Nathan Leuthold was arrested and charged with first-degree murder of his wife, Denise who died after she was hit with a bullet on her head. >> but was it down there for? How long are you going to do this to me? he lived for him for years, you've known the family, and she was fine. Just received the shocking news that Nathan Leuthold has been arrested for the murder of his wife. concern for the family. they believed nathan was lying to them and that he had used that key to move the car. . >> this was a girl they wanted to -- >> exactly. >> when we first art of the interview, there was a lot of background information, and we were coming across this concern for denise. Nathan Andrew Leuthold killed his wife Denise, 39, on Valentine's day 2013. Leutholds attorney, Hugh Toner, says he would not change anything about his defense. mind. As Officer Scott Bowers was testifying, pictures of the woman lying in the hallway were shown on a large screen. >> a passionate 9:00 to 5:00 affair. >> they handcuffed me, and they put me in their car. >> later, nathan took the children and went to stay at a church mission house a nearby town. >> did he describe a good marriage? A Peoria police officer, Richard Linthicum, told jurors he was called to the house shortly after 3 p.m. that Valentines Day after Nathan Leuthold reported a burglary. and son-in-law. As the CEO of the foundation, he has worked towards ensuring higher training requirements for 911 operators and has given speeches all over the country regarding these changes. >> according to the inmate, nathan said he ran a lot of errands on the day of the murder to create an alibi and -- >> he told me he had presented some gifts, some valentine's day gifts and stuff to his wife, and so that everything would look fine. Add to Watchlist. i thought it was thursday. >> you want to humiliate me by running around with a 20-year-old? husband over. injuries are unknown. A Collection of Interesting, Important, and Controversial Perspectives Largely Excluded from the American Mainstream Media >> after the early morning celebration, the family was back to their usual routine. The burgler shot and killed Denise. >> i approached the fella and said, what would you think about denise and i coming and helping you guys? >> parked his car in robinson park, somewhere close to 12:15, 12:20, walked up to the house, went into the house, the burglary was probably already staged. >> coming up, nathan's answer and the jury's verdict. >> did you start to think someone may have targeted denise? >> there was one that mentioned the chin, and he asked her if she was wet. Complete strangers compliment me on them, so I will not join you in your obsession with perfection. it was traumatic experience for her, i think. He says people have shared information that's helped his department meet the probable cause after all, the defendant was a missionary accused of killing his wife in their home in an upscale neighborhood. thank you. Later, after police swarmed the area, she called police and eventually picked Nathan Leuthold out of a photo lineup as the man she saw that day. >> it wasn't the first time we've done that. that while the spouse, nathan in this case, would have been the logical place to start, the problem with that is if you follow that gut feeling, that's going to cause you very likely to miss other things, and in this case simply not look for them at all. >> i felt bad for my husband because he told someone that he always thought that we had the perfect family, the perfect. PEORIA - Denise L. Leuthold, 39, of Peoria passed away Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, at her residence.Born Feb. 3, 1974, in Dade County, Fla., to Douglas P. and Diane E . senate republicans block legislation friday that would've created independent commission to investigate the january 6th attacks. police drove there to talk to her. >> it looked like a burglary gone bad. i was a translator. >> rather rule me out based upon what. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: i'm not really sure what presents mean. >> coming up, -- >> he was the only person with. plans for the long term, and plans for a long weekend. to share her life with. >> somebody -- some student named ana, alana, something like that. frontline. >> and this is "dateline." not me. >> a, we've got a break. sorry. >> but it was what the inmate told prosecutors about the times of the murder that they found particularly chilling. hey, you wanna get out of here? About Remove My Info. The Lithuanian woman rejected having an intimate involvement with Nathan Leuthold, a Christian Baptist preacher who met her when she was six years old. Le 14 fvrier 2013, lorsqu'il rentre de l'glise, il dcouvre que que. the family wanted to find out exactly what happened. Denises vehicle was missing, and soon located at a park down the street from the residence at Robinson Park. In this Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 photo, Nathan Leuthold, 39, turns to the family of his slain wife, Denise, while making a statement in court in Peoria, Ill., shortly before being sentenced to 80 . i mean, everybody was glued to her testimony. >> the judge sentenced nathan to 80 years in prison. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Denise Leuthold - Nathan's wife - dead. Tanya Koonce / Peoria Public Radio. >> what was audible to look on his face? perfectly speaking english girl starts in, i don't understand that. Kathy Wanglers Family Gets Emotional Remembering Her Death, A First Look at the Mysterious Death of Kathy Wangler, Investigators Test Authenticity of Scott Pattisons Story, Listen to Gregory Mordicks Police Interview, Katherine Kit Mordicks Brother Discovers Gruesome Scene, Friends Recall Learning of Mark Harshbargers Death, Listen to Mary Beth Harshbargers Real Police Recording. >> coming up, hard to imagine anyone doing something this evil, if it's true. while how it works is not fully understood, ingrezza is thought to reduce that signaling. The North Face Bones Recycled Beanie. >> i don't know what to think. 843 1.1k 3.8k 1. and i saw that denise really, favored her mother. What is that all about? in the u.s., they could also celebrate holidays, american style, as they did on valentine's day, 2013. yet >> nathan waited with his daughter at the neighbor's house, repeatedly calling family members to see if anyone had heard from denise. >> aina, who prosecutors said. >> because of the look on his face. >> what's more, the inmate also testified why nathan wanted denise out of his life. Its been a journey, but I guess our family really decided early on that were going to do what we had to do to honor Denise and make sure her death wasnt in vain, he said. who eventually came to the u.s. as a college student. and that's always what we miss the most. is that feasible that if he was -- >> no. By 2007, the couple had two kids, Noah and Adam. her father. >> no. while he was at this places, chase bank, starbucks, the day spa, a car wash, there was a problem. >> to say that i killed my wife goes beyond what i ever fathomed hearing from anyone. >> you're asking me what somebody else sent. thank you, onstar. overseas as missionaries, the leuthold would return to peoria, illinois. Nathan and Denise Leuthold had known each other since grade school. i felt this was not an ordinary burglary and i described that to my partner. When police arrived, the vehicle was not there. -i'm down. mother and child in vehicle. >> she was speaking from the grave in a way. 2020 by Missing Persons Awareness Network NFP 501(c)3. >> aina dobilaite. you're not even in this one. there is glass from the back door where somebody row in. While Michael stated that both he and Denise were victims of a kidnapping, the reality was far different. She admitted Nathans family was paying for her attorney but said she did not know the funds for her attorney came from an account that was set up for Nathans children. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. >> being back in . >> i drove out there, the roads were all real black. after they had eaten, and after i had spent time begging the lord for wisdom and strength to know what to say, we come upstairs to one bedrooms, and it was the oldest team at that point, set and julia, and my sister was there with me, and we sat down on the bed, and i. said mom went home to be with god. >> glock specifically, which is the gun he owned. Scott Rochowitz testified that he worked for the Illinois State Police and spent twentythree and a half years in forensic science. >> for the state, it was a satisfying ending to a case they had to painstakingly stitch together. This was a circumstantial evidence case. State's attorney Jerry Brady and his staff put together an effective case against Leuthold who apparently plotted to kill his wife on, of all days, Valentine's Day. >> there's no doubt in my mind that nathan was arrested because they needed somebody in jail. at the same place. We know that Nathan A Leuthold, Diane Newton, and two other persons also lived at this address, perhaps within a different time frame.Residents of 61615 pay approximately $930 a month for a 2-bedroom unit. >> jodi and jerry were the prosecutors who tried the case. those calls were in lithuanian. >> now she had to tell her husband, denise father's. >> it was a short phone call. >> from our perspective, that's what makes this case so disturbing, the cold, calculated manner in which he did this. At approximately 3:30 that afternoon, police in Peoria, Illinois, responded to a call at 700 West Mossville Road and just inside the door of the home on the country-like . let's get to immunity. >> i had been with jenelle when i found out. Peoria man gets 80 years in wife's murder. >> was there anything of extreme value? >> the police we're not the first people to tell me. When I told my husband he said why didn't he just walk away from the family.disappear unless he has a girlfriend somewhere? don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. and then seek counsel from? But for the witness on Mossville Road that saw the defendant walking at 12:20, you know we wouldnt have had any direct evidence. She and her husband served as missionaries in Lithuania since 1998. thank you, onstar. and many of us realize a fundamental human need to connect with other like-minded people. You want to humiliate me by running around with a 20 year old? while nathan started a career in jails sales. Nathan was sentenced to eighty years. Denise Lees happy life with her husband and children came to an abrupt halt in January 2008 when she was abducted from her home by a stranger. >> toner insisted the cops zeroed in on nathan right from the start and never pursued any other leads. >> do you know why anybody would want to break into that house? and it guides you. >> no. Nathan Leuthold faces a single count of murder in connection with his wifes death. when in reality, you know, bad things happen to good people all the time. >> something seemed off to police as well. she was always the one volunteering, helping out church alongside her mother. >> it's not a coincidence that we're missing a 40 caliber glock handgun, and there's evidence that leads us to believe your wife was probably shot with a 40 caliber handgun. did they find any photos, anything where it would indicate that nathan and aina were involved in that way? there was a junk drawer that was perfectly lane on the floor. >> denise -- deadly valentine 3--'s had no idea what happened. Very few details are being released. >> she's denying a sexual relationship with the text messages, suggesting otherwise? the gradual is open. >> premature judgement that this all happened because he was having an affair, and i would submit as i started off with you, there is not a scintilla of evidence that that was the case. that is the accusation. we saw each other in school. Born Feb. 3, 1974, in Dade County, Fla., to Douglas P. and Diane E. (Sailors . >> and are you able to say that within a reasonable degree of scientific certainty? She had heard what she thought was a girl screaming and later noticed a hand that was banging on the back window of Michaels car. clean dishes. Denise was a member of LaMarsh Baptist Church in Mapleton. i'm not sure what a normal burglary looks like. the light. >> why would somebody want to turn it to this particular house? They have been on furlough and Denise was murdered in Peoria last week. denise leuthold, mother of three young children, had been found shot to death in her home in peoria county, illinois. didn't know the language, we were studying it. >> they moved in with us for six months. alright, guys, no insurance talk on beach day. >> so he's potentially thinking up all these different ways to kill his wife. taking the kids to school, shopping, running errands. Haunting. securing the inside of the house. We will be taking up a love offering Sunday to give towards the fund they've set up for their three young children. listening to telephone conversations involving nathan. UPDATE: Nathan Leuthold's father Bruce moved money from Nathan's children's bank account to alleged mistress Aina Dobilaite's after his wife's murder. >> something else that didn't make sense, they said, was that denise's car was not in her, driveway. more almond breeze, please! there was no evidence that actually pointed to somebody do the crime. Among the 911 callers was Denise herself, who used Michaels phone to make that call without him knowing. how did they tell you what they had found? The slaying and arrest bring an abrupt end to the couple's 15 years of frequent missionary work in Lithuania. you know, this is kind of weird, pulled in the driveway, i immediately go through into the front door, and it'll be outside lights on. the glass was on the ground. >> the state's theory, nathan put his plan into action when denise left the house to take their daughter to daycare. this >> yeah, we knew we had something bad. stories >> they grew particularly close to some of the children at their and their families. nothing -- >> but about money? [ echoing ] some of us were born for this. to learn more, text thrive to 444555, or visit thrivent.com. huh. Nathan Lee had initially struggled to deal with Denises death and the ensuing civil lawsuit. They are in their late 30s and have three young children. This list also reached the police. to protect people. but even then, i thought she was the cutest girl in school. i wanted to just grab the phone and call her. people in the, park walking around. Leuthold stands durning the reading of his guilty verdict. What on earth could you possibly be thinking? >> there is something else troubling police. i need to figure out how that car got to robinson park. and it can seem like that's all people see. Nathan and Denise Leuthold had known each other since grade school. or i'm not going to answer that question. #1 prescribed for td. what's a low price? they didn't know if they are being targeted for anything. and nathan said he lost the love of his life. you're living with this lady, married for a long time, you know her routine. not early, but it would've been before i came back to the. >> aina was called as a witness for the prosecution, which granted her immunity to encourage her to talk, but her testimony made it clear she was not eager to help the state. >> i asked him why out of the, box? >> did you straight up ask him, did you have anything to do with your wife's death? based on court testimony, the murder occurred at around 12:30 p.m. after that, prosecutors said nathan would have had to drive denise's car to the park, get in his own car, and then drive to starbucks where he was seen on surveillance video at 12:45 p.m. >> and he would have had to have done all that without leaving any blood smears, getting any blood on him. hide my skin? By, Why some Peoria transplants are sinking their roots into the city, Performing arts pavilion project seeking new partners, location, Watkins set to become Peoria County Sheriff after primary election victory, Peoria treasure hunters unearthing history, one artifact at a time, After Weekend Homicide, Denise Jackson Seeks Changes at MacArthur Highway Shell Gas Station. it doesn't happen very often. i thought -- i told my husband, to slow down. when she came home the, house had been ransacked like somebody had broken in through the back door. >> my husband that he's a missionary, he wouldn't kill anybody. that would rob this family of everything. >> yeah. >> and what police find is terrifying. Nathan had denied the accusations and said that they were victims of a home-invasion. But on Valentine's Day, 2013, husband . Please pray for this family. >> what was it that you liked about her so much? now back to dateline. that said a lot to the detectives. i only had probably three rings that were of any value but those three rings were taken. i'm not stupid. she didn't answer. Nathan Leuthold Girlfriend. and to think that he could actually, you know, just shoot, her in the head -- >> and this is a man who has devoted his life to being a good person. is that it? It makes absolutely no sense to me that you would stage a burglary and you would say okay, I dont want to do anything thats going to harm my in-laws furniture, you know their drawers, and yet in their home Im willing to kill their daughter.. Moreover, Denise was killed with a Glock 40, the same gun Nathan owned which had gone missing after the murder. >> they devoted their lives to others. >> i was surprised when he was the first one that she dated and they ended up getting married. >> well, you know, i honestly think he planned it out. >> but he wasn't there when that was -- the procedure was being done? parents nathan says it felt good to be home. the children will be robbed of just one parent, not of both. ah ha. >> in the house? Leuthold was accused of . Nathan Leuthold sat and stared at the pictures without emotion. your son's fine. >> right before we did our vows, denise had peppered a song talking about everything that she had wanted was in me. >> we had tremendous friends and family here in the states. shift the focus more on you. >> a laptop, digital camera, and jewelry had been stolen. >> and what about those haunting words written by denise in that note found in her day planner clearly aimed at nathan, how would he answer that? >> i was always very happy being a wife and mother. >> it's just absolutely a despicable act. You are the only person who thinks I am a bad mother. there was something in the road it's okay. i said these people take you into their home, right back from the idea, you live with them. >> and it ranged from how to, silence a .40 caliber handgun. >> without the headlights. five minutes into, i knew he did it, i knew he was guilty. I really dont think there is anything that I have done or not done that would cause me to deserve this. But he says the prosecutions theory is flawed. >> pulled in our driver with the headlights on. and he is also -- was kind of like my mentor, and here in america, he was the only person with whom i could talk in lithuanian. that's the way i've used the word over and over again throughout the years. it had the appearance of a dating type of relationship. PEORIA, Ill. (AP) A former Baptist missionary convicted of shooting his wife to death on Valentine's Day last year has been sentenced to 80 years in prison. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Burial will be in Maple Ridge Cemetery in Mapleton. Nathan and Denise Leuthold had known each other since grade school. mother and child in vehicle. Together they built their family on faith, but in a flash, one For a day that ended so tragically, it started with roses. 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