Who Wanted Nicki Lenway Dead? | Full Episode + Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[Music] where's the victim who's shoted 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 two 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 forensic 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 ask 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 her kid did you
recognize 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 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 and 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 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 minute
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 got pressure in the neck she's got shot
in the arm 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 you got this just stay with me I don't think we can ever recreate
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 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 But 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
henpen 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 critical 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 discharg 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' been in the back with your son in the community Tim Amer was
well-liked and a respect local Taekwondo instructor Tim seemed worried about Nicole is she okay she going to be fine
I mean she's stable right now but it's really serious Andy had an idea about what may have happened he thought it had
something to do with a 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 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 the 48 Hours team 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 taekwon doe 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 detlof 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 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 bedroom 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 in 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 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 asked myself that all all the 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 Tim's moved in running out one of his rooms her name
Colleen Lar seemed absolutely lovely nice girl I think she's very smart um probably book
smart at Street Smart Colina begun studying with Amaker 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 are you 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 I have weapons here there's a shooting
happened down here 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 and 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 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 calling Larson 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 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 motions before the
court he reported Nicole to Child Protection Services multiple times accusing her and Donovan of physical and
sexual abuse children 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 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 contined yep
allegation after allegation and then in May of 2018 Amer 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 very conflicted Callahan was a pawn it wasn't about Callahan or Callahan's wellbeing 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 ier 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
out there 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 henpen 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 only car no no I have a do 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 is a Superman logo Case Closed Superman logo is not in
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 was his truck he couldn't
be The Driver who else has access to the truck uh colen has access to it Callen Larson 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 wasn't 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 fener 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 vener wanted to
know everywhere Tim and colim went the day of the shooting there's 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 the afternoon of 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 residence and headed straight to
familywise now we see that person who is walking right here that is Colleen Larson 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 rid of the couple's house yielded more evidence bullet casings
matching the ones found at the crime scene on April 28th 2022 Colleen lson 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 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 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 TRU and she says Tim was behind it whose
idea was it to to shoot the [Music] call so he asked you if you felt if you feel comfortable would you shoot Nicole
from you yes yes she said she believed Tim's story that Nicole was abusing Callahan
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
Colleen Larson 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 familywise 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 troyano 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 by 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 Larson acted on
her own see more evidence from the case at 48 [Music] hours.com those sacred tenants of
taekwan doe self-control Integrity could the master win this battle the jury took an hour to
decide he was found guilty guilty on all accounts 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 sentencing Nicole wanted
judge Shireen askalani to hear all she endured to protect her the judge kept most of Nicole's statement off camera
you're 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 osani had no patience for Amer and his claims that Nicole had been abusive
it appears 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 all that had 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 colen was sentenced to 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 son 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 he is the boss this woman who once dated 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 coling lson and I feel like that was me yep 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 destru there are miracles in this
story to see you too almost exactly a year I know and he look so well thank you you been feeling 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 you I'm so happy for you thank you Donovan and Nicole now husband and wife 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 [Music] thank CBS next Saturday 48 Hours brings you backtack episodes all summer long
next week serial killings he went to Great Lengths to conceal these bodies it just want answers 48 Hours Crime Time
double feature next Saturday 98 Central on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus [Music]
I'm anarie green welcome to 48 hours postor I'm joined today by longtime correspondent Aaron morard to discuss
her latest episode who wanted Nikki lenway dead hi Aaron thank you so much for joining us again oh I wanted to be
here this is a particularly great case and there are always things that we can't include in the hours so we can
talk about it here well I always have questions what about this case stood out to you what Drew you to it well first
thing we have a thir 33-year-old victim and she survives I mean we don't have that very often in at 48 hours but in
many ways she was an unusual victim she was actually a member of the Minneapolis
Police Department and because of that that raised all kinds of possibilities this is a woman who was shot point blank
and the big question was was this a robbery that went wrong or was this connected to work I mean there were so
many possibilities oh and you know the legal issues were great so that's what made this show special yeah you don't
often get an opportunity quite frankly to talk to the victim I mean she survived this which is remarkable um I
want to get to you know who investigators initially thought was behind this but first I want to play a
quick recap of the episode on April 20th 2022 Emily Clancy was driving home from
dinner with friends when something across the street caught her attention I saw a person run up to another person
and then I heard two bangs and that other person collapsed 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 the victim was 33-year-old
Nicole Nikki lenway a crime scene investigator for the Minneapolis Police she was on her way to pick up her
5-year-old son when she was shot she was in a lot of pain she was having a hard timea breathing where's the victim who's
shot Emily did her best to help Nikki until First Responders arrived so we've got EMS coming right now Emily told
police what she thought had happened it maybe looked like a robbery or something
that was so fast take it to the hospital Nikki lost Consciousness but she recovered when 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
[Music] would so those first critical moments after Nikki was shot Emily Clancy she's
a total stranger she not only she happens to be driving by at the moment that this happens but then she jumps
into action she puts herself in danger a lot of people would not have stopped when I watched this I thought to myself
would I have stopped or would I have kept on going it's remarkable it is um you know people sometimes ask me how can
you do these shows and I often tell them for the heroic people that we meet and we often do and Emily Clancy was one of
those heroic people you know it's so interesting I rode in the car with her she showed me how it all happened and um
she didn't hesitate at all she just pulled up without any thought of her own safy
she then told Nikki to get in the car cuz Nikki was standing there bleeding and at that moment again just
automatically she doesn't think about maybe the shooter is still out there she helps Nikki apply pressure on her neck
Nikki of course was hit in the neck and her vocal cords were damaged so she couldn't talk to the 911 operator so
Emily stepped in and did that um I was struck by how emotional Emily was she was almost more emotional than Nikki
retelling this well you know and you are so right Emory I talked to Nikki a long
time and she had been through hell and she was so calm but when you bring it up with Emily the idea that that Nikki
could have died and it was because Emily stepped up Emily keeps thinking about how close Nikki came to Dy um so she
gets very emotional Emily was actually given a good citizen award following the shooting and that's where Emily and
Nikki initially first met after you know after the first meeting that was kind of
their second meeting but in the hour you include their next reunion it's really really touching um what was that like
well you know if you look in in the background you'll see me and you could see that I'm really moved it was very
very teary um because Nikki also believes she only survived because of Emily's efforts so they have this very
strange Bond um that connects them and Nikki wanted to see her because she had very big news to tell her and tells us
at the same time that she's pregnant so you guys didn't know before no no no no and so that's always again Emory you
know that you work on these shows that you know you always get surprises when you're in the field and spend as much
time as we do with with the people that we interview it it really was very exciting um Nikki she actually works in
a crime lab how does she find herself being the victim of an attempted murder well that was the whole question at the
outset and it really was uh she was an unusual victim so of course there were so many possibilities was this shooting
connected to something some investigation she worked on she's a forensic scientist you know she works
primarily with um fingerprints but was there's something connected to her job and then of course as it is with any
case you have to look at someone close to her was this a personal attack and the early evidence in this case did seem
to indicate that it was very personal so one thing that comes up over and over again um for me when I watch these
episodes is you know you you need like the old school investigative uh knoow but technology plays a huge role too I
don't think you can have one without the other um but in this case surveillance video
really made a big difference um incredibly this is a shooting that was caught on there's Bank surveillance
video that picked up on the shooting uh there were School cameras that showed the shooter actually getting out of this
black truck and then driving away uh we also got to see body camera footage of Nikki right after she was shot which I
was stunned by CU I couldn't even tells she was shot or that she was injured the
surveillance video even though you couldn't tell who it was did it help investigators sort of narrow
things down oh it did and don't you sometimes Amry when you work on these stories you think why would anybody
commit a crime in this day and age knowing that everything is getting caught on video now I think the shooter
thought that uh this person would be able to outsmart investigators because the shooter is all in black and ha is is
covered and there's a mask but in fact the surveillance video was crucial because you see that person run up uh
that person is targeting Nikki uh that person shoots Nikki once and when Nikki starts getting up shoots again clearly
this was a personal attack and so that's what investigators know then they see the shooter run to a truck you can tell
what kind of truck it's a Dodge Ram truck it does happen to be a very popular vehicle but that certainly
Narrows down um the shooter takes off um but the limitations of video is also apparent in this case because you
couldn't tell the gender uh you could not you could not tell how tall this person is but it certainly did give
investigators a lot of evidence to start off with yeah and then it's not just the
surveillance video but our own devices are tracking Us in ways that you know I think it becomes kind of the fabric of
how we move so we forget that we are being tracked all the time you think if you turn your phone off that's good
enough in this case it didn't turn out to be good enough for Tim so most vehicles that are made after
2022 have Wi-Fi capabilities what that really means is go ahead leave your phone at home thinking you won't be
tracked but as soon as you get in the car you are driving a cell phone that is essentially what you are doing and in
fact Tim amer's uh Dodge Ram truck was a 20 22 and it had Wi-Fi capabilities um and because of that he
left this digital Trail even when he wasn't driving the truck they could identify that black Dodge Ram truck as
his track the route of that truck that led to someone who knew him very well and that is how they made their arrest
so in our last postor you and I talked about Tim bnck who was convicted of murdering his wife Becky you know I mean
that's what the allegation was too for him that he had turned off his phone and so he believed that he couldn't be
tracked just a couple of similarities between the two cases but you know there was all they were separated um Nikki had
started dating somebody new much like Becky had started to date somebody new and there was this really like
contentious um custody battle going on over their son no question and you know you had asked me at the beginning what
was it that Drew me to this case and the biggest thing was uh the issue of domestic violence and this case was the
scariest domestic violence case I have ever covered let's listen to a clip how would you describe the last 6 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 voice 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 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 found to have substance so I have to tell you I would
the more I read about it it gave me chills it scared me you know the whole time you're wondering how does she end
up with a guy like that but Tim seemed to have this power over a lot of people in his life so next I want to dig into
Tim and and Colleen's relationship was she manipulated by him to commit coldblooded murder it's it's
such a leap but we're going to dig into that we'll be right [Music] back welcome back uh let's get right
into it aarin do you believe Colleen Larsson acted on her own or do you think Tim manipulated her let's listen to a
clip from the hour when the once Young quando student turned 18 her relationship with Tim Amer
quietly changed according to Charlie did you get the sense he was in love with coli 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 I know the prosecutors believe that she was completely manipulated by Tim and all of Tim's friends told me the
same thing um it's hard for me to believe that he could actually have so much power over
somebody that he could have her shoot someone in his place um but in fact when you look at calling larsson's background
she didn't know Nikki very well so there would be no reason to want her dead she
had know criminal history but according to the prosecutors Tim you know she did call him Master at home that's still I
can't get over that that Bonkers because you know Colleen had started as a student when she was like Preen almost
and um and called him Master when she was learning Taekwondo and continued to call him Master even when she started
dating him so it that kind of if you look up to someone and he's telling you that Nikki is abusing their son
maybe maybe but certainly um here's this woman with no criminal history and she not just she doesn't just shoot Nikki
once she shoots her twice so something was going on there and of course you know Colleen uh didn't want to talk to
48 Hours uh her family did didn't want to talk either so we don't necessarily know what Drew her to him but you did
get an interview with a woman he had previously dated I want to place some of that sound this woman who once dated
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 spell but it's certain she would
never kill for him still she sees some of herself in calling lson and I feel like that was me yep I
definitely feel like I was willing to do whatever I could to make him approve of
me and want to be with me that was so Illuminating listening to her talk and you know you also were able to talk to a
neighbor and the way he's describing him the way you know Tim's got women coming
in and out well everyone you know that was pretty standard men and women both told me that Tim had this amazing
Charisma and power over people now I've got to be honest I didn't get to see it he didn't testify but my favorite detail
Amry I'm sorry was the purple light do you remember the purple lights the purple light was on you could
come on over no I wasn't busy it was I thought you could come over if the purple light
was but Charlie deop I is The Neighbor Next Door who I just I think he was living vicariously through Tim because
Tim had this you know this line of women coming and going and let's be honest Nikki was drawn to him too um so the
line that really struck me was the young woman who dated him who said it was a high to be around him and she didn't
want to get rid of that high that that just stays in my head so you know clearly he has some kind of power that
comes across to people tell us what Tim was like at his sentencing he was talking about how uh he really couldn't
be judged in a a court of law that only God could judge him and no remorse never
talked about never accepting any responsibility never accepting any responsibility for poor Colleen getting
in the middle of this it it's as Nikki had said to me afterwards it was a bit of blaming other people people for the
situation he was in what's interesting Amar is he told everybody that after he was arrested there was new evidence that
was going to come up and it was going to save him but you know it hasn't happened
yet wow um Colleen Did confess to shooting uh Niki pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the first-degree
attempted murder of Niki Tim was charged with attempted first-degree premeditated
murder and aiding an accomplice after the fact this was a tough prosecution yeah we know Colleen was a shooter okay
Colleen confesses and says she was the shooter but the prosecutors have charged him with the exact same charge and we
know he wasn't there we know he was inside the familywise center so basically what prosecutors had to
convince a jur is that Tim had so much power over calling that he was kind of using her as a weapon that she was his
weapon for shooting uh now the the way the law is written if you do enough um to help this happening then you're just
as responsible but as we point out in the hour there was no direct evidence that showed him doesn't show him buying
the gun doesn't show him him putting the gun in her hand yes there were spent shell casings inside his home but the
shooter lived inside his home so the idea of getting the jury to believe that he was involved um and that he used
Colleen to do his dirty work that was tough that was really tough the thing about this Saga is it's likely not over
for Nikki uh Tim was sentenced to 18 years in prison uh Colleen was sentenced to 16 and a half years I don't even know
if that means that they're going to serve the full term but for sure they're going to be out it it doesn't seem like
they got a lot of time is this typical yeah it is uh unfortunately cuz it's attempted murder it would have been very
different um yeah they they got the Mex you know so um what's scary is you know I've done so many stories on stalkers
and that's what this is you know domestic violence um will he you know see the light of day while he's in
prison and feel remorse or will he just kind of do in prison cuz he'll get out he could get out in 12 years you know
it's POS possible um and so Nikki's aware of that um her boyfriend now her husband Donovan Ford is aware of it but
no the legal system can only go so far to protect people that's the problem and we see it all the time yeah you know
sort of the lucky thing for both Nikki and her son is that they both have Donovan and it's sort of remarkable uh
they meet at another crime seen a burglary and he seems just perfect for her oh my God so you know I asked him
you know no offense Donovan but like you just start dating this woman and all of
a sudden her ex starts making your life hell so I finally said to him like why did you stay with her and he just looked
at me he didn't even hesitate and he goes because I love her I was so touched so touched so out of this awful awful
situation this night M relationship Nikki did find true love and a wonderful man um how is Nikki's son doing they say
he's doing great they say he is that he's Nikki did tell him that uh his father tried to kill her he they they
had to along with counseling uh but she says he's doing well right now and they are having another child so you know
hopefully he'll be focused more on school and family and um and get lots of counseling to deal with what is really a
very very tragic situation it really is but um the fact that she survived and is
flourishing um it's one of it's a 148 hours that was inspiring to see her rebuild her life in this way there's
just one other detail I want to share um when you look at Nikki she looks fine you know barely a scar but what you
don't realize is that she was a singer and she was shot in her neck it she had terrible vocal cord damage and she could
no longer sing so you know she still carries uh scars with her it's a really good reminder Erin um another great
postm morom thank you so much it's always great being here and I'll be back with another show I promise I know you
will um so for everyone be sure to join us next Tuesday then for another postmortem and if you're liking the show
please rate and review 48 Hours on Apple podcast you can watch 48 hours on Saturdays 109 Central on CBS and
streaming on Paramount plus and be sure to follow 48 Hours wherever you get your
podcast you can also listen ad free on the Amazon music and wry app [Music]

Crime scene investigator Nicki Lenway found herself in the center of her own attempted murder plot.

What would you do if you saw someone shoot a stranger in broad daylight? Watch "Who Wanted Nicki Lenway Dead?" and then catch up with longtime correspondent Erin Moriarty and host Anne-Marie Green on "Post Mortem" where they discuss Colleen Larson, the young woman who pulled the trigger, and Tim Amacher, the taekwondo instructor in the middle of it all. Erin shares what it was like to see Nicki reunite with the woman she believes saved her life, and recounts Nicki and her new husband Donovan’s not so average “meet cute” on the scene of another crime.

0:01: Who Wanted Nicki Lenway Dead? 41:16 Listen to a post-mortem on the episode

Listen to "Post Mortem" wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/oFr_5NOA?sid=YT

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. Subscribe to the "48 Hours" YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/48hours Watch full episodes of "48 Hours": https://cbsnews.com/48-hours/full-episodes/ Listen to the "48 Hours" podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/48-Hours Listen to the "My Life of Crime with Erin Moriarty" podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/CBSNewsMLOC Follow "48 Hours" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/48hoursCBS/ Like "48 Hours" on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/48hours Follow "48 Hours" on Twitter: https://twitter.com/48hours Subscribe to our newsletter: https://cbsnews.com/newsletter/ Download the CBS News app: https://cbsnews.com/mobile/ Try Paramount+ free: https://paramountplus.com/?ftag=PPM-05-10aeh8h For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Nikki Lenway survives a shooting; Tim Amer and Colleen Larson are charged with attempted murder in a complex domestic violence case.

Key points

Nikki's Miraculous Survival. After being shot, Nikki reflects on her survival and the chaos that ensued.
The Shooter's Identity. Nikki is convinced the shooter is connected to someone she knows.
Tim's Troubling Relationships. Tim's history of juggling relationships raises eyebrows among friends.
Nikki's Struggle with Tim. Nikki reveals the emotional turmoil caused by Tim's threats and accusations.
Legal Battles and Accusations. Nikki faces a series of legal challenges stemming from her tumultuous relationship with Tim.
Tim's Arrest. Tim Amer was arrested for attempted murder and aiding an accomplice after the shooting.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's a miracle she's alive.

Nikki reflects on her survival after being shot.

0:31WatchJun 14, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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