Nick Firkus sentenced to life in prison in 2010 murder of wife Heidi
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A St. Paul man will serve a mandatory life sentence after being convicted for the 2010 murder of his wife.
A jury found Nick Firkus guilty of first- and second-degree murder in Heidi Firkus' killing in February.
The crime occurred in 2010, but the case went cold for more than a decade and Nick Firkus wasn't charged until May 2021. In 2010, he told police someone broke into their St. Paul home, took his shotgun and killed his wife.
Investigators later determined Nick Firkus shot his wife in the back one day before their home was set to be foreclosed.
In the courtroom Thursday, Nick Firkus continued to maintain his innocence while the victim's family and friends spoke of their anguish and sense of betrayal.
The victim's brother went first, talking about his continuing grief over the loss of his sister.
"I really miss my sister ... though the load is lighter knowing the truth of her story has been won," Peter Erickson said.
Several of her close friends also spoke out.
"Because of Nick Firkus I never get to see my friend again. Because of Nick Firkus, Heidi is missing out on so much," Jessie Bain said.
Prosecutors argued the motive was that Nick Firkus trying to save his reputation. They argued that Heidi Firkus did not know that he had not paid the mortgage in 22 months, and the very next day the couple was going to be evicted.
Nick Firkus showed no emotion until he began wiping away tears as his friends and his family expressed their continued belief in him.