We never for a second believed that he didnt know who that was standing in front of him. Reporter was it a tragic mistake . He was broken. Reporter or coldblooded murder . These bits of emotion are only done in front of the detective. Theyre not done when hes alone. Reporter a room too dark to see . So lets shut the light off, okay. Reporter or a story too hard to believe . There was nothing accidental about what he did. Reporter a shot in the dark, and doubt in the light of day. Shes the love of your life . Yes, sir. The person you know better than anybody else . Yes sir. And you cant tell its her when you pull that trigger . Reporter im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with the silhouette. Reporter what happened inside this house would destroy everything the woman who lived there had worked for. She finally had it all, the career, the dream home, the marriage shed waited so long for. There was a brightness in her eye. I trusted that she knew her heart. They were in love. Theres no other way around it. Reporter her life now complete, fulfilled, safe. We never worried about her. Reporter but was it all an illusion . Send an ambulance, please reporter what happened that morning, in the predawn hours, in the dark . Right in the freaking chest oh reporter the women at this san antonio racquet club say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they play tennis. I think tennis in general just really brings out your personality. Tennis either brings out the best or the worst in you. Reporter as for who had the best character at their club, the answer comes as fast as a Serena Williams serve, their friend, debbie kelly. Debbie for me, was kind of the whole package of a person. Fair, fun, and a great leader. Reporter debbie, fiercely independent, driven. Always wanted to be a career woman. Reporter she climbed the corporate ladder in healthcare. Her mom and dad, jim and anne kelly marveled at her commitment. She spent many, many hours traveling and many hours working overtime. Reporter but debbie hadnt found as much success in her personal life. She got married in her 20s, but it didnt work out. Now in her 40s, and dedicated to her career, there was little time to look for the right guy. Reporter was it hard to date . It was hard for her to date. Reporter so in 2008 debbie took a new job that allowed her to focus a little more on her personal life. Thats when she got serious about her tennis game. She was a little bit of a tiger. Reporter thats how she met this bunch, bette paese, soeurette shookkelly, and Ellen Mitchell. She was not a big person. But all of her went up, and the hair would fly up, and she would smash that ball. Reporter what would she do when she would make that shot and and the opponent was not able to return it . Turn around, get ready for the next point. Reporter so she was humble . Very humble. Extremely. Reporter the ladies clicked off the court too bonding over postmatch drinks. She had a great laugh. She throws her head back and chuckles, and just her whole body laughs. She had a real silly, funny, quirky side. Reporter ive heard that she was very private. Would she talk about dating and guys with you all . Or not with me. Huhuh. She just wasnt one to talk about herself, period, but i was always tryin to find her somebody. Reporter how did she receive bette the matchmaker . Well, shed always be like, oh no. Reporter husband or not, debbie was ready to plant some permanent roots. She bought a house in a gated community and began to remodel it, on her own. She told her friend liz sevilla all about it. Reporter was she like an hgtv type of girl . [ laughter ] yes. Oh, my gosh. Hey, im going to home depot. Shes workin on the Sprinkler System or shes deciding on materials for the floor. Reporter but the busy executive couldnt do everything herself, so in 2012, she hired a contractor, his name was lars itzo. But once work got underway, lars seemed in no rush to finish the job. She was getting very frustrated and shes just like, i wish this person would finish. Hed stay late and work, and theyd talk. Reporter but lars siblings ken and kristi, said he wasnt dragging things out for the money, he had an ulterior motive. He goes, yeah, she keeps flirting and talking and were laughing and having a good time. Reporter lars liked debbie, and he thought it was mutual. And he goes, can i ask her out . And i went, yeah, why cant you. Reporter so began an unlikely courtship between debbie, the petite powerhouse and lars, the six foot two nordic heman. They were cute. They were goofy. Like teenagers. They were, that first love. Reporter debbie got a kick out of lars laidback ways just a guy into oldschool board games, restoring muscle cars, and drinking texas favorite, homegrown soft drink, dr. Pepper. About a case a day. I mean, he had a lot reporter what . Of dr. Pepper. At least a 12pack, i know. Reporter ive never heard of someone drinking that much dr. Pepper. I thought it would kill him. [ laughter ] really. Doesnt drink a lot of alcohol at all, just dr. Pepper. Reporter and when private debbie brought lars out to meet her friends, they knew it was serious. He arrived with her, handinhand. Reporter sure, they noticed lars was a different sort of match for their friend. Hes very quiet hes got the blond hair that would go with being named lars. He seemed like a surfer big man. Reporter but to debbie, he was the right man. I felt like she was really in love with him. I can understand her thinking, you know, maybe its time to try something just different. Reporter and pretty soon that Something Different was official. After a year of dating, debbie and lars were engaged. Reporter so baby brother finally settled down. He did, and he was happy. Never seen him that happy. Reporter they married soon after at this chapel in arkansas, near her parents homes. Reporter how beautiful did she look on her wedding day . Oh, she the main thing is she just looked so happy. That was really important to me. Reporter debbie and lars embraced the contented rhythms of married life, spending weekends with family. Enjoying the outdoors and her dog cody, but after two years together things started to change. Debbie got a coveted promotion, to vice president. That was going to entail more traveling and lot more working, too. Reporter big responsibilities, more pay, but less time at home, less time with lars. October 9th, 2015, debbie, recently back from a business trip, went to bed early for a morning tennis game. Debbies beloved cody slept on the floor beside her. The shades were down. Lars joined them a little past midnight. Four hours passed, and then san antonio 911. Uh, just had a gun shot. Reporter what had happened in that texas home . When we return i thought a heard a burglar in the house. Reporter danger in the night. And a confrontation in the dark. Damn it oh baby is that ice cream . No, its, uh, breyers gelato indulgences. You really wouldnt like it. Its got caramel and crunchy stuff. I like caramel and crunchy stuff. Breyers gelato indulgences. Its way beyond ice cream. Its the applebees big bold grill combos. Try a shrimp combo. Combod with a chicken combo. And you can combo it with a side of unlimited fries. Its the combo of combos. Combod the big bold grill combos. Starting at 12. 99. Only at applebees. Starting at 12. 99. And they happen easily. The other side of this. Is they can be removed. Easily. Spray and washs. Powerful formula. Removes over 100 stains. Spray and wash. Better on over 100 stains. Stacking the fridge with their favorite snack so she doesnt have to lift a finger. Could this mom be any lazier . I dont know, could i . Reporter 4 13 a. M. Lars itzo called 911. Im a male. Shes a female. Will you send an ambulance please reporter that female was debbie shot and gravely wounded. I want you to walk over to her and make sure that she is still breathing. Oh, i dont think she is, damn it. Ahh. Ugh. Reporter the 911 operator guided lars through cpr. Kneel beside her. Ahh stack your hands. God damn it oh, baby ugh. Oh, man right in the freaking chest oh Reporter Police raced up to the house, dashcams rolling. The audio kept recording as they entered the house. [ dog barking ] door creaking open and the dog is barking. Help me reporter they found lars standing over debbies body back by the bedroom. Lars continues to cry. Go ahead and back up please. Reporter as an officer tended to debbie. Lars tried to explain how the shooting happened. I thought there was a burglar in my house. I thought there were multiple people in the house. Okay. Did you what did you hear . I heard voices when i was in bed. And where did you hear the voices at . Up front. Okay and after you heard the voices what happened . I got up. I thought my wife was in bed with me. Ok. I got my shotgun. Reporter as emts took over, trying to save debby, lars went with police down to the station. They urgently needed more details. Reporter where were the intruders . Were they armed . What did lars know . What exactly did he do . Sitting in the interview room, wrapped in codys dog blanket, lars took them through what happened, stepbystep. He said he was awakened around 4 00 a. M. By strange noises in the house. I hear the front door or the door squeaking, and i hear the grumbling, and i hear the dog growling. Reporter he said hed never heard cody growl before, so he was instantly on alert. Did you think they were male voices or female voices or i believe they were male. Lars says he moved towards the sound that he heard, with his shotgun in hand. He reached this tiny hallway where he says he saw a silhouette standing in front of him about three feet away. He says he made a split second decision to fire his gun, fearing for his life. All of this happening he says in the pitch black darkness. About how far away were you from them . Me to you. Reporter but the person lars shot was not an intruder. It was debbie. Police quickly determined that the only shot fired in the house came from larss gun. He said it was an accident a case of mistaken identity. Everything happened so fast. Reporter nevertheless any kind of infidelities going on between you or with her anything like that . No sir. I trust her completely. Completely. Reporter lars answered each of the investigators questions. Reporter in return, he just wanted to know one thing nobody has told me anything about if shes alright. Reporter so after two hours of talking, they broke the news i dont know how to tell you this, but your wife didnt make it. Okay . She is deceased. Dammit. Reporter just before 10 00 a. M. , police let lars go. Ken and kristi remember their younger brother that morning, overwhelmed with grief. He was completely hurt shattered, you know. He was broken. In those hours afterwards, what was he talking about . He really wasnt talking. He was just in shock. If he opened his mouth, he broke down. Reporter across town debbies tennis friends were out on the court, waiting for her to start that Early Morning match. Reporter one of their husbands came out to tell them about debbie. He called me over and said that lars had shot her. What are you thinking when you hear that . Out of the box for you. It was very surreal. I couldnt even comprehend how could someone shoot somebody . It didnt even make any sense to me. Reporter in arkansas, jim and anne kelly learned the news from their son. Thats just the worst news that a mother could ever hear. How does your brain process that information . I dont think you do. I couldnt process the shooting part, i guess. It was just that she was gone. And a part of me died the day she died. Just kept saying, not debby, not debby, not deb. Reporter debbies parents flew to san antonio, to spend time with lars, to support him in their shared grief. He could hardly talk. He seemed extremely remorseful. Was he saying everything that you would wanna hear . Like, i messed, i did it, im sorry . Apologized profusely for it and said it was just an accident. It was dark. Some people might be really angry but you didnt go down that road . We did not go down that road. We supported him. Reporter but that support was about to be put to the test. Coming up i know that she was frustrated. How strong was that marriage . 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Hes like, ill take a polygraph. cause he said he didnt do anything wrong. Yeah. Reporter but the polygraph indicated lars was deceptive in some of his answers. His brother and sister said it was perfectly understandable. Well, hes nervous. Hes in shock, you know . He couldnt even get his name right, his birth date, where he was born. Reporter maybe so but his performance on the polygraph was enough for detectives to grill him relentlessly. How could you not see that was a woman . It was dark, sir. Reporter no matter how dark it was, how scared he was, how could lars fail to recognize debby three feet away . Thats your wife. Height, weight, shape. How could you not tell thats your wife . It was dark. Do you understand how lame that sounds, lars . Its the truth. Youre 36 inches from a human being, and you cant tell its your wife. I dont care if its pitch dark. No room is completely dark. Theres ambient light from every room. It may not be much but its enough to tell the shape otherwise, you wouldnt have fired. You obviously saw something cause you fired the gun. I said i seen a shape. Reporter lars insisted he thought there were intruders in the house and he and debbie were in danger. I thought there was somebody else in the house going down the hallway the other direction. I thought there was one coming at me this way. Thats what i thought. What made you think that had happened tonight . Cause your dog growled . Yes sir. He never growls. He barks. Reporter there was no witness or apparent evidence to contradict him. After an hour of questioning police once again let lars go. Six days later, he said his final goodbye to debby, her parents by his side. How was lars at the funeral . Very composed, very reserved. Uh, he stood up with me. What did that say, that the family was supporting him . It said a lot. It was great. Reporter debbies friends werent nearly as supportive. Did you say anything to him . Did he say anything to you . No. No, i didnt. I did not. Reporter they were furious at lars for doing something so stupid, so careless. Everything he did bothered them. Even his taste in flower arrangements that day. Like the one thats pictured here. There was a wreath up at the front that was a huge flower heart, and in the middle of it, it was broken with these lines. So it was this broken heart. And it actually looked like a heartbeat, and it was in such poor taste. She was actually shot in the heart . Well, it penetrated the lining of her heart, yes. Reporter as family and friends tried to sort out their Feelings Police reviewed the case, looking to see if this was a crime or not. Since even an accident can warrant criminal charges. And, sure enough 11 days after lars fatally shot debbie, he was charged with manslaughter. Anything you want to say . Reporter prosecutors Karl Alexander and leo gonzalez caught the case. Why did manslaughter fit . Manslaughter is defined in the texas penal code as causing the death recklessly of an individual. Essentially, thats what it boils down to. It was somehow somewhat of an accident. Reporter lars was released on bail. Debbies parents continued to support him. Manslaughter is still, in our understanding, would be an accident. And so we go forward from there. Reporter but as the days without debbie stretched into weeks, something cooled in their relationship. He starts changing in term of my conversation, connections with him. And hes not so forth coming if i ask him something, he kinda holds back. Reporter lars sister said his behavior could be explained. He had sunk into a deep depression. He just kept sayin he wanted debbie back, if he could get her back. It was an accident. He was sorry. Reporter investigators, as they worked through the case, looked into the couples finances. Debbies assets totaled more than a Million Dollars when she died. Her dad was named as the beneficiary on most of her investment accounts. So lars, it seemed, had little to gain by killing her. Still, the whispers continued among debbies friends. Who told investigators there was another side to the marriage. I know that she was frustrated. Reporter even simple things caused tension. Liz sevilla volunteered that lars the contractor was slow to finish projects around the house. She did send me a picture of what lars did in the bathroom and the measurements were incorrect. And so it ended up making a hole. She goes, i just want my bathroom fixed. She would express frustrations about lars sitting around on the couch all day and watching tv. Reporter debbies friend Ellen Mitchell noticed a change in debbies behavior when she returned home from business trips. She would come home from some of these trips and say, hey, lets go get a drink, lets have some dinner. And your expectation would be, i want to get home to my husband. She didnt seem to be in any particular hurry anymore. Reporter looking back now, debbies parents wondered if t