- 7 weeks ago
In a chilling tale of betrayal, Nikki Sue Entzel plotted with her lover to kill her husband, staging a deadly fire to cash in on life insurance—love, lies, and murder igniting a deadly conspiracy.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:10I can't get in the door. It's smoky in the house. A distraught wife calls for help. I just want
00:16to go and stop. Okay. During fire operations on scene, the body of 42-year-old Chad Ensel was located.
00:25Chad Ensel died from a gunshot wound.
00:27There was the speculation of, was this a suicide? Was this something else?
00:35Chad was one of the most likable guys that you'll ever come across. Nicky came across as a very, very
00:41nice person. They were a great couple.
00:45Nicky, Chad was killed. It's not a suicide.
00:49Detectives break the news and watch for reaction.
00:58A search begins for a mystery man seen outside the house.
01:02When I set fire to that bedroom, I was really hoping that house would burn to the ground.
01:07No? Okay, so you weren't boyfriend or girlfriend or anything?
01:10Nope. Nope. I'm married. He's married.
01:13But the surveillance videos tell another story.
01:16And it was when they were leaving the store that Earl Howard straightened Nicky's hood on her coat and gave
01:23her a kiss.
01:23She wrote a statement for us and says she needs to change her statement.
01:29And she tries to destroy that statement.
01:33You don't have to be like that about it.
01:36You can sniff out crazy eventually.
01:54Central Dakota Communications. How can I help you?
01:56I'm calling to see if you guys could do a welfare check on one of our employees.
02:00Sure. And her name?
02:02Chad Ensel.
02:03His wife called him in sick for work on Tuesday, and we haven't heard from him since.
02:09Okay.
02:12Chad's friends called 911 after going to Chad's residence because they hadn't heard from Chad.
02:17All right, I'll get them out there to check on that and then give you a call back.
02:21Okay. I appreciate it.
02:22Thank you. Bye.
02:24Chad Ensel and his wife Nikki lived on the outskirts of Bismarck.
02:28Chad's one of those people that, you know, once you got to know him, he was one of the most
02:33likable guys that you'll ever come across.
02:37Very good bowler. Him and I competed a lot.
02:41Nikki came across as a very, very nice person.
02:44She did have a catering business.
02:47She was a very good cook and a very good baker.
02:50They were a great couple.
02:52They had been married for about three years, and it was a second marriage for both of them.
02:57Nikki had two boys of her own, so Chad doted on them.
03:00They had just moved in there in December.
03:03They were having some problems that the furnace in the house wasn't working.
03:07Her two sons were off with their grandparents.
03:10She had actually moved out of the house temporarily to a hotel because she couldn't sleep in the house because
03:15it was too cold.
03:17Can I get your name, please?
03:19Nikki Ensel.
03:20And then that same day, after the first 911 call, there was a second one from Chad's wife, Nikki.
03:27I can't get in the door.
03:28It's smoky in the house.
03:30Okay, so you see smoky?
03:34I can see inside there.
03:36And, like, our Washington's black, and it's just smoky in there, and I can't get in the door.
03:42Okay.
03:42I'm going to stop.
03:43Okay.
03:44I want to go in and check.
03:45Smoke, smoke.
03:45Okay, Nikki.
03:46I want to go in and stop.
03:48Nikki, Nikki, I'm going to stop.
03:49I want you to calm down for me, okay?
03:51Nikki.
03:52After that 911 call was made, pretty much every agency sent a representative to the house.
03:58All right, we do have lots of help coming on the way.
04:01Yeah.
04:02I'm going to go inside.
04:03The fire department went in first to try to eliminate any fire that was active at the time.
04:11They did find Chad Ensel, deceased, on the floor, and they found a shotgun laying on the bed.
04:17There were also a couple of alcohol bottles in the room.
04:20There was one, there was a proper 12 whiskey bottle that was on the bed, and then there was a
04:26crown whiskey bottle that was on one of the bedside tables.
04:31And during fire operations on scene, the body of 42-year-old Chad Ensel of Bismarck, North Dakota, was located.
04:39Preliminary reports from the autopsy indicate that Chad Ensel died from a gunshot wound.
04:47So, obviously, there was the speculation of, was this a suicide?
04:51Was this something else?
04:55One of the things that sheriff's department noticed when they were looking at the house was there was a camera
05:00that was mounted under an eave of the garage.
05:05So, now, detectives began to piece together the comings and goings at the Ensel home, going back three days before
05:12Chad's body was discovered.
05:14Chad comes back from work at around 5.15.
05:17Chad liked to bowl.
05:19He had a Monday evening league.
05:23And we had observed Chad leave the night for bowling.
05:30We have surveillance from Midway Lanes to show him arriving between that 5.30, 6 o'clock time frame.
05:37He's bowling with his friends.
05:39It's a regular night.
05:41And then, back at the house, the camera is activated as another vehicle arrives.
05:45And we're able to observe Nicky, an unknown male at that time, pull up to the house in a white
05:52Chevy pickup and start loading items from the house into it.
05:59And that individual standing outside smoking, multiple videos from that.
06:03So, we knew there was another male that had been to the house.
06:06That was not Chad.
06:08And then we show them driving away.
06:16We do have video of Chad leaving Midway Lanes at around 10, 10.30 in the evening.
06:23And this is the last image of him that any of us know of.
06:33So, now, detectives brought in his wife, Nicky.
06:37I'm sorry, I just need it.
06:38No, and Nicky, you don't have to apologize for that.
06:42I just need it.
06:45I just need it.
06:45I went into the interview to talk to her, speaking to her as a victim.
06:49She is getting ready for Chad's funeral.
06:51This wife had just lost a husband and trying to figure out what the family dynamics were.
06:58And I can't tell you how sorry I am.
07:02Okay, that's me.
07:03I'm sorry for that.
07:05During that interview, she had talked about her relationship with Chad Ensel,
07:10about the fact that they were having some problems.
07:27And Nicky said Chad had talked about suicide.
07:31He said, I don't f***ing do anything, right?
07:35Maybe it's just go f***ing away.
07:38He used it at different times.
07:41He has a nurse.
07:43I'm going to f***ing eat it all.
07:45I'm just f***ing dying.
07:52I don't care.
07:56I don't care.
08:06Nicky painted this picture that he was a very abusive, drunken individual that just had
08:13horrible problems with depression, alcohol, just a self-destructive behavior, and enjoyed
08:20harming her.
08:22Did you ever break a bone or anything?
08:26My feet were broken.
08:28My toes were broken a couple of times.
08:30He used a crab on it.
08:32What do you grab?
08:33I don't know if I couldn't.
08:35It used to.
08:39It started two years ago.
08:42That's how it started.
08:43You started by grabbing him.
08:45How much was he drinking?
08:52What do you think?
09:01Tell me about it.
09:02Did you just know?
09:03I'm very told.
09:06We're double friends, but I feel like I didn't know the baby, but I'm scared.
09:13The fire department ended up locating what they believed to be two fires, one in the bedroom,
09:19and also they located a fire that was in the basement of the residence as well, near the heating unit
09:26for that residence.
09:29And to have the coincidence of two fires, that raises more questions.
09:35She had shown me a video of the furnace not working properly.
09:41And then the furnace wasn't for me, so it didn't even matter.
09:46Right.
09:47We had no heat again for Christmas.
09:50Okay.
10:01She said she checked in to a local hotel.
10:03Nikki had said she hadn't seen Chad since Monday when she left the house and was staying at the Staybridge
10:08Suites.
10:09They followed up on that by going to the Staybridge to get the registration information.
10:15And there was no registration under Nikki Ensel.
10:19But there was a registration under Earl Howard.
10:23Never heard of him until this all happened.
10:26He was the mystery man seen at the house with Nikki.
10:54We knew Nikki was lying during that first hour and a half.
10:57There was a few years by the lead stand and the same place he was in the peace stand.
11:07When we talked to people that knew Chad, we found a very different story about Chad.
11:13Almost no one had ever seen him intoxicated.
11:16Chad had a couple beers at Bowling and that was it.
11:19He liked to drink, but it wasn't going to be hard liquor as his regular drink.
11:24Now, detectives focused on Earl Howard, who they had learned was a Canadian citizen.
11:37Credit card records showed the two had been secretly meeting at hotels for some six months after first meeting online.
11:46The video surveillance we saw, he's picking her up and taking her out for lunch and kissing in his truck.
11:53Were you guys romantically involved or anything?
11:56No?
11:57No.
11:58So you weren't boyfriend or girlfriend or anything?
12:00No.
12:01I'm married.
12:03I'm married.
12:04He's married.
12:07The forensic medical examiner's office at that point does an autopsy.
12:12Mr. Ensel did not have soot in his lungs, indicating that Mr. Ensel would have not have been breathing while
12:21that fire was going.
12:22And definitely not a suicide.
12:25There were actually, it looked like four shotgun wounds to his body.
12:29He had believed that there were at least two shotgun blasts that caused those injuries.
12:34And so with that, he ruled it a homicide.
12:40Nicky, Chad was killed.
12:45Chad was murdered.
12:49It's not a suicide.
12:52There were multiple gunshots.
12:57Like I said, I know how.
13:00I just need to know why.
13:02No.
13:08Is there...
13:13I don't know, Nicky, but that's what I want to find out.
13:17So why, why was, why would that happen to Chad?
13:21I don't know.
13:23I just want to be mad.
13:25I just want to be mad.
13:28I know.
13:30Nicky, I can't change what happened.
13:33But I can explain how.
13:35Or why.
13:37I just want to be mad.
13:39Nicky, did you have anything to do with Chad, Seth?
13:42No.
13:44That's a terrible thing to do.
13:47I can't do it.
13:49Do you, do you know if Ro would have anything to do with Chad, Seth?
13:56No.
13:58Watching that live with the other investigators, including Joe Ahrens,
14:03we'd made the determination that Joe needed to go in
14:06and kind of play the bad cop
14:08and put more pressure on it
14:09to try and get her to actually start telling us pieces of the truth.
14:14I'm going to be straight up with you.
14:16I believe that you know what happened,
14:21and I think it's in your best interest
14:23to just be honest with us about what you know.
14:26Tell me about, then, what you did
14:30when you showed up around 10 after 1 in the morning,
14:35you and Earl.
14:36Where?
14:37At your house.
14:40Because it was you and Earl.
14:41It's on video.
14:43They had video from the stay bridge
14:45that showed that they left the hotel
14:47on December 31st at approximately 1 o'clock in the morning.
14:51And at the house, they could see on the camera log
14:53that someone had disabled the camera
14:55at the time they would have arrived,
14:57but forgot to disable the door censor law.
15:02So what happened when you guys were in the house?
15:04Because Chad was there at that point.
15:08So with that information,
15:09she changed her story to say,
15:11yes, we went out to the house,
15:12but only because she had to find her medicine.
15:32Well, here's the only problem with that, Mickey,
15:36is you guys were there for an hour and 40 minutes.
15:40You didn't look for your patches for an hour and 40 minutes
15:44while Chad sat there drinking.
15:50Look at me, Nicky.
15:51You did not look for your patches or your medicine
15:54for an hour and 40 minutes while Chad sat there drinking.
16:00Did you?
16:02I had nothing to do with what happened to Chad.
16:04All right.
16:05Here's the deal.
16:06The only way you're going to have any closure to this at all
16:10is for you to be honest with us.
16:12And since I've been in here,
16:14you haven't been honest to me at all.
16:16I don't know what's happening now.
16:18I don't.
16:21That's why I asked you guys.
16:24I don't know.
16:25But then why do you keep lying to me?
16:28And then she starts spinning into other stories
16:31until you get ridiculous stories
16:33like there was somebody else in the house.
16:36Who else was in the house?
16:41And all of a sudden,
16:43some guy came up from the basement
16:44and was calling Chad Hun
16:46and appeared to be in a relationship with Chad.
16:49He called Chad Hun.
16:51He called Chad Hun?
16:54Hun?
16:58And she was basically insinuating
17:00that Chad was in a homosexual relationship
17:04with another man
17:06and that this man was apparently hiding in the basement
17:08when her and Earl Howard had arrived at the home.
17:12I asked her to draw the individual.
17:14I would say mid-40s.
17:19Spiked hair.
17:20Spiky hair.
17:23No glasses.
17:24Very nice teeth.
17:26Sabrina's teeth.
17:28We smell.
17:31My crown.
17:32It appeared that she was taking features
17:34from Special Agent Aarons
17:36and Sergeant Silbernagel
17:37and putting them together as one person.
17:41Hey, Nicky.
17:43This is how bad your lie is.
17:45You're putting it on paper now.
17:46This is how silly this is getting.
17:49Nicky eventually admits that,
17:50okay, there was not another person there
17:52and then she apologizes for lying.
17:54So that was a big thing, obviously.
17:55I mean, it just became ridiculous.
17:57And at that point,
17:59we knew it was just a few steps more
18:01and we would have it.
18:02But Nicky Enzo would prove to be
18:04a hard nut to crack.
18:14Nicky, I think you know enough
18:16to tell me what happened that night.
18:19I don't know what happened.
18:21But detectives weren't buying that
18:23as they put together a package of damning evidence.
18:27We had so much information
18:28from so many different sources.
18:30She actually used her phone
18:32to do an internet search for funeral homes.
18:34The day before Chad's body was discovered.
18:37They wanted to track what Nicky Enzo
18:41and Earl Howard were doing
18:42during that time period.
18:44Out shopping the day after Chad was likely killed.
18:48And it was when they were leaving the store
18:50that Earl Howard then lifted up
18:53or straightened Nicky's hood on her coat for her
18:57before they went outside and gave her a kiss.
18:59On January 1st,
19:00we show Nicky and Earl at Riddle's Jewelry
19:03in Kirkwood Mall
19:04where she's getting the receipts
19:06and the invoices of all the jewelry
19:08she purchased for insurance purposes.
19:21The very day after the fire,
19:24Nicky filed a claim for property damage insurance
19:27she had just purchased.
19:41Plus, there was a recently purchased life insurance policy
19:45on Chad for $500,000.
19:47When you kind of start adding it all together
19:50that there's a large financial gain,
19:52the policy was purchased recently
19:53and that starts picking apart a motive for us.
20:01Okay, I'm ready.
20:03She kind of makes a decision,
20:05hey, you know,
20:07they have this much evidence.
20:09Maybe it's time I should try
20:10and help myself out in this
20:12and tell some of the truth.
20:15Tell me.
20:17What it is you want to say?
20:21Uh-huh.
20:22So that was like 1.10 in the morning?
20:24Yes.
20:25Okay.
20:34She passed the blame
20:36off to Earl in this case
20:38and said,
20:39Earl told me to wait in the car.
20:41How long were you in the car waiting for Earl?
20:46I don't know.
20:4815 minutes.
20:50Okay.
20:53This is all the same
20:53you told us earlier.
20:54Mine is just the fact
20:56that you went up to the car
20:57before Earl did.
20:58It's all the exact same s***.
21:00I'm not going to say
21:02what's going on now.
21:03Why?
21:04And what did Earl say?
21:07What?
21:08He's not alive.
21:11Earl said he's not alive.
21:13And then what?
21:15He might not be alive.
21:16I don't know for sure.
21:18He's a black.
21:24And then what did Earl tell you?
21:26Yeah, I think what's the time
21:29I don't know for him.
21:33Most of them are now.
21:35Okay.
21:36So here's my question for you
21:37regarding that.
21:38So, Chad's your husband, right?
21:40So, Earl comes out and says
21:41that he's shot.
21:43Or that Chad got shot in the house.
21:44It never occurred to you
21:47or you don't want to go check on him?
21:48I said, no, what?
21:50What do you mean?
21:51He goes,
21:54I don't know
21:54if I did or not.
21:57I don't know how bad he is.
21:58He goes,
22:00so bad for myself.
22:01She wrote a statement for us
22:04as to what actually occurred.
22:07and it having unlawful acts
22:09in that statement
22:10that she reaches out
22:13and says she needs
22:14to change her statement.
22:19And she tries to destroy
22:21that statement,
22:22but Aaron ends up
22:24grabbing it away from her.
22:29I think we all knew
22:30at that point
22:31that it's game over.
22:32She knows it's game over.
22:34On the evening of January 7th,
22:37our department interviewed
22:39and arrested
22:41Nikki Sue Ensel
22:43of Bismarck,
22:45the wife of Chad Ensel.
22:47Nikki Sue Ensel
22:48was charged with
22:49the crimes of conspiracy
22:50to commit murder,
22:52conspiracy to commit arson,
22:54and conspiracy to tampering
22:55with physical evidence.
22:57You know,
22:58they set the fire
22:58to destroy evidence.
22:59They also removed
23:00one of the shotgun shell hulls
23:02from the shotgun
23:03to make it look like a suicide.
23:05So that's the conspiracy
23:06to tamper with physical evidence.
23:11We were actually
23:12at the funeral home,
23:14the day of his funeral,
23:16and word came over
23:18that she was actually arrested.
23:20You could feel the anger
23:22in the room
23:22for what had happened,
23:23and they had approached me
23:25for some life insurance,
23:27and I was pissed.
23:29I said,
23:30she did this
23:30for that damn money.
23:32Before we had interviewed
23:34Nikki that day,
23:36Earl was only considered
23:37a person of interest.
23:38After the interview,
23:40we had developed probable cause
23:41to issue an arrest warrant
23:44and determine him
23:45to be a fugitive
23:46at this time.
23:48Our biggest fear
23:49was that him being
23:51a Canadian citizen
23:52was that he had already
23:53left the United States
23:55and went back into Canada.
23:57Last night
23:58at approximately
23:5911.45 p.m.,
24:01the Burley County
24:01Sheriff's Department
24:02was notified
24:04that 41-year-old
24:05Earl Howard
24:06had arrived
24:07at the Port Huron,
24:08Michigan border crossing.
24:10He was identified
24:11and arrested.
24:15Morning, Earl.
24:19Thank you, everyone.
24:20Appreciate it.
24:21Morning.
24:22That one?
24:23Oh, your hands are
24:24going to be on your back.
24:24Let me get those off first.
24:26We also charged
24:28Earl Howard with murder
24:29and arson
24:30along with those
24:31conspiracy counts.
24:32I think you know
24:33why we're here
24:33based on the warrants.
24:35Yes, sir.
24:36This is strictly
24:37your opportunity
24:39to help yourself
24:40and to help your family
24:42and bring questions
24:43and answers
24:43to the family involved.
24:46Okay.
24:47Tell us what happened.
24:50Detectives waited to see
24:52if he would turn
24:53on his lover.
25:01As prosecutors prepared
25:03for trial,
25:03they still did not know
25:05who actually shot
25:06Chad Ensel,
25:07his wife Nikki
25:08or her lover,
25:09Earl Howard.
25:11So which one of them,
25:12it didn't matter
25:13who actually pulled
25:14the trigger
25:14because we know
25:15one of them did.
25:16But then Earl Howard
25:17asked to make a deal.
25:19We don't have time
25:20to waste.
25:21We're not here
25:22to play games.
25:22We're here to be
25:23up front with you
25:24and we expect you
25:24to be up front with us.
25:27Chad and I had words.
25:29We were there
25:30for a while
25:33where she was looking
25:34for whatever the hell
25:34she was looking for.
25:37We had words.
25:38He asked me
25:39to leave his home
25:41or face police.
25:43I left.
25:45I sat in her car.
25:48She came back out
25:49after that
25:51and we left.
25:54On the way back
25:55to the hotel,
25:55she said,
25:56she shot Chad.
25:58I said,
25:59okay,
26:00I'll deal with it.
26:01Next morning,
26:02I went back
26:03and I set fire
26:04to that room.
26:07That's the end
26:07of that story.
26:09He was stating
26:10that he would
26:11testify against Nikki.
26:13When I set fire
26:14to that bedroom,
26:15I was really hoping
26:15that house
26:16would burn to the ground.
26:18And that way,
26:18we wouldn't be able
26:19to find anything
26:19that would link her
26:20to the homicide?
26:21Correct.
26:23You were planning
26:23to end the relationship?
26:25Yeah,
26:25once she was gone,
26:26I was ending it,
26:26no matter what.
26:27I would have figured out
26:28what to tell my wife
26:29after that.
26:30Why was that?
26:31Had anything happened
26:32to change your relationship
26:34with her?
26:36You could sniff out
26:37crazy eventually.
26:39She doesn't seem
26:40like she's all there
26:41all the time.
26:44And then word came
26:45from the county jail
26:46that Nikki wanted
26:47to talk to.
26:49Hey,
26:50what do you want
26:50to tell me today?
26:53I'm not.
26:53Okay.
26:55Okay.
26:58You know what?
27:01I knew that
27:03if I gave Nikki
27:04an inch to lie,
27:05she would lie.
27:06I had to play this
27:07more aggressive
27:08and move faster
27:09on it
27:11and really not
27:12give Nikki
27:13any room
27:14to wiggle
27:15on her story.
27:16This is a planned out thing.
27:21So my question is,
27:23probably the only answer
27:26I don't exactly know
27:27is who planned it.
27:30Was it you
27:31or was it girl
27:33who came up
27:33with this
27:34whole scenario?
27:37These are not
27:38coincidences
27:39that your kids
27:39are gone.
27:40It's this time
27:41of year.
27:43You've been having
27:44fake furnace problems
27:45at the place.
27:47This house
27:47has two fires set.
27:51Chad is dead
27:52from a gunshot wound.
27:57Good planned.
28:00What did you
28:01do?
28:05What did you
28:07What did you
28:08do?
28:09The plans
28:10started coming
28:11together.
28:13What did you
28:14do?
28:17You did not
28:18I just
28:20I just
28:20went home.
28:21Can't we just
28:22go?
28:25Yes.
28:27You said
28:28to college
28:28that I beat
28:29women.
28:33Don't just
28:34have to live.
28:37At any point
28:39while you
28:40were guys
28:40up there
28:40for almost
28:41two hours
28:43that you
28:43go in that
28:44room and
28:44see Chad
28:45had on the
28:45phone.
28:47Nice
28:48to meet
28:50until we
28:51collect
28:51in the
28:51car.
28:52What did
28:53you see
28:53mom,
28:53Chad?
28:57See
28:57my dad.
29:00And I
29:01never wanted
29:02this to be
29:02like this
29:03again.
29:03Just
29:04just
29:05thank you.
29:08You know
29:08all the
29:09base
29:09of
29:09everywhere
29:10for me.
29:13why not
29:14just leave?
29:15Yeah.
29:15Why not
29:16just leave?
29:16I think
29:16that's what
29:17his family
29:17wants to
29:17know.
29:19Why do you
29:19need to
29:20kill him?
29:21Why not
29:21just leave?
29:22When did
29:23you see?
29:26Who
29:26wanted to
29:26kill him?
29:30No.
29:33There
29:33were no
29:34fingerprints
29:34or DNA
29:35recovered from
29:36the gun
29:36to tell
29:37who had
29:37last
29:37handled it
29:38and pulled
29:39the trigger.
29:39The prosecutors
29:40concluded Earl's
29:42version of
29:42events was
29:43more likely.
29:44He was
29:45giving us
29:45information that
29:46was not
29:46actually disputed
29:47by the physical
29:48evidence that
29:49was found.
29:49So I
29:50dismissed the
29:50murder charge
29:51against Earl
29:52Howard and
29:53he ended up
29:53pleading guilty
29:54to all three of
29:55the conspiracy
29:56counts and the
29:57arson count.
29:57Nikki turned
29:58down her own
29:59chance at a
30:00plea deal and
30:01a reduced
30:01sentence so
30:02she would
30:03stand trial for
30:04first degree
30:05murder.
30:13We are going
30:14to head to
30:15North Dakota
30:16for the trial
30:16of Nikki Sue
30:17Ensel.
30:18Ensel is accused
30:19of conspiring
30:19with her former
30:20love interest
30:21Earl Howard to
30:22kill her husband
30:23Chad Ensel.
30:24Earl Howard did
30:25plead guilty and
30:26was sentenced to
30:2725 years in
30:28prison.
30:29Miss Lawyer,
30:30are you ready
30:31for your opening
30:31statement?
30:32I am your
30:33honor, thank
30:33you.
30:33You may
30:34proceed.
30:38On January
30:392nd, law
30:40enforcement, fire
30:41get dispatched to
30:424900 43rd Avenue
30:44Northeast in
30:45Burley County.
30:46The caller is
30:47the defendant,
30:47Nikki Ensel.
30:49It's smoky, I
30:49can't get in the
30:50door.
30:51It's smoky.
30:52In the far back
30:53bedroom, they
30:54find Chad Ensel
30:55naked and deceased
30:56on the floor.
30:59They also see a
31:01shotgun on the
31:02bed and a propane
31:03heater at the foot
31:04of the bed.
31:05On the surface, it
31:07appears that it may
31:08be a suicide, but as
31:10they looked, things
31:11weren't adding up.
31:12I told the jury,
31:13you're going to hear a
31:14lot of information.
31:15It's going to come at
31:16you kind of like it did
31:17the police.
31:17You're going to get
31:18all this stuff thrown
31:19at you and you're
31:19going to have to pay
31:20attention who was
31:21where, when, just like
31:23we did, so you get to
31:24be investigators.
31:26And once you do, it
31:28will show that Nikki
31:29Sue Ensel and Earl
31:30Howard agreed to kill
31:32Chad Ensel, agreed to
31:33set the house on fire,
31:35to collect the insurance
31:36benefits and to cover
31:37up the murder, and
31:38agreed to tamper with
31:39evidence by destroying
31:40or disposing of that
31:41second shotgun shell and
31:43setting a fire to cover
31:44up the evidence of the
31:46murder.
31:47You will find at the end
31:48that Nikki Ensel is
31:50guilty.
31:53Thanks very much.
31:54Would you like to do
31:55an opening statement
31:55now?
31:56Reserve in charge.
31:57All right.
32:03State calls Susan Ensel.
32:05Do you know Chad Ensel?
32:07Yes.
32:08How do you know him?
32:09Him and I were married
32:10for 17 years.
32:12Did you ever see him get
32:13into any fights?
32:15No.
32:16What was so upsetting
32:17about this case is that
32:18the fact that after Chad
32:20is dead, Nikki is out
32:23telling people that he
32:24was an abusive alcoholic
32:25when that was absolutely
32:26not what he was.
32:29That's why we had his
32:30ex-wife, Susie Ensel,
32:32come in and testify.
32:34What would happen when
32:35the two of you would have
32:36disagreements?
32:37He would usually walk
32:39away.
32:40He didn't want to talk
32:41about it or try and find
32:43resolution.
32:46Was there ever any
32:47violence in your marriage?
32:48No.
32:49Did you ever see him get
32:50violent when he drank?
32:52No.
32:53Did you ever see him
32:53violent at all?
32:54No.
32:56I have nothing further
32:57than your honor.
32:59Thank you, your honor.
33:01You got divorced in
33:01August 2014?
33:03Correct.
33:04So, you really haven't
33:06seen him in five years.
33:11Right?
33:12Correct.
33:13Yeah.
33:13Married to him for 17.
33:15Yeah.
33:16People can change in five
33:17years?
33:19Maybe?
33:20I don't believe to that
33:21extent.
33:23No further question,
33:24the honor.
33:25There was no evidence of
33:26her being abused.
33:27There was no evidence of
33:28Chad drinking the way that
33:30he did.
33:30The trial, it cleared that
33:31up.
33:36Brian Thompson is the next
33:38witness around him.
33:40Detective Brian Thompson
33:42analyzed the email and bank
33:44and credit card records of
33:45Nikki Yensel and Earl Howard,
33:47including Nikki sending copies
33:49of the recently purchased
33:51insurance policies to Howard.
33:54We had identified a
33:55progressive policy that
33:56had been opened just a few
33:59days prior to this
34:00incident.
34:01And the detective found
34:03that they had purchased an
34:04acetylene torch kit just
34:06prior to the murder.
34:07It was later found at the
34:08scene with both of its
34:10tanks empty.
34:11And for both of the tanks
34:13to be empty, I believe that
34:14there was an attempt made to
34:15actually cause a house to
34:16explode or to further the
34:18burning down of it.
34:19And the detective also found
34:21what was considered a very
34:23telling YouTube video that
34:25the two had exchanged.
34:26And you believed it was
34:28related to your investigation?
34:29Yes, I did.
34:30The video was played for the
34:32jury.
34:33If these cheap Kmart
34:34earrings are the best you
34:36can do this Christmas, then
34:37you can just follow them
34:38up.
34:38Where the wife is
34:40complaining about the gifts
34:41that she got for Christmas
34:42and the husband hands her
34:43keys to a brand new car with
34:45a bow in the driveway.
34:50Happy Christmas.
34:55And then the words Merry
34:56Christmas with a profanity are,
34:59you know, show up on the
35:00bottom.
35:01So we believe that that was
35:02kind of a joke between the
35:06two of them because that's
35:07what they ended up trying to
35:08do.
35:10I think what really spoke to
35:12the jury was showing that
35:13timeline, showing the video
35:15clips that were tied in with
35:16that timeline.
35:20And there was obviously a great
35:24attempt to try and
35:27deceit the investigation itself.
35:30The amount of effort that they
35:33put into it was just, it
35:36didn't pay off.
35:36It was very sloppy.
35:38This is the most bumbling
35:40two defendants I've ever seen.
35:42I don't know how they thought
35:43they weren't going to get
35:44caught.
35:45But we don't know who
35:46actually pulled the trigger
35:48and that's the issue.
35:49But what if they just blame
35:51Howard for everything?
35:53Could that get Enzo off on a
35:54not guilty?
36:00Welcome back to the Love
36:02Triangle murder case out of
36:03North Dakota.
36:04And to the surprise of
36:06Nikki's lawyers, the
36:07prosecution rested its case
36:09without calling Earl Howard to
36:11testify against her.
36:13So everybody asks, why didn't I
36:14call Earl Howard to testify,
36:16especially when he entered a
36:17plea?
36:17So even though he's pled guilty
36:19to the other four counts, if
36:21he's asked the ultimate
36:22question, did you kill Chad
36:24Enzo, he has the right to
36:25claim the fifth?
36:26And that doesn't go over so
36:27well with jurors either.
36:29It's like they're hiding
36:30something.
36:31Nikki Sue Enzo appeared to be
36:33very attentive during the
36:35trial, but also rather
36:37expressionless.
36:38Ultimately, she did not take
36:40the stand in her own defense
36:41and no witnesses were called
36:43by the defense in the trial.
36:44So the trial went straight
36:46into closing arguments.
36:48So Ms. Laurier, Laurier,
36:50let me do your closing
36:51argument.
36:55The bottom line is, was there
36:57an agreement between the
36:59defendant and Earl Howard to
37:01commit three different crimes?
37:03Those crimes are murder,
37:07arson and tampering with
37:09evidence.
37:10Despite the fact that the room
37:11was staged to make it look like
37:13a suicide, it was murder.
37:15There was an intentional killing
37:17of Chad.
37:18What all of this shows, along
37:20with all of the other evidence
37:21that we have presented, shows
37:23that there was a plan, and she
37:26admitted that there was a plan
37:27for them to kill Chad, file the
37:31insurance, and move to Texas
37:34together and live happily ever
37:36after.
37:43It's been a long seven days
37:46because we've had how many
37:48witnesses?
37:49Over 40.
37:50What is the big piece missing
37:52in this particular case?
37:54Where is Earl Howard?
37:56I've never seen him take the
37:58stand.
37:59Why not?
38:01Why is big question.
38:05It's unanswered.
38:08Unanswered questions raise doubt.
38:12A lot of doubt.
38:14An alleged co-conspirator.
38:16You would think that would be
38:17the most important witness that
38:19you could put on the stand.
38:22He's not here.
38:24He hasn't testified to nothing.
38:26Why not just bring Earl Howard
38:28into court to testify?
38:30If you can resolve the question
38:31why?
38:35Or if you can't resolve the
38:36question why?
38:42The jury began deliberations
38:44and they came back with a
38:45verdict same day.
38:46For all the evidence that the
38:47jury had to go through, it was
38:50fairly quick.
38:51And is this a unanimous verdict
38:55by the jury?
38:56Yes, it is.
38:58We, the jury, duly impaneled and
39:00sworn to try the above entitled
39:02action to make the following
39:03finding regarding the defendant
39:05Nikki Sue Melissa Insel.
39:08Conspiracy to commit murder.
39:10As to the charge of conspiracy to
39:12commit murder, we find the
39:14defendant guilty.
39:18guilty.
39:30My name is Lori Krause, and I'm Chad's sister.
39:38You took many things away from us.
39:42Birthday celebrations, holidays, Sundays, just because
39:47get-togethers, and most importantly, a piece of my heart.
39:52All because you chose money over human life.
39:57You sat with my family and cried with us.
40:00Fake tears moped out because you had none during the trial.
40:04Now because of your selfish actions, he no longer gets to be with his family.
40:10Watch his nephews grow up.
40:14Graduate high school or get married.
40:19Nikki's two sons are with her family, but no one from the family spoke on her behalf.
40:24You do not have to speak but you have the opportunity to.
40:38She maintained this story that Chad was abusive, and in fact she seemed to add on to it and say
40:46that not only was Chad abusive to her, Chad was also abusive to her two boys.
40:51My heart's a mess, I get told I need to take a plea deal, it's going to be this way,
40:59I don't want to, I want to have my chance, it's my right to go to trial, but I get
41:06told that if I don't, the prosecutor's going to make sure I sit and rot and my kids never get
41:13to see me again, this isn't right.
41:15I'm asking your honor to please have consideration when you do a sense of me. Thank you.
41:24I have seen no evidence that Mr. Insel abused this incident.
41:32Nothing was presented at trial, it's just her self-proclaimed statements, and those have changed today.
41:40At least this is the first time I recall claiming that he abused the voice.
41:45And so it seems to be a never changing story, depending on what fits her circumstances and what she thinks
41:51will help her.
41:52So I see no mitigating circumstance of being abused or provoked into causing the death of Mr. Insel.
42:03And so to me, my decision is whether it's life or life without the possibility of trial.
42:11Anything else I believe would be a grave injustice.
42:15On count one, considering all the factors, I'm going to impose a life sentence.
42:21I will not do that without the possibility of parole, as significant as murder is.
42:29There is the possibility that through proper counseling and other help that Mr. Insel may be able to be released
42:36down the road and be able to be a productive member of society.
42:42She thought she could outsmart everybody in this, and she didn't expect this outcome.
42:48It was a sense of relief to say she can't do this to anybody else.
42:52I still have photos of those days.
42:55How can somebody go from being super happy and, you know, best day of their lives to turning into this
43:03evil, evil person that took somebody else's life?
Comments