Original subtitles

[ suspenseful music plays ]

My god.

Narrator: A beloved grandmother

Is found viciously stabbed to death.

No, please! This little old lady.

What has she done to anyone

In her whole life?

What kind of a monster would do this?

To crack the case, a young joe kenda must wade

Through a swamp of false leads and dirty dealings...

What's that on your pants?

How nice. Family that drinks together

Stays together, I suppose.

...And unearth a fiendish plot

To kill a helpless victim.

He had a fetish and he needed control.

♪

[ rattling ]

Welcome to homicide, kenda.

It's a disgusting business.

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

You're trying to put together a giant puzzle.

You have a million pieces, and maybe only need 300,

So you have to figure out which one fits where.

♪

There's one thing that never changes -- murder.

A life has been taken.

Their stories are now my stories.

I never know where a case is going to lead,

But I'll never stop until it's solved.

Somebody has to look out for the victim.

If you kill, I will find you.

-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by discovery communications

♪

This is 1979

And charles jackson is driving to his grandmother's house.

[ cranks emergency brake ]

♪

Charles called on her a little earlier.

Did not get an answer.

This worried him, so he decided to check in on her.

♪

♪

Grandma!

♪

[ jingling ]

♪

Grandma?

It's charlie!

Grandma!

Are you here?

Grandma!

[ liquid dripping ]

What the hell?!

♪

There are dishes in the sink and there's a faucet dripping,

Both of which are very unlike her.

♪

[ knock-knock ] are you here?

[ click ]

♪

And it's unspeakable.

Oh, my -- oh, my god!

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

♪

Narrator: Just a few miles away,

Rookie detective joe kenda is settling nicely

Into his new role with colorado springs pd.

Nice job on that interro, kenda.

Thanks, lou. I appreciate that.

You're really coming along.

In late August of 1979,

I was a detective in this crimes against persons unit.

Hey, boys! Just got a call

About a body out on east monument.

Smit, ready for another one?

-You got it. -It's all yours.

So this particular case,

Lou smit was the person assigned as the lead detective.

Smit was extremely experienced and was a phenomenal detective.

You need any help with that?

Oh, I'm sure I will.

Meet me at the scene when you can.

Okay. See you soon.

♪

[ siren wailing ] narrator: Within minutes,

Detective lou smit arrives on scene.

♪

When smit arrives, it's the usual circus

Of marked units and all the chaos that goes on

When you arrive at a homicide scene.

Evening, detective.

Huntley. Clue me in.

Victim is an 85-year-old

Elderly female named kathryn simpson.

Heart attack?

I'm afraid not.

Her grandson found her inside

With multiple stab wounds.

Scene is pretty gruesome.

Alright.

Well, let's take a look.

[ siren wailing ]

[ door creaks ]

♪

No sign of forced entry?

None that I can tell.

♪

[ camera shutter clicks ]

This belong to the victim?

Yes, sir.

♪

She's got over 50 bucks here.

The victim's purse does not appear disturbed

And the first deduction you might get out of that is

This doesn't appear to be a robbery.

♪

What's this?

♪

There's a pair of women's underwear on the floor.

This could just be misplaced, but,

Let's make sure we bag that

In case it plays into what happened.

[ radio chatter ]

When he goes into that kitchen,

He sees some dirty dishes in the sink.

♪

He also sees a blue apron on the floor

That appears to be damaged, slightly.

Let's make sure we bag this as well.

Yes, sir.

Noticing underwear and a torn apron

In the kitchen, you're starting to think

This is possibly some kind of personal attack.

Where's the body?

It's in the bedroom. This way.

♪

My god.

This was a very gruesome scene.

The victim had been stabbed multiple times,

Was laying on the bed.

There is a pair of scissors planted in her chest

All the way up to the handles.

Poor lady.

♪

Her dress is torn and her slip is above her waist.

There is no underwear present.

Indicates the likelihood of sexual assault is very great.

What is that under her?

♪

Is that a yardstick?

What the hell?

That seems very odd.

Why would this yardstick be

Underneath her on this bed?

♪

The body's still warm, too.

So this is a very fresh case. [ camera shutter clicks ]

She's only been dead a short period of time.

Who did you say discovered the body?

Victim's grandson.

I think maybe I should probably speak with him.

Right this way.

The obvious concern is

[ camera shutter clicks ] you have a little old lady.

She's been assaulted and murdered in her own home.

What kind of a monster would do this?

[ suspenseful chord strikes ] it just doesn't make sense.

♪

Mr. Jackson, I'm detective smit.

Hi.

I'm very sorry

For what happened to your grandmother.

Charles is, of course, immensely distressed.

He has seen what has happened

To his grandmother.

Can you tell me about your grandmother?

Were you close with her?

[ chuckle ]

Yeah, we were really close.

She [sniffle] basically raised my brother and I.

He informs smit that she's lived in colorado springs since 1920

And she's been in this particular house

For over 20 years.

She was 85 years old,

But, you couldn't tell.

She stays active, tending her garden out back,

Especially her prized tomatoes,

So she's not an invalid, by any means.

Did she say anything was wrong

When you talked with her?

No.

Everything was fine.

And then, when I tried to get a hold of her

This afternoon, she didn't answer.

What was a typical day like

For your grandmother?

Mr. Jackson said that his grandmother

Was a creature of habit.

She would eat her dinner at 4:00 in the afternoon

And would immediately do the dishes.

Looking at the scene,

We see that the dishes haven't been done.

♪

Aaaah!

Ah!

Aaaaaaah!

She was probably attacked

While she was in the act of cleaning up,

Which would've been shortly after 4:00 that afternoon.

Thank you for your time, charles,

And I promise we're gonna find

Who did this to your grandmother.

Thank you.

♪

How you doing?

Kenda, you're just in time.

So what can I do?

Help me canvass this neighborhood.

It's likely the suspect went in

Through the back of the house.

We need to find out if someone saw or heard

Anything suspicious.

That makes sense.

This was a small community, a little neighborhood.

They keep an eye out for one another.

So we're hoping somebody saw something.

♪

We can start with that guy.

♪

Smit looks at the house next door

And sees a man sitting on the porch,

Drinking a beer,

Obviously taking in the activity of the police.

♪

[ radio chatter ]

♪

Evening, detectives.

You live here?

No. Housesitting for my parents.

They're out east on vacation.

I'm detective smit.

This is detective kenda.

James ducoin.

What happened over there?

Well, that's what we're trying to figure out.

Did you happen to see any strange activity

In mrs. Simpson's house today?

Mm...

Nope. Can't say that I did.

He says he remembers seeing kathryn simpson

In her backyard, gardening, which he says is her habit,

And he became sleepy and he went inside and took a nap

And he was awakened by the police activities.

What time would you say you took that nap?

Oh, about 3:00 or so.

Sir!

What's up, dan?

We got a call. Potential suspect

In a park down the street.

Okay.

Thank you for your time, mr. Ducoin.

If you should happen to remember

Anything else you saw, you give us a call.

Will do.

[ siren wailing ] [ radio chatter ]

Kenda: When smit talks to this guy, smit gets that old feeling.

There's something about james ducoin

That just isn't quite right

And smit makes a mental note of that.

♪

I'm gonna go check this out.

Continue canvassing the area, will you?

You got it.

So, detective smit responds to the neighborhood park,

Where patrol officers are holding

A underage 17-year-old male.

♪

What's your name, son?

Cole.

Cole? Cole what?

Cole michaels.

This guy looks like he's been drinking.

He's a little bewildered, a little disheveled.

He doesn't know what's going on.

What are you doing out here

By yourself, mr. Michaels?

Uh --

Wait a minute.

What's that on your pants?

Oh, I --

Looks like blood.

This is really starting to pique our interest

Because, obviously, we have a bloody scene

And the person who did this did not walk away

Without any blood on 'em.

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

Yeah, I-I cut myself.

Oh, yeah.

On what?

Kenda: Who is he?

Is he just some kid

Who has an injury from some other source?

♪

Or is he a murderer

Who killed a little old lady in a house next door?

[ suspenseful music plays ]

♪

We're investigating the brutal homicide of kathryn simpson,

Who has been stabbed to death with a pair of scissors

And possibly sexually assaulted in the process,

And we have found a young man, drunk, with blood on his jeans,

In very close proximity to this home.

Narrator: A quick records check reveals

A bench warrant out for cole michaels's arrest.

Kenda: So they inform cole he's under arrest

And take him in to police headquarters

And question him further about this murder.

♪

Put your hands on the table

Like this, palms down.

Ritz: This individual

[ camera shutter clicking ] was 17 years old.

Flip them over.

Colorado law states that a minor can't willingly

Or knowingly waive his rights without a parent being present.

Kenda: While they're waiting for the mom to show up,

They are permitted to take evidence from this person,

So they're taking photographs of his injuries.

They're also swabbing his hands,

To see what they may find in a laboratory,

As to what may be on his hands.

Narrator: Within the hour, cole michaels' mother

Arrives at the station

And grants an interview with police.

So you think my son is involved in a murder?

Quite possibly.

Cole, is he serious?!

Mom, I didn't do anything.

I-I swear I didn't.

For anyone who's had a teenager,

This is like your worst nightmare.

Your son was found sleeping on a park bench

With blood on his clothing,

Less than four blocks from a murder scene.

I would like to know why that is.

You told me you were staying with your brother!

I was! But he and I --

He --

Look, okay, cole,

Just why don't you start by telling us

Exactly what happened today.

Okay.

This individual explained that, on this particular day,

He'd worked 'til about 3:00.

After work, he went out drinking with his friends,

'til about 1:00,

At which time he went to the park to sleep

And that's where he was contacted.

He tells smit, "I've been staying with my brother..."

♪

"...But we got in an argument and he threw me out

And I've been sleeping in the park

For the last couple nights."

Unbelievable!

You should've told me!

Instead, you're sleeping in a park

Like a wild animal and --

Okay, cole.

Then what happened?

I-I fell asleep at the park.

The next thing I know, officers are --

Are shining a light in my face and --

So you went directly to the park

After being downtown?

Yeah.

And you didn't stop someplace?

No, no.

And this cut on your hand?

I got it at work yesterday.

I must've nicked it again today.

Now, this kid has an explanation for his whereabouts,

But is it true?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Smit's not gonna just believe him.

Narrator: Detective smit calls the lab,

To see if the samples taken from cole earlier

Corroborate his story.

Okay.

Thanks for calling.

Kenda: None of his samples match anything found

At the crime scene.

♪

So there is nothing to connect him to this offense,

Other than proximity, which is not enough.

Narrator: With his first lead a bust,

Detective smit hopes the autopsy might turn up new evidence.

[ door opens ]

Okay, doc, whatcha got?

Well, no surprises,

In terms of what killed our victim.

Cause of death is from internal bleeding

From multiple stab wounds to the chest.

We did notice something interesting,

Regarding evidence of a sexual assault.

Oh, yeah? What's that?

There isn't any.

What?! You're kidding.

That seems very odd.

If you're gonna tear clothing and remove underwear,

What is it that you're doing?

How often do you see

Clothing disturbed like that

And no evidence of sexual assault?

Hardly ever.

So maybe his attempt

Was disturbed by something.

That's very possible. This perpetrator may have had

One thing in mind and it got changed

And, in a fit of rage, he kills her and he runs.

Thank you for this, doc.

You bet. Good luck.

The autopsy results raise even more questions

About this person.

Who is this?

What is this?

♪

Hey, lou.

Call just came in for you.

Who is it?

Charles jackson. Says he's the grandson

Of last night's murder vic.

I'll take that. Okay.

♪

Hey, charles.

Detective smit.

Hi, detective.

What's going on?

So, I don't know if this is relevant

Or not, but, uh, my brother and I were

Going through my grandmother's finances

And we found something

That's a little bit strange.

Charles notices that she has not deposited any

Of her stock dividends or social security checks

For the last two years, and this is a little unusual.

Two years?! Any idea how much

Money that might be?

It looks to be

Somewhere around $5,000 or $6,000.

So she would cash her checks and she would keep the money

In first national bank manila envelopes.

Any idea where she mighta kept it?

Well, whenever I'd take her grocery shopping,

She would usually go into her bedroom

And get money out from under the dresser.

Her dresser? So,

How does a little old lady like that

Stuff cash way under there?

It's actually kinda funny.

She would

Use a yardstick.

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

Smit almost dropped the phone.

He'd been wondering all along

Why there's a yardstick on the bed.

This is actually very helpful.

Thank you.

Knowing that she kept money under the dresser,

We had to go back and examine

And we found out that it was gone.

Kenda: So, now, smit understands more about this event.

It still doesn't explain why he disrobed her,

But he attacked and killed her after he got the money.

So why look in the purse?

You've got 5 grand, in cash,

So you don't need to look in the purse.

You need to run before somebody finds you.

Narrator: Meanwhile, kenda hopes that recanvassing the neighborhood

Can turn up new leads.

Do you remember any suspicious activity

Over at kathryn's house, people going in and out?

Myself and my partner were assisting smit

In this investigation, trying to locate witnesses.

No.

I was out of the house most of the day.

My wife wasn't home, either.

Okay. What about unfamiliar faces

In the neighborhood. Anything like that?

I haven't seen anybody like that.

But, there is somebody

That I've been a little worried about.

And who's that?

His name's darrell.

A number of people in the neighborhood

Have had their houses broken into recently

And I think he's the one doing it.

They identified this individual as a white male in his forties

And what they really were concerned about is

That he supposedly always carries a handgun.

He definitely gives me the creeps.

Do you know where darrell lives?

Yeah. He's just down the street.

The blue house.

-Okay. -Thank you for your help.

♪

Let's go see darrell

And see what value he may have in this case.

[ knocking ]

Man: Buddy, but I'm telling you

There's nothing better. -Can I help you?

What they find when they get there is

Some highly intoxicated individuals

Partying early in midday.

♪

Morning, gentlemen.

What can I do for you?

It's not a crime to be drunk at 11:00 in the morning.

Could he be drinking that early

Because he's in celebration

Of $5,000 coming into his possession?

Is he a potential killer? [ suspenseful chord strikes ]

[ suspenseful music plays ]

♪

We're investigating the death of kathryn simpson,

An 85-year-old woman brutally stabbed to death,

When my partner and I discover this individual

Who has been named by neighbors

As a prowler that hangs around in this neighborhood.

Darrell, we need you to tell us

Where you were yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday?

I was here, most of the day. Woman: Ugh!

Doing what?

You know, throwing a couple back with my mom and pops.

How nice. Family that drinks together

Stays together, I suppose.

Were you here all day?

No. I went down to the dog track around 3:00 or so.

That's usually what I do.

The dog track in colorado springs

Was a greyhound dog racing track with limited stakes gambling.

Did you go there with anybody?

No. I was there by myself.

What are you asking me all these questions for?

Darrell, we need to know where you were

When your neighbor kathryn simpson was killed.

That old lady?

No, I ain't have nothing to do with that.

Is there anyone that can verify

You were at the dog park?

♪

You know, I think I have

A betting slip around here somewhere.

Let me -- let me check. I'll be right back.

Stay there.

♪

-Ugh! -[speaking indistinctly]

It's in here somewhere.

[ woman protesting ]

♪

There it is.

Here!

They show a time stamp for the day of the murder

Where he's gambling from 3:00 pm in the afternoon

Until they close at 9:00 that night.

♪

Happy?

Thank you, darrell. We appreciate it.

Yeah, yeah.

Hey, mom! -What did you do?!

So, darrell is interesting, pathetic,

A drunk, and maybe a burglar, but he's not a killer.

He has no opportunity to commit this crime.

Narrator: With leads disappearing before his eyes,

Smit joins the canvass in hopes of drumming up a new one.

Excuse me.

Is this about kathryn?

Yes.

Any of these neighbors

Have any issues with kathryn?

No. I can't imagine that anyone

Would have a problem with her.

But, I do remember

She complained about a neighbor of hers.

She did explain that kathryn complained to her numerous times

That the people who were living next to her were very weird.

Weird?

Especially the son.

She had a bad feeling about the son.

Do you know the name?

I don't remember the parents' names,

But the son was james.

James ducoin.

♪

This is the very same fellow

That smit had this awkward feeling about,

The guy sitting on the porch, drinking beer next door --

James ducoin.

♪

Now, we're getting information

That detective smit's feelings probably were justified.

Something doesn't add up with this individual.

It's time to go back and talk to him.

♪

[ knocking ]

♪

Can I help you?

Detective smit, cspd.

Yeah?

Is james ducoin here?

Uh, no. Um --

I'm colin, his brother.

This is my wife, lydia.

Hi.

Do you know where your brother is?

No. We've been trying to figure that out ourselves.

Colin says, "we came over to clean the house

Before my parents return from their vacation,

But we find that it was already clean when we arrived.

James is gone and all of his stuff is gone."

Any idea where he may have gone?

No, I mean, he didn't leave a note or anything.

He couldn't have went far. He's broke.

Colin says he doesn't have a car.

He doesn't have any money to call a cab.

He doesn't have anything.

Why are you looking for him, anyway?

Is this about the old lady next door?

Lydia pipes up and says that she had read

About this homicide in the paper

And she started getting a bad feeling

And was concerned that he may be involved.

Why do you say that?

Well, he's had some issues with the law before.

In fact, he just got out of jail

In pueblo not too long ago.

For what?

Sexual assault.

Every alarm that smit has in his head

Is going off about james ducoin.

How did he get gone?

He didn't have any money.

He's been in jail for sexual assault.

Mr. Ducoin is not just a person of interest, now.

He's a suspect.

♪

Last name is ducoin, d-u-c-o-I-n.

Following up with pueblo pd, as to james' original charges,

We find out that he was released about 10 days ago.

He's supposed to contact his probation officer in five days.

If he checks in with that probation officer,

I'm gonna need you guys to hold him, okay?

Okay. Thanks a lot, john.

Special delivery.

I just barely beat the garbage truck.

Bring it to the conference room.

At this point, the case is starting to focus more on james.

We knew that he just cleaned up the house, so,

One possible area where we might find some evidence is

In the trash.

Okay, dump it.

Here?

Yeah, right on the table.

Dump it out.

♪

Ugh! Man.

Welcome to homicide, kenda.

It's a disgusting business.

Get used to it.

You dump the trash on the table

And you go through it one piece at a time.

Not the glamorous part of the occupation.

♪

Ervin: Garbage is like hieroglyphics.

You can find out a lotta stuff from garbage.

[ clanking ]

Ugh!

Gross.

Kenda: Criminals aren't very bright.

They tend to throw things away that might incriminate them

Or demonstrate their involvement in a crime.

♪

Whaddya got there?

It's an envelope and it looks like

It's been burnt.

What kind of envelope?

The kind you get money from a bank in.

♪

Another one right here.

♪

Well, my, my, my.

Now, what are you doing with those,

Jimmy? [ suspenseful chord strikes ]

[ suspenseful music plays ]

♪

We have focused on an individual who lives next door

As the prime suspect in the case --

One james ducoin --

And we have discovered that he may have destroyed evidence

Before vacating his house.

So we sit down and reason that, if he has no car,

How does he leave the property?

He calls a cab 'cause, now, he has money.

So we go to the cab companies in town.

♪

I'm not seeing anything in that area on the 29th.

What about the 30th?

♪

Okay. Here we go.

I'm seeing a pickup on east monument

Around 8:45 am.

They find out that they did pick up an individual

At the residence where james was living

And took him over to the area garden of the gods.

That's gotta be him.

What's the exact address where he was dropped off?

I'm actually not seeing one.

It looks like he was just dropped off

At the intersection

Of garden of the gods road

And nevada avenue.

He could've been going anywhere.

The frustrating part of that is

That was mostly small retail shops,

So it's like, "okay, needle in a haystack here."

We could get a canvass started of the area.

It's gonna take some time, but I suppose we might as well.

Thank you for your help.

Sure thing.

♪

Narrator: While kenda and other investigators

Scour garden of the gods for a witness,

Detective smit locates another potentially helpful source.

Lucy, thank you for agreeing

To see me today. No problem.

While we're doing the cab thing,

Smit is trying to locate any known associates.

When people run, they'd contact people they know.

So, smit finds his ex-wife.

After we got divorced, I...

Basically cut off all contact.

Why was that?

He couldn't control his drinking.

I put up with it for awhile, but,

Then, he started getting, um,

Pretty violent.

She said, "at one point,

He held me at knifepoint for two hours.

Said he was gonna cut my throat."

Oh, that's nice.

Anything else?

It wasn't just the violence.

He was also into some pretty weird stuff,

Sexually.

♪

What do you mean?

[ siren wailing in distance ]

♪

Ervin: So, at this point, the story takes

A really creepy and interesting twist.

She said he had taken her

To one of the few hotels, at that time,

That showed pornographic movies.

[ eerie music plays ]

♪

[ woman crying out ]

[ moaning ]

And he tied her to the bed for two hours

While he attempted to masturbate,

With, essentially, no success.

[ moaning ] [ huffing ]

So, when that would happen,

Would he become violent?

No, he would just get really frustrated.

So how does all that fit together with our crime scene,

Where we have a woman forcibly disrobed

And no evidence of sexual assault?

The obvious conclusion is

Mr. Ducoin is not capable of sexual assault.

Even though he may have the desire,

He doesn't have the ability.

Do you remember the name of that motel?

Yeah. It's the pink panther,

Over on nevada avenue.

By garden of the gods.

Well, isn't that interesting.

The day after the murder, he's dropped within a block

Of the pink panther motel by a cab driver.

So, smit immediately gets in his car

And heads for the pink panther,

To see if they have a record of james ducoin getting a room.

Ducoin, d-u-c-o-I-n.

Nothing with the name ducoin,

But, to be honest, I doubt he woulda

Checked in under his real name.

Most guys don't.

What about a face? Do you recognize him?

[chuckling] oh, yeah, sure.

I remember this guy.

He was here a coupla nights this week.

James had stayed there the 30th and the 31st.

That would've been the day after the murder

And the subsequent day after that.

How'd he pay for his room?

Cash. He slipped me a couple extra bucks

To turn the pornos on early.

Did you happen to notice

If he had a fair amount of cash on him?

Oh, yeah. He had to have.

I saw one of them call girls going

In and out of his room a couple of times,

And they ain't cheap.

For a man who was broke, where did he get this money?

We're thinking he got it

From the little old lady that he murdered.

Narrator: While the circumstances point

To james ducoin murdering kathryn simpson,

Smit would feel much more comfortable

If he had some hard evidence to back it up.

[ suspenseful music plays ]

Hey, lou.

What's going on, kenda?

Got some news back from the lab.

They examined those burnt envelopes.

Guess where they came from.

First national bank, the same bank

That kathryn simpson cashed her checks at.

Well, I'll be damned.

Let's go to the judge and get an arrest warrant.

So, now, there's no doubt in our minds

That james ducoin is our killer.

Now, it's a matter of running him to ground.

We're gonna find him and arrest him

For first-degree murder.

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

Narrator: But investigators quickly learn

That might be easier said than done.

In the course of hunting him down,

We find his sister in california,

Who says that she got a phone call from james ducoin,

From a pay phone in florida.

What does that mean to us?

Mr. Ducoin has crossed a state line.

Narrator: But, sadly, investigators fail to find james ducoin

And the case goes cold.

There are some cases that are so disgusting

And so abhorrent and so violent...

♪

...That they don't ever go away.

They just don't.

And kathryn simpson is one of those cases.

It just bothered me to no end.

Where are you, you son of a bitch?

Where are you?

♪

♪

So, 12 years on from this event,

I am now a supervisor in homicide.

[ ring ]

This is kenda.

The phone rings in my office

And it's the fbi.

Ducoin? Yeah, of course I remember that one.

♪

You're kidding.

No, no, I'll send someone down right away.

Thank you.

♪

-Huh. -They had found james ducoin

In new orleans, louisiana.

Finally, the long arm of the law has reached out

And tapped james ducoin on the shoulder.

You are responsible for murdering a little old lady.

You thought we forgot.

But we don't forget.

And we don't forgive. [ suspenseful chord strikes ]

[ suspenseful music plays ]

♪

The case of kathryn simpson being murdered and robbed,

It goes on for 12 years.

We had identified the perpetrator as james ducoin,

But we couldn't find him.

Then, in 1991, he gets found.

♪

[ knock-knock ] afternoon, lieutenant.

You wanted to see me?

Hey, steve. You heard about the arrest

Of that cold case suspect down in new orleans?

Absolutely.

Detective smit had retired

From the police department, at that point, so,

There was no way he could get involved in it.

Detective wood was in homicide, at the time,

And wood had an excellent talent for interrogation.

Alright. Go get yourself up to speed

On the case file. Your flight leaves

First thing tomorrow morning.

Yes, sir.

♪

So wood goes to new orleans, meets up with an fbi agent.

They go to the field office where ducoin is being held.

You've already spoken with ducoin?

Briefly, right after we arrested him.

When the fbi found him,

They did so because mr. Ducoin had applied

For an identification in the state of louisiana

And, for some reason, he used his real name

And it popped up in the fbi database.

♪

Mr. Ducoin, I'm agent york.

This is detective wood.

Mm-hmm.

Mr. Ducoin, I was wondering

If you might answer a few questions for me.

About what?

About a little old lady named kathryn simpson,

Found murdered in colorado springs

In 1979.

♪

I don't know nothing about that.

He completely denies any knowledge of the investigation,

But detective wood continued to work and talk to him.

How did you get into her house?

I told you, man.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

James -- can I call you james?

Why did you have to stab

A little old lady with scissors?

Do you think she deserved that?

♪

I ain't a violent person, man.

I didn't do that.

Maybe you're not now,

But you were then, james.

It's gotta be eating you up inside.

Why don't you just let it out?

♪

[ shudder ]

Alright.

The hell with it.

Kenda: Wood gets to him.

Takes him a while, but he gets to him.

You got a cigarette?

♪

[ inhales ]

♪

[ exhaling ]

I remember I was outside, having a drink,

And I saw the old broad

Putting around in her garden.

♪

♪

And he thinks, you know, "a little old lady like that

Probably has money squirreled away in her house."

James ducoin doesn't have 10 cents.

Later that day, I saw that her back door was open.

I saw that as my opportunity.

♪

♪

[ birds chirping ]

♪

♪

♪

Aaaaah!

Show me where the money is.

Please, don't!

[ gasp ]

Where's the money?

Please, don't.

I-I got some in here.

Please don't hurt me.

Oh!

♪

He says she doesn't resist him.

She takes him into the bedroom.

♪

♪

Damn.

♪

You got your own little bank here.

He says that, when he's down, working on these envelopes,

Kathryn simpson suddenly starts screaming for help

In a really loud voice.

It startles him.

I tried to quiet her down,

But I couldn't.

I panicked.

♪

I stabbed her.

♪

If you look at his story, it's full of holes.

It doesn't fit the evidence at the scene.

When investigators found kathryn's body,

Her skirt was hiked up

And her underwear were on the floor.

♪

Did you try to sexually assault kathryn?

No.

No way.

♪

It's just

I hadn't seen a woman in some time,

If you know what I mean.

He tries to explain that by saying

He was in jail for a while, he just wanted to look,

So he pulled down the top to expose the breasts

And he pulled up the bottom and took off her panties

And threw 'em in the living room.

James, that doesn't sound all that believable to me.

♪

Well, I don't care what you think.

That's what happened, alright?

Kenda: He confesses to this crime.

Is he willing to tell wood everything?

No.

Criminals are very odd, in that regard.

They will find certain things that they won't admit to,

Certain things they don't want you to know,

Certain things that embarrasses them.

Get on the bed.

What?!

You got what you wanted. Just go!

Not yet, I don't.

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

♪

Aah! Help!

Oh! Help! -What likely happened was

He had a fetish and he needed control

And here he was with this 85-year-old woman.

He was gonna get what she had and dominate her

To the best of his ability as he did that.

No, please, please! Let go of me!

-Help! -Shut your --

-Somebody help me! -Shut up!

-Aah! Aah! -Shut your damn mouth!

Help!

Help! -Shut up!

[ crying out ] kenda: There's a pair of scissors

On top of the dresser.

Shut! Up!

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

He grabs the scissors

And he stabs her seven times in the chest.

♪

Where did you go after you killed her?

♪

Back to my parents'.

Took a bath, fell asleep,

Woke up to all the sirens.

Do you remember talking to a detective smit?

I do.

He says smit freaked him out.

♪

I burned all the envelopes,

Cleaned the place up, then I left.

So he left that house the next day

And stayed and the pink panther for two nights.

He bought a $70 bus ticket in colorado springs.

Then, he went to florida and stayed there for years.

I eventually made my way to new orleans,

Under a fake name.

So what made you apply for a license

Under your real name?

I was just tired, you know.

He said he stayed away from people

And he got very lonely and he was distressed

At having to lie about who he was.

I couldn't take it anymore.

There are some people, they won't admit it to you,

But they want to be punished.

They know what they did was a horrible thing

And their guilt eats away at them an inch at a time.

Narrator: Although ducoin's confession leaves much to be desired,

He is formally charged with first-degree murder.

James ducoin pled guilty to first-degree murder

And was sentenced to life in prison.

[ suspenseful chord strikes ]

This case is an illustration of why humans are so dangerous.

♪

This little old lady.

What has she done to anyone in her whole life

To suffer a violent end over a little bit of money?

It's insane.

It is insane, what people will do,

And the more you see of it, the more disgusted you become.

When you have a truly innocent victim,

It becomes inspiring

To find who's responsible. [ suspenseful chord strikes ]