[shutter clicks]
[birdsong]
[shutter clicks]
[clicks]
[grunts]
[struggling]
[tense music]
[choking]
I'm gonna level with you, Mr. Deskovic,
we like you for the murder of Angela Correa.
I-I would never--
The day after the murder, you show up late for school.
You go to all the vigils, all the memorials,
despite you saying that you never really talked that much.
You fit the profile to a T.
I'm Judy Sheindlin. Before I was a judge on TV,
I was a judge in New York City for 15 years,
and a lawyer for 17 years before that.
While serving on both sides of the bench,
I learned that justice doesn't always end up feeling...
just.
Sometimes, the impact of one decision by a police officer,
a lawyer, or even a judge, can change the way justice is delivered.
We're going to demonstrate this by taking landmark cases
from actual crimes committed by real people,
and we'll recreate them with our trial lawyers
and yours truly as the trial judge.
While we're not going to recreate the trials verbatim,
all the court's ultimate decisions are accurate.
It will be up to you to decide whether the case was fair
and the outcome just.
[narrator] Real cases, actual lawyers,
surprising verdicts...
Justice on Trial.
This episode of Justice on Trial focuses on the murder of Angela Correa,
a high school student from Putnam County, New York,
and how law enforcement handled the search for her killer.
Usually when someone confesses to a crime,
they're admitting they're guilty, and that's that, justice is served.
But what happens if that confession was obtained
under an unreasonable amount of police pressure,
and that afterwards, the person who confessed
says, "I didn't mean it"?
The legal term for that is false confession,
and it's more common than you think.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Let's go to the aftermath of this brutal murder.
I have horrible news.
I really don't know how to say this.
Police have found Angela's body in the woods.
Oh, my God.
I want you to know that grief counselors are being made available,
and I encourage all of you to--
[sighs] Mr. Deskovic.
Glad you could join us.
Sorry, I'm late. I missed the bus.
[teacher] Not to worry, Jeffrey.
Today of all days, I can cut you guys some slack.
Why?
What's going on?
-So, you knew the deceased. -[girl] Sure.
We all knew Angela.
Anybody she dating you might know?
Not that I know of. Lots of guys wanted to get with her.
She was hot.
But she wasn't interested.
They think her parents kept her on a pretty tight leash.
How about maybe somebody she turned down?
Somebody in particular, maybe you think coulda held a grudge.
Not really.
Thank you.
But...
There is one kid who's kind of off.
And he showed up late to class today.
Kind of off. So, what do you mean?
Kind of a loner.
Kinda awkward.
The kind of guy you wonder what he does when nobody's watching.
What's his name?
Jeff Deskovic.
[tense music]
[school bell rings]
[Judy] From that day forward,
Putnam County law enforcement zeroed in on 15-year-old Jeffrey Deskovic.
Months later, they tried him for Angela Correa's rape and murder.
As you watch the detectives' testimony,
you'll see how they put together their case.
We'll show you how they interacted with Jeffrey along the way,
according to what Jeffrey recalls happened.
You'll notice it won't always jibe
with what the detectives' version of the events are.
It's up to you to decide who and what to believe.
Counsel, note your appearance, please.
'Morning, Your Honor. Larry Bakman
on behalf of the people of the state of New York.
'Morning, Judge. Dan Mentzer for the defendant, Jeffrey Deskovic.
Members of the jury, the defendant, Jeffrey Deskovic,
is charged with the rape and murder of a 15-year-old schoolmate.
As you will hear, the primary evidence of the people
is the alleged confession he made to the police.
In order to convict the defendant, you must find
that the statement was voluntarily made by the defendant
beyond a reasonable doubt. You must find that taken together,
all of the evidence proves that Jeffrey Deskovic
raped and murdered Angela Correa.
That is the People's burden of proof.
You wish to make an opening statement, Mr. Bakman?
[Bakman] I do, Your Honor. Good morning, everyone.
As the court indicated, I am the prosecutor in this case.
I represent the people of the State of New York.
In this matter, the People will prove beyond a reasonable doubt
that the defendant brutally beat, raped
and murdered a 15-year-old young girl.
At the end of this case, I'm going to ask you to return
with a verdict of first-degree rape, second-degree murder,
based on the fact that the People have proven this case
beyond a reasonable doubt. Thank you.
Mr. Mentzer.
Thank you, Your Honor. Let me be perfectly clear,
Jeffrey Deskovic did not rape or kill Angela Correa.
That's not just my opinion, that's a scientific fact.
Because one thing Mr. Bakman did not tell you
is about the scientific evidence in this case.
But rather than wait for that evidence to come back,
the police picked a suspect, this 16-year-old boy, Jeffrey Deskovic.
They chose based on, really, no evidence,
based on the fact that he was a shy and socially awkward child.
And they persisted in interrogating him and badgering him
for six weeks to get him to confess to a crime he didn't commit.
And yet, for six weeks he said, "I didn't do it."
So, did that end the nightmare for Jeffrey Deskovic? No.
No, it didn't. That nightmare has to end with you.
Because he's innocent. Thank you.
Mr. Bakman, are you ready to call your first witness, sir?
Thank you, Your Honor. I call the medical examiner, Dr. Lewis Rowe.
[mysterious music]
Kevin, will you swear the witness, please?
Raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth in these matters today?
-I do. -[Kevin] Thank you. Have a seat.
You may inquire, sir.
[Bakman] Doctor, please tell the jury your current profession or occupation.
Westchester County Deputy Medical Examiner.
Turning your attention, sir, back to November 17th of last year,
were you called to a crime scene involving a 15-year-old victim named Angela Correa?
Yes.
[shutter clicking]
This is as bad as it gets, boss.
[Dr. Rowe] Blunt force trauma to the head,
ligature marks on her neck.
Could've died from either.
[shutter clicks]
We're gonna have to do a rape kit.
[assistant] Yeah, I figured.
This doesn't happen here.
[shutter clicks]
Press is gonna have a field day.
It's already happening, boss.
The news started running stuff three hours after our estimated time of death.
We need to get justice for this girl.
And we need to get it quick.
I take it, sir, that at some point in time,
you conducted an autopsy of the victim?
Correct.
[Bakman] And did you recover any fluids from the victim's body?
-[Dr. Rowe] Yes. -[Bakman] From where?
Semen was recovered from the vaginal area.
And the semen sample was sent to the FBI lab for analysis.
-Is that right? -Correct.
And that was to be compared to a blood draw taken from the defendant
-back on January 10th. Is that correct? -[Dr. Rowe] Yes.
And did you receive the results back from the FBI laboratory
indicating whether or not this was a DNA match to the defendant's blood?
-Yes. -[Bakman] And what was that result?
It was negative.
And that DNA analysis simply excludes the defendant
as being the donor of the semen sample, correct?
Yes.
Doesn't exclude him from putting his hands around her neck
or using a ligature to kill her, does it?
-[Dr. Rowe] No. -[Bakman] No further questions.
[Judy] Mr. Mentzer, you may inquire, sir.
[Mentzer] Thank you, Judge.
Dr. Rowe, you got to the scene on November 17th, correct?
Yes.
[Mentzer] And you saw signs that a young girl
-had been raped and murdered, right? -[Dr. Rowe] Yes.
And one of the things you noticed was that there were hairs
-found along this girl's legs, correct? -[Dr. Rowe] Yes.
[Mentzer] And you carefully removed those hairs for testing.
[Dr. Rowe] I did.
Then, the next time you got involved in this case
was sometime after you learned of the results of the testing.
-Correct? -I believe so, yes.
And you found Jeffrey Deskovic was not the source of the hair
-found on the naked leg of Angela Correa. -Yes.
You can often determine the racial makeup of the donor of that hair, right?
Correct.
And the results you got as to the makeup of the person whose hair that was,
was that it was an African-American person, right?
That is correct.
You found also that Jeffrey Deskovic was not the source of the semen
found in the body of Angela Correa. Correct?
Correct.
Now, with respect to the DNA evidence that was found in the semen
not matching Jeffrey Deskovic, one explanation was he's innocent, right?
That is one explanation, yes.
Thank you, Judge. I have no further questions.
Thank you. Witness is excused.
Mr. Bakman, call your next witness, please.
I call Detective David Levine.
You may inquire, sir.
[Bakman] Thank you, Your Honor. Detective, can you tell the jury
what your current profession or occupation is?
I'm a detective with the Peekskill Police Department.
And how long have you been so employed?
Fifteen years.
[Bakman] And what are your current assignments?
We investigated the homicide of Angela Correa.
And did you do that with a partner or by yourself?
Myself and Detective McIntyre.
And when you found the body, can you describe for the jury
the condition of the body when you found it?
Is the victim partially nude?
Yes. Her clothes, particularly her torn bra,
were found in the vicinity.
And her cassette player was also found in the vicinity,
and that tells me that she never saw what was coming.
[grunts]
[Bakman] And tell me, when you came upon the body,
did you ask for the M.E., the Medical Examiner to come to the scene?
I did.
Now, let me ask you, did you go to the high school
where the victim and the defendant went and talk to classmates?
Yes, we did. We needed to establish a suspect list.
And in terms of focusing on Mr. Deskovic
as a potential suspect in this case,
did you have the opportunity
to observe him attend various wakes for the victim?
-We did. -Did that raise a red flag?
Yes, it did.
[tense music]
[McIntyre] Must've been a popular girl.
Maybe these kids just need something to care about.
Mac, there's our boy.
Right on time.
[tense music]
[whispers] What are you doing here, man?
You didn't even know her.
Did too. We talked.
Once. She was nice to me.
Three vigils he's attended.
It's either morbid curiosity, guilty conscience, or...
Or maybe he's getting off on it.
[tense music continues]
Mr. Mentzer, you may inquire, sir.
Detective Levine, you've been involved in this case from the very beginning, right?
Yes.
November 17th, you were actually at the scene where Angela's body was found.
That's true.
This was a rape and a murder investigation to you from the very beginning.
-Right? -That's correct.
[Mentzer] So, you started to investigate
-by speaking to classmates. -[Levine] Yes.
[Mentzer] And those classmates told you things about Angela
that you thought would be helpful in your investigation.
-Yes. -[Mentzer] And you also, at some point,
found out that Jeffrey Deskovic was a person of interest, I believe you said.
Yes, he was.
[Mentzer] So, he became a suspect within the first three weeks.
-Is that right? -[Levine] True.
December 12th. Does that date stand out for you for any reason?
Yes, it's the first day we interviewed him.
[Mentzer] You took him back to the precinct...
-[Levine] Yep. -...and you and Detective McIntyre
proceeded to interrogate him for three hours.
Yes.
And you wanted to close this case
by getting a confession out of Jeffrey Deskovic. Right?
Of course.
Have a seat, Mr. Deskovic.
Thanks for agreeing to leave school and talk to us today.
[Jeffrey] Sure.
I definitely don't mind missing history class.
[chuckles] Well, we could really use your help here, solving this murder.
Like a junior detective or something?
Exactly.
And since you went to all the vigils and memorial services,
maybe you heard something from one of your classmates that could help us.
Yeah, let me think about that.
Would you say Angela was sexually active?
Well...
I don't really know, to be honest.
She and I didn't talk about anything like that.
What did you talk about?
We didn't really talk much.
But you wanted to talk to her, right?
I mean, yeah. She was really nice.
And she was hot too. Am I right?
Who wouldn't want to get with her?
I never really--
She turned you down, didn't she?
She never noticed you at all, right?
I mean, that must've made you mad.
No. She was always--
As a matter of fact, she didn't care if you lived or died.
Isn't that right?
[McIntyre] You're a red-blooded male, Jeff.
Who'd have blamed you? She had it coming.
What?! No!
I'm gonna level with you, Mr. Deskovic,
we like you for the murder of Angela Correa.
I-I would never--
The day after the murder, you show up late for school.
You go to all the vigils, all the memorials,
despite you saying that you never really talked that much.
On top of that, all your classmates, they peg you as some kind of a loner.
You fit the profile to a "T."
I thought you guys wanted my help.
I would never touch her.
I was late 'cause I overslept and I missed the bus.
[tense music]
[bangs on desk]
[laughs] Well done.
We had to make sure you were clean
before activating you as our new junior detective.
Oh. [chuckles]
You guys really had me going there.
Good job, kid.
[McIntyre] Welcome to the team, Jeff.
Yeah, thanks. Thank you.
-[Mentzer] You tried different techniques. -We did.
You tried to make him appear as though he was helpful to the investigation.
-Right? -Yes.
[Mentzer] You tried to let him get his guard down.
-[Levine] Yeah. -[Mentzer] Then you started
-playing "good cop, bad cop" on him. -[Levine] Yes.
-[Mentzer] You were the bad cop? -Yes.
And you were accusing Jeffrey of being responsible for the murder, right?
Yes.
And Detective McIntyre would step forward and say,
calm down, you're doing good, son. You're doing fine. Right?
-Yes. -[Mentzer] Ask his theories of the case?
-Yes. -[Mentzer] And at some point,
you detectives brought this boy to the crime scene?
Yes, we did.
[McIntyre] This is where it all went down, Jeff.
I can't believe it's been almost two months.
It feels like yesterday, you know?
I'm gonna be straight with you, kid.
The press is still all over us on this.
The mayor's going crazy.
The governor himself is threatening to bring in the Feds,
which we do not want.
We need to close this case.
That's why we brought you here. Okay?
Can you help us, buddy?
[chuckling] Yeah, of course.
I mean, what do you think happened here?
Well...
from what those crime scene photos you showed me look like...
the killer probably hit her from behind.
Probably knocked her unconscious after that.
Then, he tears off her bra and underwear.
You know.
How come she doesn't hear or see him before he strikes?
She was probably focused on shooting her pictures.
I mean, you remember the camera near her hand. Right?
I remember when I was doing that assignment.
I was worried about the exposure, the shutter angle, focus.
All that stuff that we were taught.
I wouldn't have heard an elephant about to step on me. [chuckles]
[Levine] Sounds like you were there, kid.
We've been talking about this case for so long.
I almost feel like I was.
Does that ever happen to you guys, too?
[McIntyre] Yeah.
We usually try to put ourselves in the mind of the killer.
Why don't you try that by sketching out what you think happened.
It would help us a lot.
Yeah. Yeah, sure.
[soft music]
[McIntyre] Oh, look, it's Jeremy, our CSI guy.
And I think he's got pizza.
All right! You guys are awesome.
Jeremy just needs to get a quick blood sample from you.
A blood sample? Why?
It's standard procedure.
Anyone we involve in an investigation like this has to give a DNA sample.
Just to eliminate them.
Okay. But my mom told me not to do anything like that without a lawyer.
You have nothing to worry about.
You didn't do it. Right?
No.
Look, DNA, then pizza. Sound good?
Yeah, okay.
All right. I'll take that.
We were hoping that a visit to the crime scene,
very often, the suspect will... suddenly, something will trigger,
and they'll reveal a fact that they couldn't have known before.
Come on, Detective. You wanted him to know more details of the crime scene
so it would enhance a confession if you were to get one.
Isn't that true?
That was not our intention.
[Mentzer] And then finally, you ask him if he would submit to a polygraph exam.
-[Levine] Yes. -[Mentzer] And he said yes.
-Yes. -So, you set up the polygraph test
-for January 25th. -Yes.
[Mentzer] So, you set it up on a day
where you guys were ready for the polygraph exam, right?
Mm-hmm.
But you didn't tell or give forewarning to Jeffrey
that this was gonna occur on January 25th, did you?
Correct.
[Mentzer] And you drove him to the office of Daniel Stephens.
-[Levine] Yes. -Daniel Stephens,
-you know to be a polygraph expert. -That's true.
But really you know Daniel Stephens to be an expert
at getting people to confess to crimes.
That's his reputation.
Detective, you were not going to stop harassing this boy
until you got what you wanted. Right?
-Objection, argumentative. -[Judy] Sustained.
-[Mentzer] No more questions. -Thank you.
Witness is excused. Thank you very much, sir.
[contemplative music]
Putnam County law enforcement was running out of time.
The political pressure to solve Angela Correa's murder
was getting more intense by the day.
They now had their prime suspect's DNA, fellow student Jeffrey Deskovic.
But before getting the results to see if it matched the murder victim's,
they wanted to close the case.
And for that, they needed a confession.
So, they enlisted a police officer in a neighboring city
posing as a polygraph expert.
They plucked Jeffrey out of school without telling his parents
and strapped him in.
[clock ticking]
Where am I?
I want to go home. My mom told me not to go far.
We can't wait for DNA results. What if they point the wrong way?
Don't worry about it.
This guy's a cop. Specializes in getting confessions.
-Should I shoot this? -[chuckles]
From what I know about his methods, better not.
[clears throat] Okay.
Now, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey? Hi. Okay.
This is a polygraph machine, okay? It's gonna tell me when you're lying.
So, as long as you just tell me the truth, you're gonna get out of here real quick.
-Okay? -Okay.
Okay. Okay, great. [inhales]
It is 9:13 a.m. on January 25th.
Now. [clears throat] Let's start out easy.
What's your name, son?
Jeff Deskovic.
Good. No, that's very good.
You see how easy that is to just tell the truth?
So, um, let's talk about what you did on November 15th.
Did you go into the woods?
No.
[scratching]
Hm. That's a... that's a lie.
Did you see or talk to Angela Correa?
No.
-[scratching] -That's another lie.
Did you attack her?
No. I... I wasn't even there.
Once again, a lie.
Did you hit her with a rock?
I didn't do it.
Lie.
-Did you rape Angela Correa? -No.
And that is a lie. Jeff, you're-you're lying to me.
This machine is 100% accurate,
and it's telling me that you're a lying murderer.
It's wrong.
-Where's Detective Tom? -No, no.
He knows I'm not, I'm not lying.
There is no Detective Tom to save you.
This machine is the only thing that is gonna save you.
And right now, this machine is telling me, young man,
that you are a liar.
No.
[shaky groan] Why can't I leave?
Here's the situation, Jeff.
If I submit this polygraph test to the D.A.,
he is going to prosecute you for rape and murder.
-[Jeffrey] No. No. -Okay?
He is.
Your only hope, and I keep trying to make you understand this,
is to tell the truth.
If you confess, then the D.A. can reduce your sentence.
Okay? He might not even prosecute you 'cause you're a 16-year-old kid.
But I didn't do those things.
[Stephens] Again, look at this.
You're lying!
You're lying. This is science. Okay, science doesn't lie.
It is you who lies.
Maybe it's broken, then.
No! It is not broken. What it is, it's telling me
that you raped and murdered Angela Correa. That's what it's doing!
Okay. [clears throat] You know what?
I am taking a lunch break.
Yep. And you...
you got one more chance to come clean.
Can I get some food?
And I'm thirsty. All I have is this coffee.
If you want some food and some drink...
I will get you all you want.
Just tell the truth, kid.
[shaky] I am.
[tense music]
[Stephens] Look, Jeff...
it's time for the truth here.
What if...
you actually did this, but then you just blocked it out?
Is that possible? What do you think?
I don't know. Maybe.
Well, look at this.
Look at this. Finally, the machine is telling me...
that you're being truthful.
-[groans] -[Stephens] Huh? Congratulations.
So, I can leave now?
Almost. Okay?
Almost. I'm gonna have Detective Tom come in here. He's gonna wrap this up.
Ask you a few more questions. And if you answer truthfully...
he's gonna be able to take you home.
[sighs]
I call Detective Stephens of Putnam County.
You may inquire, Mr. Bakman.
Thank you, Your Honor. Detective Stephens, tell the jury if you would,
what your current profession or occupation is.
Uh, I am a detective with the Putnam County Police Department,
as well as a polygraph examiner.
Now, on January 25th, did you administer a polygraph
-to the defendant in this case? -I did.
And tell me, did Mr. Deskovic voluntarily submit to the poly?
Yes, he did.
What's the basis for that statement?
I was informed by Detectives Levine and McIntyre
that he had agreed to take the polygraph.
Was he free to leave at any time?
Yes.
[Bakman] And when you administer a poly,
are you allowed to tell the suspect that he's failing the test?
Yes.
[Bakman] Are you allowed to lie to the suspect?
Yes.
[Bakman] Is that a violation of your department policy?
It is not.
-[Bakman] Is that illegal in any way? -It is not.
Did you record your interrogation?
I did not.
Is there a requirement that you record?
It is not a requirement, no.
No further questions.
You may inquire.
[Mentzer] Detective, you first started working on this case
after you got a call from the Peekskill Police Department.
-Correct? -Correct.
And they wrote you a letter specifically telling you
that they had a lack of physical evidence,
a lack of witnesses or investigative leads.
-Right? -Yes.
But they still wanted you to help in getting a confession
out of the person that they believed to be guilty.
-Right? -Yes.
But this particular day, you weren't testing a person
to see if he was telling the truth or not, right?
No.
[Mentzer] Your goal was something else, and that was to get a confession from him.
That is correct.
[Mentzer] Whether or not he was guilty.
Now, you particularly were proud of the fact
that you had a knack for getting confessions from suspects. Right?
Uh, I have a certain reputation that I am proud of, yes.
And, Detective, did I understand this correctly on direct examination,
when Mr. Bakman asked you whether you fed this boy
during the six-plus hours that he was strapped to that machine
in your office, you said no?
I did say no. He didn't ask for any.
-[Mentzer] You ate, didn't you? -[Stephens] I did.
But you didn't offer the boy who was strapped in the machine
during six hours any food?
No. Again, as I said, he did not request any food.
Did you want to weaken him to make it more likely that he would confess?
No. I don't think that's a fair characterization, counselor.
But you did give him coffee.
He asked for coffee, I gave him coffee.
Did you want him to be nervous so he might be more prone to confess?
Again, I don't agree with that characterization.
Well, did you think about it, sir?
Whether or not he'd get nervous with coffee?
Yeah.
Maybe.
Okay.
You're of course concerned about the effect
that your interrogation techniques will have on the suspect himself, right?
-No. -You don't care at all.
The technique's purpose was to get a confession.
That was my job.
[Mentzer] And you don't care if he feels coerced at all?
As long as I am within the law and the procedures of my department.
That's what my job is.
But during that entire time that you were interrogating him,
you never heard him confess to anything, right?
-Yes. -[Mentzer] Thank you, Detective.
I'm done, Judge.
[Judy] Witness is excused.
Mr. Bakman, who's your next witness, sir?
Detective McIntyre, Your Honor.
You may inquire, sir.
[Bakman] Detective McIntyre, if you would, can you explain to the jury
your current profession or occupation.
Detective for Peekskill Homicide.
And, Detective, were you in fact investigating
the rape and the murder of a 15-year-old girl, Angela Correa?
Yes, sir.
Did the focus at some point land on the defendant to my left?
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
And why did the focus of suspicion fall on Deskovic over here?
Well, about eight days after we found her, we sought counsel
from a specialist over at New York Police Department.
He was part of the Criminal Assessment and Profiling Unit,
and he gave us a profile of who the killer might be.
And did that profile match characteristics
that were consistent with what the defendant had?
Yes, sir.
[Bakman] And what kind of characteristics matched?
[McIntyre] The first characteristic was most likely under 19;
five-ten or shorter. Also had a loner type,
and you know, some violent tendencies.
Now, did you and your partner play good cop, bad cop with the defendant?
Yes, sir.
[Bakman] And did you befriend the defendant in this case?
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
And you did that in the hopes that you would develop evidence
or possibly a confession. Is that right?
Yes, sir.
And tell me, were you present during the interrogation
and polygraph examination by Stephens in this case?
Yes, sir.
And at some point in time, were you brought in
to conduct the remaining portion of the defendant's interrogation?
[McIntyre] Yes, I did.
[Bakman] And you were brought in for what reason, sir?
[McIntyre] To have him talk to me.
Like I said, I utilized my trust and my relationship with him.
And were you able to get a confession?
Yes, sir.
[clock ticking]
[solemn music]
[crying]
Hey, Jeff.
-I'm so proud of you, man. -[Jeffrey cries]
[McIntyre] You're almost out of here.
And we'll go get some pizza. Whatever you want.
Okay.
[Jeffrey] I'm really hungry.
So...
did you go to the woods on November 15th?
[Jeffrey cries] Yes.
Perfect.
[McIntyre] And did you hit Angela Correa with a bottle?
[sniffles] Yes. [cries]
-You're doing so great. -[Jeffrey sobs]
-Almost there, almost there. -[Jeffrey sniffles]
Did you rape her?
[sobbing] Yes.
[McIntyre] That's right.
[Jeffrey sobbing]
And did you choke her until she stopped breathing?
[Jeffrey sobbing] Yes.
It's okay. Stand up, stand up. I got you.
-[Jeffrey sobbing] -There you go, there you go. Come on.
Come here.
Thank you, Jeffrey.
[Jeffrey continues sobbing]
Thank you for telling me the truth.
And tell me, did you believe you had your man
after getting the details from Deskovic?
Oh, 100%, yes.
No further questions.
You may inquire.
Detective, you were involved in this investigation
from the very beginning, November 17th, weren't you?
Yes, sir.
And right off the bat, you had developed no leads,
no suspects in the first two weeks. Right?
No.
[Mentzer] That's why you went to the Criminal Profiler. Is that right?
[McIntyre] That's correct.
[Mentzer] And he told you it was likely a young child under 25 years old,
-someone who knew the victim? -Yes, sir.
One of the other things in that profile was
that the perpetrator had likely had a violent past.
Correct.
[Mentzer] But you knew that Jeffrey Deskovic had no violent past.
-Right? -[McIntyre] Correct.
But nonetheless, he became a suspect to you
because he was a loner, socially awkward,
and he showed up late for school the next day after she was killed.
And three, because he was emotional at her services.
-Correct? -[McIntyre] Correct.
[Mentzer] You did a little good cop, bad cop,
which you thought might work on him, but he still insisted he didn't do it.
-You buddied up to him, correct? -[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
And when it was all done, he still wouldn't confess. Right?
Yes, sir.
So, you set up the polygraph machine for January 25th.
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
-[Mentzer] And you were his ride, right? -Yes.
This 16-year-old didn't have another ride to get back out of there
-other than you. -That's correct.
[Mentzer] And that lasted at least six hours.
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
And six hours of no one offering him a way home.
-Right? -Yes, sir.
[Mentzer] Now, after repeatedly denying
that he had anything to do with this crime,
you heard Detective Stephens say he wanted to see you.
Yes, sir.
-[Mentzer] Then you came into the room. -Yes, sir.
You were the friendly detective.
-Yes, sir. -[Mentzer] The good cop.
And you told Jeffrey, "Look, I am here to protect you..."
-Yes, sir. -[Mentzer] "But you have to help me."
You have to talk to me. Yes, sir.
[Mentzer] You have to confess to this crime.
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
[Mentzer] And if you do that, you can go home.
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
[Mentzer] So, after you told him that he could go home
if he confessed to you, he starts sobbing.
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
[Mentzer] He's so emotional that he drops to the floor.
He curls up in a fetal position, right?
[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
-[Mentzer] He confesses to you. -[McIntyre] Yes, sir.
Now, when you're taking a confession or a statement from a suspect,
you like to be sure that it is a voluntary statement, right?
It cannot be the product of police coercion, right?
Yes, sir.
When you say you picked up a child from school,
took him to another town, interrogated him for seven hours
until he's a sobbing mess on the floor in a fetal position,
you call that voluntary?
I believe so, sir.
Thank you. I have no more questions.
Witness is excused.
Counsel, ready for closing arguments?
-[Bakman] Yes, Your Honor. -[Mentzer] Yes.
-Mr. Mentzer. -[Mentzer] Thank you, Your Honor.
When Angela Correa was brutally murdered in the town of Peekskill,
the job of solving the case fell on three Peekskill police detectives
who were clearly not up to the job.
Without any suspects, they chose a suspect, basically at random.
And when I say basically at random, I mean because he happens to be a loner
or socially awkward as a high school kid
and happens to have shown some sympathy to his fallen classmate
who had been murdered in a violent way, that made him the suspect.
It didn't matter that from the beginning,
there was nothing about this boy that seemed like a murderer.
No violent record, no history of sexual aggression, nothing at all.
No connection with Angela at all.
Didn't matter because all they needed was a confession.
And they set about to get that confession from him.
And that's when they pulled out their final trick,
which was the polygraph exam.
And it wasn't a polygraph exam, let's be honest.
This exam, it was designed to get a confession from a 16-year-old boy.
And finally, it worked. And the way it worked,
Detective McIntyre gave him the way out.
That way out was confess, and you go home.
What do you think he did?
So, what happened after he confessed on January 25th?
Ah, the scientific evidence comes in,
the hair removed from the leg of Angela.
Not only did it not come from Jeffrey,
but it came from someone of another race.
The DNA of the semen removed from her excluded this boy as a supplier of it.
This boy's innocent.
That's how anybody else would've taken it.
But not this prosecution.
Today, this nightmare has to come to an end
because he is innocent. Thank you.
Thank you, counselor. Mr. Bakman.
[Bakman] Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
let's look at the objective evidence in this case.
What did the officers focus their suspicion on?
One, the defendant in this case had opportunity,
he had the means to kill, and he had the motive to kill.
So, in looking at this through the lens of hindsight,
don't you believe the police had a good faith reason
to focus their suspicion on Deskovic?
Absolutely. You know, there's an old saying,
in criminal law, if you don't have the facts,
argue nonsense.
And that's what the defense is doing in this case.
The defense is engaging in smoke and mirrors.
What they want to do is they want to mislead you
from the objective evidence in this case,
and he wants you to believe the officers engaged in improper tactics.
Again, smoke and mirrors because that's all he's got.
He's gotta reconcile the fact that his client sitting over there
confessed with details as to the killing, the assault.
He knew these details,
not because the police shared the details with the defendant.
He knew the details because this kid is the killer
of a 15-year-old girl,
and we have proven this case beyond a reasonable doubt.
I ask you to return with a verdict of guilty in this case. Thank you.
[Judy] Thank you, Mr. Bakman.
Members of the jury, you have now heard all of the evidence,
and you are charged with the obligation to consider all that you've heard
and to determine whether the People have established
beyond a reasonable doubt
that the accused is guilty of murder and rape.
The jury will now retire to deliberate.
[contemplative music]
[Kevin] Court, come to order.
The Honorable Judge Judy Sheindlin presiding.
[Judy] Thank you.
Kevin, may I have the verdict, please?
Mr. Deskovic, will you please rise?
On count one of the indictment, that is rape in the first degree,
the jury finds you guilty, sir.
[gasps]
[Judy] On count two of the indictment,
murder in the second degree,
the jury finds you guilty as charged in the indictment.
Do you wish to make a statement before the court imposes sentence?
Yes, Your Honor.
First, I would like to thank my family and my attorney
for standing by me through this terrible time.
And second, I would like to say that...
I've already lost over a year of my life for something I didn't do.
And I'm about to lose so much more time, and I didn't do anything.
I will be back on appeal.
I will be free.
Mr. Deskovic, you may very well be innocent of this crime,
but the jury in this case has spoken,
and they have evaluated the evidence, and you have been found guilty as charged.
Maximum sentence that I can impose is 25 years to life.
I choose, however, to impose the lesser sentence of 15 years to life.
[crying]
You are remanded to the Commissioner of Corrections to begin that sentence.
Thank you, counsel. Thank you, members of the jury.
[tense music]
By the way, those words I said to Jeffrey
are exactly what the real judge said to him at his sentencing.
Nevertheless, his guilty verdict was upheld on appeal.
The court relied on the detectives' testimony
and about how the confession was obtained.
Remember, the confession wasn't recorded.
Jeffrey went to prison for 16 years.
Ready to throw your shoe at the TV yet?
All I can say is, that wasn't the end of the story.
Be sure to watch our next episode for the shocking conclusion.
[dramatic music]
[somber music] ]