0:00:07 > 0:00:12You have to understand that homicide, murder,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17is a completely different kind of criminal act.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24Very few humans are actually capable of committing the act of murder
0:00:24 > 0:00:26or attempting to commit the act of murder.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Everybody was in their own world, in their own thoughts.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48It was almost beyond comprehension.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Tonight, chilling 911 calls reveal Nathon Brooks' parents
0:00:56 > 0:00:58had no idea who pulled the trigger.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I walked into the bedroom.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I stood at the foot of their bed,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I raised the gun and, before I had realised that I had done it,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16I had pulled the trigger.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I fired again, three times in my mom...
0:01:22 > 0:01:25..and then I swung over to my dad
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and that is when it really clicked what I had done.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I fired at him three times.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I just remember thinking, gone.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Just them being away.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42This case is a nightmare on every level.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46There is no manual for what has happened to us.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47You just feel...
0:01:49 > 0:01:50That's all you do.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55It is not just what happened to them,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59but who did it and what it did to their family.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36We were just doing our normal deal, it was a normal night, it was quiet.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Nothing was going on and then the radio clicked up and...
0:02:41 > 0:02:44..the call came over that shots were fired.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46DIALLING
0:02:46 > 0:02:49PHONE RINGS
0:02:49 > 0:02:52'911, what's the address of the emergency?'
0:02:56 > 0:02:58HE REPEATS THE ADDRESS
0:03:00 > 0:03:02OK, tell me exactly what happened.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20'Reports of shots fired.'
0:03:27 > 0:03:30I woke up, I have no idea why I woke up.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34As I woke up, I saw...
0:03:34 > 0:03:37someone standing by the doorway into our bedroom.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44The next thing I remember
0:03:44 > 0:03:46is being on the floor.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Face down on the floor, beside my bed.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I could tell something's wrong. I don't know...
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I don't really know what happened.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The blood was running down over my face and into my eyes
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and I couldn't see.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I was wiping my face and then flicking it off my hands
0:04:08 > 0:04:10or wiping it on the bed.
0:04:13 > 0:04:20I kept a Glock pistol under the mattress on my side of the bed.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24All I knew is I had to get it,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and then I don't remember anything.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Nathon poked his head into the room.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52I told him to come in and I had him come in and got him behind me,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56so I'm on my knees with my gun pointing at
0:04:56 > 0:04:58the entrance to the bedroom,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02both my kids are behind me in the corner
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and my wife is laying on the bed.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09She's not really moving. She's just laying there.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I kept wiping my face and wiping my face.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20I could hear the sirens finally show up out front.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24'The police are there.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27'I need somebody to go outside without a gun.'
0:05:27 > 0:05:30When I arrived, I saw a young man and I said,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33"Can you come down and unlock the door and let us in?"
0:05:36 > 0:05:38He unlocked the door, let us in.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42He was a juvenile, probably 14 or 15 years old.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45I didn't think much more of him at that point.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Once you get to the top of the stairs
0:05:56 > 0:05:59there's a hallway, and I could hear somebody yelling,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03a male voice yelling, "We're up here, we're up here, come help."
0:06:06 > 0:06:09When we entered that bedroom, the master bedroom,
0:06:09 > 0:06:10you could see blood -
0:06:10 > 0:06:12blood on the floor, blood on the bed,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14blood covering the pillows.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16There was so much blood, it was surreal.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Beth Brooks, the mom,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27she had been shot underneath her eye, her eye had collapsed.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30She had been shot multiple times.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32She kept repeating, almost catatonic,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35but repeating the same things over and over again.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39"Why? Why did this happen? What did I do wrong?"
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And then the gentleman, Jonathan Brooks, he said,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45"Where do you have Nathon?"
0:07:06 > 0:07:08What has happened, what we've dealt with,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10what we've gone through,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13is complicated beyond words.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I was shot in the face here
0:07:26 > 0:07:33and I think in through the finger and at the edge of the ear.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39I think it was six shots.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42And then it was either the second or third
0:07:42 > 0:07:44hit me on the forehead and then...
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- It hit here.- Mm-hm.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Bone and bullet fragments in there.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Right there.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00It damaged my eye, so I only have so much vision out of one eye
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and it ruined my hearing, so...
0:08:04 > 0:08:06pretty much deaf in that ear.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09And memory.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12Oh, and I'm still numb.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24My neurologist said I was the first one he had ever encountered.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Nobody has ever come out of that.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31As well as I was, walking and talking, that was new for him.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Beth looked at him and said,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38"Why am I alive?"
0:08:38 > 0:08:41and he actually paused in his tracks,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45turned around and looked at her and said, "None of us know."
0:08:53 > 0:08:57We were both diagnosed with PTSD.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03I think Beth's condition was greater than mine.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Many, many, many, many sleepless nights.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Nightmares.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Lots of issues to overcome.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19The hardest thing with this is depth perception...
0:09:20 > 0:09:23..cos you'll go along and you'll think you're close
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and you're not.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30You hit too soon or not soon enough and it just buggers it basically,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33burns a hole, so that's interesting.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I don't know, two years after all this chaos
0:09:37 > 0:09:39I just had to have something to do.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43I couldn't sit and think about that stuff all the time.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It kind of makes you crazy.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51So, we've been here about a year and a half.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Part of it is that's the house that everything happened in,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00so we were actually living in the same house,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04sleeping in the same bedroom that we were shot in
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and it was never the same.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11There was lots of...
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Lots of reasons to change.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Some of them very little, very subtle, but...
0:10:18 > 0:10:21..this seems more like a home.
0:10:21 > 0:10:27One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...
0:10:27 > 0:10:30It looks like 14.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35This is Beth's.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37This is her...
0:10:37 > 0:10:40it's her muzzle-loader, or black powder gun.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43We use that for hunting.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45This was it.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51It's not like the gun did it, but it was that gun.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55It was locked.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59I just don't know that it was locked well or good enough, obviously.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06I have to tell you, when he was born...
0:11:09 > 0:11:10..he was wonderful.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Nathon was cuddly.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18He wanted to be with you.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21He did better if he was snuggled.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And he just... I don't know.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26I just fell for that little guy.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Hey!
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Say, "Hi!"
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Hi. GIRL LAUGHS
0:11:39 > 0:11:41'There is absolutely nothing like'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44being a grandparent.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50It's a wonderful chance to really enjoy a childhood.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01We have his deer head. The deer he got.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Beth and John had it mounted.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05They chose a skeleton mount
0:12:05 > 0:12:11as opposed to a full face fur mount.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18Most of the hunters remember their first deer and how they felt,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21so it was a big day for all the hunters.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24His mom was 12 years old when she got her first deer.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29It's hunting, not killing.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33It's a way of life.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35It's what we were raised with.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40Nathon, he's...
0:12:43 > 0:12:45He's a wonderful, wonderful kid.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48He really is. He...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I don't know what happened. I don't know why...
0:12:55 > 0:12:57..what happened happened,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59but it was totally out of character for him.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09MUFFLED SPEECH
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Just hospital clothes here, but better than nothing.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Just throw them on over what you've got on.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Just so you know, there's a video camera in here.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40I've just got to let you know that. You're being recorded.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Tell me what went on down at your folks' house tonight.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48- From beginning to end?- Yeah.- OK.
0:13:48 > 0:13:55So I was asleep and I woke up and there was, I don't know,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57a few gunshots
0:13:57 > 0:14:01and I heard screaming, but it was more like yelling.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02I could hear my dad yelling.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09And I ran downstairs because I heard them upstairs,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11so I figured the best place to go would be downstairs.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15So I ran downstairs and I hid over in the library area of our house.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I sat there and I hid in that little corner...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22..and this guy came down.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25He's a little taller than me.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I'm guessing, three, four, maybe even five inches taller than me,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31he was a pretty big guy. But he loaded it back up.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34You could hear the, like, tink, tink, tink,
0:14:34 > 0:14:35but it was, like, one by one.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It sounded like he ran back up the stairs,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39he was up there for a little bit,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41and then he ran back down the stairs,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44opened up our rear slider door and ran out the door.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46And that's the last I saw him.
0:14:50 > 0:14:56By the time I arrived at the home, obviously, Nathon was not there.
0:14:56 > 0:14:57The scene was secure.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02You walk through the home...
0:15:06 > 0:15:07..and it was any other home in America.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13His room was any other teenage boy's room in America.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18What was different about his home...
0:15:20 > 0:15:26..was that the security cameras in the home were not on the outside,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31looking out, they were on the inside, looking in.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39I've never seen that before
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and nobody I know has ever seen that before.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So here's the deal, Nathon,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and I'll be pretty blunt with you,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I've known you for at least a few years.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56Do you know that your dad
0:15:56 > 0:15:58moved one of the video cameras inside the house?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- No.- He did.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04OK.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06You know what the video camera showed?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- Hm.- Why don't you tell me what the video camera showed?
0:16:08 > 0:16:12What went on tonight? I'm giving you a chance to be honest with me
0:16:12 > 0:16:14because you haven't been to this point.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22When you watch the video...
0:16:23 > 0:16:24..you see...
0:16:26 > 0:16:30..Nathon running through the house, or moving through the house,
0:16:30 > 0:16:35in his underwear, carrying a revolver.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44It was the kind of evidence you don't get in every case.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47It's powerful and it's undeniable.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- You need to be honest with me, son. - You know what I've done.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18CRYING: I don't even know what I was thinking.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Look, man, we make mistakes.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Now is the time to talk about it, and...
0:17:28 > 0:17:30- Not like this though.- Don't...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- Don't...- Kids don't just pull a gun on their parents.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Tell me what happened, man.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Nathon, you're a good kid.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Apparently not.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I almost killed my parents.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- I don't even know if they're dead. They might be.- They're not.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04NATHON SNIFFS
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I was mad. Everything just shut off.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13I don't... I don't even remember really what happened exactly.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14It just...
0:18:16 > 0:18:17..went blank.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21The next thing I know I've got a gun and it's empty...
0:18:22 > 0:18:25..and my dad's bleeding, and so is my mom.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Let's take it back a step.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Where did you get the gun from?
0:18:34 > 0:18:36The case. In the fourth bedroom.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39You can pry the doors open.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44What kind of gun is it?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47It's a 22 revolver, Smith and Wesson, it's my grandpa's.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53And what were you trying to do when you pulled the trigger?
0:18:53 > 0:18:54What a gun does.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- Which is?- Kill.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03So your goal when you walked in there was to kill both your parents?
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Yes.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I'm so stupid.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15HE CRIES
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Now I have to go to jail. It's attempted murder.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Where did you put the gun afterwards?
0:19:33 > 0:19:34I threw it in the pool.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- NATHON'S MOTHER:- This was his favourite.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47I've got to hold this one.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55OK, don't laugh.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I still do that. Don't make fun of me.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08It's the first time I probably enjoyed the sweat. You know,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10you go in their room and their socks are nasty.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It always stinks in there.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But then when you don't get that every day, you do find yourself,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and I will admit, I like the smell.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27These are neat.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And they still send us these,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32printouts of his grades,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36classes he's taking, just like a report card mailed to you,
0:20:36 > 0:20:37so that's nice.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I still get to call him up and say,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42"Hey, what are you doing? "Pay attention. Do your schoolwork."
0:20:42 > 0:20:44So that's very, very nice.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Auto mechanics, A-.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Let's see, robotics, A-.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00I believe he starts this month for college courses.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01But he only gets to take one at a time
0:21:01 > 0:21:05because we have to pay for it, so...
0:21:08 > 0:21:10That's a pillow case I made him. I love that.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14This is an album I'm going to start.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Basically, I'm just going to start putting pictures in it for him...
0:21:22 > 0:21:24..of
0:21:24 > 0:21:27just Christmas, graduation, birthdays.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I keep... What do you call that?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35..a running record of stuff going on for him.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Things for him and things for us, so...
0:21:38 > 0:21:40he'll have those.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42That's him jumping the four wheeler.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46I love that picture. I forget how old he is
0:21:46 > 0:21:47but, boy, he had fun on it.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05But it just gets closed. It never goes away.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Nathon never goes away...
0:22:11 > 0:22:12..and I'm grateful for that.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It might not be the best place for the next 13 years, but...
0:22:19 > 0:22:22..he's around and I get to talk to him.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I'd rather double-check than get over there
0:22:28 > 0:22:30and realise I don't have something.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35These are visiting slips that we have to fill out every time
0:22:35 > 0:22:36we go to visit.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40It's basic information, you know - who you are, your relationship,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42where you live, those kind of things.
0:22:47 > 0:22:53I think I view it from my mind, like he's at school,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57at college or university,
0:22:57 > 0:22:58and I just view it that way.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Knowing obviously that's not true,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06but you go with that because it works for me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10And we're hitting the espresso stand.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- Yay.- Just saying.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19At the very beginning of everything, there was so many questions.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Basically, you know,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25"What the heck was he thinking?"
0:23:25 > 0:23:27You know...
0:23:27 > 0:23:30"What's going on? I don't understand."
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- DOG WHINES - You have to wait here.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34That's his nervous goodbye.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40'It would have been very easy to get extremely angry.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42'To go to dark places with this.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'But I think'
0:23:46 > 0:23:48that total disbelief and shock...
0:23:51 > 0:23:52..protected us.
0:23:55 > 0:23:56I think that...
0:23:57 > 0:23:59I think it was good for us.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Is it starting to snow?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- Are you ready for this?- Yes.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Well, no, but we'll go!
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- Whoa! Whoa! - Can't do that one yet.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Oh, the whiplash is real!
0:24:29 > 0:24:32You picked the worst time to record!
0:24:32 > 0:24:34So what do you have to say for yourself?
0:24:39 > 0:24:43I... I think about him probably ten times a day.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48I wish that... I wish that he was here because...
0:24:49 > 0:24:51..you know, my best friend.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Agh!
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Pretty much like your brother getting taken away.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Your best friend, everything that...
0:25:07 > 0:25:09..you loved is pretty...
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Well, pretty much gone. You know, it's hard.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Going to do a one-hit wonder!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23'I really like his personality.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25'He's...super, super funny guy.'
0:25:25 > 0:25:30Geez, we would crack up and laugh at just about everything.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32We could look at something and say something about it
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and just start cracking up.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Have you started recording yet?
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Look at this lazy slob!
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Fuck you!- Look at me!
0:25:41 > 0:25:43No, fuck you!
0:25:43 > 0:25:45MUFFLED SPEECH
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Whoa!
0:25:51 > 0:25:53He was huge at the school.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55You know, everybody knew Nathon.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Sports, he... On top.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04He was well liked by everybody in the school - everybody.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05He had all the girls, that's for sure!
0:26:08 > 0:26:11But he was just always a guy that included everybody,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13even if they were,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15I guess, the nerd of the school,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17he would still treat everybody the same.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21That's what probably just made him so awesome.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It has been very difficult, very, very difficult.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35It's... It's been hard.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40What was kind of going through this kid's mind, to...
0:26:42 > 0:26:44..to do that, to do something, like, this crazy?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49You know, there was no signs of anything
0:26:49 > 0:26:51when I was with him, like...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53There was nothing, like,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55unordinary with him.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04You just never ever in a million years saw it coming.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15The worst part is to find out that...
0:27:16 > 0:27:19..you know, he emptied the gun.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24All I remember is...
0:27:27 > 0:27:29..seeing somebody there, and, no offence,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32it definitely wasn't my son. That's not who I saw.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37But, yeah,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40when you come to it and they tell you that, it just...
0:27:43 > 0:27:45..I figured I was dreaming.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48I figured I was having truly a nightmare
0:27:48 > 0:27:50because that wasn't him.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I think the fact that...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04..Nathon was the one that shot us,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I don't know that I'll ever be able to process that.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14I was shot and John was shot, but I had no idea who it was.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21All I remember is...
0:28:23 > 0:28:27..seeing somebody in a black, like, a down coat that's stitched.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35And I remember trying to do that to look into the light.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45I thought I saw a person, other than my son, I thought I saw a guy.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Kind of middle height, kind of heavier set,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50kind of a little puffier.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58He saw the same thing - somebody in one of those black puffy coats.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11We had been trying to live with it for weeks and now, here it is,
0:29:11 > 0:29:12it's fresh with her.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20She was going through everything that we had already gone through.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Everybody says,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34"Oh, you guys just made that person up who was in your room.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35"You knew it was your son."
0:29:39 > 0:29:40I couldn't believe it.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44I honestly thought I was dreaming and they were lying to me.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54I'm extremely good at bottling up emotions.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57HE CHUCKLES
0:29:57 > 0:30:01It's one of the crutches that I used
0:30:01 > 0:30:05a lot during this process. I still use it today.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13There's emotions, there's heartache, there's sorrow, there's...
0:30:15 > 0:30:20..more emotional pain than I can begin to explain.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28And I don't know whether I'm man enough to process it,
0:30:28 > 0:30:32so the best way I can deal with it is bottle it up and put it away.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Deal with it later. I don't have time to deal with it now,
0:30:37 > 0:30:38I don't want to deal with it now.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42If I did deal with it now...
0:30:43 > 0:30:45..it could have repercussions
0:30:45 > 0:30:50and I don't want to take those on yet.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Maybe someday, but not now.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06You don't have a boy that...
0:31:08 > 0:31:09..likes to play basketball...
0:31:13 > 0:31:17This kid, with a good heart, wanted to help.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Whoever was in that room that night and pulled the trigger...
0:31:25 > 0:31:27..was someone else other than Nathon.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42I walked in into the bedroom and I stood at the foot of their bed
0:31:42 > 0:31:49and I remember I raised the gun and I aimed it at my mother first.
0:31:53 > 0:31:54I don't know why.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And then I remember, like, having these really quick thoughts of,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01"You don't have to do it."
0:32:01 > 0:32:04But they were like so quick and suddenly gone
0:32:04 > 0:32:07that I didn't really have a chance to really think about it.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09And before I'd realised that I'd done it,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12I'd pulled the trigger and the gun had gone off.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18I fired again and then I fired again three times at my mom.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23And then I sprung over to my dad.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26I fired again, I fired at him three times.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33I ran down the hallway, I sat down on the stairs,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35and that's when it like really clicked what I'd done.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37And I just remember feeling
0:32:37 > 0:32:42so much guilt and remorse and hearing my mom trying...
0:32:42 > 0:32:45She was like trying to talk, she was trying to yell for help.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49It just sounded...
0:32:49 > 0:32:51It just wasn't human.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58I don't remember ever thinking...
0:33:00 > 0:33:03..death or murder or anything like that.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06I just remember thinking, gone.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Just them being away.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20No-one deserves to ever go through what my family went through.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28I think my parents probably have a lot of questions.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34They didn't do anything wrong, and they didn't see anything wrong,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37so then you get back to the original question of why?
0:33:41 > 0:33:44I remember spending a lot of time thinking about it.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48The number one thing was always why?
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Why would someone that was raised in a good family
0:33:51 > 0:33:54and very happy and go lucky, I mean,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57I appeared to be happy and go lucky and athletic,
0:33:57 > 0:34:01and always doing all of these activities, all of a sudden blow up?
0:34:04 > 0:34:07To sit there and think and not know why was terrible.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11And be stuck and knowing that you'd caused so much pain
0:34:11 > 0:34:14and emotional pain and suffering, and it's just...
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Not having the answer was very, very, very difficult.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25I felt really guilty about it
0:34:25 > 0:34:27because how could I do such a thing and not even know why?
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Immediately the human brain goes to worst-case scenarios.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39My number one fear
0:34:39 > 0:34:42and the one thing that I remember thinking about
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and, kind of, honestly being in denial about is
0:34:45 > 0:34:47thinking maybe I was insane.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I remember looking up stuff and they said,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57"You know, most people that are clinically insane
0:34:57 > 0:34:59"don't know they're insane."
0:35:03 > 0:35:05I just don't... I just don't know,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07I just remember being mad and frustrated.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31What was it you said you got in trouble for?
0:35:31 > 0:35:34- I'm sorry, you told me that. - I was late to class.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37And so you got detention, that would have been...Thursday?
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Tell me what happened when you got home.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42My mom picked me up because she got off work early.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44She said, "Get a snack, you have chores to do.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47"So sweep all the tile in the entire house and then mop it for me."
0:35:47 > 0:35:49I said, "OK."
0:35:49 > 0:35:51So I swept and mopped the whole house.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Then she goes, "OK, now, vacuum all the carpets."
0:35:53 > 0:35:55and I said, "OK, I'll vacuum the carpets."
0:35:55 > 0:35:59She goes, "Go into the back yard and scoop the dog poop,
0:35:59 > 0:36:00"and fill in the holes."
0:36:00 > 0:36:03But I've been grounded from my phone and the Xbox and TV -
0:36:03 > 0:36:05electronics, pretty much.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10- Since how long?- Yesterday.- OK.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14All right.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27He would tell me multiple times actually
0:36:27 > 0:36:31that his parents were a little strict on him.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35If he didn't do the most simplest things,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38he would be grounded for a long, long, long time.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Got back from school and my dad had me doing chores.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47I'd already been grounded, so there was another...
0:36:47 > 0:36:49my grounding had been extended.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54My dad comes in, my mom doesn't come in, which is weird,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57because normally she comes in, too.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59I said, "Where's Mom?"
0:36:59 > 0:37:03And he said, "She's downstairs, she's kind of frustrated right now."
0:37:06 > 0:37:08And then on his way out I remember him saying,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10"Get some sleep because you've got a lot of work to do,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12"but you're not going to be playing in the game."
0:37:12 > 0:37:14And it was like, he said... He said, "You got a lot of work to do."
0:37:14 > 0:37:17And then there was a pause. And then he says,
0:37:17 > 0:37:18"And you're not playing in the game."
0:37:18 > 0:37:21So I was like, "The tournament?" And he said, "Yeah."
0:37:21 > 0:37:24And it's like... That was kind of like the click.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29I mean, that was like two or three hours before.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44What probably went on in his mind that night was, you know,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46"What do I really have to lose?
0:37:46 > 0:37:49"I'm sitting here and I don't have any social life,"
0:37:49 > 0:37:53and he convinced himself that,
0:37:53 > 0:37:55you know, if he...
0:37:55 > 0:37:56got rid of his parents that...
0:37:58 > 0:38:00..he would be able to just go and...
0:38:01 > 0:38:03..do things that were...
0:38:03 > 0:38:06That the other kids would be able to do.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08But of course, you know, that...
0:38:09 > 0:38:12That's not the right thing to do, you know, ever.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Based on all the evidence we had
0:38:25 > 0:38:32it was pretty clear that this was a very strong case against Nathon
0:38:32 > 0:38:35for two counts of attempted murder in the first degree.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41What was slightly less obvious was whether or not
0:38:41 > 0:38:44he needed to be prosecuted as an adult.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51The public safety component weighed very heavily on me.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55If he was prosecuted as a juvenile,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59that would have guaranteed that at the age 21...
0:38:59 > 0:39:05he would be released from all supervision and incarceration
0:39:05 > 0:39:08and be free to go anywhere and do anything.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16When I first met Nathon, he was...
0:39:16 > 0:39:19I was very impressed with him, he was articulate and bright.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23I believe Nathon is a good person.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28I think he has a good set of values and knows...
0:39:28 > 0:39:29right from wrong.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36He had time to think about what was right and what was wrong and
0:39:36 > 0:39:38what he should do and what he shouldn't do.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42And he went into the room and he stood over them
0:39:42 > 0:39:45and he spent time to contemplate his actions...
0:39:48 > 0:39:51..and then he determined who he would shoot first.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56You know, ultimately, with Nathon Brooks,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58there wasn't much question that
0:39:58 > 0:40:01what was alleged to have happened happened.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03The question was - what do we do with him now?
0:40:06 > 0:40:11Can the community be safe if we let him out at 21 or before?
0:40:11 > 0:40:13That's the big question.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Is it right to give up on an individual,
0:40:18 > 0:40:20throw someone away?
0:40:23 > 0:40:28He was looking at a minimum of 40 years in prison...
0:40:29 > 0:40:31..up to about 50 years.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37When the prosecutors were talking 50 years for Nathon Brooks,
0:40:37 > 0:40:41essentially what they were saying is that is a life to throw away.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45I don't agree with that, not in Nathon Brooks' case.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04This is Nathon's room.
0:41:04 > 0:41:05This is where he...
0:41:06 > 0:41:08..slept and...
0:41:08 > 0:41:13studied the 13 months that he was here with us.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17It's not much, but I think he liked it and was happy.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Getting him out on bail was important.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28It was a sad time, but it was a special time.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34You know, I talked to Nathon before and he says,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37"These people are afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt anybody."
0:41:37 > 0:41:38He says, "I just can't believe it.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41"I'm not going to do any harm to anybody."
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Was it an act of mercy?
0:41:48 > 0:41:50I mean, it ended up being that way.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54He asked me if I was afraid of him.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57And I told him that
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I was uncertain of him, and he told me, he says,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03"Granny, if you're afraid of me, I won't go."
0:42:04 > 0:42:06And that was good enough.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Because I know that he wanted to get out,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13but he wouldn't do it if I was afraid of him.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17So...
0:42:19 > 0:42:21..that made my decision.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30There was a few reservations, I think, at first.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34When he came home, of course,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37we had to get all the guns out of the house,
0:42:37 > 0:42:39so we were talking about that.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41And I said it was really...
0:42:42 > 0:42:45..kind of inconsequential because, you know,
0:42:45 > 0:42:48there was a whole rack full of knives
0:42:48 > 0:42:51but that if he ever cut my throat, I'd haunt him!
0:42:54 > 0:42:55So, yeah,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57that kind of broke the ice.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09My wife and I were stuck in a very odd position.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16The prosecutor's office wouldn't talk to us because
0:43:16 > 0:43:21we were the parents of the accused.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25The defence attorneys wouldn't really talk to us because
0:43:25 > 0:43:27we're the victims.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31So we didn't really know what was going on with the case.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38But we felt Nathon did need to be punished for what he had done.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42We came to the realisation
0:43:42 > 0:43:46we couldn't provide the treatment that Nathon needed.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48The court could provide that.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52To go up there and say,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55"Yes, my son needs to be put in jail for what he did."
0:43:58 > 0:43:59That was difficult to come to.
0:44:01 > 0:44:06That took lots of conversations, lots of heartache.
0:44:11 > 0:44:17Prosecution wanted us to go all-out, and we said,
0:44:17 > 0:44:19"No, because he's our son."
0:44:22 > 0:44:24So we were just kind of left out
0:44:24 > 0:44:28because we were parents and we still loved him and...
0:44:28 > 0:44:30we didn't...
0:44:30 > 0:44:33want to help with his sentencing.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40To try to convince someone that
0:44:40 > 0:44:44ten years was an appropriate length of time,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47it was like you were bargaining with somebody's life...
0:44:49 > 0:44:51..because at the end of the day, that's what we were doing.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57That process - I was angry about that.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01I wasn't good enough at it, I guess.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25This case is not a whodunnit.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27It's a "whydunnit".
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Why did he do it?
0:45:31 > 0:45:33When you prosecute people who are in a gang
0:45:33 > 0:45:36and they commit a gang murder, you know why they did it -
0:45:36 > 0:45:38they did it because it was part of the rules of the gang.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40There is a motive.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Why would someone go and try to shoot their parents?
0:45:44 > 0:45:46I know at least when I was involved with him
0:45:46 > 0:45:48it was a big question in his mind is,
0:45:48 > 0:45:52"Man, how did that happen? That doesn't seem like me."
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Did you ask him why?
0:45:56 > 0:45:57We did, yeah...
0:45:59 > 0:46:01..and he didn't have an answer.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07If there is no answer to the question why,
0:46:07 > 0:46:11if there is no reason why he did what he did...
0:46:13 > 0:46:17..that's maybe the most troubling outcome there could possibly be.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Nathon was kind of a high-profile case, though,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31so we all kind of had heard about it before, you know,
0:46:31 > 0:46:32just on the news and stuff.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40Nathon is very much an introvert, he keeps everything inside,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42and I'm sure he probably grew up that way
0:46:42 > 0:46:45because that's generally how they are.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49He does keep a lot inside and, you know,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51just watching him and talking to him,
0:46:51 > 0:46:55he doesn't even have a lot of facial expression when he talks.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58But it's all in there
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and when you get to know him more,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04you notice little smiles and little smirks, or...
0:47:04 > 0:47:08Even though he appears like he might be unemotional,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11he is probably one of the more emotional kids
0:47:11 > 0:47:12I get to deal with.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18We've been able to watch him for a few years.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22We haven't seen any personality disorders.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26There's been no antisocial traits with him.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30I don't see any piece of him that...
0:47:31 > 0:47:36..would give anybody the cause to believe that he was psychotic.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42We haven't seen anything that would lead anybody to believe
0:47:42 > 0:47:45that he's not of normal, average intelligence,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48with normal, average abilities for things.
0:47:48 > 0:47:52He's a very smart, very kind person.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57He loves his family, he's very close to them,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00it's obvious when you see them together
0:48:00 > 0:48:03that they are very, very bonded.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09We want to know, you know, as a community, we want to know,
0:48:09 > 0:48:10why did this happen?
0:48:10 > 0:48:13And we want to be able to blame it on, you know,
0:48:13 > 0:48:16socioeconomic background, abuse at home.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Was Nathon being abused?
0:48:19 > 0:48:22It just doesn't appear any of that was there.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Nathon's diagnosis when he first arrived,
0:48:32 > 0:48:40it was oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD and possible bipolar.
0:48:43 > 0:48:49The psychiatrist, he never takes what he's given as the final word.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52He wants to do his own diagnosis.
0:48:52 > 0:48:58And so he worked with Nathon on coming off his medications
0:48:58 > 0:49:00to see really what symptoms he had.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05After he was taken off his ADHD medication,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07he was doing great in school,
0:49:07 > 0:49:09he was getting good grades, he was focusing,
0:49:09 > 0:49:11he was doing what he needed to.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15He was following the rules, he was being appropriate,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18so we determined he didn't need that ADHD medication.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26But he had some pretty severe depression.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29I mean, he was a pretty severely depressed guy.
0:49:31 > 0:49:37So he ended up with the diagnosis of major depressive disorder.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42This time now it is in remission.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45He's feeling good, he's stable.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49There's been quite a few different medication changes
0:49:49 > 0:49:51to figure out what works with him.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03It's just...
0:50:03 > 0:50:06It's a relief to know that something else wasn't seriously wrong,
0:50:06 > 0:50:08and that I could get help.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14I mean, I'm not crazy or an animal or anything like that.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20A lot of times, in younger people,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23the depression comes out as irritability or anger.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26You feel worthless, hopeless,
0:50:26 > 0:50:30extremely down, extremely depressed.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34This goes on for a few week period of time.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Some of the things that Nathon indicated were harsh punishments
0:50:40 > 0:50:42in other households are chores.
0:50:43 > 0:50:48You know, in many homes, that's part of the duties of home.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52But in Nathon's mind, it was harsh punishment,
0:50:52 > 0:50:54and what was in his mind was the key.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02The diagnosis has brought a lot of things to light.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06I mean, it helps me to really understand why I did what I did.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11There was aggression and depression and...
0:51:11 > 0:51:13there just wasn't any way for me to deal with it.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16I didn't understand, I didn't know why and I was lost.
0:51:23 > 0:51:29Oh, I look back daily on whether or not I was too tough on him
0:51:29 > 0:51:31and, no, I don't think I was.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Honest, he was my child
0:51:38 > 0:51:42and he was loved dearly. That never changed.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49I had no idea of what he was going through
0:51:49 > 0:51:52or he thought differently of it.
0:51:52 > 0:51:57Honest to goodness, I had no idea and I don't know that Nathon did.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06I understand the medical side.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11But the fact at the end of the day,
0:52:11 > 0:52:13he still chose to do what he did.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21That I... I struggle with.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25I'm still confused by that.
0:52:27 > 0:52:28I still don't...
0:52:29 > 0:52:32I don't understand how someone would do that.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41I don't know, I don't think that's something I'll...
0:52:42 > 0:52:45..ever truly, fully understand.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52It's just, maybe it's beyond my ability to get.
0:53:01 > 0:53:06I just think it's really great that he still has them in his life
0:53:06 > 0:53:10and they welcome him back with open arms
0:53:10 > 0:53:12and they have been able to work on that relationship.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26Look at that!
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Is he going for the Santa Claus look?
0:53:29 > 0:53:33- Hey, buddy.- How's it going?- Good. - Yay!
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Oh, God, I miss you.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45So...
0:53:46 > 0:53:49..when does the beard-shaving month end?
0:53:49 > 0:53:51It was supposed to be tomorrow.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Supposed to be? That sounds like...
0:53:54 > 0:53:55- I'm deciding.- Ah.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58I'm deciding on whether or not I still want to do it.
0:53:58 > 0:53:59That is mighty scruffy.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02It's a lot of work to shave all that off, I'm telling you.
0:54:04 > 0:54:05So, how are your teeth?
0:54:06 > 0:54:08How's the pulled one?
0:54:08 > 0:54:11- Pulled...- Pulled area? - Where they pulled the molar?
0:54:11 > 0:54:12Or the wisdom teeth?
0:54:12 > 0:54:13They pulled both of them.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16They did both?
0:54:16 > 0:54:18- Did it hurt on both sides? - I got holes on both sides.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21I think they're both gone. I don't remember.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Whatever they gave me was like for a gorilla.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27So, let me see.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33- Wow!- Does it look like it's missing?
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Yeah.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37Well, be darned. Looks good.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42- You brushing?- No.- No.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44I need to brush more.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46You saw that? I don't know what it is.
0:54:46 > 0:54:47What happened?
0:54:47 > 0:54:50I don't know. It just showed up.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53- Oh, but you didn't get hurt or anything?- No.- OK.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55No, it just showed up.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57'I... I remember...
0:54:57 > 0:54:59'the very first meeting,
0:54:59 > 0:55:02'and that's when I repetitively told them that it wasn't their fault'
0:55:02 > 0:55:05cos I was really worried that my parents took too much blame
0:55:05 > 0:55:07for what happened, and they blamed themselves.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10And they'd said several times that they should've noticed
0:55:10 > 0:55:12and they should've known that I had a mental illness.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14And I just remember telling them...
0:55:16 > 0:55:18.."I didn't know, so how could they?"
0:55:18 > 0:55:20The fact is, it is my brain, only I will...
0:55:20 > 0:55:23I'll know before everyone else will.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30My biggest fear was that they blamed themselves way too much.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33They made it way too hard on each other and...
0:55:33 > 0:55:39I personally feel like that had, I mean, some effect on the marriage.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43I mean, that was really the hardest part was to prevent that
0:55:43 > 0:55:48from tearing the family apart and to work towards keeping it together
0:55:48 > 0:55:54long enough to where I could receive treatment and...
0:55:54 > 0:55:57I mean, just become a family again.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01- All righty.- Give me a hug, son.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06Hey! Where'd she go?
0:56:08 > 0:56:11It's going to be a really long healing process.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16I don't know how someone would ever heal from that.
0:56:16 > 0:56:21I know that it helps that his parents love him unconditionally.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24- Love you, Dad.- Love you, buddy.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28- Love you.- Love you too, son.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34But I still also don't think that...
0:56:36 > 0:56:40..that him and the family have openly talked about it a lot, either.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43It's kind of like to the side right now
0:56:43 > 0:56:45and maybe at some point when people are stronger,
0:56:45 > 0:56:47when their emotions are stronger,
0:56:47 > 0:56:50they'll be able to talk about it more.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52- Love you.- Love you too, sweetheart.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59- NATHON'S GRANDMOTHER:- 'I can't...
0:56:59 > 0:57:01'I really can't explain it.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03'I can't explain how you can...
0:57:05 > 0:57:07'..love your daughter so much...'
0:57:09 > 0:57:13..and yet love the person that shot her so much.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15I can't explain it, except...
0:57:17 > 0:57:19..how can you not love your grandson?
0:57:22 > 0:57:25You know, you just, you just do.
0:57:28 > 0:57:34He was always a good kid, and you cannot just turn the love off...
0:57:35 > 0:57:38..for the boy that you've always known.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40It just doesn't work that way.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45There's no manual for handling what's happened to us,
0:57:45 > 0:57:46you just feel.
0:57:48 > 0:57:49That's all you do.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56It could be so much worse.
0:57:59 > 0:58:04You can look at it as, some parents have lost their children.
0:58:07 > 0:58:14So we are blessed as parents by, we still have our children.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17I'm glad that we didn't die just for Nathon,
0:58:17 > 0:58:20so that Nathon never has to carry that.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23Mm-hm. Exactly.