Major Crimes s02e19 Episode Script
Return to Sender - Part 2
- Previously on "Major Crimes" - What's Mr.
Stroh want now? Says you got one week to figure out how to get rid of either the boy or the woman.
So, our dead gangbangers were murdered by the same guy who's been writing letters for Phillip Stroh? We're real close to catching him.
LAPD! It's not over yet.
Unfortunately, the guy who tried to kill you is still out there.
Rusty, next week, you take the stand against Phillip Stroh.
Originally Aired January 13, 2014 It's all right.
I wake up screaming, too.
This place is pretty scary, huh? You'll feel better after you say your piece in court today.
- Has there been an arrest yet? - Don't worry about that guy.
I'm gonna kill that guy.
But what if he doesn't turn up? All right.
That's enough, Julio.
Uh, Mr.
Beck, you need to start getting ready.
We got a big morning ahead of us.
Sit down.
Sit.
- Yeah? - It's me.
Oh, my God.
This place Ever thought about cleaning up after yourself, lieutenant? Yeah, the last person that said that to me, Sykes, I divorced twice.
Rusty, stop helping her and get in the shower.
What if there's news? There's not.
We've followed up on every single person for whom Phillip Stroh served as defense counsel a lot of fun, since he specialized in sex crimes and none of them are connected to our suspect.
Well, that can't be right.
Okay, so, this guy, this suspect is he going to come after me again? We have his fingerprints.
We have his DNA.
We have bullets from his gun.
We have his face on film.
And now we have the FBI helping us, too.
We will find this guy.
I promise.
We'll find him.
Unfortunately, it's gonna take awhile.
This is still the best picture of his face we could pull off your video from the chess park.
We've used every image-processing tool available to create this composite, but without a better front-facing view We're screwed.
Yeah, so far, no hit off his prints or DNA to any database, State or Federal, and the bullets from his gun don't match up to any known weapon, either.
So, besides this loose connection to Phillip Stroh, what's the sum total we can say about this man? He's white, about 5'10", Oh, and get this A bar customer where he picked up his last victim said that the freak had a good sense of humor.
Which means he's socially skilled.
And from the way he interacted with Rusty, it's equally clear that he is comfortable with young people.
Whenever I feel bad about the stuff I've done, I remember Who I was isn't who I can be.
The streets they brought out my worst instincts.
But they could also bring out my best.
If I fight to do better, who I become is up to me.
- It's up to me.
- Good work, Jake.
Remember that, guys.
It's up to you.
It is up to you.
Well done.
Uh, so, I'll see you all tomorrow, and remember to hand your attendance slips in to the office.
I thought Mrs.
Whitley gave you this week off.
She did, but, uh, before I left What happened there? Did you hurt yourself? Oh.
Yeah, I know.
I fell off my bike First time ever.
Uh, look, I meant to go away, but then I thought Oh, I know.
You're waiting for Tyler to come back, aren't you? He hasn't checked in with us for three days.
I just want to make sure he's okay.
Wade, I hate to see you wasting this much energy on another hopeless kid.
Tyler's more trouble than he's worth, I promise you.
We can't just abandon children because they're troubled.
We don't abandon kids.
They abandon us.
And you ought to know that by now.
Look, finish up your work, and take your vacation.
Honestly, you look like you could use a little getaway.
The good news is he's localized.
All of his letters were mailed from post offices within this seven-mile radius.
Now, our behavioral-science guys feel pretty sure he lives in LA.
What about the couch covers? They come from a company in Phoenix called Imperial synthetics.
Now, Sykes has been going through their invoices from the past three years, cross-referencing them with everything else we know It might take awhile.
Captain, Phillip Stroh's attorney's waiting in the break room.
Linda Rothman is here? Linda.
It's not like you to pay social calls right before a hearing.
Once again, the LAPD jumps to the wrong conclusions.
I'm here to see Rios, but since you're both available, perhaps you can help our young D.
D.
A.
Understand the rare opportunity I'm about to offer her.
Uh-huh.
Just get to the point.
Unless the situation has been grossly exaggerated to justify a preliminary hearing, I understand some deranged young man has tried to murder your material witness? Aah! That is not an exaggeration.
My client believes he may know the identity of this young man.
Really? What a shock.
Ms.
Rothman, we already have evidence that Mr.
Stroh is in communication with this psychopath.
That's not really evidence, is it? An uncorroborated statement from a rapist who barely speaks English? Now, before you get all hot under your kevlar vests, allow me to tell you a story that I feel could make a big difference in all our lives.
A few years ago, a boy like Rusty Beck Homeless, abandoned disappeared off the streets of Los Angeles.
Atypically for a teenager in his situation, this boy was reported missing to the police.
The detective investigating his disappearance managed to alarm a potential suspect, a young man, who, in turn, contacted a lawyer specializing in sex crimes An attorney named Phillip Stroh.
Ms.
Rothman.
If the suspect that you are referring to is the man who tried to kill my material witness and you are withholding that name, then you had better give it to us right now.
Did I imply that I knew this person's identity? No, I am simply relaying information I received last night.
Let's go back to the other thing.
Did did you just say Phillip Stroh may have helped someone get away with kidnapping a teenage boy? I'm not sure it was just the one boy Or that the crime ended with kidnapping.
This was delivered to my house last night.
As you can see, I haven't opened it, but I can guess its contents.
There are six names here.
Six names? How horrible.
However, I will remind you that the young man Phillip Stroh advised was never charged with any crimes.
Could we have more context? Perhaps running the names in that envelope could provide you with that.
Or, given recent events, Mr.
Stroh might be convinced to set aside privilege and identify this young man if you postpone his preliminary hearing, take the death penalty off the table, and allow him to serve his sentence in a federal prison of his own choosing.
Excuse me.
One moment.
Listen, Rios, this offer gives you two for the price of one.
Take it, and be grateful.
Here we go.
Charles Perry from multiple stab wounds three years ago.
The next two names are teenage boys who went off the grid the year before.
Another kid on Stroh's list was reported missing in Vegas in 2010.
And this one, Gary Barton He was arrested multiple times for solicitation in 2011 and then nothing, ma'am.
Finally! The DNA from our suspect.
You found him? A familial hit to a Susan Mills, currently being held at metropolitan detention center on a 20-year federal drug sentence.
this is our guy's mother.
Ah, captain, thank you for coming back so fast.
Rios, here, has taken - an extremely stubborn attitude toward - Ms.
Rothman, we have just located the mother of our suspect, and I expect that within a few hours, she will give us the name that Phillip Stroh is withholding, and I don't think that we'll need to offer your client a deal after all.
Hmm.
Without a deal, I'll have no choice but to discredit the people's material witness, if that means anything to you.
Please tell Phillip Stroh we're looking forward to seeing him downtown in one hour, as planned.
The accused has a right to face his accuser not an obligation.
Mr.
Stroh feels under the weather.
We'll continue without him.
Hey, Linda.
Stroh can still save us the time it would take to pull this freak's name from his mother.
Oh, yes, I almost forgot to say as far as securing mama's help? I wish you luck.
See you in a bit, Rios.
So, Sharon's not even coming to, like, say hello? She'd rather be here, and you know it.
But she's, uh, hunting for the guy who tried to kill you.
Okay, well, why can't you come in? Just for the beginning? Well, I-I-I can't listen to you on the stand because I'm involved in this case, too, and hearing you could get my testimony excluded.
Okay, what happens after I finish today? Do I get to go home? If Rios can introduce all the threatening letters against you as evidence and you do a good job Then, yeah, you can maybe go home.
Mm-hmm.
And if the letters get what was the word you said? "Excluded.
" D-don't think about that.
Look, um, this is definitely not the advice I usually give.
But when you get in there, be completely honest.
Uh, if if you tell a lie or even try to cover anything up, that Rothman woman will smell it like a shark does blood.
And you, my friend will be dead in the water.
I, um, think I need to teach you how to tie this knot yourself.
Oh.
You're up, kid.
Thank you.
As you walk through that door, just remember that I'm very proud of you, Rusty.
Very proud.
Remain standing and raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do.
Be seated.
Could you please spell your name for the record? Uh, sure.
It's Russell R-u-s-s-e-l-l Thomas T-h-o-m-a-s.
Uh, as a juvenile, just your first name and middle initial are plenty.
D.
D.
A.
Rios, your direct.
Thank you, Judge Grove.
Russell, how do people normally address you? Everyone calls me Rusty.
Where do you reside, Rusty? Apartment 1109.
And with whom do you live? My guardian, Captain Sharon Raydor of the LAPD.
Why don't you live with family? My father Um sorry.
My, uh My father signed away his parental rights last year, and, uh, a while before that, my mother She ran off with her boyfriend.
And why did she leave you? Uh, her boyfriend didn't like me.
And my mom had has has a drug problem.
I-I'm not sure.
Look, if if you want to know why my mom ran off, you have to ask her.
But you'd have to find her first.
Thank you for allowing us to interview you today, Ms.
Mills.
Do you know why you're here? Something to do with my son, Ryan? How many sons do you have? Just one, but I haven't seen him since 1998 before I stopped using heroin.
Wonderful there are 97 Ryan Mills listed in the federal database.
Do you think we could have come up with a suspect with a more common name? We're especially interested in where your son, Ryan, might be living right now.
Where Ryan might be living? I have no idea.
Anyway, if he's in trouble, why would I help you? Maybe 'cause you're up for parole in six months.
How do you feel about another five years in prison? Your Honor, I object I fail to see how the sad story of Russell's adolescence relates to the charges - against my client.
- Your Honor, if the defense doesn't plan to ask Rusty questions about his time on the streets, then I No, I never suggested that the witness's character - should be off the table.
- Ms.
Rothman, you're overruled.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Rusty, when you found yourself alone on the streets in Los Angeles, how did you survive? Hustling.
Mostly, I I hustled.
By hustling, you mean engaging in acts of sex-for-hire with men who picked you up on the street? Yes, that's what I mean.
It was easy money, and I was just trying to find some way for Ryan and me to survive.
- And pay for your drug habit? - Yes.
I was strung out back then, but one night we met a man A nice man.
I thought he was a nice man.
Henry Jinks.
He took an interest in us, and we moved in with him for awhile.
He had a place in Marina del Rey.
Uh I'm not sure you'll understand what happened after that.
It doesn't sound that complicated.
You needed heroin and a place to stay, and you started sleeping with Henry Jinks.
No.
I didn't sleep with him.
Not me.
My God.
I'll go run Henry Jinks' name, see what comes up.
Are you saying that this really great guy slept with your son? There were two bedrooms.
I had one.
Henry and Ryan shared the other.
I didn't think anything of it at the time, except Ryan had more stability in his life.
How old was Ryan at the time? Almost.
Almost 14.
This is very hard to talk about.
I'm a different person now.
I've written Ryan several letters of apology, in case he ever found me Part of my making amends.
Letter writing runs in the family, I guess.
And what did you make amends to Ryan for in those letters? Henry stopped bringing home drugs, which was very hard for me.
So Henry He gave me $20,000 to go and start my life over in San Francisco.
Without Ryan? I was coming back on his birthday.
And when was that? The date? September 15, 1998.
And I did come back, but Henry had moved away, and he took he he took Ryan with him.
All right, finally, something we can use.
He was 14 in 1998.
That makes him 29 now.
So, run this through the DMV, see how many guys we turn up that are from Los Angeles county, and they were born on September 15, 1984.
Yes, sir.
Don't you think he might have changed his identity by now? Criminals change their names all the time, but they almost always keep their birthday.
- I don't know.
- Keep me posted, guys.
I'm gonna check on something for your captain.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Maybe I should never have gone away in the first place.
Maybe maybe I should have waited it out.
Tyler.
Finally, you're back.
Hey, Wade.
What? You miss me? Where have you been? Oh, you know how it is One minute, you're bumming a cigarette on Santa Monica Boulevard, and the next, you're waking up on Zuma Beach.
Why? Something wrong? I have to leave.
What do you mean, leave? What, like, away from LA? Leave and go where? I don't know yet, but I wanted to see you first, see if you were all right.
You're all right, right? Come on, Wade.
You can't go.
You're, like, the only person in the whole world who actually cares about me.
I feel the same way about you, but I have to go.
I have to.
Why, though? Um there's a guy.
What guy? There's a guy I owed a favor to, and he wanted me to do something for him.
I tried to get it done.
I really did.
But I couldn't.
Look, I would have left already, but I I had to see you to say goodbye and and to explain that my going away has nothing to do with you.
Take me with you.
Oh, man.
Really? No, no, no.
Tyler, I couldn't do that.
- No, you need - Dude, I know what I need.
I need you.
Please don't leave without me.
Please? 911.
What's your emergency? Uh, uh, someone just tried to kill me.
That's the emergency.
I got away.
But he hit me with a shovel, and he threw me over a cliff.
Sir, do you need medical attention? No, but, like, the guy He's still up there right now, and, uh He was burying a body.
That's the call the people's witness described making to the authorities, the call that helped the LAPD find and unearth four murdered girls buried in Griffith Park, the call that led this young man to be detained by the police, to be attacked by Phillip Stroh, to be threatened at the defendant's instigation - from giving his testimony here today - Objection! Your Honor, the prosecution can present no evidence that my client attempted to intimidate Russell in any way.
Your Honor, we have almost 30 threatening letters that were sent to The authenticity of those letters is doubtful, at best.
Doubtful? Doubtful?! That's not what you were saying three hours ago! Hold on, ladies! Hold on.
I don't allow cross-talk in this courtroom.
You'll address me, not each other.
First What are these threatening letters? Your Honor, both this boy and his guardian, Captain Raydor, received menacing letters suggesting terrible things would happen if they continued to assist the prosecution.
The people intend to link those letters to What you intend to do and what you can prove today are two different things.
Neither the prosecution nor the witness may enter these letters into the record during the hearing if Ms.
Rothman objects.
Let's keep it moving, D.
D.
A.
Rios.
We still have several witnesses to go.
Your Honor, this is normally when I would ask if Rusty could identify the person in the courtroom who tried to kill him, but, by sheer coincidence, Mr.
Stroh has fallen ill this morning.
So, if I may approach the witness Can you point out which of these six men held a knife to your throat and slashed your leg? Sure.
It's number four.
Let the record show that the witness identified a photo of Phillip Stroh.
No further questions at this time, Your Honor.
Ms.
Rothman, your witness.
You didn't wait for the police after your heroic 911 call, did you, Russell? No, I-I didn't.
Your Honor, let's listen to the rest of the conversation between the witness and the emergency operator that night.
- Sir - Hey! Hey, what are you looking at, huh?! What are you looking at?! Sir, are you under the influence? No, I'm not under the influence! Are you?! Or do you just not care that you have some killer on the loose right now?! All right, sir, the GPS on your phone says you're actually right across the street from the Greek Theatre.
If you'll just go stand by the box office, we'll send some police officers to you.
Could you give me your name and age, sir? Sir? Are you there? Is anybody there? Hello? An emergency worker trained to detect drug users over the phone inquired if you were high.
But, I-I wasn't, though.
Then why not wait for the authorities? Because, obviously, you knew that the police would want to speak with a sober eyewitness.
I-I wasn't drinking or taking drugs.
Because underage hustlers never do anything like that, do they? Your Honor, I object! Even if Ms.
Rothman is more familiar with underage hustlers than we're aware, she can't make inferences about the witness based on stereotyping.
Sustained.
Ms.
Rothman, the question about drugs has been asked and answered.
When the police finally caught up with you, they asked your age.
And what did you say, Russell? That I was 18.
But you weren't.
You were 16.
You lied, didn't you? - Yes, yes, I did, but only - What else did you lie about? About having sex for money.
Aha.
Okay.
So, how many lies did you tell the police altogether? - Between 5 and 10? Between 5 and 500? - I-I don't know.
Well, you lied about what you were selling on the streets.
Did you lie about why your mother left you? Did you lie about being gay? Your Honor, I object! No one ever asked me that! No one ever asked me that! The witness is a minor and any question about his orientation is not only irrelevant but completely inappropriate.
Sustained.
Ms.
Rothman, the witness is 17.
Move on.
Yes, Chief.
I've been listening to the kid testify.
Thank you for that, Chief.
Thank you.
- How's he holding up? - Fine.
Okay.
Look, when we first picked Rusty up, he lied about his age, which makes me wonder if our suspect is fixated on boys, maybe he lied about his age, too.
Rusty tried to make himself older, but our suspect would want to be younger, maybe.
Right.
Thank you, chief.
Thank you.
And thank you for looking in on Rusty.
- I do appreciate that.
- Glad to be here.
- Stay focused, captain.
Later.
- Yes, sir.
Captain, our guy is maybe pretending to be younger.
How much younger? Yeah, yeah, younger means our Our batch run goes from hundreds to thousands.
He's just concerned about extra printer ink.
Julio, keep September 15th, but add the next five years.
And let's hurry up a little because this dirtbag isn't just standing around, waiting for us to find him.
Captain, I've got a receipt for 40 sets of these plastic couch covers sent to a homeless shelter for teenagers called Angel City.
And there's a connection to Gary Barton, the boy on the list that was arrested multiple times for soliciting before he disappeared.
Each time he was busted, it was within a half-mile of Angel City Shelter.
And Charles Perry, the first victim he was a resident at Angel City when he went missing.
- Excellent, Amy.
Julio.
- Uh, Captain, there are thousands of guys born on September 15th.
It's gonna take hours to print up all of their photos from the DMV.
Lieutenant Provenza, grab Buzz and some consent forms.
We should look over Angel City Shelter, and they should look over these photos.
So, let's examine this 911 call you made from a different perspective for a moment.
How many times have you been to that section of Griffith Park where the bodies were found? Five or six about.
Uh-huh.
And was it fun for you? No.
It was horrible.
It was how I made money to eat.
So, it would be fair to characterize your situation on the night you made the 911 call as desperate? I was hungry, half-naked, chased by a killer, and shoved off a cliff.
- I was desperate.
Sure.
- Your Honor? You need to answer Ms.
Rothman's questions without adding a lot of extraneous detail.
You understand? Rusty? I was desperate.
Yes.
But those are the kind of boys we're here to help.
People say they're runaways, but they're not.
They're more like thrown-aways, and we're here to fill a void in their lives Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Excuse me.
But who orders the plastic couch covers for this place? Well, that That would be Wade Weller.
He's in charge of the safe spaces.
Is this Wade Weller? Do you recognize him? I don't know.
Maybe.
The Well, this one's the wrong hair color.
I-I can't say for sure.
Does Wade Weller have his own office here? He has a desk right here.
Where is Mr.
Weller right now? Oh, he took a boy who's been out of the shelter for awhile to DCFS for a health check.
Hey, you don't mind if I have a beer? I'm a long way from 21.
You're an old soul.
It's one beer.
- Be back up in a minute.
- All right.
His application and employee record.
He lists his birthday as September 15, 1990.
This is our guy.
Oh, my God.
This is him.
Circulate this photo.
Wait.
I don't know what you think Wade's done.
But I promise you, he's a terrific guy.
Let me just call Wade and get this No.
Mr.
Beckwith, I'll hold onto this for you.
Do you mind if I look at your contacts? Thank you.
I have a print match from his desk.
Hey, dude, this game is sick.
I didn't know you play.
Oh, yeah.
I'm a regular killing machine.
I bet.
Hey, uh What's in the basement? That where you keep your victims? No.
No, I wrap my victims up in plastic couch covers, like the one that you're sitting on, and then I bury them in the backyard or dump them somewhere.
Yeah, right.
Our cellphone-tracking equipment is better than yours.
We can tell you where Weller is within three feet, but you can get a warrant faster.
I need to know more than where Mr.
Weller is.
I need to know where he's going.
Detective.
I'll let you know when the warrant's in place.
The boy that Wade Weller took to DCFS I need his name and a description.
Tyler Lang he's a brunette, slight build, very sensitive.
You ready? - For? - Time to go.
Sure.
Okay.
Where to? Even though you're no longer struggling with life on the street, you've still been under a lot of stress.
How are you holding up? Fantastic.
Thanks for asking.
Fantastic? Is that why your guardian asked the psychologist Dr.
Joseph Bowman to perform an evaluation of your mental status? Because you're fantastic? No.
That was Um That was for another reason.
What reason? It was related to a lie that I told Captain Raydor.
So you're still lying to the police? I'm surprised.
About what this time? About what did you lie to the police? - I don't think I can say.
- Your Honor? I-I-I can't I can't answer that.
- I really can't answer that.
- Your Honor.
Rusty, you will answer truthfully, as you have been sworn to do.
About what did you lie to the police? I lied about all of the threatening letters I had received about my testimony against Phillip Stroh.
- Your Honor, I object! - To your own question?! Too late.
You asked and demanded an answer, and now these letters are on the record.
I'd like to read them, D.
D.
A.
Rios, if you could hand them over after we're done here today.
Ms.
Rothman? No further questions, Your Honor.
D.
D.
A.
Rios, redirect? No, Your Honor.
I think we've covered everything.
You can spring the trap, captain.
Weller's still driving north.
If you have patrol in place, then you want to grab him off the surface streets before he hits Chinatown.
This is the time to throw up your road blocks.
Shut it all down now, and ride the side streets.
We can't let him get away.
Captain, we're almost there.
You might me to send the Amber alert for Tyler lang? Not yet, lieutenant.
I want to locate Weller before the public knows I'm looking for him.
Instead of the largest vehicle-containment technique ever employed by the LAPD, why don't we just pull the little whack job over? He's got a child with him, lieutenant.
I don't want to risk a car chase.
That boy's got to be our first priority.
God.
God.
Wade, it's not like we're in a rush.
It's probably just an accident or something.
I don't know.
I think there's something going on up ahead.
All right, captain, you have him two blocks south of Olympic on Hope Street If that's not too ironic.
If you turn in the alley off of Pico, it looks like there might be a parking lot directly across from where the suspect stopped.
If you find him before I get there, good luck.
Thank you, Agent Howard.
All right, Lieutenant Tao, send out the Amber alert and get into position.
Copy that.
Julio and Andy, go.
If he runs and leaves the boy behind, we are good to go, everyone.
Copy that.
Oh, my God.
This has to work.
This has to work.
The Amber alert is now out to authorities, news agencies, and about 400,000 cellphones.
And we're about two minutes away.
God.
God.
God.
God.
What? What? What's it say? Nothing.
Just, uh, get down, okay? - Get - What? Wade? Wade, what are you doing? Dude, what is going on? Okay, just, uh stay here, Tyler.
I'll be right back.
Wade, you can't just go.
What are you doing? W-Wade! Wade! Wade, hold on Wade! Come back! What the hell? Wade! LAPD! Drop to the ground, asshole! Stop! - Stop! LAPD! - Please, don't shoot! Hey, freak! Stop! Hit the ground, or we'll shoot! Cross fire! Cross fire! Damn it! Stop! Move back, or I'll kill him! - I mean it! I'll shoot this kid in the head! - Wade, please.
Move back! It's over, Weller.
Drop your weapon! Let the boy go! You want to see this kid dead? Is that what you want?! Move back! I don't have a shot! He's too close to the boy! Move back! He's too close! That created some distance.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God! Last time I qualified with my weapon, I scored a perfect target.
Have your friends at, uh, F.
I.
D.
Come down and take my after-action report, and I'll, uh, check in with my Union Rep.
Excuse me.
Phillip Stroh's going to solitary until we decide about his future, so you won't have to wear that tie again for a long time, and it's the end of your security detail because we got rid of the guy who was trying to kill you.
Captain, I think F.
I.
D.
Is going to clear me as long your final report ends up agreeing with mine.
It will, lieutenant.
Don't worry.
Rusty, how are you? Well wasn't exactly a a fun day, but telling you, he knocked the ball out of the park.
No kidding.
You did.
Right.
Thank you, lieutenant for everything.
Some of the questions Ms.
Rothman asked maybe brought back difficult memories? No, it's not that, Sharon.
It's that, um I thank thank you for everything that you've done for me, but I I don't think I should live with you anymore.
Why? Well, because I don't think you'll want me there.
Rusty, why on earth would you say that? Because I I played chess with that Wade guy, and and in some ways, um not not not not the illegal ways, not not the violent ways, but in other ways, ways that I-I can't fix, I'm just like him.
- No, no, no, no.
- Yeah.
You are not like Wade Weller.
Yes, I am, Sharon.
I am just like him.
I'm exactly like him, and I'm I'm I'm just like Dr.
Morales and and maybe Dr.
Joe and and all of those guys who picked me up on the street.
And I can't fix it, Sharon.
I-I can't I can't fix it.
I am just like them, Sharon.
I am just like them.
Rusty, what you are is who I love and all of you is coming home.
Stroh want now? Says you got one week to figure out how to get rid of either the boy or the woman.
So, our dead gangbangers were murdered by the same guy who's been writing letters for Phillip Stroh? We're real close to catching him.
LAPD! It's not over yet.
Unfortunately, the guy who tried to kill you is still out there.
Rusty, next week, you take the stand against Phillip Stroh.
Originally Aired January 13, 2014 It's all right.
I wake up screaming, too.
This place is pretty scary, huh? You'll feel better after you say your piece in court today.
- Has there been an arrest yet? - Don't worry about that guy.
I'm gonna kill that guy.
But what if he doesn't turn up? All right.
That's enough, Julio.
Uh, Mr.
Beck, you need to start getting ready.
We got a big morning ahead of us.
Sit down.
Sit.
- Yeah? - It's me.
Oh, my God.
This place Ever thought about cleaning up after yourself, lieutenant? Yeah, the last person that said that to me, Sykes, I divorced twice.
Rusty, stop helping her and get in the shower.
What if there's news? There's not.
We've followed up on every single person for whom Phillip Stroh served as defense counsel a lot of fun, since he specialized in sex crimes and none of them are connected to our suspect.
Well, that can't be right.
Okay, so, this guy, this suspect is he going to come after me again? We have his fingerprints.
We have his DNA.
We have bullets from his gun.
We have his face on film.
And now we have the FBI helping us, too.
We will find this guy.
I promise.
We'll find him.
Unfortunately, it's gonna take awhile.
This is still the best picture of his face we could pull off your video from the chess park.
We've used every image-processing tool available to create this composite, but without a better front-facing view We're screwed.
Yeah, so far, no hit off his prints or DNA to any database, State or Federal, and the bullets from his gun don't match up to any known weapon, either.
So, besides this loose connection to Phillip Stroh, what's the sum total we can say about this man? He's white, about 5'10", Oh, and get this A bar customer where he picked up his last victim said that the freak had a good sense of humor.
Which means he's socially skilled.
And from the way he interacted with Rusty, it's equally clear that he is comfortable with young people.
Whenever I feel bad about the stuff I've done, I remember Who I was isn't who I can be.
The streets they brought out my worst instincts.
But they could also bring out my best.
If I fight to do better, who I become is up to me.
- It's up to me.
- Good work, Jake.
Remember that, guys.
It's up to you.
It is up to you.
Well done.
Uh, so, I'll see you all tomorrow, and remember to hand your attendance slips in to the office.
I thought Mrs.
Whitley gave you this week off.
She did, but, uh, before I left What happened there? Did you hurt yourself? Oh.
Yeah, I know.
I fell off my bike First time ever.
Uh, look, I meant to go away, but then I thought Oh, I know.
You're waiting for Tyler to come back, aren't you? He hasn't checked in with us for three days.
I just want to make sure he's okay.
Wade, I hate to see you wasting this much energy on another hopeless kid.
Tyler's more trouble than he's worth, I promise you.
We can't just abandon children because they're troubled.
We don't abandon kids.
They abandon us.
And you ought to know that by now.
Look, finish up your work, and take your vacation.
Honestly, you look like you could use a little getaway.
The good news is he's localized.
All of his letters were mailed from post offices within this seven-mile radius.
Now, our behavioral-science guys feel pretty sure he lives in LA.
What about the couch covers? They come from a company in Phoenix called Imperial synthetics.
Now, Sykes has been going through their invoices from the past three years, cross-referencing them with everything else we know It might take awhile.
Captain, Phillip Stroh's attorney's waiting in the break room.
Linda Rothman is here? Linda.
It's not like you to pay social calls right before a hearing.
Once again, the LAPD jumps to the wrong conclusions.
I'm here to see Rios, but since you're both available, perhaps you can help our young D.
D.
A.
Understand the rare opportunity I'm about to offer her.
Uh-huh.
Just get to the point.
Unless the situation has been grossly exaggerated to justify a preliminary hearing, I understand some deranged young man has tried to murder your material witness? Aah! That is not an exaggeration.
My client believes he may know the identity of this young man.
Really? What a shock.
Ms.
Rothman, we already have evidence that Mr.
Stroh is in communication with this psychopath.
That's not really evidence, is it? An uncorroborated statement from a rapist who barely speaks English? Now, before you get all hot under your kevlar vests, allow me to tell you a story that I feel could make a big difference in all our lives.
A few years ago, a boy like Rusty Beck Homeless, abandoned disappeared off the streets of Los Angeles.
Atypically for a teenager in his situation, this boy was reported missing to the police.
The detective investigating his disappearance managed to alarm a potential suspect, a young man, who, in turn, contacted a lawyer specializing in sex crimes An attorney named Phillip Stroh.
Ms.
Rothman.
If the suspect that you are referring to is the man who tried to kill my material witness and you are withholding that name, then you had better give it to us right now.
Did I imply that I knew this person's identity? No, I am simply relaying information I received last night.
Let's go back to the other thing.
Did did you just say Phillip Stroh may have helped someone get away with kidnapping a teenage boy? I'm not sure it was just the one boy Or that the crime ended with kidnapping.
This was delivered to my house last night.
As you can see, I haven't opened it, but I can guess its contents.
There are six names here.
Six names? How horrible.
However, I will remind you that the young man Phillip Stroh advised was never charged with any crimes.
Could we have more context? Perhaps running the names in that envelope could provide you with that.
Or, given recent events, Mr.
Stroh might be convinced to set aside privilege and identify this young man if you postpone his preliminary hearing, take the death penalty off the table, and allow him to serve his sentence in a federal prison of his own choosing.
Excuse me.
One moment.
Listen, Rios, this offer gives you two for the price of one.
Take it, and be grateful.
Here we go.
Charles Perry from multiple stab wounds three years ago.
The next two names are teenage boys who went off the grid the year before.
Another kid on Stroh's list was reported missing in Vegas in 2010.
And this one, Gary Barton He was arrested multiple times for solicitation in 2011 and then nothing, ma'am.
Finally! The DNA from our suspect.
You found him? A familial hit to a Susan Mills, currently being held at metropolitan detention center on a 20-year federal drug sentence.
this is our guy's mother.
Ah, captain, thank you for coming back so fast.
Rios, here, has taken - an extremely stubborn attitude toward - Ms.
Rothman, we have just located the mother of our suspect, and I expect that within a few hours, she will give us the name that Phillip Stroh is withholding, and I don't think that we'll need to offer your client a deal after all.
Hmm.
Without a deal, I'll have no choice but to discredit the people's material witness, if that means anything to you.
Please tell Phillip Stroh we're looking forward to seeing him downtown in one hour, as planned.
The accused has a right to face his accuser not an obligation.
Mr.
Stroh feels under the weather.
We'll continue without him.
Hey, Linda.
Stroh can still save us the time it would take to pull this freak's name from his mother.
Oh, yes, I almost forgot to say as far as securing mama's help? I wish you luck.
See you in a bit, Rios.
So, Sharon's not even coming to, like, say hello? She'd rather be here, and you know it.
But she's, uh, hunting for the guy who tried to kill you.
Okay, well, why can't you come in? Just for the beginning? Well, I-I-I can't listen to you on the stand because I'm involved in this case, too, and hearing you could get my testimony excluded.
Okay, what happens after I finish today? Do I get to go home? If Rios can introduce all the threatening letters against you as evidence and you do a good job Then, yeah, you can maybe go home.
Mm-hmm.
And if the letters get what was the word you said? "Excluded.
" D-don't think about that.
Look, um, this is definitely not the advice I usually give.
But when you get in there, be completely honest.
Uh, if if you tell a lie or even try to cover anything up, that Rothman woman will smell it like a shark does blood.
And you, my friend will be dead in the water.
I, um, think I need to teach you how to tie this knot yourself.
Oh.
You're up, kid.
Thank you.
As you walk through that door, just remember that I'm very proud of you, Rusty.
Very proud.
Remain standing and raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do.
Be seated.
Could you please spell your name for the record? Uh, sure.
It's Russell R-u-s-s-e-l-l Thomas T-h-o-m-a-s.
Uh, as a juvenile, just your first name and middle initial are plenty.
D.
D.
A.
Rios, your direct.
Thank you, Judge Grove.
Russell, how do people normally address you? Everyone calls me Rusty.
Where do you reside, Rusty? Apartment 1109.
And with whom do you live? My guardian, Captain Sharon Raydor of the LAPD.
Why don't you live with family? My father Um sorry.
My, uh My father signed away his parental rights last year, and, uh, a while before that, my mother She ran off with her boyfriend.
And why did she leave you? Uh, her boyfriend didn't like me.
And my mom had has has a drug problem.
I-I'm not sure.
Look, if if you want to know why my mom ran off, you have to ask her.
But you'd have to find her first.
Thank you for allowing us to interview you today, Ms.
Mills.
Do you know why you're here? Something to do with my son, Ryan? How many sons do you have? Just one, but I haven't seen him since 1998 before I stopped using heroin.
Wonderful there are 97 Ryan Mills listed in the federal database.
Do you think we could have come up with a suspect with a more common name? We're especially interested in where your son, Ryan, might be living right now.
Where Ryan might be living? I have no idea.
Anyway, if he's in trouble, why would I help you? Maybe 'cause you're up for parole in six months.
How do you feel about another five years in prison? Your Honor, I object I fail to see how the sad story of Russell's adolescence relates to the charges - against my client.
- Your Honor, if the defense doesn't plan to ask Rusty questions about his time on the streets, then I No, I never suggested that the witness's character - should be off the table.
- Ms.
Rothman, you're overruled.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Rusty, when you found yourself alone on the streets in Los Angeles, how did you survive? Hustling.
Mostly, I I hustled.
By hustling, you mean engaging in acts of sex-for-hire with men who picked you up on the street? Yes, that's what I mean.
It was easy money, and I was just trying to find some way for Ryan and me to survive.
- And pay for your drug habit? - Yes.
I was strung out back then, but one night we met a man A nice man.
I thought he was a nice man.
Henry Jinks.
He took an interest in us, and we moved in with him for awhile.
He had a place in Marina del Rey.
Uh I'm not sure you'll understand what happened after that.
It doesn't sound that complicated.
You needed heroin and a place to stay, and you started sleeping with Henry Jinks.
No.
I didn't sleep with him.
Not me.
My God.
I'll go run Henry Jinks' name, see what comes up.
Are you saying that this really great guy slept with your son? There were two bedrooms.
I had one.
Henry and Ryan shared the other.
I didn't think anything of it at the time, except Ryan had more stability in his life.
How old was Ryan at the time? Almost.
Almost 14.
This is very hard to talk about.
I'm a different person now.
I've written Ryan several letters of apology, in case he ever found me Part of my making amends.
Letter writing runs in the family, I guess.
And what did you make amends to Ryan for in those letters? Henry stopped bringing home drugs, which was very hard for me.
So Henry He gave me $20,000 to go and start my life over in San Francisco.
Without Ryan? I was coming back on his birthday.
And when was that? The date? September 15, 1998.
And I did come back, but Henry had moved away, and he took he he took Ryan with him.
All right, finally, something we can use.
He was 14 in 1998.
That makes him 29 now.
So, run this through the DMV, see how many guys we turn up that are from Los Angeles county, and they were born on September 15, 1984.
Yes, sir.
Don't you think he might have changed his identity by now? Criminals change their names all the time, but they almost always keep their birthday.
- I don't know.
- Keep me posted, guys.
I'm gonna check on something for your captain.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Maybe I should never have gone away in the first place.
Maybe maybe I should have waited it out.
Tyler.
Finally, you're back.
Hey, Wade.
What? You miss me? Where have you been? Oh, you know how it is One minute, you're bumming a cigarette on Santa Monica Boulevard, and the next, you're waking up on Zuma Beach.
Why? Something wrong? I have to leave.
What do you mean, leave? What, like, away from LA? Leave and go where? I don't know yet, but I wanted to see you first, see if you were all right.
You're all right, right? Come on, Wade.
You can't go.
You're, like, the only person in the whole world who actually cares about me.
I feel the same way about you, but I have to go.
I have to.
Why, though? Um there's a guy.
What guy? There's a guy I owed a favor to, and he wanted me to do something for him.
I tried to get it done.
I really did.
But I couldn't.
Look, I would have left already, but I I had to see you to say goodbye and and to explain that my going away has nothing to do with you.
Take me with you.
Oh, man.
Really? No, no, no.
Tyler, I couldn't do that.
- No, you need - Dude, I know what I need.
I need you.
Please don't leave without me.
Please? 911.
What's your emergency? Uh, uh, someone just tried to kill me.
That's the emergency.
I got away.
But he hit me with a shovel, and he threw me over a cliff.
Sir, do you need medical attention? No, but, like, the guy He's still up there right now, and, uh He was burying a body.
That's the call the people's witness described making to the authorities, the call that helped the LAPD find and unearth four murdered girls buried in Griffith Park, the call that led this young man to be detained by the police, to be attacked by Phillip Stroh, to be threatened at the defendant's instigation - from giving his testimony here today - Objection! Your Honor, the prosecution can present no evidence that my client attempted to intimidate Russell in any way.
Your Honor, we have almost 30 threatening letters that were sent to The authenticity of those letters is doubtful, at best.
Doubtful? Doubtful?! That's not what you were saying three hours ago! Hold on, ladies! Hold on.
I don't allow cross-talk in this courtroom.
You'll address me, not each other.
First What are these threatening letters? Your Honor, both this boy and his guardian, Captain Raydor, received menacing letters suggesting terrible things would happen if they continued to assist the prosecution.
The people intend to link those letters to What you intend to do and what you can prove today are two different things.
Neither the prosecution nor the witness may enter these letters into the record during the hearing if Ms.
Rothman objects.
Let's keep it moving, D.
D.
A.
Rios.
We still have several witnesses to go.
Your Honor, this is normally when I would ask if Rusty could identify the person in the courtroom who tried to kill him, but, by sheer coincidence, Mr.
Stroh has fallen ill this morning.
So, if I may approach the witness Can you point out which of these six men held a knife to your throat and slashed your leg? Sure.
It's number four.
Let the record show that the witness identified a photo of Phillip Stroh.
No further questions at this time, Your Honor.
Ms.
Rothman, your witness.
You didn't wait for the police after your heroic 911 call, did you, Russell? No, I-I didn't.
Your Honor, let's listen to the rest of the conversation between the witness and the emergency operator that night.
- Sir - Hey! Hey, what are you looking at, huh?! What are you looking at?! Sir, are you under the influence? No, I'm not under the influence! Are you?! Or do you just not care that you have some killer on the loose right now?! All right, sir, the GPS on your phone says you're actually right across the street from the Greek Theatre.
If you'll just go stand by the box office, we'll send some police officers to you.
Could you give me your name and age, sir? Sir? Are you there? Is anybody there? Hello? An emergency worker trained to detect drug users over the phone inquired if you were high.
But, I-I wasn't, though.
Then why not wait for the authorities? Because, obviously, you knew that the police would want to speak with a sober eyewitness.
I-I wasn't drinking or taking drugs.
Because underage hustlers never do anything like that, do they? Your Honor, I object! Even if Ms.
Rothman is more familiar with underage hustlers than we're aware, she can't make inferences about the witness based on stereotyping.
Sustained.
Ms.
Rothman, the question about drugs has been asked and answered.
When the police finally caught up with you, they asked your age.
And what did you say, Russell? That I was 18.
But you weren't.
You were 16.
You lied, didn't you? - Yes, yes, I did, but only - What else did you lie about? About having sex for money.
Aha.
Okay.
So, how many lies did you tell the police altogether? - Between 5 and 10? Between 5 and 500? - I-I don't know.
Well, you lied about what you were selling on the streets.
Did you lie about why your mother left you? Did you lie about being gay? Your Honor, I object! No one ever asked me that! No one ever asked me that! The witness is a minor and any question about his orientation is not only irrelevant but completely inappropriate.
Sustained.
Ms.
Rothman, the witness is 17.
Move on.
Yes, Chief.
I've been listening to the kid testify.
Thank you for that, Chief.
Thank you.
- How's he holding up? - Fine.
Okay.
Look, when we first picked Rusty up, he lied about his age, which makes me wonder if our suspect is fixated on boys, maybe he lied about his age, too.
Rusty tried to make himself older, but our suspect would want to be younger, maybe.
Right.
Thank you, chief.
Thank you.
And thank you for looking in on Rusty.
- I do appreciate that.
- Glad to be here.
- Stay focused, captain.
Later.
- Yes, sir.
Captain, our guy is maybe pretending to be younger.
How much younger? Yeah, yeah, younger means our Our batch run goes from hundreds to thousands.
He's just concerned about extra printer ink.
Julio, keep September 15th, but add the next five years.
And let's hurry up a little because this dirtbag isn't just standing around, waiting for us to find him.
Captain, I've got a receipt for 40 sets of these plastic couch covers sent to a homeless shelter for teenagers called Angel City.
And there's a connection to Gary Barton, the boy on the list that was arrested multiple times for soliciting before he disappeared.
Each time he was busted, it was within a half-mile of Angel City Shelter.
And Charles Perry, the first victim he was a resident at Angel City when he went missing.
- Excellent, Amy.
Julio.
- Uh, Captain, there are thousands of guys born on September 15th.
It's gonna take hours to print up all of their photos from the DMV.
Lieutenant Provenza, grab Buzz and some consent forms.
We should look over Angel City Shelter, and they should look over these photos.
So, let's examine this 911 call you made from a different perspective for a moment.
How many times have you been to that section of Griffith Park where the bodies were found? Five or six about.
Uh-huh.
And was it fun for you? No.
It was horrible.
It was how I made money to eat.
So, it would be fair to characterize your situation on the night you made the 911 call as desperate? I was hungry, half-naked, chased by a killer, and shoved off a cliff.
- I was desperate.
Sure.
- Your Honor? You need to answer Ms.
Rothman's questions without adding a lot of extraneous detail.
You understand? Rusty? I was desperate.
Yes.
But those are the kind of boys we're here to help.
People say they're runaways, but they're not.
They're more like thrown-aways, and we're here to fill a void in their lives Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Excuse me.
But who orders the plastic couch covers for this place? Well, that That would be Wade Weller.
He's in charge of the safe spaces.
Is this Wade Weller? Do you recognize him? I don't know.
Maybe.
The Well, this one's the wrong hair color.
I-I can't say for sure.
Does Wade Weller have his own office here? He has a desk right here.
Where is Mr.
Weller right now? Oh, he took a boy who's been out of the shelter for awhile to DCFS for a health check.
Hey, you don't mind if I have a beer? I'm a long way from 21.
You're an old soul.
It's one beer.
- Be back up in a minute.
- All right.
His application and employee record.
He lists his birthday as September 15, 1990.
This is our guy.
Oh, my God.
This is him.
Circulate this photo.
Wait.
I don't know what you think Wade's done.
But I promise you, he's a terrific guy.
Let me just call Wade and get this No.
Mr.
Beckwith, I'll hold onto this for you.
Do you mind if I look at your contacts? Thank you.
I have a print match from his desk.
Hey, dude, this game is sick.
I didn't know you play.
Oh, yeah.
I'm a regular killing machine.
I bet.
Hey, uh What's in the basement? That where you keep your victims? No.
No, I wrap my victims up in plastic couch covers, like the one that you're sitting on, and then I bury them in the backyard or dump them somewhere.
Yeah, right.
Our cellphone-tracking equipment is better than yours.
We can tell you where Weller is within three feet, but you can get a warrant faster.
I need to know more than where Mr.
Weller is.
I need to know where he's going.
Detective.
I'll let you know when the warrant's in place.
The boy that Wade Weller took to DCFS I need his name and a description.
Tyler Lang he's a brunette, slight build, very sensitive.
You ready? - For? - Time to go.
Sure.
Okay.
Where to? Even though you're no longer struggling with life on the street, you've still been under a lot of stress.
How are you holding up? Fantastic.
Thanks for asking.
Fantastic? Is that why your guardian asked the psychologist Dr.
Joseph Bowman to perform an evaluation of your mental status? Because you're fantastic? No.
That was Um That was for another reason.
What reason? It was related to a lie that I told Captain Raydor.
So you're still lying to the police? I'm surprised.
About what this time? About what did you lie to the police? - I don't think I can say.
- Your Honor? I-I-I can't I can't answer that.
- I really can't answer that.
- Your Honor.
Rusty, you will answer truthfully, as you have been sworn to do.
About what did you lie to the police? I lied about all of the threatening letters I had received about my testimony against Phillip Stroh.
- Your Honor, I object! - To your own question?! Too late.
You asked and demanded an answer, and now these letters are on the record.
I'd like to read them, D.
D.
A.
Rios, if you could hand them over after we're done here today.
Ms.
Rothman? No further questions, Your Honor.
D.
D.
A.
Rios, redirect? No, Your Honor.
I think we've covered everything.
You can spring the trap, captain.
Weller's still driving north.
If you have patrol in place, then you want to grab him off the surface streets before he hits Chinatown.
This is the time to throw up your road blocks.
Shut it all down now, and ride the side streets.
We can't let him get away.
Captain, we're almost there.
You might me to send the Amber alert for Tyler lang? Not yet, lieutenant.
I want to locate Weller before the public knows I'm looking for him.
Instead of the largest vehicle-containment technique ever employed by the LAPD, why don't we just pull the little whack job over? He's got a child with him, lieutenant.
I don't want to risk a car chase.
That boy's got to be our first priority.
God.
God.
Wade, it's not like we're in a rush.
It's probably just an accident or something.
I don't know.
I think there's something going on up ahead.
All right, captain, you have him two blocks south of Olympic on Hope Street If that's not too ironic.
If you turn in the alley off of Pico, it looks like there might be a parking lot directly across from where the suspect stopped.
If you find him before I get there, good luck.
Thank you, Agent Howard.
All right, Lieutenant Tao, send out the Amber alert and get into position.
Copy that.
Julio and Andy, go.
If he runs and leaves the boy behind, we are good to go, everyone.
Copy that.
Oh, my God.
This has to work.
This has to work.
The Amber alert is now out to authorities, news agencies, and about 400,000 cellphones.
And we're about two minutes away.
God.
God.
God.
God.
What? What? What's it say? Nothing.
Just, uh, get down, okay? - Get - What? Wade? Wade, what are you doing? Dude, what is going on? Okay, just, uh stay here, Tyler.
I'll be right back.
Wade, you can't just go.
What are you doing? W-Wade! Wade! Wade, hold on Wade! Come back! What the hell? Wade! LAPD! Drop to the ground, asshole! Stop! - Stop! LAPD! - Please, don't shoot! Hey, freak! Stop! Hit the ground, or we'll shoot! Cross fire! Cross fire! Damn it! Stop! Move back, or I'll kill him! - I mean it! I'll shoot this kid in the head! - Wade, please.
Move back! It's over, Weller.
Drop your weapon! Let the boy go! You want to see this kid dead? Is that what you want?! Move back! I don't have a shot! He's too close to the boy! Move back! He's too close! That created some distance.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God! Last time I qualified with my weapon, I scored a perfect target.
Have your friends at, uh, F.
I.
D.
Come down and take my after-action report, and I'll, uh, check in with my Union Rep.
Excuse me.
Phillip Stroh's going to solitary until we decide about his future, so you won't have to wear that tie again for a long time, and it's the end of your security detail because we got rid of the guy who was trying to kill you.
Captain, I think F.
I.
D.
Is going to clear me as long your final report ends up agreeing with mine.
It will, lieutenant.
Don't worry.
Rusty, how are you? Well wasn't exactly a a fun day, but telling you, he knocked the ball out of the park.
No kidding.
You did.
Right.
Thank you, lieutenant for everything.
Some of the questions Ms.
Rothman asked maybe brought back difficult memories? No, it's not that, Sharon.
It's that, um I thank thank you for everything that you've done for me, but I I don't think I should live with you anymore.
Why? Well, because I don't think you'll want me there.
Rusty, why on earth would you say that? Because I I played chess with that Wade guy, and and in some ways, um not not not not the illegal ways, not not the violent ways, but in other ways, ways that I-I can't fix, I'm just like him.
- No, no, no, no.
- Yeah.
You are not like Wade Weller.
Yes, I am, Sharon.
I am just like him.
I'm exactly like him, and I'm I'm I'm just like Dr.
Morales and and maybe Dr.
Joe and and all of those guys who picked me up on the street.
And I can't fix it, Sharon.
I-I can't I can't fix it.
I am just like them, Sharon.
I am just like them.
Rusty, what you are is who I love and all of you is coming home.