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I've been a writer for almost 50 years.

And I have never encountered a story like this that was such a combination of utter tragedy

and happiness. We call this story the beating heart because a heart survived a tragic event.

So it was Christmas 1986, all the Christmas cheer of the season, everyone's happy, smiling.

So it was the best Christmas ever. I was falling hard in love and then it all ended.

Police got a call around 2am that shots were fired at an apartment complex and they rushed

to the scene. The first detective on the scene was Detective Tommy Lee.

Went up to the second floor to the apartment, walked in and a young 19-year-old female was

laying on the floor with what appeared to be blood coming from her face and her head and her eyes.

The victim was Karen Irmert. At 2.30am Saturday, Karen Irmert was found dead in her apartment

shot three times in the head. Detective Lee is looking at this horrifying scene

and suddenly a woman shows up and it's the victim's mother.

We look at each other in the face and I said I hate to tell you this but your 19-year-old

daughter is dead. She was murdered and she claps in my arms.

Tommy, I can't imagine there's anything you learn in the academy that prepares you

for a moment like that. I'll never forget it. You never forget telling a mother

that her 19-year-old daughter has been murdered. I was shocked. I didn't believe it at first.

My name is Rich Leap. I had known Karen Irmert for several years and we had recently started dating

and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't imagine what happened.

When I'm upstairs in my room, they're down in my bed and I think I cried for 12 hours.

...