Page 7 - Inside Nick News Today

Was remarkable by its uniqueness. never seen it before or have never seen it since. >> the cap was marked with a "v". it was the top to the valvoline motor oil bottle in the trunk. >> the bottle cap was a big indicator right off the bat, the car had been rigged. something wasnt right. >> the bottle cap would be put in there in lieu of a person to hold the gas pedal in position so the vehicle could be operated without a driver. >> to see what effect the bottle cap would have on nicks car, investi...

>> and ralph marcus was no stranger to insurance fraud. >> it was said that ralph marcus decided pretty early on in his life that only fools worked for a living and rather than get a job, he supported himself gambling and insurance scams. supposedly, he had burned down his own house to receive the insurance proceeds. and then another time had arranged for the theft of a car and a boat to make money off that as well. >> with no forensic evidence linking marcus to the crash, investigators had one ...

The search began at the restaurant where nick had stopped the night before. it was on a treacherous road that ran parallel to the sacramento river. >> you make a mistake and drift off of the roadway, youre liable to go to the bottom of the levee. on one side, its a river. on the other side, its a 30-foot drop. >> asleep or intoxicated or not paying attention, theres a good chance you could end up in the water. >> and thats where they found nicks car two days later, submerged in 18 feet of water....

>> nicks broken glasses were on the floor of his car. and the side windows were open. >> i was still hoping that we would find him alive. i was hoping that he had swam out of the car and had been injured and didnt know who he was and that we were going to find him. >> the way the car went in, the fact that he got out, none of it made sense. >> inside nicks car, investigators found a greasy film on the dashboard and upholstery. >> it was kind of a light white milky substance that we didnt know wh...

He may well have gone into the water unconscious. ultimately, though, it was drowning that caused the end. >> the manner of nicks death was ruled a homicide. investigators were now looking for a killer.

From the forensic evidence, investigators now knew that nick howard was not in his car when it crashed into the sacramento river. and nick had been strangled and dumped in the river at another time. in a search for suspects, investigators first questioned who would benefit from nicks death and learned that nick had several large life insurance policies. >> we found a life insurance policy that had an accidental death benefit rider on there, making the life insurance policy worth $850,000. now, a...

Water, it was moving at only 15 miles per hour. nicks glasses were found in the car. and investigators wanted to know if nick had been wearing them when the crash occurred. so they created a styrofoam facsimile of nicks head. >> i weighted the styrofoam head so that it was approximately the same weight as nicks head would have been in that same situation. >> they put an identical pair of glasses on the model to simulate the force of impact. it was attached to a pendulum. >> based on a potential ...

>> i believe that marcus befriended nick to, first of all, stay close and to find out things about me. but i think even early on, he had a plan to hurt nick. >> they went to lake tahoe. they went to reno. ralph fancied himself the great baccarat player. he got fancy hotel rooms. he had women come by. >> when questioned, ralph marcus said he knew nothing about nick howards murder and claimed he had an alibi for the night of the crash. >> and he had his dying mother state that he was at home with ...

Crumpled and it had been folded at one time. it had ralph marcus name on it. and i was a little shocked. >> 37-year-old ralph marcus was an unemployed laborer who had a strained relationship with the howard family. he also had a police record. >> well, we did a little checking on mr. ralph marcus. in addition to his gambling and his flashy lifestyle, he never really had the ability to hold a job for very long. >> he was kind of creepy. he just never went away. he wasnt around like 24/7, but he w...

Had it not been for accident reconstruction, forensic testing and a bottle of motor oil, he might have gotten away with it. >> he was motivated to kill nicholas howard to prevent any other witnesses, prevent having to share the insurance proceeds, and because he had a long vendetta against the mother as a scorned lover. >> i dont know if nick planned a scam with ralph. it makes absolutely no sense to me, because you cant get insurance money if youre alive. and because i know how nick loved me an...