Original subtitles

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Three days...

after this defendant took the sacred vows of marriage

with Ann Wilson, Hmm.

He purchased a $1,000,000 life insurance policy

on his new wife's life.

The months went by.

One, two, three.

And then... Then, ladies and gentlemen,

Ann Wilson disappeared off the face of this earth.

She disappeared because

this defendant Kenneth Wilson, her husband,

took her life away.

Huh.

A perfect crime.

Almost.

Tiny blood stains on that blue bathroom towel.

And tiny blood stains

in the trunk of his car.

Both Ann Wilson's blood type.

Now, you can never bring Ann Wilson back again.

No.

But you can and you must find her killer

guilty of murder in the first degree.

Thank you.

People of the State of Georgia v. Kenneth Wilson.

You believe that, ladies and gentlemen?

Thousands of county and city police,

millions of dollars in resources and bureaucracy,

and the prosecution does not have a fingerprint,

a murder weapon, a witness.

They have not been able to show us the body

of Ann Wilson to prove beyond a reasonable doubt

that anyone took her life,

much less Kenneth Wilson.

Kenneth Wilson loved his wife.

He feels nothing but grief at her loss.

He committed no crime, perfect or otherwise.

You must understand his tragedy,

and his loss is his tragedy.

We find the defendant guilty.

Hi. Are you the manager?

We're filled up. Nothing for rent.

No... Does Norman Bauer still live here?

Not anymore.

Well, he moved?

He died.

When?

A few days ago. A heart attack or something.

Everything. Cancer. Smoked all the time.

Who came and got his things?

Nobody yet.

Uh, well, I had to sell some of his stuff.

Pay the rent and utilities.

The rest is in the basement.

Look, I was his brother-in-law.

Um, I'd be happy to clear his things out for you.

Fine.

50 buck storage fee and it's yours.

I can't help it, Ben, I love her! Who?

Bernice Wooley.

She's the love of my life.

Where did you meet her? Templin's Bar.

Gorgeous brunette.

Big eyes.

Full lips.

How old is she?

Uh, 48-ish.

Oh!

And it's not just physical.

No, she's smart, too.

She does crossword puzzles in ink.

And she knows all the words to "Hard-Hearted Hannah."

At least that's what she told me.

"Hard-Hearted Hannah, Vamp of Savannah."

She's got a birthday coming up.

What do you think I ought to get her?

Oh, I don't know.

Ladies like flowers or candy.

Too square.

Hmm.

Well, Ken!

Come in!

Ben, I've discovered something you won't believe.

Yeah?

I heard you had been paroled.

Hey, Les, this is Ken Wilson. My neighbor Les Calhoun.

Hey. Hey.

Hey. How do you do?

Now what was that you were saying?

Do you remember Norman Bauer? Uh...

He was my brother-in-law.

He was stationed in Greece when my wife disappeared.

Oh, yeah.

Well, I tracked him down to Atlanta. Is that right?

He's dead.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Ben, I have spent the last seven years sitting in a jail cell.

Thinking about Ann and nothing else.

I know and I'm sorry

I couldn't do more for you.

Nobody could have done more for me.

You didn't have anything to go on.

But I found something.

I found these in Norman Bauer's

personal effects.

They're cancelled checks. Eight of them.

Each one of them is made out for $100,000,

all of them payable to Golden West Land Management.

Two checks a year for the past four years.

Every one of those is endorsed by somebody named Kelly Manning.

That's right, that's right.

Norman inherited all that insurance money.

A million dollars.

Yeah, but you should have seen

the boarding house he was living in.

It was a dump.

Well, if there was an insurance policy on Ken's wife,

why did her brother get all the money?

Because I was in prison for Ann's murder.

Law says a criminal can't profit by his crime.

Oh, that makes sense.

As I remember it,

the insurance policy was Ann's idea, wasn't it?

Yes.

He brother inherits all this money,

invests in some real estate company in California,

and yet, he lives like a pauper.

Oh, Ben, you got to get right on this

and this Kelly Manning fella... That's your key.

Um, I-I-I wouldn't get my hopes up too high,

but you're right. You're right.

This is something to go on.

Hi. Um, I'm here to see Kelly Manning.

I'm Ken Wilson, but I don't have an appointment.

Yes?

There's a Ken Wilson here to see you.

She'll be with you in just a minute.

Kelly Manning's a woman?

Definitely.

Mr. Wilson?

Ann?

I'm Kelly Manning.

You wanted to see me?

Mr. Wilson?

I'm sorry. You...

You remind me of someone. I'm sorry.

Oh, that's all right.

What can I do for you?

Uh, Norman Bauer. We were related.

He sent you a lot of money over the years

and I wondered why.

Oh, Mr. Bauer is one of our investors.

He died.

When did he die?

Just-Just recently.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Are you an accountant?

No. No, I'm not.

Well, uh...

If you'll excuse me, Mr. Wilson, I really must get...

Wait, wait, wait.

Please. You look so much like Ann.

Please, Mr. Wilson.

What's going on here?

Mr. Wilson seems to have made a mistake.

That's all. Haven't you, Mr. Wilson?

I'm sorry.

Hello, Kelly!

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Absolutely, it's a terrific deal.

You'll love your new weekend home at Sun Springs.

The entertaining you'll do? Don't forget to invite me.

Ask any banker, any investment counselor,

anybody that knows anything at all about money,

and they'll all tell you the same thing:

real estate.

Do you carry the financing yourselves?

Great crowd.

Mm. Didn't imagine it would go so well.

Listen, I better go. See you later.

Okay, sounds good.

Ann, how could you do that?

Mr. Wilson, I already told you, you made a mistake.

What about this?

You broke into my house?

Okay, pal,

what's with you? I gave this to you as a wedding present.

He is crazy.

You sent me to prison for a crime that never happened.

How could you do that?

Just so you could collect a million bucks?

Okay, okay, okay.

Ann, why? This guy's a nut. Get him out of here.

I don't understand why. We loved each other.

Come on! Come on! We were married! Why?!

What's going on here?

Hey, the guy's crazy. What can I say?

Here, kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty!

Kelly? Are you all right?

Kelly?

Kelly?

Uh...

Oh!

Help!

Are you gonna play? I might as well play with the cat.

Oh, it's just that other guys are chasing Bernice.

Oh.

Chester Taft took her bowling the other night.

Oh. I-I don't think I know him.

Oh, he wears his hair in a pompadour

and thinks he's Don Ameche.

Mm.

Anyway, I finally found

the perfect birthday gift for Bernice,

and I have to send away, and it won't get here in time.

Well, that's... Hello.

You're kidding?

No. No, no, listen, listen, listen.

Don't say anything to anybody.

I'm on my way.

Who was that?

Ken Wilson's just been arrested for killing his wife.

Again?

The fact is that a person in the state of California

is dead, the victim of a violent and brutal murder.

But it's unconstitutional!

My client has already paid the penalty

for this crime in full!

He paid the penalty for that crime, Mr. Matlock,

not for this one.

This is not a constitutional issue here.

Are-are you saying we should just forget

about the seven years he spent in prison

for this very same crime he's now accused of?

What are you suggesting, counselor?

He paid for the penalty for this crime

in advance? That's outrageous!

I'm suggesting... Thank you, thank you, counsel.

I've heard enough.

This court specifically finds that the defendant

would not be facing double jeopardy.

Therefore, defense motion to dismiss is denied.

The trial date remains the same.

I look forward to seeing you next week, counsel.

The court's adjourned.

Ben Matlock, this is Bob King and Steve Davidson.

Mr. Matlock.

Oh, well, this is an unexpected pleasure.

I thought my meeting was just with Mr. Davidson.

Well, I have to be at Sun Springs in less than two hours.

Mm. Please, sit down.

Oh.

Mr. Matlock, these are real Havanas.

May I offer you a smoke?

No, I, uh, I, uh, the only smoke I like

is in a fireplace or under a nice

shoulder of pork.

What can we do for you, Mr. Matlock?

Please, sit down.

Uh, thanks. Well, you have me curious.

I-I just was wondering why two honest businessman

like yourself would get involved

with a con artist like Kelly Manning.

We got conned.

She presented herself as a hard-working young lady

that wanted to learn the real estate business

and we bought it.

Oh. The way I hear it, you gave her a full partnership

the day after she walked through the door.

Uh...

Let me explain. Kelly Manning bought her way into this company

with $400,000. Made her very welcome.

We didn't know she obtained this money through fraud.

Oh.

Uh, well, I-I don't suppose either one of you killed her?

I mean, you both had alibis?

I was with one of our sales representatives,

Terri Young, till, ooh, about 2:00 A.M.

Oh... Oh, strictly business, gentlemen!

Mr. King?

I was at home reading.

By yourself?

Yes, by myself.

I'm sorry. I think I'm gonna be late.

Oh. Well, I appreciate your time. Certainly.

Hey, if there's anything else we can do for you.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Please. Mm-hmm.

Sun Springs was made for couples like you.

You're absolutely gonna love it out here.

What time would you like me to meet you at the bank?

Okay, see you then. Bye.

Hi. Can I help you?

That's quite possible.

Sun Springs looks like a perfect investment.

We expect our homes to double in value.

Now you're talking my kind of numbers.

Do you want to buy one of our homes?

One is light housekeeping.

I'm talking investment here.

Five, maybe six.

Six?

My only concern is that my investment appreciate.

I need to know that Sun Springs is going

to be a stable community. Now, I have heard otherwise.

There's this issue of a Miss Manning.

Now, please, be candid with me, Miss Young.

I am about to hand you a fortune in commissions.

Now, did Miss Manning have an argument

with her business partners?

She did not.

And did you get along well with her?

That's rather a personal question.

But we didn't argue.

In fact, on the night of her murder,

I was with one of the partners working.

Thank you. I didn't mean to get personal.

You've been very nice.

Bye-bye.

Excuse me. Do you have a business card?

Of course.

"Tyler Hudson."

You're a private investigator?

Get out of here!

You know, I really don't want to talk about this right now.

I'm very upset.

Were you a close friend of Kelly Manning?

Well, I wouldn't exactly say that.

It's hard to be close to someone who has everything, you know...

Brains, money, looks.

Especially when they're not too fond of company.

But you called the police?

Well-well, yeah, I found her.

And you know, as soon as I pushed open that front door,

I had the most awful feeling,

because she used to always keep it locked.

She insisted on her privacy.

But you came in?

Well, yeah, I did come in.

Well, did you see anything or hear anything?

Well, I-I, um, called her name twice,

because she didn't always answer the first time, and...

Did she answer this time?

No, no, but-but I did hear something.

Um, I can't describe it.

It, um... well, it sounded like, um...

"beep-beep."

"Beep-beep."

Well, anyway, then I heard somebody

going out the back door, you know,

so I called out again

and when I still didn't get an answer,

then I... went in there.

And that's when I saw...

poor Kelly lying there.

Oh, the blood all over.

Still beautiful, but...

Oh, I'm-I'm... just... I'm too upset.

You have to excuse... Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Hmm.

I told you I didn't tell him anything.

How do I know you didn't let something slip?

'Cause I'm too smart to slip.

I'm too smart not to know when somebody owes me,

and you owe me big...

Maybe I should wait outside.

Hey, Mr. Matlock!

No, please come in. What a surprise.

Mr. Matlock, this is Terri Young.

Oh, a pleasure.

I hear you've been selling up a storm up here.

Sun Springs is a fabulous opportunity.

Our homes practically sell themselves.

Oh, it's nice.

There's no smog, the air's crisp

and the drive's not bad.

It only took me, oh...

My watch has stopped.

What time do you have?

Oh, it's 11:19.

Ooh, that's one of those digital electronic things.

Look at all those buttons.

So, to what do we owe this pleasure?

Oh, I just wanted to see your place. Yeah.

What time do you have?

11:20.

I have a friend... He's a heart patient,

and he sets the alarm on his watch

to tell him when to take his-his pill.

Does your watch have an alarm?

Time, date, alarm.

Costs $200 at Simpson's on Wilshire.

Sun Springs.

Terri Young speaking.

Mr. Matlock, if you want to look around

on your own here, please feel free.

Oh, yes, I understand.

Are you looking for something, Mr. Matlock?

Oh, no, no, I just... What's this?

Well, it's a pump.

We had it covered to prevent it from being tampered with.

Sad to say, even way out here we have vandals.

Oh. Gee, look at that watch.

Can I see that.

Yes, top of the line. It does everything

but tap dance.

Does it have an alarm?

No, no, no, no, no, no.

Watch alarms are for people who need reminding.

I never forget anything.

Oh, hey.

I was right there.

And what did the defendant say to the victim, Miss Young?

He said, "Why?

I don't understand why."

He had a very strange, almost crazy look in his eyes.

And by 11:00 that night,

just three and one half hours later, she was found dead.

Nothing further.

Thank you.

Uh, Miss Young, where were you

between 8:00 and midnight

the night Kelly Manning was murdered?

Objection. The whereabouts of this witness is irrelevant.

The witness is not on trial.

Your Honor, if I might have a moment,

my intent will become clear.

Very well. Overruled.

Please, uh, please answer the question.

On the night of the murder,

I was at home going over some paperwork

with one of the partners at Golden West...

Mr. Davidson.

We worked from 8:00 till almost 2:00 in the morning.

You were not at a concert at Hollywood Bowl that night?

No.

Would you please tell the court

who is... Chuck Carvalis?

He's a man I date.

He went with you to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl

the night Kelly Manning was killed,

didn't he?

My associate...

found this parking stub from the Hollywood Bowl

for that night on your car.

Now I can call Mr. Carvalis up here,

but if I do, it will show

that one of you is committing perjury.

Do you want that?

So were you at home with your boss that night

or at the concert?

At the concert.

Why did you lie, Miss Young?

I lied because Steve Davidson said he'd fire me

if I didn't give him an alibi.

You want to know who killed Kelly?

Ask him, ask Steve.

He's the reason I lied.

I'm ashamed to admit it,

but yeah, I did, I told Terri to lie for me.

I'm sorry. I was wrong.

I realized I didn't have an alibi.

I panicked.

I was wrong.

See, I was in my car, when...

you know, Kelly was killed.

What happened was,

at the sales presentation meeting that night,

I realized that there's some important papers

I've left at Sun Springs.

So I had to go back there.

And you know how long that takes.

I didn't get back till after midnight.

And there I was, I'm alone.

I didn't use the car phone.

I didn't even stop for a cup of coffee.

I bet you smoked one of those Havana cigars

on the way back, though.

Yeah, probably.

And you always use those long wooden safety matches

to light them, don't you?

Yeah.

Like, uh... Let's see...

Like, uh, like that?

Yeah. Yeah.

And like, um...

like that?

Uh, this was found at Kelly Manning's house

after the murder.

Now what would a burnt safety match be doing

in her wastebasket?

I don't know. How should I know?

You smoked a cigar at her house that night, didn't you?

Objection. Calls for speculation.

Withdraw the question.

This match did make me think of you.

So I did some checking.

Is that your signature

on the bottom of this credit card receipt

from Ed's Gas Station,

just two blocks from her house

and dated the very evening of the murder?

Yeah.

So you killed her. No!

Okay, I-I was at her house that night,

but that's it, I just went over there to find out

why-why this guy was walking around saying that,

you know, she was his dead wife.

And when you found out what she had done seven years ago,

you murdered her

in an attempt to protect Golden West Land Management.

No! No way!

You were angry. Yeah, of course I was angry.

You were very upset over what could happen to your company.

Yeah, of course I was upset.

And you expect the people in this courtroom

to believe that Kelly Manning was alive

when you walked out of her house?

Yes, I do. They must.

She got a phone call.

She asked me to leave.

I left.

Oh, come on.

That's the truth, I swear it.

You've lied to this court so many times I've lost count.

Mr. Matlock, you've got no proof.

And you're never going to have any proof,

because I did not kill that woman.

No further questions.

Due to the lateness of the hour,

this court will adjourn until 9:00 a.m. Tuesday.

I thought I had him.

Hang on, Ken. Ain't nothing easy.

Okay, how about this?

No.

That's not it, Tyler.

All right, here's another one.

Uh-uh. That's not it either.

Wait a second.

How about this?

I'm afraid not, Tyler.

You're sure none of those were the beeps you heard?

Well, I'm positive.

They're either too low or too high or too...

I'm really sorry.

Yeah, I'm sorry, too.

I thought we were onto something.

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Oh! Oh!

Excuse me! Oh, I'm sorry.

Excuse me.

Nice things, huh?

Oh, yeah. Yes.

May I help you, sir?

Oh, yes. I'm-I'm, uh...

I'm here for a friend.

Of course. And what size is your friend?

Oh... He's about... Like that.

Of course.

Does he prefer a tailored look?

Um, well... It, uh...

Or would he like something a little more lively?

Oh, I, um... Oh, he, um...

He gave me this picture.

Oh.

I don't think I'd have this in his size.

Oh... It's-It's-It's not...

It's not for him.

He's a... It's for his girl.

He, uh, he's got a girl.

Well, honey, I think that's wonderful.

Now, I'll just show you what's pictured here

and some other things. You tell me when you're moved.

Okay.

Something like this?

Oh, well, that's very nice.

This?

Oh, that's-that's nice.

It's-It's, uh... Airy.

Are we getting warmer?

Oh, I say, that's, uh...

Arlene, what do you think?

Terrific.

Uh...

Uh, listen, I'm-I'm going to go, uh, get some other stuff.

I mean, just stuff.

And I'll think about all this and probably come back.

Woops! Let met turn that off.

Never a dull moment.

Uh, this residential development

out at Sun Springs that we've talked so much about...

it's pretty hot out there most of the year, isn't it?

The sun shines on Sun Springs an average of 330 days a year.

It's in our brochure.

Pretty dry, too.

Yeah, it's great for people with allergies.

How about water?

Water?

Yeah, you got water out there?

Why do you think we call it Sun Springs?

Or maybe it's because you hope

people will believe there is an underground spring,

so all they have to do is get a pump.

But your little irrigation system

doesn't run by pump, does it? It comes out of a tank.

A tank that you have to keep hidden away

because it has to constantly be filled,

because, in truth,

there isn't an aquifer within 30 miles of Sun Springs,

is there?

Well, the water will be piped in.

At a cost so excessive that these poor people

you snookered into buying lots out there

will go broke just trying to fill their bathtubs.

I've never snookered anyone.

People been taken in like this forever,

and Lord knows,

plenty of useless swamp land's been sold

to the unsuspecting, and here

Mr. King and his associates have been selling desert.

I'm talking sand, rocks,

and no water and no hope for water.

Did you think suddenly there would come a big rain

because you're good looking? That's stupid.

What you planned to do was get your money as fast as possible

and get out of here to another state or another country.

Unfortunately...

a lot of people get away with garbage like this,

but every once in a while, somebody gets caught.

The system works.

It took the death of Kelly Manning,

or Ann Wilson, same person, Ken Wilson's wife.

Your scam has been uncovered.

It's over.

There was no scam.

Kelly Manning owned 50%

rather than the usual 33.3% of Sun Springs,

so, if anything happened to her, you stood to gain quite a bit

monetarily, didn't you?

Yes, but what does that prove?

Isn't that why first, Steve Davidson,

and then you, went over there that night?

No.

You knew my client was distraught.

Almost out of control.

You knew he broke into her house.

And probably his fingerprints were all over the place.

I-I... Didn't you kill Kelly Manning,

so that your scam would never be uncovered?

And Ken Wilson, being an ex-con, was the perfect patsy?

Objection.

Mr. Matlock is not only badgering the witness,

he is engaging in rampant speculation.

Sustained.

This line of questioning, if you can even call it that,

is unacceptable, Counselor.

Yes, Sir.

Uh, how about this?

Miss Manning's next-door neighbor

Estelle Metzger testified that at approximately 11:00 pm,

she heard Miss Manning scream,

entered her house, heard two strange beeps,

heard someone go out the back door,

discovered Miss Manning's dead body.

Where were you at approximately 11:00 pm?

At home.

Where was your car? In the garage.

Are you certain?

Absolutely.

At... 10:42 that night,

a call was placed from your car

to Miss Manning's house.

Your Honor, by previous stipulation,

with the people, I offer

what purports to be Mr. King's cellular car telephone bill

including the night of the murder

and ask that it be marked Defendant Exhibit "F."

It shall be marked.

Okay.

That is your number and your bill, isn't it?

Well, it appears to be.

Yeah, and 555-8725 is or was Kelly Manning's phone number,

wasn't it? Yes.

So, you were not at home that night.

You were in your car.

In fact, it was you who called while Mr. Davidson was there.

Yes.

Why did you call her that night?

I don't remember.

Let me see if I can fill in the gaps.

You drove over to her house,

saw Steve Davidson's car there,

called her, told her to get rid of him.

Said you needed to talk with her alone,

but actually, you intended to kill her,

which you did.

That is not true!

What's that?

Miss Metzger, is that the sound you heard?

That's it! That's it!

Those are the beeps I heard that night!

Those are the beeps?

Thank you, Miss Metzger.

Those beeps seemed to be coming from your pocket.

Could we see what's making them?

It's my pager.

Oh. Mmm.

I heard one of these the other day at a place.

Do you have a service that beeps you

whenever someone calls you or leaves a message,

as my associate just did?

Yes, that's right.

So, if what Miss Metzger said is true,

and the beeps she heard came from this,

then that must mean you are the murderer.

No, as you said, a lot of people carry those beepers.

It's simply a coincidence.

Hmm.

Ordinarily, I would agree with that.

Except for this one last detail.

This is a copy of the record

your answering service provided me with.

And do you know what happened

at approximately 11:00 pm the night of the murder?

That's right.

They paged you on your beeper.

Now, how did I know that you weren't home

when they paged you?

Because you responded to that page

by calling your answering service at 11:05

from the phone in your car.

Mr. King, I have to tell you the truth.

I don't believe that's a coincidence.

We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.

You're dismissed.

And this court is adjourned.

I can't thank you enough.

Second time's the charm, son.

Let's go home.

Oh, my, it is so wonderful to be 40... something.

The party's almost over!

Plane just got here.

Did you get her something hot?

Bernice... Oh, thank you, Lester, dear!

Oh... What is it?

Chester Taft got her a digital watch with a moon on it.

Oh.

Oh, how sweet.

With all the little buttons.

Oh!

You devil!

Oh, you devil.

That is hilarious. Look at that.