Reasonable Doubt: A Tale of Two Kidnappings (2021) s01e03 Episode Script
The Accusation
1
TWO YEARS EARLIER
JUNE 20TH, 2015
[ominous music playing]
MR. ACP'S VERSION
[ACP] It was about 10:00 a.m.
I arrived at the store,
and noticed a vehicle in front of
Mr. Antonio's convenience store.
We saw them start the engine
with no problem.
And they drove slowly,
looking at us in the store.
It was Saturday,
and we were closing at 2:00 p.m.
We went towards Ciudad Pemex.
We went slowly, keeping our distance
from the suspicious vehicle.
Over by the church,
we saw the truck and we slowed down.
But right then, two cars came out
and blocked the road,
but I was able to avoid them.
Fifty meters before the gas station,
I had to stop
because the truck blocked me.
And the driver of the Jetta
aims at me with a gun.
He hits my car
so I had to come to a complete stop.
I grabbed the .22 that I kept,
and when he reached in the window,
I shot.
[gunshot]
ACP As I said to Roberto,
"If your sister was kidnapped,
someone tried to kidnap your brother,
and someone steps to you
with something in their hand,
you don't know if they want to kidnap you,
rob you, kill you or what.
I would have been armed too,
and I would have shot the guy.
But that would be a mistake because
maybe I kill some guy carrying a pizza,
and then I'm screwed for life, right?
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES
[theme music playing]
[Andrés] Let's see.
The time is 11:35 a.m.
We're not in the hearing.
I'm being notified.
I have the right to film
what they tell me.
If you want, we can go outside.
- [clerk] Yes.
- [Andrés] Okay.
- [officer] Do it outside.
- [clerk] Okay.
[Andrés] Just for the record,
it's June 9th, 11:35 a.m.
[clerk] Adi!
[Andrés] On the last day
of the Gladys public trial hearing,
a court official comes in
and says something to the chief judge.
That's when everything changed.
The administration has just informed me
that we need to take a recess
because we received an order for arrest.
The time and date
of the hearing there specified
overlaps with this hearing.
Why were the cameras turned off?
If I'm in the courtroom,
they should be recording.
[Andrés] I want it to be on camera.
It's 11:35
Let me speak to the judge.
You can't do that, sorry.
- [Andrés] Excuse me?
- Was he filming you?
[Andrés] I can't record
while you're notifying me?
In the court room
- [Andrés] No, outside.
- But it was inside.
[Andrés] I asked him
to notify me out here.
They were interrupting the hearing
in which the guys were
about to be declared innocent.
And they said that there was another trial
to attribute the attempted kidnapping
of ACP.
[Andrés] What exactly are you telling us?
That
there's an order for arrest
for Juan Luis,
Héctor Muñoz and Gonzalo García.
They wanted to make us out
to be kidnappers in front of the judges.
ACCUSED INMATE
They wanted to get the judges
to sentence us in any way that they could.
[Andrés] Our public trial hearing
has just been suspended
to tell us that, at the same time,
we have a hearing we didn't know about.
You know we have to be notified
24 hours beforehand, so we can prepare?
This is an urgent hearing.
It has to take place today,
because, constitutionally,
it needs to be today.
[Andrés]
The State General Attorney's office knew,
and we didn't.
You can ask all that in administration.
They wanted to surprise us, obviously,
but they didn't expect us
to accept the hearing right then.
So you want to avoid them being linked
to the trial so they aren't put in jail.
And if so, that they are not
put in jail while waiting.
How can you fight the process hearing?
In order to be linked in a process,
there's still a standard of evidence.
And you can't achieve
a standard of evidence
with only one piece of evidence
that's isolated and hearsay.
They need first-hand evidence.
RESEARCHER AND DOCUMENTARY MAKER
A process hearing is when they decide
if someone is going to be
accused of a crime.
[clerk] We're convened in courtroom two
of the Public Trial Court
to conduct the hearing
involving Mr. Juan Luis López García,
Mr. Gonzalo García Hernández
and Mr. Héctor Muñoz Muñoz
in the attempted kidnapping
of the victim with the initials ACP.
MR. ACP
VICTIM OF UNDISCLOSED IDENTITY
If they had convinced the control judge
that the events did not occur
in the manner that ACP stated,
they would be free.
But if they were linked in the process,
since this was for attempted kidnapping,
they would go to jail
just for being accused of kidnapping.
We were positive that
there was no link to the process.
We were afraid that
they would fabricate more evidence.
I need your help.
What I need now
is to see if we have anything,
testimonies, videos
Anything that will help me
prove to the control judge
that the events did not occur
as currently laid out.
When you say "if we have,"
would an eyewitness help?
That would be perfect.
[dramatic sting]
[Roberto] Oh, you're here.
They're coming with us?
[man] They know everything.
[tense music playing]
They're throwing the defense team
a curveball.
We have 50 minutes
to find someone who's willing
to come and testify
that they witnessed the events
at the gas station two years ago,
and who will state what actually happened.
[tense music continues]
- [man] Okay.
- [inaudible]
[Roberto] Now, you have the opportunity
for her husband, her brother
- Okay, but let's go over there.
- [Roberto] Yeah, let's go.
- We're out in the open.
- [Roberto] We can talk in the car.
[woman] Let's go.
When the shoot-out happened,
it was a father and son.
They were in the same car?
EYEWITNESS
Yes, they were in the car when the guy
- When they shot the guy with the gun.
- [Roberto] Mm-hmm.
[Miguelina] I was with my daughter
at the convenience store.
So then I saw the guy park his truck,
and the other guy got out
of his green car,
and then came running this way,
screaming to everyone for help.
He was screaming.
"They shot me! They shot me!"
She heard the accident,
she saw Héctor get out of his car,
she heard when ACP shot him.
She saw when Héctor ran away,
fearing for his life.
She saw that Gonzalo and Juan Luis
were already there,
and had absolutely nothing to do
with any of it.
She saw everything.
[Roberto] They've been in prison
for two years. Almost two years.
And we need a witness.
And the hearing
is in about 20 or 30 minutes.
Thanks to you
and the pictures that you took,
we know what really happened.
[Miguelina] I have to get my daughter
Because my daughter She's all I have.
She's at my house, but she's alone
because my husband dropped me off.
[Roberto] We'll pick her up.
But I'll go.
[dramatic music playing]
PUBLIC TRIAL COUR
[Roberto] She was dressed
in the uniform for the popsicles she sold.
So right away, the court sent her out,
and scolded her for entering the court
dressed the way she was.
Dressed so casually.
Instead of thinking about
what relevant information
the witness could provide,
the first thing they did
was discriminate against her.
They want her to remove her BonIce shirt.
They want her to dress differently,
not wear a hat.
They didn't care about
what she had to say.
They cared about how she was dressed.
[inaudible]
PUBLIC TRIAL COUR
We want to present the testimony
of María Miguelina Hernández Oramas.
Do you know why you're here?
Yes, I witnessed what happened
at the gas station.
Tell us what you saw.
From the beginning. What happened?
I was standing at the door of Oxxo.
The man pulled out a gun and shot.
Who was this man?
I'm talking about Mr. Alfonso.
Your Honor.
[judge] Continue.
She didn't say his surname, so it's fine.
How do you know his name is Alfonso?
Because the police identified him.
"What happened, Mr. Alfonso?"
Right. You also said
that while all this was going on,
you recorded it with your phone.
I started recording because I saw
how those poor guys were being taken.
They were hitting them
as if they were criminals, as if
I saw they were just standing there,
they hadn't done anything.
[Miguelina] Those are not kidnappers.
They're customers.
[indistinct conversation]
[muffled scuffle]
Even if you couldn't see exactly
what happened,
what wasn't in question
was that Miguelina had been there
on the day of the events,
at the place of the events,
at the time of the events.
She was actually a witness
to what happened,
and that gave her testimony strength.
Did you see them try to kidnap the man?
No. The guys were there first,
they were already there.
Did you see, at any point,
any contact or communication
between the guy that was shot
and the guys in the truck?
[Miguelina] Not at all.
I'm very observant.
I saw everything, I was there.
I'm a witness because I saw it.
And my little girl reacted too.
She was terrified
when that man pulled out a gun
and wanted to shoot again.
I told him,
"Don't do it, you'll hurt my daughter."
"Look, there's a little girl here."
And he didn't care,
he was out of his mind.
And what did the police do
when they saw he was armed?
He hid the gun really quickly.
He put his hand in his pants pocket.
He hid it, and signaled to me to be quiet.
But I'm not like that.
My daughter could've been hurt,
I wasn't going to stay quiet.
What do you do for a living?
I have been selling BonIce
for three years now.
[Andrés] Sorry, what do you sell?
The brand BonIce. Snacks, pork rinds.
I was selling that day,
and that man approached me.
"I want to talk to you," he said,
with his eyes wide open.
He threatened me. He said he'd fuck me up.
Miguelina, when this man threatened you,
what did he want?
What did he ask you to do?
To stay silent about what I saw.
"Why would I stay silent?"
"If he pulls a gun on me?"
"I won't stay silent, no way."
She knew ACP by first and last name,
because it's a small town
where everyone knows everyone.
He threatened her not to get involved,
not to say anything,
that he would kill her, etc.
It's clear that he would threaten anyone
who told the truth.
There's the attorney Delfín,
who was the prosecutor with Miguel Ángel.
They were there
when they arrested my brother.
They took him out of that safe house
because it isn't a prosecutor's office.
And she talked to me
when I took a letter from my brother
requesting release.
There wasn't an investigation,
and the prosecutor
who was handling the case
signed a release agreement.
RELEASE AGREEMEN
After that release agreement,
after that date,
there still wasn't an investigation.
Nothing.
Today, with that same information,
once the release was agreed to,
two years later,
she tries to start a process to link them
and start a new trial.
You've stated
that you have received threats, correct?
[Miguelina] Yes.
And those threats were made
by Mr. Alfonso, correct?
[Miguelina] That's right.
In regards to these threats,
have you reported them to the police?
[Miguelina] No.
Why not?
When you report something
to the authorities,
they always ask for witnesses.
It would be pointless to report him, then,
since they wouldn't do anything about it.
What this man is doing is unjust.
Using innocent people,
and having innocent people here. Honestly.
I think that they walk,
or the judge will sleep on it
and decide tomorrow.
I don't know which.
Well now, it's just a matter of waiting.
[sighs nervously]
Yes.
We have to wait a little longer.
[tense music playing]
At 11:25 p.m. on June 9th, 2017,
we deliver this verdict.
First of all, Mr. Juan Luis López García,
Mr. Gonzalo García Hernández
and Mr. Héctor Muñoz Muñoz
will be detained pending trial.
We won't give up. Don't you worry.
All the civil servants that were involved
in extending this unfair imprisonment
will pay for it, I swear.
I swear.
[dramatic music playing]
POLICE
[dramatic music continues]
861 DAYS IN PRISON
[guard calling]
[indistinct roll call]
[Héctor] In the morning,
they do roll call at, like, 7:00.
Sometimes, you don't have enough
to buy eggs,
and you have to eat the cafeteria food.
ACCUSED INMATE
And the food there is
You eat it because
you're hungry.
Lunch is at 2:00 p.m.
and you eat that because you're hungry.
Sometimes they serve breakfast again.
And you wait for afternoon roll call.
Then you go out and work, or exercise.
[indistinct chatter]
[Héctor] There's nothing else to do.
You walk around
and keep running into walls.
[scattered shouting, laughter]
[Héctor] You have to be patient.
We sit around in the afternoon
and take in the air.
We look at the sky, the clouds,
because that's all we can see.
Next day, same thing.
Same routine every day.
The more you lie around,
the more you think.
Think about what your family will do.
What your kids think.
What will happen in your case.
It gets tough. You get really bored.
ACCUSED INMATE
You're in prison, no money.
The work you do doesn't pay much.
We aren't from Macuspana,
so it's hard for people to visit us.
How much is a ticket now?
[Marina] A hundred and ninety-eight.
[Juan Luis] How much for him?
Fernando? 198.
Like an adult?
And Juan almost has to pay full fare.
But since he's short,
they think he's still a kid.
Juanito, are you a shorty?
Dad, you're a fatty.
[all chuckling]
[Marina] He's relentless.
[melancholic music playing]
[Marina] I would visit Juan Luis, but
when I saw that he went back to jail,
I was like It looked bleak.
That's when I distanced myself.
JUAN LUIS'S EX-PARTNER
I couldn't afford to keep visiting
because I had to work
to take care of the kids.
This has caused problems for me at home.
The expenses for my kids, their school
I was paying for all that.
Now she has to work.
She has to take care of the kids,
and go to work to make enough money
so they can keep going to school.
Every day it's more difficult
to be with my family.
There's a beach called Sacaolas.
Every year we'd go swimming there
for the whole day.
I was teaching Fernando
how to ride a motorcycle.
I would put him in front of me
and let him drive slowly.
And he went too fast and did a wheelie.
But I told him he would learn,
he just had to go slow.
I couldn't finish teaching him.
[faint voices]
I would love to think
that this is an isolated case.
That it's rare or difficult
to frame someone in this country,
to make up evidence,
to make someone seem guilty.
In most of the cases I've seen,
there usually isn't an investigation,
and what little investigation there is,
the goal is not to clarify the events.
The goal is to prove
whatever they want to prove.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] Exactly.
They took the car.
[pensive music playing]
[Andrés] We reconstructed the scene
putting the version given by ACP
and his son against Héctor's version.
That allows us to see
which version of events is true.
The two experts are important.
First off, because
they're professional experts.
They're well-known.
Dr. Edward Charles
Alexander Worrall González
and Dr. María Magdalena
Gutiérrez Escudero.
CORONER
What is the mechanics of lesion
according to the experts'
established opinion
by the State General Attorney's office?
[Magdalena] According to what
the prosecutor's medical examiner told us,
the bullet enters
the back of the hand here,
at the fourth finger,
and comes out
in the thenar area of the palm.
That does not correspond
to what we see in the photos of Héctor,
because the wound with reversed
and irregular edges
is not on the palm.
It's in the back of the hand.
It was important for me to check Héctor,
so I requested entry to check him
and get his version.
When I did this, the bullet went in here.
And out.
It coincides with what he said,
that it entered the lateral side
at the second finger,
and exited at the fourth finger
through the back of the hand.
And then, to defend, people do this
when they see a gun.
[Andrés] Dr. Edward performed
a mechanical recreation of the events,
analyzing the versions
that ACP and his son gave
in different documents in the case.
Recreating them in the field,
to verify whether it was possible
for the wound on Héctor's hand
to have been produced
if the events were as they said.
The mechanical recreation will show us
which version of events
corresponds to the truth.
If the supposed victim
took out a gun and shot,
this yellow line, this yellow row shows us
where the shot could have come from.
And remember, the red stick is
what the medical evidence shows.
In this set up, they are perpendicular.
So it couldn't have happened like this,
and that shows us
that it was a defensive maneuver,
which is why the bullet enters here
and exits here.
If I do this, my hand holding the gun
is facing you, and you shoot me.
Where will the bullet enter
if you shoot me in the hand?
It'll enter here, right?
Not here.
Because the gun the gun is here.
You understand what I'm saying?
However, the bullet, as Dr. Magdalena,
the medical examiner, clearly showed,
and the scars show as well,
entered here, right here, and exited here.
It is impossible,
and I emphasize that, impossible
for the events to have occurred,
as told by the supposed victims.
[police radio] Three, four, thirty,
seven, four.
[officer] In ten minutes.
[police radio] In ten minutes, 43211.
[officer] We identified ourselves
as municipal police
and asked them to exit their vehicle.
[ominous music playing]
892 DAYS IN PRISON
POLICE OFFICERS' TESTIMONY
They were just support,
to see if it was true or not.
But when the police arrived,
nothing that ACP told them was obvious,
because there was nothing there.
[Andrés] Did you check anything
in regards to the state of the truck?
No.
[Andrés] Did you identify or secure
any object inside the truck?
[officer] No.
[Andrés] Did you ask the gas station
for their security tapes?
No.
[Andrés] And the Oxxo's security tapes?
No.
[Andrés] Did you secure
the alleged victim's gun?
No.
Did you secure any other object
besides the Jetta and the gray Ram
allegedly driven by Gonzalo and Juan Luis?
[officer] No.
Did you find or identify any bullet case?
[officer] No.
[Andrés] Did you take them
to Villahermosa?
- [officer] We were ordered by
- [Andrés] Yes or no, please.
Yes, we did.
Are you personally certain of the alleged
kidnapping attempt of Mr. ACP?
[officer 2] No, I'm not.
You only know what you've been told.
- [officer 2] That's right.
- Nothing further.
What should happen is
that the first officer on the scene
secures the scene.
Then calls an expert to photograph
the evidence found,
then it gets collected, processed, filed.
The witnesses are interviewed.
If there were cameras,
the recordings are filed.
That's the obvious stuff,
and none of it was done.
[suspenseful music playing]
If an officer is trained correctly,
they know how to bridge the gaps
in the investigation,
how to get information, how to obtain
psychological interrogations,
how to obtain information
without having to resort to violence,
pressure or isolation.
So this way you can say,
"I'll give you these tools and training."
"Get me the results."
But if I don't train you
or give you the tools,
I don't give you the fuel,
I don't give you the weapons,
you don't know how to carry out
a scientific investigation.
It's hard to get any results from you.
[Roberto] They are victims of abuse
by the authorities.
They are victims of abuse
by the prosecutor's office.
They are poorly paid, fed poorly.
Mexico has one of the highest rates
of police homicide.
About 350 police officers
are murdered every year.
That's almost one every day.
And even police murders
aren't investigated.
[dramatic sting]
[indistinct chatter]
[clerk] Good morning.
It's 11:04 on February 26th, 2018.
We're in courtroom two
of the Public Trial Court
of Macuspana, Tabasco,
to carry out the debate hearing
regarding lawsuit number 112/2017
involving Mr. Juan Luis López García,
Héctor Muñoz Muñoz
and Gonzalo García Hernández
for the aggravated kidnapping attempt
of the victim of undisclosed identity,
with the initials ACP.
STATE POLICE
[judge] We will now listen to
the opening statement from the prosecutor.
ACP'S TESTIMONY
FEBRUARY 26TH, 2018
[attorney] Life-changing atrocious acts.
Honorable Court, you will hear now
about the event
that has changed this person's life.
This person was a victim
of an attempted kidnapping
when walking the streets
of this municipality.
The crime was committed by the accused.
We will prove their full responsibility
beyond a reasonable doubt
for the attempted kidnapping
of the victim with the initials ACP.
[ACP] Hello?
Hello?
[attorney] Good afternoon.
MR. ACP
PROSECUTION WITNESS
Could you tell us your full name?
Sorry, your initials.
ACP.
Good afternoon, witness.
[ACP] Good afternoon.
[attorney] Please, tell us your age.
[ACP] I'm 67 years old.
Tell us your level of education.
[ACP] Sixth grade. Primary school.
[attorney] Please, tell the court
what your testimony will be about.
[ACP] It will be about what happened
on June 20th, 2015.
DAY OF THE ARRES
JUNE 20TH, 2015
[ominous music playing]
[ACP] At about 10:00 a.m.,
my son called me.
[ACC] I called him
about a client with an issue.
ACC
PROSECUTION WITNESS
He said he'd take care of it.
And I also told him
there was a suspicious truck.
[ACP] I got to the store
about half an hour later.
Effectively, I saw there was a vehicle
parked in front
of Mr. Antonio's convenience store.
At 2:00 p.m., patrol car 027 arrived.
[ACC] The police officers told us
the truck had apparently broken down.
But we knew it wasn't true,
because they started it
and slowly drove past our store,
looking at us.
We closed the store,
and thought they had already gone.
We drove slowly to Ciudad Pemex.
Suddenly, near the church,
two cars stopped.
[ACP] They blocked our way
and I managed to maneuver past them.
We hit two speed bumps fast,
and they kept driving behind us.
[ACC] He saw the two cars
had hit the speed bump too,
and said, "There's trouble."
[ACP] Fifty meters before the gas station,
I couldn't continue
because the truck blocked my way
and the two cars caught up with me.
The driver of the Jetta took his hand out
and pointed at me with a gun.
He bumped into my car
and I was forced to stop.
He got out of the car,
and I saw he had a gun.
That's when I reached for my .22 pistol.
When he stuck his hand through the window,
my reaction was to shoot.
[gunshot]
[police sirens wailing]
[ACC] The patrol car got there
and talked to Mr. ACP.
They pointed at the truck, and the guys
pretended it had broken down,
but I saw they were up to something.
So Mr. ACP pointed at the guys
in the truck
and they were arrested.
The story is easy to understand
when you consider that Mrs. GLP
was kidnapped on May 26th.
Then they tried to kidnap
one of her brothers.
And after that, ACP is in a situation
where, under those circumstances,
understanding his mental state,
sees these vehicles.
And someone gets out
with pliers in his hand
as Héctor stated, very honestly,
looking for a fight.
And ACP reacted.
All I said was,
"Son of a bitch, look what you did."
I was mad at them.
He leans forward in the truck
and I see that he has a gun.
By understanding that context,
you can understand
the narration of events.
Of how they actually happened in reality.
[Andrés] Mr. ACP,
was the truck you found suspicious
and allegedly watching you
parked there from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.?
[ACP] I don't know.
I have other information now
- Yes or no, please, Mr. ACP.
- [ACP] Yes.
I didn't realize we were outside
Mr. ACP's store,
which I think was
to the right of where we were.
We didn't care which store it was
or who lived next door.
I just didn't want my truck to overheat.
[attorney] When the person
driving the Jetta got out of the car,
what did he say?
[Andrés] Objection, Your Honor.
One moment, please.
Reason for the objection?
[Andrés] The witness hasn't stated
he had communication with that person.
The prosecution is adding information.
The answer is reconsidered.
The question is, indeed, suggestive,
therefore, it shall not be accepted.
Did the individuals blocking your way
say something to you?
[Andrés] Objection, Your Honor.
[ACP] Yes, they did.
[judge] One moment.
He answered already.
Please, witness, I ask you again,
do not answer so quickly.
Do you understand?
[ACP] Yes.
The prosecution
is introducing new information,
asking suggestive questions,
and, the witness,
following their lead, is answering
what the prosecution wants to introduce
illegally in this trial.
I believe his answers are spontaneous.
You can answer.
Tell the court what they said to you.
[ACP] I'll repeat it.
The driver of the green Jetta
He stuck his hand out of the window.
He was holding a gun.
He said,
"It's over for you, motherfucker!"
"This is a kidnapping."
The witness, after being asked 50 times,
and us objecting 50 times,
understood that the prosecution
wanted him to say the words,
"This is a kidnapping."
Because that's the only evidence
pointing to this being a kidnapping.
Otherwise, they couldn't show
that there was a crime.
NOTIFICATION OF PROBABLE CRIMES
[Roberto] ACP made four declarations
regarding the events at the gas station.
One of those declarations
is filed on the day of the events,
June 20th, 2015.
He says you were driving a green Jetta,
and that you pointed a gun at him
and said, "This is it, you son of a bitch.
This is a kidnapping."
"THIS IS A KIDNAPPING"
So, ACP goes to the prosecutor's office
and says to them,
"I thought these people
were trying to kidnap me."
He thought that.
He thought.
You are here because of ACP's testimony.
Photos from the Gesell chamber.
Instead of using this to discern
whether or not a witness,
or a victim can identify you,
they are using it to paint a picture.
To show guilt.
Not to see if a witness
can possibly recognize someone.
And since they identified you here,
they got an arrest warrant.
They get the arrest warrant,
and throw this away, don't use it.
It's just about proving arrests
for whatever event
they're supposedly trying to "resolve."
Most guys are in here for kidnapping,
and most of the accusations are false.
First they arrest them for a crime,
let them go,
then get an arrest warrant
for something else.
Most guys are in here for kidnapping.
[tense music playing]
1110 DAYS IN PRISON
EXPERTS' TESTIMONY
Good afternoon. Please, state your name.
[man] Good afternoon.
Luis Antonio Rodríguez Ceballos.
Mr. Luis Antonio Rodríguez Ceballos
has credentials issued
by the State General Attorney's office
signed by Dr. Fernando Valenzuela Pernas.
He is a qualified coroner.
- Where do you work?
- [Luis] At the State Attorney's office.
Do you recognize any of these men?
Did you examine any of them that day?
[Luis] I did examine him.
Did you observe any injuries
on Héctor Muñoz Muñoz's body?
[Luis] Yes.
Could you tell us where were
the entrance hole and the exit hole?
[witness laughs]
According to what you said,
it entered through the metacarpus
and exited through the palm,
where exactly?
The bullet hit the back of the hand,
fourth metacarpal bone,
and exited through the thenar eminence.
Could you also tell us
the size of these injuries?
[Luis] I don't remember now.
[Alberto] You don't?
The bone fragments, when they come out,
open up the skin.
Therefore, the exit wound
tends to have a bigger diameter.
[attorney] Specialist, I mean, doctor,
do you have credentials
as an expert coroner?
Objection, Your Honor.
The question is confusing.
There are no professional credentials
specifically for experts.
There are credentials
for bachelor's degrees,
master's degrees,
specializations and doctorates.
The wound does not match up
with the events reported.
[Andrés] Reported by who?
By ACP and ACC.
[attorney] Can you tell us why
you didn't request Mr. ACP's truck
for the reconstruction of events,
so it'd be more accurate?
I don't have that ability, sir.
So the reconstruction of events
wasn't exactly like the circumstances?
Objection.
The question is obscure and conclusive.
[judge] Sustained.
The fact that
the exact same vehicle wasn't used,
or the sun wasn't in the same place,
the same birds weren't on the same branch,
the same people involved
So, it's invalid.
That's their argument. It's stupid.
That's what they wanted to do.
But my testimony was recorded.
Yes, I think they understood.
I think so too.
Let's hope that's the resolution.
Because, at the end of the day,
there isn't any other evidence,
other than that which we just proved,
establishing what happened.
- They didn't do anything.
- Nothing.
[engine humming]
After a long day of work,
we were driving in two of my trucks.
We were with Edward and Magdalena,
and my wife and four-year-old daughter
were there as well.
When suddenly,
the vehicle stopped.
As we all got out, within twenty seconds,
the truck went up in flames.
[sirens blaring]
[Andrés] Don't get any closer.
Roberto, please call me
as soon as you can.
Something very serious happened.
Edward was driving one of my trucks,
I was in the other one,
and suddenly, out of nowhere,
it went up in flames.
We believe it's sabotage.
So it's terrible, really.
The fucking extinguisher was useless.
Now the truck is on fire
and the tank is about to explode.
It's pretty bad. We already called 911.
[Roberto] Thanks.
Andrés thinks it's attempted homicide.
Because the truck almost crashed.
It went up in flames.
[theme music playing]
Subtitle translation by Julieta Gazzaniga.
TWO YEARS EARLIER
JUNE 20TH, 2015
[ominous music playing]
MR. ACP'S VERSION
[ACP] It was about 10:00 a.m.
I arrived at the store,
and noticed a vehicle in front of
Mr. Antonio's convenience store.
We saw them start the engine
with no problem.
And they drove slowly,
looking at us in the store.
It was Saturday,
and we were closing at 2:00 p.m.
We went towards Ciudad Pemex.
We went slowly, keeping our distance
from the suspicious vehicle.
Over by the church,
we saw the truck and we slowed down.
But right then, two cars came out
and blocked the road,
but I was able to avoid them.
Fifty meters before the gas station,
I had to stop
because the truck blocked me.
And the driver of the Jetta
aims at me with a gun.
He hits my car
so I had to come to a complete stop.
I grabbed the .22 that I kept,
and when he reached in the window,
I shot.
[gunshot]
ACP As I said to Roberto,
"If your sister was kidnapped,
someone tried to kidnap your brother,
and someone steps to you
with something in their hand,
you don't know if they want to kidnap you,
rob you, kill you or what.
I would have been armed too,
and I would have shot the guy.
But that would be a mistake because
maybe I kill some guy carrying a pizza,
and then I'm screwed for life, right?
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES
[theme music playing]
[Andrés] Let's see.
The time is 11:35 a.m.
We're not in the hearing.
I'm being notified.
I have the right to film
what they tell me.
If you want, we can go outside.
- [clerk] Yes.
- [Andrés] Okay.
- [officer] Do it outside.
- [clerk] Okay.
[Andrés] Just for the record,
it's June 9th, 11:35 a.m.
[clerk] Adi!
[Andrés] On the last day
of the Gladys public trial hearing,
a court official comes in
and says something to the chief judge.
That's when everything changed.
The administration has just informed me
that we need to take a recess
because we received an order for arrest.
The time and date
of the hearing there specified
overlaps with this hearing.
Why were the cameras turned off?
If I'm in the courtroom,
they should be recording.
[Andrés] I want it to be on camera.
It's 11:35
Let me speak to the judge.
You can't do that, sorry.
- [Andrés] Excuse me?
- Was he filming you?
[Andrés] I can't record
while you're notifying me?
In the court room
- [Andrés] No, outside.
- But it was inside.
[Andrés] I asked him
to notify me out here.
They were interrupting the hearing
in which the guys were
about to be declared innocent.
And they said that there was another trial
to attribute the attempted kidnapping
of ACP.
[Andrés] What exactly are you telling us?
That
there's an order for arrest
for Juan Luis,
Héctor Muñoz and Gonzalo García.
They wanted to make us out
to be kidnappers in front of the judges.
ACCUSED INMATE
They wanted to get the judges
to sentence us in any way that they could.
[Andrés] Our public trial hearing
has just been suspended
to tell us that, at the same time,
we have a hearing we didn't know about.
You know we have to be notified
24 hours beforehand, so we can prepare?
This is an urgent hearing.
It has to take place today,
because, constitutionally,
it needs to be today.
[Andrés]
The State General Attorney's office knew,
and we didn't.
You can ask all that in administration.
They wanted to surprise us, obviously,
but they didn't expect us
to accept the hearing right then.
So you want to avoid them being linked
to the trial so they aren't put in jail.
And if so, that they are not
put in jail while waiting.
How can you fight the process hearing?
In order to be linked in a process,
there's still a standard of evidence.
And you can't achieve
a standard of evidence
with only one piece of evidence
that's isolated and hearsay.
They need first-hand evidence.
RESEARCHER AND DOCUMENTARY MAKER
A process hearing is when they decide
if someone is going to be
accused of a crime.
[clerk] We're convened in courtroom two
of the Public Trial Court
to conduct the hearing
involving Mr. Juan Luis López García,
Mr. Gonzalo García Hernández
and Mr. Héctor Muñoz Muñoz
in the attempted kidnapping
of the victim with the initials ACP.
MR. ACP
VICTIM OF UNDISCLOSED IDENTITY
If they had convinced the control judge
that the events did not occur
in the manner that ACP stated,
they would be free.
But if they were linked in the process,
since this was for attempted kidnapping,
they would go to jail
just for being accused of kidnapping.
We were positive that
there was no link to the process.
We were afraid that
they would fabricate more evidence.
I need your help.
What I need now
is to see if we have anything,
testimonies, videos
Anything that will help me
prove to the control judge
that the events did not occur
as currently laid out.
When you say "if we have,"
would an eyewitness help?
That would be perfect.
[dramatic sting]
[Roberto] Oh, you're here.
They're coming with us?
[man] They know everything.
[tense music playing]
They're throwing the defense team
a curveball.
We have 50 minutes
to find someone who's willing
to come and testify
that they witnessed the events
at the gas station two years ago,
and who will state what actually happened.
[tense music continues]
- [man] Okay.
- [inaudible]
[Roberto] Now, you have the opportunity
for her husband, her brother
- Okay, but let's go over there.
- [Roberto] Yeah, let's go.
- We're out in the open.
- [Roberto] We can talk in the car.
[woman] Let's go.
When the shoot-out happened,
it was a father and son.
They were in the same car?
EYEWITNESS
Yes, they were in the car when the guy
- When they shot the guy with the gun.
- [Roberto] Mm-hmm.
[Miguelina] I was with my daughter
at the convenience store.
So then I saw the guy park his truck,
and the other guy got out
of his green car,
and then came running this way,
screaming to everyone for help.
He was screaming.
"They shot me! They shot me!"
She heard the accident,
she saw Héctor get out of his car,
she heard when ACP shot him.
She saw when Héctor ran away,
fearing for his life.
She saw that Gonzalo and Juan Luis
were already there,
and had absolutely nothing to do
with any of it.
She saw everything.
[Roberto] They've been in prison
for two years. Almost two years.
And we need a witness.
And the hearing
is in about 20 or 30 minutes.
Thanks to you
and the pictures that you took,
we know what really happened.
[Miguelina] I have to get my daughter
Because my daughter She's all I have.
She's at my house, but she's alone
because my husband dropped me off.
[Roberto] We'll pick her up.
But I'll go.
[dramatic music playing]
PUBLIC TRIAL COUR
[Roberto] She was dressed
in the uniform for the popsicles she sold.
So right away, the court sent her out,
and scolded her for entering the court
dressed the way she was.
Dressed so casually.
Instead of thinking about
what relevant information
the witness could provide,
the first thing they did
was discriminate against her.
They want her to remove her BonIce shirt.
They want her to dress differently,
not wear a hat.
They didn't care about
what she had to say.
They cared about how she was dressed.
[inaudible]
PUBLIC TRIAL COUR
We want to present the testimony
of María Miguelina Hernández Oramas.
Do you know why you're here?
Yes, I witnessed what happened
at the gas station.
Tell us what you saw.
From the beginning. What happened?
I was standing at the door of Oxxo.
The man pulled out a gun and shot.
Who was this man?
I'm talking about Mr. Alfonso.
Your Honor.
[judge] Continue.
She didn't say his surname, so it's fine.
How do you know his name is Alfonso?
Because the police identified him.
"What happened, Mr. Alfonso?"
Right. You also said
that while all this was going on,
you recorded it with your phone.
I started recording because I saw
how those poor guys were being taken.
They were hitting them
as if they were criminals, as if
I saw they were just standing there,
they hadn't done anything.
[Miguelina] Those are not kidnappers.
They're customers.
[indistinct conversation]
[muffled scuffle]
Even if you couldn't see exactly
what happened,
what wasn't in question
was that Miguelina had been there
on the day of the events,
at the place of the events,
at the time of the events.
She was actually a witness
to what happened,
and that gave her testimony strength.
Did you see them try to kidnap the man?
No. The guys were there first,
they were already there.
Did you see, at any point,
any contact or communication
between the guy that was shot
and the guys in the truck?
[Miguelina] Not at all.
I'm very observant.
I saw everything, I was there.
I'm a witness because I saw it.
And my little girl reacted too.
She was terrified
when that man pulled out a gun
and wanted to shoot again.
I told him,
"Don't do it, you'll hurt my daughter."
"Look, there's a little girl here."
And he didn't care,
he was out of his mind.
And what did the police do
when they saw he was armed?
He hid the gun really quickly.
He put his hand in his pants pocket.
He hid it, and signaled to me to be quiet.
But I'm not like that.
My daughter could've been hurt,
I wasn't going to stay quiet.
What do you do for a living?
I have been selling BonIce
for three years now.
[Andrés] Sorry, what do you sell?
The brand BonIce. Snacks, pork rinds.
I was selling that day,
and that man approached me.
"I want to talk to you," he said,
with his eyes wide open.
He threatened me. He said he'd fuck me up.
Miguelina, when this man threatened you,
what did he want?
What did he ask you to do?
To stay silent about what I saw.
"Why would I stay silent?"
"If he pulls a gun on me?"
"I won't stay silent, no way."
She knew ACP by first and last name,
because it's a small town
where everyone knows everyone.
He threatened her not to get involved,
not to say anything,
that he would kill her, etc.
It's clear that he would threaten anyone
who told the truth.
There's the attorney Delfín,
who was the prosecutor with Miguel Ángel.
They were there
when they arrested my brother.
They took him out of that safe house
because it isn't a prosecutor's office.
And she talked to me
when I took a letter from my brother
requesting release.
There wasn't an investigation,
and the prosecutor
who was handling the case
signed a release agreement.
RELEASE AGREEMEN
After that release agreement,
after that date,
there still wasn't an investigation.
Nothing.
Today, with that same information,
once the release was agreed to,
two years later,
she tries to start a process to link them
and start a new trial.
You've stated
that you have received threats, correct?
[Miguelina] Yes.
And those threats were made
by Mr. Alfonso, correct?
[Miguelina] That's right.
In regards to these threats,
have you reported them to the police?
[Miguelina] No.
Why not?
When you report something
to the authorities,
they always ask for witnesses.
It would be pointless to report him, then,
since they wouldn't do anything about it.
What this man is doing is unjust.
Using innocent people,
and having innocent people here. Honestly.
I think that they walk,
or the judge will sleep on it
and decide tomorrow.
I don't know which.
Well now, it's just a matter of waiting.
[sighs nervously]
Yes.
We have to wait a little longer.
[tense music playing]
At 11:25 p.m. on June 9th, 2017,
we deliver this verdict.
First of all, Mr. Juan Luis López García,
Mr. Gonzalo García Hernández
and Mr. Héctor Muñoz Muñoz
will be detained pending trial.
We won't give up. Don't you worry.
All the civil servants that were involved
in extending this unfair imprisonment
will pay for it, I swear.
I swear.
[dramatic music playing]
POLICE
[dramatic music continues]
861 DAYS IN PRISON
[guard calling]
[indistinct roll call]
[Héctor] In the morning,
they do roll call at, like, 7:00.
Sometimes, you don't have enough
to buy eggs,
and you have to eat the cafeteria food.
ACCUSED INMATE
And the food there is
You eat it because
you're hungry.
Lunch is at 2:00 p.m.
and you eat that because you're hungry.
Sometimes they serve breakfast again.
And you wait for afternoon roll call.
Then you go out and work, or exercise.
[indistinct chatter]
[Héctor] There's nothing else to do.
You walk around
and keep running into walls.
[scattered shouting, laughter]
[Héctor] You have to be patient.
We sit around in the afternoon
and take in the air.
We look at the sky, the clouds,
because that's all we can see.
Next day, same thing.
Same routine every day.
The more you lie around,
the more you think.
Think about what your family will do.
What your kids think.
What will happen in your case.
It gets tough. You get really bored.
ACCUSED INMATE
You're in prison, no money.
The work you do doesn't pay much.
We aren't from Macuspana,
so it's hard for people to visit us.
How much is a ticket now?
[Marina] A hundred and ninety-eight.
[Juan Luis] How much for him?
Fernando? 198.
Like an adult?
And Juan almost has to pay full fare.
But since he's short,
they think he's still a kid.
Juanito, are you a shorty?
Dad, you're a fatty.
[all chuckling]
[Marina] He's relentless.
[melancholic music playing]
[Marina] I would visit Juan Luis, but
when I saw that he went back to jail,
I was like It looked bleak.
That's when I distanced myself.
JUAN LUIS'S EX-PARTNER
I couldn't afford to keep visiting
because I had to work
to take care of the kids.
This has caused problems for me at home.
The expenses for my kids, their school
I was paying for all that.
Now she has to work.
She has to take care of the kids,
and go to work to make enough money
so they can keep going to school.
Every day it's more difficult
to be with my family.
There's a beach called Sacaolas.
Every year we'd go swimming there
for the whole day.
I was teaching Fernando
how to ride a motorcycle.
I would put him in front of me
and let him drive slowly.
And he went too fast and did a wheelie.
But I told him he would learn,
he just had to go slow.
I couldn't finish teaching him.
[faint voices]
I would love to think
that this is an isolated case.
That it's rare or difficult
to frame someone in this country,
to make up evidence,
to make someone seem guilty.
In most of the cases I've seen,
there usually isn't an investigation,
and what little investigation there is,
the goal is not to clarify the events.
The goal is to prove
whatever they want to prove.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] Exactly.
They took the car.
[pensive music playing]
[Andrés] We reconstructed the scene
putting the version given by ACP
and his son against Héctor's version.
That allows us to see
which version of events is true.
The two experts are important.
First off, because
they're professional experts.
They're well-known.
Dr. Edward Charles
Alexander Worrall González
and Dr. María Magdalena
Gutiérrez Escudero.
CORONER
What is the mechanics of lesion
according to the experts'
established opinion
by the State General Attorney's office?
[Magdalena] According to what
the prosecutor's medical examiner told us,
the bullet enters
the back of the hand here,
at the fourth finger,
and comes out
in the thenar area of the palm.
That does not correspond
to what we see in the photos of Héctor,
because the wound with reversed
and irregular edges
is not on the palm.
It's in the back of the hand.
It was important for me to check Héctor,
so I requested entry to check him
and get his version.
When I did this, the bullet went in here.
And out.
It coincides with what he said,
that it entered the lateral side
at the second finger,
and exited at the fourth finger
through the back of the hand.
And then, to defend, people do this
when they see a gun.
[Andrés] Dr. Edward performed
a mechanical recreation of the events,
analyzing the versions
that ACP and his son gave
in different documents in the case.
Recreating them in the field,
to verify whether it was possible
for the wound on Héctor's hand
to have been produced
if the events were as they said.
The mechanical recreation will show us
which version of events
corresponds to the truth.
If the supposed victim
took out a gun and shot,
this yellow line, this yellow row shows us
where the shot could have come from.
And remember, the red stick is
what the medical evidence shows.
In this set up, they are perpendicular.
So it couldn't have happened like this,
and that shows us
that it was a defensive maneuver,
which is why the bullet enters here
and exits here.
If I do this, my hand holding the gun
is facing you, and you shoot me.
Where will the bullet enter
if you shoot me in the hand?
It'll enter here, right?
Not here.
Because the gun the gun is here.
You understand what I'm saying?
However, the bullet, as Dr. Magdalena,
the medical examiner, clearly showed,
and the scars show as well,
entered here, right here, and exited here.
It is impossible,
and I emphasize that, impossible
for the events to have occurred,
as told by the supposed victims.
[police radio] Three, four, thirty,
seven, four.
[officer] In ten minutes.
[police radio] In ten minutes, 43211.
[officer] We identified ourselves
as municipal police
and asked them to exit their vehicle.
[ominous music playing]
892 DAYS IN PRISON
POLICE OFFICERS' TESTIMONY
They were just support,
to see if it was true or not.
But when the police arrived,
nothing that ACP told them was obvious,
because there was nothing there.
[Andrés] Did you check anything
in regards to the state of the truck?
No.
[Andrés] Did you identify or secure
any object inside the truck?
[officer] No.
[Andrés] Did you ask the gas station
for their security tapes?
No.
[Andrés] And the Oxxo's security tapes?
No.
[Andrés] Did you secure
the alleged victim's gun?
No.
Did you secure any other object
besides the Jetta and the gray Ram
allegedly driven by Gonzalo and Juan Luis?
[officer] No.
Did you find or identify any bullet case?
[officer] No.
[Andrés] Did you take them
to Villahermosa?
- [officer] We were ordered by
- [Andrés] Yes or no, please.
Yes, we did.
Are you personally certain of the alleged
kidnapping attempt of Mr. ACP?
[officer 2] No, I'm not.
You only know what you've been told.
- [officer 2] That's right.
- Nothing further.
What should happen is
that the first officer on the scene
secures the scene.
Then calls an expert to photograph
the evidence found,
then it gets collected, processed, filed.
The witnesses are interviewed.
If there were cameras,
the recordings are filed.
That's the obvious stuff,
and none of it was done.
[suspenseful music playing]
If an officer is trained correctly,
they know how to bridge the gaps
in the investigation,
how to get information, how to obtain
psychological interrogations,
how to obtain information
without having to resort to violence,
pressure or isolation.
So this way you can say,
"I'll give you these tools and training."
"Get me the results."
But if I don't train you
or give you the tools,
I don't give you the fuel,
I don't give you the weapons,
you don't know how to carry out
a scientific investigation.
It's hard to get any results from you.
[Roberto] They are victims of abuse
by the authorities.
They are victims of abuse
by the prosecutor's office.
They are poorly paid, fed poorly.
Mexico has one of the highest rates
of police homicide.
About 350 police officers
are murdered every year.
That's almost one every day.
And even police murders
aren't investigated.
[dramatic sting]
[indistinct chatter]
[clerk] Good morning.
It's 11:04 on February 26th, 2018.
We're in courtroom two
of the Public Trial Court
of Macuspana, Tabasco,
to carry out the debate hearing
regarding lawsuit number 112/2017
involving Mr. Juan Luis López García,
Héctor Muñoz Muñoz
and Gonzalo García Hernández
for the aggravated kidnapping attempt
of the victim of undisclosed identity,
with the initials ACP.
STATE POLICE
[judge] We will now listen to
the opening statement from the prosecutor.
ACP'S TESTIMONY
FEBRUARY 26TH, 2018
[attorney] Life-changing atrocious acts.
Honorable Court, you will hear now
about the event
that has changed this person's life.
This person was a victim
of an attempted kidnapping
when walking the streets
of this municipality.
The crime was committed by the accused.
We will prove their full responsibility
beyond a reasonable doubt
for the attempted kidnapping
of the victim with the initials ACP.
[ACP] Hello?
Hello?
[attorney] Good afternoon.
MR. ACP
PROSECUTION WITNESS
Could you tell us your full name?
Sorry, your initials.
ACP.
Good afternoon, witness.
[ACP] Good afternoon.
[attorney] Please, tell us your age.
[ACP] I'm 67 years old.
Tell us your level of education.
[ACP] Sixth grade. Primary school.
[attorney] Please, tell the court
what your testimony will be about.
[ACP] It will be about what happened
on June 20th, 2015.
DAY OF THE ARRES
JUNE 20TH, 2015
[ominous music playing]
[ACP] At about 10:00 a.m.,
my son called me.
[ACC] I called him
about a client with an issue.
ACC
PROSECUTION WITNESS
He said he'd take care of it.
And I also told him
there was a suspicious truck.
[ACP] I got to the store
about half an hour later.
Effectively, I saw there was a vehicle
parked in front
of Mr. Antonio's convenience store.
At 2:00 p.m., patrol car 027 arrived.
[ACC] The police officers told us
the truck had apparently broken down.
But we knew it wasn't true,
because they started it
and slowly drove past our store,
looking at us.
We closed the store,
and thought they had already gone.
We drove slowly to Ciudad Pemex.
Suddenly, near the church,
two cars stopped.
[ACP] They blocked our way
and I managed to maneuver past them.
We hit two speed bumps fast,
and they kept driving behind us.
[ACC] He saw the two cars
had hit the speed bump too,
and said, "There's trouble."
[ACP] Fifty meters before the gas station,
I couldn't continue
because the truck blocked my way
and the two cars caught up with me.
The driver of the Jetta took his hand out
and pointed at me with a gun.
He bumped into my car
and I was forced to stop.
He got out of the car,
and I saw he had a gun.
That's when I reached for my .22 pistol.
When he stuck his hand through the window,
my reaction was to shoot.
[gunshot]
[police sirens wailing]
[ACC] The patrol car got there
and talked to Mr. ACP.
They pointed at the truck, and the guys
pretended it had broken down,
but I saw they were up to something.
So Mr. ACP pointed at the guys
in the truck
and they were arrested.
The story is easy to understand
when you consider that Mrs. GLP
was kidnapped on May 26th.
Then they tried to kidnap
one of her brothers.
And after that, ACP is in a situation
where, under those circumstances,
understanding his mental state,
sees these vehicles.
And someone gets out
with pliers in his hand
as Héctor stated, very honestly,
looking for a fight.
And ACP reacted.
All I said was,
"Son of a bitch, look what you did."
I was mad at them.
He leans forward in the truck
and I see that he has a gun.
By understanding that context,
you can understand
the narration of events.
Of how they actually happened in reality.
[Andrés] Mr. ACP,
was the truck you found suspicious
and allegedly watching you
parked there from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.?
[ACP] I don't know.
I have other information now
- Yes or no, please, Mr. ACP.
- [ACP] Yes.
I didn't realize we were outside
Mr. ACP's store,
which I think was
to the right of where we were.
We didn't care which store it was
or who lived next door.
I just didn't want my truck to overheat.
[attorney] When the person
driving the Jetta got out of the car,
what did he say?
[Andrés] Objection, Your Honor.
One moment, please.
Reason for the objection?
[Andrés] The witness hasn't stated
he had communication with that person.
The prosecution is adding information.
The answer is reconsidered.
The question is, indeed, suggestive,
therefore, it shall not be accepted.
Did the individuals blocking your way
say something to you?
[Andrés] Objection, Your Honor.
[ACP] Yes, they did.
[judge] One moment.
He answered already.
Please, witness, I ask you again,
do not answer so quickly.
Do you understand?
[ACP] Yes.
The prosecution
is introducing new information,
asking suggestive questions,
and, the witness,
following their lead, is answering
what the prosecution wants to introduce
illegally in this trial.
I believe his answers are spontaneous.
You can answer.
Tell the court what they said to you.
[ACP] I'll repeat it.
The driver of the green Jetta
He stuck his hand out of the window.
He was holding a gun.
He said,
"It's over for you, motherfucker!"
"This is a kidnapping."
The witness, after being asked 50 times,
and us objecting 50 times,
understood that the prosecution
wanted him to say the words,
"This is a kidnapping."
Because that's the only evidence
pointing to this being a kidnapping.
Otherwise, they couldn't show
that there was a crime.
NOTIFICATION OF PROBABLE CRIMES
[Roberto] ACP made four declarations
regarding the events at the gas station.
One of those declarations
is filed on the day of the events,
June 20th, 2015.
He says you were driving a green Jetta,
and that you pointed a gun at him
and said, "This is it, you son of a bitch.
This is a kidnapping."
"THIS IS A KIDNAPPING"
So, ACP goes to the prosecutor's office
and says to them,
"I thought these people
were trying to kidnap me."
He thought that.
He thought.
You are here because of ACP's testimony.
Photos from the Gesell chamber.
Instead of using this to discern
whether or not a witness,
or a victim can identify you,
they are using it to paint a picture.
To show guilt.
Not to see if a witness
can possibly recognize someone.
And since they identified you here,
they got an arrest warrant.
They get the arrest warrant,
and throw this away, don't use it.
It's just about proving arrests
for whatever event
they're supposedly trying to "resolve."
Most guys are in here for kidnapping,
and most of the accusations are false.
First they arrest them for a crime,
let them go,
then get an arrest warrant
for something else.
Most guys are in here for kidnapping.
[tense music playing]
1110 DAYS IN PRISON
EXPERTS' TESTIMONY
Good afternoon. Please, state your name.
[man] Good afternoon.
Luis Antonio Rodríguez Ceballos.
Mr. Luis Antonio Rodríguez Ceballos
has credentials issued
by the State General Attorney's office
signed by Dr. Fernando Valenzuela Pernas.
He is a qualified coroner.
- Where do you work?
- [Luis] At the State Attorney's office.
Do you recognize any of these men?
Did you examine any of them that day?
[Luis] I did examine him.
Did you observe any injuries
on Héctor Muñoz Muñoz's body?
[Luis] Yes.
Could you tell us where were
the entrance hole and the exit hole?
[witness laughs]
According to what you said,
it entered through the metacarpus
and exited through the palm,
where exactly?
The bullet hit the back of the hand,
fourth metacarpal bone,
and exited through the thenar eminence.
Could you also tell us
the size of these injuries?
[Luis] I don't remember now.
[Alberto] You don't?
The bone fragments, when they come out,
open up the skin.
Therefore, the exit wound
tends to have a bigger diameter.
[attorney] Specialist, I mean, doctor,
do you have credentials
as an expert coroner?
Objection, Your Honor.
The question is confusing.
There are no professional credentials
specifically for experts.
There are credentials
for bachelor's degrees,
master's degrees,
specializations and doctorates.
The wound does not match up
with the events reported.
[Andrés] Reported by who?
By ACP and ACC.
[attorney] Can you tell us why
you didn't request Mr. ACP's truck
for the reconstruction of events,
so it'd be more accurate?
I don't have that ability, sir.
So the reconstruction of events
wasn't exactly like the circumstances?
Objection.
The question is obscure and conclusive.
[judge] Sustained.
The fact that
the exact same vehicle wasn't used,
or the sun wasn't in the same place,
the same birds weren't on the same branch,
the same people involved
So, it's invalid.
That's their argument. It's stupid.
That's what they wanted to do.
But my testimony was recorded.
Yes, I think they understood.
I think so too.
Let's hope that's the resolution.
Because, at the end of the day,
there isn't any other evidence,
other than that which we just proved,
establishing what happened.
- They didn't do anything.
- Nothing.
[engine humming]
After a long day of work,
we were driving in two of my trucks.
We were with Edward and Magdalena,
and my wife and four-year-old daughter
were there as well.
When suddenly,
the vehicle stopped.
As we all got out, within twenty seconds,
the truck went up in flames.
[sirens blaring]
[Andrés] Don't get any closer.
Roberto, please call me
as soon as you can.
Something very serious happened.
Edward was driving one of my trucks,
I was in the other one,
and suddenly, out of nowhere,
it went up in flames.
We believe it's sabotage.
So it's terrible, really.
The fucking extinguisher was useless.
Now the truck is on fire
and the tank is about to explode.
It's pretty bad. We already called 911.
[Roberto] Thanks.
Andrés thinks it's attempted homicide.
Because the truck almost crashed.
It went up in flames.
[theme music playing]
Subtitle translation by Julieta Gazzaniga.