THE ROOKIE
Season 3, Episode 7
"True Crime"
This episode is presented as a series of interviews and archival clips, to appear as a television episode of a "true crime" show. Each LAPD officer is interviewed in a specific area of the station, as described. Other scenes are located as indicated in the script notes.
INT. NOLAN'S HOUSE, DAY - LIVING AREA
[The opening shows NOLAN in his house.]
NOLAN
Check. Check. Is it good? Okay. Thanks. I don't want to knock the light. [ Clears throat ] This here good?
INTERVIEWER
That's great.
NOLAN
All right. 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."
Footage of Paul's Place shows Corey Harris, as Paul, pouring a milkshake on his head as his friend looks on.
[ Up-tempo music plays ]
[ Audience gasps, laughs ]
YOUNG HARRIS
Mmm! Tastes good!
[ Laughter, applause ]
NOLAN
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.
HARRIS
I am the Prophet Jedediah. And tomorrow, the 3rd of June, is the day that we, the Worthy, shall ascend.
[ Montage of clips of HARRIS and his followers ]
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.
[Title card for "A Fallen Star" ]
[ Mouse clicks, music stops ]
INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BULLPEN
JACKSON WEST is being interviewed by an unseen person.
WEST
Sorry. I'm just a little nervous. That's -- I'm assuming that's normal, yeah?
INTERVIEWER
Oh, totally. But there's no pressure. We're just talking.
WEST
Okay. Uh, where -- where should I start? Yeah. It started off like any other day. A few mundane calls. And then the world went crazy.
NEWS ANNOUNCER
(on TV footage) 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.
LOPEZ
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?
WEST
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.
[The scene switches to a view of the GROUP on the edge of a rooftop, from the events of "Fallout".]
GROUP
All hail Children of the Stars.
[Scene switches back to Mid-Wilshire Police Station.]
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.
JACKSON
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.
LOPEZ
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.
EXT. VIOLET DRIVE, DAY
HARPER and NOLAN roll up to find a man shouting at the front door of the house.
DISPATCH
7-Adam-15, possible 207, 9901 Violet Drive. RP is on scene.
BENJAMIN
...my daughter out here! [ knocks on door ] Oh, good. The cops. Debbie! [to the police] Look, my daughter is inside this house. He's keeping her. He won't let her leave. He's brainwashing her.
COREY HARRIS comes out of the house, wearing white robes.
HARRIS
Good morning, Officers. I'm so sorry you had to be bothered with this.
NOLAN
I know you. You're Corey Harris. You're from that, uh...
HARRIS
"Paul's Place." Yeah. That was a lifetime ago, but it's always nice to meet a fan. You want an autograph?
NOLAN [In his house]
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 starstruck.
HARPER [in the Briefing Room]
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.
BENJAMIN
Will you arrest him? He's keeping my daughter against her will. He -- He's a cult leader!
HARRIS [On scene]
It's not a cult. It's a religious movement -- awaiting tax-exempt status. Aurora is over 18 and here of her own volition.
BENJAMIN
Her name is Debbie.
HARRIS
Aurora has shed her birth name, like a moth becoming a butterfly.
NOLAN
Caterpillar. Moths don't become butterflies.
HARPER
Uh, can we speak to Debbie, please?
HARRIS
Of course. Aurora!
AURORA/DEBBIE
Yes, Prophet?
HARRIS
Can you tell these nice officers that you're here of your own free will?
AURORA/DEBBIE
I'm here of my own free will.
HARPER
Oh, that was convincing.
BENJAMIN
Debbie, please. This is crazy. You got to come home.
AURORA/DEBBIE
I am home.
BENJAMIN
You got to stop her.
NOLAN
Why don't you wait inside while we talk to Debbie?
HARPER
I can't, sir. She's an adult.
HARRIS
Only if that's what Aurora wants.
AURORA/DEBBIE
I'm happy here, with my real family.
BENJAMIN
Debbie, your mother's cancer -- It's back! She's dying! She's only got a couple weeks to live! She needs you.
HARRIS
Aurora?
[AURORA/DEBBIE hugs BENJAMIN.]
HARPER [In the Briefing Room]
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.
NOLAN [in his House]
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. Did you?
NOLAN
No. No. It felt, um, super inappropriate at the time. So we just headed out, and I thought that was the end of it.
[ 2 DAYS LATER ]
OPERATOR
9-1-1, what is your emergency?
CALLER
Come quick! Something terrible has happened. Send the police.
[ Tires squeal ]
BRADFORD
You the one who called?
ANGEL SANTOS
Yes. I garden for Mr. Harris. I found blood by the door.
CHEN
Did you go in the home?
SANTOS
No.
BRADFORD
Okay. Go wait over by your truck. We'll check it out and come back and get your statement.
SANTOS
Thank you.
BRADFORD
Police! Mr. Harris, are you home?
CHEN
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 ] Blood.
CHEN
Tim. [To the radio] We have major blood loss at our location. Send detectives and TID.
[The scene switches to the Sally Port of Mid-Wilshire Police Station, with BRADFORD and CHEN in front of a shop.]
BRADFORD
Is this gonna take long? Because, uh, we got work to do.
INTERVIEWER
Um...uh, what can you tell me about the crime scene?
BRADFORD
Well, I mean, that amount of blood, if it came from one person, then that's fatal.
CHEN
Without Corey's body, we had to treat it as a missing-persons case while the lab ran the blood against Corey's DNA.
INTERVIEWER
But no one was home?
BRADFORD
We didn't know that yet. We hadn't cleared the house.
CHEN
It -- Corey's disciples were at a drum circle downtown. They did it once a week to recruit new followers.
BRADFORD
Yeah. The house's security camera captured them all leaving right before --
CHEN
Oh, yeah. We have a video of them downtown across from City Hall. I'm sorry. I cut you off. I'm sorry.
BRADFORD
I was just gonna say that the security system was shut off right after they all left. It took three hours to reboot.
CHEN
So there's no video of the crime. [ Whispering ] This is fun.
[ THE DAY AFTER COREY'S DISAPPEARANCE ]
[The scene switches to an Interrogation Room in Mid-Wilshire Police Station. NOLAN and HARPER are with BENJAMIN.]
BENJAMIN
What is this about? Look, I need to be at the hospital. My wife doesn't have much time left.
HARPER
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?
BENJAMIN
All day and night.
NOLAN
Was your daughter there with you?
BENJAMIN
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.
NOLAN
Corey went missing yesterday. There were signs of violence at his house.
BENJAMIN
Good. He destroyed our family, destroyed Debbie's life. [ Sighs ] It was just supposed to be an acting class.
[The scene switches to a clip of HARRIS giving a speech.]
HARRIS
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.
[The scene switches to the Briefing Room of Mid-Wilshire Police Station, with HARPER inside.]
HARPER
So when the acting jobs dried up, Corey started an acting school. And he basically just used it to air his grievances about Hollywood...
HARRIS
After "Paul's Place," I just assumed that the starring roles would keep coming, but they didn't.
HARPER
...and to convince these kids that, you know, he was the only one that could help them navigate this evil world.
HARRIS [In the video clip]
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 [In his house]
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.
BRADFORD [In the Sally Port]
I can't speak to Officer Nolan's comments, but what we discovered at Corey's house that day was pretty disturbing.
[The scene switches to a CCTV camera in the Master Bedroom of HARRIS’s house. BRADFORD and CHEN enter the room]
CHEN
Tim. Police! Come out from under the bed. Do it now.
BRADFORD
Come out with your hands up.
CHEN
Holy crap.
BRADFORD
What is it?
CHEN
It's -- It's a --
BRADFORD
A what?
CHEN
A mummy. In a suit.
BRADFORD
What?
[ Clattering, latex glove stretching ]
CHEN
Is that...
BRADFORD
It can't be.
CHEN
It looks like, uh --
NOLAN [In his house]
It was Charlie Chaplin.
[The scene switches to the Interrogation Room, with LOPEZ and AURORA/DEBBIE inside.]
AURORA/DEBBIE
Charlie Chaplin's mummy. That was -- That was Corey's greatest treasure.
LOPEZ
And where exactly did Corey obtain this mummified body, Debbie?
AURORA/DEBBIE
He stole it. He stole it.
LOPEZ
From who?
RAINN WILSON
From me. Yeah. No. 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, it's like 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'd you feel when you learned that that Corey Harris was behind the theft?
WILSON
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.
WILSON
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?
WILSON
No comment.
[The scene switches to the Sally Port.]
BRADFORD
Before they became a full-blown cult, Corey turned his acting school into a burglary ring that targeted celebrities. I caught a bunch of calls back in 2018.
CHEN
That was before I was on the job.
BRADFORD
We arrested a few people, but no one would flip on Corey, so he got away with it.
CHEN
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.
BRADFORD
What's that saying? Those who can't do, teach? [ Chuckles ]
CHEN
You are literally my teacher. What are you saying?
[ Chuckles ]
[The scene now shows a video clip.]
AURORA/DEBBIE
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?
AURORA/DEBBIE
It's a-a knife.
CHARLOTTE
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? I see an amateur, a nobody going nowhere.
HARRIS
Charlotte. Charlotte, thank you. Aurora.
AURORA/DEBBIE
[ Sobs ]
HARRIS
What Charlotte means to say is anyone can simply memorize or recite lines onstage. 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 HARRIS
Hey! Turn that off! What did I tell you about filming in my son's school?!
[ Static hisses ]
LAURIE
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.
BRADFORD [in the Sally Port]
A better duo to brainwash people.
CHEN [in the Sally Port]
Corey always made Charlotte play the bad cop -- no pun intended.
BRADFORD
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.
CHEN
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.
CHEN
What?
[The camera view shows the exterior of the apartment of CHEN and WEST.]
INTERVIEWER
It's up here on the right. [ Knock on door ]
WEST
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?
STERLING FREEMAN
What? No.
WEST
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.
WEST
Okay. What the hell is he talking about? Your name is Skipper?
FREEMAN
[ Exhales deeply ] [ Australian accent ] How the bloody hell did you find me?
WEST
Whoa. Why are you talking all British?
FREEMAN
So, I have a-a bit of a confession to make, Jackson. I'm not really from Tampa. Get out. Get out!
[ Door slams ]
FREEMAN/YOUNG
Well, you have to understand that when I first arrived 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.
FREEMAN/YOUNG
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?
FREEMAN/YOUNG
No. No. Not at all. All right? Well, we fell out right before my arrest, 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.
WEST [in the bullpen]
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 --
WEST
I said I have no further comment. Thank you.
INTERVIEWER
Officer West, come on back.
[WEST leaves the scene. The camera view now shows WEST and FREEMAN/YOUNG arguing in a room inside Mid-Wilshire Police Station. ]
WEST
How could you not tell me?
FREEMAN/YOUNG
Hey, I am still Sterling.
WEST
No, y-you're not Sterling! You're Skipper Young or whoever the hell that is!
FREEMAN/YOUNG
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?
WEST
I don't know.
FREEMAN/YOUNG
Jackson.
[ Door opens, closes ]
NOLAN [In his house]
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.
HARPER [in the Briefing Room]
That was when we became aware of Corey's connection to someone who was a lot more dangerous than a bunch of wannabe actors.
NOLAN
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.
LOPEZ
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 ]
DAN MARCIE
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?
MARCIE
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?
MARCIE
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.
MARCIE
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.
MARCIE
Yeah. Well, once they saw the photos of her head in my fridge, it was kind of over for me.
NOLAN
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 ]
[The scene switches to a CCTV camera in the Airport Parking]
AIRPORT POLICE OFFICER
Been parked here a week, and there's a really bad smell coming from the trunk.
BRADFORD
Would you mind stepping away from the vehicle? It belongs to a suspect in a violent crime.
[ Trunk opens ]
ROBIN ROBERTS
Corey Harris and Charlotte Luster. You played childhood sweethearts for eight seasons and now I hear you've become partners in real life.
CHARLOTTE
You know, Robin, when you grow up with someone on TV, it just... it bonds you.
ROBERTS
Mm.
LAURIE
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 ]
ROBERTS
Corey, it's no secret that you struggled after the show ended. Drugs, alcohol, even an arrest for indecent exposure at an Emmy party.
HARRIS
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.
CHEN [In the Sally Port]
Even though we found Charlotte's car at the airport, we couldn't find any recent records of her boarding a flight at LAX.
NOLAN [In his house]
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?
NOLAN
No. But we did find something that shed some light.
INTERVIEWER
What was that?
HARPER [in the Briefing Room]
A screenplay.
LOPEZ
For a movie.
BRADFORD [in the Sally Port]
It's L.A. It's not the first time I've found a script at a crime scene.
CHEN [in the Sally Port]
I've only been on the job for a year, and I've already found three.
INTERVIEWER
Have either of you ever written one?
BRADFORD
[ Scoffs ] God, no.
CHEN
It was for a class.
NOLAN
It was the title that caught everyone's eye -- "The Worthy."
AURORA/DEBBIE
...the Worthy...
FREEMAN/YOUNG
...the Worthy...
BENJAMIN
...the Worthy.
NOLAN
Same as Corey's cult.
HARPER [in the Briefing Room]
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?
CHEN [in the Sally Port]
Look, I'm no screenwriting expert, but I thought it was, uh...dense.
WEST [in the Bullpen]
Convoluted.
NOLAN [in his house]
The worst thing I have ever read.
WEST
"Exterior, rooftop, day."
CHEN
"Aurora, 19, beautiful but doesn't know it, speaks the prophecy aloud."
WEST
"Heed ye the Noon Star Harvesters, for they shall descend from the heavens so the Worthy can ascend."
CHEN
"So sayeth the Prophet Jedediah."
NOLAN
"All hail Children of the Stars."
THE WORTHY
All hail Children of the Stars.
BRADFORD
Yep. He based his freakin' cult off a bad sci-fi script.
HARPER
That Charlotte wrote with him.
SHEILA MOORE
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 know? 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?
MOORE
Well, then I forgot about it for a long time. And then things got weird.
NEWS ANCHOR
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.
WEST
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.
MOORE
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.
WEST
Five people almost died because some washed-up narcissist thought that the world he dreamed up in his screenplay had become real.
BRADFORD
Along with the video, Corey also sent Sheila a revised version of the script.
CHEN
Yeah. W-With Charlotte Luster's name removed.
BRADFORD
He was trying to cut her out -- from the script, the cult, and the money.
BRADFORD
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?
CHEN
Cool. Way to trivialize female anger.
BRADFORD
Hey, I'm not trivializing. All sorts of crimes are motivated by jealous ex-partners.
CHEN
And how many of those ex-partners are men?
BRADFORD
Most.
INTERVIEWER
I heard it was Officer Chen who broke the case wide open.
[ Chuckles ]
BRADFORD
I d-- I don't know if I'd describe it quite that way.
INTERVIEWER
How would you describe it, then?
BRADFORD
Her addiction to social media finally paid off.
CHEN
T-That is hurtful. I...[ Sighs ]
INTERVIEWER
Can you tell us what happened?
CHEN
I was on my phone, doing...research when I got a notification.
BRADFORD
Ah.
CHEN
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.
INFLUENCER
[ Down-tempo music plays ] You are never gonna believe the celeb sighting I just made during my Malibu silent retreat.
CHEN
That's Corey Harris. He was alive.
[The scene switches to the CCTV camera in an interrogation room in Mid-Wilshire Police Station. NOLAN and HARPER are inside with HARRIS]
HARPER
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of 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?... [Switches to the Briefing Room] Uh, he took the "right to remain silent" part real seriously.
NOLAN [in his house]
Very seriously.
INTERVIEWER
How long did he stay quiet?
NOLAN
Five and a half hours.
[The scene switches back to the CCTV camera in an interrogation room in Mid-Wilshire Police Station.]
[ Watch beeping ]
[ Exhales deeply ]
HARRIS
Wow. That was invigorating. 72 hours of silence. You guys should try it. Now, what'd you want to ask me?
HARPER
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?
HARRIS
That I'm innocent.
HARPER
No. That the blood that we found at your house and in Charlotte's car belong to the same person.
HARRIS
Who?
NOLAN
Charlotte.
HARRIS
[ Inhales, exhales deeply ] Oh, my God! That's horrible! My -- My poor girl.
HARPER
Wow. You're right. He is a good actor.
NOLAN
I told you. So what happened to Charlotte?
HARRIS
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.
HARRIS
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?
HARRIS
For me? They were doing it for themselves, for their own enlightenment, so they could ascend into a higher state of being. 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?
HARRIS
In some ways, yes.
HARPER
Is that why you killed her?
HARRIS
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.
HARRIS
Lawyer.
[The scene switches to the Reception Area of Mid-Wilshire Station, showing EVERS entering the station.]
EVERS
I can't talk about clients. I told you that when you called yesterday.
INTERVIEWER
Even given what happened?
EVERS
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.
EVERS
Hey, speculate all you like. There was never any evidence.
INTERVIEWER
There was video.
EVERS
Which did not show my client. Now leave me alone.
[EVERS Leaves the scene and enters the Station. Scene switches to NOLAN’s House]
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. I'm not gonna make any more jokes.
[Scene switches back to the interrogation room.]
HARPER
So, Mrs. Harris, what happened to Charlotte?
LAURIE
Last I heard, she was flying to Cabo. So...soakin' up the sun, sippin' on margaritas?
NOLAN
Charlotte is not in Cabo, Mrs. Harris.
LAURIE
Was it Cancun?
HARPER
You drove her car to the airport and then you left it there to make it look like she had left town.
LAURIE
Oh. [ Snorts ] That? She asked me to leave her car there.
HARPER
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.
LAURIE
T-- My God. That's...awful! Poor Charlotte.
HARPER
Clearly, Corey did not get his acting talents from his mother.
NOLAN
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.
LAURIE
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?
LAURIE
I have no idea what you're talking about.
HARPER
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.
LAURIE
Corey had nothing to do with it.
NOLAN
Are you sure?
LAURIE
Yeah. I killed her all by myself.
INTERVIEWER
Can you blame her for trying to protect her son?
NOLAN
Uh, yeah. She killed somebody.
LAURIE
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?
NOLAN
[ 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 [in the Briefing Room]
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.
HARPER
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?
HARPER
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?
HARPER
Well...[ Scoffs ]
[ Switch clicks ]
[The scene switches to HARRIS’s Livestream on a social website.]
[ Chuckles ]
HARRIS
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, the house went dark ] 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 ] Breathing heavily ] 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. Pick up.
OPERATOR
911. What's your emergency?
HARRIS
[ 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 ]
OPERATOR
Sir, are you still there?
[ Pounding on door ]
HARRIS
[ Sobbing ] Oh, no! [ Thud ] I'm scared! I don't want to die!
[ Door rattling ]
[ Screaming ]
[ Glass shattering ]
[Scene switches to a CCTV camera near the gates of HARRIS’s house, a shop can be seen driving into the front yard.]
NOLAN
Police! Don't move! Drop your weapon! [ Knife clatters ] 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?
SANCHEZ
Most of him's inside. Except his eyes. You just found those.
NOLAN
Harper.
HARPER
You got to bag them as evidence and we got to clear the house. What happened here, Ronald?
SANCHEZ
My coming-out party.
[The scene switches back to NOLAN’s House]
NOLAN
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"?
[Scene switches back to HARRIS’s House]
HARPER
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.
NOLAN
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 ] [to the radio] Control, we got a 187. Mobilize detectives, a supervisor, and TID.
HARPER(Looking into HARRIS’s Phone)
I think... I think this thing is still on.
[The scene switches to the Sally Port of Mid-Wilshire Police Station.]
CHEN
It was. By the time Harper and Nolan secured the scene, Corey's live stream had 400,000 viewers.
BRADFORD
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.
BRADFORD
Oh. Well, all right, then.
CHEN
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.
CHEN
Yeah.
BRADFORD
You got -- You got something in your hair.
CHEN
What?
BRADFORD
It's kind of --
CHEN
Has it been there the whole time?
BRADFORD
Yeah. It's pretty big.
CHEN
I would tell you if you had broccoli in your teeth, man. What the heck?
[CHEN and BRADFORD leaves the scene]
INTERVIEWER
Were you surprised that Ronald killed Corey?
MARCIE
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. The eyes thing was a nice touch, though, I will say.
[Scene switches to the Bullpen of the station.]
INTERVIEWER
Do you have a takeaway from this experience?
WEST
Um, I'm honestly still processing everything that happened.
INTERVIEWER
And have you talked to Skipper?
WEST
Who? Oh, um...no. No. We, uh... We've gone our separate ways.
[Scene switches to NOLAN’s house]
INTERVIEWER
Was this your craziest case?
NOLAN
Oh, yes. This was definitely the craziest case I have ever worked.
[Scene switches to the Briefing Room]
HARPER
Oh, it's nowhere near the craziest.
INTERVIEWER
Really? Can you tell me more?
HARPER
No. Uh, we're done here. I'm gonna go.
[HARPER leaves the scene]
INTERVIEWER
Actually, I have a few more questions if you had an extra minute or two, Detective Harper. D-D-Detective Harper?
[ Audience gasps, laughs ]
YOUNG HARRIS
Mmm! Tastes good! [ Laughter, applause ] You know what I want to be when I grow up? An ice cream sundae.
YOUNG CHARLOTTE
Silly. You can't be an ice cream sundae when you grow up.
YOUNG HARRIS
Then I never want to grow up.
[ Laughter, applause ]
NOLAN [in his house]
Still funny. Murderer.