Original subtitles

WHAT'S YOUR NAME, MA'AM?

JACQUELINE MILLER.

I JUST CAME HOME FROM -- FROM MY LUNCH BREAK,

AND THAT'S HOW I FOUND HER.

SHE'S MY MOTHER.

MAYBE IT WAS JUST ME BECAUSE I WAS NEW ON THE JOB,

BUT ALL OF US REPORTERS

HANGING AROUND THE CRIME SCENE LIKE THAT --

IT FELT LIKE I WAS RUNNING WITH A PACK OF WILD DOGS.

BACK THEN, COPS HAD THEIR HANDS FULL WITH UNSOLVED MURDERS,

SO THAT'S WHERE WE CAME IN -- THE NEWSPAPER MEN.

YOUR FIRST DEAD DOLLY. WHAT DO YOU THINK, KID?

SEE, IF IT WASN'T FOR US, STUFF GOT MISSED.

LIKE, WE COULD HAVE MISSED THAT THIS WAS THE BEGINNING

OF SOMETHING BIG,

SOMETHING WE'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE,

SOMETHING SENSATIONAL...

...AND THAT'S WHAT SELLS NEWSPAPERS.

JUNE 5th, 1945, JACQUELINE MILLER COMES HOME

AND IS HORRIFIED TO SEE HER MOTHER'S BODY

BRUISED AND LIFELESS.

OWENS HERE. LISTEN. I GOT SOMETHING GOOD HERE.

JOSEPHINE ROSS. SHE'S BEEN MURDERED.

IT'S TERRIFIC.

STAB WOUNDS TO THE NECK AND THE FACE.

THE WORLD WAS SO DIFFERENT IN 1945.

THERE ARE FIVE MAJOR DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN CHICAGO

WHO WANT FRONT-PAGE STORIES,

AND THEY ARE VERY COMPETITIVE.

PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE THERE.

POLICE ARE ELBOW TO ELBOW WITH REPORTERS.

COPS ARE JUST GETTING HERE NOW.

HI, BOYS!

GET YOUR PICTURES AND CLEAR THE ROOM!

TALK TO YOU SOON. OKAY.

NO, NO. FRANKS AND ROBERTS, YOU GUYS CAN STAY.

I'M NEW.

WHEN THE PRESS AND THE POLICE EXAMINE JOSEPHINE ROSS' BODY,

THEY FIND A RED SKIRT ON HER HEAD.

IT'S BEEN TIED WITH A SCARF.

ALL RIGHT, KID.

TAKE THAT GARMENT OFF.

SHE HAS SEVERAL LACERATIONS ON FACE,

AND THOSE LACERATIONS HAVE BEEN AFFIXED WITH ADHESIVE TAPE

IN SOME KIND OF EFFORT TO MEND THEM.

INJURIES LIKE THIS --

SHE SHOULD BE COVERED IN BLOOD.

LOOKS LIKE SHE'S BEEN WASHED.

THE BLOOD THAT IS EVIDENT ON THE BED

IS NOT EVIDENT ON THE BODY.

DETECTIVE KANE, YOU BETTER COME SEE THIS.

THE ASSAILANT TOOK THE TIME TO CLEAN HER BODY

AND BRING HER BACK TO THE BEDROOM

AND PUT HER IN A POSITION OF REPOSE.

THE WOUND'S FROM BACK TO FRONT,

WHICH MEANS THE ASSAILANT HAD TO USE TREMENDOUS FORCE

TO GO THROUGH THE BONES AND CARTILAGE.

WHOEVER DID THIS WAS REAL ANGRY.

THE POLICE ARE CONTEMPLATING THAT THE VIOLENT INJURIES

ARE INDICATIONS OF AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE.

POSSIBLY THIS IS A CRIME OF PASSION.

KILLER COULD HAVE LEFT OUT THE WINDOW,

THROUGH THE FIRE ESCAPE. GO TALK TO THE NEIGHBORS.

LET'S GET THIS PLACE DUSTED FOR PRINTS.

POLICE LOCATE TWO INDIVIDUALS IN THE BUILDING

WHO REPORT THAT AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 IN THE MORNING

THEY HAD SEEN A MAN IN HIS 20s OR 30s WITH DARK WAVY HAIR

ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.

IS THERE ANYONE WHO WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HURT YOUR MOTHER?

IS YOUR FATHER AROUND?

NO. SHE -- SHE'S DIVORCED.

BUT SHE'S ENGAGED TO OSCAR NORDMARK.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE I SHOULD TELL YOU.

SHE WAS ALSO SEEING ANOTHER GUY, CHESTER.

THEY'VE BEEN ON AND OFF FOR YEARS.

THERE'S A FIANCé AND A BOYFRIEND?

THE POLICE INTERVIEW THE VICTIM'S FIANCé, MR. NORDMARK.

HAVE A SEAT.

THANKS FOR COMING DOWN.

CAN YOU ACCOUNT FOR YOUR WHEREABOUTS

BETWEEN 9:30 A.M. AND 1:30 P.M. YESTERDAY?

YEAH. I WAS AT WORK.

CAN YOU PROVE IT?

LOOK. I'VE BEEN TUCK-POINTING A BIG JOB OUT ON LINCOLN.

TUCK-POINTING? WHAT'S THAT?

BRICKLAYING.

ANYBODY SEE YOU?

YEAH. I'VE BEEN ON IT FOR WEEKS.

ALL THE GUYS SAW ME THERE.

HE WAS AT WORK AND COULD PROVE IT.

WERE YOU AWARE THAT YOUR FIANCéE ALSO HAD A BOYFRIEND,

CHESTER RICE?

HE'D BE CAPABLE OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

I WOULDN'T PUT IT PAST HIM.

THE GUY'S A REAL NUTJOB.

HAVE A SEAT.

POLICE FIND CHESTER RICE, AND THEY INTERVIEW HIM.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN JOSEPHINE ROSS?

WE GO BACK A LONG WAY --

CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS.

IS THAT RIGHT?

YOU MUST BE PRETTY BROKEN UP.

BROKEN UP?

MS. ROSS WAS FOUND DEAD IN HER APARTMENT

YESTERDAY MORNING.

THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.

YOU GUYS HAVE A REPUTATION TOGETHER.

A STORMY ROMANCE.

DID YOU KNOW SHE WAS GETTING MARRIED?

YEAH. I KNEW SHE WAS GONNA MARRY THIS STIFF.

WHERE WERE YOU YESTERDAY MORNING?

SAME PLACE I'M AT EVERY MORNING.

I WAS AT THE BAR.

WINKY, THE BARTENDER, AND EIGHT OR NINE DRUNKS

CAN VOUCH FOR ME THERE.

HE CLAIMS TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT,

AND HE HAS AN AIRTIGHT ALIBI FOR HIS WHEREABOUTS

ON THE MORNING OF THE MURDER.

I WASN'T ANYWHERE NEAR HER.

CRAWFORD. YEP.

WE WERE ALL LOOKING FOR AN ANGLE

TO GET BACK ON THE FRONT PAGE,

BUT THE COPS HAD NOTHING FOR US BUT DEAD ENDS.

THE INVESTIGATION WAS GOING NOWHERE.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE KINDS OF CRIMES

THAT WOULD PROBABLY GET LOW PRIORITY.

THERE'S NO SUSPECT.

THERE'S LITTLE, IF ANY, EVIDENCE.

THERE'S NOT MUCH THEY CAN DO,

AND ULTIMATELY, THE PRESS WASN'T ALL THAT INTERESTED.

McGONAGLE, DROP THE ROSS STORY.

IT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE. NOBODY CARES ANYMORE.

IN 1945, THERE ARE MURDERS THAT GRAB EVERYONE'S ATTENTION,

AND THERE ARE MURDERS THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE CHEAP MURDERS.

I GOT SOMETHING ELSE FOR YOU. COME HERE.

JOSEPHINE ROSS WAS NOT WEALTHY.

SHE WAS DIVORCED.

HER MURDER IS NOT A STORY.

BUT SIX MONTHS LATER ON DECEMBER 10th OF 1945...

...A HOUSEKEEPER DISCOVERS HER EMPLOYER, FRANCES BROWN,

MURDERED.

DETECTIVES ARE CALLED TO AN ADDRESS

NEAR JOSEPHINE ROSS' APARTMENT

IN THE SLIGHTLY BETTER AREA OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

THEY FIND A WOMAN'S BODY.

AND THEY NOTE THAT THE VICTIM IS POSITIONED IN AN UNUSUAL POSE

AT THE EDGE OF THE TUB.

THEY SEE A JACK-THE-RIPPER-TYPE MURDER.

THE VICTIM HAS BEEN SHOT TWICE, STABBED MULTIPLE TIMES,

A KNIFE LEFT IN HER BODY.

IT'S A HORRIBLE SCENE.

BUT THEY DO NOTICE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THESE CRIMES.

AND AGAIN, THE WINDOW IS OPEN.

HEY, FELLAS!

YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO SEE THIS.

ON THE WALL OVER HER BED,

THE KILLER HAS TAKEN RED LIPSTICK AND HAS WRITTEN,

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, CATCH ME BEFORE I KILL MORE.

I CANNOT CONTROL MYSELF."

THE KILLER WROTE, "CATCH ME BEFORE I KILL MORE."

SO THAT MADE ME THINK,

"WAS IT POSSIBLE THIS WAS THE SAME PERPETRATOR

THAT KILLED JOSEPHINE ROSS?"

BECAUSE IF THAT WERE THE CASE,

IT WAS GONNA BE A MAJOR HEADLINE.

YEAH, McGONAGLE. WHAT DO YOU GOT?

LISTEN TO THIS,

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, CATCH ME BEFORE I KILL MORE.

I CANNOT CONTROL MYSELF."

IT WAS AS IF THE KILLER HAD LEFT A GIFT TO THE NEWSPAPERS.

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THE KILLER LEFT A MESSAGE

WRITTEN ON THE WALL WITH LIPSTICK?

THAT'S GOLDEN.

WE'LL CALL HIM THE LIPSTICK KILLER, OKAY?

HE'S TAUNTING THE POLICE TO "CATCH ME BEFORE I KILL AGAIN."

IT'S A MIND-BOGGLING STORY

THAT WOULD SELL THOUSANDS OF NEWSPAPERS LATER THAT DAY.

AT THE TIME, IT'S THE MOST SENSATIONAL STORY

OF THE 20th CENTURY.

POLICE THINK THAT THESE MURDERS ARE LINKED

BECAUSE OF THE SIMILARITIES IN THE WASHING OF THE BODIES,

THE WRAPPING OF THE HEAD

AND THE POSSIBLE ENTRIES THROUGH WINDOWS.

THEY DO A CANVASS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

NEAR THE APARTMENT OF FRANCES BROWN.

THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE BUILDING SAYS

THAT HE SAW A STRANGER ON THE ELEVATOR IN THE BUILDING

ABOUT 35 TO 40 YEARS OLD,

ABOUT 140 POUNDS

AND LEFT THE BUILDING AT 4:00 IN THE MORNING.

CORONER'S REPORT SHOWS NO SIGN OF RAPE.

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT,

SO WHEN THE DETECTIVES ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE MOTIVE,

THEY'RE A LITTLE AT A LOSS.

THERE'S NOTHING OF ANY SIGNIFICANT VALUE

MISSING FROM THE APARTMENTS.

THERE'S NO INDICATION OF REVENGE OR JEALOUSY.

MAYBE HE'S NOT ABOUT THAT, RIGHT?

MAYBE HE'S JUST SOME SORT OF SICKO

WHO COMMITS THESE CRIMES BECAUSE HE LIKES TO DO IT.

HE TAKES PLEASURE IN THE KILLING.

LOOKING AT THE WASHING OF THE BODIES CERTAINLY INDICATES

THAT THERE IS A RITUALISTIC COMPONENT TO THESE CRIMES.

WELL, IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN HE'LL BE AT IT AGAIN.

YEAH.

SO WHAT THEY'RE LEFT WITH IS THAT THIS KILLER

ENJOYS WHAT HE'S DOING.

TODAY YOU'D CALL THAT A SERIAL KILLER,

BUT IN 1945, THAT TERM HADN'T EVEN BEEN INVENTED YET.

BUT THE STORY WAS SELLING NEWSPAPERS LIKE GANGBUSTERS,

SO THAT GOT THE PUBLIC CLAMORING

FOR THE COPS TO FIND THEIR MAN.

KANE, MY OFFICE IS GETTING

CONSTANT CALLS FROM THE PUBLIC.

'45 INTO '46 WAS AN ELECTION YEAR.

THE STATE'S ATTORNEY WAS ELECTED TO HIS FIRST TERM.

PHIL, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME THE PUBLIC NEEDS JUSTICE.

THERE'S AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE

ON THESE DETECTIVES TO PUT SOMEBODY IN PRISON

OR IN THE ELECTRIC CHAIR FOR COMMITTING THESE MURDERS.

I'M GLAD WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER.

IF YOU DID NOT PRODUCE, YOU'D BE BACK WALKING A BEAT.

MY READERS WANTED TO KNOW, "WHO WAS THE LIPSTICK KILLER?"

BUT THE COPS HAD NOTHING TO GO ON.

ALL ANY OF US COULD DO WAS WAIT FOR HIS NEXT KILL.

JIM, CAN YOU GET SUZANNE UP?

SHE CAN'T BE LATE FOR SCHOOL AGAIN.

SUZANNE, HON, IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP.

SUZANNE!

SUZANNE?!

JUST AS THE CITY WAS REELING FROM THE LIPSTICK MURDER,

FOUR WEEKS LATER IN EARLY JANUARY OF 1946,

THE POLICE GET A CALL FROM THE DEGNAN FAMILY.

THEIR DAUGHTER IS MISSING.

THEY FIND NO BLOOD, NO SIGNS OF STRUGGLE,

NO EVIDENCE OF DISRUPTION.

IT'S A NOTE.

THEN THE POLICE FIND A SCRAWLED RANSOM NOTE.

WHAT'S IT SAY?

THE RANSOM NOTE SAYS, "GET $20,000 READY

AND DO NOT NOTIFY FBI OR POLICE."

OUTSIDE THE VICTIM'S WINDOW, POLICE FIND A LARGE LADDER.

POLICE THINK THAT THE KIDNAPPER

HAD SNATCHED HER FROM HER BEDROOM

AND THEN TAKEN HER THROUGH THE BEDROOM WINDOW

AND DOWN THE LADDER.

OKAY. WE'RE ON THE AIR.

I AM ADDRESSING THE KIDNAPPER OF MY LITTLE GIRL, SUZANNE.

I WILL RAISE THE $20,000,

AND I HAVE BURNED THE RANSOM NOTE LIKE YOU ASKED.

JIM DEGNAN GOES ON THE RADIO

AND MAKES A PLEA FOR THE RETURN OF HIS CHILD.

THIS IS A VERY SENSATIONAL STORY --

SOMETHING THAT WILL SELL MORE PAPERS.

A LITTLE GIRL HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED.

THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY DAY.

CHICAGO PD.

THE CHICAGO POLICE GET AN ANONYMOUS TIP

TO LOOK IN THE SEWERS BENEATH THE STREETS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

IN WHICH THE DEGNAN APARTMENT IS LOCATED.

IN THE EXAMINATION OF ONE OF THE MANHOLES,

THEY NOTE SOME BLOND HAIR BOBBING IN THE WATER.

THEY DISCOVER THE BLOND HAIR IS SUZANNE DEGNAN.

HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN DEAD?

IT'S CUT WITH PRECISION.

HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING.

GRUESOMELY, THE HEAD HAD BEEN CLEANLY SEVERED FROM HER BODY.

WHOEVER DID IT HAD TO BE EITHER A BUTCHER OR A SURGEON

BECAUSE THE CUTTING IS SO PRECISE.

SHOW ME THIS.

THE POLICE FIND THE RESIDUE OF COAL DUST

ON SUZANNE'S FEET.

ALL RIGHT.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FURNACE -- A COAL FURNACE!

I WANT ALL THESE BASEMENTS CHECKED.

CHECK OUT THE BIG BUILDINGS FIRST,

AND THEN MOVE ON TO THE SMALL RESIDENCES.

TWO AT A TIME.

COME ON, GENTLEMEN. LET'S MOVE.

MUCH OF CHICAGO AT THAT TIME WAS HEATED

WITH A COAL-BURNING FURNACE IN THE BASEMENT.

IN THE HOUSE-TO-HOUSE SEARCH, THE DETECTIVES FIND A BASEMENT.

THERE'S A COAL BIN,

AND THAT COAL BIN HAS RECENTLY BEEN FILLED.

BOSS, YOU BETTER GET OVER HERE.

THEY ALSO FIND A WASH BASIN.

IN THAT BASIN, THEY FIND WHAT APPEAR TO BE HUMAN REMAINS.

DETECTIVE!

WHAT'S YOUR NAME, SON?

HECTOR VERBURGH.

HECTOR VERBURGH. YOU WORK IN THE BASEMENT?

YEAH, SOMETIMES.

THE POLICE LEARN THE BUILDING'S SUPERINTENDENT,

HECTOR VERBURGH, HAS ACCESS TO THE BASEMENT

WHERE THEY FIND THE INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE.

YOU WORK LAST NIGHT? YEAH.

YOU'RE HERE EVERYDAY?

EVERY DAY.

ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ACCESS TO THE BASEMENT?

OWNERS, PORTERS -- I DON'T KNOW.

OFFICER, I THINK WE SHOULD BRING HIM DOWNTOWN.

THIS IS -- I GO TO -- HEY, VICTOR.

NOBODY TOLD YOU YOU CAN GO YET.

AND SO THEY ARREST HIM.

THE OFFICERS INFORM THE PRESS

THAT THEY THINK THEY'VE CAUGHT THEIR MAN.

NEWSPAPERS TELL THE CHICAGO PUBLIC

THAT A CONFESSION IS AROUND THE CORNER.

JUST MAKE THIS EASY ON YOURSELF.

JUST TELL US HOW YOU KILLED THAT GIRL.

I NO KILL NO GIRLS!

THE PRESS -- THEY'RE REPORTING ALL OF THESE DETAILS

THAT ARE JUST TERRIFYING,

AND THE POLICE START FEELING MORE AND MORE PRESSURE.

ALL RIGHT, VICTOR. THIS CAN ALL END RIGHT HERE.

JUST TELL US WHAT YOU DID TO HER!

I DIDN'T DO IT.

I NO DO NOTHING!

COME ON, YOU PERVERT.

YOU LIKE LITTLE GIRLS?

YOU LIKE LITTLE GIRLS? TELL US HOW YOU DID IT.

COME ON, VICTOR! TELL US HOW YOU DID IT!

THESE DETECTIVES ARE WILLING TO DO

ALMOST ANYTHING TO SOLVE THIS CASE.

I'D BEEN COVERING THE STORY OF THE LIPSTICK KILLER

FOR OVER A YEAR.

I WASN'T A ROOKIE REPORTER ON THE CITY BEAT ANYMORE.

IT WAS MY STORY -- TWO DEAD WOMEN AND NOW A LITTLE GIRL.

I KNEW IF THEY GOT A CONFESSION,

THIS WOULD GO STRAIGHT TO THE FRONT PAGE.

JUST TELL US YOU KILLED SUZANNE DEGNAN

AND ALL THIS WILL BE OVER.

I -- I --

ACCORDING TO MR. VERBURGH, THE POLICE BEAT HIM MERCILESSLY,

TIED HIS HANDS TOGETHER AND RAISED HIS ARMS UP TO THE POINT

THAT HE SUSTAINED A SERIOUS SHOULDER INJURY.

I -- I NO...

THE POLICE SAY ANYBODY

WHO WOULDN'T CONFESS UNDER THIS PRESSURE

MUST NOT BE GUILTY, AND THEY LET HIM GO.

- THERE HE IS! - MR. VERBURGH!

HEY! COME ON!

DID YOU KILL HER?

I DIDN'T KILL HER.

I ALWAYS TRIED TO BE IMPARTIAL AS A REPORTER,

BUT OUR READERS WANTED BLOOD.

THEY WANTED TO IDENTIFY THE LIPSTICK KILLER.

WE HAD AN OBLIGATION TO THE PEOPLE TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH.

AS THE PUBLIC CLAMOR FOR FINDING THE MURDERER,

REMARKABLY, THE POLICE GET OVER 3,000 TIPS.

THEY CONDUCT OVER 800 INTERVIEWS AND 170 POLYGRAPH EXAMINATIONS.

AND THEY ALSO PUT OUT A REWARD, BUT ALL OF THIS TO NO AVAIL.

THE PRESSURE'S ON, BUT THEY'RE GETTING NOWHERE.

THE STORY NEVER FADES FROM THE NEWS.

IT'S THERE CONSTANTLY FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.

NOW, HERE'S WHERE THE STORY I WAS COVERING TAKES A LEFT TURN.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO GO ON,

EVERYTHING IS A POSSIBILITY.

FIVE MONTHS AFTER VERBURGH WAS RELEASED...

DEAR, LOOK AT THAT.

...A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE DEGNAN HOME,

NEIGHBORS SEE, IN AN ADJOINING APARTMENT, A PROWLER.

HEY, STOP!

HALT! POLICE!

THE PROWLER IS HIT WITH A FLOWERPOT

AND IS OUT COLD.

THANK YOU.

THE OFFICERS GO THROUGH HIS POCKETS.

THEY FIND AN IDENTIFICATION --

THE NAME OF WILLIAM GEORGE HEIRENS...

...AND THEY ALSO FIND A LETTER FROM AN INDIVIDUAL NAMED GEORGE.

AND THEY TAKE WILLIAM HEIRENS INTO THE POLICE STATION.

THE POLICE FIND OUT HE'S 17 YEARS OLD.

HE IS A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

HE'S SMART, HE MAKES GOOD GRADES,

BUT HE'S ALSO A CHRONIC BURGLAR.

STARTING AT AGE 11,

HE HAS BURGLARIZED AT LEAST 13 HOMES.

AS A JUVENILE, HE HAD SERVED TIME IN A REFORM SCHOOL

AND WAS A REALLY TROUBLED KID.

COME TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

IN THE SEARCH OF HEIRENS' RESIDENCE,

DETECTIVES RECOVER A NUMBER OF STOLEN ITEMS,

INCLUDING KNIVES, GUNS,

AND A PHOTO ALBUM OF NAZIS...

BINGO.

...AND WHAT APPEARS TO THEM TO BE A SMALL SURGICAL KIT.

CLEARLY, THE POLICE HAVE A COMPULSIVE BURGLAR

AND THEY ALSO HAVE THIS SURGICAL APPARATUS.

THEIR EVALUATION IS THAT THIS IS COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR.

INEXPLICABLY, THE POLICE LINK THIS MISCELLANEA THAT THEY FIND

TO THE THREE UNSOLVED MURDERS AND THINK,

"AHA! WE'VE GOT THE LIPSTICK KILLER."

MEANWHILE, THE PHOENIX POLICE

WIRE CHICAGO POLICE TO TELL THEM,

"WE GOT A GUY HERE WHO'S CONFESSING

TO THE DEGNAN MURDER."

INSPECTOR.

DETECTIVES ARRIVE IN PHOENIX

TO INTERVIEW THE SUSPECT, RICHARD THOMAS.

SO, WHAT'S THIS YOU'VE BEEN TELLING THE LOCAL POLICE?

WELL, IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT.

I WAS WALKING THROUGH A PRETTY NEIGHBORHOOD.

IT WAS SO QUIET YOU COULD HEAR THE WATER

FLOWING THROUGH THE SEWERS UNDERGROUND.

IT'S A PRETTY SOUND.

ANYWAY, THERE WAS A WINDOW OPEN,

SO I CLIMBED IN.

THERE WAS THIS PRETTY LITTLE BLOND GIRL THERE.

WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?

I MADE HER ALL QUIET.

MADE HER DRIFT THROUGH THE SEWER

UNDER ALL THOSE MANHOLES.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO PUT HER BODY PARTS IN THE SEWER?

AFTER THE BASEMENT, SHE WAS SO DIRTY.

SHE NEEDED TO BE CLEANED.

YOU WANTED TO WASH HER?

YEAH.

NONE OF US IN THE PRESS KNEW ABOUT THIS SUSPECT IN ARIZONA

BECAUSE BACK IN CHICAGO,

THEY WERE TELLING US THEY HAD THEIR MAN,

AND HIS NAME WAS WILLIAM HEIRENS.

BACK IT UP!

WE HAVE FOUND SUZANNE DEGNAN'S KILLER.

WAIT. WAIT. WHAT WAS HIS MOTIVE?

THE CHICAGO POLICE TELL THE PRESS

THAT WILLIAM HEIRENS IS THE MAN.

HE'S A CAT BURGLAR.

HE COULD HAVE EASILY GOTTEN IN THE WINDOW

AND HAD HIS BRUTAL WAY WITH SUZANNE DEGNAN.

TELL ME WHAT HER ROOM WAS LIKE.

HER WALLS WERE YELLOW.

THERE WAS...

SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BOYS.

I GOT YOUR CAPTAIN ON THE PHONE.

HE WANTS YOU BACK IN CHICAGO RIGHT NOW.

NO, NO, NO. WAIT A SECOND.

THE SUSPECT REALLY KIND OF FITS THE BILL,

BUT BY THE TIME THE POLICE GET THERE,

THE STATE'S ATTORNEY ANNOUNCES,

"NOW WE'VE GOT OUR MAN. IT'S HEIRENS,"

AND SO RICHARD THOMAS IS TOTALLY IGNORED.

ALL RIGHT, FELLAS.

KID'S GOT HIS FIRST FRONT PAGE.

GIVE HIM A HAND. GIVE HIM A HAND.

GOOD JOB, KID. GOOD JOB.

YOU DID A NICE JOB. WE LIKE WHAT YOU WROTE.

TURN THE PAPER AROUND.

THERE WE GO.

ALL RIGHT. EVERYBODY GET BACK TO WORK.

COME ON, NOW. COME ON.

THE TERROR THAT PLAGUED CHICAGO WAS COMING TO AN END.

THE COPS FINALLY HAD THEIR MAN,

AND WE COVERED EVERY TWIST AND TURN.

WHEN THIS ALL STARTED, I HAD JUST BEEN A ROOKIE REPORTER

WHO DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER,

SO I HAD FELT LUCKY JUST TO BE A PART OF IT.

I CAN TELL YOU FROM MY OWN FAMILY'S EXPERIENCE --

IT WAS SCARY!

IT WAS FRIGHTENING, AND WE REMEMBER VIVIDLY

THE ARREST OF HEIRENS JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM US.

AND THERE WAS A SIGH OF RELIEF

THAT MAYBE THE POLICE HAD CAUGHT THE GUY WHO'D DONE IT.

COME ON, KID. LEVEL WITH ME.

COME CLEAN. TELL US WHY YOU DID IT.

I -- I NEEDED THE MONEY.

YOU CHOPPED UP THAT LITTLE GIRL FOR MONEY?

N-NO! OKAY.

I BROKE INTO THE HOUSE TO STEAL SOME THINGS,

BUT I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE.

COME ON, HEIRENS!

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT YOU DID IT!

I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!

THE SCALPELS WERE FOUND IN YOUR APARTMENT!

THE POLICE WANT A CONFESSION,

AND SO THEY PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS.

HE'S DEPRIVED OF FOOD FOR THE BETTER PART OF THREE DAYS

WITH VERY LITTLE REST IN BETWEEN.

WHERE DID YOU CUT HER UP?

YES.

WHERE?

THE C-CELLAR.

WHAT DID YOU CUT OFF?

TOES?

YOU KNOW YOU DIDN'T CUT OFF HER TOES.

HER TOES ARE STILL ATTACHED.

OKAY.

HER TOES ARE STILL ATTACHED.

COME ON, HEIRENS. CUT THE BULL.

I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW.

I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.

THEY TELL HIM THAT THEY HAVE EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM.

THEY TORTURE HIM PSYCHOLOGICALLY.

AND YET HE STILL DOESN'T CONFESS.

AT THIS TIME, THESE DETECTIVES DEALING WITH A CHILD

FOUND MURDERED AND THROWN INTO SEWERS --

THIS WOULD HAVE VIOLATED THEIR SENSE OF HUMANITY,

AND THESE GUYS WOULD GO TO ANY GREAT LENGTH

TO EXTRACT A CONFESSION.

A NURSE FROM THE JAIL STAFF PUT ETHER ON HIS TESTICLES,

GAVE HIM A SPINAL TAP.

IT WAS A BRUTAL INTERROGATION.

TWO PSYCHIATRISTS ENTER THE INTERROGATION ROOM

TO INJECT HEIRENS WITH A TRUTH SERUM

TO GET HIM TO CONFESS.

THIS IS A DRUG TO HELP YOU SLEEP --

HELP YOU SLEEP, AND IT'LL HELP YOU TALK.

THE NOTORIOUS LIPSTICK KILLER HAD BEEN CAUGHT,

BUT I WAS STILL UNDER ORDERS

TO KEEP TURNING OUT FRONT-PAGE STORIES ON THIS

UNTIL THE COPS GOT THE CONFESSION

THEY NEEDED TO PUT HIM AWAY.

WHERE'S THE REST OF SUZANNE DEGNAN'S BODY?

FRUSTRATION WAS BUILDING TO THE POINT THAT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY,

WILLIAM TUOHY, ORDERS THAT HEIRENS

BE INJECTED WITH SODIUM PENTOTHAL.

THE THEORY BEHIND GIVING THIS TRUTH SERUM

IS THAT IT RELAXES PEOPLE.

THEY LOSE ANY FEARS THEY MIGHT HAVE OF CONFESSING.

WHAT ABOUT GEORGE?

IS GEORGE YOUR FRIEND?

BECAUSE OF THE NOTE FROM GEORGE FOUND IN HEIRENS' POCKET,

UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY,

ONE OF THE DOCTORS ASKS HIM ABOUT GEORGE.

DID GEORGE DO IT?

YES. YEAH.

YEAH, GEORGE.

GEORGE -- GEORGE MURMAN.

GEORGE MURMAN DID IT.

HE KILLED HER.

WILLIAM, BEING A SMART YOUNG MAN,

BEING IN A SUGGESTIBLE STATE, SAYS,

"YES. IT WAS GEORGE."

COULD THIS GEORGE BE THE NAME OF HIS DEVIANT SIDE?

COULD BE A CLASSIC CASE OF SPLIT-PERSONALITY DISORDER.

THE PSYCHIATRIST BELIEVES THAT WILLIAM REALLY DOESN'T

HAVE ANY MEMORY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED, BUT GEORGE DOES,

AND THE POLICE JUMP ON THIS.

MEMBERS OF THE PRESS, THANK YOU FOR COMING.

WE HAVE SOME FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS CASE.

THIS HEIRENS BOY IS A PROPER SPLIT PERSONALITY.

ALL IN ONE, WE HAVE JACK THE RIPPER AND JEKYLL AND HYDE.

WHAT MORE COULD THE MEDIA WANT?

WE ALSO HAVE SOME HARD EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE.

WE'VE MATCHED A FINGERPRINT TO THE RANSOM NOTE

TO SUZANNE DEGNAN.

HEY! HEY, SO WHAT'S THE NOTE?

THE POLICE ANNOUNCE THAT THEY'VE FOUND A MATCH

OF WILLIAM HEIRENS' FINGERPRINT ON THE BACK

OF THE SUZANNE DEGNAN RANSOM NOTE.

THEN A REPORTER FROM "THE CHICAGO DAILY NEWS,"

HE DEDUCES WHAT HE BELIEVES TO BE INDENTATION WRITING.

IMAGINE A PAD OF PAPER,

AND IMAGINE YOU WRITE A NOTE ON THE TOP PIECE OF PAPER

AND THEN HAND IT TO SOMEBODY.

THE SECOND PIECE OF PAPER LEFT

WILL HAVE INDENTED WRITING ON IT.

AND HE SAID THAT THE RANSOM NOTE CONTAINED SUCH INDENTED WRITING

SAYING "E, I, R, E,"

AND "E, I, R, E" ARE THE MIDDLE LETTERS OF HEIRENS' NAME.

DETECTIVES, HAVE YOU GOT A CONFESSION?

IT WON'T BE VERY LONG NOW,

THAT'S FOR SURE.

THE STATE WAS STARTING TO BUILD A SOLID CASE AGAINST HEIRENS,

AND I KNEW MY ROLE WAS JUST TO REPORT THAT THEY HAD THEIR MAN,

BUT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.

HONESTLY, THIS CASE WAS STARTING TO LOOK

A BIT FISHY TO ME.

HEIRENS' CELL IS ONLY STEPS AWAY FROM THE ELECTRIC CHAIR.

SEE THAT?

IT'S WAITING FOR YOU, HEIRENS.

IT HAD TO BE SCARY.

BOSS?

I JUST HEARD THEY'VE MATCHED A FINGERPRINT

FROM THE LIPSTICK KILLER TO HEIRENS.

THAT MEANS HEIRENS KILLED ROSS, BROWN, AND DEGNAN?

AND THE POLICE ARE SAYING IT WAS HIS HANDWRITING

ON THE RANSOM NOTE AND THE LIPSTICK WRITING.

SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING AROUND FOR?

GOT TO GET THIS IN PRINT BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE DOES.

GO!

AND HOLD NOTHING BACK, KID!

WE WERE IN A RACE WITH THE OTHER NEWSPAPERS,

AND MY BOSS WAS TELLING ME TO WRITE IT UP FAST.

BUT I GOT TO SAY, CONNECTING ALL THREE CRIMES

TO HEIRENS LIKE THAT WASN'T ADDING UP FOR ME.

ALTHOUGH HEIRENS HAD NOT CONFESSED, ON THE 16th OF JULY,

THE "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" CARRIED A MASSIVE STORY.

"THE HEIRENS STORY!" -- EXCLAMATION POINT --

"HOW HE KILLED SUZANNE DEGNAN AND TWO WOMEN."

AND ONCE THIS STORY BROKE UNDER THIS BANNER HEADLINE,

THE OTHER FOUR DAILIES IN TOWN GO CRAZY,

AND IT'S JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THIS WAS A NATIONAL STORY.

THERE'S NOT MUCH CHANCE OF A FAIR TRIAL NOW

WITH HEADLINES LIKE THESE.

IF HE IS CONVICTED OF THE MURDERS OF JOSEPHINE ROSS,

SUZANNE DEGNAN, AND FRANCES BROWN,

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT HE WILL BE SENTENCED TO DEATH,

AND IN THE 1940s,

YOU COULD HAVE BEEN PUT INTO THE ELECTRIC CHAIR PRETTY QUICKLY.

IT'S NOT LIKE TODAY WHEN IT'S OFTEN 20 YEARS

AFTER YOU'VE EXHAUSTED THE COURT SYSTEM.

BUT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY THEN OFFER HEIRENS A PLEA BARGAIN.

IF YOU CONFESS, THEY GIVE ONE LIFE SENTENCE --

NO ELECTRIC CHAIR.

I RECOMMEND PLEADING GUILTY.

A FEW DAYS LATER... THANK YOU.

...IT'S ALL ARRANGED.

HEIRENS SAYS HE'S GOING TO CONFESS.

WHEN HE SHOWS UP, IT'S NOT JUST

THE STATE'S ATTORNEY AND POLICE.

IT'S THE MEDIA.

YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP IN THE ROOM.

EVERYBODY IS FIXATED ON WHAT HE'S GOING TO SAY.

HE SEES HIS PARENTS.

IT'S AS IF THEY WERE GOING TO A WAKE.

COME ON, KID. GET UP.

MR. HEIRENS,

ARE YOU READY TO GIVE A STATEMENT

AND TO TELL THE TRUTH?

YOU WANT THE TRUTH?

TRUTH IS I DIDN'T DO IT.

BECAUSE OF THIS EMBARRASSMENT,

BILL TUOHY TOOK THE ORIGINAL PLEA DEAL OFF THE TABLE.

"NOW IT'S GOING TO BE THREE CONSECUTIVE LIFE SENTENCES,

AND YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO GET OUT."

THE CONFESSION, THE FINGERPRINT, THE INDENTATION WRITING --

THEY REALLY GOT HIM PRETTY COLD.

MR. HEIRENS, HOW DO YOU PLEAD?

HE MUST HAVE FELT UTTER DESPAIR

REALIZING THAT HIS LIFE, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES,

IS OVER.

HE WAS ASKED TO PLEAD.

HE CLENCHES HIS FISTS.

HE LOOKS AROUND NERVOUSLY.

MR. HEIRENS, HOW DO YOU PLEAD?

GUILTY.

'NIGHT, McGONAGLE. GOOD NIGHT.

EVEN THOUGH HEIRENS PLED GUILTY,

I STILL HAD MY DOUBTS.

SO I STARTED GOING BACK OVER ALL MY NOTES.

THIS STORY HAD BEEN MY TICKET TO THE FRONT PAGE,

BUT WHAT IF WE HAD GOTTEN IT ALL WRONG?

LOOKING WITH 21st-CENTURY HINDSIGHT,

WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE CONFESS TO CRIMES THAT THEY DIDN'T COMMIT.

TO SUBJECT ANYBODY TO THIS KIND OF QUESTIONING

IS UNCONSCIONABLE.

HE DENIED UNDER SODIUM PENTOTHAL.

HE DENIED UNDER ETHER-TO-THE-TESTICLES TORTURE

THAT HE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS...

...UNTIL HIS LAWYER SAID, "UNLESS YOU CONFESS,

YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE CHAIR."

AND IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS LIFE, THIS BOY SAID, "I DID IT."

ALMOST CERTAINLY, THIS CONFESSION WOULD BE SUPPRESSED

AS INVOLUNTARY TODAY.

THE CONFESSION WAS UNRELIABLE AND FALSE.

I'M SORRY.

THE STORY WAS OVER, AND MY BOSS TOLD ME TO DROP IT AND MOVE ON,

BUT I JUST COULDN'T DO THAT.

IT HAD BEEN A RUSH,

BUT NOW THAT IT WAS WEARING OFF,

I COULDN'T SHAKE THAT FEELING THAT MAYBE

THE WAY WE'D COVERED IT HAD CHANGED THE OUTCOME.

THERE WERE SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE.

FIRST OF ALL, AFTER HEIRENS WAS IN PRISON,

PEOPLE BEGAN TO SPECULATE

THAT THE LIPSTICK INSCRIPTION HAD BEEN WRITTEN

BY SOMEBODY IN THE PRESS.

FAKE NEWS IS NOTHING NEW.

FAKE NEWS EXISTED IN THE 1940s.

IF SO, THE PERSON WHO DID IT PROBABLY THOUGHT,

"THIS IS JUST HYPING THIS STORY."

IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN VIEWED AS A MORAL WRONG IN THAT DAY.

HEIRENS NEVER HAD HIS DAY IN COURT.

ALL OF THE EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM WAS IN THE MEDIA.

NONE OF IT WAS EVER SUBJECTED TO CROSS-EXAMINATION

OR EXPERT ANALYSIS.

THIS CASE WAS ONLY TRIED BY THE MEDIA.

SO WE'LL NEVER KNOW.

I REPRESENTED WILLIAM HEIRENS IN THE EARLY 1990s

THROUGH THE MID-1990s AS HIS LAWYER,

TRYING TO GET HIM RELEASED FROM PRISON.

SIX MONTHS AFTER THE BROWN MURDER,

THE POLICE CLAIM THAT THEY COME UP WITH

A BLOODY FINGERPRINT AT THE APARTMENT.

WE HIRED A FINGERPRINT EXPERT,

AND HE SAID, "IT'S ABSOLUTELY WILLIAM'S."

BUT HE SAID, "NEVER IN MY LIFE DID I EVER SEE

THE FULL LEFT AND RIGHT MARGINS

OF A FINGERPRINT ON A CRIME SCENE."

THIS IS A ROLLED-INKED FINGERPRINT

THAT HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM A FINGERPRINT CARD,

PLACED ON A CRIME SCENE, AND THEN REMOVED.

WE'VE MATCHED A FINGERPRINT TO THE RANSOM NOTE

FOR SUZANNE DEGNAN.

THE FINGERPRINT ON THE DEGNAN RANSOM NOTE

HAD ONLY SIX POINTS OF COMPARISON.

TO BE VALID TODAY, YOU WOULD NEED TO HAVE

AT LEAST 11 POINTS OF COMPARISON.

THE SECOND PIECE OF EVIDENCE WAS THE SO-CALLED

INDENTED WRITING ON THE DEGNAN RANSOM NOTE.

WE FOUND A COMMUNICATION FROM J. EDGAR HOOVER FROM THE FBI,

SAYING, "THE INDENTED WRITING IS A FRAUD. DO NOT USE IT."

THAT NOTE WAS NEVER GIVEN TO THE DEFENSE TEAM.

WE ALSO HIRED A HANDWRITING EXPERT,

AND SHE AND AT LEAST FIVE OTHER RENOWNED EXAMINERS

SPOKE WITH A SINGLE VOICE.

THEY SAID, "THE HANDWRITING FROM HEIRENS

IS NOT THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL,

NOR IS IT THE HANDWRITING ON THE RANSOM NOTE."

IN FACT, ACCORDING TO EXPERT ANALYSIS,

IT APPEARED TO BE IN THE HANDWRITING OF THE MAN IN PHOENIX

WHO HAD CONFESSED TO THE CRIME -- RICHARD THOMAS.

THOMAS WAS A CONVICTED FELON

WHO HAD SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HIS OWN CHILD.

HE HAD A HISTORY OF LEAVING RANSOM NOTES IN OTHER CRIMES,

AND HIS BACKGROUND AS A SURGICAL NURSE

IN AN ARMY FIELD HOSPITAL

IS CONSISTENT WITH THE SURGICAL PRECISION

WITH WHICH THE CHILD'S BODY WAS DISSECTED.

RICHARD THOMAS WAS IN CHICAGO AT THE TIME OF THE DEGNAN MURDER

AND FREQUENTED A CAR LOT CLOSE TO THE LOCATION

WHERE SEVERAL OF HER BODY PARTS WERE FOUND.

THE CASE AGAINST RICHARD THOMAS IS OVERWHELMINGLY MORE POWERFUL,

MORE RELIABLE, MORE COMPELLING,

THAN ANY OF THE NONSENSE

THAT SENT HEIRENS TO PRISON FOR LIFE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST TWO MURDERS,

THERE ARE SOME SIMILARITIES.

BUT IN COMPARISON TO THE DEGNAN MURDER,

THERE IS BASICALLY NOTHING THAT WOULD LINK THESE TOGETHER.

HEIRENS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PRESUMED INNOCENT

UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY,

BUT WE TRIED TO CONVICT HIM OF THREE MURDERS

RIGHT THERE ON THE FRONT PAGE.

EVEN WORSE, THE REAL KILLER -- AND MAYBE MORE THAN ONE --

WAS STILL OUT THERE, ON ACCOUNT OF HEIRENS TAKING THE RAP.

THE COPS GOT TO CLOSE THEIR CASE.

A LOT OF NEWSPAPERS GOT SOLD,

AND I HAD BEEN A PART OF ALL THAT.

ALL RIGHT, KID.

YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THINKING.

YOU'VE DONE GOOD WORK ON HEIRENS.

WHY DON'T YOU CONTINUE TO COVER HIM IN JAIL?

WHAT IS IT, A NEW STORY?

IT'S MY LETTER OF RESIGNATION.

I THINK WE NEED TO LAY BLAME

ON THE FIVE CHICAGO DAILY NEWSPAPERS.

THE PRESS GREATLY INFLUENCED THIS INVESTIGATION, THE ARREST,

THE CHARGING, AND THE CONVICTION OF WILLIAM HEIRENS,

KEEPING FEAR AND SENSATIONALISM IN THE PUBLIC'S MIND.

ON THE DAY THAT HEIRENS PASSED AWAY IN 2012,

AS A PRISONER AND NOT A FREE MAN,

I FELT AS THOUGH I HAD LET HIM DOWN.

I REGRET THAT WE NEVER SUCCEEDED

IN ALLOWING HIM TO BREATHE FREE AIR.

WE'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE IF HEIRENS WAS AN INNOCENT MAN.

BUT IF GOT ME THINKING THAT IF THE WHOLE POINT

OF HAVING A FREE PRESS IS TO KEEP OTHERS ACCOUNTABLE,

WHO WAS GOING TO KEEP US -- THE NEWSPAPER MEN --

ACCOUNTABLE,

STOP US FROM CHASING HEADLINES, REGARDLESS OF WHO GETS HURT?

MAYBE THAT'S OUR JOB, TOO.