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Jed Boal ReportingCody Nielsen has dodged the death penalty, but he'll spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole.
The jury took only two and a half hours to decide they could not send Cody Nielsen to his execution. The prosecution and the victim's family are satisfied.
It was 1332 days ago that Trisha Autry disappeared without a trace. Her family searched feverishly with no leads. Eleven months later with the help of a private investigator, her remains were found buried and burned at a research facility in June 2001.
Cody Nielsen who stalked the girl as she walked home from school is now a convicted killer and will never walk the streets again. Trisha's mother, JoAnn Autry says they feel forgiveness -- if they don't forgive, evil wins twice.
Nielsen's attorney says Nielsen was relieved to dodge the death penalty but is also struggling with the reality that he'll never be free.
The Autrys have started the Trisha Autry Foundation to help other families avoid their nightmare.
