19 October 2023
“Dateline NBC” is airing a two-hour program Friday about the 2010 killing of Heidi Firkus in St. Paul.
Jurors earlier this year found Firkus’ husband, Nicholas, guilty of premeditated murder. Nicholas Firkus, then 27, told police an intruder broke into their home in the Hamline-Midway area. He said he armed himself with a shotgun and, during a struggle with the unknown man, the gun went off and Heidi was shot in the back. The 25-year-old died in her home.
Heidi Firkus (Courtesy of Erickson family)
The Dateline program is called “65 Seconds,” a reference to the time between Heidi’s call to 911, which ended with the sound of a gunshot, and Nicholas’ call reporting the shooting.
After several St. Paul police investigators worked on the case, Sgt. Niki Sipes took over in 2019. She and prosecutors built a case, presenting evidence at trial that Heidi Firkus was unaware their home had been foreclosed on and they were due to be evicted the next day. But Nicholas Firkus’ attorneys said Heidi was aware.
Firkus has said he is innocent. He was sentenced to life in prison and is appealing the case.
Dateline says their program features “insiders connected to the case” speaking out “about the decade-long search for justice,” and interviews with family members of Heidi Firkus, friends of Nicholas Firkus and others. It airs at 8 p.m. local time on Friday.
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