1 00:00:00,533 --> 00:00:00,567    [m                            2 00:00:00,567 --> 00:00:00,600    [mys                          3 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:00,633    [myste                        4 00:00:00,633 --> 00:00:00,667    [mysteri                      5 00:00:00,667 --> 00:00:00,700    [mysteriou                    6 00:00:00,700 --> 00:00:00,734    [mysterious                   7 00:00:00,734 --> 00:00:00,767    [mysterious mu                8 00:00:00,767 --> 00:00:00,800    [mysterious musi              9 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:03,470    [mysterious music]            10 00:00:03,603 --> 00:00:05,839   - The world's only                college that is bilingual     11 00:00:05,839 --> 00:00:08,174 in American Sign                   Language and English           12 00:00:08,174 --> 00:00:10,810   for deaf and                   hard-of-hearing students         13 00:00:10,810 --> 00:00:13,546 is Gallaudet University            in Washington, D.C.            14 00:00:14,481 --> 00:00:17,550 It's a place of                     solidarity and belonging.     15 00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:19,819   A community like few others.   16 00:00:19,819 --> 00:00:22,722    - At Gallaudet University,    I am completely myself.          17 00:00:22,722 --> 00:00:24,824    A hundred percent.            18 00:00:24,824 --> 00:00:27,961  - But when 19-year-old           freshman Eric Plunkett          19 00:00:27,961 --> 00:00:30,563   is mysteriously found dead,    20 00:00:30,563 --> 00:00:33,566   the campus community            is thrust into terror.          21 00:00:34,567 --> 00:00:35,435    [camera shutter snapping]     22 00:00:35,435 --> 00:00:36,302 - I couldn't believe it.         23 00:00:36,302 --> 00:00:37,570  It was a bloody scene.          24 00:00:37,570 --> 00:00:38,705    - Is this serious?            25 00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:39,572  Is this real?                   26 00:00:39,572 --> 00:00:40,840  Everybody was shocked.          27 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,344 - I remember seeing my           mom absolutely crumble.          28 00:00:44,344 --> 00:00:45,845  - Detectives uncover evidence   29 00:00:45,845 --> 00:00:48,681 that leads them into the            heart of the student body.    30 00:00:49,883 --> 00:00:52,218    - The killer was familiar     with his surroundings.           31 00:00:52,218 --> 00:00:54,854    It was someone from within      Gallaudet University campus.   32 00:00:55,855 --> 00:00:57,323 - Within months,                 33 00:00:57,323 --> 00:00:59,492    as the shattered sanctuary       begins to recover,            34 00:00:59,492 --> 00:01:01,628 they are plunged                    back into darkness            35 00:01:01,628 --> 00:01:04,230   when murder strikes               the campus again.             36 00:01:04,230 --> 00:01:05,598    [camera shutter snapping]     37 00:01:05,598 --> 00:01:06,733 - Oh no.                         38 00:01:06,733 --> 00:01:07,634   It can't be.                   39 00:01:07,634 --> 00:01:09,502 - There's a killer on the loose. 40 00:01:09,502 --> 00:01:12,338  There's a good chance            it could happen again.          41 00:01:12,338 --> 00:01:15,675 - No college course can             prepare you for the dread     42 00:01:17,343 --> 00:01:19,446    of looking at your            classmates and wondering         43 00:01:20,613 --> 00:01:21,848 if you are next.                 44 00:01:23,016 --> 00:01:26,419  [dramatic theme music]          45 00:01:35,395 --> 00:01:38,431    [soft piano music]            46 00:01:41,034 --> 00:01:43,937    - Gallaudet University is        a really unique university    47 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:46,506   because everyone who              goes there is deaf            48 00:01:46,506 --> 00:01:48,441 and there's a lot of ASL access. 49 00:01:49,542 --> 00:01:50,777    It's like a small             island where deaf people         50 00:01:50,777 --> 00:01:52,545  can be like a family.           51 00:01:52,545 --> 00:01:53,847    Like a huge family there.     52 00:01:56,049 --> 00:01:58,284  - Deaf people meet each other   53 00:01:58,284 --> 00:02:01,654 and we have that                    shared experience.            54 00:02:01,654 --> 00:02:02,922  Frustrations.                   55 00:02:02,922 --> 00:02:06,826  We live on earth that            doesn't understand us.          56 00:02:06,826 --> 00:02:10,430   But at Gallaudet University,   I am completely myself.          57 00:02:10,430 --> 00:02:11,965    A hundred percent.            58 00:02:11,965 --> 00:02:14,400  Everyone signs on that campus   59 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:16,703 and we're a big                   family automatically.           60 00:02:16,703 --> 00:02:18,571    Nobody closes and                locks their door              61 00:02:18,571 --> 00:02:20,607 because there's                  nothing to worry about.          62 00:02:22,675 --> 00:02:25,545 [ominous music]                  63 00:02:27,714 --> 00:02:32,318   - [Lauren] In 2000, I was an     RA in Cogswell Hall.           64 00:02:32,318 --> 00:02:37,390    So I'm working in the RA         office doing some errands     65 00:02:37,724 --> 00:02:38,691  until                           66 00:02:39,726 --> 00:02:41,928   Joseph Mesa had stopped by.    67 00:02:42,862 --> 00:02:44,964  Joseph was a freshman student   68 00:02:44,964 --> 00:02:46,966 and I didn't know him very well. 69 00:02:46,966 --> 00:02:49,602 His face really showed              me that he was concerned.     70 00:02:49,602 --> 00:02:51,571  And he's waving at me saying,   71 00:02:51,571 --> 00:02:53,339  "Hey, I'm supposed to            meet Eric Plunkett."            72 00:02:53,339 --> 00:02:56,476    And I asked, "Why                are you worried?"             73 00:02:56,476 --> 00:02:59,445    And he says, "The               room smells funny."            74 00:02:59,445 --> 00:03:01,814 You know, he lived right            across from Eric Plunkett.    75 00:03:03,349 --> 00:03:04,984 And he wants me                     to check the room.            76 00:03:07,453 --> 00:03:10,757 I knew I wasn't able to             check his room by myself,     77 00:03:10,757 --> 00:03:13,993   so I had to wait for another     male RA to come and help me.   78 00:03:13,993 --> 00:03:16,462  So I stopped by Thomas' room.   79 00:03:16,462 --> 00:03:18,131  [door closing]                  80 00:03:18,131 --> 00:03:20,934   - [Thomas] I was in my room       with my door open             81 00:03:21,901 --> 00:03:24,370 on the first floor at Cogswell.  82 00:03:24,370 --> 00:03:25,872 And it was late.                 83 00:03:25,872 --> 00:03:29,876   Deaf people flash lights to     let you know what's going on.   84 00:03:29,876 --> 00:03:32,612 Lauren popped up at the          door, flashed the lights         85 00:03:32,612 --> 00:03:37,350  and said, "Somebody's             asking about Eric."            86 00:03:39,485 --> 00:03:42,622  Eric lived at the very            end of the hallway.            87 00:03:42,622 --> 00:03:44,057   Very social person.            88 00:03:44,057 --> 00:03:45,491 He loves people.                 89 00:03:45,491 --> 00:03:48,161 Very friendly,                      easygoing, loved to talk.     90 00:03:48,161 --> 00:03:49,596 From Minnesota.                  91 00:03:50,763 --> 00:03:54,634  I got the key, walked            down to Eric's room.            92 00:03:54,634 --> 00:03:57,503    Eric was the only one that     had a room by himself.          93 00:03:57,503 --> 00:03:58,371  He was lucky.                   94 00:04:00,940 --> 00:04:03,843    And I pushed the                button a few times.            95 00:04:04,777 --> 00:04:06,846 Did it once, no answer.          96 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:09,482    Twice, no answer.             97 00:04:10,650 --> 00:04:12,518  Third time, no answer.          98 00:04:13,519 --> 00:04:14,787    So then I opened the door.    99 00:04:15,722 --> 00:04:20,193   Wow, definitely did             not expect what I saw.          100 00:04:20,193 --> 00:04:23,896    [suspenseful theme music]     101 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:28,134   I just couldn't believe how      much blood was out of him.     102 00:04:29,035 --> 00:04:31,537    I went straight to             his body in an instant          103 00:04:31,537 --> 00:04:34,774    to check for a pulse and         then ran out of the room.     104 00:04:35,842 --> 00:04:40,213    [suspenseful theme music]     105 00:04:40,213 --> 00:04:41,547 [sirens wailing]                 106 00:04:41,547 --> 00:04:44,217   - I'm in the office            typing reports                   107 00:04:44,217 --> 00:04:46,686    and a call came in            around 10:00 PM.                 108 00:04:46,686 --> 00:04:51,624   The body was found in a dorm   at Gallaudet University.         109 00:04:52,525 --> 00:04:55,561   Gallaudet is like a              city within a city.            110 00:04:55,561 --> 00:04:57,563 The last thing I                   thought was homicide           111 00:04:57,563 --> 00:04:59,098    because there had              never been a homicide           112 00:04:59,098 --> 00:05:00,433 at Gallaudet University.         113 00:05:01,067 --> 00:05:02,702  We responded to Cogswell Hall.  114 00:05:03,603 --> 00:05:05,438  When we walked into the dorm,   115 00:05:06,472 --> 00:05:08,741    the room was in disarray.     116 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:16,883    And it's blood all            over the scene.                  117 00:05:16,883 --> 00:05:18,251    [camera shutters snapping]    118 00:05:18,251 --> 00:05:20,153  - He had blood around              him so it was hard to see     119 00:05:20,153 --> 00:05:21,888  where the wounds were.          120 00:05:21,888 --> 00:05:25,091  You have to wait for             the medical examiner.           121 00:05:29,262 --> 00:05:31,230   There's blood on the              chair next to him.            122 00:05:32,999 --> 00:05:34,901  Initially we believed           that the chair                   123 00:05:34,901 --> 00:05:37,270    may have been used            to strike Eric.                  124 00:05:37,270 --> 00:05:39,605   There was obviously              some type of fight.            125 00:05:41,007 --> 00:05:42,208   - [Det. Darryl] There was a       struggle.                     126 00:05:43,042 --> 00:05:44,577    It was an up-close murder.    127 00:05:45,545 --> 00:05:47,880 - [Sgt. James] The more that we    looked at the crime scene,     128 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:49,515    there was no wallet found     129 00:05:49,515 --> 00:05:51,718   and no credit cards            or debit cards.                  130 00:05:53,619 --> 00:05:55,888   - [Det. Darryl] There was no    signs of forced entry.          131 00:05:55,888 --> 00:05:58,291 - [Sgt. James] But it seems like   the person is trying           132 00:05:58,291 --> 00:06:02,161  to cover their tracks            because they closed the door.   133 00:06:02,161 --> 00:06:05,898   And they lock it as well to      keep Eric from being found     134 00:06:05,898 --> 00:06:06,866  very quickly.                   135 00:06:09,068 --> 00:06:11,204    - [Alan] Police think some     clues point to robbery          136 00:06:11,204 --> 00:06:14,173   as the motive, while others      clearly suggest the murder     137 00:06:14,173 --> 00:06:15,274    was more personal.            138 00:06:16,776 --> 00:06:19,078  Then they move outside            Eric Plunkett's room           139 00:06:19,078 --> 00:06:21,547   to look for anything           that might have captured         140 00:06:21,547 --> 00:06:24,684  digital traces of the killer.   141 00:06:24,684 --> 00:06:26,953  - [Sgt.                         142 00:06:26,953 --> 00:06:30,189 or surveillance cameras            inside the dorms themselves.   143 00:06:32,692 --> 00:06:35,194 - [Det. Darryl] All the students   use key cards to gain access   144 00:06:35,194 --> 00:06:37,663    to the buildings,                but we were told              145 00:06:37,663 --> 00:06:39,565   that everyone didn't swipe.    146 00:06:39,565 --> 00:06:43,069  Just out of courtesy,           147 00:06:43,069 --> 00:06:45,938 - [Sgt. James] And there were no  records that were kept          148 00:06:45,938 --> 00:06:49,041 for people entering and             exiting the campus itself.    149 00:06:50,676 --> 00:06:53,079  - [Alan] While police continue    processing the crime scene,    150 00:06:53,079 --> 00:06:56,849  around 11:00 PM, news unfurls    across the tight-knit campus    151 00:06:56,849 --> 00:06:59,318  that one of their own             has been murdered.             152 00:07:00,586 --> 00:07:03,322 - [Thomas] Everybody went their     own way to go spread the      153 00:07:03,322 --> 00:07:06,993    word fast.                    154 00:07:06,993 --> 00:07:07,994   within five minutes.           155 00:07:07,994 --> 00:07:12,365 - It was kind of a mob,          a crowd of people there          156 00:07:12,365 --> 00:07:16,602   standing outside the           dorm, signing furiously.         157 00:07:16,602 --> 00:07:18,571  No one knew what was going on.  158 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,709  [dramatic theme music]          159 00:07:23,709 --> 00:07:25,878 - [Alan] Hours later, in         the middle of the night,         160 00:07:25,878 --> 00:07:29,148    over a thousand miles away       in Burnsville, Minnesota,     161 00:07:29,148 --> 00:07:32,718  Eric Plunkett's family          awakes to horrible news.         162 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,589  - We were all                    upstairs, fast asleep.          163 00:07:37,390 --> 00:07:39,392   And all of a sudden,           164 00:07:39,392 --> 00:07:44,263  there was a loud knock at the    door at 2:00 in the morning.    165 00:07:44,263 --> 00:07:48,134    Open the door and there's       two officers with a pastor.    166 00:07:48,134 --> 00:07:49,735    And they ask the question,    167 00:07:49,735 --> 00:07:52,205   "Is this the home of           Eric Franklin Plunkett?"         168 00:07:54,006 --> 00:07:57,743    And it's in that moment,        it's like, this isn't good.    169 00:07:59,745 --> 00:08:04,016    - They said there's been        an incident at Eric's dorm.    170 00:08:05,184 --> 00:08:08,721 And that Eric had died.          171 00:08:09,889 --> 00:08:12,024  [somber string music]           172 00:08:12,024 --> 00:08:13,125 - I do remember                  173 00:08:15,161 --> 00:08:18,631  going downstairs and              seeing the police officers.    174 00:08:20,166 --> 00:08:25,238  And then seeing my mom          absolutely crumble to the floor. 175 00:08:29,175 --> 00:08:31,777  - [Alan] As D.C. Metro            detectives seek the identity   176 00:08:31,777 --> 00:08:35,214    of Eric's killer, they ask     his family for any information  177 00:08:35,214 --> 00:08:37,283 about him and his personal life. 178 00:08:39,218 --> 00:08:42,455 - [Erin] Eric was born with      challenges.                      179 00:08:42,455 --> 00:08:43,689  He had cerebral palsy,          180 00:08:43,689 --> 00:08:45,358 which made him                    unsteady on his feet.           181 00:08:45,358 --> 00:08:49,095  He also had profound hearing     loss and was completely deaf.   182 00:08:49,095 --> 00:08:50,796   But you would never know it.   183 00:08:50,796 --> 00:08:53,199   He was so confident             all the time.                   184 00:08:54,934 --> 00:08:56,335   It was just his personality.   185 00:08:56,335 --> 00:08:57,703 He had a ton of friends.         186 00:08:57,703 --> 00:09:00,072   He was inquisitive.            187 00:09:00,072 --> 00:09:02,375    You know, he liked              to take things apart           188 00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:03,943  just to see how they were made  189 00:09:03,943 --> 00:09:05,678    and put them back             together again.                  190 00:09:07,213 --> 00:09:09,415    - [Kathleen] He decided he       wanted to go to Gallaudet.    191 00:09:10,416 --> 00:09:15,087   He got an acceptance letter    and he was so excited.           192 00:09:15,087 --> 00:09:18,257 Running around, he was             like, "I've been accepted."    193 00:09:18,257 --> 00:09:21,794  And, you know, he was             really celebrating.            194 00:09:23,229 --> 00:09:24,964   - [Chris] We moved him into    the first floor                  195 00:09:24,964 --> 00:09:28,134 of Cogswell Hall                 there on campus.                 196 00:09:30,403 --> 00:09:33,105  but we knew it was time to go.  197 00:09:33,105 --> 00:09:34,373   And what did Eric tell you?    198 00:09:34,373 --> 00:09:36,042  - "Don't worry about me, mom."  199 00:09:37,843 --> 00:09:39,779    - "I'll be okay."             200 00:09:41,247 --> 00:09:43,516  [somber music]                  201 00:09:43,516 --> 00:09:45,017 - [Erin] Before he passed away,  202 00:09:45,017 --> 00:09:48,254  Eric had just come out as gay   203 00:09:49,522 --> 00:09:50,423    at school.                    204 00:09:50,423 --> 00:09:53,025  It didn't surprise any of us.   205 00:09:53,025 --> 00:09:54,994   He was having a lot of fun.    206 00:09:54,994 --> 00:09:56,262 We've heard that he made so many 207 00:09:56,262 --> 00:09:59,131  great relationships on campus.  208 00:09:59,131 --> 00:10:02,501    We didn't know who could         possibly have killed him.     209 00:10:04,904 --> 00:10:08,174   - [Alan] D.C. detectives are      puzzled as to why someone     210 00:10:08,174 --> 00:10:09,875 would want to murder a friendly  211 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:12,111  and popular person like Eric.   212 00:10:13,045 --> 00:10:14,914    Hours later, at daybreak,     213 00:10:14,914 --> 00:10:16,315    with little to go               on from his family,            214 00:10:16,315 --> 00:10:19,418    investigators set             about the enormous task          215 00:10:19,418 --> 00:10:22,455 of interviewing                     Gallaudet's student body.     216 00:10:22,455 --> 00:10:25,324   - [Sgt. James] We do want to     interview everyone,            217 00:10:25,324 --> 00:10:30,029  so we need to get interpreters    who are able to sign for us.   218 00:10:31,430 --> 00:10:32,365 - [Det. Darryl] So in an            interview,                    219 00:10:32,365 --> 00:10:34,900  you're trained to look             at different cues.            220 00:10:36,202 --> 00:10:38,170 Sometime when a                    person gets nervous,           221 00:10:38,170 --> 00:10:41,440    you can see their               heart beating fast.            222 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,909 But when the interpreter          is signing it,                  223 00:10:43,909 --> 00:10:47,580 the person that you're speaking     to isn't looking at you.      224 00:10:47,580 --> 00:10:50,049   They're facing the               interpreter the whole time.    225 00:10:52,918 --> 00:10:54,954    - We're talking to people,       asking when the last time     226 00:10:54,954 --> 00:10:57,490 anybody had any                  communication with Eric.         227 00:10:57,490 --> 00:11:00,793 - [Lauren] They took myself and   Thomas Koch for questioning.    228 00:11:01,694 --> 00:11:04,230 It is possible for the           police to misunderstand          229 00:11:04,230 --> 00:11:06,365 the interpreters                 and our signing.                 230 00:11:06,365 --> 00:11:09,902  It definitely added additional    frustration and challenges.    231 00:11:10,603 --> 00:11:13,205  - [Thomas] But they were very   gentle.                          232 00:11:13,205 --> 00:11:14,874   They were really good to us.   233 00:11:16,842 --> 00:11:19,111 - [Lauren] We were both            thinking, who would want to    234 00:11:19,111 --> 00:11:20,513    murder an innocent person?    235 00:11:20,513 --> 00:11:22,848   And we didn't notice            any strangers.                  236 00:11:22,848 --> 00:11:25,484   If an outside person              wanted to walk in,            237 00:11:25,484 --> 00:11:29,522 we would probably stop              and easily identify them.     238 00:11:31,257 --> 00:11:33,859    who's the one who alerted       the RAs in the first place.    239 00:11:33,859 --> 00:11:36,228    He was a friend of Eric's.    240 00:11:36,228 --> 00:11:39,231 And basically there was           no information given            241 00:11:39,231 --> 00:11:41,500 that was helpful by Joseph Mesa. 242 00:11:41,500 --> 00:11:44,236 Although the person who          was interpreting for me          243 00:11:44,236 --> 00:11:47,506    felt that he was              holding something back.          244 00:11:47,506 --> 00:11:49,542  But they couldn't put             their finger on it,            245 00:11:49,542 --> 00:11:51,877   and there's nobody              else who saw anything           246 00:11:51,877 --> 00:11:54,513 that was of any use to              us at that point in time.     247 00:11:57,249 --> 00:11:59,251  - [Alan] Investigators            gain some direction            248 00:11:59,251 --> 00:12:01,287    when they receive                a surprising tip              249 00:12:01,287 --> 00:12:08,260   from the head of the              campus LGBT group.            250 00:12:08,260 --> 00:12:10,529 He was elected as the secretary. 251 00:12:11,630 --> 00:12:15,034 - [Sgt. James] So the president  of the Lambda Society comes to   252 00:12:15,034 --> 00:12:18,537 police and is concerned because   there have been slurs           253 00:12:18,537 --> 00:12:21,240    that were found on campus.    254 00:12:22,341 --> 00:12:25,444   - [Alan] The anti-gay slurs     were posted on message boards   255 00:12:25,444 --> 00:12:27,580  in dormitory hallways.          256 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:30,549  - [Teresa] There was this fear     that someone was targeting    257 00:12:30,549 --> 00:12:34,420   gay and lesbian students and      threatening to hurt them.     258 00:12:36,589 --> 00:12:39,692  - [Alan] D.C. Metro detectives     take interest in the lead     259 00:12:39,692 --> 00:12:41,560   and head for their               campus counterparts            260 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:44,163   to see if any other               students lodged complaints    261 00:12:44,163 --> 00:12:45,297 about the slurs.                 262 00:12:45,965 --> 00:12:48,067 - [Sgt. James] So we go to the   campus police                    263 00:12:48,067 --> 00:12:50,336    and they advise there was     only one complaint made          264 00:12:50,336 --> 00:12:54,240   about the anti-gay slurs and      that was by Eric Plunkett.    265 00:12:55,307 --> 00:12:56,542    That makes it significant.    266 00:12:58,477 --> 00:13:01,514 - [Erin] And they were thinking   that it may be a hate crime.    267 00:13:03,315 --> 00:13:04,550  - [Alan] Coming up...           268 00:13:04,550 --> 00:13:05,584  - [Det. Darryl] The shoe print    is definitely a solid clue,    269 00:13:05,584 --> 00:13:08,420    just like Cinderella, who     had the magic slipper.           270 00:13:09,121 --> 00:13:10,456 - [Lauren] I asked him, "Are you  okay?"                          271 00:13:10,456 --> 00:13:12,458  He says, "No,                    there's another one."           272 00:13:13,392 --> 00:13:16,462  - [Thomas] The second murder,   now people were angry.           273 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:21,433  [d                              274 00:13:21,433 --> 00:13:21,467  [dra                            275 00:13:21,467 --> 00:13:21,500  [drama                          276 00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:21,534  [dramati                        277 00:13:21,534 --> 00:13:21,567  [dramatic                       278 00:13:21,567 --> 00:13:21,600  [dramatic th                    279 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:21,634  [dramatic them                  280 00:13:21,634 --> 00:13:21,667  [dramatic theme                 281 00:13:21,667 --> 00:13:21,700  [dramatic theme mu              282 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:21,734  [dramatic theme musi            283 00:13:21,734 --> 00:13:23,669  [dramatic theme music]          284 00:13:29,175 --> 00:13:31,310  - [Alan] As detectives search   for clues in the murder          285 00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:32,578    of Eric Plunkett,             286 00:13:32,578 --> 00:13:34,280   they receive a curious tip.    287 00:13:35,681 --> 00:13:38,584    Days ago, someone             scrawled anti-gay slurs          288 00:13:38,584 --> 00:13:40,319  on campus noteboards.           289 00:13:40,319 --> 00:13:41,587    And just before his death,    290 00:13:41,587 --> 00:13:43,923    Plunkett lodged a                complaint about the slurs.    291 00:13:45,691 --> 00:13:49,695   Did the vandal behind this       hateful act also kill Eric?    292 00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:54,867 - [Sgt. James] That would raise    suspicion with you.            293 00:13:54,867 --> 00:13:57,336 You're thinking, "Could          have been a hate crime."         294 00:13:57,336 --> 00:13:58,971    This potentially                 gives us a motive             295 00:13:58,971 --> 00:14:00,906    as to why Eric may               have been killed.             296 00:14:04,443 --> 00:14:07,713  - [Alan] As police ponder the    possibility of a hate crime,    297 00:14:07,713 --> 00:14:10,282    they also receive               the autopsy report.            298 00:14:12,852 --> 00:14:15,721  - [Sgt. James] At the autopsy,    we learned that Eric           299 00:14:15,721 --> 00:14:17,590   had been strangled.            300 00:14:17,590 --> 00:14:19,325    He was, you know, beaten.     301 00:14:19,325 --> 00:14:20,259  He was kicked.                  302 00:14:21,327 --> 00:14:23,596 There was some                   evidence that indicated          303 00:14:23,596 --> 00:14:25,331 he was hit with a chair.         304 00:14:28,334 --> 00:14:29,768   There was overkill involved.   305 00:14:29,768 --> 00:14:32,338    I mean, there was                blood everywhere.             306 00:14:32,338 --> 00:14:35,574 An overkill is usually            someone who knows the person.   307 00:14:37,509 --> 00:14:39,345 - [Alan] With no reports         of any strangers                 308 00:14:39,345 --> 00:14:41,747   and no forced entry            to Eric's room,                  309 00:14:41,747 --> 00:14:45,618   most clues point to a killer      who knew Eric intimately.     310 00:14:45,618 --> 00:14:47,987   Though the missing              wallet is an outlier.           311 00:14:49,388 --> 00:14:52,358 Investigators take stock         and marry this evidence          312 00:14:52,358 --> 00:14:55,494   with the homophobic              slurs found earlier.           313 00:14:55,494 --> 00:14:58,364 It leads them to                   form a finer theory.           314 00:14:58,364 --> 00:14:59,632   The murderer could have been   315 00:14:59,632 --> 00:15:02,001 a former lover's                 violent revenge.                 316 00:15:04,270 --> 00:15:05,771 - [Sgt. James] Maybe the killer    is someone                     317 00:15:05,771 --> 00:15:08,774   who he's intimately            involved with.                   318 00:15:08,774 --> 00:15:11,777    Maybe they were intimately      involved in some way           319 00:15:11,777 --> 00:15:14,380  and things went south.          320 00:15:14,380 --> 00:15:16,048   We then start trying to dig    321 00:15:16,048 --> 00:15:18,884 into who he may                     have been dating.             322 00:15:20,786 --> 00:15:23,289    [soft piano music]            323 00:15:23,289 --> 00:15:25,391   - [Alan] As police consider     their revenge theory            324 00:15:25,391 --> 00:15:28,394  and Gallaudet's campus          remains on edge,                 325 00:15:28,394 --> 00:15:29,561   [telephone ringing]            326 00:15:29,561 --> 00:15:31,063   one of Eric's fellow            students comes forward          327 00:15:31,063 --> 00:15:32,631 with an intriguing tip.          328 00:15:33,599 --> 00:15:36,535 - [Sgt. James] A student         comes to police with information 329 00:15:36,535 --> 00:15:38,904    that they believe is very     important to our case.           330 00:15:39,972 --> 00:15:42,574   The student tells us              that Eric Plunkett            331 00:15:42,574 --> 00:15:46,078 and a fellow student by          the name of Thomas Minch         332 00:15:46,078 --> 00:15:48,547 may be involved in some           type of relationship.           333 00:15:49,949 --> 00:15:52,451    Whether it be a close or         an intimate relationship,     334 00:15:52,451 --> 00:15:54,420    we don't know at                this point in time.            335 00:15:55,354 --> 00:15:57,589    Thomas Minch is a             freshman just like Eric.         336 00:15:57,589 --> 00:15:59,525    He's 18 years old.            337 00:16:00,626 --> 00:16:05,397   - He was a skinny young man     from the Northeast somewhere.   338 00:16:06,098 --> 00:16:06,932  He wasn't involved in sports.   339 00:16:06,932 --> 00:16:09,335   He wasn't involved in clubs.   340 00:16:09,335 --> 00:16:12,471 He just kind of wandered around,    liked to meet new people,     341 00:16:12,471 --> 00:16:13,572   new friends.                   342 00:16:14,506 --> 00:16:16,342  - [Alan] But it's not            just the observation            343 00:16:16,342 --> 00:16:19,745   of a close relationship that     brings this student forward.   344 00:16:19,745 --> 00:16:21,580  It's that they witness            something troubling            345 00:16:21,580 --> 00:16:23,449  on September the 27th,          346 00:16:23,449 --> 00:16:25,985  the day before Eric's           body was found.                  347 00:16:27,019 --> 00:16:30,856  - [Sgt. James] So the student    sees Thomas Minch shove Eric    348 00:16:30,856 --> 00:16:34,727  Plunkett, which causes Eric to    fall to the ground.            349 00:16:36,128 --> 00:16:39,365  So we're wondering if there's      more than just the shove      350 00:16:39,365 --> 00:16:40,332  that happened.                  351 00:16:41,233 --> 00:16:43,569  We had to find Thomas           Minch and interview him.         352 00:16:44,536 --> 00:16:47,506    - [Alan] Detectives make         Minch their top priority.     353 00:16:47,506 --> 00:16:49,041 They find him in                   the campus cafeteria           354 00:16:49,041 --> 00:16:51,877   and bring him back to their       station for an interview.     355 00:16:53,746 --> 00:16:56,648  - We start questioning             him about his relationship    356 00:16:56,648 --> 00:16:58,117   with Eric Plunkett.            357 00:17:00,386 --> 00:17:02,488 - [Sgt. James] He seemed            somewhat nervous.             358 00:17:02,488 --> 00:17:05,057 One of the other lead detectives  on the case was asking          359 00:17:05,057 --> 00:17:06,759  how well he knows him,          360 00:17:06,759 --> 00:17:10,029  whether they have an intimate      relationship of any kind.     361 00:17:10,029 --> 00:17:12,664  And he said they were              strictly friends.             362 00:17:12,664 --> 00:17:14,933   But he does not tell             detectives anything            363 00:17:14,933 --> 00:17:18,604    about any type of                assault on Eric Plunkett.     364 00:17:20,406 --> 00:17:22,841 They wonder why                    he's being invasive.           365 00:17:24,076 --> 00:17:26,779   There's a lot of suspicion.    366 00:17:26,779 --> 00:17:29,048 And then everything is changing. 367 00:17:29,982 --> 00:17:32,785   Thomas did admit to             going to Eric's room.           368 00:17:33,919 --> 00:17:35,687 That's the crime scene.          369 00:17:35,687 --> 00:17:38,791   And Eric apparently              made a pass at him.            370 00:17:40,659 --> 00:17:43,962    And this upset Thomas and        he admitted to pushing him    371 00:17:43,962 --> 00:17:45,164  at that point in time.          372 00:17:46,665 --> 00:17:48,534 A detective at                     this point believes            373 00:17:48,534 --> 00:17:51,537   that more than just             the shove took place.           374 00:17:52,805 --> 00:17:55,808    And maybe it did               escalate into murder.           375 00:17:56,809 --> 00:17:58,677    The interview was stopped     376 00:17:58,677 --> 00:18:00,646 and no further                    questions were asked.           377 00:18:01,814 --> 00:18:03,749  And Thomas was                    placed under arrest.           378 00:18:06,452 --> 00:18:07,953    - [Det. Darryl] This was a     priority case.                  379 00:18:07,953 --> 00:18:10,823  The detective felt good about    the arrest that he had made.    380 00:18:11,957 --> 00:18:13,826   But then everything               started to change             381 00:18:13,826 --> 00:18:15,527  and things started to unravel.  382 00:18:21,333 --> 00:18:21,366  [d                              383 00:18:21,366 --> 00:18:21,400  [dra                            384 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:21,433  [drama                          385 00:18:21,433 --> 00:18:21,467  [dramati                        386 00:18:21,467 --> 00:18:21,500  [dramatic                       387 00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:21,533  [dramatic th                    388 00:18:21,533 --> 00:18:21,567  [dramatic them                  389 00:18:21,567 --> 00:18:21,600  [dramatic theme                 390 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:21,633  [dramatic theme mu              391 00:18:21,633 --> 00:18:21,667  [dramatic theme musi            392 00:18:21,667 --> 00:18:24,203  [dramatic theme music]          393 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:31,243 - [Alan] Washington, D.C. police    have just arrested student    394 00:18:31,243 --> 00:18:34,213   Thomas Minch for the           murder of Eric Plunkett.         395 00:18:35,214 --> 00:18:38,717    The department exults in        solving this heinous crime.    396 00:18:38,717 --> 00:18:43,856    Will they be able               to win a conviction?           397 00:18:43,856 --> 00:18:47,259 high-fiving and                  commending the detective         398 00:18:47,259 --> 00:18:50,129   in reference to the              Eric Plunkett case.            399 00:18:50,129 --> 00:18:53,065    It was good results, but        we still weren't there yet.    400 00:18:54,099 --> 00:18:57,102    [soft piano music]            401 00:18:58,137 --> 00:19:02,374 - [Kathleen] The detective told  us they had arrested a student,  402 00:19:02,374 --> 00:19:03,675  Thomas Minch.                   403 00:19:04,710 --> 00:19:08,347    We were happy to know that       there had been an arrest.     404 00:19:09,381 --> 00:19:12,751 - [Erin] I couldn't believe that  anybody would do this,          405 00:19:12,751 --> 00:19:15,287 let alone another deaf student.  406 00:19:15,287 --> 00:19:19,358   Because they know what it's    like to be bullied or picked on. 407 00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:22,728 It's just unbelievable.          408 00:19:24,263 --> 00:19:27,900    [suspenseful theme music]     409 00:19:27,900 --> 00:19:30,169 - [Alan] One day later,          Gallaudet students pack          410 00:19:30,169 --> 00:19:32,738   a D.C. courtroom for             Minch's arraignment.           411 00:19:33,839 --> 00:19:36,742 - The case was presented to the     U .S. Attorney's Office.      412 00:19:38,143 --> 00:19:40,245  And the U.S. Attorney's Office  413 00:19:42,014 --> 00:19:46,752 declined to prosecute the case.  414 00:19:46,752 --> 00:19:49,054    because there was                no probable cause.            415 00:19:49,054 --> 00:19:51,190  Probable cause means               that more likely than not     416 00:19:51,190 --> 00:19:53,325  the person committed a crime.   417 00:19:53,325 --> 00:19:55,794 There isn't sufficient evidence. 418 00:19:55,794 --> 00:19:58,997    The arrest of Thomas Minch     is way too premature.           419 00:20:00,165 --> 00:20:02,301  So Minch was released.          420 00:20:02,301 --> 00:20:05,304   It was embarrassing for the    Metropolitan Police Department.  421 00:20:09,174 --> 00:20:13,212 - [Kathleen] We got a call from    the U.S. Attorney's Office,    422 00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:15,914 and the prosecutor said          423 00:20:15,914 --> 00:20:19,818  that they were                   releasing Thomas Minch          424 00:20:19,818 --> 00:20:23,288   because they didn't             have enough evidence,           425 00:20:24,223 --> 00:20:26,825    but he's still a suspect.     426 00:20:26,825 --> 00:20:31,230   And, I mean, it just              was unbelievable.             427 00:20:31,230 --> 00:20:33,899  - So what do you mean             there's not enough evidence?   428 00:20:34,833 --> 00:20:36,034 How do you release him?          429 00:20:38,704 --> 00:20:41,106 - [Alan] With the case dismissed due to lack of evidence,         430 00:20:41,106 --> 00:20:43,709 law enforcement                  pursues a decisive test          431 00:20:43,709 --> 00:20:46,945   to rule on their theory that      Minch is the perpetrator.     432 00:20:48,113 --> 00:20:49,982 - Thomas Minch was still           a person of interest           433 00:20:49,982 --> 00:20:51,083  at that point in time.          434 00:20:52,184 --> 00:20:55,187  We finally get the DNA           results back for Thomas Minch.  435 00:20:58,357 --> 00:21:00,993   There was no DNA of              Thomas Minch found             436 00:21:00,993 --> 00:21:02,361 on Eric Plunkett's body.         437 00:21:04,363 --> 00:21:06,832 Thomas Minch is                   cleared as a suspect.           438 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:09,901 - [Alan] Though                   clear now to everyone           439 00:21:09,901 --> 00:21:13,372   that the interrogation team     jumped the gun on the arrest,   440 00:21:13,372 --> 00:21:16,808    Minch retreats from campus      to his native New Hampshire.   441 00:21:18,143 --> 00:21:19,211   Back in Washington,            442 00:21:19,211 --> 00:21:23,015 the rapid turn of events            leaves detectives stunned.    443 00:21:23,015 --> 00:21:24,750 - [Det.                          444 00:21:24,750 --> 00:21:26,151    Then it was back to work,     445 00:21:26,151 --> 00:21:29,087   because we still had            a killer on the loose.          446 00:21:30,856 --> 00:21:33,525 [ominous music]                  447 00:21:33,525 --> 00:21:36,395  - [Thomas] There was a lot of    commotion on campus.            448 00:21:36,395 --> 00:21:40,299    We were all just thinking,       if it's not him, then who?    449 00:21:40,299 --> 00:21:41,767 Was it somebody outside?         450 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:45,037 And is the killer still          at Gallaudet University?         451 00:21:45,037 --> 00:21:46,238 Is he one of us?                 452 00:21:47,339 --> 00:21:50,876  - [Lauren] The students can't   focus on learning the material.  453 00:21:50,876 --> 00:21:54,012 I can't focus on                  teaching the material.          454 00:21:54,012 --> 00:21:55,280    There's a lot of upheaval.    455 00:21:57,916 --> 00:22:00,052    - [Thomas] We noticed that       students' parents             456 00:22:00,052 --> 00:22:02,154 were taking them out of school.  457 00:22:02,154 --> 00:22:05,457   They said that D.C.             couldn't do their job,          458 00:22:05,457 --> 00:22:07,426  they couldn't find the killer,  459 00:22:07,426 --> 00:22:09,795   and their kids were            not safe there.                  460 00:22:09,795 --> 00:22:11,563 - [Alan] As fear                  hangs over the campus,          461 00:22:11,563 --> 00:22:13,932    detectives receive               an intriguing tip             462 00:22:13,932 --> 00:22:16,068    from the victim's family.     463 00:22:16,068 --> 00:22:19,805  - [Kathleen] We got his bank    statement forward, and I opened  464 00:22:19,805 --> 00:22:23,008 it up, and I saw debit charges.  465 00:22:24,042 --> 00:22:27,179    It had to have been after      Eric had been killed.           466 00:22:29,047 --> 00:22:31,583   I knew that they were trying     to figure out the timeline,    467 00:22:31,583 --> 00:22:35,320    and we sent them a             copy of the statement.          468 00:22:36,955 --> 00:22:40,225  - [Sgt. James] At least one of   the transactions was conducted  469 00:22:40,225 --> 00:22:41,893    after his body was found.     470 00:22:42,928 --> 00:22:45,497   There were two transactions    at two different stores          471 00:22:45,497 --> 00:22:48,066  at Union Station here             in Washington, D.C.            472 00:22:49,468 --> 00:22:51,503 And then Union Station security  473 00:22:51,503 --> 00:22:56,208   keeps a record of the tapes     from the surveillance cameras.  474 00:22:56,208 --> 00:22:59,244    This could be very helpful     in finding a suspect.           475 00:22:59,244 --> 00:23:00,345   We went to security,           476 00:23:01,513 --> 00:23:03,315 and they had just taped it over. 477 00:23:05,250 --> 00:23:08,353  They record over them            every 28 or 30 days.            478 00:23:08,353 --> 00:23:10,489    It was showing us who the     killer was, absolutely.          479 00:23:10,489 --> 00:23:12,457  I was so [bleep] mad.           480 00:23:13,525 --> 00:23:15,227    But the theft, it                could be a motive             481 00:23:15,227 --> 00:23:17,863 towards what transpired.         482 00:23:17,863 --> 00:23:22,100  However, there was no further     activity on Eric's account.    483 00:23:23,001 --> 00:23:25,971    And then, time's going on.    484 00:23:27,406 --> 00:23:29,975    - [Alan] Months pass, and     investigators struggle           485 00:23:29,975 --> 00:23:32,210   to make progress on              the Plunkett case.             486 00:23:33,645 --> 00:23:36,548  Then, at the start of            the spring semester,            487 00:23:36,548 --> 00:23:40,252    Gallaudet's student body       awakens to another nightmare.   488 00:23:43,422 --> 00:23:45,524  - On February 3rd, I             was in Cogswell Hall.           489 00:23:46,425 --> 00:23:48,026    And I was on call.            490 00:23:48,026 --> 00:23:50,996  And unfortunately, the            fire alarm goes off.           491 00:23:50,996 --> 00:23:52,431 [alarm blaring]                  492 00:23:52,431 --> 00:23:54,533  So, I get out of bed.           493 00:23:56,535 --> 00:23:58,670 And I go up to the fourth floor. 494 00:23:58,670 --> 00:24:00,105  And I see another RA.           495 00:24:02,908 --> 00:24:06,011  And he looked                     really, really pale.           496 00:24:06,011 --> 00:24:08,280 So, I asked him, "Are you okay?" 497 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:09,281  He says, "No.                   498 00:24:10,148 --> 00:24:11,283  There's another one."           499 00:24:12,551 --> 00:24:14,686 It was another murderer.         500 00:24:14,686 --> 00:24:18,290    [suspenseful theme music]     501 00:24:20,525 --> 00:24:20,559    [s                            502 00:24:20,559 --> 00:24:20,592    [sus                          503 00:24:20,592 --> 00:24:20,625    [suspe                        504 00:24:20,625 --> 00:24:20,659    [suspens                      505 00:24:20,659 --> 00:24:20,692    [suspensef                    506 00:24:20,692 --> 00:24:20,725    [suspenseful                  507 00:24:20,725 --> 00:24:20,759    [suspenseful t                508 00:24:20,759 --> 00:24:20,792    [suspenseful the              509 00:24:20,792 --> 00:24:20,826    [suspenseful theme            510 00:24:20,826 --> 00:24:20,859    [suspenseful theme m          511 00:24:20,859 --> 00:24:20,892    [suspenseful theme mus        512 00:24:20,892 --> 00:24:20,926    [suspenseful theme music      513 00:24:20,926 --> 00:24:23,428    [suspenseful theme music]     514 00:24:23,428 --> 00:24:27,032  [dramatic piano music]          515 00:24:27,032 --> 00:24:28,133  - [Alan] Just over four months  516 00:24:28,133 --> 00:24:30,302    after the murder                 of Eric Plunkett,             517 00:24:30,302 --> 00:24:32,537   shockingly, another              body has turned up             518 00:24:32,537 --> 00:24:34,539  in Gallaudet's Cogswell Hall.   519 00:24:34,539 --> 00:24:36,775 Has Eric's killer struck again?  520 00:24:40,278 --> 00:24:46,418   - [Det. Darryl] I'm at home,   getting ready for work.          521 00:24:46,418 --> 00:24:48,687 "Hey, it's been another           murder at Gallaudet."           522 00:24:51,189 --> 00:24:54,326 It's the same dorm where         Eric Plunkett was found.         523 00:24:54,326 --> 00:24:56,561 And I was like,                     "Oh, my goodness."            524 00:24:59,731 --> 00:25:01,299   His name is Benjamin Varner.   525 00:25:02,434 --> 00:25:04,069   When we arrive to the scene,   526 00:25:04,069 --> 00:25:07,138  first thing I notice is feet     coming from under a mattress.   527 00:25:10,075 --> 00:25:11,476    [suspenseful theme music]     528 00:25:11,476 --> 00:25:13,712  When the evidence technicians    remove the mattress,            529 00:25:13,712 --> 00:25:18,216 what I'm looking at is           a male with stab wounds          530 00:25:18,216 --> 00:25:19,351    all over his head,            531 00:25:19,351 --> 00:25:20,619    [camera shutter snapping]     532 00:25:20,619 --> 00:25:22,320    his neck,                     533 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:23,355    his stomach area.             534 00:25:23,355 --> 00:25:24,356    [camera shutter snapping]     535 00:25:24,356 --> 00:25:25,357   There was blood on the wall.   536 00:25:25,357 --> 00:25:27,192   Blood on the floor.            537 00:25:27,192 --> 00:25:28,426 It was a gruesome scene.         538 00:25:29,861 --> 00:25:32,597  [eerie music]                   539 00:25:36,635 --> 00:25:38,503   - [Alan] Detective Richmond     takes in the details            540 00:25:38,503 --> 00:25:41,373  of the scene and spies           numerous similarities           541 00:25:41,373 --> 00:25:43,241  to the Plunkett case.           542 00:25:43,241 --> 00:25:44,175    [camera shutter snapping]     543 00:25:44,175 --> 00:25:45,644  - [Det. Darryl] His wallet is      missing.                      544 00:25:45,644 --> 00:25:47,646   We're talking about             less than six months.           545 00:25:47,646 --> 00:25:49,481    It definitely was                a repeat killer.              546 00:25:51,383 --> 00:25:52,651   If he's not caught,            547 00:25:52,651 --> 00:25:54,886  there's a good chance            it could happen again.          548 00:25:54,886 --> 00:25:56,521    [camera shutter snapping]     549 00:25:56,521 --> 00:25:58,523    - [Alan] As investigators      continue cataloging the scene,  550 00:25:58,523 --> 00:26:02,360  Gallaudet's community is once     again thrown into turmoil.     551 00:26:04,629 --> 00:26:06,398   - [Thomas] When I got there,   552 00:26:06,398 --> 00:26:09,501  I could see police up              there on the fourth floor     553 00:26:09,501 --> 00:26:13,505   and was able to look up and       see, and I asked, "Who?"      554 00:26:14,806 --> 00:26:16,741  And then they                     spelled back, "Ben."           555 00:26:18,276 --> 00:26:20,679  And I thought, oh, no.          556 00:26:20,679 --> 00:26:21,613 No way.                          557 00:26:22,380 --> 00:26:25,817    - I felt numb and                I felt horrible.              558 00:26:25,817 --> 00:26:27,485 I feel horrible for Ben.         559 00:26:28,687 --> 00:26:31,656  - [Teresa] He was a nice, kind  person.                          560 00:26:31,656 --> 00:26:35,794    He was interested                in making friends,            561 00:26:35,794 --> 00:26:37,662 but he was sort of an introvert. 562 00:26:39,564 --> 00:26:42,400 There is a despondency,          563 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:46,171    a sadness, a hopelessness,    564 00:26:46,171 --> 00:26:49,774 a fear that we'll never          know who the killer is.          565 00:26:52,410 --> 00:26:54,713 - [Alan] Then police on          the scene are approached         566 00:26:54,713 --> 00:26:59,317  by a witness from the             Plunkett case, Joseph Mesa.    567 00:26:59,317 --> 00:27:01,586  He gives an account of           one of the last things          568 00:27:01,586 --> 00:27:03,288    Benjamin told him.            569 00:27:03,288 --> 00:27:05,557 - [Det. Darryl] Joseph Mesa said   he told him,                   570 00:27:05,557 --> 00:27:08,727   "Yeah, I'm gay and               I have a boyfriend,            571 00:27:08,727 --> 00:27:10,562 but don't tell anyone."          572 00:27:10,562 --> 00:27:12,564  It seemed like Joseph             wanted to help us,             573 00:27:12,564 --> 00:27:14,833 but Joseph wasn't part of LGBTQ  574 00:27:15,834 --> 00:27:19,804   and he didn't have anything    additional to help us.           575 00:27:21,206 --> 00:27:23,341  - [Alan] While                   Joseph's tip is noted,          576 00:27:23,341 --> 00:27:25,477 detectives have a more           pressing responsibility          577 00:27:25,477 --> 00:27:27,212  to Benjamin's family.           578 00:27:27,212 --> 00:27:30,448   - [Det. Darryl] We notified    Benjamin Varner's family members 579 00:27:30,448 --> 00:27:31,883  of his death.                   580 00:27:31,883 --> 00:27:33,685 They broke down crying.          581 00:27:35,453 --> 00:27:38,490   - I didn't think that there       would be another family.      582 00:27:38,490 --> 00:27:39,891 Our hearts were                     going out to them             583 00:27:39,891 --> 00:27:41,726  because we'd been through it.   584 00:27:43,328 --> 00:27:44,629   - [Erin] I remember              getting a phone call           585 00:27:44,629 --> 00:27:46,498 [phone ringing]                  586 00:27:46,498 --> 00:27:48,333 saying it happened again         587 00:27:48,333 --> 00:27:51,369    and nobody needed                to explain to me              588 00:27:51,369 --> 00:27:53,571 what "it happened again" meant.  589 00:27:54,439 --> 00:27:57,842 How is it possible that          this could happen again?         590 00:28:00,011 --> 00:28:01,379 - [Thomas] At Gallaudet            University,                    591 00:28:01,379 --> 00:28:03,748   the fear had passed            after the first murder.          592 00:28:03,748 --> 00:28:07,385  The second murder-now             people were angry.             593 00:28:07,385 --> 00:28:10,355   There was a lot of                finger-pointing going on.     594 00:28:10,355 --> 00:28:12,390 - [Alan] As Gallaudet's            student body comes to grips    595 00:28:12,390 --> 00:28:15,393  with a killer tearing             through its campus,            596 00:28:15,393 --> 00:28:17,662  detectives at Cogswell           Hall feel the pressure          597 00:28:17,662 --> 00:28:21,633    on them intensify as they        move outside Ben's room.      598 00:28:24,536 --> 00:28:28,506 - [Det. Darryl] We walk into the hallway                          599 00:28:28,506 --> 00:28:29,941 [clock ticking]                  600 00:28:29,941 --> 00:28:32,544 - [Sgt. James] They led down the stairs and out the side          601 00:28:32,544 --> 00:28:34,612  entrance door.                  602 00:28:35,413 --> 00:28:37,549    - [Det. Darryl] There were      cameras at the bottom of the   603 00:28:37,549 --> 00:28:39,918  elevators, not at the            bottom of the stairs.           604 00:28:39,918 --> 00:28:41,286   The blood in the staircase,    605 00:28:41,286 --> 00:28:43,555 it just told me                    that the perpetrator           606 00:28:43,555 --> 00:28:46,958   was trying to evade             being seen on camera.           607 00:28:46,958 --> 00:28:49,294    It says that the                killer was familiar            608 00:28:49,294 --> 00:28:50,395  with his surroundings.          609 00:28:51,062 --> 00:28:52,363    So it's a student.            610 00:28:53,832 --> 00:28:56,701 - [Sgt. James] There was a small alleyway                         611 00:28:56,701 --> 00:28:58,970 and there was a                    dumpster back there.           612 00:28:58,970 --> 00:29:01,539   - [Det. Darryl] And in that      search, we found a             613 00:29:01,539 --> 00:29:04,442  bloody jacket.                  614 00:29:04,442 --> 00:29:06,778    We also recovered a knife,    615 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:09,981   like a paring knife.           616 00:29:09,981 --> 00:29:12,851 We think that it may be          the knife that was used,         617 00:29:12,851 --> 00:29:14,519  but there wasn't blood on it.   618 00:29:16,721 --> 00:29:18,857 - [Sgt.  James] And the paring   knife, we were able to match up  619 00:29:18,857 --> 00:29:22,293 to a box that was found            inside of Ben Varner's room.   620 00:29:24,429 --> 00:29:27,298  So we, at this point, believe     we have the murder weapon.     621 00:29:28,399 --> 00:29:30,602   - [Alan] Investigators take      stock of their new abundance   622 00:29:30,602 --> 00:29:33,705 of evidence and quickly            begin making moves.            623 00:29:33,705 --> 00:29:34,873    [camera shutter snapping]     624 00:29:34,873 --> 00:29:36,574 - [Det. Darryl] We took photos   of the jacket.                   625 00:29:36,574 --> 00:29:37,709    [camera shutter snapping]     626 00:29:37,709 --> 00:29:38,843   The students that we              were interviewing,            627 00:29:38,843 --> 00:29:40,445    we were also showing them,    628 00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:41,980 "Do you recognize this jacket?"  629 00:29:42,981 --> 00:29:45,717 Also, the shoe print is          definitely a solid clue.         630 00:29:46,985 --> 00:29:49,320    It's like Cinderella, who     had the magic slipper.           631 00:29:51,856 --> 00:29:53,691    - [Sgt. James] There were       photographs taken.             632 00:29:54,492 --> 00:29:57,996 The FBI has on                     file a huge catalog            633 00:29:57,996 --> 00:30:00,632   of different types of shoes.   634 00:30:04,135 --> 00:30:06,471 - [Det. Darryl] We were           searching for Nike Air shoes.   635 00:30:06,471 --> 00:30:07,906  We assumed the motive            may have been robbery,          636 00:30:07,906 --> 00:30:10,475    but we didn't know              what belonged there.           637 00:30:10,475 --> 00:30:14,512 So we had to interview           the family to find out.          638 00:30:14,512 --> 00:30:17,782   And they confirmed that he      should have had credit cards,   639 00:30:17,782 --> 00:30:19,717    and he also had a                checking account.             640 00:30:20,885 --> 00:30:22,387  But the checkbook is missing,   641 00:30:22,387 --> 00:30:25,723  and his wallet and his             credit cards were missing.    642 00:30:26,825 --> 00:30:30,161   It looks like the motive is       robbery for both victims.     643 00:30:30,161 --> 00:30:33,364    These murders didn't have      anything to do with being gay.  644 00:30:34,465 --> 00:30:36,801    In light of what happened        in the Eric Plunkett case,    645 00:30:36,801 --> 00:30:39,904  which we found out that there      was credit card activity,     646 00:30:39,904 --> 00:30:43,408   we asked Benjamin Varner's      family to monitor his account   647 00:30:43,408 --> 00:30:45,510 and see if any                     transactions had been done.    648 00:30:47,679 --> 00:30:50,415  - [Alan] As the Varners keep     watch on their son's accounts   649 00:30:50,415 --> 00:30:52,183   and grapple with their loss,   650 00:30:52,183 --> 00:30:54,652  Eric Plunkett's family            reaches out to them.           651 00:30:57,055 --> 00:30:59,924 - [Kathleen] We came out to D.C.  and we spent some time          652 00:30:59,924 --> 00:31:01,492 with the Varner family.          653 00:31:02,193 --> 00:31:03,962  And we went to Ben's funeral.   654 00:31:03,962 --> 00:31:06,431   We went down to San Antonio.   655 00:31:06,431 --> 00:31:09,067   As a parent, I'm devastated.   656 00:31:13,104 --> 00:31:15,540    [suspenseful theme music]     657 00:31:15,540 --> 00:31:19,077    - [Alan] Then, a week and        a half after Ben's murder,    658 00:31:19,077 --> 00:31:22,947  the Varner family's vigilance    about his finances pays off.    659 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:25,717 - [Det. Darryl] His parents let   us know that a check            660 00:31:25,717 --> 00:31:28,219    had been cleared for $650     661 00:31:28,219 --> 00:31:31,122  within 48 hours of his death.   662 00:31:31,122 --> 00:31:34,225  It was dated two days              before he was discovered.     663 00:31:34,225 --> 00:31:36,561    And now we have something.    664 00:31:36,561 --> 00:31:38,930  This may be the break              that we were waiting for.     665 00:31:42,834 --> 00:31:42,867  [d                              666 00:31:42,867 --> 00:31:42,901  [dra                            667 00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:42,934  [drama                          668 00:31:42,934 --> 00:31:42,967  [dramati                        669 00:31:42,967 --> 00:31:43,001  [dramatic                       670 00:31:43,001 --> 00:31:43,034  [dramatic th                    671 00:31:43,034 --> 00:31:43,067  [dramatic them                  672 00:31:43,067 --> 00:31:43,101  [dramatic theme                 673 00:31:43,101 --> 00:31:43,134  [dramatic theme mu              674 00:31:43,134 --> 00:31:43,167  [dramatic theme musi            675 00:31:43,167 --> 00:31:45,570  [dramatic theme music]          676 00:31:49,274 --> 00:31:52,844   - [Alan] In the wake of two     Gallaudet University murders,   677 00:31:52,844 --> 00:31:54,879   police are desperate             to catch the killer            678 00:31:54,879 --> 00:31:56,748 before they kill again.          679 00:31:56,748 --> 00:31:59,150 The family of the second           victim, Ben Varner,            680 00:31:59,150 --> 00:32:01,853    have just handed                 detectives a tip.             681 00:32:01,853 --> 00:32:05,890   Someone cashed one of Ben's      checks after he was killed.    682 00:32:05,890 --> 00:32:08,259  Is the person behind             the financial mystery           683 00:32:08,259 --> 00:32:09,994    also the double murderer?     684 00:32:11,129 --> 00:32:13,131  [dramatic theme music]          685 00:32:13,131 --> 00:32:14,899 - [Det. Darryl] We get a            subpoena.                     686 00:32:14,899 --> 00:32:16,000    We go to the bank.            687 00:32:16,901 --> 00:32:18,102   And we get the name.           688 00:32:19,037 --> 00:32:20,004   Joseph Mesa.                   689 00:32:21,739 --> 00:32:24,108   The name Joseph Mesa              is familiar to us.            690 00:32:25,043 --> 00:32:27,645 [dramatic string music]          691 00:32:27,645 --> 00:32:29,047 - [Alan] Investigators question  692 00:32:29,047 --> 00:32:30,315  if it could really be someone   693 00:32:30,315 --> 00:32:33,251    who was hiding in              plain sight all along.          694 00:32:34,319 --> 00:32:39,290    - Joseph Mesa is a              sweet guy from Guam.           695 00:32:39,958 --> 00:32:41,659    He was a football player.     696 00:32:41,659 --> 00:32:45,063   He was glued to his            girlfriend all the time.         697 00:32:45,063 --> 00:32:46,664 - [Lauren] Joseph Mesa was the     first one                      698 00:32:46,664 --> 00:32:48,900    who was concerned               about Eric Plunkett.           699 00:32:48,900 --> 00:32:51,035   I hadn't really seen              them hanging out.             700 00:32:54,672 --> 00:32:58,209 - [Det. Darryl] After we get the  name, we request the security   701 00:32:58,209 --> 00:33:01,179    team to have him come for     an interview on campus.          702 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:04,916   - There's one of two things    involved in this check cashing.  703 00:33:04,916 --> 00:33:07,452   It's either it's the person       who committed the murder      704 00:33:07,452 --> 00:33:11,322 or there's a legitimate            reason why he had the check    705 00:33:11,322 --> 00:33:12,290   in his hand.                   706 00:33:14,325 --> 00:33:16,828 - [Det. Darryl] He comes in for   an interview.                   707 00:33:16,828 --> 00:33:19,197   And we start questioning him   708 00:33:19,197 --> 00:33:22,800  about his relationship           with Benjamin Varner.           709 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,069 He said he was a friend           of Benjamin Varner's.           710 00:33:25,069 --> 00:33:27,972  He and Benjamin lived              in the same dorm.             711 00:33:27,972 --> 00:33:30,108 He was a little computer savvy.  712 00:33:30,108 --> 00:33:33,845   And he used to help Benjamin      Varner with his computer.     713 00:33:33,845 --> 00:33:37,849   Then we're questioning him      about what is this check for?   714 00:33:37,849 --> 00:33:43,354   And he said that he               bought some parts             715 00:33:43,354 --> 00:33:46,858   And Benjamin Varner             paid him $650                   716 00:33:46,858 --> 00:33:48,359   for the part and his labor.    717 00:33:48,359 --> 00:33:50,728  But it didn't seem reasonable   718 00:33:50,728 --> 00:33:54,332  because the computer probably    was worth about $600.           719 00:33:55,433 --> 00:34:00,138   So to say that you pay $650      to get a computer repaired     720 00:34:00,138 --> 00:34:01,372  didn't make any sense.          721 00:34:02,106 --> 00:34:03,374  So the check had been cleared   722 00:34:03,374 --> 00:34:05,276    two days after he             was discovered.                  723 00:34:05,276 --> 00:34:08,413  So it raised a                    couple of red flags.           724 00:34:08,413 --> 00:34:11,249 - [Alan] Detectives then           collect a DNA swab from Mesa   725 00:34:11,249 --> 00:34:12,850   and let him depart.            726 00:34:13,785 --> 00:34:16,387  Then, that afternoon,            a student walks into            727 00:34:16,387 --> 00:34:18,156    the campus security office    728 00:34:18,156 --> 00:34:21,426 where D.C. Metro police          have taken up residence.         729 00:34:21,426 --> 00:34:24,128  The young man wants to           report a curious crime          730 00:34:24,128 --> 00:34:25,830   committed in his dorm room.    731 00:34:26,931 --> 00:34:29,767 - [Sgt. James] I'm sitting at my desk and a freshman walks in the 732 00:34:29,767 --> 00:34:32,870  door and sits down and starts    telling us about his roommate   733 00:34:32,870 --> 00:34:36,007    had stolen his credit card     right before Christmas          734 00:34:36,007 --> 00:34:40,044  and bought a computer            and various sundries.           735 00:34:40,044 --> 00:34:44,315    I asked this freshman what    his roommate's name was.         736 00:34:44,315 --> 00:34:48,319    [suspenseful theme music]     737 00:34:48,319 --> 00:34:49,987   And he told us Joseph Mesa.    738 00:34:52,056 --> 00:34:54,792 So that kind of                    piqued my interest.            739 00:34:54,792 --> 00:34:57,028   We had a picture of a jacket   740 00:34:57,028 --> 00:34:58,896 that we found at                 the crime scene.                 741 00:34:59,931 --> 00:35:01,899    And I showed that                to the roommate.              742 00:35:04,469 --> 00:35:05,903  And the roommate said,          743 00:35:05,903 --> 00:35:08,906 "Yeah, Joseph Mesa had           a coat just like that."          744 00:35:10,441 --> 00:35:13,211  And so then I went on            to ask him, he said,            745 00:35:13,211 --> 00:35:15,179   "What kind of shoes            does he wear?"                   746 00:35:15,179 --> 00:35:17,215    And he went on to             describe a pair of shoes         747 00:35:17,215 --> 00:35:20,351  that were the type of              shoes we were looking for.    748 00:35:20,351 --> 00:35:22,053   It's extremely significant.    749 00:35:24,222 --> 00:35:26,324   - [Alan] It's by far              the strongest lead            750 00:35:26,324 --> 00:35:27,458  of the investigation.           751 00:35:28,526 --> 00:35:32,096    Detectives begin speaking      with other students about Mesa  752 00:35:32,096 --> 00:35:33,498  in hopes of gathering            more evidence                   753 00:35:33,498 --> 00:35:35,967 before they bring him in again.  754 00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:39,103  But then, they quickly             receive a surprise            755 00:35:39,103 --> 00:35:41,172   from their new top suspect.    756 00:35:41,973 --> 00:35:45,209 [phone ringing]                  757 00:35:45,209 --> 00:35:48,946    And LaFranchise called and     said, "Hey man, get down here.  758 00:35:48,946 --> 00:35:51,115  That Mesa guy is back.          759 00:35:51,115 --> 00:35:52,583  And he wants to speak to you."  760 00:35:53,518 --> 00:35:56,354   And we came into the office.   761 00:35:56,354 --> 00:35:57,922  And the interpreters come in.   762 00:36:14,405 --> 00:36:18,409  And he waived and said             he wanted to talk.            763 00:36:18,409 --> 00:36:21,112    And then he starts telling       us about Benjamin Varner.     764 00:36:51,309 --> 00:36:53,511 - [Det. Darryl] We get the break    that we were looking for.     765 00:36:55,046 --> 00:36:58,282  [dramatic theme music]          766 00:36:59,617 --> 00:36:59,650  [d                              767 00:36:59,650 --> 00:36:59,684  [dra                            768 00:36:59,684 --> 00:36:59,717  [drama                          769 00:36:59,717 --> 00:36:59,750  [dramati                        770 00:36:59,750 --> 00:36:59,784  [dramatic                       771 00:36:59,784 --> 00:36:59,817  [dramatic th                    772 00:36:59,817 --> 00:36:59,850  [dramatic them                  773 00:36:59,850 --> 00:36:59,884  [dramatic theme                 774 00:36:59,884 --> 00:36:59,917  [dramatic theme mu              775 00:36:59,917 --> 00:36:59,951  [dramatic theme musi            776 00:36:59,951 --> 00:37:02,119  [dramatic theme music]          777 00:37:03,154 --> 00:37:05,656    - [Alan] In the Gallaudet        University double murders,    778 00:37:05,656 --> 00:37:08,526   student Joseph Mesa             has approached police           779 00:37:08,526 --> 00:37:10,161 to tell them something.          780 00:37:10,161 --> 00:37:12,530   Detectives have brought him      into an interrogation room     781 00:37:12,530 --> 00:37:14,131    at their precinct.            782 00:37:14,131 --> 00:37:15,766   It seems he's ready            to come clean.                   783 00:37:18,536 --> 00:37:21,405 - Joseph Mesa, he starts          talking about Benjamin Varner.  784 00:37:44,061 --> 00:37:45,363 - I couldn't believe it.         785 00:37:46,330 --> 00:37:48,099 He starts giving his confession. 786 00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:51,569 Almost like the hair on          your neck standing up.           787 00:38:02,847 --> 00:38:05,383 And I asked him, "What           do you need money for?"          788 00:38:21,198 --> 00:38:23,200   - [Det. Darryl] It just, it       didn't make sense to me.      789 00:38:43,788 --> 00:38:46,757    [soft eerie music]            790 00:39:06,777 --> 00:39:08,646 - [Det. Darryl] Everything that  he's saying in my mind,          791 00:39:08,646 --> 00:39:09,647    I'm corroborating.            792 00:39:19,256 --> 00:39:21,425   He gave everything,             he told us everything.          793 00:39:21,425 --> 00:39:25,262  - [Sgt. James] He fully admits     to lying about Ben Varner.    794 00:39:25,262 --> 00:39:26,330  He wasn't gay.                  795 00:39:27,064 --> 00:39:28,666  - [Det. Darryl] And he gives a    reason why.                    796 00:39:28,666 --> 00:39:35,806 He confessed to                     us that he did it.            797 00:40:03,334 --> 00:40:05,202 - [Alan] Police                  immediately arrest Mesa,         798 00:40:05,202 --> 00:40:06,704  and he's soon charged           with two counts                  799 00:40:06,704 --> 00:40:08,172 of first-degree murder.          800 00:40:10,875 --> 00:40:15,713  - [Kathleen] The phone rings,    and it's a detective.           801 00:40:16,747 --> 00:40:18,949   And he says, "We've            made an arrest.                  802 00:40:20,451 --> 00:40:22,853  We have a confession."          803 00:40:22,853 --> 00:40:24,588  I couldn't believe it.          804 00:40:24,588 --> 00:40:26,791  - [Thomas] They announced that    it was Joseph Mesa.            805 00:40:27,892 --> 00:40:30,628 And I said, "No                   [bleep] way."                   806 00:40:30,628 --> 00:40:33,731    The person who's glued to     his girlfriend all day?          807 00:40:33,731 --> 00:40:34,598   How?                           808 00:40:35,699 --> 00:40:39,270 - [Lauren] The one who reported   to me about the first murder?   809 00:40:40,004 --> 00:40:40,871   Wow.                           810 00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,375   I mean, it took me a            while to process that.          811 00:40:44,375 --> 00:40:45,810 I'm thinking, "Really?"          812 00:40:47,745 --> 00:40:48,879  I mean, I was shocked.          813 00:40:52,883 --> 00:40:55,019    - [Alan] In April of 2002,    814 00:40:55,019 --> 00:40:58,489 the double murder trial          of Joseph Mesa begins.           815 00:40:58,489 --> 00:41:02,326    Almost a month later, the       jury returns their verdict.    816 00:41:03,627 --> 00:41:06,497  - Joseph Mesa is found            guilty of the murder           817 00:41:06,497 --> 00:41:13,537    of both Ben Varner               and Eric Plunkett.            818 00:41:13,537 --> 00:41:14,839 without parole.                  819 00:41:15,739 --> 00:41:17,274   - [Lauren] Knowing that he's     going to be in jail            820 00:41:17,274 --> 00:41:19,276    for the rest of his life,     821 00:41:19,276 --> 00:41:20,511 I mean, he deserves it.          822 00:41:21,812 --> 00:41:24,048 I really want people to remember 823 00:41:24,048 --> 00:41:26,784  Eric Plunkett and Ben Varner.   824 00:41:26,784 --> 00:41:29,420    Both of them were             really wonderful people.         825 00:41:29,420 --> 00:41:30,821 - [Thomas] It was heartbreaking. 826 00:41:30,821 --> 00:41:33,657 Ben Varner, he was very gentle.  827 00:41:33,657 --> 00:41:34,725   Wouldn't hurt a fly.           828 00:41:35,526 --> 00:41:38,963   - [Kathleen] Eric was just a     regular kid.                   829 00:41:38,963 --> 00:41:42,032  He was an amazing, normal kid.  830 00:41:43,567 --> 00:41:47,371    And that's how he              should be remembered.           831 00:41:49,707 --> 00:41:52,409    - [Erin] One of the things       that I wish I had             832 00:41:52,409 --> 00:41:53,677 a better recollection of         833 00:41:53,677 --> 00:41:56,413   was the life before            he passed away.                  834 00:41:56,413 --> 00:42:00,751  That's what makes me             the saddest, I think.           835 00:42:05,990 --> 00:42:07,691  - [Alan] Joseph Mesa's murder    spree                           836 00:42:07,691 --> 00:42:10,561 was a terrible betrayal             of his community.             837 00:42:10,561 --> 00:42:12,963 The close-knit student           body was deeply shaken,          838 00:42:12,963 --> 00:42:16,100   but ultimately made closer.    839 00:42:16,100 --> 00:42:17,735   But the friends and              fellow schoolmates             840 00:42:17,735 --> 00:42:20,471    of Eric Plunkett                and Benjamin Varner            841 00:42:20,471 --> 00:42:23,107   will never take for            granted that fellowship.         842 00:42:23,107 --> 00:42:25,843  For they could                     never have guessed            843 00:42:25,843 --> 00:42:28,646 that the greatest threat            would be one of their own.