Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Murderous Cop or Innocent Gunman?’ of A&E’s ‘Accused: Did I Do it?’ chronicles the tragic shooting death of Nicholas “Nick” Lile in his house, at the hands of an off-duty police officer named Timothy “Tim” Thomas, who had been invited to his residence by his wife’s friend, Angela Gauler. In his defense, Tim claimed that Nick had threatened to kill him, which made him fear for his life and pushed him to shoot the alleged aggressor. The documentary delves deep into the investigation that ensued through the exclusive interview with Tim himself.
Timothy “Tim” Thomas Claimed He Killed Nicholas Lile in Self-Defense
Son of Patricia Thomas and brother of Amy Kasbohm, Timothy R. Thomas served in the US Army for about two decades, during which he was based in different places, including Afghanistan and Iraq. After retiring from the Army, he became the supervisory federal law enforcement officer for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. On one of the seemingly regular nights, on January 3, 2021, he received a text from one of his friends, Angela Gauler, who invited him to join her and her friend, Jessika, at the latter’s house in the 17900 block of Lincoln Court in Indianapolis, Indiana, for drinks and chat. After a 45-minute drive, he knocked on the door and was greeted by Jessika’s husband, Nicholas “Nick” Lile.
Tim joined everybody in the basement of the Lile residence and was introduced to Jessika. While the two women were busy talking amongst themselves, Tim and Nick took the opportunity to get to know each other. It turned out that just like Tim, Nick also claimed that he had served the nation as a US Navy Corpsman and as a Scout Sniper in the Marines. However, their conversation reportedly started getting a bit more heated, after which Tim allegedly decided to take everyone’s leave. Before he could leave, according to Tim, Nick stopped him and tackled him to the floor, where he allegedly choked and punched him while threatening to kill him.
Somehow, Tim managed to get out of his hold, brandished his gun, and revealed that he was a police officer. Tim claimed that it didn’t stop Nick as he lunged right at him, and that was when Tim pulled the trigger of his gun twice and struck him in his chest, allegedly in self-defense. After leaving the property, he then called 911 and reported the incident to the authorities himself. When the police arrived at the crime scene, they took him into custody and charged him with voluntary manslaughter. During his interrogation, he claimed that he acted in self-defense and told the detectives his version of the events.
Timothy “Tim” Thomas’ Manslaughter Charge Was Soon Upgraded to Murder
On the same night, Nick’s wife, Jessika, was interviewed about the incident, but her version of the night differed from that of the accused. She told the investigators that Tim and Nick seemed to be having a “good-natured joking” and denied them being involved in a physical altercation. The following day, the other witness, Angela, was interviewed. She claimed that she saw the two men involved in a physical fight but could not remember the details. After spending nearly two days behind bars, Tim posted bond and was released from jail. However, about three weeks later, on January 27, he was arrested again as his charge was upped from voluntary manslaughter to murder.
On top of that, Angela Gauler recanted his original statement about the physical altercation and claimed that she could not remember any details from the night due to intoxication. Upon checking phone call records between Jessika and Angela, it turned out that Jessika had influenced her to change her original statement. About a month after he was arrested for murder, Tim was granted bail, but two additional charges were added to the murder charge — aggravated battery and battery.
Timothy “Tim” Thomas is Currently Incarcerated at an Indiana Prison Facility
Deciding to take his chances at court, Timothy R. Thomas pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him in connection with the murder of 42-year-old Nicholas Lile. In November 2021, the trial commenced. While the prosecution presented evidence to support their argument that the defendant killed the victim intentionally, the defense argued that he acted in self-defense as he was scared for his life. On the fourth day, on November 19, 2021, Tim took the stand himself and testified, recounting his version of the fateful night. Finally, on November 24, the jury reached a verdict and found him not guilty of murder. However, he was convicted of aggravated battery and battery.
A few months later, on January 14, 2022, Tim was sentenced to 16 years in prison. More than a year later, in early March 2023, the convict filed an appeal to have his convictions overturned. In his appeal, he argued that since his murder charge was dismissed, it meant that the jury believed his self-defense claim. In that case, his aggravated battery charge should also have been dismissed since it was also reliant on the same evidence. However, the appeals court found his argument unconvincing and rejected his appeal on a 3-0 ruling. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Westville Correctional Facility in Westville, Indiana, with his earliest possible release date scheduled for September 2033.
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