Who Wanted Nicki Lenway Dead? | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] where's the victim who's shocked who is shocked where's the victim on April 20th 2022 my life
changed forever so we've got Ms coming right now I was shot at Point Blank Range 2 times right here right here this
is the victim right here first name Nikki gunshot one to the next all right it's a miracle she's alive it's a
miracle she wasn't killed you breathing okay okay all right someone wanted me dead honestly it was a normal day I had
worked the night before I worked the overnight shift I'm a foric scientist for the
Minneapolis Police [Music] Department after getting my child to school I slept I picked him up from school and
then he had a visit with his father that night what would you do while he's visiting with his dad so I typically
would run errands go grocery shopping or do the things that were easier to do without my
child when it's time for her to pick up her son she steps out of her car and starts walking like dozens of other
times that she's done this I'm halfway in between my vehicle and the door and this person comes running up from behind
me shots were being fired I felt to the ground and the shooter stands over me and continues to try to shoot I felt my
neck and then could see the blood I was just driving home and I saw a person run up to another person and
then I heard two bangs and that other person collapsed it made maybe looked like a
robbery or something there was so fast that was the first thought this must have been a robbery that was gone wrong
was this a driveby mistaken identity or she mugged maybe something related to work you do work for the police
department did you think it might have something to do with work you know I know a lot of people asked me that I
knew that this could happen but I didn't want to believe it would whoever did that knows she was
coming to pick up a kid did you recognize no the as salent I didn't could you tell the gender was it
male or female so I thought it was male I was very sure it was a female shooter what is going on who could have
done [Music] this [Music] [Music] was coming up and I saw the two people and then all of a sudden I heard bang
bang as Emily Clancy later told police she couldn't quite believe what she saw and heard on the evening of April 20th
2022 as she drove home from having dinner with a friend I stopped right here at this intersection as soon as the
light turned green Emily sped through the intersection and pulled up next to the victim I opened the door I said are
you okay and she said no I've been shot Nicole Nikki lenway Ford was shot in bleeding in the parking lot of family
wives a Parenting Center the 33-year-old was no stranger to violence she worked as a forensic scientist for the
Minneapolis Police Department and right after being shot she called 911 911 what
is the address of the emergency she's barely breathing could barely say any words other than her name
and I said get in the car Emily took over the 911 call I could see that there was blood coming out of
her neck and followed the dispatcher's instructions they said put a jacket or something around her neck and I said
yeah I have one right here within minutes First Responders arrived were you the one I called where's the victim
the dramatic scene was captured on police body cameras Oh my God oh my God what's going on she was scared really
scared that pressure on the neck she got shut in M as well she was in a lot of pain she was having a hard time
breathing I just looked her in the eyes and I said Nikki we got this we got this
just stay with me I don't think we can ever recruit how powerful of a moment that was I just
wanted her to know that she wasn't alone in this and if that was the only thing I
could give to this poor girl like that that would mean something to me okay all right dear can you walk
we're going to get outside we're going to go into the ambulance bring you to the hospital all right one of the most
surprising things about the video is that you had to walk to the ambulance I couldn't believe it were you
aware of how badly injured you were I don't think so I think I was in shock maybe I didn't realize how bad it was
try not to move your head left or right okay Nicole was loaded into the ambulance and soon lost
Consciousness breaking news tonight a woman is in the hospital after the news spread quickly that a Minneapolis Police
employee had been shot thought Nicole's then boyfriend MPD officer Donovan Ford was at home what is it like to get that
phone call that the woman you love has just been shot I had no words I went flying down to the hospital
I was panic when Donovan arrived at the hennipen County Medical Center he wasn't
prepared for what he saw she was basically unconscious she had tubes down her throat and all that
when you did finally get to talk to a doctor what did they tell you she's in bad shape we're going to do our best to
you know save her life essentially Nicole had a perforated lung severe damage to her vocal cords and a
bullet lodged between two of her ribs she was in critical condition I'm in law enforcement so when they say CR
that means essentially they're close to the end and where she was shot typically
people don't survive I was praying a lot as doctors rushed to save Nicole outside the familywise Parenting Center
her colleagues at the police department got to work can you throw up some tape we've got casings right over here on the
ground they found three discharged bullet casings and blood they quickly learned that Nicole
had been it familywise to pick up her son who was on a scheduled visit with his father her ex Tim
Amer officers caught up with Tim as he was finishing up his visit with their 5-year-old son Callahan he had been at
the center for hours and then you've been in the back with your son in the community Tim Amer was well
liked and a resp Ed local Taekwondo instructor Tim seemed worried about Nicole is she okay she going to be fine
I mean she stay right now but it's really serious Andy had an idea about what may have happened he thought it had
something to do with the case she worked she was afraid cuz she thought people were driving by her house she changed
her last name to her middle name she shut down her social media she had Drive buys of Minneapolis coming through her
house all the time she had me bring over um my my shotgun to her house she was she was in
fear but police didn't find any obvious connections to Nicole's cases they searched Tim's Jeep and asked
if he owned any other cars this is your only time no no I have a do Challenger too and then let him
go police continue to look for evidence canvasing the building and surrounding area searching for security footage and
discovered the cameras from familywise a bank across the street and an elementary
school around the corner had captured every second the first images are Nicole arriving to pick up her son then someone
dressed all in black running her down from behind the moment the shots were fired the shooter fleeing on foot and
then driving off in a black Dodge Ram truck truck but the truck had no license plates and police couldn't tell who was
driving the next day Nicole regained Consciousness and she told police that she was sure she knew who was
responsible I just knew it had something to do with him I just knew well of course I'm going to be the first guy you
guys look at I didn't know how he was involved but he was involved what would you do if you saw a
stranger being shot on the street chat now with Aaron Mori arti on X Taekwondo the tenants of the Korean
martial art include courtesy self-control Integrity the most skilled like Tim Amer
are called Master Nicole would come to believe that Tim was somehow involved in her shooting
but in the world of Taekwondo he was a very good instructor Pat and Claire Zelmer were
part of amer's tight group of friends and also familiar with his world Taekwondo Academy people would
definitely refer to him as Master Amer within the within his school but they would also if they were still students
and they were friendly outside of the school it would he was still Master Amer people gravitated to Amer his
physical skill business savvy easy confidence a leader who seemed to have it all figured out he's charismatic
driven intense he can draw people in and make them feel this connection with him and his reputation continued after
dark the mayor of nighti here I would say that's a fair assessment very much so very much so Charlie dof knew Tim
well before he met Nicole and witnessed firsthand the power of Tim's personality
so I moved back here in about 2001 and was Tim Amer already living next door he was he was was living next door but his
mother own Tim was a helpful neighbor with a style and appeal you couldn't miss he loved fashion loved the right
jeans and the right shirt and the right boot and always had to be the best was he a good friend to you yeah he was a
great friend and where was Tim Living Tim's bedroom was in the back corner here and according to Charlie there was
a waiting list of women who wanted into amer's bed room coming and going yeah they would pull up right here the front
light here was um purple and if that light was on then the women knew that they could go in are you serious I'm not
kidding it was almost like the you know the red light district juggling a lot of
women at once yes of course cuz it seemed like there was a different girl every night what did women see in him I don't
know cuz I didn't see it but many other women seem to see much and Tim Amer how did you meet Tim I met Tim by going to
his gym and when did you start dating shortly after Nicole was responsible and grounded Tim's close friends quickly
understood the attraction there was something special about her she's smart she's pretty she's outgoing she's got it
all at first I actually really wasn't interested but he was very persistent you know he just kind of wore me down
and I kind of I started enjoying our time together and he was older right he had experienced more life than me and it
was exciting they moved in together in early 2014 but friends say Tim still wasn't
faithful did you try to warn her about Tim and his women about his womanizing yes absolutely there were a lot of red
flags a lot of jealousy yes they fought constantly it was almost like a Perpetual argument verging on a
fight did you ever see him violent or hurtful toward her I did not no but Nicole would tell investigators Amer was
violent I mean one night he threw me up against the wall holding my neck why did
you stay even as long as you did I ask myself that all the time time I don't know I think I felt
trapped and you know he just got into my brain so badly she says that on a trip to Las
Vegas an angry alcohol fueled Tim threw a lamp across the room it was terrifying
I locked myself in the bathroom September 2015 Nicole then 26 years old had more
than enough but she says now that breaking away from Tim was anything but easy I packed my bags and I started
walking out and he pulled me back into the house by my ponytail and dragged me into the bedroom and after that I was
like I am done Nicole moved out and an 18-year-old student of Tims moved in running out one of his rooms her name
Colleen Larson seemed absolutely lovely nice girl I think she's very smart um probably book
smart at Street Smart Colina begun studying with Amer when she was barely a teenager Tim's friends say she seemed
infatuated with him he's her instructor he's her her master you know for 10 plus
years at this point it just seemed like she was like this little puppy dog wanting to impress him like a child and
an adult in that respect yes they say Colleen seemed delighted to be living with a man she had idolized since she
was young as for Nicole she hoped to have no further contact with Tim but very soon
they all got some unexpected news I found out I was pregnant and he wanted me to get rid of the baby and I just
told him I couldn't and I was in a state of panic investigation okay right now I'm going
to ask you if I can search you for weapons real quick okay for weapons y detectives needed to know all about
Nicole's relationship with her son's father Tim Amer there was a shooting that happened has nothing to do with me the
investigation would track a trail that led back to the fall of 2015 when Nicole first learned she was
pregnant with a taekwan doe Master she alleged had abused her it just got more and more volatile we were so excited for
them to be having a baby that's a momentous in a a happy thing to normal people but the only thing normal was the
irrepressible Joy of a new mother she named him Callahan he was born on June 20th of
2016 he was a big boy and he was perfect and then she gave him the last name vomer Nicole was the primary
caregiver but sometimes Cal stayed with his dad did you feel that co-parenting was was working I felt like it
could but he wasn't always reliable says Nicole when she needed him most Tim was
halfway around the world Tim went to Thailand and totally bailed on Christmas and New Year's Tim may not have been a
Hands-On dad but someone else was ready to step in Colleen lson his longtime Taekwondo student who was renting that
room in Tim's house she was very kind to Callahan she was a good caregiver to him and with
unpredictable hours with the Minneapolis Police Department the arrangement seemed
to work for Nicole my son really seemed to like her when the once young Taekwondo student turned 18 her
relationship with Tim Amer quietly changed according to Charlie did you get the sense he was in
love with Colleen no not at all I think she was very much in love with him Charlie says Tim called the relationship
easy she would call him Master call him the house yep Master Amer and ultimately
kind of became you know like a maid or a servant to him then in the summer of 2017 Nicole's life took a dramatic turn
do you remember when you first met Nicole absolutely it was the kind of love at first sight that only a cop on
the beat could have first time I ever saw her was on a burglary call I definitely took notice at that point why
she's gorgeous and to Donovan Ford intriguing she processed the scene so she was a
member of the real CSI oh yeah he knew that I was a single mom and he was divorced when I just mentioned his name
you lit up why is is that he is truly the love of my life he has been the biggest blessing to myself and my son
and he's been through a lot with you hasn't he he has Nicole's already difficult relationship with Tim only got
worse when Tim discovered she was dating Donovan who was fast becoming part of Callahan's life did the way he dealt
with Cal change after you started dating Donovan it did he wanted him all the time and Tim didn't want Donovan around
his son he accused Donovan of saying negative things about Colleen then Tim called Donovan and left this angry
message man up for once in your life and quit hiding behind your badge and then I
started getting text messages like this one where Tim claimed Donovan was destroying his family it ignited what
can only be called a war that would grow treacherous and it wouldn't be a short one how would you describe the last six
years it has been chaos Nicole claims Tim tried to destroy her like I'm going to take everything from you did you
believe him I did the Black belt's new weapon of choice was the legal system it was the
Relentless number of motions before the court he reported Nicole to Child Protection Services multiple times
accusing her and Donovan of physical and sexual abuse Children's Services show up
at your house yes I had them in and out of my home for 3 years Tim filed for custody of Cal and Nicole filed for an
order of protection from Tim not a single one of the allegations against Nicole or Donovan was was found to have
substance did you see anything that concerned you or made you think that Cal had been abused no nothing no he was a
well-loved child but Tim didn't stop there he also filed complaints to the police department about Donovan you were
investigated then and what was the finding nothing happened it continued yep allegation after allegation and then
in May of 2018 am her alleged Nicole ran over his foot with her car I was charged with
domestic assault the proud crime scene investigator was now a humiliated defendant I never thought I would be at
the defense table how long was the jury out on that less than 15 minutes I was found not guilty but the battle for
Callahan raged on and the child got caught in the middle you could tell he was was very conflicted Callahan was a
pawn it wasn't about Callahan or Callahan's well-being it was about inflicting the maximum amount of damage
on Nikki in the fall of 2020 the trial for custody of Callahan began when it was
over the judge awarded Nicole sole legal and physical custody Tim was allowed just one supervised visit a
week Tim Amer once a champion was now boxed into a corner he was allowed no contact alone with his son and cops
thought that might be a motive for him wanting Nicole dead I've been here the whole time I don't know what happened
over police would hone in on the crime scene remember that black Dodge Ram truck that the shooter drove off
in turns out Tim had lied to the cops he owned a truck just like [Music] [Music]
it a good homicide detective will tell you it's just good to know what vehicles anybody owns whether they're a witness
whether they're a suspect whether they're a victim because people use their vehicles and that's how you can
figure out things that's how you can pursue leads on the night of Nicole's shooting assistant hennipen County
attorneys Patrick Lofton and Jacob Fishman say that police were determined to find out who was driving that black
Dodge truck a black Dodge Ram is a very very common car and authorities had asked him what he owned wait what do you
mean this is your own car no no I have a Dodge Challenger too a Dodge Challenger
sedan and this Jeep but it turned out that Tim did have another vehicle a black Dodge Ram truck
that looked a lot like the one seen leaving the area after the shooting that raised the alarm bells for the
Minneapolis Police Department this is a picture right here police called Tim in for a second interview that's not my
truck they showed him stills of the truck from that video seemingly unruffled he insisted that it wasn't his
those pictures were not pictures of my truck Tim claimed his truck unlike the one in the video had a license plate and
Superman decal stickers near both front doors where's a Superman logo Case Closed Superman logo is not on
the truck couldn't have been me I've been here the whole time I don't know what happened out there I'm not what's
more he had an alibi he was inside the familywise center when Nicole was shot so even if it it was his truck he
couldn't be The Driver who else has access to the truck uh Colleen has access to it colen lson Tim's former
Taekwondo student she the only one um to my knowledge to police the pieces of the
puzzle were coming together Nicole had said she thought the shooter was a woman let me ask you this is there any reason
why Colleen would want to shoot Nicole oh hell no she want hurt anybody Tim insisted Colleen was incapable of
violence and Colleen who was also brought in for questioning insisted she was nowhere near familywise that night
she said that she came home from work as usual went inside took a shower and was
there until Tim got home but police didn't believe either one of them and turned to FBI special agent Richard
Fenner a technology specialist he discovered that Tim's Truck had Wi-Fi and like a cell phone creates a digital
Trail we could track it much like we could at the cell phone fener wanted to know everywhere Tim and Colleen went the
day of the shooting their cell phones and the black Dodge truck left plenty of digital
breadcrumbs with phones with cars whatever you have they're going to tell you the truth their records always tell
you the truth on the afternoon of the the shooting Tim and Colleen were both at the Taekwondo Studio around 400 p.m. Tim
left to go to familywise for the visit with his son he was driving the jeep later Colleen left the studio in the
black truck to go home how can you tell that that's from the cell phone records so not only the truck but her cell phone
correct just after 700 p.m. fener says the black truck left the couple's resid and headed straight to familywise now we
see that person who is walking right here that is Colleen Larsson Colleen Larson did leave her house and
detectives placed her directly at the scene she appears to be walking around essentially scoping out the area I
believe that she is planning her next steps a raid of the couple's house yielded more evidence bullet casings
matching the ones found at the crime scene are on April 28th 2022 Colleen Larson was arrested she was
charged with attempted first-degree premeditated murder but was Tim involved agent fenard suspected that Tim
had deliberately altered his truck's appearance to throw cops off his path he discovered that several hours before the
shooting Tim had driven the black truck to a drive-thru at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken and we pull surveillance
video there's that same truck without the decal without the license plate for police it was enough Tim Amer was
arrested and charged with attempted first-degree premeditated murder and aiding an accomplice after the fact when
you do something to significantly further or assist in a crime you are just as culpable as the person that
actually pulls the trigger Nicole was not surprised to hear that Tim had been arrested but she was shocked to find out
about Colleen why would she shoot you I don't know this time when Colleen was questioned by police she broke down and
confessed to shooting Nicole the Troke and she says Tim was behind it who's idea was it to to shoot
[Music] Nicole s so he asked you if you felt if you feel comfortable would you shoot
Nicole from you yes she said she believed Tim's story that Nicole was abusing Callahan
man he was doing bad things to the child and I wanted to help the little man after the shooting she told police
Tim disposed of the gun he just said he would take care of it he just said he would take care of it so you have no
idea what he did with the gun not exactly know still Tim continued to deny any involvement Timothy Amer and
colen Larsson are charged with attempted murder on November 3rd 2022 Tim amer's trial began there were no cameras in the
courtroom prosecutors knew that they had to show the jury that Nicole wasn't abusing her son and that it was Tim who
had been victimizing her for a long time what happened behind the scenes wasn't just this couple seconds of horror that
Nicole had to suffer at family wasse it was 10 years of hell that he put her through Tim and his lawyers refused our
request for an interview but 48 Hours consultant and defense attorney Matthew troano reviewed their case for us
there's obviously no direct evidence of Tim's guilt zero he has a rock solid Alibi about where he was at the time
that this happened according to Triano prosecutors needed to build their case by f focusing on Tim's lies and his past
treatment of Nicole because there was no smoking gun that directly tied Tim to the shooting there is circumstantial
evidence the truck the lies those are all kind of circumstantial pieces that tie back to him but there is no direct
evidence of him specifically buying or doing or having something that led to this act
the defense called No witnesses to the stand Triano thinks they were betting the prosecution just hadn't made its
case where's the proof where's the evidence as the jury went out to deliberate prosecutors were concerned of
course we were very worried there's a chance this guy is going to walk absolutely how nervous were you really
nervous do you believe Colleen lson acted on her own see more evidence from the case at
48 [Music] hours.com those sacred tenants of Taekwondo self-control Integrity could the master win this
battle the joury took an hour to decide he was found guilty guilty on all counts Tim Amer guilty of premeditated
attempted murder and aiding his accomplice Colleen Larson and how did you both feel about that relieved joyous
and justice for Nikki I almost didn't believe it finally we had some type of closure at s Nicole wanted judge Shireen
askalani to hear all she endured to protect her the judge kept most of Nicole's statement off camera you
breathing okay okay but the memories of that point blank moment will clearly never be forgotten I can still feel the
burning sensation and the utter fear of not being able to speak or to help myself I truly thought I was dying that
day even though I feel like the truth is starting to come to light I still live in
fear Amer who' refused to testify at his trial now decided to speak the court allowed his plea for leniency to be
heard and filmed it is no secret how broken this system is the main message that I felt called here to
say goes as this for all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God but with
me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human Court how would you describe his
statement erratic blaming everybody else he was the victim and this happened to him did he show any kind of remorse no
judge ocalan had no patience for Amer and his claims that Nicole had been abusive it appear that you have been
promoting this false narrative about Miss Ford for so long that you may actually believe it at this time then
she sentenced him to 18 years in prison Just 4 days later Colleen Larson pleaded
guilty at her sentencing hearing rather than speak for herself Colleen had her attorney read a statement she took full
responsibility for that it happened your honor I stand before you with the utmost
respect for the decision to come I accept all the consequences for my actions I understand and want to atone
for what I have done a simple apology cannot cover the long-term damages that I have caused anything additional from
you at this time no your honor Colleen's got a killer in her she did it there's no no question that she had the
capacity Colleen was sentenced to just 16 and 1 12 years for doing what prosecutors say was amer's bidding I
think she wanted his approval and his love so badly that she would do anything and she was in this delusional fantasy
land where she thinks you know if I wasn't around that they could run off into the sunset with Callahan and be a
happy little family but how does somebody convince an another person who's never committed a
crime to shoot someone it's wild I love the answers to that because that's where we're stuck to attorney
Matt trian wonders if Amer has been controlling Colleen for years why would she do this it's the fact that she had
known this person since she's 12 years old they had been in this kind of dominant subservient relationship where
he's the master she's the student student he is the boss this woman who once dat at Amer
doesn't want to be named or have her face shown but she says she knows firsthand the hold Amer can have on the
women in his life yes it was a high when I was around him and that you wanted to do whatever
you could to hang on to that high yes she says she was once under amer's spell but it's certain she would never kill
for him still she sees some of herself in calling Larson and I feel like that was me y I
definitely feel like I was willing to do whatever I could to make him approve of
me and want to be with me with good behavior Tim Amer could be out of prison by 2034 do you think you'll ever feel truly
safe again no you'll always have to be looking over your shoulder I think so it all still haunts Donovan the shots
fired the woman he loves fighting for her life do you still see that in your head
absolutely oh yeah still fear that you could lose her yeah mhm all the time yet alongside the destruction there
are miracles in this story good to see you again good to see you too almost exactly a year no and he
look so well thank you we asked for this one-of-a-kind reunion Emily Clancy who raced to help a stranger saving Nicole's
life we are expecting a baby thank you I'm so happy for you thank you Donovan and Nicole now husband
and wife had just gotten the good news and I was like are you serious and she's like yep and then we're just hugging and
happy as for the child Nicole had with Tim Amer how old is Callahan now he's six does he know that his
Dad tried to kill you he does now and how did he take that better than I thought he would he's come
out amazing that's a miracle too just him being able to deal with all the stuff he's been through and still be the
kid he is thank you thank [Music] you a stepdaughter's trust betrayed she found naked photos of herself on her
stepdad's computer hundreds hundreds then Tom maramman is found dead was it Revenge did you want your stepfather
dead Saturday on CBS at streaming on Paramount Plus

A crime scene investigator is gunned down in broad daylight. The harrowing scene is captured on surveillance video. Who pulled the trigger? "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

Nikki Lenway Ford survives a shooting orchestrated by her ex, Tim Amer, and his accomplice Colleen Larson, leading to their arrests and trials.

Key points

A Day That Changed Everything. On April 20, 2022, forensic scientist Nikki was shot twice at point-blank range.
A Mother's Instinct. Nikki believes her shooting is connected to her ex, Tim Amer, despite no evidence.
The Battle for Custody. Nicole's custody battle with Tim Amer escalates into chaos and legal warfare.
Unexpected Legal Trouble. Nicole finds herself on trial for domestic assault, a shocking turn of events.
A Shocking Discovery. Police uncover that Tim Amer owned a truck similar to the shooter's vehicle.
Tim and Colleen Arrested. Tim and Colleen are charged with attempted murder after evidence links them to the crime.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's a miracle she's alive.

Nikki reflects on her survival after being shot.

0:31WatchOct 13, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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