(man panting) ♪ ♪ (crow cawing)
(siren wailing) TRIPP: This is Unit Five.
I'm at the location.
If I find anything, I'll, uh, report back.
DISPATCHER: Copy that, Unit Five.
♪ ♪
Oh, God.
This is Officer Frank Tripp.
Uh, uh, I found a body.
Uh, I need a medical examiner ASAP.
DISPATCHER: Copy your last, Unit Five.
(vomiting) DISPATCHER: Your location?
DISPATCHER: Unit Five?
Access road, mile marker two.
DISPATCHER: Copy that.
REPORTER: Labeled as the Slash Pine Killers, three teens have been arrested in the grisly torture and murder of 14-year-old Troy Faber.
Although they maintain their innocence, witness testimony placed the suspects in the same area where the young victim entered.
But unfortunately, Troy Faber never left.
This is a tragic turn for the three teens, who were stand-out athletes at their local school.
JURY FOREMAN: Having been found guilty of murder in the first degree, defendants Rocco Damara, Victor Shetland, and Darren Riggs are hereby sentenced to life in prison.
JUDGE EBERSOL: On this 20th day of November, 2011, in light of the key witness recanting his statement and admitting he never saw the defendants at the crime scene, I have chosen -to overturn their convictions. -(gallery gasping and cheering) (gavel banging) Silence in the court.
I understand that the defendants are ready to offer Alford pleas, whereby they assert their innocence while acknowledging that there is still sufficient evidence to obtain convictions upon retrial on the murder charge of Troy Faber?
-Yes, Your Honor. -Yes, Your Honor.
Yes, Your Honor.
The defendants are hereby released.
WOMAN: Whoo!
Most of you know who I am-- singer-songwriter Kayla Bledsoe.
These men are finally free.
Justice has been served.
PROTESTERS (chanting): Alford plea is a sin!
Throw the killers back in!
Alford plea is a sin!
This crowd is heating up.
Yeah.
Common people don't understand the injustice forced upon these men.
Each has their own story of being falsely imprisoned.
Things just got interesting.
See that couple up front?
CAINE: Mm-hmm.
That's Bruce and Connie Faber-- parents of the victim.
Okay.
Alford plea is a sin!
Uh, for the past 19 years, it seemed, uh, that hope was slipping away, but I think now we can all breathe a little easier, and our newfound freedom will not go unappreciated, so I thank you very much.
I'll take the parents, I'll take the parents.
-Come on, got to move now. Move. -Let's go.
I ought to let the crowd have you.
-BRUCE: You butchered my son! -CAINE: Mr. Faber.
You took his life!
Bruce, listen to me, Bruce.
He was just a boy.
Mr. Faber, don't do this.
Okay, let me handle this.
I let the system handle this 19 years ago.
I should have handled it myself.
Let me handle it, okay?
Take him home.
Bruce, please, come on.
I want you to raise your glasses in honor of these free men.
Freedom!
Whoo!
♪ ♪ Yeah, you, too.
Congratulations.
Hey, to freedom.
To freedom.
KAYLA: Hey. Got a sec?
Hi. Yeah, sure.
♪ ♪
It's sushi-- you have to try it.
-That's a big... -It's really good.
-I promise. -Okay, ready.
Well?
-Yeah, yeah, you like, yeah? -Mmm, mm-hmm.
Thank you, thank you.
(laughs) -Hey, how are you? -Hi.
Oh, my God, this is good.
Mmm.
-Oh, man, that's great. -(sighs) -Isn't it crazy? --Oh, that's... yeah, show me how to use it.
Well, you just-- you press right here.
-Yeah. -Okay, ready?
All right, hold on, ready.
-Did I get it? -Mm-hmm.
Wait. (laughs) Oh, no, what'd I do?
What'd you do?
(door opens) What the hell are you doing in here?
Couldn't find the murder weapon anywhere in the mansion.
Partier stumbled on Rocco here and called it in.
I guess one out of three's not bad.
And the remainder of the trio, Frank?
They took off as soon as the cops were called.
I'm not surprised they're running.
People are celebrating this death like we just won the war.
What the hell are you doing in here? (screams) So what do you think about a suspect?
How about the city of Miami?
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ We don't get fooled again ♪ ♪ Don't get fooled again ♪ ♪ No, no! ♪
♪ ♪
Doesn't surprise me, you're not mourning the loss of a friend.
You and Riggs have been running around like a bunch of jackrabbits, like you got something to hide.
We got nothing to hide.
I can't believe Rocco's dead, but...
this is our first glimpse of freedom in two decades.
(whistles): Genius, eyes up here, come on.
VICTOR: We got a boat.
We're going to ride the coast.
Guys, play it smart, all right, take the police protection.
Rocco is dead, you could be next.
You want to have cops follow us around?
No, I don't think so, sorry.
It's for your own safety.
Not that you deserve it.
You're lucky I saved your asses this afternoon.
What'd you say?
I saw what you sons of bitches did to the Faber boy in '92.
That look in his eye-- that's something I'll never forget.
Consider the offer.
We ain't leaving this.
WAITRESS: Here you go, gentlemen.
We don't need your help.
Thanks.
Come on, Frank.
Frank, come on.
Those punks don't deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us.
A judge made his decision and we got to live with it.
Okay?
Multiple sharp-force injuries-- ten in total.
One puncture wound on his upper back, eight more puncture wounds on the front of his torso...
...and a single wound in his upper thigh.
Combined, the puncture wounds caused extensive internal bleeding.
This man died a brutal death.
Those three guys were charged with stabbing young Troy Faber to death, and now one of the killers is stabbed to death.
I can almost see your wheels turning.
This murder is about revenge, Doc.
Well, there appears to be a piece of fingernail embedded in his forearm, and this isn't just a nail.
This is a woman's fake nail tip.
It requires a lot of force to break the acrylic bond of a fake nail.
My mom used to make me go with her when I was a kid, to get her hair and nails done.
You know, that singer Kayla Bledsoe-- she was all over this dude at the press conference.
She's heading out of town, -going to the next city on her tour. -How do you know that?
I'm a fan of her music.
I wanted to go to the concert, but I couldn't get the time off.
Well, that sucks.
All right, let's move this guy.
WOLFE: Kayla, come here, I got to talk to you.
I have a show in Jacksonville.
I just want to forget this all happened.
DUQUESNE: Well, that's not possible.
Does this look familiar?
No. Sorry.
I can't say that that means very much to me, Kayla.
You could have gone this morning and had your nails redone.
I guess I could have, but I didn't.
Kayla, you know exactly why we're here, don't you?
Is this because of Victor?
WOLFE: Victor Shetland?
No, we're here for Rocco Damara. He's dead.
What?
What happened with Victor?
Uh...
Excuse us for a minute.
Let's go over here.
Kayla, do you want to tell me what happened?
Did Victor hit you?
No.
Victor... he raped me.
I couldn't fight him off.
(music playing, indistinct chatter) Hey.
So, how about a kiss?
(laughs) Sure.
That was nice.
-Come here. No, come here. -No. No, I... really have -to get back to the party. Really. Honestly. -Shut up.
-No. No! No! No! -Shut up!
(screaming) Were Rocco and Darren part of your assault?
No. It was just Victor.
-Why didn't you tell anybody? -How?
How am I supposed to tell people that the person that I helped free did this to me?
It's humiliating.
I was hugging and even kissing Victor.
I probably brought this on myself.
No. It's not true.
Don't say that.
I need to take you to the hospital.
(exhales) (whispers): Okay.
You just let me know if you want me to go, okay?
(whispers): Please stay.
Of course. Yeah.
'Cause Victor could come after me.
We are doing everything we possibly can to keep you safe.
I need you to disrobe on the paper and place your clothes in this bag, please?
I'll be back shortly.
You're gonna be fine.
(panting) ♪ ♪
♪ ♪
CAINE: It's come to my attention that Kayla Bledsoe was raped by Victor Shetland.
-Where is he? -He and Darren Riggs refused our protection, hopped on a boat.
Okay, let's find the boat.
PILOT: Suspects last seen headed towards the marina.
Okay, we've got eyes on him.
♪ ♪
(siren wailing) Forget the rope!
TRIPP: Miami-Dade! Keep your hands where we can see 'em!
Where'd your friend go?
-I don't know. -Kayla Bledsoe was just assaulted by Victor. You know anything about that?
-No. -You don't seem to know a hell of a lot.
Let's start with the obvious: where'd you guys get that boat?
Uh, s-supporter friend, Zach Anderson, let us borrow it.
Look... come-come on, y-you...
please don't take me in again, okay?
I didn't do anything.
Yeah, well, we're gonna hold you till we confirm you didn't steal that boat.
Take him in.
I'll call the Coast Guard.
I'd like to nail this punk.
You will, Frank.
♪ ♪
It's full price on all the merchandise, no discounts.
Mr. Anderson.
Who are you?
How'd you get in here?
This is how.
CAINE: I need you to get off the phone.
(beep) You like the knives?
They're my best sellers at all the hunting expos.
We know who you are.
You're the punk that got rich selling weapons.
I'm a damn good salesman.
What exactly are you doing here?
Your boat was stolen today.
Uh, no. I let Victor Shetland and Darren Riggs use it.
We ran track together back in high school.
You were on the same track team?
Yeah. They're not ex-cons to me.
They're friends... who got railroaded by the system.
No one on the team thought they were guilty.
Victor assaulted a woman on his first day out.
How's that for guilty?
What?
-You have a tracking device on that boat? -Of course.
It's attached to my phone.
We need to look at your phone.
You want my phone?
You're gonna have to get a judge to sign a warrant.
(chuckles) Okay.
(quietly): Listen up.
Victor raped a woman.
Do you understand that?
Give me that phone.
Sit down!
We need the address, Frank.
Boat's located at pier 32.
-That's near the hospital. -Why the hell would Victor be hanging out in Miami still?
To silence Kayla Bledsoe.
Excuse me.
-(phone ringing) -Excuse me.
Yeah?
CAINE: Calleigh, Victor's still on the loose, and he's heading toward you right now.
Copy that. I'll stay with Kayla.
I, um...
I'm just gonna level with you.
There's a chance that Victor's on his way here.
(wry chuckle) (heavy sigh) I write songs about being strong and independent.
Never in my life did I think this could happen to me.
When Victor looked at me with those eyes...
I knew...
I knew he'd killed that boy all those years ago.
I don't want you to worry, 'cause we're gonna get him.
Stay here.
No, pl-please don't leave me.
Lock the door.
Victor Shetland.
Don't move.
♪ ♪
-Calleigh? -Horatio, Victor's at the hospital.
He's on the run.
That's far enough, Victor!
(woman screaming) It's decision time, Victor.
What do you want to do?
I ain't going back.
(woman screaming) (groaning) (panting) You should have listened, Victor.
Will God forgive me...
for what we did to that boy?
Not a chance.
-(sirens approaching) -(groans)
SIMMONS: Hey, Doc, can I take Rocco's clothes?
LOMAN: Absolutely.
Is that a bloodstain on his pant leg?
LOMAN: Hm.
I believe so.
Odd-- his zipper's already undone.
Oh... (exhales)
Several incised wounds lining the genitalia.
(exhales) Same thing they did to that Faber boy 19 years ago.
That was a hold-back, Walter.
That detail was never released to the press.
Your perp is someone with intimate knowledge -of the Troy Faber case. -I don't know, Doc.
It's hard to keep those kind of details under wraps for almost 20 years.
I mean, with all the lawyers and jurors and judges and officers involved with the case, it's tough.
Well, then...
I assume this will have to suffice.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
(sighs) Those Rocco Damara's clothes?
Yeah. There's blood on the pants.
(shutter clicks) Well, prepare to be dazzled.
-(chuckles) Now, that'll be a first. -Take a look at this.
The molecules in the blood absorb the infrared radiation that the camera's light emits.
But the pigment in the pants doesn't.
So... by inverting the image, you turn the black pants white and you make the bloodstain dark.
-Exactly. -That's pretty cool.
Yeah, I'm getting from the blood a triangular shape.
What do you think that is?
I don't know, maybe the victim hit the corner of a counter -on the way to the ground. -Yeah.
Wait, you know what it is?
It's the tip of a knife.
So the murderer wiped the knife off on the victim's pants.
Let's see if we can get a better look.
Okay.
It's a knife with two sets of wings.
Why is that one set of wings upside-down?
It's not upside-down. That's... That's a shadow.
That's the insignia for the Shadow Elite.
That's a Marine specialized unit.
The little boy's father was in the service for over 20 years.
Yeah. Yeah, he was.
And he also knew every detail of the murder.
That's right. I'll let H know.
Another Boilermaker, Tommy.
Sure thing, Bruce.
Here you go.
Not all of me shall die.
Non omnis moriar.
Shadow Elite's motto.
Thought you'd be here a bit sooner.
The Shadow Elite's insignia was pressed into the victim's clothing.
This what you're looking for?
Step away from that knife.
Where'd you go when you left the courthouse?
I came here.
Except for when you went back to the house and killed the victim.
There's over 10,000 members of Shadow Elite, all issued the exact same knife...
But you are the only one with motive.
You're under arrest.
Man to man...
What would you do if your son was murdered, and the killer set free?
I wouldn't have got caught.
CAINE: Take him.
CAINE: Your knife was used to kill Rocco Damara.
This is a photo of your knife.
This is a transparency of the stain we found on Rocco's pants.
See that? It matches your knife perfectly.
Even the insignia.
And I'm willing to guarantee that if we test the blood on that knife, it will match Rocco.
I was in Shadow Elite, I was captured and tortured by hostiles.
I never spoke.
It's going to take a lot more than a bloody knife to break me.
What's my wife doing here?
She's been through enough.
Hey! Answer me!
What's going on? Why is my husband here?
I think you know, ma'am.
Connie...
I can handle this.
Ma'am, I notice that you've broken a nail.
The same color nail tip was found on our victim.
Everyone says it gets easier, but it doesn't.
Every single day, I think about all the things my son never gets to do.
His high school graduation, his...
his first car, being a father.
And that last day with him, we argued, and I yelled at him.
I yelled at him about his hair.
Mom, come on!
Leave me alone about the haircut.
All of the kids...
All the kids are doing it.
Guess what? Not my beautiful son.
Connie, let the boy have his hideously ugly haircut.
CONNIE: And I never...
I never told him that day, I never told him how much I loved him.
And then, they let his killers go free?
And they're... they're smiling, and they're laughing.
My son is dead, my son was tied to a tree!
And they're smiling.
And it was just too much for me, so yes, I stabbed him.
(door opening) (door closing) What the hell are you doing here?
I didn't kill your son.
-Shut up. Shut up, you lying bastard! -(groans)
You stabbed him multiple times.
No. I stabbed him once.
Come here.
WOLFE: Rocco was stabbed a bunch.
You think she's lying?
I believe her.
Hey, Tom, Troy Faber's mom confessed to stabbing Rocco Damara. Aren't we done?
Quite the contrary, Walter.
How do you mean?
Mrs. Faber confessed to stabbing Rocco with her husband's knife once.
The abrasion here on this single, nonfatal wound to the victim's chest is consistent with the hilt of her knife.
She stabbed him once, but she didn't kill him.
Okay, but is it possible that maybe she just didn't apply enough force to leave an abrasion on the other stab wounds?
No. The numerous fatal wounds are just as deep.
They didn't show a hilt mark.
They're jagged, rough, less precise than her mark.
They're puncture wounds coming from a much duller blade.
Maybe not even a knife.
So after Mrs. Faber left, someone else came, attacked and killed this man?
That's what the evidence indicates.
Wow.
Hey, Doc, look at his leg.
Did you see this?
Some sort of flakey residue.
Hmm.
What is that?
Huh. That could be blood.
Hey, I'm gonna run this up to Calleigh. If you figure out what the actual murder weapon is, could you send up a flare?
Sure.
DUQUESNE: The flakes we found on Rocco in the other stab wounds were dried blood from Troy Faber.
So the question is, why would we have 20-year-old dried blood on today's murder victim?
Same weapon, one killer, 20 years apart.
DUQUESNE: So someone recovered the murder weapon from 1992.
CAINE: And it was used today to kill Rocco.
Yeah, what's the connection?
CAINE: I think I know.
Thank you, Calleigh.
Why is Mr. Anderson here, Frank?
Apparently, uh, Zach's Darren's new groupie.
That's not how it is. Zach felt guilty.
He came to pick me up. I don't have a car.
And why would he feel guilty?
I told you before. We're very close friends.
I wanted to do anything I could to help out.
Is there something you're not telling us?
ZACH: Look, that could've been me in prison for 19 years.
Darren and I used to walk home from track practice every day after school, but I didn't get dragged into this mess because the one day that I didn't walk back home-- that was the day that everything happened.
All right, we're gonna separate you two.
We have a few questions for Darren.
CAINE: Seem like you're in a rush, Mr. Riggs.
Well, I... I would just rather be anywhere but here.
Okay, explain to me why the same weapon was used on two different men 20 years apart.
How should I know?
Because you have intimate details of the case.
(laughs): Is this some cosmic joke?
First you arrest me, and now, you're gonna accuse me for two murders that I didn't do.
You killed Rocco today, liked you killed Troy Faber 19 years ago.
I'll tell you exactly what I told everyone back then, okay?
I didn't kill Troy.
What about Rocco?
I didn't kill him, either.
You don't believe me, you can talk to Kayla.
I was with her when he was killed.
So, you were with Ms. Bledsoe?
Yeah.
We were having sex.
Okay? We done here now?
(sighs) Diane, give us a minute, would you?
Yes, ma'am.
Kayla, I want you to think very carefully before you answer my next question.
Okay?
Darren Riggs said that you slept with him.
Is that true?
Yes.
I slept with Darren.
Here's what you don't know about me.
I hate being lied to.
Especially when I've trusted the person.
These are the results from your sexual assault kit.
It shows one DNA contribution from Victor the night you were assaulted.
So, why are you lying for Darren?
Because he's innocent.
He's innocent. He didn't kill that boy.
What do you know?
(sighs) At the party, I tried to talk to Darren.
KAYLA: Hey.
Hey, you okay?
You know, for a free man, you seem pretty down.
Some people shouldn't be free.
Well, considering everything you've been through, you know, a little depression-- it seems normal, right?
You don't get it. They're guilty.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What are you saying?
I just overheard Victor and Rocco talking, and they actually killed that kid two decades ago.
No.
(quietly): Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
When Victor...
...did what he did to me, I knew that Darren had been telling the truth.
It's not fair what happened to him.
So I lied.
(sighs) Stay here.
I don't care where it is.
Okay, John, let's get it straight.
You better get it over here, because I guarantee, you do not want me to come and get it.
Hey, I'm sorry.
I still don't have the box of evidence.
That's all right.
Until then... we got that.
Is this your book from the first time?
Yeah.
The Faber kid was my first homicide.
First time I'd seen a murder like that.
What are you thinking?
We know that Darren lied about sleeping with Kayla.
We don't have anything to connect him to Rocco's murder.
Well, there's nothing to compare to our new victim.
You know, maybe, maybe we can find something else in the old case to tie back to Darren.
Fresh eyes never hurt.
Do you mind?
No.
♪ ♪
Hey, Frank, the murder weapon was never recovered.
Did you have any sort of a lead?
Hell, Calleigh, we searched all of our suspects' homes, cars, even the lockers at school.
We didn't find a damn thing.
Was the whole murder scene like this-- heavily wooded, lots of vines, dense brush?
Yeah.
And you arrested the suspects not far from the scene?
(sighs) Right.
What are you thinking?
What if the murder weapon is still there?
Found the boy tied to this tree.
His face was frozen, staring right at me.
Kid knew he wasn't gonna make it home.
Was he standing or seated, Frank?
Seated, about where Ryan is now.
Mr. Wolfe, what is that?
Looks like, uh...
there was some damage done to the root.
The bark's discolored.
You think that gash could be from the murder 19 years ago?
Could be-- check it.
You know what?
I think the blade impacted the wood, left a chip of metal.
Over the years, bark grew over it.
Could have come from the murder weapon.
Nice going. Frank.
Okay, Calleigh, aluminum, steel in a fine zinc coating.
Aluminum and steel is pretty basic.
What do you think the zinc coating is for?
Zinc coating prevents corrosion, so the knife must have been designed for sporting or outdoor use.
Darren had an athletic scholarship, didn't he?
Yes, he was, uh, he was an all-American in track and field.
So was his buddy Zach Anderson.
What event did he participate in?
Uh, javelin.
Wolfe, I think it's entirely possible that the metal came from the tip of his javelin.
(grunts) That would mean that Troy Faber and Rocco Damara were killed by Darren Riggs.
Yeah.
I tried to make it right, Troy, I really did.
BRUCE: You...
(grunting) Don't you ever say my son's name.
CAINE: Bruce!
Bruce!
Sure you want to stop this?
Bruce, stop now or I have to take you into custody.
BRUCE: I come to visit my son's grave, and this son of a bitch is here, trying to apologize for what happened.
Him and his apologies can go to hell.
CAINE: Bruce, step back.
-W-W-Wait. -Hey.
Do not move.
Stay where you are.
What'd you get, Frank?
Murder weapon you used to kill Faber and Damara.
Only Rocco deserved to die.
I truly believed that the three of us were wrongly convicted until I overheard them this morning.
-Freedom. -Freedom.
(chuckles) ROCCO: Do you believe this?
I'll be back.
We just got away with murder.
Those idiot cops couldn't find the javelin.
What do you think? You think it's still buried in the woods out by Stoner's Rock?
What are you guys saying?
Are you telling me that I was the only one telling the truth?
-You actually killed that kid? -VICTOR: Whoa, whoa.
Look, I had a full scholarship to Dade U, right?
I wasn't gonna let some punk kid ruin it 'cause he caught us getting dusted on PCP.
Look, Darren, it's over, so why don't you just enjoy your newfound freedom and leave the past in the past, all right?
I lost all of my chances, my opportunities.
But you got another one.
Victor and Rocco-- they killed that kid and then they lied to the world and then they lied to me.
So you took it upon yourself?
They used my javelin to take a life and send me away.
So I used it to put Rocco in the ground.
(panting) You believe this? That dead kid's mom?
She tried to kill me.
(panting) I can more than believe it.
-(grunts) -(screams) You owe me so much more than what your pathetic life is worth, but this will have to do.
(screaming) (grunting)
And you took care of Victor for me.
And now you're going back to prison.
At least, this time, it's for something that I did.
I lost half my life.
I can't say I'm sorry.
Take him.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪ ROCCO: Ah, Darren, you out of here?
-Got to get home. -All right.
All right, bro.
Hey, man, you forgot your backpack.
Idiot.
Yeah?
Now we're talking.
-Take it like a champ. -(coughs) -(laughs) -Ugh.
What are you guys doing?
Get the hell out of here, punk.
Beat it.
I have to tell Coach you were getting high.
Don't do that, kid. Let's just keep this between us.
You're not my boss. You can't tell me what to do.
We can't let him tell Coach. We'll get kicked off the team.
I can't lose my scholarship.
♪ ♪
CAINE: You okay, Frank?
Been 19 years, Horatio.
I don't know if I'll ever be okay.
And that's exactly what makes you good, my friend.
I'll be up on the road.