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PRODUCER:
Go right ahead, Ted.
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GUNDERSON:
Helena, Judge Franklin Dupree
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of Raleigh, North Carolina,
U. S. district court
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said that you are, quote,
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"One of the most tragic figures
he has ever seen,
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"simply cannot attach
any credibility to you.
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You are in a constant
state of hallucination."
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Yes, I'm a fabricator.
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Let's see, what else?
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Fabricator, liar,
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publicity seeker.
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And what have I been doing?
I've been trying to run
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to keep away from publicity.
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And still they say
that's all I want.
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Isn't that
what I've been doing?
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I've been trying to stay away.
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Uh, you've given
Mr. Beasley and me
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a voluminous amount
of information
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about the murders and so forth.
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Going back to the trial‐‐
did you divulge
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any of the information
you've given us here tonight?
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No, sir.
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‐You didn't?
‐No. I perjured myself then.
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But if you'd come forth
with this information,
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he may not have
gone to... to, uh, prison?
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And at that point
I could have gone myself.
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So, you basically were trying
to keep yourself
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from going to prison?
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Yes, sir.
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Aren't you concerned about
being on television, then?
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No, sir, I feel that, uh,
Captain Jeffrey MacDonald
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should be freed
once and for all,
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and not to have to go through
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all of what
he's been going through
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for the last several years.
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The wife and two youngdaughters of an Army doctor
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were found dead in their homein Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
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SAM DONALDSON:You may remember the crimeback in 1970.
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One of America's mostsensational murder cases.
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One of the most bizarremurder cases.
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DAN RATHER:The most complicatedmurder case
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‐in history.‐MacDonald says the murderers
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were three menand a woman shouting,
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"Acid is great.Kill all the pigs."
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It's a baffling story the moreyou begin to look into it.
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Jeffrey MacDonald's life becamethe subject of a book.
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BARBARA WALTERS:A popular miniseries.
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A television movie
called Fatal Vision.
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REPORTER:The best‐sellerportrayed MacDonald
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as a cold‐blooded killer.
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REPORTER 2:Today, MacDonald was sentenced
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to three life terms in prison.
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MAN: Something really,really bad happened here.
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It was a miscarriageof justice.
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I cannot overcome Fatal Vision.
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MORRIS:What happens when a narrative
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takes the place of reality?
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It's almost as if nothingreally happened in history
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unless it has beenrecorded in a movie
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or in a television series.
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WOMAN:A new book by acclaimedauthor and filmmaker
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Errol Morrissays that the case
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may be more complicatedthan previously thought.
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MacDONALD:I did not hurt my wifeor my children.
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HELENA:That evening I was wearing
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a blonde wig and a floppy hat.
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‐MAN: An innocent manis in jail today.‐MILDRED: The man is guilty
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‐as can be.‐I am innocent.
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He's lucky I haven'tgone out and killed him.
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MacDONALD:I am not that monster.
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♪♪ ♪♪
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Testing, testing.
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Jeff to Joe,
side two on tape three.
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I'm not trying to be dramatic,
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but I can tell you thatthere's no feeling as deep
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as the feelingof suddenly being locked up
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in a solitary steel cell...
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alone from the world,and being told
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that you're spending the restof your natural life there.
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The best I can say is...
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it's a feeling that must bevery close to death.
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I hope you understand the depthof my despair and anguish.
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If you have a distinct need formore questions at this time,
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fire them off,
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and I'll get going on it.
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Keep the writing goingon your end.
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Jeff.
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Ladies and gentlemen, will you
welcome, please, Joe McGinniss.
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(applause)
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WALTERS:In 1969,
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a 26‐year‐old journalist
named Joe McGinniss
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saw his book,
The Selling of the President,
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soar to the top
of the best‐seller list.
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DOHERTY:I was working forSimon & Schuster,
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which published Joe's book.
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He was having a party.
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I crashed the party,
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and, uh...
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our eyes met
across the crowded room,
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and it was just
one of those things.
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♪♪ ♪♪
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He was a star at that point.
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People would actually
recognize him,
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which was amazing for a writer.
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Fast‐forward nine yearsto 1979,
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and Joe was dying to findthe next book.
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He was pretty excited.
He thought it was
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an amazing story that, uh,
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Jeff had to tell
about what he'd been through.
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He was very charmed by Jeff.
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Jeff and Bernie were looking
for a writer.
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They liked Joe,and Joe had a reputation.
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Jeff told me Joe's gonna be
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part of the defense team.
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I didn't like that.
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I just instinctively
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didn't want to have non‐lawyers
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poking around what we're doing.
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DOHERTY:In just about three weeks,
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Joe flew down to Raleigh,North Carolina.
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They rented a fraternity house
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on the campus of, uh,
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North CarolinaState University,
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and he moved in
with the defense team.
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DOHERTY: Yeah. Yeah.
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(typewriter carriage turning)
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(click)
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(typing)
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McGINNISS:Dear Jeff...
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there cannot bea worse nightmare
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than the oneyou're living through now.
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Total strangers can seewithin five minutes
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that you did notreceive a fair trial.
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Joe was almost always
around Jeff,
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and they seemed to be
big buddies.
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DOHERTY:Joe was very investedin being one of the guys.
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Buying three‐piece suits.(laughs)
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Going out on beer runs.
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It was not
a fly‐on‐the‐wall situation.
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Let's put it that way.
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(typing)
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McGINNISS:Goddamn, Jeff,
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One of the worst thingsabout all this
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is how suddenly and totally allyour friends‐‐ self included‐‐
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have been deprived ofthe pleasure of your company.
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He was as big a cheerleader
as Bernie was.
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Bernie, at some point, knewthings weren't going so well.
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But Joe was always, you know,"Oh, don't worry,
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everything's gonna be okay."
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McGINNISS:Spend a summermaking a new friend
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and then the bastardscome along
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and lock him up.
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ROGER MUDD: In Raleigh,
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North Carolina, today,
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a jury convicted
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald
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for murdering his wife
and two children nine years ago.
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MacDonald, a former
Green Beret captain,
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was sentenced
to three life terms in prison.
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(continuing in distance):The jury convicted himof first degree murder
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in the bludgeoningand stabbing slaying
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of his two‐year‐old daughter
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(fades out):and the second degree murder...
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DOHERTY:After MacDonald was convicted,
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Joe came home.
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Joe and Jeff had to havea way to communicate.
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They decided thatJeff was going to send Joe
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tape recordings.
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MacDONALD:Dear Joe,
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I made myself a promise notto question you on the book.
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I still have to go with that.
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I'm looking for any way out
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and was hopingto be encouraged by you.
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We have to trustour gut feelings
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and try as best we canto ignore the inherent paranoia
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in this situation.
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Hope you, Nancy and the kidsare all okay.
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Jeff.
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Then the obsession began.
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He brought himself up to dateon everything
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that had happened previously‐‐
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testimony from the Article 32,newspaper reports, transcripts,
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psychological reports‐‐ going
over and over every detail.
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MacDONALD:Dear Joe, you know,
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in here everyone thinks...
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McGINNISS:Dear Jeff,
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they wince a littlewhen they...
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DOHERTY:It gave him more distance
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from the Jeffthat he felt close to.
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MacDONALD:Side one, tape 11...
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DOHERTY:One of his...
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biggest discoveries was
he found Jeff's notes
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from right afterthe night of the murders.
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He was advised to write downeverything that he remembered,
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and he'd written down
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that he'd been takinga drug called Eskatrol.
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McGINNISS:Among the side effectsof this drug are,
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when taken to excessby susceptible individuals,
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temporary psychosis,
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often manifestedas a rage reaction.
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DOHERTY:That was something that seemed
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really significant to Joe,
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and...
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he started to just get...
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more and more...
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...alienated and scared.
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MALLEY:I kept in touchwith Joe McGinniss
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for a year afterwards.
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(doorbell rings)
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In fact, I went to see him.
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I said, you know,"How's the book coming?"
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He said,
"Oh, it's getting tough."
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Um, and I said,
"What does that mean?"
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He said, "Well, you know,
what I told you before."
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I said,
"The endings are really tough."
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DOHERTY:Joe thought he washaving a heart attack.
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We wind up goingto the emergency room
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with Mike Malley, um, in tow.
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And it turned out
he was having a panic attack.
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It was the first time
he ever had a panic attack.
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McGINNISS:To put it simply,
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it was a conflict between my...
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‐w‐what my head told me
had to be true
‐MAN: Yeah.
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and what my heart told me
couldn't be true.
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♪♪ ♪♪
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McGINNISS:Dear Jeff,
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I hear you're gloomy.
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No surprise.
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Waiting is bad enough,but here you'll never know
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how long you have to wait.
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Anyway, when I do getthe new treatment finished‐‐
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when and if‐‐I still can't send it to you
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because I don't ever showanybody anything I'm working on
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until it's readyfor publication.
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The title was finallyone which I chose mainly
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on instinct and gut feeling:
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Fatal Vision.
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(music playing over TV)
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ANNOUNCER:And now, the movie some people
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don't want you to see‐‐
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the most controversialtrue crime story of the decade,
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based on today's best seller,
Fatal Vision.
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SMERLING: What's it like to see
this extremely personal story
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made into a teleplay?
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That must be strange.
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Everything was dead‐on.
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Everything was right.
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KIMBERLEY (dramatized):Daddy!
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BRYANT GUMBEL:NBC has presenteda dramatization
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‐of the MacDonald case
and titled it Fatal Vision,
‐Daddy!
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based on the best‐selling book
of the same name
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by Joe McGinniss.
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ANCHOR:Like the book,
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the miniseries Fatal Vision
is Joe McGinniss' search
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00:12:10,196 --> 00:12:12,699
for the truth
of what happened before,
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00:12:12,766 --> 00:12:16,102
after and on that nightin 1970.
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MacDONALD (dramatized):You're sitting here telling me
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that I killed my wife and kids?
258
00:12:20,340 --> 00:12:22,743
DOHERTY:NBC wanted to make a miniseries
259
00:12:22,809 --> 00:12:24,711
of Fatal Vision
pretty much right away.
260
00:12:24,778 --> 00:12:25,879
You think now you can get ahold
261
00:12:25,946 --> 00:12:27,347
of that Article 32transcript for me?
262
00:12:27,413 --> 00:12:29,115
I'd like to read everythingthat was said at that hearing.
263
00:12:29,182 --> 00:12:30,651
Well, look, Freddy,I'm really busy right now.
264
00:12:30,717 --> 00:12:32,653
‐I got the television...‐Sure. I understand.
265
00:12:32,719 --> 00:12:34,387
DOHERTY:Seeing it, it hada different kind of impact
266
00:12:34,454 --> 00:12:35,622
than reading about it.
267
00:12:35,689 --> 00:12:39,425
It certainly boostedsales of the book.
268
00:12:41,027 --> 00:12:43,129
Millions of viewers
watched the two‐part series
269
00:12:43,196 --> 00:12:47,000
of Fatal Vision here on NBC,
60 million on Sunday alone.
270
00:12:47,067 --> 00:12:49,202
Look, the guywas on a 24‐hour shift
271
00:12:49,269 --> 00:12:50,871
the night before the murders.
272
00:12:50,937 --> 00:12:53,373
Then he put in a full dayat the office.
273
00:12:53,439 --> 00:12:57,010
So maybe he was taking pillsto keep himself going.
274
00:12:57,077 --> 00:12:58,311
MASEWICZ:I was
275
00:12:58,378 --> 00:13:00,714
glued to the TV.
I couldn't believe it.
276
00:13:00,781 --> 00:13:03,684
And back then,
we had the old VHS,
277
00:13:03,750 --> 00:13:05,919
and I recorded it.
(laughs)
278
00:13:05,986 --> 00:13:08,054
So th... I can't tell you
how many times
279
00:13:08,121 --> 00:13:09,690
I've watched that movie.
280
00:13:09,756 --> 00:13:12,859
There are at least four peoplerunning around out there
281
00:13:12,926 --> 00:13:14,795
who have, uh...
282
00:13:15,629 --> 00:13:19,199
...murdered three people.
283
00:13:19,265 --> 00:13:21,167
LARRY KING:Karl Malden had you down
284
00:13:21,234 --> 00:13:23,469
‐to a T, didn't he?
‐Absolutely.
285
00:13:23,537 --> 00:13:25,706
WOMAN:Is the defendantJeffrey R. MacDonald
286
00:13:25,772 --> 00:13:28,775
guilty or not guilty
287
00:13:28,842 --> 00:13:32,078
of murder in the first degree?
288
00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:34,014
ALL:Guilty.
289
00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,818
(echoing):Guilty. Guilty.
290
00:13:43,990 --> 00:13:46,993
When you learned of this,
t‐to you, betrayal,
291
00:13:47,060 --> 00:13:48,529
what was your first reaction?
292
00:13:48,595 --> 00:13:50,196
I was devastated, Larry.
293
00:13:50,263 --> 00:13:53,800
It was one of the five or six...
294
00:13:53,867 --> 00:13:57,604
m‐most destructive days
to my psyche ever,
295
00:13:57,671 --> 00:14:00,473
following the murders
and then the false accusation.
296
00:14:00,541 --> 00:14:03,176
‐This was‐this was
an awful thing.
‐He was your friend.
297
00:14:03,243 --> 00:14:06,012
H‐He acted as my best friend,
not just my friend.
298
00:14:06,079 --> 00:14:08,081
My best friend.
My confidante.
299
00:14:08,148 --> 00:14:11,685
We talked for four years.
He lived in my condominium.
300
00:14:11,752 --> 00:14:15,255
My girlfriend at the time
was cooking him dinner.
301
00:14:18,424 --> 00:14:20,226
JANE PAULEY:You, um,
302
00:14:20,293 --> 00:14:22,563
never let on to him
that you had‐had found him,
303
00:14:22,629 --> 00:14:25,065
in your own heart
of hearts, guilty.
304
00:14:25,131 --> 00:14:27,033
Did that pose
an ethical problem for you?
305
00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:29,302
Should you have told him
and pulled out of the project?
306
00:14:29,369 --> 00:14:31,772
Well, no, because, uh,
when I got into the project,
307
00:14:31,838 --> 00:14:33,439
uh, my only ambition
308
00:14:33,507 --> 00:14:36,209
was to learn as much
of the truth as I could
309
00:14:36,276 --> 00:14:39,012
and then to tell it
as well as I could.
310
00:14:45,418 --> 00:14:48,622
MORRIS:My gripe with Joe McGinniss
311
00:14:48,689 --> 00:14:50,791
is not that he...
312
00:14:50,857 --> 00:14:54,327
lied to Jeffrey MacDonald.
313
00:14:55,161 --> 00:14:56,296
My gripe is that
314
00:14:56,362 --> 00:14:58,999
he took something that was
315
00:14:59,065 --> 00:15:01,201
horribly complex
316
00:15:01,267 --> 00:15:03,537
and he turned it into something
317
00:15:03,604 --> 00:15:06,472
incredibly simple.
318
00:15:13,514 --> 00:15:16,617
You havethe crusading in‐laws...
319
00:15:19,185 --> 00:15:21,187
...and a villain.
320
00:15:22,488 --> 00:15:23,757
A self‐centered,
321
00:15:23,824 --> 00:15:27,528
narcissistic... liar.
322
00:15:29,095 --> 00:15:32,132
Fatal Vision was perhapseven more damning
323
00:15:32,198 --> 00:15:35,502
than the trial itself.
324
00:15:35,569 --> 00:15:36,637
People saw
325
00:15:36,703 --> 00:15:41,107
Jeffrey MacDonald
killing his family.
326
00:15:42,108 --> 00:15:44,645
What more proof do you need?
327
00:15:50,951 --> 00:15:53,019
What happens when a narrative
328
00:15:53,086 --> 00:15:55,221
takes the place of reality?
329
00:15:55,288 --> 00:15:57,323
Tonight, NBC concludesits rebroadcast
330
00:15:57,390 --> 00:15:59,292
‐of the movie Fatal Vision.
‐...Television movie
called Fatal Vision.
331
00:15:59,359 --> 00:16:01,427
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald's lifebecame the subject
332
00:16:01,494 --> 00:16:03,429
‐of a book and TV miniseries...‐If you think he's guilty,call 1‐900...
333
00:16:03,496 --> 00:16:05,098
You might remember the story
334
00:16:05,165 --> 00:16:07,000
from the book and TV movie
Fatal Vision.
335
00:16:07,067 --> 00:16:09,536
MacDonald's conviction forkilling his wife and children
336
00:16:09,603 --> 00:16:12,472
‐more than a decade ago...
‐...Fatal Vision.
337
00:16:12,539 --> 00:16:14,107
MORRIS:Jeffrey MacDonald disappeared
338
00:16:14,174 --> 00:16:16,510
into the f‐fun house
339
00:16:16,577 --> 00:16:18,111
of television.
340
00:16:18,178 --> 00:16:20,313
MacDONALD:
I can never overcome
Fatal Vision.
341
00:16:20,380 --> 00:16:23,684
I cannot proveto the millions of people
342
00:16:23,750 --> 00:16:27,387
who have watched the reruns
over and over and over
343
00:16:27,453 --> 00:16:30,156
that I am not that monster.
344
00:16:39,265 --> 00:16:40,734
NBC's presentation
of Fatal Vision has been
345
00:16:40,801 --> 00:16:42,703
roundly praised by the critics
and roundly criticized
346
00:16:42,769 --> 00:16:45,205
by MacDonald's attorneys,
one of whom joins us
347
00:16:45,271 --> 00:16:47,040
this morning
from our studios in Burbank.
348
00:16:47,107 --> 00:16:49,242
He is Brian O'Neill, and good
morning to you, Mr. O'Neill.
349
00:16:49,309 --> 00:16:52,345
‐Good morning, Bryant.
‐This drama, uh, this docudrama,
350
00:16:52,412 --> 00:16:54,848
wasn't titillating,
it wasn't sensationalized.
351
00:16:54,915 --> 00:16:58,318
‐What was your problem
with the airing of it?
‐Uh, two problems.
352
00:16:58,384 --> 00:17:00,721
Number one, the timing of it
was highly inappropriate.
353
00:17:00,787 --> 00:17:03,223
Uh, as, uh, we had advised NBC
354
00:17:03,289 --> 00:17:04,825
some months before they ran it,
355
00:17:04,891 --> 00:17:07,561
uh, there are pending in the
federal court in North Carolina
356
00:17:07,628 --> 00:17:10,964
several motions, uh,
seeking a new trial.
357
00:17:11,031 --> 00:17:14,735
Uh, those motions address
the subject of the crime,
358
00:17:14,801 --> 00:17:17,437
and, uh, in great detail
prove who did it.
359
00:17:17,504 --> 00:17:19,172
And it wasn't Dr. MacDonald.
360
00:17:19,239 --> 00:17:21,007
It's our concern that
when we get a new trial,
361
00:17:21,074 --> 00:17:22,342
we're not gonna have
a fair audience,
362
00:17:22,408 --> 00:17:23,877
uh, before whom to present it.
363
00:17:23,944 --> 00:17:25,912
That is to say, we're not gonna
have a... be able
364
00:17:25,979 --> 00:17:28,248
to pick a fair jury because
everyone will have seen
365
00:17:28,314 --> 00:17:30,784
that movie in that neighborhood,
and will have, uh,
366
00:17:30,851 --> 00:17:34,454
formed a belief which is gonna
be very nigh unshakeable.
367
00:17:34,521 --> 00:17:36,156
I forget how I learned about
368
00:17:36,222 --> 00:17:38,491
the TV show coming out,
but I remember
369
00:17:38,559 --> 00:17:39,926
we were concerned about it,
370
00:17:39,993 --> 00:17:42,563
so I contacted NBC.
371
00:17:42,629 --> 00:17:45,198
I said, "You know, uh, there may
be other interests involved.
372
00:17:45,265 --> 00:17:46,933
"You might think
about, like, f‐fairness
373
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:48,535
in the criminal justice system."
374
00:17:48,602 --> 00:17:50,737
That was the only argument
I could make,
375
00:17:50,804 --> 00:17:52,305
and it was unavailing.
376
00:17:57,343 --> 00:17:59,713
SMERLING:
Fatal Vision shows Jeffrey...
377
00:18:01,147 --> 00:18:02,749
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
378
00:18:06,787 --> 00:18:09,255
A new trial, basically,
had to be new evidence
379
00:18:09,322 --> 00:18:11,692
either unavailable
or reasonably unavailable.
380
00:18:11,758 --> 00:18:14,861
I forget the standard, but
that‐that's what you had to do.
381
00:18:16,296 --> 00:18:18,599
I got the case filesfrom Bernie Segal.
382
00:18:18,665 --> 00:18:21,267
Looking through them,Helena Stoeckley's story
383
00:18:21,334 --> 00:18:23,103
seemed to bea good place to start.
384
00:18:23,169 --> 00:18:25,872
So I had to getan investigator.
385
00:18:25,939 --> 00:18:27,741
Ray Shedlick was from Queens,
386
00:18:27,808 --> 00:18:30,811
spoke like from he was Queens,looked like he was from Queens.
387
00:18:30,877 --> 00:18:32,846
Cigarette smoke
388
00:18:32,913 --> 00:18:34,214
like a halo.
389
00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:35,782
He really did this great job
on the ground
390
00:18:35,849 --> 00:18:40,086
chasing down
all these other leads.
391
00:18:40,153 --> 00:18:42,488
SHEDLICK:I ran an ad ina Fayetteville paper
392
00:18:42,556 --> 00:18:45,526
and I began to receivetelephone calls.
393
00:18:45,592 --> 00:18:48,061
Some of them, of course,were crazy calls.
394
00:18:48,128 --> 00:18:49,563
I had to screen out people
395
00:18:49,630 --> 00:18:51,632
who were obviously deranged
from those who
396
00:18:51,698 --> 00:18:54,300
might have had
decent information.
397
00:18:54,367 --> 00:18:57,237
Some of these witnesses
did come forward pretrial.
398
00:18:57,303 --> 00:19:00,741
They were... they came forward
1970 to the CID.
399
00:19:00,807 --> 00:19:02,108
And some to the FBI,
400
00:19:02,175 --> 00:19:04,711
who never followed up
on those leads.
401
00:19:04,778 --> 00:19:07,781
‐PRODUCER: Reload, please.
‐HELENA: God, it's hot in here.
402
00:19:07,848 --> 00:19:09,315
PRODUCER:
This will be Helena Stoeckley
403
00:19:09,382 --> 00:19:11,184
and Ted Gunderson
404
00:19:11,251 --> 00:19:13,654
and Prince Beasley.
405
00:19:18,892 --> 00:19:22,028
O'NEILL: Ted had beenthe head of the FBI office
406
00:19:22,095 --> 00:19:23,463
here in Los Angeles.
407
00:19:23,530 --> 00:19:25,465
PRODUCER: You'll be
looking at me, right, Ted?
408
00:19:25,532 --> 00:19:27,333
O'NEILL: He was the onewho did have a connection
409
00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:30,837
to Prince Beasley,and Prince brought
410
00:19:30,904 --> 00:19:33,840
Helena Stoeckley to the party,
and that was critical, yeah.
411
00:19:33,907 --> 00:19:37,678
PRODUCER:
Rolling. Go right ahead, Ted.
412
00:19:37,744 --> 00:19:39,813
GUNDERSON:
Helena, the night
of the murders,
413
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,649
how were you dressed?
414
00:19:42,716 --> 00:19:44,685
HELENA:That evening, I was wearing
415
00:19:44,751 --> 00:19:48,321
a blonde wigthat belonged to my roommate.
416
00:19:50,123 --> 00:19:52,325
And a floppy hat.
417
00:19:54,861 --> 00:19:57,397
I had on boots.
418
00:19:57,463 --> 00:20:00,701
GUNDERSON:What time did you enterthe MacDonald residence?
419
00:20:02,936 --> 00:20:06,907
‐Approximately 2:00
in the morning, yeah.
‐About 2:00.
420
00:20:06,973 --> 00:20:10,977
HELENA:We went in, there were threemembers in there already,
421
00:20:11,044 --> 00:20:14,080
talking to Dr. MacDonald.
422
00:20:14,147 --> 00:20:16,550
I thought they weresimply asking for drugs
423
00:20:16,617 --> 00:20:18,151
or something like that.
424
00:20:18,218 --> 00:20:20,320
Things got out of hand.
425
00:20:21,454 --> 00:20:23,256
Someone knocked himunconscious.
426
00:20:23,323 --> 00:20:25,425
(phone ringing)
427
00:20:25,491 --> 00:20:27,694
The phone rang.
428
00:20:33,266 --> 00:20:37,303
I picked it up and someoneasked for Dr. MacDonald.
429
00:20:40,841 --> 00:20:42,643
SHEDLICK:Jimmy Friar was a soldier,
430
00:20:42,709 --> 00:20:46,212
and on February the 17th, 1970,
431
00:20:46,279 --> 00:20:48,314
he had become sick.
432
00:20:48,381 --> 00:20:49,950
His doctor of treatment
was Dr. McDonald.
433
00:20:50,016 --> 00:20:53,019
That's M‐C‐D‐O‐N‐A‐L‐D,
not Dr. MacDonald.
434
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,189
He called the base hospital
435
00:20:56,256 --> 00:20:58,258
asking for Dr. McDonald.
436
00:20:59,893 --> 00:21:01,394
SHEDLICK:They ultimately gave him
437
00:21:01,461 --> 00:21:04,297
the home phoneof Dr. MacDonald.
438
00:21:04,364 --> 00:21:07,067
FRIAR:Uh, I called, I said,"May I speak to Dr. McDonald?"
439
00:21:07,133 --> 00:21:10,604
And a lady or some girl,whoever it was,
440
00:21:10,671 --> 00:21:12,138
just laughedinto the telephone,
441
00:21:12,205 --> 00:21:15,141
was just laughing and giggling,just carrying on.
442
00:21:15,208 --> 00:21:16,543
Well, by that time,
443
00:21:16,610 --> 00:21:19,379
I was pretty high on mescaline.
444
00:21:19,445 --> 00:21:21,414
And I just giggled
and said he wasn't there
445
00:21:21,481 --> 00:21:23,016
or something like that.
446
00:21:23,083 --> 00:21:25,586
In the background, I could hear
someone breaking something,
447
00:21:25,652 --> 00:21:27,721
or the table
being turned over, or
448
00:21:27,788 --> 00:21:29,255
there was some kind of...
449
00:21:29,322 --> 00:21:30,657
you know, like, there was,
450
00:21:30,724 --> 00:21:32,759
a scrimmageor something going on.
451
00:21:33,927 --> 00:21:35,862
Someone said,
"Hang up the goddamn phone,"
452
00:21:35,929 --> 00:21:38,164
and about that time,
the phone either went dead
453
00:21:38,231 --> 00:21:39,265
or was hung up.
454
00:21:39,332 --> 00:21:43,403
That's basically what happened.
455
00:21:45,338 --> 00:21:47,473
HELENA:After I hung up the phone,
456
00:21:47,541 --> 00:21:49,610
I went into the back bedroom.
457
00:21:49,676 --> 00:21:52,513
That's when I saw
two other members in there.
458
00:21:52,579 --> 00:21:55,916
Colette was struggling
with them.
459
00:21:56,950 --> 00:21:58,985
I said...
(sighs)
460
00:21:59,052 --> 00:22:01,021
"Let's leave her alone,"
461
00:22:01,087 --> 00:22:03,356
that this was unnecessary,
462
00:22:03,423 --> 00:22:05,926
and I suggested we leave.
463
00:22:05,992 --> 00:22:07,694
And that was it.
464
00:22:52,038 --> 00:22:55,609
And I responded,
"He deserved to die."
465
00:23:05,018 --> 00:23:07,588
Tonight‐‐ is one of America'smost notorious killers,
466
00:23:07,654 --> 00:23:11,291
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald,really an innocent man?
467
00:23:11,357 --> 00:23:14,561
If so, his journey to freedommay have begun.
468
00:23:14,628 --> 00:23:17,130
This afternoon,in a U. S. district court,
469
00:23:17,197 --> 00:23:19,833
MacDonald's attorneyfiled a motion for a new trial.
470
00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:22,268
REPORTER:MacDonald insists there wereintruders that night,
471
00:23:22,335 --> 00:23:24,470
including this woman:Helena Stoeckley.
472
00:23:24,538 --> 00:23:27,040
O'NEILL:People who had every reasonin the world to be afraid
473
00:23:27,107 --> 00:23:29,142
of being caught, nonethelessconfessed to their involvement.
474
00:23:29,209 --> 00:23:31,177
And it happenedthat their detailed statements,
475
00:23:31,244 --> 00:23:34,347
uh, are consistentwith what Dr. MacDonald said.
476
00:23:34,414 --> 00:23:35,616
The woman was seen in the boots
477
00:23:35,682 --> 00:23:37,217
that I saw in my housethat night.
478
00:23:37,283 --> 00:23:40,521
They were on barbiturates,they were on LSD,
479
00:23:40,587 --> 00:23:42,155
they were on heroin.
480
00:23:42,222 --> 00:23:45,659
We have definitely found outwho murdered my family.
481
00:23:45,726 --> 00:23:47,260
Eventually,the truth has to out.
482
00:23:47,327 --> 00:23:49,229
It has some sort of poweron its own.
483
00:23:49,295 --> 00:23:52,165
And the government is gonnahave to give the case up.
484
00:23:55,836 --> 00:23:58,705
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald
was discussed as early
485
00:23:58,772 --> 00:24:02,509
as October of 1969.
486
00:24:02,576 --> 00:24:05,311
At that time,
they were requiring
487
00:24:05,378 --> 00:24:07,681
people on the base
488
00:24:07,748 --> 00:24:09,215
to roll up their sleeves,
489
00:24:09,282 --> 00:24:12,085
and if they had needle marks
on their arms,
490
00:24:12,152 --> 00:24:13,754
they would be arrested
491
00:24:13,820 --> 00:24:16,623
or put into the hospital
or something like that.
492
00:24:16,690 --> 00:24:20,493
And MacDonald, it seems,
was, uh...
493
00:24:20,561 --> 00:24:24,097
named as one of the instigators
of that.
494
00:24:24,164 --> 00:24:27,934
It was suggested that
someone approach him
495
00:24:28,001 --> 00:24:29,770
and try to...
496
00:24:29,836 --> 00:24:32,372
make him realize, you know,
497
00:24:32,438 --> 00:24:33,774
that he had to help us.
498
00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,342
They said if
he didn't cooperate,
499
00:24:36,409 --> 00:24:38,111
something would be done.
500
00:24:38,178 --> 00:24:39,212
GUNDERSON:
Meaning?
501
00:24:39,279 --> 00:24:41,682
It was understood
what would be done.
502
00:24:46,953 --> 00:24:49,222
CONNER:I met Helena on the street.
503
00:24:51,191 --> 00:24:54,027
She was only 16.But I thought
504
00:24:54,094 --> 00:24:56,763
"Oh, this is a smart chick.
You have to watch her
505
00:24:56,830 --> 00:24:59,700
because she's sly
and she's tricky."
506
00:25:03,570 --> 00:25:05,371
She talked the good talk.
507
00:25:05,438 --> 00:25:07,207
She'd brag about all the
508
00:25:07,273 --> 00:25:09,510
stuff she did‐‐ taking acid
509
00:25:09,576 --> 00:25:11,411
and doing pills
510
00:25:11,477 --> 00:25:13,547
and whatever, you know, and...
511
00:25:13,614 --> 00:25:15,682
Hey, this isn't a race.
(laughs)
512
00:25:18,318 --> 00:25:19,886
But she had pretty much already
513
00:25:19,953 --> 00:25:23,389
established herself around,by then.
514
00:25:23,456 --> 00:25:27,260
She had contactsI knew nothing about.
515
00:25:27,327 --> 00:25:29,963
She knew a lot of peopleon base.
516
00:25:30,030 --> 00:25:32,599
♪♪ ♪♪
517
00:25:32,666 --> 00:25:35,702
REPORTER:
Army officials estimate more
than half of the 40,000 men
518
00:25:35,769 --> 00:25:37,971
stationed at Fort Braggare users of narcotics.
519
00:25:40,073 --> 00:25:42,843
CONNER:These guys were into heavy‐dutystuff, you know?
520
00:25:42,909 --> 00:25:46,312
Crystal methamphetamine,heroin.
521
00:25:46,379 --> 00:25:48,849
They needed help.
522
00:25:48,915 --> 00:25:51,952
And they can't get the helpthey need.
523
00:25:52,018 --> 00:25:54,254
♪♪ ♪♪
524
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,222
No. No.
525
00:25:56,289 --> 00:25:58,525
‐No!
‐CONNER: Could these guyshave done it?
526
00:25:58,592 --> 00:26:00,861
(Colette whimpering)
527
00:26:00,927 --> 00:26:03,029
If you can m‐murder
528
00:26:03,096 --> 00:26:06,900
and napalm villages and women
529
00:26:06,967 --> 00:26:09,636
and children and men,
530
00:26:09,703 --> 00:26:13,273
do you just forget that
when you come back here?
531
00:26:14,641 --> 00:26:17,944
Does it all just go away?
532
00:26:19,546 --> 00:26:21,314
No.
533
00:26:30,724 --> 00:26:32,392
O'NEILL:In one of her interviews,
534
00:26:32,458 --> 00:26:34,761
Helena told us that the guy
535
00:26:34,828 --> 00:26:37,197
who'd inflicted the woundson Colette
536
00:26:37,263 --> 00:26:39,299
was named Greg Mitchell.
537
00:26:39,365 --> 00:26:41,902
I figured... that's pretty good.
538
00:27:09,095 --> 00:27:12,332
CONNER:Greg Mitchell didthree or four terms
539
00:27:12,398 --> 00:27:15,068
in Vietnam.
540
00:27:15,135 --> 00:27:17,237
He had a wild look in his eye.
541
00:27:17,303 --> 00:27:19,606
You know, somebodythat had been
542
00:27:19,673 --> 00:27:21,842
to hell and back.
543
00:27:23,544 --> 00:27:25,411
One day, we were at his house,
544
00:27:25,478 --> 00:27:29,115
and he brought outhis favorite pictures.
545
00:27:29,182 --> 00:27:31,785
"You want to see what
went on there?" You know?
546
00:27:31,852 --> 00:27:34,621
I don't if it was that
he was so disgusted
547
00:27:34,688 --> 00:27:36,757
in the things that happened
548
00:27:36,823 --> 00:27:40,426
or if he was just crazy.
549
00:27:40,493 --> 00:27:41,862
(short laugh)
550
00:27:41,928 --> 00:27:45,365
Uh, pictures of ears cut off.
551
00:27:45,431 --> 00:27:46,567
You know?
552
00:27:46,633 --> 00:27:48,669
And fingers.
553
00:27:48,735 --> 00:27:52,005
A necklace of fingers.
554
00:27:52,806 --> 00:27:54,240
I was scared.
555
00:27:54,307 --> 00:27:58,178
That actually scared me
and I had to go.
556
00:28:00,013 --> 00:28:02,082
INTERVIEWER:
Did he ever seem violent
557
00:28:02,148 --> 00:28:05,385
or that he could
be capable of murder?
558
00:28:07,554 --> 00:28:08,722
You know, yeah.
559
00:28:08,789 --> 00:28:12,158
I'm not gonna lie about that.
Yeah.
560
00:28:15,261 --> 00:28:17,463
O'NEILL:Greg Mitchell went tosome church‐related
561
00:28:17,531 --> 00:28:19,933
rehab center.
They had taken over an old house
562
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:21,635
out in the outskirts,
kind of in the country,
563
00:28:21,702 --> 00:28:23,904
outside Fayetteville.
564
00:28:25,471 --> 00:28:28,174
SHEDLICK:I interviewedAnn Cannady Sutton.
565
00:28:28,241 --> 00:28:31,945
She was involved in what
she called the manor house.
566
00:28:33,179 --> 00:28:35,549
She told me that Greg Mitchell
567
00:28:35,616 --> 00:28:38,151
said he was a drug addictbut he had no place to go.
568
00:28:38,218 --> 00:28:41,021
So the manor took him in.
569
00:28:44,290 --> 00:28:47,393
That Saturday night,they had their prayer meet,
570
00:28:47,460 --> 00:28:50,864
where people were confessingto various crimes.
571
00:28:50,931 --> 00:28:53,333
This young man became so excited
572
00:28:53,399 --> 00:28:55,301
he had to be restrained.
573
00:28:55,368 --> 00:28:57,904
He confessed to beinga drug addict.
574
00:28:57,971 --> 00:29:00,106
And, among other things,
575
00:29:00,173 --> 00:29:02,175
he confessed to killing people.
576
00:29:05,579 --> 00:29:08,715
The following day,as she came up the driveway,
577
00:29:08,782 --> 00:29:12,919
Ann Cannady Sutton saw a manrun from the back of the house.
578
00:29:16,322 --> 00:29:19,325
When they went into the house,painted on the wall,
579
00:29:19,392 --> 00:29:21,795
still r... dripping,in red paint
580
00:29:21,862 --> 00:29:23,597
were the words:
581
00:29:23,664 --> 00:29:27,100
"I killed Dr. MacDonald's
wife and children."
582
00:29:30,270 --> 00:29:33,740
We have sworn affidavitsthat a subject
583
00:29:33,807 --> 00:29:36,910
who came into that house in 1971
584
00:29:36,977 --> 00:29:39,245
was, in fact, Gregory Mitchell.
585
00:29:39,312 --> 00:29:42,949
And the fellow who ran from
the back of the manor house
586
00:29:43,016 --> 00:29:45,251
out in the country
was Gregory Mitchell.
587
00:29:45,318 --> 00:29:48,522
And the writings on the wallin the manor house
588
00:29:48,589 --> 00:29:51,525
obviously were writtenby Gregory Mitchell.
589
00:30:04,470 --> 00:30:06,973
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Um...
590
00:30:08,909 --> 00:30:12,546
Mm‐hmm... mm‐hmm.
591
00:30:12,613 --> 00:30:14,848
Mm‐hmm.
592
00:30:18,351 --> 00:30:20,621
They... Somebody‐somebody
went out there,
593
00:30:20,687 --> 00:30:22,088
‐but not immediately,
‐Right.
594
00:30:22,155 --> 00:30:23,690
and the wall had been
painted over.
595
00:30:23,757 --> 00:30:25,926
Yeah, yeah.
596
00:30:28,294 --> 00:30:31,264
‐...um...‐O'NEILL: Phone call. Mm‐hmm.
597
00:30:37,771 --> 00:30:40,340
I don't.
I have no idea, no.
598
00:30:42,375 --> 00:30:45,178
KEELER:This is August 22, 1979.
599
00:30:45,245 --> 00:30:48,014
"MacDonald DefenseOffers a New Witness.
600
00:30:48,081 --> 00:30:49,783
"Defense attorneys
face two problems
601
00:30:49,850 --> 00:30:51,151
"in trying to have
the man appear
602
00:30:51,217 --> 00:30:53,887
"at the former Green Beret
doctor's trial.
603
00:30:53,954 --> 00:30:55,355
"The prisoner, Jimmy Friar,
604
00:30:55,421 --> 00:30:57,323
"is serving a ten‐year sentence
605
00:30:57,390 --> 00:30:59,560
"for using a false nameand address on a check
606
00:30:59,626 --> 00:31:03,463
"he used to buy men'sclothing in 1976.
607
00:31:04,665 --> 00:31:06,967
"The judge who sentenced Friar
608
00:31:07,033 --> 00:31:08,168
"recommended that he be treated
609
00:31:08,234 --> 00:31:10,470
for any mental condition
he might have."
610
00:31:10,537 --> 00:31:14,908
So that didn't really doa lot for Friar's credibility.
611
00:31:17,711 --> 00:31:20,614
A North Carolina judgetoday ruled out a new trial
612
00:31:20,681 --> 00:31:22,482
for Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald.
613
00:31:22,549 --> 00:31:24,317
RATHER:...Green BeretDr. Jeffrey MacDonald
614
00:31:24,384 --> 00:31:26,653
a new trial in the so‐calledFatal Vision case.
615
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:28,789
He was deniedfor the third time
616
00:31:28,855 --> 00:31:30,356
a request for a new trial
617
00:31:30,423 --> 00:31:32,859
in the Fourth Circuit Courtof Appeals.
618
00:31:32,926 --> 00:31:35,095
♪♪ ♪♪
619
00:31:50,944 --> 00:31:52,579
Let me back up just a moment.
620
00:31:52,646 --> 00:31:55,549
Did Helena Stoeckley believe
621
00:31:55,616 --> 00:31:58,018
that she was in the house
that night?
622
00:32:01,154 --> 00:32:04,357
Was Helena Stoeckley
in the house that night?
623
00:32:06,259 --> 00:32:09,429
And if she wasn't
in the house that night...
624
00:32:11,565 --> 00:32:14,100
...what's going on here?
625
00:32:18,071 --> 00:32:21,341
Was she an attention‐seeker?
626
00:32:21,407 --> 00:32:22,843
Did she just want to believe
627
00:32:22,909 --> 00:32:26,112
that she was the femme fatale?
628
00:32:27,981 --> 00:32:31,351
She had a story to tellin 1979.
629
00:32:31,417 --> 00:32:34,621
She never really told itin the courtroom.
630
00:32:38,158 --> 00:32:41,094
Who is Helena Stoeckley?
631
00:32:45,632 --> 00:32:48,902
SMERLING:What's the difference in agebetween you and Helena?
632
00:32:48,969 --> 00:32:51,838
CLARENCE:I was, uh, I was tryingto think that out.
633
00:32:51,905 --> 00:32:53,406
I think it's two years.
634
00:32:53,473 --> 00:32:55,408
I've heard rumors
you were twins.
635
00:32:55,475 --> 00:32:57,477
I've heard that rumor, too.
636
00:32:57,544 --> 00:33:00,013
I know better.
637
00:33:03,116 --> 00:33:06,319
SMERLING:Your dad was a colonel, right?Or a lieutenant colonel.
638
00:33:06,386 --> 00:33:08,555
LTC, s...
Yes, sir.
639
00:33:10,290 --> 00:33:12,258
He was assistantcamp commander
640
00:33:12,325 --> 00:33:15,061
at two different Army postsin France.
641
00:33:15,128 --> 00:33:17,964
We went to French schools.
642
00:33:18,031 --> 00:33:22,202
After a year, basically,all of us spoke fluent French.
643
00:33:23,436 --> 00:33:27,073
After he retired,we were his troops.
644
00:33:27,140 --> 00:33:29,309
He kept a standard.
645
00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:33,446
And you had to adhere to it.
646
00:33:37,718 --> 00:33:39,986
EUGENE:Helena always doted on meas her baby brother.
647
00:33:40,053 --> 00:33:43,389
Always felt specialwhen she'd take me places
648
00:33:43,456 --> 00:33:45,859
'cause she made mefeel special, like I was,
649
00:33:45,926 --> 00:33:49,029
you know, her little brother
and she was proud of it.
650
00:33:50,931 --> 00:33:54,735
She was smart and engaged,she loved school.
651
00:33:57,504 --> 00:34:01,341
We just knew that she wasdestined to do good things.
652
00:34:02,943 --> 00:34:07,013
In high school, she was involved
with all kinds of clubs.
653
00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:08,181
French club, drama club,
654
00:34:08,248 --> 00:34:10,784
the senior high singers.
655
00:34:11,818 --> 00:34:13,453
♪♪ ♪♪
656
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:15,822
She did have this desire
657
00:34:15,889 --> 00:34:18,091
to be in the spotlight.
658
00:34:20,326 --> 00:34:22,596
CLARENCE:She had a nice voice.
659
00:34:22,663 --> 00:34:25,966
Until she got this ideashe was gonna emulate
660
00:34:26,032 --> 00:34:29,269
Janis Joplin,
with that gravely voice.
661
00:34:33,507 --> 00:34:36,376
She fell awayfrom her high school friends
662
00:34:36,442 --> 00:34:40,346
and she startedhanging out on the street.
663
00:34:40,413 --> 00:34:42,783
EUGENE:And it all just changed.
664
00:34:42,849 --> 00:34:45,485
Uh...
665
00:34:45,552 --> 00:34:49,089
It didn't seem like there was
anything could stop it.
666
00:34:49,155 --> 00:34:51,424
CLARENCE:She'd be high and...
667
00:34:51,491 --> 00:34:54,928
parents would tell her,
"No, you're not‐not coming here.
668
00:34:54,995 --> 00:34:56,597
"You're not bringing these...
669
00:34:56,663 --> 00:34:59,766
"friends that, you know,
devil worshipers
670
00:34:59,833 --> 00:35:03,169
or cult, whatever, around."
671
00:35:03,236 --> 00:35:06,339
You know, for your own security,
672
00:35:06,406 --> 00:35:09,209
you had to‐had to say,
"Okay," you know,
673
00:35:09,275 --> 00:35:12,646
"you either clean upor sh‐ship out."
674
00:35:15,749 --> 00:35:17,183
CONNER: Her father
675
00:35:17,250 --> 00:35:19,753
wanted her to be a proper lady,
676
00:35:19,820 --> 00:35:22,155
not a...
677
00:35:22,222 --> 00:35:24,791
dirtbag hippie on the streets,
678
00:35:24,858 --> 00:35:28,529
hanging around with a bunch
of dope addicts.
679
00:35:29,963 --> 00:35:33,066
She needed people to love her.
680
00:35:33,133 --> 00:35:35,368
She craved attention.
681
00:35:35,435 --> 00:35:37,638
That's what she wanted.
682
00:36:06,232 --> 00:36:08,468
CONNER:Prince Beasley.
683
00:36:08,535 --> 00:36:11,204
I never knewthat was his first name.
684
00:36:11,271 --> 00:36:13,039
He acted like he thought
685
00:36:13,106 --> 00:36:15,576
he was a prince.
(laughs)
686
00:36:18,879 --> 00:36:21,147
Helena would talkabout him all the time,
687
00:36:21,214 --> 00:36:24,918
that he was alwaysharassing her for information.
688
00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:30,423
But I know that, you know,when she was in trouble,
689
00:36:30,490 --> 00:36:32,693
he would help her out.
690
00:36:34,394 --> 00:36:37,598
Maybe she hada father fixation for him.
691
00:37:06,727 --> 00:37:10,263
I guess you want to know
about the night
692
00:37:10,330 --> 00:37:13,399
of the MacDonald case.
693
00:37:15,201 --> 00:37:17,671
I‐I imagine that's why I'm here.
694
00:37:17,738 --> 00:37:19,540
(chuckles)
695
00:37:25,278 --> 00:37:28,214
Helena had borrowedmy floppy hat
696
00:37:28,281 --> 00:37:31,351
and my roommate's boots.
697
00:37:34,521 --> 00:37:38,424
She came back
around 4:30 in the morning.
698
00:37:41,995 --> 00:37:43,429
But she didn't have
699
00:37:43,496 --> 00:37:45,699
my floppy hat.
700
00:37:46,567 --> 00:37:48,769
She didn't have the boots.
701
00:37:50,036 --> 00:37:52,172
And she hadno doughnuts, either.
702
00:37:52,238 --> 00:37:54,841
(laughs)
703
00:37:56,009 --> 00:37:57,443
It rained that night.
704
00:37:57,511 --> 00:37:59,079
She looked kind of like
705
00:37:59,145 --> 00:38:00,446
a drenched rat, you know?
706
00:38:00,514 --> 00:38:01,815
Like she'd been out in the rain,
707
00:38:01,882 --> 00:38:04,417
like she was walking around
out in the rain.
708
00:38:05,686 --> 00:38:07,621
She came in and she said,
709
00:38:07,688 --> 00:38:10,791
"Did you know there was
a murder downtown last night?"
710
00:38:10,857 --> 00:38:13,627
I said, "What?"
She said, "Yeah, at Fort Bragg,
711
00:38:13,694 --> 00:38:15,662
there was a murder last night."
712
00:38:15,729 --> 00:38:17,898
I said, "What are you talking
about, Helena?"
713
00:38:17,964 --> 00:38:21,768
You know, the morning news
wasn't even out yet. You know?
714
00:38:21,835 --> 00:38:25,071
She said,
"Well, Beasley told me.
715
00:38:26,807 --> 00:38:28,308
"He came to get me right away
716
00:38:28,374 --> 00:38:31,377
because he thinks I did it."
717
00:38:38,619 --> 00:38:41,822
And then she said, "I did
mescaline. I don't remember."
718
00:38:41,888 --> 00:38:44,124
And I said,
"Well, you would remember
719
00:38:44,190 --> 00:38:45,859
if you killed somebody, Helena."
720
00:38:45,926 --> 00:38:50,030
You definitely would remember.
It's... You know...
721
00:38:50,096 --> 00:38:52,098
something you don't forget.
722
00:39:06,847 --> 00:39:10,917
MORRIS:During the timeshe was waiting to appear
723
00:39:10,984 --> 00:39:14,420
at the 1979 trial,
724
00:39:14,487 --> 00:39:17,791
Helena Stoeckleywrote this poem.
725
00:39:18,992 --> 00:39:21,194
"I'm a bad actor
726
00:39:21,261 --> 00:39:24,464
"in a hard‐to‐act‐in play
727
00:39:24,531 --> 00:39:27,400
"written by a lotof callous people...
728
00:39:28,635 --> 00:39:30,470
"...who sit in the audienceand laugh
729
00:39:30,537 --> 00:39:34,575
"because I forget my lines.
730
00:39:35,976 --> 00:39:39,813
"When, in the end,
I finally fall off the stage,
731
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:41,715
"they all cheer
732
00:39:41,782 --> 00:39:45,686
and go out to buy more popcorn."
733
00:39:45,752 --> 00:39:48,655
What do you thinkshe's trying to say there?
734
00:39:50,156 --> 00:39:53,960
She's been in court.
She's been on the stand.
735
00:39:54,027 --> 00:39:56,763
She's being asked to...
736
00:39:58,164 --> 00:40:01,702
...essentially perform a play
737
00:40:01,768 --> 00:40:04,605
that is being scriptedby all kinds
738
00:40:04,671 --> 00:40:06,172
of different people.
739
00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:09,876
I said, "Acid is groovy,
kill the pigs, hit him again."
740
00:40:09,943 --> 00:40:12,278
MORRIS:Nevertheless,the claim is repeated
741
00:40:12,345 --> 00:40:15,048
again and again and again.
742
00:40:15,115 --> 00:40:16,850
What is the claim?
743
00:40:16,917 --> 00:40:21,054
"I was there!
I was in the MacDonald house
744
00:40:21,121 --> 00:40:23,489
the night of the murders."
745
00:40:27,460 --> 00:40:29,162
And if Stoeckley
746
00:40:29,229 --> 00:40:32,032
is telling the truth,
747
00:40:32,098 --> 00:40:33,433
well, then,
748
00:40:33,499 --> 00:40:35,869
MacDonald is innocent.
749
00:40:35,936 --> 00:40:39,272
REPORTER:New book by acclaimed authorand filmmaker Errol Morris
750
00:40:39,339 --> 00:40:42,042
says that the casemay be more complicated
751
00:40:42,108 --> 00:40:44,144
‐than previously thought.‐What makes you believe
752
00:40:44,210 --> 00:40:46,580
that Jeffrey MacDonaldmight be innocent?
753
00:40:46,647 --> 00:40:48,114
Evidence.
754
00:40:48,181 --> 00:40:50,617
MacDonald's lawyers saythey have new testimony.
755
00:40:50,684 --> 00:40:53,086
A statement froma federal marshal who said
756
00:40:53,153 --> 00:40:55,989
Helena Stoeckley toldprosecutors she was involved
757
00:40:56,056 --> 00:40:58,158
and was threatenedto be charged with murder."
758
00:40:58,224 --> 00:41:00,594
MORRIS:It's wrong to convict a man
759
00:41:00,661 --> 00:41:02,929
under these circumstances,
760
00:41:02,996 --> 00:41:05,932
and if I can help correct that,
761
00:41:05,999 --> 00:41:09,536
I will be a happy camper.
762
00:41:09,603 --> 00:41:11,638
NORAH O'DONNELL:This morning,Jeffrey MacDonald's lawyers
763
00:41:11,705 --> 00:41:13,039
are going back to court
764
00:41:13,106 --> 00:41:15,241
in the so‐calledFatal Vision murders.
765
00:41:15,308 --> 00:41:17,911
40 years later,he's getting another chance
766
00:41:17,978 --> 00:41:20,614
to tell a courtonce again he's innocent.
767
00:41:20,681 --> 00:41:22,949
I believe that whenall of the evidence
768
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of this case is presented,this man will be set free.
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This guy may begetting out of jail, folks.
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