1 00:00:03,873 --> 00:00:05,092 - Harlan, over here. 2 00:00:05,135 --> 00:00:07,137 - Ladies and gentlemen, Harlan Coben. 3 00:00:07,268 --> 00:00:09,357 [applause] 4 00:00:09,444 --> 00:00:10,749 - He's the greatest thriller writer. 5 00:00:10,836 --> 00:00:11,794 - Oh, come on. 6 00:00:11,881 --> 00:00:13,535 [dramatic chamber music] 7 00:00:13,665 --> 00:00:16,320 - Coben's written over 30 "New York Times" Best Sellers. 8 00:00:16,407 --> 00:00:19,106 - With over a dozen hit TV shows and movies. 9 00:00:19,236 --> 00:00:21,456 [typewriter clacking, dinging] 10 00:00:21,543 --> 00:00:23,719 - In all our stories, the same question-- 11 00:00:23,806 --> 00:00:26,287 what made the killer cross that line? 12 00:00:26,417 --> 00:00:28,115 ♪ ♪ 13 00:00:30,682 --> 00:00:33,555 [mysterious music] 14 00:00:33,642 --> 00:00:35,296 ♪ ♪ 15 00:00:35,339 --> 00:00:37,428 I'm Harlan Coben. 16 00:00:37,515 --> 00:00:40,301 The best twists aren't the ones that come out of nowhere. 17 00:00:40,344 --> 00:00:42,651 They're the ones hiding in plain sight, 18 00:00:42,738 --> 00:00:45,567 the ones you could have seen from page one. 19 00:00:45,697 --> 00:00:47,917 I thought about that when I stumbled across the case 20 00:00:48,004 --> 00:00:52,139 of a man murdered in his bed, sleeping next to his wife, 21 00:00:52,226 --> 00:00:55,142 with his daughter just down the hall. 22 00:00:55,185 --> 00:00:56,969 No one heard a thing. 23 00:00:57,100 --> 00:00:59,407 No one even woke up. 24 00:00:59,494 --> 00:01:02,845 And that's where our mystery begins. 25 00:01:02,975 --> 00:01:05,108 [tender piano music] 26 00:01:05,194 --> 00:01:08,285 - My dad and I were best friends. 27 00:01:08,416 --> 00:01:11,984 My dad, Ben, made everyone that he loved happy 28 00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:15,162 and especially me. I was a daddy's girl, for sure. 29 00:01:16,815 --> 00:01:19,079 My dad introduced me to Melissa, 30 00:01:19,166 --> 00:01:24,301 and I was super mean to her because I didn't know her. 31 00:01:24,388 --> 00:01:26,521 But she grew on me pretty quickly. 32 00:01:26,564 --> 00:01:28,218 - Oh, wow. 33 00:01:28,305 --> 00:01:31,091 - For the wedding dress and everything. 34 00:01:32,570 --> 00:01:34,094 - Aww. 35 00:01:37,009 --> 00:01:39,011 - Looking good. Looking good. 36 00:01:41,275 --> 00:01:44,015 - The wedding was in Tahoe, on the beach. 37 00:01:45,844 --> 00:01:47,411 I just loved getting dressed up 38 00:01:47,542 --> 00:01:48,804 and being with everyone, 39 00:01:48,890 --> 00:01:51,414 and I felt really pretty. 40 00:01:51,545 --> 00:01:53,374 - Friends and family, may we all please rise 41 00:01:53,461 --> 00:01:55,506 for our beautiful bride? 42 00:01:55,593 --> 00:01:57,073 [camera shutter clicks] 43 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:58,857 - But I also think I liked 44 00:01:58,901 --> 00:02:01,425 that my dad and Melissa were gonna be together. 45 00:02:06,038 --> 00:02:08,345 - She gave me a bracelet to be a part of the wedding 46 00:02:08,431 --> 00:02:10,913 so that I knew that I was family too. 47 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,829 [applause] 48 00:02:18,573 --> 00:02:20,096 - Just look at each other and go, 49 00:02:20,183 --> 00:02:21,445 what the hell have we just did? 50 00:02:24,100 --> 00:02:27,277 - I loved every second of it. 51 00:02:27,364 --> 00:02:30,628 But then I don't know if I ever really understood 52 00:02:30,715 --> 00:02:33,892 what it was that happened until obviously I got older. 53 00:02:33,978 --> 00:02:36,460 [tense music] 54 00:02:36,591 --> 00:02:38,114 [line trilling] 55 00:03:07,665 --> 00:03:09,189 - So a man was shot in his sleep, 56 00:03:09,276 --> 00:03:10,494 but no one in the house woke up? 57 00:03:10,625 --> 00:03:12,279 - Someone's lying. People are keeping secrets. 58 00:03:12,366 --> 00:03:14,498 - She's evil. She's vile. 59 00:03:14,585 --> 00:03:16,283 - Police say a source has come forward 60 00:03:16,413 --> 00:03:17,936 with inside information. 61 00:03:18,023 --> 00:03:19,851 [dramatic music] 62 00:03:19,982 --> 00:03:22,114 - A crime happened here. 63 00:03:22,245 --> 00:03:25,466 The past isn't what it seemed. 64 00:03:25,553 --> 00:03:28,164 The story told turns out to be deception. 65 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:30,384 And just when you're sure have the answer... 66 00:03:30,427 --> 00:03:33,125 - 911. What is the address of your emergency? 67 00:03:33,256 --> 00:03:35,040 Hello? Anyone there? 68 00:03:35,084 --> 00:03:37,956 - There's one final twist. 69 00:03:41,046 --> 00:03:46,400 ♪ ♪ 70 00:03:46,487 --> 00:03:49,664 [siren blaring in distance] 71 00:03:52,232 --> 00:03:53,668 - It was 3:30 in the morning. 72 00:03:53,755 --> 00:03:56,192 There was a dispatch to Wildhorse Lane. 73 00:03:56,279 --> 00:03:57,759 So my partners and I, you know, 74 00:03:57,846 --> 00:03:59,195 we raced to the scene. 75 00:04:04,592 --> 00:04:07,551 - The only thing we knew, there was a gunshot. 76 00:04:07,638 --> 00:04:09,249 We made entry into the residence. 77 00:04:10,685 --> 00:04:12,469 It's dark. 78 00:04:12,556 --> 00:04:15,124 And as we were moving down the hallway, 79 00:04:15,211 --> 00:04:17,952 Melissa steps out of Alyssa's bedroom. 80 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,130 She's very upset, distraught, crying. 81 00:04:21,216 --> 00:04:24,612 We continued down the hallway to the master bedroom, 82 00:04:24,742 --> 00:04:27,179 and that's when we discovered Ben in a bed 83 00:04:27,310 --> 00:04:28,877 shot in the back of the head. 84 00:04:28,964 --> 00:04:31,401 [suspenseful music] 85 00:04:31,445 --> 00:04:35,187 - He was laying on his stomach, and the back of his head 86 00:04:35,318 --> 00:04:37,799 had been blown apart. It was open. 87 00:04:37,842 --> 00:04:41,324 So I knew I didn't have a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 88 00:04:41,411 --> 00:04:43,500 I had homicide. 89 00:04:43,631 --> 00:04:45,807 And I could see the rest of his brain matter 90 00:04:45,937 --> 00:04:47,765 projected onto the pillows next to him. 91 00:04:47,896 --> 00:04:51,378 ♪ ♪ 92 00:04:51,465 --> 00:04:54,642 Melissa told us there was two other people in the house, 93 00:04:54,772 --> 00:04:57,471 Melissa's brother, Craig, 18 years old, 94 00:04:57,601 --> 00:05:00,648 almost an adult, and then Alyssa Oxley, 95 00:05:00,735 --> 00:05:02,867 Ben's daughter, aged six. 96 00:05:02,954 --> 00:05:05,653 [radio beeps] - 782 on scene. 97 00:05:05,740 --> 00:05:07,394 - 10-4. 98 00:05:07,481 --> 00:05:11,528 - Once the cops came, I remember just screaming 99 00:05:11,615 --> 00:05:14,966 that I wanted my dad, and I didn't understand, 100 00:05:15,053 --> 00:05:17,186 obviously, what was going on and why 101 00:05:17,273 --> 00:05:19,449 they were keeping him from me. 102 00:05:19,536 --> 00:05:22,452 [somber music] 103 00:05:22,582 --> 00:05:25,499 ♪ ♪ 104 00:05:31,026 --> 00:05:33,245 - At that point, detectives took Melissa, 105 00:05:33,332 --> 00:05:37,162 Alyssa, and Craig to the sheriff's office. 106 00:05:37,206 --> 00:05:39,861 - We got to the cop station. 107 00:05:39,904 --> 00:05:42,211 I screamed and ran into a corner 108 00:05:42,298 --> 00:05:44,692 'cause they weren't letting me be with Melissa. 109 00:05:44,779 --> 00:05:47,956 [sobbing] 110 00:06:06,583 --> 00:06:08,759 - Melissa was the person most close proximity 111 00:06:08,846 --> 00:06:10,892 to Ben when he was killed. 112 00:06:10,979 --> 00:06:14,678 She was laying in bed next to him. 113 00:06:14,765 --> 00:06:18,160 - She had blood on her hands, tissue on her hands, 114 00:06:18,247 --> 00:06:19,901 some on the side of her face. 115 00:06:19,988 --> 00:06:21,555 - [sobbing] 116 00:06:21,642 --> 00:06:24,384 - She appeared very distraught and upset. 117 00:06:24,514 --> 00:06:25,689 But we were trying to figure out 118 00:06:25,820 --> 00:06:28,736 who committed this heinous crime. 119 00:06:28,866 --> 00:06:32,435 - Detectives scope a moment, a pristine time capsule 120 00:06:32,522 --> 00:06:35,395 of everyone's movements and whereabouts. 121 00:06:35,525 --> 00:06:38,615 They're searching for a contradiction in the stories, 122 00:06:38,746 --> 00:06:40,922 something that doesn't align with what they've heard, 123 00:06:41,009 --> 00:06:44,578 that one detail that doesn't line up. 124 00:07:03,901 --> 00:07:06,774 - You didn't hear the gunshot? You didn't feel it? 125 00:07:06,861 --> 00:07:08,732 I mean, how could this happen and you not be aware? 126 00:07:08,819 --> 00:07:11,039 I'm thinking, eh, this doesn't seem right. 127 00:07:35,803 --> 00:07:37,761 - These are things you think you should know immediately. 128 00:07:37,892 --> 00:07:40,503 Your husband just got shot. Why didn't you get shot? 129 00:07:40,590 --> 00:07:43,114 It was very, very suspicious. 130 00:07:43,201 --> 00:07:45,029 Her calling 911 could have been a ploy 131 00:07:45,116 --> 00:07:46,770 to throw us off, that she's not involved. 132 00:07:55,170 --> 00:07:57,433 - She denied any allegations. 133 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:01,176 But the information she was giving us didn't make sense. 134 00:08:01,219 --> 00:08:03,352 At that point, Melissa was the prime suspect. 135 00:08:03,483 --> 00:08:06,050 - [sobs] 136 00:08:06,181 --> 00:08:08,966 - So we're looking for motive. We're looking for reasons why. 137 00:08:09,053 --> 00:08:11,578 Is this a domestic situation that got out of hand? 138 00:08:19,063 --> 00:08:21,588 - So then you have to start picking apart her story, 139 00:08:21,675 --> 00:08:23,198 trying to figure out where the lies are. 140 00:08:40,607 --> 00:08:42,565 - We have to find the motive. 141 00:08:42,609 --> 00:08:43,610 Was this over money? 142 00:08:58,581 --> 00:09:00,191 - We found there was a recent life insurance policy 143 00:09:00,322 --> 00:09:01,976 taken out on Ben. 144 00:09:02,063 --> 00:09:04,326 It was $400,000. 145 00:09:04,413 --> 00:09:08,852 - The policy was not very old, only about three months. 146 00:09:08,896 --> 00:09:11,463 - Melissa being the beneficiary to it, 147 00:09:11,507 --> 00:09:13,857 that could be a motive. - She'll be married tomorrow. 148 00:09:13,944 --> 00:09:15,772 - People have done a lot worse for a lot less. 149 00:09:25,129 --> 00:09:26,696 - [sobbing] 150 00:09:30,308 --> 00:09:33,181 [gentle music] 151 00:09:33,311 --> 00:09:36,488 ♪ ♪ 152 00:09:36,576 --> 00:09:39,970 - Sometimes a case hinges on something hazy, 153 00:09:40,057 --> 00:09:42,712 maybe a wife's mid-sleep memory, 154 00:09:42,843 --> 00:09:47,021 a surprise witness with a crisis of conscience, 155 00:09:47,108 --> 00:09:50,633 or a child's glimpse of a figure in the doorway. 156 00:09:50,764 --> 00:09:53,462 ♪ ♪ 157 00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:55,812 - While Melissa was being questioned, 158 00:09:55,899 --> 00:09:59,729 one of our other detectives did speak with Alyssa in the bay, 159 00:09:59,860 --> 00:10:01,818 just asking her what she heard and what she saw. 160 00:10:03,428 --> 00:10:04,865 - Alyssa, how old are you? 161 00:10:04,952 --> 00:10:06,040 - Six. 162 00:10:35,896 --> 00:10:38,159 [somber music] 163 00:10:38,246 --> 00:10:41,336 I didn't want to believe it was Melissa. 164 00:10:41,466 --> 00:10:43,251 But they weren't married for that long, 165 00:10:43,294 --> 00:10:46,210 and then he's laying next to her, 166 00:10:46,297 --> 00:10:47,385 and now he's gone. 167 00:10:47,429 --> 00:10:50,345 [mysterious music] 168 00:10:50,432 --> 00:10:52,086 ♪ ♪ 169 00:10:52,129 --> 00:10:53,783 - During the initial walkthrough of the scene, 170 00:10:53,914 --> 00:10:56,438 we started seeing small shotgun-type pellets 171 00:10:56,525 --> 00:10:59,006 around the bed and on the floor, 172 00:10:59,093 --> 00:11:01,704 which helped us determine 173 00:11:01,791 --> 00:11:03,663 this was a shotgun used in this murder. 174 00:11:03,750 --> 00:11:05,882 And looking at the blood spatter 175 00:11:05,969 --> 00:11:07,536 on the walls and on the bed, 176 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:10,626 You would think there would be a lot of blood on Melissa, 177 00:11:10,670 --> 00:11:12,236 a lot of everything on her, 178 00:11:12,323 --> 00:11:13,803 and there really wasn't that much, 179 00:11:13,934 --> 00:11:16,110 which is more indicative of somebody who was a shooter 180 00:11:16,197 --> 00:11:18,460 than somebody who was an unwilling participant 181 00:11:18,547 --> 00:11:20,288 laying next to somebody. 182 00:11:37,218 --> 00:11:39,960 [sobbing] 183 00:11:40,047 --> 00:11:41,788 - Melissa, understand that-- 184 00:11:41,831 --> 00:11:43,659 - If she had done this and was trying 185 00:11:43,746 --> 00:11:45,574 to get away with it, I would expect tears 186 00:11:45,661 --> 00:11:48,055 because that's what you would think I would want to see. 187 00:11:48,142 --> 00:11:50,535 She could have gotten the life insurance policy, 188 00:11:50,622 --> 00:11:53,364 waited three months, and then committed the act, 189 00:11:53,451 --> 00:11:56,411 making it look like a homicide by some unknown person. 190 00:11:56,540 --> 00:11:58,935 So with Melissa, obviously, this was definitely looking 191 00:11:59,022 --> 00:12:00,197 like maybe she is the shooter. 192 00:12:03,244 --> 00:12:04,898 - But we really had to keep our minds open 193 00:12:04,941 --> 00:12:07,117 to not go after just one person 194 00:12:07,204 --> 00:12:09,903 without very specific physical evidence. 195 00:12:09,990 --> 00:12:12,906 [tense music] 196 00:12:12,993 --> 00:12:14,777 - During the search of the residence, 197 00:12:14,908 --> 00:12:16,779 we were looking for any type of evidence 198 00:12:16,866 --> 00:12:19,913 that might have been left behind. 199 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,524 - That's when we discovered weapons in the house. 200 00:12:22,654 --> 00:12:24,178 [dramatic music] 201 00:12:24,265 --> 00:12:27,181 We found shotguns in the garage 202 00:12:27,268 --> 00:12:31,185 that matched what appeared to be the round that killed Ben. 203 00:12:31,228 --> 00:12:33,274 - And then they found shotgun shells 204 00:12:33,361 --> 00:12:35,145 in one of the bedrooms 205 00:12:35,232 --> 00:12:38,235 that Craig was using, Melissa's brother. 206 00:12:38,366 --> 00:12:39,846 ♪ ♪ 207 00:12:39,933 --> 00:12:41,630 - The shotgun shells in his bedroom 208 00:12:41,717 --> 00:12:44,546 matched the shotguns in the garage. 209 00:12:44,633 --> 00:12:46,504 So you got to ask the question, 210 00:12:46,548 --> 00:12:49,159 who was Melissa's brother? 211 00:12:49,290 --> 00:12:51,335 ♪ ♪ 212 00:12:51,466 --> 00:12:53,468 - The time is 5:30 a.m. 213 00:12:53,555 --> 00:12:55,600 I'm here with Craig. 214 00:13:18,623 --> 00:13:20,147 - Patrol officers are clearing the house. 215 00:13:20,234 --> 00:13:21,626 They're making noise. 216 00:13:21,713 --> 00:13:23,237 They're big people with a lot of gear on, 217 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,065 so they're not light and quiet. 218 00:13:25,108 --> 00:13:27,937 And to find him still sleeping under a bunch of blankets 219 00:13:28,024 --> 00:13:30,070 was kind of odd to us. Why are you hiding? 220 00:13:49,785 --> 00:13:51,613 - Craig was an avid hunter. 221 00:13:53,745 --> 00:13:56,748 So did Melissa use him as a murder for hire? 222 00:13:56,879 --> 00:13:58,576 Or was there some type of issue 223 00:13:58,663 --> 00:14:00,230 between Melissa and Ben 224 00:14:00,317 --> 00:14:01,666 that we didn't know about, 225 00:14:01,753 --> 00:14:03,843 and Craig took matters into his own hands? 226 00:14:05,583 --> 00:14:09,196 - There was a substantial insurance policy, 227 00:14:09,326 --> 00:14:12,852 so Craig Nichols' relationship to Melissa as her brother 228 00:14:12,939 --> 00:14:15,071 meant that he, too, could be considered 229 00:14:15,158 --> 00:14:17,813 financially motivated to commit this crime. 230 00:14:38,790 --> 00:14:40,270 [tense music] 231 00:14:40,314 --> 00:14:42,707 - Dawn was Ben's ex-wife, 232 00:14:42,794 --> 00:14:44,927 and Alyssa is their daughter. 233 00:14:45,014 --> 00:14:46,973 We learned that, after their divorce, 234 00:14:47,060 --> 00:14:49,149 Ben got full custody of Alyssa. 235 00:15:06,427 --> 00:15:09,169 ♪ ♪ 236 00:15:12,781 --> 00:15:15,175 [soft dramatic music] 237 00:15:15,262 --> 00:15:18,918 - Crimes between loved ones are tough to untangle. 238 00:15:19,005 --> 00:15:21,094 The motive is rarely just money. 239 00:15:21,181 --> 00:15:23,096 You can usually trace it back to something 240 00:15:23,139 --> 00:15:26,577 more primitive and destructive. 241 00:15:26,664 --> 00:15:29,493 ♪ ♪ 242 00:15:29,580 --> 00:15:33,715 - My mom was a cocktail waitress at a casino, 243 00:15:33,802 --> 00:15:36,848 and that's where my mom and dad met. 244 00:15:36,936 --> 00:15:38,633 They did fall in love. 245 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,984 And they were really in love for a long time. 246 00:15:42,071 --> 00:15:43,420 But that changed. 247 00:15:43,464 --> 00:15:46,728 ♪ 248 00:15:46,815 --> 00:15:48,860 My mom had never specifically talked 249 00:15:48,904 --> 00:15:51,515 about why they got divorced. 250 00:15:51,602 --> 00:15:52,952 But she always made sure 251 00:15:53,039 --> 00:15:56,346 that I knew that she loved me so much 252 00:15:56,433 --> 00:16:00,307 and that they took me from her. 253 00:16:00,350 --> 00:16:02,091 [knocking at door] 254 00:16:32,078 --> 00:16:33,993 - With Dawn, you know, they're called an ex 255 00:16:34,123 --> 00:16:35,385 for a reason, right? 256 00:16:35,516 --> 00:16:36,778 There's usually bad blood there. 257 00:16:59,409 --> 00:17:00,671 - It doesn't seem like a lot of money, 258 00:17:00,802 --> 00:17:02,412 that Dawn was upset having to pay. 259 00:17:02,543 --> 00:17:05,067 But on principle, the custody combined 260 00:17:05,154 --> 00:17:08,201 with having to pay could be a massive thing to somebody. 261 00:17:46,587 --> 00:17:48,545 - Dawn got defensive with us, 262 00:17:48,632 --> 00:17:50,634 but I wanted to pull out as much information 263 00:17:50,721 --> 00:17:52,114 from her as possible. 264 00:18:11,394 --> 00:18:13,440 - Dawn told us she was home all night, 265 00:18:13,527 --> 00:18:15,137 watching a movie with her boyfriend, 266 00:18:15,224 --> 00:18:16,791 James Matlean. 267 00:18:16,878 --> 00:18:19,663 She fell asleep about 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning. 268 00:18:19,750 --> 00:18:22,013 And the next thing she knew, officers were knocking 269 00:18:22,101 --> 00:18:23,841 on her door, waking her up. 270 00:18:23,928 --> 00:18:26,453 Devon, her son, corroborated, 271 00:18:26,496 --> 00:18:27,976 saying that they were home all night. 272 00:18:28,063 --> 00:18:30,109 - Present is Devon Mitchell. 273 00:18:30,196 --> 00:18:32,154 Tell me what happened that night. 274 00:18:43,339 --> 00:18:46,081 - She had an alibi, so we had no reason 275 00:18:46,168 --> 00:18:48,257 to think Dawn was a suspect. 276 00:18:48,344 --> 00:18:51,782 - Dawn's dislike for Ben didn't make her a murderer. 277 00:18:51,869 --> 00:18:54,916 - We didn't think she had it in herself to pull the trigger. 278 00:19:11,106 --> 00:19:12,325 - Yeah. 279 00:19:14,153 --> 00:19:16,590 [tense music] 280 00:19:16,677 --> 00:19:21,116 - Paul Littler was Dawn Oxley's ex-husband prior to Ben Oxley. 281 00:19:21,203 --> 00:19:23,553 He had a lengthy criminal history. 282 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:28,993 - Paul Littler had gone to prison for crimes of violence. 283 00:19:29,124 --> 00:19:31,039 - We learned through the investigation 284 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:32,606 Paul always wanted to eliminate Ben 285 00:19:32,736 --> 00:19:34,042 from the picture. 286 00:19:34,129 --> 00:19:36,131 So that sparked an interest. 287 00:19:36,218 --> 00:19:38,264 - Is this a jealous ex-husband? 288 00:19:38,394 --> 00:19:40,004 It made a lot of sense. It could fit a motive. 289 00:19:40,135 --> 00:19:43,356 - We were told that Paul was in Lancaster, California. 290 00:19:43,443 --> 00:19:45,140 We contacted the local sheriff's office down there, 291 00:19:45,227 --> 00:19:47,838 who confirmed he was released from prison 292 00:19:47,969 --> 00:19:49,275 days before the homicide. 293 00:19:54,845 --> 00:19:57,239 [sirens blaring] 294 00:19:59,241 --> 00:20:01,374 [soft dramatic music] 295 00:20:12,646 --> 00:20:15,997 - Paul Littler was now a person of interest for us. 296 00:20:16,084 --> 00:20:17,868 So he was brought in for questioning. 297 00:20:59,606 --> 00:21:02,609 - Paul said he had no knowledge of the murder, 298 00:21:02,739 --> 00:21:04,480 and he hadn't really talked to Dawn in a long time. 299 00:21:04,567 --> 00:21:08,005 He was very open, and he had an alibi. 300 00:21:08,136 --> 00:21:10,704 - We confirmed, based on the time frame, 301 00:21:10,747 --> 00:21:14,142 there was no possible way for him to be in Douglas County 302 00:21:14,229 --> 00:21:16,275 when the murder occurred. 303 00:21:29,897 --> 00:21:33,335 - The word "victim" implies innocence. 304 00:21:33,422 --> 00:21:35,381 But to find a killer in the shadows, 305 00:21:35,468 --> 00:21:38,558 you must also shine a light on the victim's dark side. 306 00:21:40,995 --> 00:21:42,562 - And we do what's called a victimology. 307 00:21:42,649 --> 00:21:45,347 We look through the victim's past life. 308 00:21:45,434 --> 00:21:47,610 So we're looking at his closest circle, 309 00:21:47,741 --> 00:21:49,351 his secondary circle, third circle. 310 00:21:49,395 --> 00:21:52,659 Who would want Ben dead? 311 00:21:52,789 --> 00:21:55,923 - Ben had a history of being very short-tempered. 312 00:21:56,010 --> 00:21:57,794 There was at least two reports on file 313 00:21:57,925 --> 00:21:58,665 with the sheriff's office. 314 00:22:05,715 --> 00:22:07,978 - Ben had people that didn't like him. 315 00:22:08,065 --> 00:22:10,459 He had enemies. Ben owed them money. 316 00:22:12,374 --> 00:22:13,854 - He'd had neighborhood disputes, 317 00:22:13,984 --> 00:22:15,464 friends that were not happy with him anymore. 318 00:22:19,338 --> 00:22:21,557 - In totality, we contacted 79 people 319 00:22:21,644 --> 00:22:23,516 over the course of the investigation. 320 00:22:23,603 --> 00:22:26,083 Yes, Ben had issues with people, 321 00:22:26,214 --> 00:22:28,216 but we were able to clear them as suspects. 322 00:22:28,259 --> 00:22:30,174 But we were still missing the most critical piece, 323 00:22:30,305 --> 00:22:31,567 which is the evidence. 324 00:22:31,698 --> 00:22:34,788 ♪ ♪ 325 00:22:34,875 --> 00:22:36,964 - The family, we were only getting fragments, 326 00:22:37,051 --> 00:22:38,879 bits and pieces. 327 00:22:38,966 --> 00:22:42,970 So everybody was a suspect, Melissa included. 328 00:22:43,057 --> 00:22:44,319 I didn't want to point fingers, 329 00:22:44,406 --> 00:22:46,495 but people thought it was Melissa 330 00:22:46,582 --> 00:22:49,368 right from the get-go. 331 00:22:49,455 --> 00:22:51,152 - Melissa was never the one that actually 332 00:22:51,239 --> 00:22:53,633 had custody of me. It was my dad. 333 00:22:53,763 --> 00:22:56,984 So when he died, I legally went 334 00:22:57,071 --> 00:22:59,465 to my biological mother, Dawn. 335 00:22:59,508 --> 00:23:02,903 That's when I started having a lot more hateful feelings 336 00:23:02,990 --> 00:23:06,472 towards Melissa, especially. 337 00:23:06,602 --> 00:23:08,212 - Melissa and her brother, Craig, 338 00:23:08,343 --> 00:23:10,258 were still top suspects. 339 00:23:10,301 --> 00:23:11,955 But we lacked hard evidence, 340 00:23:12,042 --> 00:23:14,436 so we did some covert surveillance 341 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:16,003 of Melissa and Craig. 342 00:23:16,133 --> 00:23:17,657 - We followed them. 343 00:23:17,744 --> 00:23:19,615 I talked to a lot of their friends. 344 00:23:19,702 --> 00:23:22,488 Melissa appeared to be more of a grieving wife 345 00:23:22,575 --> 00:23:25,055 than she did a person who's out at the bar, 346 00:23:25,142 --> 00:23:26,666 you know, and partying. 347 00:23:26,753 --> 00:23:28,145 We were seeing more of just that person 348 00:23:28,189 --> 00:23:30,321 that lost their husband. 349 00:23:31,671 --> 00:23:34,064 And Craig seemed like a really good kid, 350 00:23:34,108 --> 00:23:35,718 a solid family kid. 351 00:23:35,805 --> 00:23:39,418 He didn't fit the suspect mold. 352 00:23:39,505 --> 00:23:41,071 - I don't want to say that Melissa 353 00:23:41,158 --> 00:23:42,943 and Craig were eliminated, 354 00:23:42,986 --> 00:23:45,511 but they fell very low in the case. 355 00:23:45,598 --> 00:23:47,904 - A year had passed in the investigation, 356 00:23:47,991 --> 00:23:50,080 and we were becoming concerned this might become a cold case. 357 00:23:52,169 --> 00:23:54,911 We needed a big break. 358 00:23:54,998 --> 00:23:57,174 And then came a pivot point in the investigation. 359 00:23:57,261 --> 00:24:00,177 [tense music] 360 00:24:00,308 --> 00:24:02,963 - Devon, thanks for coming down here to talk about the case. 361 00:24:06,445 --> 00:24:09,143 - I was 15 at the time of Ben's murder. 362 00:24:09,230 --> 00:24:10,187 What do you do? 363 00:24:10,274 --> 00:24:11,188 What do you say? Who do you tell? 364 00:24:13,060 --> 00:24:14,844 - But I felt I needed to finally tell 365 00:24:14,888 --> 00:24:18,326 somebody what happened that night and who killed Ben. 366 00:24:24,245 --> 00:24:27,466 - Criminal intent doesn't just appear out of thin air. 367 00:24:27,596 --> 00:24:29,729 It's built in a thousand quiet moments 368 00:24:29,816 --> 00:24:33,210 you never see coming, a passing comment, 369 00:24:33,297 --> 00:24:35,386 a face in the crowd. 370 00:24:35,474 --> 00:24:37,476 They all collide, building on each other, 371 00:24:37,563 --> 00:24:40,479 until an idea is finally forged. 372 00:24:40,609 --> 00:24:42,219 But here's the thing. 373 00:24:42,306 --> 00:24:43,960 Every single one of those moments 374 00:24:44,047 --> 00:24:46,920 had an observer, a witness, 375 00:24:47,007 --> 00:24:50,837 someone standing right there in the shadows. 376 00:24:50,924 --> 00:24:53,230 [soft dramatic music] 377 00:24:53,317 --> 00:24:56,756 - My mom and Ben, they were perfect together. 378 00:24:56,843 --> 00:24:59,323 And even though I wasn't Ben's blood-related son, 379 00:24:59,367 --> 00:25:01,804 he treated me like a son. 380 00:25:01,891 --> 00:25:04,024 I remember calling him Dad. He was Dad. 381 00:25:04,111 --> 00:25:06,592 I didn't know any better. 382 00:25:06,722 --> 00:25:09,159 But when I got older, I looked at him differently. 383 00:25:09,246 --> 00:25:10,900 ♪ ♪ 384 00:25:11,031 --> 00:25:15,644 After Alyssa was born, he cheated on my mom, 385 00:25:15,731 --> 00:25:18,473 and that really caused the divorce. 386 00:25:18,604 --> 00:25:20,301 Then he met Melissa, 387 00:25:20,388 --> 00:25:23,391 and they started their life together. 388 00:25:23,478 --> 00:25:27,743 My mom just spiraled completely after that. 389 00:25:27,874 --> 00:25:29,702 I'd come back home from school, 390 00:25:29,832 --> 00:25:32,661 and it felt more like a party house. 391 00:25:32,748 --> 00:25:34,315 When I needed a safe space to go, 392 00:25:34,402 --> 00:25:36,143 I never really had that because there was 393 00:25:36,273 --> 00:25:38,058 just always people there getting 394 00:25:38,145 --> 00:25:40,408 blitzed out of their minds. 395 00:25:40,539 --> 00:25:43,933 It didn't have that family vibe to it anymore. 396 00:25:44,064 --> 00:25:46,196 And then my world came crumbling down. 397 00:25:46,283 --> 00:25:48,895 [gentle music] 398 00:25:49,025 --> 00:25:51,767 ♪ ♪ 399 00:25:51,854 --> 00:25:53,856 - Present is Devon Mitchell. 400 00:25:53,943 --> 00:25:56,903 OK. Devon, tell me what happened last night. 401 00:25:56,946 --> 00:26:01,429 - That day, after Ben was murdered, 402 00:26:01,516 --> 00:26:03,300 the police were at our door. 403 00:26:12,048 --> 00:26:13,093 - Mm-hmm. 404 00:26:18,446 --> 00:26:21,231 I knew I was wrong for not telling the truth, 405 00:26:21,362 --> 00:26:22,493 but I also didn't know what would happen 406 00:26:22,581 --> 00:26:24,626 if I did tell somebody. 407 00:26:26,367 --> 00:26:28,674 But then, over time, 408 00:26:28,761 --> 00:26:32,068 I started having a lot of regrets. 409 00:26:32,199 --> 00:26:35,768 Alyssa did come back to live with us after Ben was murdered 410 00:26:35,855 --> 00:26:38,901 and was exposed to a lot of the stuff 411 00:26:38,988 --> 00:26:40,816 that was happening in that house. 412 00:26:40,903 --> 00:26:44,167 I just didn't see my mom turn over a new leaf, 413 00:26:44,254 --> 00:26:45,691 like stop drinking. 414 00:26:45,778 --> 00:26:48,041 It's like, things got worse. 415 00:26:48,171 --> 00:26:51,958 I came to realize Alyssa deserved better, 416 00:26:52,001 --> 00:26:55,701 and Ben deserved justice. 417 00:26:55,831 --> 00:26:57,398 It was a year after the murder when 418 00:26:57,485 --> 00:27:00,880 I felt I needed to finally tell somebody what I had heard. 419 00:27:00,967 --> 00:27:05,667 ♪ ♪ 420 00:27:16,025 --> 00:27:19,463 - I thought James Matlean was just kind of another kid 421 00:27:19,550 --> 00:27:23,076 drinking at the house. He was 20. 422 00:27:23,206 --> 00:27:25,556 And it turned out that he was dating my mother, 423 00:27:25,644 --> 00:27:27,297 which is really disturbing. 424 00:27:27,384 --> 00:27:29,212 She was much older. 425 00:27:52,627 --> 00:27:55,499 ♪ ♪ 426 00:27:55,586 --> 00:27:58,415 My mother wanted full custody of Alyssa. 427 00:27:58,502 --> 00:28:02,419 And they were literally talking about going out 428 00:28:02,463 --> 00:28:05,161 and killing him. 429 00:28:05,292 --> 00:28:08,382 But you don't think anything of it as a teenager. 430 00:28:08,469 --> 00:28:09,775 They're both intoxicated, drunk. 431 00:28:09,862 --> 00:28:10,950 Nothing's gonna happen. 432 00:28:24,224 --> 00:28:28,576 I did feel relief that I finally told someone 433 00:28:28,663 --> 00:28:31,144 what happened that night because I knew 434 00:28:31,231 --> 00:28:33,189 it was the right thing to do. 435 00:28:33,276 --> 00:28:35,714 But at the same time, I was turning in my mother. 436 00:28:35,801 --> 00:28:39,152 So, like, what's gonna happen now? 437 00:28:39,282 --> 00:28:45,201 ♪ ♪ 438 00:28:45,288 --> 00:28:47,900 - The interview with Devon pointed towards Dawn 439 00:28:47,987 --> 00:28:49,989 and James committing the murder. 440 00:28:50,076 --> 00:28:51,381 But how do we prove it? 441 00:28:51,468 --> 00:28:53,209 [plucky orchestral music] 442 00:28:53,296 --> 00:28:56,386 We had little to no evidence linking 443 00:28:56,517 --> 00:28:58,562 James or Dawn to the murder. 444 00:28:58,649 --> 00:29:00,173 We didn't have a murder weapon. 445 00:29:00,260 --> 00:29:02,566 We did not have the smoking gun. 446 00:29:02,653 --> 00:29:04,699 So we brought them in. 447 00:29:29,593 --> 00:29:31,682 [suspenseful music] 448 00:30:10,591 --> 00:30:14,377 - James and Dawn denied any involvement with the homicide, 449 00:30:14,421 --> 00:30:18,120 so we released them from the interrogation room. 450 00:30:18,207 --> 00:30:20,644 But as our investigation continued, 451 00:30:20,775 --> 00:30:22,908 we discovered a $40 ATM transaction 452 00:30:22,995 --> 00:30:24,735 was made the evening of Ben's murder 453 00:30:24,823 --> 00:30:26,563 on Dawn's bank statements. 454 00:30:26,650 --> 00:30:29,044 We reviewed CCTV from that establishment, 455 00:30:29,175 --> 00:30:31,351 and we found video surveillance of James 456 00:30:31,438 --> 00:30:34,397 at 1:30 in the morning, prior to the murder, 457 00:30:34,484 --> 00:30:38,097 withdrawing cash from an ATM. 458 00:30:38,227 --> 00:30:40,621 Dawn told us that they didn't leave the residence 459 00:30:40,664 --> 00:30:44,277 all night, so we knew she was lying. 460 00:30:44,364 --> 00:30:47,758 We needed to prosecute the person who fired the weapon. 461 00:30:47,802 --> 00:30:50,239 We believe that was James. 462 00:30:50,326 --> 00:30:54,156 So we considered giving Dawn an immunity agreement. 463 00:30:56,637 --> 00:30:58,639 - It's a balancing act. 464 00:30:58,726 --> 00:31:01,381 Am I gonna let go a person that was an accessory 465 00:31:01,468 --> 00:31:04,166 to murder just to get the murderer? 466 00:31:04,253 --> 00:31:06,255 What level of justice are we willing to bring? 467 00:31:06,386 --> 00:31:08,823 Ultimately, the decision was made 468 00:31:08,910 --> 00:31:10,564 that the family deserved closure. 469 00:31:10,651 --> 00:31:12,522 Ben deserved closure. 470 00:31:12,566 --> 00:31:16,048 Our best chance at getting a conviction for this crime 471 00:31:16,135 --> 00:31:17,658 was to offer Dawn that immunity agreement. 472 00:31:19,138 --> 00:31:20,966 By cooperating with the investigation, 473 00:31:21,096 --> 00:31:23,011 providing information that we could substantiate, 474 00:31:23,098 --> 00:31:26,014 she will be immune or not charged with any crimes 475 00:31:26,058 --> 00:31:27,668 that she could be culpable for. 476 00:31:27,798 --> 00:31:29,800 So it's a plea deal. 477 00:31:29,888 --> 00:31:31,890 She made the deal with the DA's office 478 00:31:31,977 --> 00:31:37,939 and agreed to tell us the truth. 479 00:31:44,641 --> 00:31:46,556 - No matter how practiced the script is, 480 00:31:46,643 --> 00:31:50,517 if any small detail is off, an alibi starts to fray, 481 00:31:50,604 --> 00:31:54,695 pull at the right thread, and the whole thing will unravel. 482 00:32:02,137 --> 00:32:05,097 - Dawn, in her story, she was frustrated 483 00:32:05,184 --> 00:32:07,838 about losing custody of Alyssa. 484 00:32:07,926 --> 00:32:09,753 She was venting. 485 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,147 And James, being intoxicated, told her, 486 00:32:12,234 --> 00:32:13,409 well, I'll blow his head off with a shotgun. 487 00:32:17,152 --> 00:32:20,155 - Dawn then stated that she went to bed, 488 00:32:20,242 --> 00:32:22,766 and the next thing, James waking her up, 489 00:32:22,853 --> 00:32:25,117 saying, it's done. Ben is dead. 490 00:32:36,650 --> 00:32:38,739 - With the vague memory of Alyssa hearing someone 491 00:32:38,826 --> 00:32:41,437 coming into her room, my theory was that 492 00:32:41,524 --> 00:32:43,309 that would have been James looking to see if she was 493 00:32:43,396 --> 00:32:45,572 in her bedroom, that she was, in fact, asleep, 494 00:32:45,659 --> 00:32:47,791 and/or to ensure that she wouldn't be 495 00:32:47,878 --> 00:32:52,013 in bed next to Ben or Melissa. 496 00:32:52,100 --> 00:32:54,929 - At this point, we finally had enough evidence 497 00:32:55,016 --> 00:32:57,584 to charge James with homicide. 498 00:33:03,372 --> 00:33:06,375 But before the trial starts, 499 00:33:06,462 --> 00:33:08,160 James reaches out with his attorney 500 00:33:08,247 --> 00:33:09,988 and stated he wanted to talk. 501 00:33:10,075 --> 00:33:13,426 [soft dramatic music] 502 00:33:13,556 --> 00:33:15,080 - Thank you. 503 00:33:15,210 --> 00:33:20,694 ♪ ♪ 504 00:33:31,487 --> 00:33:33,098 - Brings up the conversation they had the night before 505 00:33:33,185 --> 00:33:34,838 at Dawn's residence with them drinking. 506 00:33:46,285 --> 00:33:48,113 - James says he goes to the 7-Eleven, 507 00:33:48,156 --> 00:33:51,159 takes out $40 in cash. He drives to Walmart. 508 00:33:51,290 --> 00:33:53,901 He buys latex gloves, paper towels, shoes, 509 00:33:53,944 --> 00:33:55,294 Tyvek suit, and a flashlight. 510 00:33:59,733 --> 00:34:01,865 - In his statement, he said he didn't know 511 00:34:01,952 --> 00:34:04,042 where the residence was or the layout, 512 00:34:04,129 --> 00:34:06,566 so he took Dawn with him. 513 00:34:06,653 --> 00:34:09,134 [dramatic music] 514 00:34:24,279 --> 00:34:26,760 - The twist of the story is Dawn asked him 515 00:34:26,847 --> 00:34:28,501 to kill Melissa as well. 516 00:34:42,341 --> 00:34:46,909 - James sees Dawn stopped at Alyssa's doorway. 517 00:35:06,974 --> 00:35:09,150 - James walks into Ben's bedroom, 518 00:35:09,237 --> 00:35:11,065 puts the shotgun to the back of his head. 519 00:35:37,265 --> 00:35:39,528 - James said after he shot Ben, 520 00:35:39,615 --> 00:35:42,052 he was frightened, so he ran out of the house. 521 00:35:42,096 --> 00:35:43,358 So he never shot Melissa. 522 00:35:50,626 --> 00:35:52,759 - James said he threw the shotgun away 523 00:35:52,846 --> 00:35:54,413 in the sheriff's office dumpsters. 524 00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:57,416 I think more it was a dig at us to say, 525 00:35:57,503 --> 00:35:59,244 it was under your nose the whole time. 526 00:36:07,034 --> 00:36:09,689 - James was head over heels for Dawn, 527 00:36:09,776 --> 00:36:12,822 and she took advantage of that. 528 00:36:12,909 --> 00:36:15,695 She manipulated him into doing what she thought 529 00:36:15,825 --> 00:36:17,653 would solve her problems. 530 00:36:17,740 --> 00:36:20,308 - The person that planned it, or orchestrated it, 531 00:36:20,395 --> 00:36:22,658 is maybe even more culpable than the person 532 00:36:22,789 --> 00:36:24,617 that actually just did the job. 533 00:36:34,366 --> 00:36:36,368 - But because of her agreement, 534 00:36:36,498 --> 00:36:38,283 she was immune from criminal prosecution 535 00:36:38,370 --> 00:36:40,676 in Douglas County for the rest of her life. 536 00:36:40,807 --> 00:36:42,939 And that's a tragedy. 537 00:36:43,026 --> 00:36:44,898 ♪ ♪ 538 00:36:44,985 --> 00:36:47,640 - Ultimately, Dawn was behind this, 539 00:36:47,727 --> 00:36:50,469 but, sadly, Melissa took a lot of blame. 540 00:36:50,556 --> 00:36:52,645 Those early theories against Melissa, 541 00:36:52,732 --> 00:36:54,299 the financial motive, 542 00:36:54,429 --> 00:36:56,692 the lack of blood splatter, 543 00:36:56,823 --> 00:36:59,304 those were proven to be just theories. 544 00:36:59,434 --> 00:37:00,957 In reality, she was being honest. 545 00:37:01,044 --> 00:37:03,612 ♪ ♪ 546 00:37:03,699 --> 00:37:07,529 - Melissa, she's waking up to her husband being killed. 547 00:37:07,616 --> 00:37:10,489 And then you got everybody saying that she did it. 548 00:37:10,619 --> 00:37:13,405 What does that do to a person? 549 00:37:13,492 --> 00:37:15,494 - Emotionally, the damage you have caused me 550 00:37:15,537 --> 00:37:17,713 is almost unbearable. 551 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:22,414 For Alyssa, you crumbled her foundation 552 00:37:22,544 --> 00:37:26,418 and everything she knew to be right and true. 553 00:37:26,505 --> 00:37:28,724 - It was a lot for her, 554 00:37:28,811 --> 00:37:32,380 and she stayed strong through it. 555 00:37:32,467 --> 00:37:35,644 - For James, pleading guilty was probably 556 00:37:35,775 --> 00:37:38,691 nerve-wracking 'cause there was only two choices, 557 00:37:38,734 --> 00:37:41,302 life without the possibility of parole 558 00:37:41,389 --> 00:37:43,391 or life with the possibility of parole. 559 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:48,004 - For the murder charge, you're sentenced 560 00:37:48,091 --> 00:37:50,746 to life in prison. 561 00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:53,532 - James was ultimately sentenced to life in prison 562 00:37:53,662 --> 00:37:55,142 without parole. 563 00:37:55,229 --> 00:37:57,797 [soft dramatic music] 564 00:37:57,884 --> 00:38:01,757 ♪ ♪ 565 00:38:06,632 --> 00:38:10,418 - Looking back on it, I almost feel, like, at fault. 566 00:38:10,549 --> 00:38:13,029 Maybe if I would have just stayed up a little later 567 00:38:13,116 --> 00:38:16,816 instead of going to sleep, he'd still be alive now. 568 00:38:16,903 --> 00:38:21,168 My sister, she should have a dad. 569 00:38:21,211 --> 00:38:23,431 Me being the bigger brother, 570 00:38:23,475 --> 00:38:25,781 I should have been the protector. 571 00:38:25,912 --> 00:38:27,348 And, oh, God. 572 00:38:30,003 --> 00:38:32,266 - I love my brother a lot. 573 00:38:32,397 --> 00:38:35,356 And it's not his fault that any of it happened. 574 00:38:35,487 --> 00:38:38,098 And it just sucks that he was going 575 00:38:38,185 --> 00:38:41,406 through that by himself. 576 00:38:42,798 --> 00:38:46,236 - At the end of James's sentencing hearing, 577 00:38:46,367 --> 00:38:48,761 Melissa said, Alyssa has something 578 00:38:48,848 --> 00:38:50,589 to say to James. 579 00:38:50,676 --> 00:38:56,029 She looked up and said, I was really mad at you... 580 00:38:56,116 --> 00:38:58,292 [somber music] 581 00:38:58,379 --> 00:39:01,034 But I forgive you. 582 00:39:01,121 --> 00:39:06,213 And I've always been impacted 583 00:39:06,344 --> 00:39:11,436 by that amazing level of kindness. 584 00:39:11,566 --> 00:39:15,614 ♪ ♪ 585 00:39:15,701 --> 00:39:20,270 - I don't know if I knew what forgiveness was at the time. 586 00:39:20,401 --> 00:39:26,276 I didn't feel like I wanted him to be gone for life. 587 00:39:26,407 --> 00:39:30,759 - Melissa petitioned the court for full custody of Alyssa, 588 00:39:30,846 --> 00:39:33,632 and she got granted it. 589 00:39:33,719 --> 00:39:36,722 - When Melissa got guardianship of me, 590 00:39:36,765 --> 00:39:40,856 I was really happy to be back with her. 591 00:39:40,987 --> 00:39:45,818 But my relationship with Dawn was complicated. 592 00:39:45,905 --> 00:39:47,907 I mean, she was my mom. 593 00:39:47,994 --> 00:39:51,519 But by the time I had grown up, 594 00:39:51,563 --> 00:39:54,261 I chose to not have her a part of my life. 595 00:39:56,655 --> 00:39:58,352 - I just felt it was more appropriate 596 00:39:58,439 --> 00:40:00,572 to cut things off from her. 597 00:40:00,659 --> 00:40:04,358 She started delving more into serious drugs. 598 00:40:04,445 --> 00:40:05,794 You know, that was the reason why 599 00:40:05,881 --> 00:40:08,144 she got put in the hospital. 600 00:40:08,231 --> 00:40:10,016 - She ended up having a stroke, 601 00:40:10,059 --> 00:40:13,498 and she went brain dead, 602 00:40:13,585 --> 00:40:16,501 and she died. 603 00:40:16,588 --> 00:40:21,114 After all the loss, my dad, my mom, 604 00:40:21,201 --> 00:40:23,290 I still have a lot to process. 605 00:40:23,377 --> 00:40:26,249 And who knows how long that's gonna take? 606 00:40:26,293 --> 00:40:28,600 But I've tried to hold on 607 00:40:28,687 --> 00:40:32,255 to all the good memories of my dad. 608 00:40:32,342 --> 00:40:35,433 [indistinct chatter] 609 00:40:41,874 --> 00:40:43,963 Whoo! 610 00:40:44,050 --> 00:40:45,486 [applause] 611 00:40:47,923 --> 00:40:50,883 - Ben was the only father figure that I had. 612 00:40:52,145 --> 00:40:56,845 He should be remembered as a loving father, 613 00:40:56,932 --> 00:40:59,195 loving husband, wonderful brother, 614 00:40:59,282 --> 00:41:01,502 the best friend. 615 00:41:01,589 --> 00:41:04,418 He was a wonderful person who deserved life. 616 00:41:06,942 --> 00:41:09,075 - For those people that are also going through stuff 617 00:41:09,162 --> 00:41:10,337 like this, I hope that they know 618 00:41:10,468 --> 00:41:15,124 that they have others that get it. 619 00:41:15,211 --> 00:41:17,126 We are real people. 620 00:41:17,257 --> 00:41:20,782 ♪ ♪ 621 00:41:20,869 --> 00:41:23,959 - This season, we saw how an investigation can twist 622 00:41:24,046 --> 00:41:26,092 from a suspected professional hit 623 00:41:26,135 --> 00:41:28,311 to a reckless amateur, 624 00:41:28,398 --> 00:41:31,750 how the police can twist from heroes to criminals, 625 00:41:31,837 --> 00:41:35,144 how suspicion can twist to fall on one's own family 626 00:41:35,231 --> 00:41:37,669 or on someone who never existed at all. 627 00:41:37,756 --> 00:41:40,193 Each layer of deception we untangled 628 00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:42,325 brings us closer to the truth. 629 00:41:42,412 --> 00:41:45,851 And in fiction, that's where the chapter ends. 630 00:41:45,938 --> 00:41:49,115 But in real life, the pages keep turning, 631 00:41:49,245 --> 00:41:51,509 the twists keep coming. 632 00:41:51,596 --> 00:41:55,556 I'm Harlan Coben. Good night. 633 00:41:55,687 --> 00:41:58,603 [dramatic music] 634 00:41:58,733 --> 00:42:05,697 ♪ ♪