Original subtitles

Narrator: an elderly veteran Is found dead

Under mysterious circumstances.

Mack: It's a gruesome discovery.

How could a simple fall Result in death?

Narrator: the case heats up When detective rod demery

Uncovers a cache of clues Hidden in plain sight.

You see things like that, They raise red flags.

I need you To sign off on this.

You want an autopsy On a 74-year-old?

If I'm wrong, there could be A lot of blowback.

Narrator: to get to the truth, Demery must explore

The dark recesses Of a deeply troubled mind.

I need to talk to you.

What kind of evil has to be In someone's heart

To do something like that?

Croft: it didn't make sense To me at all.

Patterns just don't change.

He's not telling me everything.

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

♪♪

It's the middle of the afternoon In queensborough.

22-year-old terry cooksey

Has just got The newest video game.

♪♪

Washington: his mind is on Going into his room

And locking himself there For the next few hours,

At least, To play that game.

♪♪

That plan changes when he walks Into his living room.

♪♪

[ gasping ]

His elderly grandfather

Is laying in The middle of the floor.

He's gasping for air.

He seems to be in pain.

It's apparent there's something Seriously wrong.

♪♪

[ cars passing in distance ]

♪♪

As it turns out, I've got exact change.

All right.

All right, man. Take care, brother.

Hey, see you tomorrow?Yeah, you know me.

Good deal.

It was late in the afternoon.

My shift was about to end.

I stopped by a convenience store To grab an icee.

Dispatcher: Dispatch to demery.

[ sighs ]

When I get in my car, I hear The radio, and a call comes in.

We have a report of a deceased 74-year-old white male

Found on lakeshore drive In queensborough.

The caller indicated that There was no sign of foul play.

Demery: hey, copy that. I'm en route.

[ engine revs ]

Homicide detectives go To every death call,

Mainly to find out If there is anything

That's out of the ordinary.

This particular call Was an elderly male,

And my thought was it was going To be a natural death,

And I'll probably be home In an hour.

♪♪

When I get to the scene,

The house is a typical house In queensborough.

It's dilapidated.

It's got grass growing Everywhere.

The shrubbery is overtaken By weeds.

It's just not In very good condition.

Visconte: The queensborough neighborhood Was at one point in time

Considered a pretty nice Place to live,

But with time, it deteriorated.

Demery: it once was a place that You could raise a family

And enjoy the neighborhood.[ bicycle bell dings ]

Now there's a lot Of crime there.

[ police radio chatter]

Officer: hey. When we got here,

The deceased was laying On the floor unresponsive.

The responding officer tells me That the victim is 74-year-old

Arthur busby, who lives At the house with his grandson.

Mr. Busby was taken To the hospital

And pronounced deceased.

Arthur busby, my father, Was born in shreveport

And lived most of his life here.

He would work 6 days a week Just to make sure

That we had everything That we needed.

He was dedicated to his family And very loving.

Afternoon, rod.

We got A cause of death?

Looks like injuries Resulting from a fall.

He tells me there were No gunshots or stab wounds

Or anything that would indicate Any sort of foul play.

I'll go take a look.

Good luck in there.

[ dog barking ]

[ door creaks, slams ]

Oh, damn it, man.[ flies buzzing ]

When I walk inside the house, It's just nasty.

The house smells really bad.

There's food everywhere.

There's trash everywhere.

Mack: inside of the kitchen,

There was dirty dishes piled up In the sink.

There were roaches everywhere.

It was obvious that nobody in The house was taking care of it.

Officer: yeah, I don't know What's worse --

The way the place looks Or the way it smells.

In the living room, there's A very strong and putrid odor,

And I notice the stain On the floor.

It's not a bloodstain.

It's not blood spatter.

It's not anything that would Indicate anything other than

An expulsion Of bodily fluids.

This is where The body was found?

Yes, sir.

And at that point, I kind of Surmise that it's human waste.

When an individual dies, They typically do defecate

Or urinate themselves just due To relaxation of the muscles.

Demery: As I look through the house,

I notice that mr. Busby Is a war veteran.

He's a marine.

There are photographs Of family.

At one point, it was clearly A decent place to live,

And then all of a sudden,

There's this incredible Descent downhill,

And your mind naturally starts To wonder, you know, like,

"How did this happen? When did that change occur?"

There are also pictures That are not quite in the frame

And not really out.

It's just kind of odd. When you see things like that,

You can't really make Any sense of them.

They raise red flags.

So I make a mental note, And I move on.

Throughout the house, There is heart medication

And blood pressure medications.

There's more of those in The bathroom and the bedroom.

In the living room, There's a walker.

The gentleman was unable To support himself,

And he needed a walker To get around.

So looking at all of this, There's the issue of his health.

There's limited mobility.

I haven't found anything That would suggest

Anything other than He was an elderly person

That experienced Some sort of medical crisis.

Who made The 911 call?

His grandson, Terry cooksey.

He's out back. Do you want him?

No. I'll catch up with him myself.

Thank you.

♪♪

[ door creaks, closes ]

I want to get more information From him.

I want to find out exactly What happened,

How he found him, What condition he was in.

Listen, I'm really sorry About your grandfather.

Thank you.

The victim's grandson Is 22 years old,

And he looks like he's afraid.

He appears to be confused About what's going on.

Were you guys close?

He was more like A father to me.

Terry tells me he had been Raised by his grandparents.

They had taken care of him His entire life.

Croft: Terry called my parents Mom and dad,

And my parents just adored him.

As he's gotten older, I'm the One who's taken care of him.

Yeah, that's never easy When that happens.

Yes, sir.

Talking to terry, I can see that

It's not the easiest situation For him to be in,

Having a lot of responsibility For an elderly man

Who's got some serious Medical conditions,

So I know the pressure On him is kind of tough.

Now, do you know what happened To your grandfather?

Do you have any idea How he ended up on the floor?

I don't know for sure, But I think he just fell.

It's happened before.

He wasn't In good health.

You know, I came home --

Just really hard seeing him Like that, you know?

Of course. He's a proud man.

Of course.

At this point,

Terry looks like he needs Some sort of emotional support.

I send him off To a grief counselor to try

To get him calmed Down just a little bit.

Take care. I'll let myself out.

After talking to terry, It looks like there was a fall,

But I still need to talk To the doctor.

I need to find out what was The actual cause of death.

In order for us To rule a death natural,

In examining the body, We have to be able to indicate

That there was no trauma Related to it.

[ dogs barking ]

Hey, you know what hospital The vic got taken to?

I think It's willis-knighton.

All right, I'm gonna head over And take a look at the body.

Gotcha.

Willis-knighton hospital -- It's a regular hospital,

[ sighs ]

So there was no suspicion That he needed a trauma team

Or anything that required any Immediate or special attention.

Hey, doc.

Hey, detective demery.

I hear you're looking for some Information on arthur busby.

Yeah, I'm trying to determine A cause of death.

It was Cardiac arrest.

I don't know what Precipitated that.

I don't know if there was Some sort of injury

Or something that made That event take place.

Well, it appears he had A heart condition.

Everything seems to point To it being natural causes.

Okay.

I'm gonna need To see the body.

Is that necessary?

I want to look At mr. Busby's body

Because there are all sorts Of little things

That can kind of clue you in On what may have happened.

I believe the physician knows About cardiac arrest,

But she doesn't know About murder.

Okay, detective, Here you go.

Arthur busby is very thin.

He's very frail -- Almost looked emaciated.

I notice that the victim Has these tattoos

On his shoulders, arms, Forearms, and chest,

And they're military tattoos.

I have the same ones.

But recognizing his tattoos,

You kind of feel like you Know his experience,

Like where he's been, Where he's served,

So there's a connection There for me.

What are these, bruises?

Yeah, we assume They're from his fall.

You can assume, doc. I got to be sure.

The contusions just don't seem To sit right with me.

It's possible it's from a fall, But it's also possible

There could have been Something else there.

Well, you know How this works.

The only way to be sure Is with an autopsy,

But getting one Authorized

For a natural-causes death Won't be easy.

There are a lot of Different reasons

Why autopsies aren't performed, But they're sometimes invasive.

Some families want them. Some families don't want them.

They're costly, and if There's really no reason

To assume that There's a homicide,

Autopsies are not Going to be done.

Listen, detective. I appreciate your persistence.

I think you're wasting Your time.

And I think you couldn't Be more wrong.

♪♪

Something about this Isn't feeling right.

I don't know what it is, But I need to find out.

♪♪

[ siren wailing in distance ]

[ police radio chatter]

I've been called out on A suspected natural-causes death

Of 74-year-old arthur busby.

I go to the hospital, And I found out

That mr. Busby Has injuries and bruises.

The doctors are calling it A cardiac arrest,

So I want an autopsy To rule out foul play.

[ knock on door ]

Hey, boss. Yeah?

I need you To sign off on this.

You want an autopsy On a 74-year-old?

Come on, demery.

Are we sure this will be Worth time and resources?

Listen.

I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't think it was necessary.

Homicide detectives are great At throwing temper tantrums,

And you throw one until They give you what you want.

Just trust me On this one.

I need to be sure.

Weneed to be sure.

You explain to them that You have a responsibility,

And you become theatrical And dramatic,

And eventually, They give in.

All right.

I'll sign off on this, But if this turns up nothing --

I'll let them know You said, "Okay."

Trust me, you're gonna Look like a genius.

If I'm wrong, there could be A lot of blowback.

A lot of people and a lot Of moving parts

Have to happen For an autopsy to take place,

But it's a chance That I'm willing to take.

Later in the day,

I meet with the pathologist To go over the results.

Rod. Hey, doc.

I had a chance To examine the body.

Okay.

As you know, mr. Busby Had a heart ailment.

Mm-hmm.

But there are some other Findings that struck me as odd.

Like what?

First, he had significant Swelling from fluids

In both of his legs.

During the autopsy, The pathologist determines

That busby had edema,

Which we often see With an individual

Who's been lying in a position For a lengthy amount of time.

Any idea how long He was on the ground?

That's unclear, and I know You've seen the bruising

To his chest and abdomen?

Yeah.

He has several Broken ribs.

From the fall?

That's unlikely.

She explains to me That broken ribs

Wasn't consistent With the fall.

It's more consistent with Someone kicking him in the ribs.

So he was attacked?

I think It's very possible.

Thank you very much, Doc.

You're welcome.

Now this investigation Is completely different.

A while ago, I thought I was Going to be going home.

I was going to end my shift,

But there's no telling how long I'm going to be here now.

It's a homicide investigation, And it's got to get solved.

So, now I'm trying to figure Out what may have happened.

I think back to the crime scene In the house,

And I think about The picture frames

And the pictures that were Partially in and partially out

And that sort of Disorganization.

[ engine shuts off ]

That mr. Busby Was a victim of burglary

And beat in the process is Really a very good possibility.

Hey. Can you do me a favor?

You want To take a look around

And see if you see Any signs of a burglary?

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Oh, hey, terry.

Hey, detective. Is everything okay?

Yeah, yeah, Everything's good.

Listen. I was just wondering.

You mind if I take Another look around inside?

I just want to be sure.

Yeah, of course. I was headed out anyway.

Okay.

Just please close the door Behind you.

Sure. Have a good day.

Yeah, you too.

Mack: in this Particular neighborhood,

There's probably At least a dozen

Residential burglaries A day, easily.

I need to look for signs Of burglary or signs

Of something That can tell me

Who or how this man Was attacked.

Signs of burglary would Include broken windows,

Doors that had been Forced open, broken locks.

Some things are subtle, And some are obvious,

But there are no signs Of forced entry.

As I continue Looking around inside,

I make my way To the back bedroom.

[ sighs ] Damn.

[ flies buzzing ]

This is clearly the room Of the grandson.

♪♪

Terry cooksey's bedroom Was in a state of disarray

Just like the rest Of the house.

Looking at terry's room, It's very clear

That he is obsessed With video games.

He's got posters All over the walls.

He has every gaming console That you can own.

Demery: Looking at the house,

There's no way to tell if It's been burglarized.

I mean, Things are out of place.

Things are everywhere.

You couldn't tell if the house Was ransacked or not,

So we're back to square one When it comes to burglary.

♪♪

[ church bell chimes ]

When you run out of clues, And you really don't have

A lot of leads, You've got to hit the streets.

You hit people up.

You ask them what they know.

You want to know who's doing What, who's burglarizing houses.

So, at this point, I'm trying to determine

What sources I have in the area.

[ vacuum cleaner whirring ]

♪♪

What's happening, Man?

Hey, Detective demery.

How's everything?

I'm good, man. How you doing?

Good, man.

My best source in this Neighborhood works at a church.

He's a caretaker there.

He's a custodian, And he's always there.

Anything that happens In the neighborhood,

He's pretty on top of it.

Can you tell me What's the word?

I heard that there were Some robberies

Up on Yarborough street.

Okay.

Most people think it was The boss street dogs.

There's a gang called The boss street dogs

That are really big Into home invasions

And drug dealing and gunplay.

They've been Busy lately.

I know that they've hit up Some high-end dealers.

All right. Well, that's good to know.

The thing is, is my vic Isn't a dealer.

The more I learn About the boss street dogs,

I don't feel good about them

Being the people Who burglarized busby.

It's not something they do. It's too low-level.

If they're gonna break into Somebody's house,

They're gonna break into Somebody's house

That's got dope.

The only other option That I can think of is a guy

That just got Out of the joint.

You got a name?

Stacks, reggie stacks.

Reggie stacks.

So you know reggie?

Yeah, I know who reggie is.

I know who reggie stacks is.

He didrecently get out of jail.

He isa burglar.

I know he was in jail Because I put him in jail.

♪♪

Demery: So, I'm working the murder Of arthur busby.

The first thought is that Maybe someone

Broke into this house And beat him.

Now a trusted source has Given me a name, reggie stacks,

A name that I'm quite familiar with.

A few years ago, reggie stacks

Burglarized a home While the family was away.

[ siren wails in distance ]

[ grunts ]

The homeowner came home,

And they noticed someone Was still in their house.

[ groans ]

[ gunshots ]

[ dog barking ]

Hey!

The homeowner actually Fired shots at the burglar.

He cut hisself on the window,

And his blood was used

To confirm His identity as the burglar.

So, you think that reggie Could be your guy again?

Yeah, could be.

Reggie didn't use a gun, And neither did my killer.

Listen. You got an address Where reggie is staying?

No, I don't,

But I do have a telephone number That's somebody who might.

Thanks. Appreciate it, man.

Stacks fit this crime.

So I begin to look for stacks.

I make some phone calls,

And I track him down At a halfway house.

Hello?

[ indistinct talking ]

Hello? I'm looking For a reggie stacks.

Demery?

-hey, reggie. -what's up, man?

What you need?

I need to talk to you.

All right. I was just about To have a smoke.

All right. I'll join you.

Come on in.

Stacks is cordial.

He's almost happy to see me.

So, what brings you by?

Well [sighs]

I'm investigating These burglaries

Over in The queensborough area.

And you think I'm involved.

That's what I'm here To find out.

Well, look, man.

Since I've been out, I've been staying clean.

Stacks wants me to know That he's been working,

He's trying to finish His education,

He's been out of the streets, And he hasn't had any problems.

Now, you wouldn't Lie to me, right?

Honestly, I've been A model citizen.

They keep all of my records In and out of here,

Time sheets at work -- Whatever you might need.

Okay. I'll tell you what.

You have them send those sheets Over to the station.

Okay.

Meantime, glad to see you Doing good, brother.

-no problem. -keep yourself clean.

-no problem. -I'll see myself out.

Okay.

I'm happy to find out That reggie is actually doing

What he's supposed to be doing.

The unfortunate thing is that he Doesn't work out as a suspect,

And we've got to start From square one.

After reggie falls through As a suspect,

I start canvassing The neighborhood.

My thought is that maybe A neighbor saw somebody --

Somebody peeped out a window At the right time.

Hey, mr. Busby died, And I'm trying to --

I'm sorry, who?

Arthur busby. He's your neighbor.

Wait, who died?

Mr. Busby.

He's an older guy, Your neighbor down the road.

Oh, man. I'm not familiar With that name.

-you don't know him? -mnh.

Okay. Yeah. Thanks.

Thank you.

Demery: the neighborhood Is really transient,

Doesn't really produce Anybody that knows busby.

They don't know the family.

They haven't been there Very long themselves,

So it's not really fruitful.

[ engine revs ]

I'm not having any luck With the canvass,

But just as I'm about to leave,

I see a car pull up To a house next door.

How you doing?

Detective demery With the shreveport p.D.

Ron ford. Good to see you.

You hear about arthur? I heard he died.

Yeah. You know him?

Mm, more or less.

Mr. Ford says that he's been Busby's neighbor for a while.

He said in the last few years,

Nobody really goes out Or comes in the house.

Busby and his grandson Live there,

And he doesn't see

A lot of activity From either one of them.

Okay. I'm investigating his death

To see if it might be tied To some burglaries in the area.

You see Anything suspicious?

No, not really, except what I noticed about his car.

Ron ford had noticed something Odd in the last few days,

And that was terry cooksey Driving arthur busby's car,

Which he said arthur busby Didn't allow.

He thought that was strange.

When I hear that, I think there May be some more to this.

Patterns just don't change.

All of a sudden, This boy is driving a car

That he typically Doesn't drive,

So there's something To explore there.

You know anything About his grandson?

Oh, lord, That boy's hopeless.

Arthur's an old man.

He has health issues.

He can't do His yardwork,

But terry, a perfectly Capable young man,

Sits at home all day, Doesn't lift a finger.

I mean, You've seen that yard.

Yeah, I have.

It's an eyesore.

All right. Well, listen, Thank you for your help.

I appreciate it. -you're welcome.

Have a good day. Thank you.

[ siren wails in distance ]

After I learn these things About terry,

I think I need To talk to him again.

I'm gonna have him Come to my office.

Maybe there's something that He didn't tell me

Or something That he should have told me

That I need to know.

[ indistinct talking ]

Hey, rod.Yeah?

This is terry cooksey.

Hey, terry, how you doing? Have a seat.

How you holding up?

To be honest, not so well.

Yeah, It's gonna take some time

Before you get over Your grandfather's death.

Yeah, But it's not just that.

You know, I talked to that Grief-counselor lady

And made me realize I've got to figure out

A way to pay for food And stuff I want, you know?

As terry and I begin talking,

I realize that he's concerned How he's gonna live

Because his grandfather Is dead.

He doesn't have any income,

So he talks a lot About his income

And how he's gonna Be able to survive.

They said you had more questions About my grandfather's death.

So, I turned To questioning terry

About driving His grandfather's car.

What he tells me is not at all What I was expecting.

It's come to my attention

That you've been driving

Your grandfather's car Before his death.

Is that something You normally did?

Yeah.

Well, not really.

Okay. Explain what you mean.

Terry reveals that he didn't Call 911 right away.

There was a delay.

When he was lying there, I was about to call 911,

But he didn't want me to.

Even though He couldn't speak,

He was shaking his head no And waving his arms at me.

He didn't want to go To the hospital.

My father Didn't like hospitals at all.

My mother spent almost A month in a hospital

After having Aneurysm surgery,

And he would go up And see her every day.

But he wouldn't stay.

He didn't like doctors Or hospitals.

I didn't know What to do.

My grandfather Would have been so mad

If he had to go To the hospital.

Terry's explaining That he panicked.

He didn't know what to do.

He just delayed in calling.

He's fallen before,

And he's always recovered Without a doctor,

So I figured He would this time, too.

That's why I was using his car --

Just to go get his medicine And food and stuff.

Where were you getting The money from?

Oh, he has money Hidden all over the house --

Behind pictures And other places.

I just took What I needed.

That explains the pictures that Were removed from the frames,

And the small amount Of ransacking

That was done to the place Was actually done by terry,

And terry Readily admitted it.

If I had to do it All over again,

I'd call 911 right away.

Well, Here's the thing, terry.

You didn't Call 911 right away,

And that's A major problem.

The fact that terry would allow His grandfather

To be in that condition For a few days

And not get help for him,

That's criminal negligence.

It goes beyond Not wanting to upset somebody.

It's about doing the right thing

And about doing What you're responsible to do.

Now, I'm placing you under Arrest because what you did,

Or rather What you didn'tdo,

Is called Negligent homicide.

I understand.

I'm gonna need you To stand up,

Hands behind your back.[ handcuffs click ]

Terry is calm.

He accepts the responsibility, And he says, "You know what?

You're right. I probably Should have called 911."

As I arrest terry

And I have An officer transport him,

Something's still Not sitting right.

The fact that terry didn't Call 911 really bothers me.

His demeanor And his remorse level

Is indistinguishable.

I don't know if he's upset Because his grandfather is dead

Or because he doesn't know

Where he's gonna get The next check from.

I'm getting the feeling That something's missing.

I'm not getting everything.

He's not telling me everything.

I'm starting to believe

This is far worse Than a negligent homicide.

It's much more disturbing.

This is a murder, And arthur's killer

May be a little closer To home than I thought.

♪♪

[ siren wails in distance ]

Demery: Originally, I'm thinking

Arthur busby Was robbed and beaten,

But now, After I talk to his grandson,

[ handcuffs click ]There are clearly some things

That just don't add up --

Delaying calling 911.

It just doesn't sit well, So I need to find out

What the relationship is Between the two of them.

[ dog barking ]

Appreciate you taking time To meet with me.

Yeah, anytime.

I mean, I just want to get To the bottom of this.

I track down sharon croft,

The daughter of busby And the aunt of terry cooksey.

Sharon's distraught.

I received a call from terry

Saying that my father had fallen And that he had died.

It didn't make sense To me at all.

I mean, they don't have stairs In their house,

So how could a simple fall Result in death?

How did terry come to live With your parents, anyway?

Well, My folks had had him

After my sister And her husband split.

I mean, terry never Really knew his father.

Mm-hmm.

And my sister was only 17,

So she wasn't ready To be a mom.

My parents raised him.

They did not legally adopt him,

But they did have Legal guardianship over him.

Hey, terry. I hope it's the one You're looking for.

Oh, my god! This is so awesome!

Although they had Very limited financial means,

Arthur and his wife tried to do Everything they could for terry.

Awesome.

They bought him video games

And tried to make sure that he Had the things that he wanted.

Here you are, My little man. Very good.

I don't like the crust, Grandma.

Okay. Okay.

My parents really Spoiled terry in every way.

[ knife clacks, squeaks ]

Take this away.

There you go, Sweetheart.

Even as late as ages 13, 14,

My mother would Cut up his food for him,

Brush his hair, Pick out his clothes --

Like you would do For a 5- or 6-year-old.

Sharon explained That her parents

Were really protective Over terry.

The neighborhood Wasn't that great.

They didn't want him out Mixing with a lot of people,

So that explains

Why he stayed in his house All the time,

Playing video games.

As far as I know, He never had any friends.

He didn't get along well With kids at school.

I think Because he was so isolated,

He never really learned How to get along with people.

He was their whole world,

And basically, They were hiswhole world.

My mother fell ill, So, I mean,

Things really Went downhill after that.

She was in a nursing home For a couple of years,

And my father was really Conscientious

About visiting her.

He was there three times a day.

Have you eaten today? Have you had any food at all?

They took care of each other For 50 years,

And they were Very, very close.

A couple of months after that, My sister passed,

So, I mean, That really devastated him.

Terry's mother, My sister janice,

She died in a fire.

It was just three months After my mother had died,

So those two deaths really Hit my father very hard.

I imagine both those deaths Had to impact terry, huh?

That's probably about the time He quit school.

After terry lost His mother and his grandmother,

He became even more withdrawn.

He stayed in even more.

He just immersed himself In video games.

[ gunfire]

♪♪

Did terry Get a job somewhere?

Terry get a job? [ laughs ] No.

I know it had to be hard For my dad.

I mean, if terry would have Helped out around the house

To help dad out With his money problems...

Visconte: terry and his family Struggled financially,

But after the death Of his grandmother,

Finances became Even more tight.

Just to be honest,

I don't see how dad Put up with terry.

Wow.

Demery: As I'm talking to sharon,

I notice Some photographs of arthur,

And he's in military uniform.

He's lean.

He's obviously A hardworking guy.

Terry, on the other hand, Is completely different.

The frustration that someone Like arthur busby

Would have with his grandson

Had to be overwhelming.

Well, listen, thank you for Taking time to talk with me,

And, again,

I'm really sorry This happened to your father.

Now that I'm thinking About this,

I need to go back to terry.

I need to find out what happened With him and his grandfather.

Clearly, there was A relationship strain,

And I'm wondering If that rose to the level

Of some sort Of physical confrontation

Between terry And his grandfather.

You guys are holding A terry cooksey

In one of your cells For a negligent homicide.

Yeah, would you bring him up To the interro room, please?

I don't think terry Has been up front with me,

And I realize that this case

Is gonna require A lot of interrogation

To find out Exactly what happened.

♪♪

Something is not right About this guy.

Good luck.

♪♪

When I talk to terry,

His story doesn't really Change a whole lot.

He doesn't really waver.

But there's a certain level Of deception, you know?

I don't know that terry is still Telling me the complete truth.

I just want to explore.

I want to go deeper.

I know that the injuries That mr. Busby sustained

Aren't consistent With a fall,

So I finally have to confront Him with the evidence.

I realize that he's not Telling me the truth,

So I confront him on it.

It's time to call bull[bleep] Because I don't think

Terry is telling me everything That he needs to tell me,

And I press him harder.

Now that terry's crossed this Threshold, he can't go back.

I know what happened.

It changes the scenario Completely.

It's a matter now of getting All the information.

♪♪

[ siren wails in distance ]

Demery: when I first Start talking to terry,

He explained to me That his grandfather fell,

But as I dig deeper, I find out

That terry Is a very sheltered kid,

He's a very spoiled kid,

And now he's admitted

To actually Laying hands on his grandfather.

The trick now is Getting it all out of him.

This is complete bull[bleep]

I'm not buying that at all.

But the first rule In interrogation

Is to let them lie.

I want him to believe That maybe he's convincing me,

That maybe I somehow have Some sort of sympathy for him.

At that point, I knew I had him.

It's just a matter of getting Whatever other details I can.

But the fact is, is that Terry is gonna admit

To everything that he did.

Terry finally explains That he went to his grandfather

And asked him For money for a video game.

His grandfather refused.

Terry said that he got angry, And he kind of snapped.

He said that he struck His grandfather.

When terry is telling me This story, he's really cold.

He's really matter-of-fact. It's amazing.

This is unbelievable to me.

He let his grandfather Lay there for almost five days.

He knew his grandfather Needed medication, food, water,

To even relieve himself.

The bodily fluids on the ground Were because mr. Busby

Didn't have the strength To get up to go to the bathroom.

He had to relieve himself Where he was.

Interviewing a suspect,

You don't have Personal emotions or feelings,

But something like this Kind of just irks you.

I literally wanted To reach across

And slap the [bleep] Out of him,

But I realized That I couldn't do it.

The most difficult part Of that interrogation

Was not slapping the taste Out of terry's mouth.

Terry explained that this Has happened in the past.

He says he struck His grandfather before,

But it never got this bad.

It's hard to think About the fact

That he had beat up on my father Before that.

Nobody knew.

He was very private And very proud,

And so he wouldn't have admitted

That he allowed terry To hurt him.

Lord only knows how many times He beat the poor man,

But this one took him out.

Demery: I don't have Any room for sympathy for terry.

I lost a parent. I was raised by my grandparents.

There is nothing In that set of circumstances

That makes someone Want to beat their grandfather.

It just doesn't make sense.

I mean, it's just who he is.

He's a depraved killer.

You know what? That's enough.

Officer!

Cuff him and get him The hell out of here.

Stand up.

[ handcuffs click ]

[ dog barking ]

With terry's confession,

I'm able to piece together The events

That led To arthur busby's murder.

So, "Bloodlust 2" finally Comes out on saturday.

Can you take me To the mall tomorrow?

No, terry. I can't do that.

What? Why?

Because we're already behind On the power bill this month.

We can't afford Another video game.

Why are you like this?

I've been waiting For this game for months!

My father hated confrontation,

So I'm sure When he told him "No,"

He probably explained to him Why it was no

Because he was So used to getting "Yes."

So I imagine he was

Probably conciliatory toward him At the time.

Terry, if you want Another video game,

Just go get a job!

Ooh! I can't -- I can't believe this!

Terry goes into a rage.

I hate you!

Gah! No! Stop it!

Aah!

[ thud ]

[ breathing heavily ]

[ blow lands ][ groans ]

Terry strikes him, Knocking him off his walker.

Mr. Busby falls to the floor.

[ grunts ]

[ groans ]

[ blows landing ]

[ groaning ]

♪♪

To beat a man

Who is clearly in no condition To defend himself --

The fact that this boy Could do that,

I don't know that there's Anybody or any other killer

That rises To that level of savagery.

[ groaning ]

♪♪

Ugh!

[ breathing heavily ]

I hate you.

[ blow lands ]

What kind of evil Has to be in someone's heart

To do something like that To their grandfather?

[ terry breathing shakily ]

Demery: After the beating,

Terry leaves his grandfather On the floor

And searches Through the house for money.

He looked in picture frames,

Grabs money...

[ frame clacks ]

...Like a common crackhead

To get a video game

And leaves him there.

[ keys clack ]

[ bells jingle ]

Terry came back And went on a video binge.

[ buttons clacking ]

[ gunshot]

Didn't stop.

He knew His grandfather was there,

But terry didn't really care.

He let his grandfather Lay there for days.

[ footsteps]

[ glass shatters]

That is the hardest part Of this whole situation

Is knowing that my father Laid there on that floor

In his own waste...

And terry just walking past him Like nothing was wrong.

[ groans weakly ]

That is just too cruel To even imagine.

Deutsch: while busby Was laying on the ground,

His body Was becoming dehydrated.

He wasn't receiving The nourishment that he needed.

His cells were breaking down.

His tissues were breaking down.

So it was really just the fact

That he was left there Alone on the floor

That ultimately led To his death.

Demery: eventually, He decided to call the police.

He made up a story about how His grandfather must have fell

And he found his grandfather.

♪♪

[ cell door slams ]

In louisiana, if you kill Someone over the age of 65,

It's punishable by death.

After I charge terry With first-degree murder,

He claims that he's insane, So he had to be examined,

And there had to be All sorts of evaluations.

Visconte: Terry was diagnosable with Schizoid personality disorder,

But those psychiatrists Determined

That terry was competent To stand trial

And that he was also sane At the time of the crime.

Demery: eventually, terry pled To second-degree murder

To avoid the death penalty,

And he got life in prison

Without The possibility of parole.

[ siren wails in distance ]

Croft: I told the prosecutor's office

As long as it was life Without parole,

That I would sign off on that

Because my father Would never have wanted

People to see What happened to him.

So I'm perfectly happy With life imprisonment.

I think That's probably worse for him

'cause he's not Spoiled anymore.

This is probably One of the most disturbing cases

That I've worked,

Just by the way it happened And the motivators for it.

To think that that is possible, For someone that you've raised

That has a temper tantrum Because he wants a video game

That ends your life,

It's just not something that,

Even working homicide, That you're prepared for.