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[birds tweeting]

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[old school hip hop playing]

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[yelling]

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[laughter]

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[Fuja] Peaceful Kraków,
or maybe not so much,

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because a dangerous species
of exotic snake

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has started cropping up
in various parts of the city.

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[hissing]

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Suddenly, this reptile expert appears

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who is able to deal with them.

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His name is Leszek L.

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[Góra] He was known in Kraków
as a reptile breeder.

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He had friends on the police force,

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high-ranking ones, too.

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I heard from numerous people

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that Leszek L. would drop
those snakes there himself

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and then call the police.

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[Frątczak] The officers
would then assign him the job

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of rounding up these snakes
which were quite dangerous.

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This was Leszek L's side hustle.

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[ominous percussive music playing]

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[Fuja] He was dangerous,
like a wild animal.

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[ominous percussive music continues]

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[church bell chimes]

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[music fades]

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[Frątczak] To me, the whole
Leszek L. situation is suspicious.

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If you look at the case file,
you'll see

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he informed on Robert Janczewski
not just once, but twice,

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as if to make absolutely sure

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that the police would focus
all their attention on him.

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There was a lot of deliberation
as to why exactly Leszek did that.

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FORMER POLICE OFFICER

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Because he didn't exactly come across
as a law-abiding citizen

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who would do that out of some sense

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of civic duty.

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To this day, I don't know

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why Leszek informed on his colleague.

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I do know that he owed him money.

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[reporter] The 2.5-meter python
was discovered by Alexandra Jachoha

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as she was returning from the shop,
in a grove by her house.

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The snake was over here.

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She was frightened because
the grove is close to our home.

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Children walk to school through here.

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[reporter] Officers called Mr. Leszek,
the county's local reptile expert.

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Mr. Leszek says the reptile
was apathetic and cold.

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In warmer conditions, it might
have been dangerous to humans.

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A snake bite could even result
in a hand amputation.

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I've had several encounters
with rattlesnakes, for example.

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One was crawling
next to the Barbican in Kraków.

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Another in the courthouse.

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One time, I found a cobra
in a housing estate.

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People can be irresponsible.

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[Beata] I met Leszek at night school.

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It was the school in Lubzaska Street.

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He had some very interesting hobbies.

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He was into diving
as well as reptiles and herpetology,

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especially snakes.

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Our acquaintance deepened
but at a certain point it changed

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because eventually
I started working with him.

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[Góra] He'd organize circuits
around schools

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where he would show off reptiles

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from his collection to the students.

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He would boast

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about how he smuggled exotic animals
through the country's border

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under his shirt.

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He'd brag about
how they were wild reptiles

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and how he wasn't caught.

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Between the years of '81 and '89,

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you could say we had
somewhat of a friendship.

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I mean,

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the friendship was pretty one-sided

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because I did anything I could
do be his friend.

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I helped wherever I could.

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[Józef] They were friends
back in vocational school.

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Robert idolized him.

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He was much older, stronger,

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popular with women and so on.

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Maybe not popular per se,
but a notorious flirt.

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[hissing]

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[Góra] Leszek L. treated Robert
a bit like dirt, one could say.

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Like his servant, keeping him around
to do things for him.

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Things he didn't have time for

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or didn't feel like doing.

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[Robert] He wanted a go-to lackey,

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someone to fetch the lab mice
for his reptiles.

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He told me about a job
in the animal department

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which involved emptying the cages,

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putting in woodchips or lining,
sanitizing the cages,

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basically just cleaning everything.

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It really stank,
because these were lab animals.

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I met Leszek in...

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1978, I think.

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He was a scuba diver.

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In fact, I think he was a three-time
Guinness World Record holder.

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He would organize these slide shows
at his place,

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because he would travel the world.

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In our post-communist reality,
it felt like a different world.

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At that time,
Leszek was a very likable person.

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He would recount his dives,
the things he saw.

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Sadly, when he would drink,

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it was like he became
a whole different person.

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A bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

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It was like
he was two different people,

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totally unrecognizable.

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[cocks pistol]

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[Robert] When he would drink
he would become unpredictable.

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One time at his place,

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he took a drag on a cigarette

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and then extinguished it
on his forearm.

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And he goes,

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"One tough son of a bitch, ain't I?"

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This happened right before Christmas

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in '93.

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That was the last
we saw of each other.

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[Góra] He was skilled with knives,
particularly with skinning.

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He could remove the skin
from an animal

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with surgical precision.

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One surmises he'd also be able
to remove the skin with equal precision

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from a human being,

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just as skillfully.

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[rock music plays over headphones]

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We are Maciej Kleczek and friends,
getting warmed up!

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[rock music plays over PA system]

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[Maciej] In the late '90s,
Kornet was a place...

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where life was really happening.

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ACQUAINTANCE OF LESZEK L.

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Someone who always
had interesting stories

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was none other than Leszek.

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"Come on over,
I want to show you something.

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I live nearby."

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In retrospect it feels
like something out of a horror film.

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There was this one light bulb,
barely 15 or 30 watts,

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creating this dark, spooky ambiance

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and an entire wall covered with
the bones and skins of various animals

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likely tanned by Leszek himself.

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He knew how to do that.

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[plucked string music playing]

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The last room is filled
floor-to-ceiling with terrariums.

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Crocodile on the bottom.

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There's a cobra
in the cage to the right.

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On the left, a tropical rattlesnake.

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And at the very top, a black mamba.

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He opens one of the cages.

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Inside is this huge snake.

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I found out later it was a python.

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He had a reticulated python

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named Kaszka.

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[hissing]

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I see this crocodile zipping from room
to room, hiding behind the sofa.

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I'm like, "What the hell is going on?
What is this place?"

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The crocodile hid behind the sofa
and started growling like a dog.

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About this big.

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Then Leszek grabbed it

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and held this crocodile's head
right up against mine.

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Suddenly, chomp!

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In my arm I feel blood trickling.

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It fucking bit me!

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He goes, "Don't be such a baby.

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You're fine."

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He puts the crocodile away.

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"Damn, it really did
fucking bite you."

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You can see it.

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He says, "You know,

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you'd better not tell anyone."

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Then he adds, "You know what?
No one will believe you anyway."

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And he laughs.

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He seemed to have completely lost it
at some point.

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[upbeat jingle]

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[audience applauding]

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Our wonderful neighbor shot me.

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Luckily he missed me
by about three meters.

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I only have surface burns on my face,
because had it been--

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- "Only?"
- Only.

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We felt powerless
so we contacted the television.

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A talk show.
Two other neighbors and I.

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Aren't those animals out of control?

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The neighbor's snake
got out of its cage.

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We found it in a cellar
wrapped around a doorknob.

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[whistling]

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My husband says, "Damn it,
this is getting dangerous."

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So I did it, I called the police

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because I was afraid for my child.

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The police came by.
They went over.

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Said, "Don't you worry,
it's taken care of."

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Leszek found out
who called the police.

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He came downstairs and said,

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"If you call the police again
I'll make you regret it."

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He's worked with the police

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so no doubt,
he's friends with many of them.

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[ominous percussive music playing]

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[Góra] He partied with them.

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Even when Katarzyna was missing,

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Leszek spent New Year's Eve

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and New Year's Day
with the Kraków policemen.

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Many police officers,

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including high-ranking ones,
were good friends with him.

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Leszek L. would also tell
all sorts of stories

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00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,440
about inviting young girls
to his place

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and making it impossible
for them to leave.

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One tactic was
to wrap one of his snakes

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00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,120
around the doorknob
so they'd be too scared to touch it.

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00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:44,200
I've heard from women
who knew Leszek L.

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They said he could be quite violent

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and he would sometimes beat them.

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00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,440
[tense pulsing music playing]

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00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,080
[Beata] Something was not right
in that head of his.

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00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,640
We can't rule out
that his mind turned to perversion.

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00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,360
He might have thought, "I've skinned
a snake, so why not a human?"

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00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,240
Would Leszek be capable
of skinning a person?

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00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:20,720
I think so.

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I owned a few fish,

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00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,480
so about twice a week,

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I'd visit Leszek's pet shop.

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00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:34,200
One day I came in, turned around,

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00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,040
and hiding behind the fish tanks
I see the face...

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00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:39,800
of a woman.

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00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,800
Her hair was down.
It was a bit reddish.

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00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,560
Next to her,
I see a guy I didn't know.

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00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,120
[interviewer]
Did that person look like this one?

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00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:54,920
Please take a look.

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00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,960
Yes, that's her,
except she had her hair down.

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00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:05,240
She was there at the shop.
I'm 100 percent certain.

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00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,640
100 percent.

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00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,680
It's hard for me to connect
the skinning of a dead snake

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00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:15,680
with what happened
to Kasia.

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00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,280
[Sitarski] There was no way to prove
that Leszek was connected to the case.

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00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,160
- Did you search his apartment?
- I don't remember.

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00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:30,000
[Ewa] I remember it
like it was yesterday,

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00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:31,840
- But the date?
- No.

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00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:37,480
Could you remind me what year
his pet shop shut down for good?

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00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:39,560
Because I can't remember.

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00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:41,400
I see. '98.

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00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,920
[Frątczak] It's safe to say Leszek
himself won't be much help

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00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,840
because he died back in '07 due
to complications caused by alcoholism.

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00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,400
It needs to be said
that Leszek is an easy target

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00:13:53,560 --> 00:13:55,920
because he isn't here
to defend himself.

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00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,440
So it's easy for us to make
assumptions or jump to conclusions.

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00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,240
[Frątczak] It's easy
to look at someone like Leszek

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00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:06,920
and think him a suspect.

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00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:11,360
Due to the way the investigation
was conducted, we will never know.

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00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:16,200
[ominous drone music playing]

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00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:19,200
[bell rings]

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00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:33,000
[Chojniak] I feel more like
a prosecutor than a defense attorney.

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00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,080
An appeal is indeed an indictment

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00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,320
made by the defense

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00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,600
against the police, the prosecution

247
00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:43,760
and the court.

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00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,680
And I say this, Your Honor,
with strong conviction,

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00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:49,960
that I bear the full weight...

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00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:52,680
that I accuse these parties

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00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,240
of ignoring the truth at a minimum.

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00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,400
There isn't even
any circumstantial evidence.

253
00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:03,560
I will not engage

254
00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:05,520
in any theatrics today.

255
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:08,760
I will not crack jokes.

256
00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,360
I will not try
to make the court laugh.

257
00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,120
Because this case isn't like that.

258
00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,440
I plan to remain serious
and respectful,

259
00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:22,960
unlike the defense.

260
00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,280
In the courtroom, I could
never predict what the prosecution

261
00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,320
was going to come up with that day.

262
00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,040
What they were going to try.

263
00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:32,520
They created a spider web

264
00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:35,560
of meaningless pseudo-evidence,

265
00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:37,880
of conjecture.

266
00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,960
One day, they claim
he murdered her in his apartment,

267
00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:43,400
the next,
that she was at the allotment,

268
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,320
the whereabouts of which are unknown.

269
00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,960
He'd have to shuffle her between
the apartment and the allotment.

270
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,960
How? On his bike?
Must have been, since he can't drive.

271
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:57,240
[percussive music playing]

272
00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:06,640
[creak]

273
00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:14,000
ROBERT JANCZEWSKI'S FRIEND, POET

274
00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,120
I was notified in writing
by Prosecutor Krupinski,

275
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,480
instructing me to keep available
all spaces in my allotment in Balice.

276
00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:26,440
I didn't know Robert.

277
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,600
He and his father came here,
once to paint my window bars

278
00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,520
and once to restore the frames,
for payment, of course.

279
00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,640
Józef Janczewski was,
at least for a short while

280
00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,040
an acquaintance
of my wife Halyna Kutela.

281
00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,520
We were both poets, him and I.

282
00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,320
The prosecutor's theory
was that Robert

283
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,840
got the allotment keys
from his father,

284
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,200
because Józef had the keys

285
00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,000
to spend the weekend with Halyna,

286
00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,760
and that therefore allowed Robert
to commit the crime,

287
00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,360
this murder.

288
00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,080
This is why the prosecutor
wrecked my entire allotment.

289
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:02,960
Here there used to be a pond.

290
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,079
As you can see,
it's all been dug up and destroyed.

291
00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:09,960
They were supposed to restore it

292
00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:14,160
but I don't think the prosecutor
will be coming here any time soon.

293
00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:16,800
He said, "We've found it."
I asked, "What?"

294
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,280
They lift the tarp.
There she is, my dead kitty!

295
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,040
Come on, Rudolf. Don't be scared.

296
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,600
Here, kitty! No one's going
to hurt you. Come on.

297
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,600
Because of what the police were doing,
a rumor spread

298
00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:33,560
that they'd found 14 bodies,

299
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,240
that these murders happened
at the poet's house.

300
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,400
Just like that,
my reputation was totally destroyed.

301
00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:41,520
I'll be honest,

302
00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,160
I was mad at him and I still am.

303
00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:49,600
I wrote a poem for a certain
Mr. Prosecutor Krupinski, "P.K."

304
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,040
O Lady Justice, without your blindfold

305
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,600
lift up your sword and weigh the deeds

306
00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:57,760
of such-and-such

307
00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,720
and punish him
according to what is lawful and just.

308
00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:03,080
Amen.

309
00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:08,720
[tense pulsing music playing]

310
00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:18,680
The amount of evidence that was
allowed when it should not have been

311
00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:20,480
proves the fact...

312
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:26,600
that "innocent until proven guilty"
was not applied here.

313
00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:30,680
There was a belief that they had
already caught the perpetrator

314
00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,360
and that all that was left to do
was, as Mr. Znamiec put it,

315
00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,240
"perform the theatrics
of an investigation."

316
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,960
For it was theater,
not an investigation.

317
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,920
In this theater
everyone has their role.

318
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:44,800
Let us stick to these roles.

319
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:45,880
And here,

320
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,960
Your Honor, I'd like
to make an appeal to the media,

321
00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:51,720
so that they, the media

322
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,960
remember to stick to their role.

323
00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:57,680
During the appeal, Krupinski stood up,

324
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,600
pointed his finger at Michał,
next to me,

325
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,720
and said, "You have it all wrong,
it's not what you think it is."

326
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,760
I can say to Mr. Fuja,
the journalist here today

327
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,920
whom might have been manipulated,
I don't know.

328
00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:14,200
I don't want to get into that.

329
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:16,200
But Your Honor,

330
00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:18,760
these allegations

331
00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:20,880
are an attempt at manipulation

332
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,440
contrary to the body of evidence

333
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,600
which created an inaccurate impression
of a cruel prosecutor,

334
00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:32,320
a cruel policeman,

335
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:35,840
of cruel law enforcement.

336
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,040
The defense's closing argument
drew attention

337
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,880
to why the polygraph test
wasn't credible,

338
00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,680
why it shouldn't be taken
into account at all.

339
00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,160
In the most stressful of situations,

340
00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,000
because being arrested
would be stressful to anyone,

341
00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:51,400
wouldn't it,

342
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,720
you decide to conduct
a polygraph test in the evening.

343
00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,240
Who performs a test like this
at this hour?

344
00:19:58,960 --> 00:19:59,880
Who?

345
00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:03,200
These tests must not, Your Honor,

346
00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,880
from an objective viewpoint,
be given any form of serious credibility

347
00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:10,920
because from
a methodological perspective,

348
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,360
they were conducted
with blatant disregard

349
00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,600
to the test's very own requirements.

350
00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,000
For his closing argument,
Prosecutor Krupinski got up

351
00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:21,760
and said that the test
had been performed properly

352
00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:23,440
and that he could prove it.

353
00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,800
He explained he had filmed
the polygraph test

354
00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:29,240
and he then played us
an excerpt of it.

355
00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:31,960
And what we saw there...

356
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,120
[Bieńkuński]
I'm stating for the record

357
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,200
that you have agreed
to partake in this polygraph test.

358
00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:41,200
I will hand you the statement
stating you agree to this test.

359
00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:43,800
During the time
the test is being conducted,

360
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:45,360
you agree to answer questions

361
00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:47,920
pertaining to the murder
of Katarzyna Zowada.

362
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,720
The other issue in question

363
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:54,520
is whether you consent
for this polygraph test to be recorded

364
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,280
and registered on video

365
00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,480
and kept in posterity as evidence

366
00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,560
so that later, there is no concern
from either the defense or prosecution

367
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:06,800
that I have suggested anything to you
or mistreated you in any way.

368
00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,800
This might include
refusing to allow you to take a break,

369
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:11,840
to use the bathroom, and so on.

370
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,360
It's fine.
I've just been to the bathroom.

371
00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,280
So you consent to being filmed?

372
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:19,880
Do whatever you wish.

373
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,080
[tense music builds]

374
00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:37,280
Good evening.

375
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,000
Bieńkuński? Michał Fuja.

376
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:42,960
- We've met before--
- We have?

377
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:45,280
Well, maybe.

378
00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:49,600
You consider yourself
Poland's most widely recognized expert

379
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,040
in the science behind polygraph tests.

380
00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,120
I'm brought
onto the most serious cases,

381
00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:56,320
POLYGRAPH OPERATOR

382
00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,400
covered by national media,
the more notorious cases.

383
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,760
Is it true that the person tested
should be warned in advance,

384
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,560
not right at the time
the test is being given?

385
00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:12,120
- That the questions are yes or no?
- That's up to the investigators.

386
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:14,360
They're the ones who decide.

387
00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,160
But the Supreme Court has stated
this should not be done.

388
00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:20,760
They're supposed to state
to the person being tested,

389
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,520
"This test is optional.
Do you agree to continue?

390
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,400
You have the right
to stop the test at any time."

391
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:28,880
That is how a real expert handles it.

392
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,080
[Bieńkuński] Do you count
on being able to cheat the device?

393
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:35,200
No. I have nothing to hide.

394
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,560
The reason I ask this question
is because...

395
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,680
I always warn people
who think they can cheat the test.

396
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,560
If the truth is different
from what's been stated

397
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:48,760
then, to put it in colloquial terms,

398
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:50,920
you might as well
just go on home instead.

399
00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,960
Any deliberate deception
will be used against you in court.

400
00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:57,480
I'm going to reveal any attempt
at lying by means of this test,

401
00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,760
but, as you have claimed,
you have nothing to do with this crime

402
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:04,000
so you have nothing to fear
from taking this test, right?

403
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:05,280
- Yes.
- Alright.

404
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:10,240
Is this a disclaimer, or is this
just pressure to take the test?

405
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,440
You want to make me
your lightning rod!

406
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:13,680
No! No!

407
00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:17,200
As if it's my fault he sat down
and let himself be questioned.

408
00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:19,560
My role was merely to...

409
00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,840
He agreed to the test.
He had his rights read out.

410
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,320
When did you learn that Robert
was being treated psychiatrically,

411
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,760
that he has schizophrenia
and is on medication for it?

412
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:33,920
When did I learn?

413
00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:37,880
It certainly would have been
before the test.

414
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:38,840
Before?

415
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,000
In interviews,
you say that mental illness

416
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,240
can interfere with the results.

417
00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:44,720
Mental illness?

418
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:46,200
Well, you see...

419
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,680
From the assessment I read,

420
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,760
I don't have the information
to know if the doctors

421
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,400
had actually diagnosed him
with a mental illness.

422
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,200
They did, with schizophrenia, in 1992.

423
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,320
I don't know if it said if he's...

424
00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,560
if he has some sort
of psychological defect,

425
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:09,080
but it wasn't...

426
00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:12,680
specifically defined for me.

427
00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:15,200
But you were supposed to know

428
00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:17,760
if it was mental illness
or some minor disorder.

429
00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,600
If the phrase "mentally ill"
had been there,

430
00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,120
if it said he was mentally ill,

431
00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,120
I wouldn't have performed the test.

432
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,480
[Fuja] Does this mean the prosecutor
was hiding Robert's illness?

433
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,760
The expert had already tested
many other people

434
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,760
who were also involved in this case.

435
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:39,040
A dozen, maybe more.

436
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,320
When you examined the detective,
the one hired by the mother,

437
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,120
new information came to light.

438
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,560
Then you tested the principal
of Robert's school.

439
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,080
There too, he might have been
keeping crucial information.

440
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,320
You can't rule out his involvement.

441
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,080
Jacek has information he's kept secret
regarding certain circumstances

442
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,760
of the murder of Katarzyna Zowada

443
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:03,080
and the people involved.

444
00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:05,960
Zbigniew, it is highly likely

445
00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:09,000
that Zbigniew
has hidden information in this case.

446
00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:10,960
Konrad, same situation.

447
00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:13,280
Grzegorz has information
he's kept secret

448
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,320
and one cannot rule
out his involvement.

449
00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,200
Leszek has hidden information.

450
00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:19,680
Whoever crossed Mr. Janczewski's path

451
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,240
possessed secret information.

452
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:22,880
I advise you not to take this test.

453
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,400
If I made such conclusions

454
00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,280
on this case with these people,
it then means

455
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,720
that to a certain extent,
those persons, at a certain point,

456
00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:34,440
within the investigation of this crime,

457
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,640
might have had this information

458
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,640
and were refusing to divulge it.

459
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,120
[Fuja] There were countless
persons of interest in this case.

460
00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:50,960
This one man was denounced
by his own colleagues.

461
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:56,840
This man was a researcher

462
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,080
who supposedly had,
among many other specimens,

463
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,520
a woman's finger in a jar.

464
00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:07,400
He gets a subpoena.

465
00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:10,800
He's welcomed in
by the cold cases team.

466
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,040
He's asked to take a polygraph test.
He agrees.

467
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,240
In his lab,
he has piles of tissue samples.

468
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,880
He goes into depth
about the origins of each.

469
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,800
It's quickly proven that the finger
didn't even come from a woman.

470
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:32,600
Do you remember this researcher

471
00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:34,600
from Jagiellonian University

472
00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:36,160
who worked with tissue?

473
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:37,800
There was one, but--

474
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:39,560
You did. You tested him too.

475
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,360
"Based on peak of tension tests,
one can conclude

476
00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:44,840
this individual
fears divulging his involvement

477
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,720
in the murder of Katarzyna."

478
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:56,360
He loses all composure.

479
00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,120
He's a broken man,
physically and psychologically.

480
00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:01,640
He doesn't know what will happen,

481
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,480
doesn't know how or why
he got caught up in the case.

482
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:06,880
The prosecutor requests

483
00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,960
that the police inform
the Jagiellonian University

484
00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,600
about this man
who did his research there

485
00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,400
being in the center
of a murder case, years prior.

486
00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:19,920
[haunting music playing]

487
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,440
On September 8, 2018,

488
00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,400
two and a half months after his name
was dragged through the mud,

489
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,160
this man is unable to take
the pressure anymore.

490
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,040
He commits suicide.

491
00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,280
He turned out to be innocent,
not involved at all.

492
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,520
How do we know
if he was guilty or not?

493
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,320
The prosecutor confirmed for me
that the person had been libeled

494
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,480
and had nothing to do with the case.

495
00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,240
What's even more interesting
is that this happened

496
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:54,240
six months after Robert's arrest,

497
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,400
right when the prosecution
was trying to convince us

498
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,920
they were 100 percent certain
that Robert was Katarzyna's killer.

499
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,920
[murmur of voices]

500
00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,440
[Frątczak] I remember
that moment in the courtroom,

501
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,080
all of us waiting for the verdict.

502
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:22,720
Just as the finish line was in sight,

503
00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:24,120
they threw a curveball.

504
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,440
This court has decided
to reopen the appeal proceedings

505
00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,440
by conducting an additional
public hearing of persons

506
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:35,200
who until now had the status
of anonymous witnesses in this case.

507
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:39,480
Evidence from anonymous testimonies
is so important and crucial

508
00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,920
that any doubt to their testimony
would in fact

509
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,880
completely undermine
the whole verdict,

510
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,800
and the entire trial would have
to be repeated all over again.

511
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,760
The degree of anonymization was such
that we had no idea

512
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:57,920
what was said by these witnesses.

513
00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,680
We would get transcripts

514
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:03,240
which were redacted throughout,
basically from start to finish.

515
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,760
Two anonymous witnesses
of particular significance,

516
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,600
numbers 22018 and 42018.

517
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,640
It turned out these
anonymous witnesses were two women

518
00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,160
who used to be Robert's neighbors.

519
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,240
[pulsing music playing]

520
00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,280
I have a sick child.
Could we make this quick?

521
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,840
[Judge] Does the witness,
in any of the photographs before her,

522
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,440
recognize the woman who she claims
to have seen with the defendant?

523
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:38,960
Please approach.

524
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:44,760
It is this one.

525
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,480
[Krupinski]
A late autumn evening in 1998,

526
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,480
a night both mother and daughter
will remember forever.

527
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,400
On this day, they both rush out
into the stairwell

528
00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,880
of the apartment building
where they reside

529
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:01,840
and where, on the same floor,

530
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,280
another apartment
is occupied by their neighbor

531
00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:06,080
Robert Janczewski.

532
00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:09,120
He's a strange man,
described as dangerous.

533
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:13,320
None of his neighbors can recall
ever seeing him with a girl.

534
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:14,920
This evening,

535
00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,200
the mother and daughter
see two people walking upstairs.

536
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:21,120
One is the defendant,

537
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:22,560
Robert Janczewski,

538
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,160
The other one, a young woman.

539
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:29,360
Her hood was up

540
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,720
but you could see blonde hair
sticking out from under it.

541
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:35,200
I was still in primary school.

542
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:37,400
When Mom saw
that woman's picture on TV

543
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,640
on some program about missing people,

544
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,160
we noticed that the woman on TV

545
00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,520
also had a pale face and blonde hair.

546
00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:48,320
A pale face?

547
00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:50,680
She was identified
based on her pale face?

548
00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,160
A scary thing,
to have a fair complexion!

549
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:57,320
We're dealing with a witness
who was six or seven years old

550
00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:58,920
at the time of the event.

551
00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,880
This doesn't automatically mean
that her memory is inaccurate

552
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,200
but we do need to consider this
and proceed with caution.

553
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:09,160
It's simple.
I had a good memory as a child.

554
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,520
[Judge] And do you remember
what you and your mom

555
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,800
were both wearing that day

556
00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,440
when you passed the defendant
on the stairs?

557
00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:33,600
[Porebski] Be mindful of the fact

558
00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,280
that human memory
is notoriously unreliable.

559
00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:38,680
Human memory is a process,

560
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,520
and each time you recall an event,

561
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,360
it is possible
your mind modifies it a little.

562
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,080
It is a myth that human memory
works like a video camera,

563
00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:50,800
filming what you're seeing.

564
00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:55,040
[Judge] You stated earlier
that she was taller than Janczewski.

565
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,240
- Did I say that?
- It's in the record.

566
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:00,840
I really don't know.
Maybe someone made an error.

567
00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:02,560
Witness Ewa

568
00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:04,800
would then be visited by police.

569
00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:06,520
They came for a cup of tea

570
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,520
to talk about Robert, the killer.

571
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:11,080
No subtleties,

572
00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,880
so that everyone would know,
"Robert, the killer,"

573
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:15,680
and her, his victim.

574
00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:19,400
Is this how investigations
are now conducted in this country?

575
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:21,560
Before you question a witness

576
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,080
you have a cup of tea with them
and tell them exactly

577
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:27,080
what's going on
with the investigation?

578
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:30,640
The problem with the case is not
whether they recognized Katarzyna

579
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:32,480
in the pictures.

580
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:34,760
They in fact did recognize her.

581
00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:37,520
The issue is that
before the questioning took place,

582
00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:40,520
they were personally coached
by the police,

583
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:42,120
given pep talks,

584
00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,160
where it's likely
they were given the opportunity

585
00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:47,520
to familiarize themselves with images

586
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,120
which were widely published
in the media.

587
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,640
I don't know if it's this exact woman

588
00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:57,160
but he was certainly going upstairs
with a woman.

589
00:32:58,880 --> 00:32:59,960
I'm not sure.

590
00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:03,480
Something is said, written down,
and that creates a problem.

591
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:07,280
I'm a security guard
and I just got off a 24-hour shift.

592
00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:08,720
I'm tired.

593
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,120
The testifying witness, Ewa,

594
00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:12,480
blurted out,

595
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,000
"I regret having met the defendant

596
00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:18,360
on that staircase,

597
00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,960
because if I hadn't, I wouldn't
be going through this today.

598
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:24,480
Nothing can be said

599
00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:28,120
that would be more convincing
as to the validity of her testimony.

600
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:34,240
[Chojniak] One was unsure, which means
the whole deal was doubtful.

601
00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,000
The other one, in turn,
was disproportionately certain.

602
00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:40,480
She even said at one point...

603
00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:43,920
I also saw the side of her face

604
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,280
and the truth is,
it simply matched the photo.

605
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:49,760
I'm sure that he was linking arms
with her then.

606
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,640
[Judge] And this remains
unyielding to this day?

607
00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:57,400
How many more times are you going
to ask me that, Your Honor?

608
00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,600
The witnesses cannot,
as the court can see,

609
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:03,240
based on the quality
of their testimony,

610
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:05,560
withstand scrutiny.

611
00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,480
In cases involving
so much serious doubt,

612
00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:12,080
one must take care

613
00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:16,040
not to tailor the interpretation
of evidence to suit your own purposes

614
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:18,280
or preconceptions

615
00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:20,880
or to suit a thesis posed in events.

616
00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:27,679
[interviewer] Have you ever been
on the stairwell with a girl?

617
00:34:29,639 --> 00:34:30,560
Yes.

618
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:32,280
- Yes?
- Yes.

619
00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:38,880
But not with the one whose murder
I'm being suspected of.

620
00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:43,800
As stated by anonymous witnesses,

621
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,600
two people supposedly claim
they somehow saw me

622
00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:48,440
with Katarzyna Zowada.

623
00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:53,080
Who were you with on the staircase?

624
00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:54,840
There was a certain person

625
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,200
but I won't be going into details
about her here.

626
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:05,920
[Matkowski] If it turned out
that Robert was guilty,

627
00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,360
this would be a huge defeat for me.

628
00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:10,680
It would be a major blow.

629
00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:12,360
ROBERT JANCZEWSKI'S PSYCHIATRIST
AND THERAPIST

630
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:13,520
Yes.

631
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:15,640
A professional defeat

632
00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:17,760
as a therapist to a patient,

633
00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:19,640
who knows them intimately.

634
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,800
But at least it wouldn't be
the first one in my life.

635
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,880
[Fuja] If, after all, he did this,
it means I let myself be fooled twice.

636
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:33,280
It would be the end of my career.

637
00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:36,840
Both times I'd have been
completely wrong and unaware of it.

638
00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:41,680
The defendant may proceed.

639
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:48,000
Your Honor, I would like
to say something in closing.

640
00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:52,320
[tense percussive music playing]

641
00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:58,280
May I?

642
00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:00,680
Your Honor,

643
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:03,000
my name is Robert Janczewski.

644
00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:05,280
I am not the skinner.

645
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:07,360
I am not the beast.

646
00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:10,120
I am not a monster.

647
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:11,960
I did not kill anyone.

648
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,040
I did not hurt anyone.

649
00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:17,120
I am a human being
and a citizen of this country

650
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:21,360
whom law enforcement has been trying,
for nearly a quarter of a century,

651
00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:24,920
to implicate in the case
of Katarzyna Zowada's murder.

652
00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,080
I address the court directly

653
00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:30,760
because this is my last chance
to get justice.

654
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:32,560
I've been harassed by policemen

655
00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:35,920
who told me outright
that they knew I was the killer.

656
00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,720
The more I clung to my innocence,

657
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,400
the more
Commissioner Michalec insisted

658
00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:44,200
that it only further proved my guilt.

659
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,040
To the end of my days,
I will speak the truth.

660
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,240
I did not kill Katarzyna Zowada.

661
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:51,840
"I did not kill"
means I did not kill.

662
00:36:52,720 --> 00:36:54,920
Contrary to Michalec's belief,

663
00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:58,040
the words "I did not kill"
are not imprinted on the soul

664
00:36:58,200 --> 00:36:59,800
after a crime is committed,

665
00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:02,080
but are the words of desperation.

666
00:37:02,240 --> 00:37:05,320
In fact, I am screaming
to whoever may listen to me,

667
00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:06,880
believe me, I did not do it.

668
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:10,360
I've been in detention
for seven years.

669
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:13,880
This has been seven years of hell.

670
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,400
Each day,
I wake up yearning for the day

671
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,080
when this nightmare will end.

672
00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:22,720
Today, my fate
is in Your Honor's hands.

673
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,080
I beg you for an acquittal.

674
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,920
No other verdict in this trial
would be a just one.

675
00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:33,480
[crows cawing]

676
00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:40,960
[eerie music playing]

677
00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:59,120
[murmur of voices]

678
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,800
[Robert] For his sorrowful passion,
have mercy on us and on the world.

679
00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:10,760
For his sorrowful passion,

680
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:14,400
have mercy on us
and on the whole world.

681
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:17,680
For his sorrowful passion,

682
00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:20,160
have mercy...

683
00:38:23,240 --> 00:38:25,960
[tense pulsing music playing]

684
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,440
[judge] We will now proceed
with the verdict.

685
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:36,280
Therefore,

686
00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,200
I will ask everyone to rise.

687
00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:45,040
A verdict on behalf
of the Republic of Poland.

688
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,920
On the 31st of October, 2024,

689
00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:51,680
the Appellate Court,

690
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,080
pursuant to Article 414, paragraph 1

691
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:56,520
of the Code of Criminal Procedure,

692
00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:00,600
relating to Article 17, paragraph 1.1

693
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,120
of the Code of Criminal Procedure...

694
00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:10,320
acquits the defendant
Robert Janczewski

695
00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:12,960
of the deed
as charged in the indictment.

696
00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,240
This ruling is legally binding
and means

697
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,920
the defendant in this case
in now a free person.

698
00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:25,520
[metallic rumble]

699
00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:35,800
[ethereal piano music playing]

700
00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:45,520
[Chojniak] I felt those seven years
of believing in the case,

701
00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:47,400
of holding onto hope,

702
00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:50,280
of not succumbing to public opinion,

703
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,120
and not succumbing
to the system, the court...

704
00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:59,800
I felt, after those seven years,
that this unjust system had ended.

705
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:08,840
[Fuja] The court acquitted Janczewski
after seven years in detention.

706
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:12,760
Do you feel guilty because he spent
those years wrongly convicted?

707
00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:15,000
You should feel guilty
for making programs

708
00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:17,240
which are suggestive
or, you could say,

709
00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:19,000
inspired by the defense.

710
00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:20,520
Thank you very much.

711
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:25,640
It isn't a bad system,
but there are individuals

712
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,520
who, for various reasons,
act the way they do,

713
00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:32,160
in such a way as to convict someone
at any cost.

714
00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:35,520
It's not as though the police
will come for me or any of us

715
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:38,360
and say point-blank,
"You're a murderer"

716
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,720
because there are many reasons

717
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:42,840
why we don't make
good victims for them.

718
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:45,880
A good victim is one
who is utterly defenseless.

719
00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,480
[ethereal music continues]

720
00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:56,120
- Good morning.
- [Chojniak] Good morning.

721
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:57,760
Fasten the seatbelt, okay?

722
00:40:57,920 --> 00:40:59,160
Yes, of course.

723
00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:10,160
How are you feeling, Mr. Robert?

724
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:13,960
- Has it sunk in yet?
- Yes, yes.

725
00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:15,960
Because for us, it still hasn't.

726
00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:18,840
- I'm sorry, but--
- The gentleman here can help.

727
00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:21,400
- To pull it.
- [Chojniak] We have time.

728
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:28,720
On the one hand, I felt in my bones

729
00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:30,440
that you would hold on.

730
00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:35,480
But at the same time, paradoxically,
I was really afraid for you.

731
00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:40,760
I thank you for being
such a decent man. Really.

732
00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:46,920
I promised that no matter what,
I won't leave you.

733
00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:48,240
- Remember?
- I do.

734
00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,640
I repeated it to myself
hundreds of times.

735
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:55,120
"You are not alone.
I will get you out. Just hold on."

736
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:04,800
[Chojniak] This will stay with me
until the end.

737
00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:08,040
I remember arriving at the place
where we'd arranged to meet

738
00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:09,320
Robert's mother.

739
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,640
We thank you from our hearts.
We're in your debt.

740
00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:16,880
No need to thank me.
No need to thank me.

741
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:20,400
Stay here for a moment. I'm going
to take care of some formalities.

742
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:22,040
We'll head upstairs shortly.

743
00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:23,960
- And have a chat in peace?
- Yes.

744
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:26,160
- Wait here a minute, okay?
- Of course.

745
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:38,880
I thought to myself then,

746
00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:42,040
that this is the most beautiful thing
about this job.

747
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:43,960
In this line of work,

748
00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:47,480
not only is it very interesting,

749
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,680
the law, the court disputes,

750
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:53,960
but heck,
you can also do some good.

751
00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:57,600
Because there was good in there.

752
00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:01,240
There was simply
something good in there.

753
00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:11,880
[Matkowski] A reasonable goal
for Robert now is just to survive.

754
00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,160
For Robert to gradually stand
on his own feet again,

755
00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:16,600
for him to see some hope,

756
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:18,480
eventually regain the sense

757
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:20,240
that he has some influence

758
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:21,720
over his own life.

759
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:32,520
All the best. Stay in touch.

760
00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:36,520
If Mr. Michalec is searching
for imprints on the soul,

761
00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:39,800
I think this investigation,
the way it was handled,

762
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:42,040
the harm done to Robert,

763
00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,600
the unnecessary seven-year detention,

764
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,520
this all left an imprint on his soul.

765
00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:53,560
Now we know who didn't do it,

766
00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:57,280
but in fact we should be
even more concerned now

767
00:43:57,440 --> 00:43:59,480
because this means the perpetrator

768
00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:02,000
might still be out there.

769
00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:08,120
[Fuja] Something keeps bugging me
which came up early on in the case.

770
00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,760
An expertise from February of 2007

771
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:13,000
by the Department
of Forensic Medicine.

772
00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:15,560
"At the Jagiellonian University's
medical school,

773
00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:18,840
Katarzyna Z. sustained
massive multiple organ trauma

774
00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:21,080
consistent with being hit by a car

775
00:44:21,240 --> 00:44:23,240
or having fallen from a great height."

776
00:44:24,120 --> 00:44:26,600
[Frątczak] In December of 1997,

777
00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,880
Katarzyna then attempted
to take her own life.

778
00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:33,320
For over two hours
she sat on the dam,

779
00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:38,400
in Dabie, where the following year
her remains would be found,

780
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,480
and contemplated jumping
into the Vistula and drowning.

781
00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:45,960
So it can't be ruled out that maybe
the perpetrator simply found her body,

782
00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:47,640
skinned it,

783
00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:50,440
and threw the skin into the Vistula.

784
00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:52,480
This is the problem.

785
00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:56,320
Due to how badly
the investigation was conducted

786
00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,720
we will never learn what happened.

787
00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:00,480
Moreover, as a result,

788
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:03,760
it turns out that an innocent man
was needlessly harassed

789
00:45:04,240 --> 00:45:06,040
for 25 years.

790
00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:10,560
I don't agree
with sentencing people to life

791
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,840
unless there is unwavering proof
of their guilt.

792
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:16,640
As a society
we shouldn't stand for this.

793
00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:18,760
We shouldn't stand for it
as journalists.

794
00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:21,680
This is our job,
to keep those in power in check.

795
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:23,280
Those in power meaning

796
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:26,480
not just politicians
but also the police and prosecutors.

797
00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:32,240
[haunting music playing]

798
00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:39,400
[Robert] I have this dream
to meet someone.

799
00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:42,320
At some point in my life
to cross paths with someone.

800
00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:44,680
Someone nice.

801
00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:47,040
A person who could...

802
00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:52,160
make me happy, who could let in...

803
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:56,480
a ray of sunshine...

804
00:45:57,560 --> 00:45:59,760
into my life with her smile.

805
00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:07,040
[sighs]

806
00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:12,440
For whom I could care
with every breath I take,

807
00:46:13,720 --> 00:46:15,400
for the rest of my life.

808
00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:16,800
[sniffles]

809
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:23,800
I'm missing those years now,
those 25 years.

810
00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:27,200
Because I had plans for my life!
I was only 35 years old!

811
00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:29,000
Now I'm 60.

812
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:31,160
Is this my fault?

813
00:46:32,720 --> 00:46:34,280
Then whose fault is this?

814
00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:49,680
[discordant piano music playing]