Original subtitles

Demery: most people never Come face-to-face with murder.

For them, murder's just Some abstract occurrence

They see on the evening news.

But for me, Murder is familiar...

Intimate...

A relationship I've had all my life.

But let me tell you, It's not healthy.

Murder controls you.

It consumes you.

It's part of you forever,

Like some disease There's no cure for...

...Unless you're willing To fight back.

Murder and me, we go way back.

When I was a child, Murder took my mother.

Years later, It came for my brother.

That's when I found My mission in life.

Every case I worked, I solved.

Every case I solved, I got a confession.

I'm detective rod demery.

I didn't choose murder.

Murder chose me.

--captions by vitac-- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

That touchdown. Lansing, man.

-tell me about it. -dude's calling me.

-hey, guys! -what's going on?

It's 1969, a small town By the name of sweeny, texas.

And it was a 20-year-old girl By the name of mary.

She's going to a pool hall.

She's supposed to meet her Boyfriend and his friend.

-hey, baby. -hey.

-hey, what's up, mary? -hey.

Hey. Where's barbara?

Oh, she's not inside?

Nah.

Is she still up The street at the house?

Uh, uh, I don't know.

She was supposed To be here by now.

Hey, baby, look, she'll -- She'll show somewhere.

You can wait on her.

-okay. -you'll be all right.

It's gonna be okay.

Mary has a -- A feeling in her stomach

That something bad has happened.

-I'm telling you, bro, -I remember when I used to play.

I mean... -yeah, yeah.

I heard you Was that real man.

I'm -- I'm worried, Robert.

About barbara?

Something just Doesn't feel right.

Do you think we should Go check it out?

[ siren wailing ]

You -- you guys Hear that?

You hear that? -yeah.

Well, yes, yes, yes, We -- we should go.

Crow: they decide They really needed

To go up to barbara's house.

[ police radio chatter ]

Mary: oh, god, Oh, god, oh, god.

Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me.

What -- what happened? Is she okay?

-whoa, whoa, whoa. -is she all right?

I ain't at liberty To say right now.

I need you to move along.

Please, please, That's my friend inside.

Is she okay?

Look, she didn't make it.

She didn't make it?

[ crying ]

Demery: my mother, Barbara demery armsted,

Was killed on may 8, 1969.

She was just 21 years old.

This is the story Of how I solved her murder.

Jerry: all right, guys. Be good now.

We're leaving. I'll be back. Okay?

Demery: Our grandmother always told us

We meant the world To our mother.

But in 1968, her new husband, Jerry, moved to sweeny, texas,

To take a job With the oil company.

Barbara: I'm gonna miss you.

She moved with him.

So you're gonna be A big boy for grandma?

Jerry: come on. We got to go, now.

My brother and I Stayed behind in shreveport.

Honey, I have to go. I'll come back.

Okay? I have to go.

We were supposed to join 'em Once they got settled.

Come on, barbara. Let's go now.

But I never saw Her alive again.

In 1999, I was working As a police chief

In a small western Pennsylvania town.

I loved the work, But my home life was strained.

My wife and I decided To call it quits.

I think my ability To form and -- and --

And maintain Very close relationships

Was affected by the fact

That I didn't have 'em In the beginning.

Sims: The lack of nurturing and love

And support isolated rodney.

There are times that rodney Can be detached emotionally.

Demery: After my wife and I split up,

I stepped down As police chief,

Decided it was time For a fresh start.

I was a stranger In pennsylvania.

I never belonged In pennsylvania.

There was no sense of a home.

Sims: As far back as I can remember,

Rodney has always had An emptiness within himself

And wanting to know About his family history.

Demery: I went to find out my roots.

So I think I was naturally Drawn back to louisiana.

When I arrived in shreveport, I realized why I come back.

Something was missing From my life,

Something that was taken from me When I was a boy...

...The memory Of my mother's face.

I didn't have any photographs Of my mother.

I always created these Mental pictures of her.

But I didn't really know Exactly what she looked like.

I wanted a photograph because I'd heard so much about her.

I wanted to see all those things

That people Were telling me about.

But the truth is,

Photos of my mother Were scarce

As my memories of her.

My grandparents just didn't Want to deal with that pain.

And they didn't want Any reminders.

And I think that, If they had any, they --

They got rid of 'em or, You know, destroyed 'em.

It's kind of like They had this --

This crazy notion that they --

They could erase her Or erase her memory.

I think the only way That I figured

I'd ever see my mother Was in a dream.

I would go to bed.

And I would just pray to god, You know,

"Please let me see What this woman looks like."

I wanted to know what her voice Sounded like.

Think real hard, you know, Close your eyes real tight

And try to come up with This -- this picture.

It never worked.

Finding a photograph

At that point in my life Was priority one.

Then it came to me.

When I work murder cases, I collect photographs

Of the victim In a better state,

When they're happy.

I wanted to go To sweeny, texas,

Because I wanted to find My mother's case file.

I'm hoping that there's A photograph in there.

Sweeny, texas, somewhere Between galveston

And houston, halfway to nowhere.

Blink and you'll miss it.

It was very small, very quaint.

I don't know What the population was.

But driving through it, You'd think it was 10.

Hi. How are you?

Good afternoon.

When I spoke to the clerk Of court there, she was sweet.

You know, it's, like, Somebody's grandmother.

I'm looking for a, Uh, police file.

It's a homicide From 1969.

The victim's name Is barbara demery armsted.

I'm going to need you To fill out this request form.

It's gonna take a couple of days For me to get that back.

Uh, okay, listen.

I -- I know you're just Doing your job.

But I'm hoping You can help me out.

I -- I'm so sorry.

But I -- I really do have To have this form com--

Please, It's my mother's case.

So if you could help me, I'd appreciate it.

Let me see What I can do.

I'll have to go in the back And look for it.

So just -- just give me A few minutes.

Okay.

There's no way in hell

I'm gonna let formalities Get in the way

Of me tracking down this photo.

-here you are, sweetie. -thank you.

Demery: when I finally got The case file,

It was a really big moment.

You know, I was anticipating What I was gonna find in there.

Damn it. There's no picture.

When I opened it, I found some reports.

I didn't find any photographs. That was pretty disappointing.

But that's when I realized

This case file holds The answers to questions

That have haunted me My entire life.

My family didn't talk a lot About my mother's murder.

I knew she got killed.

Other than that, There's no talk about it.

Growing up, as youngsters, That was a taboo subject

That no one in the family

Really wanted to expound On or share.

I was always told that My mother was shot to death

During a burglary That went wrong.

[ screaming ]

[ gunshots ]

My family also told me The police never caught the guy

And that no one served A day behind bars

For what happened.

I wanted to know the story.

So when I get In the police report,

I knew I could probably Piece together what happened.

I've been to hundreds Of crime scenes.

Reading my mother's file, I can visualize what happened.

[ police radio chatter ]

I can see what those cops saw.

I could put the pieces Together myself.

There didn't seem to be

Any sort of examination Of the crime scene or --

Or any proper Evidence collection.

There is just not Answers to questions

That I'm accustomed To being answered in the first

Three to four sentences Of a police report.

Man: so were there any Witnesses whatsoever?

-nah. -I think we're just gonna

Let old junior handle this This time around.

Demery: I've worked homicide For a long time.

I know good murder police When I see 'em.

And these guys, they ain't it.

Man #2: What have we got?

She's back in the bathroom Back yonder.

She's shot up Pretty bad.

-hey. -hey.

[bleep] Call a morgue.

Let's get her out of here Before someone gets sick.

Demery: reading that sorry Excuse for a police report,

I'm sick to my stomach, too.

There's no explanation Of blood spatter.

There's no explanation Of trajectory.

There's no explanation of, You know,

Where this person may have been Standing, sitting or --

Or how the -- The murder took place.

And to top it all off,

There's absolutely zero mention Of a burglary.

This is unbelievable.

And that's when I realized

That this is more than Just sloppy police work.

Something's not right. Something's going on here.

And I'm gonna figure out what.

Demery: I'm looking through My mother's case file

For a photograph.

But all I find is A botched investigation

Highlighted by sloppy And inadequate police work.

Crow: when we review A true investigation, what --

What you should expect to see

Is a totally unbiased recount

Of the facts And the physical evidence.

And that is not What you saw at --

In this case at all.

Demery: I decided to pick up Where the detectives left off

Some 30-plus years ago,

Except, this time, We're gonna work the case

The way it Should've been worked.

When I read through The police reports,

I learned that there Were two people

That were friends Of my mother within earshot

And eyeshot of what happened.

One was a woman by the name Of, uh, mary brown.

At this point, Finding mary is important.

Mary can fill in some blanks.

She can tell me what happened.

Excuse me.

Are you mary brown?

-who wants to know? -I'm rod demery.

Barbara demery armsted Was my mom.

Barbara was your mother?

Yes, ma'am.

Please come in.

Mary seemed to be disturbed

By bringing up the memory.

But at the same time, She sounded as though

She wanted to tell me What was going on.

Make yourself comfortable. Would you like some iced tea?

Yes, please.

When I talked to mary,

She was comfortable Talking to me.

Your mother and I...

Always had A lot of fun together.

She was always very lively, Very outgoing.

She explained to me that, uh, She and my mother were friends.

So how did you And my mom know each other?

I mean, live next door?

No, she lived on The other side of town

With her husband, jerry.

Did you know jerry?

Not very well.

You know, after a while,

Your mother didn't really Want to be here anymore.

She missed her family, Missed you boys.

She was actually planning On moving back

To louisiana To be with you

And your brother. -wow.

She was packing Her things

The night She was killed.

Mack: barbara's plan That she told mary

Was that she was going back To louisiana the next day.

And she needed To pick up some items.

Was there a reason why my mom Wanted to leave sweeny,

I mean, besides coming back For me and my brother?

Well, I think things Between her and jerry

Wasn't all that great.

What do you mean?

Well, she was actually

Seeing that friend Of my boyfriend's,

Young man named nelson At the time.

Hey, wait, wait, wait.

W-- what are you Talking about?

Aw, girl, stop, man.

You guys work together?

[ indistinct conversations ]

Oh, no, Don't see a ring.

I don't see a ring, baby.

Hey, don't -- don't -- Don't talk to this one.

Oh, no, I'm talking To this one right here.

Barbara: I don't have to, uh, I don't have to...

Honey, Don't blame your mother.

She was lonesome.

And jerry was older.

He never really wanted to do Anything she wanted to do.

Barbara was going to do What barbara wanted to do.

And jerry did not like that.

Demery: when I hear about

My mother's relationship With nelson,

My wheels started turning.

I've seen many homicides

Motivated by jealousy And passion.

I'm wondering, Instead of a burglary,

Is this a deadly Love triangle?

Okay. Well, thank you.

Miss brown, I appreciate it. I really do.

Of course. Glad I could be of help.

My mother obviously Had a few secrets.

Her relationship with nelson Raises a lot of questions.

Maybe nelson has something To do with my mother's death.

At this point, I don't know, But I need to find out.

Hey, jimmy.

Look, man, I need your help In tracking someone down.

Although I want to talk To nelson asap,

I have to find him first.

He could be living anywhere Or he could be dead.

Jimmy: believe it or not, He's still in sweeny.

I've even got A phone number for you.

Thank you, brother. Appreciate the help.

When I called nelson, I wasn't scared.

[ telephone rings ]

But I was definitely anxious.

I didn't know what to expect.

-hello? -hi.

Can I speak To nelson richards, please?

-yeah. -nelson, this is rodney demery.

My mother was Barbara demery armsted.

Do you remember her?

I think, when nelson heard From me,

He was, uh, a little, Uh, apprehensive.

She was murdered in...

What exactly Do you want?

Nelson, I was hoping I could come by

To ask you a few questions About my mother?

I don't think so.

Mr. Richards, please. You know, it's --

It's only gonna take A minute of your time.

-okay then. -okay.

I'll see you in a little bit.

Thanks.

He gave me some directions To where he lived.

They were kind of vague.

What the hell, man?

He gave me some information

That I was quickly Able to determine

Was kind of contradictory To what was on the map.

So I -- I immediately Tried to call him back.

And he tried to avoid The phone call.

Excuse me. Hey.

I'm looking for sampson road.

Sampson road?

There's no sampson road Around here.

-really? -no.

What about nelson richards?

He live around here?

Old nelson?

Yeah, he lives on ballard Street, right this way.

-all the way down that way? -all the way down that way.

All right. Cool. Thank you very much.

Now my suspicions Of nelson have heightened.

There's a reason He's trying to dodge me.

I don't think he wants To answer the questions

I have to ask him.

Mr. Richards, you are a very Hard man to track down.

Kind of busy.

Come on, man.

You don't look like You're that busy.

Demery: years of detective work Gives you sort of a sixth sense

When something isn't right.

Nelson is clearly uncomfortable.

Is he hiding something?

Does he really know What happened to my mother?

I'm on a mission To find out exactly

What happened to my mother Over 30 years ago.

I'm talking to nelson richards,

A man who had a secret Relationship with my mother.

His demeanor's Making me suspicious.

First, he gives me sketchy Directions to his house.

Now he doesn't want to talk.

Look, I just need a minute Of your time, please.

All right.

So you're Barbara's son, eh?

Yes, sir.

Well, I'll be damned.

When I got your call, I thought it was somebody

Trying To play a sick joke.

Demery: I think he -- he wasn't Sure what the outcome

Or what my motivation was.

I think that was the reason For his hesitation at first.

Look, I'm hoping You can help me.

I just want to know,

What was your relationship With my mom?

Well, I met your mom At the pool hall.

We hit it off Right away.

But she was still Married at the time.

And, uh, we, uh, Had a lot in common.

She kind of had a way Of just kind of telling people

What she thought, You know?

And I liked that About her.

My mother was described As very rebellious.

Everything I knew About my mother,

She was not a person that was Gonna be manipulated or --

Or told what to do. It just wasn't gonna happen.

Did jerry know what was Going on between you guys?

Well, uh, jerry Suspected your mom

Was messing around The whole time,

Even before we met.

From what I gather, The relationship

Between my mother and jerry,

I think, was dysfunctional From the get-go.

Being 18 years Older than her, um,

Created some sort of a --

A relationship where he felt Like he needed

To dominate or instruct her.

And I don't think My mother would even be

Nearly receptive to that.

Nelson tells me it was Jerry's domineering behavior

That drove my mother Into his arms.

When he found out, He really let your mom have it.

[ television playing In background ]

-where the hell you been? -out.

Demery: and I think jerry had That obsessive personality,

You know, that controlling Personality.

I think he was, uh, Immediately insecure.

What? With that boy again?

No, I was down At the drive-in with mary.

-oh, like hell you were! -what do you care anyways?

You don't care about me. You don't talk to me.

You just come home From work,

Sit in front of the tv And ignore me.

It's like I don't Even exist.

Don't you talk to me Like that, woman.

Jerry, no. You stay The hell away from me.

Somebody's got to teach you How to treat a man!

Jerry, stop!

Demery: from my work and from My experience, I see it a lot.

There's always a man That decides

He wants to have A relationship with a woman

That he feels he can't control Or he feels inferior to.

And he, uh, beats her.

Get the hell Out of my house.

After that, Uh, your mother and I

Went down to houston To get away from jerry.

But she always wanted To go back to him.

So our relationship Just, uh, fizzled out.

According to nelson, His relationship with barbara

Was on and off.

He knew that she was Going back and forth

Between him and jerry.

And he kind of cut things off.

I -- I still cared For her.

When she decided To go back to louisiana,

I offered to take her To the bus station.

She died the night before She was supposed to leave.

Your mom Was a good woman.

At that point, It became clear nelson

Had nothing to do With my mother's murder.

I don't think there was Anything else he could tell me.

Well, mr. Richards, Thank you for your time.

I appreciate it.

And I'm sorry For dodging you earlier.

I didn't know What to think.

Thought I was seeing A ghost or something.

There are too Many holes now.

And there are Too many questions.

So I'm starting to wonder If it's either a cover-up

Or maybe a lack of information That's just not included.

But for whatever the reason, It's -- it's not adding up.

And after speaking with nelson, I'm not sure what to believe.

So I open the case file To the only pages

That I know Will reflect the truth.

The most reliable information You're gonna get

From a murder investigation

Is an autopsy report.

It removes a lot Of emotional opinion.

Everything is based on science.

Everything is based on Something that can be measured.

When I'm reading The police report,

This murder Didn't appear to be

What I envisioned it Or imagined it to be.

It was something totally Different from that.

Crow: she had been shot nine Times with the fatal gunshot

Being, uh, to the lower back.

It would travel Up her torso and --

And through her lungs.

[ screaming ]

Demery: Nine times is an execution,

Not exactly the kind of murder

You would expect From a random burglary.

My mother's murder was Very violent and very brutal.

It was, uh, relentless.

It only suggests One thing -- rage.

And that rage was overwhelming.

At this point, it's clear It wasn't any burglary.

My mother wasn't Collateral damage.

She was a target.

And I'm pretty sure She was married

To the son of a bitch Who killed her.

Demery: at this point, I'm into my mother's murder.

I'm trying to find out what's Going on and what happened.

I'm asking questions that have Haunted me for a long time.

Mack: I think the case means So much to demery simply

Because it's his mother.

I mean, I think it's the preface For everything

That's ever happened In his life.

And I think this particular Case stole a lot from him.

My natural inclination As a detective

Is to go back to the house Where my mother was killed.

I had to see it. I wanted to feel it.

Jerry: Like hell you were!

Barbara: What do you care anyways?

You don't care about me.

Where you going?

After speaking with nelson,

I knew my mother was Planning to leave jerry.

And in my dreams, she does.

You can't live There without me!

She packs her bags... -where you going, barbara?

...Walks out the door And heads off,

Back to shreveport,

Back to me and my brother.

But in real life, I know That's not what happened.

In real life, jerry decided,

If he couldn't have My mother, nobody could.

I'm wondering, how the hell Could this happen?

How could anybody get away With murdering their wife?

Hi.

I read through My mother's case file.

And it seems like There's something missing.

-what do you mean? -I don't know.

It seems to be missing Some key information.

Like, the -- the file Just ends.

It's possible I could've Missed something.

Let me go take Another look for you.

Okay. Please. Thank you.

And I'm thinking, "There's got To be something missing.

There's got to be something Redacted from this report

Or in this case file."

You're in luck. Here you go.

Thank you very much.

I open this folder.

And the first thing I read floors me.

It's a written statement From the chief of police

About the night of the murder.

According to the chief, He was on the beat,

Sitting in his cruiser alone...

...When a vehicle approaches him From behind.

He looks behind him, And he sees bright lights.

Mack: the driver of the car Behind him gets out.

Stop right there.

Come to me slowly.

And he's kind of Raising his hands.

He's walking toward The police officer's car.

Jerry?

Chief hood.

And then the cop realized It's jerry armsted.

I shot my wife. I think she's dead.

Jerry, what the hell Were you thinking?

It -- it -- It was a big mistake.

Let's just stay calm. Let's take you downtown.

We can work through this. Okay?

All right?

Demery: There's a level of familiarity

That's really Uncomfortable for me.

It basically seemed As two old friends met up.

And he said, "Hey, man, uh, I just shot my wife."

And the officer Was more like, "Oh, well,

Let's go see What we can do to fix it."

At this point, it's clear The burglary story

Was something jerry Told my family

So he could hide From the truth.

My question is why this bastard

Wasn't locked away in a cell For the rest of his life.

And then I see it, A court transcript.

After being charged with murder, Jerry faced the prospect

To spend the rest Of his life behind bars.

Your honor, I'd like to call

P.J. Butler to the stand.

In court, jerry stuck To his claim

That the shooting Was an accident.

And he hoped his good Standing in the community

Would help clear him Of any wrongdoing.

Mr. Butler, tell me,

How do you know my client, Mr. Jerry armsted?

We work together.

Do you have any Type of statement

As to what type Of man he is?

I mean, Jerry's a fine man.

So you believe he's an asset To our society?

Yes, sir. I do.

Demery: it was obvious to me That jerry's defense was,

"I'm a great person. I'm a great guy,"

And, um, he would Do us more good

As a productive citizen Than to be locked away.

Do you believe justice Would be served

If mr. Armsted were To receive probation

If he were convicted?

Yes, I do.

There was very little Emphasis placed

On my mother's life Or her murder.

And that lack of humanity, I think, is probably

What outraged me More than anything.

The defense would like to call Ed pritchard to the stand.

His attorney presented A whole string of witnesses.

And the defense would like To call mr. Carl johnson

To the stand.

I use witnesses, uh, In the loosest term.

None of these people Knew what happened.

Demery: I don't know That I classify any court

Proceeding that happened after My mother's death as a --

A -- a court proceeding.

Uh, it's not something That's recognizable

In the american criminal Justice system.

I think it was more of A survey than a trial.

Will the defense Please rise?

The court finds Mr. Jerry armsted

Guilty of murder Without malice

And sentences him To 5 years' probation.

Court is adjourned.

Jerry was charged With murder without malice,

Which simply means he was Charged with murdering someone

And not really meaning to do it.

I don't even know how --

How you could begin To write that in a sentence,

A homicide without malice.

That's not what your physical Evidence is telling you.

Jerry didn't kind of get away With killing barbara.

He got away With killing barbara.

I'm confused about The entire situation

And the lack of investigation

Or the lack of caution Or concern.

There is nothing in That entire investigation

That gave any indication That anybody cared.

I just don't understand Why the system failed my mother.

-is something wrong? -yeah.

Uh, uh, this doesn't even Seem like there was a --

A -- a trial.

I hate to say it, but there's Your problem right there.

What do you mean?

She said, "Well, sweetheart, um,

Back in those days,

A man could kill his wife If he thought she was cheating."

And she said, "Now, I don't Really know how to say this.

But your mother was black.

So no one really cared."

That's the way things Was done back then.

In that time, uh, women Weren't considered,

Uh, as equal to men

And more as their property that,

If a woman was considered To be cheating or unfaithful

Or some sort of infidelity,

That the husband could shoot Her, and nothing would happen.

I'm sorry. I just wish it wasn't so.

Yeah, me too.

I think any investigation That involves, uh,

The loss of human life Or jeopardy of that

Should have a certain amount Of care and professionalism.

And it just wasn't there.

That's something That you have to possess.

If you don't have it, Then I think

There's a special place In hell for you.

I can't change what Happened 30 years ago.

But what I can do Is find answers

To the questions those cops Never bothered to ask.

Jimmy, it's rod.

Listen, man, I need another favor.

I think the next logical step Was for me to talk to jerry

And find out how honest He was gonna be.

I think there was a -- There was a desire for me

To hear him speak the words.

I wanted him to look me In my eyes

And tell me he killed my mother.

My man, jimmy, Does a little digging.

And shortly after that...

[ cellphone rings ]

...My phone rings.

This is demery.

Woman: hi. Mr. Demery,

I heard you been Looking for my dad.

-jerry's daughter? -yes.

He's actually in The hospital right now.

He just had heart surgery. -okay.

Well, uh, which hospital?

I went to the hospital, Thinking and taking advantage

Of the opportunity That, uh, he was getting older.

He was in poor health.

That I would probably need To get information from him now

Before it was too late.

I didn't approach My conversation

With jerry as a --

A guy going to talk to a guy.

I approached it as a guy Investigating a murder.

That's just the way I've been trained.

The most difficult part About an interrogation

Is being able To remove yourself

And compartmentalize.

I've always been able to command Those emotions and --

And suppress what I needed To suppress

Or suspend What I needed to suspend.

But this case was A little different.

I didn't know If I had that in me.

I didn't know If I had the strength

To interview The most personal suspect

That I ever come In contact with.

I mean, this is the man Who killed my mother.

Demery: the moment I step Through this door,

I'll be face-to-face With the man

Who took my mother from me.

When I met jerry, I didn't have To introduce myself.

Jerry knew who I was.

It's as if though he had Been waiting for me

To come his entire life.

The reason I Brought the camera is

Because that's What I always do.

I record every interrogation.

I want to be able to dissect This conversation afterward.

I, um, started The conversation off

By asking him some Of the questions that I had.

And then he starts Talking about my mother.

He speaks of my mother highly.

But at some point In the conversation,

He turns to, uh, Saying that my mother

Didn't want to be With him anymore.

It was clearly what's known In interrogation as minimizing.

You make the victim A villain.

When we got the point Of my mother's murder,

He explained how he

And she had just got back From the hospital

Because he had His finger amputated.

He starts to tell me

How he was taking Pain medication

And how it made him loopy.

And he was not able To know what was going on.

And that's designed to make me Think he's not responsible

For what he did.

He said, "And when The smoke cleared,

Your mother was in the lead Of what was happening."

Jerry told me that my mother's Murder was an accident.

He said that he was Being burglarized,

And he shot at the burglars, And my mother was there.

And she got shot In the cross fire.

His story just didn't Make any sense.

His explanation was that He squoze the trigger,

And it just kept firing Until it went dry.

She was shot multiple times

From a single response from him.

I knew that that was Ballistically impossible.

It's the fact that he, uh, Said that it was an accident.

Um, clearly didn't Make any sense.

For whatever reason, He manipulated the story

And attempted To sell it to me.

I can see right Through jerry's lies.

Based on the evidence, I already know what happened.

My mother went to the house, Um, to get some clothing

And some other things to come And see patrick and I.

What the hell You think you doing?

-I'm leaving. -what?

You about to run off With that boy now?

No. I'm going home To see my children.

-oh, like hell you are! -what are you doing?

No! No!

You let go of me! You let go of me!

For whatever reason, he decided That she wasn't gonna leave.

-no! -you are not gonna leave me,

Make me look Like a fool!

I think jerry's Inability to, uh,

Relate to my mother on a level

Where she would respect Or listen to what he had to say

Probably incensed him.

You just gonna leave Me like that?

Barbara: Please, please.

Shot and shot and shot Until he ran dry.

It wasn't that jerry Didn't want my mother to leave.

Jerry didn't want My mother to live.

You can't understand What he's saying.

But he's saying, "I don't want you to think

That I ever did anything Like that intentionally."

I think, at that point, I learned a lot about myself

Because, um, you know, I know he did it.

And I knew he was lying. And I knew what it was.

Uh, I consoled him And told him,

"Yeah, I know you didn't."

I wasn't mad at him. Uh, I pitied him.

I think, um, that was A defining moment for me.

You know, all the things That I had searched for

And all the questions That I had, you know,

Identity and where I came from,

I guess it didn't Matter that point

Because at that point, I realized who I was.

Having that actual Interaction with jerry,

That one-on-one And actually seeing the man

And talking to him Has given him inner peace

In resolving his feelings With his mother's death.

Demery: Shortly after our meeting,

Jerry died of cardiac arrest.

And I think probably Jerry was the first person

I prayed for sincerely.

You know, and when he died,

I -- I prayed god would, uh, Have mercy on him.

Although I solved the mystery Of my mother's murder,

There was still Something missing,

The one thing that had Eluded me all my life,

Even in my dreams.

-hey, what's this? -I don't know.

It just came for you.

Then, one day, out of nowhere,

An envelope comes from a man

Who heard I was Looking for my mother.

And inside was her photograph.

And for the first time In over 30 years,

Here I am looking at my mother.

It was literally A dream come true.

My mother's murder Taught me that, um,

I had an incredible capacity For forgiveness.

The fact that jerry

Could take away Everything from me

And I could still Forgive him

Let me know

That I could forgive anybody

And, um, encourage Other people to forgive.

Learning about what Happened to my mother

Brought me closer to her In a way that I can't describe.

I finally feel She's a part of me,

And I'm a part of her,

Which is the way It should've always been.