Catch Me a Killer (2024) s01e06 Episode Script

1
Dr Pistorius. Detective Nick Wilson.
Morning. Thanks for making the trip.
Mutilation usually means curiosity.
Childish exploration.
Often a killer who's psychologically immature.
He's like a little boy.
Still pointing fingers and blaming his parents.
If I'm going to get the confession,
I need to get under his skin.
You're not sleeping.
Those nightmares you're having won't come true, you know.
You have them too. Everything's terrifying in the dark.
So, you're relieved it's over? Always.
And always unsatisfied.
You want to talk about it?
No, I don't want to give you nightmares too.
Problem shared.
Is a problem two people then have to deal with.
Which in the case of a brutal serial killer,
is not something you need.
Since I took this job, it gets pretty noisy in my head.
It's only going to get worse. (LAUGHS)
To the voices in our heads.
To the voices in our heads. (GLASSES CLINK)
WOMAN: Wake up, my little boy.
What time is it, Mama? 11.
Something to eat? It's late.
MAN: Nadine!
Nadine!
Go to the front room and put the radio on.
Get out!
Just shut your goddamn mouth!
You think I don't know what you are doing.
No.
Have you two been in for fingerprinting yet?
C'mon, Aunty Eva. What's the fucking point?
It's not going to save us.
It's fucking bullshit.
It's something. I just want you guys to be safe.
Have you eaten? Not yet.
Just look out for each other. Let's go.
16 prostitutes have been strangled and we're doing fingerprinting.
Whose idea was it? The commissioner's.
Latest victim's body is the second one we can't identify in as many weeks.
So, now if another woman gets murdered,
at least we got a trail to follow.
That's not protection.
It's the best we can do.
So many unidentified bodies.
No leads.
These women are panicking.
Hey, Visser.
Where did you pick these two up?
Uh, they're new to the team. Profilers. Here to observe.
Like a day at the zoo, huh?
It's really good to see the women participating.
In what? Fingerprints? What arsehole came up with that idea?
These girls are terrified. How many more still are going to die?
What would make you feel safer?
Just walk with me a sec.
More cops.
Protecting us. Not judging us.
Do any of your customers concern you?
Only the ones who refuse to pay.
I mean, if there's something odd he might do or say.
Like a weird habit.
They're all weird, lady. In their own way.
It's more
If you're suspicious of anyone.
Trust your gut if you think someone's capable of something more.
More than just having sex.
If I tell you that, you'll be arresting them all.
AJ.
The infamous Micki Pistorius.
Good to see you again. Thanks.
How are you? Good.
This is where we found the latest victim.
It's mostly farmland in the area.
There's some wetland like this.
Odd bits of traffic around.
And there's cattle moving through all the time obviously.
She was lying in this direction.
Face down, legs spread wide apart.
How far out, are we?
12 kilometres.
Any sign of a struggle?
No. No blood splatter on the clothes or jewellery.
Footprints?
One set. Barely visible.
Mostly washed away by the rain by the time we got here.
So, no struggle, no footprints.
He must be killing them somewhere else.
Yeah.
Yeah. He's staging the bodies.
Um
Look at the bruising on their faces.
I want us to look at how Crystal was staged.
He buried her head in an ant heap,
hoping the ants would eat at her neck first.
Why?
To hide the marks of the string he strangled her with.
But look at how he's manipulating every crime scene.
Staging them like this. It's his signature.
There's two things connecting these scenes.
The victims are all prostitutes.
And it looks like they've all been strangled
with the same type of ligature.
Here you go. Black, no sugar. Thank you.
I thought you'd appreciate this as well.
You're too good. OK. Let's get a move on.
OK. Look at where the bodies were found.
They're predominantly white districts.
A black man driving around these areas would really stick out.
So, I think our killer is likely to be a white male,
someone who would blend in.
He's free to drive around at night to pick up women.
So, he's almost certainly not got a wife or a girlfriend.
That doesn't mean he didn't have one in the past, though.
Think about the location we went to.
That farmland.
How would you describe it?
Remote. Exactly.
Driving these roads at night without streetlights,
you wouldn't know where to turn
unless you'd already checked it out during the day.
So, he must be unemployed.
Then he waits for a rainy day.
We compared the weather reports with the days of death.
The rain is his friend. It covers his tracks.
OK, look here.
The forensic reports tell us they haven't been raped.
So, he could be impotent.
And look at how he positions some of the women.
We know he was disturbed when he was disposing of Crystal.
But look at how he left some of the other women.
Their legs spread apart.
Wanting us to think they'd been raped.
So, he positions them to simulate rape
to compensate for his inability to actually rape.
Yeah.
So, what's his motive?
Hate. I think.
And possibly stemming from a difficult relationship with his mother.
Although the impotence
suggests many failed sexual experiences with women.
He thinks women deserve to die.
So, he's killing prostitutes to satisfy the hatred.
Understanding the staging helps us to understand why.
And it is something he's likely to progress.
He's used different positions up till now,
but he'll have to start doing things in a whole different way to keep up the chase.
It's a game.
(MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND)
(DOOR OPENS)
How was it, precious?
Shit. No chance of me passing.
I'll love you, whatever grade you get, Bubba.
Maybe just concentrate on your mathematics.
Where's Dad?
At work. Eat up.
Thank you, Ma.
Thanks. Pleasure, sir.
Enjoy your drink. Thank you.
And
How does it feel being back in Cape Town?
Took a bit of getting used to.
Why? Has it changed that much? No.
No, I suppose it's more about me than the surroundings.
Nothing bad, just
You live and learn, don't you?
Anyway
How are you doing?
How is your little boy?
Yeah. I'm just glad I have him, man.
He keeps me grounded.
I tend to rely on this to do that.
And for the pick-me-up
when it feels like the bastard's getting away.
You will catch him, Micki.
I appreciate your confidence.
Are you seriously telling me you don't have any?
No. Of course, I do.
It's just hard trying to stop him from seeing into your mind when you're alone.
You know?
Maybe don't be alone so much then.
I'm dating someone, actually.
Oh? Yeah.
Yeah, he's called Mark.
See him much? Uh. Not enough, probably.
So, then see him more.
The smile he just put on your face
makes the one that the killer takes away worth it.
I'll call him. Good.
What do we have? It's a black female.
Late 20s, heavy ligature marks around the neck.
Looks like it was made by the same piece of string.
Strangulation? Exactly.
But this time he covered it with cuts.
Six stab wounds all over her neck.
Yeah. And after what looks like another day of bad weather.
The strangulation wounds look slightly older.
You mean he stabbed her afterwards? Mm-hm.
He's moved on to another method to confuse us.
I'm going to need more officers out there.
I'll call the Commissioner.
Any marks under the heels? Yes, cuts as well.
OK. So, he's dragged her over.
She was dead before he arrived here.
Look, an earring's missing too.
We also found this in her vagina.
He's inserted a phallic object.
What is it? A glass bottle.
We found some tyre tracks.
Right.
90% certain it's a pick-up.
Get someone to cast it. See if we can make a match.
And check the statements again for any sightings.
Hi. We've got some new information.
Do you mind if I ask you about it?
Sure. Come in.
Won't take long, I promise.
He's got exams. He's got studying to do.
This is my husband, Gus.
Hi. Micki. Pleased to meet you.
Should I leave you two? Thanks, honey.
Flora can stay. She works on Voortrekker. She might be useful.
What is it you need to know?
I need you to think some more about one of your clients.
I thought I already made that clear.
I know, but it's It's more specific now.
Sorry.
Do any of them struggle to get an erection?
Or maybe can't get one at all?
Yes. One of my regulars.
And what's his name? I don't know.
He says he lives in a caravan somewhere near Parrow.
He struggles to get hard, so I use a rubber band.
Got to be very patient with him.
You said if I thought someone was capable of doing something more.
But he's not the type to kill. He's not aggressive.
Does he drive a pick-up?
Yes.
What colour is the truck? Blue, I think.
Same colour as the one Izelle got in before she died.
Can you describe him?
Brown hair, blue eyes.
He told me that he was treated for madness at Tygerberg.
He'd be a catch if he wasn't so bizarre.
When he can't get it up, he just lies there saying weird stuff.
Like what?
Tell her about the bottle. Oh, yeah.
He asked me if he could stick a glass bottle up me.
Yeah. AJ.
Tell the team the pick-up they're looking for is blue.
Yeah. Eva said this guy asked
if he could stick a glass bottle inside her.
Like Elri. Yeah.
Yeah. And she said that he told her he was being treated for madness.
Yeah, but this happened with the Station Strangler remember?
He checked himself into hospital
just after killing some of the boys.
Thought he could claim madness if he's caught.
Yeah, I know. I know.
Institutions.
The least they could have done was hang some pictures on the wall.
Don't knock it.
Doing this job, we might both end up here.
There were two patients. Can you describe them?
Well, the first one was 27.
He was black, about 5'10".
And the other one was 50.
White.
With dark hair.
What's the second one's name?
You know I can't discuss
Unless he poses a serious threat to his own life
or to the lives of others.
Yeah. I know.
This man is a suspect in the prostitute murders, Doctor.
William Truter.
What's his diagnosis?
There wasn't one.
He claimed to have amnesia,
but we couldn't find any medical or psychiatric problems.
Someone brought him in
after they found him walking in the streets in a haze.
Do you have an address? Nothing specific.
Only that he had a caravan in Parrow.
Thank you.
We've got two patrol cars watching the caravan.
Went through all the files again.
Found this witness statement from last year.
There was a sighting of a man
in the same truck as treated
at the scene where Ane Pelser was dumped. Good work.
When? 12 hours before her body was found.
Oh, come on, Rikus.
You've got to admit, we're building to something here.
It's still circumstantial.
He's out there, Rikus and he's going to kill again.
This is your chance to make a difference.
Keep these women safe. That's what you said.
OK. Really?
You think it's enough?
You'll make it enough when you get him to confess.
Mr Truter.
My name is Micki Pistorius and I'm a criminal psychologist.
That'sit's very nice,
but I don't need a shrink.
Well, this isn't a confidential doctor-patient interview, Mr Truter.
I just want to ask you a few questions.
Sure. Fire away.
OK.
Well, do you work?
I used to.
What was your job? I was a mechanic.
Oh. So, you like cars?
Yeah. Did do.
Yeah, when I was a kid.
And why did you lose your job?
Why does anyone lose their job?
Work dried up.
Well
That must have been really hard for you.
Yeah, well. Money's tough.
That's why I live in a fucking caravan.
How do you afford to eat? People help me.
Grace still pays for my food.
Grace. Who's Grace?
She's my ex-wife. She lives two blocks away on Bluken Street.
She still loves me. Who could blame her?
Are you married, Micki?
I'm afraid that's not relevant.
You were. It went wrong, too. Yeah?
He couldn't cope with you talking to other men
in such intimate circumstances.
In case you found them more attractive than him.
Do you use prostitutes, William?
No?
Whores.
Me?
Do you know how many women I've got?
Are you going to tell me?
Too many to count.
I'm a real gentleman.
I love women. They love me.
You know, I can tell straightaway when someone's attracted to me.
But no. No. No, I don't pay for sex.
And?
We need something more concrete.
I've checked his tyres.
They don't match the tracks where Elri was found.
Maybe he changed them.
Maybe is not good enough.
Let's see if forensics have come back with anything from inside.
Sure thing.
It's definitely him, Rikus.
I can't charge him on a hunch, Micki.
It's Good Friday tomorrow. The courts are closed till Tuesday.
There's every chance we'll have to release him tonight.
Hey
He said his wife still lives on Bluken Street.
You take Erika. Let her do the talking.
I'll stay here in case he wants to speak up.
ERIKA: Can you tell me about when William left?
It was a Sunday.
I was hanging out his clothes.
He tried to shout me down.
Said I'd ruined his T-shirt.
I got brave. What do you mean?
I faced up to him. You know, like this.
I said to him, "If you speak to me like that again, I'll kill you."
Must have taken me seriously
because he walked out that door and he's never come back.
And do you miss having him around? No.
He didn't like sex.
He
He couldn't get aroused and didn't make me feel very attractive.
And the lies.
What lies?
You know, saying he was going out for bread
and coming back six hours later.
I used to check the meter on his truck.
It always showed he'd been many kilometres away.
That day that I ruined his T-shirt, stood up to him
(PHONE RINGS)
I knew. I knew that was the beginning of my freedom.
If we needed you to say all of this again in a statement,
would you be willing to?
Sure.
Good. Excuse me.
Hello?
Rikus. I'm with the forensic team at the location.
It's going very well.
We searched his pick-up truck.
You're never going to believe what we found.
The missing earring.
Can I ask you what he's done?
When the time is right, I'll let you know.
But you've been very helpful.
OK. Uh
When I used to challenge him about where he'd been
..he used to say he had amnesia.
Forensics found fingerprints and the missing earring.
Well, that's good, right? It was.
Now, the commissioner wants trace evidence,
something that links William directly to the victim.
Grace said he used to travel far
when he told her he was just going for bread.
It's still just circumstantial.
If we don't nail him today,
the court's going to force us to release him.
Micki's going to have to try to coax a confession.
She doesn't coax. It's not what the job is.
Tell me more about your mother.
I loved her. We were close.
How close?
I slept in her bed until I was 16. Once my dad died, she got bored.
Did you go to school? Sometimes.
My friends thought it was weird that I slept in her bed, too.
But, hey. Everyone's got their thing, you know?
What's yours, Micki?
We have women that can ID you as a client.
Tell me when you started using prostitutes.
When I was 20. I stopped a year later.
Why? I caught something. Put me off.
Then I met my wife. Grace. Yeah?
Yeah.
Like I said. Didn't work out.
I used to drive at night just to get away from her.
Back to the prostitutes? No.
To read a book. For peace.
"Can you do this? Can you take me there?
"When are you gonna clean the gara?"
You weren't like that, were you, Micki?
You didn't tell your ex what to do.
Men who drive out to get away from their wives
don't usually go and read a book.
You want me to tell you about the girls, don't you?
What I did to them.
This is what you do, isn't it?
You extract information.
I'll tell you about my little secrets.
If that's what you want.
Did you murder those women?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Sorry, I failed you. You haven't.
What's all that about sleeping with his mother?
I think he's in love with her.
You told us he had a difficult relationship with her.
Yeah. No, he
He felt mentally castrated by her and by his father.
He doesn't kill the women who are patient with him like Eva.
They represent good mothers.
The ones he kills represent bad mothers.
Then why didn't he kill his wife?
She represents something else.
She's too familiar.
None of this is any use to us anyway.
We need to put more pressure on him.
It's all part of the game he wants us to play.
No, no. I'm tired of games. He's not going to admit it.
We've been forced to release him. What?
Well, we can keep watching the caravan.
If he goes anywhere, we'll be right behind.
There are women fucking dying out there, Rikus.
Surveillance isn't going to stop that.
There's nothing else we can do.
Are you giving up?
Hey.
I can't tell you how much I've needed this after the day I've had.
Now try being stuck in a room with a killer.
No, wait. Wait. I refuse to bore you any more with my day.
It's a Saturday.
Does that mean that I can't bore you with mine?
No. No. You can do whatever you want. Let me be clear.
Sorry. It's just
It's really good to see you.
Hey. Don't let him get to you.
Till you find something concrete. Why tear yourself inside out?
Just
Because he's walking free and I know what he's capable of.
Sorry. We haven't seen each other in two weeks and we're stuck here.
How about we go back to mine?
That I can do..
(PHONE RINGS)
Yep.
Shit.
Yeah, near Macassar?
OK. Yeah. Thanks, Rikus.
Where is Erika?
Uh, she's on her way to the unit. She called to apologise.
That's 19 women now, Rikus.
Listen, someone called one of our operators
said that more prostitutes are going to be found.
And admitted to the other killings.
We taped it. It's being analysed.
OK. Thanks.
(SIREN WAILS)
Hey!
This is wilful damage to dignity and reputation, Mr Truter.
What's that?
You know what it is. You put them up.
You're trying to control our perception of you.
Why would I do that?
To make yourself look mad.
These are copies of your medical records.
And tell me about these blackouts when you went to Tygerberg Hospital.
How can I tell you about something that I can't remember?
It's all in here.
The doctors told us they couldn't find anything wrong with you.
Yeah, well, they missed it.
There's something wrong with me. No, you're making it up.
Where were you born?
Porterville.
And what was your childhood like?
I hated my father.
He beat my Mama.
When he died, she got a new boyfriend. I
I hated him, too.
Did he beat you?
No.
But when he moved in, Mama ignored me.
We also found this earring in your pick-up.
Do you recognise it?
It matches an earring found on a victim near Kuilsriver.
And we have witnesses.
Working girls that say that you're a customer.
So, what?
Those whores have hundreds of men like me.
One of your prostitutes told me
you find it difficult to get an erection.
No?
Don't listen to her, Micki.
We also have fingerprints.
Look, I don't have the money to pay them,
so why would I pick them up?
Well, you knew you were going to kill them,
so you didn't need the money.
Willy
..you can speak to me.
Tell me what happened.
You can talk to me.
Did you kill those girls?
I
I could have done. Yes.
But you'd have to prove it. Yeah.
I'm done with this.
Sit back down. Why should I?
I want to do what's right for you.
There's something I want to tell you. Something
..I want to confess.
Well?
No.
I'm sorry.
I thought I'd tell you in confidence, but now I'm
..not sure I should say anything after all.
Interview terminated.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello?
RIKUS: Are you sitting down?
What is it? It's William.
The state prosecutor's not happy.
They're going to release him.
Oh, tell me you're not serious? That's
Rikus, that's fucking bullshit.
I'm sorry, Micki.
I know you worked so hard.
We all did.
I just can't believe after all that work, we still end up failing them.
Those poor women.
When did you last have a proper meal? I mean a home-cooked meal.
I honestly can't remember.
Maybe a year ago.
There's just so many dead women.
I have to go deeper.
I have to get him. I just
I'm so sorry.
It's not your fault. It is my fault.
Think about all the lives you're saving.
As women, we will always look out for each other. We're family.
You're family now, Micki.
Thank you.
Come on, eat up.
You looking to have some fun? Yeah. I do.
Do you have some cash on you?
(CONVERSATION CONTINUES)
Captions by Red Bee Media (c) SBS Australia 2024