Original subtitles

Next.

- Name? - Bianca.

- Last name? - Rousseau.

- Right, get your belongings and go. - Yes, Sir.

Next.

- Name? - Mariana Hermansson.

NOTICE: YOUR VISIT MAY BE MONITORED OR RECORDED

Hi.

What are you doing here?

- Where else would I be? - I told you.

I don't wanna drag you into this.

I've told you I'm already in this.

I like you with short hair.

You should go home.

- Why would I do that? - 'Cause you don't belong here.

Hanna said it might take years before they make a decision.

And did she say what the decision is?

The date.

That's all there is left to write.

Not if, but when.

So how exactly are you going to help with that?

Maybe I can get them to reopen the case.

- What? - Look.

Thanks for coming.

This is not Sweden.

And you have no idea what you're dealing with.

So just go home.

Accept reality.

I have.

This is about an inmate at Marcusville, named John Frey.

Do you remember Mr Frey?

He's all over the news.

You were the senior officer on duty the day when Mr Frey died.

Is that correct?

It was a long time ago.

You worked at Marcusville for how long?

My whole life. I retired last February.

- Congratulations. - Thanks.

Other than Mr Frey, how many prisoners of yours

died of natural causes during that time?

I would say he was the only one, Sir.

Seems odd that that one time in all those years

didn't leave a greater impression in your memory.

We have it that you were the officer

who found Mr Frey in his cell, is that correct?

I think so, yeah.

- Was he dead? - When?

Was he dead when you found him or did he die later?

- I'm not a doctor. - No, you're not.

We've been meaning to interview the prison doctor, Ethel Davis.

And we can't find her anywhere.

Who identified the body?

That would have been the warden, Ma'am.

See? Your memory is not as bad as you thought.

We've troubled you enough for one day.

We'll let you get back to it.

No, no. We can let ourselves out.

Thanks.

How was he?

That bad, huh?

I can't imagine what he's going through.

First time he was in there he wouldn't see me for two weeks.

Just sat in his cell.

He'll come round.

I would like to look into his case.

Ms Klein, Hanna, she's one of the best lawyers around.

I'm not talking about the pardon,

but the original case.

Maybe I could find something.

Is there anything that worried you at the time?

Something that they didn't look into?

Yes, they didn't look into anything.

The cops came round and arrested him, sure as shit it was John.

Nothing was gonna change their minds.

There was an organization...

Right after John was convicted they came to see me.

Called themselves Liberty.

- Are they lawyers? - They're against the death penalty.

- They might know something I don't. - Thanks.

Seems to me I should be thanking you.

- Not at all. - Well...

I'm glad you're here. So is John.

Whatever he tells you.

LAW OFFICE OF HANNA KLEIN

- When did you get here? - Two days ago.

Great. John's going to need as much emotional support as he can get.

Yeah. And actually I was thinking I could do more.

More, how? Just take a seat.

Tell me about the trial.

Mariana, we have to focus our attention on Finnigan now.

He's appealing to the supreme court

to have them carry out John's original sentence.

- That's ridiculous. - Finnigan's case is that

any delay would further incentivize escape attempts.

- What does the law say? - It's complicated.

Remember what I told you about the judges here?

Okay.

So if he wins, where does that leave us?

With five days.

To appeal?

Till John dies.

That's insane.

You can see why I'm concentrating on fighting Finnigan

rather than digging up the old case.

At least let me go through the files.

I know what it's like.

Believe me.

How powerless you feel.

But my job is not to get distracted by emotions.

It's hard enough to beat the son of bitch as it is.

Just let me go through them.

If nothing else, that will keep me out of the way.

These are from the attorneys that tried the case.

I'm warning you, you won't like what you read.

At best they were asleep at the wheel.

It's more common than you think.

And at worst both of them now work for the State Prosecutor.

Put there by Finnigan. Correlation is not causation.

But it can be pretty damn close.

Good luck.

METRO NEWS

Open B wing.

Open gate one.

Judge: Frey execution to resume.

The end closed in today on recaptured killer John Frey,

as Governor Finnigan's legal team won a historic appeal

to bring forward the date of Frey's execution.

You lost.

- We did everything we could. - It wasn't enough.

...that his family be allowed closure

over the tragic murder of daughter Elizabeth...

So what do we do now?

- John will be dead in four days. - Do you think I don't know that?

Does Ruben know?

I was just about to call him now.

If you'll excuse me.

Hello?

Ruben.

I don't know how to say this...

We'll make sure he gets what's coming to him.

- Does he know what time? - Still on for 2:20, Sir.

That's good.

Excellent.

Bring the car around.

Aren't you the cat that got the cream?

What's that supposed to mean?

You look happy.

Mind if I...

You've been talking to your liberal friends again.

It's always politics with you.

He killed our daughter, there's nothing political about that.

It's the only thing you talk about.

- You should get T-shirts made. - I don't know what's got into you.

Sometimes I think you don't even want justice.

- I want peace. - When he's dead you'll have it.

They say that when you start a journey of revenge

you'd better dig two graves.

I'm digging just the one.

Just twice as deep.

- Okay, let's go. - Yes, Sir.

For the Supreme Court order, dated 8 October, 2021,

it is ordered and adjudged

that the judgment pronounced and set fourth in this order

entered herein on 12 October, 2021

sentencing the defendant, John Frey, to death.

Does the prisoner understand the verdict as read?

I need a verbal confirmation from the prisoner.

Yes.

Let it be witnessed.

The prisoner understands.

Stand up.

www.stopthekilling.org

Liberty.

Can't find the server at www.stopthekilling.org

Here's looking at you. X E.

Are you up early or late?

I lose track.

I couldn't sleep either.

Do you know anything about a guy called Mike Watson?

He was an old friend of John's.

I know him.

I didn't like him.

John told me about him.

So I read his statement from the trial.

It sounded pretty unconvincing.

Maybe so.

I wasn't exactly in the loop.

John told me he was framed and someone planted evidence in his car.

Do you still have it?

Still runs pretty good.

I've had it near on twenty years.

When John learnt to drive I moved over to the truck.

- Can I have a look inside? - Sure.

What was that?

I said she runs good. I didn't say she was perfect.

Wait.

Was it always like this, even back then?

- Yeah. - So technically,

anybody could have opened it without a key.

Well, there's a bit of a trick to it.

What?

POLICE DEPARTMENT

You're saying you're the one who caught Frey.

In a way.

Congratulations.

Had I known that it would put his life in danger...

The only person who put John Frey's life in danger is John Frey.

And that's what I'm here to talk about.

Did you work here back then?

It wasn't my case.

I've been looking into the trial.

I think I've found some crucial evidence

that was missed by the investigators.

I'm sorry. What?

The gloves in Frey's car.

Anyone could have put them there.

Look, lady. I don't know how they do it where you come from,

but over here we have enough criminals to catch

without trying to uncatch the ones we already have.

The car can be opened without a key. Nobody knew this.

His DNA was all over the crime scene.

- His semen was in the victim. - He never denied that they had sex.

Wouldn't it be weird to do all that and then use gloves to kill her?

Then put the gloves in your own car.

People are weird.

You could put that in your report

for the Sweden PD or wherever you work.

You sure as hell don't work here.

So please excuse me, I have some work to do.

- Have a good day. - You, too.

Hi.

Where are you?

Are you my parole officer now?

Stop it. The ring tone sounded like you were abroad.

- Ohio. - What?

Maybe it's fine with you to send John to his death.

That was unfair. Sorry.

The investigators will be questioning you on Friday.

- This Friday? - That's why I'm calling.

Could you ask them to postpone it?

Things are a bit complicated here.

Well...

I don't think they'll do that for you.

But maybe for you?

Sure, I'll see what I can do.

Can I help you?

Ruben Frey.

Come on in.

Going somewhere?

Myrtle Beach.

- Vacation? - Something like that.

Take a seat.

Want some lemonade?

Yeah.

Nice place you've got.

Thanks.

John told me what you did for him.

I don't know what the hell you mean.

I'm just here to thank you.

I don't know why you did it,

but you gave my boy another chance.

We're both grateful to you.

I spent my whole life in that place.

I told myself it wasn't my job to question the law.

If the law made things that way, well...

that's the way you want them.

I saw a lot of bad men come and go.

Some good ones too.

Do you believe God's every word, Mr Frey?

Tell you the truth, me and God got a deal going on.

He don't pay me no mind and I don't trouble him.

After my wife died

I began to think that maybe God's not everywhere, Mr Frey.

He's in some places, but not in others.

I started to wonder

if God was not on the row either.

I began to see it as a godless place.

What happened to John...

wasn't justice.

I think I've found a lead.

A witness questioned by the police saw a silver pickup truck

that was parked outside Finnigan's that night.

Nobody looked into it. The police never followed up on it.

I found this in the original case officer's notes,

so I started thinking about motives.

And these two guys.

George Stew.

And Mike Watson.

Accomplices of John's in a robbery gang.

He was supposed to do a job with them that night,

but he never showed up.

So I looked at these guys' records.

Drugs, battery, violent crimes.

Finnigan's men.

Except...

Three years ago in Wisconsin.

He was convicted of rape.

New Suspect of the Riverside Rape Case Under Arrest.

None of this proves anything.

Not alone, but guess what car George Stew was driving

when John was arrested?

- This car is white. - Yes.

Though white and silver are very similar.

And it was dark. Maybe our witness got it wrong.

So your big theory is based on a witness we no longer have,

who may or may not be wrong about a car,

that may have belonged to a guy

who later went on to rape a woman in another state.

Have you got any better ideas?

The only thing that can save John now is a pardon.

And the only person who can pardon him is Finnigan,

who just broke the law to get John back here.

It's a slim chance, I'm not denying that.

But the strategy now is to associate Finnigan with John's death.

Forget trials and juries.

We need to make it clear to people that Finnigan is murdering John.

In every other death row case he can hide behind the legal system,

as though he's got no skin in the game.

But not this one.

Everyone knows it and that's exactly what we're going to use

to shift public opinion and make his position untenable.

I've got the press lined up all day.

I'm gonna be hammering it home. This is not an execution.

This is a killing.

Man on man.

Does Mike Watson live here?

- And you are? - A friend of a friend.

Mike!

Hi.

May I help you?

Nice life you've got here.

I wish I could say the same for John Frey.

Who are you?

A friend of John's.

- What do you want? - Just to talk.

- I've got nothing to say. - I've been looking into his trial

and going through your statements.

You were with George Stew that night.

- I told you, I've got nothing... - Mike.

I can see that you're not the person you used to be.

I'm sure you've worked hard to get here

and I'm not here to take that away from you.

I'm here only to prove that John did not kill that girl.

Do you think he did it?

He told me you were friends.

He spoke well of you.

Not so much George Stew.

We fell in with the bad crowd.

I know.

None of it is your fault.

But you need to tell me what you know.

So you were with George Stew that night?

And John was supposed to join you, but he didn't show up, right?

It was a big job.

Got the car. He wasn't picking up.

But you knew that he was with Elizabeth, right?

- So you went there. - George said he'd break my legs

if didn't take him to John.

He'd got these other guys to do the job

and we went over to Finnigan's, but...

John was leaving.

We tailed him back to his place,

but by the time we got there George got the call

that the job had gone smooth.

So we went.

- The cash... - So you left?

George was mad as hell, but he always followed the money.

Why did you lie in your original statement?

You're asking why I didn't rat on George Stew?

What time did you see John leave?

It would have been 2 am.

And how far from there to John's?

45 minutes.

And another 45 minutes from John's to Finnigan's.

That means that he must have left at 12:30.

And the autopsy said...

that Elizabeth was killed between 1:30 and 2:30 am.

That means he's innocent.

- You need to go on record. - No fucking way!

- Are you serious? - Listen, I ain't talking to no cops.

About nothing.

- You could save his life. - If I could,

yeah, maybe I would.

If you think the word of a convicted felon

means more to these people than fingerprint evidence...

you're out of your mind.

Is there any chance that George Stew made it back in time to kill her?

How's Mariana?

Still here.

She's looking at the trial.

She keeps digging and digging.

- Dad. - Yeah?

I need you to do something for me.

Finnigan?

I need you to accept that this is going to happen.

It's lonely enough in here

without everyone telling me it's going to work out.

We lost.

Twice now.

And I've accepted that.

I just need someone to do it with me.

Can you do it?

I'll try.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

I'll have whatever she's having.

Detective.

What are you doing here?

Having a drink. Stressful day.

Thank you.

Would you ever take a day off?

What do you know about a silver pickup truck

that was parked outside Finnigan's house the night of the murder?

I told you, it wasn't my case.

I came across this witness statement.

Is that your signature?

Whoever wrote this down never followed up on it.

Do you know a guy called George Stew?

You could say that.

Do you know that he drove a white pickup?

Stew's not your man. He had an alibi.

So I heard. I talked to Mike Watson.

You did what?

Relax.

Watson says that they went to Finnigan's to confront John.

And they saw him leave at 12:30.

At least one hour before Elizabeth was killed.

This witness says that he saw the pickup truck at nearly 2 am.

If he got the color wrong and it was George, it changes everything.

What are you asking me?

Get me the name and address of this witness.

It must be somewhere in the original case file.

You want me to give you, a total stranger,

the name and address of a police witness?

Take me with you to interview him then.

Look, I like your style, Miss Heronson.

- Hermansson. - Mhm.

But you're late to the party.

And I'm not about to risk losing my job on a whole bunch of maybes.

Sorry.

Can't help.

Good luck.

I can't believe the police in this town.

Looks like they don't even care what happened.

The day after tomorrow none of this will matter.

Exactly. We need to make them listen.

John...

asked me to be in this with him.

The only way I can do that is to face it head on.

Maybe that's why I keep trying.

Because I can't face what's going to happen if I give up.

I just wish I could find the witness.

Who walks a dog at two in the morning?

Yeah, this was me.

I remember that like it was yesterday.

That poor girl.

In your statement you say that you saw a silver pickup truck.

Yeah, that's right. Up passed the trees.

When you pass the same way, the same time every night

you notice anything that's different.

Do you think there's any possibility that the truck wasn't white.

- No. - None?

In the dark silver and white might almost look the same.

I don't know much about much, but I do know about trucks.

That was a silver 2010 Dodge Ram.

Okay. Well, thank you.

That wasn't what you wanted to hear, was it?

Not really. But thank you.

Hold on. I think I can tell you something.

I used to work in a spray shop

and I remember there was a bad spray paint job on the front panel.

But the truck was damaged. It looked like a collision on the front wing.

Okay.

...execution of John Frey, Ohio's most notorious death row inmate.

Protesters from both sides

are gathering outside Marcusville's prison ahead of what will be

one of the most divisive and controversial execu...

Blood suckers.

I'm booked in to see him later.

You should go instead.

Are you sure?

I know whose face I'd rather see.

Thank you.

- Have you heard anything from Hanna? - No.

I have the name of your witness.

The car was a 2010 silver Dodge Ram pickup with Ohio plates.

So you did all this on your own?

Is there any way to look at the owners of those trucks?

The DNV database.

Is that something that you can do?

I can, but it was a pretty popular truck.

You know this isn't just any case.

If I get caught messing with it I'm in deep shit.

An innocent man is on death row.

So you tell me.

Do you think I'm wrong?

I think your interest in this is more than just professional.

Leave it to me.

No promises.

Thank you.

MARCUSVILLE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

Where's Dad?

He let me come instead.

I thought I told you to go home.

Mariana?

You're gonna have to promise me something.

You won't be here tomorrow.

When it happens.

It's gonna be hard enough as it is

and with you there...

I don't think I could take it.

Besides, I don't want you to remember me like that.

How should I remember you?

Like the night we met.

I mean, I was a little out of tune, but...

to be fair I was kind of distracted.

Will you do that for me?

It's Mendez.

I'm looking at a list of every owner of a 2010 silver Dodge Ram

in Ohio from the time of the murder.

I did warn you.

How many are there?

More than 2000.

We'd better get started.

You can't suggest that we follow up on 2000 names in a few hours.

Yes, I am.

We're looking for a car that had front impact collision

in the months leading up to the murder.

- Mariana... - Who says it is 2000 names anyway?

Maybe they are at the top of our list.

I understand what you're doing.

- But even if we found the truck... - We have to try.

Dear Lord.

I pray that my darling Elizabeth may find peace with you in heaven.

And grant me the strength to carry out your will here on Earth.

According to your holy book.

An eye for an eye.

A tooth for a tooth.

A life for a life.

That I may finally find peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Subtitles: Anna Townend plint.com