20/20 Podcast – "Stranger in the House"

Airdate: March 28, 2026
Podcast: 20/20 (ABC News)
Summary by: Podcast Summarizer

EPISODE OVERVIEW

"Stranger in the House" delves into the 2010 murder of Heidi Firkus in St. Paul, Minnesota—a case that at first appeared to be a random home invasion, only to unravel into a far more complex story involving secrets, financial distress, and a years-long investigation that ultimately led to Heidi’s husband, Nick Firkus, standing trial for her murder. Through police interviews, family perspectives, new forensics, and first-hand recounting from Nick’s second wife Rachel, the episode explores the search for truth amid betrayal, suspicion, and loss.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. The Crime and Initial 911 Calls

• On April 25, 2010, Heidi and Nick Firkus—a young, devout couple active in their church—experienced a violent encounter at their home.
• Heidi calls 911, frightened, reporting someone trying to break in ([03:28]). The call ends abruptly with a loud noise.
• Moments later, Nick places a desperate 911 call, screaming for help and stating both he and Heidi have been shot ([04:14], [04:44]).
• Police rush to the scene to find Heidi fatally shot and Nick with a gunshot wound in his upper thigh ([06:46], [07:11]).

“Nick tells the police that the intruder broke in and the two of them wrestled over Nick’s shotgun… and then the shotgun went off and Heidi got shot in the back.” – Narrator/Host ([06:46])

2. Initial Investigation

• Police observe forced entry evidence: tool marks on the door, gunshots in the frame, Nick’s hunting shotgun at the scene.
• K-9 units and neighborhood canvassing produce no leads—no one sees a suspect fleeing, nor is a scent trail found ([08:24], [16:07]).
• Nick recounts an intruder breaking in; he and Heidi attempt to escape, but a struggle ensues during which the gun goes off, hitting Heidi ([09:03], [14:11]).
• Nick describes the assailant as a large Black male in a dark hooded sweatshirt, matching his own brother’s size as a reference ([14:55], [15:07]).

"He was really big. My twin brother is 6'1", so he's that big." – Nick Firkus ([15:07])

3. Uncovering Financial Troubles

• Under police questioning, Nick reveals they were being foreclosed upon and were to be forcibly evicted the day after the shooting ([20:58], [21:11]).
• The couple had kept their mounting financial distress—a $15,000+ credit card debt and overdrafts—secret from everyone ([22:13], [22:35], [23:29]).
• Strikingly, no signs of the couple packing or preparing to move are found at the scene ([23:00]).

"No one knows about this except you and I." – Nick Firkus ([22:55]) "There were no signs the couple was packing up and preparing for a move." – Narrator/Host ([23:00])

4. Nick’s Changing Status: From Victim to Suspect

• Police begin to doubt Nick’s story due to inconsistencies and lack of evidence of an intruder ([24:31], [25:48]).
• Nick hires a defense lawyer, who advises against further cooperation with police ([29:00], [29:34]).
• Nick’s own sketch of the “intruder” leads police to Michael Pye—a real burglar in the neighborhood, but Pye was incarcerated at the time of the murder ([32:00], [33:33]).

"Problem is, is that that individual was incarcerated when Heidi was killed." – Sergeant Gray ([33:29])

5. Life After the Crime: Nick Moves On

• Nick remarries Rachel, the sister of a friend, and starts a new family ([34:05], [39:03]).
• Rachel is eventually unsettled by new evidence of secret financial issues during their marriage, echoing Nick’s previous behavior ([39:58], [41:01]).
• Rachel expresses her growing suspicions, prompting her to leave Nick with their children ([49:42], [50:27]) and begin covertly recording him ([59:13]).

"I didn't know that this was happening… Last time he had problems with finances, a lot of things went wrong. His wife was killed." – Rachel Firkus ([49:43])

6. A Decade-Long Investigation Reignites

• Sgt. Nikki Sipes reopens the case in 2019, focusing on Nick’s initial interview and his unemotional responses ([51:31], [52:11]).
• The FBI finds no evidence of a third party on the 911 call—no other voices, sounds of a struggle missing ([53:47], [54:23]).
• Ballistics and scene recreation with FBI digital modeling suggest the shot was likely deliberate, not the result of a struggle ([55:48], [56:22], [56:35]).

"They believe that shows that the gun wasn't at Nick's chest, as he describes. Instead, it was higher at his shoulder level, as a shotgun would normally be if you're going to aim and fire." – Narrator/Host ([56:22])

7. Motive: The Secret Financial Crisis

• Investigators conclude Heidi was unaware of the foreclosure, with all documentation and mailings addressed to Nick; none were signed or acknowledged by Heidi ([66:50], [67:38]).
• Prosecutors theorize Nick killed Heidi to conceal the impending eviction and financial ruin—a secret he could not bear to see exposed ([69:32], [70:02]).

"He thought she might leave him. So rather than reveal his financial problems, he killed his wife." – Sergeant Nikki Sipes ([69:38])

8. The Trial and Aftermath

• Nick is arrested for Heidi's murder after 11 years ([70:56], [71:31]).
• At trial, the prosecution challenges the plausibility of the intruder story through physical reenactments, lack of intruder DNA, and the undisturbed nature of the crime scene ([72:51], [74:33]).
• The defense counters with the possibilities of a break-in and hardship coping, but key evidence undermines their argument.
• After a brief jury deliberation, Nick is convicted of first and second-degree murder ([81:45], [81:50]).
• Heidi’s family expresses relief at a sense of justice, while Rachel and Nick’s supporters struggle with disbelief and heartbreak ([82:26], [83:31]).

"There’s justice, but that doesn’t make things better." – Friend or Family Member ([82:31]) "I do maintain and will maintain to my dying breath my innocence of this crime. Heidi was a bright light in this world." – Nick Firkus at sentencing ([83:05], [83:21])

MEMORABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• On the Public Face vs. Private Struggle
  "He was one man at church for his wife and his family and community, and then there was the secret Nick. The Nick that couldn't pay his bills, the Nick who was losing his house." – Narrator/Host ([70:02])

• On the Toll of the Crime
  “Just knowing what the world was robbed of, that someone as bright and just special was lost. It's tragic to think about and remember” – Narrator/Host ([83:46])

• On Rachel’s Revelation
  "I have children with this person, and the last time he had problems with finances, a lot of things went wrong. His wife was killed." – Rachel ([49:43])

• Michael Pye on Being Falsely Identified
  "If I wouldn't have been locked up, I would have got found guilty for it because wouldn't nobody believe it if I told them that it wasn't me. I most definitely forgive him for what he tried to do." – Michael Pye ([84:10])

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• The Crime and 911 Calls — [03:28–05:20]
• Nick’s Police Interview and Financial Secret — [12:13–24:31]
• Composite Sketch and Michael Pye — [30:02–33:33], [84:10]
• Rachel’s Discoveries and Recording Nick — [41:01–50:27], [59:13–61:30]
• Reopening the Case/FBI Forensics — [51:31–57:38]
• Trial and Key Arguments — [72:13–78:59]
• Guilty Verdict and Sentencing — [81:45–83:21]
• Michael Pye’s Reflection — [84:10]
• Rachel’s Reflection and Connection to Heidi — [84:31–85:22]

CONCLUSION

"Stranger in the House" masterfully reconstructs a tragedy marked by trust, secrets, and the search for justice. The case of Heidi Firkus stands as a haunting testament to the real-life consequences of financial distress, deception, and the persistence of law enforcement—and the aftermath carried by loved ones searching for the truth.

For listeners interested in true crime, investigations, and the complexities of human relationships under pressure, this episode provides a gripping, multi-layered narrative and a powerful reminder of the lives changed behind the headlines.