The Rookie (2018) s03e07 Episode Script
True Crime
1
- [CLICK, STATIC CRACKLING.]
- Check-Check.
Is it good? Okay.
Thanks.
I don't want to knock the light.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
- This here good? - INTERVIEWER: That's great.
Alright.
Uh, when my son Henry was born, he had a, uh, heart condition uh, Tetralogy of Fallot.
Um, it's actually a combination of four heart defects that are, uh, fatal, uh, without surgery.
Multiple surgeries.
And To watch your child go through that, it was A tough time.
But one thing, that always cheered my family up was the show "Paul's Place.
" [UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS.]
[AUDIENCE GASPS, LAUGHS.]
Mmm! Tastes good! [LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE.]
The star of the show, the boy who played Paul, was Corey Harris.
He was so funny.
Henry would do the milkshake thing, you know, pretending to be Corey.
"Mmm! Tastes so good!" And he would make such a mess, but How could you be mad? I always said to myself, if I ever met him, I would thank him.
You know, just shake his hand.
That was before I found out what he'd become.
COREY: I am the Prophet Jedediah.
And tomorrow, the 3rd of June, is the day that we, the Worthy, shall ascend.
AURORA: The time for questions is done.
COREY: get the hell out of my class right now! ROBIN ROBERTS: drugs, alcohol COREY: I'm scared! I don't want to die! - [THUD, GUNSHOT.]
- COREY: Aah! NOLAN: I just couldn't believe what happened to that sweet kid that my son looked up to, you know? I couldn't believe that I was there for all of it.
[MOUSE CLICKS, MUSIC STOPS.]
JACKSON: Sorry.
I'm just a little nervous.
That's I'm assuming that's normal, yeah? INTERVIEWER: Oh, totally.
But there's no pressure.
- INTERVIEWER: We're just talking.
- Okay.
Uh, where where should I start? INTERVIEWER: Tell me about June 3rd.
Yeah.
It started off like Any other day.
A few mundane calls.
And then the world went crazy.
Los Angeles was thrown into chaos today when the Emergency Alert System inadvertently sent out a text message stating a nuclear missile was headed for the city.
It felt like the end of the world.
We helped as many people as we could and then headed for shelter.
That's when we saw them, standing on the ledge, 20 stories up, waiting for their How do I put it? Their ride, uh, from the aliens.
Turned out there was this dude named the Prophet Jedediah, who told them that on June 3rd, E.
T.
was coming to embrace his followers during their ascension.
GROUP: All hail Children of the Stars.
LOPEZ: And for the first time in history, a cult leader actually guessed the right date for the apocalypse.
Turns out this prophet had been predicting for years that June 3, 2019, would be the date for their ascension.
And it was just dumb luck that, the missile alert happened that day.
I mean, these people were so brainwashed that they were gonna jump to their death.
Thank God that Officer Lopez was there.
I mean, she saved all of their lives.
You got to understand, we had no idea who this Prophet Jedediah was.
And in the crazy days that followed, he kind of fell through the cracks.
Not that it would've made any difference if Well, at least I don't think it would've.
DISPATCH: 7-Adam-15, possible 207, 9901 Violet Drive.
RP is on scene.
BENJAMIN: my daughter out here! [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
Oh, good.
The cops.
Debbie! Look, my daughter is inside this house.
He's keeping her.
He won't let her leave.
He's brainwashing her.
Good morning, Officers.
I'm so sorry you had to be bothered with this.
I know you.
You're Corey Harris.
- You're from that, uh - "Paul's Place.
" Yeah, that was a lifetime ago, but It's always nice to meet a fan.
You want an autograph? It threw me.
Uh, the thing about celebrities is I think they get locked in time, in your head, you know? Whatever that show is you loved them from, that's the way you always expect them to be.
Corey Harris had done some other shows since "Paul's Place" but nothing that stuck.
You know, people called him a child star, as if that was some kind of failing.
But even so, I, um I was definitely a little star-struck.
I mean, it didn't really matter to me that he was famous.
I mean, this is L.
A.
Every other house is owned by a superstar or a model or Cult leader.
Will you arrest him? He's keeping my daughter against her will.
He He's a cult leader! It's not a cult.
It's a religious movement Awaiting tax-exempt status.
Aurora is over 18 and here - of her own volition.
- Her name is Debbie.
Aurora has shed her birth name, like a moth becoming a butterfly.
Caterpillar.
Moths don't become butterflies.
Uh, can we speak to Debbie, please? Of course.
Aurora! [BIRDS CHIRPING.]
Yes, Prophet? Can you tell these nice officers that you're here of your own free will? I'm here of my own free will.
HARPER: Oh, that was convincing.
Debbie, please.
This is crazy.
You got to come home.
I am home.
You got to stop her.
HARPER: I can't, sir.
She's an adult.
Only if that's what Aurora wants.
I have nothing else to say, I'm happy here, - with my real family.
- But, D-Debbie Debbie, your mother's cancer It's back! She's dying! She's only got a couple weeks to live! [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
She needs you.
COREY: Aurora? [EXHALES SHARPLY.]
HARPER: It was like a switch flipped.
Aurora w Um, not Aurora.
Uh, Debbie went back inside, and she packed all of her stuff and then she left with her dad.
I guess she just needed a cold, hard dose of reality to bring her back.
INTERVIEWER: You said earlier you wanted to thank Corey for helping you and your son, shake his hand.
- INTERVIEWER: Did you? - No.
No.
It felt, um, super inappropriate at the time.
So we just headed out, and I thought that was the end of it.
[TIRES SQUEAL.]
TIM: You the one who called? Yes.
I garden for Mr.
Harris.
I found blood by the door.
LUCY: Did you go in the home? - No.
- Okay.
Go wait over by your truck.
We'll check it out and come back - and get your statement.
- Thank you.
Police! Mr.
Harris, are you home? LUCY: Control, 7-Adam-19, we've got blood at 9901 Violet Drive.
We're gonna clear the house.
Notify supervisor, request additional units.
[HINGES SQUEAKING.]
LUCY: Blood.
LUCY: Tim.
We have major blood loss at our location.
Send detectives and TID.
[SNIFFS.]
Is this gonna take long? Because, uh, we got work to do.
INTERVIEWER: Um Uh, what can you tell me about the crime scene? Well, I mean, that amount of blood, if it came from one person, then that's fatal.
Without Corey's body, we had to treat it as a missing-persons case while the lab ran the blood against Corey's DNA.
But no one was home? We didn't know that yet.
We hadn't cleared the house.
It Corey's disciples were at a drum circle downtown They did it once a week to recruit new followers.
Yeah.
The house's security camera captured them all leaving right before Oh, yeah.
We have a video of them downtown across from City Hall.
I'm sorry.
I cut you off.
I'm sorry.
I was just gonna say, that the security system was shut off, right after they all left.
It took three hours to reboot.
So there's no video of the crime.
[WHISPERING.]
This is fun.
BENJAMIN: What is this about? Look, I need to be at the hospital.
My wife doesn't have much time left.
We understand, sir.
Uh, you can take a seat, please.
We will try and make this quick.
[EXHALES DEEPLY.]
Were you at the hospital yesterday? All day and night.
Was your daughter there with you? What do you think? She hasn't seen her dying mother in years because of that man.
D-Do you understand the whiplash that Debbie's experienced in the last two days alone? Seeing her mother again has j Opened her eyes to everything that she has been missing in the world all the love, all the joy that Corey has withheld, from her all of this time.
Corey went missing yesterday.
There were signs of violence at his house.
Good.
He destroyed our family, destroyed Debbie's life.
[SIGHS.]
It was just supposed to be an acting class.
You think the most important quality of a great actor is talent? Wrong! It's the ability to be mercenary, to do whatever it takes to get a part and to use that role to get the next one.
Trust me.
I'm living proof of what happens when you don't.
So when the acting jobs dried up, Corey started an acting school.
And he basically just used it to air his grievances about Hollywood After "Paul's Place," I just assumed, that the starring roles would keep coming, but they didn't and to convince these kids that, you know, he was the only one that could help them navigate this evil world.
I'm not here to teach you methods.
I'm here to teach you that unless you're willing to cross every line and throw every inhibition you have out the window, then you should get the hell out of my class right now! But If you stay I will help you.
I will nurture you.
I will give you a safe place to become a star.
HARPER: And these twenty-somethings, they fell for it, and they paid thousands of dollars, for these classes that slowly just turned into pseudo-religious character-building seminars.
NOLAN: He made them feel special.
You know, in a business that makes people feel like garbage on a regular basis, it wasn't long before Debbie and the others started treating him like a A guru.
You know, he literally told them how to act, and in their eyes, he became infallible.
He could do no wrong.
He could commit acts of unspeakable evil yet still be their savior from above.
I can't speak to Officer Nolan's comments, but what we discovered at Corey's house that day was pretty disturbing.
LUCY: Tim.
Police! Come out from under the bed.
Do it now.
Come out with your hands up.
Holy crap.
- TIM: What is? - It's It's a TIM: A what? A mummy.
In a suit.
What? [CLATTERING, LATEX GLOVE STRETCHING.]
Is that It can't be.
It looks like, uh It was Charlie Chaplin.
Charlie Chaplin's mummy, that was That was Corey's greatest treasure.
LOPEZ: And where exactly did Corey obtain this mummified body, Debbie? He stole it.
- We stole it.
- LOPEZ: From who? From me, yeah! Now, I bought Charlie at a secret auction I found out about from Nic Cage.
[CLICKS TONGUE.]
I owe my entire career to Charlie.
He is my total inspiration.
[LAUGHING.]
I mean, that That tramp.
Oh, my God.
I wouldn't be who I am today without him.
You know? So when I found out I could own him Like, "Rainn, do you want to" "You want to own Charlie?" It was like, how could I say no? You know what I mean? So when I found out that I was robbed, I didn't care about my vintage cowboy hat collection.
You know what I mean? I don't care about my solid gold retainer, or Catherine the Great's speculum My SAG awards, any of that stuff.
No I care about Losing my best friend.
Charlie.
HARPER: No.
Of course it wasn't Chaplin's body.
So, apparently in the '70s, there was someone who actually did steal his body, and they held it for ransom, but eventually it was returned.
However, there are conspiracy theories that the real body, was sold on the black market.
So the mummy that we found is just one of dozens of fake Chaplins floating around.
Celebrities are nuts.
INTERVIEWER: How did you feel when you learned that Corey Harris was behind the theft? Listen, I choose to live in a realm of total positivity.
I have nothing bad to say about anyone, even a vain, talentless skid mark like Corey.
INTERVIEWER: I've heard that he targeted celebrities he felt had wronged him in some way.
Yeah.
He He thought the role of Backstrom should've gone to him.
[CHUCKLES.]
Anyway, so he sicced his whole cult of acting students on me.
[EXHALES SHARPLY.]
INTERVIEWER: And do you own any other celebrity mummies? No comment.
TIM: Before they became a full-blown cult, Corey turned his acting school into a burglary ring that targeted celebrities.
[RAPPING.]
Ready or not, I'mma come run up in your spot Like Kobe with every shot Cannot be stopped, don't you go I caught a bunch of calls back in 2018.
That was before I was on the job.
We arrested a few people, but, no one would flip on Corey, so he got away with it.
Yeah.
Corey promised his students everything Money, fame, but all he did was insert himself farther and farther into their lives.
He made them think he could control their destinies.
I don't know.
Maybe it's because he didn't have any control over his own.
What's that saying? Those who can't do teach? [CHUCKLES.]
You were literally my teacher.
What are you saying? [CHUCKLES.]
AURORA: My love! When I thrust you with this knife, why didn't you cry? I've never seen a man die.
CHARLOTTE: No, no.
No, no, no, no! Enough.
Stop.
Stop.
G-Get up right now.
What is this? - It's a-a knife.
- No.
This is a vehicle for the actor's soul.
It must convey all of your anger, all of your emotion.
You just used this knife to take a man's life, not chop onions in the back of a fast-food restaurant.
[SCOFFS.]
You know what I see when I look at you? - Hmm? - I see an amateur, a nobody going nowhere.
COREY: Charlotte.
Charlotte, thank you.
Aurora.
[SOBS.]
What Charlotte means to say is, anyone can simply memorize or recite lines stage.
But only a few dare to push themselves where their minds won't allow them to go.
That's what makes a true actor.
I can help you get there.
What do you say? LAURIE: Hey! Turn that off! What did I tell you about filming in my son's school?! [STATIC HISSES.]
Corey was such a special boy.
Everyone's best friend.
Well, he didn't have too many friends, come to think of it, but that's because he was so dedicated to his craft.
He was a natural leading man, even as a boy, and I knew he could succeed, at whatever he chose in life.
And he and Charlotte together You couldn't ask for a better duo.
A better duo to brainwash people.
Corey always made Charlotte play the bad cop no pun intended.
TIM: So Corey could swoop in and be the savior.
Together they would brainwash a student to the point where they would do anything to please him.
Yeah.
And that's when he would induct them into his Bling Ring, telling them that the only way to get into the mind of a criminal, was to become one.
He ruined people's lives.
INTERVIEWER: Including someone you know.
- What? - INTERVIEWER: It's up here on the right.
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
Oh.
Can I help you? INTERVIEWER: Sterling Freeman.
Is it true that you were once a student of notorious acting teacher turned cult leader Corey Harris? What? No.
Okay.
You can leave now, thank y INTERVIEWER: In fact, your real name isn't Sterling Freeman, is it? It's Skipper Young, and you participated in a ring of celebrity burglaries in 2017, at the direction of Harris.
Okay.
What the hell is he talking about? Your name is Skipper? [EXHALES DEEPLY.]
[AUSTRALIAN ACCENT.]
How the bloody hell did you find me? Whoa.
Why are you talking all British? So, I have a A bit of a confession to make, Jackson.
I'm not really from Tampa.
- Get out.
Get out! - [DOOR SLAMS.]
Well, you have to understand, that when I first arrived in L.
A.
six years ago, I was a nobody.
Just a weird kid from Melbourne.
I had never even been to the States before.
But all I knew was I wanted to be a star.
INTERVIEWER: And tell us how you first met Corey.
I knew who he was, of course.
"Paul's Place" was big in Australia.
Corey was a real actor, and so I just thought, "Why not?" And I went to one class And he hooked me.
He believed nothing in this business is given to you.
Whatever you want in life, you have to take it.
He said the burglaries would help us internalize that mind-set.
Corey wanted to help us learn to conquer our fears Push our boundaries.
INTERVIEWER: And do you still believe in Corey's teachings? No.
No.
Not at all.
Alright? Well, we fell out, right before my arrest, and that's when things were getting really weird.
You know, over time, you could tell he was getting delusional, talking about spirits, calling us his students, "the Worthy," calling himself a prophet.
Well, it got to a point where I told myself, one last run with the crew, and then I'd leave.
Then I got caught.
No, I was not aware that my boyf Sterling Skipper, was a felon.
Or Australian.
Yes, yes, I'm aware that cops are not permitted to fraternize with felons.
Y This is an actual active matter, and I have no further comment - at this time.
- INTERVIEWER: Officer West.
I said I have no further comment, thank you.
INTERVIEWER: Officer West, come on back.
JACKSON: How could you not tell me? Hey, I am still Sterling.
No, y-you're not Sterling! You're Skipper Young or whoever the hell that is! No, after I was caught, I served four months' probation, and I changed my name.
I'm different now.
[WHISPERING.]
Please.
That part of my life, it's It's behind me.
Do you believe me? I don't know.
Jackson.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
NOLAN: Obviously, uh, we knew that Sterl uh, Skipper, had nothing to do with it.
He was in Prague, shooting a movie when it happened.
So we still had a mystery on our hands a missing cult leader and a bloody crime scene.
That was when we became aware of Corey's connection to someone who was a lot more dangerous than a bunch of wannabe actors.
The Southland Stalker was a serial killer, that terrorized L.
A.
County starting in the fall of 2010.
He had no type.
He would hit single people, couples, uh, even had a rampage in a hotel once.
Murdered three people that night.
But the Stalker got sloppy, and one of his victims escaped, went to a neighbor's home, and Dan Marcie was caught in the surrounding area.
There had always been rumors that the Stalker didn't work alone, that he had an accomplice, but Marcie maintained in court, that he did it all by himself a performance, that we later learned, he had a little help with.
[BUZZER SOUNDS.]
I met Corey in 2017, at one of his acting classes.
I was looking for ways to up my game, gain people's trust.
INTERVIEWER: And why was that? So it'd be easier to get my victims to come with me willingly.
You see, for people like me Psychopaths There's a short circuit, in the part of the brain that feels empathy, at least that's what the prison shrink tells me.
Without that part, it makes it difficult, to relate to people, to convince them to trust you.
I got tired of bashing people over the head, dragging them to the car, so I thought it'd be much easier, if I could just charm them in myself.
So I asked Corey to help me.
INTERVIEWER: And did he? Teach you how to fake empathy? Oh, yeah.
It opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me Victim-wise.
INTERVIEWER: There's a rumor that Corey also helped you prepare for your trial, to better connect with the jury.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's true.
[CHUCKLES.]
I had the jury eating out of the palm of my hand.
[CHAIN RATTLING.]
INTERVIEWER: But they still convicted you of first-degree murder Yeah, well, once they saw the photos of her head in my fridge, it was kind of over for me.
Dan Marcie was convicted of murder months before Corey went missing.
But, even though he wasn't a suspect in the disappearance, his association, with Corey definitely made us take a closer look at who else was taking those acting classes.
And in the end, it wasn't a student, that gave us a break in the case that we needed.
It was Corey's old co-star and fellow teacher, Charlotte Luster.
Well, no one had heard from her, since the day Corey went missing, and we were about to find out why.
[JET ENGINES HUMMING.]
Been parked here a week, and there's a really bad smell coming from the trunk.
TIM: Would you mind stepping away from the vehicle? It belongs to a suspect in a violent crime.
[TRUNK OPENS.]
Corey Harris and Charlotte Luster.
You played childhood sweethearts for eight seasons on "Paul's Place," and now I hear you've become partners in real life.
You know, Robin, when you grow up with someone on TV, it just - It bonds you.
- Mm.
Charlotte was always like family.
And when she and Corey started dating, I couldn't have been happier.
I treated her like my own daughter.
And If I'm being frank, she was the luckiest girl in the world, to be able to date my son.
[CHUCKLES.]
Corey, it's no secret that you struggled, after the show ended.
Drugs, alcohol, even an arrest for indecent exposure, at an Emmy party.
Oh, that was all a misunderstanding, but What is true is that when "Paul's Place" was canceled, I was a I was a mess, adrift.
It was Charlotte who brought me back.
She saved me.
NEWS ANCHOR: Breaking news Charlotte Luster, the former child star, known for the '90s sitcom "Paul's Place", has been missing since Sunday.
She is the prime suspect in the bloody disappearance of Corey Harris.
LUCY: Even though we found Charlotte's car at the airport, we couldn't find any recent records of her boarding a flight at LAX.
Uh, Detective Harper and I were dispatched to Charlotte's apartment to begin a search, try to find some indication of where she might've gone.
- INTERVIEWER: And did you? - No.
But we did find something that shed some light.
- INTERVIEWER: What was that? - A screenplay.
- For a movie.
- It's L.
A.
It's not the first time I've found a script at a crime scene.
I've only been on the job for a year, and I've already found three.
INTERVIEWER: Have either of you ever written one? [SCOFFS.]
God, no.
It was for a class.
It was the title that caught everyone's eye - "The Worthy.
" - AURORA: The Worthy - The Worthy - The Worthy.
Same as Corey's cult.
This script is 500 pages long.
So we assigned, three of our rookie officers, - the task of reading it.
- [SCRIPT THUDS.]
- INTERVIEWER: What did you think of it? - Look.
I'm no screenwriting expert, but I thought it was, uh Dense.
Convoluted.
The worst thing I have ever read.
"Exterior, rooftop, day.
" "Aurora, 19," "beautiful but doesn't know it," "speaks the prophecy aloud.
" "Heed ye the Noon Star Harvesters," "for they shall descend from the heavens," "so the Worthy can ascend.
" "So sayeth the Prophet Jedediah.
" "All hail Children of the Stars.
" GROUP: All hail Children of the Stars.
TIM: Yep.
He based his freakin' cult off a bad sci-fi script.
That Charlotte wrote with him.
I've been a film producer, for like 25 years, okay? This is the strangest thing I've ever seen.
Well, second strangest.
Anyway, it was like five years ago, and I heard about this script making the rounds.
And listen, it's not uncommon, for actors to, you know, try their hand at writing when the roles dry up, right? And P.
S everyone thinks they got the next "Rocky.
" But a 500-page space opera, written by two former child stars, raised a few eyebrows.
I took the meeting.
I mean, out of morbid curiosity, more than anything, right? It was Uncomfortable.
And Charlotte, she seemed totally willing, to receive feedback, you now? Corey, he just flatly refused to make any cuts to the script.
I told them as politely as I could.
"It's a pass.
" INTERVIEWER: And then what happened? Well, then I forgot about it for a long time.
And then things got weird.
Today, police rescued five people from a Mid-Wilshire rooftop.
The group identified themselves as members of "the Worthy", and were preparing to commit ritual suicide, based on the teachings of their leader, known simply as the Prophet Jedediah.
You want to know why Corey wasn't on that rooftop, ready to jump with the rest of his followers? Because he was filming it.
SHEILA: The day after the missile alert, I get an e-mail from Corey.
The subject line "Proof of Concept.
" I I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Five people almost died, because some washed-up narcissist thought that the world he dreamed up, in his screenplay, had become real.
Along with the video, Corey also sent Sheila - a revised version of his script.
- Yeah.
W-With Charlotte Luster's name removed.
TIM: He was trying to cut her out From the script, the cult, and the money.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? Cool.
Way to trivialize female anger.
Hey, I'm not trivializing.
All sorts of crimes are motivated by jealous ex-partners.
And how many of those ex-partners are men? Most.
INTERVIEWER: I heard it was Officer Chen who broke the case wide open.
[CHUCKLES.]
I d I don't know, if I'd describe it quite that way.
INTERVIEWER: How would you describe it, then? Her addiction, to social media finally paid off.
T-That is hurtful.
I[SIGHS.]
INTERVIEWER: Can you tell us what happened? I was on my phone, doing Research, - when I got a notification.
- Ah.
And You know what? I-I still have the video on my phone.
Just let me Look at that.
[UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING.]
That's Uh, that's Sorry.
That's not what No.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS.]
You are never gonna believe, the celeb sighting I just made, during my Malibu silent retreat.
That's Corey Harris.
He was alive.
HARPER: You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you in court off law.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you.
Do you understand? Do you understand, sir? Corey? Uh, he took the "right to remain silent" part real seriously.
Very seriously.
INTERVIEWER: How long did he stay quiet? Five and a half hours.
[WATCH BEEPING.]
[EXHALES DEEPLY.]
Wow.
That was invigorating.
72 hours of silence.
You guys should try it.
Now, what'd you want to ask me? What a putz.
So, Corey, while you were, uh, playing your little quiet game, we were getting the forensics report back from the lab, do you care to guess what it said? That I'm innocent.
No.
That the blood, that we found at your house, and in Charlotte's car, belong to the same person.
- Who? - Charlotte.
[INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY.]
Oh, my God! That's horrible! My My poor girl.
[SOBS.]
HARPER: Wow.
You're right.
He is a good actor.
- NOLAN: I told you.
- HARPER: Mm-hmm.
NOLAN: So what happened to Charlotte? I have no idea.
I haven't seen her in weeks.
And I've been at the silent retreat since last Monday.
I-I'm sure they have a record.
NOLAN: Yeah, an employee recalls checking you in at 10:00 a.
m.
, Sunday morning.
Unfortunately, no one else remembers seeing you until the welcome bonfire that evening.
HARPER: That leaves an eight-hour window that is unaccounted for Plenty of time for you to leave the retreat, go back home, and kill Charlotte.
Do you have any proof of that? Of course not.
Because I didn't do it.
I could never hurt another person.
NOLAN: What about your followers, the ones you almost persuaded, to jump off a roof for you? For me? They were doing it for themselves, for their own enlightenment, so they could ascend into a higher state of being.
[SIGHS.]
I wouldn't expect someone, as limited as you, to understand.
HARPER: Is that what you call the people who can see through your little act? Was Was Charlotte limited? In some ways, yes.
HARPER: Is that why you killed her? I think I need a lawyer.
NOLAN: Because she saw the real you.
Because she had the power to send your house of cards toppling.
Lawyer.
WESLEY: I can't talk about clients.
I told you that when you called yesterday.
INTERVIEWER: Even given what happened? Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Corey built his whole empire on a script he stole from Charlotte, and she was gonna expose him.
That sounds like motive for murder to me.
Hey, speculate all you like.
There was never any evidence.
INTERVIEWER: There was video.
Which did not show my client.
Now leave me alone.
NOLAN: Enter the "momager.
" Mom and manager.
It's all a hybrid.
I thought that was clever.
Anyway, once we saw the footage of her, tampering with the evidence, it was clear to us, that Laurie Harris played, at least some small or, shall we say behind-the-scenes, role in the crime.
INTERVIEWER: I don't get it.
I'm not gonna make any more jokes.
HARPER: So, Mrs.
Harris, what happened to Charlotte? Last I heard, she was flying to Cabo.
So Soakin' up the sun, sippin' on Margaritas? Charlotte is not in Cabo, Mrs.
Harris.
Was it Cancun? You drove her car to the airport, and then you left it there, to make it look like she had left town.
Oh.
[SNORTS.]
That? She asked me to leave her car there.
Really? That's weird, because, we found her blood at your son's house, and then also in the trunk of her car.
And we also just found, what remains of her body, dumped heartlessly 20 miles up Interstate 5.
T My God, that's Awful! Poor Charlotte.
HARPER: Clearly, Corey did not get his acting talents from his mother.
Seriously, that wasn't even believable.
But you have bigger problems than your lack of acting chops.
Charlotte's car had GPS tracking.
You should've disabled it before you dumped her body.
You can't prove I was anywhere but the airport.
HARPER: Did you kill her, Mrs.
Harris, or were you just cleaning up another one of your son's messes? I have no idea what you're talking about.
I think, Corey checked in at the retreat, and then he left, to go meet Charlotte.
He killed her and called you, to clean it up.
Then he went back to his silent meditation, while you dumped the body of a woman you'd known since she was a child, like so much trash.
Corey had nothing, to do with it.
Are you sure? Yeah.
I killed her, all by myself.
INTERVIEWER: Can you blame her, for trying to protect her son.
Uh, yeah.
She killed somebody.
INTERVIEWER: Sure.
But if your son had done something, that would destroy his life, wouldn't you try and protect him, throw yourself on the grenade? [INHALES DEEPLY.]
Your job as a parent, is to protect your children, as much as you can.
But that also means teaching them right from wrong.
And there has to be consequences.
Doesn't mean you love them any less.
It just means Parenting is hard.
HARPER: His mom confessed.
And Corey Harris, passed the polygraph, so We had to release him.
INTERVIEWER: Doesn't sound like you believe he's innocent.
My belief or lack thereof is irrelevant.
The decision to charge lies solely with the D.
A.
's office, and They didn't think it was a case they could win.
INTERVIEWER: Does that make you angry? No.
I mean, a high-profile case like this, and a guilty plea ready to go? I wouldn't have charged him either.
That doesn't mean I think he should've gotten away with it.
INTERVIEWER: Well, but he didn't actually get away with it, did he? Well[SCOFFS.]
- [SWITCH CLICKS.]
- [CHUCKLES.]
Good evening, Worthy ones.
Welcome to my evening sermon, streamed across all my social platforms.
[LIQUID SLURPING.]
[SIGHS.]
You know, we are so blessed.
So blessed to shine in the light of Our Saviors Above.
You don't know the comfort I've drawn, knowing that one day soon, they will come to lift us all up.
[THUD IN DISTANCE.]
Hello? Nobody's supposed to be here.
Uh Where was I? Um right.
Our Saviors.
They spoke to me last night.
The stars seemed to part, as I was out in the night sky, and I could hear their voices, just as clear as you hear mine, - and they said - [ELECTRICITY HUMMING.]
What the hell? The electric bill's on auto-pay.
[THUD IN DISTANCE.]
Hello? Aurora Number 2, is that you? This isn't funny! Come on.
Be right back.
- [THUD IN DISTANCE.]
- [COREY SCREAMS.]
[GLASS BREAKING.]
[LOUD BANG.]
Oh, my God! Oh, my God! [SOBBING.]
[DOOR RATTLES, CLOSES.]
[GRUNTING.]
[CHAIR THUDS.]
Aah! How is this so heavy?! [POUNDING ON DOOR.]
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Oh, my God! Oh, no, no, no.
[GASPING.]
Siri, Siri, dial 911, please.
Pick up.
Pick up.
OPERATOR: 911.
What's your emergency? [WHISPERING.]
Help.
Someone's in my house.
I'm in danger.
I am the savior, the Prophet Jedediah.
I can't die.
[GASPING.]
[DOORKNOB RATTLING.]
Sir, are you still there? [POUNDING ON DOOR.]
[SOBBING.]
Oh, no! - [THUD.]
- I'm scared! I don't want to die! [DOOR RATTLING.]
[SCREAMING.]
[GLASS SHATTERING.]
NOLAN: Police! Don't move! Drop your weapon! - [KNIFE CLATTERS.]
- NOLAN: Hands on your head.
Interlace your fingers.
Now! - You got him? - HARPER: Yeah.
NOLAN: Don't move.
[HANDCUFFS RATTLING, CLICKING.]
Give me your other hand.
Ronald Sanchez.
HARPER: Where's Corey Harris? Most of him's inside.
Except his eyes.
You just found those.
Harper.
You got to bag them as evidence, and we got to clear the house.
What happened here, Ronald? My coming-out party.
Yeah, it turned out, the Southland Stalker had an accomplice after all, and He was pissed, that Corey convinced Dan, to take all the credit during his trial.
I'm sorry.
Can I say "pissed"? Look, I know it's crazy.
But, I mean, this dude's a freakin' serial killer who Who puts eyes in his pocket.
He's not exactly firing on all cylinders.
Control, we got one in custody.
Going back inside to look for the homeowner.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
- Ready? - HARPER: Uh-huh.
[DOOR OPENS, RATTLES.]
NOLAN: Oh, no.
[STATIC HISSES.]
Control, we got a 187.
Mobilize detectives, a supervisor, and TID.
I think I think this thing is still on.
LUCY: It was.
By the time Harper and Nolan secured the scene, Corey's live stream had 400,000 viewers.
Okay.
Look.
The case was definitely weird.
But I mean, come on.
All this? This feels so exploitational.
The low-hanging fruit of celebrity scandal and murder.
You should be making serious documentaries about things that really matter.
INTERVIEWER: My last film was about climate injustice in Puerto Rico.
It won a BAFTA.
Oh.
Well, alright, then.
I j I just want to say this has been so fascinating.
I love true crime, and to be in a documentary, it's just it's a dream come true.
Thank you.
Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you so much for doing this.
Yeah.
You got You got something in your hair.
- What? - It's kind of - Has it been there the whole time? - Yeah.
It's pretty big.
- Let's get out of here.
- I would tell you, if you had broccoli in your teeth, man.
- What the heck? - [SIGHS.]
INTERVIEWER: Were you surprised, that Ronald killed Corey? No, no.
Not at all.
Guy's out of his mind.
He was always super jealous of my fame too, so I guess he needed to get some for himself.
But I can't say the same for me The eyes thing was a nice touch, though, I will say.
INTERVIEWER: Do you have a takeaway from this experience? Um, I'm honestly still processing, everything that happened.
INTERVIEWER: And have you talked to Skipper? Who? Oh, um No.
No.
We, uh We've gone our separate ways.
Still ready for something more INTERVIEWER: Was this your craziest case? Oh, yes.
This was definitely the craziest case, I have ever worked.
Oh, it's nowhere near the craziest.
INTERVIEWER: Really? Can you tell me more? No.
Uh, we're done here.
I'm gonna go.
INTERVIEWER: Actually, I have a few more questions, if you had an extra minute or two, Detective Harper.
D-D-Detective Harper? How can I afford to fall in love? [AUDIENCE GASPS, LAUGHS.]
Mmm! Tastes good! [LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE.]
YOUNG COREY: You know what I want to be when I grow up? An ice cream sundae.
[LAUGHS.]
Silly.
You can't be an ice cream sundae when you grow up.
Then I never want to grow up.
[LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE.]
Still funny.
Murderer.
- Check-Check.
Is it good? Okay.
Thanks.
I don't want to knock the light.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
- This here good? - INTERVIEWER: That's great.
Alright.
Uh, when my son Henry was born, he had a, uh, heart condition uh, Tetralogy of Fallot.
Um, it's actually a combination of four heart defects that are, uh, fatal, uh, without surgery.
Multiple surgeries.
And To watch your child go through that, it was A tough time.
But one thing, that always cheered my family up was the show "Paul's Place.
" [UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS.]
[AUDIENCE GASPS, LAUGHS.]
Mmm! Tastes good! [LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE.]
The star of the show, the boy who played Paul, was Corey Harris.
He was so funny.
Henry would do the milkshake thing, you know, pretending to be Corey.
"Mmm! Tastes so good!" And he would make such a mess, but How could you be mad? I always said to myself, if I ever met him, I would thank him.
You know, just shake his hand.
That was before I found out what he'd become.
COREY: I am the Prophet Jedediah.
And tomorrow, the 3rd of June, is the day that we, the Worthy, shall ascend.
AURORA: The time for questions is done.
COREY: get the hell out of my class right now! ROBIN ROBERTS: drugs, alcohol COREY: I'm scared! I don't want to die! - [THUD, GUNSHOT.]
- COREY: Aah! NOLAN: I just couldn't believe what happened to that sweet kid that my son looked up to, you know? I couldn't believe that I was there for all of it.
[MOUSE CLICKS, MUSIC STOPS.]
JACKSON: Sorry.
I'm just a little nervous.
That's I'm assuming that's normal, yeah? INTERVIEWER: Oh, totally.
But there's no pressure.
- INTERVIEWER: We're just talking.
- Okay.
Uh, where where should I start? INTERVIEWER: Tell me about June 3rd.
Yeah.
It started off like Any other day.
A few mundane calls.
And then the world went crazy.
Los Angeles was thrown into chaos today when the Emergency Alert System inadvertently sent out a text message stating a nuclear missile was headed for the city.
It felt like the end of the world.
We helped as many people as we could and then headed for shelter.
That's when we saw them, standing on the ledge, 20 stories up, waiting for their How do I put it? Their ride, uh, from the aliens.
Turned out there was this dude named the Prophet Jedediah, who told them that on June 3rd, E.
T.
was coming to embrace his followers during their ascension.
GROUP: All hail Children of the Stars.
LOPEZ: And for the first time in history, a cult leader actually guessed the right date for the apocalypse.
Turns out this prophet had been predicting for years that June 3, 2019, would be the date for their ascension.
And it was just dumb luck that, the missile alert happened that day.
I mean, these people were so brainwashed that they were gonna jump to their death.
Thank God that Officer Lopez was there.
I mean, she saved all of their lives.
You got to understand, we had no idea who this Prophet Jedediah was.
And in the crazy days that followed, he kind of fell through the cracks.
Not that it would've made any difference if Well, at least I don't think it would've.
DISPATCH: 7-Adam-15, possible 207, 9901 Violet Drive.
RP is on scene.
BENJAMIN: my daughter out here! [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
Oh, good.
The cops.
Debbie! Look, my daughter is inside this house.
He's keeping her.
He won't let her leave.
He's brainwashing her.
Good morning, Officers.
I'm so sorry you had to be bothered with this.
I know you.
You're Corey Harris.
- You're from that, uh - "Paul's Place.
" Yeah, that was a lifetime ago, but It's always nice to meet a fan.
You want an autograph? It threw me.
Uh, the thing about celebrities is I think they get locked in time, in your head, you know? Whatever that show is you loved them from, that's the way you always expect them to be.
Corey Harris had done some other shows since "Paul's Place" but nothing that stuck.
You know, people called him a child star, as if that was some kind of failing.
But even so, I, um I was definitely a little star-struck.
I mean, it didn't really matter to me that he was famous.
I mean, this is L.
A.
Every other house is owned by a superstar or a model or Cult leader.
Will you arrest him? He's keeping my daughter against her will.
He He's a cult leader! It's not a cult.
It's a religious movement Awaiting tax-exempt status.
Aurora is over 18 and here - of her own volition.
- Her name is Debbie.
Aurora has shed her birth name, like a moth becoming a butterfly.
Caterpillar.
Moths don't become butterflies.
Uh, can we speak to Debbie, please? Of course.
Aurora! [BIRDS CHIRPING.]
Yes, Prophet? Can you tell these nice officers that you're here of your own free will? I'm here of my own free will.
HARPER: Oh, that was convincing.
Debbie, please.
This is crazy.
You got to come home.
I am home.
You got to stop her.
HARPER: I can't, sir.
She's an adult.
Only if that's what Aurora wants.
I have nothing else to say, I'm happy here, - with my real family.
- But, D-Debbie Debbie, your mother's cancer It's back! She's dying! She's only got a couple weeks to live! [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
She needs you.
COREY: Aurora? [EXHALES SHARPLY.]
HARPER: It was like a switch flipped.
Aurora w Um, not Aurora.
Uh, Debbie went back inside, and she packed all of her stuff and then she left with her dad.
I guess she just needed a cold, hard dose of reality to bring her back.
INTERVIEWER: You said earlier you wanted to thank Corey for helping you and your son, shake his hand.
- INTERVIEWER: Did you? - No.
No.
It felt, um, super inappropriate at the time.
So we just headed out, and I thought that was the end of it.
[TIRES SQUEAL.]
TIM: You the one who called? Yes.
I garden for Mr.
Harris.
I found blood by the door.
LUCY: Did you go in the home? - No.
- Okay.
Go wait over by your truck.
We'll check it out and come back - and get your statement.
- Thank you.
Police! Mr.
Harris, are you home? LUCY: Control, 7-Adam-19, we've got blood at 9901 Violet Drive.
We're gonna clear the house.
Notify supervisor, request additional units.
[HINGES SQUEAKING.]
LUCY: Blood.
LUCY: Tim.
We have major blood loss at our location.
Send detectives and TID.
[SNIFFS.]
Is this gonna take long? Because, uh, we got work to do.
INTERVIEWER: Um Uh, what can you tell me about the crime scene? Well, I mean, that amount of blood, if it came from one person, then that's fatal.
Without Corey's body, we had to treat it as a missing-persons case while the lab ran the blood against Corey's DNA.
But no one was home? We didn't know that yet.
We hadn't cleared the house.
It Corey's disciples were at a drum circle downtown They did it once a week to recruit new followers.
Yeah.
The house's security camera captured them all leaving right before Oh, yeah.
We have a video of them downtown across from City Hall.
I'm sorry.
I cut you off.
I'm sorry.
I was just gonna say, that the security system was shut off, right after they all left.
It took three hours to reboot.
So there's no video of the crime.
[WHISPERING.]
This is fun.
BENJAMIN: What is this about? Look, I need to be at the hospital.
My wife doesn't have much time left.
We understand, sir.
Uh, you can take a seat, please.
We will try and make this quick.
[EXHALES DEEPLY.]
Were you at the hospital yesterday? All day and night.
Was your daughter there with you? What do you think? She hasn't seen her dying mother in years because of that man.
D-Do you understand the whiplash that Debbie's experienced in the last two days alone? Seeing her mother again has j Opened her eyes to everything that she has been missing in the world all the love, all the joy that Corey has withheld, from her all of this time.
Corey went missing yesterday.
There were signs of violence at his house.
Good.
He destroyed our family, destroyed Debbie's life.
[SIGHS.]
It was just supposed to be an acting class.
You think the most important quality of a great actor is talent? Wrong! It's the ability to be mercenary, to do whatever it takes to get a part and to use that role to get the next one.
Trust me.
I'm living proof of what happens when you don't.
So when the acting jobs dried up, Corey started an acting school.
And he basically just used it to air his grievances about Hollywood After "Paul's Place," I just assumed, that the starring roles would keep coming, but they didn't and to convince these kids that, you know, he was the only one that could help them navigate this evil world.
I'm not here to teach you methods.
I'm here to teach you that unless you're willing to cross every line and throw every inhibition you have out the window, then you should get the hell out of my class right now! But If you stay I will help you.
I will nurture you.
I will give you a safe place to become a star.
HARPER: And these twenty-somethings, they fell for it, and they paid thousands of dollars, for these classes that slowly just turned into pseudo-religious character-building seminars.
NOLAN: He made them feel special.
You know, in a business that makes people feel like garbage on a regular basis, it wasn't long before Debbie and the others started treating him like a A guru.
You know, he literally told them how to act, and in their eyes, he became infallible.
He could do no wrong.
He could commit acts of unspeakable evil yet still be their savior from above.
I can't speak to Officer Nolan's comments, but what we discovered at Corey's house that day was pretty disturbing.
LUCY: Tim.
Police! Come out from under the bed.
Do it now.
Come out with your hands up.
Holy crap.
- TIM: What is? - It's It's a TIM: A what? A mummy.
In a suit.
What? [CLATTERING, LATEX GLOVE STRETCHING.]
Is that It can't be.
It looks like, uh It was Charlie Chaplin.
Charlie Chaplin's mummy, that was That was Corey's greatest treasure.
LOPEZ: And where exactly did Corey obtain this mummified body, Debbie? He stole it.
- We stole it.
- LOPEZ: From who? From me, yeah! Now, I bought Charlie at a secret auction I found out about from Nic Cage.
[CLICKS TONGUE.]
I owe my entire career to Charlie.
He is my total inspiration.
[LAUGHING.]
I mean, that That tramp.
Oh, my God.
I wouldn't be who I am today without him.
You know? So when I found out I could own him Like, "Rainn, do you want to" "You want to own Charlie?" It was like, how could I say no? You know what I mean? So when I found out that I was robbed, I didn't care about my vintage cowboy hat collection.
You know what I mean? I don't care about my solid gold retainer, or Catherine the Great's speculum My SAG awards, any of that stuff.
No I care about Losing my best friend.
Charlie.
HARPER: No.
Of course it wasn't Chaplin's body.
So, apparently in the '70s, there was someone who actually did steal his body, and they held it for ransom, but eventually it was returned.
However, there are conspiracy theories that the real body, was sold on the black market.
So the mummy that we found is just one of dozens of fake Chaplins floating around.
Celebrities are nuts.
INTERVIEWER: How did you feel when you learned that Corey Harris was behind the theft? Listen, I choose to live in a realm of total positivity.
I have nothing bad to say about anyone, even a vain, talentless skid mark like Corey.
INTERVIEWER: I've heard that he targeted celebrities he felt had wronged him in some way.
Yeah.
He He thought the role of Backstrom should've gone to him.
[CHUCKLES.]
Anyway, so he sicced his whole cult of acting students on me.
[EXHALES SHARPLY.]
INTERVIEWER: And do you own any other celebrity mummies? No comment.
TIM: Before they became a full-blown cult, Corey turned his acting school into a burglary ring that targeted celebrities.
[RAPPING.]
Ready or not, I'mma come run up in your spot Like Kobe with every shot Cannot be stopped, don't you go I caught a bunch of calls back in 2018.
That was before I was on the job.
We arrested a few people, but, no one would flip on Corey, so he got away with it.
Yeah.
Corey promised his students everything Money, fame, but all he did was insert himself farther and farther into their lives.
He made them think he could control their destinies.
I don't know.
Maybe it's because he didn't have any control over his own.
What's that saying? Those who can't do teach? [CHUCKLES.]
You were literally my teacher.
What are you saying? [CHUCKLES.]
AURORA: My love! When I thrust you with this knife, why didn't you cry? I've never seen a man die.
CHARLOTTE: No, no.
No, no, no, no! Enough.
Stop.
Stop.
G-Get up right now.
What is this? - It's a-a knife.
- No.
This is a vehicle for the actor's soul.
It must convey all of your anger, all of your emotion.
You just used this knife to take a man's life, not chop onions in the back of a fast-food restaurant.
[SCOFFS.]
You know what I see when I look at you? - Hmm? - I see an amateur, a nobody going nowhere.
COREY: Charlotte.
Charlotte, thank you.
Aurora.
[SOBS.]
What Charlotte means to say is, anyone can simply memorize or recite lines stage.
But only a few dare to push themselves where their minds won't allow them to go.
That's what makes a true actor.
I can help you get there.
What do you say? LAURIE: Hey! Turn that off! What did I tell you about filming in my son's school?! [STATIC HISSES.]
Corey was such a special boy.
Everyone's best friend.
Well, he didn't have too many friends, come to think of it, but that's because he was so dedicated to his craft.
He was a natural leading man, even as a boy, and I knew he could succeed, at whatever he chose in life.
And he and Charlotte together You couldn't ask for a better duo.
A better duo to brainwash people.
Corey always made Charlotte play the bad cop no pun intended.
TIM: So Corey could swoop in and be the savior.
Together they would brainwash a student to the point where they would do anything to please him.
Yeah.
And that's when he would induct them into his Bling Ring, telling them that the only way to get into the mind of a criminal, was to become one.
He ruined people's lives.
INTERVIEWER: Including someone you know.
- What? - INTERVIEWER: It's up here on the right.
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
Oh.
Can I help you? INTERVIEWER: Sterling Freeman.
Is it true that you were once a student of notorious acting teacher turned cult leader Corey Harris? What? No.
Okay.
You can leave now, thank y INTERVIEWER: In fact, your real name isn't Sterling Freeman, is it? It's Skipper Young, and you participated in a ring of celebrity burglaries in 2017, at the direction of Harris.
Okay.
What the hell is he talking about? Your name is Skipper? [EXHALES DEEPLY.]
[AUSTRALIAN ACCENT.]
How the bloody hell did you find me? Whoa.
Why are you talking all British? So, I have a A bit of a confession to make, Jackson.
I'm not really from Tampa.
- Get out.
Get out! - [DOOR SLAMS.]
Well, you have to understand, that when I first arrived in L.
A.
six years ago, I was a nobody.
Just a weird kid from Melbourne.
I had never even been to the States before.
But all I knew was I wanted to be a star.
INTERVIEWER: And tell us how you first met Corey.
I knew who he was, of course.
"Paul's Place" was big in Australia.
Corey was a real actor, and so I just thought, "Why not?" And I went to one class And he hooked me.
He believed nothing in this business is given to you.
Whatever you want in life, you have to take it.
He said the burglaries would help us internalize that mind-set.
Corey wanted to help us learn to conquer our fears Push our boundaries.
INTERVIEWER: And do you still believe in Corey's teachings? No.
No.
Not at all.
Alright? Well, we fell out, right before my arrest, and that's when things were getting really weird.
You know, over time, you could tell he was getting delusional, talking about spirits, calling us his students, "the Worthy," calling himself a prophet.
Well, it got to a point where I told myself, one last run with the crew, and then I'd leave.
Then I got caught.
No, I was not aware that my boyf Sterling Skipper, was a felon.
Or Australian.
Yes, yes, I'm aware that cops are not permitted to fraternize with felons.
Y This is an actual active matter, and I have no further comment - at this time.
- INTERVIEWER: Officer West.
I said I have no further comment, thank you.
INTERVIEWER: Officer West, come on back.
JACKSON: How could you not tell me? Hey, I am still Sterling.
No, y-you're not Sterling! You're Skipper Young or whoever the hell that is! No, after I was caught, I served four months' probation, and I changed my name.
I'm different now.
[WHISPERING.]
Please.
That part of my life, it's It's behind me.
Do you believe me? I don't know.
Jackson.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
NOLAN: Obviously, uh, we knew that Sterl uh, Skipper, had nothing to do with it.
He was in Prague, shooting a movie when it happened.
So we still had a mystery on our hands a missing cult leader and a bloody crime scene.
That was when we became aware of Corey's connection to someone who was a lot more dangerous than a bunch of wannabe actors.
The Southland Stalker was a serial killer, that terrorized L.
A.
County starting in the fall of 2010.
He had no type.
He would hit single people, couples, uh, even had a rampage in a hotel once.
Murdered three people that night.
But the Stalker got sloppy, and one of his victims escaped, went to a neighbor's home, and Dan Marcie was caught in the surrounding area.
There had always been rumors that the Stalker didn't work alone, that he had an accomplice, but Marcie maintained in court, that he did it all by himself a performance, that we later learned, he had a little help with.
[BUZZER SOUNDS.]
I met Corey in 2017, at one of his acting classes.
I was looking for ways to up my game, gain people's trust.
INTERVIEWER: And why was that? So it'd be easier to get my victims to come with me willingly.
You see, for people like me Psychopaths There's a short circuit, in the part of the brain that feels empathy, at least that's what the prison shrink tells me.
Without that part, it makes it difficult, to relate to people, to convince them to trust you.
I got tired of bashing people over the head, dragging them to the car, so I thought it'd be much easier, if I could just charm them in myself.
So I asked Corey to help me.
INTERVIEWER: And did he? Teach you how to fake empathy? Oh, yeah.
It opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me Victim-wise.
INTERVIEWER: There's a rumor that Corey also helped you prepare for your trial, to better connect with the jury.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's true.
[CHUCKLES.]
I had the jury eating out of the palm of my hand.
[CHAIN RATTLING.]
INTERVIEWER: But they still convicted you of first-degree murder Yeah, well, once they saw the photos of her head in my fridge, it was kind of over for me.
Dan Marcie was convicted of murder months before Corey went missing.
But, even though he wasn't a suspect in the disappearance, his association, with Corey definitely made us take a closer look at who else was taking those acting classes.
And in the end, it wasn't a student, that gave us a break in the case that we needed.
It was Corey's old co-star and fellow teacher, Charlotte Luster.
Well, no one had heard from her, since the day Corey went missing, and we were about to find out why.
[JET ENGINES HUMMING.]
Been parked here a week, and there's a really bad smell coming from the trunk.
TIM: Would you mind stepping away from the vehicle? It belongs to a suspect in a violent crime.
[TRUNK OPENS.]
Corey Harris and Charlotte Luster.
You played childhood sweethearts for eight seasons on "Paul's Place," and now I hear you've become partners in real life.
You know, Robin, when you grow up with someone on TV, it just - It bonds you.
- Mm.
Charlotte was always like family.
And when she and Corey started dating, I couldn't have been happier.
I treated her like my own daughter.
And If I'm being frank, she was the luckiest girl in the world, to be able to date my son.
[CHUCKLES.]
Corey, it's no secret that you struggled, after the show ended.
Drugs, alcohol, even an arrest for indecent exposure, at an Emmy party.
Oh, that was all a misunderstanding, but What is true is that when "Paul's Place" was canceled, I was a I was a mess, adrift.
It was Charlotte who brought me back.
She saved me.
NEWS ANCHOR: Breaking news Charlotte Luster, the former child star, known for the '90s sitcom "Paul's Place", has been missing since Sunday.
She is the prime suspect in the bloody disappearance of Corey Harris.
LUCY: Even though we found Charlotte's car at the airport, we couldn't find any recent records of her boarding a flight at LAX.
Uh, Detective Harper and I were dispatched to Charlotte's apartment to begin a search, try to find some indication of where she might've gone.
- INTERVIEWER: And did you? - No.
But we did find something that shed some light.
- INTERVIEWER: What was that? - A screenplay.
- For a movie.
- It's L.
A.
It's not the first time I've found a script at a crime scene.
I've only been on the job for a year, and I've already found three.
INTERVIEWER: Have either of you ever written one? [SCOFFS.]
God, no.
It was for a class.
It was the title that caught everyone's eye - "The Worthy.
" - AURORA: The Worthy - The Worthy - The Worthy.
Same as Corey's cult.
This script is 500 pages long.
So we assigned, three of our rookie officers, - the task of reading it.
- [SCRIPT THUDS.]
- INTERVIEWER: What did you think of it? - Look.
I'm no screenwriting expert, but I thought it was, uh Dense.
Convoluted.
The worst thing I have ever read.
"Exterior, rooftop, day.
" "Aurora, 19," "beautiful but doesn't know it," "speaks the prophecy aloud.
" "Heed ye the Noon Star Harvesters," "for they shall descend from the heavens," "so the Worthy can ascend.
" "So sayeth the Prophet Jedediah.
" "All hail Children of the Stars.
" GROUP: All hail Children of the Stars.
TIM: Yep.
He based his freakin' cult off a bad sci-fi script.
That Charlotte wrote with him.
I've been a film producer, for like 25 years, okay? This is the strangest thing I've ever seen.
Well, second strangest.
Anyway, it was like five years ago, and I heard about this script making the rounds.
And listen, it's not uncommon, for actors to, you know, try their hand at writing when the roles dry up, right? And P.
S everyone thinks they got the next "Rocky.
" But a 500-page space opera, written by two former child stars, raised a few eyebrows.
I took the meeting.
I mean, out of morbid curiosity, more than anything, right? It was Uncomfortable.
And Charlotte, she seemed totally willing, to receive feedback, you now? Corey, he just flatly refused to make any cuts to the script.
I told them as politely as I could.
"It's a pass.
" INTERVIEWER: And then what happened? Well, then I forgot about it for a long time.
And then things got weird.
Today, police rescued five people from a Mid-Wilshire rooftop.
The group identified themselves as members of "the Worthy", and were preparing to commit ritual suicide, based on the teachings of their leader, known simply as the Prophet Jedediah.
You want to know why Corey wasn't on that rooftop, ready to jump with the rest of his followers? Because he was filming it.
SHEILA: The day after the missile alert, I get an e-mail from Corey.
The subject line "Proof of Concept.
" I I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Five people almost died, because some washed-up narcissist thought that the world he dreamed up, in his screenplay, had become real.
Along with the video, Corey also sent Sheila - a revised version of his script.
- Yeah.
W-With Charlotte Luster's name removed.
TIM: He was trying to cut her out From the script, the cult, and the money.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? Cool.
Way to trivialize female anger.
Hey, I'm not trivializing.
All sorts of crimes are motivated by jealous ex-partners.
And how many of those ex-partners are men? Most.
INTERVIEWER: I heard it was Officer Chen who broke the case wide open.
[CHUCKLES.]
I d I don't know, if I'd describe it quite that way.
INTERVIEWER: How would you describe it, then? Her addiction, to social media finally paid off.
T-That is hurtful.
I[SIGHS.]
INTERVIEWER: Can you tell us what happened? I was on my phone, doing Research, - when I got a notification.
- Ah.
And You know what? I-I still have the video on my phone.
Just let me Look at that.
[UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING.]
That's Uh, that's Sorry.
That's not what No.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS.]
You are never gonna believe, the celeb sighting I just made, during my Malibu silent retreat.
That's Corey Harris.
He was alive.
HARPER: You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you in court off law.
You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you.
Do you understand? Do you understand, sir? Corey? Uh, he took the "right to remain silent" part real seriously.
Very seriously.
INTERVIEWER: How long did he stay quiet? Five and a half hours.
[WATCH BEEPING.]
[EXHALES DEEPLY.]
Wow.
That was invigorating.
72 hours of silence.
You guys should try it.
Now, what'd you want to ask me? What a putz.
So, Corey, while you were, uh, playing your little quiet game, we were getting the forensics report back from the lab, do you care to guess what it said? That I'm innocent.
No.
That the blood, that we found at your house, and in Charlotte's car, belong to the same person.
- Who? - Charlotte.
[INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY.]
Oh, my God! That's horrible! My My poor girl.
[SOBS.]
HARPER: Wow.
You're right.
He is a good actor.
- NOLAN: I told you.
- HARPER: Mm-hmm.
NOLAN: So what happened to Charlotte? I have no idea.
I haven't seen her in weeks.
And I've been at the silent retreat since last Monday.
I-I'm sure they have a record.
NOLAN: Yeah, an employee recalls checking you in at 10:00 a.
m.
, Sunday morning.
Unfortunately, no one else remembers seeing you until the welcome bonfire that evening.
HARPER: That leaves an eight-hour window that is unaccounted for Plenty of time for you to leave the retreat, go back home, and kill Charlotte.
Do you have any proof of that? Of course not.
Because I didn't do it.
I could never hurt another person.
NOLAN: What about your followers, the ones you almost persuaded, to jump off a roof for you? For me? They were doing it for themselves, for their own enlightenment, so they could ascend into a higher state of being.
[SIGHS.]
I wouldn't expect someone, as limited as you, to understand.
HARPER: Is that what you call the people who can see through your little act? Was Was Charlotte limited? In some ways, yes.
HARPER: Is that why you killed her? I think I need a lawyer.
NOLAN: Because she saw the real you.
Because she had the power to send your house of cards toppling.
Lawyer.
WESLEY: I can't talk about clients.
I told you that when you called yesterday.
INTERVIEWER: Even given what happened? Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Corey built his whole empire on a script he stole from Charlotte, and she was gonna expose him.
That sounds like motive for murder to me.
Hey, speculate all you like.
There was never any evidence.
INTERVIEWER: There was video.
Which did not show my client.
Now leave me alone.
NOLAN: Enter the "momager.
" Mom and manager.
It's all a hybrid.
I thought that was clever.
Anyway, once we saw the footage of her, tampering with the evidence, it was clear to us, that Laurie Harris played, at least some small or, shall we say behind-the-scenes, role in the crime.
INTERVIEWER: I don't get it.
I'm not gonna make any more jokes.
HARPER: So, Mrs.
Harris, what happened to Charlotte? Last I heard, she was flying to Cabo.
So Soakin' up the sun, sippin' on Margaritas? Charlotte is not in Cabo, Mrs.
Harris.
Was it Cancun? You drove her car to the airport, and then you left it there, to make it look like she had left town.
Oh.
[SNORTS.]
That? She asked me to leave her car there.
Really? That's weird, because, we found her blood at your son's house, and then also in the trunk of her car.
And we also just found, what remains of her body, dumped heartlessly 20 miles up Interstate 5.
T My God, that's Awful! Poor Charlotte.
HARPER: Clearly, Corey did not get his acting talents from his mother.
Seriously, that wasn't even believable.
But you have bigger problems than your lack of acting chops.
Charlotte's car had GPS tracking.
You should've disabled it before you dumped her body.
You can't prove I was anywhere but the airport.
HARPER: Did you kill her, Mrs.
Harris, or were you just cleaning up another one of your son's messes? I have no idea what you're talking about.
I think, Corey checked in at the retreat, and then he left, to go meet Charlotte.
He killed her and called you, to clean it up.
Then he went back to his silent meditation, while you dumped the body of a woman you'd known since she was a child, like so much trash.
Corey had nothing, to do with it.
Are you sure? Yeah.
I killed her, all by myself.
INTERVIEWER: Can you blame her, for trying to protect her son.
Uh, yeah.
She killed somebody.
INTERVIEWER: Sure.
But if your son had done something, that would destroy his life, wouldn't you try and protect him, throw yourself on the grenade? [INHALES DEEPLY.]
Your job as a parent, is to protect your children, as much as you can.
But that also means teaching them right from wrong.
And there has to be consequences.
Doesn't mean you love them any less.
It just means Parenting is hard.
HARPER: His mom confessed.
And Corey Harris, passed the polygraph, so We had to release him.
INTERVIEWER: Doesn't sound like you believe he's innocent.
My belief or lack thereof is irrelevant.
The decision to charge lies solely with the D.
A.
's office, and They didn't think it was a case they could win.
INTERVIEWER: Does that make you angry? No.
I mean, a high-profile case like this, and a guilty plea ready to go? I wouldn't have charged him either.
That doesn't mean I think he should've gotten away with it.
INTERVIEWER: Well, but he didn't actually get away with it, did he? Well[SCOFFS.]
- [SWITCH CLICKS.]
- [CHUCKLES.]
Good evening, Worthy ones.
Welcome to my evening sermon, streamed across all my social platforms.
[LIQUID SLURPING.]
[SIGHS.]
You know, we are so blessed.
So blessed to shine in the light of Our Saviors Above.
You don't know the comfort I've drawn, knowing that one day soon, they will come to lift us all up.
[THUD IN DISTANCE.]
Hello? Nobody's supposed to be here.
Uh Where was I? Um right.
Our Saviors.
They spoke to me last night.
The stars seemed to part, as I was out in the night sky, and I could hear their voices, just as clear as you hear mine, - and they said - [ELECTRICITY HUMMING.]
What the hell? The electric bill's on auto-pay.
[THUD IN DISTANCE.]
Hello? Aurora Number 2, is that you? This isn't funny! Come on.
Be right back.
- [THUD IN DISTANCE.]
- [COREY SCREAMS.]
[GLASS BREAKING.]
[LOUD BANG.]
Oh, my God! Oh, my God! [SOBBING.]
[DOOR RATTLES, CLOSES.]
[GRUNTING.]
[CHAIR THUDS.]
Aah! How is this so heavy?! [POUNDING ON DOOR.]
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Oh, my God! Oh, no, no, no.
[GASPING.]
Siri, Siri, dial 911, please.
Pick up.
Pick up.
OPERATOR: 911.
What's your emergency? [WHISPERING.]
Help.
Someone's in my house.
I'm in danger.
I am the savior, the Prophet Jedediah.
I can't die.
[GASPING.]
[DOORKNOB RATTLING.]
Sir, are you still there? [POUNDING ON DOOR.]
[SOBBING.]
Oh, no! - [THUD.]
- I'm scared! I don't want to die! [DOOR RATTLING.]
[SCREAMING.]
[GLASS SHATTERING.]
NOLAN: Police! Don't move! Drop your weapon! - [KNIFE CLATTERS.]
- NOLAN: Hands on your head.
Interlace your fingers.
Now! - You got him? - HARPER: Yeah.
NOLAN: Don't move.
[HANDCUFFS RATTLING, CLICKING.]
Give me your other hand.
Ronald Sanchez.
HARPER: Where's Corey Harris? Most of him's inside.
Except his eyes.
You just found those.
Harper.
You got to bag them as evidence, and we got to clear the house.
What happened here, Ronald? My coming-out party.
Yeah, it turned out, the Southland Stalker had an accomplice after all, and He was pissed, that Corey convinced Dan, to take all the credit during his trial.
I'm sorry.
Can I say "pissed"? Look, I know it's crazy.
But, I mean, this dude's a freakin' serial killer who Who puts eyes in his pocket.
He's not exactly firing on all cylinders.
Control, we got one in custody.
Going back inside to look for the homeowner.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
- Ready? - HARPER: Uh-huh.
[DOOR OPENS, RATTLES.]
NOLAN: Oh, no.
[STATIC HISSES.]
Control, we got a 187.
Mobilize detectives, a supervisor, and TID.
I think I think this thing is still on.
LUCY: It was.
By the time Harper and Nolan secured the scene, Corey's live stream had 400,000 viewers.
Okay.
Look.
The case was definitely weird.
But I mean, come on.
All this? This feels so exploitational.
The low-hanging fruit of celebrity scandal and murder.
You should be making serious documentaries about things that really matter.
INTERVIEWER: My last film was about climate injustice in Puerto Rico.
It won a BAFTA.
Oh.
Well, alright, then.
I j I just want to say this has been so fascinating.
I love true crime, and to be in a documentary, it's just it's a dream come true.
Thank you.
Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you so much for doing this.
Yeah.
You got You got something in your hair.
- What? - It's kind of - Has it been there the whole time? - Yeah.
It's pretty big.
- Let's get out of here.
- I would tell you, if you had broccoli in your teeth, man.
- What the heck? - [SIGHS.]
INTERVIEWER: Were you surprised, that Ronald killed Corey? No, no.
Not at all.
Guy's out of his mind.
He was always super jealous of my fame too, so I guess he needed to get some for himself.
But I can't say the same for me The eyes thing was a nice touch, though, I will say.
INTERVIEWER: Do you have a takeaway from this experience? Um, I'm honestly still processing, everything that happened.
INTERVIEWER: And have you talked to Skipper? Who? Oh, um No.
No.
We, uh We've gone our separate ways.
Still ready for something more INTERVIEWER: Was this your craziest case? Oh, yes.
This was definitely the craziest case, I have ever worked.
Oh, it's nowhere near the craziest.
INTERVIEWER: Really? Can you tell me more? No.
Uh, we're done here.
I'm gonna go.
INTERVIEWER: Actually, I have a few more questions, if you had an extra minute or two, Detective Harper.
D-D-Detective Harper? How can I afford to fall in love? [AUDIENCE GASPS, LAUGHS.]
Mmm! Tastes good! [LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE.]
YOUNG COREY: You know what I want to be when I grow up? An ice cream sundae.
[LAUGHS.]
Silly.
You can't be an ice cream sundae when you grow up.
Then I never want to grow up.
[LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE.]
Still funny.
Murderer.