, climb the hill. there is a steady climb of a hill. this is june. i'm heading west. i'm heading into the sun. i have driven this road a million times. when i hit the top of the hill, it crests and starts to go down again. as i crest the hill, i hit something. i wake up, my windshield cracked, my air bag in my face and i look up the road and i see there is -- i hit somebody. somebody riding a lawnmower in the middle of my lane, which i found out after i saw the tire marks in the road before i got in the ambulance. i mean, i didn't see him. the detective said, this isn't your fault. but we're going to need to take your blood and then take a statement. >> i knew i had used before the accident and i had fabricated a story. then they let me go home after the hospital. and at that point, the only thing i knew what to do was to get high, to escape from what just happened. >> in the back of your mind, you got to know you are going to get a phone call based on that blood sample. >> eight months later, they came with my blood test results, and i told them i had used before the accident. and then eight months after that, they came with a warrant for my arrest. >> help me understand this addiction. tell me about that a little bit. >> it's been a rough road. i mean, i think it becomes an estate for what you can't have. in such a small town, there isn't that much to do. i grew up playing baseball at six years old. that was my passion when i was younger. but i was caught with marijuana in school and that ended my sports career, if you would, in high school. and that's where i got into hard drugs. you go to enough parties, you are with older people, the harder drugs just show up. when i was 23, i started using heroin. them four years it was a gradual increase. it would go from using once daily to using a couple times daily. and then the amount just kept getting bigger. i just felt like i couldn't stop. and then there was the overdose. my heart rate was one beat per minute. they shot me up three times to get me back. i think i was like, i want to say, 24 or 25 maybe. so that was my first od. >> you know, i had a friend who died using fentanyl, which is like an open yesterdoid. why has this taken on such momentum? >> the drug is like -- you ever see spiderman 3 when he puts on the venom suit and he's trying to get it off and he can't get it off? that's what it does to you. it will grab a hold of you and it won't let go. >> when you meet nathan's mom, what is the best thing that could come out for you? >> i hope she could accept my apology. could have been anybody driving the road at that moment, but it was me. so i have to take responsibility for my actions. but the way i feel, i don't think he should have been on the road either. and maybe a different scenario would have played out if i wasn't on drugs or if he wasn't in the road. >> you know, somebody hearing you say that might say you are not taking full responsibility. you are taking half responsibility. so his mom might hear it that way. how do you measure the way that might land for her or for anybody? >> well, it is a what if game. and i don't want to play that game. but if you want to talk about it, it's not 100 to 0. >> i mean, it's going to be a challenge, though, because, on the one hand, you want to offer the apology. on the other hand, you said it is not 100 to 0. how do you imagine that she's going to receive that? >> i don't know. ♪ ♪ discover new san pellegrino essenza. a twist of mediterranean flavors, with the gentle bubbles of san pellegrino. add a twist of flavor. san pellegrino essenza. tastefully italian. another wireless ad. great. so many of them are full of this complicated, tricky language about their network and offers and blah blah blah. look. sprint's going to do things differently. and let you decide for yourself. they're offering a new 100% total satisfaction guarantee. try it out and see the savings. if you don't love it, get your money back. see? simple. now sprint's unlimited plan comes with one of the newest phones included for just $35 a month. so switch now. for people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay.com the wifi that set just raised the bar again. introducing xfinity xfi advantage. it comes with everything you love about xfi. the best speed, coverage and control. but it doesn't stop there, you also get enhanced network security, safer browsing, and more. plus it helps to optimize your network's performance. giving you the best coverage from attic to basement. so you can focus on streaming your favorites. not finding a signal. make the best wifi even better,with xfi advantage. simple, easy, awesome. good morning. >> morning. good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> good morning. how are you? come here. >> good morning. >> we attended a methodist church for the last ten years. they have been there for everything. they're the glue that holds everything together. this is in memory of nathan walters. it's been there since he died. >> i think it is going to be more emotionally shocking than we can even predict. >> oh. i'm not sure we'll ever be prepared for it. >> carla is my support person because she has been through a lot with me. we raised our kids together, and the boys were in scouts together. they were phenomenal friends. and i feel honored that she's willing to go with me. >> the ripples that this has caused, you know, go out and out and out into the whole community. he changed everything for a lot of people. hopefully the outcome will be positive. that's what my faith tells me, and i try to believe that every day when i wake up, that he deserves forgiveness and the ability to go on. >> we pray, oh, god, that you would fill us with your spirit and set us on fire to help bring about the world you intend where there is reconciliation. >> you are a person of faith. do you think you have forgiven him? >> i would like to say that i'm a work in progress on that. i think that a lot of people think that that's something that you can do very easily. and i wish i could say that that's done. but when you have to let go of your child, it doesn't go. so i work on it and i hope some day i'll get there. >> we're here in wisconsin. it is restoerative justice. what does restorative justice mean to you? to me it looks like this idea of having an opportunity to bring together victims, offenders and community as a complete alternative to the tradition system or use it to supplement the traditional system to use forward. >> how do you see this? i mean, i met both parties now. she's outspoken and she's clear, and he's still, i think, kind of finding his way to find out how much responsibility he wants to take. >> you take people where they're at. we spent a lot of time preparing both individuals. it is an opportunity to experience healing. >> i think a lot of times something terrible happened. it is about forgiving and being able to move on. what is the role of forgiveness in this dialogue? >> well, forgiveness is a very personal choice. it means something very different to different people. so thinking about this case, is it possible? sure. but the chief motivation is making sure that nathan's life, you know, means something and that thomas, in a way, has to live for two people here. he has to live for himself but he also has to live for nathan because he was responsible for his death. >> hey, mom. one more day, yep. >> my mom just, you know, she loves me to death. and, you know, she feels like she didn't protect me or she always thinks that she could have done something different. she's been there from day one. two weeks after the accident, my father had came and got me to bring me back home, and it was kind of like a mini intervention. they figured out a plan to help me out. and that was the first time that i wanted help. my rock bottom was someone having to die to get me to open my eyes. i went to rehab. i went to florida for 60 days. i have been sober for almost three and a half years. i mean, considered i'm in prison which makes it a lot harder to be around drugs. but that time counts. >> this does not look like a prison. it is almost like a park or a university campus. how much of this is the rehab part? >> i look at it like they're giving you enough rope to hang yourself. and this is the test. >> do you imagine that she still has anger toward you? >> i do. but i think just us coming together to have a meeting and a conversation shows the willingness to forgive. >> i don't think we entirely registered how his death would change our family until we got home and there was an empty bedroom. >> i'm not sure that he understands now the gravity of what he has done. >> she could be coming to forgive. she could be coming to give it to you. what are you going to do in a situation like that? point certi. or it isn't. it's either testing an array of advanced safety systems. or it isn't. it's either the peace of mind of a standard 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through may 31st. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. (airport pa sound) ♪ i see your face looking into my mine ♪ ♪ and all of these doubts run through my head ♪ ♪ can you be with me meet acqua panna a water with a perfect mineral balance for a smooth taste. thanks to a unique journey through the nature of tuscany. ♪ i feel much better acqua panna. meet the smoothest taste on earth. in every trip, there's room for more than just the business you came for. ♪ this wave is rolling let's get going ♪ ♪ we've got places to be ♪ hey-ey-ey whether that's taking in every moment... ♪ ...or capturing a moment worth bringing back. that's room for possibility. ♪ let's see how far we can go-o-o... ♪ (burke) at fso we know how ton almost evercover almost anything. even rooftop parking. strange forces at work? only if you're referring to gravity-and we covered it. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ all right. well, we're getting close. >> yes, we are. >> so first, how are you feeling as we get within a few days of this? >> i mean, i'm anxious. i'm ready to get it past me and to move forward and end on a good note here, you know? i have been meeting with alex, corin and jonathan for almost eight or nine months i want to say. >> you are the superstar law student? >> i guess. >> to try to help this situation get somewhat right. >> we're excited about it, yeah. >> we're really looking at this wholistic approach towards lawyering. >> what about this particular program was appealing to you? >> i mean, this is kind of what was missing in my eyes in our criminal justice system, is the idea of actually looking at what was the harm and how can we prepare it both in the individuals affected by it and the community at large. >> what is it that you are most concerned about? >> just the acceptance, i guess. hopefully i can give her what she's looking for and ultimately we walk out with a sense of peace. >> yeah. she really just wants your honest -- just to be honest. i think that's the biggest thing. she just wants the truth. >> that's one of the things. can i trust or believe what he's saying, right? if he doesn't take ownership of this, how am i able to believe everything else that he's saying? >> restorative justice means taking a cup that you slammed on the ground and trying to glue it back together. it is never going to be completely whole again, but you can give it your best shot. >> it's the last family photo we took. this is going to be emotional, painful. everything is painful. >> has that feeling gotten stronger the closer we have been to this? >> it's pretty steady. i want to hold him accountable. i don't think he's shown responsibility yet because he's confined. >> of course. >> when he gets out, i hope that he understands that people are not going to keep quiet if he does make mistakes. >> we talked to him many times about things will be different. but actually coming back to town and what steps are you putting in place? and that's something that he needs to talk about. >> it's going to be a long day. >> yeah. >> every day that i have been in here in prison, i have thought about what their family must be going through. >> i want him to be very clear about what he did, what he took and how he plans to honor my son. >> of course i'm anxious. there is always going to be a certain fear of the whole situation. >> dear heavenly father, please be with michelle and give her peace. please be with tommy so his heart and softened and he's free to hear all she wants him to know. amen. >> amen. >> i don't know if mrs. walters has any anger towards me. i won't know until i get into the room. >> how do you prepare yourself for staring across the table to somebody that has taken the life of your child? i'm not sure what my reaction will be. anyone can go fast. but, is fast enough? or, do you want speed and style? introducing performance, born of refinement. the lexus rc line. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. it's a revolution in sleep. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now during our memorial day sale. it senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. it even helps with this. so you wake up ready to hit the ground running. only at a sleep number store. save $1,000 on the new queen sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, only $1,799. plus, 0% interest for 36 months. ends monday. sleep number. proven, quality sleep. 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you wouldn't accept a litfrom any one else.n. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase relieves your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. flonase. chicken! that's right, chicken?! candace-- new chicken creations from starkist. buffalo style chicken in a pouch-- bold choice, charlie! just tear, eat... mmmmm. and go! try all of my chicken creations! chicken! all right. before we get started, i just want to thank everybody for taking the time and all the effort you put into preparing to come to this space today to have this conversation. okay? >> well, this journey started for all of us on june 14th, 2014. that's only where this nightmare altered my life. my world of teaching started in 1994. i became a teacher's aid. i worked with special education students in second or third grade. you were in third grade. i need you to understand that you stole dreams from my family. my son never graduated from high school. he will never have a wedding. my son will never rock his children to sleep, tell them the same bedtime stories as his father and i told him. my husband and i will not spoil my son's children. these are all choices that you took from my family. i'm here to see if i can find any peace. >> i wanted to do this because i want to look you in the eye and tell you that i'm sorry for your loss. there isn't any day that i don't think about that day. and throughout the court process, i didn't take accountability. i lied my way out of things, and that's what i was accustomed to doing. when the crash happened, i wasn't ready to be honest with anyone or even myself. i knew i was doing things wrong, and i couldn't -- i couldn't -- i couldn't stop. being clear minded now and looking back at what i used to do and what i used to be and what i caused your family, i don't want to be that person anymore. i have better things to offer than being a junky from twin lakes. >> since we sort of moved into it, i think it might make sense actually to talk about tom's addiction. >> i started using drugs in high school. a girl in the study hall got money stolen out of her purse. they searched everyone in the classroom that day, and i happened to have drugs on me. >> am i allowed to say something? you are still saying it was because of these other reasons. you need to get to the place where you take responsibility. do you understand? >> yes, i do. >> because you will never heal if you don't take full responsibility for it yourself. >> you're right. i almost died and i didn't even twice to use again. that's how powerful that drug is. >> again, that's where you're missing it. it is not the drug that's powerful. it's what's broken. and that's what you need to figure out. i mean, yes, nathan is gone. what would have gotten you there other than this? what would have gotten you to the point where you said, i need to change? >> i don't know. to answer that honestly, i don't think -- i don't think at that ra rate, i don't know. >> this isn't just for my son who is not here and never took drugs, never smoked, anything. this is for my 23 years worth of kids i watched bury. they turned to those drugs because they can't fix something. you have to figure out what's broken in that third grader because he's still there, and i still see him. t isn't. it's either testing an array of advanced safety systems. or it isn't. it's either the peace of mind of a standard 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through may 31st. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. another wireless ad. great. so many of them are full of this complicated, tricky language about their network and offers and blah blah blah. look. sprint's going to do things differently. and let you decide for yourself. they're offering a new 100% total satisfaction guarantee. try it out and see the savings. if you don't love it, get your money back. see? simple. now sprint's unlimited plan comes with one of the newest phones included for just $35 a month. so switch now. for people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay.com ♪ ♪ discover new san pellegrino essenza. a twist of mediterranean flavors, with the gentle bubbles of san pellegrino. add a twist of flavor. san pellegrino essenza. tastefully italian. you know those butterflies aren't actually in the room? hey, that baker lady's on tv again. she's not a baker. she wears that apron to sell insurance. nobody knows why. she's the progressive insurance lady. they cover pets if your owner gets into a car accident. covers us with what? you got me. [ scoffs ] she's an insurance lady. and i suppose this baker sells insurance, too? progressive protects your pets like you do. you can see "the secret life of pets 2" only in theaters. you figure out what was broken in that little boy because i know the answer to the question. the point is you need to figure out what was broken in that little boy. >> that's what i'm working on right now before i get released. and me and you talking is part of the process. i need this. i needed to hear that. >> do you have a plan that when you get out and you say you're not going to use, that's a real tough thing when you get back into an environment when you have access to it. >> my plan is to keep this good momentum going. >> it also helps to see the road blocks. >> if there's a beer over there and i'm at a party and they're drinking maybe i'm not. >> maybe that's something for them to think about. if you don't tell them what you need in order to be successful then their life has gone on and i had to figure that out as nathan has been gone. i've had to tell people the right way to talk to me and the right way to act around me. they don't know what they don't know. >> it was hard. to replace things that he last touched. those things were and are horrible and sometimes i can hear his voice, but it's the things that you forget that are real hard. >> i'm sorry. what hopes do you have for one another going forward from this? >> sobriety, success, and fix what's broken. >> i just hope you get just be the same person you are now. you're wonderful. and i just hope you can forgive me. >> i hear you. >> above my pay grade. >> i want to thank both of you. thank you for coming today. and for the work both of you put in to get to this point and frankly, a lot of work yet to come. >> thank you. >> how are you doing? >> it's tough. >> is it what you were expe expecting? >> not at all. >> what surprised you? >> just the way she is relating to me, you know? >> one of her big things is that she wants something positive to come out of this. she wants you to do better. >> my mom is the same way. >> there was just grace in this room. >> you know, maybe like meeting her is an extra push. >> right. >> like knowing who you're going to be held accountable to, you know? >> yeah, exactly. i just want her to know that i'm really serious. and i don't plan oncoming back here. >> that is the tree and when nathan saw it he said we can buy the house now. >> can i give you a hug? >> yeah. of course. >> you did something really spectacular. >> wish you all the best. >> thank you very much. >> i hope to get to forgiveness one day. i hope so. god forgives us every day. he asks us to do it all the time. if i am able to get to forgiveness, then i can see nathan. live from the cnn center here in atlanta, thank you for joining us. we are waitin for u.s. president donald trump and japanese prime minister shinzo abe to host a news conference from akasaka palace in tokyo. the two leaders have been meeting to discuss trade, military ties and north korea. during remarks a short time ago the president said relations between the u.s. and japan are the strongest they have ever been and that washington's relationship with north korea has come a long way. >> a lot of things are happening. a lot of