Page 21 - Sam S News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

24 hours after sam dreher had been shot, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly. sam's sister, cindy, was there when the family decided to take him off life support. >> i hated it. i thought of him like he was one of my children. i loved him that much. >> were you able to be with sam? were you able to hold his hand and say goodbye? >> i did. >> reporter: what did you say to him? >> i made him a promise that the people responsible for his murder would pay for it. >> reporter: the news of sam's passing hit dianne mcknight hard. >> in my mind i'm still thinking maybe there's still some hope t...

You know, a lot of times. >> reporter: sam was a war veteran. he'd fought in afghanistan and made it home to california after three years overseas. sam lived across the street from the college at an apartment complex. >> it's not a dorm, but i would call it a college dorm. >> reporter: sam's good friend, ruben, often hung out there with sam. >> and the poolside always had people, you know, drinking and having fun. having fun at the pool. >> reporter: but despite his surroundings, sam was focused. >> he seemed more responsible. he seemed like he had, like, more of a plan on where he was going. ...

He says, steve, before you find out, we just want to let you know sam was dismembered. that's when i just lost it. >> reporter: the very next day, sam herr would have turned 27 years old. sam's friend, ruben. >> you know, the night that it was his birthday, his father's praying to find his head. sorry. so it's very upsetting, you know. >> reporter: when police told you that they thought that julie had been killed essentially to cover up a different murder, sam's murder, what did you think? >> it's probably the pain is more painful than you're ripping your own body parts, you know, apart to hea...

You're going get the [ bleep ] out of my life. >> reporter: then dan told detectives he dropped sam at a shopping center parking lot in long beach. and dan said that was the last time he saw sam. he later ditched sam's car. and dan said he was sorry he had lied to police at first when he told them he last saw sam in the company of a man wearing a black cap. >> he doesn't exist. that's a lie. that's 100% lie. i apologize for that. i got so scared, detective. i'm sorry. >> reporter: dan said he was frightened of sam and, he admitted he did need money for his wedding. >> i got greedy and i didn't...

>> sam's great niece didn't make it to the hospital in time but she made sure to be at his funeral. the bagpipes i still remember to this day. >> did it make you really proud in that moment? >> yeah. i'm still proud of him. >> full fire department honors were bestowed upon the lieutenant. >> people came out to pay their respects. >> along with the tears there was tension. by now sam's family and friends learned danielle's lover shot sam. >> no one could believe she even had a boyfriend or that it was her boyfriend that killed him. >> people didn't want her at the funel rangers. >> but the dram...