ALLISON: This is Jeff.
As a little boy, he loved animals.
The day his parents brought Frisky home,
Jeff couldn't conceal his joy.
Jeff never lost his love for animals.
It's hard to know exactly
when his toothy grin gave way to darker thoughts,
but in 1991, the police were responding
to a complaint at Jeff's apartment
when one of them noticed an unusual smell.
They found a severed head in his refrigerator.
There was another one in the freezer,
as well as three more skulls in a filing cabinet,
and four others spread
throughout the Milwaukee apartment.
For most of us, that was the first time
we ever heard about Jeffrey Dahmer.
He was 31 years old.
He'd been killing people since he was 18.
He was somebody's son,
somebody's brother.
Leslie was the prettiest girl in Altadena, California.
In fact, she was elected homecoming princess twice.
After she graduated from high school,
she met her first serious boyfriend.
His name was Charlie.
Leslie Van Houten joined the Manson family
and was later charged
with the murder of Rosemary and Leno LaBianca.
After stabbing Rosemary 16 times,
Leslie changed into clothes from the LaBiancas' closet
and raided their refrigerator.
And when Leslie walked into the court every morning
with a smile on her face, the whole world wondered:
how could someone who looked so sweet,
who looked like she could be any one of our daughters,
go so wrong?
We want to believe that every child is born into this world
a blank vessel...
waiting to be filled with only the best parts of u.
And yet, no matter how hard we try,
invariably the day comes
when our child does something that surprises us...
becomes someone we don't quite recognize.
I'm home.
ARIEL: I'm in the kitchen, Dad.
And we find ourselves thinkin, who is that person?
Okay.
Where's your mom and your sisters?
-ALLISON: Thanks. -Got it? Cool.
: Thank you.
Okay.
Thank you, Mommy.
ALLISON: Someone looks tired.
I didn't sleep good.
ALLISON: Well, why is that?
Why're you looking at me?
You snore.
That's a lie!
I've never once heard me snoring!
ARIEL: You know you snore.
We all know that you snore.
Yeah, well, fine, kick me out of the house.
Kick me out of the family.
Nobody's kicking you out of anywhere.
I think I need my own room.
Well, I'm sorry, honey.
I don't have another room to give you.
But Ariel has her own room.
Everybody has their own room.
I don't have my own room.
BRIDGETTE: Hey, here's an idea.
Since Ariel doesn't snore
and Marie doesn't snore,
how about they share the bunk bed and I'll get Ariel's room?
Hey, here's an idea.
How about we go back to that part
where you were talking about leaving the family?
-Hmph! -ALLISON: Okay, enough!
Everybody, calm down.
-Be patient. -: Sorry.
Your sister here is gonna go to college soon
and everyone will have their own room.
Me, too?
Don't push your luck.
Hey, guys, we're leaving in ten minutes.
-Did you hear me? -Mm-hmm, yep.
Hey, so, can I, uh, talk to you guys about something?
All depends.
What's the something?
Well, there's this, uh,
thing tomorrow night.
And I know that it's a school night,
but I would, uh, really like to go.
Well, can we know what this thing is?
It's a scavenger hunt.
A really cool scavenger hunt.
They do it every year.
It's, uh, for the seniors
and the boy who's putting it together
asked Ashley and I if, uh, we wanted to come,
even though we're not seniors.
Honey, uh, when you find these things,
how does it work?
Do you go in cars? Do you drive?
Well, yeah, of course.
I mean, they're all seniors.
Well, um, I think Daddy and I have to think about this.
And now's not really a good time.
You have to get everybody to school
and Detective Scanlon's coming to get me in 20 minutes.
Can we get back to you on this later, after we think about it?
Yeah, okay.
I mean, I just... I don't get what there is to think about.
It's just a scavenger hunt.
I know, we heard you, sweetie. We just...
We just want to think.
Uh, okay, well, you know,
I better get the girls to school.
Thank you, honey.
Thanks, sweetie.
So?
So, I think that, uh, we're the luckiest parents on earth.
I mean, from the moment you got sick, she's just been...
-I know. -I just think
it's going to be really hard to say no.
Well, we haven't said anything yet.
♪ Cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise ♪
♪ Tastes so good, make a grown man cry ♪
DEVALOS: Allison?
Can I steal you for a moment?
Her name's Elena Agronov.
She's my housekeeper's daughter.
She borrowed her mother's car
to run an errand a couple of nights ago
and hasn't been seen since.
Are the police looking for her?
No, not yet.
You know how it works.
You can't file a missing persons report
until she's been gone at least 48 hours.
That's why I thought I'd print up these flyers
and get a jump on things.
You know her.
You think she's the kind of girl
who might be in some kind of trouble?
No.
No, no, no, not this girl.
She's, uh... she's pretty special.
She practically grew up at my house.
Terrific student.
Putting herself through college.
Accounting major.
No, that, uh,
that's what has us all so concerned.
This is very out of character for her.
Hey!
Hey, open up!
Ariel, wake up!
Wake up. Come on!
What are you looking at?
Open the door!
You're dead.
I'm telling Mom.
And when she hears that you left
your little sisters out on the street...
You're gonna be quiet and tell me where to go.
What are you talking about?
We're not going anywhere,
not till Marie gets in the car.
And then we're going home.
And you'll tell me where that is.
I said home. You know where home is.
BRIDGETTE: Anybody home?
In here!
Only one.
That's all I ever take.
What are you doing?
Looks like homework.
Well, it kind of is.
I'm practicing writing my name.
What a family.
You don't know how to write your name,
and Ariel doesn't know where she lives.
Hello?
ALLISON: Can I come in?
Honey, are you tired?
She told you about me falling asleep
while I was waiting for her.
She also said that you drove past the house.
It was stupid.
I was just playing with her.
Okay, if you say so.
Um, about tomorrow night,
it just... it makes me uneasy.
Older boys, cars...
and I feel like you need some rest.
Are you trying to tell me something?
I just don't think it's smart.
Particularly on a school night.
Okay.
Okay?
Yeah, sure, okay.
I'm talking about the scavenger hunt.
Yes, I heard you.
You don't think it's smart.
Mom?
Can I borrow some money?
Well, maybe I can give you
a little advance on your allowance.
How much are you thinking?
Um, maybe about 200.
Dollars?!
Are you serious?
Honey, we don't have that kind of money.
You know that.
Daddy doesn't even have a regular job.
No, of course, you're right.
I was getting nervous.
I thought maybe you weren't coming.
I thought maybe I came to the wrong place.
What's this?
You know what it is.
What's this for?
This is a lot more than you usually give me.
Is this for going away?
Elena, we need to have a conversation.
Is this why you wanted to meet here?
I can't do this anymore.
I don't want to do this anymore.
But that's not right.
You made me promises.
Yeah, I know, but now I've realized
this just doesn't work for me anymore.
But you said you'd pay my rent.
-I know I did. -You said you'd pay my tuition.
I know I did, Elena,
and I thought I could do it, but I can't.
I'm not a rich man.
I can't keep going to the bank, the ATM,
pulling out money for you.
My wife's starting to notice.
The kids need things.
There's somebody else.
No, there's nobody else.
I just...
I need it to end.
What about me?
What about what I need?
What about you?
Well, I mean, you go home to your wife,
your kids, your nice house.
Nothing changes for you.
But me...
You'll go back to dancing.
Maybe you'll meet some other guy.
Maybe he'll pay your tuition.
Or maybe he won't.
You can't honestly think that that's my problem.
That's right.
You have no problems.
None of this is your doing.
You bought something, you paid for something,
but now... you want out.
Fine.
We'll see.
Maybe it'll interest your wife.
Elena, don't you even kid about that.
Look at that.
He's got an Achilles' heel,
and I found it.
You haven't found a thing.
And if you're smart, you'll take that money I just gave you,
you'll invest it wisely,
and you will forget all about me,
all about us.
And what if I'm stupid?
What if I take all the money,
invest it wisely,
and still call your wife?
Oh, my God, I was kidding.
Now we've got a problem.
No, there's no problem.
How can I ever trust you?
You can. You can trust me.
-I would never say any... -You don't understand.
My family means everything to me.
But you can. You can trust--
SCANLON: Found her right where you said she'd be--
the Encanto Park overlook.
Somebody shot her twice,
then left her there for the coyotes.
Her mother's car was parked maybe 20 yards away.
DEVALOS: So if I put you
in front of some mug books, do you think
you'd recognize the man who did this?
I can try.
I kind of doubt he's gonna be in there.
He didn't really strike me as a career criminal.
More like a guy who's having a midlife crisis,
who'd gotten in too deep.
DEVALOS: Well, do me a favor.
Take a look, anyway.
If you come up empty, we'll run the composite software,
see if we can generate a sketch.
In the meantime, I have to get ahold of Elena's mom.
Tell her that her daughter's dead.
What are you doing?
That's Mom and Dad's private stuff.
You're not supposed to be in there.
I was just, uh, looking for my blouse.
It's not in my closet, and I thought
that maybe Mom had put it in-in here by mistake.
BRIDGETTE: In Dad's money drawer?
Fine, but you're still not supposed to be in there.
And what are you going to do about it?
I don't know.
I haven't made up my mind. Yet.
Hmm.
Whatcha eatin'?
Nothing.
You sure?
'Cause I think you are.
And I think that I heard Mom say
that she doesn't want you snacking after school.
So... I guess I didn't see you do anything
if you didn't see me do anything.
Yes, but see, I didn't do anything.
And neither did I.
MARIE: Mommy?
Hey, Pumpkin.
What are you doing up?
I can't find Ariel.
Bridgette was snoring again,
so I went in to go sleep with Ariel,
but she's not there.
ALLISON: Did you really think you were gonna get away with it?
She's here.
She's home.
She looks fine.
ARIEL: I am fine.
She is fine.
I'll see you in a minute.
Hey, your dad has been driving all around town looking for you.
You went to that scavenger hunt thing, didn't you?
That's it? That's all I get, a shrug?
And what do you want me to say?
You know everything.
So, can I just go to bed?
Hey.
You've been smoking, haven't you?
I mean...
Smell this.
You reek.
And what is this?
It's from the scavenger thing.
It's my team, the She Devils.
Okay, give me my keys right now.
You will get these back in the morning.
I will get them back from you in the afternoon
when you bring the girls home from school.
Forget this weekend. Forget your allowance.
You are grounded.
And when your dad gets home, he's gonna want to speak to you.
Okay.
-So? -So?
So, what did she say?
Not a lot.
And you're right.
She smells like an ashtray.
How can you be so calm?
I'm not calm.
I'm tired.
And I guess I'm relieved.
You're relieved?
No. Look, okay, fine.
"Relieved" is the wrong word.
I guess I'm just... whatever word you want to use
that she's home, and she's alive.
She snuck out of our house.
She was smoking cigarettes.
Yeah, yeah.
I know. That's awful, but it's not as awful
as a lot of other things that I can think of.
Well, Ariel's certainly Daddy's little girl.
-What does that mean? -It means
how can you not be mad at her?
I didn't say that I wasn't mad.
I didn't say I wasn't disappointed.
But she's almost 17.
She's gonna push the boundaries a little bit.
And that's what she's supposed to do.
Oh, she's doing what she's supposed to do?
No. You know what I mean.
When she pushes, it's our job to push back.
Hard. And we did. You did.
She's grounded.
Maybe that will make her think twice
before pulling a stunt like this again.
But if it doesn't, all right, fine, we'll push back harder.
All right? Okay?
Did I say the right thing yet?
Can we go to sleep yet?
You know what? Keep it up, buddy.
I'll ground you, too.
♪ You know you drive me up a wall ♪
♪ For all the nasty tricks you pull ♪
♪ Seems like we're makin' up more than we're makin' love ♪
♪ It always seems you got something on your mind ♪
MAN: I need to see some I.D.,
and it better be damned impressive.
I don't have any.
ARIEL: But that's okay.
I won't be here long.
Oh, you got that right, 'cause we don't serve kids in here.
Don't worry about it.
I'm not here to drink.
I'm here to see you, Trent.
I'm here to make a purchase.
I don't know what you're talking about.
We sell hugs. We don't sell drugs.
And what we do sell, we don't sell to minors,
so you might want to hit the road.
I'm not looking for something to shoot.
I'm looking for something to shoot with.
It's got some miles on it, but it still shoots just fine.
I got $153.
Good news.
We're running a special.
TRENT: So, uh,
what's someone like you need a gun for, anyway?
What do people usually need guns for?
Well, sometimes, it's 'cause they got a score to make.
Sometimes it's 'cause they got a score to settle.
You don't look bad enough to be making a score.
You don't look old enough to have any scores to settle.
Well, I'm older than I look.
Thanks for your help... Trent.
It's good to see you again.
TRENT: Little girl...
I don't think I caught your name.
Sure, you did.
It's Elena.
Mom?
ARIEL: What's going on?
Did I wake you?
I was trying not to make any noise.
I was just looking for something.
Okay, what are you talking about?
What are you looking for?
I thought he put it in here, but no, just...
cigarettes.
Okay, what are you looking for?
-The gun. -What gun?
I think we both know what gun I'm talking about.
The one that you bought last night
when you snuck out of the house
and I thought you were at that scavenger hunt.
Okay, Mom...
Stop it!
Don't call me that. I'm not your mom.
I know who you are, Elena.
I know what you're trying to do.
And I'm not gonna let you get away with it.
I'm not gonna let my daughter get the blame for something
that she doesn't even know is happening to her.
Where is the gun?
Mom, you're crazy.
Where is that gun?
Okay, you know what? You are crazy!
Where is the gun?
-Get off of me! -I want that gun,
and I want my daughter back!
Help! Get her off...!
Hey, hey!
What the hell?!
-What are you doing? -
What the hell's going on in here?!
She's crazy!
She's not Ariel!
She is not our daughter, Joe!
She snuck out of the house last night.
She wasn't on a scavenger hunt. She bought a gun!
A gun?!
I don't know anything about a gun!
She's hidden a gun somewhere.
She's planning on killing a man.
Ariel?!
She's not Ariel!
Dad, please!
Okay, well, clearly you've been all through this room
and there's nothing here.
So, can we just, can we let everybody just get up
and get dressed and get ready for school?
She's not driving my other daughters to school.
I am!
I'm driving everyone to school.
Can I talk to you in our bedroom?
ALLISON: Ask her her birthday.
No, you know what, better yet,
ask her the name of her best friend
who moved to Texas when she was five.
I'm sorry but I'm just, I'm-I'm not doing that.
-Why not? -'Cause I just am not.
It's my daughter.
I'm not quizzing my daughter.
No, you're not listening.
That's not your daughter, our daughter.
That's someone else.
That's someone with a deadly agenda
who's taken over our daughter's body.
I'm sorry, but that... that is just not what I see.
It just is not.
What I see is our little girl,
a girl that I've known since the moment that she was born,
crying hysterically,
because her mom is acting like she's not there.
'Cause she's not.
Where are you going?
Stay away from her!
Just let her get ready for school.
ALLISON: Let me take care of this for you.
Just tell me his name.
Then you don't have to do anything.
If you give me his name, the chances are good
we'll be able to put him away for life.
Then you can go wherever it is you need to go
and I can have my daughter back.
I don't know what you're talking about.
All right, I'm going to run the girls to school.
That is not our little girl.
Did you borrow some money from me?
What are you talking about?
I'm missing, like, $150 from my drawer.
Hey, so, listen, uh, we're making plans
for your birthday next month,
but the 17th falls on a, uh, on a Wednesday this year.
Do you want to do something that night, or you want...
or you want to wait for the weekend, or...?
Dad, my birthday's not until spring.
Right.
Well, you wait.
You have three kids of your own with three different birthdays,
see if you don't start mixing and matching.
Whatever you say.
And one other thing.
You didn't happen to go into my dresser, did you?
Last day or two?
Um, actually, I did.
I was looking for a blouse.
A T-shirt, really.
And I thought that maybe
Mommy had gotten mixed up and put it in your room.
Bye.
TRENT: Can I help you?
I'm the manager.
My name is Allison Dubois.
I'm with the District Attorney's Office,
and I'm here investigating a report that an underage girl
was in your establishment two nights ago,
which is a clear violation
of your adult entertainment license.
We also have reason to believe that this girl
purchased an illegal firearm
while she was in your establishment.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
I'm thinking you might want to speak to my attorney.
Why don't you just take a look at this girl
and see if this jogs your memory.
Wait a minute.
You're in the picture, too.
What, are you her mother?
I thought you said you were with the D.A.
What, is this some kind of joke?
No, this is no joke.
There's nothing funny about this.
Yes, I'm her mother and I'm with the District Attorney's Office.
You think you're in trouble now?
If that girl hurts anyone with that gun,
you're an accessory.
I just wanted to make sure that this place existed.
That you existed.
WOMAN: Excuse me?
Can I help you?
Why are you on my lawn staring into my house?
I'm so sorry.
My name's Allison Dubois.
Uh, my daughter Ariel's inside your house.
Mom?
What's going on?
What are you doing here?
Did you follow me here?
Oh, my God, I cannot believe that you followed me here.
I'm so sorry.
My daughter, Ariel, was grounded and she was
supposed to come straight home from school.
Okay, you know what?
Mom, stop it, okay?
This is Devin.
Okay, she's helping me with chemistry.
We have a chemistry test in three days
and we were studying.
And I am so sorry, but I didn't realize
that studying was a violation of my sentence.
I'm sorry, Devin.
I-I'm sorry, but she was supposed to come straight home.
She really hasn't been herself lately,
and her father and I just felt like
we really needed to buckle down.
So, come on. Get your things.
We're gonna go.
Well, I think she's clear now on what it means to be grounded.
I'm gonna go talk to her.
Uh, let's not and say we did.
Who are you protecting here?
The girl that's in that room is not our daughter.
Okay, whatever you say, Allison.
Whoa, whoa.
Are you patronizing me?
No, I'm not patronizing you.
I'm pleading with you.
Knock it off!
Whoever you think she is,
she lives in our house under our roof
and she looks like our daughter to me.
And the fact remains, the only crime
that she has committed today
is going out to some girl's house to study chemistry.
So, what do you say?
As a favor to me, will you just knock it off?
Leave it. Give it a rest.
WOMAN: Kevin? Are you still outside?
Be right in.
Sorry.
I was tidying up the yard.
Kevin, aren't you forgetting something?
Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts
which we are about to receive
from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
-Amen. -Amen.
I know who shot you.
And I can prove it.
I know where the gun is, the one he used to do it.
Look, I can bring him to justice.
I can.
And that means you don't have to kill anybody.
Just tell me where you're hiding the gun.
The one you're planning on doing it with.
Please give me Ariel back.
The day before yesterday,
while you thought I was at school...
I went to see my mother.
I stood across the street from our apartment...
and I watched as she went to church
and lit a candle... for me.
I didn't realize that a single human could hold so many tears.
I'm dead, Allison.
And do you know why?
Because a man
who was willing to say anything,
do anything,
spend anything to have me...
...woke up one day...
...and realized that he was tired of me.
I am not a stupid girl, Allison.
I know the meaning of justice.
And soon...
...so will that man.
: Hey, Dev?
: Yeah?
Can I get a ride home from school today?
I don't have my car today, but we'll give you a ride home,
long as you don't mind being seen with my dorky dad.
SCANLON: Ariel Dubois?
Hey, Ariel.
Are you talking to me?
I'm Detective Lee Scanlon.
I work with your mother.
You know me.
Um...
I'm gonna need you to come with me.
The district attorney has a few questions he'd like to ask you.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Yeah. I mean, I don't get it.
I've been here for over an hour.
I mean, I know I'm only 16, but don't I have rights?
Of course you have rights.
Okay, well, aren't I supposed to know why I'm being held?
Aren't I entitled to a lawyer?
Don't I get a phone call or something?
Absolutely.
You're entitled to all those things
if you were being held, but you are not being held.
I'm sorry if that wasn't made clear to you.
You're here because you're a friend,
because I want to help you.
But if you don't want my help,
you are free to leave at any time you like.
Okay, well...
Of course, if you do leave, I will have you arrested.
Probably start with a concealed weapons charge.
That gun that was found in your purse
when you went through the metal detector outside.
Pretty open-and-shut case.
I never saw that gun before.
Okay, the man behind me in line
must have slipped it into my bag.
Sounds plausible,
but that's not the gun I want to discuss with you.
What's that?
DEVALOS: This?
This is a murder weapon.
It was used to kill a girl...
...a woman named Elena Agronov.
Ever heard of her?
No.
Well, that's curious,
because we received an anonymous tip this morning.
The caller told us exactly where to find this gun.
Told us to look in your bedroom under your mattress.
We found it about two hours ago,
right where the caller said it would be.
What?
How is that even possible?
There's something else you need to know.
When we were in your room,
we took some hair from your hairbrush.
We have forensics comparing it to the DNA on some blonde hairs
that were recently discovered on Ms. Agronov's body.
What?!
What are you talking about?
How could my hair end up on some stranger's body?
If the DNA is a match--
and I'm beginning to suspect that it might be--
we'll have you connected to the scene of the crime,
as well as the murder weapon,
and I will be forced to charge you
with first degree murder.
I wanted to speak to you before I'm compelled to do that.
I want to make you a proposition.
Confess to the murder of Elena Agronov,
and I promise you
that you will spend no more than 25 years in prison.
But you put this office, you put your mother,
through the pain of prosecuting you,
and I guarantee you,
you will spend the rest of your life behind bars.
This is my mother.
Excuse me?
This is my mother.
My mother did this.
Okay?
She planted that gun.
She planted the hair.
Ariel, why would your mother do this?
Why would any mother do that?
Okay, look, I don't know what she has told you,
but I have never heard of this dead woman.
I have never seen that gun before.
Any gun, for that matter.
So, please, can you please call my father,
and he can clear all of this up?
I'm happy to call whomever you like, but you need to know
that there was no one more distraught
when we showed up at your door
with a search warrant than your mother.
Right.
I am sure that she was beside herself.
Okay, look, I am trying to tell you that
she has been acting crazy lately.
Devalos.
I see.
Thank you.
Forensics.
Preliminary DNA report is back.
It's a match.
I'm sorry that you don't want my help, Ariel.
I'll get ahold of your folks,
let them know what's going on, tell them
to start looking for an attorney.
I'll be back shortly with an arrest warrant.
We'll read you your rights and take you to processing.
-No, no, no, no, no, no. Wait. -
You have to believe me.
I haven't killed anybody!
Get off me...
: Get off me!
So what happens now?
I don't know.
I'm sorry, Elena.
I couldn't let you kill a man.
So you framed me for my own murder?
What choice did you give me?
I couldn't let you turn my child into a killer.
Your child
is going to prison
for the rest of her life.
No, she's not.
No. You are.
What are we doing here, Allison?
Playing a game of chicken?
Because, obviously,
I'm not going to prison.
Obviously, if you force me to,
I will give up your daughter,
but I promise you
that I will do it at the last possible second.
I will wait
until I'm behind bars,
and I'll make notes
so that she understands exactly
how it happened.
And you... you will spend years
trying to get her out,
as she suffers through that hell,
knowing that it was you who put her there.
Allison, I need you to step outside.
We have an arrest warrant for your daughter.
Oh, wait. One moment, please.
I'm doing this for you, too, Elena.
Hmm.
So you can go wherever it is you need to go
without any blood on your hands.
And for your mother,
so she can go into that church,
and she can light those candles,
and they can mean something.
What are you doing?
I'm not going... anywhere.
-Come in. -
Ariel Dubois, you're under arrest.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used
against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney present
during questioning. If you can't afford one,
-one will be appointed for you. -
Do you understand these rights?
Sure.
Please.
Elena?
DEVALOS: Ariel?
ALLISON: Ariel?
Mom?
Ariel?
What's going on?
How did I get here?
ALLISON: Okay?
Did it work?
Looks like it worked.
Worked perfectly.
-We have our little girl home. -ARIEL: Hey.
Mom, I think I know that man. I think
he's the, uh, the dad of one of the girls at school.
Did he do something wrong?
He did, but that doesn't concern us.
Absolutely. No, that does not concern us.