A devout husband goes from victim to prime murder suspect — his wife’s secret recording changes everything

On a Sunday morning in 2010, Nick and Heidi Firkus should have been getting ready to go to church. Instead, police received a series of distressed 911 calls ― first from Heidi, then from Nick ― claiming that someone was breaking into their home. When they arrived on the scene, they discovered that Heidi had been shot dead, and Nick had a gunshot wound to the leg. As authorities began investigating, they discovered that not only was the couple in massive financial trouble but were set to be evicted from their home the very next day. With no immediate leads, the case went cold, and Nick moved on to marry and have children with a woman named Rachel. Years pass with no updates to the case, and it seems like life has gone back to normal for Nick … until Rachel finds something in Nick’s sock drawer that changes everything she thought she knew about her husband.

 

This two-hour episode of “20/20” features the first interviews with Rachel Firkus, Nick’s second wife; Sgt. Niki Sipes and Sgt. Jim Gray, the lead detectives from the St. Paul Police Department; and Joe Friedberg and Robert Richman, Nick’s defense attorneys. The program also includes interviews with Michael Pye, a one-time person of interest who was later cleared by authorities; Elizabeth Lamin, assistant Ramsey County attorney; and Rachel Kraker, former assistant Ramsey County attorney. The episode also features exclusive, secretly recorded conversations between Nick and Rachel in which she accuses him of being involved in Heidi’s murder. “20/20” airs Friday, April 14 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC, next day on Hulu.

 

ABC News’ “20/20” is an award-winning primetime program anchored by David Muir. A proven leader as a long-form newsmagazine for over 40 years, “20/20” features unforgettable, character-driven true-crime mysteries, exclusive newsmaker interviews, hard-hitting investigative reports and in-depth coverage of high-profile stories. Janice Johnston is the executive producer. The two-hour “20/20” events air Fridays from 9:01-11:00 p.m. EDT on ABC and are available to stream on ABC News digital platforms and Hulu.

 

*COPYRIGHT ©2023 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of ABC. Images are distributed to the press to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed.

 

RELEASE: https://bit.ly/3UKDZGF
TWEET: https://hrefshare.com/68f93

 

ABC News Media Relations
Sarah Jautz
sarah.jautz@abc.com

 

For more information, follow ABC News PR on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.