Murder on Middle Beach (2020) s01e01 Episode Script
Mom's Dead
1
Where are your toes?
There's your toes?
Where are your fingers?
Hi, Daddy.
That's right.
Hi, everybody.
We start with breaking news
in Madison tonight,
where a body has been found
in a waterfront home there.
Police tonight are treating it
as a homicide.
News Channel 8
first on the scene
at Middle Beach Road.
News Channel 8's Sara Welch
joins us
live in Madison tonight,
and what do you know, Sara?
Madison police
and state police have been
out at this home
at 44 Middle Beach Road
since about 11:30 this morning.
Let's take a look.
You can see the road is
blocked off by police.
They are treating this case
as a homicide.
It's hard to see
44 Middle Beach Road
from this vantage point.
Here's what we do know:
a woman in her late 40s was
found injured in her yard.
She was pronounced dead
at the scene.
Police are not releasing
the victim's name,
but News Channel 8 has learned
that a woman
named Barbara Hamburg
rents the house.
I said, "No, you're not
telling me that.
It's not real."
And it was real.
It was like being hit
by a boulder.
I had two voicemails
from my father,
two voicemails from Leu,
and three from Chris.
And I went, "Well,
either we hit the lottery,
or something awful
has happened.
What was your first reaction?
Didn't sound right
the whole way up here.
You know, essentially saying
that my sister had
been murdered.
Um
I remember my mom texted me.
And I was just, like, standing
in the middle of the terminal
like, "What the fuck?"
What happened when you got home?
Oh, man.
Like, the chaos begins.
The medical examiner ruling
the killing a homicide,
describing the cause of death
as "blunt force trauma
and sharp force injury."
What kind of wounds did she have?
She was stabbed.
She had a terrible head wound.
Her carotid artery
was stabbed.
All over.
They say it was 18 times.
Right now, the coroner,
M.E. are on scene.
State police,
along with Madison police,
are on scene,
trying to figure out
who killed this woman.
Police won't say if the killing was random,
or if this mother
was targeted.
This is a crime of passion.
People don't get murdered,
and that brutally,
without it being
a very personal thing.
Stunned and shocked, friends
of 48-year-old Barbara Hamburg
flooding Facebook,
offering sympathy
for her teenage son
and daughter.
Meantime, detectives combing
the yard where she was found.
I know it's.. it's tough
to think about this.
I just have a couple questions.
- Yeah, it's fine.
What was your best recollection
of coming home?
Something wasn't right.
We were calling her.
We couldn't get in touch
with her.
Ali and I pulled up,
and Ali's like, "Why is
Mom's car in the driveway?"
And I said, "I don't know.
I don't know, Al."
Her keys were in the door,
but the door was locked.
And we go inside
and we're screaming her name.
We're calling out for her.
We don't know where she is.
She's nowhere to be found.
Nothing is making sense.
I go around the house,
and I hear Conway screaming.
I see these cushions
up against the bushes
and I'm like, "What the hell?"
So I pull one cushion off
and I'm like, "Oh.
It's an animal."
Why did you think it was an animal?
All I could see was, like,
mushed-up hair and blood.
So you pull back
the second cushion,
what happens?
It's your mom.
Hi, Madison.
Madison!
Hi.
Barbara Hamburg's son posted
a message on Facebook
saying now is the time
to stay strong.
That's what his mother
would've wanted.
She said, "Mom's dead."
I just wanted to wake up.
'Cause I knew
that that couldn't be real.
Everything that was important
in my life then
within, like, a split second
Meant nothing.
We're about to take
a brief tour of Connecticut.
In this astronaut's-eye view
from outer space,
it appears small
geographically,
but it looms
increasingly large
the closer one approaches.
Connecticut is
strategically located
between New York and Boston
in the heart of the rich
northeastern market.
It's a state
of dynamic economic growth,
rich in variety
and full of opportunity.
Are you busy right now?
So I told you I've been working
on, like, a couple projects,
right?
I'm doing a documentary on my mom.
Yeah.
And I was just calling
to ask you
if you would be willing..
I'm going to Connecticut
this weekend.
I was asking you
if you would be willing to
to be interviewed about it.
Just about, like, her life.
What do you mean?
There they are.
Hi, Grammy.
- Morning.
Good morning.
Hi, sweetness.
How's my dear grandson?
How are you?
Aww, it's good to see you,
honeybunch.
Is it good?
Check, one, two, one, two.
This is a picture of the four Barbaras.
That's my mother,
known as Gram,
on the right, Barbara,
and in the middle,
that's me, Barbara,
and this is Madison's mom
on the left, Barbara,
and that's Ali, who is really
Barbara Alexandra.
So we have four Barbaras.
And two of them are
no longer with us.
It's hard to believe that part.
And we have
Madison, Ali, and Brian.
Brian is Maddie's half brother,
who is a doctor.
Yeah.
This is great.
I love your glasses.
Oh, my gosh.
Barbie looked the most like me
of all my daughters.
I would go down
to Grandparents' Day
and people would come along
and they'd say,
"I know who you are."
"You're Madison's grandma,
"'cause you look
just like Barbie.
Barbie looks just like you."
Can you describe
the last time
you talked to her?
Your mom?
Well, I can describe
the last time I saw her better.
She was here.
She was visiting.
And she and I sat in that bed
and talked a long time
that night before she left.
About life and, you know
I remember distinctly
her walking away
- Everybody smile.
- Yeah.
Aww.
And I know I talked to Mom
on the phone
after that many times,
but that image sticks with me.
That's an important image.
And that was not too long
before she was murdered.
We had a great relationship,
your mom and I.
We truly, truly did.
So I miss her terribly.
And hopefully this will
you'll get a good grade.
That's not what this is about, Grammy.
- Oh, it's not?
- No, this is way more.
This is
- Oh, I know.
- Kay.
- I love you.
I love you too.
The hardest thing for me
was to watch you
have to go through all that,
'cause you were 18
and you had to act
like you were
21, 22, 23.
That had to be
very, very hard, Maddie.
The rest of us couldn't do it
for you.
You had to do it.
The vigil started
about a half hour ago
with family and friends
gathering around.
They lit candles
in her memory.
They wanna keep it fresh
in the public's memory
in case
somebody comes forward.
It's just always that
unanswered question out there
about your mom's murder.
And it affects
the entire family.
We believe if we continue
to have these vigils
every year,
that somewhere, someone,
they'll be able to come forward
and help the police
solve the case.
Conway interview, take one.
Marker.
Your mom was amazing.
She was so smart.
She had all the boys
wanting her.
She was beautiful.
And so many friends.
So many friends.
People just wanted
to be with Barb.
She was a treasure.
She was my baby sister.
She was great fun to be around.
I can see her
coming up the stairs.
Your mother had secrets,
so I don't know.
She didn't share
all of her secrets with me.
But I always knew
she had secrets
that were.. that were dark secrets,
because she had this way
of breathing and smiling
that, to me, it was a coverup
for something that was
very heavy in her heart.
So I don't know what that was,
but I just knew
there was something.
Always knew
there was something.
narrator: This is your world
and the important people
in it.
The people who will love you,
help you, and hinder you
in your job of growing
to be a man.
Let's start with your father
and mother.
In a few days,
they take you home,
and some
of the most important days
of your life begin.
Ran right to the dog.
Well, you grew up
with a silver spoon, you know.
You had everything
you needed, wanted.
You lived
in a beautiful house.
Then you had the house
in Connecticut
that was a summer house
for a while.
Whoa.
- Little sailor.
Say "Thank you, Mommy."
They tried to educate you,
send you to the best schools.
There were nannies
and chauffeurs.
There's Daddy.
Ooh, there you go!
Daddy.
Getting ready for school.
That's a nice outfit.
Say bye-bye to Daddy.
Your father was a multi-multimillionaire.
He was CEO
of Southern Electric.
announcer:
The Southern Company.
You know, your mom was
wearing nicer clothes,
and, you know, just..
things seemed simpler
for her financially.
He seemed like
a really nice man.
In the beginning, oh, God,
the day I met your father,
he.. I laughed so hard
I was crying.
He was one
of the most charismatic,
funny, intelligent people,
and to your mother, he was..
he was the knight
in shining armor.
He was a prince.
I think your mom thought
and believed
in her heart of hearts
that she married
the man of her dreams.
She was head over heels in love
and felt like
she was kinda living the dream.
Hawaii and traveling the world
and
I think she really felt
this was wonderful.
Whee!
Smile for the camera
with your big tongue.
- Nice Mommy.
- Hi.
Having babies,
she just came alive.
What a beautiful boy!
What a beautiful boy!
I think that she thought,
"Wow, this is..
"this is real.
"This is valuable.
This makes me important."
I think she was a great mother.
I really do.
I mean, if she could put up
with me, she was..
anyone that could put up
with me was a good mom.
Maddie, you were not a bad child.
I don't know
where you get that.
Do you like it?
Is it good?
I always knew you'd be doing this
because you were always
the little director.
It was hysterical.
You were the man
behind the camera.
- That's it.
- That weird?
It's.. look at my teeth.
I'm glad to see you're doing it.
They had you and Ali.
So I think in the beginning,
it was very good.
But, you know,
stuff happens, right?
Things change.
Is the documentary about
Barbie being murdered,
or is the documentary about
who Barbie was?
- Who she was.
- Yeah?
It's about.. I mean, that's a part..
it's about her life,
and that is a part of her life,
and then it's also
kind of about the family too.
There she is.
Purple on white.
I don't know what had turned,
but something had turned.
I remember looking at her
one time
and she looked so different.
She seemedhurt.
Like she was pretending.
And I could tell that their
relationship was different.
And then when we would visit,
Jeff wasn't even there.
It was just visiting Barbie.
And I didn't ask her about it.
I didn't talk about it.
I'm sorry I didn't.
I mean, she was living
such a privileged life
when she met your father,
and you guys were living
such a privileged life.
There's Daddy. What a wonderful man.
And a hard worker.
But your dad got in trouble
when he was working
at Southern Electric,
and they fired him
for making an illegal deal
out of the country.
But he took them to court,
and he won $3.5 million,
I believe,
for defamation of character.
I think after what happened at Southern,
something changed him.
Your mom always said that
that was such a blow to him.
He was always trying
to prove himself
by doing other ventures.
And then when he started
to travel and not come home,
that's when the problems began
because your mother was
left alone all the time.
And she was feeling like
a single mother.
And she was feeling as though
she had been deserted.
Your dad pretty much abandoned her.
So she filed for divorce.
That was really
a tough decision
for her to make, you know?
The anger that your father had
over your mother
ending the marriage came out
in not supporting her
physically;
not giving child support,
not paying for the bills,
not taking care
of any of the financial parts
that he was
supposed to take care of.
He just wanted
to impoverish her.
It seemed like a goal
that he had set for himself.
And it was very sad
to see that all happen,
because there are so many more
wonderful things to focus on
than revenge and anger.
- Bye-bye. I love you.
- Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome for coming tonight.
Madison Police Department,
with the Connecticut
State Police
and the office
of the chief state's attorney
from New Haven County.
We're continuing
our investigation
into the death
of Barbara Hamburg
from Middle Beach Road West
in Madison.
At this time,
we're seeking to locate
her former husband,
Jeffrey Hamburg,
date of birth 8/5/48.
He's a white male,
6 feet tall with hazel eyes.
Last known address is in
West Hartford, Connecticut,
Timberwood Road.
There's a statewide manhunt on
from Hartford to West Hartford,
even over to Windsor.
We started off
in West Hartford.
Take a look.
This is what we found.
State police
at an affluent condo complex
where the owner of record
is Jeffrey Hamburg.
There were also
some detectives
at an Alstrom
engineering plant,
where they say Hamburg worked.
They could not find him there
as well.
Now, the neighbors
we talked to say
Hamburg lives
in this condo complex.
He's lived in this unit here
for about a year,
though in that year time,
they've only seen him once.
On his front doorstep,
the newspapers sit unread,
and the people in the area
were surprised,
especially when they saw
the state police come up
and ring the front door
looking for him.
Do you have any opinion
on who you..
who you think
could've done this?
Well
It seems to me that your father
was in the position
to lose the most if she lived,
and that was the day
he was supposed to go to jail.
Barbara Hamburg was to be
in court this morning
with her ex-husband
Jeffrey Hamburg,
but she never showed up
for that court hearing.
The couple divorced in 2005,
followed by years
of legal wrangling,
and he owed
back child support.
I mean, he had been withholding money.
From what Barb told me,
she was going to throw him
in jail.
Richard Callahan, attorney
for Barbara Hamburg's estate,
says Jeff Hamburg has
cried broke for too long
while living
a lavish lifestyle.
All right. Take one.
Marker.
I'll tell you what I told
the state police that day.
Your father had been ordered
and had promised to make
certain payments.
Either your dad showed up
with the money,
or I'd be asking the court
to find him in contempt
of the court's orders
and incarcerate him
until he paid.
How much did he owe in total?
$153,000 to your mother
and $324,000
to you and your sister.
There was no question
he did not have the money
on March 3rd.
Police say Jeff Hamburg was stealing money
from his daughter's
college fund
about four years after he
and his wife Barbara divorced.
What time did court start that day?
9:30.
Normally, your mom's there
at 9:00, 9:15.
-What was my dad's demeanor like?
I don't know whether I could say
that there was a change
in his demeanor,
but there was no complaint
to me
from him or his lawyer
saying, "Where's your client?
Why isn't she here?"
And that is what struck me.
But I should back up,
because
that suggests that I know
that your father did something,
which I do not know.
He just was the prime suspect
because of the circumstances
of that day.
narrator:
All parents have dreams.
And they have definite ideas
of what they want you to be.
It isn't easy with a father
who's never satisfied.
Always wants you
a little different,
a little better.
More like his dream.
From the time that I met you,
the relationship with your dad
was not good.
You know, it was very
Controlling.
I think you had
a really close relationship
with your mom,
probably closer
than most teenage boys.
You were more like peers
in some ways,
so you had a hard time
when she
tried to lay down the law
with you.
You were using substances,
and you were expelled
from school.
Your dad got angry
about a letter I had written
to the court
that stated
that you didn't wanna live..
go to his house
or spend time with him.
He thought
that that was my opinion.
So once we clarified, really,
that I was stating something
that you had stated,
it was cleared up,
but I got a subpoena
from the law.. from his lawyer.
Yeah, I remember.
He, like, freaked out.
He, like, started,
like, attacking you, kinda.
And then your mom called me
the next day.
To tell me that you were
worried about me.
That you didn't like the way
your dad was treating me.
Can you talk about after?
Like, the months
after the murder?
You came to see me.
You left school.
And you came back to see me.
Only for a few sessions though.
Because, you know,
you were not in a place
that you could function
in school.
You were afraid
of, like, your own safety.
And then shortly after,
all communication
with your dad stopped.
I knew that there were
things in your dad's history.
-Hi. Enough.
Your mom told me that he had been involved
in something overseas.
He had, I don't know
how many passports.
Five?
So it was a surprise.
You know, to go from the CEO
of Southern Electric
to a life that few people
could begin to understand.
announcer: Electric energy
into the future.
Can you hear your daddy?
Where's Daddy?
Where's Daddy?
A first look at Jeffrey Hamburg
as he walks to court
this morning with his lawyer.
This is his first
public appearance,
at an alimony
and child support hearing,
since his ex-wife Barbara Beach-Hamburg
was found murdered
earlier this month.
The ex-husband has hired
well-known criminal defense
lawyer Hugh Keefe..
Lynch, Traube, Keefe, & Errante handles
all kinds of criminal cases;
murder, sexual assault,
kidnapping,
embezzlement, tax evasion,
conspiracies.
Your father immediately got an attorney
so that he wouldn't have to go
to the police.
If I thought
I had something to hide,
I wouldn't be wanting to talk
to the police.
Also in court today: police.
This is a routine support hearing.
There are more police officers
than lawyers
in that courtroom today.
The police, when they have
a situation like this,
automatically look
at the spouse or ex-spouse.
The attorney that your dad hired,
people were afraid of him
in the courtroom.
He's pretty masterful.
Keefe says Hamburg gave police
a sample of his DNA and hair
last week.
I assume everything came back negative,
or he would've been arrested.
Also at today's post-divorce hearing,
Barbara's sister,
Conway Beach.
Have you spoken to Jeffrey at all?
No, I have not,
and that's all I have.
Why do you think
the police haven't opened
a case against my father
about the murder?
I think the police were..
dropped the ball
on your mother's murder,
if you want the truth.
I mean, it's very difficult
to think of a small town
like Madison
not being able to solve
this egregious crime.
It sounds like there was
a sort of screw-up
or something with the DNA.
I'm not really sure.
We were asked as a family
to wait to run the DNA
because apparently there was
a new DNA lab being built,
and it was gonna be the best.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a pleasure to be here
in Meriden
to celebrate the groundbreaking
for the state
forensic science laboratory.
Connecticut is a known leader
in the field
of forensic science,
and this project will
reinforce this distinction.
So we waited
for this new DNA lab
to be built.
We believe we are
the premiere laboratory
in the United States
and in the world.
They ran the DNA and
the DNA kit was faulty.
And the difference
between verdicts of guilty
and verdicts of not guilty
depends to a great extent
upon the integrity
of a laboratory such as ours.
Now, the state crime lab is under
some extra pressure right now
because a recent audit
of its DNA processes
came up with some problems,
and its accreditation
also has expired.
To be quite honest with you, Madison,
I don't even know
if there is any DNA left.
And it scares the shit
out of me.
After the medical examiner finished,
she was cremated.
I mean,
that's a family tradition.
Knowing what I know now,
one should wait
a little longer
until all evidence has been
collected properly
before you cremate them,
because DNA is
so important now.
Yeah.
Somebody's missing something.
Cases can be solved
without DNA.
There's been some scuttlebutt
about the Madison
Police Department being
less than ethical
that I think
needs to be investigated.
As you know, the state's attorney
now investigating
the ongoings here
at the Madison
Police Department.
Instead of making arrests,
two Madison police officers are
placed under arrest.
Three police officers have been fired.
Officers were allegedly
meeting with prostitutes,
frequenting strip clubs
and massage parlors,
and establishing
a motorcycle gang.
Conversation
at the coffee shop
is often about bad cops.
People here are tired
of the little bit of corruption
that keeps cropping up
in the police department.
Madison Police Officer is
stripped of his badge.
Suspended and arrested
for abusing police data..
charged with stealing
seafood from a restaurant..
now accused of stealing
gasoline from the town pump.
It's a concern
when the people
that you trust to
to take care of things
are less than honest
themselves.
I have no proof of that.
Only a lot of
concern.
narrator: This is the town
you will grow up in.
A nice, warm world.
A happy, secure community.
An atmosphere
that prepares you
to find your place
in the world with confidence
and the best use
of your abilities.
Hey. It's Madison.
I told you before I'm doing a documentary
on my mother for a class.
And I was just seeing
if there was any way
I could get
an interview with someone
just about.. just to go over,
like, what the crime scene..
or something that I can use
for my documentary.
Um
Okay.
Right.
Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
Okay.
He doesn't know
if we can do an interview,
but, like, what if, um
I'm going in for questioning
on Friday.
What if I, like, brought in
a recorder?
Risky.
Well, I could record it
with my phone.
Risky.
It'd be worth it.
Yeah, it would.
See what kinda questions
they're asking you.
Madison, what brings us
to the police station today?
I am about to get interrogated.
It's just one
of the many things
that I have to put up with
since someone
came and killed my mother.
Hi. Can I help you?
Hey, I'm here to see
Detective Mulhern.
- Your name, please?
- Madison.
- Madison?
- Yeah.
Is that your last name or first name?
- It's my first name.
- And your last name?
Hamburg.
Okay, I'll tell them that you're here.
Okay. Thank you.
I don't even know if I'm,
like, prepared for this.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, good.
I mean
they don't wanna
give us anything,
but they want the doc.
They want, like,
all of our files.
What would it help them?
They think that, like,
people would tell us things
in interviews
that they wouldn't tell them.
- Hey. How's it going?
- Hey. What's going on?
Nothing, I just gotta
catch up with you, that's all.
Yeah.
I wanted to ask
if you talked
to your attorney again.
Yeah, I can't.
I can't.
There's no way.
Sorry about that.
What's, like, the main reason you can't..
Madison, I just can't discuss it.
It's just it's a unqualified no, so
Dad, can, like, I ask you
some questions?
No. No.
No, let's just leave it
at that.
I just wanna know why..
why that I can't..
why you can't even just talk
to me.
I know you wanna know answers,
and I know you wanna know
about your mom
and her life
and all that stuff.
I just.. it's just not..
maybe in years ahead,
we can have this conversation,
but not now.
I just don't think that's fair.
Yeah. A lot of things aren't fair.
I'm sorry.
I don't think that you're sorry.
Okay, well, you can
believe me or not believe me.
It's your choice.
Do you want this case to get solved?
Madison, I'm not going to answer
any more questions about it.
At this point.. at this point..
As far as I'm concerned,
I cannot answer any..
Madison, I can't answer
any more questions.
At this point, I honestly,
in my honest opinion,
don't know if you want
this case to be solved.
If.. I don't know if you care
more about covering yourself
than this case being solved,
which doesn't make any sense,
'cause if this case is solved
and if you're innocent..
I have nothing to add.
I have nothing to add.
I have no knowledge
of your mother's life,
uh, really.
You were married to her for 13 years.
- Well, yeah, but I have no..
- And you were dealing with..
- I have no.. I don't know anything.
How do you expect me to trust you?
Madison,
that's a decision you have to make.
Is it? Is it?
It's a decision
based on your secrecy.
Madison, it's a decision.. it's a decision
that you have to make.
I would hope
that you would understand,
but if you don't, you don't.
I mean, that's your decision.
Maybe one day, you'll get
the courage together to
to face this stuff
and change something,
but until then, that's..
you're gonna stay
in the same spot.
Because that's.. you are
one of the main pieces
that's stopping everything.
I guess that I gotta..
I have other things
I gotta do today.
Okay.
- All right.
- Yeah. Bye.
Bye.
I tried.
I mean
He doesn't wanna
doesn't wanna help.
Doesn't want anything
to change.
This is where I found
my sister murdered.
He's here, Barbie.
I guess all I wanna say is I love you.
And I'm gonna do
whatever I can
to find out
what happened to you.
My mom's been dead
for six years.
Nothing's happened
with the case.
I thought it would hold me back
from, you know,
my immediate goals.
I was wrapped up with school.
We were kinda waiting for
Like, some sort of..
someone to come forward.
Some sort of momentum.
And I feel like
if I don't do it,
that if I don't cause,
like, a reason
for people to notice,
it's just gonna stay
what it is.
To go back?
I don't think I can ever be prepared
to fully go back
to that place.
But I feel like
this is a second chance
to actually face
what was happening
and not run away from it
like I was.
We have to figure out
where I'm gonna walk.
Where do you think he would walk to?
- Back to the subway.
- Back to the subway?
So you should walk the other way.
So he can't follow you anywhere.
Yeah.
When was the last time
you guys saw each other?
Like, I honestly can't remember.
So we're here.
The restaurant
that they're meeting in
is across the street
over there,
probably, I don't know,
30 yards away.
Loop it, and then you could
tape it somewhere if you want.
Talk.
Hello, hello, hello.
I can't fucking
Okay, I'll give him this.
'Kay.
Oh.
Sorry.
How are you feeling, Madison?
Pretty.. pretty weird.
There he is. There he is.
Shh.
Okay.
That was really stressful
for me,
and I felt it
leading up to it,
and that entire time,
my heart was racing.
- Are we rolling?
- Yep.
- Yes.
I'd never had a beer
with my dad.
First time.
I wanna show you something.
This is my, like,
memories thing.
This is pretty much
what I have left.
Wait, what's that from?
The crematorium.
It's weird,
like, thinking about someone
so close to you
as, like, remains.
It's a piece of history,
I guess.
From my history.
I got you.
After the funeral, I had this dream.
I was at this dinner,
and I'm looking at this woman,
and I realize that's my mom.
And her hair is long
and I'm like,
"Mom, you're beautiful."
And she's just like,
"Your hair keeps growing
after you die."
The only regret I think
I could ever have
She came down to visit
and I went on a date
instead of seeing her.
She came down to see me.
She came down
on Valentine's Day.
This one's to Maddie.
Aww.
Happy first Valentine.
Is that pretty?
It's a heart.
I talked to her the night before.
And I told her I loved her
and that I was sorry
about Valentine's Day.
How could.. you know,
how could I talk to her,
and within hours
She's murdered?
Growing up,
your parents are your heroes.
My mother was a superhero.
When people get to adulthood,
they get to meet their parents
as human beings,
and I didn't have that.
I need to meet that person.
And this is the only way
to do that.
So many baseball cards.
Hey.
- How's it going?
- Okay.
I'd like to hear from you
more often.
Do you get worried about me
or something?
Yeah, of course I do.
You're my son.
I'm worried about you.
I'm even worried
about your sister.
I never stopped loving her.
Still my daughter.
The past six years have been so crazy
that, like, I wish
I could just
do something about it.
I just don't know
what that is, you know?
Well, you're old enough to realize
that there really are
two sides to the story.
Mom's side of the family
were.. blame somebody,
so they're probably trying
to blame me.
But that doesn't fit
the facts.
I wasn't there.
You can't get an answer
if you don't have people
looking in the right places.
They're not looking
internally,
to Jill and to Conway.
I know your aunts have been
very good to you,
but they were both involved
in the other possibility.
Women's gifting circles.
- Gifting tables..
- Gifting circle..
They're what prosecutors
nationwide have called
a pyramid scheme.
Your aunt Jill, to me, gets a lot
of the potential blame here,
'cause she got your mother
into it,
and your mother was in it
in a big way
as a leader.
Two women found guilty
back in February
of running the table,
55-year-old Donna Bello
and 64-year-old Jill Platt
of Guilford.
Now these women are charged
with federal wire fraud
and filing false tax returns.
What's the motive?
Money.
Losses to victims totaled
more than $1 million.
Somebody was threatening your mom.
And the way
that police handled it,
it was just awful.
New evidence came up
and they just ignored it.
Anyway, I don't wanna talk
about it,
'cause she.. it'll be
disparaging about your mother,
and I don't wanna talk ill
about the dead.
But all I know is that it's..
it ruined my life
and continuing
to ruin my life.
I wish there was something
to do about it.
At the end of the day,
there's nothing you can do.
We're not investigators.
Why would someone wanna kill my mom?
I don't know.
The body was covered.
And usually, that shows remorse
by the person who did this.
You know, we don't want anybody
to see this.
I see that as something
very personal.
Could the murderer be
someone that we
It could be any of us
that you're talking to
right now.
Maybe whoever you speak to
might get a conscience
and maybe come out with it,
'cause they've been sick
of living with it.
Who knows?
Anything is possible.
Somebody somewhere
knows something.
You got the ball?
Yeah.
- Here.
- Ball?
- Here.
- Red ball?
- Yep.
Ali.
Madison got on the ball.
And?
Nice throw, Maddie.
Can you give the ball to Mom?
You wanna play?
Flowers?
You gonna get the flowers?
Okay.
Get the flowers.
Oh.
Aww.
Pretty flowers.
Madison got on the ball.
And?
Nice throw, Maddie.
I hope
I'm not disturbing you
with any of the questions.
No.
I mean, I don't wanna be
the one to drop the bombs here,
you know?
I'm ready for bombs.
The focus should be,
was there something else
going on?
Is there something
that we're missing?
With the gifting tables,
you joined with
a 5,000 dollar gift.
The gifting table was
a pyramid scheme.
It got out of control.
Some people can get to a point
where they can snap.
You
and my mother witnessed
a man wearing a ski mask
walk though our yard?
It was the day before
she was murdered.
Oh my god.
Where are your toes?
There's your toes?
Where are your fingers?
Hi, Daddy.
That's right.
Hi, everybody.
We start with breaking news
in Madison tonight,
where a body has been found
in a waterfront home there.
Police tonight are treating it
as a homicide.
News Channel 8
first on the scene
at Middle Beach Road.
News Channel 8's Sara Welch
joins us
live in Madison tonight,
and what do you know, Sara?
Madison police
and state police have been
out at this home
at 44 Middle Beach Road
since about 11:30 this morning.
Let's take a look.
You can see the road is
blocked off by police.
They are treating this case
as a homicide.
It's hard to see
44 Middle Beach Road
from this vantage point.
Here's what we do know:
a woman in her late 40s was
found injured in her yard.
She was pronounced dead
at the scene.
Police are not releasing
the victim's name,
but News Channel 8 has learned
that a woman
named Barbara Hamburg
rents the house.
I said, "No, you're not
telling me that.
It's not real."
And it was real.
It was like being hit
by a boulder.
I had two voicemails
from my father,
two voicemails from Leu,
and three from Chris.
And I went, "Well,
either we hit the lottery,
or something awful
has happened.
What was your first reaction?
Didn't sound right
the whole way up here.
You know, essentially saying
that my sister had
been murdered.
Um
I remember my mom texted me.
And I was just, like, standing
in the middle of the terminal
like, "What the fuck?"
What happened when you got home?
Oh, man.
Like, the chaos begins.
The medical examiner ruling
the killing a homicide,
describing the cause of death
as "blunt force trauma
and sharp force injury."
What kind of wounds did she have?
She was stabbed.
She had a terrible head wound.
Her carotid artery
was stabbed.
All over.
They say it was 18 times.
Right now, the coroner,
M.E. are on scene.
State police,
along with Madison police,
are on scene,
trying to figure out
who killed this woman.
Police won't say if the killing was random,
or if this mother
was targeted.
This is a crime of passion.
People don't get murdered,
and that brutally,
without it being
a very personal thing.
Stunned and shocked, friends
of 48-year-old Barbara Hamburg
flooding Facebook,
offering sympathy
for her teenage son
and daughter.
Meantime, detectives combing
the yard where she was found.
I know it's.. it's tough
to think about this.
I just have a couple questions.
- Yeah, it's fine.
What was your best recollection
of coming home?
Something wasn't right.
We were calling her.
We couldn't get in touch
with her.
Ali and I pulled up,
and Ali's like, "Why is
Mom's car in the driveway?"
And I said, "I don't know.
I don't know, Al."
Her keys were in the door,
but the door was locked.
And we go inside
and we're screaming her name.
We're calling out for her.
We don't know where she is.
She's nowhere to be found.
Nothing is making sense.
I go around the house,
and I hear Conway screaming.
I see these cushions
up against the bushes
and I'm like, "What the hell?"
So I pull one cushion off
and I'm like, "Oh.
It's an animal."
Why did you think it was an animal?
All I could see was, like,
mushed-up hair and blood.
So you pull back
the second cushion,
what happens?
It's your mom.
Hi, Madison.
Madison!
Hi.
Barbara Hamburg's son posted
a message on Facebook
saying now is the time
to stay strong.
That's what his mother
would've wanted.
She said, "Mom's dead."
I just wanted to wake up.
'Cause I knew
that that couldn't be real.
Everything that was important
in my life then
within, like, a split second
Meant nothing.
We're about to take
a brief tour of Connecticut.
In this astronaut's-eye view
from outer space,
it appears small
geographically,
but it looms
increasingly large
the closer one approaches.
Connecticut is
strategically located
between New York and Boston
in the heart of the rich
northeastern market.
It's a state
of dynamic economic growth,
rich in variety
and full of opportunity.
Are you busy right now?
So I told you I've been working
on, like, a couple projects,
right?
I'm doing a documentary on my mom.
Yeah.
And I was just calling
to ask you
if you would be willing..
I'm going to Connecticut
this weekend.
I was asking you
if you would be willing to
to be interviewed about it.
Just about, like, her life.
What do you mean?
There they are.
Hi, Grammy.
- Morning.
Good morning.
Hi, sweetness.
How's my dear grandson?
How are you?
Aww, it's good to see you,
honeybunch.
Is it good?
Check, one, two, one, two.
This is a picture of the four Barbaras.
That's my mother,
known as Gram,
on the right, Barbara,
and in the middle,
that's me, Barbara,
and this is Madison's mom
on the left, Barbara,
and that's Ali, who is really
Barbara Alexandra.
So we have four Barbaras.
And two of them are
no longer with us.
It's hard to believe that part.
And we have
Madison, Ali, and Brian.
Brian is Maddie's half brother,
who is a doctor.
Yeah.
This is great.
I love your glasses.
Oh, my gosh.
Barbie looked the most like me
of all my daughters.
I would go down
to Grandparents' Day
and people would come along
and they'd say,
"I know who you are."
"You're Madison's grandma,
"'cause you look
just like Barbie.
Barbie looks just like you."
Can you describe
the last time
you talked to her?
Your mom?
Well, I can describe
the last time I saw her better.
She was here.
She was visiting.
And she and I sat in that bed
and talked a long time
that night before she left.
About life and, you know
I remember distinctly
her walking away
- Everybody smile.
- Yeah.
Aww.
And I know I talked to Mom
on the phone
after that many times,
but that image sticks with me.
That's an important image.
And that was not too long
before she was murdered.
We had a great relationship,
your mom and I.
We truly, truly did.
So I miss her terribly.
And hopefully this will
you'll get a good grade.
That's not what this is about, Grammy.
- Oh, it's not?
- No, this is way more.
This is
- Oh, I know.
- Kay.
- I love you.
I love you too.
The hardest thing for me
was to watch you
have to go through all that,
'cause you were 18
and you had to act
like you were
21, 22, 23.
That had to be
very, very hard, Maddie.
The rest of us couldn't do it
for you.
You had to do it.
The vigil started
about a half hour ago
with family and friends
gathering around.
They lit candles
in her memory.
They wanna keep it fresh
in the public's memory
in case
somebody comes forward.
It's just always that
unanswered question out there
about your mom's murder.
And it affects
the entire family.
We believe if we continue
to have these vigils
every year,
that somewhere, someone,
they'll be able to come forward
and help the police
solve the case.
Conway interview, take one.
Marker.
Your mom was amazing.
She was so smart.
She had all the boys
wanting her.
She was beautiful.
And so many friends.
So many friends.
People just wanted
to be with Barb.
She was a treasure.
She was my baby sister.
She was great fun to be around.
I can see her
coming up the stairs.
Your mother had secrets,
so I don't know.
She didn't share
all of her secrets with me.
But I always knew
she had secrets
that were.. that were dark secrets,
because she had this way
of breathing and smiling
that, to me, it was a coverup
for something that was
very heavy in her heart.
So I don't know what that was,
but I just knew
there was something.
Always knew
there was something.
narrator: This is your world
and the important people
in it.
The people who will love you,
help you, and hinder you
in your job of growing
to be a man.
Let's start with your father
and mother.
In a few days,
they take you home,
and some
of the most important days
of your life begin.
Ran right to the dog.
Well, you grew up
with a silver spoon, you know.
You had everything
you needed, wanted.
You lived
in a beautiful house.
Then you had the house
in Connecticut
that was a summer house
for a while.
Whoa.
- Little sailor.
Say "Thank you, Mommy."
They tried to educate you,
send you to the best schools.
There were nannies
and chauffeurs.
There's Daddy.
Ooh, there you go!
Daddy.
Getting ready for school.
That's a nice outfit.
Say bye-bye to Daddy.
Your father was a multi-multimillionaire.
He was CEO
of Southern Electric.
announcer:
The Southern Company.
You know, your mom was
wearing nicer clothes,
and, you know, just..
things seemed simpler
for her financially.
He seemed like
a really nice man.
In the beginning, oh, God,
the day I met your father,
he.. I laughed so hard
I was crying.
He was one
of the most charismatic,
funny, intelligent people,
and to your mother, he was..
he was the knight
in shining armor.
He was a prince.
I think your mom thought
and believed
in her heart of hearts
that she married
the man of her dreams.
She was head over heels in love
and felt like
she was kinda living the dream.
Hawaii and traveling the world
and
I think she really felt
this was wonderful.
Whee!
Smile for the camera
with your big tongue.
- Nice Mommy.
- Hi.
Having babies,
she just came alive.
What a beautiful boy!
What a beautiful boy!
I think that she thought,
"Wow, this is..
"this is real.
"This is valuable.
This makes me important."
I think she was a great mother.
I really do.
I mean, if she could put up
with me, she was..
anyone that could put up
with me was a good mom.
Maddie, you were not a bad child.
I don't know
where you get that.
Do you like it?
Is it good?
I always knew you'd be doing this
because you were always
the little director.
It was hysterical.
You were the man
behind the camera.
- That's it.
- That weird?
It's.. look at my teeth.
I'm glad to see you're doing it.
They had you and Ali.
So I think in the beginning,
it was very good.
But, you know,
stuff happens, right?
Things change.
Is the documentary about
Barbie being murdered,
or is the documentary about
who Barbie was?
- Who she was.
- Yeah?
It's about.. I mean, that's a part..
it's about her life,
and that is a part of her life,
and then it's also
kind of about the family too.
There she is.
Purple on white.
I don't know what had turned,
but something had turned.
I remember looking at her
one time
and she looked so different.
She seemedhurt.
Like she was pretending.
And I could tell that their
relationship was different.
And then when we would visit,
Jeff wasn't even there.
It was just visiting Barbie.
And I didn't ask her about it.
I didn't talk about it.
I'm sorry I didn't.
I mean, she was living
such a privileged life
when she met your father,
and you guys were living
such a privileged life.
There's Daddy. What a wonderful man.
And a hard worker.
But your dad got in trouble
when he was working
at Southern Electric,
and they fired him
for making an illegal deal
out of the country.
But he took them to court,
and he won $3.5 million,
I believe,
for defamation of character.
I think after what happened at Southern,
something changed him.
Your mom always said that
that was such a blow to him.
He was always trying
to prove himself
by doing other ventures.
And then when he started
to travel and not come home,
that's when the problems began
because your mother was
left alone all the time.
And she was feeling like
a single mother.
And she was feeling as though
she had been deserted.
Your dad pretty much abandoned her.
So she filed for divorce.
That was really
a tough decision
for her to make, you know?
The anger that your father had
over your mother
ending the marriage came out
in not supporting her
physically;
not giving child support,
not paying for the bills,
not taking care
of any of the financial parts
that he was
supposed to take care of.
He just wanted
to impoverish her.
It seemed like a goal
that he had set for himself.
And it was very sad
to see that all happen,
because there are so many more
wonderful things to focus on
than revenge and anger.
- Bye-bye. I love you.
- Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome for coming tonight.
Madison Police Department,
with the Connecticut
State Police
and the office
of the chief state's attorney
from New Haven County.
We're continuing
our investigation
into the death
of Barbara Hamburg
from Middle Beach Road West
in Madison.
At this time,
we're seeking to locate
her former husband,
Jeffrey Hamburg,
date of birth 8/5/48.
He's a white male,
6 feet tall with hazel eyes.
Last known address is in
West Hartford, Connecticut,
Timberwood Road.
There's a statewide manhunt on
from Hartford to West Hartford,
even over to Windsor.
We started off
in West Hartford.
Take a look.
This is what we found.
State police
at an affluent condo complex
where the owner of record
is Jeffrey Hamburg.
There were also
some detectives
at an Alstrom
engineering plant,
where they say Hamburg worked.
They could not find him there
as well.
Now, the neighbors
we talked to say
Hamburg lives
in this condo complex.
He's lived in this unit here
for about a year,
though in that year time,
they've only seen him once.
On his front doorstep,
the newspapers sit unread,
and the people in the area
were surprised,
especially when they saw
the state police come up
and ring the front door
looking for him.
Do you have any opinion
on who you..
who you think
could've done this?
Well
It seems to me that your father
was in the position
to lose the most if she lived,
and that was the day
he was supposed to go to jail.
Barbara Hamburg was to be
in court this morning
with her ex-husband
Jeffrey Hamburg,
but she never showed up
for that court hearing.
The couple divorced in 2005,
followed by years
of legal wrangling,
and he owed
back child support.
I mean, he had been withholding money.
From what Barb told me,
she was going to throw him
in jail.
Richard Callahan, attorney
for Barbara Hamburg's estate,
says Jeff Hamburg has
cried broke for too long
while living
a lavish lifestyle.
All right. Take one.
Marker.
I'll tell you what I told
the state police that day.
Your father had been ordered
and had promised to make
certain payments.
Either your dad showed up
with the money,
or I'd be asking the court
to find him in contempt
of the court's orders
and incarcerate him
until he paid.
How much did he owe in total?
$153,000 to your mother
and $324,000
to you and your sister.
There was no question
he did not have the money
on March 3rd.
Police say Jeff Hamburg was stealing money
from his daughter's
college fund
about four years after he
and his wife Barbara divorced.
What time did court start that day?
9:30.
Normally, your mom's there
at 9:00, 9:15.
-What was my dad's demeanor like?
I don't know whether I could say
that there was a change
in his demeanor,
but there was no complaint
to me
from him or his lawyer
saying, "Where's your client?
Why isn't she here?"
And that is what struck me.
But I should back up,
because
that suggests that I know
that your father did something,
which I do not know.
He just was the prime suspect
because of the circumstances
of that day.
narrator:
All parents have dreams.
And they have definite ideas
of what they want you to be.
It isn't easy with a father
who's never satisfied.
Always wants you
a little different,
a little better.
More like his dream.
From the time that I met you,
the relationship with your dad
was not good.
You know, it was very
Controlling.
I think you had
a really close relationship
with your mom,
probably closer
than most teenage boys.
You were more like peers
in some ways,
so you had a hard time
when she
tried to lay down the law
with you.
You were using substances,
and you were expelled
from school.
Your dad got angry
about a letter I had written
to the court
that stated
that you didn't wanna live..
go to his house
or spend time with him.
He thought
that that was my opinion.
So once we clarified, really,
that I was stating something
that you had stated,
it was cleared up,
but I got a subpoena
from the law.. from his lawyer.
Yeah, I remember.
He, like, freaked out.
He, like, started,
like, attacking you, kinda.
And then your mom called me
the next day.
To tell me that you were
worried about me.
That you didn't like the way
your dad was treating me.
Can you talk about after?
Like, the months
after the murder?
You came to see me.
You left school.
And you came back to see me.
Only for a few sessions though.
Because, you know,
you were not in a place
that you could function
in school.
You were afraid
of, like, your own safety.
And then shortly after,
all communication
with your dad stopped.
I knew that there were
things in your dad's history.
-Hi. Enough.
Your mom told me that he had been involved
in something overseas.
He had, I don't know
how many passports.
Five?
So it was a surprise.
You know, to go from the CEO
of Southern Electric
to a life that few people
could begin to understand.
announcer: Electric energy
into the future.
Can you hear your daddy?
Where's Daddy?
Where's Daddy?
A first look at Jeffrey Hamburg
as he walks to court
this morning with his lawyer.
This is his first
public appearance,
at an alimony
and child support hearing,
since his ex-wife Barbara Beach-Hamburg
was found murdered
earlier this month.
The ex-husband has hired
well-known criminal defense
lawyer Hugh Keefe..
Lynch, Traube, Keefe, & Errante handles
all kinds of criminal cases;
murder, sexual assault,
kidnapping,
embezzlement, tax evasion,
conspiracies.
Your father immediately got an attorney
so that he wouldn't have to go
to the police.
If I thought
I had something to hide,
I wouldn't be wanting to talk
to the police.
Also in court today: police.
This is a routine support hearing.
There are more police officers
than lawyers
in that courtroom today.
The police, when they have
a situation like this,
automatically look
at the spouse or ex-spouse.
The attorney that your dad hired,
people were afraid of him
in the courtroom.
He's pretty masterful.
Keefe says Hamburg gave police
a sample of his DNA and hair
last week.
I assume everything came back negative,
or he would've been arrested.
Also at today's post-divorce hearing,
Barbara's sister,
Conway Beach.
Have you spoken to Jeffrey at all?
No, I have not,
and that's all I have.
Why do you think
the police haven't opened
a case against my father
about the murder?
I think the police were..
dropped the ball
on your mother's murder,
if you want the truth.
I mean, it's very difficult
to think of a small town
like Madison
not being able to solve
this egregious crime.
It sounds like there was
a sort of screw-up
or something with the DNA.
I'm not really sure.
We were asked as a family
to wait to run the DNA
because apparently there was
a new DNA lab being built,
and it was gonna be the best.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a pleasure to be here
in Meriden
to celebrate the groundbreaking
for the state
forensic science laboratory.
Connecticut is a known leader
in the field
of forensic science,
and this project will
reinforce this distinction.
So we waited
for this new DNA lab
to be built.
We believe we are
the premiere laboratory
in the United States
and in the world.
They ran the DNA and
the DNA kit was faulty.
And the difference
between verdicts of guilty
and verdicts of not guilty
depends to a great extent
upon the integrity
of a laboratory such as ours.
Now, the state crime lab is under
some extra pressure right now
because a recent audit
of its DNA processes
came up with some problems,
and its accreditation
also has expired.
To be quite honest with you, Madison,
I don't even know
if there is any DNA left.
And it scares the shit
out of me.
After the medical examiner finished,
she was cremated.
I mean,
that's a family tradition.
Knowing what I know now,
one should wait
a little longer
until all evidence has been
collected properly
before you cremate them,
because DNA is
so important now.
Yeah.
Somebody's missing something.
Cases can be solved
without DNA.
There's been some scuttlebutt
about the Madison
Police Department being
less than ethical
that I think
needs to be investigated.
As you know, the state's attorney
now investigating
the ongoings here
at the Madison
Police Department.
Instead of making arrests,
two Madison police officers are
placed under arrest.
Three police officers have been fired.
Officers were allegedly
meeting with prostitutes,
frequenting strip clubs
and massage parlors,
and establishing
a motorcycle gang.
Conversation
at the coffee shop
is often about bad cops.
People here are tired
of the little bit of corruption
that keeps cropping up
in the police department.
Madison Police Officer is
stripped of his badge.
Suspended and arrested
for abusing police data..
charged with stealing
seafood from a restaurant..
now accused of stealing
gasoline from the town pump.
It's a concern
when the people
that you trust to
to take care of things
are less than honest
themselves.
I have no proof of that.
Only a lot of
concern.
narrator: This is the town
you will grow up in.
A nice, warm world.
A happy, secure community.
An atmosphere
that prepares you
to find your place
in the world with confidence
and the best use
of your abilities.
Hey. It's Madison.
I told you before I'm doing a documentary
on my mother for a class.
And I was just seeing
if there was any way
I could get
an interview with someone
just about.. just to go over,
like, what the crime scene..
or something that I can use
for my documentary.
Um
Okay.
Right.
Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
Okay.
He doesn't know
if we can do an interview,
but, like, what if, um
I'm going in for questioning
on Friday.
What if I, like, brought in
a recorder?
Risky.
Well, I could record it
with my phone.
Risky.
It'd be worth it.
Yeah, it would.
See what kinda questions
they're asking you.
Madison, what brings us
to the police station today?
I am about to get interrogated.
It's just one
of the many things
that I have to put up with
since someone
came and killed my mother.
Hi. Can I help you?
Hey, I'm here to see
Detective Mulhern.
- Your name, please?
- Madison.
- Madison?
- Yeah.
Is that your last name or first name?
- It's my first name.
- And your last name?
Hamburg.
Okay, I'll tell them that you're here.
Okay. Thank you.
I don't even know if I'm,
like, prepared for this.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, good.
I mean
they don't wanna
give us anything,
but they want the doc.
They want, like,
all of our files.
What would it help them?
They think that, like,
people would tell us things
in interviews
that they wouldn't tell them.
- Hey. How's it going?
- Hey. What's going on?
Nothing, I just gotta
catch up with you, that's all.
Yeah.
I wanted to ask
if you talked
to your attorney again.
Yeah, I can't.
I can't.
There's no way.
Sorry about that.
What's, like, the main reason you can't..
Madison, I just can't discuss it.
It's just it's a unqualified no, so
Dad, can, like, I ask you
some questions?
No. No.
No, let's just leave it
at that.
I just wanna know why..
why that I can't..
why you can't even just talk
to me.
I know you wanna know answers,
and I know you wanna know
about your mom
and her life
and all that stuff.
I just.. it's just not..
maybe in years ahead,
we can have this conversation,
but not now.
I just don't think that's fair.
Yeah. A lot of things aren't fair.
I'm sorry.
I don't think that you're sorry.
Okay, well, you can
believe me or not believe me.
It's your choice.
Do you want this case to get solved?
Madison, I'm not going to answer
any more questions about it.
At this point.. at this point..
As far as I'm concerned,
I cannot answer any..
Madison, I can't answer
any more questions.
At this point, I honestly,
in my honest opinion,
don't know if you want
this case to be solved.
If.. I don't know if you care
more about covering yourself
than this case being solved,
which doesn't make any sense,
'cause if this case is solved
and if you're innocent..
I have nothing to add.
I have nothing to add.
I have no knowledge
of your mother's life,
uh, really.
You were married to her for 13 years.
- Well, yeah, but I have no..
- And you were dealing with..
- I have no.. I don't know anything.
How do you expect me to trust you?
Madison,
that's a decision you have to make.
Is it? Is it?
It's a decision
based on your secrecy.
Madison, it's a decision.. it's a decision
that you have to make.
I would hope
that you would understand,
but if you don't, you don't.
I mean, that's your decision.
Maybe one day, you'll get
the courage together to
to face this stuff
and change something,
but until then, that's..
you're gonna stay
in the same spot.
Because that's.. you are
one of the main pieces
that's stopping everything.
I guess that I gotta..
I have other things
I gotta do today.
Okay.
- All right.
- Yeah. Bye.
Bye.
I tried.
I mean
He doesn't wanna
doesn't wanna help.
Doesn't want anything
to change.
This is where I found
my sister murdered.
He's here, Barbie.
I guess all I wanna say is I love you.
And I'm gonna do
whatever I can
to find out
what happened to you.
My mom's been dead
for six years.
Nothing's happened
with the case.
I thought it would hold me back
from, you know,
my immediate goals.
I was wrapped up with school.
We were kinda waiting for
Like, some sort of..
someone to come forward.
Some sort of momentum.
And I feel like
if I don't do it,
that if I don't cause,
like, a reason
for people to notice,
it's just gonna stay
what it is.
To go back?
I don't think I can ever be prepared
to fully go back
to that place.
But I feel like
this is a second chance
to actually face
what was happening
and not run away from it
like I was.
We have to figure out
where I'm gonna walk.
Where do you think he would walk to?
- Back to the subway.
- Back to the subway?
So you should walk the other way.
So he can't follow you anywhere.
Yeah.
When was the last time
you guys saw each other?
Like, I honestly can't remember.
So we're here.
The restaurant
that they're meeting in
is across the street
over there,
probably, I don't know,
30 yards away.
Loop it, and then you could
tape it somewhere if you want.
Talk.
Hello, hello, hello.
I can't fucking
Okay, I'll give him this.
'Kay.
Oh.
Sorry.
How are you feeling, Madison?
Pretty.. pretty weird.
There he is. There he is.
Shh.
Okay.
That was really stressful
for me,
and I felt it
leading up to it,
and that entire time,
my heart was racing.
- Are we rolling?
- Yep.
- Yes.
I'd never had a beer
with my dad.
First time.
I wanna show you something.
This is my, like,
memories thing.
This is pretty much
what I have left.
Wait, what's that from?
The crematorium.
It's weird,
like, thinking about someone
so close to you
as, like, remains.
It's a piece of history,
I guess.
From my history.
I got you.
After the funeral, I had this dream.
I was at this dinner,
and I'm looking at this woman,
and I realize that's my mom.
And her hair is long
and I'm like,
"Mom, you're beautiful."
And she's just like,
"Your hair keeps growing
after you die."
The only regret I think
I could ever have
She came down to visit
and I went on a date
instead of seeing her.
She came down to see me.
She came down
on Valentine's Day.
This one's to Maddie.
Aww.
Happy first Valentine.
Is that pretty?
It's a heart.
I talked to her the night before.
And I told her I loved her
and that I was sorry
about Valentine's Day.
How could.. you know,
how could I talk to her,
and within hours
She's murdered?
Growing up,
your parents are your heroes.
My mother was a superhero.
When people get to adulthood,
they get to meet their parents
as human beings,
and I didn't have that.
I need to meet that person.
And this is the only way
to do that.
So many baseball cards.
Hey.
- How's it going?
- Okay.
I'd like to hear from you
more often.
Do you get worried about me
or something?
Yeah, of course I do.
You're my son.
I'm worried about you.
I'm even worried
about your sister.
I never stopped loving her.
Still my daughter.
The past six years have been so crazy
that, like, I wish
I could just
do something about it.
I just don't know
what that is, you know?
Well, you're old enough to realize
that there really are
two sides to the story.
Mom's side of the family
were.. blame somebody,
so they're probably trying
to blame me.
But that doesn't fit
the facts.
I wasn't there.
You can't get an answer
if you don't have people
looking in the right places.
They're not looking
internally,
to Jill and to Conway.
I know your aunts have been
very good to you,
but they were both involved
in the other possibility.
Women's gifting circles.
- Gifting tables..
- Gifting circle..
They're what prosecutors
nationwide have called
a pyramid scheme.
Your aunt Jill, to me, gets a lot
of the potential blame here,
'cause she got your mother
into it,
and your mother was in it
in a big way
as a leader.
Two women found guilty
back in February
of running the table,
55-year-old Donna Bello
and 64-year-old Jill Platt
of Guilford.
Now these women are charged
with federal wire fraud
and filing false tax returns.
What's the motive?
Money.
Losses to victims totaled
more than $1 million.
Somebody was threatening your mom.
And the way
that police handled it,
it was just awful.
New evidence came up
and they just ignored it.
Anyway, I don't wanna talk
about it,
'cause she.. it'll be
disparaging about your mother,
and I don't wanna talk ill
about the dead.
But all I know is that it's..
it ruined my life
and continuing
to ruin my life.
I wish there was something
to do about it.
At the end of the day,
there's nothing you can do.
We're not investigators.
Why would someone wanna kill my mom?
I don't know.
The body was covered.
And usually, that shows remorse
by the person who did this.
You know, we don't want anybody
to see this.
I see that as something
very personal.
Could the murderer be
someone that we
It could be any of us
that you're talking to
right now.
Maybe whoever you speak to
might get a conscience
and maybe come out with it,
'cause they've been sick
of living with it.
Who knows?
Anything is possible.
Somebody somewhere
knows something.
You got the ball?
Yeah.
- Here.
- Ball?
- Here.
- Red ball?
- Yep.
Ali.
Madison got on the ball.
And?
Nice throw, Maddie.
Can you give the ball to Mom?
You wanna play?
Flowers?
You gonna get the flowers?
Okay.
Get the flowers.
Oh.
Aww.
Pretty flowers.
Madison got on the ball.
And?
Nice throw, Maddie.
I hope
I'm not disturbing you
with any of the questions.
No.
I mean, I don't wanna be
the one to drop the bombs here,
you know?
I'm ready for bombs.
The focus should be,
was there something else
going on?
Is there something
that we're missing?
With the gifting tables,
you joined with
a 5,000 dollar gift.
The gifting table was
a pyramid scheme.
It got out of control.
Some people can get to a point
where they can snap.
You
and my mother witnessed
a man wearing a ski mask
walk though our yard?
It was the day before
she was murdered.
Oh my god.