All language subtitles for True.Conviction.2017.1080p.WEBRip.x265-RARBG2_English

Arms out.

OK, this way.

[BUZZING DOOR OPEN]

I don't have nobody.

I've been in the system
for 36 years, man.

My whole life is gone.

I can't never get it back.

It ain't never going
to come back, man.

I didn't rob nobody.

We're here to try to help you.

You know what I mean?

We're here to try to help you.

I'm going to tell
you the truth, man.

[VOICE FADES OUT]

I was young
when I went to prison.

I cried, and wrote people,
pleading and begging for help.

[APPLAUSE]

In accordance with the Court
of Criminal Appeals opinion,

this court finds you actually
innocent of these offenses.

Today, you are a free man.

[APPLAUSE]

In 1997, Christopher Scott was
convicted of capital murder.

Another man has since
confessed to that crime.

Now Christopher
Scott's finally free.

Scott says, when released,
priority number one

is helping others who've
been falsely accused.

Man, there's maybe
hundreds, maybe thousands

or more in our situation.

And what I aim to do
is fight for those guys

that were wrongfully convicted.

The Dallas
DA's office is reviewing

another 200 cases of inmates
who could be innocent.

Today's release brings the
total number of exonerations

in Dallas County to 22.

DNA evidence has cleared another
person wrongfully convicted

of a crime in Dallas County.

More than 30 men have
been freed or cleared

of wrongful conviction.

Dallas County has now cleared
32 convicts in this last decade.

More than any other
place in the country.

It's a growing fraternity.

Now that these innocent men have
the attention of the nation,

they want people to
know they are not

the only ones
wrongfully convicted.

[POLICE SIRENS]

Oh, man, I can't believe this--

this is the
neighborhood right here.

Ain't nothing changed.

Still the same
neighborhood, man.

This is the house right
here on Alabama Street

that I grew up in as a kid.

It was nine of us inside
this house-- plus my parents.

That's 11 people in this
little house right here.

Even though we didn't
have much of nothing,

my mom raised us right.

A mother
really can't explain it.

The hurt that you have
when one of your children

is sentenced to life--

to life.

The day that they
exonerated you.

That was the most happy
day, I think, in my life.

My son was freed.

And everybody knew that
he wasn't a murderer.

Being out of prison it's
just the small things in life

that I cherish.

For me to
cook a chili dog the way

I want to cook my
own chili dog--

with relish, with shredded
cheese, good hot dog buns.

You know what I mean?

No hot dog bun that
when you open it up

is going to fall apart
on you like in prison.

I've been out almost
three years now.

I don't want
nothing to remind me

of how limited I was in prison.

Oh.

That's delicious.

It don't get no
better than this.

I could be holding an
innocent man's life right now

in my hands and
don't even know it.

You know, that's amazing.

"You once sat in my same shoes.

I'm an innocent man serving
a life sentence, wrongfully

convicted of a crime
I did not commit."

It has potential of
being a good one.

But you need detail.

What place they supposed to rob.

If he's there at the time
of robbery, that's it.

This lawyer here,
he said, "My license

does not allow me to
chase wild geese."

[LAUGHTER]

All I can
say to you sir, is that
we are very, very sorry

for what happened to you.

I know if I just kept
fighting, the truth

will eventually come about.

[APPLAUSE]

Hey man, it's not his
job to investigate.

Bullshit!

Well, hey man,
who's gonna do it?

Yeah.

This might be a good
case right here.

Let's write this guy a letter.

Let's give it a shot.

Write him a letter and
say, "What about this?"

[CHEERING]

I don't
feel any anger--

bitterness and anger.

Well, I just don't have
time for that anymore.

[APPLAUSE]

I got
myself a dream team.

I'm part of this special
group of brothers.

We're each others rock.

We're each others foundation.

Howdy, folks.

This is Big Tex.

Welcome, to the
State Fair of Texas.

Fingers on your trigger.

Eyes on your target.

[BELL RINGS]

Hey, look at them go.

Look at them go.

[BELL RINGS]

You know, when I got out,
Steven gave me a place to live.

It was a two bedroom apartment--

I mean, nice.

And not only that--

Steven opened up me an
account and put $20,000 just

so I can survive.

That's
a hell of a person.

We looked out for him.

Took him wherever
he needed to go.

Got whatever he needed to do.

Would do that again in a minute.

Chris is a good person.

This is
the first time I ever
been on a Ferris wheel.

Oh, really?

Don't look down.

[LAUGHS]

It's
all about the view.

When you were where we were--

it's all about the view.

This right
here let's you know this

come from an inmate in prison.

"My name is Max Soffar.

And I was convicted of a triple
homicide that I did not do.

The truth is, I did not kill
anyone at the bowling alley."

Two teenagers and one adult were
murdered in an execution style

slaying in Northwest Houston.

A fourth victim is in Hermann
Hospital in critical condition.

[POLICE SIRENS]

Police officers say, it was
one of the most cold blooded,

triple murders they've
seen in a long time.

A bowling alley was hit by
armed burglars who shot all four

people in the back of the head.

Houston police will file
capital murder charges

against a 24-year-old
Max Alexander Soffar.

Charged with murder
punishable by death

is 24-year-old Max Soffar.

How you doing, Max?

[SIGH] Hanging in there.

I'm Christopher Scott.

And actually, I was kind
of like in your position.

I did 13 years in prison
for a crime I didn't commit.

This is my 35th year--

on Texas death row.

Over 500 men have died in
my little tour of duty here.

OK.

Take me back to the day
that all of this happened.

I've been awake for
four days maybe--

I can't remember-- on speed,
injecting methamphetamines.

I stole this motorcycle.

He pulled me over
for stealing a motorcycle.

I said, "I know something
about this bowling alley murder

case."

And that's when it just blew up.

All of them kept on
drawing maps and showing me

these things about the case.

They keep me in custody.

Mold this story around me.

"Here, sign here."

So, I sign it.

What made you
just come out and confess
to the crime though?

Well, I was a drug
addict and a nut case.

I've been in the Texas
Department of Mental Health

for four years when they let
me out and all this happened.

I mean, I didn't
really understand

what was happening to me.

But I had already read
and seen on the TV

a lot of the
details of the case.

But they go back
to the same thing.

Don't nobody confess
if they didn't do it.

You know what I say to that?

You know what I say to that?

If it doesn't make
sense, it doesn't add up,

it's a lie, man.

The DA, the homicide division,
and the trial court judge

is supposed to be
looking for the truth.

And this don't add up!

They know it's a lie.

That's why I want
something done now.

I want an investigation
into what's happened to me.

I don't think he
wrote that confession.

Well he confessed anyway.

Yeah.

They wanted me to confess.

And I'm going like,
no, I didn't do it.

Right?

A confession is a
confession, man.

So if he made a
confession, that's it.

Something smells
about this case.

Something smells about
this interrogation.

It might be hard to get
some sympathy for this guy.

Well, let's not forget his past.

Yeah.

Knowing a little bit
about his past history

could help us think about how
are we going to deal with Max.

I first encountered Max on
my first day at work

I first encountered Max on
my first day at work
at the child care unit at
the Austin State Hospital.

at the child care unit at
the Austin State Hospital.

They were trying to get Max in,
what we call, the quiet room.

Which was basically
a concrete cell

where they put the young
kids for discipline purposes.

Were the kids criminals?

No.

The vast majority were there
because nobody wanted them.

Nobody wanted to
take care of them.

Nobody wanted to deal with them.

They appeared to me to
be typical, rowdy kids.

The biggest problem
we had with Max

is the whoppers he would tell.

I find it impossible
to believe he

would hurt anybody or anything.

I find that
impossible to believe.

I find it very believable
that he could make up

a story about anything.

You name it.

When I heard that his conviction
was based on his confession.

I thought, "What a joke."

Testing, testing.

August the 6th, 1980.

This is a continuation of the
interview with Max Alexander

Soffar.

It's now two minutes until 10.

You mind going through
it one more time

that night you went over
to the bowling alley?

Well, it's like I said.

They got down on
the ground and--

Laid down on the floor?

Yeah, well they didn't
lay down on the floor.

They were down on their knees.

On their knees?

Somebody moved.

Somebody came from the back.

Shot four people.

Three of them are
dead right there.

And one of them
managed to hang on.

I imagine he's about
scared to death.

[SCOFFS]

That's a gruesome-ass --
gruesome-ass crime really.

Mm-hmm.

You know my take on it is?

Max Soffar had been up
like, three or four days

on a methamphetamine binge.

So you know this guy is tired.

He would tell anything just
to get them of off his back

or whatever the case may be.

I don't like him, dude.

It ain't about us liking him.

He should still
get a fair shake.

Yeah.

I'll go for it.

Take it real slow and
easy and just tell me

exactly what that
sucker looked like--

the pistol.

Automatic or Revolver?

Revolver.

What color was it?

Blue.

The metal part was blue?

Barrel butt.

I don't know.

How long it was?

Four inches?

Three inches?

Four inches.

Soffar's case has
the kind of thing

you see in the false
confession cases.

He's got the mental illness.

He tends to go along
with what others say.

But he was also
interrogated for 26 hours.

Looked like a
pretty good pistol?

Or looked like a--

.357 Magnum.

[YAWN] Might have been bigger.

What might have been bigger?

The pistol.

Might have been-- .44?

The average interrogation is
a half hour, or maybe an hour.

In the false confession cases,
the average is like over 6.

And that psychological
pressure, leads to lies.

So how do you
evaluate a confession?

Oh, it's hard.

It's hard.

See if they telling
the truth or not.

Well, I think you've got to
look at whether the confession

matches the physical evidence.

And whether or not the
suspect knows details

that only the true
perpetrator would know.

Soffar says things like,
they shot the victims

when they were on their knees.

Yet the ballistics
and eyewitness

show that they were
all laying down.

He said the money was taken
from the snack bar register.

But the evidence showed that
it was taken from the locked

manager's office.

Yeah.

He said that all the victims
was lined up in a straight line.

The eye-witness-- he said
was like a semi-circle.

We know the difference between
a straight line and semi-circle.

Soffar gets too
many facts wrong.

It doesn't demonstrate
that Soffar

knew something you
would expect somebody

who committed a crime to know.

In the Houston
bowling alley murders,

24-year-old man Max Soffar
reportedly signed a confession.

Houston homicide says the
confession reveals details

that only a
participant would know.

Reports are being typed now.

The officers are
getting together

and trying to decipher
which is good,

and which is not going to
be relevant to the case.

When I talk to somebody and
they're giving me a confession,

the first thing I'm
going to try to do

is find out whether or not
they are telling me the truth,

or they're just blowing smoke.

How do you do that?

Well, I asked Max when
he went up there I said,

"Sir, did you see the
people in the bowling alley

through the front windows?"

There wasn't no windows.

That's right.

Well, what did he say?

That's exactly right.

And Max Soffar knew that.

It had been publicized
on the news about what

actually had happened.

Everything?

Everything, everything.

And for Max to
maybe see it on TV,

that should have brought
about a red flag off the top.

We are kind of experienced in
being screwed over by cops.

And we see the same
inconsistencies

that's dealing with
Max Soffar case

that we probably have
all seen in our cases.

Let me tell you what,
Max Soffar told me

he laid those people
down on the floor

and he shot them in
the back of the head.

The third person,
he told me, moved.

And when he shot, he missed.

So he had to shoot again.

And then he shot the other boy.

Now there were four victims.

There's five bullet
holes in that carpet.

Did you know about
the five bullets?

No, I didn't know about that.

Nobody knew about them
except the person who did it.

The person who did it would have
known there were five shots.

You can't overlook that.

So you are 100% sure that
Max Soffar is guilty?

I don't have any doubts
about that at all.

It's kind of frustrating.

I really don't know now.

Maybe Max committed this crime.

[SIDE CONVERSATION]

Your
basketball game is trash.

[LAUGHS]

And you know we done played
a million times, one on one.

I always come out on top.

You know that's just me.

When we first played, I was
probably 42 at the time.

Oh, yeah.

You were real young.

I'm like fine wine.

I get better with time.

See, you're still young.

You're still
brewing and growing.

When I see your
son, Tre, it really

made my heart feel good
when he called me, "Papa".

I'm like, yeah, he's growing up.

He's knowing who we are now.

So once he go to
realize who we are,

those are the most
important time

you're supposed to be there
for him because I wanted

him to know that I am his Papa.

You know what I mean?

And you should want your
son know that you his dad.

That's why a lot
of trouble that I

got in recently by surrounding
myself by people that I

shouldn't have.

I'm just trying to
rectify that situation

by not falling into
that same cycle

again on what I was doing.

Lately, I try to spend as
much time as I can with my son

because anything is possible.

It's not even about
your life no more.

It's about your kids life.

Your son's life.

Your life is his life.

You know what I mean?

Mm-hmm.

[POLICE SIRENS]

[VOICES ON POLICE RADIO]

When I got arrested, I had
my kid staying with me.

Girlfriend living with me.

We're a family now.

Everything was playing
right until that night.

I was driving
over to a friend's house

and I saw a lot of cops
driving around the neighborhood

like they're looking
for somebody.

As I'm turning the corner,
a cop gets behind me.

And I'm thinking, what
the hell is going on here?

[POLICE SIREN]

As I'm driving up to
my friend's house,

I see these cops following me.

When I went
into the house the cops
just surrounded the place.

[VOICES ON POLICE RADIO]

The cops
told us to come out.

And they laid us
down right here.

And said I was --

they came and identified me.

And said somebody is going to
take a fall for what happened.

To be face-down on the ground
for something you didn't know

what you supposedly did--

I was so close to crying.

When we pulled
up to the police station

they handcuffed me
immediately to a bench.

They said, "Somebody is
going to come identify you."

And I saw this lady
crying very distraught.

When I looked up, I see
the cop pointing at me.

"Is this the guy that
killed your husband?"

And I'm the
only one on this side
handcuffed to this bench.

Who do you think
she's going to chose?

In court, my judge is white.

The prosecutor is white.

The jury, white.

I knew I was going
to be convicted.

My trial lasted-- for
a capital murder case--

one day.

I'm over here with a guy
with two life sentences,
three life

sentences--

199 years.

These are the people
that I was surrounded by.

And I'm innocent, but I'm
around individuals like this--

please.

You don't know if you're going
to make it to the next day.

This would be the box
of stuff that
kept the hope alive.

Hope is a very big
deal in prison.

It's almost like a commodity.

This is where it kind of began.

Check this photograph out, dude.

"Why can't Steven
Phillips get a DNA test?

For that matter, why can't
any incarcerated man or woman

with a good reason get one?"

In my case, the state withheld
evidence of another suspect.

And this guy, his name
is Sidney Alvin Goodyear.

They withheld the fact
that he was identified

by some witnesses
in this crime spree

that I went to prison for.

Dallas cops let that guy go.

Dallas prosecutors
let that guy go.

And he went on to
commit more crimes.

That should be a
crime in itself.

Texas law states I get
$80,000 bucks a year

for every year
that I was wrongly convicted.

I wanted to do something with
the money besides just go

to Las Vegas and screw it off.

I did go to Las Vegas.

Didn't lose that much.

But I bought these houses with
that in mind to do some good.

Putting guys in here who are
part of a 12 step program,

and down on their luck
program, and trying

to do better program--

like me.

12 steps, addictions and stuff,
you know I can relate to that.

When I first got out, I was
self-medicating whatever pain

When I first got out, I was
self-medicating whatever pain
from prison.

from prison.

Somebody had some
coke, and I did it.

I did some more.

I bought some.

And then about
the time I got a million bucks,

I started doing
coke every day, man.

I did a 30 day rehab.

I did a 30 day rehab.
The drugs ran off about
15 days into that.

The drugs ran off about
15 days into that.

All my feelings started
pouring back in.

And I was a mess, man.

As I go through
these letters, I have

to see my case
inside of their case.

If I feel his
sorrow and his pain,

that will be the letter
that I chose to work on.

"Sir, I am writing you on
behalf of Isaiah N. Hill, who

has been wrongfully imprisoned
for 36 years on a charge

of aggravated robbery.

The district attorney
offered Mr. Hill

a plea bargain of 10 years.

And he said to Mr. Hill,
'Boy--' I mean boy--

'you don't know where you are.

If you don't take
this plea bargain,

I'm going to make an
example out of you.'

I believe if you will just
take the time to interview him,

you will see what
I am talking about.

Please, help this man."

Tell me something.

What was you doing
before you went to jail?

What kind of life you was living
before you went to prison?

I grew up.

My mama come off the
Indian Reservation.

My daddy was black.

I'm what you call
a half-breed baby.

My mama had me drawing
disability checks

because they classified
me as mentally unstable.

So they say you was
mentally disabled?

Yes, sir.

So why your lawyer didn't
bring it up in trial?

He didn't bring it up.

What I need you to do for me
is take me through that day

that you was arrested.

OK.

From start to finish.

I went to Brownwood, Texas with
this lady, her name was Diane,

and her boyfriend's
name was Don Wallace.

So when we got
there, Don Wallace

went into to rent this motel.

He said, "Man, I just
cashed a hundred dollar bill

from the man up in the lobby.

And this man had a
bank bag of money."

He said, "I'm going to
go back and get that."

I said, "I don't want nothing
to do with that, man."

But anyway, Don Wallace
had robbed this man.

And so the police came to the
motel and knocked on the door.

Diane, she told the police, "Don
Wallace, that's my boyfriend.

He was with me in
the motel all night.

So it had to be this guy."

And so when they
locked me up, the DA

said, "Let me tell
you something.

You a nigger-- and this
a white folks town--

and you're in the wrong town."

And I said, "I ain't
rob nobody, man.

Why do you keep on saying
I robbed somebody, man.

I didn't rob nobody.

You ain't got nothing
off of me, man."

He said, "Well, if you
don't take this 10,

I'm going to make an example
out of you as a nigger."

And that's what
they did too, sir.

They gave me life, man.

[SNIFFLES]

They gave me life.

I even got raped.

I even got beat up.

My own race of people, man,
raped me man, they beat me up.

[CRYING]

Calm down, Mr. Hill.

It'll be OK.

We're here to try to help you.

I was told that.

Anything is possible.

We need somebody to come
forward and say they actually

committed this robbery.

I don't know how
to find them, man.

I'm lost, man.

No, that's my job.

Tell me the guys
name that was robbed.

Do you know his name?

His name was Tammy Blanton.

Tammy.

The guy's name was Tammy?

Yeah, he was about 6'7.

He was real tall.

The guy's name was Tammy?

Tammy.

Wow.

What mama named him?

OK, give me the name of
the guy that was supposed

to committed the robbery.

What was his name?

Don Wallace?

Don Wallace.

OK.

If you can remember anything
else dealing with your case,

have somebody write it down
for you and send it to me.

Because all the information
that I can get on you is a plus.

Yes, sir.

God bless you then.

Thank y'all, man.

God bless you too.

Man, please, man.

Get me out of prison, man.

I'm going to try.

At 3:00 AM
at Brownwood, Texas, a
Holiday Inn was robbed.

An 18-year-old clerk named
Tammy Blanton was held up

at knifepoint for $200.

The witness, Blanton, said
that after taking money

from the cash register, the
robber ran off into the hotel.

The state did
not produce Don Wallace

during the proceedings
of the trial.

Do you think
Isaiah Hill got a fair trial?

That has really bothered me--

that entire trial, and
the punishment phase,

and everything about it.

The evidence was very confusing.

The Brownwood Police
Department didn't do a lineup.

You would think too, that
they would get back there

and they would fingerprint
that cash register

to prove that it was Isaiah.

Well they didn't do that.

I don't think they did
fingerprints on anything.

So it put all the
burden of proof

on whether or not
that eyewitness

was absolutely, positively
sure that Isaiah did it.

That's why I took so
long to deliberate.

When we first got
in the jury room,

I held out, and
held out about it.

But I felt pressure.

Eventually,
you said, "Guilty."

If you know what you know
now, would that verdict

still be guilty?

I learned a lot
throughout the years,

and so I wouldn't do
the same thing today

that I would have
probably done then.

I think my decision
would have been tougher.

Well then, could I
ask you a question?

What confuses me is that after
the robbery had took place--

and if I understand
correctly-- that police officer

went up to one of the rooms.

And it was Mr.
Hill, Don Wallace--

And Diane Clemons

Yeah, Diane Clemons.

They didn't really
bring up the fact

that Wallace had a
girlfriend there.

And it could have
easily been him.

And hey, these two people
could have been setting him up.

Maybe they found
a purpose for him

riding to Brownwood with them.

That was troublesome.

Mm-hmm.

Now, I just think
that Isaiah Hill got set up.

That was the easy way to escape
that crime was, hey, I'm going

to put it off on Isaiah Hill.

And as they were arresting him,
Don Wallace flying like a bird

it night, with the money.

It's a scot-free getaway.

We're going to
look at Don Wallace

and see if he's still alive.

I'm looking for
this guy right here.

His name is Don Wallace, but
his alias name is 'Papa Dog'.

He was part of a crime
that was committed.

And there's a guy
sitting in prison

because of something he did.

We ain't telling you to do
no snitching or whatever.

We're just trying to get
an innocent brother out

of prison, that's it.

A lot of guys hang
out in this area.

You may know of him
and may see him also,

because our people
don't like moving.

Is there any information
you can give me

that would lead
me to Don Wallace?

Well, he was a
friend of my mom's.

He was a drug addict
and dope fiend.

Don was-- he probably pulled
that robbery because Don--

he did a lot of stuff
back in the day.

Take it easy.

All right.

Guy's been locked up for
30 years behind a crime

that this guy committed.

I appreciate you being
concerned and asking about it.

Thank you.

Do you have a
address or a number

where I can reach him at?

Don wasn't worth a shit.

I didn't have nothing to
do with no shooting dope.

Looking for Don
Wallace is like looking

for a dead bird in tall grass.

You can't see him,
but you can smell him.

All right.

That'll work.

[MEDITATION BOWL SINGING]

I got into
meditation in prison.

A lot of times at night
after it gotten quiet,

I would just lay
in my bed and just

meditate for maybe 45
minutes, sometimes a hour.

It helped.

It helped me get
through my dilemma.

Today, Johnnie Earl
Lindsey was convicted

of a rape at White Rock Lake
after the victim picked him out

of a photo lineup.

Johnnie Lindsey was
sentenced to life in prison.

If you
look at a place that is
so quiet and peaceful,

how could something so nice
turn into something so ugly.

They gave me
a Court Appointed Attorney,

and he told me, he said,
"Man, you're going to prison."

I said, "Man, where
is the evidence?"

He said, "They don't need none.

A white female says
that you assaulted her.

That's all the
prosecutor needs."

And I said, "Well,
man, I'm not guilty."

He said, "Well, it doesn't
make any difference."

I kept thinking how can
people be so heartless

and just throw my life away just
like it was a piece of trash.

It always
been a dream of mine
to play the piano.

I really don't know
what I'm doing.

But I just like making music.

As long it's not noise.

I was 30
when I went into prison.

I was 56 when I was released.

My opportunity to start
a family, to raise kids--

I've missed that.

And that's something that--

I don't care how much
money they give me--

cannot replace that.

[TIRES SCREECHING]

[LAUGHS]

I just cling on to the
good things of life and
being alive.

And to put
the icing on the cake,

I found the woman of my dreams.

The woman that
I've always wanted.

And now it's about
staying in that moment.

[LAUGHS]

Shh.

Shh.

Houston police are continuing
to work on the latest

lead in a triple
murder that occurred

two weeks ago in a Northwest
Houston bowling center.

Last night, investigators
return to the bowling center

to stage a partial re-enactment
of the execution style

slayings.

The test was conducted
with a .357 Magnum,

the size gun thought to have
been used in the murders.

the size gun thought to have
been used in the murders.
[GUN SHOTS]

[GUN SHOTS]

Max says,
there were five bullets
that were fired.

One was a warning shot.

Max says that everybody
lined up along this area

in this straight line.

I used evidence from
Houston Police Department

as to where bullets were found.

All of those bullets were found
right in this very small area

here.

One of the victims, a
bullet went through his head

at an angle.

And as it came out
the front of his face,

it went into the
carpeting and came out

and hit him in the chest.

Some of the
investigators thought

that there were five bullets.

Two holes-- one here, one here.

They were both from
the same bullet.

It was four bullets.

There's no question.

That's crazy, man.

The cop was totally saying,
"It was five bullets."

And that's basically
all they had to go on.

If you go back to
the beginning, you

will find Max
being interrogated.

And they're telling him
what they think happened,

and he ends up
agreeing with them.

And then they put it in
writing, and Max signed it.

Max went along with what
the police theory was.

Max was wrong.

When the bowling
alley murders occurred

I heard about them like
everybody else in Houston

heard about them.

It was a horrific crime.

I mean, I'd say I'd
pay money to prosecute

somebody that did that.

So if we can find
something that excludes

Max Soffar from this case,
how would you feel about that?

Everything has been
heard by 12 people.

The Jury's heard
all of this stuff.

Could you have convicted Max
Soffar without a confession?

Could I have convicted Max
Soffar without a confession?

Yeah.

No.

OK, then.

So Max Soffar-- inconsistencies
in this confession--

you said that's not enough.

Yeah.

Max Soffar would not
be where he is today--

If it weren't for you.

- -no, if it wasn't for him.

Before Max's trial,
I was not a believer.

But then I came to know Jesus
Christ, as my Lord and Savior.

What did this have to do
with Max Soffar's case?

What did it have to
do with Max Soffar?

What does it have to do?

I'm going to tell you, if
you'll just give me a moment.

So when I got this case,
I turned this case over

to the Lord.

And said, "Lord, I want to let
you guide, direct me, and tell

me what to do."

I said, "Lord, I believe
the guy did this,

but I want you to
be in control."

On the day we had the
start of the hearing,

I get an email from
"The Upper Room",

which is a devotional
that I used to get.

"Fear not, for I
have redeemed you.

I have summoned you by name.

You are mine.

When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you.

When you pass
through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

For I am the Lord your
God, your Savior."

If that wasn't a
sign to me, that I

was doing the right thing.

And that the Lord was with
me through all this process,

then I don't know what was.

I never try to judge
nobody religion.

But some time in
our mind, we choose

to just listen to
our inner being

because this is just
what we want to hear.

No.

So when you ask the Lord for
this guidance it was already

in your mind, and in your
heart and soul that--

it was already made up on it.

Then I'm giving you
false testimony.

It was already made
up in your mind.

My belief is that God is
in control of everything

in heaven and earth.

Because you felt
that Max was guilty.

When you were in
the penitentiary,

you were there because
God wanted you there.

Yes, it is [INAUDIBLE].

With all due respect,
you don't have a clue

what happened in this case.

I have no doubts that Max
Soffar is on death row,

and that's where he belongs.

There's no evidence.

We've sit here,
and we've talked two hours.

And all we have is
this man's confession.

And you have not
one time put him

there other than him
putting himself into there

like a cluck-head.

Your attitude is the same
attitude and demeanor

of all prosecutors
that I have met.

There was at least 30
exonerees out of Dallas.

And if you ask any one
of them prosecutors,

they're going to tell
you-- at that time--

yeah, I know he was guilty.

I'm 100% sure he was guilty.

I want to tell
you that the last time that I

was here and soon as I
left, we started talking

to people about your case.

Yes, I tried to be strong.

I remember that you're all
working to try to help me.

Remember that, a lot
of people care, man.

I was taken for a CT scan
to treat me for hepatitis C.

They did the x-ray and told
me that they had found tumors

on my liver.

They tell me, "We're going
to have to cut you open.

We have to make sure
we get everything."

So they cut me from here,
all the way to here.

And opened it up.

I didn't think I'd
live through it.

But no matter how
much pain I may have,

the most painful
thing in the world

for me is the prosecutors, the
homicide detectives are never

going to say, "We
knew he was innocent.

We made a mistake."

They don't want the truth.

And the truth is what's
going to set me free.

My food?

That's your food.

If you're bad,
I'm going to tickle you.

[LAUGHS]

I ain't ticklish.

But I know you are.

I know you are.

[LAUGHS]

I feel like, maybe--

some of it is my fault.
I don't know.

I don't know if y'all are
holding me accountable

for going to prison.

Or this is just something that--

you trying to
get over with but can't.

I can't lie.

The way I was raised, I
wasn't raised up rough.

You wasn't there for me.

[SNIFFLES]

There's a lot of
people out there

that do love you, and show
you that they love you.

But in order for you
to make that right

you've got to do
right by yourself.

And do by right by your child.

You know I'm sorry.

I'm in some unfortunate
circumstances right now.

Talking about a child that needs
to be raised by his parents.

And that shit is not happening
because both of y'all are

locked up right now, man.

Y'all got a beautiful, handsome,
two-year-old boy that's just

now being potty--

I potty trained your son.

That's something you
should have been doing.

Yeah, there ain't
a day that goes

by that I don't think
about my son, man,

I think about it because
I do care about it.

There ain't nothing I can
do about it right now.

I sit here every day.

I just say everything is
going to be all right.

I just try to keep
faith in here.

I know I'm
strong, though, man.

I ain't even
going to lie, I ain't
cried in so long, man.

It's alright to shed a tear.

Anything you want
me to tell him?

There's a
lot you can tell him.

You can tell him I love
him and I miss him.

I'll tell him.

But I don't think
I'm going to prison.

We hope not,
but we want you home.

And hopefully, one day soon that
you can be with your family.

I love you, dude.

I love you too, man.

[SNIFFLES]

My son was driving, and
I was in the passenger seat.

[POLICE SIREN]

And I got stopped.

This cop Googled my name.

He was convinced I was a felon.

I am not.

When he shook me down,
he found something.

I had a little bit of
cocaine in the truck.

There's a real chance of a
felony conviction here.

And it's scary.

OK.

Don Wallace, we think, was a
part of a aggravated robbery

case.

And I can't find him.

Is there any possible
way you can put me

in the right direction of
finding Don Wallace, please?

I'm not the one to report
anything about about Don.

I've got in trouble myself and--

Well, my story is the same.

You know what I mean?

My name is Christopher
Scott, I went to prison

for 15 years for a
crime I didn't commit.

And the guy that we're trying
to help get out of prison,

he'd been locked up for 36 years
for a crime he didn't commit.

And we think Don Wallace
committed this crime.

I don't think a guy should
be spent 36 years in prison

for a crime he didn't commit.

Well, last time I
seen Don Wallace is--

I've heard talk about him.

I think right now, he's been
sick for the last 10 years.

He had two or three
strokes and he's disabled.

Uh-huh.

Well, I'm not going back into
him doing any time like that.

I don't know nothing about that
because he's an old man now.

No, no, no, no.

Statutory limitation
already ran out.

He can't do no time nowhere
because statutory limitations

has ran out.

That's why I'm
trying to locate him.

Well, let me give you
a phone number here.

And you can call this number.

All right, I
appreciate this, sir.

Thanks for giving
me this information.

OK.

Thank you.

That's supposed
to be his number.

Yesterday,
I did a phone search.

And a phone search led me to
these apartments right here.

Hopefully, this is a
good number for him.

[PHONE BEEPING]

The person you have called
is unavailable right now.

Please try again later.

What I'm thinking if the
numbers is not correct,

they just didn't want to give
us the information to get in--

That's what it is.

- -contact with him.

So I'm just thinking that
it was a smokescreen for him

and we just got to go back
to where we first started

looking for him in, and try
to beat the blocks up there

or something.

Yep.

Last time I was here
we was talking
about Don Wallace.

So have y'all heard any news
about the whereabouts of Don
Wallace?

I ran into him down by the
State Theater and The Paramount.

Him and his daughter
was together.

Mm-hmm.

He said that Quickie
Pickie that's right there.

Who?

That Quickie Pickie right
there on 12th and Chicon.

12th and Chicon?

Yeah.

OK, right in that alley on
that corner is a big house.

He said he lives right there.

Mr. Wallace,
our thing is not to
badger you or anything

like that.

Our thing is just
trying to help Mr. Hill.

He have done enough time
for a bullshit case of $150,

I think it was.

Mm-hmm.

That's too much time.

Somebody needs to
step up, have a heart,

and try to help this man.

So this has nothing to do
with the police or anything.

This is just trying to help.

Can't nobody be retried
on the case no more.

It's dead and gone.

You know what I mean?

And we just want you to
tell us what happened.

We checked into a motel and they
didn't have no room for him.

So I gave him money so he could
get a room across the street

over there-- the other hotel.

About 2:00 or 3:00
o'clock the morning,

he's knocking on the door and
he held out a bag of money.

And I said, "Man,
if you don't get out

of here with all that money.

Where you get this from?"

He said, "I got it from that
dude across the street."

I said, "Man, you went
and robbed somebody?"

"Oh, no, no, no.

I talked him out of it."

That's what he said.

And so he went outside
to hide the money.

By the time he comes
back in, the police

kicked the door in right then
and come on in the hotel.

And they took him on to jail.

And we didn't see him no more.

When you look at
his arrest record,

would that be his MO to
commit this type of robbery?

No.

But when you look
at your rap sheet,

it would be more
prone that you would

be the person that would have
committed this type of robbery

because you have
several assault cases,

and robberies on your rap sheet.

Yeah, some of them I didn't do.

I know about them,
I know about them,

but I didn't do them though.

But they filed
charges on me for it.

But I beat them all.

People just don't beat.

You probably had like
five or six robbery cases

on your thing.

We looked at it.

People just don't beat
five to six robbery cases.

If they didn't do them, they do.

I just can't see that, man.

I ain't never did no robberies.

I've been a con man all my life.

And pimping hoes, I ain't
never did nothing like that.

No drugs?

Hmm?

No drugs?

No, I didn't do no drugs.

You can bullshit people, but you
can't bullshit the bullshitter.

Your story is not holding water.

That's all I'm saying.

Your story is not holding water.

This guy has been
locked up 37 years man--

37.

Imagine that.

See, you can't imagine
that because you

haven't did a lot of time
like that for something

you didn't do.

And I say that because I've
been in that same position.

Somebody had to come
forward and testify

on my behalf to say they
the one that did it.

That's how I got out of prison.

No, no.

Uh-uh.

I ain't done-- I
wouldn't do it like that.

[NO AUDIO]

It's kind
of dangerous playing with
someone's hope in prison.

It's the
only thing that's keeping
them alive in there.

I really don't know
what good I'm doing here.

Steve, man.

Man, we even went through
hell and back, man.

And here you is just standing
in the doorway of hell again.

Believe me, I'm not perfect.

Been a couple of times
that I did hang--

I was out with
the wrong company,

but when I sit back and
look, and I didn't just

think about myself.

I thought about all the
people that would disappoint.

People depending on me.

Why would I want to jeopardize
it with some nothing.

That was not supposed
to be like that at all.

I can't
even explain that shit.

What you're doing right
now don't only affect you.

It affects all of us because
you have a responsibility not

of just you.

Dang, man--

We all about to
try to free people.

But how is going to look like--

those guys is trying
to get people free,

but you've got one of them
that's always going to jail.

Dang, man.

I can't
say anything, man.

I can't say shit.

I don't understand it, Steve.

I don't understand it.

I'm like Chris now.

What is your future?

What do you plan?

Right now, you can't
plan a goddamn thing.

Because your future is
in that judge's hand.

Man, you better get your
mother fucking head right.

Because apparently you wasn't
hurt bad enough from we

went through what
we went through.

26 years-- man, I can't tell
you how many nights I cried.

It hurt me.

When I asked you a question
about if you needed help,

you could of been and got it.

But it got to be in a
fucked up situation for you

not to say nothing about it.

I was ashamed.

And I still am.

You're going to kick me in the
ass behind the shame, dude?

Fuck being ashamed.

I think that's a cop-out
out or something.

Because you know us better than
trying to pass judgment on you.

When I first got out, you were
the only person that helped me.

And to see where
we at right now, I

would never in the
wildest fucking dreams

thought I'd be looking at Steven
Phillips where he is right now.

Because you know why?

When I got out and you
did what you did for me,

that made me look up to you.

I'm talking about I
idolized what you was doing.

[SCOFFS] God, I was going
to say something, man.

I talked to your brother
about two years ago.

I said, "Hey, man,
you know who I am?"

He looked me, right?

He said, "Yeah, I
know who you are."

I said, "You do?"

He said, "Yeah, you're
Steve Phillips."

[SCOFFS] He said, "Of
course I know who you are."

So I didn't realize I
was like that high, dude.

[SCOFFS] So I don't know
if you get that or not.

I get it.

You got two good
friends around you

right now that's not going to
try to tell you nothing wrong,

or try to help you
do nothing wrong.

All we're concerned
now is your well being.

Your other shit, I'm not
going to even worry about it.

I'm just going to worry
about what happened to you.

All right.

That's my brother.

I appreciate that, Johnnie.

Yeah.

That's my brother.

I love you for real.

I love you, with your big head.

I know, dude.

Now, get the hell out of here.

We going to do what we can.

All right, thanks
for coming for me.

All right, babe.

When you come
up for parole, do they

tell you why they set you off?

Yeah, the same thing.

Denying me parole.

They've been doing
this since 1985.

They been over 28, or 29 years.

They've been doing
the same thing, man.

That's excessive
punishment, man.

Yes, sir.

Well, I'm going to
tell you this, dude.

And I ain't going to sit
up here and lie to you,

and make you no false promises
saying, "I can get you out

of prison on this
case right here,"

because I don't want to
give you no false hope.

But what I can do for you, I
can at least talk to somebody

about helping you make parole.

And then we can try to
figure out something

once you get out of prison.

You have done enough time.

I feel like I can get
you out on parole.

Yes, sir.

Isaiah Hill has
did 40 years for a robbery

case, where nobody got hurt.

He's done too much time already.

Already.

Yeah.

This is the alternative
we've just now come into.

If we can't get him exonerated,
help him make parole.

They are going to be real
reluctant to turn him loose.

And they probably fear,
that when he gets out,

he's going to be
wandering the streets.

There's going to be nobody
there to mentor him.

So you have to have
plans in place,

so they can be
reasonably assured

if they parole
this man, that he's

going to have a place to go
to help him get settled in.

going to have a place to go
to help him get settled in.
And so if we can assure the
parole board of that factor,

And so if we can assure the
parole board of that factor,

I think that will go a long
way to help get him a parole.

And we're faith based.

And I have the
credentials that does say

that I'm a faith based counsel.

So we got a commercial
kitchen here.

And on this side over
here is our dining room.

This guy's going to
need some type of help,

and some type of structure.

And I want him in a
structured environment.

I understand where
you're coming from.

And I don't have a
problem with trying

to help an inmate get home.

Well, what we do
is do life skills.

He'll learn about how to
have a new quality of life.

Even if he had seen
some things back then,

it has changed tremendously
in our society.

So yeah, it's going
to be a challenge.

He can be accepted here.

It all depends upon the State
saying he can come to us.

That's the bottom line.

OK, give
me your friends name.

Christopher Scott.

And where does he live?

He lives in Carrolton, Texas.

Hey,
I'm being bonded out.

When I get on the road
I'll give you a call.

How about that?

All right, bye.

Chris, Johnnie,
they helped me to make bond.

Whether you're in
there, or out here,

you know who's got your back.

Hey-ho.

I've got to figure
out how I'm going

to pay all these lawyer bills.

This is a
matching pair right here.

They both work good.

Yeah, you can sell those.

OK.

Sell those.

How about this coffee
table right here?

It's got a matching
part over here.

Sell the couch.

Sell that love seat.

Sell that.

See what's in here.

Texas law is pretty clear
that if I get convicted

on this case, the
compensation will end,

and I'd be basically
out on the street.

Max Soffar's
attorney told us something

about that this guy
that is in Tennessee

that could have something to
do with these bowling alley

murders.

That's him right there.

That's him right here.

Paul Reed
lived in Houston in 1980,
right here in this house,

right there.

It's about 11 miles
from the bowling alley.

And he terrorized
an entire city.

And that was actually
eight homicides

we know that he's involved in.

He's received seven
death sentences.

Y'all robbed places?

Yeah, we actually did
over 25 robberies.

Criminally insane,
is what he was.

There's some things
I should have

done to stop him over the
years, and I didn't do it.

And I feel bad about that.

The bowlers would bring
the time sheets up,

and we'd ring them up.

We had this one guy come up.

I asked him, "Where's
your time sheet?

I need it to be
able to charge you."

He said, "I threw it away."

I said, "Well, you
need to go get it."

He said, "No, I'm not
going to go get it."

15, 30 minutes after,
we kicked him out.

Get a phone call.

And he says, "Well, I'm the
one that you kicked out.

And you better have eyes
on the back of your head

because I'm going to
blow your heads off."

It was less than a week later
is when the shooting occurred.

I went to HPD and
talked to a detective

and told them about
this time sheet.

So did you testify
in Max's case?

No, I never knew that
it went to trial.

Aw, man.

That's sick.

Paul had told me that he had
shot four people at a bowling

alley.

I asked him did he kill them.

He said, "No, they're
all right now."

Did you actually
believe him when

he said he didn't kill them.

Yeah, at that time I did
because I didn't think

he was a stone cold killer.

This is the witness composite.

Does that match Paul
Reed's description?

Sure it does.

That's Paul Reed.

There's no doubt in my mind.

He should have come forth
and cleared Max Soffar

because Paul Reed did them.

Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah.

That's him.

That's him?

Yeah.

I'll never forget his face.

This is mad.

Everything I've been
going through for 35 years

is pure madness.

Why in God's name
am I still here?

Why?

No one cares about justice.

They care about putting
me on that gurney

and putting an end to it.

It's never too late.

I got faith in God.

But I'm saying, when teams
of oncologists doctors,

get here and tell
you, "You're dying."

You don't have nothing
to hide anymore.

And then I'm reading about
this disease I'm having.

Some say five months,
some say with chemo

you might live eight.

But you have a death sentence
that you cannot get out of.

It's not for the
murders at 14441

in Northwest Freeway in
Houston because I did not

commit those murders.

The victims' families
deserve the truth.

That's the most painful
thing in the world

for me is those families
still look at me,

and still believe that
I killed those people.

We're not going to stop.

We're not going to give up until
we clear Max Soffar's name.

Raise your
right hand for me.

State your name.

Christopher Scott.

Do you solemnly swear or affirm
that these things are true,

correct, to the best
of your knowledge?

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

So you are charged with
two counts of first degree

aggravated robbery.

Pursuant to the plea agreements,
I assess your punishment

as confinement in the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice

where you shall serve a
period of seven years.

It is the order judgment
in decree of the court

that you would take--

[VOICE FADES]

What's that?

It's a letter from your daddy.

Yeah?

Papa and daddy?

Yeah.

Hold on.

It say--

[INAUDIBLE]

"It hurts me that I'm
not here with you.

Every day I'm away from you,
takes a piece of my soul away.

But I love you more than
anything in this world.

Soon, it will be over.

I love you so much."

Papa.

"Your dad, Christopher
Shun Scott Jr."

Hold it?

You want to hold it?

Yeah.

And I don't know
what the city thinks about this.

My neighbor's probably
think, oh, my gosh.

The Beverly
Hillbillies are back.

Right now, the
electricity is off.

Got some water,
but no hot water.

A judge is going to make
a ruling on whether they

had probable cause to search.

If he rules in my favor,
it could dismiss the case.

If he rules against me, they're
going to set the case for trial

in a month or two.

If I'm convicted,
I could do a
stretch of prison time.

I don't know if I
can handle that.

For the record in CF-1410,
The State vs. Steven Charles
Phillips.

This court's opinion is,
based on the totality

of the circumstances, that the
evidence should be suppressed

as fruit of the poisonous tree.

The demurrer is sustained.

You are excused.

The judge
ruled in my favor that
the search was illegal.

But I'm a little bit surprised.

Been a pretty
tough six months here.

And it has cost me--

a lot.

[CHURCH BELLS RINGING]

Father God, we come
to you to celebrate

the life of Max Soffar.

Father, we just
pray for the family

that you would comfort them.

And we thank you for your
blessings, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Max spent essentially his
entire adult life in prison.

From 1981, Max entered death row
to last Sunday, when he died.

State of Texas
executed 537 people.

Far surpassing
every other state.

Max never stopped
believing he would be exonerated

because he was 100% beyond a
shadow of a doubt, innocent.

He planned to
win at the Fifth Circuit

in the hearing that was
set for just a few days ago

on Wednesday.

And he wanted to start
making arrangements

to get decent medical treatment.

The state didn't
use the lethal injection,

the state didn't use
the electric chair,

but in a lot of ways,
the state killed Max.

The first
time I laid my eyes on
Max, it was a connection.

It's a lot of more Max
Soffars in prison right now.

It's so many more.

I know Max would want
us to fight for them.

[CHURCH BELLS RINGING]

What's up, dude?

[LAUGHS]

Lord, have mercy, Jesus.

[INAUDIBLE]

Man, thank God.

With y'all to
help, I'm so happy.

[CRYING]

What is that?

That your phone singing?

Want to see this?

Who is that?

That's you, man.

Is that me?

Oh, man.

I got you.

There's
a bunch of pictures.

Man, man, man.

Now, did somebody want
a steak back here?

Yes, ma'am.

Yeah.

Yeah, Lord.

[LAUGHTER]

Can I ask you a question, ma'am?

Sure.

I ain't hugged a
lady in 40 years.

Get up.

Can I give you a hug?

Just get up.

[LAUGHS] Lord, thank you, Lord.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you, ma'am.

I don't mean no harm.

You're not going
to hurt a thing.

Thank you.

[QUIET CRYING]

[SNIFFLES]

Give me one. Give me one.

Ah.

Got him all hooked up.

[APPLAUSE]

[LAUGHING]

Just like that.

[LAUGHS]

Alrighty, got
a letter from Michael's
Unit, [INAUDIBLE],,

Tennessee Colony.

He says,
"I was wrongly convicted
and I need help.

Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere."

Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King said that.

It says, "To whom
it may concern,

I'm an innocent man wrongly
serving a 45 year term.

I pled not guilty, and
I stand by my innocence.