Who killed Dennis and Merna Koula?

The jury in Eric Koula's case deliberates 20 hours over three days. As Eric braces for the verdict, he acknowledges he played a role in placing himself at the defense table.

"I'm not a killer, did not kill them," he said. "I did two dumb things, yes. I wrote that note. And I said that my father signed the check."

But will the jury see Eric's lies as dumb or devious?

Eric is found guilty of killing both his parents as well as an additional charge of forging his father's name on that $50,000 check.

Video: Koula jurors speak out

"I just couldn't believe it. I don't know how they -- arrived at that. You know, hear, 'Guilty, guilty, guilty,' over and over and over from each of 'em ... and I'm like, 'I didn't do it. I didn't do it.' Just reverberates in your head," he said.

"And my heart just stopped for a second there," Cindy Cowell said.

"It's like, 'Wow!' Eight-million thoughts through your head. 'Mom and Dad are dead. Their killer's going to prison, was found guilty. Wait a second. That killer's my brother.'"

Eric's wife, Christine, was dumbfounded.

"Total injustice, absolutely total injustice," she said.

"Have you ever had a moment of doubt?" Van Sant asked.

"None, ever, ever, never, ever, ever, no," she replied.

"I want people to know that this evil, cruel man that they've heard about that killed his parents is not my father. And that he had nothing to do with this, never has, never will," said Eric's son, Dexter.

Video: Dexter Koula on standing by his father

"He didn't see my parents as parents. He saw them as an ATM machine. And when the ATM machine was out of cash on his debit card, he did the only thing he thought was what he could get away with," said Cindy.

Cindy Cowell also knows that one fateful last act by her mom helped convict her brother by punching a hole in Eric's alibi.

"The fact that when your mother died, she did touch that keyboard. And that told authorities the time of death, at 5:41," Van Sant noted.

"Your mother played a role in his conviction by hitting that key."

"Yeah. She did -- she did. She brought justice for her and Dad," Cindy said in tears.

Two months after the guilty verdict, Eric is back for sentencing. Cindy addresses the court.

"Your Honor, life is not fair. All I can ask for is justice," she said.

Video

Remembering Dennis and Merna Koula »

Eric also chooses to speak, seeking one last chance to be believed:

"I have been convicted of this crime, Your Honor, that I did not do. I did not kill my mom and dad. ... And I'm gonna go on and continue to fight for my innoc -- and prove that I am innocent to show people that I did not do this. I will not quit. Who is responsible for this is still out there."

Judge Scott Horne hands down Eric's sentence:

"You took the life of the two people who gave you life. And you'll spend the rest of your life incarcerated."

Eric is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Cindy Cowell has justice, but little peace.

"It's evil and it's still hard for me to believe that someone who once kissed me on my head when I was a baby could turn around and kill the mother and the father who were responsible for giving them life in the first place," she said.

Eric Koula received nothing from his parents' estate.

His children have filed suit to claim a portion of the money that would have been their father's.

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[labradors1234]

I love it when people say "he didnt' look a certain way" You're all expert witness' in body language? I have followed this case. He didn't do it. Coming from MN I can say with all honesty the mid west is not all that bright. He deserves a new trial. The sister is just a loose cannon. There is no evidence linking him to this case. Dumb moves yes, but no evidence. You can't convict on stupidity. Except in WI where they are not to bright.

[wonderingonr]

Just wondering about something else could the people he sold the car dealership to have been mad.He sold the dealership just before the crash???Did the Koula's have a security system these are not that expensive and a insurance policy many should consider.Any one that gained alot of money should be checked out.The guy making threats to the banker if he had a aliby he should have been more of a suspect not less.In this day in age to make threats is real serious.If eric hadn't taken the stand he might be free now.Did eric buy the plant outside the shopko cause in the summer they sell plants in the parking lots???

[Jonseen]

That $50,000 blank check is difficult to get past. He lied about it, and admits he lied about it BUT only after it was proved that he lied about it. I can see why the jury believed the circumstantial evidence: that check is a big factor, IMO.

Who hands somebody a blank check like that? And not even signed? Nobody that I ever heard of.

[nosnobs]

The state of Wisconsin has three times the prisoners, Minnesota has! It has zero tolerance. This should change, but who out of these poop-don't-stink people are going to do that?! Thanks goodness, not everyone is like this, but alot of them are.

[digitaldiscovery]

Please refrain from judging a person's guilt based only on what a witness said. As an example, DNA evidence just freed a man today in Texas whose children grew up without him because two witnesses lied in court. DNA evidence proved him not guilty. Focus on the evidence. In the Koula case, a forensic investigation company filed a report in the LaCrosse Co. court that showed many failures in the investigation. How about the fact that 8 shoe lifts found at the scene suggested an unknown doer or doers? How about the fact that the bullets recovered from the Koulas are different weights, consistent with two different .22 bullets from two different guns (likely from two different shooters.) How about NO firearm, ballistic, DNA or blood evidence that suggested Eric was the shooter? Every jury member had to be convinced that he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If evidence was properly collected and presented to them, and they reviewed the evidence properly, I don't believe there would have been a conviction. He may be guilty, but he wasn't PROVEN guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That is what the law enforcement and the court should do. They didn't. I am thankful that CBS aired this segment and hope they continue to alert people to wrongful convictions like this. Maybe someday, someone in charge of the Wisconsin criminal justice system will care enough to stop disasters like this from happening. I'm not holding my breath.

[Smartcookie11]

I watched this episode very carefully and think that there is not enough evidence to convict this man. I think he needs a retrial. There were experts that testified that they believe it was a professional hitman that did it. This seems out of character for Eric.
And a sidenote--his sister appears to give him no support at all==has anyone looked at her as a suspect? She makes very poor eye contact during her interviews. She presents herself very unattractively and I feel she is hiding something.

The bottom line is--with all today's cutting edge forensics--use this to give this man another trial and show us the evidence truly that he is guilty or let him go.

[Wildwood1966]

@smartcookie11 I so agree with you - I never miss 48 hour my fav onSaturday night - I also watched very closely and I am unsure how the jury could not have resonable doubt - I hope he gets a retrial - it is funny how little was said about sister etc

[sherlockdonna]

As I watched the son telling his story and listened to the 911 call I was immediately suspicious of Eric's demeanor, I had no idea that he had been tried and convicted for these murders until I read the story as the video lost it's volume at about 1/4 of the way through. When Eric spoke about his parents there was no warmth in his facial expressions.He called 911 without having looked for his mother, that was a BIG red flag for me, his father is dead laying on the floor, my first thought would be to immediately find my mother! His crocodile tears, the big check, the note all point to his guilt! The motive is clear, Greed! He never had to man up and work for a living because his Father provided well for the family, he was a greed fueled killer that thought he was too smart to get caught!

[purpledj]

first let me say i am very disappointed in the jury...did they not listen to the facts? i don't see how they could convict without a doubt. give me a break. there was not enough evidence to even bring the man to trial. i don't believe that he killed his parents and i hope he is freed one day. this next comment may offend some and i really try not to judge people but...i had a real problem with the sister...first off she was obviously jealous of her brother because he got more money from dad than she did. i did not believe she was sincere and she was too dramatic. i personally believed her brother and his family. why wasn't she a suspect because she too was being cutoff by her dad so who was going to make her house payments???????

[Wildwood1966]

agree 100 percent!!

[2morelou]

i was thinking the same thing, i think her tears more of a joy. i'm sorry but that's how i felt. and i think they stuck on their suspicion with him because of the lies but i hope and pray to God that if he is innocent to have his conviction overturn

[nosnobs]

How far is Shopko from the parent's home?? He killed the mother, supposedly, at 5:41 and paid for the Shopko plant at 6:15. Very fast manuvering. Plus his father was shot approximately at 6 pm. So in just 15 minutes he drove from his parents to Shopko, picked out a plant, and paid for it! Did they have a survellience camera at the checkouts or just coming in the doors and going out???

[Sarah_WI]

No casher remembers waiting on Eric. Who's to say that the wife wasn't buying plants just because? What guy goes to two different Shopkos to look at plants, and then isn't seen on the surveillance at the North Shopko. The camera pointed at the parking lot, this was an outdoor garden area we're talking about here, so unless he parked down the street and walked in and somehow managed to avoid the cameras becuase he's James Bond, it makes NO sense he wasn't on the surveillance. It's because he was NEVER there.

[lax66]

The last Shopko he stopped at is not far from the home of his parents, this is a small community. In real time, he could have done this terrible act. I understand that the evidence was circumstantial, however, sometimes circumstantial evidence is overwhelming, as in this case. I live here. Rumors fly. I feel that the police have done excellent work here and the correct person IS in jail, where he belongs.

[rapshakes]

I researched this is some of the local papers and found that Eric's father's checkbook was found at Eric's residence. Also, Eric's wife stated that on the day of the murder, her mother-in-law was at her home at 5:30 delivering anniversary gifts. This is not possible because she was at her computer at 5:14.

[Sarah_WI]

I remember something early on that was presented (I followed every day of the trial and read the report in its entirety) where it showed multiple attempts at his father's signature at his house, like they found what he was tracing over (a notepad or something?). And the envelope which the "fixed you" note was sent in matched envelopes in the Koula home and that's how they got him on it and yep, then he suddenly had to fess up it was him who wrote it. He wasn't going to say it otherwise. The envelopes had a certain defect on them which was unique and they tracked it down by lot #. That wasn't part of the 48 Hours presentation, nor was the fact that Koula used to do target shooting in his backyard with his .22.

[wonderingonr]

I've followed this case for sometime.I thought cell phone pings placed eric near the home about the time of the murder but that is not mentioned.Even if the person had a alibi that made the threats could he have sent someone.There does seem to be reasonable doubt.This is not the first sad case involving day trading but eric would have soon spent all his dads money if he kept day trading.Did a neighbor see a vehicle about the time of the murders?? If he were a hardened liar he would never admitted to writing the note in the mail box or forging the check.I do recall all this work took the state a lot of time to follow the money trail and establish the forgery.There are no winners here.Money is the root of all evil.Lastly there were reports of a stranger in the area that day too at a nearby bar i believe.