Happy Face (2025) s01e03 Episode Script
Was It Worth It?
1
Previously on Happy Face
Is that
her? What's her name?
Heather Richmond.
"Heather's boyfriend
at the time,
"Elijah Carter, was
convicted of her murder.
He maintains his innocence."
Heather Richmond was my kill.
This confession
is a game changer.
We need to pressure the D.A.
to reopen the case.
It's a birthday card.
I got it in the mail.
Perhaps we
should first explain
why the Happy Face Killer
called into the show
in the first place.
Because he's my father.
I just wanted to see if you
were a sick fuck like your dad.
Can we talk about
how your father got caught?
A woman
named Louise Nelson,
uh, he was questioned
about her murder
and that led to an
eventual confession.
To her and seven others.
What made Louise
different from the other victims?
He knew her.
Um, they were dating,
they said they were
going to get married.
I-I thought she'd
make a cool stepmom.
#FreeElijah is
trending like crazy.
- Mm. Really?
- Yeah.
- You're totally famous, Mom.
- Mm-mm.
Why can't I
watch your interview?
I told you, you can watch
it when you're older. Hey.
Hey, hey, come back
here. Come here. Okay.
Where
is your head? Oh.
I can't find
your head. Where is it?
There you are.
Hey, is it mostly positive?
Yeah. I mean, are
there people saying
you're centering your
white lady tears? Yeah.
Okay. Okay, no more phone.
Go get your backpacks.
- Did you know that Grandpa's
- Stop calling him that.
Keith's art sells for, like,
hundreds of dollars online?
It'll probably be more
now that he's hot again.
Hazel, we didn't do this to
get money or to get famous.
We're just gonna
stick to who we are.
It is who we are.
It's a part of who we are.
And that's what you
can say at school,
if anybody
gives you a hard time.
We'll be fine.
My friends don't watch Dr. Greg.
No offense.
None taken.
Buddha?
Attaboy. Come on.
Hey, Adele.
Hi, Ivy.
I'm just, uh, popping in,
seeing how everything's been
going.
Everything's
been going great.
The tips are pouring in.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
Wow. Are any like, like real?
Most are batshit, but, uh,
we got one from a trucker
who knew your dad.
He said Southeast Texas was
- on his regular route.
- Mm-hmm.
Oh, did you see the protests?
- What protests?
- There are hundreds of people
outside Callaway's
house, and also the homes
of the nine judges on the CCA.
- My God. Really?
- Yeah.
Wow, I guess we made a
ruckus.
Oh, we made a ruckus.
There's my inspirational woman.
- How are you?
- Oh, I'm-I'm good.
Good, good, good.
I just came from breakfast
with the network.
They are so thrilled,
Melissa. They are thrilled.
The socials are positive.
The numbers are
through the roof.
Everybody, everybody loves you.
Which is why I want
you on this story
full-time as consulting
producer under Ivy.
I mean, you do have
an instinct for this.
I I just really love my job.
And it'll be waiting for
you on the other side.
But you are the face of
this thing right now.
I need you available.
We'll talk more about
it later tonight.
Uh, Roxanne and I put a
little something together
at ours, a dinner.
You'll bring Ben, right?
- To your house? Tonight?
- Absolutely.
People want to
meet you, Melissa.
Ivy, you come too, um,
I'll have Tabitha
send you the details.
I got to go. Dr. Greg.
Do you have a laptop with you?
No. I have, like, six
different mascaras.
Okay, I will get you set up.
And don't worry, you're
just gonna listen to tips.
We're looking for anything
that connects Keith to Heather.
Um, right.
About that
Um
These are the unopened letters.
My dad said he told me
about the ninth murder,
so maybe he did.
Well, I guess I'm not
going to dinner tonight.
Look at this place.
I know. It's wild.
- How are you feeling?
- Fine.
It's just a dinner, right?
Just a dinner.
- Can we turn around?
- Heck yeah.
Can we please turn around?
Welcome. May I take your coat?
- Oh, yes. Thank you so much.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
- Will you hold these?
Okay.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Here you go.
- Um
- Oh, there he is.
- There he is.
- I feel weird.
- I shouldn't have worn Spanx.
- Nice spot.
There's the woman of the hour!
- Hi.
- Melissa.
- Hello.
- You look wonderful.
- Oh.
- Mwah. Yeah.
- Hey, Greg, nice to see you.
- Great to see you.
- Good to see you, too.
- Yeah, yeah.
This place is, uh, fantastic.
Oh, it's all my wife, Roxanne.
- It's her labor of love.
- No, you're my labor of love,
- darling.
- Ah. Mwah.
Thank you so much for having
us. These are for you.
Oh, thank you. And
it's our pleasure.
Now come, have a drink,
- meet everyone.
- Yeah, come on in.
- Champagne?
- Thank you.
- Thank you so much. Cheers.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
- This is Lydia, my best friend.
- Hello.
- This is Eddie, Greg's manager.
- Hi. So good to meet you.
- And Caryn, Greg's literary agent.
- Nice to meet you.
And Frances, president
of Gregarious Pictures.
Nice to meet you.
- Wow.
- Um, this is this is Ben.
How you doing? Sorry.
Um, so, it's so crazy
that you all live
here in Seattle.
No, I, uh I-I
flew everybody in.
- Mm.
- Oh.
Uh, do you have an
event or something?
Uh, yeah, this event.
Dinner's ready, everyone.
- Yeah, let's go eat.
- Shall we? Shall we?
Yeah, they
seem to bury them deep.
- What are you doing?
- Jesus, Max! Stalker much?
You're the one trying to
break into Mom's safe.
Our birthdays aren't working.
I think it's their anniversary.
Can you heat up the
pasta? I'm hungry.
So use the microwave.
This will never end,
'cause I want more ♪
The
obstacles before you are real,
but nothing you cannot overcome.
It all begins with
a positive attitude.
A belief in yourself.
A belief that you're exactly
where you're meant to be,
traveling down the path
paved just for you.
If I had a heart,
I could love you ♪
What?
If I had a voice,
I would sing ♪
- What?
- It's-it's a guy in Texas.
I mean I mean, a woman.
She says her brother has proof
that Keith killed Heather.
- Let me see.
- Okay.
I'll see what
tomorrow brings ♪
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah ♪
Ah, ah-ah-ah, ah ♪
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah ♪
If I had a voice,
I would sing ♪
If you stay on
the path meant for you, if you trust,
you will get exactly
where you need to go.
More, give me
more, give me more ♪
Crushed and filled
with all I found ♪
Underneath and inside,
just to come around ♪
More, give me
more, give me more. ♪
Let the record reflect
that Mr. Jesperson
has pled guilty
to the murder of Louise Nelson.
I understand we have a
victim impact statement
before sentencing?
"My name is Ashton McBride.
"Louise Nelson was my mother.
She was a ray of sunshine
in a dark world."
"This man killed my mother.
"Why should he
get to make a deal
"to not get the death penalty?
"That's not justice.
That's fucking bullshit."
Hey, hey, hey. Bailiff?
- Bailiff, get him.
- Stop!
Get off him! Get off him!
Your Honor, this isn't safe!
Hello.
Hi, buddy.
I'm Ash.
This is Buddha.
Is your mom home?
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, so happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
So happy. ♪
- First course. Please enjoy.
- That's amazing, Chef.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Would anyone
like some more wine?
- Always.
- So, Melissa, have you had a chance
to talk to Caryn yet?
She's a genius. She
sold four of my books.
Soon to be five.
Have you thought about
a first book, Melissa?
Oh. Um
Me? Uh, um
Oh, write a book? No.
Of course! I could get
you a deal tomorrow.
What about Nightmares
of My Father?
A play on Obama's first.
- Um, yeah
- How about something simple?
The Serial Killer's Daughter.
That's been done.
- I think I tried to option that.
- Yeah.
Or you could go
funny. Daddy Issues.
It's actually not
It's not funny.
Delicious.
Yeah, Happy
Face. Let's do this!
What? No popcorn, screw?
Settle down or I
ain't gonna play this.
We're settled.
You're settled.
So, Melissa?
I just wanted to
share that I was
so impressed by your
bravery on camera.
Oh, thank you.
I just can't imagine
what you went through.
It's unthinkable.
She didn't even get to tell
the really gnarly stuff,
with the network's
standards and practices.
What do you mean?
The cats.
Oh, yeah, that's,
that's not, uh,
dinner conversation.
Yeah, we-we don't have
to talk about that.
Well, now I really want to know.
Um
Well
When I was a kid, uh, we had
um, a barn cat,
who had a litter of kittens.
And, uh, oh
They were so sweet.
I used to
feed them with a baby bottle.
Um, but then my
dad found out
about them and he
squeezed one to death.
I watched it happen.
And then
the rest of them he
tied to a clothesline
by their tails.
They scratched
themselves to death.
Oh, my God.
You must have spent
a fortune on therapy.
I've never been, actually.
Well, I
mean, I'd say you'd
had at least one
session, wouldn't you?
And even after the cats,
your mother had no clue
that something was going on?
She works
with battered women,
which one might see as penance.
How do you grow up with
those parents and end up so normal?
- I'm gonna use the restroom.
- You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
It was
our happy place.
It was our safe place.
Uh, my
my earliest memory is
actually from there.
It was just a flash,
but it was my mom
holding me,
and my dad smiling at us
from across the river.
You
loved your father.
I did.
And you still do.
- No.
- Melissa
No.
I know this
might be difficult,
but can we talk about
your father's
Dude, she's hot.
Just the basics?
Um
he picked them
up on the road.
Um, he usually
You watch your mouth.
Or what?
He, um, came off
like a guy you could trust.
Were they, um
working girls, prostitutes?
Some of them
were sex workers, yes.
Sex became rape
and strangulation,
and then he would dump
the bodies in rural areas.
Many of them
weren't found, uh
Excuse me?
My brother, uh
my brother murdered someone.
Oh, okay.
Um
You want to talk about it?
It was, like, a drug thing.
But I always think
if I'd just tried harder
to get him into rehab
What's your name?
Hannah.
Hannah?
Hey, um
It sounds like you're
blaming yourself.
And
you've been a victim
of the violence, too.
Hey, come here.
I'm so sorry.
Uh
I should get back.
- Sorry. Yeah.
- Okay.
Hello?
Were you ever going to call me?
What? Why are you calling me?
How-how did you
even get my number?
What, you think a man can't get
his own damn phone? Is
that what you think?
Do you think I'm helpless?
No, I don't know
what your problem is,
but I cannot deal with it.
My problem
is my daughter,
who apparently
is so selfish that she thinks
that she can take the number one
true crime story of the year
my story
and find a way to
make it all about her.
You always wanted to be a star.
Are you fucking kidding me?
But don't you worry, Missy.
Because Texas
will come knocking.
And then you'll get exactly
what you wanted out
of this all along.
Elijah's needle in my arm.
I never said that.
I have to go.
Wait, wait, wait, uh
Which screw said that to you?
- What?
- Prison guard.
Which prison guard said
to you that you
were sick like me?
Was it Bassett?
He's bald.
Wants everyone
to think he's tough.
I have to go, Dad.
I thought so.
Don't call me again.
Sorry I couldn't let you inside.
Don't be.
This, this is perfect.
Everything just so.
I used to get left alone a
lot when I was your age, too.
I always got sick of being
bounced around between my aunt,
grandma,
sometimes my mom.
It got easier to be by myself.
I'm not alone.
My sister's inside.
Oh, yeah?
How old is she?
Just turned 15.
You have
reached the voice mailbox
of the warden of Oregon
State Penitentiary.
To leave a message, press one.
Uh, my father
is an inmate there.
Uh, his name is Keith Jesperson.
I think you should know
that he has some
sort of secret phone
and he needs to stop
calling me from it.
Immediately. Thank you so much.
Bye-bye.
Everything okay?
Yeah, everything's fine.
Fine?
Okay.
Maybe everything's, uh
slightly not fine.
It's just, uh
it's, it's just a lot.
You know I, uh
made a name for myself
in L.A., had it all.
But eventually I
realized I hated it.
The sun makes you old.
So I moved the show up here.
I like the peace and the quiet.
I love the trees.
You like being a big
fish in a small pond.
Okay.
My, uh, my point is,
what you want can change.
If you're open to it.
So you want me to write a
book to entertain rich people
who treat me like I'm
some kind of zoo animal?
With fascination
comes power.
Any one of those
people at that table
would kill to work with you.
That's not why I came forward.
I know, I know, I know.
But this is your moment.
You need to get your
father out of your head,
so you have the
space to figure out
what you're gonna
do with all of this.
Who you want to be.
Hi, yes, is this Mr. Griffin?
This is Ivy Campbell
from The Dr. Greg Show.
Thank you so much for
taking my call so late.
Of course, Ivy, uh,
but call me Harold.
Sure, so
my associate producer got a
tip from your sister Barbara.
She says that you run
a prison arts program?
And you met Keith Jesperson
in one of those
creative workshops?
Keith?
What did
Barbara tell you?
No, I, uh, taught Elijah Carter.
Elijah wrote a song.
I still have the recording.
Should I send it?
It was the
best part of my night.
Well, you're
helping people.
Well,
you're helping me.
Thank you for being so
supportive even if you were
only there for the food.
- The food was pretty good.
- Good.
Yeah, I'm tired.
I'm so glad it's over.
Oh, I have to use the bathroom.
Are the kids in bed already?
- I'll be right down.
- All right.
Good boy, Buddha.
Good boy.
Here you go.
Hey, Max.
Hey, Mom.
Buddha?
Mom.
Hey.
Hey, buddy.
Hey, Mom.
Whose dog is this?
Oh.
This is Buddha.
And your friend is here.
Max, get inside.
- What?
- Go.
- Right now.
- But
but but he's
- Get inside!
- He said you were friends.
Tell your dad to
call the police now.
Your mind may be filled
with dark thoughts.
Fear, anxiety,
hatred.
Hatred.
But if you allow them
to flow through you,
then they won't stop your power.
Okay
We called the cops.
And they're on their way.
- And they're they're gonna help you
- Melissa!
Melissa.
You are the only one
that can help me.
Ash?
Why are you here?
I just wanted to
see what your life
was like now.
Everything seems to
be going so well.
I'm so happy how things
turned out for you.
And I just, I wanted
you to know how very,
very, very lucky you are
that your fucking kids are here.
How dare you
put her picture
on the fucking TV, you bitch!
- She wasn't like them!
- Ben!
- She wasn't a fucking transient!
- Call the police now!
- Who the hell is that, Melissa?
- She wasn't a goddamn prostitute!
- Go downstairs!
- Go! Max, downstairs now!
- And she was never married to your piece-of-devil-shit father!
- Go to your sister's room now!
- Look at me! You never met her!
- Hello? Yeah.
- Not even once!
- I need the police at our house right now.
- You fucking liar!
- Max, go downstairs! - Get out of here!
- You lie! You lie!
- Please leave.
- Please leave.
- Go downstairs.
- Get out of here!
- Hey, get the fuck out of here!
- Hazel, take him down to your bedroom!
- Go downstairs, you two!
- Go, lock your door!
- Please, go downstairs!
Lock your door right now!
- Get in your room and lock the door!
- My mother was an angel!
And she was put on this earth
to make your father pay!
- Who's gonna get justice for her?
- Please leave.
For me!
Shit.
The
police are coming!
- Yes, right now!
- Go!
- They're coming.
- Melissa, get away from the door.
Who was that?
I'm sorry.
She walks
around pretending ♪
She don't know who I am ♪
Her fear of me
is building up ♪
About to break the dam ♪
I know I said I didn't do it ♪
But the truth is that I did ♪
Had an angel on one shoulder ♪
But I took the devil's bid ♪
Was it worth it? ♪
Oh, baby, that depends ♪
She talked of new beginnings ♪
So I helped her
reach the end ♪
Some days I feel sorry ♪
But in Hell,
I'll make amends ♪
Mm-hmm. ♪
Hey.
Hey, we still have
not talked about this.
What happened?
How did he get in?
I was in here. Doing homework.
All night? Max was just alone?
If you think this is my fault,
you're a fucking joke.
Don't you dare swear at me.
Get out of my room! I hate you!
Hazel. Hazel!
What?
Hey, did you see my texts?
No, I'm Uh, yes
I had some stuff
going on. What's up?
We are on a 6:00
a.m. flight to Texas.
What?
Elijah.
It's great to finally meet you.
I'm Ivy, this is Melissa.
We work for Dr. Greg.
Mm-hmm.
How you doing today?
I'm good. I'm good.
Good.
Surprised to see
y'all down here.
Well, Dr. Greg definitely
pulled some strings.
Turns out the warden's
wife is a big fan.
Behind me is Tyler.
He's gonna be doing
our camera and sound.
The microphone is right
there, so if you wouldn't mind
just clipping the
end to your shirt?
Thank you.
My sister said the segment
came out real good.
Yeah. Yeah, it came
out really great.
The tips are
they're coming in,
uh, which is why we're here.
With a story like this,
so many things can tumble into
the light, so we
want to make sure
- that we follow through
- Uh, Ivy?
a lot of them.
Sorry, uh,
can you come back here?
Can you give me one second?
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I'm sorry.
I, uh
We, um
we came here to
ask you
about this song
that you wrote.
"She walks around pretending
"she don't know who I am.
"Her fear of me is building
up, about to break the dam.
I know"
Yeah, he wants out.
What's going
on? No, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no. Wait,
wait, wait. Wait! Wait!
Elijah, wait, wait. We
heard you singing this song
on the recording and we
just need you to explain.
Elijah, if this song gets out
Wait, Elijah, wait.
What? What did he say?
What-what did he say?
What did God.
I lead interviews.
Not you. You still don't
know what you're doing.
I told you last night
that I did not
want to come here.
It's not a good time for me
to be away from my family,
not after I just went on
TV and blew up my life.
Okay, okay. You didn't
blow up your life.
You're overreacting.
- Okay.
- It's a song.
Uh, it feels like a confession.
I mean,
did Johnny Cash really
- shoot a man in Reno?
- Oh, my God.
Tyler, shut up.
Whatever. We came here
to confront him, so
I confronted him.
No,
we came here to give him a
chance to explain himself,
and now we have nothing.
If this song gets
out, we're fucked.
He didn't write it.
What?
Heather wrote it.
That's what he's saying. Look.
singing this
song on the recording
and we just need you to explain.
Elijah, if this song gets out
Wait, Elijah, wait.
That doesn't make sense.
Okay
give me those lyrics.
Thank you.
Okay.
Uh
"She talks of new beginnings,
"so I helped her reach the end.
"Some days I feel sorry,
but in Hell I'll make amends."
What, so
Heather's writing about
her own death
from the point of
view of her murderer
before her death?
Okay, we have
to look into it. I
No.
We have to look into Heather.
What?
We've been so focused
on all the men
that may have killed
Heather that we
completely forgot
to get to know Heather.
Oh, my God.
I went on national television
and I talked all about her, Ivy,
and I never I never
talked to any of her people.
I never talked to her family.
Her family believes
that Elijah is guilty.
There is no way they're
gonna talk to us.
We have to try.
Hazel!
Any offers on the drawing?
I haven't posted it
yet. I'm not sure
if I'm going to because
Of course you are.
Here.
Get your laptop.
What's going on?
Summer, do
you even listen to me?
I told you Happy Face
was trying to make bank
off of her grandpa's artwork.
That's pretty cool.
How much can you get?
Um, probably 200,
but I don't have
a PayPal account,
and my dad checks
all that stuff.
Oh, well, use mine.
You don't even know her.
Yeah, no, that's okay.
Well, if she needs one, right?
I have one, so
You know, my parents
give zero fucks
what I do anyways, so
not a big deal.
Okay, all done.
And, um, yeah, you
know, if it sells,
I can just hit up
an ATM for you.
You know, get your cash?
Okay. Thanks.
- Yeah, no problem.
- Can we go?
- Hmm?
- I'm so bored.
Yeah.
Yeah, sure.
Open D-160.
On your feet, Jesperson.
You talk to my daughter
like that again,
you see what happens.
Who the fuck you think
reported your phone?
Your mom has,
like, the best makeup.
That's one
good thing about her.
So, what's the deal with
Summer and Josh anyway?
Are they together?
They've been on and off
since, like, last year.
It's always drama.
Holy shit.
The drawing sold.
- Holy shit.
- Oh, my God.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Hi.
We're just we're
here to see Denise.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Thank you so much.
You all
shouldn't be here.
You've upset her enough.
We're just here to apologize.
Yeah.
You know, we all ain't pig
farmers around here, right?
We ain't got our heads
stuck in the mud.
So, you
and your jackass "doctor"
can screw off.
I, um
I don't have a clue
what I'm doing, okay?
I just went on the show
'cause I thought it was
the right thing to do.
And
I wasn't thinking
about all the people
that I could hurt,
and I am so, so sorry.
What's your excuse?
I believe Elijah's innocent,
and I've been doing
this long enough
to know that you wouldn't agree.
Well, at least you're honest.
And you're right, I don't.
Will you tell us why?
Soon as Heather started
going with Elijah,
she changed.
She started lying and stealing
and smoking weed
and staying out all
hours of the night.
That sounds like some
would consider that
normal teenage behavior.
Is it normal to see
bruises on your daughter?
'Cause Elijah
was laying hands on her
right from the start.
Can I ask you one more question?
I think Denise
has had enough.
I know. I know.
It's, um
it's a song.
We think Heather wrote it.
Did he write this?
Look, what is
Get the fuck out of here.
Sorry.
God.
I'm sorry.
No, I-I figured. I
figured. I'm just
- I'm gonna go.
- Hey, I don't have much time.
What's up?
Hey.
Hey, I got Ash's home address.
- What? How?
- Renee sent me
her security footage.
I got a full plate,
so I called that
cop to run it, okay?
And it came back as
Mourning Dove Lake RV Park.
It's some shitty trailer
park outside Eugene.
Okay. So?
So, when you come home,
you can start the paperwork
for a restraining order.
Right? And then the cop
just said you have to
I don't want a
restraining order.
The the man was in
our house, Melissa.
He was in our backyard.
- He-he could've hurt our kids.
- But he didn't.
He didn't hurt the
kids, he didn't hurt me.
We're fine. We're all fine.
You know who's not
fine? His mother,
who my dad raped and murdered.
So maybe maybe he's
been through enough.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry
Do I not get a say in this?
I cannot talk about
this right now, okay?
I will call you later.
No, no, no, do I not get
a fucking say in this?
What?
You okay?
All right, so we are confirmed
to meet Heather's best
friend Jackie tomorrow.
Uh, she didn't
recognize the song.
But she is willing
to tell us about her.
Hey.
You were good with Denise today.
- She was pissed, but
- Mm.
you got her talking.
All yours.
Being a good producer is knowing
every inch of your story.
I never asked to be a producer.
But you are now.
And I get that this
is emotional for you.
- But at cert
- This isn't about me.
This is about us
retraumatizing other people.
- So then it's about Ash?
- Don't therapize me.
Look, um
My dad used to tell me that
the truth is the light.
No matter how dark the path
is that gets you there.
You know every disgusting
detail about my dad,
and I don't know
one about yours.
He was a reporter.
He started working
for The L.A. Times
just before the '92 riots.
He covered sports, of course.
Um, but he was one of the
few Black reporters on staff.
They all got sent
down to Watts, and
he was calling in
his stories on payphones
while shit was literally
on fire all around him.
And the white reporters
in the newsroom
typed that shit up and
won a Pulitzer for it.
- But it
- Oh, shit.
Oh, evening, ladies.
Bobbi Crescenzi.
She was killed by her
husband Jack, Oregon, 1992.
Okay. So?
So, thanks to what
y'all put on TV,
the D.A. who handled
the case reached out.
Told me that not long after
the husband was convicted,
Keith confessed to doing Bobbi.
There's no way that we
missed that in our research.
Well, the D.A. kept
it on the quiet.
He knew Keith's story was bunk.
But he investigated,
all the same.
Found a man named
Howard Wayne Coker
who had served time with
the husband in county jail.
Later, he did a stint in
the state penitentiary
with Jesperson.
Coker acted as a go-between.
Offered ten grand to Jesperson
to confess to doing the wife.
Of course, he
provided a few facts
to make the
confession sound real.
But the one thing he
couldn't provide Jesperson:
hard evidence.
Oh
You want me to reopen this case?
Bring me hard evidence.
Not trampolines or tree
carvings or guitar picks.
And not songs.
Hard, physical evidence.
Well, allow me.
Y'all have a nice night now.
Three minutes.
It's me.
I'm in solitary.
You got to try it sometime.
I'm gonna need a new phone.
There's something else
I want you to do for me.
My name is Jackie Mullins. I was
Heather Richmond's best friend.
I'm sorry I don't recognize
the song, but like I said
Heather was funny
about her music.
Secretive.
Could she have shared her
music with Elijah, though?
Possibly.
Um, music was their bond,
that's how they got close.
She was gonna be a star.
She was gonna move to
Nashville, make it big.
And I knew she would.
Soon as she got over
her stage fright.
When she got in front
of people, she would
start shaking like a shaved cat.
She figured if she smoked
half a joint exactly,
then she could perform.
Not just a few puffs,
or a full full joint.
Just half.
She was crazy about
that kind of thing.
Do you think Elijah was, um,
supportive of those
dreams or do you think
he was jealous?
He was cool as far as
I remembered. Um
He introduced her
to this producer
out of Dallas, where
she recorded a demo.
- A demo?
- Mm-hmm.
Could that song have been on it?
Uh, maybe. I don't know. I
never heard it. I don't
What was the producer's name?
I don't remember.
But I know he was a
friend of Elijah's.
I don't
remember a a demo,
but I did introduce her
to my boy Lucius.
He was trying to be
a producer back then,
Lucius Banks.
Any idea where
Lucius is now?
I heard he passed a while back.
Sorry I blew up on
you, by the way.
I forget how to contro
My brain.
Shit don't work the
same for me no more.
No, I'm sorry.
For the way that I
came here and-and
asked you about the song.
I-I should have let
you explain first.
It's okay.
Can you explain to us now
how you think maybe Heather
could have written
that song or-or why?
I went to this
workshop years back.
Um, this art therapy thing.
You know, you could paint
and write poetry.
I grabbed a guitar when I saw it
and I started fooling
around with it
and the guy running
the thing said
we're supposed to make art
about what's got us in here,
and he going on and on and
on about guilt and remorse
and about how we need
to process that shit.
And it just it
just pissed me off.
'Cause I don't have no remorse
and I didn't do
nothing to get here.
So, I cheated.
I copied, um, I
Uh, what's that
word begin with a P?
- Plagiarize?
- Yes.
Yeah, I plagiarized, from
Heather, it was her song.
She was finishing it
that night in the park.
I helped her with, you
know, some of the chords,
but the verses were all her.
And I really don't
know what it was about.
Is there anything else you
want to say about that night?
We still haven't gotten a
chance to hear your side.
Yeah, there ain't
much to tell, I-I
I rode my bike to
the park around 7:00.
We hung out, we played music.
I smoked some weed,
I gave her a joint.
It was just It was normal.
Um, the last time
I seen her, sh
Last time I seen
her, she was sitting
up on that jungle gym
playing her guitar.
Were you two exclusive?
No, we were friends, man,
we jammed out.
Uh, sure, there
were a couple times
we got a little
loose and hooked up?
Sure.
Hell yeah, she was cute.
Smelled like
grapefruit.
But it was all low-key.
It's funny, that's
that's what my dad said that
she smelled like grapefruit.
Why in the hell did
he wait so long?
I've been in here
29 years, miss.
And he waits two months
before I'm-a die?
- Oh, fuck.
- What?
Oh, please, tell me that
the song didn't get leaked.
No. Um
Somebody wrote an
op-ed about you.
Okay. That says what?
That you
had an abortion
when you were 15.
What?
Oh, my God.
Pull over. I ca
I-I can't breathe.
- Wait, what?
- I can't breathe. I need to get out of the car.
- Okay. I am pulling over.
- Can you please, please pull over?
- I am pulling over. Okay. Okay.
- I can't I got to get out.
"Devil in the DNA:
"Why We Shouldn't Be Surprised
That A Serial Killer's Daughter
Murdered Her Pre-born Baby."
Are you fucking kidding me?!
Nobody knows about this.
Nobody knows about this. How
could anybody ever find out?
Okay, I am so sorry.
Things like this can
happen when you step
into the public eye, okay?
It was Brendan, my ex.
That's the only way
he could have ever
Okay, okay, look, we can
call Dr. Greg's publicist.
She can help you
make a statement,
or you can just ignore it.
Mm-mmm.
He lives in West Slope, Oregon.
- Is that Brendan?
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, what-what
do you want to do?
I'm gonna call him.
Now?
Okay, Melissa, hang on.
You-you can't just
What the fuck?
I do remember him, yes.
He came up to
me after the sermon
and asked if I could
help rid him of spirits
that were following him.
Spirits?
I prayed over
him a long while.
He was very emotional.
Do you remember when this was?
It was three or
four months later
that I saw his face on the news.
He was the Happy Face Killer.
Had to be winter of '95, then?
If you say so.
I just remember the whole
thing made my heart so heavy.
And, of course, I worried
about the boy with him.
What boy?
That's part of what
made him so memorable.
A lot of truckers come
through here, but I'd never
seen one bring a boy.
Can you describe this boy?
Early teens, I suppose, but
big for his age.
Uh, shaggy hair.
A bit sullen.
That's Shane.
My brother.
Captioned by Media Access
She walks around pretending ♪
She don't know who I am ♪
Her fear of me
is building up ♪
About to break the dam ♪
I know I said I didn't do it ♪
But the truth is that I did ♪
Was it worth it? ♪
Oh, baby, that depends ♪
She talks of new beginnings ♪
So I helped her ♪
Reach the end. ♪
Previously on Happy Face
Is that
her? What's her name?
Heather Richmond.
"Heather's boyfriend
at the time,
"Elijah Carter, was
convicted of her murder.
He maintains his innocence."
Heather Richmond was my kill.
This confession
is a game changer.
We need to pressure the D.A.
to reopen the case.
It's a birthday card.
I got it in the mail.
Perhaps we
should first explain
why the Happy Face Killer
called into the show
in the first place.
Because he's my father.
I just wanted to see if you
were a sick fuck like your dad.
Can we talk about
how your father got caught?
A woman
named Louise Nelson,
uh, he was questioned
about her murder
and that led to an
eventual confession.
To her and seven others.
What made Louise
different from the other victims?
He knew her.
Um, they were dating,
they said they were
going to get married.
I-I thought she'd
make a cool stepmom.
#FreeElijah is
trending like crazy.
- Mm. Really?
- Yeah.
- You're totally famous, Mom.
- Mm-mm.
Why can't I
watch your interview?
I told you, you can watch
it when you're older. Hey.
Hey, hey, come back
here. Come here. Okay.
Where
is your head? Oh.
I can't find
your head. Where is it?
There you are.
Hey, is it mostly positive?
Yeah. I mean, are
there people saying
you're centering your
white lady tears? Yeah.
Okay. Okay, no more phone.
Go get your backpacks.
- Did you know that Grandpa's
- Stop calling him that.
Keith's art sells for, like,
hundreds of dollars online?
It'll probably be more
now that he's hot again.
Hazel, we didn't do this to
get money or to get famous.
We're just gonna
stick to who we are.
It is who we are.
It's a part of who we are.
And that's what you
can say at school,
if anybody
gives you a hard time.
We'll be fine.
My friends don't watch Dr. Greg.
No offense.
None taken.
Buddha?
Attaboy. Come on.
Hey, Adele.
Hi, Ivy.
I'm just, uh, popping in,
seeing how everything's been
going.
Everything's
been going great.
The tips are pouring in.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
Wow. Are any like, like real?
Most are batshit, but, uh,
we got one from a trucker
who knew your dad.
He said Southeast Texas was
- on his regular route.
- Mm-hmm.
Oh, did you see the protests?
- What protests?
- There are hundreds of people
outside Callaway's
house, and also the homes
of the nine judges on the CCA.
- My God. Really?
- Yeah.
Wow, I guess we made a
ruckus.
Oh, we made a ruckus.
There's my inspirational woman.
- How are you?
- Oh, I'm-I'm good.
Good, good, good.
I just came from breakfast
with the network.
They are so thrilled,
Melissa. They are thrilled.
The socials are positive.
The numbers are
through the roof.
Everybody, everybody loves you.
Which is why I want
you on this story
full-time as consulting
producer under Ivy.
I mean, you do have
an instinct for this.
I I just really love my job.
And it'll be waiting for
you on the other side.
But you are the face of
this thing right now.
I need you available.
We'll talk more about
it later tonight.
Uh, Roxanne and I put a
little something together
at ours, a dinner.
You'll bring Ben, right?
- To your house? Tonight?
- Absolutely.
People want to
meet you, Melissa.
Ivy, you come too, um,
I'll have Tabitha
send you the details.
I got to go. Dr. Greg.
Do you have a laptop with you?
No. I have, like, six
different mascaras.
Okay, I will get you set up.
And don't worry, you're
just gonna listen to tips.
We're looking for anything
that connects Keith to Heather.
Um, right.
About that
Um
These are the unopened letters.
My dad said he told me
about the ninth murder,
so maybe he did.
Well, I guess I'm not
going to dinner tonight.
Look at this place.
I know. It's wild.
- How are you feeling?
- Fine.
It's just a dinner, right?
Just a dinner.
- Can we turn around?
- Heck yeah.
Can we please turn around?
Welcome. May I take your coat?
- Oh, yes. Thank you so much.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
- Will you hold these?
Okay.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Here you go.
- Um
- Oh, there he is.
- There he is.
- I feel weird.
- I shouldn't have worn Spanx.
- Nice spot.
There's the woman of the hour!
- Hi.
- Melissa.
- Hello.
- You look wonderful.
- Oh.
- Mwah. Yeah.
- Hey, Greg, nice to see you.
- Great to see you.
- Good to see you, too.
- Yeah, yeah.
This place is, uh, fantastic.
Oh, it's all my wife, Roxanne.
- It's her labor of love.
- No, you're my labor of love,
- darling.
- Ah. Mwah.
Thank you so much for having
us. These are for you.
Oh, thank you. And
it's our pleasure.
Now come, have a drink,
- meet everyone.
- Yeah, come on in.
- Champagne?
- Thank you.
- Thank you so much. Cheers.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
- This is Lydia, my best friend.
- Hello.
- This is Eddie, Greg's manager.
- Hi. So good to meet you.
- And Caryn, Greg's literary agent.
- Nice to meet you.
And Frances, president
of Gregarious Pictures.
Nice to meet you.
- Wow.
- Um, this is this is Ben.
How you doing? Sorry.
Um, so, it's so crazy
that you all live
here in Seattle.
No, I, uh I-I
flew everybody in.
- Mm.
- Oh.
Uh, do you have an
event or something?
Uh, yeah, this event.
Dinner's ready, everyone.
- Yeah, let's go eat.
- Shall we? Shall we?
Yeah, they
seem to bury them deep.
- What are you doing?
- Jesus, Max! Stalker much?
You're the one trying to
break into Mom's safe.
Our birthdays aren't working.
I think it's their anniversary.
Can you heat up the
pasta? I'm hungry.
So use the microwave.
This will never end,
'cause I want more ♪
The
obstacles before you are real,
but nothing you cannot overcome.
It all begins with
a positive attitude.
A belief in yourself.
A belief that you're exactly
where you're meant to be,
traveling down the path
paved just for you.
If I had a heart,
I could love you ♪
What?
If I had a voice,
I would sing ♪
- What?
- It's-it's a guy in Texas.
I mean I mean, a woman.
She says her brother has proof
that Keith killed Heather.
- Let me see.
- Okay.
I'll see what
tomorrow brings ♪
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah ♪
Ah, ah-ah-ah, ah ♪
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah ♪
If I had a voice,
I would sing ♪
If you stay on
the path meant for you, if you trust,
you will get exactly
where you need to go.
More, give me
more, give me more ♪
Crushed and filled
with all I found ♪
Underneath and inside,
just to come around ♪
More, give me
more, give me more. ♪
Let the record reflect
that Mr. Jesperson
has pled guilty
to the murder of Louise Nelson.
I understand we have a
victim impact statement
before sentencing?
"My name is Ashton McBride.
"Louise Nelson was my mother.
She was a ray of sunshine
in a dark world."
"This man killed my mother.
"Why should he
get to make a deal
"to not get the death penalty?
"That's not justice.
That's fucking bullshit."
Hey, hey, hey. Bailiff?
- Bailiff, get him.
- Stop!
Get off him! Get off him!
Your Honor, this isn't safe!
Hello.
Hi, buddy.
I'm Ash.
This is Buddha.
Is your mom home?
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, so happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
So happy. ♪
- First course. Please enjoy.
- That's amazing, Chef.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Would anyone
like some more wine?
- Always.
- So, Melissa, have you had a chance
to talk to Caryn yet?
She's a genius. She
sold four of my books.
Soon to be five.
Have you thought about
a first book, Melissa?
Oh. Um
Me? Uh, um
Oh, write a book? No.
Of course! I could get
you a deal tomorrow.
What about Nightmares
of My Father?
A play on Obama's first.
- Um, yeah
- How about something simple?
The Serial Killer's Daughter.
That's been done.
- I think I tried to option that.
- Yeah.
Or you could go
funny. Daddy Issues.
It's actually not
It's not funny.
Delicious.
Yeah, Happy
Face. Let's do this!
What? No popcorn, screw?
Settle down or I
ain't gonna play this.
We're settled.
You're settled.
So, Melissa?
I just wanted to
share that I was
so impressed by your
bravery on camera.
Oh, thank you.
I just can't imagine
what you went through.
It's unthinkable.
She didn't even get to tell
the really gnarly stuff,
with the network's
standards and practices.
What do you mean?
The cats.
Oh, yeah, that's,
that's not, uh,
dinner conversation.
Yeah, we-we don't have
to talk about that.
Well, now I really want to know.
Um
Well
When I was a kid, uh, we had
um, a barn cat,
who had a litter of kittens.
And, uh, oh
They were so sweet.
I used to
feed them with a baby bottle.
Um, but then my
dad found out
about them and he
squeezed one to death.
I watched it happen.
And then
the rest of them he
tied to a clothesline
by their tails.
They scratched
themselves to death.
Oh, my God.
You must have spent
a fortune on therapy.
I've never been, actually.
Well, I
mean, I'd say you'd
had at least one
session, wouldn't you?
And even after the cats,
your mother had no clue
that something was going on?
She works
with battered women,
which one might see as penance.
How do you grow up with
those parents and end up so normal?
- I'm gonna use the restroom.
- You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
It was
our happy place.
It was our safe place.
Uh, my
my earliest memory is
actually from there.
It was just a flash,
but it was my mom
holding me,
and my dad smiling at us
from across the river.
You
loved your father.
I did.
And you still do.
- No.
- Melissa
No.
I know this
might be difficult,
but can we talk about
your father's
Dude, she's hot.
Just the basics?
Um
he picked them
up on the road.
Um, he usually
You watch your mouth.
Or what?
He, um, came off
like a guy you could trust.
Were they, um
working girls, prostitutes?
Some of them
were sex workers, yes.
Sex became rape
and strangulation,
and then he would dump
the bodies in rural areas.
Many of them
weren't found, uh
Excuse me?
My brother, uh
my brother murdered someone.
Oh, okay.
Um
You want to talk about it?
It was, like, a drug thing.
But I always think
if I'd just tried harder
to get him into rehab
What's your name?
Hannah.
Hannah?
Hey, um
It sounds like you're
blaming yourself.
And
you've been a victim
of the violence, too.
Hey, come here.
I'm so sorry.
Uh
I should get back.
- Sorry. Yeah.
- Okay.
Hello?
Were you ever going to call me?
What? Why are you calling me?
How-how did you
even get my number?
What, you think a man can't get
his own damn phone? Is
that what you think?
Do you think I'm helpless?
No, I don't know
what your problem is,
but I cannot deal with it.
My problem
is my daughter,
who apparently
is so selfish that she thinks
that she can take the number one
true crime story of the year
my story
and find a way to
make it all about her.
You always wanted to be a star.
Are you fucking kidding me?
But don't you worry, Missy.
Because Texas
will come knocking.
And then you'll get exactly
what you wanted out
of this all along.
Elijah's needle in my arm.
I never said that.
I have to go.
Wait, wait, wait, uh
Which screw said that to you?
- What?
- Prison guard.
Which prison guard said
to you that you
were sick like me?
Was it Bassett?
He's bald.
Wants everyone
to think he's tough.
I have to go, Dad.
I thought so.
Don't call me again.
Sorry I couldn't let you inside.
Don't be.
This, this is perfect.
Everything just so.
I used to get left alone a
lot when I was your age, too.
I always got sick of being
bounced around between my aunt,
grandma,
sometimes my mom.
It got easier to be by myself.
I'm not alone.
My sister's inside.
Oh, yeah?
How old is she?
Just turned 15.
You have
reached the voice mailbox
of the warden of Oregon
State Penitentiary.
To leave a message, press one.
Uh, my father
is an inmate there.
Uh, his name is Keith Jesperson.
I think you should know
that he has some
sort of secret phone
and he needs to stop
calling me from it.
Immediately. Thank you so much.
Bye-bye.
Everything okay?
Yeah, everything's fine.
Fine?
Okay.
Maybe everything's, uh
slightly not fine.
It's just, uh
it's, it's just a lot.
You know I, uh
made a name for myself
in L.A., had it all.
But eventually I
realized I hated it.
The sun makes you old.
So I moved the show up here.
I like the peace and the quiet.
I love the trees.
You like being a big
fish in a small pond.
Okay.
My, uh, my point is,
what you want can change.
If you're open to it.
So you want me to write a
book to entertain rich people
who treat me like I'm
some kind of zoo animal?
With fascination
comes power.
Any one of those
people at that table
would kill to work with you.
That's not why I came forward.
I know, I know, I know.
But this is your moment.
You need to get your
father out of your head,
so you have the
space to figure out
what you're gonna
do with all of this.
Who you want to be.
Hi, yes, is this Mr. Griffin?
This is Ivy Campbell
from The Dr. Greg Show.
Thank you so much for
taking my call so late.
Of course, Ivy, uh,
but call me Harold.
Sure, so
my associate producer got a
tip from your sister Barbara.
She says that you run
a prison arts program?
And you met Keith Jesperson
in one of those
creative workshops?
Keith?
What did
Barbara tell you?
No, I, uh, taught Elijah Carter.
Elijah wrote a song.
I still have the recording.
Should I send it?
It was the
best part of my night.
Well, you're
helping people.
Well,
you're helping me.
Thank you for being so
supportive even if you were
only there for the food.
- The food was pretty good.
- Good.
Yeah, I'm tired.
I'm so glad it's over.
Oh, I have to use the bathroom.
Are the kids in bed already?
- I'll be right down.
- All right.
Good boy, Buddha.
Good boy.
Here you go.
Hey, Max.
Hey, Mom.
Buddha?
Mom.
Hey.
Hey, buddy.
Hey, Mom.
Whose dog is this?
Oh.
This is Buddha.
And your friend is here.
Max, get inside.
- What?
- Go.
- Right now.
- But
but but he's
- Get inside!
- He said you were friends.
Tell your dad to
call the police now.
Your mind may be filled
with dark thoughts.
Fear, anxiety,
hatred.
Hatred.
But if you allow them
to flow through you,
then they won't stop your power.
Okay
We called the cops.
And they're on their way.
- And they're they're gonna help you
- Melissa!
Melissa.
You are the only one
that can help me.
Ash?
Why are you here?
I just wanted to
see what your life
was like now.
Everything seems to
be going so well.
I'm so happy how things
turned out for you.
And I just, I wanted
you to know how very,
very, very lucky you are
that your fucking kids are here.
How dare you
put her picture
on the fucking TV, you bitch!
- She wasn't like them!
- Ben!
- She wasn't a fucking transient!
- Call the police now!
- Who the hell is that, Melissa?
- She wasn't a goddamn prostitute!
- Go downstairs!
- Go! Max, downstairs now!
- And she was never married to your piece-of-devil-shit father!
- Go to your sister's room now!
- Look at me! You never met her!
- Hello? Yeah.
- Not even once!
- I need the police at our house right now.
- You fucking liar!
- Max, go downstairs! - Get out of here!
- You lie! You lie!
- Please leave.
- Please leave.
- Go downstairs.
- Get out of here!
- Hey, get the fuck out of here!
- Hazel, take him down to your bedroom!
- Go downstairs, you two!
- Go, lock your door!
- Please, go downstairs!
Lock your door right now!
- Get in your room and lock the door!
- My mother was an angel!
And she was put on this earth
to make your father pay!
- Who's gonna get justice for her?
- Please leave.
For me!
Shit.
The
police are coming!
- Yes, right now!
- Go!
- They're coming.
- Melissa, get away from the door.
Who was that?
I'm sorry.
She walks
around pretending ♪
She don't know who I am ♪
Her fear of me
is building up ♪
About to break the dam ♪
I know I said I didn't do it ♪
But the truth is that I did ♪
Had an angel on one shoulder ♪
But I took the devil's bid ♪
Was it worth it? ♪
Oh, baby, that depends ♪
She talked of new beginnings ♪
So I helped her
reach the end ♪
Some days I feel sorry ♪
But in Hell,
I'll make amends ♪
Mm-hmm. ♪
Hey.
Hey, we still have
not talked about this.
What happened?
How did he get in?
I was in here. Doing homework.
All night? Max was just alone?
If you think this is my fault,
you're a fucking joke.
Don't you dare swear at me.
Get out of my room! I hate you!
Hazel. Hazel!
What?
Hey, did you see my texts?
No, I'm Uh, yes
I had some stuff
going on. What's up?
We are on a 6:00
a.m. flight to Texas.
What?
Elijah.
It's great to finally meet you.
I'm Ivy, this is Melissa.
We work for Dr. Greg.
Mm-hmm.
How you doing today?
I'm good. I'm good.
Good.
Surprised to see
y'all down here.
Well, Dr. Greg definitely
pulled some strings.
Turns out the warden's
wife is a big fan.
Behind me is Tyler.
He's gonna be doing
our camera and sound.
The microphone is right
there, so if you wouldn't mind
just clipping the
end to your shirt?
Thank you.
My sister said the segment
came out real good.
Yeah. Yeah, it came
out really great.
The tips are
they're coming in,
uh, which is why we're here.
With a story like this,
so many things can tumble into
the light, so we
want to make sure
- that we follow through
- Uh, Ivy?
a lot of them.
Sorry, uh,
can you come back here?
Can you give me one second?
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I'm sorry.
I, uh
We, um
we came here to
ask you
about this song
that you wrote.
"She walks around pretending
"she don't know who I am.
"Her fear of me is building
up, about to break the dam.
I know"
Yeah, he wants out.
What's going
on? No, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no. Wait,
wait, wait. Wait! Wait!
Elijah, wait, wait. We
heard you singing this song
on the recording and we
just need you to explain.
Elijah, if this song gets out
Wait, Elijah, wait.
What? What did he say?
What-what did he say?
What did God.
I lead interviews.
Not you. You still don't
know what you're doing.
I told you last night
that I did not
want to come here.
It's not a good time for me
to be away from my family,
not after I just went on
TV and blew up my life.
Okay, okay. You didn't
blow up your life.
You're overreacting.
- Okay.
- It's a song.
Uh, it feels like a confession.
I mean,
did Johnny Cash really
- shoot a man in Reno?
- Oh, my God.
Tyler, shut up.
Whatever. We came here
to confront him, so
I confronted him.
No,
we came here to give him a
chance to explain himself,
and now we have nothing.
If this song gets
out, we're fucked.
He didn't write it.
What?
Heather wrote it.
That's what he's saying. Look.
singing this
song on the recording
and we just need you to explain.
Elijah, if this song gets out
Wait, Elijah, wait.
That doesn't make sense.
Okay
give me those lyrics.
Thank you.
Okay.
Uh
"She talks of new beginnings,
"so I helped her reach the end.
"Some days I feel sorry,
but in Hell I'll make amends."
What, so
Heather's writing about
her own death
from the point of
view of her murderer
before her death?
Okay, we have
to look into it. I
No.
We have to look into Heather.
What?
We've been so focused
on all the men
that may have killed
Heather that we
completely forgot
to get to know Heather.
Oh, my God.
I went on national television
and I talked all about her, Ivy,
and I never I never
talked to any of her people.
I never talked to her family.
Her family believes
that Elijah is guilty.
There is no way they're
gonna talk to us.
We have to try.
Hazel!
Any offers on the drawing?
I haven't posted it
yet. I'm not sure
if I'm going to because
Of course you are.
Here.
Get your laptop.
What's going on?
Summer, do
you even listen to me?
I told you Happy Face
was trying to make bank
off of her grandpa's artwork.
That's pretty cool.
How much can you get?
Um, probably 200,
but I don't have
a PayPal account,
and my dad checks
all that stuff.
Oh, well, use mine.
You don't even know her.
Yeah, no, that's okay.
Well, if she needs one, right?
I have one, so
You know, my parents
give zero fucks
what I do anyways, so
not a big deal.
Okay, all done.
And, um, yeah, you
know, if it sells,
I can just hit up
an ATM for you.
You know, get your cash?
Okay. Thanks.
- Yeah, no problem.
- Can we go?
- Hmm?
- I'm so bored.
Yeah.
Yeah, sure.
Open D-160.
On your feet, Jesperson.
You talk to my daughter
like that again,
you see what happens.
Who the fuck you think
reported your phone?
Your mom has,
like, the best makeup.
That's one
good thing about her.
So, what's the deal with
Summer and Josh anyway?
Are they together?
They've been on and off
since, like, last year.
It's always drama.
Holy shit.
The drawing sold.
- Holy shit.
- Oh, my God.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Hi.
We're just we're
here to see Denise.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Thank you so much.
You all
shouldn't be here.
You've upset her enough.
We're just here to apologize.
Yeah.
You know, we all ain't pig
farmers around here, right?
We ain't got our heads
stuck in the mud.
So, you
and your jackass "doctor"
can screw off.
I, um
I don't have a clue
what I'm doing, okay?
I just went on the show
'cause I thought it was
the right thing to do.
And
I wasn't thinking
about all the people
that I could hurt,
and I am so, so sorry.
What's your excuse?
I believe Elijah's innocent,
and I've been doing
this long enough
to know that you wouldn't agree.
Well, at least you're honest.
And you're right, I don't.
Will you tell us why?
Soon as Heather started
going with Elijah,
she changed.
She started lying and stealing
and smoking weed
and staying out all
hours of the night.
That sounds like some
would consider that
normal teenage behavior.
Is it normal to see
bruises on your daughter?
'Cause Elijah
was laying hands on her
right from the start.
Can I ask you one more question?
I think Denise
has had enough.
I know. I know.
It's, um
it's a song.
We think Heather wrote it.
Did he write this?
Look, what is
Get the fuck out of here.
Sorry.
God.
I'm sorry.
No, I-I figured. I
figured. I'm just
- I'm gonna go.
- Hey, I don't have much time.
What's up?
Hey.
Hey, I got Ash's home address.
- What? How?
- Renee sent me
her security footage.
I got a full plate,
so I called that
cop to run it, okay?
And it came back as
Mourning Dove Lake RV Park.
It's some shitty trailer
park outside Eugene.
Okay. So?
So, when you come home,
you can start the paperwork
for a restraining order.
Right? And then the cop
just said you have to
I don't want a
restraining order.
The the man was in
our house, Melissa.
He was in our backyard.
- He-he could've hurt our kids.
- But he didn't.
He didn't hurt the
kids, he didn't hurt me.
We're fine. We're all fine.
You know who's not
fine? His mother,
who my dad raped and murdered.
So maybe maybe he's
been through enough.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry
Do I not get a say in this?
I cannot talk about
this right now, okay?
I will call you later.
No, no, no, do I not get
a fucking say in this?
What?
You okay?
All right, so we are confirmed
to meet Heather's best
friend Jackie tomorrow.
Uh, she didn't
recognize the song.
But she is willing
to tell us about her.
Hey.
You were good with Denise today.
- She was pissed, but
- Mm.
you got her talking.
All yours.
Being a good producer is knowing
every inch of your story.
I never asked to be a producer.
But you are now.
And I get that this
is emotional for you.
- But at cert
- This isn't about me.
This is about us
retraumatizing other people.
- So then it's about Ash?
- Don't therapize me.
Look, um
My dad used to tell me that
the truth is the light.
No matter how dark the path
is that gets you there.
You know every disgusting
detail about my dad,
and I don't know
one about yours.
He was a reporter.
He started working
for The L.A. Times
just before the '92 riots.
He covered sports, of course.
Um, but he was one of the
few Black reporters on staff.
They all got sent
down to Watts, and
he was calling in
his stories on payphones
while shit was literally
on fire all around him.
And the white reporters
in the newsroom
typed that shit up and
won a Pulitzer for it.
- But it
- Oh, shit.
Oh, evening, ladies.
Bobbi Crescenzi.
She was killed by her
husband Jack, Oregon, 1992.
Okay. So?
So, thanks to what
y'all put on TV,
the D.A. who handled
the case reached out.
Told me that not long after
the husband was convicted,
Keith confessed to doing Bobbi.
There's no way that we
missed that in our research.
Well, the D.A. kept
it on the quiet.
He knew Keith's story was bunk.
But he investigated,
all the same.
Found a man named
Howard Wayne Coker
who had served time with
the husband in county jail.
Later, he did a stint in
the state penitentiary
with Jesperson.
Coker acted as a go-between.
Offered ten grand to Jesperson
to confess to doing the wife.
Of course, he
provided a few facts
to make the
confession sound real.
But the one thing he
couldn't provide Jesperson:
hard evidence.
Oh
You want me to reopen this case?
Bring me hard evidence.
Not trampolines or tree
carvings or guitar picks.
And not songs.
Hard, physical evidence.
Well, allow me.
Y'all have a nice night now.
Three minutes.
It's me.
I'm in solitary.
You got to try it sometime.
I'm gonna need a new phone.
There's something else
I want you to do for me.
My name is Jackie Mullins. I was
Heather Richmond's best friend.
I'm sorry I don't recognize
the song, but like I said
Heather was funny
about her music.
Secretive.
Could she have shared her
music with Elijah, though?
Possibly.
Um, music was their bond,
that's how they got close.
She was gonna be a star.
She was gonna move to
Nashville, make it big.
And I knew she would.
Soon as she got over
her stage fright.
When she got in front
of people, she would
start shaking like a shaved cat.
She figured if she smoked
half a joint exactly,
then she could perform.
Not just a few puffs,
or a full full joint.
Just half.
She was crazy about
that kind of thing.
Do you think Elijah was, um,
supportive of those
dreams or do you think
he was jealous?
He was cool as far as
I remembered. Um
He introduced her
to this producer
out of Dallas, where
she recorded a demo.
- A demo?
- Mm-hmm.
Could that song have been on it?
Uh, maybe. I don't know. I
never heard it. I don't
What was the producer's name?
I don't remember.
But I know he was a
friend of Elijah's.
I don't
remember a a demo,
but I did introduce her
to my boy Lucius.
He was trying to be
a producer back then,
Lucius Banks.
Any idea where
Lucius is now?
I heard he passed a while back.
Sorry I blew up on
you, by the way.
I forget how to contro
My brain.
Shit don't work the
same for me no more.
No, I'm sorry.
For the way that I
came here and-and
asked you about the song.
I-I should have let
you explain first.
It's okay.
Can you explain to us now
how you think maybe Heather
could have written
that song or-or why?
I went to this
workshop years back.
Um, this art therapy thing.
You know, you could paint
and write poetry.
I grabbed a guitar when I saw it
and I started fooling
around with it
and the guy running
the thing said
we're supposed to make art
about what's got us in here,
and he going on and on and
on about guilt and remorse
and about how we need
to process that shit.
And it just it
just pissed me off.
'Cause I don't have no remorse
and I didn't do
nothing to get here.
So, I cheated.
I copied, um, I
Uh, what's that
word begin with a P?
- Plagiarize?
- Yes.
Yeah, I plagiarized, from
Heather, it was her song.
She was finishing it
that night in the park.
I helped her with, you
know, some of the chords,
but the verses were all her.
And I really don't
know what it was about.
Is there anything else you
want to say about that night?
We still haven't gotten a
chance to hear your side.
Yeah, there ain't
much to tell, I-I
I rode my bike to
the park around 7:00.
We hung out, we played music.
I smoked some weed,
I gave her a joint.
It was just It was normal.
Um, the last time
I seen her, sh
Last time I seen
her, she was sitting
up on that jungle gym
playing her guitar.
Were you two exclusive?
No, we were friends, man,
we jammed out.
Uh, sure, there
were a couple times
we got a little
loose and hooked up?
Sure.
Hell yeah, she was cute.
Smelled like
grapefruit.
But it was all low-key.
It's funny, that's
that's what my dad said that
she smelled like grapefruit.
Why in the hell did
he wait so long?
I've been in here
29 years, miss.
And he waits two months
before I'm-a die?
- Oh, fuck.
- What?
Oh, please, tell me that
the song didn't get leaked.
No. Um
Somebody wrote an
op-ed about you.
Okay. That says what?
That you
had an abortion
when you were 15.
What?
Oh, my God.
Pull over. I ca
I-I can't breathe.
- Wait, what?
- I can't breathe. I need to get out of the car.
- Okay. I am pulling over.
- Can you please, please pull over?
- I am pulling over. Okay. Okay.
- I can't I got to get out.
"Devil in the DNA:
"Why We Shouldn't Be Surprised
That A Serial Killer's Daughter
Murdered Her Pre-born Baby."
Are you fucking kidding me?!
Nobody knows about this.
Nobody knows about this. How
could anybody ever find out?
Okay, I am so sorry.
Things like this can
happen when you step
into the public eye, okay?
It was Brendan, my ex.
That's the only way
he could have ever
Okay, okay, look, we can
call Dr. Greg's publicist.
She can help you
make a statement,
or you can just ignore it.
Mm-mmm.
He lives in West Slope, Oregon.
- Is that Brendan?
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, what-what
do you want to do?
I'm gonna call him.
Now?
Okay, Melissa, hang on.
You-you can't just
What the fuck?
I do remember him, yes.
He came up to
me after the sermon
and asked if I could
help rid him of spirits
that were following him.
Spirits?
I prayed over
him a long while.
He was very emotional.
Do you remember when this was?
It was three or
four months later
that I saw his face on the news.
He was the Happy Face Killer.
Had to be winter of '95, then?
If you say so.
I just remember the whole
thing made my heart so heavy.
And, of course, I worried
about the boy with him.
What boy?
That's part of what
made him so memorable.
A lot of truckers come
through here, but I'd never
seen one bring a boy.
Can you describe this boy?
Early teens, I suppose, but
big for his age.
Uh, shaggy hair.
A bit sullen.
That's Shane.
My brother.
Captioned by Media Access
She walks around pretending ♪
She don't know who I am ♪
Her fear of me
is building up ♪
About to break the dam ♪
I know I said I didn't do it ♪
But the truth is that I did ♪
Was it worth it? ♪
Oh, baby, that depends ♪
She talks of new beginnings ♪
So I helped her ♪
Reach the end. ♪