All language subtitles for Episode 07 Tape The Scene

At night, I lock
myself in my bedroom

with the alarm system on
and a gun in my nightstand.

My adrenaline's kicking.

I was pretty amped up.

This kind of thing
no one

ever thinks could happen
to their family.

It's always something you see
on TV or in the movies.

We've got somebody
here out on the run

that smashed
an old lady's head open.

We got to figure out
who did this.

The community's wondering,

are they in danger?

This was probably
the most gruesome

crime scenes I had seen.

Um...

Within minutes,

middleton police dispatch
officer Ken chung to the scene,

a single-family home
on the north side of town.

I just turned on my lights
and responded as quickly

as I could to the address,
which wasn't too far

from the police department.

I had just completed
the academy,

and I was in my last phase
of field training.

My adrenaline was kicking.

I was pretty amped up.

I could tell by my coworker,
officer engstrom's face

and his expression that
something serious had happened.

I looked over to my right,
and I saw an older lady

lying in the garage

with a stream of blood
flowing from her body.

Paramedics
are already on scene,

as well as the 911 caller

and his mother, Rose,

who identifies herself
as the victim's daughter.

It certainly...

Is something I'll remember
for the rest of my life,

just like officer chung will,
I believe,

just based on what
we saw that day.

What's not immediately
apparent is if there might be

another victim
or possible assailants

inside the house.

So officers prepare to enter.

I turned to Rose and asked her
for a key to the house,

and she was surprised
that the door was locked.

Upon opening the door,

I started giving verbal orders.

I immediately noticed evidence
right inside the door, um...

There was a decent
amount of blood

and what I believed to be,
like, bone fragments

or skull fragments along with

probable brain matter.

Officers also noticed
blood smears on the floor

and blood spatter
on the walls.

It was difficult responding
and clearing that house,

because we knew it was
a potential homicide.

It's the first homicide
I've ever run into.

In law enforcement, you'll never
forget your first homicide.

At that point,
you could hear, I mean,

I was able to hear
my breathing.

I could feel --
almost feel my pulse,

and...

I had to constantly remind
myself to slow things down,

to think clearly, to breathe,
and not to fall

into this tunnel vision.

It's like everything...

Unintentionally
slowed down as we were walking

through the hallway

and clearing each room
in the house.

With the scene secure,

officers next speak
with Rose and her son.

They both positively
identified the lady

lying on the garage floor
as 82-year-old Agnes bram.

If you met my mom, you would
not forget that you met her.

If you go anywhere in town,
you just say aggie,

they'll know who
you're talking about.

It's kind of like
if you say Oprah,

because everyone knows
who she is.

We're very lucky
that grandma aggie lived

only six or so blocks away,

so whenever I got mad and
wanted to run away from home,

it would be six blocks away.

She was always a loving,
good lady,

and she made everyone laugh.

She was always throwing up
the peace sign.

It was pretty unfathomable
to hear

that someone did something
to my grandma aggie.

It was a few days
before we found her,

because she came over
to my house

on the 26th of April,

which is my birthday,

and she gave me a hug
and a kiss and said,

"happy birthday. I love you,
and I'll see you later."

Back at the house,

forensic investigators
process the crime scene.

It appears Agnes was struck
in the head with some kind

of object, um...

We didn't know what that was,

um, and then was drug
out into the garage.

Where there was pooling inside
the residence,

the suspect placed
a rug over that

to cover it up.

And there was also some blood
spatter on the walls that

the Wisconsin state crime
laboratory came in

and did some analysis on.

We did not find
an obvious weapon that was

used to strike aggie
at the scene.

Investigators also
find that the residence

shows no signs of
forced entry,

and nothing appears
to be missing.

Officers then speak with Rose

to learn more about
what may have happened.

I wanted her away
from everyone else

and in a place that offered
more privacy.

When I asked Rose if she can
think of any possible suspects

that may have wanted
to hurt her mother,

she couldn't think of anyone,

but one piece of information
she gave US

that I found pretty important
was that,

um, she...

Housed

different tenants
throughout the years.

Rose briefly mentioned that
she was concerned about some of

the tenants that she had and
even mentioned it to Agnes,

that maybe she should consider

not having tenants.

And there was
one tenant specifically

that Rose said she found
particularly unnerving.

When I got the very
basic information

that I had of Agnes
living with a roommate,

or housing a tenant,

I passed that information
on to the detectives,

but, I mean,
that's all I had.

I didn't have any additional
information to give them,

not even a name.

Hoping to find out
more information

on Agnes's mystery tenant...

...investigators start
a neighborhood canvass.

The neighbor
describes Agnes's tenant

as a white male in his fifties

with close-cropped
hair who was approximately

5'11", 240 pounds.

However,
the neighbor says

he never learned
the man's name.

At this point,
we don't know who this guy is.

We're getting discouraged,
and we're getting concerned,

because we've got
somebody here, um,

out on the run that smashed
a little old lady's head open.

We gotta figure out
who did this.

Police in middleton,
Wisconsin, are investigating

the murder of 82-year-old
Agnes bram.

And are looking
for a mystery man

who rents a room
from the victim.

Because I'm looking
at this serious crime here,

I'm trying to figure out
who could

be responsible for this
and who's got motivation.

Back at the station,

hoping to put a name
to the mystery tenant,

detectives speak
with Agnes's grandson.

The 911 caller,

her grandson knew that aggie
was renting a room

out to somebody, however,

didn't know that person's name
or couldn't provide any details

about who that was.

However, he is able
to provide information

about an earlier tenant,

someone who had suddenly
moved out.

The victim's grandson
tells detectives

the tenant's name
is bemis gorvego.

I was familiar with bemis
from past context.

As a detective,
I start thinking,

okay, is this --
is this motivation?

But before they can
track down bemis, the next day,

the results of the autopsy
come in.

They confirm investigators'
suspicions

about how Agnes died.

The medical examiner ruled
aggie's death

homicidal by blunt force trauma
to the back of her head.

It was some type of
implement consistent

with a hammer.

There were some other injuries
that weren't circular in pattern

that may have been caused

from the claw side
of a claw hammer.

Agnes was very small.

She's a little old lady.

In my 20-plus years of
law enforcement,

this was one of the most
gruesome crime scenes

I had seen.

It was unbelievable
to think that somebody else

could have done this
to somebody.

I feel like...

With her getting murdered
on my birthday...

It's something that
I'll probably never forget.

At night, I lock myself
in my bedroom

with the alarm system on
and a gun in my nightstand.

So...i am terrified
all the time.

We never used to lock
our doors at our house at all.

We'd leave our cars unlocked
all the time.

I mean, we live in a safe city
in a safe neighborhood,

and it's not like that anymore.

The bram family
holds a funeral

for their beloved Agnes,

praying that justice
will be served.

This is the kind of
thing you -- no one

ever thinks could happen
to their family.

It's always something you see
on TV or in the movies,

and when it's happening
to you, it's happening, and...

There's nothing
you can do about it.

Now, investigators
are determined to locate

their two possible suspects.

They continue their
neighborhood canvass

when a uniformed officer has
a chance encounter with bemis's

former boss at a local
convenience store

while on break.

In fact,
investigators also learn Agnes

had taken bemis to court
over unpaid rent.

We had learned
that her previous tenant

and Agnes had some arguments
over money,

and that immediately raises
a little bit of a red flag

for US as detectives.

That would be a lead
and someone we'd would want

to talk to, because any time
you have money involved,

it might --
and money owed,

it might be a motive
to do something like this.

Bemis's former boss
gives officers bemis's address,

and he's brought into
the station for questioning.

Good.

Yes.

Any time that somebody has
knowledge of the layout of

the house or habits
that people maintain

as far as locking doors
and windows and with that

interior garage door
never being locked,

knowing where a hidden key is
for the house,

those are things that always
perk our interests

as detectives.

Growing suspicious of
bemis, detectives then turn

their attention to the day
Agnes was murdered.

Bemis said that, you know,
during the timeframe

that we thought
that aggie was murdered,

that he had been working.

He works as a landscaper,
so I told detective Jones

we'll follow up
with his employer

and get work records
and verify that he was at work.

And with no other
direct evidence

connecting bemis to the murder,

detectives are forced
to let him go.

Out of leads,

detectives ponder their next
move when a man from Agnes's

neighborhood comes forward
claiming to have information

pertinent to the investigation.

Detectives speak with him
at the police station.

The man explains that he was
recently visited

by his former neighbor,

a man named Jack hamann.

The neighbor tells detectives
that Jack has a mean streak

in him, especially
when it comes to women.

However, he did help
Jack financially when Jack

asked him for money.

Hamann asked him for money,
and the citizen's like,

well, is, you know, everything
okay with your new place?

He knew that
he had just moved.

And are you making rent?

Is everything good with that?

And hamann says to
this citizen...

Shhh.

The citizen was very alarmed
by the way Jack said that,

and after learning
about this crime,

felt extremely compelled

to come and -- and tell
the police about this.

We've got some flags now.

We don't know
if he's been involved.

Detectives then ask
the neighbor if he knows

the name of Jack's landlord
and are struck with his reply.

Jack's associate told US
that his landlord's name

was Agnes bram.

Middleton,
Wisconsin, police

are searching
for Jack hamann,

a man who rented a room from
82-year-old Agnes bram

and who they believe may have

valuable information
relating to her murder.

Things are starting point
towards this current roommate,

and we need to find
him, because, you know,

as the hours pass, it becomes
more difficult to solve.

This is a big investigation.

This is a whodunit homicide.

So we're urgently trying
to figure out where he is.

Police run Jack hamann's
background and discover

a state ID photo
and a criminal record.

An investigative lead
that detectives will use

in pursuing a possible suspect
in a crime such as this

would be their --
any activity that they have

on social media sites to --

to develop information
about them,

and their whereabouts
and who they are.

In investigating

Jack hamann,
a social media post

was located in which he made
derogatory comments about women

and the fact that he had
disdain for women.

Unfortunately,
apart from Agnes's house,

investigators find no record
of an address.

At this point,

we've learned that
Jack hamann

can be pretty angry
toward women,

and he owes Agnes,
his landlady, money,

and we're not able
to find him.

He's become a prime suspect
at this point.

As the investigation stalls,
Agnes's family is hit with

another wave of impatience,

bewilderment, and fear.

We were frantically
watching the news,

talking with the detectives,
getting any updates

we could -- of course,
it was an anxious time.

It did feel like an eternity

of just sitting there, waiting.

Out of leads,

the case threatens to go cold.

This is a case where time
is not on our side.

We don't have a lot of luxury
in waiting

to find the suspect.

Then investigators get
a call from a manager

of a local business

claiming a strange man
came in seeking assistance.

We were contacted by a local
business who said

that they had an individual,
an older, disheveled,

upset, panicked
male subject,

looking for a ride
to the hospital.

The business didn't provide him
with that ride

but did direct him
to the bus stop.

Investigators learn
the incident

was captured on
surveillance video.

They review the footage and
identify the man in question.

It's none other than
Jack hamann.

It looked exactly like him.

He even kind of walked
with that gait

that some of these neighbors
talked about.

So at this point, we know that
we need to locate Jack

and interview him and find out
what he knows about

what has happened to Agnes.

Does he have valuable
information about it?

Is he okay?

Is he a victim?

Is -- is he involved in this?

Investigators know
from the surveillance video

at the bus stop

that Jack boarded a bus
heading for

the university hospital.

But they don't know
where he got off.

Haselow: Hours passed,
and we don't know where he is,

and we can't find him.

So we start to wonder
if he actually

is there and when we'll be
able to find him.

They pull
the surveillance video

from inside the bus
and eventually locate

footage of Jack boarding.

We were going
through bus footage trying

to figure out
where he got off.

He had told staff
at this local business

that he wanted a ride
to the uw hospital.

We suspected
that's where he was at.

But again, this took time
reviewing this video.

Officers continue
scrolling through the footage

and watch as the bus
makes each stop.

Sure enough,
they observe Jack exiting

the bus at the stop
near the hospital.

Hamann's whereabouts
are finally confirmed,

and officers are sent
to the scene.

There's Jack in bed,

in a gown,
kind of disheveled.

And his response is --
is quite memorable,

and he says...

Police investigating
the murder of Agnes bram

in middleton, Wisconsin,

have just apprehended
their prime suspect,

54-year-old Jack hamann,

who rented a room
from the victim

and who may have been the last
person to see her alive.

Jack hamann was ultimately
located at uw hospital,

but that was just
the beginning.

Police transport
hamann in a squad car

to the middleton police
department's medical facility

and then obtain a search
warrant for his DNA.

A forensic scientist
from the state crime lab

arrives to examine his body.

Lift that hand up again,
please.

A detective is in the room,

I'm in the room, so that I can
analyze and collect

We collected his DNA

His demeanor was...

Nonchalant.

Or may have some information
that we don't.

We just didn't know
at that point,

and I wanted to talk to him.

Yeah.

My personal approach is just
treat everyone,

even someone who is a suspect
in a homicide --

IQ-wise,
I think he was savvy.

The chances of that attorney
saying, "yeah, go ahead

Jack hamann,
the man middleton

murdered Agnes bram, has shut
down his interrogation,

And...um...

While she was lying
in the garage.

Is a direct match
to Agnes.

Her DNA is there,
but he's not

walking around
in her blood every day.

Why -- why would there be blood
on the side of his shoe

After her homicide,

He grabbed
the nearest implement

and he just beat her
to death with it.

He is sentenced
to life in prison

we'll never bring
her back, but, you know,

He's where he should be.

Justice was served, um,

but mentally, I don't think
it's ever gonna go away.

I think the worst part was
that we didn't get