I was really freaking out. Whats going on . A mother murdered. It looked like two ghosts had just committed the ultimate crime. He lived to tell police a harrowing story. Is it true . Hes the only one who survived. He is practically unharmed. Theyre treating you like a suspect or a witness . They are treating me like a suspect. Now an undercover plan to solve the mystery. Who was the real mastermind . We all stopped breathing for about ten seconds. I want it to be wrong. I really wanted to be wrong. The American Dream. So many of us want it. The loving family. The honest job. The home you can afford. The idea that you can start over here. And in this new country, that better life will be yours. This is a story about that dream. About a family who worked for it, won it, and then what happened to them. This wasnt part of anyones dream. Someone just robbed our house. They tied me and my mom up. How could this happen in this safe, gated community . In this home they work so hard to have . Is everybody okay . I dont know. They just beat me up. I dont know where my mom is. And who deserved it less than this woman . My mom brought the heart to the family. Ryan girgis was the baby of the family. Spoiled rotten by his mother ariet. We couldnt function without my mom. She was the chef in the household. The counsellor. The full service mom. Oh, yeah. She was really, really nice, a sweet lady. She was one of those mothers who showed her love through food. Her cakes were legendary. Making every birthday that much more special, says her older son richard. She made this really good upside down pineapple cake. It was phenomenal. I always remember cake and ice cream at the birthdays. Growing up, richard was inseparable from his mom. Was she like the other moms your friends had . No. I think she was more on the conservative side. Serve conservative because of where she came from. Ariet girgis was born in egypt and then came to the u. S. When she was 29 years old. Her family settled in Northern California. Ariet led a comfortable all american life. But cultural ties are strong and in 1980, ariet was called back to egypt to meet a nice young man named magdi. When my mom went there and ended up meeting him, she really liked him. Years later she would reminisce about how their romance blossomed. In egypt you cant just go out on dates and stuff. So they went together to the movie theater. When it got real dark, my dad reached over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Which was a very big deal. Yeah. For her it was. It almost sealed the deal. It wasnt the american way of falling in love, but ariet seemed happy. She and magdi married just two weeks later in egypt and moved together to california. In 1981 richard was born. Five years later came ryan. Richard was delighted to have a brother to play with and to watch over. So you were his protector, big brother. Yeah. I would keep an eye on him. I love my brother with all my heart. How did you and your brother get along . Like best friends. I always looked up to him. Their dad was the classic hardworking immigrant. Magdi earned his license to become a respiratory therapist. Then put in endless hours to put a roof over his familys heads and clothe on their backs. He came from a really poor country. For him, to come here, he was working real hard to build things up and try establish a life. Magdi emphasized education. Teaching both his sons math at an early age. He strove and saved to help them all prosper and they felt he would do anything to keep his family safe. He didnt want your family to get pushed around. Not at all. It took many years of hard work saving and investing. But magdi finally put together enough money to buy this home in a gated community in the city of westminst westminster, a quiet town in california. The girgis family was well on its way to build the life they worked so hard to build. But then on september 29, 2004, all of it came crashing down. Ryan girgis, then 17, was out with friends and stayed out later than he was supposed to. When did you get home . Like 1 00 to 1 30 that night. I slid the back door open and i went upstairs. His dad was not at home. His brother at work. His mom, asleep. I remember i was fixing up my ipod dock and i fell asleep to music that night. Next thing he know, i hear a door open, and first instinct was maybe it was my brother. His older brother richard. His best friend and protector coming home. Or so he thought. But it wasnt richard. I looked back and thats when i felt like a hand being placed on my mouth. And it was a hand with some type of cotton glove. Can you see who it is . I noticed it was a black male that was heavyset. I was going for my brother and my mom to help me and i was really scared. Ryan said he fought the intruder. I bit down on the hand and i rolled off the bed. I popped up and i was shoved into the wall. He was telling me to shut up and calm down. The man put duct tape over ryans mouth and started taping his hands and feet together. Right after that, a second suspect comes inside. He starts making threats to me like, dont get your mom killed. Dont get your mom killed. Dont get your mom killed. That had to be terrifying to hear. Yeah. I was really terrified. What did you think was going on . I didnt know. I thought maybe a robbery or something. A terrifying situation was about to get much worse. In the hallway, i saw my mom yelling, take anything you want. Take anything you want. And then after that i noticed the guy was taking my mom away. Toward her bedroom. Ryans attacker dragged her into the closet but then noticed the duct tape was slipping around ryans hands. I heard him taking some shoe string off one of my shoes. Using the shoelace, the man tied ryan hands behind his back. Through the closet door, ryan pleaded with his attacker. I was saying please dont kill me. Please dont kill me. I started praying. During that time, he was like, i know your circumstances. I know what youre going through. Im not going to kill you. I know your circumstances. Strange as those words sound, ryan found them somehow comforting. I started feeling a little sense of relief. But then ryan heard a sound that would come to haunt him. I heard cutting of sheets. I thought he was cutting my sheets up. I didnt know what was going on. And what was going on was worse than anything he could have imagined. Coming up i will kill you. A panicked call to 911 and another to his brother. I was really freaking out. I was like, whats going on, whats going on . What really happened inside that house . Oh, my god. Oh, my god. When the man who wasnt there continues. Man who wasn there continues us on punching above your weight. No matter how high you set the bar. Try centrum minis. acant figure out newhy those dietsht . Wont work for you . Go to golo. Com, where over 1 Million People have found golo and a new and better way to lose weight. This is not only a weight loss journey, this is a complete transformation, mentally and physically. announcer want to lose 60 pounds . How about 100 pounds . You can. woman its easy, and it will change your life. announcer go to golo. Com. Thats golo. Com. Ryan girgis had just been through a terrifying ordeal. Two men breaking into his home in a gated community in the middle of the night. Both black guys, they were really huge to me. Their whole persona was just gangsters and thugs. You had never seen them before. Never, ever. They tied him up. Threw him in a closet. But not before he saw one of the men drag his mother into her bedroom. He said he thought he heard the men walk out. Thought he heard a car drive away. But for a few more moments, ryan sat in that dark closet, heart thumping, afraid, he says, to come out. It was now or never. Ryan says he managed to untie himself and grab his cell phone. I went down the hallway. I looked to the right really quickly. I noticed that the door was in like a closed position. To your mothers bedroom. To my mothers bedroom. Why didnt you check on her . I wanted to get out of the house as fast as possible and come back with help. You had to be wondering how she is. I wanted to get out of the house and come back with someone. I already got overpowered by myself. He ran outside the house and called 911. What happened . Two black guys just jump in my house. Dont make me have to kill you. Dont make me have to kill you. I will kill. Dont get your mom killed. Ryan called his dad magdi. He was shocked and asked two things. If ryan was okay and where ariet was. And ryan didnt know. He also called his older brother richard who was working the night shift at the queen mary hotel. What did richard say when you called him . He questioned if i was all right, he questioned where was mom, and he said who do you think it is . Someone you know . Why would richard think that you might know the people who broke into the house . He felt like i was the one who got tied up and they came into my room. So he was just questioning, is it something having to do with you . Did they have a personal vendetta on you or anything . As youll see, that is a question that would come up again. After the call, richard left work and drove to the house but the police tape was already up and they wouldnt let him through. I was really freaking out. Whats going on . I was asking him, where is my mom at . Where is my mom at . Police took richard and ryan to the station. The boys were surprised to find themselves split up and sitting in separate interview rooms. Ryans hands were bagged to preserve any evidence. But before detectives could ask too many questions, richard asked one of his own. Can i talk to my mom, please . Mom is dead. Oh, no. No, shes not. I didnt hear that. I didnt hear that. Ryan said he didnt know what was happening right then but he could tell it was bad. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. I just heard like a scream. And im like, what just happened . It sounds like richard, my brother, and he is screaming to the top of his lungs. No, shes not. Shes not. You cant see richard. You can just hear him. I could hear him in the other room and he was going hysterical. I never heard him scream like that in my whole life. Oh, my god. Does my little brother know . Police soon told ryan the same awful news. Their mother ariet had been murdered. Now, the cops started asking questions. That wasnt all they did. The police took your fingerprints . The police took my fingerprints, cotton swabs, dna, you name it, they did it. Are they treating you like a suspect or a witness . They are treating me like a suspect at this point. Did you have a chance to check on your mom . No. I just ran out. [ inaudible ] i didnt even look. Richard was facing questions that were slightly different but just as skeptical. Why would someone break into your house . I dont know, man. I wish i knew. Did the cops take your fingerprints . Yeah. And your dna . Yes. Did you think they were looking at you as a suspect . Yeah. It was scary. I had never been in that situation with police. But the focus seemed to linger on his brother ryan. This wasnt directed against him that you know of. I dont know, dude. The first reaction i had was, was it one of your friends . Did someone break in . That was your first reaction . As police continued their questioning, one question stood out above all. Why would these two thugs come into your house, basically not hurt you, and then really brutally kill your mother . And leave behind a witness . Yeah. This investigation was about to take a turn that no one expected. Coming up two guys come into the house, beat up ryan, tie him up and then kill ariet in a brutal handson way and leave no trace . It looked like two ghosts had just walked in and committed the ultimate crime. Dna and csi. What will the evidence reveal when the man who wasnt there continues. E man who wasnt ther continues. Its gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old bargain detergent. Tide pods plus downy free. Safe for sensitive skin with eczema and psoriasis. Cenbut they pack a punch. L, with over 20 essential vitamins and minerals they are the most complete mini multivitamin. So you can focus on punching above your weight. No matter how high you set the bar. Try centrum minis. The sleep number 360 smart bed. Prices of the season on can it help with snoring . Ive never heard snoring. Exactly. No problem. And done. And now, the queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is only 899. Plus, no interest until january 2024. Only for a limited time. If you have type 2 diabetes and risks for heart disease, you could land in the hospital with heart failure. For people like you, farxiga does more than lower a1c. 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Andrew we had to stay in the hospital for 10 weeks, 1000s of miles from family. Our driver kristin came along in our most desperate hour. Suzanne bringing us homecooked meals and gifts. Andrew day after day. We wanted to show you something. Kristin oh my god Andrew Kristin is the most uncommonly kind person that weve met. Suzanne thank you so much. Ryan girgis was attacked in his own home and hours later, given the worst news imaginable. While he had managed to escape, his mom ariet had not. She was dead. All of which begged a pressing question. Why would they kill her and leave me . Police and even his own brother were asking the same thing. How many murders do you get in westminster . Not that many, really. She was a deputy d. A. In orange county, california. The ariet girgis case landed on her desk. Its a nightmare. Its the thing that most people would fear, to be home in the sanctity of your home, your bed, and have intruders come in and do the unthinkable. Police found ariets body near her bed. She had been stabbed multiple times. That odd tearing sound ryan said he heard . Investigators believed it was the sound of the knife ripping through the mattress as ariets killer slit her throat. Was that knife found at the scene . It was not. James wilson was a Patrol Officer at the time of the murder. Wilson said the details of the crime scene pointed to something other than a Home Invasion robbery. In part because nothing appeared to have been stolen. This was an burglary in which she was collateral damage. Definitely not. Cash was in plain sight. Jewelry, too. Even ryans ipod and new dock, all untouched. The house wasnt even rummaged through as if they were looking for something. Whats more, this was a gated community. The killers would have needed a gate code to get in. It starts getting more interesting as to who could have done it. Crime scene investigators collected mounds of evidence and surprisingly, with all that blood, not a single trace of unknown dna. All the dna results matched the people who lived in the house. Ariet, richard, magdi and ryan. A witness who for some reason was left alive. Two guys came into the house, beat up ryan, tie him up and kill ariet in a brutal handson way and leave no trace . Thats what it looked like. It looked like two ghosts had just walked in and committed the ultimate crime. It seemed improbable and it encouraged detectives to look closely at ryan. He claimed to be a victim. But was he really . Police learned the friend he was with the night of the murder had offered ryan a knife for protection. Just hours before ryans mother was brutally killed with a knife. A knife that had not been found. They also learned ryan smoked marijuana and not just at the occasional party. He smoked every day. And he wasnt just smoking. [ inaudible ]. Police found small amounts of marijuana in ryans room along with a bong, baggies and tin foil. And there was more, like the description ryan had given detectives about the two suspects. Both male blacks, he said they were large. He said they acted like they were from a gang but that was something that we still didnt know 100 sure if that was true or not. Claiming two black men committed the murder seemed almost too convenient. And more troubling, if ryan had been beaten by gang members much bigger than he was, why didnt he look like it . Theres no question if ryan had been in a serious duking it out fight with a couple of guys, that he would have ended up much more battered than he was. If they wanted to hurt him worse than they did, definitely so. Yes. And remember, ryan had told police that one suspect said, i know your circumstances. Im not going to kill you. Was that true . And if so, what did it mean . And then there was issue of ryan claiming to have left the house before he so much as took a peek into his mothers bedroom. Did that strike anybody as odd . I think so. As a detective, you have to consider why someone would do that. Soon detectives found out. Ryan had more dark secrets than theyd realized. Coming up hes the only one who survived. He is practically unharmed. New questions for ryan. And a new clue. Had he received a warning before the attack . When the man who wasnt there continues. T there continues te of the art tools and technology, to genuine parts made for the perfect fit. Whether its our place. Or yours. Were there. Rain or shine, day or night. No one knows your vehicle better. To learn all the ways we can be at your service, call, click or visit a dealership near you. For skin as alive as you are. Dont settle for silver 7 moisturizers 3 vitamins 24 hours hydration gold bond champion your skin im richard lui following the breaking news story tonight. President trump signed the 900 billion covid relief bill. According to the white house, the senate will start the process for a vote that increases checks to 2,000 and starts investigation into voter fraud. Authorities have identified Anthony Warner for the person responsible for the naexplosionn nashville, tennessee. Warner died in that explosion. Now back to dateline. Investigators looking into the savage murder of ariet girgis naturally took a hard look at the only other person known to be in the house when she died. Her 17yearold son ryan. Hes the only one who survived. He is practically unharmed. He was selling a small amount of drugs. We had to pursue that. Police still have a lot of questions about ryans story but they havent yet found any evidence to suggest he killed his mom. For now, at least, they had to take him at his word. Until you can find a reason not to believe that person, you kind of have to go with what they say unless theyre lying to you. As far as you knew, he was not lying to you. Yes. But the investigation was just starting and police couldnt discount another possibility, that ariet was killed because of ryan. Detectives learned a year before the murder, ryan ha