Cold Case s03e12 Episode Script
Detention
The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.
May 13, 1994 Dawn, what a paper you wrote.
What a.
You don't smoke, not you.
Detention.
Bad attitude Mr.
Lidvac, dentention.
What are you doing in here? Studying.
Detention this afternoon.
That took some work.
Uh, yeah.
Sir.
- How'd you get it all up there? - Glue stick.
Glue.
Where'd you get that? This is thethe one who.
Suicide.
He commited suicide.
And this is school property.
Detention this afternoon.
SUICIDE DAWSON, T.
What did Brahman have to say? - Uh, new info on a case.
- Which? Kid named Trevor Dawson.
Died in '94, falling from the roof of his high school.
- Accident? - Northwest handled it as a suicide.
This note was found on Trevor's body.
'I want my parents to know that I don't regret what I'm doing.
It may seem extreme but it's the best for everyone.
Trevor Dawson' Suicide note.
Sounds straightforward.
Well, only now we have the other half.
Custodian at Trevor's high school just died.
Landlord calls the cops when he finds the guys apartment full of creepy high school memorablilia.
- Including this.
- May 13th, '94.
- 'This is TD writing from a scary spot.
' - It's the same handwriting.
'I want you to know that I'm in danger, if something happens to me today please tell my parents I love them.
' This new note ends there.
Well, put the two pieces together.
Same page, ripped in half.
Top of the note, Trevor says he's in danger.
He knows he's gonna die.
What kind of kid was this? He was one of the bad crowd? No record, no drugs.
So why would someone want to kill a high school kid, no record, no drugs, nothing? And why would a high school kid, no record, no drug problems wanna kill himself? So yesterday, I look over and I see a telephone message for Miller.
Today, gone.
Whisked away.
It's crazy.
'Cause of the content.
It says 'Veronica, about Wednesday night' Veronica? Wednesday night is the only night Miller can't work, strict rule.
I don't know, man.
I wanna know.
- How you doin'? - What's up? All right, what do you got? Well the day he died Trevor Dawson was in afterschool detention at Westmorland High from 3 to 6.
Autopsy puts his death just before 6.
What did the other kids in detention say? Dawn Hill, Borris Lidvac, Raquel Montero, all of them said Trevor slipped out just before detention's over.
A few minutes later they're leavin', he's dead in the parking lot.
Worth throwin' into them again, they're not teenagers anymore, could be more forthcoming.
Was there a teacher watching this detention? Mr.
Ade Monte.
Died in a car wreck, 2002.
Back in '94 he tells the kids he's steppin' out a couple minutes, falls asleep in the teacher's lounge instead.
Anything helpful on the school security tape? Tape runs out before Trevor leaves detention.
Gives you the chilling glimpse back into high school, though.
Pretty much it for the whole tape.
Sittin', eyeballin' each other.
We should visit Trevor's parents, let them know we're lookin' into this again, and be sensitive.
Don't wanna get their hopes up for nothin'.
You think the murder angle will het their hopes up? Well they lose their son either way, but then being a murder means maybe it ain't their fault.
It's his handwriting, it is.
'I am in danger.
' Does it mean anything to you, Mr.
and Mrs.
Dawson? I don't know who he could be in danger from but I do know that it never made sense to me.
That Trevor would kill himself.
He never said anything like that? Well he didn't say too much to us anyway around then.
He was in a phase, yeah.
Moody.
Lock himself up in his room.
But, to go that far, he would've really had to've been hurtin'.
And we would've seen that.
What was it like for Trevor at school? Any enemies? - I don't think so.
He didn't really have any friends.
He didn't fit the popular mold.
He was the creative type.
That's why.
- Very sensitive.
- Very.
- How do you mean? You know this Kurt Cobain from the band Nirvana? Killed himself.
Yeah.
After he did, Trevore wouldn't leave his room for a week.
A few weeks after that, he died.
We tried to be caring about this Cobain thing but Well I myself didn't totally get it.
Trevor's spray painting has left me with a major cleaning job on my hands.
Not to mention the landscaping that Trevor set on fire.
Flech Kinelli kicked my candle over.
It wasn't me, I was making the memorial.
- What were you thinking? - Chuck! Kurt Cobain died, Dad.
Is he a friend of yours? What happened? It's one of his rock stars, killed himself.
The one who wears all the layers of clothes.
Oh, great, that's great.
- Why are you acting out? - I'm not.
You risked getting expelled for a guy who wears makeup, gets high on drugs and takes his own life.
This is your hero? Huh? - I mean I know you don't like sports - Please.
If you're using drugs, let's just deal with it.
It's the music, OK? It's his songs, it's not drugs Mom.
The first time I ever heard his music is the first time I felt I wasn't alone.
You are not alone, Trevor.
It's on his senior page.
Kurt Cobain.
Trevor Dawson Falling from heaven K.
C.
2-20-67-5-4-94 - Can we uh, take this? - Yeah.
You know I was big on Led Zeppelin but I never would've offed myself for him.
You see what I mean? So you never bought that it's pushing Trevor over the edge? After he died, our phone bill came back and there was page after page of him calling some teen hotline.
Crisis hotline kind of thing? That was the one thing that made us think maybe he was really havin' dark thoughts.
But it was too late by then, obviously.
The teen hotline Trevor called wasn't just for suicidal kids.
It was for any kind of crisis.
So he could've talked about what he was in danger from? Possible but they can't give out transcripts.
Protecting caller privacy.
I got the call logs from the months before Trevor's death.
Look at this.
- One of the volunteers is names Dawn H.
- Like Dawn Hill.
Is this the same girl who was in detention with Trevor the day he died? - I bet they're one, the same.
- I wonder if that's a coincedence.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Yes.
That was me.
I talked to Trevor Dawson on the teen hotline.
Once.
You were trained to talk to kids who were suicidal? Kids in any kind of crisis.
Pretty coincedental.
You and Trevor winding up in detention together.
- The one time I ever got detention.
- Was the day Trevor died.
- Yeah.
So you two knew each other? Not really.
Teen hotline was anonymous, first name basis only, very strict rules about that.
But you knew he was the same Trevor that day in detention? I figured it out.
But I don't think he knew I was the same Dawn.
Trevor wrote a note that day.
Said he was in danger.
Danger? Really? He didn't talk about that? You mean on the teen hotline? Not that I should tell you, but no.
- What about in detention? - We didn't talk.
- Nobody said anything? - Nothing of substance.
It wasn't like 'The Breakfast Club' it was like high school.
What is that? College book.
It has like every college and what you need to get in.
Can I see it? What do you need? Money? Grades.
Activities.
Good SAT scores, arts, leadership stuff.
SAT scores are racist.
Did you know that? I got a 1420.
- And I got an 1180 so I guess there goes that theory.
No way, this place has classes on Japanese poetry.
- Then you should apply.
- It's 20,000 a year to go there.
Well maybe if you'd done better on your SATs you could get a scholarship - at whatever.
- Yeah, whatever.
You guys, please don't talk.
You know the rules.
I had those loafers when I was in like, the second grade.
- Girls.
You have a little lipstick, like all over your face.
No! Does that mean I'm not pretty? Does this mean I'm cut from the dance squad? Mr.
Monte, if you had to choose which one of us could be your kid, - would you choose me or Dawn? - Mr.
Lidvac, silence.
- He didn't want to hurt your feelings.
- Hah.
You know what you need, Dawn? To get high.
Come over to my place, I can have my mom call your mom and say it's OK for you to sleep over.
- She'll do it.
- Why must you do this every time? I'm going to the teacher's lounge to get an aspirin.
While I'm gone, do me a favor and just consider why it is you insist on being cruel to one another.
Because it's high school and we hate ourselves.
Mr.
Dawson, the corner.
You know you're being recorded, so behave.
So, the detention monitor.
- He made Trevor sit in the corner? - Yeah.
I think so.
That's what you said.
Well, then yes.
If I remember correctly.
Why does that mean something? Thanks for your time, Dawn.
The Trevor Dawson on this tape is not sitting in the corner where Dawn said he was.
If he moved after ten minutes, this tape won't show it.
- This tape runs for three hours.
- Sort of.
Take a look.
See here? This girl's got her hands folded.
- What happened there? - It's a cut.
- What do you mean? - This tape runs on a loop.
First ten minutes over and over.
How'd this get missed in '94? It's good work.
Well orchestrated.
Well orchestrated meaning they sit still on purpose? That's why the tape works.
So the kids were in on faking the tape.
Which means they were all in on faking their alibi.
The loop tape makes it look like they were all sitting in detention, quietly studying.
Not pushing Trevor Dawson off the roof.
Looks like those kids in detention cooperated to make the fake the security tape.
Conspiracy to keep anyone from seeing the hours before Trevor Dawson died.
Why would those kids wanna kill Trevor? Well kids in detention are usually troubled types.
Who knows what's brewin' in the hormone addled brain.
Take a look at their files.
One of them has a record.
Borris Lidvac.
Assortmnt of drug related charges.
Plus 9 months for DVD piracy.
The kid's got technical know-how, let's see if he'll own up to makin' this tape.
Hey, Vi.
Hi.
I know, I know, I'm sorry.
How'd it go? Borris Lidvac? Philly PD.
She's gonna be all over the manager about this.
Your boss know you got a record, Borris? Yeah.
Must disclose.
Here at the Dunkin glaze we don't discriminate.
What about a murder charge? - That something that'll get you fired? - I'm guessin.
Then maybe you feel like tellin' us the truth about Trevor Dawson? Kid did himself, didn't he? Jumped off the roof.
Oh, we got another idea.
We think you, Raquel Montero and Dawn Hill used detention as an alibi so you could off Trevor.
Whoa, I encourage you to not let your imagination spin out of control.
I knew the kid from detention.
Didn't have some murderous relationship with him.
You were the only one in that room who knew how to mess around with electronics, make that tape.
The reason that keeps popping in our head is you didn't want anyone to know you were throwin' Trevor off the roof.
- I made the tape to cover my ass.
- For what? Trevor and I snuck out of detention to pilfer sulphuric acid from the chem classroom.
Why'd you need sulphuric acid? I was gonna make extasy.
You're a model citizen there, Borris.
Well I didn't have a lot of follow throughs back then, so I never did it, rest assured, but that's why I made the tape.
Why'd the girls go along with it? Raquel did whatever Trevor did and Dawn didn't really know what was going on.
All these labels are like scientific and I can't read any of them.
Dawn, do you know the chemical formula for sulphuric acid? - Can you find it? How are you guys sure Monte is passed out? - I cannot get caught.
Relax, Hill.
Look at this.
Yes, dude, take that.
Are you out of your mind? - Uh, yeah cause I need a ciggy.
- Put it out.
You're gonna get us caught.
Keep it down, Montero.
You know what they're sayin' about your hero, Trev? What? That Courtney did it to him because he wanted a divorce.
She's crazy.
I love her.
She's like ' You're never leaving me.
' I'm just really freaked out about what we're doing.
I know it's scary.
Like if you just like moved on from me or what? There's nothing to move on from.
You are such a liar.
Seriously! I held you in my arms and we listened to Kurt and you, you cried.
That's the day he died, Raquel.
I can't believe I ever told you to hang on like I cared if you lived or died.
I take it back.
You're a crazy bitch.
Raquel Montero was a crazy bitch.
She got a thing for Trevor? Thought she was the Courtney to his Kurt.
Where'd you all go after the science room? We went our seperate ways a little before 6 when we knew Monte'd come back and check on us.
How'd you know he'd do that? That was his detention routine.
Excuse himself, booze up, snooze, wake up at 6.
Where'd Trevor go? I left campus to stow the pilfered materials away in my house.
When I came back to detention, Trevor was already dead.
Do you think he could've been with Raquel while you were at home? She was pretty good at being where he was, any given time.
You know what they say about Courtney.
Hello, there.
Are you two from the neighborhood? Raquel Montero? You remember a kid named Trevor Dawson? I'm in the middle of work here.
And we're in the middle of a murder investigation.
I thought Trevor committed suicide.
We know about the tape, Raquel.
We know you pretend to stay in detention that day which means you have no alibi for when Trevor died.
Nothing like cops yelling at you to make you feel 16 again.
The way we hear it you were obsessed with Trevor.
Thought you were the 'Courtney to his Kurt'.
Who told you that? It was Borris Lidvac, wasn't it? I can feel it pretty bad at that age.
Gettin' rejected by a boy you like.
And when the boy you like would rather kill himself than kiss you? That feels bad, too.
So what did you do? Wrote in my journal and cried.
I never pushed anybody.
So you weren't afraid of Trevor moving on then? Afraid for him.
Afraid of that bitch Dawn Hill pulverizing his heart.
Dawn Hill? Dawn Hill was Trevor's secret girlfriend in 1994.
Oh, yes, you heard me.
Secret.
- Hey, don't be so loud! - Yeah.
You're gonna wake up Monte and then we're all gonna have detention until we're like dead.
- Think he bothers any each others.
- Definitely.
Principal Wallas made me take down Kurt so I put this up instead.
- See how beautiful you are? - Oh, my God.
Take that down.
People will see it.
- Why does that matter? - You know why.
I can't remember.
It has to be just us.
Hello? Yeah.
I know, too.
And you won't tell.
I'm blocking all of this out, believe me.
I don't wanna live a lie anymore.
Being with you is the most real thing I've ever felt and I'm psyched about it.
What's between you and me is a secret.
Drama~ Yes! I told you Reith Tyson had a gun.
Yes, you did.
My Dad's got a gun but it's like, old from Spain.
I'm taking it.
What? What's between you and me is a secret.
- Dawn I And it needs to stay that way or we're dead.
You're dead.
Why would Dawn want a gun? I don't know.
But girlfriend was worked up.
None of Dawn's friends knew she and Trevor were together? No.
That was her whole thing, reputation, reputation, reputation.
You think she would kill to protect her reputation? It's what you live and die by in high school.
Excuse me, please.
- Hi, can I help you? - Hi, uh, yeah.
Trevor was pushed, not shot.
Holding a gun on a guy is one way to get him off the roof.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania It's one thing when a 17 year old keeps her boyfriend a secret from her friends, but a 30 year old keepin' it from the cops? - I'm 28.
Oh, you're too old to not know what you're dealing with Dawn.
Lying to the police in a murder investigation.
- You push him, Dawn? - No.
Maybe it just was an impulse.
Kid pissin' you off, thought the world's gonna know about you two, maybe you're just worried it gets out.
Don't talk about it like that, alright? Like what? - Like it didn't mean anything when it meant everything.
What was a girl like you doin' with a gun? I never used that gun.
Not even when to protect your reputation? I didn't care about my reputation, I wasn't ashamed of Trevor.
I loved him, he's the one that thought I should have a gun.
OK, Dawn, why is that? I told him something that put him in danger.
I didn't mean to but I had to tell somebody.
What? What was happening to me.
Tell us.
We met on the teen hotline in March.
We talked once and then everyday after that he'd call at the same time and I'd answer.
I miss his voice.
I listened to it.
You're right.
He had a great voice.
You know that song, 'Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sun Beam'? It's kind of what it's like.
That's how you feel? Tell me.
It's like about how like like even God wouldn't want you in heaven, you know.
- Like nobody thinks anything of you.
- I do.
You don't know me though.
Believe me, you wouldn't.
In English class, freshman year, Miss Kapechi read some of these poems that were supposed to be anonymous, about walking in the parking lot and running your hands along the fence, your fingers going numb and just wishing that the rest of you would go numb, too.
I knew it was yours because I saw the drawings in the margins and that's what you drew all over your desk.
When you sat behind me.
Dawn Hill? - You're Dawn Hill from my high school? - Yeah.
And I think you're a really great artist and writer, Trevor and I thought you could even go to art college.
God.
I'm hangin' up.
Please, don't.
You of all people, I mean you're like You don't understand.
You think I'm different from you.
But I'm not.
- I think those things, too.
- No.
About not being able to go on another day.
But you're Dawn Hill.
You're gonna have some perfect life.
Will you please just listen to me and don't hate me for what I'm telling you.
Yeah.
I'm scared.
To go home.
I'm scared because my step-father is someone who I don't know what's wrong with him.
What, Dawn? I'm afraid I'll never be able to say 'I love you' to anybody.
Because that's what he says to me.
And he smells horrible.
Like, so drunk and when my Mom washes my night gown she goes, 'Have you been drinking?' And I just want to say to her 'It's your husband.
He's been in my bed.
' Dawn Yeah.
Do you hate me? No.
I wanna see you.
In person.
That's why you had the gun.
Your step-dad.
But I couldn't even bring it into the house.
Did your father know about Trevor? My step-dad didn't want me to have boys in my life, he was very possessive.
So they never met? I hope not.
Trevor talked about it sometimes.
What do you mean? He thought he could reason with my step-father.
A sweet naive kid sitting down with a monster.
I thought I'd made him happy.
Give him a reason to live, but Trevor's parents never knew about me either.
They never knew that somebody loved him.
Dawn's step-father is Phillip Hill.
Owns half the commercial real estate in Roxborough.
You get anything from DHS? If he was abusing his step-daughter, no one who could've helped her knew about it.
Thought I might've had too much time on my hands, flippin' through this thing but look at this.
'Falling from heaven' What's that? Not sure.
But check this out.
Raquel's page, senior message.
'But beautiful we three are' Gibberish.
Now look at Borris Lidvac's page.
'Goodbye forever bloody' Put it all together starting with Borris, you got Goodbye forever- bloody but beautiful- we three are- falling from heaven The three of them.
Falling.
Bloody but beautiful.
Talkin' about death.
These three? It's suicide.
They're predicting it.
We three are falling from heaven.
- It's a pact.
- Trevor, Borris, Raquel.
Trevor's the only one who took the plunge.
You three all go up on the roof, let Trevor jump and then call psych? I wasn't there, man.
What'd you have that made you want in on the suicide pact? I was depressed.
What? You don't remember high school? Talk to me about the pact, Borris.
Why'd you put it in the yearbook? - So we wouldn't back out.
- Didn't work though.
I didn't have the stones.
Kept thinkin' about my Mom seein' me with my eyes glazed over and my head cracked open.
I got caught up.
Suicide, it seemed romantic, I guess.
So you backed out of the plan.
And Trevor didn't.
- Not exactly.
That's what happened.
Trevor was commited to it, I wasn't.
What do you mean, Raquel? I should say first, I'm not guilty of anything.
- Uh-huh.
- The suicide pact was in the winter.
By the time spring came, Trevor had met Dawn.
- And the plan changed.
- Keep goin'.
The lovebirds made a pact.
Brought us in on it.
What kind of pact? It wasn't to kill ourselves.
It was to kill him.
I feel sick.
- Me, too.
- Yeah, me too.
It's OK, baby.
He's gonna be gone.
After tonight, your step-father's gonna be gone.
What if he grabs the gun? The first thing I do when I go in there, is point it at his face and tell him this is what happens - when you're not worthy of life.
- Here, gloves.
You guys, you don't have to do this.
All I have is just one more year and if I can just make it to college Yeah but what if he visits you, Dawn? And it won't stop.
Well, what if something goes wrong? I'll let'em know.
Just in case something happens to us, if your step-father hurts us or if we get arrested.
'This is TD writing from a scary spot.
I want you to know that I'm in danger.
If something happens to me today, please tell my parents I love them.
I want my parents to know that I don't regret what I'm doing.
It may seem extreme but it's best for everyone.
Trevor Dawson' You know with my Mom? Yeah.
I can drink, I can toke up in front of her, but sometimes I feel like if I were to put a gun to my head, and she couldn't care about that either.
I'm willing to take whatever consequences there are, Dawn.
Me too, baby.
- Let's do our fingerprints.
- You're burning them off? Yeah.
Maybe we should just wear gloves, man.
That's what professionals do.
You guys, I don't have my inhaler, you know I seriously can't even breathe right now.
What you want me to go to the crime scene and just pass out? - I can't go.
- Stay with Dawn.
OK.
I just I mean I really shouldn't go.
Whatever! It's time.
Trevor.
I love you.
I faked my asthma attack.
I didn't like, wanna be like dead or on the lam.
I wanted to live.
So that was the note everyon thought was Trevor's suicide note? It was in case something went wrong with the plan.
So you and Dawn stayed back? Borris and Trevor took the gun and went to kill Dawn's step-dad.
But Phillip Hill is alive.
And that was the last time I saw Trevor.
This kid, Trevor Dawson was pushed from the roof of his high school.
I'm not talkin' to you without my lawyer.
He was your step-daughter's boyfriend.
You got the wrong kid.
Dawn didn't do the boyfriend thing.
Focused on academics.
Oh, I'm sure that's why she didn't do the boyfriend thing.
I don't know what you mean.
He knew your secret, Phil.
What you were doin' to that girl.
And now I know.
It'd be a lot harder to pick me off.
Lawyer.
What is this? Dawn wants to know what happened that night.
What do you know about that? Those were my friends.
Come on Dawn.
Do you have any idea what those boys did to me? What they were going to do to me? I gave them the alarm code.
Trevor was at your house the night he died, Phillip.
And you went without a scratch.
Never called the cops either.
Maybe becayse whatever Trevor did to you, it wasn't as bad as what you did to him.
It was for my family, what I did.
How does that work? Not calling the police.
Because I didn't want it to get back to my family.
Have their hearts broken.
The lies those punks were spewing about us.
You're a parent man.
Somebody's dad.
You're supposed to love them and protect them and give a crap if they live or die or if they're hurting.
Your kids didn't ask to me born.
You did it to them.
You brought 'em here and now you don't care if they fail! You ignore them! You raped them! They need you, man.
You're supposed to care! And you don't! Stop it man, stop! Stop! Please! I don't wanna do this.
Get away from me! I'm doin' it! Look, I love your step-daughter more than anything in the whole world.
And that's why I'm taking here away from you.
Because that's what you do for someone you love.
You pretect them from pain! Can't do this man, it's messed up.
Let's go.
Not cool, man.
That kid was a maniac, Dawn.
And you did the right thing.
And stayed with me.
Because we're family.
You sure you didn't find those kids at the high school later, Phil? I was tied up till the housekeeper came.
Dawn.
You didn't see the boys after they came back from your house? Borris.
He said Trevor had jumped.
So Borris was the last to see.
I want you to know, I don't blame you Dawn for tellin' those boys what you did.
You were young.
And you took that away from me.
Goodbye, Phillip.
Don't think you can walk out of here and relax, Phil.
You'll see me again.
I promise.
- We didn't hurt Phillip Hill.
- I don't care about that guy, Borris.
We want to know what happened between you and Trevor.
After he didn't let you kill Phillip.
Even though we backed out I think it messed with his head.
- How close we came.
- Why do you think that? He got all quiet.
Thinkin' about his own parents.
Rage he had about them.
But that was you.
You were talking about you.
I mean you're the one who's mother wouldn't care if you put a gun to your head.
But Trevor was gonna go off with Dawn.
I mean he had plans.
His parents cared.
But you had no one.
And the only plan you had was a suicide pact with a kid who was gonna leave you because he'd found a way to be happy.
Which I never did, FYI*.
(*For Your Information) Trevor said hang in there.
You'll find a way.
But I can't.
It should've been me.
Who died up there.
Is that what you thought? That's the truth.
It was supposed to be me.
Hey, Borris! Hey, Borris! Stop, man.
We gotta go back to the pact.
This is so screwed up.
We didn't do anything, man.
We have nothing to run from.
I gotta get out.
I gotta get out of my life.
You know what I mean.
Yeah, but I'm over that.
I don't wanna be like some screwed up guy with like death everywhere, you know? I thought you were depressed.
I'm gonna go get my car right now with Dawn and I wanna hold her and I wanna talk to her all night.
And I know you think that's gay but I just wanna be here.
You know, I just wanna like, I don't know.
Love somebody.
I want things, man.
Like life things.
If I jumped off this roof right now and I was lying dead down there with blood all over me Man, I think about my mom.
- She wouldn't care.
- Don't say that.
She wouldn't.
She hates me.
Well then she's a bitch man! Because you are a good guy! - I'm such a screw up! - No you're not! You're smart! - You gotta endure, man.
- No.
You gotta hang in there.
- Nobody wants me around, man.
- That's not true man, I know what you're thinking but it's not the case.
Yes.
It is.
- No it's not! Hey, stop man! What are you trying to Stop!
May 13, 1994 Dawn, what a paper you wrote.
What a.
You don't smoke, not you.
Detention.
Bad attitude Mr.
Lidvac, dentention.
What are you doing in here? Studying.
Detention this afternoon.
That took some work.
Uh, yeah.
Sir.
- How'd you get it all up there? - Glue stick.
Glue.
Where'd you get that? This is thethe one who.
Suicide.
He commited suicide.
And this is school property.
Detention this afternoon.
SUICIDE DAWSON, T.
What did Brahman have to say? - Uh, new info on a case.
- Which? Kid named Trevor Dawson.
Died in '94, falling from the roof of his high school.
- Accident? - Northwest handled it as a suicide.
This note was found on Trevor's body.
'I want my parents to know that I don't regret what I'm doing.
It may seem extreme but it's the best for everyone.
Trevor Dawson' Suicide note.
Sounds straightforward.
Well, only now we have the other half.
Custodian at Trevor's high school just died.
Landlord calls the cops when he finds the guys apartment full of creepy high school memorablilia.
- Including this.
- May 13th, '94.
- 'This is TD writing from a scary spot.
' - It's the same handwriting.
'I want you to know that I'm in danger, if something happens to me today please tell my parents I love them.
' This new note ends there.
Well, put the two pieces together.
Same page, ripped in half.
Top of the note, Trevor says he's in danger.
He knows he's gonna die.
What kind of kid was this? He was one of the bad crowd? No record, no drugs.
So why would someone want to kill a high school kid, no record, no drugs, nothing? And why would a high school kid, no record, no drug problems wanna kill himself? So yesterday, I look over and I see a telephone message for Miller.
Today, gone.
Whisked away.
It's crazy.
'Cause of the content.
It says 'Veronica, about Wednesday night' Veronica? Wednesday night is the only night Miller can't work, strict rule.
I don't know, man.
I wanna know.
- How you doin'? - What's up? All right, what do you got? Well the day he died Trevor Dawson was in afterschool detention at Westmorland High from 3 to 6.
Autopsy puts his death just before 6.
What did the other kids in detention say? Dawn Hill, Borris Lidvac, Raquel Montero, all of them said Trevor slipped out just before detention's over.
A few minutes later they're leavin', he's dead in the parking lot.
Worth throwin' into them again, they're not teenagers anymore, could be more forthcoming.
Was there a teacher watching this detention? Mr.
Ade Monte.
Died in a car wreck, 2002.
Back in '94 he tells the kids he's steppin' out a couple minutes, falls asleep in the teacher's lounge instead.
Anything helpful on the school security tape? Tape runs out before Trevor leaves detention.
Gives you the chilling glimpse back into high school, though.
Pretty much it for the whole tape.
Sittin', eyeballin' each other.
We should visit Trevor's parents, let them know we're lookin' into this again, and be sensitive.
Don't wanna get their hopes up for nothin'.
You think the murder angle will het their hopes up? Well they lose their son either way, but then being a murder means maybe it ain't their fault.
It's his handwriting, it is.
'I am in danger.
' Does it mean anything to you, Mr.
and Mrs.
Dawson? I don't know who he could be in danger from but I do know that it never made sense to me.
That Trevor would kill himself.
He never said anything like that? Well he didn't say too much to us anyway around then.
He was in a phase, yeah.
Moody.
Lock himself up in his room.
But, to go that far, he would've really had to've been hurtin'.
And we would've seen that.
What was it like for Trevor at school? Any enemies? - I don't think so.
He didn't really have any friends.
He didn't fit the popular mold.
He was the creative type.
That's why.
- Very sensitive.
- Very.
- How do you mean? You know this Kurt Cobain from the band Nirvana? Killed himself.
Yeah.
After he did, Trevore wouldn't leave his room for a week.
A few weeks after that, he died.
We tried to be caring about this Cobain thing but Well I myself didn't totally get it.
Trevor's spray painting has left me with a major cleaning job on my hands.
Not to mention the landscaping that Trevor set on fire.
Flech Kinelli kicked my candle over.
It wasn't me, I was making the memorial.
- What were you thinking? - Chuck! Kurt Cobain died, Dad.
Is he a friend of yours? What happened? It's one of his rock stars, killed himself.
The one who wears all the layers of clothes.
Oh, great, that's great.
- Why are you acting out? - I'm not.
You risked getting expelled for a guy who wears makeup, gets high on drugs and takes his own life.
This is your hero? Huh? - I mean I know you don't like sports - Please.
If you're using drugs, let's just deal with it.
It's the music, OK? It's his songs, it's not drugs Mom.
The first time I ever heard his music is the first time I felt I wasn't alone.
You are not alone, Trevor.
It's on his senior page.
Kurt Cobain.
Trevor Dawson Falling from heaven K.
C.
2-20-67-5-4-94 - Can we uh, take this? - Yeah.
You know I was big on Led Zeppelin but I never would've offed myself for him.
You see what I mean? So you never bought that it's pushing Trevor over the edge? After he died, our phone bill came back and there was page after page of him calling some teen hotline.
Crisis hotline kind of thing? That was the one thing that made us think maybe he was really havin' dark thoughts.
But it was too late by then, obviously.
The teen hotline Trevor called wasn't just for suicidal kids.
It was for any kind of crisis.
So he could've talked about what he was in danger from? Possible but they can't give out transcripts.
Protecting caller privacy.
I got the call logs from the months before Trevor's death.
Look at this.
- One of the volunteers is names Dawn H.
- Like Dawn Hill.
Is this the same girl who was in detention with Trevor the day he died? - I bet they're one, the same.
- I wonder if that's a coincedence.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Yes.
That was me.
I talked to Trevor Dawson on the teen hotline.
Once.
You were trained to talk to kids who were suicidal? Kids in any kind of crisis.
Pretty coincedental.
You and Trevor winding up in detention together.
- The one time I ever got detention.
- Was the day Trevor died.
- Yeah.
So you two knew each other? Not really.
Teen hotline was anonymous, first name basis only, very strict rules about that.
But you knew he was the same Trevor that day in detention? I figured it out.
But I don't think he knew I was the same Dawn.
Trevor wrote a note that day.
Said he was in danger.
Danger? Really? He didn't talk about that? You mean on the teen hotline? Not that I should tell you, but no.
- What about in detention? - We didn't talk.
- Nobody said anything? - Nothing of substance.
It wasn't like 'The Breakfast Club' it was like high school.
What is that? College book.
It has like every college and what you need to get in.
Can I see it? What do you need? Money? Grades.
Activities.
Good SAT scores, arts, leadership stuff.
SAT scores are racist.
Did you know that? I got a 1420.
- And I got an 1180 so I guess there goes that theory.
No way, this place has classes on Japanese poetry.
- Then you should apply.
- It's 20,000 a year to go there.
Well maybe if you'd done better on your SATs you could get a scholarship - at whatever.
- Yeah, whatever.
You guys, please don't talk.
You know the rules.
I had those loafers when I was in like, the second grade.
- Girls.
You have a little lipstick, like all over your face.
No! Does that mean I'm not pretty? Does this mean I'm cut from the dance squad? Mr.
Monte, if you had to choose which one of us could be your kid, - would you choose me or Dawn? - Mr.
Lidvac, silence.
- He didn't want to hurt your feelings.
- Hah.
You know what you need, Dawn? To get high.
Come over to my place, I can have my mom call your mom and say it's OK for you to sleep over.
- She'll do it.
- Why must you do this every time? I'm going to the teacher's lounge to get an aspirin.
While I'm gone, do me a favor and just consider why it is you insist on being cruel to one another.
Because it's high school and we hate ourselves.
Mr.
Dawson, the corner.
You know you're being recorded, so behave.
So, the detention monitor.
- He made Trevor sit in the corner? - Yeah.
I think so.
That's what you said.
Well, then yes.
If I remember correctly.
Why does that mean something? Thanks for your time, Dawn.
The Trevor Dawson on this tape is not sitting in the corner where Dawn said he was.
If he moved after ten minutes, this tape won't show it.
- This tape runs for three hours.
- Sort of.
Take a look.
See here? This girl's got her hands folded.
- What happened there? - It's a cut.
- What do you mean? - This tape runs on a loop.
First ten minutes over and over.
How'd this get missed in '94? It's good work.
Well orchestrated.
Well orchestrated meaning they sit still on purpose? That's why the tape works.
So the kids were in on faking the tape.
Which means they were all in on faking their alibi.
The loop tape makes it look like they were all sitting in detention, quietly studying.
Not pushing Trevor Dawson off the roof.
Looks like those kids in detention cooperated to make the fake the security tape.
Conspiracy to keep anyone from seeing the hours before Trevor Dawson died.
Why would those kids wanna kill Trevor? Well kids in detention are usually troubled types.
Who knows what's brewin' in the hormone addled brain.
Take a look at their files.
One of them has a record.
Borris Lidvac.
Assortmnt of drug related charges.
Plus 9 months for DVD piracy.
The kid's got technical know-how, let's see if he'll own up to makin' this tape.
Hey, Vi.
Hi.
I know, I know, I'm sorry.
How'd it go? Borris Lidvac? Philly PD.
She's gonna be all over the manager about this.
Your boss know you got a record, Borris? Yeah.
Must disclose.
Here at the Dunkin glaze we don't discriminate.
What about a murder charge? - That something that'll get you fired? - I'm guessin.
Then maybe you feel like tellin' us the truth about Trevor Dawson? Kid did himself, didn't he? Jumped off the roof.
Oh, we got another idea.
We think you, Raquel Montero and Dawn Hill used detention as an alibi so you could off Trevor.
Whoa, I encourage you to not let your imagination spin out of control.
I knew the kid from detention.
Didn't have some murderous relationship with him.
You were the only one in that room who knew how to mess around with electronics, make that tape.
The reason that keeps popping in our head is you didn't want anyone to know you were throwin' Trevor off the roof.
- I made the tape to cover my ass.
- For what? Trevor and I snuck out of detention to pilfer sulphuric acid from the chem classroom.
Why'd you need sulphuric acid? I was gonna make extasy.
You're a model citizen there, Borris.
Well I didn't have a lot of follow throughs back then, so I never did it, rest assured, but that's why I made the tape.
Why'd the girls go along with it? Raquel did whatever Trevor did and Dawn didn't really know what was going on.
All these labels are like scientific and I can't read any of them.
Dawn, do you know the chemical formula for sulphuric acid? - Can you find it? How are you guys sure Monte is passed out? - I cannot get caught.
Relax, Hill.
Look at this.
Yes, dude, take that.
Are you out of your mind? - Uh, yeah cause I need a ciggy.
- Put it out.
You're gonna get us caught.
Keep it down, Montero.
You know what they're sayin' about your hero, Trev? What? That Courtney did it to him because he wanted a divorce.
She's crazy.
I love her.
She's like ' You're never leaving me.
' I'm just really freaked out about what we're doing.
I know it's scary.
Like if you just like moved on from me or what? There's nothing to move on from.
You are such a liar.
Seriously! I held you in my arms and we listened to Kurt and you, you cried.
That's the day he died, Raquel.
I can't believe I ever told you to hang on like I cared if you lived or died.
I take it back.
You're a crazy bitch.
Raquel Montero was a crazy bitch.
She got a thing for Trevor? Thought she was the Courtney to his Kurt.
Where'd you all go after the science room? We went our seperate ways a little before 6 when we knew Monte'd come back and check on us.
How'd you know he'd do that? That was his detention routine.
Excuse himself, booze up, snooze, wake up at 6.
Where'd Trevor go? I left campus to stow the pilfered materials away in my house.
When I came back to detention, Trevor was already dead.
Do you think he could've been with Raquel while you were at home? She was pretty good at being where he was, any given time.
You know what they say about Courtney.
Hello, there.
Are you two from the neighborhood? Raquel Montero? You remember a kid named Trevor Dawson? I'm in the middle of work here.
And we're in the middle of a murder investigation.
I thought Trevor committed suicide.
We know about the tape, Raquel.
We know you pretend to stay in detention that day which means you have no alibi for when Trevor died.
Nothing like cops yelling at you to make you feel 16 again.
The way we hear it you were obsessed with Trevor.
Thought you were the 'Courtney to his Kurt'.
Who told you that? It was Borris Lidvac, wasn't it? I can feel it pretty bad at that age.
Gettin' rejected by a boy you like.
And when the boy you like would rather kill himself than kiss you? That feels bad, too.
So what did you do? Wrote in my journal and cried.
I never pushed anybody.
So you weren't afraid of Trevor moving on then? Afraid for him.
Afraid of that bitch Dawn Hill pulverizing his heart.
Dawn Hill? Dawn Hill was Trevor's secret girlfriend in 1994.
Oh, yes, you heard me.
Secret.
- Hey, don't be so loud! - Yeah.
You're gonna wake up Monte and then we're all gonna have detention until we're like dead.
- Think he bothers any each others.
- Definitely.
Principal Wallas made me take down Kurt so I put this up instead.
- See how beautiful you are? - Oh, my God.
Take that down.
People will see it.
- Why does that matter? - You know why.
I can't remember.
It has to be just us.
Hello? Yeah.
I know, too.
And you won't tell.
I'm blocking all of this out, believe me.
I don't wanna live a lie anymore.
Being with you is the most real thing I've ever felt and I'm psyched about it.
What's between you and me is a secret.
Drama~ Yes! I told you Reith Tyson had a gun.
Yes, you did.
My Dad's got a gun but it's like, old from Spain.
I'm taking it.
What? What's between you and me is a secret.
- Dawn I And it needs to stay that way or we're dead.
You're dead.
Why would Dawn want a gun? I don't know.
But girlfriend was worked up.
None of Dawn's friends knew she and Trevor were together? No.
That was her whole thing, reputation, reputation, reputation.
You think she would kill to protect her reputation? It's what you live and die by in high school.
Excuse me, please.
- Hi, can I help you? - Hi, uh, yeah.
Trevor was pushed, not shot.
Holding a gun on a guy is one way to get him off the roof.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania It's one thing when a 17 year old keeps her boyfriend a secret from her friends, but a 30 year old keepin' it from the cops? - I'm 28.
Oh, you're too old to not know what you're dealing with Dawn.
Lying to the police in a murder investigation.
- You push him, Dawn? - No.
Maybe it just was an impulse.
Kid pissin' you off, thought the world's gonna know about you two, maybe you're just worried it gets out.
Don't talk about it like that, alright? Like what? - Like it didn't mean anything when it meant everything.
What was a girl like you doin' with a gun? I never used that gun.
Not even when to protect your reputation? I didn't care about my reputation, I wasn't ashamed of Trevor.
I loved him, he's the one that thought I should have a gun.
OK, Dawn, why is that? I told him something that put him in danger.
I didn't mean to but I had to tell somebody.
What? What was happening to me.
Tell us.
We met on the teen hotline in March.
We talked once and then everyday after that he'd call at the same time and I'd answer.
I miss his voice.
I listened to it.
You're right.
He had a great voice.
You know that song, 'Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sun Beam'? It's kind of what it's like.
That's how you feel? Tell me.
It's like about how like like even God wouldn't want you in heaven, you know.
- Like nobody thinks anything of you.
- I do.
You don't know me though.
Believe me, you wouldn't.
In English class, freshman year, Miss Kapechi read some of these poems that were supposed to be anonymous, about walking in the parking lot and running your hands along the fence, your fingers going numb and just wishing that the rest of you would go numb, too.
I knew it was yours because I saw the drawings in the margins and that's what you drew all over your desk.
When you sat behind me.
Dawn Hill? - You're Dawn Hill from my high school? - Yeah.
And I think you're a really great artist and writer, Trevor and I thought you could even go to art college.
God.
I'm hangin' up.
Please, don't.
You of all people, I mean you're like You don't understand.
You think I'm different from you.
But I'm not.
- I think those things, too.
- No.
About not being able to go on another day.
But you're Dawn Hill.
You're gonna have some perfect life.
Will you please just listen to me and don't hate me for what I'm telling you.
Yeah.
I'm scared.
To go home.
I'm scared because my step-father is someone who I don't know what's wrong with him.
What, Dawn? I'm afraid I'll never be able to say 'I love you' to anybody.
Because that's what he says to me.
And he smells horrible.
Like, so drunk and when my Mom washes my night gown she goes, 'Have you been drinking?' And I just want to say to her 'It's your husband.
He's been in my bed.
' Dawn Yeah.
Do you hate me? No.
I wanna see you.
In person.
That's why you had the gun.
Your step-dad.
But I couldn't even bring it into the house.
Did your father know about Trevor? My step-dad didn't want me to have boys in my life, he was very possessive.
So they never met? I hope not.
Trevor talked about it sometimes.
What do you mean? He thought he could reason with my step-father.
A sweet naive kid sitting down with a monster.
I thought I'd made him happy.
Give him a reason to live, but Trevor's parents never knew about me either.
They never knew that somebody loved him.
Dawn's step-father is Phillip Hill.
Owns half the commercial real estate in Roxborough.
You get anything from DHS? If he was abusing his step-daughter, no one who could've helped her knew about it.
Thought I might've had too much time on my hands, flippin' through this thing but look at this.
'Falling from heaven' What's that? Not sure.
But check this out.
Raquel's page, senior message.
'But beautiful we three are' Gibberish.
Now look at Borris Lidvac's page.
'Goodbye forever bloody' Put it all together starting with Borris, you got Goodbye forever- bloody but beautiful- we three are- falling from heaven The three of them.
Falling.
Bloody but beautiful.
Talkin' about death.
These three? It's suicide.
They're predicting it.
We three are falling from heaven.
- It's a pact.
- Trevor, Borris, Raquel.
Trevor's the only one who took the plunge.
You three all go up on the roof, let Trevor jump and then call psych? I wasn't there, man.
What'd you have that made you want in on the suicide pact? I was depressed.
What? You don't remember high school? Talk to me about the pact, Borris.
Why'd you put it in the yearbook? - So we wouldn't back out.
- Didn't work though.
I didn't have the stones.
Kept thinkin' about my Mom seein' me with my eyes glazed over and my head cracked open.
I got caught up.
Suicide, it seemed romantic, I guess.
So you backed out of the plan.
And Trevor didn't.
- Not exactly.
That's what happened.
Trevor was commited to it, I wasn't.
What do you mean, Raquel? I should say first, I'm not guilty of anything.
- Uh-huh.
- The suicide pact was in the winter.
By the time spring came, Trevor had met Dawn.
- And the plan changed.
- Keep goin'.
The lovebirds made a pact.
Brought us in on it.
What kind of pact? It wasn't to kill ourselves.
It was to kill him.
I feel sick.
- Me, too.
- Yeah, me too.
It's OK, baby.
He's gonna be gone.
After tonight, your step-father's gonna be gone.
What if he grabs the gun? The first thing I do when I go in there, is point it at his face and tell him this is what happens - when you're not worthy of life.
- Here, gloves.
You guys, you don't have to do this.
All I have is just one more year and if I can just make it to college Yeah but what if he visits you, Dawn? And it won't stop.
Well, what if something goes wrong? I'll let'em know.
Just in case something happens to us, if your step-father hurts us or if we get arrested.
'This is TD writing from a scary spot.
I want you to know that I'm in danger.
If something happens to me today, please tell my parents I love them.
I want my parents to know that I don't regret what I'm doing.
It may seem extreme but it's best for everyone.
Trevor Dawson' You know with my Mom? Yeah.
I can drink, I can toke up in front of her, but sometimes I feel like if I were to put a gun to my head, and she couldn't care about that either.
I'm willing to take whatever consequences there are, Dawn.
Me too, baby.
- Let's do our fingerprints.
- You're burning them off? Yeah.
Maybe we should just wear gloves, man.
That's what professionals do.
You guys, I don't have my inhaler, you know I seriously can't even breathe right now.
What you want me to go to the crime scene and just pass out? - I can't go.
- Stay with Dawn.
OK.
I just I mean I really shouldn't go.
Whatever! It's time.
Trevor.
I love you.
I faked my asthma attack.
I didn't like, wanna be like dead or on the lam.
I wanted to live.
So that was the note everyon thought was Trevor's suicide note? It was in case something went wrong with the plan.
So you and Dawn stayed back? Borris and Trevor took the gun and went to kill Dawn's step-dad.
But Phillip Hill is alive.
And that was the last time I saw Trevor.
This kid, Trevor Dawson was pushed from the roof of his high school.
I'm not talkin' to you without my lawyer.
He was your step-daughter's boyfriend.
You got the wrong kid.
Dawn didn't do the boyfriend thing.
Focused on academics.
Oh, I'm sure that's why she didn't do the boyfriend thing.
I don't know what you mean.
He knew your secret, Phil.
What you were doin' to that girl.
And now I know.
It'd be a lot harder to pick me off.
Lawyer.
What is this? Dawn wants to know what happened that night.
What do you know about that? Those were my friends.
Come on Dawn.
Do you have any idea what those boys did to me? What they were going to do to me? I gave them the alarm code.
Trevor was at your house the night he died, Phillip.
And you went without a scratch.
Never called the cops either.
Maybe becayse whatever Trevor did to you, it wasn't as bad as what you did to him.
It was for my family, what I did.
How does that work? Not calling the police.
Because I didn't want it to get back to my family.
Have their hearts broken.
The lies those punks were spewing about us.
You're a parent man.
Somebody's dad.
You're supposed to love them and protect them and give a crap if they live or die or if they're hurting.
Your kids didn't ask to me born.
You did it to them.
You brought 'em here and now you don't care if they fail! You ignore them! You raped them! They need you, man.
You're supposed to care! And you don't! Stop it man, stop! Stop! Please! I don't wanna do this.
Get away from me! I'm doin' it! Look, I love your step-daughter more than anything in the whole world.
And that's why I'm taking here away from you.
Because that's what you do for someone you love.
You pretect them from pain! Can't do this man, it's messed up.
Let's go.
Not cool, man.
That kid was a maniac, Dawn.
And you did the right thing.
And stayed with me.
Because we're family.
You sure you didn't find those kids at the high school later, Phil? I was tied up till the housekeeper came.
Dawn.
You didn't see the boys after they came back from your house? Borris.
He said Trevor had jumped.
So Borris was the last to see.
I want you to know, I don't blame you Dawn for tellin' those boys what you did.
You were young.
And you took that away from me.
Goodbye, Phillip.
Don't think you can walk out of here and relax, Phil.
You'll see me again.
I promise.
- We didn't hurt Phillip Hill.
- I don't care about that guy, Borris.
We want to know what happened between you and Trevor.
After he didn't let you kill Phillip.
Even though we backed out I think it messed with his head.
- How close we came.
- Why do you think that? He got all quiet.
Thinkin' about his own parents.
Rage he had about them.
But that was you.
You were talking about you.
I mean you're the one who's mother wouldn't care if you put a gun to your head.
But Trevor was gonna go off with Dawn.
I mean he had plans.
His parents cared.
But you had no one.
And the only plan you had was a suicide pact with a kid who was gonna leave you because he'd found a way to be happy.
Which I never did, FYI*.
(*For Your Information) Trevor said hang in there.
You'll find a way.
But I can't.
It should've been me.
Who died up there.
Is that what you thought? That's the truth.
It was supposed to be me.
Hey, Borris! Hey, Borris! Stop, man.
We gotta go back to the pact.
This is so screwed up.
We didn't do anything, man.
We have nothing to run from.
I gotta get out.
I gotta get out of my life.
You know what I mean.
Yeah, but I'm over that.
I don't wanna be like some screwed up guy with like death everywhere, you know? I thought you were depressed.
I'm gonna go get my car right now with Dawn and I wanna hold her and I wanna talk to her all night.
And I know you think that's gay but I just wanna be here.
You know, I just wanna like, I don't know.
Love somebody.
I want things, man.
Like life things.
If I jumped off this roof right now and I was lying dead down there with blood all over me Man, I think about my mom.
- She wouldn't care.
- Don't say that.
She wouldn't.
She hates me.
Well then she's a bitch man! Because you are a good guy! - I'm such a screw up! - No you're not! You're smart! - You gotta endure, man.
- No.
You gotta hang in there.
- Nobody wants me around, man.
- That's not true man, I know what you're thinking but it's not the case.
Yes.
It is.
- No it's not! Hey, stop man! What are you trying to Stop!