Minnesota Man Blamed Intruder in Wife’s Murder, But He Lied
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – On a quiet Sunday morning in 2010, 25-year-old Heidi Firkus made a desperate 911 call from her home in St. Paul, claiming someone was breaking in. Just seconds later, a gunshot rang out, and her scream was the last thing the dispatcher heard.
What followed was a second 911 call from Nick Firkus, Heidi’s husband, who told police both he and his wife had been shot by an unknown intruder. While Nick survived a leg wound, Heidi was pronounced dead at the scene. For years, the case seemed to point to a mysterious home invasion—until the evidence began to unravel Nick’s story.
A Perfect Couple with a Hidden Strain
Heidi and Nick Firkus were active in their church community and were seen as a wholesome young couple. Married young, they bought a home in an up-and-coming neighborhood in St. Paul. But what friends and family didn’t know was that Nick was hiding a dark secret: the couple was facing foreclosure on their home—a fact Heidi allegedly didn’t even know.
According to prosecutors, Nick created the break-in story to cover up his financial failures and avoid the shame of exposure. Authorities believe Heidi may have learned about the foreclosure that weekend, prompting Nick to concoct the elaborate home invasion plan that ended in her death.
The 65-Second Timeline
The pivotal clue came from the “65 seconds” between Heidi’s 911 call and Nick’s. According to investigators and the Dateline: Unforgettable episode titled “65 Seconds”, the short gap raised questions about Nick’s version of events. Forensic evidence and inconsistencies in Nick’s story led detectives to believe there had been no intruder at all.
Nick had claimed a Black man in a dark hoodie broke in and wrestled the shotgun away from him. But no fingerprints, DNA, or trace evidence of another person were ever found. A composite sketch released to the public generated no leads.
Despite early efforts, the case went cold for nearly a decade.
The Truth Comes to Light
In 2021, a fresh review of the case by Cold Case investigators reopened the investigation. Financial records, foreclosure documents, and behavioral patterns pointed to a mounting motive for Nick. In 2021, Nick Firkus was arrested and charged with murder. Prosecutors argued he staged the break-in to kill Heidi before she could learn the full extent of their financial ruin.
At trial, the state presented a compelling case that Nick had manipulated the timeline, staged the scene, and inflicted a superficial gunshot wound on himself to sell the story. In 2023, Nick Firkus was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Justice for Heidi
After more than a decade of uncertainty, justice was finally served for Heidi Firkus. The case stands as a chilling reminder of how far someone might go to protect a lie—and how a seemingly perfect life can hide devastating secrets.
