All language subtitles for Justice.on.Trial.S01E03.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

I'm gonna level with
you, Mr. Deskovic,

we like you for the
murder of Angela Correa.

I-I would never...

The day after the murder,
you show up late for school.

You go to all the vigils,
all the memorials,

despite you saying that you
never really talked that much.

You fit the profile to a T.

I'm Judy Sheindlin. Before
I was a judge on TV,

I was a judge in New
York City for 15 years,

and a lawyer for 17
years before that.

While serving on both
sides of the bench,

I learned that justice doesn't
always end up feeling...

just.

Sometimes, the impact of one
decision by a police officer,

a lawyer, or even a judge, can
change the way justice is delivered.

We're going to demonstrate
this by taking landmark cases

from actual crimes
committed by real people,

and we'll recreate them
with our trial lawyers

and yours truly as
the trial judge.

While we're not going to
recreate the trials verbatim,

all the court's ultimate
decisions are accurate.

It will be up to you to decide
whether the case was fair

and the outcome just.

Real
cases, actual lawyers,

surprising verdicts...

Justice on Trial.

This episode of Justice on Trial
focuses on the murder of Angela Correa,

a high school student from
Putnam County, New York,

and how law enforcement handled
the search for her killer.

Usually when someone
confesses to a crime,

they're admitting they're guilty,
and that's that, justice is served.

But what happens if that
confession was obtained

under an unreasonable
amount of police pressure,

and that afterwards,
the person who confessed

says, "I didn't mean it"?

The legal term for that
is false confession,

and it's more common
than you think.

But I'm getting a
little ahead of myself.

Let's go to the aftermath
of this brutal murder.

I have horrible news.

I really don't know
how to say this.

Police have found Angela's
body in the woods.

Oh, my God.

I want you to know that grief
counselors are being made available,

and I encourage all of you to...

Mr. Deskovic.

Glad you could join us.

Sorry, I'm late.
I missed the bus.

Not to
worry, Jeffrey.

Today of all days, I can
cut you guys some slack.

Why?

What's going on?

-So, you knew the deceased.
-Sure.

We all knew Angela.

Anybody she dating
you might know?

Not that I know of. Lots of
guys wanted to get with her.

She was hot.

But she wasn't interested.

They think her parents kept
her on a pretty tight leash.

How about maybe somebody
she turned down?

Somebody in particular, maybe
you think could a held a grudge.

Not really.

Thank you.

But...

There is one kid
who's kind of off.

And he showed up
late to class today.

Kind of off. So,
what do you mean?

Kind of a loner.

Kinda awkward.

The kind of guy you wonder what
he does when nobody's watching.

What's his name?

Jeff Deskovic.

From that day forward,

Putnam County law enforcement zeroed
in on 15-year-old Jeffrey Deskovic.

Months later, they tried him for
Angela Correa's rape and murder.

As you watch the
detectives' testimony,

you'll see how they put
together their case.

We'll show you how they interacted
with Jeffrey along the way,

according to what
Jeffrey recalls happened.

You'll notice it
won't always jibe

with what the detectives'
version of the events are.

It's up to you to decide
who and what to believe.

Counsel, note your
appearance, please.

'Morning, Your
Honor. Larry Bakman

on behalf of the people
of the state of New York.

'Morning, Judge. Dan Mentzer for
the defendant, Jeffrey Deskovic.

Members of the jury, the
defendant, Jeffrey Deskovic,

is charged with the rape and
murder of a 15-year-old schoolmate.

As you will hear, the primary
evidence of the people

is the alleged confession
he made to the police.

In order to convict the
defendant, you must find

that the statement was
voluntarily made by the defendant

beyond a reasonable doubt. You
must find that taken together,

all of the evidence proves
that Jeffrey Deskovic

raped and murdered
Angela Correa.

That is the People's
burden of proof.

You wish to make an opening
statement, Mr. Bakman?

I do, Your Honor.
Good morning, everyone.

As the court indicated, I am
the prosecutor in this case.

I represent the people
of the State of New York.

In this matter, the People will
prove beyond a reasonable doubt

that the defendant
brutally beat, raped

and murdered a
15-year-old young girl.

At the end of this case, I'm
going to ask you to return

with a verdict of first-degree
rape, second-degree murder,

based on the fact that the
People have proven this case

beyond a reasonable
doubt. Thank you.

Mr. Mentzer.

Thank you, Your Honor.
Let me be perfectly clear,

Jeffrey Deskovic did not
rape or kill Angela Correa.

That's not just my opinion,
that's a scientific fact.

Because one thing
Mr. Bakman did not tell you

is about the scientific
evidence in this case.

But rather than wait for
that evidence to come back,

the police picked a suspect, this
16-year-old boy, Jeffrey Deskovic.

They chose based on,
really, no evidence,

based on the fact that he was a
shy and socially awkward child.

And they persisted in
interrogating him and badgering him

for six weeks to get him to confess
to a crime he didn't commit.

And yet, for six weeks he
said, "I didn't do it."

So, did that end the nightmare
for Jeffrey Deskovic? No.

No, it didn't. That nightmare
has to end with you.

Because he's
innocent. Thank you.

Mr. Bakman, are you ready to
call your first witness, sir?

Thank you, Your Honor. I call the
medical examiner, Dr. Lewis Rowe.

Kevin, will you swear
the witness, please?

Raise your right hand. Do you swear to
tell the truth in these matters today?

-I do.
-Thank you. Have a seat.

You may inquire, sir.

Doctor, please tell the jury
your current profession or occupation.

Westchester County
Deputy Medical Examiner.

Turning your attention, sir, back
to November 17th of last year,

were you called to a crime scene involving
a 15-year-old victim named Angela Correa?

Yes.

This is as bad as it gets, boss.

Blunt force
trauma to the head,

ligature marks on her neck.

Could've died from either.

We're gonna have
to do a rape kit.

Yeah, I figured.

This doesn't happen here.

Press is gonna have a field day.

It's already happening, boss.

The news started running stuff three
hours after our estimated time of death.

We need to get
justice for this girl.

And we need to get it quick.

I take it, sir, that
at some point in time,

you conducted an
autopsy of the victim?

Correct.

And did you recover any
fluids from the victim's body?

-Yes.
-From where?

Semen was recovered
from the vaginal area.

And the semen sample was sent
to the FBI lab for analysis.

-Is that right?
-Correct.

And that was to be compared to a
blood draw taken from the defendant

-back on January 10th. Is that correct?
-Yes.

And did you receive the results
back from the FBI laboratory

indicating whether or not this was a
DNA match to the defendant's blood?

-Yes.
-And what was that result?

It was negative.

And that DNA analysis simply
excludes the defendant

as being the donor of the
semen sample, correct?

Yes.

Doesn't exclude him from putting
his hands around her neck

or using a ligature
to kill her, does it?

-No.
-No further questions.

Mr. Mentzer,
you may inquire, sir.

Thank you, Judge.

Dr. Rowe, you got to the scene
on November 17th, correct?

Yes.

And you saw
signs that a young girl

-had been raped and murdered, right?
-Yes.

And one of the things you
noticed was that there were hairs

-found along this girl's legs, correct?
-Yes.

And you carefully
removed those hairs for testing.

I did.

Then, the next time you
got involved in this case

was sometime after you learned
of the results of the testing.

-Correct?
-I believe so, yes.

And you found Jeffrey Deskovic
was not the source of the hair

-found on the naked leg of Angela Correa.
-Yes.

You can often determine the racial
makeup of the donor of that hair, right?

Correct.

And the results you got as to the makeup
of the person whose hair that was,

was that it was an
African-American person, right?

That is correct.

You found also that Jeffrey Deskovic
was not the source of the semen

found in the body of
Angela Correa. Correct?

Correct.

Now, with respect to the DNA
evidence that was found in the semen

not matching Jeffrey Deskovic, one
explanation was he's innocent, right?

That is one explanation, yes.

Thank you, Judge. I have
no further questions.

Thank you. Witness is excused.

Mr. Bakman, call your
next witness, please.

I call Detective David Levine.

You may inquire, sir.

Thank you, Your Honor.
Detective, can you tell the jury

what your current
profession or occupation is?

I'm a detective with the
Peekskill Police Department.

And how long have
you been so employed?

Fifteen years.

And what are
your current assignments?

We investigated the
homicide of Angela Correa.

And did you do that with
a partner or by yourself?

Myself and Detective McIntyre.

And when you found the body,
can you describe for the jury

the condition of the
body when you found it?

Is the victim partially nude?

Yes. Her clothes,
particularly her torn bra,

were found in the vicinity.

And her cassette player was
also found in the vicinity,

and that tells me that she
never saw what was coming.

And tell me, when
you came upon the body,

did you ask for the M.E., the Medical
Examiner to come to the scene?

I did.

Now, let me ask you, did
you go to the high school

where the victim and the defendant
went and talk to classmates?

Yes, we did. We needed to
establish a suspect list.

And in terms of
focusing on Mr. Deskovic

as a potential
suspect in this case,

did you have the opportunity

to observe him attend
various wakes for the victim?

-We did.
-Did that raise a red flag?

Yes, it did.

Must've
been a popular girl.

Maybe these kids just need
something to care about.

Mac, there's our boy.

Right on time.

What are
you doing here, man?

You didn't even know her.

Did too. We talked.

Once. She was nice to me.

Three vigils he's attended.

It's either morbid curiosity,
guilty conscience, or...

Or maybe he's getting off on it.

Mr. Mentzer, you
may inquire, sir.

Detective Levine, you've been involved in
this case from the very beginning, right?

Yes.

November 17th, you were actually at the
scene where Angela's body was found.

That's true.

This was a rape and a murder investigation
to you from the very beginning.

-Right?
-That's correct.

So, you
started to investigate

-by speaking to classmates.
-Yes.

And those classmates
told you things about Angela

that you thought would be
helpful in your investigation.

-Yes.
-And you also, at some point,

found out that Jeffrey Deskovic was a
person of interest, I believe you said.

Yes, he was.

So, he became a suspect
within the first three weeks.

-Is that right?
-True.

December 12th. Does that date
stand out for you for any reason?

Yes, it's the first
day we interviewed him.

You took him
back to the precinct...

-Yep.
-...and you and Detective McIntyre

proceeded to interrogate
him for three hours.

Yes.

And you wanted to
close this case

by getting a confession out
of Jeffrey Deskovic. Right?

Of course.

Have a seat, Mr. Deskovic.

Thanks for agreeing to leave
school and talk to us today.

Sure.

I definitely don't mind
missing history class.

Well, we could really use
your help here, solving this murder.

Like a junior
detective or something?

Exactly.

And since you went to all the
vigils and memorial services,

maybe you heard something from one of
your classmates that could help us.

Yeah, let me think about that.

Would you say Angela
was sexually active?

Well...

I don't really
know, to be honest.

She and I didn't talk
about anything like that.

What did you talk about?

We didn't really talk much.

But you wanted to
talk to her, right?

I mean, yeah. She
was really nice.

And she was hot too. Am I right?

Who wouldn't want
to get with her?

I never really...

She turned you down, didn't she?

She never noticed
you at all, right?

I mean, that must've
made you mad.

No. She was always...

As a matter of fact, she didn't
care if you lived or died.

Isn't that right?

You're a
red-blooded male, Jeff.

Who'd have blamed you?
She had it coming.

What?! No!

I'm gonna level with
you, Mr. Deskovic,

we like you for the
murder of Angela Correa.

I-I would never...

The day after the murder,
you show up late for school.

You go to all the vigils,
all the memorials,

despite you saying that you
never really talked that much.

On top of that, all your classmates,
they peg you as some kind of a loner.

You fit the profile to a "T."

I thought you guys
wanted my help.

I would never touch her.

I was late 'cause I overslept
and I missed the bus.

Well done.

We had to make
sure you were clean

before activating you as
our new junior detective.

Oh.

You guys really
had me going there.

Good job, kid.

Welcome
to the team, Jeff.

Yeah, thanks. Thank you.

-You tried different techniques.
-We did.

You tried to make him appear as though
he was helpful to the investigation.

-Right?
-Yes.

You tried to let
him get his guard down.

-Yeah.
-Then you started

-playing "good cop, bad cop" on him.
-Yes.

-You were the bad cop?
-Yes.

And you were accusing Jeffrey of being
responsible for the murder, right?

Yes.

And Detective McIntyre
would step forward and say,

calm down, you're doing good,
son. You're doing fine. Right?

-Yes.
-Ask his theories of the case?

-Yes.
-And at some point,

you detectives brought this
boy to the crime scene?

Yes, we did.

This is where
it all went down, Jeff.

I can't believe it's
been almost two months.

It feels like
yesterday, you know?

I'm gonna be straight
with you, kid.

The press is still
all over us on this.

The mayor's going crazy.

The governor himself is
threatening to bring in the Feds,

which we do not want.

We need to close this case.

That's why we brought
you here. Okay?

Can you help us, buddy?

Yeah, of course.

I mean, what do you
think happened here?

Well...

from what those crime scene
photos you showed me look like...

the killer probably
hit her from behind.

Probably knocked her
unconscious after that.

Then, he tears off
her bra and underwear.

You know.

How come she doesn't hear or
see him before he strikes?

She was probably focused
on shooting her pictures.

I mean, you remember the
camera near her hand. Right?

I remember when I was
doing that assignment.

I was worried about the exposure,
the shutter angle, focus.

All that stuff that
we were taught.

I wouldn't have heard an elephant
about to step on me.

Sounds like
you were there, kid.

We've been talking about
this case for so long.

I almost feel like I was.

Does that ever happen
to you guys, too?

Yeah.

We usually try to put ourselves
in the mind of the killer.

Why don't you try that by sketching
out what you think happened.

It would help us a lot.

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

Oh, look,
it's Jeremy, our CSI guy.

And I think he's got pizza.

All right! You guys are awesome.

Jeremy just needs to get a
quick blood sample from you.

A blood sample? Why?

It's standard procedure.

Anyone we involve in an investigation
like this has to give a DNA sample.

Just to eliminate them.

Okay. But my mom told me not to do
anything like that without a lawyer.

You have nothing to worry about.

You didn't do it. Right?

No.

Look, DNA, then
pizza. Sound good?

Yeah, okay.

All right. I'll take that.

We were hoping that a
visit to the crime scene,

very often, the suspect will...
suddenly, something will trigger,

and they'll reveal a fact that
they couldn't have known before.

Come on, Detective. You wanted him to
know more details of the crime scene

so it would enhance a confession
if you were to get one.

Isn't that true?

That was not our intention.

And then finally, you ask him
if he would submit to a polygraph exam.

-Yes.
-And he said yes.

-Yes.
-So, you set up the polygraph test

-for January 25th.
-Yes.

So, you
set it up on a day

where you guys were ready for
the polygraph exam, right?

Mm-hmm.

But you didn't tell or
give forewarning to Jeffrey

that this was gonna occur
on January 25th, did you?

Correct.

And you drove him to
the office of Daniel Stephens.

-Yes.
-Daniel Stephens,

-you know to be a polygraph expert.
-That's true.

But really you know Daniel
Stephens to be an expert

at getting people to
confess to crimes.

That's his reputation.

Detective, you were not going
to stop harassing this boy

until you got what
you wanted. Right?

-Objection, argumentative.
-Sustained.

-No more questions.
-Thank you.

Witness is excused.
Thank you very much, sir.

Putnam County law enforcement
was running out of time.

The political pressure to
solve Angela Correa's murder

was getting more
intense by the day.

They now had their prime suspect's
DNA, fellow student Jeffrey Deskovic.

But before getting the results to see
if it matched the murder victim's,

they wanted to close the case.

And for that, they
needed a confession.

So, they enlisted a police
officer in a neighboring city

posing as a polygraph expert.

They plucked Jeffrey out of
school without telling his parents

and strapped him in.

Where am I?

I want to go home. My mom
told me not to go far.

We can't wait for DNA results.
What if they point the wrong way?

Don't worry about it.

This guy's a cop. Specializes
in getting confessions.

Should I shoot this?

From what I know about
his methods, better not.

Okay.

Now, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey? Hi. Okay.

This is a polygraph machine, okay?
It's gonna tell me when you're lying.

So, as long as you just tell me the truth,
you're gonna get out of here real quick.

-Okay?
-Okay.

Okay. Okay, great.

It is 9:13 a.m. on January 25th.

Now.
Let's start out easy.

What's your name, son?

Jeff Deskovic.

Good. No, that's very good.

You see how easy that is
to just tell the truth?

So, um, let's talk about what
you did on November 15th.

Did you go into the woods?

No.

Hm. That's a... that's a lie.

Did you see or talk
to Angela Correa?

No.

That's another lie.

Did you attack her?

No. I... I wasn't even there.

Once again, a lie.

Did you hit her with a rock?

I didn't do it.

Lie.

-Did you rape Angela Correa?
-No.

And that is a lie. Jeff,
you're-you're lying to me.

This machine is 100% accurate,

and it's telling me that
you're a lying murderer.

It's wrong.

-Where's Detective Tom?
-No, no.

He knows I'm not, I'm not lying.

There is no Detective
Tom to save you.

This machine is the only
thing that is gonna save you.

And right now, this machine
is telling me, young man,

that you are a liar.

No.

No.

Why can't I leave?

Here's the situation, Jeff.

If I submit this polygraph
test to the D.A.,

he is going to prosecute
you for rape and murder.

-No. No.
-Okay?

He is.

Your only hope, and I keep trying
to make you understand this,

is to tell the truth.

If you confess, then the D.A.
can reduce your sentence.

Okay? He might not even prosecute
you 'cause you're a 16-year-old kid.

But I didn't do those things.

Again,
look at this.

You're lying!

You're lying. This is science.
Okay, science doesn't lie.

It is you who lies.

Maybe it's broken, then.

No! It is not broken. What
it is, it's telling me

that you raped and murdered Angela
Correa. That's what it's doing!

Okay.
You know what?

I am taking a lunch break.

Yep. And you...

you got one more
chance to come clean.

Can I get some food?

And I'm thirsty. All
I have is this coffee.

If you want some food
and some drink...

I will get you all you want.

Just tell the truth, kid.

I am.

Look, Jeff...

it's time for the truth here.

What if...

you actually did this, but
then you just blocked it out?

Is that possible?
What do you think?

I don't know. Maybe.

Well, look at this.

Look at this. Finally, the
machine is telling me...

that you're being truthful.

Huh? Congratulations.

So, I can leave now?

Almost. Okay?

Almost. I'm gonna have Detective Tom
come in here. He's gonna wrap this up.

Ask you a few more questions.
And if you answer truthfully...

he's gonna be able
to take you home.

I call Detective Stephens
of Putnam County.

You may inquire, Mr. Bakman.

Thank you, Your Honor. Detective
Stephens, tell the jury if you would,

what your current
profession or occupation is.

Uh, I am a detective with the
Putnam County Police Department,

as well as a polygraph examiner.

Now, on January 25th, did
you administer a polygraph

-to the defendant in this case?
-I did.

And tell me, did Mr. Deskovic
voluntarily submit to the poly?

Yes, he did.

What's the basis
for that statement?

I was informed by Detectives
Levine and McIntyre

that he had agreed to
take the polygraph.

Was he free to
leave at any time?

Yes.

And when you
administer a poly,

are you allowed to tell the
suspect that he's failing the test?

Yes.

Are you allowed
to lie to the suspect?

Yes.

Is that a violation
of your department policy?

It is not.

-Is that illegal in any way?
-It is not.

Did you record
your interrogation?

I did not.

Is there a requirement
that you record?

It is not a requirement, no.

No further questions.

You may inquire.

Detective, you first
started working on this case

after you got a call from the
Peekskill Police Department.

-Correct?
-Correct.

And they wrote you a letter
specifically telling you

that they had a lack
of physical evidence,

a lack of witnesses or
investigative leads.

-Right?
-Yes.

But they still wanted you to
help in getting a confession

out of the person that
they believed to be guilty.

-Right?
-Yes.

But this particular day,
you weren't testing a person

to see if he was telling
the truth or not, right?

No.

Your goal was something else,
and that was to get a confession from him.

That is correct.

Whether or
not he was guilty.

Now, you particularly
were proud of the fact

that you had a knack for getting
confessions from suspects. Right?

Uh, I have a certain reputation
that I am proud of, yes.

And, Detective, did I understand
this correctly on direct examination,

when Mr. Bakman asked you
whether you fed this boy

during the six-plus hours that
he was strapped to that machine

in your office, you said no?

I did say no. He
didn't ask for any.

-You ate, didn't you?
-I did.

But you didn't offer the boy
who was strapped in the machine

during six hours any food?

No. Again, as I said, he
did not request any food.

Did you want to weaken him to make
it more likely that he would confess?

No. I don't think that's a fair
characterization, counselor.

But you did give him coffee.

He asked for coffee,
I gave him coffee.

Did you want him to be nervous so
he might be more prone to confess?

Again, I don't agree with
that characterization.

Well, did you think
about it, sir?

Whether or not he'd get
nervous with coffee?

Yeah.

Maybe.

Okay.

You're of course
concerned about the effect

that your interrogation techniques will
have on the suspect himself, right?

-No.
-You don't care at all.

The technique's purpose
was to get a confession.

That was my job.

And you don't care
if he feels coerced at all?

As long as I am within the law and
the procedures of my department.

That's what my job is.

But during that entire time
that you were interrogating him,

you never heard him
confess to anything, right?

-Yes.
-Thank you, Detective.

I'm done, Judge.

Witness is excused.

Mr. Bakman, who's your
next witness, sir?

Detective McIntyre, Your Honor.

You may inquire, sir.

Detective McIntyre, if you
would, can you explain to the jury

your current profession
or occupation.

Detective for
Peekskill Homicide.

And, Detective, were you
in fact investigating

the rape and the murder of a
15-year-old girl, Angela Correa?

Yes, sir.

Did the focus at some point land
on the defendant to my left?

Yes, sir.

And why did the focus of suspicion
fall on Deskovic over here?

Well, about eight days after
we found her, we sought counsel

from a specialist over at
New York Police Department.

He was part of the Criminal
Assessment and Profiling Unit,

and he gave us a profile
of who the killer might be.

And did that profile
match characteristics

that were consistent with
what the defendant had?

Yes, sir.

And what kind of
characteristics matched?

The first characteristic
was most likely under 19;

five-ten or shorter.
Also had a loner type,

and you know, some
violent tendencies.

Now, did you and your partner play
good cop, bad cop with the defendant?

Yes, sir.

And did you befriend
the defendant in this case?

Yes, sir.

And you did that in the hopes
that you would develop evidence

or possibly a confession.
Is that right?

Yes, sir.

And tell me, were you present
during the interrogation

and polygraph examination
by Stephens in this case?

Yes, sir.

And at some point in
time, were you brought in

to conduct the remaining portion
of the defendant's interrogation?

Yes, I did.

And you were brought
in for what reason, sir?

To have
him talk to me.

Like I said, I utilized my trust
and my relationship with him.

And were you able
to get a confession?

Yes, sir.

Hey, Jeff.

I'm so proud of you, man.

You're
almost out of here.

And we'll go get some
pizza. Whatever you want.

Okay.

I'm really hungry.

So...

did you go to the
woods on November 15th?

Yes.

Perfect.

And did you hit
Angela Correa with a bottle?

Yes.

You're doing so great.

Almost there, almost there.

Did you rape her?

Yes.

That's right.

And did you choke her until
she stopped breathing?

Yes.

It's okay. Stand up,
stand up. I got you.

There you go, there you go. Come on.

Come here.

Thank you, Jeffrey.

Thank you for
telling me the truth.

And tell me, did you
believe you had your man

after getting the
details from Deskovic?

Oh, 100%, yes.

No further questions.

You may inquire.

Detective, you were involved
in this investigation

from the very beginning,
November 17th, weren't you?

Yes, sir.

And right off the bat, you
had developed no leads,

no suspects in the
first two weeks. Right?

No.

That's why you went to the
Criminal Profiler. Is that right?

That's correct.

And he told you it was likely
a young child under 25 years old,

-someone who knew the victim?
-Yes, sir.

One of the other things
in that profile was

that the perpetrator had
likely had a violent past.

Correct.

But you knew that Jeffrey
Deskovic had no violent past.

-Right?
-Correct.

But nonetheless, he
became a suspect to you

because he was a loner,
socially awkward,

and he showed up late for school
the next day after she was killed.

And three, because he was
emotional at her services.

-Correct?
-Correct.

You did a
little good cop, bad cop,

which you thought might work on him,
but he still insisted he didn't do it.

-You buddied up to him, correct?
-Yes, sir.

And when it was all done, he
still wouldn't confess. Right?

Yes, sir.

So, you set up the polygraph
machine for January 25th.

Yes, sir.

-And you were his ride, right?
-Yes.

This 16-year-old didn't have another
ride to get back out of there

-other than you.
-That's correct.

And that lasted
at least six hours.

Yes, sir.

And six hours of no one
offering him a way home.

-Right?
-Yes, sir.

Now, after
repeatedly denying

that he had anything
to do with this crime,

you heard Detective Stephens
say he wanted to see you.

Yes, sir.

-Then you came into the room.
-Yes, sir.

You were the friendly detective.

-Yes, sir.
-The good cop.

And you told Jeffrey, "Look,
I am here to protect you..."

-Yes, sir.
-"But you have to help me."

You have to talk
to me. Yes, sir.

You have to
confess to this crime.

Yes, sir.

And if you do
that, you can go home.

Yes, sir.

So, after you told
him that he could go home

if he confessed to
you, he starts sobbing.

Yes, sir.

He's so emotional
that he drops to the floor.

He curls up in a
fetal position, right?

Yes, sir.

-He confesses to you.
-Yes, sir.

Now, when you're taking a confession
or a statement from a suspect,

you like to be sure that it is
a voluntary statement, right?

It cannot be the product
of police coercion, right?

Yes, sir.

When you say you picked
up a child from school,

took him to another town,
interrogated him for seven hours

until he's a sobbing mess on
the floor in a fetal position,

you call that voluntary?

I believe so, sir.

Thank you. I have
no more questions.

Witness is excused.

Counsel, ready for
closing arguments?

-Yes, Your Honor.
-Yes.

-Mr. Mentzer.
-Thank you, Your Honor.

When Angela Correa was brutally
murdered in the town of Peekskill,

the job of solving the case fell on
three Peekskill police detectives

who were clearly
not up to the job.

Without any suspects, they chose
a suspect, basically at random.

And when I say basically at random, I
mean because he happens to be a loner

or socially awkward
as a high school kid

and happens to have shown some
sympathy to his fallen classmate

who had been murdered in a violent
way, that made him the suspect.

It didn't matter that
from the beginning,

there was nothing about this
boy that seemed like a murderer.

No violent record, no history of
sexual aggression, nothing at all.

No connection with
Angela at all.

Didn't matter because all
they needed was a confession.

And they set about to get
that confession from him.

And that's when they pulled
out their final trick,

which was the polygraph exam.

And it wasn't a polygraph
exam, let's be honest.

This exam, it was designed to get a
confession from a 16-year-old boy.

And finally, it worked.
And the way it worked,

Detective McIntyre
gave him the way out.

That way out was
confess, and you go home.

What do you think he did?

So, what happened after he
confessed on January 25th?

Ah, the scientific
evidence comes in,

the hair removed from
the leg of Angela.

Not only did it not
come from Jeffrey,

but it came from
someone of another race.

The DNA of the semen removed from her
excluded this boy as a supplier of it.

This boy's innocent.

That's how anybody
else would've taken it.

But not this prosecution.

Today, this nightmare
has to come to an end

because he is
innocent. Thank you.

Thank you, counselor.
Mr. Bakman.

Thank you. Ladies
and gentlemen of the jury,

let's look at the objective
evidence in this case.

What did the officers
focus their suspicion on?

One, the defendant in
this case had opportunity,

he had the means to kill, and
he had the motive to kill.

So, in looking at this
through the lens of hindsight,

don't you believe the police
had a good faith reason

to focus their
suspicion on Deskovic?

Absolutely. You know,
there's an old saying,

in criminal law, if you
don't have the facts,

argue nonsense.

And that's what the defense
is doing in this case.

The defense is engaging
in smoke and mirrors.

What they want to do is
they want to mislead you

from the objective
evidence in this case,

and he wants you to believe the
officers engaged in improper tactics.

Again, smoke and mirrors
because that's all he's got.

He's gotta reconcile the fact
that his client sitting over there

confessed with details as
to the killing, the assault.

He knew these details,

not because the police shared
the details with the defendant.

He knew the details because
this kid is the killer

of a 15-year-old girl,

and we have proven this case
beyond a reasonable doubt.

I ask you to return with a verdict
of guilty in this case. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bakman.

Members of the jury, you have
now heard all of the evidence,

and you are charged with the obligation
to consider all that you've heard

and to determine whether
the People have established

beyond a reasonable doubt

that the accused is
guilty of murder and rape.

The jury will now
retire to deliberate.

Court, come to order.

The Honorable Judge Judy
Sheindlin presiding.

Thank you.

Kevin, may I have
the verdict, please?

Mr. Deskovic, will
you please rise?

On count one of the indictment,
that is rape in the first degree,

the jury finds you guilty, sir.

On count two
of the indictment,

murder in the second degree,

the jury finds you guilty as
charged in the indictment.

Do you wish to make a statement
before the court imposes sentence?

Yes, Your Honor.

First, I would like to thank
my family and my attorney

for standing by me through
this terrible time.

And second, I would
like to say that...

I've already lost over a year of
my life for something I didn't do.

And I'm about to lose so much more
time, and I didn't do anything.

I will be back on appeal.

I will be free.

Mr. Deskovic, you may very
well be innocent of this crime,

but the jury in this
case has spoken,

and they have evaluated the evidence, and
you have been found guilty as charged.

Maximum sentence that I can
impose is 25 years to life.

I choose, however, to impose the
lesser sentence of 15 years to life.

You are remanded to the Commissioner
of Corrections to begin that sentence.

Thank you, counsel. Thank
you, members of the jury.

By the way, those
words I said to Jeffrey

are exactly what the real judge
said to him at his sentencing.

Nevertheless, his guilty
verdict was upheld on appeal.

The court relied on the
detectives' testimony

and about how the
confession was obtained.

Remember, the confession
wasn't recorded.

Jeffrey went to
prison for 16 years.

Ready to throw your
shoe at the TV yet?

All I can say is, that
wasn't the end of the story.

Be sure to watch our next episode
for the shocking conclusion.