1 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:37,560 Peaceful Krakow. 2 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,400 Or so it seems, because suddenly in various parts of the city 3 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:44,120 dangerous species of exotic snake have started cropping up. 4 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:57,920 Suddenly, a reptile expert appears who is able to deal with them. 5 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:59,360 His name is Leszek L. 6 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,880 He was known in Krakow as a reptile breeder. 7 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,240 Had many friends in the police, in the upper ranks, too. 8 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,320 I heard from many people 9 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,840 that Leszek L would drop the snakes there himself, 10 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:16,760 and then call the police. 11 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,680 Officers who took the call 12 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,480 then assigned him the job of picking up the dangerous reptiles. 13 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,280 In this way Leszek L simply made extra money. 14 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,039 He himself was dangerous, like a wild animal. 15 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:57,280 FIT FOR A KILLER 16 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:03,560 EPISODE 3 17 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,440 To me, it is very suspicious. 18 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:15,400 The whole Leszek L situation. 19 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,360 If you read the files carefully, 20 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:22,560 Leszek L informed on Robert Janczewski twice, 21 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:28,320 as if to make sure that the police would get busy with him. 22 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:37,200 There was deliberation as to why Leszek did that. 23 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:42,440 Because he absolutely didn't come acros as a law-abiding citizen, 24 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,720 who would do that out of a sense of civic duty. 25 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,440 To this day, I don't know why Leszek informed on his colleague. 26 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,000 I know he owed him money. 27 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:02,280 The 2.5 meter Indian python was found in a grove by her house 28 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,760 by Ms. Aleksandra Jałocha. 29 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:07,640 The snake was over here. 30 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,080 She was coming home from the shop. 31 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:10,560 She was frightened. The grove is near her home. 32 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,960 Children walk to school through here. 33 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:17,440 Officers called Mr. Leszek... to the scene, a local reptile expert. 34 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,920 Mr. Leszek says the reptile was apathetic and cold. 35 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,160 In warmer conditions, it might have been dangerous to humans. 36 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,920 A snake bite could even result in a hand amputation. 37 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,000 I had several interventions about, for instance, rattlesnakes, 38 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,480 one crawling next to the Barbican in Krakow. 39 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,120 Another one in the courthouse. 40 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,160 A cobra was seen at a housing estate. People are irresponsible. 41 00:03:42,079 --> 00:03:44,040 I met Leszek at evening school. 42 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,280 It was the school in Łobzowska Street. 43 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:48,160 He had many hobbies. 44 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:53,320 He was into diving, as well as reptiles and herpetology. 45 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:58,400 Our acquaintance went on, but, as I said, on a different ground, 46 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,840 because at a certain point in time I started working with him, too. 47 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:09,320 He'd organize circuits around schools 48 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,400 during which he showed reptiles from his collection to the kids. 49 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,760 Leszek L himself boasted about having managed to smuggle 50 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,680 some exotic animals through the country's border under his shirt, 51 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,720 some wild reptiles, and not getting caught. 52 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,080 Between 1981 and 1989, we became friends, you could say. 53 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,000 I mean the friendship was there probably on my side only, 54 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,600 because I did anything I could. 55 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,760 I helped him with many things. 56 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,400 They were mates from as far back as vocational school. 57 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,360 He was this guru figure for Robert. 58 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,840 Much older, stronger, popular with women, and so on. 59 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,360 Maybe not popular, but a notorious flirt. 60 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,360 Leszek L supposedly treated Robert a bit, 61 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:02,880 one could say, like dirt. 62 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,680 A bit like his servant, there to do things for him 63 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,000 for which he didn't have the time or which he didn't feel like doing. 64 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:12,680 He wanted to have his guy 65 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,400 who would bring him lab mice for his reptiles. 66 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,000 He said there was this job at the animal quarters, 67 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,600 which involved emptying the cages, 68 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,920 putting in new wood chips, washing it all. 69 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,640 It all stank, because those were lab animals. 70 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:39,400 I met Leszek in 1978, I think. 71 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:44,120 He was a diver, I think a three-time Guinness world record holder. 72 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,960 He would organize slide shows at his place. 73 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,159 Because he traveled the world. 74 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,880 In the post-Communist reality, let's call it, 75 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:53,680 it felt like a different world. 76 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,560 At that time, Leszek was a highly likeable guy. 77 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,080 He could talk really beautifully about those dives. 78 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:09,880 Sadly, under the influence of alcohol his behavior would change completely. 79 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,440 A bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 80 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,080 Two different people, totally different, unrecognizable. 81 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,640 On a drinking binge, he was unpredictable. 82 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:26,680 I was once at his place, he dragged on his cigarette, 83 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,000 and then, to use a bit of slang, mashed it out right here. 84 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,880 And he goes, "You're a tough mother..." 85 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:39,080 This was before Christmas in 1993. 86 00:06:39,159 --> 00:06:42,040 That was all we saw of each other. 87 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,120 He was quite skilled at using the knife 88 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,680 He could surgically remove the skin from an animal. 89 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,240 One can presume he'd also be able to remove the skin, 90 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,800 with surgical precision, from a human. 91 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:15,320 Welcome, we are Maciej Kłeczek and Friends. 92 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,120 We're just getting started. 93 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:32,800 In the late 90s, 94 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:37,520 Kornet was a place where adventure opened its door wide. 95 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,680 One of the people who'd inspire various interesting stories 96 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,960 was none other than Leszek. 97 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,680 "Come over, I'll show you something interesting, I live nearby." 98 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,840 The atmosphere, looking back at it now, of a horror film. 99 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:58,280 The light of a 15W or 30W bulb creating this semi-dark ambience, 100 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,080 and an entire wall of various animal bones and skins 101 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,080 that were tanned, most probably, by Leszek himself. 102 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,680 Because he had skills of this sort. 103 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:14,400 We enter the last room. 104 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:16,760 From floor to ceiling, there are terraria. 105 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:19,920 Crocodile on the bottom. 106 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:21,800 Monocled cobra on the right. 107 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,920 On the left, a tropical rattlesnake. 108 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,600 And, on the very top, a black mamba. 109 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:33,120 He opens a large terrarium. 110 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,200 Inside it, there's this huge snake. As I later learned, it was a python. 111 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:39,559 He had a reticulated python. 112 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:41,600 Its name was Kaśka. 113 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,320 I see a crocodile running from room to room, 114 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:49,600 and hiding behind the sofa. 115 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,920 I'm like, "What the hell? What kind of a situation is this?" 116 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,400 It hid behind the sofa and started growling like a dangerous dog. 117 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,800 About this big. Leszek grabbed it at some point... 118 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,480 And held this crocodile's head against mine. 119 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,960 Then, suddenly... Chomp! In my arm. I feel the blood trickling. 120 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:10,520 It fucking bit me. 121 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,000 He goes, "Fuck outta here, Michael, you're fine." 122 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:16,360 He put the crocodile away, comes back. 123 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:18,400 "Damn, it really did fucking bite you." 124 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:22,320 You can see it. 125 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,240 He says, "You know, Michael, better not tell anyone." 126 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:32,200 Then he adds, "You know what, no one will believe you anyway". 127 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:33,920 And he laughs. 128 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,440 He seems to have lost it at some point. 129 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:44,280 CONVERSATIONS IN PROGRESS 130 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:51,240 Hi. 131 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,600 Our wonderful neighbor shot at me. 132 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:56,640 Luckily, the bullet went about three meters from me. 133 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,200 I only had surface burns on my face. Because had it been... 134 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:00,320 -Only? -Only. 135 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:05,960 Yes, we felt powerless. We contacted the television. 136 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:07,520 Two other neighbors and I. 137 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,200 Are those animals out of control? 138 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,800 The neighbor's snake broke loose. 139 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,320 We found it in the cellar, wrapped around a doorknob. 140 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,760 My husband says, "Darn it, this is starting to be dangerous." 141 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:36,920 I did it, I called the police, because I was afraid for my child. 142 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:44,760 The police came in and went out. Don't you worry, it's all set. 143 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,920 Leszek found out who called the police. 144 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:52,640 Came downstairs and said, 145 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,040 "If you call the police again, I'll really put you in your place." 146 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:00,840 He collaborated with the police, 147 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,320 so he's surely familiar to many officers. 148 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:08,760 He partied with them. 149 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,120 Even at the time when Katarzyna went missing, 150 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,880 Leszek spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 151 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,280 with a Krakow policeman. 152 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,560 Many officers, high-ranking ones, were good friends of his. 153 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,560 Mr. Leszek L would also tell stories 154 00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:32,360 about inviting young girls to parties at his place, 155 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:36,720 and then making it impossible for them to leave, 156 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:40,400 for instance, by wrapping a snake around the doorknob. 157 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,440 I've heard from women who knew Leszek L 158 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:49,080 that he used to be violent, and would sometimes beat them. 159 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,160 Something was not right in that head of his. 160 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,560 It can't be ruled out that at some point perversion appeared. 161 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,040 "I have skinned a snake, why not a human?" 162 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,800 Would Leszek be able to skin a person? 163 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:20,880 I think he would be. 164 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,200 Since I kept fish, I'd often go 165 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,240 twice a week to Leszek's pet shop. 166 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:33,800 One day, I come in, 167 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,800 turn around and see a woman's face behind the fishtanks. 168 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,760 Her hair down, a bit reddish. 169 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,840 Next to her, a guy I didn't know. 170 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:54,600 Did that person resemble this one? Please, take a look. 171 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,320 Why, certainly. Just that she had her hair down. 172 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:05,400 She was there at the shop. One hundred per cent. 173 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,400 One hundred per cent. 174 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,360 It's hard for me to tie the skinning of a dead snake 175 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:15,960 to what happened to Kasia. 176 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:22,040 There was no way to confirm Leszek being in any way connected to the case. 177 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:23,880 And did you perform a search of his apartment? 178 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,200 I can't remember. 179 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,640 I see it as if it were today. 180 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,320 But the date... No. 181 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:37,560 When was the shop closed? 182 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,080 -Because I can't remember. -1998. 183 00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:45,320 Leszek L himself won't be of much help. 184 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,760 He died in 2007 after a period of severe alcohol use disorder. 185 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,640 Leszek L is another easy target because he's dead. 186 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:55,960 He can't defend himself. 187 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,600 It's easy for us to stretch certain things to his detriment. 188 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:07,160 One could spin theories about Leszek L being a suitable suspect. 189 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:08,320 It's hard to tell, 190 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,240 because due to the way the investigation was conducted, 191 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:11,520 we will never learn the truth. 192 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:16,240 APPELATE COURT 23/05/2024 193 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,560 I feel, Your Honor, like a prosecutor. 194 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:35,360 For the appeal is, indeed, 195 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:40,200 an indictment made by the defense of the police, 196 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:43,960 the prosecution, and the first-instance court. 197 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,520 And I say this, Your Honor, with full responsibility, 198 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:51,480 which I shall plainly show, 199 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,760 that I accuse these entities of, at least, looking away from the truth. 200 00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,080 This isn't a circumstantial trial, 201 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:01,680 because there isn't even circumstantial evidence. 202 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,600 I won't be doing theatrics. 203 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:12,120 I won't be poking fun. I won't try to make the court laugh. 204 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,320 Because this case isn't like that. 205 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:19,080 I will remain serious. 206 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,960 Unlike the defense. 207 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:25,440 Going to the courtroom... 208 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:27,920 I could never fully know what the prosecution 209 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:29,360 was going to come up with. 210 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,200 What today's idea was going to be. 211 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:36,320 This is a mosaic of meaningless pseudo-evidence, 212 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:37,640 of conjecture. 213 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,040 One day, the prosecution claims he murdered her in the apartment, 214 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,680 the next, that he held her captive at the allotment. 215 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:46,560 The whereabouts of which is unknown. 216 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:50,120 He'd have to be shuttling her between the apartment and the allotment. 217 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:51,240 Shuttling her how? 218 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:53,040 Must have been the frame of his bike, as he cannot drive. 219 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:54,640 BASCK OFF, SATAN 220 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:07,800 CAUTION! DANGER ZONE 221 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:12,920 JANUSZ KUTYŁA JÓZEF JANCZEWSKI'S FRIEND, POET 222 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:19,000 I was notified in writing by prosecutor Krupiński 223 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:20,960 that I was to make available 224 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,480 all the spaces of my allotment in Balice. 225 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:26,680 I didn't know Robert at all. 226 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,200 He came here twice with his father to paint my window grilles and once, 227 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:30,680 he helped restore the window frames. 228 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:32,080 For money, of course. 229 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:35,760 Józef Janczewski was, for a certain period, 230 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,000 an acquaintance of my wife, Halina Kutyła. 231 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,080 For years we knew each other as poets. 232 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:44,320 The prosecutor's theory 233 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:47,480 was that Robert Janczewski might have got the keys from his father, 234 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,880 because Józef Janczewski had the keys to this allotment, 235 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,440 so that he could spend the weekends here with Halina, 236 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,680 and that he could have committed this crime, this murder. 237 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,160 This is why the prosecutor wrecked my entire allotment. 238 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:07,000 Here, there used to be a pond. As you can see, all dug up. 239 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:11,720 Supposedly it was to be brought back to its original state. 240 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:14,000 I suspect Mr. Prosecutor won't come here with a new pond. 241 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:16,839 And he says, "We found it." I ask, "What did you find?" 242 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,560 They lift the tarp, there she is, my dead kitty. 243 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,200 Come, Rudolf, don't be afraid. 244 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:28,720 Here, kitty kitty. No one will hurt you, come on. 245 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:30,240 As a result of these police actions, 246 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,440 a rumor spread in the village that they found 14 bodies, 247 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,400 that these murders took place at the poet's. 248 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,280 So my reputation was totally in tatters. 249 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,520 I honestly admit I was mad at him and I still am. 250 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:49,800 I wrote a poem for a certain Mr. Prosecutor P. K. 251 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,120 O, New Themis, without the blindfold. 252 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:58,120 Lift up your sword and weigh the deeds of such-and-such 253 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:02,080 and punish him according to what is lawful and just. 254 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:03,280 Amen. 255 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:06,600 APPELATE COURT 05/23/2024 - CLOSING SPEECHES 256 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:18,960 The number of things which were accepted although they never should have been, 257 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,160 best proves the fact that the rule: 258 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,880 "sentence at any cost" was very obvious here. 259 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,480 This conviction that we have caught the perpetrator. 260 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,560 And we only need to, as Advocate Znamiec put it, 261 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,120 perform the theatrics under the guise of an investigation. 262 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,080 For it was theater, not an investigation. 263 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:42,600 In this theater, everyone has their role. 264 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:44,920 Let us stick to these roles. 265 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:49,440 And here, Your Honor, I'd like to make an appeal to the media, 266 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,960 so that the media would stick to their role. 267 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,840 During the appellate trial, Prosecutor Krupiński got up, 268 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,320 pointed his finger at Michał, who was then sitting next to me, 269 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,680 and said, "It is not the way it seems to you, Mr. Fuja." 270 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,480 I can say to Mr. Fuja, the journalist present here, 271 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:12,120 who might have been manipulated, I don't know, 272 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:14,560 I don't want to get into that. 273 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,960 But it was, Your Honor, the leveling of these allegations, 274 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:23,920 this manipulation, contrary to the body of evidence, 275 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:29,720 which was supposed to create the impression of a cruel prosecutor, 276 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:36,120 a cruel policeman, of cruel law enforcement. 277 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:37,800 The defense, in its closing argument, 278 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:39,640 devoted a lot of attention to the polygraph test 279 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:40,800 and why it wasn't credible, 280 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:44,160 why it shouldn't be taken into account at all. 281 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,320 In the most stressful of situations, 282 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,960 because it's stressful to anyone, 283 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,160 being arrested, you take a person to the polygraph test, in the evening. 284 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,360 Who performs the test at this hour? Who? 285 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:07,000 Such tests must not, Your Honor, from a purely objective viewpoint, 286 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:09,520 be given any credibility, because the way they were conducted, 287 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,680 from a purely methodological perspective, 288 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,640 was an affront to the rules of the craft. 289 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,200 It was time came for the prosecutor's closing argument. 290 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,720 Prosecutor Krupiński got up and said that the test 291 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,800 had been performed properly and he had proof of that, 292 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:30,000 because he'd filmed the polygraph test, and he played us an excerpt. 293 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:32,160 What we saw there... 294 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,960 You have agreed to being tested. 295 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,240 I will hand you the statement according to which 296 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:43,360 you agree only to answer questions 297 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:48,280 pertaining to Katarzyna Zowada's murder 298 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:51,160 The other question 299 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:55,800 is if you agree for the exchange to be registered on video, 300 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,960 so that later there is no concern, 301 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:04,360 on the other side as well, that I'd suggested anything to you, 302 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:09,920 that I'd treated you badly, refused to grant you a breather, 303 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,000 a toilet break and so on? 304 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:15,080 I've just been to the toilet. 305 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:17,400 We're doing it, we're filming, right? 306 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,040 Do whatever you wish. 307 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,240 -Good evening. -Good evening. 308 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,200 -Bieńkuński. -Michał Fuja. 309 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,760 We've met in relation to this case, I don't know if you remember. 310 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,400 We have? Well, maybe. 311 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:50,760 You consider yourself Poland's most widely recognized expert 312 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,080 on this device? 313 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,520 I'm summoned to the most serious cases 314 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,400 covered by national media. 315 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,680 Is it true that the person tested should be warned, beforehand, 316 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:09,680 not right at the time of the test, that the questions are "yes" or "no"? 317 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,680 This is part of the investigators' tactics. 318 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:14,400 They decide. 319 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,320 Right, but the Supreme Court suggests this should not be done. 320 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:19,560 Instead of matter-of-factly stating, 321 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,880 "Sir, this test is optional. Do you agree or not? 322 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,160 You can interrupt the test at any time, please, remember," 323 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:28,640 this is how an expert communicates. 324 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,080 Do you count on being able to cheat the device? 325 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,040 No, I have nothing to hide. Because if... 326 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:41,600 I always give an additional explanation to such people 327 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:46,200 that if the truth is different from what's stated, 328 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:50,200 I say, to put it colloquially, 329 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:54,680 "Man, go home, I'm going to hurt you trial-wise". 330 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,360 I'm going to reveal it by means of this test". 331 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:03,080 But you have nothing to do with it. So you have nothing to fear, right? 332 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:04,200 Am I right? 333 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:05,440 -Yes. -Alright. 334 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:10,240 Is this an advisement, or is this pressure to take the test? 335 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:14,240 You want to put me at the whipping post. 336 00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:17,120 As if it's my fault he sat down, let himself be... 337 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:18,520 My role is... 338 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:22,920 He agreed, had his rights read out. 339 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,440 When did you learn that Robert was being treated psychiatrically, 340 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,200 that he has schizophrenia, and therefore takes medication? 341 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:37,920 When... Certainly before the test. 342 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:39,200 Before? 343 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,960 Because in interviews you say that mental illness is a contraindication. 344 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,040 Mental illness. 345 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:49,400 From the assessment I read, 346 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:55,360 I don't know if the doctors diagnosed him with a mental illness. 347 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,360 They did, with schizophrenia. Diagnosed in 1992. 348 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,680 I don't know if it said... If he is... 349 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:07,400 He might have some defect of a psychological nature, 350 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:13,600 but it wasn't specifically defined. 351 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,360 You were supposed to know if it was mental illness, 352 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:17,880 or some minor disorder. 353 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,720 If the expression "mentally ill" had been there, 354 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,960 I wouldn't have performed the test. 355 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,400 Does this mean the prosecutor was hidin Robert's illness from the expert? 356 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:37,560 The expert had already tested other people appearing in this case. 357 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:39,280 A dozen, maybe several dozen. 358 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:43,320 When you examined the detective, the one hired by the mother, 359 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,080 hidden knowledge came to light. 360 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:50,120 Then, you tested the principal of the school which Robert had attended. 361 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,160 There, too, it turned out he might have been hiding some knowledge. 362 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,520 You can't rule out his involvement in the crime. 363 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:59,720 Jacek... has hidden knowledge regarding certain circumstances 364 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:03,120 of the murder of Katarzyna Zowada and people involved in it. 365 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:04,360 Zbigniew... 366 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,960 It is highly probable that Zbigniew... has hidden knowledge. 367 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:10,640 Konrad... likewise. 368 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,840 Grzegorz... has hidden knowledge 369 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,120 and one cannot rule out his involvement in the crime. 370 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:17,360 Leszek... has hidden knowledge. 371 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,320 Whoever crossed Mr. Bienkuński's path possessed hidden knowledge. 372 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:22,960 I advise you not to get tested. 373 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,440 If I made such conclusions, 374 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,680 it means that to a certain extent those persons, 375 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,320 at a certain stage of this crime, 376 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:36,480 might have had this knowledge, 377 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,760 and were refusing to divulge it. 378 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,800 There were countless persons of interest in this case. 379 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,920 This one man was denounced by his own colleagues. 380 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,840 According to the tip, this researcher supposedly had, 381 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,040 among numerous educational specimens, 382 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:01,880 a woman's finger in a jar. 383 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:11,200 He gets a subpoena. He's welcomed by the Cold Cases team. 384 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,400 He is supposed to take a polygraph test and agrees to that. 385 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:18,880 In his lab, 386 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,560 he has heaps of tissue samples and explains the origins of each. 387 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:27,320 It is very quickly proven that the finger 388 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:28,960 didn't even come from a woman. 389 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,640 I don't know if you recall this researcher 390 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:35,960 from the Jagiellonian University, who used to work with tissues. 391 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:37,800 There was one, but I can't remember the face. 392 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:39,760 You did... You tested him, too. 393 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:41,560 Based on Peak of Tension tests, 394 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:45,280 one can conclude said individual fears the divulging of his knowledge 395 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,000 regarding his involvement in the murder of Katarzyna. 396 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:55,920 He loses all composure. 397 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,840 He is a broken man, physically and psychologically. 398 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:01,600 He doesn't know what will happen. 399 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,200 Doesn't know why he got caught up in that case. 400 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:07,360 The prosecutor's office requests 401 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,080 that the police inform the Jagiellonian University 402 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:15,800 about this man being in the very center of a murder case from years before. 403 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,760 On September 8, 2018, 404 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:28,360 less than two and a half months after these intensive measures 405 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:29,560 were instituted against him, 406 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:32,600 the man is unable to bear the pressure and commits suicide. 407 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,280 This man turned out to be innocent. Not involved with the case at all. 408 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:40,600 And how do we know if he was guilty or not guilty? 409 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:41,800 The prosecutor confirmed it for me. 410 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:43,960 That person had been libeled by former acquaintances 411 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,400 and had nothing to do with the case. 412 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:51,280 What is even more interesting, 413 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:54,120 all that happened six months after Robert's arrest. 414 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,680 That is, at the time when we were being persuaded 415 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:01,840 the prosecution was 100 per cent certain that Robert was Katarzyna's killer. 416 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:04,760 APPELATE COURT 6/27/2024 417 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,320 I remember that moment, sitting in the courtroom. 418 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:20,040 All of us waiting in anticipation to see what the ruling would be. 419 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:24,200 Just as the finishing touch was to be made, there was another turn. 420 00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:27,240 The court decided to reopen the appeal proceedings 421 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:31,360 by conducting an additional procedure, namely, 422 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:33,920 a public hearing of persons who heretofore 423 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:35,600 had the status of anonymous witnesses in the case. 424 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:40,800 The evidence from anonymous witnesses is so important and so crucial 425 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:46,320 that any doubt would in fact undermine the whole verdict, 426 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,640 and the entire trial would have to be repeated. 427 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:54,280 The degree of anonymization was such 428 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:55,880 that we effectively had no idea what the witnesses testified. 429 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,320 We would get transcripts 430 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,520 which were devoid of content, essentially throughout. 431 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,080 Two very significant anonymous witnesses 432 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:12,240 numbers 2.2018 433 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,800 and 4.2018. 434 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,280 It turned out these anonymous witnesses 435 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,200 were two women who used to be Robert's neighbors. 436 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:27,920 REENACTMENT OF ANONYMOUS WITNESS TESTIMONY - 10/28/2024 437 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,440 I have a sick child, could we make it quick? 438 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:31,920 Does the witness, 439 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,720 in any of the photographs on the display boards, 440 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,520 recognize the woman whom she saw with the defendant? 441 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:39,080 Please, come closer. 442 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:45,000 This is the one. 443 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:50,280 This late autumn evening in 1998 444 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,440 the mother and daughter will remember forever. 445 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,400 On this day, they both hurriedly go out 446 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,880 into the stairwell of a residential building 447 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,040 in which they live, and where, on the same floor, 448 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,360 another apartment is occupied by their neighbor Robert Janczewski. 449 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,760 A strange man, interpreted as dangerous. 450 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:13,800 Never before seen by his neighbors with any girl. 451 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:18,480 The mother and daughter see two people walking upstairs. 452 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:24,160 One is the defendant, Robert Janczewski, 453 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:26,080 the other, a girl. 454 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:32,240 Her hood was up, and blond hair was sticking out, like here. 455 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,680 I was still in primary school. 456 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,440 When Mom saw that woman's picture on TV, 457 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,360 in some program for missing people, about missing people, 458 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:46,360 the woman on TV also had a pale face and blond hair. 459 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:48,160 A pale face. 460 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:50,760 She was identified based on her pale face. 461 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,080 A scary thing, to have a fair complexion. 462 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:55,960 We are dealing with a witness 463 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:59,040 who was six or seven years old at the time of the event. 464 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:03,680 This doesn't, of course, rule out the possibility of remembering, 465 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,520 but these events need to be approached with extreme caution. 466 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,360 Simple as that. As a child, I had a good memory. 467 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,280 And do you remember what you and your mom were wearing 468 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:21,440 when you passed the defendant on the stairs? 469 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:36,760 One needs to be mindful of the fact that human memory is unreliable. 470 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:38,640 Human memory is a process. 471 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:44,440 And each time I recall events, it is possible I modify them a little. 472 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:49,240 It is a myth that human memory works like a video camera, 473 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:50,880 filming me right at this moment. 474 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,800 You said before that she was half a head taller than Janczewski. 475 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:56,480 I said that? 476 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,280 It's in the minutes. 477 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:00,960 I don't know, maybe someone made an error. 478 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:04,840 Witness Ewa... would be visited by police officers. 479 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,520 They came "for a cuppa." To talk about Robert, the killer. 480 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:13,960 No subtleties. May the ladies know: Robert, the killer. 481 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:15,520 And her, the victim. 482 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,120 Is this the way investigations are now conducted in this country? 483 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,720 Before you question a witness on record, you have "a cuppa" with them? 484 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,840 And tell them what's been happening in the investigation? 485 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,520 The problem with the case is not whether on the date 486 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:32,280 when they supposedly recognized Katarzyna Zowada in the pictures, 487 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:34,320 they in fact did recognize her. 488 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:36,640 It is that before the questioning took place, 489 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:42,000 they had attended pep talks by the police, 490 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,200 and undoubtedly had the possibility 491 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:47,680 to familiarize themselves with images of Katarzyna Zowada, 492 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,000 which were widely published in the media. 493 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,160 I don't know if it's this particular woman, 494 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,400 but he was certainly going upstairs with a woman. 495 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:00,120 I'm not sure. 496 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:01,280 Something is said, 497 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,640 something is written down, and there's a problem. 498 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,920 I've been on security duty for 24 hours. 499 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:08,360 I'm tired. 500 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,280 The testifying witness Ewa... blurted out, 501 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:18,280 "I regret having met the defendant on that staircase, 502 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,120 because I wouldn't have to be going through this". 503 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:22,840 There is no truer account, 504 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:28,000 one more convincing as to the truthfulness of her testimony. 505 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:34,080 One was unsure, which would already mean the whole deal was doubtful. 506 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,080 The other one, in turn, was disproportionately certain. 507 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,280 She said at one point, "Yes, this had to be it, period". 508 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:46,080 I also saw the side of her face, and it simply matched the photo. 509 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:49,520 I am sure he was linking arms with her then. 510 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,120 And this certainty remains unyielding to this day. 511 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:57,400 How many more times are you going to ask me that, Your Honor? 512 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,800 The witnesses, as the Court can see, 513 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:05,720 on no level of evaluation of their testimony withstand scrutiny. 514 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:12,040 Especially in cases involving so much serious doubt, 515 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:14,880 one must take great care 516 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:19,159 so as not to tailor the interpretation of evidence 517 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:21,080 to a thesis posed in advance. 518 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:28,520 Have you ever been on the stairwell with a girl? 519 00:34:29,639 --> 00:34:30,719 Yes. 520 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:33,239 -Yes? -Yes. 521 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:40,719 But not with the one of whose murder I'm being suspected. 522 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:45,239 As was later stated by anonymous witnesses. 523 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:50,480 Two people later said they allegedly saw me with Katarzyna Zowada. 524 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,880 Who were you with on the staircase? 525 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:58,280 There was a certain person, but I won't be going into details here. 526 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:09,360 If it turned out that Robert was guilty, 527 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:11,840 this would be a defeat for me. 528 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:13,200 Yes, yes. 529 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,400 A professional defeat, 530 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:21,320 as a therapist to a patient, who knows them. 531 00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:23,800 Yes, but not the first one in my life. 532 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,320 If, after all, he did this, it means I let myself be fooled twice. 533 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,320 It would be the end of my career as a journalist, 534 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:37,080 because both times I'd have been in error and unaware of it. 535 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:41,560 The defendant may go ahead. 536 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:47,720 Your Honor, I, too, would like to say something in closing. 537 00:35:57,720 --> 00:35:59,320 May I? Your Honor. 538 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,920 My name is Robert Janczewski. 539 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:05,520 "I am not 'The Skin.' 540 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:07,440 I am not 'The Beast.' 541 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:09,920 I am not a monster. 542 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:14,080 I did not kill anyone. I did not hurt anyone. 543 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,440 I am a human being and a citizen of this country, 544 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:23,400 whom law enforcement has been trying to, for nearly a quarter of a century, 545 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:26,760 implicate in the case of Katarzyna Zowada's murder. 546 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:28,960 I address the Court directly, 547 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:32,040 because this is my last chance to get justice. 548 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,880 Policemen told me outright that they knew I was the killer. 549 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,360 The more desperately I denied it, 550 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:44,360 the more Commissioner Michalec insisted that I was disavowing a crime. 551 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,080 To the end of my days, I will speak the truth. 552 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:51,680 I did not kill Katarzyna Zowada. I did not kill, means I did not kill. 553 00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:54,560 Contrary to Commissioner Michalec's theory, 554 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,080 the words 'I did not kill' 555 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,960 are not a trace on the soul after a crime committed, 556 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:01,920 but words of desperation. 557 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:06,840 I am, in fact, screaming, 'Believe me, I did not do it.' 558 00:37:08,240 --> 00:37:13,720 I've been in detention for seven years. This has been seven years of hell. 559 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,400 Each day, I wake up hoping 560 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,840 that a day will come on which this nightmare ends. 561 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:23,040 Today my fate is in Your Honor's hands. 562 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:25,560 I ask for acquittal. 563 00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:29,520 No other verdict in this trial would be a just one." 564 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:32,440 APPELATE COURT VERDICT 10/31/2024 565 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:10,880 For His sorrowful passion have mercy on us, and on the whole world. 566 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:16,400 For His sorrowful passion have mercy on us, and on the whole world. 567 00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:19,720 For His sorrowful passion... 568 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:36,480 We will now proceed with the announcement of the verdict. 569 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,080 Therefore I ask everyone to rise. 570 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,600 "A verdict on behalf of the Republic of Poland. 571 00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:48,480 On October 31, 2024, the Appellate Court in Krakow, 572 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:55,520 pursuant to Article 414, paragraph 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 573 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:59,040 relating to Article 17, paragraph 1, 574 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:03,040 point 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 575 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,160 acquits the defendant, Robert Janczewski, 576 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:14,520 of the deed as charged in the indictment. 577 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,640 This ruling is legally binding 578 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,600 and means the defendant is now a free person." 579 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:45,600 I felt those seven years of believing in the case, 580 00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:51,640 of not succumbing to, often contrary to public opinion, 581 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,440 the system, the Court, 582 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:59,840 I felt, after those seven years, that this injustice system had ended. 583 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:06,920 The Court has acquitted Robert Janczewski 584 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:08,600 after seven years in detention. 585 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:10,040 Do you feel guilty 586 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:12,640 because he spent those seven years locked up, wrongly accused? 587 00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:17,000 You can feel guilty for making programs which are suggestive, 588 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:19,280 you could say, inspired by the defense. 589 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:20,960 So thank you very much. 590 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:26,560 It isn't a bad system, but there are certain individuals 591 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:28,720 who, for various reasons, act the way they do. 592 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,880 In such a way as to sentence someone at any cost. 593 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:36,960 It's not like the police will come for me or any of us and say, 594 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:39,440 "You're a murderer." 595 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:43,000 Because there are many reasons why we don't make good victims. 596 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,560 A good victim is one who is defenseless. 597 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:55,760 -Good morning. -Good morning. 598 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:58,200 Just fasten the seat belt, okay? 599 00:40:58,320 --> 00:40:59,840 Yes, yes. Sure. 600 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:13,160 How are you feeling, Mr. Robert? Has it sunk in, what's just happened? 601 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:14,280 Yes, yes. 602 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,280 Good, because for us it still hasn't. 603 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:19,640 -I'm very sorry, but... -Take it slow, gentleman here can help. 604 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:21,040 To pull it. 605 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:22,160 We have time. 606 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,760 On the one hand, I felt it in my skin that you'll hold on, 607 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:35,520 but at the same time, paradoxically, I was really afraid for you. 608 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:41,680 I thank you for being such a decent man. Really. 609 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:44,800 I promised and I delivered. 610 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,160 I said to you, "No matter what, I won't leave you." 611 00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:48,440 -Do you remember? -I do. 612 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:50,880 I repeated it to myself hundreds of times. 613 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:55,040 "You are not alone. I will pull you out, just hold on". 614 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:05,000 This will stay with me until the end, I think. 615 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:08,800 I remember arriving at the place 616 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:10,480 in which we'd arranged a meeting with Robert's mom. 617 00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:13,800 We thank you from our hearts. We bow deeply. 618 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:15,440 No need to thank me. 619 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:16,880 No need to thank me. 620 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,000 Listen, you'll stay here for a moment. 621 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:21,120 I'm going to take care of some formalities. 622 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:23,560 We'll head upstairs shortly. And have a chat in peace. 623 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:25,960 Wait here a minute, okay? 624 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:39,360 I thought to myself then 625 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:44,040 that this is the most beautiful thing about this job. 626 00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:50,520 Not only do you do interesting work, with the law, with court disputes, 627 00:42:52,240 --> 00:42:57,480 but heck, you can also do some good. 628 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:01,360 Because there was good in there. There simply was good in there. 629 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:12,200 A modest goal is for Robert to survive. 630 00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:15,240 For Robert to gradually stand on his own feet. 631 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:16,960 For him to see some hope, 632 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:21,960 the possibility to regain the sense that he has some influence on his life. 633 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:32,480 All the best. Stay in touch. 634 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:36,320 If Mr. Michalec is searching for traces on the soul, 635 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:41,880 I think this investigation, the harm done to Robert, 636 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:44,560 the unnecessary seven-year detention, 637 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:48,640 all this has left a trace on his soul, irreversibly so. 638 00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:53,440 Now we know who didn't do it, 639 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:57,320 but, in fact, we should feel more concerned, 640 00:43:57,640 --> 00:44:01,720 because this means the perpetrator might still be out there. 641 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:05,960 There's a thing which keeps bugging me, 642 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:08,160 and which came up very early on in the case: 643 00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:11,280 an expertise from February of 2007, by the Department of Forensic Medicine 644 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:12,920 at the Collegium Medicum 645 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:15,600 of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. 646 00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:19,480 "Katarzyna Z sustained massive multiple-organ trauma 647 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,880 of a type consistent with being hit by a car, 648 00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:23,920 or having fallen from a great height." 649 00:44:24,240 --> 00:44:29,880 In December of 1997, Katarzyna had a suicide attempt. 650 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:34,920 For over two hours she sat on the dam in Dąbie, 651 00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:38,320 where in the following year her remains would be found, 652 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:41,360 and contemplated jumping into the Vistula and drowning. 653 00:44:41,480 --> 00:44:45,680 So it can't be ruled out the perpetrator found her body, 654 00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:49,920 skinned it and threw the skin into the Vistula. 655 00:44:51,240 --> 00:44:53,400 This is the problem with the case. 656 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,680 Due to how badly the investigation was conducted, 657 00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:58,760 we will never learn what happened. 658 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:03,560 Moreover, it turns out that an innocent man 659 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:06,400 was harassed for 25 years. 660 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:10,960 I don't agree with sentencing people to life 661 00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:14,080 unless there is proof of their guilt. 662 00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:17,160 I think as a society we shouldn't stand for this. 663 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:19,160 We shouldn't stand for it as journalists. 664 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:20,720 This is what we're for. To watch those in power. 665 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:24,200 Those in power meaning not just politicians, 666 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,320 but also the police and prosecutors. 667 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:41,800 I have this dream to meet someone on my life's path. 668 00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:46,520 A person 669 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:51,800 who could let in a ray of sunshine 670 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:56,320 with her smile. 671 00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:59,800 For whom I could care 672 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:15,040 with every breath I take. 673 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:22,080 I am missing those years now, 674 00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:24,120 those 25 years. 675 00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:26,880 Because I had plans for my life. 676 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:28,520 I was 35. 677 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:30,520 Now I'm 60. 678 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:32,080 Is this my fault? 679 00:46:32,840 --> 00:46:34,480 Then whose fault is this? 680 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:53,040 Prosecutor Piotr Krupiński and Detective Bogdan Michalec 681 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:54,520 declined to appear in the series. 682 00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:57,400 The total financial cost of the 25-year investigation 683 00:46:57,520 --> 00:46:59,200 remains unknown.