Evidence in Their Home Proves the Truth Behind Her Murder: Who Killed Heidi Firkus?

Summary

Podcast Summary: True Crime with Kendall Rae

Episode: Evidence in Their Home Proves the Truth Behind Her Murder: Who Killed Heidi Firkus?
Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Kendall Rae

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Episode Overview

This episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae examines the shocking 2010 murder of Heidi Firkus, a beloved 25-year-old in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kendall breaks down the mystifying case, focusing on Heidi’s character, the unfolding of the crime, the suspicious actions of her husband Nick Firkus, and the long path to justice. The episode highlights the importance of victim advocacy, persistent investigation, and the emotional toll on those left behind.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who Was Heidi Firkus?

• Heidi’s Background
  • Born December 14, 1984. Raised in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. (02:24)
  • Active, creative, devoted to her faith, and known for making others feel seen.
• Relationship with Nick
  • Met Nick Firkus in youth group, married young, admired for commitment to church and each other.

2. The Day of the Crime

• Nick’s Account of the Morning
  • Nick claimed to wake around 6 am on April 25, 2010, heard someone trying to break in, grabbed a shotgun, and woke Heidi. (06:53)
  • Heidi called 911 as they tried to escape; 38 seconds into the call, a gunshot is heard and the line drops. (07:33)
• Aftermath and Nick’s 911 Call
  • Nick called 911 shortly after, frantic and claiming both had been shot. Heidi died at the scene; Nick had a minor leg injury. (08:28)

3. Initial Investigation and Nick’s Statements

• Oddities in Nick’s Story
  • Nick sent unarmed Heidi down the stairs first ("In what world would you send your unarmed wife down the stairs first when you're the one who supposedly has a shotgun in your hands?" - Kendall Rae, 17:12)
  • Heidi supposedly stopped for her wallet—an illogical move in such a crisis.
  • No signs of forced entry or struggle despite Nick’s claims; items undisturbed in the "struggle" zone. (20:22)
• Lack of Emotion from Nick
  • Nick is unemotional during interviews, even saying, “I figured that,” upon hearing about Heidi’s death. (25:34)
    • Quote:
      Sergeant Gray: “She didn’t make it.”
      Nick Furkus: “I figured that.” (25:34)
  • He waited over an hour and a half before inquiring about Heidi’s status.

4. Motive: Financial Ruin and Foreclosure

• Financial Secrecy
  • Nick and Heidi’s house was days from foreclosure, yet Nick claimed only he and Heidi knew, as they were "ashamed" and "did not tell anyone, not even their parents." (26:53)
  • Evidence from the home shows they were not preparing to move—furniture, food, and clothing all in everyday use. (27:13)
• Heidi’s Possible Ignorance
  • Analysis of correspondence shows Heidi likely had no idea about the imminent foreclosure. She was apparently told by Nick they had been victims of identity theft. (Detective Sipes’ discovery, ~45:01)

5. Nick’s Behavior Post-Murder

• Immediate Remarriage
  • Only two months after Heidi's death, Nick formed a relationship with Rachel, whom he soon married. (32:38)
  • Rachel later opened up about the eerily fast progression and Nick’s secrecy about his past.

6. New Investigation Breakthroughs

• Detective Nicole Sipes' Role
  • In 2019, Detective Sipes revitalized the case, working with the FBI to create a detailed financial timeline proving Heidi’s possible ignorance regarding the foreclosure. (45:21)
  • Discovery: No background noise or struggle on Heidi’s 911 call. FBI reenactments showed Nick’s timeline could be plausible for staging the scene and injuring himself. (49:51)
• Failed Framing Attempt
  • Nick had a sketch artist create a portrait of a supposed intruder, later identified as Michael Pie—who was in jail at the time and unrelated. (41:55)

7. Trial and Conviction

• Key Evidence at Trial
  • Prosecution demonstrated physical/evidentiary impossibilities in Nick’s story:
    • No forced entry, struggle, or evidence Heidi was aware of the foreclosure.
    • Experts testified that tool marks on the door were inconsistent with typical break-in attempts.
  • Nick’s defense: claimed ignorance was impossible due to the mail—prosecutors countered that Heidi wasn’t managing finances.
• Final Outcome
  • Jury returned guilty verdict after only five hours deliberation.
  • Nick sentenced to life without parole. (52:07)
  • Nick and his supporters continue to claim innocence; Heidi’s family relieved justice was achieved.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nick’s Story & Demeanor:
  • "In what world would you send your unarmed wife down the stairs first when you're the one who supposedly has a shotgun in your hands?" - Kendall Rae (17:11)
  • "He just goes, ‘I figured that,’ like he's talking about not being able to get a tuna sandwich or something." - Kendall Rae (25:35)
• On Family Secrecy Over Finances:
  • “This has been kind of a private struggle for us... we were gonna move as much of our stuff into the garage as we possibly could.” - Nick Furkus (27:02)
• On Post-Case Division:
  • “Her friends and family were very uneasy about Nick. They had their suspicions immediately and they questioned his story extensively.” - Kendall Rae (31:28)
• Rachel Confronting Nick:
  • Rachel says, “Your actions have caused me to distrust you completely. And the fact that your lying was so easy … makes me think …”
  • Nick (interrupting): “That I could murder my wife.” (33:48)
• On Justice Achieved:
  • “I am so happy to say that 11 years … after her murder … Nick Furkus … was charged … the relief that Heidi’s loved ones had been praying for for over a decade.” - Kendall Rae (51:39)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:07: Introduction to Heidi and her background
• 06:53: Night of the crime—Nick’s version of events
• 07:33: Playback of Heidi’s 911 call
• 09:33: Arrival of police and initial medical/emotional response
• 15:18: Detailed interrogation footage of Nick
• 17:12: Kendall’s analysis of Nick’s version of events
• 25:14: Nick’s emotionless reaction to being told of Heidi’s death
• 26:53: Revelation of foreclosure and financial struggles
• 32:38: Discussion of Nick’s remarriage and family reaction
• 41:55: Nick’s attempt to frame Michael Pie
• 45:21: Detective Sipes and fresh FBI review
• 49:51: FBI findings and reenactment
• 52:07: Nick’s trial outcome and sentencing

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Tone and Language

• Empathetic, victim-centered: Focus on Heidi’s memory and her family’s long wait for justice.
• Candid, conversational: Kendall injects personal reactions and disbelief at Nick’s behavior (“this guy definitely gave, I guess, an underperformance”).
• Engaging and critical: Calls out logical inconsistencies, highlights red flags without sugar-coating.

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Final Takeaway

Kendall Rae’s breakdown of the Heidi Firkus case demonstrates how evidence at home can unravel a narrative designed to mislead. It’s a story of community grief, investigative persistence, and the long arc of justice—emphasized by Heidi’s enduring legacy and her loved ones’ unyielding quest for truth.

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If you sympathize with Heidi’s story or are interested in similar true crime explorations, Kendall invites feedback and further discussion.

Transcript

[Kendall Rae]

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[Kendall Rae]

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm happy to have you here, and if you're new to the show, then welcome. Thanks for being here. So, you guys, today we are going to be talking about a case that I have so much to say about. Oh my God. This is one I think you will also have a lot of opinions on. I think I know where the majority of you are going to fall when it comes to this case, but it does, it is one of those that has, you know, people divided, even though I think it's a very small amount of people that fall one way. Today I'm going to be telling you about the devastating murder of 25 year old Heidi Firkus. And her death was unbelievably shocking to everyone in her life, everyone in her community. And it took a long time for them to get justice. Like with many cases, this is one where we have two different versions of events. And I'm very interested to see where you all fall to see what you think, which version you believe after I present all the evidence to you. Although, like I said, I think I know where the majority of you are going to fall on this one. But with that being said, let's go ahead and get into this case. And I want to start out by telling you about Heidi, who was an amazing woman. So Heidi Marie Erickson was born on December 14, 1984 to her parents, Linda and John. And she had two older brothers, Peter and Joel, who she always looked up to. She was a lifelong resident of Minnesota, firstborn in Roseville. But their family later moved down the road to Falcon Heights where she and her brothers were raised. And as a little girl, Heidi was said to be very active. She loved playing basketball and tennis, but she also had a creative side about her. So she was always drawing and painting just anything that got her creative mind going. And that's something that really stayed true as she got older. Heidi's friends have said that she was always hand making cards for people and gifts and she was always trying to find ways to express her creativity. And they also say that she was very much a peacemaker, that she didn't like any kind of tension. She liked to keep things light, fun and goofy. And Heidi was definitely someone who was more on the outgoing side as well as confident and very comfortable in her own skin. Plus she was very intentional in the way that she spent time with others. It's been said that you could feel that she was happy to be with you and she made people feel heard and seen no matter who they were. And I love that description. I think that's such a unique and beautiful way to describe someone that you could feel that they were happy to be with you. So I think it says so much about her genuine character. Heidi was really someone who brought joy and a genuine love of life to really everything that she did. And one area of life that was very important to her was church. She grew up as a member of the Calvary Church, and her faith was just a huge part of who she was. So much so that she went from being a youth group member to a youth group leader as she got older. And her involvement in the church was something that was just always there. And the youth group is actually where she met her future husband, Nick Furus. And they met when she was a freshman and he was a junior in high school. And then in 2005, when she was 20 and he was 22, they got married. Now, Nick was also very devoted to his faith. He led youth group as well. And people admired the two of them for their commitment to the church and to one another. They were the kind of couple that other couples often went to when they were seeking advice, because despite their young age, people really viewed them as wise. And in terms of their, you know, reputation around their community, the two of them seem to be really seen as sort of the dream couple. And by their mid-20s, Nick worked for his family's carpet cleaning business, and Heidi worked at a financial services company. And in 2007, they bought their first home together in St. Paul. And so for anyone, you know, who was on the outside looking in, it seemed like these two really had it all. And, of course, nobody truly has it all, but they had their health, and they had their families and their friends and their church, and they already had a house, and they were, you know, so admired by people in their lives. So life seemed to be pretty good for the Ferguses. That is, until April 25, 2010, when Heidi was woken up just before 6:30am by Nick's frantic screams that an intruder was trying to break into their house that morning. According to Nick, he Woke up around 6am and went to the bathroom to grab some water. But while he was laying there trying to fall back asleep, he said he heard someone jiggling the front door knob, in addition to other sounds, which made him believe that someone was trying to break in, which is obviously terrifying. That is everyone's worst nightmare, right? Especially when you're startled in bed and not expecting something like that. So because of that, Nick said he ran to his closet and got his loaded shotgun. And then he woke up Heidi and told her she needed to put shoes on, someone was breaking into the house, and they needed to get out as quickly as possible. So, of course she did. And as she was running down the Stairs in front of him. Heidi called 911 and reported that someone was breaking into her home. However, 38 seconds into that call, a loud gunshot rang out and the call cut off.

[911 Dispatcher]

State Patrol 911. Someone's trying to break into my house. What city are you in? St. Paul. I'm in St. Paul. Hang on just a second. What address are you at? 1794. 1794 what? 91 1. What?

[Sergeant Gray]

Emergency.

[911 Dispatcher]

1794 Minnehaha Avenue. Minnehaha. Someone's trying west.

[Kendall Rae]

What you just heard is the terrifying and heart wrenching call of 25 year old Heidi Ferkus being shot in the back as she attempted to flee through the kitchen towards their garage. Then just 65 seconds later, a second 911 call was placed and this time it was from Nick Furkus. And he is absolutely frantic and he is saying that both he and his wife had been shot.

[911 Dispatcher]

State Patrol 911. Okay, are you in St. Paul, sir? Okay, hold, let me get you right in there. Hold on one second. Okay, hold on, hold on a sec. Okay, they'll be right with you. Hold on one second with me.

[Kendall Rae]

Okay.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, this is the one on in St. Paul. Go ahead, sir. No, sir. No.

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[911 Dispatcher]

You in a house or an apartment? House. What's the problem? Wait, you've been shot. Yes, please. Okay, stay on the phone with me, okay? Okay. What's your name? What is. Stay on the phone with me. Who, who shot you? I didn't. Okay, stay on the phone with me, okay, do not hang up.

[Kendall Rae]

So obviously Nick is just out of his mind with fear. He is terrified and he certainly sounds that way. And while he's on the phone, police officers and paramedics already started arriving at their house and they were, my God. Met with a truly horrific scene. Heidi was lying on the ground just in the entryway of their kitchen. And by that point she was already gone. And Nick, on the other hand, was immediately rushed to region's hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to his left thigh. Luckily though, the bullet just grazed him, so his injuries were far less severe. And while he was there, he was able to provide a brief explanation for what had happened. And obviously he was really shook up, which I partially explained just a second ago here. But in terms of the actual shooting, Nick added that as they were coming down from the stairs, Heidi managed to get past the front door, but he did not. He said that this intruder burst through the door and they had a life or death struggle over the shotgun, which was ultimately when his finger slipped And Heidi was accidentally hit. And then it happened a second time, which is when he said he was shot in the leg. And all in all, as you can imagine, this was very shocking to everyone, but especially because the Ferguses lived in a neighborhood that was, you know, considered pretty safe. And violent crime like this didn't really happen. I mean, there had been some car break ins and small petty crime, theft, things like that over the years, but nothing as violent as this. Not someone breaking into your house and shooting you and your wife. So while Nick was being treated for his injuries, investigators jumped right into processing the scene and speaking with neighbors to see if any more information could be learned. And there was one guy who thought he heard something. A man named Brandon was house sitting the place next door. And through an open window, he recalled hearing someone screaming something along the lines of, you shot her. You shot me. So the assumption was, you know, this must have been Nick shouting at the intruder, right? But the closer investigators looked at the scene, they were less convinced that this intruder even existed. And I'm sure a lot of your minds were already going there. But that doubt only got bigger when Nick gave a more formal statement that afternoon. These days, I honestly don't even carry my wallet anymore. I have everything I need right on my phone. And my preferred way to send and receive money for the last couple of years has been Cash App. And I've had such a wonderful experience with the app and it could not be easier to use, which is really nice for someone like me who struggles with technology. And Cash App just released a new status program for the way people actually spend called Cash App Green. 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[Sergeant Gray]

All right, so you're sleeping and then what happens next time?

[Nick Furkus]

Well, because I get up for work about six every morning. Yeah, I kind of got up, but we didn't need to be up until about 9 to go to church. So I got up and went and got a glass of water from the bathroom.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay, so you woke up what time?

[Nick Furkus]

About 6:00am so you're up around 6:00am.

[Sergeant Gray]

Go to the bathroom, get something, get some water.

[Nick Furkus]

Yep, go back to sleep. But just kind of fitfully sleep for 10 or 15 minutes. And then I hear our. I heard the screen door open. What I did is kind of let it go for a little while, but then I started hearing fiddling with our doorknob.

[Sergeant Gray]

And, like, what are they doing? Are they just going like this? Yeah, kind of like that.

[Kendall Rae]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

Just shaking the knob and.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Nick Furkus]

Shoving the door it.

[Sergeant Gray]

Is Heidi still sleeping then?

[Kendall Rae]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

So what I did is I. I grabbed my shotgun out of the closet.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay. So you're hearing these noises. Someone's, you know, kind of monkeying around the door downstairs. You go to the closet and grab the shotgun.

[Nick Furkus]

And then I wake up Heidi.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Nick Furkus]

She's. When she gets woken up from the sleep, she gets startled.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

In general. And I said, heidi, somebody's dealing with her knob and trying to get into our house. Let's. Let's get your shoes on and let's go out to the garage. Let's get out of here.

[Sergeant Gray]

I go to the garage because that's.

[Nick Furkus]

Where the car is. And we just wanted. We didn't want to be in the house if somebody was trying to get in the house. And so I said, call 91 1, and then let's head to the garage.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay. She called 911.

[Nick Furkus]

Then she called 9 1. Okay. Sorry.

[Kendall Rae]

After that part, though, things started to get much less believable.

[Sergeant Gray]

All right, so you going first down the stairs, or is she. Is she behind you, or is she in front of you or what?

[Nick Furkus]

She's in front because I'm kind of trying to move her along quickly.

[Kendall Rae]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

And then I'm right behind her.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

And then she stops at the console table to grab her wallet, which is sitting on the console table.

[Sergeant Gray]

Console table.

[Kendall Rae]

Where?

[Nick Furkus]

Right in front. Right by the front door.

[Kendall Rae]

Okay. In what world would you send your unarmed wife down the stairs first when you're the one who supposedly has a shotgun in your hands? Actually, scratch that. In what world would you ever even send your spouse downstairs at all? Why wouldn't she have just stayed upstairs? And also, who in the hell would think to grab their wallet in that situation? The whole thing is totally illogical. And he was called out on.

[Sergeant Gray]

Seems kind of odd to me that you guys are gonna leave your bedroom. There's only one way in, one way out. To go downstairs and go up to a garage that's not secure. I mean, that just seems a little odd to me.

[Nick Furkus]

Well, we were gonna get in her car and leave.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Nick Furkus]

Was the point.

[Sergeant Gray]

But.

[Nick Furkus]

And we can lock it from the inside. That bolted and everything in the. In the garage. But the whole point was to get away from the house and get out.

[Sergeant Gray]

So what would have prevented you from just sitting at the top of the stairs with the shotgun waiting for them to come upstairs?

[Nick Furkus]

Well, when. The last time that.

[Sergeant Gray]

When we.

[Nick Furkus]

When the police came about a year and a half ago.

[Kendall Rae]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

Heidi and I had. It just. We had a conversation about what do we do if something like that happens again. Yeah. You know, in that case, it was the police, but what do we. And that's just the plan that we came up with. Just to go to the garage, to just get in the car and leave.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Nick Furkus]

And just get out of there. Part of the reason we had that conversation is because I was, I wasn't quick to act and it frustrated Heidi.

[Sergeant Gray]

Well, I'm just, you know, like I said, I mean, you know, maybe it's just the cop of me thinking though, but I'm, you know, I'm sitting here thinking that if. If I'm in my house in my bedroom and someone's breaking in my place, you know, she's calling 91 1, I'm waiting at the top of the stairs and say, hey, anybody comes up here, you know, you come upstairs. You know, I hate to tell you this, but my house, you know, I'm justified in killing you if you can come break into my house. I have fear for my life, you know, that's what I'm thinking, you know.

[Kendall Rae]

Okay. Now, it wasn't super clear to me what Nick meant when he talked about the other time this happened with the cop or whatever, but either way, their so called plan to get out of the house still makes no sense. But let's keep going because there's still a lot of bullshit ahead.

[Sergeant Gray]

All right, so you guys come down the stairs because the stairs are stairs over here. You're coming down this way.

[Nick Furkus]

You turn left.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yep.

[Nick Furkus]

She swipes her wallet off the console table.

[Sergeant Gray]

So like the console table's right here.

[Nick Furkus]

She grabs that and then behinds it to the. As soon as she grabs it, the door opens.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Nick Furkus]

And so I have a gun in my left.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yep.

[Nick Furkus]

And so I try to shove the door shut, but it gets forced open. And the guy that was there, I think he saw it. Yeah, I think he. He grabbed the barrel like down towards the trigger or more towards the top.

[Sergeant Gray]

So he's got.

[Nick Furkus]

He's here, he's here. I'm handing the trigger. It kind of. He pushes it up against my chest.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yep.

[Nick Furkus]

Which I'm a pretty parallel to the console table. Y and I don't remember exactly what happened, but the gun went Off. So my fingers slipped onto the trigger.

[Sergeant Gray]

And it goes off.

[Nick Furkus]

Down. Yeah. I mean, I know it hit Heidi. I just. I know it did.

[Kendall Rae]

Okay?

[Sergeant Gray]

I know it did.

[Nick Furkus]

I don't know where it hit her, but I know it. I know it hit.

[Sergeant Gray]

It hit her in the chest, the back.

[Nick Furkus]

She was in the. She was running away, so definitely hit her in the back.

[Sergeant Gray]

Hit her in the back. Yeah.

[Kendall Rae]

Okay. Something that strikes me every time I see this footage, and I'm sure a lot of you are having the same thoughts, is how unemotional, unfazed Nick is for having just been through what he has been through. He is literally describing someone coming into his home and shooting his wife in detail hours earlier. This is the same day, and he's describing it like he's talking about a football game. And also, up until this point, Nick is claiming to be unaware that he knew his wife was dead. But still, how is there not even one ounce of worry in his tone if you didn't know that information, if you were waiting to find out, you think you would really be able to tell that someone was highly stressed about it, highly concerned, waiting for that information. But Nick, not at all. In fact, and this is mind blowing, okay. It took an hour and a half before he even asked about her at all. And when they finally told him that she didn't make it. You want to know what this mouth breather said? I figured that. He leans back. I'll show you the clip in a second. But he just goes, I figured that. Like, he's talking about not being able to get a tuna sandwich or something. It is. I know we all grieve differently, but I think we can all agree here what the actual. There was a time, a long time ago now, a couple years, where I was wasting a lot of money on subscriptions that I was no longer using or free trials that I started and forgot to canc. And I knew that I was. But it felt so daunting to figure out what I was actually wasting money on and then deal with customer service to cancel them all. But that all changed when I started using Rocket Money. And now I've gone years without wasting a single dollar on a subscription or a free trial that I don't want, don't need, don't use. And Rocket Money has also allowed me and my husband to completely control and organize our finances. We absolutely swear by it and recommend it to everyone in our lives. Now, if you haven't heard of Rocket, it's a personal finance app that helps you find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions monitors your spending and helps you to lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. Rocket Money shows you all of your expenses in one place, including subscriptions that you forgot about. And if you see one that you no longer want, man is it easy to take care of that because Rocket Money is going to help you to cancel it. It gives me alerts if my bills increase in price or I have an upcoming bill to pay if there's unusual activity in my accounts. Also if I'm close to going over budget. Their D board lays out your total financial picture in one place, which is so nice. Just see it all clearly. So let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. [e-mail] Kendall Ray that's RocketMoney.com Kendall Rae Once again, RocketMoney.com Kendall Rae so when I am recording this, I am currently 34 weeks pregnant. I cannot believe it. And getting in the amount of water that my medical professionals are suggesting is quite a challenge. But I know that I can make make the most of every sip if I use Drip Drop. Drip Drop is a doctor developed proven fast hydration that helps your body and mind work better, which is exactly what 2026 U needs. Think clearer focus, better energy, elevated mood, even that fresh skin glow. Drip Drop uses a precise ratio of electrolytes and glucose for rapid absorption, delivering three times the electrolytes and half the sugar of leading sports drinks. And Drip Drop science backed formula is trusted by firefighters, medical professionals and 90% of top collagen proteins because it's engineered to rehydrate you faster and more effectively than water alone. And it tastes amazing. Week by week. My favorite flavor just changes. I like to switch it up a lot in the flavor department and right now my favorite is the Cherry Limeade. Oh my gosh, it is so good and I love that it fits seamlessly into my entire routine. It's not just for working out people. I think oftentimes people hear electrolytes and think athletes but but I just like it throughout the day and also at night in my water bottle. I'm going to wake up less often because I'm thirsty because I'm actually staying hydrated throughout the night. And right now Drip Drop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. All you gotta do is go to drip drop.com and use promo code TCKR. That's dripdrop.com promo code TCKR for 20% off. Stock up [e-mail] and use promo code tckr.

[Nick Furkus]

Well I just want to Know the final answer on. The final answer on Heidi. And I want to know.

[Sergeant Gray]

I just.

[Nick Furkus]

Just want to know if you found anything yet.

[Sergeant Gray]

This is. You know, there. There's a couple parts of my job that I really hate, and this is one of them. She didn't make it.

[Nick Furkus]

I figured that.

[Kendall Rae]

And it's interesting to look at footage of people lying in interrogations. You know, sometimes you have the people who try to act extremely upset, and they overreact, and it's just ridiculous and it seems fake. And then there's the people that don't even try at all. I mean, I've seen a lot of dumb shit in my day, but this guy definitely gave, I guess, an underperformance, and it really only got worse. So, going back just a little bit in the interview, Sergeant Gray was trying to get a sense for why something like this could have happened. But of course, he couldn't just outright ask Nick for a motive, but he ends up with a pretty good idea. After it was revealed that he and Heidi had been struggling financially, it turns out that they were being foreclosed on the next day. And the craziest part of it all is, according to Nick, only he and Heidi knew about it. Not another soul in their lives had any idea.

[Sergeant Gray]

Have any problems or anything like that.

[Nick Furkus]

Just the normal. Just the normal stuff, like, you know, stresses about finances and quality time and vacations and all that stuff.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

But I would say we're. We're still best friends.

[Sergeant Gray]

You guys aren't behind in the bills or anything?

[Nick Furkus]

We are behind in the bills, which is a little stressful. In fact, we were planning on moving tomorrow. Moving where? Well, we hadn't figured that out yet.

[Kendall Rae]

We were.

[Nick Furkus]

And. And this is a hard. It's a hard place for us. We've foreclosing on our. We foreclosed on our house. Okay. We have to be out by Monday.

[Kendall Rae]

Tomorrow.

[Nick Furkus]

One of the reasons I brought the van home was also because it has a trailer. So I was gonna go back to the office and grab a trailer.

[Sergeant Gray]

She had to be out by Monday.

[Nick Furkus]

We do it by Monday. We've been. This has been kind of a private struggle for us, so we were gonna move as much of our stuff into the garage as we possibly could.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Kendall Rae]

And then.

[Nick Furkus]

Then start taking stuff to a storage place and then either crash it. We hadn't ran it by our folks yet, but we were going to kind of talk to everybody about it tomorrow and crash at their place or get a hotel and find a place to live.

[Sergeant Gray]

Well, that's kind Of. I mean, kind of close notice it is.

[Nick Furkus]

And I think the reason is because we're both kind of dealing with the shame of the whole thing. Because we're embarrassed that we haven't been able to be honest with our friends about our struggles.

[Sergeant Gray]

Yeah.

[Nick Furkus]

Both of us are too stubborn to admit that we're failing.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay, well, so it was.

[Nick Furkus]

It was really a hard decision. We have a bunch of boxes and we were just. We had a really good plan to efficiently start popping things out of our house tomorrow. We felt like we could get it done in a day. And then Monday morning.

[Sergeant Gray]

So you. You her never mentioned us to either. Either set of parents.

[Nick Furkus]

None of our parents are none of our friends.

[Sergeant Gray]

No one knows about this except you and I. And I.

[Nick Furkus]

That's right.

[Sergeant Gray]

Okay.

[Kendall Rae]

And look, I get that it's totally normal to feel a type of way about that. To maybe feel embarrassed or shameful in a situation like that. And I'm not saying anyone should be embarrassed or feel shame about something like that happening. But I get that it would be a common feeling and understandable. But Nick's explanation is that. That they both decided not to tell anyone because of the embarrassment. And the evidence just doesn't support that. And when investigators were processing the scene that very day, it was clear to them that the fercuses were not moving. They were not going anywhere. All of their furniture was still there. All their clothes were still in closets. Hell, even their refrigerator was full of food. There were a couple boxes in the dining room. But nothing crazy. There was truly no indication that they were leaving, let alone the next day. And of course these boxes could from anything, right? I mean, most of us have boxes lying around. I have several boxes lying around my house in just random places. And I'm not moving. So yeah, that was a huge red flag. Another big issue was the glaring fact that there were no signs of a struggle. Yet. Nick said that there was a life or death struggle right there in front of the door. But the entryway table told a different story. Because nothing on it, not even a glass beer bottle had been knocked over. Plus there was no sign of forced entry. And the way Nick told the story, that intruder had burst through the door. But investigators didn't find any significant damage to it at all. I will note that there appeared to be some tool like marks on the frame. But I'll explain later why this doesn't make his story true. Speaking of the door though, investigators did something super smart. They decided to reenact to see if someone from the upstairs bedroom could actually hear if someone was downstairs. Jigg the doorknob, like Nick claims that he heard. And, no, they couldn't. Couldn't hear it at all. So that part didn't line up either. So, clearly, at this point, their suspicion about him is pretty high. The problem, though, is Nick lawyered up very quickly just a day after Heidi's murder. His family got him an attorney, and the attorney advised him against speaking to the police at all. So he stopped cooperating, and he wouldn't even go speak with their sketch artist. And I've actually never heard of someone doing this. But he ends up hiring his own sketch artist who drew a portrait of the person he said was responsible. And they brought that image to the police themselves. And when they released that image to the public, no viable tips came in, at least not right away. And even though investigators definitely had their strong suspicions that Nick was behind this, they didn't have proof. The case was very circumstantial. So from an investigative standpoint, the efforts to get justice stalled. And then in the weeks and months that followed, people in St. Paul were. Were torn. Nick had his whole family and several friends who believed that he was a victim in all of this. But Heidi's family and her friends couldn't shake the feeling that her husband, Nick himself, was responsible for her death. And what it really boiled down to for most people was money. The day after Heidi was murdered, Nick sat down with his parents and Heidi's parents as well, and he told them everything, or at least his version of everything. He explained that they were in a significant amount of debt and that they hadn't paid their mortgage since September of 2008, and that they were served foreclosure documents in April of 2009. However, he was adamant that Heidi was aware of all of this. He told them that they were embarrassed and ashamed of their failings, which is why they decided not to tell anyone. But if there is one thing that I could stress in this episode, it's that Heidi's family and her friends do not believe for a single second that she would have kept this from them. This was not something that they believed she could have or would have kept to herself, that she is just not that type of person. And the insinuation that she was hiding it for over a year just did not align with her character at all. Plus, it's not like she ever came across as someone who was having financial trouble. She and Nick had gone to Hawaii the February before she was killed, and she told her mom that. That Nick had Recently gotten a bonus at work. If Heidi knew about their troubles, her mom thinks that she would have never taken that trip. It just doesn't make sense. Also just the idea that they were being foreclosed on the next day and none of their house was packed up. Heidi was way too organized of a person to leave something that monumental to the last minute like that. And then one more thing that I just had to mention. This is so bizarre and stupid. Nick is such an idiot. It. But when he is talking to Heidi's father and, you know, telling him all of this information, come and clean about everything. Her dad was trying to stay positive and made a comment along the lines of, don't worry, the police are going to get this guy. And apparently Nick's response to that was, they'll never find him. Who says that to someone whose daughter was just murdered? He's talking about his wife. Ah, they'll never get him. He's long gone. It's over. So, yeah, her friends and family were very uneasy about Nick. They had their suspicions immediately and they questioned his story extensively. But others, you know, in their lives, remember, thought that they were the perfect couple. And they thought Nick just loved her way too much to even be capable of something so cruel. They could not wrap their minds around it. And they're. There was definitely a divide amongst people. And a lot of people also felt that during her funeral service, Nick really wasn't showing much emotion that for what he had just been through in the way that he lost her, he was acting too normal. And they also find it very interesting how quickly Nick moved on. And when I say quickly, I'm talking two months, you guys. Two months after Heidi's death death, he moved out of their house and simultaneously started up a friendship with the sister of one of Heidi's best friends. Her name is Rachel, and she had just moved to the St Paul area after getting out of a bad marriage. And she actually said that she felt like she and Nick had bonded over having something traumatic happen to them in their marriages. And one thing led to another and the two of them started dating. Then within a year, he proposed and the two of them got married only a few months after that. The nerve of this. This guy. And if I were. Oh, my God, if I were a friend or family member of Heidi, the rage I would be feeling, I can't even imagine. When it comes to consuming content these days, there are so many options, endless subscriptions, and of course, we want to have access to as many of it as possible. But at the same Time you don't want to be subscribed to so many things that you're going to break the bank. So Philo makes it easier for viewers to enjoy the content they love without spending too much. Philo offers an affordable way to stream live and on demand TV and also enjoy premium apps for just $33 a month. When you sign up at Philo TV now, they've got some of the best channels, all of your favorites. It includes 70 live channels, including fan favorites like AMC, A N E T, Discovery, VH1, Paramel and more. You can save tons of movies and shows for up to a year and skip the app. And you can cancel at any time. That's what's so great about Philo. They have no long term contracts that are going to get you stuck. So once you're signed up, you're free to cancel at any time. But with all this amazing content, you may never want to. It's endless entertainment with a single subscription. And for a limited time, when you sign up at Philo TV, you'll get $8 off your first month. Now, I don't want to put any hate towards Rachel. She seems to be very transparent about the whole thing. She says, you know, she fully acknowledges that it moved really, really fast. But at the time she said it just felt right and they had, you know, bonded over the trauma and yada yada, yada. So yeah, and I do really appreciate this about Rachel. I guess her one request after they got married was that she wanted to go and visit Heidi's grave. She said that she was very aware that she could never replace her, but she wanted to pay her respects. And honestly, I feel like Rachel was really the only person in Nick's family or like from Nick's side who had interest in Heidi when the two of them got married. She says that Nick's parents made it very clear to her that what happened to Heidi isn't something they talk about with other people. It was all just very hush hush and not to be mentioned. So for a few years they lived their lives, life. They had three kids. And on the surface, much like his relationship with Heidi, everything seemed to be okay. And I've got to just say for a second here, I cannot believe that no one really seemed to be doing anything about Nick. Like it just seemed like they kind of put it on the shelf. I'm talking law enforcement. And I know that they didn't have enough. It was all circumstantial. But with how suspicious they were and how suspicious he was acting and Just the whole story not making sense. I can't believe he just went on living his life. But anyway, another similarity between his marriage with Heidi and his marriage with Rachel was that Nick was in charge of the finances. And that's actually why so many people believe that Heidi was unaware that they were in so much trouble. And, you know, the two of them had a very traditional relationship, and money was part of his responsibility was the man's job. Job. Well, anyway, the same went for his marriage with Rachel, and he told her that he had paid off all his debt. That being said, though, they still didn't have enough good credit to take out a loan for a house, so his parents ended up taking one out for them. They put a house in their name, and all Nick had to do was pay them the rent money. And the only thing he was responsible for paying directly was the property taxes. And big shocker here, turns out he wasn't paying them. And Rachel found out about it. Rachel had her suspicions that he was lying to her about something. And then she found a letter from collections in his sock drawer. That's right. This dingus was keeping it in his sock drawer. Round of applause for that. And she knew that he was lying about some small stuff. But a collections agency ended up calling her her, which is why she was prompted to look for evidence in the first place. And she must have thought he would be dumb enough to keep it in the sock drawer. But anyway, on the real, when Rachel found this, you guys, she was absolutely terrified. It hit her in that moment that if he was capable of lying about that in their relationship, then he probably lied about hiding the finances from Heidi. And if he was lying about hiding the finances, he was probably also lying about not killing her. Right? One plus one equals two. So she literally packed up her kids in the middle of the night, and they left. And a little bit after that, she decided to confront him. And not only that, but she decided to record the conversation, which was very smart. And she really went at him. It's very powerful. I unfortunately cannot play it for you all, but I wanted to read a short part of it so you get an idea. So Rachel says, your actions have caused me to distrust you completely. And the fact that your lying was so easy for you to do over and over and over makes me think. And then he cuts her off and says that I could murder my wife. And she says that you could be lying about something. And then he says, more matter of factly, that I could murder my wife. And Rachel just says, yes. She straight up just said that she thought he was capable of murder. And of course, Nick was not happy about that. He said that her saying that was just jarring to his soul and that he didn't have any words for her accusations. And then she said that he just put his head down and the conversation was essentially over. But it wasn't over for Rachel, of course. She was not going to just let this go. So she decided to get his parents involved and decided to have a little conversation with them. And because Nick is a little boy, he decided to let his dad do all of the talking. And I, unfortunately, don't have that audio either. But his dad essentially just backed down on Nick's original story about Heidi, absolutely knowing about the financial troubles they were in. But Rachel had common sense, and the more she thought about this, none of it added up. She couldn't get over the fact that if Heidi knew, then why was their house not all packed up before they were going to be evicted the next day? And why would they not tell anyone about it? It just. Just didn't make any sense. And you want to know what Nick's dad said in response to these two points for the house stuff? He said that they were packing it up. It was just the early stages of it, which, of course, makes a ton of sense. Right? Everyone, when they pack up to leave their house, leaves it all for one day when they're moving the next day. You know, you always just do it last minute. And as for why they didn't tell anyone his dad said that their lives weren't intertwined because. Because there weren't grandchildren involved. I'm sorry, but how does not having grandchildren translate to not confiding in your parents about foreclosure? That's a big deal. I mean, the whole thing just sounded extremely off. But anyway, in 2018, Rachel decides that she's done with Nick and she divorced his ass, as she should. And I'm very glad she got out of there before it was too late, because, I don't know, I feel like she could have ended up. Ended up just like Heidi. And I really think that hindsight was 2020 in that situation for her, because after leaving him, she was able to see how strange all this behavior all this time truly was. For example, he never talked to her about wanting a resolution or justice for Heidi, literally ever. He never brought up like, man, I wonder who kills my wife. Never, not a single time did he ever say anything like that, according to Rachel. And there was even a point during their marriage where investigators thought that Maybe they caught this intruder, and not once did Nick even reach out to them to try and get more information about that. In fact, he never, ever called police asking for updates. In her case, he was fine just letting that go. Like he told her dad, they're never gonna catch him. And, of course, I do have to say, I. I have a lot of sympathy for Rachel and everything that she's been through with Nick. Um, but it does strike me as odd that that didn't strike her as odd. I just cannot imagine. I would be like, don't you want to know? Don't you at least want answers? Aren't you pissed? Like, that would just freak me out so bad. Being with someone whose wife was murdered, and not once did they ever talk about it or didn't just drive them mad wondering what happened, who that was. They just got away with murdering his wife. I. Oh, it's so bizarre to me. But that brings me to a man named Michael Pie that I need to tell you about. So, five years after Heidi's murder, a tip came in from someone who was able to identify the guy in Nick's sketch. Remember the one that he had custom made that he commissioned on his own from some random artist? That man was identified as Michael PI who was known in St. Paul for breaking and entering into homes, specifically in the early morning hours while people were still home. And you might be thinking, hmm, maybe Nick really didn't do it. Maybe this guy did. That sounds like a perfect match. Well, the problem with that is he was in jail when Heidi was murdered, so it wasn't even possible. He couldn't have physically done it. He even spoke with investigators and was like, look, I know I've broken into some houses, but I would never kill anyone. He had actually really turned his life around, and credits going to prison for helping him get on a better path. And, of course, investigators and Michael Pie himself. And I feel like everyone feels that Nick was trying to frame him. And it's a tale as old as time, Right? How many cases have I covered, personally, just in the ones that I have covered, where a white guy tries to blame a black man or a Hispanic man or just anyone of color, anyone who's not white, for something that they did. And it really makes sense that that is exactly what he was trying to do, because. Because Michael had actually been in the news a lot the winter before Heidi was killed. So it seems like Nick purposely described him while talking to the sketch artist. And again, it just still shocks me. I'm left feeling so confused about why? No one really did anything. I mean, I think it was super obvious that it was Nick right from the first day, from the day Heidi was killed, from that first interrogation footage, I don't know. But for whatever reason, nobody moved forward with charges against Nick. That is, until a new badass detective took over the case. And she was determined to finally get justice for Heidi. It was in 2019, right after Rachel divorced Nick. And this amazing woman is Detective Nicole Sipes. And she came in, right in 2019, right after Rachel divorced Nick, to look at the case with fresh eyes. And thank God she did. Of course, they had never officially closed the case, but nothing was moving forward. But she went back through everything and brought in the FBI. And together they discovered a lot, specifically as it related to their finances. They created a financial timeline. And long story short, they felt like they could prove that Heidi had no idea that they were going to be foreclosed on. After going through all of their texts and emails, Detective Sipes discovered that not once during the 22 months that they hadn't paid their mortgage did Heidi message Nick about their debt. She also learned that that Heidi's name wasn't on any of the paperwork associated with the foreclosure. And additionally, Heidi never went to the eviction hearing on March 8, 2010. But Detective Sipes did see that Heidi might have been catching on. The closer it got to her death, she started getting emails directly from creditors. And phone records show that after getting those emails, Heidi would immediately call Nick. So I do think she was catching on, and I'm sure most of you agree. And listen to this this. The detective spoke with a friend of Heidi's who said that one day before she was killed, Heidi confided in her that Nick said they were the victims of identity theft and that upwards of $200,000 was stolen. So Detective Sipes wheels really were turning at this point and she started theorizing that Nick ran out of time to find a solution, so he killed her to avoid the truth being exposed. Plus, when watching his interview back, back, everything that I mentioned to you guys really stood out to her like a sore thumb. Especially the part where they tell him that she didn't make it and he just goes, I figured that. Then when she found out that he'd done the same thing, financially speaking to Rachel, that really just sealed the deal. So she decided to try to reach out to Rachel. And at first, Rachel was hesitant to talk about it, but she ended up sharing everything with Detective Sipes, including a copy of that recorded audio that she was smart enough to get. And speaking of audio, through her investigation, they realized that when listening back to Heidi's 911 call, you literally can't hear anything in the background. Yet supposedly, this was a life or death struggle. Obviously, you would hear some other noises if someone else was there and if this had really happened, but clearly it didn't. And not to mention, there was no foreign DNA found at the scene, which, again, I have to go back to why? Why did no one do anything about this for so long? Why did they just let this one go? And you guys, when the FBI created a digital mock up of the scene and recreated the shooting, two big things were discovered. One, the shotgun was not fired from the height of Nick's chest. It was fired from shoulder level, as if he had propped it up to get a clear shot. And two, that entryway space was far too small for a struggle to even have happened without anything being knocked over. There's just no way. And again, again, who sends their unarmed wife down the stairs first? Okay, I just cannot let that go. That is insane. So, all in all, the evidence does not support Nick and his version of events. And it did support the notion that Heidi was unaware of their financial situation and that was the motive in all of this. And so I am so happy to say that 11 years. That part does not make me happy. That part makes me really pissed off. Off. But at Beast it came 11 years after her murder. On May 19, 2021, a SWAT team in St. Paul arrested Nick Furkus, and he was charged initially with secondary murder. And then soon after this, his charges were upgraded to first and second degree murder, which was the relief that Heidi's loved ones had been praying for for over a decade. Her poor family. Oh, my God. All they wanted was for the truth to be known. And now it was all finally going to come out. Now, Nick did post his bond, so he spent a little under two years free on bail. But finally, in January of 2023, his trial began. Now, unfortunately, a judge ruled that Rachel couldn't testify, so none of her story could be shared, which is really, really irritating. But thankfully, it didn't really matter. The other testimony was damning enough. And like you've heard throughout this episode, the prosecution obviously had a lot supporting their theory. But the defense really tried to counter their motive, though. They said that Heidi 100% knew about their foreclosure and pointed to all the mail in the house from the bank. And according to them, how could someone be so unaware of their financial situation? But again, the prosecution pointed to the fact that Heidi and Nick just had a very traditional marriage. They were very religious, and I don't know, she just was not involved in that side of things, which I think is the case for a lot of people. I don't think it's that weird. And you guys, she was literally planning to go to work on the day that they were supposed to move out of their house. I mean, you just cannot convince me that she had any idea this was happening. The defense also said that those tool marks on the door, which I mentioned earlier, is direct evidence of someone trying to break in. However, an expert locksmith testified that no intruder would have ever attempted to break the door that way. They would have tried to break the deadbolt lock, which was completely untouched. So, yeah, my guess is those marks were made beforehand to try and make it look like someone tried to break in. Bad attempt. Now, there was a lot of testimony from this neighbor guy who thought he heard Nick say, you shot her. You shot me. But that screaming could have easily been from Nick when he called 911 pretending that an intruder was there. I think. I think that actually makes a lot of sense. And lastly, the timing of the 911 call was a big point, point of contention as well. The defense argued that Nick wouldn't have had the time to kill Heidi, then stage the scene, then shoot himself before calling 911 in the 65 second gap between calls. And of course, that does sound like a short amount of time, especially because he misdialed 9112 times before finally reaching the dispatcher. But prosecutors actually gave a demonstration in closing remarks that not only could he have, but he would have had time to spare, which was a brilliant move on their part. And so in the end, end, the jury thankfully sided with the prosecution. And it only took them five hours of deliberation before they came back with a guilty verdict for Nick Furkus. Two months later, he was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, despite pleading with the judge that he was in fact innocent. And he maintains his innocence to this day, which really doesn't surprise me. And what also doesn't surprise me is to this day, there are people who believe him, and maybe some of you do, too. And of course, his friends and family do not believe that he would been capable of doing this still. And they're very supportive of him and his efforts to appeal his conviction. They have made statements that they stand behind his innocence. And Heidi's loved ones, on the other hand, are incredibly relieved to know that the man who was responsible for her senseless murder is exactly where he deserves to be. And I agree. Her mom says that she's relieved knowing that the real narrative is out there and I hope in sharing her case today we can keep her memory alive and remember Heidi for all the joy that she brought to those around her. Now, I need to know what you guys think about this case. Especially if there are any of you out there who believe that Nick Fergus is innocent and that an innocent man is in prison. I think I'll be really surprised if there are any of you who really think that. But if you do, I want to hear why. Tell me why. But yeah, let me know what you guys think. Just horrible how long her friends and family had to go without justice. That just would have driven me crazy. I can't even imagine. I mean they are so strong the way that they handled it all that time. I still have so many questions about it though. How did. I don't understand why no one did anything for so long. Man, this crazy.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Crazy.

[Kendall Rae]

I'm just thankful at the end of the day that Heidi got justice. And it makes me of course, and I've said this so many times, it cases like this always make me think about all the people out there who haven't gotten justice in a similar situation. Whether it's a framed suicide or a framed break in or whatever it is and their killer has gotten away scot free and no one questions it to this day. Day or not, the right people question it. But yeah, I don't know. It's a crazy world we live in you guys. That is going to be it for me today guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show you can find it on my YouTube channel which will be linked or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then stay safe out there.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Sergeant Gray]

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[Kendall Rae]

Limited time only person participation may vary, not be aldermanic delivery.