>> craig melvin: he looked like he was sleeping, except for the bullet hole. he was in bed. his head was on a pillow. his entire upper body was tucked in. craig melvin: the first guess was suicide, but-- there was no gun on the scene. hard to have a gun suicide with no gun. that's correct. craig melvin: and this was a man who had everything to live for. eric loved life. craig melvin: he loved his family and women, too, many women. did one of them love him too much? no shortage of lovers to question. craig melvin: no sign of a break-in either. someone either had to have a key or have been let in by eric. craig melvin: so it must have been somebody he trusted or maybe someone who didn't trust him. inside the safe was a .380 handgun. josh mankiewicz: that's the same kind of gun that killed eric. the same kind of gun. craig melvin: everybody loved him. so who killed him? we knew in our hearts that this murder was going to be solved. we believed that justice was going to be served for eric. hello. and welcome to "dateline." it was a crime scene that offered little evidence. and those who knew eric somuah could not imagine who would want the outgoing salesman dead. but one determined detective refused to give up. it was an investigation packed with twists and turns and an ending few saw coming. here's josh mankiewicz with "while he was sleeping." josh mankiewicz: he was the life of every party. at 34, eric somuah was charming, magnetic, successful. in 2012, he was living the kind of life that young men liked to brag about to one another. call it the good life, the lush life, the fast lane. it's a world without too many rules, one in which you get close in a hurry to a lot of people you don't know too well. and it was perfect for eric. living just outside the nation's capital, eric somuah was not only living the american dream. he was selling it, too. the son of immigrants from ghana, eric was a top salesman, delivering luxury cars and the fantasies that come with them at this jaguar dealership in bethesda, maryland. he was focused and motivated to be the best. and he turned out to be our number one salesperson. josh mankiewicz: this was the guy who could sell ice in alaska. - right. - oh yeah. right. i tell him that, eric, you could sell anything. josh mankiewicz: eric's older sisters, suzy and cynthia, spotted his drive and business savvy at an early age. suzy somuah: and he started a lawn cutting business in our neighborhood. early age the neighborhood kids, they were he would pay them, what, $2. >> a born capitalist >> he would tell me, susie, i' going to be really rich on day. he wanted to go all the way to the top. >> from the day he was born, eric was a charm or and hi sisters and big brother michae always adored him. >> he was a wonderful joy to our family, and two are sister and i. >> eric was the baby of th family, we all enjoyed him because he was very vibrant. >> it was just the three of us and then he came along he was sort of our little doll >> then, erik grew up an became a living doll, to the women of the nation's capital. >> he was a ladies man, it's n secret, he loved women >> he would walk in a room, an everyone liked him they would say, who's this guy he's so nice, he had a beautiful smile. he will start a conversation with anyone. he just had that type of personality where women like him. >> but his sisters hoped their playboy brother would finall settle down. in fact, they were counting on it >> we were waiting for a hug wedding that my sister and i were planning for him. >> the pride hadn't been picke out yet. [laughter] >> right, but the bride had no been picked out yet but we already knew pretty much how the wedding was going to be. >> eric sisters admit they kne little about his dating life his big brother knew much more >> our relationship was very close. he was not really my sibling and younger brother, he was my best friend as well. we talked about everything >> eric thousand watt charm an his work ethic earned hi success on the job a high-rise apartment in the d.c. suburbs and a busy an exciting social life he was a young man on top of the world. but his big brother still felt the need to occasionally offer advice, like that playing th field has its risks and can' last forever >> he really respected me, the fact that i've been with m wife, we've been together 28 years, we always communicate and say hey, i want to be that but i just can't find the righ one. >> even as the youngest and th only one that had not married, eric was the glue that bonde his family >> eric was the person tha kind of brought the family together he remembered everyone's birthday, he made everyone fee really special >> so it wasn't just customers he was charming. >> he was charming his famil to >> he wanted everyone to com together >> in june, 2012, he brought them together again. but this time it wasn't for holiday or a birthday. it was because they were worried sick about him june 5th, but tuesday, eric di not show up for work at th jaguar dealership. initially, his boss bria armstrong let it slide >> i chalked it up to, hey, he was taking a day off, and on schedule day off and i didn' think too much about it. and then the following day which was the wednesday he was scheduled to come in, again, n call, no show, then i go worried. >> word spread, and sun eric's sisters and the rest of thei close knit family were tryin to find him. >> no one had heard from him >> now you're really worried >> i'm really worried. >> cynthia took a deep breat and called 9-1-1 police were dispatched to chec out eric's apartment in silver spring maryland. his family raced to meet them. eric somouh, a man about tow who lived life it full throttl had seemingly fallen off the map. what had happened to him >> coming up, in unanswere knock and lots of questions. >> we were all in shock, w were just shocked. >> i said, there's no way, there's no way >> when dateline continues (vo) if you've had thyroid eye disease for years and you can't get any shuteye because you can't shut your eyes, or...if your itchy eyes have you itching for a fight, it's not too late for another treatment option for thyroid eye disease, also known as t-e-d. to learn more, visit treatted.com that's treatt-e-d.com. kids are so expensive, dad. now katie needs braces. maybe try switching your car insurance to progressive. you could save hundreds. i don't know, dad. ♪♪ maybe try switching your car insurance to progressive. you could save hundreds. that's a great idea, tv dad. but i said the exact same thing. some day when you're a father, you'll understand. i'm his father. it's not a competition. listen to your tv dad. drivers who switch and save with progressive save nearly $700 on average. my asthma felt anything but normal. a blood test helped show my asthma is driven by eosinophils, which nucala helps reduce. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. she found it. the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding that outfit psoriasis tried to hide from you. or finding your swimsuit is ready for primetime. 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[ ominous music playing ] yeah! suzy somuah: it was just alarming when we heard that he hadn't shown up for work. wow. i mean, that's not like eric at all heard that he hadn't showed up not to show up for work. for work wow, i mean that's not lik eric it all, not to shop for work >> as his sister cynthia and other family members arrived a eric somouh building, thei fear level was off the charts. they stood vigil in the lobb as police went up to eric si floor apartment. >> would you think thi happened >> i was trying to figure out, where had he gone? >> his sister susie was stil on the way when cynthia got he answer the police have been i ericsson parliament. >> when the captain came and gently placed his hand on my arm and said that, ma'am, i' sorry, it's look like your brother has taken his wife live, i was raging with screams, i said there's no way, there's no way he took his life. >> eric loved life >> through her grief cynthia managed to call her sister she was screaming. and she was balling. when she told me eric was dead i just flipped out, i just los it >> and you show up how lon after that i should've about 40 minutes later. >> the detective dimitri reube lead the second wave o montgomery county mary polic after patrol officers made tha initial suicide call >> they try not to disturb the scene, they didn't look around too much >> tell me about the scene >> he had a gunshot wound to his head, his head was on th pillow, his entire everybody was tucked in, it looked lik he was sleeping. >> detective revenue forensi team continue to work. >> no sign of a struggle >> no saratoga anywhere near the apartment, no signs of ransacking the one thing i noticed righ away was that there was no gun there was no gun at the scene. >> can't do a gun suicide with no gun >> that's correct. >> so this wasn't suicide. >> this was a murder >> in some ways, dimitri reube was like eric somouh young, successful, driven. but even working homicides reuben head none of the worl weariness of some detectives he was the right cop to brea the difficult news to th family >> i went downstairs and sai we have reason to believe eric was murdered that's when everybody lost it. his sister was just crying, hi dad had just had his hea buried in his hands and just like, people couldn't believ it >> we were all in shock, w were just shocked. >> who would want to murde eric >> that is exactly wha detective reuben wanted to know >> we started right there, w started our investigation with the family and those who wer close to him, just to see if h had any enemies if, there wa anyone that wanted to hurt him >> what's the answer >> the answer is eric was love by everybody and there was n one out there that the famil knew wanted to hurt him. >> eric headroom from a thre 80 caliber gun indicated t detectives that he was shot at point blank range. >> it appears that he wa sleeping when it happened so would be someone that eric trusted so much that he went t sleep and had that person there. rubin quickly learned that his victim, mr. popularity, ha welcomed lots of people into his life and into his home >> he used to hang out at local bar just down the street from his house the owner of the establishment knew him by name and he woul tell us he would be here every night and he would go home wit a different girl >> and his family knew that, they didn't deny that. >> now >> it was the kind of thin erik's brother michael had already warned him about >> could it have been some revenge situation. someone wanted to have him, he didn't want to be with him they came in and took him out, we just didn't know. >> but michael and his sisters did know about one particula girlfriend named denise. >> there were several member of our family who did point to her. >> denise dated eric for a little bit over a year >> she was older >> about 20 something year older. >> what did you learn about hi relationship with the nays >> a majority of his family di not like today's >> because >> because they thought she wa using eric or that she, they didn't like her. >> detective reuven's interest in denise intensified when h learned something else he said today's told him tha for a brief time, months befor the murder she had a key t erik's apartment >> they were going out, that seems to make sense. >> right, and there is n evidence of a break and so somebody either had to have key orban led in by eric >> well, denise would certainl fit the profile of somebod that eric trusted, somebody he would be willing to go to slee while they were still there. >> absolutely. >> police were eager t interview her, but they knew that if denise had been in ericsson part mint recently an forensic trail she might hav left might not mean much and the same was true for al those other women police hadn' even identified. >> because the dna belongs there, they're dna belongs everywhere in the apartment, they're fingerprints belon everywhere in the apartment. so now you have to prove i some other way >> after day one, reuven said, denise topped his list o people to check out. but she would not be reuven' only lead. >> and the reason is, becaus you are a witness. a witness came forward >> she had seen a man meetin with eric just before th murder like eric, he was a salesman but he wasn't selling cars >> coming up, a possible new suspect. >> he's about my color skinny guy, scruffy beard. >> and a possible motive as ol as time. >> when dateline continues ...is 3x more effective at removing plaque bacteria, one of the main causes of bleeding gums. parodontax. the gum experts. want a worry-free way to kill bugs? zevo traps use light, not odors or chemical insecticides, to attract and trap flying insects. they work continuously so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think 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knit family could only dream about whether that moment would ever arrive. >> when i received the paper the next day and i opened it t the obituary section and i found this young handsome gu in there, i just lost it >> sadly, amid a lot of people in your situation. there are families that really want to know what happened and there are other people who are like, it's not going t bring him back, i don't want t spend another minute thinkin about the murderer you guys are clearly in that first group, you wanted an answer, didn't you >> oh yeah, we wanted to kno who would do this. because we just could no understand who would want to kill eric. >> the family had pointe detective dimitri reuben a eric's girlfriend denise we interviewed denise multiple times. reuven's interest underneath picked up when they learne from the family that her romance with eric was on the rocks. >> he was with her probabl about a year but after while h was just tired of being bogged down by someone. according to reuven denise tol him that she and eric we'r talking about breaking up by mutual agreement reuven said she also acknowledged eric wa dissatisfied with thei relationship, giving the detective a theory to consider >> older woman, younger man, and now he wants to end it and maybe see somebody else an that breeds jealousy and w know what that leads to. >> correct, jealousy leads t murder >> will he continue to investigate in these, reuven learn from residents in eric building that there was a woma there he had been dating for just a few weeks >> that's why i want to talk t katrina. >> katrina vann came down to police headquarters for an interview. she's visibly upset here jus earlier that day detective reuven and her partner had tol or erik was dead >> i just want to start agai by saying, thank you, you don' have to be here, thank you for doing this >> i want to know too. they wanted what ever league they could give them but the began with the basics. >> how did you meet eric >> i'm eric outside th building >> outside the building. >> he asked me if i was a nurs because he was starting some kind of nursing agency that could work for >> katrina did work as a nurse for the nih, the nationa institutes of health, it turne out she and erik had plenty in common >> i'm a basketball fan, and s was he so that was our connection >> the relationship quickl turned more than friendly. katrina said she and eric ha been dating weekly, usually on mondays, ever since. katrina wanted to know about progress in finding her lover' killer >> we can't really tell yo what's going on with the investigation, the reason is because you are a witness. >> oh my god >> she asked if they could a least say where erik died. >> well, i think we can tell where it happened. >> he was killed in hi apartment. >> the interview topic returne to the vibrant eric she knew >> this guy had so many goal in so many dreams. it's just crazy. it's like he was having th best time of his life, and now he's dead. >> that explained, katrina said, why he never answered he recent texts >> did you make any calls on tuesday? and by the last person can you tell me the? i mean, i don't, i don't kno if you stop calling me or if you wasn't answering because h was dead because i've been depressed an suffering and mad and crying because i'm thinking he's no talking to me. we've been like this she to settle my heart, yo know >> i think your heart can be settled. >> the detectives consoled her but also continue to probe about that last night together two days before eric's body wa discovered >> and winter's place monday he stayed with me sunday >> when they went down to hi place. >> but then, she said, the night got strange. out of the blue, erik said h wanted to smoke some pot >> it's like, hey, you know -- >> what she told him, sh wasn't interested. >> she agreed to ride with ara and social he could buy we did a nearby apartment complex >> i don't know what happened, he's never done anything lik that around me >> they drove to this building in almost immediately a po dealer dumped into the backseat >> it was real quick, the ligh was on, the whole deal and the guy got out. all this happened before the lie could even go out of the car. if you're doing this turn th light out, somebody might se me, i work at nih, i don't wan to be identified with someon like this. he was bald and he had a, he had my color, skinny guy scruffy beard. i didn't see his face straight on, i wasn't trying to look at him directly i'm not trying to look like want to know who you are >> after driving back to their building eric and katrina spen the rest of the night watching basketball game before the became focused on each other >> excuse me if this is to much information but we had se for a while and i went t sleep. >> a little later, she tol detectives she was woken up by the son of eric talking to someone else had the bedroom through cracking the door. katrina thought she could make out of face and the man looked familiar >> she believed the got to b the drug dealer. >> the same guy she met earlier? >> yes >> this was only hours befor erik was murdered in his bed detective reuven now had a major suspect. >> we concentrated on this dru dealer >> this would prove to be critical moment in the case, but not for the reasons yo think. >> coming up, did police strik gold in the drug dealers apartment? >> the same gun that kille eric >> it's the same kind of gun >> when dateline continues out knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. claritin-d. with gold bond... you can age on your own terms. retinol overnight means... the smoothing benefits of retinol. are now for your whole body. plus, fast-working crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. gold bond. champion your skin. with a majority of my patience with sensitivity, i see irritated gums and weak enamel. sensodyne sensitivity gum & enamel relieves sensitivity, helps restore gum health, 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district is set to choose replacement, and so far at least 23 council members say they will vote to send the democrat back to the state house. now, back to dateline. >> >> welcome back to dateline, i'm craig melvin the murder of a bachelor the prime of his life had stumpe investigators. detectives, first focused on his many lovers, but they go nowhere in the search for motive or the weapon tha killed him and then, a break. one of those women offered up tip, a pot dealer. but wouldn't leave police to the smoking gun they saw, back with, while he was sleeping, here's josh mankiewicz >> detective dimitri roo reuven has worked a lot of homicides. but the death of eric somouh angered him more than most >> he was just sleeping. to kill somebody while they ar sleeping is just, it's horrible >> eric's sisters were gratefu to have someone as committed a reuven working their brother's case >> he is a phenomena investigator >> and now, just days afte eric was murdered, it looked a if detective reuven might give the family some resolution one of eric's lovers, katrin vann, handed the investigators a new suspect. eric spot dealer >> it didn't make sense to m because i was thinking, why is he here? >> katrina told them how uneas she felt with the dealer in th apartment. >> it was just a littl uncomfortable, he just seemed little weird >> so i just around five a.m., katrina said she got out o there. >> she said the guy, then, jus came up to her as she wa leaving and basically pushed her out of the door. >> based on katrina's account, police believe eric was killed sometime in the early mornin hours of june 5th 2012 reuven brought in the dealer for questioning. a man named william would fork >> he was like, i have no idea who that is, never met him before >> did you believe him >> now, i knew erik called him and katrina's story tied him t eric >> reuven hammered away it would force for hours, finally getting him to admit he sold eric marijuana the night of th murder but the dealer bulked when reuven asked why he later went over to erik's >> and he was like, what are you talking about? he was so adamant about no even knowing where eric lives. i'm a we dealer, a motto delivery men, i don't deliver, people come to me. >> detective reuven wasn't about to take a drug dealer at his word >> we got a search warrant for his place and we recovered a safe from his apartment, and inside a safe was a three 80 handgun. and it's like, did he lie, tha the murder weapon. >> it's the same kind of gun >> it's the same kind of gun >> the gun was sent to the firearms lab as reuven check t see if he could prove that william would fork wasn' ericsson part mint would force dna an fingerprints were not on the door or anywhere else. >> you look at a security tape was he on their anywhere >> then, the test came back on the dealers three 80 >> it was not the gun that killed eric, it was the same caliber but the ammunition was different. so it was just one big coincidence. >> now, eric stealer was not looking as good for the murder not only was the gun out a match, reuven was convince that the dealer was neve ericsson part mint as for denise, the woman who had been eric's girlfriend investigators interviewed he three times. she was cooperative and allo them to look at her phone. >> her phone records put her a home the night of the murder home the night of the murder >> so they josh mankiewicz: the detective circled back to the person who pointed them towards the pot dealer in the first place, katrina ben, the woman who'd been so surprised and distraught by her lover's death. now the cops wondered if she had deliberately misdirected them. ruvin and his partner asked her back for another chat. josh mankiewicz: just days before, katrina had spoken of eric lovingly but no longer. at some point, i asked her to give us her phone because i knew she exchanged messages. and she just flat out refused to give us her phone. well, that has to make you sort of sit up and think. it was a little odd. but at the same time, if it was somebody-- >> it was a little odd, but at it was my significant other that was murdered, the same time, if it was somebody, if it was my significant other that was murdered, i think i would do anything to help the police. >> but she didn't do it. >> katrina's abrupt change i behavior was strange, even alarming to the detectives but all they could do was sa their goodbyes as katrin headed off to a new job in baltimore. >> at this point there was enough we are behavior fro katrina vann we had nothing solid, nothin incriminating, but it wa something not being righ there. >> the cops had a naggin feeling, katrina was lying that pot dealer was not in the apartment tonight erik was murdered but katrina was, and suddenl she looked suspicious. but suspicions don't make case, and right now, someone was getting away with murder >> with katrina bound fo baltimore, the investigation into her lover's murde threatened to stall. then, a remarkable roadsid discovery. >> coming up, a damaged gu helps the detective shoot bull's-eye >> it was recovered the da after we found erik spotty and we said let's just text this gun, the gun makes sense >> when dateline continues and my outfit was uncomfortable. now, my skin's not as itchy. now we're staying ahead of her eczema. there's a power inside all of us, to live our passion. and dupixent works on the inside, to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. so they can have clearer skin and less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. healing from within is a wonderful thing. ask your child's eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal their skin from 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(vo) verizon josh mankiewicz: as his murder investigation slowly >> as his murder investigation rolled forward, detective dimitry ruvin slowly rolled forward, detective dimitri reuven developed a certain affectio for eric somouh, a guy he' never met. >> the successful, charismatic charming victim. >> you had kept a picture of erik on your desk at work, jus to remind you. >> we called him the mos interesting man in the world just for this case i've always had a picture of eric to remind me to keep goin and keep working the case. >> unfortunately, what wasn' next to erik's photo on th reuven's desk, was any har evidence against katrina, th woman reuven thought knew more than she was telling about erik's murder. he decided to take yet another crack it is suspect. and along with another detective, reuven paid katrina visit up in baltimore. >> for the most part, her stor remain the same. >> but katrina was also on guard and defensive. >> don't go there with me. >> a, don't go where >> now, i feel like you're trying to be sarcastic >> instead of focusing on th detectives tone, katrina shoul have paid more attention t their clothing detective reuven secretly had tape recorder in his pocket. >> that's when i asked her about owning any guns. >> to your negan >> no. >> have your father gone >> no. >> armed with a warrant, reuve searched katrina's apartment but did not find a gun he sees her phone and computer but cops didn't find anythin incriminating. >> no sign that she had any gun, ever owned one in her life >> that's correct. >> i subpoenaed her bank records and credit card record just to see if she purchased any ammunition somewhere >> you didn't find it? >> no. >> reuven didn't stop there. he kept looking everywhere he even went all the way t katrina's hometown o mississippi, where he learne something interesting. >> i talk to her dad who sai that he had guns, multiple gun in the house, and that katrina had shot guns before so, we knew she lied >> but that is no criminal offense. still, reuven was certain he could eventually find somethin concrete if you kept looking weeks passed, then, months >> i think it's probably the toughest thing about this jo is if it goes on salt for while. >> you feel like you are letting the family down. >> yes, exactly. especially families or to stay in contact with you. >> eric's family was eager for answers. they were not shy about lettin reuven know that >> he gets, probably, dail phone calls from each one of us he was so patient in jus explaining >> detective reuven never said to you hey, maybe one of you could call me. >> no, never >> you look at your phone, and you don't even want to answe because you have no news it's the same it was last week we think we know who did it, but we can't prove it righ now. >> may 2013, the one yea anniversary of erik's murder approached frankly, the investigation had come to a standstill reuven wasn't just angry, he was frustrated he needed to make somethin happen reuven thought about the gun that killed eric and he knew a lot of handguns just like it we're already in police custod all across the d.c. area he decided to examine all of them it was an immense task he began in montgomery county. >> i decided to look at al three 80s recovered in the pas year >> which had been how many >> it was about 60 guns. >> reuven comb through the records for each of those guns most seized by cops in traffic stops or drug bust, but none matched up until, reuven read the secon to last file it was handgun number 59 out o 60 it was a gun turned in by tourist from montana who had spotted it lying by the side o the beltway. d.c.'s most traveled road. the only reason the man saw it was because he was parked in d.c.'s famous bumper-to-bumper traffic. >> it was recovered the da after we found erik's body it was a short distance away from the crime scene and i was like, let's just test this gun this gun makes sense >> this seems like succeedin against unbelievable odds. >> one of the million. >> the gun was a mess, missing most of its components and it looked as if it might have been run over at it hit the pavement but the barrel was intact. using spare parts, the polic firearms lab reassemble th weapon and test fired. the result, a close match to the bullet that killed eric so and on the gun, serial number. from, reuben learn something else >> where was originally sold >> it was sold at a pawnshop i columbia mississippi >> why was that a big deal because that little pawnshop was just a few miles down th road from silver creek mississippi, which was the hometown of katrina. >> reuven just couldn't bu that as a coincidence. so he took another trip down t mississippi, this time to trac down the guns original owner which was harder than it might sound. >> this gun had multiple owners it would take me 30 minute just to persuade somebody to talk to me >> why, because in mississippi you sound like a stranger? that's so weird. >> possibly sound like a stranger, also, nobody want to talk about guns. they always think that i'm there to get them in trouble >> it was a lot of shoe leathe and reuven still didn't have a solid link to katrina. it would take some persuadin it would take some persuadin for me to even hav it sometime around 2003. dimitry ruvin: so the owner, he was like we kept our records in diaper boxes in the back of the shed. and the rats were eating on them so we decided to just send them to the atf. josh mankiewicz: ruvin offered to come look through those diaper boxes. the response from the atf-- thanks but no thanks. the atf agent was just saying, just let us take care of it, so we left mississippi really with nothing. josh mankiewicz: ruvin returned to maryland wondering if he'd hit another dead end. he wondered for about a week. it was late june, now more than a year since eric was murdered, when an atf agent called back. we found these diaper boxes. we found these records. and we're faxing a receipt. so i was waiting by the fax machine. the fax came through. i looked at the name. and it was katrina ben. she was the last purchaser of that handgun. machine, the facts came through, and you've got her.e wait. and it was katrina bin, she wa the last purchaser of that handgun. >> and you got her >> oh yeah, it was prett credible i was literally jumping up and down >> now, he just had to lasso katrina bin. easy you decide >> if i was going to d something like this, it would, it wouldn't be like this it wouldn't be stupid. >> coming up, was katrina benn a monday night girl? 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sh was living back in mississippi which was where the cops wen on to her wrist. >> you have the right now to remain silent, but katrina bin did not remain silent, not a all. >> if i was going to d something like this, i wouldn't be like this, i wouldn't be stupid how would it be? >> i think it would be planned out. >> reuven had dropped th friendly person he wants presented to katrina now, he came out her ful force. >> so, you're still saying you didn't kill eric >> okay, i'm, did you, do yo own a firearm? >> yes >> what kind of firearm do you own. >> a three 80. >> remember, katrina had tol police she didn't own a gun, hadn't even fired one. >> why didn't you tell us that last time. >> because you never asked if didn't kill anyone so there' no need for me to say i have a gun. i mean, you never asked. you asked me, have you eve held a gun, if you are far begun. >> it was simple, they tol her. she murdered eric. >> it was your gun that killed him, but the scientific fact >> the question was why. >> there has to be a reason, there has to be a reason if there isn't a reason, the you're going to go down, i'm telling you as the most cold blooded that we have spoke with, because you're so good it's gonna look horrible >> well, you know, i'm jus gonna have my day in court >> but katrina wouldn't give i up and asked for a lawyer. the detectives put her i lock-up and ruvin steppe outside to call eric's family. >> i was just like, thank yo guys, they are going to ge this woman >> getting a conviction wa ultimately the responsibilit of montgomery county state attorney john mccarthy >> even with the gun which get you an arrest and into the courtroom, this is pretty fa from an ideal case >> absolutely, to sell this to a jury when you are basicall saying that she felt s betrayed after a three-wee relationship that she wa driven to murder, that's a little bit of a tough sell >> mccarthy assigned the cas to assistant state attorne jessica zarelli, a trial in th fall of 2014, she gave katrina nickname that few would envy >> what did you refer to katrina as the monday nigh girl >> it was used in the contex of a girl you did not take out you do not show of, you don' introduced your friends, she has her purposes, but thos purposes are relegated t monday nights and not the more high-profile saturday an friday night >> this was the prosecutio theory katrina learned, maybe fro eric's phone, but she was fa from the only woman in eri life jealousy and anger to the rest and katrina saw eric will he slipped. >> emotional anchor feels most homicide >> what i'm thinking of is fatal attraction, an insignificant on one side in a very significant relationshi on the other side. >> obviously he made i misjudgment when he go involved with her, and the sense of betrayal that she fel is what fuel this homicide >> and, said prosecutors, afte katrina killed eric she quickl dish the gun and began playing the part of the concerne lover. but she couldn't keep her stor straight >> eyes upon lies upon lies to bury the truth and tha ultimate truth, in this case was that gun >> the crux of katrina's defense was that she had n reason to kill eric, because she just wasn't that into him. >> it was a great guy, but i wasn't even trying to be wit eric like that, to be honest he told me he was in love with me, i never believed him >> what's wrong with the argument that this was a woman who discovered there were othe women in his life and she go incredibly jealous and angry and that tipped her over and she killed him >> it just doesn't work fo misspent >> carl henry govern was one o katrina's lawyers. >> we have to look at the time in which these two parties wer intimate with one another, a matter of weeks. to say that the relationship was at such a strong level tha she would become jealous o irate to the point where she would murder somebody, thi doesn't resonate with the time in which they were together. >> as for that gun, katrina' attorneys argue that the traveling nurse has long since lost track of it they said someone could've stolen the gum along the way and use it on eric >> she shift from one resident through other, versus state. she may have left the gun, o was unaware of myth where th gun may have been. >> jurors were not swayed an it took them just six hours to find katrina guilty of murde in the first degree. >> there's no doubt in my mind that, had she not convicted of this crime, katrina then was just as likely to encounte someone else who disrespects her in the same way that she felt acted - >> with the same result. >> visit that ultimate consequence, which was take hi life >> but the real draw jumpe came at sentencing when katrin address the courtroom. >> she stood up as if she wa going to give the eulogy of my brother. >> telling us i'm sorry fo your loss, and all the stuff it's like a slap in the face >> she talked about the murder as if she wasn't even there. you killed this person, you ar the reason why we are here it was just unbelievable >> the judge sentenced katrina to life plus 20 years. >> justice has been served today, and what you have sew into the life of our dea brother, cousin, nephew, friend, you will reap affiliate with life in prison >> now, years after saying goodbye to eric, his large loving family still feels th pain of his loss >> we do remember eric every day and all the good times w had, it's unfortunate that w have to think about the day he was brought home from th hospital to the day that w actually close to the casket >> what they want to do is war other families to watch out fo the other katrina benz in th world. >> i pray and continue to pray that even in doing this it wil bring awareness to other peopl out there about certain type of people and being very cautious and being aware >> so the lesson is be careful when you get close to. >> be very careful, very aware very important >> that's all for this with positive dateline, i'm craig melvin, thank you for watching we