Original subtitles

The story you are about to see was inspired by actual events.

The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Tuesday afternoon.

Blazing hot in Los Angeles.

McCarron and I were working the day shift out of robbery homicide when the

came in.

Jumper from a downtown hotel.

One and a half million out -of -towners flock to the L .A. Convention Center

every year.

These people see a different L .A. than the city that we know.

For them, Los Angeles is a downtown hotel.

The Universal Tour, Disneyland, walk down Hollywood Boulevard.

Most manage to survive.

This man didn't.

My name's Friday.

I'm a cop.

Why were you called on the jumper?

Because he was dead before he fell.

Take a look.

Shot with a small caliber handgun.

Get a screen around the body.

Todd Barnes.

He's a home appliance rep in town for a houseware convention.

Some guests heard a shot around 11, but assumed it was on the street.

Joe Friday, LAPD, Detective McCarron.

Hi. Uh, Hal.

Hal Eliason. He was a friend of yours?

Yeah.

I just spoke to his wife. She's flying in.

From Iowa?

Des Moines.

That's where we're all from.

There's nine of us from Denholm Housewares.

Where were you when it happened?

Just a couple of rooms down.

I was speaking to him on the phone. He was getting into the shower, and he said

he would leave the door cracked for me. When you came down, it was open.

Yes, but the room was empty.

And then I saw the blood out there on the balcony.

What do you think?

Door was open.

Shooter walked in.

Caught Barnes on the balcony, put one on his forehead, stumbled backwards, went

over.

Get a contact for Larson.

No robbery.

No apparent motive.

A cop's worst fear.

You hope for something, anything, that tells you it's not just random.

A dead end.

Life's here.

They just brought him from the airport.

We used to make a little vacation out of these conventions.

You'd come with your husband?

We'd cash in his business class plane ticket.

All cramming in his hotel room, me and the kids.

We have three.

You didn't join him this year.

You know, money was tight.

The economy and all.

Todd said he needed focus.

You know, he was a real hard worker.

Any problems at home?

This probably sounds real Midwestern, but... Todd was a good man.

He was a good family man.

That doesn't make any sense, you know.

What's wrong with this world?

It wasn't the first time I'd heard the question.

And it wasn't the first time I couldn't answer it.

The canvas, SID, ballistics turned up nothing.

The victim had no priors, no notable enemies, no double indemnity life

policy.

The public doesn't realize that over 30 % of homicides go unsolved.

After three months, I had a bad feeling that this one was headed for the cold

case file.

And I'd have to tell Mrs. Barnes that her husband's murder may never be

But some things turn on luck alone.

Cops over lunch, swapping war stories.

Every once in a while, you catch a break.

Three months back, a guy responds to a knock at the door.

Bam, shot in the face.

Ballistics, canvas, forensics, zip.

Tomorrow, I got to tell the guy's daughter we can't find her dad's killer.

Did you get a good plug from that shooting?

Good hunch, Lieutenant.

Check it out.

Identical markings.

The slug pulled from the houseware's wrap was fired from the same gun that

killed the guy who did Palmdale.

Three -point match to the jumper.

Looks like we're back in business.

Two murders, same M .O.

Peter Turner, real estate broker, Palmdale, opens his front door, gets

the head.

Todd Barnes, houseware salesman, Iowa, leaves his hotel door open, gets shot in

the head. Same weapon, both murders.

What connects them?

Both salesmen, both family members.

Hold off on that one.

Palmdale's sheriff records say that Peter Turner did two years at men's

molesting his daughter.

Cross -reference phone records, e -mails, address books. Something will

up that will tie Peter Turner and Todd Barnes together.

Something did. I worked the phone records.

Both victims called the same number in Westwood belonging to a Nicole Harrison.

There's more.

Nicole Harrison is Peter Turner of Palmdale's daughter.

That's the daughter.

We had a person who could tell us something about Peter Turner.

His daughter.

Cairns, Detective Cooper. May we come in?

Yeah, please.

I'm sorry about the heat. It's so hot. The AC's not working.

So, um... Did you get him?

Who's that?

The guy who shot my father.

No, ma 'am.

We haven't.

Well, where's Marino?

We're working on the cases in conjunction with the Sheriff's

What do you mean, cases?

Do you know this man, Miss Harrison?

He doesn't look familiar, no.

That's Todd Warrens from Iowa. He was murdered with the same weapon that was

used to kill your father two weeks after your father's murder.

I'm sorry.

It's been hard, you know, with my dad's death. What's, um...

What's his name again?

Todd Warrens. Do you know him?

No, I don't.

We accessed his phone records. He's called you over 400 times in the last

Including a call to your number the night before he was killed.

He must be a client.

What business are you in, Miss Harrison?

It's kind of embarrassing, but I do adult video chat. I've got

my webcam, my costumes.

Sorry, I'm not a video chat kind of guy, Ms. Harrison.

Oh, okay.

See, guys, go to this website, thepeepingtom .com, where

lots of girls like myself are categorized.

They just click on my icon, Fantasy Girl.

I make a very good living, and I never have to leave the house.

They pay me $3 .99 a minute to, you know, fulfill their fantasies.

So it's like being a stripper, only it's over the Internet.

Except you make more, and there's no drunk guys calling at you.

How did Todd Barnes get your home phone number?

Well, sometimes clients IM me for my numbers so that they can hear my voice

while they watch me on video.

Beats all that back and forth typing.

You ever meet him offline?

No, I don't meet my clients.

Never. I don't even know what they look like.

Weird part of what I do.

Remember where you were on Wednesday, August 17th?

Is that when this guy was shot?

Yeah.

Wednesday, I was here.

I was working. You can check.

What do you think?

I think this town needs girls like that a lot.

You're not buying that whole victim thing, are you?

You like her, don't you?

Keeping time records verifying Nicole was online at the time both murders were

committed. Yeah, but listen to that transcript. Nicole, my father was a

You think I do what I do because I like it? I'm on the Internet for a reason. I

can't be intimate with real people.

Who you telling that to?

Some guy with the screen name Lurker. It goes on. Nicole, sometimes I wish you'd

die for what he did. Lurker, he deserves to.

And you mentioned the Todd Barnes?

Nah, it's all about a father and how he hated him.

So this guy Lurker might have acted on it.

Yeah, it was a few months ago.

Lurker just wanted me to be his wife.

His wife?

Yeah, it was a role play. You know, he never asked me to strip, just talk.

He'd come online every day, and we'd talk about our day.

Like husband and wife.

Did he ever ask you questions about your father?

We talked about some pretty personal stuff, I guess, yeah.

You know about your father's record?

I had a great childhood.

Did you ever suspect Lurker when your father was killed?

Nicole, I know this is hard.

I'm really scared.

Why are you scared?

I haven't been completely honest with you guys.

Yesterday morning I found this on my doorstep.

Don't share a secret. Signed, Lurker.

No postmark, no stamp?

He knows where I live.

The Peeping Tom server gave us the real name for Lurker off his credit card.

John Soddy, 1224 Maplewood. No rap sheet besides some traffic citations.

SID just said they're going to need a few days for the forensics of the

he sent to Nicole.

I'm not waiting on that. Let's get some backup. Pop this guy.

Serve the warrant. First priority is the 38th.

Hello? Detective McCarran, LAPD. We have a warrant. Search the premises, ma 'am.

John! John!

John Foddy, I'm Detective McCarran, LAPD. This is Detective Cooper. We have

warrant. Hey, listen! Why do you keep coming back for that? Take it easy. Take

it easy. What about you?

What about you? Take it easy. We have a warrant.

Why do you keep doing this to us?

Why?

My client was arrested and held for 73 days after 9 -11.

I understand that, sir.

But our records never indicate it. What records?

He wasn't allowed counsel.

Never formally charged. He couldn't even tell his family where he was detained.

Our investigation has no relation to terrorism, Mr. Ebrahimi. How's my client

supposed to know that when five armed cars break into his living room? You

to keep this simple?

Mr. Saudi, tell me where you were the night that Peter Turner was murdered.

I was in San Diego

on business.

I stayed out on Coronado.

You familiar with the website called The Peeping Tom?

The Peeping Tom?

We know you ran up a thousand dollar charge on the site last month.

This is your credit card statement.

I have never seen

this before.

Expect us to believe that? Mr. Saadi was released only a few weeks ago.

He has not seen the statements because your government has confiscated his

Hotel confirmed that Soddy stayed three nights in Delmonico on Coronado. SID

found no cookies from the Peeping Tom on his hard drive.

Someone stole his credit card and set up a Peeping Tom account.

All right, get him out of here before we get hit with a civil suit.

I say we get Nicole to set up a meeting with Lurker and we nail him.

She'd do that?

I think I can talk her into it.

No.

I'd be too nervous, I mean...

He'd know.

Look, the meeting place will be crawling with undercover cops.

He'll be wearing protective clothing. It'll be completely safe.

Can't you just track down the guy's computer or something? I mean... We're

that, but this guy knows what he's doing.

It's gonna take time.

You saw what he sent me.

Look, this guy may have killed two people. We get him. You're out of the

You know, I'm sorry.

I just, I can't.

All right, you're scared.

I suppose you just set up a meeting.

I don't actually go?

Right. You just contact Lurker, set it up.

We'll take it from there.

He's really a smart guy.

I mean, he knows where I live.

You know, what if he figures it out? I mean, I would want someone to be here

with me when you arrest him, just in case.

Are you sure it's a good idea for you to provide protective custody?

What are you talking about?

You know what I mean.

That's the only way I could get her to set up Lurk.

I missed you, Nicole.

I missed you, too.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to scare you. I just missed you.

I understand.

It's okay.

I was angry about the others.

It hurts me when you're near them.

I understand.

I'd like to see you.

Of course I'll wear the pink dress.

How do I look?

Cheap. Good.

Don't give this guy too much time.

If I make a positive idea, I give the signal. There's no telling what he's

to do when he finds out you're not Nicole.

I know.

Thank you so much for being here with me.

Still my job.

Makes me feel a lot safer.

I love that dress.

You look amazing.

Pink's my favorite.

Who's this?

That's my husband, Ronald Harrison.

You married?

He passed away.

I keep his name, though. Keeps him alive.

Sorry.

He took his own life.

I wasn't a very good wife.

I wasn't really very good at anything, you know?

I'm not very good offline.

What do you mean?

All day long I do these fantasies for people.

But face to face, it's a different story. I freeze up.

It's not that I want to be distant. I mean, I want to be close.

I wanted that with my husband.

But every time I would start to climax, I'd see his face.

Whose face?

My father.

I'd get so close, you know, and then I'd lose it.

It's pretty horrible, huh?

Had to keep wondering if I'm over.

Been a long time.

Cool.

2 -B -3 -22 on you, 2 -B -3 -22 on you.

Dispatch, 4 -King -20.

Look, he knows where you live and he knows you set him up. He's not going to

stop at a pot shot through a window. I don't care. I'm not going into

custody like a criminal.

When the shot was fired, where were you?

I was standing right over there.

I was standing right here.

He was aiming at me.

There's a new competition.

Take

it down.

Clear those two rooms.

Clear.

Lots of bills, past due.

That's why he stole a credit card.

Finances peeping Tom have it.

38 Bulldog, you're a lucky man, Jimmy.

Nearly shot, that's lucky.

Thought Nicole said she never met him.

She told me that too.

Jimmy! Hey!

Hey! Hey!

What the hell?

You're hurting me!

You're hurting me!

You're hurting me!

Howard Craig Sims, 31, served in Desert Storm Infantry.

Section 895 after being declared unfit for military service.

You got ballistics?

Slugs from Barnes and Turner match the slug we pulled from Nicole's kitchen.

He's ours.

What happens from here is up to you.

We have evidence to convict you of first -degree murder.

You could be facing death.

Living or dying depends upon your cooperation.

What do you know about it? Who is us?

Me and the Queen of England.

Talking about you and Nicole.

Of course.

We are together.

Yeah. We saw the picture of you at your apartment.

What was your relationship?

You couldn't even begin to understand what we feel for each other.

How often do you see her?

As often...

As I could afford to.

Did she tell you what her father did to her?

He came into her bedroom.

And he told her he loved her.

He put a pillow over her face and he held her down and he raped his own

daughter. Is that why you killed him?

No. Then why'd you kill him?

Because Nicole asked me to.

We understand why you were angry with Peter Turner.

But the other man, Todd Barnes, the appliance salesman, what did he do?

Why did he have to die?

Now it's obvious.

I know you can hear what I'm thinking.

Why'd you kill Barnes, Howard?

Todd Barnes.

I snuck into the chat room and I saw how she talked to him.

What she did for him.

I knew what he wanted. He came to L .A. for her.

But if I can't be with her, then no one else.

Was it jealousy?

You want to use me to change my face?

She was going to talk to me.

She was mine.

Stop talking.

All of you, stop talking.

I'll file, but I'm going to authorize a psych evaluation to see if Sims is fit

to stand trial.

So you took the time. He's not.

Nicole lied to me. She said she never met Sims offline. Now Sims tells me she

put him up to murdering her father. And we have a photo that puts them together.

Conspiracy. Good luck with that. All Nicole has to claim is that she was

by a lunatic. A lunatic she manipulated.

To get Nicole on any murder, you have to show that she put Sims in a frame of

mind to commit the crime on her behalf.

Did you read the instant message transcripts? Complaining her father

isn't solicitation of murder.

Thank God you got him. It's just a huge weight off my shoulders.

He's in the jail ward at L .A. General.

He told you he was crazy.

Yeah, he did.

I'd like to ask you some questions.

Did you ever meet Howard Sims, lurker, offline?

No, I told you, I don't meet clients.

Can you explain this to them?

I want to talk to my lawyer.

Nicole lied about knowing.

And now she's lawyered up so you can forget about getting anything else out

her. She had no reason to lie unless she was complicit. She's betting she can

lie better than Sims can tell the truth.

Very creative, but say I file, her lawyer will just claim that everything

said to Sims online was role play. An actress playing the part.

Just got the results back from Sim's psych evaluation.

Schizoid erotomania.

Out in five, high in lithium, and in the meantime, useless as a witness.

Get me something more than a frame -of -mind case and I'll file. But right now,

Nicole's a long shot.

Take the bird in the hand.

I'd seen that look before.

A cop realizing that a case isn't always solved just by catching a killer.

It's about convicting the truly guilty.

Howard Sims would be off the streets.

The law has closed the case and ended the investigation.

But some people can't accept this.

For them, it lives on.

So they go to the past, examine another death.

What?

Tell me what.

Nicole Harrison was married to Ronald Harrison.

Committed suicide.

Probate records show he left her over 200 ,000 bucks.

Yeah? She also got $100 ,000 from a life insurance policy after her dad died.

Hmm. I got the name of the investigating officer and the husband's death.

So what are you waiting for?

You're lucky you found me in time. I'm about to retire.

Eastern Oregon.

Short time, huh?

You got it, partner.

Yeah. No.

Let's see.

Ronald Harrison.

Yeah, you remember?

During a trial I had going for a double murder.

Took over a year to complete.

Had a, uh, rolled me on a Harrison suicide during a recess in a, uh, motion

here.

Alex just died off himself.

That's a file.

Had a cute little wife who was, uh, heartbroken.

I appreciate that.

No problem.

I have a boss that works at using good spirits. He pays his union dues three

months in advance and he's building a deck on the back of his house.

Who?

Nicole Harrison's husband.

Let me guess.

You're not buying suicide.

Something's not right. I'm telling you.

Calvin Coolidge said that perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.

He was right.

You better find Jimmy Hoffa to get me up here this early. If I could have done

it on the phone, I would have.

On the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?

Yeah.

You know, McCarron, this is no way to make a lieutenant.

You're gonna forgive me when I show you?

Nicole's first husband committed suicide, right?

With a gun like this.

Between his legs.

No one was here on his chest.

You know, Jimmy, I think you've had too much coffee. Just go with me.

Look at the blood drops.

They changed direction.

He was shot standing up.

Exactly. Here.

Go ahead.

Try it.

The wound was right there in his chest.

Good. Top yourself.

You can't reach the trigger, can you?

41 years on the 4th. I know when a guy blows his head off. The fatal shot was

his heart. Heart, head.

It was suicide.

This guy you spoke to, Greg Larson.

The guy who alibied Nicole.

Yeah, Larson.

He did custom car paint.

The night of Harrison's death, he was striping her lowrider.

Story's magic.

Well, we find that Nicole's not too reliable.

And in going over your files, I noticed you never even checked the weapon for

Larson's fingerprints.

Look, as I told your partner, this came down during that whole double homicide

investigation. Maybe you missed something.

It wasn't time to dig into it.

We have time now.

Is there a GSR test done on the victim?

Joe, I'm a short timer, remember?

I'm right here at the finish line.

Say Larson did kill Nicole's husband.

It doesn't matter. The guy's been taken care of. What do you mean, taken care

of? The year after that, we got him in two armed robberies.

30 years up in Folsom.

Enjoy your retirement.

Mr.

Larson. I'm Detective McCarron, LAPD.

I'd like to ask you some questions about Ronald Harrison.

We found your prints on the weapon that was used to kill him.

Oh, man.

I thought this was going to be a parole hearing.

Tomorrow, the DA will file charges against you for the murder of Ronald

Harrison. Unless you give us a reason not to.

So that bitch is talking, huh?

We're just trying to find out what happened.

What happened is Nicole wanted him dead.

I mean, that's why you guys are here, right?

I mean, it's not just because of me.

I'm not worth it.

Did we waste our time, Mr. Larson?

Depends. When do we get out?

We make the murder case and you never cooperate and you could get a chance at

parole.

Pete's dying in prison.

Hey, I'm sorry. I don't have time for you guys right now. I'm in the middle of

death law. What do you mean murder? You think I killed my father?

This isn't about your father. Then who?

It's about your husband, Ronald Harris.

Nicole's defense filed a motion in limine to suppress all evidence from the

murder of her father. Come on. It establishes a pattern of behavior that

Nicole's done this before. They're saying it's prejudicial to the jury,

you can't unring a bell.

Will it work?

Unless I can prove that it won't.

The defendant's father was killed in the same manner as the defendant's husband.

preliminary hearings, evidentiary hearings, all in order to determine what

or may not be admissible in a trial.

Your Honor, my client has not been connected in any way to the tragic death

her father.

This is just a hearing, Mr. LaPlate. I'd like everything on the table. Evidence

relating to the death of Nicole Harrison's father could show that once

assailant was recruited to commit the crime.

The Peeping Tom transcripts speak directly to the relevance of this to the

state's current case.

Well, what's up?

The judge admitted the Turner evidence.

The peeping Tom transcripts?

The transcripts. She was held to answer.

Yeah!

How did Nicole Harrison first propose that you kill her husband?

She joked about it when we were getting it on.

Where were you at the time?

Where we usually were.

In bed over at my place.

Then one day she mentioned that she wasn't joking.

Did she ever offer you anything in exchange for your help?

Yeah.

There was money.

Old Ronnie inherited some money. She said we were going to split it and live

happily ever after. Did you ever receive any money?

Hell no.

Once Ronnie was dead, she didn't want to know me.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Mr. Larson.

Well, you've admitted...

Killing Ronald Harrison.

And then staging the crime scene to make it look like a suicide.

So given the fact that you're a convicted armed robber, my question is,

years? Excuse me? How many years did the DA knock off your sentence for having

you lie that someone else... Objection! Conjecture! Sustain, Mr. LaPlate.

The jury will disregard the last statement by defense counsel.

This case has special significance for you, doesn't it, detective?

They're all significant.

I don't know what you mean.

Personal significance.

Have you spent time alone with the defendant?

Only in the course of duty.

Well, it's my understanding that interviews with witnesses or suspects

normally done by teams, usually two detectives. Can you explain the reason

that? For purposes of verification.

So why'd you violate that rule, detective?

I didn't violate that rule, counselor.

Do you deny that you went to my client's apartment and you spent time with her

alone? I was there to provide protection for her during an undercover operation.

Alone?

I wasn't there to interview or extract information.

Well, isn't that when you learned that she'd formerly been married?

Yes. And isn't that when you, acting ostensibly as her protector, encouraged

to reveal her most profound feelings regarding her sexuality?

No. And that's when you took your shot at seducing her, isn't it?

Absolutely not. And she rejected you, didn't she? And that is why we are here

today, a vendetta.

Objection. This line of questioning has no purpose other than badgering this

witness.

I'll withdraw.

No more questions.

Ms. Harrison, do you acknowledge that after Ronnie Harrison's death, you were

the sole beneficiary of his estate, valued at over $200 ,000?

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you.

Yes.

How long before your husband's death did you begin your extramarital affair with

Mr. Larson? I wasn't having an affair with Mr. Larson. According to Mr.

your affair began right around the time your husband's will was drafted.

Now, would you say that was just a coincidence, Ms. Harrison, or was that a

plan? My relationship with Mr. Larson wasn't sexual. We were just friends. A

friend that you enlisted to kill your husband.

Larson wanted to be with me, and I wouldn't. He was very jealous.

Your witness, Mr. LaPlatte.

Will, I can't leave this hanging in the air.

Nicole, were you intimate with Greg Larson?

You know I wasn't. How would I know that? How would anyone know that?

Because I couldn't be, because I'm damaged.

What do you mean, damaged?

I was raped.

By my father.

It was something that my husband, Ronnie, and I dealt with quite a lot.

He thought that I was cold. I couldn't make him believe that I loved him. I

would try, but I just couldn't.

Every time that we would have sex, I'd see his face.

See who? My father.

I blame myself that Ronnie died.

I know that it hurt him.

So much. And I'm so sorry.

But I loved my husband. He was a good man.

We wanted a... We wanted a family.

I wouldn't have hurt him for anything in the world.

Did you ever suspect Mr. Larson of killing your husband and making it look

a suicide?

No.

But I can see... I can see the possibility. I mean, he wanted to be

What do you think?

Could go either way.

This bitch walks, I swear to... If she walks, she walks.

You did your job. That's all that's important to us.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict? We have, Your

Honor.

Will the defendant please rise?

Laws are written to protect the innocent.

What is that verdict?

We, the members of the jury, find the defendant, Nicole Harrison, not guilty

murder in the first degree.

And because of that, guilty people sometimes go free.

It's a hard lesson, learning to take the verdict and move on.

It's what a cop does.

Howard Sims was deemed unfit to stand trial for the murder of Peter Turner and

Todd Barnes.

He is currently in a Tascadero State Mental Facility undergoing treatment.

Greg Larson was allowed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange

for his testimony against Nicole Harrison.

He was sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison. He will be eligible for

parole in 2031.

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