Did a fight that night lead to something much worse . I knew that ashley wouldnt take her own life. A troubled woman or a troubled marriage . That wound on the back of her head isnt where she could do it herself, tom, it is not. Oh, bull [ bleep ] it is not. Bull [ bleep ] suicide or murder . I didnt do this. I just knew that my whole world is never going to be the same again, ever. Im lester holt. This is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with after the party. Reporter what is so optimistic as a party on new years eve . What night as hopeful, as full of anticipation, as the clean slate midnight brings . It was a small new Years Eve Party. Just family and friends. Reporter disappointment is inevitable, of course, clean slates, no matter how ardenly desired, are messy all too soon. We noticed that there was a lot of alcohol out. Reporter still, we celebrate possibilities and drown past sorrows. And watch the clock that ticks toward our new beginnings and our ends. On december 31, 2011, an hour north of denver in west evans, colorado, ashley and tom fallis, surrounded by friends and family, danced to the music that brought them together, their wedding song. They decided to get up and dance in the middle of their living room and reporter everybody watching. With everyone watching. I dont reporter kinda romantic. I think i said, oh, this is sweet. Reporter it was their party, ashleys and toms. Shed invited her coworkers like andrea. It was casual. But she verbally told everyone at work, like, you should come. Reporter they worked together at a Rehabilitation Hospital where ashley was a respiratory therapist. She was crazy, nice. [ laughter ] reporter crazy . Just spunky. Yeah, just full of energy. She was just she was a happy person. Laughed a lot and joked. Reporter their friendship was new. Andrea didnt know a lot about ashley but had listened to her chatter about jobs and marriages and her three kids, the youngest of whom was born with a dangerous condition called lifethreatening fluid buildup in the brain. She talked about it a lot. Reporter did she . Yeah. But i didnt get the impression that she felt burdened by it, by any means. Like, i felt like she i mean, that was the cards that she was dealt. Reporter well, in fact, she embraced the challenge, said ashleys mom jenna, became a public advocate. She went to washington, d. C. In the fall of 2011 to speak before congress for funding for hydrosef lus. So she had a full plate. Reporter so did tom, for that matter. I like tom. He was pretty good guy, very intelligent. Reporter Jeff Rodriguez was toms boss at the weld county jail. They were corrections officers. He was a good employee. He had a son that was sick, so he did miss more work than what most fellow officers liked. Reporter stressful, draining thing, caring for a sick child. So, maybe their new Years Eve Party was a way to hope for better times and take a break, too. Ashleys adoptive dad, joel, was at the party. There was dancing going on. People were having a good time. Reporter and ashley seemed to be having a fine time, said andrea. She and tom seemed to be getting along fine . They seemed to be getting along fine. Reporter thats when ashley and andrea went off into the kitchen, had a little party of their own. What were you drinking . Jungle juice and jello shots. Reporter ive heard of jello shots. Yeah. Reporter but whats jungle juice . Just juice of whatever kind i i and then vodka and everclear, whatever kind of hard alcohol. Reporter oh, my. Yeah. I was having a good time. I intended to have a good time. Reporter there was one unusual thing, though, said andrea. Ashley had just gone through something kind of awful. She found out that she had a miscarriage that day. I said, oh, im sorry. Like, are you okay . Reporter did that strike you as odd . No. I didnt think that it was odd. Reporter was she unhappy about the miscarriage . My impression of it is she already has her booef beautiful family. It seemed like her life was already complete. So i dont think that she was devastated that she had found out that she had a miscarriage. Reporter no tears, andrea said, just a quick, casual, mention and then the conversation moved on. Went on to talk about other things. Went on to talk about other things. Probably went and got another reporter jello shot. Jello shot. Reporter midnight arrived. There were as there always are, kisses and smiles and toasts. By 12 30, the party was over. I gave her a hug. Told her bye. We talked about future plans. Reporter how did she seem . Happy. Reporter but, oh, how quickly the new years clean slate darkened. As an uncle prepared to leave, ashley asked him for a bit of his marijuana to smoke later she said. Tom, the Sheriffs Department employee, was furious, and reminded ashleys family that her employer required regular drug tests. Was it the alcohol that amped up the family screaming match . Whatever. Ashleys parents had their own recollections. He walks by me. And he says that he hated us all and wished we would all bleeping die. And he went into the bedroom and slammed the door. Ashley came out of the bathroom and was just kind of, like, whats going on . And were like, were going to leave. And then shes like, hey, im having a Super Bowl Party in a couple weeks, you know, dont forget about that. Reporter but ashleys parents were rattled. They drove away then pulled off to the side of the road to talk. Ashleys mom sent a text to tom. And im like, you know, hey, theres kids in the house. Calm down. Reporter which arrived as their young granddaughter was involved in quite another discussion with 911. Can you go open the door and let the officers in . [ screaming and crying ] its open, its open. Reporter the new year was less than an hour old and off to a very bad start. When we return chaos. It was shocking. A frantic race to save a life. What happened in that house . I just knew that my whole world is is never going to be the same again, ever. Can a toothpaste do everything well . This clean was like pow. It felt like i had just gone to the dentist. It just kind of like, wiped everything clean. My teeth are glowing. They look great. They are so white. Crest hd 6x cleaning. 6x whitening. And at two weeks, superior sensitivity relief to the leading sensitivity toothpaste. I actually really like the two steps crest hd step 1 cleans, step 2 whitens. Its the whole package. No ones done this. Crest healthy, beautiful smiles for life. How canlike springtime . Washed 12 weeks ago and still smell unstopables inwash scent boosters. The more you pour, the more scent youll savor. 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Yo, icet its lemonade, man fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. Unlikeso babies can sleeppampers stasoundly all night. S drier, pampers. 2012 was not even an hour old. New years celebrants had only just poured themselves into their cars to head home. And in a little house in west evans, colorado, it was already the worst year ever. 911. Whats the address of your emergency . My wife just shot herself in the head please help me please help me reporter the man on the phone was tom fallis, begging for help, and willing his wife to live. No sir . Youre staying here sir . Youre staying here reporter tom told the dispatcher, she shot herself, and then he put the phone down. He was holding his hand to her head, trying in vain to stop the bleeding. So, he had his 9yearold daughter pick up the phone. Honey, are you there . Yes. Okay. Can you go open the door and let the officers in . Yes. Okay . Mommy got shot. Okay. Were going to help her. I need you to open the door. Reporter Brian Spencer was a weld county sheriffs deputy back then. He arrived within minutes to discover that the local police, the evans police, had beaten him there. I believe there was three there ahead of me. And then there was more sirens, lights. You could hear them coming. Reporter thats a pretty fast response. Very fast. Reporter and this bit of news was going around fast, too. This was a sheriffs employee, a jail employee. Reporter not that that should matter. The effort then was save Ashley Fallis life. This was recorded by a Police Body Camera, shows the paramedics arriving. Chaotic . The scene, very. Frantic. The officers located Ashley Fallis somewhere in the home. Reporter the local police took charge. They asked Brian Spencer to watch the front of the property. And thats when, from his post on the front porch, he saw tom. Thats him in the background in the white tshirt. He was pacing around in the front yard and front sidewalk area. Frantic, screaming. Reporter screaming what . Do you remember . I heard him say, shes dead. A lot of mumbled stuff. He would put his hands up over his face and screaming and crying. Reporter by this time, ashleys parents had pulled off the road home to talk and worry about the fight that ended the party. When they heard the sirens, saw the lights flash by, headed that way something automatically felt bad and i whipped a uturn. He didnt even have the car stopped and i was out, running to the house. Reporter were you able to go and see ashley . No. I could hear what was going on. I had all three kids and they were just crying and crying and screaming, and im crying. It was just crazy. It was like a nightmare. I can see blood splatter on the wall, the master bedroom wall. Reporter what was it like . Chaos. It was shocking. Reporter did you understand it was your daughter . Yes. I do recall just being hysterically upset and crying. And thinking that, this cant be happening to my daughter. This cant be happening to us. But, yet, it was. Reporter inside the master bedroom, ashley was alive, but the wounds to her head were catastrophic. The Police Body Camera shows officers neili inin inin ining e floor, trying to stabilize her condition. Paramedics went in and they made a decision to do whats what we call a load and go. Which means theyre not going to spend any time doing life support stuff. Get her on the cot and get her out and go. Reporter ashleys mom, jenna, huddled with her grandchildren in a neighboring bedroom, listening to it all through a closed door. Is there any way to describe what its like for a mother to number that situation . No. Your brain does funny things. I just knew that my whole world is is never going to be the same again, ever. Reporter outside, Brian Spencer watched tom pacing back and forth. Crying, talking to himself. I notice hes wearing a white tshirt. And hes covered, i believe it was on his left side, in a large amount of blood. Reporter it was odd, brian thought, that Evans Police Officers didnt take toms clothes or bag his hands for gun gunshot residue. He still had evidence on him. And he needed to be preserved. He needed to be controlled. Reporter he needed to be processed. And clothing removed, everything. Reporter but thats not what happened. Not at all. And soon after ashley was rushed off to the er, tom got in the back of his squad car and was driven away. But surprisingly, it would not be to the hospital. Coming up, tom tells his story. I heard her gun cock. And i looked up and i was like, what are you doing . But police dont seem to believe it. That wound on the back of her head isnt where she could do it herself, tom. Its not. Oh bull in the first cold, dark hours of 2012, Ashley Fallis parents followed an ambulance to the hospital and caught up to her in the icu. We walked into her bleeding out of everywhere. Reporter there wasnt really any hope. They could see that. She was going to die. I just sat down and held her hand. Reporter but tom wasnt there to hold her hand. Tom fallis was at the evans police station, answering questions. I dont know whats going on. I have no idea and thats why im asking to speak with you. Reporter it was 2 00 a. M. And tom was still wearing bloodstained clothes, the ones a sheriffs deputy thought should have already been bagged as evidence. How is your relationship with your wife . Really good. Reporter but, said tom, ashley was devastated when she miscarried the very day of her new Years Eve Party. It was hard for ashley, it was hard for me, but i didnt think that there was getting to this point. Reporter still, at the party itself, said tom, she seemed all right. She got on fine, until the argument about the marijuana. Tom admitted he was furious at ashleys family. Said he was trying to protect her and they werent. I told ashley, i was like, you dont need to get high. I was like, if whatever happened today with the miscarriage, i was like, it happened. I was like, you know what, blooep your mom, [ bleep ] everybody. Reporter so, there was no love loss between tom and ashleys parents, that was clear. And tom admitted that he and ashley kept arguing as they got ready for bed. And then he turned around and went to the closet, he said. And it was all over. So when i was in the closet, i heard her gun cock. And i looked out. I was like i was like, what are you doing . And before i even had the chance to finish my sentence or close the door there was smoke. I heard it and it was just smoke. [ sobbing ] i just ran over to her and i just grabbed her hand. Reporter tom told detectives that, sadly, he had been worried about just this sort of thing for more than a year because ashley had threatened suicide before. What was she saying that she wanted to do to herself . Just that she just wants to end it. Shes like, you and the kids will be better off without me. And so she just said those words but she never acted on anything. No. So how long never once, never once has she ever grabbed her gun, has she ever loaded, it has she ever made this type of gesture whatsoever. Reporter by this time, while the doctors tried to save ashley, tom had been answering questions for hours. I have to ask these questions. And i have to understand what your i know, but what your relationship is. But the problem is, is ive been here since freaking 2 00. Now it is already 5 00 and i dont know whats going on with my wife. Reporter about then, the detective noticed Something Else about tom. The scratch mark thats on your chest. What is that . Where . You have like a look, red scratch. What is that . Oh, probably ive been doing this all freaking night. And then okay. This one was going straight across here. Oh. I dont know. Its just me. Its not okay. I just had to ask. Reporter the detective left the room and spoke with ashleys parents whod arrived with the purpose of telling officers just one thing. Their daughter did not shoot herself. We had just seen her seven minutes before this. She was completely fine. You know, she wouldnt do anything like this. Reporter she was in good spirits when they left, they said. She was already planning her next party. But tom . Hed always had an awful temper, they said. I always was afraid he was going to hurt her, always, always. Reporter why . What about him . His temper. You you cant go from zero to 100 and think clearly. I think that he was just in a fit of rage. And he shot her. Reporter armed with that new information, the detective went back to talk to tom and zeroed in on those scratches. Officers had given him something clean to wear so they could collect his bloody clothing. You have scratches on your body. Okay, you see this . This is a shaved chest. Do you know how bad this hurts and itches. So when im sit,there i do this all this is actually her blood. It comes off. See . Oh, my gosh, its coming off. Its her freaking blood. Thats actually a scratch, okay . Thats a scratch. Reporter still, the detective pressed him. He had motive and opportunity, she said. When you went upstairs, you were arguing with her. And you know you were arguing with her. Reporter she was also reluctant to believe the shooting happened on quickly, no threats, warning or hesitation. She went from saying im going to do what i want to just pulling yeah. Yeah she did. Im not lying to you. Reporter and when the detective gave a description about the gunshot wound, the description that turned out to be inaccurate, that really set tom off. That wound on the back of her head isnt where she could do it herself, tom. It is not. Oh [ bleep ] it is not. Bull [ bleep ] bull [ bleep ] bull [ bleep ] reporter and then, quite suddenly, in the middle of it all, completely out of nowhere, the detective made an abrupt declaration. And i have to let you know that your wife did not make it. Your wife did not make it. She was breathing when i was holding her she was breathing she they told me she was breathing when she left the house reporter ashley died while tom was in police custody. I didnt shoot my wife. I didnt shoot the mother of my kids. I didnt shoot the person who i wanted to have another one with. Reporter what would police believe, toms story that the shooting was a suicide or ashleys parents story, that hed shot their daughter in a fit of rage . Coming up ashleys family is outraged by the investigations final report. It was incomplete. It was inconsistent. No followup. It was unbelievable. Then, a new investigation turns up a new witness. I just started crying because its the catalyst for opening everything up. 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