where they were, and what they did would launch a terrifying case. why did have to happen here? with a deadly end. nobody s leaving until we figure out what happened. a man at home, alone, and afraid. what would you do, if you felt in danger? they were really attacking his home. you have a right to protect your home, and to protect yourself. he planned. he prepared. and he was determined to kill. the most chilling detail of all. what you ll hear on tape. hello and welcome to dateline. growing up, cousins nick brady and haile kifer were close. nick loved to joke, and haile loved to laugh. the teenagers were together that cold, november day, when tragedy struck. the horrible incident was all there for police to hear, on a perfectly-clear recording. so, why was what happened so unclear? a mystery that would divide a community, and spark a national debate. here s kate snow with 12 minutes on elm street. 12 minutes. not a lon
Been replaying in my head, over and over. It was, all, very unbelievable. It happened On Thanksgiving. Two teenagers, missing. I just buried my head into my hands, and i started to cry. Where they were, and what they did would launch a terrifying case. Why did have to happen here . With a deadly end. Nobodys leaving until we figure out what happened. A man at home, alone, and afraid. What would you do, if you felt in danger . They were really attacking his home. You have a right to protect your home, and to protect yourself. He planned. He prepared. And he was determined to kill. The most chilling detail of all. What youll hear on tape. Hello and welcome to dateline. Growing up, Cousins Nick Brady and haile kifer were close. Nick loved to joke, and haile loved to laugh. The teenagers were together that cold, november day, when tragedy struck. The horrible incident was all there for police to hear, on a perfectlyclear recording. So, why was what happened so unclear . A mystery that woul
i was decorating the christmas tree. i saw a big, huge truck go down his road. called the crime-scene unit. and i shouted for john. i think you were in the kitchen. and i said, call byron s cell. something has happened. what did you worry, kathy? what did you think had happened? i thought he was dead. kathy and john feared the worst for their friend, who had seemed out of sorts, in recent months. everything was fine when byron, first, moved back to his hometown of little falls about-five years earlier, after a career that took him all over the world with the u. s. state department. he was talking about living in moscow and cairo and dakar. and it s amazing. a worldly guy. very much, so. a great conversationalist and and fun to talk with. but recently, byron wasn t himself. his house had been broken into a few times. the thieves taking everything, from money to precious, family heirlooms. the langes say their
byron smith was arrested that day. but later, released on bond. a grand jury was convened to look at the case. in little falls, his friends were shocked that authorities could believe byron was anything but an innocent victim. it was ridiculous, that he would be this cold-blooded killer. like, really? he s a quiet, soft-spoken person. it i just didn t fathom it. while byron was free on bond, his friends, the langes, say he can t bear to go back to his own home. so they took him in. i could hear him in his room, many, many nights. i m so sorry. i feel so bad. i didn t want to hurt anybody. i could hear him in there, crying. the case, quickly, became a big controversy in little falls, minnesota. did people take sides? absolutely. people became more opinionated about what happened. some people would come up to me. he s going to prison. he shouldn t have done that. and i said, well, you haven t heard the whole story. i think that byron s got a
about-five years earlier, after a career that took him all over the world with the u. s. state department. he was talking about living in moscow and cairo and dakar. and it s amazing. a worldly guy. very much, so. a great conversationalist and and fun to talk with. but recently, byron wasn t himself. his house had been broken into a few times. the thieves taking everything, from money to precious, family heirlooms. the langes say their friend had become afraid. he was acting real quiet, real scared. and then, that crime-scene van showed up outside byron s home, and kathy was sure her friend was in trouble. just worry and panic. it s like, something s wrong. she was right. something was wrong. burglars had struck, again. this time, byron was home, and he had a gun. he had