In The Line of Fire

Summary

Podcast Summary: "In The Line of Fire" – 48 Hours by CBS News

Episode Overview

"In The Line of Fire," an episode of CBS News' acclaimed true-crime series 48 Hours, delves deep into a harrowing incident that shook a St. Louis family and the community. Hosted by CBS News correspondents, the episode meticulously reconstructs the events of a tragic robbery that resulted in loss, trauma, and a relentless pursuit of justice. Through gripping interviews, compelling evidence, and heartfelt testimonies, the narrative paints a vivid picture of courage, vulnerability, and the complexities of the criminal justice system.

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Incident Reconstruction

The episode opens with Officer Isabella Levadina recounting her pride in becoming a police officer and her dedication to making a difference. Her commitment is poignantly captured at [01:59], where she states, “I was so proud when I became a police officer.” This pride soon intertwines with personal tragedy during an EMT class in October 2009.

At [04:33], Isabella describes the terrifying moment when two armed men confronted her and Nick, her EMT classmate: “One of them said, give me whatever you got. And I said, I don't have anything. I can't give them my car keys because I have a gun in the car.” The situation escalates quickly as they are forced into Isabella's grandmother's house, heightening the tension and fear.

Personal Accounts and Heroism

Nick narrates his relationship with Isabella, highlighting their initial connection and the development of their bond: “It was literally love at first sight” ([02:51]). This personal angle adds depth to the ensuing tragedy, making the impact more profound.

As the robbery unfolds, Isabella showcases her training and resilience. At [05:31], she reflects, “My mind just went into police mode. What am I going to do to keep everybody in this house safe and get them out?” Her determination peaks when she bravely confronts one of the gunmen to protect her family and neighbors, despite the imminent danger to herself.

The Attack and Immediate Aftermath

The crisis reaches its climax when both Isabella and Nick are shot. Isabella recounts at [14:17], “I saw blood on my T-shirt. And at that point, I realized that I had been shot in the chest.” Nick details the severity of his injuries: “I was shot three times, and I have one bullet that went just under my ear, and it traveled through the back of my neck, hit my spinal cord” ([22:37]).

Gina's Mother provides a heart-wrenching perspective on the loss of her daughter, Gina, who was tragically killed during the robbery: “My daughter Gina had never committed a crime, and she didn't get any chance” ([33:21]). Her grief underscores the personal toll of the crime beyond the immediate victims.

Investigation and Pursuit of Justice

The investigation swiftly moves forward as law enforcement pieces together eyewitness testimonies and forensic evidence. A crucial breakthrough occurs when an observant X-ray technician identifies a suspect based on physical features and behavior, leading to the arrest of Mario Coleman and Liddell Nathan ([24:36]).

Isabella faces the emotional burden of identifying the perpetrators in a photo lineup. At [29:43], she details the moment: “I do remember that there was different faces. They all had similar features. I instantly pointed to each one of them and said, these are the guys.”

Trial Proceedings and Verdicts

The legal battle intensifies as both suspects stand trial. Liddell Nathan, initially a juvenile at 16, is certified to stand trial as an adult. Despite attempts by the defense to mitigate his culpability by highlighting his troubled upbringing, Nathan is found guilty of murder in the first degree after a swift three-hour jury deliberation ([32:43]}).

Mario Coleman’s trial presents additional complexities. Despite eyewitnesses identifying him as the shooter, forensic evidence complicates the case, revealing DNA linking the murder weapon to Nathan. Prosecutors argue a potential gun-switching scheme, leading to both men being held accountable for their roles in the crime ([34:02]).

The prosecution underscores the importance of accurate victim identification for securing convictions: “Somebody has to stand up and say, that's the one who did it” ([25:55]).

Personal Reflections and Aftermath

Isabella grapples with guilt and trauma in the aftermath of the incident. She reflects on her inability to save Gina and the lasting impact it has had on her mental health: “After hearing the defense opening, I became very angry… It was very emotional” ([32:05]). Her journey towards healing includes recognizing the fragile nature of life and her continued commitment to helping others in a new capacity ([44:51]).

Gina's Mother shares her path to rebuilding her life, emphasizing the resilience required to support her surviving children: “I'm a mom again. So my life has changed. Really for the good” ([42:51]).

Concluding Remarks

The episode concludes by highlighting the broader implications of the case on the community and the criminal justice system. It emphasizes the unwavering pursuit of justice despite the challenges and emotional toll on those involved. The final acknowledgment of Officer Levadina’s bravery and sacrifice serves as a poignant reminder of the personal costs inherent in law enforcement and the pursuit of safety for others.

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Notable Quotes

• Isabella Levadina [01:59]: “I was so proud when I became a police officer.”
• Nick [02:51]: “It was literally love at first sight.”
• Isabella Levadina [05:31]: “My mind just went into police mode. What am I going to do to keep everybody in this house safe and get them out?”
• Isabella Levadina [14:17]: “I saw blood on my T-shirt. And at that point, I realized that I had been shot in the chest.”
• Gina's Mother [33:21]: “My daughter Gina had never committed a crime, and she didn't get any chance.”
• Detective [25:55]: “Getting people convicted in court, somebody has to stand up and say, that's the one who did it.”
• Isabella Levadina [29:43]: “I instantly pointed to each one of them and said, these are the guys.”
• Prosecutor [30:46]: “He wanted to know what the punishments potentially could be.”
• Isabella Levadina [38:47]: “I wanted to tell you that I feel bad for you. It doesn't... give me a whole new family that I didn't have before.”
• Nick [43:35]: “It’s made me think a lot about how Isabella and I are a miracle.”

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Conclusion

"In The Line of Fire" is a profound exploration of a violent crime's ripple effects on individuals and families. Through the courageous testimonies of survivors and those left behind, 48 Hours provides a comprehensive look at the quest for justice and the enduring human spirit in the face of unimaginable loss.

Transcript

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[Isabella Levadina]

I was so proud when I became a police officer.

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Police officer Isabella Levodina.

[Isabella Levadina]

I knew that it was not a job that a lot of people can do, and it made me feel so good that I could go out there and do that. I knew that I wanted to do something that was gonna make a difference and that I could help people.

[Nick]

I met Isabella on an accident.

[Isabella Levadina]

I knew that he was a fireman and was wearing all his fire gear. And every girl thinks that's attractive. For most women, I thought, how cool is this?

[Nick]

This beautiful little petite girl that's, you know, a police officer. It was literally love at first sight.

[Isabella Levadina]

He seemed like he would be really kind. In October of 2009, Nick and I were taking an EMT class together.

[Nick]

I said, why don't you come over to my grandmother's house? We can have dinner, and after dinner we can study together.

[Isabella Levadina]

I really felt comfortable in that house. There was just a really warm feeling. I'm sure the people that lived there, you know, Nick's family had a lot to do with why I felt that way.

[Nick]

Isabella and I finished studying around 12:30.

[Isabella Levadina]

Nick always walked me outside to watch me get in the car, make sure I was safe.

[Nick]

I walked her out to the car, and she put away her gun and her bulletproof vest.

[Isabella Levadina]

I went back to give Nick a hug goodbye. It was only a matter of a minute before I heard tire squealing.

[Nick]

I remember her eyes getting really big, and I see the fear in her eyes. And I turn, and right as I'm turning, there's two black males walking really fast at us with their guns drawn.

[Isabella Levadina]

One of them said, give me whatever you got. And I said, I don't have anything. I can't give them my car keys because I have a gun in the car.

[Nick]

And right away they point towards my grandmother's house.

[Isabella Levadina]

One of the guys said, who's in the house?

[Nick]

I said, please leave. There's women and children in that house.

[Isabella Levadina]

I knew that there was two little boys in there. I knew that Nick's grandmother and aunt was sleeping inside. I knew that it wasn't going to end there. I knew that they weren't just going to leave. Then they directed us at gunpoint to go inside. Right when we get into the house, they became very angry. It was, put your head on the ground. I'll kill you.

[Nick]

They're going to kill us all.

[Isabella Levadina]

My mind just went into police mode. What am I going to do to keep everybody in this house safe and get them out? We got down on our knees in the hallway, and it's a very narrow, long hallway, and we were facing the wall. I was constantly peeking at them, trying to memorize their features, what they were wearing, any kind of description I could give to the police. One of them was wearing a red hoodie and dark pants. The other one was wearing a black hoodie. The guy in the black hoodie kneeled down behind me, and he leaned over, and I could feel his breath on my ear. And in a very sexual way, grabbed my butt. At that point, I started to think, I'm gonna be raped tonight. I started to prepare myself to be raped.

[Nick]

I remember getting so angry, and I tried to get up a little bit, and right away he stuck the gun in my head and said, I'll blow your brains out. He made me feel just really small. I remember seeing the guy in the red hoodie go upstairs. My grandmother was there, my aunt Rosie, and my cousin Gina was there with her kids, Ben and Sam.

[Gina's Mother]

I'm not sure what time it was. And I heard my daughter Gina, crying at the foot of my bed. And I immediately woke up, and I said to Gina, are you sick? Because she had been in the hospital. And when I turned to my left, I saw a man in a red hoodie next to my bed with a gun.

[Nick]

And.

[Gina's Mother]

And he was telling me to get up. He pointed the gun at Gina and said, get the tv. By that time, Gina was crying and said, I can't lift it. It's too heavy. He told her that he was going to shoot her if she did not pick up that t. Gina was diagnosed at 19 with stomach cancer from being sick when she was younger. She had a chronic illness, and so a couple times a year, she would end up in the hospital overnight. That night, I went to the hospital to pick Gina up, Talked her into coming to spend the night. She really didn't want to. In all the times and all the years that I brought Gina home from the hospital, this was the only time that I brought her to my house.

[Isabella Levadina]

I saw Gina carrying this large, older television down the stairs. And the guy in the red hoodie had the gun pointed to her back, following her down. And once she got downstairs and knelt down next to me, all she wanted, all she asked was if it was okay if she could check on her kids. They just yelled back, I'll kill you, bitch. Shut up. Put your head on the ground. Tears were rolling down her face, and she looked directly at me, and she said, oh, my God, Isabella, please help. And I felt so helpless. I was playing scenarios in my head of how can I get my gun out of the car and help people. I just kept trying to think of a way. Rose and Ida were brought downstairs. One of the gunmen directed Gina to go down in the basement with him. I believed that they were gonna rape her down there. And I stood up and I turned around and I said, gina, you stay here. I'll go down there. After I stood up, they said, everyone go down in the basement. I thought I was gonna die. I thought everyone was going to die. And that was my breaking point. I thought, I'm not gonna let this happen. I'm not gonna go out that way. I looked down the barrel of the gun, and with everything that I had in me, I lunged towards the guy with the black hoodie and began to fight.

[Gina's Mother]

He was airborne into the front door. She literally threw him into the air. At that point, Nicholas jumped up.

[Nick]

The guy in the red hoodie, I'm wrestling with him. It happened so fast.

[Gina's Mother]

I ran out the door. And as soon as the door slammed, I heard pow, pow, bam, bam, bam.

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[Nick]

I remember hearing a bunch of gunfire.

[Gina's Mother]

Pop, pop, pop. And I thought, should I go back in there? I gotta try and get help. I gotta. I have to try to get the police here. I did not know who had survived.

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Or.

[Gina's Mother]

Who had died. I started just running up to random doors, screaming and pounding on the doors, begging for somebody to open the door. Nobody would open their door. I just kept running. I'd run down one set of steps and run up another set. Please let me in.

[Nick]

I turn and all I see is Isabella down on the floor in a fetal position. And the guy in the black hoodie is standing right over her, just shooting her, shooting her and shooting her.

[Isabella Levadina]

I looked down and I saw blood on my. On my T shirt. And at that point I realized that I had been shot in the chest.

[Nick]

Then I feel an explosion from my neck. And then right after that, I can feel warm blood just dripping down the whole front of my chest. Then they were gone. They must have ran out of the house.

[Isabella Levadina]

I remember people screaming, where's the cell phone? We don't have a cell phone. Nobody could find the cell phone to call 911. Ida was screaming, where's Rose? They took Rose.

[Nick]

I couldn't find Rosie and I panicked.

[Gina's Mother]

I don't know where my daughter is.

[Nick]

They must have taken her. Where's Rose? Where's Rose?

[Gina's Mother]

Finally, I ran to the end of the street and there was a light on, and I saw a woman in there. And I was begging and screaming for her to open the door and let.

[Isabella Levadina]

Me in.

[Gina's Mother]

But she wouldn't let me in.

[Nick]

I remember Isabella crawling towards me, saying, nick, Nick, I can't breathe. I said, bella, Bella, everything's gonna be okay. Just stay with me, keep your eyes open and keep breathing. And I said, hold on one second, because I saw. I saw Gina laying there. Her eyes were wide open.

[Gina's Mother]

I kept thinking maybe she passed out.

[Nick]

Or they knocked her out. And her son Sam was right behind me and said, nick, is my mommy okay? I said, honey, she's okay. She fainted. She's gonna be okay. I didn't know what else to say to him. While all this chaos is going on in the house, somehow Sam is able to find a cell phone and he makes a call to 911.

[Police Officer]

Hello, this is 911.

[Nick]

Hey, Leo.

[Gina's Mother]

Can I help you?

[Isabella Levadina]

We've got three people in shot, and we've been robbed.

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Did they come into your home?

[Nick]

They came into my grandma's arm and.

[Gina's Mother]

My Grandma's floor at 902 Hickory.

[Isabella Levadina]

It just began to get more difficult for me to breathe. My eyes kept closing. My head kept dropping.

[Nick]

Bella, hang in there. There's an ambulance on the way. Just stay with me. Stay with me.

[Gina's Mother]

Then I heard sirens, and I thought, I'm just gonna run back to the house because thank God, the police are finally here.

[Police Officer]

We see a female running down the street in her nightgown. She's waving her hands over her head. She states over and over again, my God, they're shot. Everybody's shot. I'm yelling to the female, how many are shot? Are the suspects gone? All she keeps saying is, they're shot. She's a police officer. She's shot. And at that point, I ran as fast as I could towards that home. The night watch sergeant was on the scene, and he just turned and looked and said, it's Izzy. I knew immediately he was referring to Officer Levadina. I wasn't sure how bad she was hit. Once I got through the door, there was a look of relief on her face that there was police officers there.

[Gina's Mother]

It was chaos. There were police cars and paramedics and ambulance.

[Nick]

I said, look, my cousin. Go get my cousin.

[Gina's Mother]

I just remember bringing Isabel out on a gurney, bringing Nick out. Where's Gina? Why aren't they bringing Gina out? I just had a really, really bad feel.

[Police Officer]

I hate bullies. I always hated bullies. And criminals are bullies. My pager went off. The text message on the pager was that a police officer had been shot. You know, I knew I had to get to the scene right away. And I knew that responsibility was going to fall heavily on me to make sure that everything got done properly. And as I'm walking up, I'm seeing officers walking away from the scene. Some are crying, and all have that, like, stunned look on their face Because a police officer just got shot. I felt a lot of pressure to not make any mistakes. I immediately assigned two detectives to process the crime scene. I needed to assign detectives to take care of. There's two small kids. I need to make sure they. They get with somebody that's gonna comfort them. These little kids that were there, they're defenseless. Genus Dallas was defenseless.

[Isabella Levadina]

When I woke up from my first surgery at the hospital, they told me that gina didn't make it. And I had this overwhelming sense of guilt. Maybe if. If I would have trained a little bit harder and taken a gun away from somebody, maybe if I would have done a better job, that she'd still be here.

[Gina's Mother]

The kids really didn't know Until I told them the next morning that their mom had died. Although I believe that Sam already knew that he saw a lot. Way too much for a little boy that's 10 years old. She was a single mom. She loved being a mom to those two boys. I mean, Gina was all they had. She did everything for them. Sam and ben know how wonderful Gina was, But most of us get to experience that for our whole life about how great our mom is, and they just won't have that.

[Police Officer]

I sent two detectives to St. Louis University Hospital to interview Nick and Isabella, if possible, so we can get some information, Better descriptions or anything else that we can glean to help find these guys.

Nick was being tended to by doctors, and I asked if he could give me more of a description now that he's had a little bit of time. The doctor yelled, no, nobody's coming in here. Nick yelled right back, no, she's coming in. She's getting a description.

[Nick]

So I told one of the detectives that they both had sneakers on, dark pants. One individual had a red hoodie, and one individual had a black hoodie. The individual with the red hoodie had two gold teeth. I was shot three times, and I have one bullet that went just under my ear, and it traveled through the back of my neck, hit my spinal cord. The doctor came in and said, we're not going to operate on you. It's going to be too risky. You could get paralyzed. And now the bullet sits vertically up and down in front of my C1. So in this area, and it looks like about that big.

[Detective]

A short time after the robbery at 902 Hickory, a man goes into the ER at Barnes Hospital here in St. Louis. He's there because he's been shot in his hand. He tells the people in the ER that he's a victim himself. And he tells him he was shot during a botched robbery. Basically, the police were notified that there was a gunshot victim at Barnes Hospital ER A very smart and astute X ray tech takes note of several things. While she is treating him, she notices that he has gold teeth. And he starts talking to her. And he asks her to take away his red hooded sweatshirt because it's covered in blood. The X ray technician told the police officer what she observed. She told him that she just felt something was not right.

[Police Officer]

We got information that there was a potential suspect that was being admitted to Barnes with an injury to his hand and that he fit the description of one of the people involved in this crime.

[Detective]

When they walk out the front doors of the er, police officers see the man in the red hooded sweatshirt's car parked out front. And standing right next to the car is another man. The police officer follows this man into Forest park, and he sees him throw an object to the ground, and he feels that this man is involved. And he does a search of this man. And he finds jewelry belonging to Ida Rask. And he's put under arrest. Another officer is brought in to help look for the object that was thrown down to the ground. And as they search that area in Forest park where that man walked, they find the black gun. After the man in the park is arrested, he tells the police his name, and it is determined that he was the man in the black hooded sweatshirt, and his name is Mario Coleman. The man inside the hospital was the man wearing the red hooded sweatshirt, and his name is Ladale Nathan.

[Police Officer]

Getting people convicted in court, somebody has to stand up and say, that's the one who did it. I saw him do. Was very, very important that Nick or Isabella identified them because Rose and Ida Ras could not identify him.

[Isabella Levadina]

When Sergeant Engelhardt came to the hospital and showed me the photo lineup, I. I felt like I was carrying around the weight of the world.

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[Isabella Levadina]

I remember one of the doctors telling me that I had been shot three times point blank to the front side of my body and after falling down to the ground I was shot two more times. I felt like I fell into a black hole mentally. I didn't think that I would ever feel any better.

[Police Officer]

Isabelle is laying in bed. She has IVs attached to her, she has heart monitors attached to her. There's beeping and buzzing of the machine. I was just very, very nervous talking to her because I admire so much what she did. I told Isabella that we're really confident that we had the people responsible. But I told her, hey, you know what you gotta do, you gotta point to the guy.

[Isabella Levadina]

I was very fearful that I wasn't going to be able to do it.

[Police Officer]

I could see your eyes start to well up with tears.

[Isabella Levadina]

I still had so many different emotions.

[Police Officer]

I show Isabella two sheets. Mario Coleman's on one, Liddell Nathan's on another one.

[Isabella Levadina]

I do remember that there was different faces. They all had similar features. I instantly pointed to each one of them and said, these are the guys. Mario Coleman is the guy that was wearing the black hoodie and that had the silver gun. He was the shooter. And Ladale Nathan Jr. Is the guy that was wearing the red hoodie.

[Detective]

These two men went into this house and they literally terrorized four generations of this family. Mario Coleman and ladell Nathan were charged acting together in this crime. They were both charged with murder in the first degree.

[Prosecutor]

As a prosecutor, every case becomes personal to you. Rose had called me and asked if I would talk to Sam, who was 9 at the time.

[Gina's Mother]

We were sitting in the waiting room. John came out to get Sam, and I said, would you like for me to come in? He said, no, Graham, I think I will just go and talk to him by myself.

[Prosecutor]

He came down in the school uniform, and he sat down and he pulled out his note card. He had this little three by five note card. And he had a series of five or six questions written on the note card. He wanted to know, you know, the strengths and weaknesses of our case. He wanted to know what the punishments potentially could be. You don't want to over promise something to a child because they're looking at you as, you know, the adult. They want to trust you, and you don't want to violate that trust. He's been through so much.

[Detective]

Ladell Nathan was tried first.

[Prosecutor]

Ladell Nathan was 16 at the time, but a juvenile court judge decided to certify him to stand trial as an.

[Detective]

Adult because he was only 16 years old. There's only limited information that we have about him. At trial, his defense attorney tried to talk about his rough upbringing and how he had a hard life. However, that evidence was really kept out of the trial by the trial judge.

[Isabella Levadina]

After hearing the defense opening, I became very angry. They pretty much said that because of me, the gun went off seven different times. It's a horrible feeling. Always questioning myself if I did a good enough job that night, if I did the right thing, and then to have the blame be put on me. It was very emotional.

[Nick]

We'd been in court all week. Finally, the jury came back with a verdict. It only took them three hours. It was a guilty verdict.

[Isabella Levadina]

I knew in my head that it was a temporary feeling of relief, but I still allowed myself to feel it.

[Detective]

After ladale Nathan was found guilty, we knew it wasn't over. We still had to go to trial. From Mario Coleman. Mario Coleman was no stranger to the criminal justice system. At the time of the murder, he was on probation for two different felony cases.

[Gina's Mother]

It makes me really angry that a person that has done this type of crime twice gets a third chance. Because my daughter Gina had never committed a crime, and she didn't get any chance.

[Isabella Levadina]

When I first seen Mario Coleman, it was shocking. He looked completely different than he looked that night. It's like my mind couldn't even really grasp that this Person tried to kill me. This person killed Gina.

[Detective]

Mario Coleman's defense is that he was inside the house at 902 Hickory. However, he pointed the finger at Ladale Nathan and said Ladell Nathan was the man holding the silver gun and ultimately shot Gina Stulles.

[Nick]

There was a lot of times in that courtroom when I wanted to, like, just jump up and say, this is all a lie. None of this that he's saying is true.

[Prosecutor]

The challenge with respect to Mario Coleman's case was our eyewitnesses were all identifying him as being the shooter. However, the DNA on the murder weapon was to the juvenile Ladale Nathan. Our belief was that they were switching guns constantly throughout this particular case and that Ledale Nathan was the last to have touched that gun.

[Isabella Levadina]

I really, really wanted Mario Coleman to never, ever come outside of prison because there was no doubt in my mind that if he was ever released, he would kill again.

[Nick]

When we were waiting for the verdict for Mario Coleman, it seemed like minutes were hours.

[Gina's Mother]

What time is it? What time is it? What time is it?

[Prosecutor]

There's always that risk. They could walk him out of the courtroom.

[Gina's Mother]

Has the jury reached a verdict?

[Isabella Levadina]

Yes, ma' am. I was trying to look at the jurors. Just try to read something.

[Gina's Mother]

Oh, my God. What are they gonna say?

[Detective]

We, the jury, find the defendant, Mario Coleman, guilty of murder in the first degree.

[Nick]

There was a sense of relief.

[Isabella Levadina]

I was sitting next to Sam. He was so nervous. He bites his nails when he's nervous. I could see his whole body just kind of sink back and relax and just this big smile come across his face. I felt like justice was served. All right. I had no intention of giving a victim impact statement at Mario Coleman sentencing. At the very last minute, I decided that I am going to get up there and say something to him.

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[Prosecutor]

During the sentencing of Mario Coleman. Traditionally, what happens is the victim's family has a right to address the court or to address the defendant. When Rose stepped up, she was not forgiving.

[Gina's Mother]

You came to terrorize us. So really, you're nothing but a coward. I'm not gonna talk about my daughter to you. It would be disrespectful to her, and I hope you rot in hell, because I'm living in my own hell. Well, I'm sorry, you, Honor. I have to ask you to moderate. Well, he doesn't deserve moderate.

[Prosecutor]

I was right there with Rose. I could understand where she was coming from, and I completely agree with what she said.

[Gina's Mother]

I felt great. I needed to say that to him. Somebody kills your child. I, I. It's this. It's an indescribable pain.

[Prosecutor]

Ms. Slobodine.

[Isabella Levadina]

Start talking.

[Detective]

Yeah, just stay right here.

[Prosecutor]

Take your time.

[Isabella Levadina]

Start talking. Okay. I just wanted to tell you that I feel bad for you. It doesn't. It doesn't bring any joy to me to know that you're going to a really horrible place for the rest of your life. Like that doesn't make me feel any better. I also wanted to tell you that what you did do for me that night, after taking Gina's life, after completely turning everybody else's life upside down, you gave me a whole new family that I didn't have before. I've gained so much. And now you've lost everything. And you also took a really good police officer off the streets. That's all I do have to thank you. It's not about finding the perfect words. It's just about standing up there and having the opportunity to tell him what his actions did to your life. One of the hardest things for me to deal with is the loss of my job. Being a police officer was the proudest thing it was. I was more proud walking across that stage, getting my badge than I had ever been before in my life. I really tried to. To get healthy enough to return. Unfortunately, I just. I wasn't the same. I never got that fire back. When a police officer retires, they. They have what they call a final roll call.

[Nick]

Prepare for inspection. Sergeants, inspect your officers.

[Isabella Levadina]

My final roll call meant a lot to me. It was my last day of doing what I Love to do. It was the last time that I would be standing with my police family at my final roll call. I was given an award from the mayor's office. Now, therefore, I, Francis G. Slay, Mayor of the City of St. Louis, do hereby proclaim February 6, 2012, as police officer Isabella Lavadina Day in the city of St. Louis.

[Police Officer]

I think Israel Bella Lovodina is one of the bravest people I've ever known. It's like somebody jumping on a hand grenade. I mean, she was willing to sacrifice her life for all those people.

[Nick]

At this point, Isabella and I aren't dating. And I mean, although I might not see her or we might not see each other, as long as she's happy, it makes me happy. I just want the best for her. She's a part of the family now.

[Gina's Mother]

I'm a mom again. So my life has changed. Really for the good. I mean, I'm really happy to have Sam and Ben. It's hard to get back into the, you know, soccer and baseball and school and homework. But I wouldn't change one thing about that.

[Nick]

So I was in a car accident and I had hit my head against the windshield. And then a couple days later, I was sitting at the edge of my bed and I feel a lump in the back of my throat. And over a few minutes, this lump gets bigger and bigger and I sorta bend over and I cough. And when I do, this object flies out of my mouth. And when I bend over to grab it, I realize it's the bullet. The same bullet that was lodged in my cervical spine. It had finally worked its way out through, I guess, the base of my throat. I looked at how small this bullet was and just couldn't believe how one little bullet had murdered. Killed my cousin Gina. But at the same time, it's. It's made me think a lot about how Isabella and I are a miracle.

[Isabella Levadina]

I look at my life differently now. I see how fragile it really is and how it can be taken away so fast and without. Without any notice. On my birthday, I thank God that I'm here. And it makes my birthday that much more special. I don't have a new career picked out. I do know I will continue to go to school until I find whatever it is. And I still know that I want to help people. It's just gonna be in a different way now.

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Mario Coleman was sentenced to life without parole.

[Isabella Levadina]

Ledale Nathan was re sentenced in 2014.

[Nick]

And could be eligible for parole after.

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[Isabella Levadina]

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[Isabella Levadina]

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[Gina's Mother]

Who could it be?

[Isabella Levadina]

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[Isabella Levadina]

Yes.

[Gina's Mother]

Somebody killed two girls.

[Isabella Levadina]

My grandbabies and my friends.

[Gina's Mother]

They're dead.

[Isabella Levadina]

They're dead.

[Nick]

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[Gina's Mother]

She wants to find more young women for him to kill.

[Isabella Levadina]

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[Nick]

Each one he gets away with. He's emboldened the FBI can't shake.

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It's very satisfying to be able to look at a bad guy and go, we never forgot you.

[Isabella Levadina]

An all new season of FBI True. Streaming now on Paramount plus.