Deadly Exchange

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1:22He was definitely charismatic. He lived every single day.

1:30He knew that it was dangerous, but no one ever knew that someone would die over it. He was the new kid in town. Super popular. All about adventure. This kid was, like, awesome. He just jumped right into, like, the culture. Kind of like to show off a little bit to the girls. They were the neighbors just down the block. A family in fear. They had had their vehicles broken too. She was scared. Someone had been sneaking into their home. And now someone was in their garage. This was a burglar who had broken in. I'm sitting there panicking like he's coming at me. In a flash, it was over. I just got shot.

2:10That charismatic kid dead on the floor. That's terrible. I think I screamed for hours. What had happened in that garage that night? It was just like the last person that would come to my mind. A neighbor protecting his home or preparing a trap. Makes the statement, it's showtime. It's showtime. Exactly. A teenager, a father, a murderer. No one would be the same. We are all like taken aback. I'm Lester Holt and this is Dateline. Here's Josh Mankiewicz with Deadly Exchange.

2:48It's a dilemma that confronts every teenager. How to simultaneously fit in with your friends and rebel against everyone else. That two-step is made a little easier by the knowledge, maybe the certainty, that you're going to live forever. Kids do dumb stuff all the time. And so sneaking out of the house in the dead of night to meet other teenagers, to drink, party, or just hang out, Well, that's nothing new. Usually, teens sneak back home safely. This wasn't one of those times. I thought it was some kind of, like, joke, and I, like, just couldn't believe it, really. I was just freaking out, and I was like, it can't be, it can't be.

3:31It was April of 2014 when two bright foreign exchange students living in Montana slipped out of their home. Oh, he's laying face down. He's barely breathing. Just minutes later, their amazing American adventure came to a sudden and tragic end. And where is he bleeding from? Everywhere. It was horrific. No one ever knew that someone would die over it. It was just the worst thing that could have ever happened to us. It all began so differently for Deer and De-De, a dream come true. He was an exchange student from Hamburg, Germany, excited to soak up anything and everything American. At 17, Deeren had landed in a special corner of the West, Missoula, Montana.

4:21He was definitely charismatic. Dana, Anna, and Chance were three of Deeren's closest friends at Big Sky High School. He was way different than all of the other foreign exchange students that usually come. He was really outspoken and outgoing, and he just jumped right into the culture. He wanted to do everything there was to do in Missoula. And he was a terrific athlete. Mm-hmm. It was no coincidence that Jay Bostrom, the teacher who recruited Deer into Big Sky, also happened to be the school's soccer coach. No holds barred, just go get it done. And when Deeran played, that's how he played. I think the guys were immediately like, this guy's cool, kind of a badass, you know.

5:06He was like a pretty stocky kid, liked to lay people out. Yeah, he was tough, for sure. He threw down. And according to his friends, Deren's soccer skills and his good looks definitely helped him with the opposite sex. He was always talking to girls here in America and the girls back home in Germany. A man of the world. Exactly. The other soccer girls always said that he would never miss a chance to take his shirt off when he was running around the field because they knew that he was going to put on a show for them. Deeren lived with his host parents, Randy and Kate, in the Prospect neighborhood, a hilly subdivision of Missoula.

5:47He was just such a terrific kid, you could see that right off the bat. And he called you mom and dad? He did. He really became our son. There was no doubt about it. But Dieren was more than just a fun kid. He was engaged in the world. This was not your typical American teenager who kind of wants to talk about, you know, sports stars and, you know, maybe the latest fashion. No, not at all. No, it's like, so what do you think about the situation in Ukraine? By the end of the school year in 2014, Dieren had a solid circle of friends. He was tightest with another exchange student, this one from Ecuador, Robbie Pazmino.

6:31We had so many things in common, the same personality with the same wishes and dreams. They were packaged you. You see one, you're going to see the other. Oh, yeah. Saturday, April 26th was no different. The boys spent the evening playing video games and listening to music in Randy and Kate's basement. I went down 10.30 or so that night, told him maybe crank the music volume down a little bit. But around midnight, Deeren was bored, restless, and suggested he and Robbie take a walk. And I was kind of, I'm just really tired, Deeren. Like, come on, it's like, okay. So while Kate and Randy slept upstairs, Robbie and Deeran slipped out the back door for a walk around the neighborhood.

7:21They headed up the nearby hill and then turned onto Deer Canyon Road. Then Robbie says Deeran suddenly walked off in a different direction, and Robbie lost sight of him. It's like, he's not coming, I continue walking. Robbie says he called out to Deeran, but there was no answer, so he kept walking, figuring Deeran would catch up. That is when I heard someone yelling, you're there, I see you there, something like that. After that, just the shots, like three or four shots, and I just start running. Gunshots in a quiet residential neighborhood. A now terrified Robbie ran back home. He was faster than I am.

8:07I said, he's probably coming. I was almost sure that he was coming. But Deeren wouldn't return, and what happened to the German exchange student would simultaneously make headlines around the world and get Americans asking, how far can you go to protect your home and family? When we come back... 911, what are you reporting? A robbery. An urgent call to 911. Somebody entered and talked to the law. Shots were fired. And an urgent question, where was Dearen? That's terrible. I think I screamed for hours. I was like, there's no way possible. Nothing like this has remotely happened.

9:06Sunday morning was less than an hour old. when the sound of gunshots ricocheted through the Prospect neighborhood of Missoula, Montana. 911, what are you reporting? A robbery. Okay, what's going on? Somebody entered into a garage. Shot, I'll fire. Come on, man. I'm a good shot. A robbery was rare in Prospect, but a shooting was unheard of. Dashcams captured the chaos as first responders raced to the sea. It was all happening just a few hundred feet from where foreign exchange student Deer and Dede lived with his host family. I kind of woke up with a start. Heard four loud pops, bang, bang, bang, you know, fairly close together, and then a pause and then another bang.

9:59Randy heard the sirens and got out of bed. So I went downstairs just to make sure I could lay my hands on Robbie and Dearen. And he came downstairs with me and was like, where's Dearen? And he said he didn't know. He didn't know? I thought that was kind of weird. And I looked in the rec room and didn't see Dearen. So I came back to him and I said, what's going on? Where's Dearen? Robbie fessed up. He and Dearen had sneaked out. He told Randy how Dearen had walked off on his own. And then Robbie said he'd heard gunshots. Alarmed, Randy woke up his wife, and the three of them went to Deer Canyon Road.

10:42How far away from your house is this? 80 yards, something like that, directly above. It's just the next street above ours. So this is a neighbor's house. It's a neighbor's house. But when they got there, police stopped them. We were just hoping Deer would just walk out somewhere, you know, show up and come out the door. Okay. I walked up to the police officer, gave him a name and description, and that's when she kind of went, well, just wait here for a second, and then came back and said, I think you guys need to go to the hospital, and that it wasn't good. And as soon as she said that, I thought, gosh, we just passed an ambulance running up there, and he must have been in the ambulance.

11:32What happened on that quiet street? Did Deren and Robbie stumble into a burglary in progress? Or some violent home invasion? The police asked Robbie to answer some questions. While Kate and Randy rushed to the hospital. It wasn't long after we got there that the ER doc came out and explained that his wounds were fatal and that he was no longer alive. Terrible feeling. It was horrible. I went outside the hospital many times and just screamed. And I...

12:10It was... We lost our son, too. Sorry. When they brought us in to identify his body, it was horrific. Looking at his beautiful body, no longer complete. That's terrible. I think I screamed for hours. Deeran Day-Day would never make it to his 18th birthday. I thought it was a joke. I was like, there's no way possible. Nothing like this has remotely happened to me or like kind of anything in Missoula growing up. And so it was just, it was obviously a shock. It was just like the last person that would come to my mind, I guess. Deren's soccer coach assumed that whatever happened to his star player, it wasn't Deren's fault.

13:01I'm trying to imagine, did he go to a party and get shot by another kid? Was he downtown Missoula and got in a scuffle? I didn't understand it. I was like, what do you mean he shot? I didn't understand it. So what did happen? Police on the scene quickly concluded only one person was shot. The intruder mentioned in that 911 call. Who got shot? The robber? He sadly injured. Okay. So they entered your garage and who shot him? My husband. And cops quickly learned something those who thought they knew Deeran well could scarcely imagine. Deeran wasn't a random innocent victim. The young exchange student was the apparent opposite.

13:46He was the burglar. It's like someone's trying to break into your car right now. Police were about to hear a story from the man holding the gun that night. A story of terror and a family under siege. And we've been sketched out. We don't feel safe. I'm on edge about everything. Coming up. They had had their vehicles broken too. She was scared. Two frightened homeowners victimized two times before. What had happened inside that garage? I'm sitting there panicking, you know. They're like, he's coming at me.

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15:57A high school exchange student from Germany had been shot and killed during an apparent burglary inside a neighbor's garage in the quiet town of Missoula, Montana. Now, Deren Dede was dead, and police were investigating. Does that happen a lot here? People shoot burglars who were in their homes? No, it doesn't. Missoula Police Department Detective Guy Baker had the case. Soon, he was interviewing the man who'd pulled the trigger. Hi, Marcus. Hello, sir. I'm Guy Baker. I'm a detective. The homeowner was Marcus Karma. Karma and his common-law wife, Janelle Flager, had just moved to Missoula. They were looking for a quiet, safe, and kid-friendly place to raise their child.

16:43Police spoke with Janelle at the scene and recorded their talk with Karma at the station. So what we want to talk about is what happened tonight at your house. The couple told investigators the story actually began with a burglary three weeks earlier. And then just ten days after that, the burglars returned. Somebody had trespassed in their vehicles and in their garage, which was unlocked. Cash, credit cards, and a cell phone were taken. The couple filed a police report, but the burglaries remained unsolved. Now, Marcus Karma said he feared they were being targeted. We've pretty much been living in fear, and it sucks.

17:27And to know that we're being watched and targeted, and knowing how hard it is for you guys to actually catch a burglar with no evidence. Karma said they no longer felt safe in their own home, and were terrified they'd be robbed again. We've been sketched out. We don't feel safe. I'm on edge about everything. The couple even emailed their neighbors to warn them about the string of burglaries and to suggest everyone lock their cars and garages. Having somebody burglarize you is a terrible feeling, and it does leave people feeling violated and angry. Yes, I would agree. So that's not uncommon for people to be upset and extremely vigilant after a burglary.

18:09I'd agree it's not. The more time that passed with the burglars at large, the more fearful Marcus and Janelle said they became, in part because he was a seasonal firefighter and would have to travel for work soon, leaving mother and child alone for months. She was scared that Marcus was going to be going off on a seasonal employment here soon. So Karma told police his wife decided to put together a homemade security system that would warn them if another intruder showed up. She's got motion sensor one, motion sensor two. She had placed a baby monitor on the east wall of the garage. A video baby monitor.

18:52Once the alert sounded due to the motion detector, then they could see what the baby monitor could see. All of that was connected through a smartphone app. So when the motion sensors were triggered, an alert would allow them to view live video of their garage. That Saturday night, Karma said they were trying to relax after putting their son to bed. I had recorded the movie Lincoln. We were watching that about a third of the way through that. Not sure what the time was. It was dark outside. But, you know, we went outside and had a smoke in the garage like we always do. We would usually leave the garage door open to air it out.

19:32But five minutes later, an alert from the motion sensors. Someone was in the driveway. An intruder. Perhaps the same one who'd targeted them before. These photos are from the home security system. That's Deren entering the garage. Marcus Karma says he grabbed a loaded shotgun he had for protection. I'm sitting there with the shotgun in my hand. I'm staring at the lock on the front door, and I can't tell if it's locked or unlocked. And I'm starting to shake at that point. The adrenaline's coming like, oh my God, these guys actually came back to the house. Karma said his wife stayed back while he went out the front door and turned toward the garage.

20:15A few quick steps around my front. You saw where my truck was parked, pretty much with my butt touching my grill guard. That's where I stood. And then she flipped on the light. Karma told the detectives he was blinded by the sudden light and realized the only way for the intruder to get away was to go past him. Then... I heard something move like a piece of metal hit the cement. Either that or a piece of metal hit a piece of metal. It sounded like either a metal wrench being picked up or maybe the axis. So Marcus Karma says he did the only thing he could to protect himself. Immediately, I fired high up into the right corner of the garage.

21:04Here I am looking at my garage. I think in total four rounds were shot, all directly. One, two, three, four. If I live in Montana, what right do I have to shoot someone who has entered my house? You have the right to use any force necessary in defense of yourself, but no greater force. Okay, but I mean, this was a burglar who had broken in. You don't know who he is. You know it's somebody that you don't know. And they have crossed that invisible line from outdoors to indoors. And they are, by that definition alone, I would say, a threat to me. Well, you've got to be able to articulate the threat.

21:45And Karma told investigators there was a real threat. The garage was full of tools the intruder could grab and use against him. I imagine an axe flying through the air and hitting me in the skull. And Karma said he was positive he heard that scraping sound just moments before he fired the shotgun. I'm describing the sound when I say it hit. What I'm picturing in my head is, I'm going to die. To hear Marcus Karma tell it, he'd face down a threat. It was kill or be killed. And that was justifiable homicide. The young soccer star who was by now in the morgue must have had a darker side that many didn't see.

22:29Detectives decided to dig deeper into the lives of both Deer and De-Day and the men who shot him. What they learned would only deepen this mystery. Coming up. True or false, Deer was committing a crime. He was. But was Deer the only one breaking the law? It's like showtime. He said Janelle makes the statement, it's showtime. It's showtime. Exactly. There would be anger and astonishment on both sides.

23:12When he was killed in a neighbor's garage, exchange student Deren Dede was just two months away from returning to his family in Germany. The man who shot him said he feared for his life. And from Deren's best friend, Robbie, police learned the teen did enter the garage to steal. As Robbie described it, Deren was not the first kid in Missoula to go sneaking into unlocked garages. He said the kids weren't after money, credit cards or valuables. This stunt happened often enough that it had a name, garage hopping, and the target was usually beer. The reason for garage hopping or garage shopping, I've heard it called both, was for kids to go in and look for alcoholic beverages that they could easily get and take.

24:00Until this shooting, that sort of wasn't on anybody's radar in law enforcement. No, I had not heard garage hopping, no. These three friends of Deeran say they've never gone garage hopping, but they know all about it. You all know people who do it or have done it. Yeah. They understand it's illegal, but it seemed harmless. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's just like, hey, dude, this is a way for you to get some extra beer, you know, when you're on a Saturday night. I mean, did you think to yourself, you know, oh, my God, we didn't tell him how dangerous that could have been. But no one knew. No one would ever, ever be like, oh, hey, don't walk into that You never know if someone's going to shoot you.

24:41Robbie told police Deren had done it before, but never taken cash or valuable property. He wasn't a criminal. He was like a kid. He was a kid trying to have fun and feeding the group, doing what the other guys do, trying to be part of them. Was it really that innocent? True or false, Deren was committing a crime. He was. entering somebody else's home, even their garage. That's a crime. Yes. And if Karma's life was threatened, he had the right to shoot, didn't he? But as police went over Karma's story about what happened just before the confrontation, something stood out. When Karma was describing how his wife first noticed, someone was approaching their garage.

25:28She's like, showtime. She's like, I see something, a flashlight. He said Janelle makes the statement, it's showtime. It's showtime. Exactly. Suggesting what, that they'd been getting ready for this all night? That seemed like a very interesting statement to me. It's showtime. It didn't seem to fit with someone claiming to be terrified in his own home. Then Karma told police he took his time going out to confront the intruder. I stood up off the couch and just kind of slowly walked over towards the front door. and then she's like, hold on, hold on. All of which might make you wonder, with all that time to think, why not just stay inside, lock the doors, and call police?

26:13I think the easiest thing that could have been done is once they were aware someone was outside being alerted by the tones on their phone, they call 911. And while Karma said he feared for his life, police found no weapon, no axe or tool near Duren's body. The teenager was unarmed. And another red flag. Karma said he couldn't see into the garage. But cops talked to the doctors who treated Deren, and they examined the shotgun pellet patterns on the garage wall. He says he can't see anything, yet he's able to track a moving person in the garage, and he hits them two out of four times. One, two, three, four.

26:58I didn't believe that he's just randomly shooting from right to left. And so you're thinking to yourself, this does not look like a justifiable shooting. No, at this point, it's looking like we have a delivered homicide. The county attorney's office agreed. Detective Baker delivered the news. So we just talked to a prosecutor. She wants you to be taken into custody. So that's what's going to happen. For what? For homicide. What? Seemingly stunned, Karma borrowed the detective's phone to call Janelle. Babe. Hi. Being charged with murder. You're telling me. No. How is that? Deliberate homicide. It's just the way the statue reads.

27:44He was pretty surprised. Yeah, he was surprised, and he was very emotional at that point. That's the most I saw Marcus be emotional during this whole investigation. Deeren's host parents had a tangle of emotions as they processed what police said had happened. Not the kid we knew. Wouldn't expect that. They were disappointed with Deeren's actions, but livid with karma's. I just got more angry and more angry that that happened. And I mean, who thinks like that? Just that why? It was the why at that point. You know, why would someone feel compelled to do this? Marcus Karma faces a deliberate homicide charge for killing a 17-year-old German exchange student.

28:33All of it was the opening gun to a national and international debate played out in the media over who was really the victim in this case. He is defending his castle. He has a right to do that. Many were outraged that a homeowner could be arrested for defending his family and property. Catherine Hockey is a crime reporter at the local Missoulian. I received a lot of angry phone calls from people. A lot of people were afraid that this would intrude on their own rights to protect their home with a gun and their own gun rights. The German press also followed the story closely. Their take echoed the thoughts of many in this country that Dieren was the victim of an American cowboy culture that glorifies gun violence.