All language subtitles for The.Real.Murders.of.Los.Angeles.S01E03.720p.WEBRip.x264-BAE

[exciting music]

♪ ♪

- Lots of people come to los
angeles to pursue a dream

Or to look for answers.

The spiritual and beautiful,
the hippie truth seekers,

That's los angeles.

It has always been like that.

- For one 21-year-old
los angeles native,

The city of angels
was the perfect place

To explore
his insatiable curiosity

About the meaning of life.

- Ron baker was a very
brilliant young man

Who studied astrophysics
at ucla.

But also, he was interested
in the metaphysical.

- One of the things
that I loved about him

Is that he liked to explore
alternative ways of being.

- But did an interest
in mysticism

Lead to his untimely demise?

- There was a lot
of media coverage,

Mainly focused on the occult.

Was there some kind
of sacrifice?

- You've got the victim wearing
a pentagram around his neck.

There was this kind
of makeshift altar.

- Or was ron's fate the result
of a far more twisted plot?

- He was saying "help me,"
and then these muffled noises

Like fighting and grunting,
and then the phone goes dead.

- He said, "you're gonna have
to finish him off somehow."

- It was like the knife
being turned on us.

It was just unbelievable.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- My name is greg kading.

I'm a retired lapd
robbery/homicide detective.

At approximately 2:00 a.M.
On June 22 of 1990,

Two hikers stumbled
upon a body in chatsworth.

♪ ♪

There is a park up in
chatsworth, chatsworth park,

Wherein there's
two active railroad tunnels

That run right through
the mountainous area.

Just inside the entrance of
one of these railroad tunnels,

This particular body was found.

♪ ♪

Chatsworth is a suburb
of los angeles.

It's out in what
we call the valley.

It's a very safe,
suburban environment.

Some middle class
and upper class type

Of residents in that area.

- The hikers call 911.

And as dawn cracks
over los angeles,

Detectives from lapd's
devonshire division

Report to the tunnel.

- I'm pat lalama.

I'm an investigative
journalist.

And I specialize
in criminal justice.

The chatsworth tunnel
once was called

The manson tunnel because
the manson gang hung there.

And they lived and committed
some murders up the hill.

Some have even said
there's devil worship there.

So there's a real dark
mystique about this place.

- When the detectives
get there,

The first order of business
is to separate these hikers

And to question them
individually.

But neither hiker
knew anything other than,

We found a body, we called
the police, and here we are.

It's unusual for somebody
to report their own crime,

And there was never
any indication

They had anything
to do with it.

So they were free
to go and released.

- Investigators
enter the dark tunnel

And approach the crumpled
body lying on the ground.

- It was a young, male victim.

He's a mess.

His clothes are bloody and
emitting an odor of alcohol.

You've got the smell
of alcohol but no signs

Of any alcoholic beverages.

The speculation was,
possibly a transient

That was seeking shelter
inside of the tunnel,

That maybe he had
been hit by a train.

But once you start to look
closer at the victim,

He appears to have
been brutally beaten.

He had multiple stab wounds.

- Slashes in the torso.

Slashes in the throat.

This victim was
nearly decapitated.

- It's clear he's a victim
of a homicide.

But who is this individual,
and how did he get here?

Was this a drug deal gone bad?

Was he killed elsewhere
and dumped at this location?

And he doesn't have
a wallet on him.

- Based on the condition
of the body,

Detectives surmise that the
victim hasn't been there long.

Then they notice something
around his neck

That catches their eye.

- He was wearing both
a christian cross

And a pendant of a pentagram.

You also got a pentagram
drawn on the wall

Of the tunnel near where
the victim is found.

So is this a church-going kid?

Is this a kid who's dabbling
in the occult, devil worship,

And that type of thing?

Is he doing both?

- With no sign
of a murder weapon

And no id on the victim,
detectives release the body

To the medical examiner.

- They name him
john doe number 135,

Meaning it's June,

And there are already
135 john does in los angeles.

- We're looking
for a suspect and a motive.

But it's very difficult
until you

Identify who the victim is.

- The following day,
on June 23rd,

Detectives run the victim's
fingerprints through cal-id,

A statewide database.

But nothing turns up.

They hope to glean
more insight

When the autopsy report
crosses their desk

Later that afternoon.

- The medical examiner
had made a determination

That he had been killed
on the night of June 21st,

The night before
his body was discovered.

- This guy is stabbed 18 times.

It seemed personal.

It seemed like vengeance.

- The coroner's investigator
discovered the victim

Was blood type a.

However,
under his fingernails,

Was blood type ab positive.

Was he defending himself
against something or somebody?

Also, blood type ab positive
is a rare blood type.

It's only 4% of the population.

♪ ♪

- But the first question
for investigators--

Who is john doe number 135?

It's a mystery they don't
have to ponder for very long.

- There's a database

For missing persons
in los angeles.

A couple of days
after the murder,

Devonshire detectives discover
that van nuys division

Detectives are conducting
a missing persons investigation

Of a young man named
ron baker, a 21-year-old male.

Ron baker was reported missing
the same day john doe 135

Was discovered, and he
matches the description

Of john doe number 135.

- So his parents
identified the body,

And it is, in fact,
ronald steven baker.

- This is the worst news
imaginable for a parent.

Your son is not only dead,
but he's been killed.

- On that same day, June 24th,

Two days after the body
was found,

Homicide detectives meet
with ron's heartbroken family.

[somber music]

- My name is
patty baker elliott,

And ron baker was my brother.

When I got to the house,
we basically just hugged

And cried and just tried
to console each other.

I was shocked.

- Five months to legality.

- Ron was younger
than me by four years.

We grew up in woodland hills,
which is a suburb

Outside of los angeles.

It's not as busy as the city.

It was safe to ride our bikes
around, walk around,

And just hang out
in the neighborhoods.

As a child,
ron was really happy.

And when you talked to him,
he just kind of beamed.

Both my parents
were charter members

Of the united methodist
church.

So ron and I were both
involved in Sunday school,

And we went to youth group.

As we got older,
he was very involved

In amnesty international.

Ron basically wanted to change
the world for the positive.

- Detectives capitalize
on the subject

And ask the bakers about
ron's pentagram necklace.

- The methodist church, it's
a pretty easygoing religion.

My parents didn't have
any problem with the pentagram

And ron's curiosity.

They believed that
he was into mysticism,

As far as the spirituality,
not into anything negative.

[suspenseful music]

- Ron's parents explained
that ron was a student at ucla

And was living off campus
in an apartment in van nuys.

- Ronald was in
his junior year.

He was working on campus,
and his course load

Consisted mainly
of physics, chemistry,

Math, and science classes.

Ron was very intelligent.

- My name is mark johnson.

Ron baker was my best friend.

One of the things
that I loved about him

Is that he was always
asking questions.

And I think that is
a big part of what drove him,

Is to be understanding
of the world

That he was in.

- His friends and family
said that he was a very

Thoughtful and shy young man.

He didn't have
any known enemies.

- But when detectives
referenced the missing persons

Report filed by the
bakers two days earlier,

The family tells them
about a suspicious

Phone call they received.

[phone ringing]

- The bakers had told
van nuys detectives

That on June 21st,
the night before

Ron's body was discovered,
they had received

This anonymous phone call.

It was a demand for ransom for
the safe return of their son

And that the ransom amount
was $100,000.

- They said that
if my dad didn't pay,

That my brother
would be killed.

♪ ♪

- Ron was gonna
attend this meeting

With a group of friends
called the mystic circle.

- My dad found a to-do list.

The first item is
"get a new id,"

And the second is "sell car."

- All of a sudden,
this investigation

Takes a completely new turn.

- The media really
was focusing on,

Was ron leading
a double life?

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- On June 24, 1990,
investigators in la's

San fernando valley get
a harrowing firsthand account

From ron baker's parents about
an anonymous phone call

They received the day
before ron's body

Was discovered in the
notorious manson tunnel.

- The caller was demanding
$100,000 in ransom money

For the safe return
of ron and that

If they didn't pay it
by 5:00 the following day,

That ron would be killed.

This could be
a suspect in the murder.

[suspenseful music]

- According to my parents,
the voice was

Kind of raspy, maybe disguised.

- But there were no
specific instructions about,

Well, where at 5:00?

It just doesn't make
any sense.

- So my dad immediately called
ron's apartment in van nuys

And spoke to ron's roommates,
nathan and duncan,

To find out if they had seen
or heard from ron.

And they said they had dropped
him off at a bus stop earlier

That evening
in van nuys to go to ucla

To hang out with some friends.

So my parents thought
it was a prank or a hoax.

I mean, who would
wanna target ron?

Because he was
such a nice person.

- In the '90s, crank calls
were a popular teenage prank.

So the bakers dismissed it
as an innocent joke.

But when the man called back
the following afternoon

On June 22nd,
the bakers paid attention.

- It was the same raspy,
muffled voice, again,

Asking for $100,000 by 5:00

Or my brother would be killed.

My parents checked
with his roommates,

But they still hadn't seen
or heard from ron.

And it wasn't like him
to go somewhere and not

Have contact with anybody.

And we weren't really sure who
he was going to meet at ucla.

That's when they
started to worry,

And that's when my dad
called the van nuys police.

- Police there quickly filed
a missing persons report

And tapped the family's phone,

Hoping the kidnapper
would call back.

- The police gave my dad
a list of instructions

On what to do
if they called back.

But the third phone call
never came.

- Since the kidnappers
never followed through

With their ransom demand,
detectives now consider

That maybe money
was not the motive.

Given the violent nature
of the attack,

Could it have been personal?

- The detectives
needed to figure out

What ron's interests are
and who his friends are.

And his parents
said his closest associates

Were ron's two roommates,
nathan and duncan.

So the detectives went over

To ron baker's
van nuys apartment.

They were let in
by his roommate duncan.

Ron's other roommate,
nathan, was out of town.

- Duncan was one
of ron's friends

That he met after high school.

Duncan was drawn
to ron's calm attitude.

Duncan was
a little bit wilder.

- Nathan was a friend
of duncan's who moved in later.

- Detectives learn
that although they were all

In their early 20s,
ron was the only one

Attending college.

- Duncan and ron really
liked each other,

And nathan and duncan seemed
to get along really well.

So duncan was kind of the
tie-in between ron and nathan.

- When duncan is interviewed,

He discusses how much he loved
ron and how much he missed ron.

- Duncan also provides
some important intel

About what appears to be
the last time

Anyone saw ron alive.

- Duncan says that
on June 21st,

Ron was gonna take the bus
over to ucla campus,

And that he and nathan had
dropped ron off at a bus stop,

And that was the last time
that they had seen him.

- Investigators ask duncan
if he knows who ron

Was going to see
at ucla that night.

- Duncan tells detectives
that ron was gonna attend

This meeting
with a group of friends

Called the mystic circle.

It was a student group.

They gathered on campus
at ucla.

- These were very,
very thinking human beings

Who wanted to study
as much about existence

As they possibly could.

- I think it was an
opportunity for people to talk

About life in a spiritual way.

And I think that pairs
really well with, you know,

His study of astrophysics
at ucla.

He was focused on the real
science of the universe.

And I think the more
you do that,

The more spiritual
you become because you see

How insignificant you are.

- Ron's interest
in the mystic circle

Appears to be in line
with his christian roots.

But when detectives
search his bedroom,

They discover something
much more disturbing.

- There was this
kind of makeshift altar,

Complete with a pentagram and
knives and candle drippings.

It looked like a place
of potential worship

Or some type of ritualization.

- The makeshift altar
suggests something

More cynical
than benign mysticism.

- Detectives are
a bit taken aback.

For police trying
to solve a murder,

When they see this altar,
they can't rule out

That maybe it had something
to do with devil worshipping

And satanic endeavors.

Did they push it
to human sacrifice?

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- Detectives in los angeles
are wondering

If the murder
of ucla student ron baker

Was the result
of devil worship.

So when they find a homemade
altar in his bedroom,

They fear the worst.

- There are candles,
a five-point pendant,

And there's a knife.

Did ron get involved
in animal sacrifice

Or even human sacrifice?

- We've got the victim wearing
a pentagram around his neck.

He's part
of the mystic circle.

He's got this makeshift altar.

That may have had
something to do with the crime.

- To better understand
the pentagram

And what it represents,
investigators call

On the lapd's resident expert.

- My name is patrick metoyer.

I'm a retired los angeles
police detective.

In 1990, the los angeles
police department

Needed someone to help them
understand some of the symbols

That they were finding.

I told them the pentagram
is one of those objects

That is used by people
practicing things

Of the occult.

For instance,
a person who might be

A follower of satanism

Where people
would sacrifice something.

But the pentagram
is also used by mystic groups

As a symbol of protection
from evil.

- We thought
that mystic circle

Was more of a spiritual group

That was into mysticism.

But there was speculation
that it could have been

Something evil
that he'd been involved in.

- But knowing that ron had
been stabbed multiple times,

They collected those knives
and had them tested

To see if there was
any blood residue on them

Or if there was any connection
to ron's murder.

- And when detectives
looked back

At the date of ron's murder,
June 21st,

They make another
frightening connection.

- Summer solstice is
the longest day of the year.

It's a day that each
and every occultist celebrates.

And many of them offer anything
to whomever their gods are,

Even if they were
gonna sacrifice something

For the devil.

[tense music]

- There was a lot
of media coverage,

Mainly focused on the occult,
mystic circle, satanism.

You know, was ron
leading a double life?

Was there some kind
of sacrifice

Since it did happen
on the summer solstice?

- The knives from the altar
come back clean.

And while the media storm
rages on,

Ron baker's family
remembers ron

During a mournful ceremony
of their own.

- On Saturday, June 28, we had
the big memorial service.

That day is kind
of a blur for me.

I wasn't able to speak.

I had one of my best friends
read my statement

Because it was just
too much for me

Because ron was really
a friend to everybody.

He didn't have a mean soul.

- Ron's roommate,
duncan martinez,

Does a very emotionally
charged eulogy.

[somber music]

- And then I spoke,
and I gave my eulogy.

But I didn't--

I didn't come around to really
feeling it and understanding,

Like, the weight of what had
happened until they lowered--

Lowered that coffin
into the ground.

And his dad just
started crying.

And I just started crying.

And it was
the first time I cried.

'cause I couldn't until then.

It wasn't real.

[tense music]

- At the memorial,
detectives connect

With some of baker's
mystic circle friends

To try and confirm what ron's
roommate duncan told them,

That baker was on his way to
campus to meet with the group

The night he was murdered.

- What they were
able to determine

Was that there was never
a meeting on June 21st.

So ron hadn't been seen
by anybody

In the group that night.

- But if ron wasn't
planning to meet up

With his mystic circle friends
that night,

Where was he going?

- It begs the question,
after ron's roommates,

Duncan and nathan, dropped ron
off at the bus stop,

What happened to ron?

- Investigators circle back
with his roommates

For more details
about that night.

This time, both duncan
and nathan are home.

- As they conduct
their interview,

Nathan basically
corroborates the story

That duncan had told.

And he says that on June 21st,
both him and duncan

Had dropped ron off
at the bus stop.

- They said they then
went to a local school

To play basketball
and drink some beer.

- And then both
duncan and nathan

Returned to their apartment
and then went to a party.

- Then duncan tells
investigators something

Strange and seemingly random.

- Duncan says after receiving
the phone call

From ron's parents
on June 22nd

Reporting that
they can't find him,

Duncan then goes out
and begins to look for ron

In chatsworth park
and specifically

Over near the railroad tunnel.

This is very interesting
to the detectives

Because nobody would
have known where

To look for ron at this point

Because it hadn't been
reported yet.

So if the park was not a place
that ron frequented,

They wouldn't to go look there

Unless they had information
about the murder.

- What in the world
would make them decide

To go to the chatsworth tunnel

To look for their
missing friend?

The antennas shoot up.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

[tense music]

- When duncan martinez
tells lapd

He went looking
for his friend ron baker

At the chatsworth tunnel,
where ron's body was found,

They only have one question.

How did he know
where to look for ron

When police withheld
this detail from the press?

- He responds by saying
that it was a place

That ron used to frequent.

It's a place that
he would go to meditate.

So it's natural for him to be
there if nobody can find him.

- Unsure if duncan
is telling the truth,

Investigators ask ron's family
if he was known

To hang out
at the chatsworth tunnel.

- We weren't sure.

I know some of our friends
had gone up there.

But we didn't know if ron
had been there before.

- Unable to confirm duncan's
statement with ron's family,

Detectives make a bold move.

- So police ask duncan
to take a polygraph.

And he agrees.

- On July 3rd, duncan reports
to police headquarters

In downtown los angeles
to take a lie detector test.

- The detectives conduct
a polygraph examination,

Asking him the pertinent
questions relating

To ron's disappearance
and his murder.

- And he flunks...

On all the pertinent questions.

Fails miserably.

- And when they try to do
a follow-up interview of him,

At that point in time,
he says that he has a lawyer

And that he doesn't want
to cooperate any further.

- Duncan was a good friend.

But for police, he's starting
to really look suspicious.

- It's interesting that
he has failed the polygraph.

But he's only a person
of interest at this point.

There's no hard evidence
to connect him to the murder.

But the detectives told duncan
that he shouldn't leave town.

- In light
of this new development,

Detectives begin to shift away

From the occult sacrifice
motive

And instead focus on duncan.

But when they alert the bakers
that ron's good friend

Failed his polygraph,
the family appears unfazed.

- The bakers were not at all
suspicious about him.

They said that they had been
very close and loyal friends.

They could not imagine that
duncan would have anything

To do with their son's murder.

- In fact, investigators
learn from mr. Baker

That duncan called him
earlier that morning.

- Duncan called my dad,
telling him

That he needed a place to store
some of his belongings.

- Duncan asks if he can stash
his stuff in their garage.

And mr. Baker is,
of course, yes, you can.

- But detectives
become even more alarmed

When they hear the reason
for duncan's request.

- Duncan told us he moved
out of the apartment

And moved in
with another friend.

He didn't feel comfortable
staying there because he was

Getting increasingly paranoid
about people following him,

Maybe the person that got ron,
because nobody knows

Who they might be
coming for next.

♪ ♪

- So the next day,
the detectives

Go back over to the apartment
where he lives,

And they encounter nathan.

Nathan also reports that
duncan has moved out.

And then he tells them
duncan has just

Disappeared into thin air.

Nobody has any idea
where he's at.

♪ ♪

- The next day, investigators
get a frantic call

From mr. Baker,
letting them know

About a startling discovery
he's made.

- The bakers don't know
where duncan is.

And they want to help
detectives find him.

So mr. Baker begins to go
through duncan's belongings,

Maybe hoping to find out
as to something that

Would lead to his whereabouts.

- He's speechless at what
he ends up finding.

- He found a to-do list sitting
inside one of the boxes.

The first item on to-do list
is "get a new id,"

And the second is "sell car."

- Well, that doesn't
sound like what

A totally innocent person
would be writing

On a piece of paper.

- Is he running from somebody,
or is he trying to hide?

He could have been scared,
but, still, why disappear?

And where is he?

His father lived out of state.

So they look at his
father's house,

Started trying to look around
with other relatives

And see if maybe he had gone
to stay with somebody.

- Detectives are now
asking themselves,

Is he trying to, you know,
get out of our crosshairs?

- Police continue
to search for duncan.

But after three weeks,
the case stalls out.

That's when detectives receive
a call from out of the blue.

- On July 24 of 1990,
a female calls the police

And reports that her friend

Duncan martinez
has been abducted.

- She received a phone call.

And it's duncan.

- He was saying, "they got me
in some kind of warehouse."

- It is the strangest
phone call.

And she's like,
what's going on?

What's going on?

And then the phone goes dead.

The lapd were thinking,
holy mackerel,

What is going on here?

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- In July of 1990,
lapd detectives learn

That duncan martinez,
the main suspect

In the murder of his friend
ron baker,

Has apparently been kidnapped.

- Duncan's friend got
a phone call from duncan.

And it was duncan saying,

"they got me in some kind
of warehouse.

I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Help me."

And then these muffled noises
like fighting and grunting,

And then the phone goes dead.

And the call
was actually recorded

On her answering machine.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- This is all very strange.

Ron had disappeared.

He gets murdered.

Now you've got
duncan reportedly abducted

And being beaten.

Is it connected?

Does duncan's disappearance
have anything

To do with ron's murder?

This is a tremendous lead.

So detectives begin to conduct

Their missing persons
investigation of duncan.

- Detectives immediately
contact duncan's friend

And subpoena the recording.

- The detectives
interview the female.

They get her phone information.

Of course, they want
to use that to backtrack

And see where the call
came from.

A few days later,
duncan's friend's

Phone records come in.

And they're able
to find the number

That had called this female.

It doesn't go back
to a warehouse.

It goes to a public payphone

That's at the
las vegas airport.

♪ ♪

- This is very frustrating for
a robbery/homicide detective

Because this person
who has raised

Their collective antennas
is just gone.

- La police keep in touch
with duncan's friend,

The bakers, and nathan in case
duncan contacts any of them.

They also put out a "be on
the lookout" alert for duncan,

But nothing comes in.

- 18 months goes by.

There's no new leads.

Detectives are frustrated

Because the case
has grown cold.

♪ ♪

- It was a lot of waiting
and no new news.

At that point, we started
to think that duncan

Either knew something
about the murder

Or was somehow involved.

But I often thought we'd
never figure out what happened

Because duncan was missing,

And nobody came forward
that had information.

- Council members
say police have gone

Through all their leads.

They still do not
have a suspect.

Anyone with any information
on the killing of ronald baker

Is asked to call la police.

- But then, all of a sudden,
this investigation

Takes a completely new turn.

- On December 12 of 1991,
the detectives

Were contacted by an attorney
out of salt lake city, utah.

His client, duncan martinez,
wants to come forward

Because he has information
about the murder of ron baker.

- Duncan has been arrested
for traveling

Under a false identity,
a federal offense.

- So duncan decides
that maybe he can leverage

The information that he knows
about the ron baker murder

To get himself
out of his current situation.

- On December 13th,
detectives fly to utah

To interview duncan martinez
about the murder of ron baker.

But before duncan will talk,

His attorney
wants to make a deal.

- He says to the lapd,
"I can tell you

"what I know about ron baker,

But you need to give me
immunity."

- They call it
a king for a day,

Which allows a person to sit

And divulge
incriminating information

Without the fear of having that
information used against them

In a criminal prosecution.

- But there's one
important string attached.

- Police tell him,
you are never,

Ever permitted to talk
about this case to anyone

At any time, anywhere,
or the deal is off.

- Los angeles detectives
are now all ears

As duncan tells them
what happened

The night of June 21, 1990.

- According to duncan,
he and nathan conspired

To kidnap ron in order
to get money

Out of ron's parents
because they believed

They would pay $100,000 ransom
for him.

But they weren't
going to kill ron.

- They were watching
the old show "dragnet."

And it had something to do
with a kidnapping,

And they were thinking, yeah,
we could do that better.

- So on June 21 of 1990,

Duncan and ron
all get into nathan's car.

They drive up to the park.

- Ron was tricked
into going up

To what he thought
was a celebration

Of the summer solstice.

- They have a case
of beer with them,

And they're just
joking around, drinking beer.

According to duncan,
he and nathan

Were going
to hold ron hostage.

But when they walked
in the tunnel,

Nathan stumbles
over the railroad tracks,

And ron was making fun of him.

They got into a tussle.

Nathan snaps.

- Nathan went ballistic

And starts stabbing
poor ron baker.

- They took the beer,
and they doused ron's body

With it in order
to either contaminate

Or to destroy any evidence.

And immediately
after the murder,

Both duncan and nathan
returned to their apartment.

They get rid of their clothing.

They throw the knife
in a nearby dumpster.

And then they made
phone calls to the bakers

In order to get the $100,000
ransom money out of them,

And then went to a party
as if nothing had happened.

Duncan explains
that the only reason

He went along with it
is because he himself

Was in fear of nathan.

- Because of the
king for a day deal,

All identity theft charges

Against duncan in utah
are dropped.

But before detectives let him
walk, they make a request.

- Before releasing duncan,
the detectives

Get a blood sample from him.

- Detectives return to la

Eager to track down
nathan blalock.

He's not hard to find.

- Nathan is actually
at the riverside county jail,

Where he's being incarcerated
for bank robbery.

The detectives get a court
order for nathan's blood

So that they can collect
a blood sample from him.

- Then, three days
after duncan's confession,

The blood results
for both men come back.

- It was pretty incriminating.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- On December 16, 1991,
detectives in la

Receive the blood results
from their two prime suspects

In the murder of ron baker--

Duncan martinez
and nathan blalock.

The lapd is hopeful
that one of them

Will be a match for the blood
found under ron's fingernails.

- Duncan's blood type is a,
but nathan's blood sample

Comes back as ab positive.

[tense music]

According to duncan,
nathan was the one

Who was doing the stabbing.

And now you've
got nathan's blood type

Under ron baker's nails.

So this is all starting
to come together pretty nicely.

- This is extremely rare.

Only 4% of the population
has ab-plus blood.

- The blood match
is a big win for detectives.

But they still need
more evidence.

And to get it,
they call on duncan for help.

- Duncan martinez is willing
to help police because I think

The more he can help
put the onus on nathan,

It takes the spotlight
off of him.

- And so they have duncan
go visit nathan at the jail.

And then detectives
put a wire on duncan

So that he can record
any incriminating information

That nathan might disclose.

Nathan is unaware at this time
that duncan has confessed.

- Authorities monitor the
meeting and hope for the best.

- Duncan's like,
"how do I get beyond this?"

And nathan says,
"forget about it.

Just move on."

- But then nathan begins
to incriminate himself.

- As the conversation
progresses,

Investigators finally
hear the man who stabbed

Ron baker to death admit it.

- Nathan says that the whole
thing was just a big mistake.

And, ultimately, nathan does
involve himself directly

In the murder of ron baker.

As soon as duncan
leaves the room,

The detectives walk in,

And they arrest nathan
for the murder of ron baker.

- They charge nathan blalock

With first-degree,
premeditated murder.

- Authorities tell duncan
he's free to go home

And once again
watch him walk out the door.

- He goes back to utah,
and life is good.

- It was just unbelievable.

Even though he didn't
actually use the knife

To kill my brother,
we felt that

He was equally responsible
because he didn't stop it.

It was like a knife
being turned on us,

His friend who he knew
for all these years.

- But karma always has a way
of coming back around.

- Fast forward
till christmas of 1993,

And the lapd gets
an unexpected phone call

From a detective out of utah.

- Investigators learn
that duncan has been

Arrested for burglary in utah.

And when he tried
to talk his way out of it,

He broke his
king for a day deal.

- Duncan tells the utah police
that the reason that

He was burglarizing was because
he had witnessed ron baker

Being murdered in los angeles.

Part of the agreement was
that duncan was not supposed

To have any discussions
outside of the confidentiality

Of his attorney
and the detectives

That interviewed him.

Now he's having
conversations about this.

So the deal is off the table.

Anything that duncan says
now can be used against him.

- Seeing their second chance,
detectives ask

The utah police to secretly
record their conversation

With duncan about
the details of ron's death

And cross their fingers that
he will divulge

Further details
about the murder.

- Ultimately, duncan
reveals that he was involved

In ron baker's murder.

- Duncan tells them
he said to nathan,

"you're gonna have to
finish him off somehow."

When cops hear this,
they're like, wait, what?

What?

You're gonna have
to finish him off?

- Ron is on the ground,
and duncan says to nathan,

"make sure he's dead."

And at that point in time,
nathan slices ron's throat

And leaves him for dead.

♪ ♪

- Authorities in la
fly back to utah

And finally apprehend
duncan martinez

For the murder
of his friend ron baker.

- Duncan martinez
has blabbed his way

Into a first-degree
murder charge

Just like nathan blalock.

- So in 1996, nathan and duncan
go on trial individually.

- Armed with audio confessions
from both men,

Prosecutors present
their case--

First against nathan in March

And then against duncan
in December.

- And both nathan and duncan
are found guilty

And given a life sentence

Without the possibility
of parole.

[somber music]

- Ron was becoming a
charismatic and handsome man.

He had a girl he was seeing.

And it was just
this perfect moment

Where everything was possible.

And he could have
been anything.

He could have been anyone.

- My brother could have
done wonderful things.

He planned on doing things
with medicine,

Possibly finding cures
for diseases.

And all that was denied him.

On summer solstice,
I'll do something

To remember him by and just
try to do something nice

That he would have loved.

♪ ♪