All language subtitles for The.Murder.Tapes.S02E03.The.Bloody.Footprint.480p.x264-mSD[eztv]

I couldn't think of anybody
that would want to harm him.

It was one heck of a first day
on the job.

This was a brutal scene.

It was slipping
through my fingers.

Okay.

Lakewood, Ohio, police
dispatch officers

to conduct a welfare check
on the missing man,

53-year-old Maurice goins

it was a sunday morning.

I was with
patrolman summerville.

It was his first day on the job,

and I was his
field training officer.

We got the call and assumed it
would be a simple welfare check.

Make sure everybody's okay
and go from there.

When they arrive,
they're greeted bymorley,

the friend who reported
Maurice missing.

So when we started checking
the apartment itself,

we knock on the door
like we normally would.

There's no answer at the door.

So we started going outside,
checking the windows.

I kind of just
immediately realized

that there's something wrong.

And I immediately said, "yeah, I
need to let someone else in here

just because
it's not gonna be safe

or I don't know if there's
anybody else in here right now."

Officers smykowski
unlocks the front door

to let his partner in.

The two then begin
examining the scene.

As soon as you got
in the apartment,

there was giant pool of blood
in the kitchen.

Looked like somebody had been
dragged through the apartment.

There was a bathroom that was
right off the kitchen,

and you could hear
the water running.

So that kind of took
our attention from, you know,

"is there actually somebody
still in this apartment?

Did they hear US knocking

and then they just forgot
to shut the water off?"

Officers next
turn their attention

to an open bedroom door.

There was a body
laying in the bedroom.

It appeared he was facedown.

I certainly won't forget it,
being my first day here

and my first homicide.

Definitely the images
that I saw that day

will, you know,
forever stick with me.

Additional officers arrive

and begin processing
the crime scene.

It was a particularly
gruesome crime scene.

There was quite a bit of blood
in every area of the apartment.

I've been on many scenes,
death scenes,

and unfortunately, this one
was -- was very gruesome

in comparison.

We found a knife left
next to the victim's head.

It was obvious that he had
been stabbed in the neck.

There were some puncture
and incise wounds

to the -- to the left side and
front of his neck right here.

Investigators
continue their examination

in the living room

and find blood spatter
on the walls

and blood-soaked
couch cushions and pillows.

It appeared
that the stabbing began

or occurred
on that sectional sofa

because there was
a large pool of blood there.

And then there were drag marks,

indicating that the body
was removed from the sofa

and then dragged throughout the
apartment into the other room.

There were numerous
shoeprints left in the blood,

and those all had a very
distinct tread pattern on them,

consistent with a converse
Chuck Taylor all star sneaker.

Investigators
also locate a wallet

in the living room.

In the apartment complex,

mo and I were probably
the closest tenants.

If I had to use words
to describe Maurice,

he was nice, easygoing,
friendly, cheerful.

He was always smiling.

Last time that I had seen him,
he had brought me a dinner.

I had no idea that that would
have been the last conversation

that I would have had with him.

Outside
of the apartment complex,

officer smykowski
speaks with morley,

the man who first reported
Maurice missing.

He was actually kind of fidgety,

and he appeared almost nervous,

or, like, you could see
that he didn't seem settled.

Even though there was no way

to actually suspect him
of committing this crime,

we documented his shoes,
the size of his shoes,

photographed him,
what he was wearing,

and just made sure
we documented what he had

in the event
something were to change

where maybe now
he became a suspect.

Back inside,

investigators continue
collecting evidence,

including a walking cane
found under the couch.

Detectives also notice traces
from where a TV once stood.

There was an rca cable
behind there

that almost looked like
the suspect,

when they stole the television,
may have grabbed it by the cord

and yanked very hard on that

just to get it
out of there quickly

and left in a hurry.

That television was probably
one of the few things

that could easily be stolen
and sold quickly,

either on the street
or at a pawnshop

or somewhere else
to get some quick money.

But the door was left
dead-bolted.

You know, your typical burglar
doesn't particularly care

about locking up
after themselves.

So it seemed a little strange.

Investigators start
their search for a suspect

by questioning the people
who knew him best.

They start with a neighbor
of Maurice's

who lives in the unit
above his apartment.

One of the first people
that we had spoke to

was a tenant in the building,

and she had stated
that she was doing laundry

that morning of August 1st.

She tells detectives

that she saw
something suspicious

on the day of the murder --

a man carrying a large TV
out of Maurice's apartment.

The neighbor describes the man
as around 50 years old

with a goatee
and wearing all gray clothing.

She had also claimed

that the maintenance man
for the building

was in the laundry room

right next to Maurice's
apartment door.

He was in there fixing
the hot-water tank.

This was a big moment
for the investigation.

And so we were getting
pretty excited that, you know,

whoever this was
who walked out of the apartment

with his television

is our probable suspect here.

Police in lakewood, Ohio,

have just discovered the body
of Maurice goins,

leaving Maurice's friends
with a wave of anger,

bewilderment, and fear.

After mo's death

and after the officers
and the detectives

said that they were unable
to find anybody at this point,

it made me uneasy and a little
leery, you know, walking around.

And I would look at everybody,
you know, really hard,

and I would be, you know,
concerned for my well-being.

Now investigators
are pursuing a man

seen carrying a TV
out of Maurice's apartment

on the day he was killed.

So obviously it was our goal now
to definitely try to identify

who everybody was
that was there.

Detectives interview
the building's maintenance man,

who a neighbor claims
witnessed the suspect

leaving Maurice's apartment
carrying a TV.

He remembered the morning.

He remembered being there
changing the hot-water tank.

We explained to him what the
upstairs resident had told US.

He flat-out told US,
"I don't remember

seeing anyone
leaving with a television."

Unfortunately, the maintenance
guy was in the process

of changing out
the hot-water tank.

He might have been
laying on the ground,

you know, not even
facing that direction

and never even saw
the guy walk by.

So there was so much more work
that we had to do.

As detectives begin
their search for a suspect,

the next day, the results
of the autopsy come in.

The report indicated
that there was 11 wounds

between the head and neck,

three wounds to the chest,
and 11 total on the hands.

So obviously, the hands, to US,
indicated some defensive wounds.

The two major wounds were one to
the jugular, one to the larynx.

Obviously,
this was a brutal scene,

a lot of blood,

hence all the blood that was
all over the crime scene.

The act itself of stabbing
somebody is a personal act,

close-space act.

So that led US to believe

that Maurice knew
who had stabbed him.

So our next step was to try to
talk to some of the employees

that worked with Maurice.

He worked at a local restaurant.

And we were hoping
that in talking

and finding people that may have
worked with him closer

that we could find out
more things about Maurice

as far as, was he having
problems with anybody?

Were there people that he was
closer to outside of work

that we're unaware of or friends

or anybody that we're unaware of
that we haven't spoken to yet?

And one such co-worker
was identified and spoken to.

Maurice's colleague
tells investigators

she grew worried after hearing
of Maurice's death.

She identifies
Maurice's boyfriend as morley,

the same man who was present
when police found his body.

But then Maurice's colleague
shares with investigators

something Maurice told her
on more than one occasion.

What was interesting
about the co-worker's comments

about how close Maurice was

with the individual that
called in this welfare check

was that the individual
that called this in

was interviewed a couple times.

You know, did not initially
speak to the fact

that they did have
this relationship

and how close they were.

So that drew a little bit
of a red flag.

Things were left out.

And it was puzzling to US

as to why you would
leave something like that out.

They seemed like
they were important things

that we should have known
at the time.

Detectives in lakewood, Ohio,

have just learned
that Maurice goins

may have had a secret
romantic relationship

with his friendmorley...

The same man
who reported Maurice missing.

So we had this person that
called in this welfare check

come back for another interview.

And at this point
we confronted this person

with our knowledge
of this relationship.

At this point
we confronted this person

with our knowledge
of this relationship.

And at that point
now this person did confirm

the fact that they had
a relationship.

He didn't see that
it was that relevant

because his claims were

that this relationship
had ended a long time ago.

So that drew a red flag for US
as far as he was concerned.

But we felt that it could
have some relevance to the case.

We're not placing judgment
on this person,

but we did have to ask
these difficult questions

regarding their relationship.

Detectives end the interview

by taking a sample ofmorley's
DNA for elimination purposes.

Days into the investigation,

and detectives are no closer
to catching Maurice's killer.

Mo wasn't aggressive at all.

He was quite thin and frail, and
I always teased him about it.

I'd say,
"go make you a sandwich.

Go eat a meal."

He's like, "I'm fine.
I eat all the time."

I said, "I've never
seen you eat anything."

He was a very nice guy.

I couldn't think of anybody
that would want to harm him.

Out of leads,
detectives turn

to another friend of Maurice's,

hoping to learn who else
may have had issues with him.

They meet her at her job
at a local restaurant.

Detectives bring her back
to the station for questioning.

She surprises them
by bringing along her son.

So this person came in
to be interviewed,

but unfortunately,
she was not able

to make arrangements
for childcare

and ended up having to
have her son with her

during this interview,

which made it
a difficult interview

and delicate interview,
given the types of questions

that had to be asked
regarding her knowledge

of Maurice's personal life.

The woman tells investigators

that although she would

recognize the man
if she saw him,

the only thing she knows about
him is his first name -- Dan.

So there's a name Dan
that's out there,

and we find out
that they were going to have

a candlelight vigil for Maurice.

We basically
staked out the vigil.

We thought chances
are pretty good

that she might know
who these other people are.

The next day,

detectives bring the woman
back into the station

to review surveillance video
from the vigil,

in the hope
she'll be able to identify Dan.

So after showing the woman
the video of the vigil,

and she was able to identify
everyone at the vigil.

But when asked,
she did not see Dan.

So we concluded that this person
just didn't attend the vigil.

Fortunately, it isn't long

before detectives get the break
they've been waiting on.

One of the people that we
had not been able to talk with

were upstairs neighbors
of Maurice's.

Guy's name just happened
to be Dan.

The jailer came in one morning

and said, "hey, weren't you
trying to interview this Dan guy

from up at the Madison murder?"

I'm like, "yeah."
He goes, "he's in jail."

I think he was there
on a contempt of court

or whatever the case may be.

And then he tells me,
"you're never gonna guess

what kind of shoes he has."

And I'm like, "let me guess."

Sure enough,
they were Chuck Taylors.

This is the bad guy's footprint.

Detectives
investigating the murder

of Maurice goins

believe they have in custody a
potential person of interest...

A man named Dan
who was recently arrested

while wearing
the same type of shoe

as prints found
at the crime scene.

However, Dan refuses
to meet with investigators.

So bring in his girlfriend,

who lives in the apartment
with him, and we talk to her.

Detectives then switch gears

and ask about
her boyfriend, Dan.

Anything out of the ordinary
going on with him

that you're aware of?

The woman claims
neither her nor Dan

ever interacted with Maurice.

So detectives change tack again.

Confirming this,

detectives are confident they've
locked on to Maurice's killer.

But then they receive surprising
news from the crime lab

that leaves them
without a suspect.

Everybody's feet
wear a shoe differently.

When you walk through something
and you leave a pattern behind,

your pattern will be
completely different

than the exact same shoe
that somebody else is wearing.

And Dan was not the person

who left the bloody footprints
behind at Maurice's kitchen.

Out of solid leads,
detectives begin to fear

that Maurice's killer
may never be caught.

This was going to be my last
homicide case before I retired,

and it was slipping
through my fingers.

But 10 months later,

detectives finally get the break
they were waiting on.

Detective moran of
the neighboring Cleveland p.D.

Arranges for lakewood
investigators

to interview a confidential
informant in prison

who claims to have information
about Maurice's murder.

The informant claims
another inmate

confessed to killing Maurice.

The story that they
told me was very credible.

We went from being stone cold,
dead in the water

to going 100 miles an hour
within a day.

And as it turns out,

Charles muscatello is a name
familiar to lakewood police.

I was astonished
because I had literally

just dealt with him
on the streets.

I think it was a petty theft
call at one of our businesses

like three days prior.

We had dealt with Charles
a few times.

He was very mild-mannered during
every one of those things,

not aggressive on the street
with US at all in any way,

not just physical,
but verbal, always compliant,

never a problem.

There was no indication
whatsoever

he was a violent person.

Detectives decide to build

as strong a case as possible

by speaking
with his estranged wife

before confronting
Charles directly.

They learn there is no love lost
between them.

She claims to have no knowledge

of her husband
stealing a television.

However, when detectives
mentioned the cane

found on the crime scene,

it triggers yet another
disturbing story.

All these cumulative things

regarding muscatello's lifestyle

and the things that
he was capable of --

selling his son's dog
and, you know, being a thief --

I would not invite him over
to my house.

But that doesn't make him,
you know, a violent criminal.

If Charles muscatello
really is Maurice's killer,

detectives know they'll only
get one shot at a confession.

They bring him in
to the station.

I wasn't sure if he was ever
gonna talk about this case.

At first he tries to deny

and doesn't even act like
he knows who Maurice is,

doesn't even say him by name.

But there comes a point,
and it's very early on.

I mean, his body language,

to me, was very telling
from the beginning.

His shoulders were slumped.

He was pretty much
sitting forward.

I just felt like
he was on the verge,

almost from the beginning,
to just tell US.

And that's when I thought
we really had a chance

to get a confession.

The man lakewood police

believe stabbed Maurice goins
to death, Charles muscatello,

is entering the second hour
of his interrogation.

Detectives press muscatello
towards confession.

I could see it on his
face and in his body language

and that I could tell
he's probably been drowning

from, you know, the guilt
of what's happened.

At that point
that I had leaned in,

I knew he was gonna
tell US what happened.

At that point,
because he was talking

and we're still getting
a good amount out of him

as far as linking up
all the pieces of evidence,

I didn't challenge him
too hard on that

because to me
it was already laughable

to conclude that this was
a self-defense issue.

In the course of muscatello

telling his version
of what occurred,

he claims that he stabbed him
once in the throat.

And I believe I asked him,

"you sure you only
stabbed him once?"

He goes, "well, I may have
accidentally, you know,

came back across him
and got him across the neck."

Well, Maurice's body
had multiple stab wounds,

multiple slices across his neck.

You know, his version
of what he was telling US

didn't match Maurice's body.

Charles muscatello is arrested

and pleads guilty to murder,

aggravated burglary,
and aggravated robbery.

He is sentenced
to life in prison

for murdering Maurice goins.

It was very satisfying,

and I know it was very
satisfying for detective Miller

because he knew
he was gonna be retiring.

I took his position
in the detective bureau

when he retired.

And I know that this case was
very important for him to solve.

Those are things that happen
in law enforcement

that people don't realize
how much it does mean to US.

For me to be able
to finish that case off,

I'm glad that we were
able to bring him justice,

for Maurice's family
to have closure.

You know, his family lost him,
but at least they can know that,

you know, the person that was
responsible for his death

was brought to justice.

If Maurice was
in front of me now,

I would say that if I had known
what was going on,

I would have did something
to help you.

You know, we are supposed
to help each other.

That's what I feel we should do.

And to tell him to gain
a couple pounds

so he wouldn't blow away
in those heavy winds.