Original subtitles

Tonight on Hunter.

Confession on him. This man took a bullet directly to the heart.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I killed a man, Father.

But we can't put a priest on the hot seat.

If he got that information from confession, that's out of bounds to us.

God forgave me.

Now I'm going to get the others.

Can I be of any help? It's too late, Father. He's dead.

Innocent people are being gunned down.

Do you think I want people to die? We're running out of time, Father.

And.

Sorry, we're closed.

Picking up an order for Rowan?

He's coming off the press now.

Might as well wait inside while it's warm.

There's a special charge for rush orders like these.

You better check this out.

What's the idea?

Have I changed that much, Joe?

What?

I thought you were in prison.

20 years you owe me.

I'm here to collect.

Yeah, so I came by on my normal rounds at about 11 o 'clock.

Found the light still on, and I found the door open. I looked inside, and

when I found the body laying right there on the floor.

There's no one else around.

I don't... Okay, Mr. Cooper.

Thanks very much. Appreciate it. Now, Officer Williams is over there near the

door. He'll take your official statement. Thank you. Thanks.

What's up?

Doesn't look like a robbery.

According to the assistant manager, there was nothing taken out of the cash

register. It also doesn't look like there was any sign of a struggle here,

yet this man took a bullet directly to the heart.

What does that sound like to you?

Professional hit.

Yeah, that's what I think.

Dorman didn't usually work late unless he got a rush order.

Call came in right before they closed.

That's the only reason the man stayed.

Order's still here on the press.

He left a phone number and a credit card number and said he'd come pick it up

after the shop closed.

Really?

We didn't happen to get a name on this order, did we?

Paul Rowan.

Yeah.

Hello, I'm Sergeant Hunter, Los Angeles Police Department.

I was wondering if I might be able to talk to Miss Dorman.

Come right in.

Thank you.

That's Mrs. Dorman.

Thanks very much.

Miss Dorman?

Yeah. I'm Sergeant Hunter, Los Angeles Police Department.

Oh, yeah, they told me you called.

I'm very sorry about your husband. I was wondering if you'd like to answer a

couple of questions for me.

Okay, I'll do the best I can.

Can you give us a minute? Thanks.

Thanks very much.

Now, did Joe have any enemies at work or in his private life? Was he in debt?

Did he owe anybody any money at all?

No.

He always had a knack for making friends. I don't know anybody who didn't

Joe. I see.

I don't understand. Wasn't this a robbery?

Well, we don't think so.

There's a good chance this could be a personal situation.

crazy. Everybody loved Joe.

Faye, how are you doing? Are you okay?

Jack, the police think that he might have been murdered over something

Hi, I'm Sergeant Hunter, LAPD.

I'm Jack Struthers. This is Ted Madden.

Mr. Madden, how are you? Sergeant.

Now, did you gentlemen know Mr. Dorman very well? We've been friends of Joe's

since we were kids.

We all went to high school together.

Oh, okay.

Listen, I can see this isn't the time to continue this.

Would you gentlemen mind if I called you at a later date to talk to you about

it? If there's anything at all that we can do to help.

It's a terrible tragedy.

Thank you very much.

It doesn't make any sense.

I mean, Joe never hurt anybody in his life. Why would anybody want to kill

I wish I had an answer, Faye.

I wish I had an answer.

Hunter?

Got something interesting here. Rowan used a stolen credit card to place the

order. He also gave the street address in Venice.

In Venice, huh?

Were there any usable prints of the crime scene?

No.

Okay, I think we ought to start taking Mr. Dorman's life apart from the ground

up. Thanks, Ray.

Is this the telephone all your guests use?

Every bum in Venice uses that payphone. Anybody could have made that call.

This may be a long shot, but try the register. The name is Rowan. The people

stay here change their names more often than they do their underwear. I can

understand that, but the name is Rowan.

R -O -W -A -N.

Rowan. Rowan. Sorry, you're out of luck.

Say, you wouldn't want to take a ride with me downtown and take a look at some

mug books, would you?

No, I'd like to help you, but see, I try not to get a good look at the people

who stay here, yeah?

Yeah, I see what you mean. Well, look, why don't I just go upstairs here and

talk to some of your tenants?

Go ahead, hey.

But compared to some of these burnouts, I'm a walking encyclopedia of knowledge.

I understand, Mrs. Dorman. I know how difficult it can be.

Yeah, well, everybody keeps saying that to me, but they don't have the slightest

idea what I'm going through right now.

My husband was a police officer killed in the line of duty.

I do know how you feel.

I'm sorry.

I know that my partner already spoke with you, but we were wondering if you

could tell us a little bit more about your husband's past.

Do you know if he was ever in any kind of trouble?

Joe?

Uh, no, he would have told me if he was.

Well, you know, anything would help, no matter how small it might seem to you.

Well, uh, he mentioned once something that happened to him back in high

Yeah, what was that?

He had some kind of a run -in with the law, but he wouldn't tell me what it was

about.

Never told you. I wonder why.

I think he was embarrassed.

He said it was the dumbest thing he ever did.

Do you know if he was arrested?

He never said.

Do you think perhaps his family might know what it was about?

Well, both Joe's parents are dead, and he doesn't have any brothers.

Didn't have any.

What year did your husband graduate from high school?

I think it was 1973.

Harbor Hills High School.

Harbor Hills.

I'm sorry. I couldn't be of any more help.

Oh, no.

You've been very helpful. Thank you.

Sergeant, did you... Did you catch the man who killed your husband?

Took a while, but yeah, we caught him.

Thanks.

Is the job still good?

Well, pay stinks, but it's okay. I make up for it in tips.

Still got the same address in Venice?

Same address, same everything.

Well, considering the rent.

I think you got a pretty nice apartment.

Yeah, well, compared to the joint, it's like a palace.

I haven't had that kind of privacy since I was in solitary.

Still staying out of bars?

Yeah.

It's kind of hard meeting women.

Have you tried any of those clubs for singles?

Not my style.

You've got to get yourself back into circulation.

Yeah, but I want to, you know, circulate with the right kind of people.

Last week, you talked about going back to the church.

Have you thought any more about that?

Thought about it.

Going back might be a big help for you right now.

Maybe I will.

I didn't mean for it to happen, Father, but he made me lose my temper.

No one made you do anything.

You keep your own temper.

It's not your husband's job.

But he never listens to me. How do I make him listen?

This week, every morning and every evening,

Tell your husband you love him and really mean it.

See if you lose your temper as often.

Tell me how it works out.

I will, Father.

Thank you.

And through the ministry of the church, may God give you pardon and peace.

And I absolve you from your sin in the name of the Father, the Son, and the

Spirit.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. Confess your sins now with trust in

mercy. My last confession was 20 years ago.

I'm listening. Go ahead.

I've committed murder.

I killed a man, Father.

When did you do this?

Last night.

A man you know.

You know why, Jack.

It's me, Ron Neiman.

How did you get out?

I'm on parole.

After 20 years, they finally let me out.

You had no right to kill Joe. I had every right in the world.

You were all there.

I was the only one who paid the price.

Why have you come to see me?

I'm sorry for what I did.

I couldn't help myself.

I want you to absolve me of my sin.

Please, Father, give me absolution.

Through the ministry of the church, may God give you pardon and peace.

I absolve you.

I want you to turn yourself into the police.

God forgave me.

Now I'm going to get the other.

I'll be right back.

You don't have any other records on Dorman.

Well, thank you for checking.

Bye -bye.

Any luck at the hotel?

Bogus address.

Nobody in the history of the world has ever lived there by that name.

What did Juvenal have?

Well, Juvenal's got a record on Dorman, but it was sealed a long time ago

through the courts. Great. Let's get it unsealed. Yeah, you got it. You know

what I was thinking about doing is checking in on some of Dorman's friends.

I'd like to talk to Ted Madden.

Let me talk to Father Jack first.

Then we'll talk to Matt.

Okay.

Jack, wait a minute.

What are the chances you're making up my foursome today?

It's not very good.

I don't want to pull rank, but I am your bishop. You can't turn me down.

Come on now, I'll do you good. I don't think I'd give you much of a game.

If only more priests would learn to play golf, I could be out on the course

there now, breaking par.

Yes, I know. Par would be a large miracle, even for him.

Well, good luck on the greens.

Are you all right?

You look a little down.

No, I'm fine. I just didn't get much breath last night. I'm okay.

If you played golf on your day off, you'd sleep better.

I probably would.

see you later keep your head down

Sergeant Hunter?

Hey, you're doing a pretty good job. They've got a green one here for you, if

you like. I don't think so, no.

Well, what can I do for you?

Thanks for seeing me. I really appreciate it. I didn't want to have to

any type of questioning at the Dorman house.

I understand.

You know, speaking with some of Joe Dorman's friends, we find that you and

Madner is about as close to him as anybody.

As a matter of fact, you're his priest, aren't you?

Joe and I were friends since high school.

As hard as I tried, I couldn't make a Catholic out of him, no.

We understand that Joe had some problems with the law in high school. I was just

wondering if you might be able to elaborate on that for us.

No, I can't.

You are aware of the incident, right?

There's nothing I can tell you.

Well, I don't understand.

I just can't.

You can't or you won't. There's a big difference.

I don't understand.

Don't you want to help find Joe's killer?

Is that it?

Afraid so.

I don't know. It looks to me like that priest knows something. Yeah, but he

won't talk to me.

Well, we can't put a priest on the hot seat.

If he got that information from confession, that's out of bounds to us.

That's just it. It didn't come from confession.

Dorman wasn't a Catholic.

Why won't Father Struthers talk to us unless he's trying to protect Dorman's

memory out of friendship?

No, I don't think so.

Let's face it.

Somebody told Struthers something.

That somebody could be our killer.

Miss Carter?

Father, how can I help you? I'm Jack Struthers. I've done some checking, and

understand you're Ron Neiman's parole officer.

That's right.

Is he in some kind of trouble? No, no, no, nothing like that. Just we're old

friends, and I heard he was out of jail, and I'd just like to see him.

Well, I do have his residence and work numbers. Would those help?

That'd be great.

Great, thanks. I hate to bother you, but I don't know who else to ask. No

problem, Father. I'm sure Ron will be glad to see you.

You know, he's really turned his life around.

He even said he wants to start going to church.

Ron. Ron.

I want to talk to you.

Sure, Father. What about?

Last night you confessed to a murder and threatened the lives of two people.

So? You can't do this, Ron.

I want you to come with me to the police.

A little tied up now, Father.

I know what you're doing.

It isn't the answer.

Yes, it is.

But what about me?

Kill me.

I'm here.

Do it.

You don't get it, do you, Father?

That's what I did last night.

So that's the revenge you want on me.

Bingo.

Dear God.

It's your soul we're talking about. I lost my soul years ago in Quentin.

I'm not going to stop until you all pay the price.

You're the one who committed the murder, not us.

You're the ones who lied in court.

The way I see it, you're just as guilty as me.

You've got to stop this right now, Ron.

Turn yourself in and ask God for forgiveness.

You turn me in.

Go ahead.

Go to the police.

I'd love to see you break your vows.

This hatred won't get you anywhere.

Yes, it will.

See you in hell, Padre.

Please, come along in. Make yourselves comfortable.

Thank you, Bishop Pine.

Just sit down, will you?

You see, both Jack's parents died when he was quite young. Now, he was an

ordinary parish priest at the time.

But I had a few contacts, and I managed to find a home for him with a wealthy

member of our diocese, Robert Madden and his family.

Robert Madden, the industrialist? That's right, yes.

Well, he raised Jack.

alongside his own son, Ted.

It was an arrangement which benefited everyone.

Look, forgive me, I'm confused.

Why are you so interested in Father Struthers? I thought you were

the murder of Joe Dorman.

Well, you see, Father Struthers and Joe Dorman went to high school together.

Now, back when Dorman was in high school, he got into some trouble with

We think that that may have something to do with his murder.

Well, I wouldn't know about that.

You see, when Jack entered high school, I left here and I went to a parish up at

San Jose.

And I lost track of Jack until he entered his seminary. That was when I

back to Los Angeles and St. Beatrice.

What did Father Strother say to you?

Well, he didn't say anything to us. We think he took the confession of the

killer.

Well, if you're right about that, there's nothing Jack can do to help you.

is quite clear about that.

If you'll excuse me. Bishop Pine, if another human being is killed, Father

Struthers is partially responsible.

I'm sure Father Struthers is well aware of that. But he just can't wash his

hands of this matter. It's not that simple.

I know it's not that simple.

Can you imagine the turmoil Father Struthers must be going through?

Well, just think of the turmoil that Mrs. Dorman is going through.

Jack, I know Sergeant Hunter and McCall have talked with you.

They talked with me, too.

Have you tried to convince the killer to give himself up?

Yes.

Yes, of course you have.

Much of what you're going through is no easy matter.

Part of being a priest, we both know the rules.

Well, I know how tough it is when you're standing all alone, is there?

Anything I can do for you.

I need guidance.

I have doubts about what I'm doing.

Pray for me.

Yes, of course.

Jack, I've known you since you were a boy.

You face some tough situations.

But you always come out on top.

And you will this time, too.

Thanks.

I appreciate your confidence.

I know what kind of priest you are.

I know how seriously you take your work.

Please, be careful.

Excuse me.

I'm looking for a man named Phil Layton.

He's changed a lot since this was taken, but this is how he looked in high

school. Yeah, yeah, I know Phil.

He hangs out down there sometimes.

Thanks.

Thanks a lot.

Here, take this.

God bless you.

Can I be of any help?

Too late, Father.

He's dead.

Father, are you all right?

Yes.

We were walking our beat, and we saw what we thought was a wino down.

So I came and checked it out, and it turned out to be a 187.

Called the supervisor.

You know the rest. What time was that?

About 2 ,100 hours.

By the way, a priest came by.

A priest? What did he want?

He gave the guy last rights.

Did you detain him?

No, he was in a hurry, so I just did an FI on him and cut him loose. There it

is.

Okay, good.

Thanks very much, officer. Good work.

I'm going to take the slug down to Ballistic, see if it matches the round

was used to kill Dorman.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

From the looks of Mr. Lacey here, he's been on the street an awful long time.

Madden, Dorman, Father Jack, and now Phil Lacey, two of the four are dead.

I'm going to go talk to Ted Madden. Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm going to

church.

You knew Phil Lacey was going to be murdered last night, didn't you, Father?

That's why you went there.

Were you going to warn him?

Look, you just can't hang around in here while innocent people are being gunned

down. Do you think I want people to die?

It looks that way.

Sergeant, do you realize you are talking to a servant of God?

Father, just give me the connection between Lacey and Dorman. I'll do the

Do you think I like this?

I have my laws just like you do.

and I have sworn to uphold them. Now, you have asked me to respect your law,

I do.

Please, respect mine.

How do you live with yourself on a day -to -day basis, Father, knowing what you

know?

We're running out of time, Father.

There was another murder last night.

Phil Lacey.

Phil Lacey?

Our lab has determined that the same gun was used to kill both Dorman and Lacey.

Now, you knew both of them in high school, and you're also aware of the

that Dorman had a juvenile record, right?

Yeah, that's right.

We think that Jack Struthers knows who the killer is, but he won't tell us

because of his bonds of confession.

You mean the killer came to Jack?

That's right.

We think he could be in a great deal of danger.

You could really help me out here.

You knew these guys.

Tell me about what happened with Joe.

What was all the trouble about?

Well, this happened a long time ago.

Joe Dorman, Phil Lacey, and Jack accidentally...

They were involved in a robbery.

Actually, it happened on a night when Jack was on his own.

My father and I had gone to the movies together.

Jack bumped into Phil and Joe. They were riding around with an older guy that

they'd met.

And this guy drove to a liquor store and went inside, and everyone else waited

in the car.

They heard a couple of shots. The guy came running out.

He had killed a clerk trying to rob the store. What did the others do?

Well, they went to the police. And later they testified.

And because they were juveniles, charges against them were dropped and the

records were sealed.

Exactly. I'm assuming that the killer was convicted?

He got life.

What was the killer's name?

This was, uh... This was a long time ago.

I know.

Please think hard.

It's very important.

Why didn't you tell me Neiman was out of prison?

He killed Joe. He killed Phil. I'm next. You've got to help me, Jack. I can't do

anything, Ted.

Just calm down.

Calm down. Now, look, I am bound by my vow. You know that. I will tell you this

much. I have talked to him. There's nothing more I can do.

What we could have done was tell the truth 20 years ago.

And you would have been tried as an adult, and you would have gone to

I should have known.

I should have known Neiman was going to come back and haunt me.

Ted, listen to me.

We've known each other forever.

Trust me, what we have now is our trust in God.

I'm going to the police.

If you believe that's the right thing to do.

We've been together so long. We've known each other so many years.

We can't fall apart now.

Hunter, we just hit pay dirt. Take a look at this. The guy who killed the

store clerk was Ron Neiman. Lives in L .A., Caucasian, 40 years old, 5 '8",

pounds. Got life, but was paroled two months ago. It all fits. He killed

and Lacey because they testified against him.

Where does he live? I got the name of his parole officer, Elaine Carter. She

gave me his home and his work address.

Excuse me, man. Would you mind if I went in first?

God bless you.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

You killed Phil Lacey.

I told you I would, Father.

I did the guy a favor. Lacey was in bad shape.

Guy put me away for 20 years.

Couldn't even remember who I was. You came here to gloat, not to ask for

forgiveness.

If that's the way you feel about it, why don't you report me to the police?

I'd love to see it dirty, that nice white collar of yours.

I won't give you absolution.

Give it to Ted Madden.

Leave Ted Madden alone. Try and stop me. I'm not afraid of you.

Take my life.

Don't think I wouldn't. No,

no, no.

I hit you.

I break my parole. You report me. I go back to jail.

I strive farther, but no sail.

Nothing new on Neiman? No. We checked his workplace and his house. Zero. You

know, we'd like to put a watch on both to see if he shows up.

All right. That's a good idea. Do it. Yeah, absolutely.

Here's transcripts from the Neiman trial 20 years ago.

Turn to page one.

As you can see, the district attorney at the time was a Thomas Beckworth. Now,

he's now a Superior Court judge in Torrance.

We happen to think he might be able to shed some light on this case.

But I wonder, why hasn't Neiman tried to kill Struthers?

Maybe we should give him some protection.

Well, we've thought about that, but we think that Neiman's got something

especially planned for Struthers.

Well, let's find out what that is.

I prosecuted Ron Neiman. I was with the DA's office then.

That's one case I'll never forget.

Make sure these are sent out right away.

Now, Neiman was paroled two months ago.

That's too bad.

I wanted to hang the death penalty on him, but I had to settle for a life

sentence, thanks to Robert Madden.

Robert Madden? What do you mean? I don't understand.

Robert Madden had a foster son, Jack Struthers.

He and a couple of his buddies were with him in the night of the murder.

They turned state's witness, and I was told strictly to lay off them.

Are you saying that you think Madden fixed the case?

Madden used every ounce of influence he had to make sure that Struthers and his

friends got off.

He even bought Neiman's silence.

See, Neiman had one of the best defense lawyers in the city.

Rumor had it that Madden footed the bill.

How do you think he avoided the death penalty? Wait a minute, you mean Robert

Madden covered something up?

Yeah.

I always felt that Jack Struthers was more involved in that murder than

knew. And Madden loved that kid like his own son.

Only a theory. Well, Judge, is there anybody to confirm that?

Nobody wanted to talk then. I doubt if anybody would now.

But you might try Ted Madden.

Well, we already talked with Ted Madden. Try it again.

This time, turn the screws.

I questioned Madden myself, and I got the distinct impression that Ted Madden

couldn't tell you a street address without lying.

already told your partner everything.

Not quite, Ted.

You see, Ron Neiman murdered your two high school friends, but we can't prove

that because Father Struthers can't break a seal of confession.

Great. Why come to me?

Because we think you know why Neiman's back in town for revenge.

Look, all I know is what my father and Jack told me.

Struthers was involved in that murder 20 years ago, wasn't he?

No. How do you know? You weren't there.

All I know is what my father and Jack told me. You're a liar, Ted.

I don't care what you think.

Look, I don't know anything.

I'm talking to my Anthony. I don't need to put up with this harassment from you.

If you're holding back information to try to protect Jack for something he did

20 years ago, it could cost him his life now.

Hello? Jack, it's me.

But the cops were just here.

They know about Neiman.

They know that I'm lying.

We've got to talk.

You talk all you want.

I'm packing.

See you later.

Hunter? I've been going through these transcripts.

Aside from Dorman, Lacey, and Struthers, there was only one other witness at

Neiman's trial, a Martha Patterson. Now, all she saw was Neiman's car drive off

from the liquor store after the shooting.

Right, and she testified she saw Neiman driving with his friends in the back,

right? Yeah, exactly, but this is the part that I don't get. Mrs.

Patterson says she saw three people sitting in the back seat.

Three people in the back seat? Why would there be three people in the back seat?

Two people in the front seat.

But Struthers, Dorman, and Lacey swore that there were only four people

in the robbery.

They have to be covering for a fifth person. You know, we've been going on

assumption that Robert Madden got involved in the case to protect Jack

Struthers.

What if he was protecting the fifth person?

It's got to be Ted Madden.

My, my, my.

Aren't we in a hurry?

How did you get in here?

You really think that's a problem for a guy like me?

You've done all right for yourself, Ted.

I guess you really thought you were going to get away with this forever.

My father made a deal with you. You agreed to it.

Yeah, I know about that deal.

I had a long time to think about it.

It was a lousy deal.

You really should have served time with me, Ted.

I didn't kill the clerk.

You were in the store.

How come your friends didn't testify to that at the trial?

You were the one who pulled the trigger.

The holdup was your idea in the first place.

You're an accessory to murder, Ted. You still are.

But I'm the only one who got burned.

I can't wait to confess this one to Father. No, don't. Run!

Don't!

Go ahead, you hypocrite.

You lied at the trial.

Maybe God will forgive you. But I won't.

I didn't mean for it to happen.

Jack, you saved my life.

It's time we told the truth.

All of it.

Father Struthers, we were speaking with Bishop Pine. He says you're thinking

about leaving the priesthood.

Maybe I was never really in it.

I asked the members of my church to tell the truth, but I've held on to a lie

for all these years.

But you were just trying to help a friend.

When Robert Madden found out that his son helped hold up the liquor store, he

convinced all of you to lie for Ted.

But I never corrected that lie.

If I had Joe Dorman and Phil Lacey, I might still be alive.

So would Ron Neiman.

How many confessions have you taken over the U .S. Father? Thousands, probably,

right?

At least.

You probably absolved everyone.

Of course.

So you think it's time you absolved yourself?

That's a lot easier said than done.

I never intended to hurt Neiman.

But the moment I had that gun in my hand, I really wanted to pull the

Kind of a priesthood battle.

A human one.

Anybody in your shoes would have felt exactly the same way.

We're not God's father. We're just human beings trying to do the best we can.

Gotta give yourself a second chance.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Thanks. Thanks, Father.

Good luck.