Overkill (2024) Movie Script
1
[operator speaking indistinctly]
- [Officer] Okay, on my way.
Adam 10-35. Mary.
- We are fascinated by murder.
TV shows, movies,
books, podcasts,
24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, 365 days a year.
With all this constant
fascination, it's no surprise,
we're also terrified
of being murdered.
We take self-defense classes,
install triple
locks on our doors,
and security cameras
in our windows,
and, of course, we've
got plenty of guns.
But the reality is this,
cheeseburgers kill more
people than people do.
Cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes.
Every single one of these has
a higher mortality
rate than homicide.
Today we are live
and we are talking about
the "Odds of Murder."
I'm Cassidy Smith, and
this is my "Crime Scene."
[giggles] Hey, John.
Oh, what's up KH?
Good to see you again.
JJ, Marcus.
SMH199.
[keypad clicking]
The odds that you'll
die a violent death
at the hands of a deranged
murderer are extremely low.
So, next time you see
a shadow on the wall,
no matter how certain you are,
it is someone coming
to kill you...
[door rattles]
It's just a tree branch.
That is a statistical fact.
Nobody is watching you.
Nobody is after you.
Nobody is in the closet.
[light switch flicks]
Or under the bed.
[door slides]
You are going to live a long,
boring,
uneventful life.
[door shuts]
[Taylor gasps]
Unless you're not.
[Taylor screams]
[tense sinister music]
Sometimes the noise
isn't the wind.
Sometimes the shadow
isn't a tree branch.
And 1 in 100 million,
there actually is a killer
waiting in the dark.
In that case,
fight as if your
life depends on it,
because it does.
[dark sinister music]
[sinister music continues]
[sinister music continues]
[sinister music continues]
[killer sighs]
[killer breathing heavily]
[traffic rumbling]
- It was a sunny
summer afternoon
in Leesburg, Pennsylvania,
when Wendy Whitaker decided
to leave her home
to visit a friend.
It was a 10-minute drive.
She left at 1:15 PM.
By 1:45 PM she had not arrived.
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[tense music]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[tense music]
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[tense dramatic music]
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
Wendy's friend became worried.
Wendy had gone missing before.
She also had a history
with the local police
and had been arrested for
petty theft and prostitution.
No one was worried
about Wendy Whitaker.
But her friend had a
nagging suspicion that-
[phone ringing]
The phone is ringing.
[phone ringing]
The phone is ringing.
[phone ringing]
Answer the phone, Cassidy.
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- Hi. Cassidy Smith?
- Yeah.
- This is Detective Vega from
the LAPD, Commercial
Crime Division-
- [sighs] I didn't do it.
- Excuse me?
- What can I help
you with, Detective?
- [Detective] I need to
ask you a few questions
about a Taylor Li.
- Taylor?
What about her?
- I'm sorry to be the
one to inform you,
but Taylor was the
victim of a homicide.
[tense dramatic music]
[Cassidy sighs]
- You said commercial crime.
- We are handling the
device processing.
You were the last person
Taylor was emailing
before she was killed.
- I haven't talked
to her in five years.
- She thought your
podcast was "kickass."
Her words.
You two were friends?
- We were roommates for like
one semester in college.
I don't really know
what to tell you.
- Any reason why
you were roommates
for only one semester?
- It was like half a semester.
Is there a reason that matters?
- Just trying to get a
full picture of Taylor.
She was a only child.
Both parents deceased.
Few friends and a lot of money.
- Yeah, I don't know
anything about that.
- Maybe you know some
of her other friends?
Perhaps a Mark Bennett.
- Like I said, it's
been five years, so...
- [Detective] Nicole Tang?
- No.
- How about a Jessica Lebow?
- Can I call you back?
I'm actually late for work.
- Sure.
Sure. This number
goes right to my cell.
Give me a call anytime.
[receiver clacking]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
- Jesus Christ.
- [hushed tone] Hello,
Tinglers. It's me, Tinglee.
How's everybody doing?
Today we're gonna go back
to some oldies,
[taps microphone]
but goodies
for sleep triggers.
[taps microphone]
- Vega.
Jerking off to her videos
isn't gonna do anything for me.
Unless you're gonna
jerk me off too.
[Detective Vega scoffs]
- I'm a team player.
- Sure you are.
That's why you're down here.
Jesus.
I've got kitchen drawers
bigger than this.
Listen, Vega,
this ain't a hole you
can dig yourself out of.
But you do your time, maybe,
maybe you can work
your way back.
That's it.
- Oh. Friendly advice, huh?
Go fuck yourself, Brant.
- Yeah? How about this?
Don't fuck with my case
or I'll make sure that
you never get out of here.
- You gave me this
shit, remember?
I didn't ask for it.
- Did I ask you to
get the Emmy's report?
And don't tell me you're
not asking about that.
- I don't know what
you're talking about.
- [scoffs] Sure, you don't.
Stay in your lane, Vega.
- Jesus Christ. Man, look at me.
I am clearly in my lane.
What the fuck else
do you want from me?
- Okay.
What do you got?
- Not much. Just
typical troll shit.
- [Brant] What
about the email?
- Old college roommate.
Cassidy Smith.
Doesn't seem to know
much about nothing.
- But?
- She has a true crime podcast.
- Oh Christ.
Goddamn cyber sleuths.
I fucking hate cyber sleuths.
- The victim was watching
it when she was killed.
- You sure?
- Yeah. I'm pretty
sure, it's a livestream.
- Huh?
Well, then we can clear her.
Lose her number. We
don't need her anyway.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You got somebody
you like already?
- [chuckles] That's for us.
homicide detectives to know
and former homicide detectives
to find out like everybody else.
Enjoy the view.
- Damn it.
Hey, Eddie. How
are you doing, man?
How's your mother?
Let me ask you something.
Did you fucking rat me out? Huh?
You two-faced lying mother-
- [Eddie] What? No.
- Don't fuck with me, Eddie.
Don't fuck with me.
- [Eddie] Who said that?
- Fucking Brant. Who else?
- [Eddie] I didn't
say shit to Brant.
He's fucking with
you. He does...
You know he does that.
- Fine, all right,
all right. All right.
So what's the deal?
He's got somebody lined
up he likes or what?
- [Eddie] Yeah.
Housekeeping staff, blood print.
He was the one who found
her so, makes sense to me.
But what do I know?
RHD is freaking out over it.
Guy's got prior or some shit.
You still want the report?
- What?
Yeah. Yeah, whatever.
- [Eddie] I hope you
got a strong stomach.
- I've seen cut up
bodies before, Eddie.
- [Eddie] Not like this.
I ain't even seen
anything like this.
And I've seen some shit.
72 stab wounds.
Ripped her guts out.
Cut the fingers off
one hand and well,
we found something
inside of her.
[tense eerie music]
- Crushing it isn't
enough today, people.
You've got to demolish it.
Pulverize it. Incinerate it.
Fucking infinity
gauntlet bad shit.
[phone chimes]
In the shape of a picture,
in the form of a drone.
[keypad clicking]
We are in a post-digital age.
[phone chimes]
People do not trust
digital anymore.
Wet signatures, hard documents.
[keypad clicking]
We are in the forefront
of this space.
[phone chimes]
So, somebody tell me how CAA's
multimillion dollar
packaging deal
ended up in a fucking LA river?
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[tense suspenseful music]
Are we boring you, Cassidy?
- Oh, no. Just
taking some notes.
- Alright. Right. Good.
Let's wrap it up
for today, people.
Fix those glitches.
Otherwise, we'll all be
looking for work in a month.
[imitating a pigeon]
Go. Fly. Fly my pigeons.
Make us all millionaires.
Look, your work is always
on point and on time,
but during the meetings,
I always feel like
you're not listening.
- Sorry, boss.
- I don't feel like
you're living up
to your full potential, Cassidy.
- Okay.
- Like, I...
I feel like you're not
being your authentic self.
This is just a job to you.
- Are you firing me, boss?
- No, no, no, that's not what
I'm saying at all.
I'm saying you're not like
the rest of these sheeple.
You are a creator, an
innovator, a founder.
You just don't know it yet.
I see you, Cassidy.
Look, let me help you.
There's going to be a dinner
meeting on Thursday night.
A couple of investors
and founders,
and I think you
should come with.
- Come with? With you?
- As my protege.
- I'm flattered.
Thank you, boss.
I don't know about Thursday.
Can I get back to you?
- Yeah, sure. You
can get back to me.
Just get me those new
graphics as soon as you can.
- Working on it as we speak.
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[keys jangling]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[fork clanging]
[tense dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[dramatic music continues]
[phone chimes]
[tense dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[phone chimes]
[dark eerie music]
[eerie music continues]
[phone vibrating]
[dark eerie music]
[laptop chimes]
[sighs] Fuck Marlow.
Are you okay?
- That's my line.
- You gotta keep
that left hand up.
- Yeah. Well, mom's a
sucker puncher, so...
- Those who can't
fight, fight dirty.
Still got a couch
with your name on it.
Let me know.
- You got enough trouble.
- Trouble's my business.
- Pretty fucked up.
- If it's real.
- "Hush" only
posts if it's real.
It's kind of their thing.
"Truth in Tabloid Journalism,"
or something like that.
- Yeah, well, I'd
like a second source.
- [Marlow] For the podcast?
[Cassidy sighs]
- I'm not sure.
I mean, it's not really
my thing, you know?
I don't do current events.
- Well, the cyber sleuths do.
She was one of them. One of us.
She's what we all
wish we could be.
- Brutally murdered?
- [Marlow] Famous and rich.
- Yeah, be careful
what you wish for.
Marlow, what's wrong
with this picture?
- Which one?
- All of them.
- Blood.
A lot of blood.
Too much blood.
- And what do we call that?
[tense dramatic music]
- Eddie, what's up?
- [Eddie] They kicked
the hotel worker.
Airtight alibi.
Thought you'd want to know.
I told you, nobody
listens to me.
- Yeah, thanks.
- [Eddie] Hey, I
thought you'd be happy.
There's still a killer out there
that needs to be caught.
- Yeah. I'm ecstatic.
[dark eerie music]
[light switch flicks]
[door squeaks]
[tense ominous music]
- Peter?
What's troubling you, Peter?
- I don't want to come anymore.
- But you know you have to.
It's part of the court order.
- I don't want to
come to you anymore.
- But you see,
that's the progress
I'm talking about.
You've transferred your
hatred for your mother to me.
I know it's uncomfortable,
but it's also very positive.
- You just keep
twisting it around.
You keep twisting everything,
no matter what I say.
- Control yourself, Peter.
- I won't!
[hairbrush banging]
- Peter, sit down!
I am twisting nothing.
I'm straightening what
your mother twisted in you
and what you keep
twisting in yourself.
Now, apologize to me
for your outburst.
Peter? Apologize.
- I'm sorry.
- I know how you feel.
I'm not your mother,
but I am a mother.
I know how a young man struggles
to control his impulses.
Most dirty thoughts
racing around in his mind.
The filthy fantasies
he desperately wishes
to inflict on the most
innocent of victims.
The weak, the desperate.
He is a danger.
You are a danger.
You must control yourself.
- [Peter] I try.
- Did you watch those
videos I suggested?
The ASMR.
- Yes.
- [Therapist] Did
they help at all?
- Yes, but,
I don't want to come anymore.
- What would they do, Peter,
if I told them you missed
three appointments?
- I haven't.
- They would issue a warrant.
They would have to
check my records.
Would you like me
to do that, Peter?
Shall I check my records?
- No.
[dark eerie music]
- You're broken, Peter.
You'll always be broken.
But I will never give up on you
and I won't let you
give up on yourself.
Now I'll see you at our
regular session, okay?
Close the door
behind you, please.
[dark eerie music]
- [Kirk] At just
23 years of age,
Taylor Li was an
internet celebrity
who practiced the art of
Autonomic Sensory Meridian
Response, or ASMR.
Under the screen name, Tinglee,
a reference to the
sensation many feel
when experiencing ASMR,
Taylor had garnered over
4 million subscribers.
On the night of March 4th,
one of these subscribers
may have been her killer.
[tense eerie music]
[Cassidy breathing heavily]
[toilet flushes]
[tense dramatic music]
- You're not real.
- Of course, I'm not.
- What do you want?
- I want what you want.
I'm not real, remember?
- I want to go to bed.
- Then go to bed.
[Cassidy exhales sharply]
- [sighs] Fuck.
Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3.
Hey guys, my name's
Cassidy Smith,
and this is my "Crime Scene."
For this video,
I want to change up the
format a little bit.
No thematic discussions,
no deep dives into past
crimes and criminals.
For this video,
I'm going to do something
I've never done before.
[gentle solemn music]
For reasons I can't
really go into right now,
we're going to talk about
a current investigation.
Social media star and
internet celebrity, Tinglee,
was murdered in her
downtown Los Angeles hotel
two days ago.
Her real name was Taylor Li.
Most of you already know this,
and most of you have seen the
leaked crime scene photos.
But what you don't know
is this wasn't the act
of a jealous ex-lover
or psychotic fan.
I don't have any proof,
but the most important
thing I'm going to say
is, it is with almost certainty
that this was a
white male in his 30s
with above average intelligence.
To be able to sneak in
and out of a 5-star hotel,
pass security cameras,
key card locks,
security systems, all to enact
this insanely violent fantasy.
The fact that he did this
without being detected
is fundamental and makes
it extremely likely
that he's killed before.
And even more likely
that he will kill again.
[dark eerie music]
- Oh, fuck.
[Detective Vega clears throat]
Yeah?
No, I stopped talking...
No, I lost her
number, like you said.
What?
Alright.
Okay. All right.
All right.
[dark eerie music]
Fuck!
[phone chimes]
- I thought I purged you.
Why are you here?
- You know why I'm here.
- Do you make coffee at least?
So, let's walk through it.
Overkill is using more violence
than is necessary
to kill a victim.
There's a lot of
data on overkill.
What stands out about
Taylor's murder is not
that it was overkill,
which it was,
but that its
circumstances don't fit
a typical overkill scenario.
If it did, her killer
would already be in jail.
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
- Check.
Mm, check. Check.
[hushed tone] Hello
everyone. Pop duty here.
I've missed you guys.
I hope you're all
doing very well.
Happy.
And healthy.
For today's video,
I'll be trying some new things.
Finding some new
sounds just for you.
[nails tapping]
[eerie sound]
Sorry, I think I hear
some interference.
[tense dramatic music]
[Pop duty screaming]
Get off me!
[killer groaning]
[tense eerie music]
- I thought there
would be more people.
- Yeah. Fame ain't
what it used to be.
- I guess not.
You really think he'll come?
- They sometimes do.
- Why?
- Excites them.
Makes them feel like they
have some sort of power.
Like they're
invincible. Untouchable.
And they've been so clever
to get away with it.
- Cassidy Smith.
- Detective Vega.
Here to pay your respects,
or are you looking for
suspicious characters?
What happened?
- Your podcast.
You were right.
All right.
Something for you.
Something for me.
And then some food.
Go ahead, eat up.
You don't wanna look at
these on an empty stomach.
Trust me.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
That's a good burrito.
- Why are you showing me this?
- Well, everything
is fucking politics.
I got boxed in.
- Boxed in?
Oh, is that the nice way of
saying officially reprimanded?
- Yeah. Something like that.
- What'd you do?
- Well, allegedly,
I placed an AirTag
in someone's vehicle
in order to advance
my career, right?
- The lieutenant stalking
his former girlfriend.
- Goddamn it, it
wasn't me, all right?
They were looking
for a fall guy.
I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
- You know, that's
not cool, right?
Stalking?
- Yeah, of course.
I get it, okay?
Fucking "Me Too,"
remember? Me too.
- [Cassidy] So, why me too?
- Well, you knew who he
was before anybody else.
- I mean, it's not magic.
I mean, plenty of
people smarter than me
will know who he is when
they look close enough.
- Yeah, well, I don't have them.
They have them. I've got you.
Help me catch this guy.
[tense dramatic music]
- I like him.
[dark ominous music]
- Our task force is
comprised of 25 officers,
as well as members
of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation
Behavioral Analysis Unit.
We have no persons of
interest at this time,
but many promising leads.
What we can confirm
is that we believe
that the person
responsible for the death
of Taylor Li is the
same person responsible
for the death of Anna Brown.
Why we believe this to be true,
at the moment, we
cannot discloze.
But we are confident
in that assessment.
- It's the hairbrush.
- Maybe.
- What else? It's his signature.
- I know what it's called.
- Ask Vega.
- Vega is busy.
[phone chimes]
- Don't get distracted, Cassidy.
[phone chimes]
- I'm not getting distracted.
I have to pay bills.
Something you don't have
to worry about anymore.
- Why am I here, Cas?
- I don't know.
- Why am I here?
[door knocking]
- [Jessica] Cassidy,
I'm sorry. Please.
[phone ringing]
- Fuck.
- I know you're there.
I can hear you.
I heard your phone. Please.
[door knocking]
- What the fuck did I
tell you about this?
[gentle solemn music]
- [Jessica] I said I'm sorry.
- You've got to keep
track of your shit.
- I do keep track. I-
- What? Do I look
like a doorman to you?
- No. Christ, don't
make it like that.
- But it is like that.
See, you grew up having
people do shit for you,
so you never learned to
do things for yourself.
Well, I'm not here
to do for you.
- I know. I'm sorry.
- [Taylor] What's going on?
- Mary Poppins lost
her keys. Again.
- I didn't lose
them. I forgot them.
I know they're here.
[gentle solemn music]
- Jesus fucking Christ.
I mean, keep them in
your Gucci bag, okay?
Put them in your
fucking Jimmy Choo.
- Stop it, Cas.
It was a mistake.
- No, no, no. It's
not a mistake, okay?
People don't make mistakes.
People reveal themselves.
If you fuck up,
you're a fuck up.
If you do stupid shit,
then you're stupid.
Okay?
I won't let you
in again. Got it?
I'm not your fucking servant.
- Whatever.
[gentle solemn music]
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
- Jesus.
- Eddie.
Oh, Eddie.
You're not answering
my texts, Eddie.
I need that Anna Brown report.
- I can't.
They're gonna shitcan my ass,
if they see me talking to you.
They already think I wiped down
that fucking air tag
before we processed it.
- But you didn't.
- No, of course I didn't.
- Anna Brown. Now.
- I can't.
They're restricting my access.
Don't seem to trust me anymore.
- Just give me the highlights.
Quickly.
- No overkill.
Okay? Just one
cut to the throat.
Deep cut and,
signs of strangulation.
- Doesn't make any sense.
It's a completely
different M.O..
Why are they so sure
it's the same guy?
- The hairbrush. They
found another one.
Same exact place.
- Same color?
- Same exact brush.
I guess the guy
buys them in bulk.
[phone chimes]
Everybody's freaking out
about that, for sure.
- The gaffer tape for Taylor Li.
- What about it?
Are you working with
somebody else on this?
- Was it hers?
- I don't know.
We're still processing
some things.
Why wouldn't it-
- Check! Fucking check, Eddie.
- I've been thinking
about your request.
- What request?
- To see another therapist.
I think you should.
- You do?
- Yes, I do.
- [Peter] Why?
- I just...
I just do.
[tense suspenseful music]
- You think I
murdered those girls?
- Peter? Don't be ridiculous.
- I watched their videos
and you told me to, didn't you?
- I didn't...
I didn't tell you, Peter, I...
I didn't. I...
I told you to watch.
To find calm.
Decrease your anxiety.
- Well, it didn't work.
All that whispering,
drives me out of
my fucking mind.
[tense ominous music]
[ominous music continues]
[camera clicks]
- Parents at work.
Brother in school.
Nothing found on
the Ring cam in front.
We think he entered
through the...
[person crying in background]
[equipment buzzing]
- So, Derrick moved on.
Yeah. Good for him.
You know, I don't think
he ever really understood
what it takes to run a startup.
You know, what I go
through, what I've given up.
He's got no empathy.
I need people on my
team with empathy.
That's what I expect.
That's not too much to ask.
It's a basic human emotion.
I mean, without
empathy, what are we?
Yeah, think about it,
without empathy, what are we?
All right.
Yeah. Let's call
up there for today.
We need some early adopters.
So go out and find some.
Cassidy, can you...
Can you hang back for a sec.
[Cassidy sighs]
Cassidy.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- My plans changed for
the night so I can go to
that dinner if the
invite's still open.
- Oh.
Yeah. Great. Good.
Well, okay. Well, I will...
I will pick you up at 7 o'clock.
I'll see you tonight, Cassidy.
Have a good night.
- That wasn't a good idea.
Do you think that
was a good idea?
- I doubt it, but it's
got a lot of precedence.
I'm tired of living
paycheck to paycheck.
Okay, drinking cheap gin,
playing chicken
with the gas bill.
- You're going to meet
a bunch of creeps.
- It's a creepy world.
They're hard to avoid.
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
- No overkill?
He cut her in the throat
and then strangled her.
- It's a different M.O..
- [Taylor] Why would
they change their M.O.?
- Lots of reasons.
Sometimes they evolve.
- Bundy evolved over years.
Golden State over decades.
My murder and Anna's murder,
were only two days apart. Next.
- Sometimes they change
their M.O. to avoid detection.
- [Taylor] What else?
- Sometimes they
respond to media.
- A reporter thought the fact
that the beltway
snipers only kill
during the weekdays was a
clue into their lifestyle.
Their next kill
was on a Saturday.
A local politician
said that kids
were safe inside
lockdown schools.
Their next victim was a kid
who got shot while being
dropped off at school.
He's watching you, Cas.
[tense ominous music]
[killer moaning]
[tense ominous music]
- Little light reading?
- I got a lead you don't have.
The gaffer tape.
- The gaffer tape.
I know about the gaffer tape.
What the fuck does
the gaffer tape prove?
It's fucking LA.
Everybody's in the industry.
You know who's not
in the industry?
The killer.
- Bullshit.
- I got a CODIS hit,
a hair, believe it or not,
from a relative of a juvie
we had on file way back.
Mother's a psychologist.
Guess where her offices are?
Five blocks from here.
She does court-appointed cases.
One of them,
this guy.
Peter Hewitt.
Violent rapist and pedophile.
Hey, maybe you'll
share a cell together.
Eddie is fired. Did you hear?
Oh yeah.
Up on the 10th floor right now.
He hasn't said much yet,
but, oh, we know Eddie.
He will.
[chuckles] You are
so fucked, Vega.
So why don't you help
yourself out a little bit?
You're working with
somebody on this.
Who?
- Don't Cas. It's dangerous.
There are plenty of other
ways to punish yourself.
- [hushed tone] My
name is Cassidy Smith
and this is my "Crime Scene."
And this is what's
called a signature.
[brush bristles scrubbing]
It's also called a clue.
If I were you,
I would cool off for a while,
or better yet, turn yourself in.
No matter what you do,
it will never get
any better, ever.
So it's time to stop.
[tense dramatic music]
[objects clattering]
Vega is gonna be pissed.
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
- Cassidy!
Cassidy.
You know, I'm a
bit of a onomastic.
- A what?
- Onomastic.
It means I'm
interested in names,
particularly last names.
For instance, my
last name, Randall,
it's derived from Rand,
which means like shield or wolf.
Coincidentally, Smith
is from the same era.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
It's derived from
Smid, which means
to hit or strike
like with a hammer.
- That's fascinating.
- You know the Whisper Killer?
Sorry, I was just looking
over and I saw it.
- [Cassidy] You're following it?
- Yeah. It's crazy.
People are saying
he's a necrophiliac.
You know, that means-
- I know what it means.
- It means he has sex with
them after they're dead.
- Yeah, like Kemper,
Dahmer, Bridgeway, Bundy.
- You seem to know a
lot about necrophilia.
- Well, it was my
major in college.
- [Todd] Your resume
said Communications.
Ah, you are joking.
- Yeah, I'm joking.
Where did you hear that
the Whisper Killer
is a necrophiliac?
- [Todd] Oh, I don't
know. Online somewhere.
[car horn beeps]
[traffic rumbling]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
- You said this was a
meeting with founders, VCs?
- Yeah. That got pushed.
Didn't Kevin tell you?
- No, Kevin didn't
fucking tell me.
Who is Kevin?
- He's the new guy.
A lot of empathy, he's great.
- Sit down, boss.
- Call me, Todd.
Let me just get this
off my chest, please.
Look, I feel like there's
something between us.
And I know you've felt it too.
And I know I'm your boss,
and generally that's not cool.
But here's the thing.
I'm the boss. I make the rules.
It is cool. So
that's not an issue.
And you know, if you don't
feel that way, then okay.
But if you do feel that
way, then it's okay too.
Okay?
That was a weight off my chest.
You know, I'm pretty nervous.
Normally, I don't
get this nervous
about expressing my feel-
- Boss.
- Todd. Yes?
Yeah.
- Todd.
You know, I didn't
see it before,
but I do see a few
things between us.
One of those things
is a lawsuit.
See, you don't make
those rules, Todd.
I see a labor lawsuit,
a sexual harassment. lawsuit-
- Whoa, whoa.
I've never sexually
harassed you.
- The other thing I see
between us is a butter knife.
Do you know how much pressure
it takes to pierce human skin?
Hmm.
100 pounds per
square inch, give or take.
Maybe 120 with a
butter knife but,
I think I can make it work.
Third degree murder,
manslaughter.
Not premeditated.
I could even argue
unintentional.
- What the fuck are
you talking about?
- Maybe you lunged at me.
Maybe I was defending myself.
I mean, you are a wolf
after all, Randall.
So I had to hammer
this butter knife
into your fucking chest.
This isn't how it's done, boss.
This is not how you
ask someone out.
It's dangerous, it's sad,
and absolute worst,
it's lazy. Okay?
People don't want figure
this shit out anymore.
Maybe they do,
but, I don't know.
- If I had actually
asked you out,
would you have said yes?
- I don't date people
who sign my paychecks.
You shouldn't date
people you pay.
I'll see you at the
meeting tomorrow.
[tense somber music]
- Cassidy's evening
did not go as planned.
So she left the restaurant
and ordered a ride.
[tense somber music]
[somber music continues]
On the ride home,
Cassidy received a text
message from a friend
checking in to make
sure she was okay.
When Cassidy got home,
all she wanted to do
was get into a hot bubble bath
and forget about the evening.
Cassidy was confident that
despite the provocative nature
of her YouTube video
taunting a dangerous killer,
the killer would
not have had time
to concoct a plan to get to her,
which meant her guard was down.
She went into the bedroom,
changed into
something comfortable,
watched her favorite
show, then fell asleep.
But something must
have woken Cassidy
in the middle of the night.
Something which distracted
her from the closet
where the killer
suddenly emerged
and slipped a rope
around her neck.
She fought for her life,
but the Whisper
Killer was too strong.
Cassidy Smith was dead.
Shoe marks on the
floor indicated
that the killer
stood over the body
for an extended period of time.
It was then that
the killer proceeded
to strip off her clothes
and perform what had
become his signature.
Necrophilia.
[Cassidy gasps]
[Cassidy sighs]
[tense ominous music]
[door thuds]
[tense suspenseful music]
- [Officer] We got
another one over here.
[tense suspenseful music]
- Oh fuck.
[tense suspenseful music]
[phone vibrating]
- Fuck you, Brant.
[tense suspenseful music]
[phone chimes]
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
Cassidy!
Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[phone chimes]
[tense suspenseful music]
- [Detective] So
did you see Jessica?
[tense suspenseful music]
[Detective speaking
indistinctly]
[tense suspenseful music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[camera clicks]
- [Killer] This
is Cassidy Smith,
and this is your "Crime Scene."
[upbeat suspenseful music]
Well, you know where
that goes, don't you?
- Fuck you.
- Fuck me?
Fuck me?
Really?
You really want to tease
me like that right now?
You're not sitting
behind a screen anymore.
Your audience...
Can break...
The fourth wall.
- Everyone on earth
sits behind a screen.
Even you.
- [scoffs] My mother
would have liked you.
You have spirit.
I didn't have spirit.
I had what she called...
Ideas.
All manner of ideas.
Did you know that?
What kind of ideas do you
think she was talking about?
Cassidy!
- What?
- [Killer] We're
having a conversation.
What kind of ideas do you think
my mother was talking about?
- Dirty ideas.
- Yes, that's exactly right.
You really do know a lot
about this stuff, don't you?
- How old were you?
9, 10?
- Shut up.
I ask the questions.
You don't ask the questions.
I was 5, if you must know.
A dirty, filthy-minded
5-year-old.
She tried to reprogram me.
But do you know what
happens when you think
that your 5-year-old
has a filthy mind?
Your 5-year-old
develops a filthy mind.
I sense a question.
You may speak.
- Do you think that means
it's not your fault,
what you've done?
- Oh, no. I know it's my fault,
but I came to terms
with that long ago.
My mother came to terms
with that yesterday.
When I cut off her
head and put myself,
my most private
self, in her mouth.
Wasn't as good as I
thought it would be.
But she deserved it.
You all deserve it.
You act like you know me.
You whisper to me and
open your eyes on me
and make me trust you.
But it's all a lie.
It's all a lie.
- You don't have to watch.
- But I do. We all do.
That's my whole point.
- [Cassidy] What's
your whole point?
- People believe what you say.
Every word, every look.
Lying is a sin and
there are consequences.
Pick up the hairbrush, please.
Pick up the hairbrush, please.
[tense suspenseful music]
[hair brush clatters]
I want you to remember
that I asked you nicely.
[tense suspenseful music]
[objects clatter]
Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
I'll fucking deal
with you, Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[tense dramatic music]
- Come on!
[engine revving]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[knife scraping]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
- Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[Killer shouts]
[suspenseful music continues]
[Cassidy gasps]
- It's me. It's me. It's me.
Are you all right? Are you hurt?
- No, I'm fine. I'm fine.
- What about the other guy?
- It's just his hand, I think.
- All right. All right. Come on.
Come on, follow me.
- Are you lost?
- Shh.
[Cassidy gasps]
[Vega gurgling]
[tool clatters]
- The odds of you
being murdered tonight?
100%.
[tense ominous music]
[tense music continues]
[gun fires]
[gun fires]
[gun fires]
[gun fires]
[gun clicking]
[tense dramatic music]
- What's your passcode?
Hey Vega, what's your passcode?
[Vega speaking indistinctly]
- Yeah, I know.
What's your fucking passcode?
- [Vega] Laura.
[gentle solemn music]
Murder.
What are the odds?
Pretty slim in the
scheme of things.
But it happens.
It can happen to you.
It can happen to
anyone, anywhere.
[gentle solemn music]
No matter how many
locks you have,
or cameras, or how many guns,
murder can find you.
But,
so can love,
and joy,
and friendship.
The odds?
One of our better
drunk poets once wrote,
"We are here to
laugh at the odds
and live our lives so well,
that death will
tremble to take us."
So, cheers to that.
I'm Cassidy Smith and this
has been my "Crime Scene."
Until next time,
peace.
[gentle solemn music]
[gentle music continues]
[gentle music continues]
[bright energetic music]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[operator speaking indistinctly]
- [Officer] Okay, on my way.
Adam 10-35. Mary.
- We are fascinated by murder.
TV shows, movies,
books, podcasts,
24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, 365 days a year.
With all this constant
fascination, it's no surprise,
we're also terrified
of being murdered.
We take self-defense classes,
install triple
locks on our doors,
and security cameras
in our windows,
and, of course, we've
got plenty of guns.
But the reality is this,
cheeseburgers kill more
people than people do.
Cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes.
Every single one of these has
a higher mortality
rate than homicide.
Today we are live
and we are talking about
the "Odds of Murder."
I'm Cassidy Smith, and
this is my "Crime Scene."
[giggles] Hey, John.
Oh, what's up KH?
Good to see you again.
JJ, Marcus.
SMH199.
[keypad clicking]
The odds that you'll
die a violent death
at the hands of a deranged
murderer are extremely low.
So, next time you see
a shadow on the wall,
no matter how certain you are,
it is someone coming
to kill you...
[door rattles]
It's just a tree branch.
That is a statistical fact.
Nobody is watching you.
Nobody is after you.
Nobody is in the closet.
[light switch flicks]
Or under the bed.
[door slides]
You are going to live a long,
boring,
uneventful life.
[door shuts]
[Taylor gasps]
Unless you're not.
[Taylor screams]
[tense sinister music]
Sometimes the noise
isn't the wind.
Sometimes the shadow
isn't a tree branch.
And 1 in 100 million,
there actually is a killer
waiting in the dark.
In that case,
fight as if your
life depends on it,
because it does.
[dark sinister music]
[sinister music continues]
[sinister music continues]
[sinister music continues]
[killer sighs]
[killer breathing heavily]
[traffic rumbling]
- It was a sunny
summer afternoon
in Leesburg, Pennsylvania,
when Wendy Whitaker decided
to leave her home
to visit a friend.
It was a 10-minute drive.
She left at 1:15 PM.
By 1:45 PM she had not arrived.
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[tense music]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[tense music]
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
[tense dramatic music]
[phone chimes]
[keypad clicking]
[phone chimes]
Wendy's friend became worried.
Wendy had gone missing before.
She also had a history
with the local police
and had been arrested for
petty theft and prostitution.
No one was worried
about Wendy Whitaker.
But her friend had a
nagging suspicion that-
[phone ringing]
The phone is ringing.
[phone ringing]
The phone is ringing.
[phone ringing]
Answer the phone, Cassidy.
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- Hi. Cassidy Smith?
- Yeah.
- This is Detective Vega from
the LAPD, Commercial
Crime Division-
- [sighs] I didn't do it.
- Excuse me?
- What can I help
you with, Detective?
- [Detective] I need to
ask you a few questions
about a Taylor Li.
- Taylor?
What about her?
- I'm sorry to be the
one to inform you,
but Taylor was the
victim of a homicide.
[tense dramatic music]
[Cassidy sighs]
- You said commercial crime.
- We are handling the
device processing.
You were the last person
Taylor was emailing
before she was killed.
- I haven't talked
to her in five years.
- She thought your
podcast was "kickass."
Her words.
You two were friends?
- We were roommates for like
one semester in college.
I don't really know
what to tell you.
- Any reason why
you were roommates
for only one semester?
- It was like half a semester.
Is there a reason that matters?
- Just trying to get a
full picture of Taylor.
She was a only child.
Both parents deceased.
Few friends and a lot of money.
- Yeah, I don't know
anything about that.
- Maybe you know some
of her other friends?
Perhaps a Mark Bennett.
- Like I said, it's
been five years, so...
- [Detective] Nicole Tang?
- No.
- How about a Jessica Lebow?
- Can I call you back?
I'm actually late for work.
- Sure.
Sure. This number
goes right to my cell.
Give me a call anytime.
[receiver clacking]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
- Jesus Christ.
- [hushed tone] Hello,
Tinglers. It's me, Tinglee.
How's everybody doing?
Today we're gonna go back
to some oldies,
[taps microphone]
but goodies
for sleep triggers.
[taps microphone]
- Vega.
Jerking off to her videos
isn't gonna do anything for me.
Unless you're gonna
jerk me off too.
[Detective Vega scoffs]
- I'm a team player.
- Sure you are.
That's why you're down here.
Jesus.
I've got kitchen drawers
bigger than this.
Listen, Vega,
this ain't a hole you
can dig yourself out of.
But you do your time, maybe,
maybe you can work
your way back.
That's it.
- Oh. Friendly advice, huh?
Go fuck yourself, Brant.
- Yeah? How about this?
Don't fuck with my case
or I'll make sure that
you never get out of here.
- You gave me this
shit, remember?
I didn't ask for it.
- Did I ask you to
get the Emmy's report?
And don't tell me you're
not asking about that.
- I don't know what
you're talking about.
- [scoffs] Sure, you don't.
Stay in your lane, Vega.
- Jesus Christ. Man, look at me.
I am clearly in my lane.
What the fuck else
do you want from me?
- Okay.
What do you got?
- Not much. Just
typical troll shit.
- [Brant] What
about the email?
- Old college roommate.
Cassidy Smith.
Doesn't seem to know
much about nothing.
- But?
- She has a true crime podcast.
- Oh Christ.
Goddamn cyber sleuths.
I fucking hate cyber sleuths.
- The victim was watching
it when she was killed.
- You sure?
- Yeah. I'm pretty
sure, it's a livestream.
- Huh?
Well, then we can clear her.
Lose her number. We
don't need her anyway.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You got somebody
you like already?
- [chuckles] That's for us.
homicide detectives to know
and former homicide detectives
to find out like everybody else.
Enjoy the view.
- Damn it.
Hey, Eddie. How
are you doing, man?
How's your mother?
Let me ask you something.
Did you fucking rat me out? Huh?
You two-faced lying mother-
- [Eddie] What? No.
- Don't fuck with me, Eddie.
Don't fuck with me.
- [Eddie] Who said that?
- Fucking Brant. Who else?
- [Eddie] I didn't
say shit to Brant.
He's fucking with
you. He does...
You know he does that.
- Fine, all right,
all right. All right.
So what's the deal?
He's got somebody lined
up he likes or what?
- [Eddie] Yeah.
Housekeeping staff, blood print.
He was the one who found
her so, makes sense to me.
But what do I know?
RHD is freaking out over it.
Guy's got prior or some shit.
You still want the report?
- What?
Yeah. Yeah, whatever.
- [Eddie] I hope you
got a strong stomach.
- I've seen cut up
bodies before, Eddie.
- [Eddie] Not like this.
I ain't even seen
anything like this.
And I've seen some shit.
72 stab wounds.
Ripped her guts out.
Cut the fingers off
one hand and well,
we found something
inside of her.
[tense eerie music]
- Crushing it isn't
enough today, people.
You've got to demolish it.
Pulverize it. Incinerate it.
Fucking infinity
gauntlet bad shit.
[phone chimes]
In the shape of a picture,
in the form of a drone.
[keypad clicking]
We are in a post-digital age.
[phone chimes]
People do not trust
digital anymore.
Wet signatures, hard documents.
[keypad clicking]
We are in the forefront
of this space.
[phone chimes]
So, somebody tell me how CAA's
multimillion dollar
packaging deal
ended up in a fucking LA river?
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[tense suspenseful music]
Are we boring you, Cassidy?
- Oh, no. Just
taking some notes.
- Alright. Right. Good.
Let's wrap it up
for today, people.
Fix those glitches.
Otherwise, we'll all be
looking for work in a month.
[imitating a pigeon]
Go. Fly. Fly my pigeons.
Make us all millionaires.
Look, your work is always
on point and on time,
but during the meetings,
I always feel like
you're not listening.
- Sorry, boss.
- I don't feel like
you're living up
to your full potential, Cassidy.
- Okay.
- Like, I...
I feel like you're not
being your authentic self.
This is just a job to you.
- Are you firing me, boss?
- No, no, no, that's not what
I'm saying at all.
I'm saying you're not like
the rest of these sheeple.
You are a creator, an
innovator, a founder.
You just don't know it yet.
I see you, Cassidy.
Look, let me help you.
There's going to be a dinner
meeting on Thursday night.
A couple of investors
and founders,
and I think you
should come with.
- Come with? With you?
- As my protege.
- I'm flattered.
Thank you, boss.
I don't know about Thursday.
Can I get back to you?
- Yeah, sure. You
can get back to me.
Just get me those new
graphics as soon as you can.
- Working on it as we speak.
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[keys jangling]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[fork clanging]
[tense dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[dramatic music continues]
[phone chimes]
[tense dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[phone chimes]
[dark eerie music]
[eerie music continues]
[phone vibrating]
[dark eerie music]
[laptop chimes]
[sighs] Fuck Marlow.
Are you okay?
- That's my line.
- You gotta keep
that left hand up.
- Yeah. Well, mom's a
sucker puncher, so...
- Those who can't
fight, fight dirty.
Still got a couch
with your name on it.
Let me know.
- You got enough trouble.
- Trouble's my business.
- Pretty fucked up.
- If it's real.
- "Hush" only
posts if it's real.
It's kind of their thing.
"Truth in Tabloid Journalism,"
or something like that.
- Yeah, well, I'd
like a second source.
- [Marlow] For the podcast?
[Cassidy sighs]
- I'm not sure.
I mean, it's not really
my thing, you know?
I don't do current events.
- Well, the cyber sleuths do.
She was one of them. One of us.
She's what we all
wish we could be.
- Brutally murdered?
- [Marlow] Famous and rich.
- Yeah, be careful
what you wish for.
Marlow, what's wrong
with this picture?
- Which one?
- All of them.
- Blood.
A lot of blood.
Too much blood.
- And what do we call that?
[tense dramatic music]
- Eddie, what's up?
- [Eddie] They kicked
the hotel worker.
Airtight alibi.
Thought you'd want to know.
I told you, nobody
listens to me.
- Yeah, thanks.
- [Eddie] Hey, I
thought you'd be happy.
There's still a killer out there
that needs to be caught.
- Yeah. I'm ecstatic.
[dark eerie music]
[light switch flicks]
[door squeaks]
[tense ominous music]
- Peter?
What's troubling you, Peter?
- I don't want to come anymore.
- But you know you have to.
It's part of the court order.
- I don't want to
come to you anymore.
- But you see,
that's the progress
I'm talking about.
You've transferred your
hatred for your mother to me.
I know it's uncomfortable,
but it's also very positive.
- You just keep
twisting it around.
You keep twisting everything,
no matter what I say.
- Control yourself, Peter.
- I won't!
[hairbrush banging]
- Peter, sit down!
I am twisting nothing.
I'm straightening what
your mother twisted in you
and what you keep
twisting in yourself.
Now, apologize to me
for your outburst.
Peter? Apologize.
- I'm sorry.
- I know how you feel.
I'm not your mother,
but I am a mother.
I know how a young man struggles
to control his impulses.
Most dirty thoughts
racing around in his mind.
The filthy fantasies
he desperately wishes
to inflict on the most
innocent of victims.
The weak, the desperate.
He is a danger.
You are a danger.
You must control yourself.
- [Peter] I try.
- Did you watch those
videos I suggested?
The ASMR.
- Yes.
- [Therapist] Did
they help at all?
- Yes, but,
I don't want to come anymore.
- What would they do, Peter,
if I told them you missed
three appointments?
- I haven't.
- They would issue a warrant.
They would have to
check my records.
Would you like me
to do that, Peter?
Shall I check my records?
- No.
[dark eerie music]
- You're broken, Peter.
You'll always be broken.
But I will never give up on you
and I won't let you
give up on yourself.
Now I'll see you at our
regular session, okay?
Close the door
behind you, please.
[dark eerie music]
- [Kirk] At just
23 years of age,
Taylor Li was an
internet celebrity
who practiced the art of
Autonomic Sensory Meridian
Response, or ASMR.
Under the screen name, Tinglee,
a reference to the
sensation many feel
when experiencing ASMR,
Taylor had garnered over
4 million subscribers.
On the night of March 4th,
one of these subscribers
may have been her killer.
[tense eerie music]
[Cassidy breathing heavily]
[toilet flushes]
[tense dramatic music]
- You're not real.
- Of course, I'm not.
- What do you want?
- I want what you want.
I'm not real, remember?
- I want to go to bed.
- Then go to bed.
[Cassidy exhales sharply]
- [sighs] Fuck.
Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3.
Hey guys, my name's
Cassidy Smith,
and this is my "Crime Scene."
For this video,
I want to change up the
format a little bit.
No thematic discussions,
no deep dives into past
crimes and criminals.
For this video,
I'm going to do something
I've never done before.
[gentle solemn music]
For reasons I can't
really go into right now,
we're going to talk about
a current investigation.
Social media star and
internet celebrity, Tinglee,
was murdered in her
downtown Los Angeles hotel
two days ago.
Her real name was Taylor Li.
Most of you already know this,
and most of you have seen the
leaked crime scene photos.
But what you don't know
is this wasn't the act
of a jealous ex-lover
or psychotic fan.
I don't have any proof,
but the most important
thing I'm going to say
is, it is with almost certainty
that this was a
white male in his 30s
with above average intelligence.
To be able to sneak in
and out of a 5-star hotel,
pass security cameras,
key card locks,
security systems, all to enact
this insanely violent fantasy.
The fact that he did this
without being detected
is fundamental and makes
it extremely likely
that he's killed before.
And even more likely
that he will kill again.
[dark eerie music]
- Oh, fuck.
[Detective Vega clears throat]
Yeah?
No, I stopped talking...
No, I lost her
number, like you said.
What?
Alright.
Okay. All right.
All right.
[dark eerie music]
Fuck!
[phone chimes]
- I thought I purged you.
Why are you here?
- You know why I'm here.
- Do you make coffee at least?
So, let's walk through it.
Overkill is using more violence
than is necessary
to kill a victim.
There's a lot of
data on overkill.
What stands out about
Taylor's murder is not
that it was overkill,
which it was,
but that its
circumstances don't fit
a typical overkill scenario.
If it did, her killer
would already be in jail.
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
- Check.
Mm, check. Check.
[hushed tone] Hello
everyone. Pop duty here.
I've missed you guys.
I hope you're all
doing very well.
Happy.
And healthy.
For today's video,
I'll be trying some new things.
Finding some new
sounds just for you.
[nails tapping]
[eerie sound]
Sorry, I think I hear
some interference.
[tense dramatic music]
[Pop duty screaming]
Get off me!
[killer groaning]
[tense eerie music]
- I thought there
would be more people.
- Yeah. Fame ain't
what it used to be.
- I guess not.
You really think he'll come?
- They sometimes do.
- Why?
- Excites them.
Makes them feel like they
have some sort of power.
Like they're
invincible. Untouchable.
And they've been so clever
to get away with it.
- Cassidy Smith.
- Detective Vega.
Here to pay your respects,
or are you looking for
suspicious characters?
What happened?
- Your podcast.
You were right.
All right.
Something for you.
Something for me.
And then some food.
Go ahead, eat up.
You don't wanna look at
these on an empty stomach.
Trust me.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
That's a good burrito.
- Why are you showing me this?
- Well, everything
is fucking politics.
I got boxed in.
- Boxed in?
Oh, is that the nice way of
saying officially reprimanded?
- Yeah. Something like that.
- What'd you do?
- Well, allegedly,
I placed an AirTag
in someone's vehicle
in order to advance
my career, right?
- The lieutenant stalking
his former girlfriend.
- Goddamn it, it
wasn't me, all right?
They were looking
for a fall guy.
I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
- You know, that's
not cool, right?
Stalking?
- Yeah, of course.
I get it, okay?
Fucking "Me Too,"
remember? Me too.
- [Cassidy] So, why me too?
- Well, you knew who he
was before anybody else.
- I mean, it's not magic.
I mean, plenty of
people smarter than me
will know who he is when
they look close enough.
- Yeah, well, I don't have them.
They have them. I've got you.
Help me catch this guy.
[tense dramatic music]
- I like him.
[dark ominous music]
- Our task force is
comprised of 25 officers,
as well as members
of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation
Behavioral Analysis Unit.
We have no persons of
interest at this time,
but many promising leads.
What we can confirm
is that we believe
that the person
responsible for the death
of Taylor Li is the
same person responsible
for the death of Anna Brown.
Why we believe this to be true,
at the moment, we
cannot discloze.
But we are confident
in that assessment.
- It's the hairbrush.
- Maybe.
- What else? It's his signature.
- I know what it's called.
- Ask Vega.
- Vega is busy.
[phone chimes]
- Don't get distracted, Cassidy.
[phone chimes]
- I'm not getting distracted.
I have to pay bills.
Something you don't have
to worry about anymore.
- Why am I here, Cas?
- I don't know.
- Why am I here?
[door knocking]
- [Jessica] Cassidy,
I'm sorry. Please.
[phone ringing]
- Fuck.
- I know you're there.
I can hear you.
I heard your phone. Please.
[door knocking]
- What the fuck did I
tell you about this?
[gentle solemn music]
- [Jessica] I said I'm sorry.
- You've got to keep
track of your shit.
- I do keep track. I-
- What? Do I look
like a doorman to you?
- No. Christ, don't
make it like that.
- But it is like that.
See, you grew up having
people do shit for you,
so you never learned to
do things for yourself.
Well, I'm not here
to do for you.
- I know. I'm sorry.
- [Taylor] What's going on?
- Mary Poppins lost
her keys. Again.
- I didn't lose
them. I forgot them.
I know they're here.
[gentle solemn music]
- Jesus fucking Christ.
I mean, keep them in
your Gucci bag, okay?
Put them in your
fucking Jimmy Choo.
- Stop it, Cas.
It was a mistake.
- No, no, no. It's
not a mistake, okay?
People don't make mistakes.
People reveal themselves.
If you fuck up,
you're a fuck up.
If you do stupid shit,
then you're stupid.
Okay?
I won't let you
in again. Got it?
I'm not your fucking servant.
- Whatever.
[gentle solemn music]
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
- Jesus.
- Eddie.
Oh, Eddie.
You're not answering
my texts, Eddie.
I need that Anna Brown report.
- I can't.
They're gonna shitcan my ass,
if they see me talking to you.
They already think I wiped down
that fucking air tag
before we processed it.
- But you didn't.
- No, of course I didn't.
- Anna Brown. Now.
- I can't.
They're restricting my access.
Don't seem to trust me anymore.
- Just give me the highlights.
Quickly.
- No overkill.
Okay? Just one
cut to the throat.
Deep cut and,
signs of strangulation.
- Doesn't make any sense.
It's a completely
different M.O..
Why are they so sure
it's the same guy?
- The hairbrush. They
found another one.
Same exact place.
- Same color?
- Same exact brush.
I guess the guy
buys them in bulk.
[phone chimes]
Everybody's freaking out
about that, for sure.
- The gaffer tape for Taylor Li.
- What about it?
Are you working with
somebody else on this?
- Was it hers?
- I don't know.
We're still processing
some things.
Why wouldn't it-
- Check! Fucking check, Eddie.
- I've been thinking
about your request.
- What request?
- To see another therapist.
I think you should.
- You do?
- Yes, I do.
- [Peter] Why?
- I just...
I just do.
[tense suspenseful music]
- You think I
murdered those girls?
- Peter? Don't be ridiculous.
- I watched their videos
and you told me to, didn't you?
- I didn't...
I didn't tell you, Peter, I...
I didn't. I...
I told you to watch.
To find calm.
Decrease your anxiety.
- Well, it didn't work.
All that whispering,
drives me out of
my fucking mind.
[tense ominous music]
[ominous music continues]
[camera clicks]
- Parents at work.
Brother in school.
Nothing found on
the Ring cam in front.
We think he entered
through the...
[person crying in background]
[equipment buzzing]
- So, Derrick moved on.
Yeah. Good for him.
You know, I don't think
he ever really understood
what it takes to run a startup.
You know, what I go
through, what I've given up.
He's got no empathy.
I need people on my
team with empathy.
That's what I expect.
That's not too much to ask.
It's a basic human emotion.
I mean, without
empathy, what are we?
Yeah, think about it,
without empathy, what are we?
All right.
Yeah. Let's call
up there for today.
We need some early adopters.
So go out and find some.
Cassidy, can you...
Can you hang back for a sec.
[Cassidy sighs]
Cassidy.
- Okay.
- Okay?
- My plans changed for
the night so I can go to
that dinner if the
invite's still open.
- Oh.
Yeah. Great. Good.
Well, okay. Well, I will...
I will pick you up at 7 o'clock.
I'll see you tonight, Cassidy.
Have a good night.
- That wasn't a good idea.
Do you think that
was a good idea?
- I doubt it, but it's
got a lot of precedence.
I'm tired of living
paycheck to paycheck.
Okay, drinking cheap gin,
playing chicken
with the gas bill.
- You're going to meet
a bunch of creeps.
- It's a creepy world.
They're hard to avoid.
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
[phone chimes]
- No overkill?
He cut her in the throat
and then strangled her.
- It's a different M.O..
- [Taylor] Why would
they change their M.O.?
- Lots of reasons.
Sometimes they evolve.
- Bundy evolved over years.
Golden State over decades.
My murder and Anna's murder,
were only two days apart. Next.
- Sometimes they change
their M.O. to avoid detection.
- [Taylor] What else?
- Sometimes they
respond to media.
- A reporter thought the fact
that the beltway
snipers only kill
during the weekdays was a
clue into their lifestyle.
Their next kill
was on a Saturday.
A local politician
said that kids
were safe inside
lockdown schools.
Their next victim was a kid
who got shot while being
dropped off at school.
He's watching you, Cas.
[tense ominous music]
[killer moaning]
[tense ominous music]
- Little light reading?
- I got a lead you don't have.
The gaffer tape.
- The gaffer tape.
I know about the gaffer tape.
What the fuck does
the gaffer tape prove?
It's fucking LA.
Everybody's in the industry.
You know who's not
in the industry?
The killer.
- Bullshit.
- I got a CODIS hit,
a hair, believe it or not,
from a relative of a juvie
we had on file way back.
Mother's a psychologist.
Guess where her offices are?
Five blocks from here.
She does court-appointed cases.
One of them,
this guy.
Peter Hewitt.
Violent rapist and pedophile.
Hey, maybe you'll
share a cell together.
Eddie is fired. Did you hear?
Oh yeah.
Up on the 10th floor right now.
He hasn't said much yet,
but, oh, we know Eddie.
He will.
[chuckles] You are
so fucked, Vega.
So why don't you help
yourself out a little bit?
You're working with
somebody on this.
Who?
- Don't Cas. It's dangerous.
There are plenty of other
ways to punish yourself.
- [hushed tone] My
name is Cassidy Smith
and this is my "Crime Scene."
And this is what's
called a signature.
[brush bristles scrubbing]
It's also called a clue.
If I were you,
I would cool off for a while,
or better yet, turn yourself in.
No matter what you do,
it will never get
any better, ever.
So it's time to stop.
[tense dramatic music]
[objects clattering]
Vega is gonna be pissed.
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
- Cassidy!
Cassidy.
You know, I'm a
bit of a onomastic.
- A what?
- Onomastic.
It means I'm
interested in names,
particularly last names.
For instance, my
last name, Randall,
it's derived from Rand,
which means like shield or wolf.
Coincidentally, Smith
is from the same era.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
It's derived from
Smid, which means
to hit or strike
like with a hammer.
- That's fascinating.
- You know the Whisper Killer?
Sorry, I was just looking
over and I saw it.
- [Cassidy] You're following it?
- Yeah. It's crazy.
People are saying
he's a necrophiliac.
You know, that means-
- I know what it means.
- It means he has sex with
them after they're dead.
- Yeah, like Kemper,
Dahmer, Bridgeway, Bundy.
- You seem to know a
lot about necrophilia.
- Well, it was my
major in college.
- [Todd] Your resume
said Communications.
Ah, you are joking.
- Yeah, I'm joking.
Where did you hear that
the Whisper Killer
is a necrophiliac?
- [Todd] Oh, I don't
know. Online somewhere.
[car horn beeps]
[traffic rumbling]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
- You said this was a
meeting with founders, VCs?
- Yeah. That got pushed.
Didn't Kevin tell you?
- No, Kevin didn't
fucking tell me.
Who is Kevin?
- He's the new guy.
A lot of empathy, he's great.
- Sit down, boss.
- Call me, Todd.
Let me just get this
off my chest, please.
Look, I feel like there's
something between us.
And I know you've felt it too.
And I know I'm your boss,
and generally that's not cool.
But here's the thing.
I'm the boss. I make the rules.
It is cool. So
that's not an issue.
And you know, if you don't
feel that way, then okay.
But if you do feel that
way, then it's okay too.
Okay?
That was a weight off my chest.
You know, I'm pretty nervous.
Normally, I don't
get this nervous
about expressing my feel-
- Boss.
- Todd. Yes?
Yeah.
- Todd.
You know, I didn't
see it before,
but I do see a few
things between us.
One of those things
is a lawsuit.
See, you don't make
those rules, Todd.
I see a labor lawsuit,
a sexual harassment. lawsuit-
- Whoa, whoa.
I've never sexually
harassed you.
- The other thing I see
between us is a butter knife.
Do you know how much pressure
it takes to pierce human skin?
Hmm.
100 pounds per
square inch, give or take.
Maybe 120 with a
butter knife but,
I think I can make it work.
Third degree murder,
manslaughter.
Not premeditated.
I could even argue
unintentional.
- What the fuck are
you talking about?
- Maybe you lunged at me.
Maybe I was defending myself.
I mean, you are a wolf
after all, Randall.
So I had to hammer
this butter knife
into your fucking chest.
This isn't how it's done, boss.
This is not how you
ask someone out.
It's dangerous, it's sad,
and absolute worst,
it's lazy. Okay?
People don't want figure
this shit out anymore.
Maybe they do,
but, I don't know.
- If I had actually
asked you out,
would you have said yes?
- I don't date people
who sign my paychecks.
You shouldn't date
people you pay.
I'll see you at the
meeting tomorrow.
[tense somber music]
- Cassidy's evening
did not go as planned.
So she left the restaurant
and ordered a ride.
[tense somber music]
[somber music continues]
On the ride home,
Cassidy received a text
message from a friend
checking in to make
sure she was okay.
When Cassidy got home,
all she wanted to do
was get into a hot bubble bath
and forget about the evening.
Cassidy was confident that
despite the provocative nature
of her YouTube video
taunting a dangerous killer,
the killer would
not have had time
to concoct a plan to get to her,
which meant her guard was down.
She went into the bedroom,
changed into
something comfortable,
watched her favorite
show, then fell asleep.
But something must
have woken Cassidy
in the middle of the night.
Something which distracted
her from the closet
where the killer
suddenly emerged
and slipped a rope
around her neck.
She fought for her life,
but the Whisper
Killer was too strong.
Cassidy Smith was dead.
Shoe marks on the
floor indicated
that the killer
stood over the body
for an extended period of time.
It was then that
the killer proceeded
to strip off her clothes
and perform what had
become his signature.
Necrophilia.
[Cassidy gasps]
[Cassidy sighs]
[tense ominous music]
[door thuds]
[tense suspenseful music]
- [Officer] We got
another one over here.
[tense suspenseful music]
- Oh fuck.
[tense suspenseful music]
[phone vibrating]
- Fuck you, Brant.
[tense suspenseful music]
[phone chimes]
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
Cassidy!
Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[phone chimes]
[tense suspenseful music]
- [Detective] So
did you see Jessica?
[tense suspenseful music]
[Detective speaking
indistinctly]
[tense suspenseful music]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[tense music continues]
[camera clicks]
- [Killer] This
is Cassidy Smith,
and this is your "Crime Scene."
[upbeat suspenseful music]
Well, you know where
that goes, don't you?
- Fuck you.
- Fuck me?
Fuck me?
Really?
You really want to tease
me like that right now?
You're not sitting
behind a screen anymore.
Your audience...
Can break...
The fourth wall.
- Everyone on earth
sits behind a screen.
Even you.
- [scoffs] My mother
would have liked you.
You have spirit.
I didn't have spirit.
I had what she called...
Ideas.
All manner of ideas.
Did you know that?
What kind of ideas do you
think she was talking about?
Cassidy!
- What?
- [Killer] We're
having a conversation.
What kind of ideas do you think
my mother was talking about?
- Dirty ideas.
- Yes, that's exactly right.
You really do know a lot
about this stuff, don't you?
- How old were you?
9, 10?
- Shut up.
I ask the questions.
You don't ask the questions.
I was 5, if you must know.
A dirty, filthy-minded
5-year-old.
She tried to reprogram me.
But do you know what
happens when you think
that your 5-year-old
has a filthy mind?
Your 5-year-old
develops a filthy mind.
I sense a question.
You may speak.
- Do you think that means
it's not your fault,
what you've done?
- Oh, no. I know it's my fault,
but I came to terms
with that long ago.
My mother came to terms
with that yesterday.
When I cut off her
head and put myself,
my most private
self, in her mouth.
Wasn't as good as I
thought it would be.
But she deserved it.
You all deserve it.
You act like you know me.
You whisper to me and
open your eyes on me
and make me trust you.
But it's all a lie.
It's all a lie.
- You don't have to watch.
- But I do. We all do.
That's my whole point.
- [Cassidy] What's
your whole point?
- People believe what you say.
Every word, every look.
Lying is a sin and
there are consequences.
Pick up the hairbrush, please.
Pick up the hairbrush, please.
[tense suspenseful music]
[hair brush clatters]
I want you to remember
that I asked you nicely.
[tense suspenseful music]
[objects clatter]
Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
I'll fucking deal
with you, Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[tense dramatic music]
- Come on!
[engine revving]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense music continues]
[knife scraping]
[tense dramatic music]
[tense suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music continues]
- Cassidy!
[tense suspenseful music]
[Killer shouts]
[suspenseful music continues]
[Cassidy gasps]
- It's me. It's me. It's me.
Are you all right? Are you hurt?
- No, I'm fine. I'm fine.
- What about the other guy?
- It's just his hand, I think.
- All right. All right. Come on.
Come on, follow me.
- Are you lost?
- Shh.
[Cassidy gasps]
[Vega gurgling]
[tool clatters]
- The odds of you
being murdered tonight?
100%.
[tense ominous music]
[tense music continues]
[gun fires]
[gun fires]
[gun fires]
[gun fires]
[gun clicking]
[tense dramatic music]
- What's your passcode?
Hey Vega, what's your passcode?
[Vega speaking indistinctly]
- Yeah, I know.
What's your fucking passcode?
- [Vega] Laura.
[gentle solemn music]
Murder.
What are the odds?
Pretty slim in the
scheme of things.
But it happens.
It can happen to you.
It can happen to
anyone, anywhere.
[gentle solemn music]
No matter how many
locks you have,
or cameras, or how many guns,
murder can find you.
But,
so can love,
and joy,
and friendship.
The odds?
One of our better
drunk poets once wrote,
"We are here to
laugh at the odds
and live our lives so well,
that death will
tremble to take us."
So, cheers to that.
I'm Cassidy Smith and this
has been my "Crime Scene."
Until next time,
peace.
[gentle solemn music]
[gentle music continues]
[gentle music continues]
[bright energetic music]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]
[energetic music continues]