I Am DB Cooper (2022) - full transcript

[snorting]

[gasping

and breathing heavily]

[pilot] Metro tower,

this is Northwest Orient

flight 305

we have a situation.

[Rodney] Tina,

I'm gonna have to have you

sit up here now.

I don't wanna

see you get hurt.

I don't wanna see

anybody get hurt.

[sharply exhales]

[exhales]

[breathing heavily]

-[tense music playing]

-[door opening]

[co-pilot] Captain,

the aft door is open.

Oh, my God.

[breathing heavily]

♪

[quiet suspenseful

music playing]

[Rodney] My real name

is Rodney Lewis Bonnifield.

Born July 26, 1952.

I am D.B. Cooper.

♪ All these sparkling ♪

♪ Golden dollar days

♪ Will wash our normal

problems down the drain ♪

♪ I can offer you

a better today ♪

♪ I can give to you

a court with no judge ♪

♪ Look around you

♪ At everything

you don't has ♪

♪ Is all you really,

really need love? ♪

♪ I can offer you

a better right now ♪

♪ Lift away all of the weight

that won't budge ♪

♪ Picture your view ♪

♪ From your house

on the moon, baby ♪

♪ Saturn's got rings ♪

♪ And you

should be wearing them ♪

♪ Singing all these sparkly

golden dollar days ♪

♪ Will wash our normal

problems down the drain ♪

♪ Right down the drain ♪

[Rodney] Had a knife

on the drain board,

a big Bowie knife,

come around and they get me

right in the neck.

And so I just reached up

had a sheathing knife

about this big

because it--

it was for hunting, skinning.

I just reached up

and popped him one.

So, he dropped the knife

right in the shoulder,

right there.

-And so, he dropped the knife.

-[Clifford] Help me.

[phone line beeps]

[operator] 911,

what is your emergency?

[Clifford groans]

It's Clifford Rich.

Lady, goddamn it!

I've been stabbed!

Rodney fuckin' Bonnifield.

[guitar music playing]

[Rodney] No, I believe in God.

God and country, I do.

[interviewer]

Nothin' wrong with that.

[Rodney] No,

nothing wrong with that.

Least I know

where I'm going.

A lot of people

don't know where they're goin'.

Think there's a big force.

Well, guess what?

I'd rather know where I'm goin'

than not know where I'm goin'.

[Carlos] So,

I met Rod December of 2016.

Rodney had been arrested on

assault one,

uh, essentially a knife fight

and, uh, bailed him out.

[Mike] But people come

to bail companies

because

they're in a time of crisis.

So,

we facilitate individuals

who are arrested

and held.

We negotiate

with their friends and family

and contractually bind them

to attend their court hearings

and if they fail to appear,

then it's our job to go out

and find them

and bring them back.

[man] Sorry, I'm not trying

to be an asshole.

-No, no.

-Hey, we're not either.

-[man] I'm loaded.

-So are we.

[Mike] My name's Mike Rocha.

I'm a bondsman

for All City Bail Bonds.

I started doing

recovery work

when I turned

21-years-old.

So, a long time,

over 35 years.

The difference between us

and Dog the Bounty Hunter

is that we are authorized

and able to carry firearms.

We typically like

to work under the radar.

We will go out normally

in the cover of dark,

arrest the people

that we need to...

Full-auto.

...and do it

in a real quiet manner.

[gunfire]

My brother, Carlos,

is in the bail industry

as well.

I got introduced

to the business

with my brother 35 years ago

doing some recovery.

[gunshots]

I absolutely love it,

uh, everyday is interesting.

Interesting characters,

interesting scenarios,

stuff that you're, just,

not got gonna find

at a regular job for sure.

And I kissed the ground

when he came to help me,

that was it, I says,

"That guy there,

he's a man to come and get me

out of this mess."

And, so, I was out

for two and a half years.

I don't have any problem

with anybody else.

He wasn't fully funded on--

on the bond,

so people put up some money,

but he had to come back in

time after time after time

and make his payments

and he never missed

a payment.

Uh, and, again,

he could've taken off

and gone up into the hills

and he'd be a hard guy

to find.

I says,

"I'm not runnin' anywhere,

I'm not guilty

of this crime."

[Carlos]

He comes into the office

and first he gives me

his paperwork

stating

that he had taken a plea deal

on the knife fight scenario.

I returned his collateral,

which was,

uh, I think

four different vehicles.

[Rodney]

He gave me back my titles.

He says you--

you made it,

you did the right thing,

you didn't run.

And he goes, "Uh, I got

something else to run by you."

I says, uh,

"I'm D.B. Cooper.

"I been wanted

for a long time."

[news anchor]

When he got on a plane

in Portland, Oregon

last night,

he was just another passenger

who gave his name

as D.A. Cooper.

But today, after hijacking

a Northwest Airlines jet,

then making a getaway

by parachute,

the description

on one wire service:

master criminal.

I decided to come on out

and tell the truth

about everything.

So the people that have a right

to know who I am.

He seemed rather nice,

other than he wanted

certain things to be done.

We were honoring his requests

and, therefore,

we made no attempt

to impede his mission.

[narrator]

In the early '70s, a hijacker

calling himself D.B. Cooper

jumped from an airliner

in flight

carrying 200,000 bucks

in ransom cash

and disappeared in the woods

of the Pacific Northwest.

His fate remained unknown,

his true identity a mystery.

That is,

perhaps, until now.

The people got a right to know

who I am and what I am.

And, uh...

it was the time

of the Vietnam War...

it was a time--

it was a time of strife.

[rock music playing]

Everything was going down,

Martin Luther King got killed,

[indistinct] died,

Everything was going downhill.

All right, everyone throw in,

don't be cheap.

[man 1]

All right, raising two.

You guys, uh,

been following those protests

-in D.C.?

-[man 2] Yeah, oh yeah.

Hey, you guys hear about that?

Boys in blue?

They couldn't hold it down,

I mean, they had to send in

the fucking US Military.

Landing

every three minutes,

I mean, can you fucking believe

this shit?

[man 3]

That's government, man!

-Right? Come on!

-[man 2] Are you kidding me?

America

is the land of opportunity

and you can bet

your sweet ass

that if these guys

are taking from the pot,

then so am I!

[man 1] Cheers to that shit,

fuckin'-A man.

[young Rodney]

To the money, boys!

[Rodney] I don't know,

I liked the easy money.

I had money all the time.

The more money I made,

the happier I was.

I had some nice hotrods

in those days,

I mean,

I had cars worth $10,000

and I enjoyed myself.

And cocaine was coming in

from Panama.

Goddamn,

that shit is good, Rodney!

[young Rodney]

You like that?

I get that from Panama.

[Rodney] Had plenty of cocaine

if we wanted, but it was--

it was like, uh,

going out, dancing,

having fun with all the women

and enjoying yourselves.

I can't wait

to be in your arms again, babe.

[woman on phone]

Uh, I can't wait either.

[Rodney]

I had a way to talk to 'em.

I had a way

to communicate with women.

You have to have communication

with women

otherwise

you ain't gonna get 'em.

No communicate?

No woman.

And of course,

you know about what's her name

that did the song.

Well, hi, I'm Rita Coolidge

and I'm a singer,

I sing country music,

and, well,

I just put out a record

Anytime, Anywhere.

And sometimes I act on--

on screen as well.

[Rodney] Met her in Lake Tahoe,

she was singin' at a bar

and then we had an affair

for a couple days.

Well,

Rodney had this lone wolf

kinda mystery about him.

Like he had a secret

or somethin'.

You know, I was thinkin'...

"You should come

to Denver with me."

[interviewer] So, you said

she wrote a song for you?

[Rodney] Yeah, Run--

"Run, D.B., Run"

[interviewer] Can you sing

a little bit of it?

[Rodney] Uh, well,

I was in the, uh,

Hard Rock Café

in Lake Tahoe when the--

the song came out and it says,

♪ Run D.B. run

keep on running D.B. ♪

[Carlos] I mean,

he's not a flight risk

obviously.

I mean, he's--

he's not going anywhere.

Other than the fact that he--

I mean, he reoffended, uh--

[Mike] Doing what we do,

you're exposed to a lot of

different people.

And a lot of people

lie to you.

So, one of the things

that we pride ourself on

is being able to

cipher through people who lie

versus people who don't.

And when Carlos told me

this story, he was-- he was--

I could feel the excitement

within him

and by the time dinner

was halfway through,

my mouth was wide open

and I couldn't,

you know,

believe the detailed events

that were being described.

He's got

lots of crazy stories, um,

but as I tried

to vet them out,

they-- they all seem like

they're-- they're legit.

Him and Don have, uh, some,

uh, mining claims...

up in the mountains

and, uh, I've been able

to validate that.

We're gold miners too,

you know.

-[laughs]

-[cameraman] Oh, really?

Oh, yeah, we own a gold mine

in the mountains there.

Bazooka Gold Mining Company,

LLC.

[Carlos] Uh, I did my research,

he owned the claims,

he brought in the ore,

he brought in the, uh,

the geological assessment.

Here's our gold strike,

here's the vein.

This is how massive it is.

This is my great grandfather,

Sam Bonnifield.

This is Remington

that made the rifles.

And there's 2,600 pounds

of gold

and this is going

to Seattle.

And they surveyed all of Alaska

and I've got the map.

I have a Bonnifield Region

up there.

260 miles of that country

is ours.

[Carlos] They've been rich,

they've been broke,

they've been rich again,

they've been broke,

they've had

lots of adventures.

I mean I've been to the--

I've been to the farm.

[Mike]

He, for the last 35ish years

has lived on a dairy farm.

Incognito,

uh, with a friend of his.

[Rodney] We're, uh,

in Washington State

near the Skagit River.

The place is, uh,

peace and harmony,

good-willed men,

a good place to live.

We always come

ready to go here.

[barking]

[Rodney] Because you don't get

a second chance out here.

380.

Just like that.

Live with Don Lee at the farm.

Hell of a guy.

[Don] My great grandfather

actually homesteaded this farm.

Started milking cows

as a sophomore in high school.

We got this farm kinda

rockin' and rollin' for a while

and then all these people

that are poor come here

and mess things up.

There's crazy characters

that come and go.

It is absolutely,

100% certain

that he was in a knife fight

and stabbed a guy.

I do not, uh, have any problems

with anybody

that don't wanna

give me a problem.

They give me a problem,

I give 'em a problem back.

Knives or guns,

it don't matter.

[Clifford] Oh! Oh, fuck!

[groaning]

This Clifford Rich

was staying by my place there.

He was hanging around

Don Lee's house.

And I asked Cliff

if he wanted to help me

paint my house.

So, Rod said "He's a painter,

he's a good painter."

He was an evil sucker,

you know?

He was out raping

kids and women,

I says, "I don't want nothing

to do with you no more."

I found out about it,

I says,

"I don't want nothing

to do with you anymore."

So, I told Don,

"Get him out of the house."

There are several stories

about what happened

between Rodney

and Clifford, but apparently

Clifford went after Rodney

with a machete.

It was one just like this

except it's all black.

[Rodney]

Well, I took him out anyway.

[Carlos]

From the criminal perspective,

you know, it's legit.

He spoke of being a teamster,

which, at one time,

he was a teamster,

I know that for a fact,

but he said

he was very connected

with the mob,

did a lot of

strong-arm stuff,

you know,

on behalf of the union.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Rodney]

I was working the docks

with the teamsters.

And then Jimmy Hoffa

got murdered

and then they called me up

said we need a favor.

We'll meet you

at Magnolia Bluff.

We met out, we need to strike

this waterfront, it's 1972.

They picked me...

to help 'em do it.

And this is, uh,

John Fitzsimmons.

-[young Rodney] Fitzsimmons?

-How you doin'?

[young Rodney] All right.

All right,

every Thursday at 3:00 p.m.,

a 48-foot sea vessel

by the name of Lucy docks here.

You will process

all drop offs from Lucy

under the name

John Alexander.

Once complete,

you will phone me directly.

-Is that clear?

-Crystal.

Your assistance

will not be forgotten.

I suppose

we'll be in touch then.

That is a fact.

[interviewer] So,

what do you have to say

to the people that are--

that-- that might think

that you aren't D.B. Cooper.

Well, I could care less,

I did the job.

There've been a lot of people

over the years

who've claimed

to be D.B. Cooper.

Probably the most recognizable

would be Mr. Rackshaw,

but he can't fill in the blanks

like Rodney.

In fact,

none of the people

who've claimed to be

D.B. Cooper

can fill in the slots

like Rodney can.

There's-- there's, just,

too much minutia there

for this to be in his head

and not be real.

[Rodney] I came right down

the Columbia River

at Tena Bar

and there's a cove in there

and I looked at the cove

when I was comin' down,

I landed right in the sands.

I left $5,880 on the beach

and I took $300 more out

and that leaves

$193,000 left

somewhat, in dollars.

It's on that beach right now.

So, if I find the rock,

we're gonna dig it up

and we'll get that money.

And the only reason

I thought it had credibility

enough to at least pursue

a little bit,

do some research

and then bring Mike in

was the fact that he was gonna

bring the money to me.

He was gonna set the money

on the desk

and then from there

he wanted me to do something

with the cash.

My plan is probably

to go underground,

sell some of the money,

you know?

But, that's business.

Why not? It's my money.

I took it.

And, uh, if I get somebody

to help me sell it,

then fine, dandy,

I get it sold.

[Carlos] So,

Rod had an idea

of what the value

of the money was

and it was an inflated amount

based off the fact

that a kid had been camping

down on the river,

actually found some money,

and then selling the money

at a much higher value

than what the actual face is.

[interviewer] So, did you bury

the $5,800 immediately?

Yes.

The reason why,

I always leave a tip.

So that they thought

I'd gone in the river.

I put the money there,

in all 20s,

I put 'em in a stack.

[interviewer]

Why that amount of money?

[Rodney] I don't know,

I just reached in the bag

and grabbed whatever I had,

and counted it,

it was $5,880 and I went,

"Okay, that's--

somebody will find this,

some fisherman

or some hiker or--

well, they didn't find it

for nine more years.

[news anchor]

Then the Dwayne Ingrum family

entered the picture

last February.

I was gonna build a fire

and I had some wood

in my arm

and I got ready

to set it down

and my son ran up and said,

"Wait a minute, Daddy."

So, he raked a place

out in the sand

and there it was, it kinda

tumbled up on the top.

[news anchor]

What his young son found

was part of Cooper's loot.

Badly decomposed,

in bundles,

still in the same order

when packed nine years ago.

[Mike] The Columbia River

is a massive river.

And it's an ever-changing

riverbank.

This is where large

shipping vessels come through

and bring product

to and from other countries

and distribute it

around the world.

So, they have to

continually dredge it

and make sure that it's clear

for the shipping lanes.

[man] Dredging is done

in a lot of major waterways

and that's to keep

the waterway open

for commerce

because it's not that deep

and they have to dig out

that waterway year after year.

Rodney described his burying

of the $5,800

to be in a very shallow area

because he did it very hastily

and scientists

in 2020 determined

that there was algae

found on the money

that could've only been there

during a spring bloom.

So, it's--

it's possible that the money,

having been buried

in a shallow area,

later on, after a dredging,

was exposed to the water,

thus exposing it to the algae

that only blooms in the spring.

[man] That's key,

because it means

the ransom money

entered the water

months after Cooper jumped.

For instance,

Kay says it scuttles

the FBI's original theory

in the 1980s

that the ransom money

flowed from rivers

in the suspected drop zone

near Lake Merwin

down through

the Washougal River

to the Columbia.

The so-called

"Washougal Wash Down Theory."

The money was not floating

in the water for a year,

otherwise

we would've seen diatoms

from the full range

of the year.

We only saw them

from the spring--

springtime bloom.

So this puts

a very narrow range

on when the money got wet

and was subsequently

buried on Tena Bar.

Rodney knew

all kinds of specifics

about--

about the hijacking.

[interviewer]

What were you wearing that day?

I wore a sports jacket,

penny loafers,

black tie,

which belonged to my dad.

The one piece

of physical evidence

that really yielded

something substantial

was the fact that the tie

was analyzed at the time

and throughout the years

continued to be analyzed

as technology got better

and titanium

was one of the major alloys

found on it.

[newsman] The periodical table

of clues, say scientists,

suggests Cooper had access

to a manufacturing company

that made airplanes,

like the one he jumped from.

Perhaps a company

with a connection to Boeing.

Rodney did identify the fact

that that tie was his father's

and that he did work

at Boeing.

Uh, he had the--

the times

down to specifics.

Exact time frame, uh,

that lines up with--

with what, um,

the authorities have.

[Rodney]

Left Portland about 4:30,

it was getting kinda dark,

it was during the winter.

And then we got up

in the air and it was raining.

They seated me in 18E

in the back

near the stewardess.

He knew the type of cigarettes

that were smoked.

[interviewer]

Did they allow you to smoke

-back in the day on airplanes?

-[Rodney] Yes, they did.

I smoked about eight Raleigh's,

but I just barely smoked them.

I was nervous.

The-- the cocktails

that were ordered--

[Rodney] I ordered me a bourbon

and they brought me a double.

[stewardess]

Can I get you anything?

[young Rodney] Uh, yes.

I'll take a bourbon

on the rocks

and if you could

keep those coming

until the plane lands

or I jump out of it,

that'd be great.

I'll make it a double,

how 'bout that?

[Carlos]

And the more I looked into it,

the more I thought,

"Well, he's either

the most well-versed

D.B. Cooper fanatic

that I've ever met

or even heard of,

um, or he's D.B. Cooper."

It's hard to look somebody

in the eye

who is so sincere about their

story

and discount it or,

um, call them a liar.

The guy's a character,

and he's just enough

of a character

to have jumped out

of an airplane, uh,

being suicidal

with nothing to lose and--

and, you know,

pulling it off.

I'm inclined to believe

that-- that he's the guy.

I wanna believe

he's the guy.

[Mike] Reintroducing it

to myself, you know,

I-- I start to realize

some of the details

that were out there.

And when he added

to those details,

it--

it was very convincing.

He's either convinced himself

that it's real

or it's real.

So, with that, it's--

it's worth coming

to take a look.

[Carlos] So,

after some deliberation,

Mike and I decided that

maybe we should go down

and dig up this money.

[Mike] We're going

on an exploratory mission here

to see if he is the guy

to confirm or not

whether he's the person

who hijacked an airplane in,

you know, in 1971,

a long time ago.

So,

there's a lot of questions

and there's a lot of mystery

around it.

If I'm not mistaken,

it's the only unsolved

hijacking

in the history of the world.

Uh, and-- and that has to have

some interest.

There's some

sex appeal to that.

I mean, it's almost

like treasure hunting.

I think everybody has

a little kid inside of them

that loves the idea

of going and finding

some buried treasure,

and that's exactly

what we're gonna try to do.

I mean, I think

he's getting to the--

to the end of life

and he wants people to know.

And he might not have

the opportunity

to tell this story 'cause

we're within two weeks

of him potentially

going to prison, so

the time is growing short.

Uh, 9:30 tomorrow, I'm supposed

to have a court date,

I'm not gonna show up.

And on May 9th,

my mom's birthday,

my brother's birthday,

and my daughter's birthday

is May 9th.

I'm not going to court

to get sentenced on May 9.

He's been going to court

and the prosecutor

wants to put him away

for something

that he should be given

an award for.

And the fact is,

he is a life-long criminal.

I mean, he lives

and thinks like a criminal.

that's the way he's wired.

Uh, now he's calmed down,

he's trying to find peace

in his-- his--

his later years.

And you ask about

his bad upbringing,

he didn't have

a bad upbringing,

he told you

he was born a criminal.

[interviewer]

So when you were a kid

you always wanted

to be a-- a--

-a gangster?

-Yeah. I was born one.

My mom's given me birth

at Chief Seattle Statue

rushed me

to the West Seattle Hospital,

and that's where I was born.

[mom]

He was a very busy little boy.

He was always into

many different things.

He was an asshole.

[interviewer]

Can you take us back

to your first experience

with criminal activity?

[Rodney] Okay, I go

into an ice cream parlor,

I was five

and a half years old,

I didn't have the money

to pay for the ice cream,

so while she went out

to use the restroom,

I got the two ice creams

and I took the till

and opened it up and got

all the money out the till

and walked right out.

♪

[employee] Hey!

What're you doing!

Kid! Hey!

He--

he thought of lots of ways to,

um, make money.

He was a thief.

♪ Come on,

gimme a reason ♪

♪ To make me stay ♪

♪ And if you come beggin' ♪

[Rodney] I robbed

my first beer truck

when I was 13.

[indistinct] way,

and I robbed it.

Took the kegs off it,

me and this other kid.

♪

Jackpot!

-He was a little entrepreneur.

-A little bastard.

[Rodney]

And the 18 and 19 year olds

would buy my beer

from me back then

so I had money

all the time.

Welcome!

Ten bucks a keg, you hounds.

Come on, cough it up.

It's a good day

to be in the beer business,

suckers.

[female interviewer]

When did you notice a change

in Rodney?

-I--

-Uh--

I don't wanna talk about--

Can we just--

I think we need to move on

to a different question.

Rodney.

Take your pills and go to bed.

-No more magazines!

-[door clicks shut]

-That kid.

-What's he doin' now?

He won't stop

with the magazines.

What kinda mag--

are they Playboys?

I'm missing some Playboys.

[Mom] Oh, I don't know.

I never thought of that.

I-- I guess it's better

than Playgirl.

[Mom] Oh, gosh, I don't wanna

have to worry about that.

You know, uh...

I got another call

from the principal today.

[Mom] No--

They're thinking

about kicking Rod out.

I told you

that he is not taking

his medicine

and when he doesn't take

his medicine,

he goes bonkers.

I don't like

when he takes that medicine--

I know--

He doesn't need anything

to calm him down.

I don't know what else to do.

[Dad] Military school?

If you can convince him.

[Dad] I don't think

we should give him a gun.

[Mike] We've got things

that we may

or may not need tomorrow.

Um, we've got guns

just to make sure

that we're safe

and that everybody's safe

'cause we have no idea,

really,

what we're up against.

This guy claims to be

a life-long criminal,

so we have no idea

what he's capable of

or who

his affiliations are.

So,

he could have people out there

waiting for us to bring it back

to the hotel,

people that track us

to the dig site.

And if this money,

um, is there,

uh, I-- I really feel like

we can't let him

just walk away.

There's no option there.

I mean, if--

if we don't turn the money in

then we're liaisons...

-We're criminals--

-...to the crime.

He thinks

he has this thing lined up.

[Mike] We're gonna set up camp

in Woodland,

that's where the hotels

are gonna be

that we're gonna work out of

and then the--

the bar that the money

was found

is down southwest

of that area.

So, geographically,

it's not too far away.

Just outside of town.

We're gonna rally

at 5:00 a.m.

and we're gonna drive down

the highway

and, um,

go after the money.

Just basically--

just go right at it.

Picked the boys up,

they're ready to roll.

[Rodney] Let's go down

and unbury that money.

[Mike] All right,

let's get her done.

[Rodney]

All right, all right.

You can ask me

any questions you want.

[interviewer] Did you ever

conceive of this plan

beforehand

or thought, like,"Oh,

you know, I might be able

to hijack a plane,

get some ransom money,

-and jump out of it?"

-Never.

I call it skyjacking,

but never.

[interviewer]

How did you even know

how to jump out

of a commercial airplane?

It seems like

you would have to

know something about aviation.

A friend of mine,

Roger Gackle was a flight--

he organized the flights

coming in and out

of the airport.

He invited me in

with Rick Gackle,

so I knew the whole layout

before I did it.

[interviewer] Okay,

so Roger Gackle

was kind of like this guy

that taught you

the inner workings

of what aviation is.

He just [indistinct].

♪

[man] Let's go Rod!

[bowling pins clatter]

-[man] Yeah!

-[men cheering]

That's how it's done, fellas!

-Hey, where's Gackle?

-He went back to the airport.

[young Rodney grunts]

Gackle gave me

a tour of that 727 last week.

-Have you been on that thing?

-Nah.

[sighs] He showed me

every switch and lever.

That bird can do

some serious action.

This guy's been hot

on airplanes ever since

he jumped off the roof

when he was seven.

[all laughing]

-Hey! What's up, you goons?

-[Marty] Hey, buddy boy.

We goin'

to the loop on Friday?

[all] Oh, the loop!

Oh, the loop! Yeah!

South of the

Washington-Oregon border.

A little

Portland hideout, fun-out.

And when Rodney showed up...

[guitar riff plays]

...that's when

the party lifted off.

[young Rodney]

Hey, how you doin'?

[Marty] Hey, what's up, Rod?

How you doing, brother?

-Hey, Rod.

-Hey, baby.

[Rodney] Oh, the loop is

where we used to gang fight,

race cars,

and monkey around

with wild women

down there, okay?

[Marty] Here's the loop.

Fast cars.

Yeah, dude,

it looks like you need

a new radiator hose.

[Marty] Lotta women.

Lotta drugs.

Goddamn this shit is good.

[Marty] Lotta people

havin' a good time

mixing 'em all together.

Gotcha! [laughs]

Do me next,

but I like it a little slower!

Fuck you, Larry.

Well, look who decides

to show his cock to the party!

Welcome, baby.

Let's have

a good time. [laughs]

[Marty] It was everything

we were about.

We lived it.

That's one of

my favorite memories.

I remember one time Rodney,

was waving around a gun.

I think he-- I don't know

what drug he was on.

You never really knew.

I probably helped him with it.

He was just

waving around a gun,

wanting to fight.

I can't even remember,

he was ready

to fight anyone, even me.

-You see Stacy's cousin?

-[Rodney] Wayne Shannon,

I fought him

twice out in Gutterway.

First time was a draw.

Second time I beat him.

Who didn't see

Stacy's cousin.

-Fuck! Goddamn.

-[all laugh]

Yeah, I seem to remember

Stacy's cousin

because I think it was around

her 19th birthday.

We had a pretty

good time together.

[laughs] Yeah, and I bet

she enjoyed all three seconds.

[all laughing]

Excuse me?

You heard me.

I mean, girls talk.

And they need

someone to lay the pipe.

And we know that's not you.

I mean, let's be honest.

[scattered laughter]

You know what? Forget you.

Bring your skinny dick over

here and say that to my face.

[man] Whoa, whoa, whoa!

-[ominous music playing]

-[all yelling in panic]

-[gun cocking]

-Come on, Rodney, come on, man.

Now, if anyone else

wants to piss me off

and get on my nerves,

let's have a discussion

right now, right here,

in my office.

Anybody got

a problem with that?

[Wayne] No, man.

We're cool, we're cool.

[interviewer]

I mean, you have to be

a pretty crazed lunatic

in order to hijack

a commercial airline flight.

Well, I was--

I was up for four days.

I had a bag

of criss-cross speed

-and I'd pop 'em and get up.

-[Interviewer] So like stuff,

-like, Johnny Cash used to do?

-[Rodney] Yeah, same stuff.

Not the black beauties,

but the-- the,

you know,

the white criss-cross speed.

It was all over the place

in the old days.

We'd always take the uppers

when we went drinkin'

and-- and carousing

and stuff so--

Rodney always had a plan,

no matter what it was.

-[young Rodney whistling]

-[Marty vocalizing]

[young Rodney] Knock-knock,

Christmas came early,

my friend.

Ooh, is that

the shit Cash is using?

[young Rodney laughs]

Make no mistake,

these are not black beauties.

No, sir, this is criss-cross.

This stuff, my friend,

will sell.

Oh! It's like

the first snow in winter.

-What a beaut!

-That'll knock the pins down.

Care to ski the slopes,

my friend?

[Marty] I'd been a supplier

of drugs for a long time

so I could ignite the fun,

but hi-- hi-- his--

his plans were

how can we make

money and have some fun too?

[sniffing]

-[both moaning in pleasure]

-I will criss-cross this

all across the county.

[Rodney exhales audibly]

Tic-tac-toe.

Across the states we go,

my friend.

But we gotta be quick

about this, pal.

Dude,

I have never let you down, Rod.

You've never

let me down, buddy.

[both clicking tongue

and sniffing]

[interviewer]

How're you feeling, sir?

[Mike] I'm feeling great.

Hungry, about to eat.

I'm excited about the fact

that he's an old honcho

that just is excited

and ready to roll.

Everything he's told us

is stuff we haven't heard

in the news, or most of it,

and only one person would know

all these details.

So, our optimism is rising.

You gotta mind, uh...

[clears throat]

...when I took the jump,

I had a pair of

penny loafers on.

So, uh, I lost one of my

penny loafers on the way down.

[laughs]

So I ended

up buying

a pair of tennis shoes

on the way out. [laughs]

I had to walk to the road,

go to Woodland

to get the tennis shoes

[indistinct].

Piggly Wiggly,

just closing up

at ten o'clock at night.

I had to beg

and plead with the lady

to get the tennis shoes,

but then I had shoes.

And so then I took a--

I went to a payphone to call

a cab and I took the cab back

to Portland to get my car.

57 Chevy.

Two door hardtop

with that--

[Will] Like, the stuff

that he's talking about

is so detailed.

He's like Jesus,

he's either a psychopath,

liar, narcissist,

or it's true.

-It's crazy.

-[man] What is your-- what--

what are you thinking

right now?

-What do you think?

-Honestly, after that?

After that I'm kind of

convinced--

It would just--

he would be going

to such great lengths...

all for, like, a lie, which,

again, is possible,

but I'm starting to--

I'm starting to be convinced.

[Mike] What are

your thoughts now that

you've seen

the confidence he has?

[Tyler] I mean,

I'm pretty, like,

like Will was saying,

he's just, like,

he's either a crazed lunatic

or, you know, or he's telling

the complete truth

and this is all real,

you know?

I mean, there's only two ways

to spin it.

What did you compare him to?

Jesus?

[Mike]

Right, but-- but don't--

don't you always

come back to the fact

that he actually

is going to take us there

and what does he expect

to have happened

if we don't find it.

It-- that's what confuses me.

What is his end game?

[Rodney] I said

I would never go dig it up

until the timing was right.

Well,

now the time is right.

I have every FBI agent

in the United States

looking for me...

because they gotta prove

their point,

they gotta get that man.

They got the rest of 'em.

Killed Pretty Boy Floyd,

Dillinger,

and Baby Face Nell.

They got 'em all.

You don't think

they won't get me too?

Well, that's

the way it looks to me.

-I am not stupid.

-[interviewer] But Why did--

Why did you resort

to a life of crime?

I don't know.

I-- I robbed Safeway stores,

I used to get

30-40,000

a whack out of them,

but, you know, I was a young--

I was a gangster.

I was running around

with a bunch of tough kids.

[Interviewer] And these were

armed robberies?

[Rodney] Yeah, I committed

20 or 30 armed robberies.

And I was with McDonald

on about ten of 'em.

[exhaling audibly]

Where are we headed?

[sighs]

As far as we can, Marty.

As far as we can.

[laughs]

Robbery was involved

and I can't say

I wanted to do it

most of the time,

but he's a seller of fun

and a seller of, uh, crazy.

[Young Rodney] Empty that safe

into that bag right now!

-Do it! Every last dime!

-[Cashier] That's all of it!

-That's all we got!

-[young Rodney] Oh, come on,

you stupid ass hippy,

fill that thing up!

We happy, buddy?

[breathing heavily]

I want you to remember

this face.

You're gonna be reading

about it for a long, long time.

Let's move out, sunshine.

♪ Uh huh ♪

[young Rodney whooping]

♪ We gonna tear this

motherfucker up ♪

♪ And burn this

motherfucker down ♪

[young Rodney] Yes!

[Marty] Drugs, guns,

whatever was involved.

I was ready for the ride.

I hope you like Chinese food,

buddy, 'cause we're gonna get

our feast on tonight.

What're you talkin' about?

What-- what Chinese food?

♪ A lot of stories ♪

♪ Uh-huh, yeah, uh-huh ♪

Not The Dragon, man,

I eat here twice a week!

Marty...

[laughing] I thought you

wanted to be a gangster!

Rod, have you had

the kung pao here?

Best in town.

And if we do this,

-I can't eat here anymore!

-No,

I haven't had

the kung pao here, Marty.

And who the fuck cares?

Ah, Rod, seriously,

I eat here all the time!

It's sweet, Yuki

will probably recognize me!

Man,

I've been trying to ask her out

the last couple weeks,

man.

Marty, put the mask on,

disguise your voice,

and then next week you can

take out

sweet Yuki on a

wonderful date

with all the money

that you rob from her tonight.

[inhales audibly]

If you had had the kung pao,

we wouldn't be doin' this

right now, man.

Shut the fuck up, Marty.

[rock music playing]

All right,

hands in the air, sweetheart!

Now, I want you to go back

to that register,

and take every last dollar,

and put it inside this bag.

If you try any funny stuff,

things are gonna get

un-fucking-funny,

real fuckin' quick!

And don't skimp on

those fortune cookies either.

[Marty] Come on, Yuki.

We're not gonna hurt you,

we just need the money.

Marty?

Marty!

♪

[music stops]

I saved

the best for last.

No clerks, no bullshit.

Just good old-fashioned

American takin' stuff.

And you know

how much I love takin' stuff!

[Marty] What if someone comes

in there while we're there?

Oh, fuck, Marty!

These rich fucks only

come here in the summertime!

The rest of the year,

this house is barren,

it's just ready

to get picked off!

Don't you think

we should just quit

while we're ahead?

I will tell you

when we are ahead,

you stupid bitch!

[breathing heavily]

These fucks are ahead.

Now...

picking off two places

in one night is child's play!

But you pick off

three places...

That's a spree, buddy.

That's a spree.

Four-- three places?

[Rodney] Here's a-- here's

thing on me, right here.

November 24, 1971,

a man called himself

Dan Cooper. Yeah, I did.

The name came

from Jackie Cooper,

the first-- last name.

And the front name

was my cousin, Dan.

[interviewer]

Who's Jackie Cooper?

Movie star.

Played in, uh, Frank James in,

uh, one of the Ford brothers

in a-- in a movie.

Every single question

we asked Rodney

about the crime,

he had an answer for.

And he didn't have to stutter

or stammer or think about it.

It came out very naturally,

like it was the truth.

We just elevated up.

I handed her the note

and then she says,

"I can't go out with you."

I says,

"You better read the note."

[Carlos] She-- she thought

you were asking her for a date?

[Rodney]

Asking her for a date, yeah.

[chuckles]

Not very picky, are you?

-I'm flattered, but married.

-[Rodney laughs]

[Carlos]

What did the note say?

Uh, it says I have,

uh, a briefcase

full of dynamite,

explosives,

and if I don't get

what I want,

I'll blow the plane up.

[Carlos]

And how did she react?

She says, "Oh, my God."

She just ran right up there

as fast as she could.

Not run,

but briskly went up there.

[Carlos]

Up to the cockpit?

-Yeah.

-[Carlos] Yeah.

And then, uh,

that's when I had trouble.

Lawrence Finegold.

[Carlos] One of the things

that-- that I found

interesting,

uh, as Rodney was filling in

the details of the incident

was an interaction

with a young attorney

out of Seattle

named Finegold.

He started coming back

at me and I came right up to

him and said, "You better

sit down and shut up.

No funny stuff.

He goes, "What is this?"

I says, "Your toupee's not--

not straight on your head.

I acted, like,

a little bit crazy but--

I would sit down

and I would straighten out

that fuckin' toupee

if I were you.

No funny stuff.

[Mike] Rodney told him to,

you know, sit down

and that his hairpiece

was slightly ajar,

which it-- it appears

that maybe he was wearing

a hairpiece.

So, to me, I thought

that was a very,

very specific detail,

and later,

it turns out

that Finegold acknowledged

his interaction with Rodney.

My 25th anniversary

I called him on the phone

from Seattle and said

I'm DB Cooper and he goes,

"Okay, if you're DB Cooper,

tell me what--

what I wanna hear."

and I said, "What

do you wanna hear and he goes,

"You know

what you told me."

and so I told him

the same thing

and he says, "Oh, my God,

you're still alive."

-[Mike] And they're all 20's!

-I got

193,000 something dollars

buried on the beach.

[Carlos chuckles]

And we're about to go find it.

By a big,

black onyx rock.

So the beauty is gonna be us

going from this point

right now,

from these interviews,

to the site where he was

at that time and,

um, hopefully putting

a bow on his story.

Right now we need

to button up

and get it together and go out

and-- and track it down.

All right,

let's go dig it up!

[Mike]

Are you feeling confident?

I'm confident. Yeah.

Well, the old Chinamen say,

"Can you dig it?"

And then you're digging it!

So we're going treasure hunting

and just dig it up!

[Mike] How 'bout you?

Stressed?

[Wes]

This shit is super crazy.

I'm excited and he's got

some details that are just--

I mean, he told-- he told

the lawyer

your toupee is crooked.

[laughs]

Like, that's a detail

and a half if it's real.

No, you don't wanna marry

an outlaw,

we have trouble,

we have to hide

and everything,

you don't need that.

Well, now I'm gonna

have to really hide

when I find the money.

[Wes] So if we do find it,

do you think

your son would be excited

to hear that you found it?

Well,

he's my flesh and blood.

Anybody that's related to me

wants some of the money.

That's the way it works,

I guess.

It's too bad that

the mother did that to me and--

[interviewer] Were there

any particular women

in your life at this time?

Romana Lisa Capps.

I met her through, uh,

high school.

I think there was just

something in me that was scared

of how lawless he was,

but that loved it too.

Goddamn it, I love pancakes!

If you love 'em so much,

why'd you give me

the last piece?

Because

I might kind of like you.

Wow!

Everybody hear that?

Romana Lisa Capps likes me.

-She loves me!

-Oh my--

[Romana] Are you surprised

that someone

in the Capps family

actually likes you?

Yeah, I am.

It's a huge accomplishment.

Maybe.

No, I definitely am.

But, um, I gotta ask you

something.

I heard a rumor,

um--

I heard your dad wrapped

the family car around a tree

last week on 21st street,

is that true?

Yeah. I mean,

I guess everybody knows

he's the town drunk now.

No one thinks

your dad's the town drunk.

He made a mistake,

we all make mistakes,

you know?

Life goes on. Who cares?

Plus, think of the upside.

At least now,

the whole town knows

that at the Capps house,

the liquor cabinet

is well-stocked.

-[Romana laughs]

-Huh?

Hmm.

Well maybe his liquor cabinet

should be our next destination.

Uh-oh.

You getting a bad idea?

Well, this one hearkens back

to the greats

and it's called

the ol' dine and dash.

Oh,

you're gonna pull this one off?

-[Romana] Mm-hmm.

-The big heist?

Ooh!

What the hell was that?

I just treated you

to the best pancakes

-of your goddamn life.

-[Rodney laughs]

That may be so,

but if you keep this shit up,

you're going to end up

a criminal, missy.

Oh,

has this little escapade

-reminded you of someone?

-Yeah, it did--

♪ You got my attention,

baby ♪

Come on, we have a

liquor cabinet to raid.

[Rodney] She didn't like

who I am or what I am,

but she just pushed

it aside

that I'm a little wilder

than most people.

Always been wild.

[Romana]

Have some of this.

[both laugh]

Hair of the dog,

what've we got?

Ooh! Number seven,

now we're talkin'.

-[Romana laughs]

-[young Rodney] Hmm.

Ah!

Thank you, Mr. Capps.

[sighs]

You got shit on your mind,

don't you?

Yeah.

Your pops?

Yeah. It's just--

It's just hard to talk about

my father or my family.

I understand.

But I feel

really free with you.

That's good.

-[Romana laughs]

-That's real good.

-I'm a free guy.

-[Romana laughs]

Look, forget about your dad.

Forget about

what the town is sayin'.

They're not sayin' shit.

They don't know anything.

No one knows the ins

and outs of a person's home

or how they run it.

No one knows your family,

I don't know your family.

All right,

think about it like this.

This is gonna sound

real corny.

-In the car of life-- okay?

-Okay.

Every past version of us

is in the car,

and what I mean by that

is people screw up,

and hopefully they

learn from that shit.

The key

that no one tells you...

is that when you're

driving in this car of life

down the highway of life...

all those past versions

of yourself...

they're in the car

with you.

And the key, the secret...

is to not let

any of 'em drive.

Does that mean

I'm with a safe driver?

[young Rodney exhales audibly]

You're with a safe driver,

I can assure you that.

[Rodney] And we were goin' out

and we loved each other.

Her dad told me

to marry her,

or I'd get

shotgunned to death

and we had a baby

on the way

so I took his advice and

married her.

Anyway, I loved her.

♪ You were made for love

♪ And we fell into

♪ Back when

the stars began to shine ♪

You have

any idea where we are?

No. Rod, you know

I don't like surprises!

[young Rodney]

It's a good surprise,

no bad surprise, okay?

-You ready?

-[Romana] Okay, yes, I'm ready.

-Are you ready?

-Yes, yes, yes.

Okay. Three, two, One.

Oh, my God, Rod!

[gasping]

[young Rodney]

I know, it's a gourmet meal!

[Romana laughs]

This is beautiful!

Well, the old

man did have one thing right.

Will you marry me?

Oh, my God,

I can't wait to be

-Mrs. Rodney Bonnifield!

-Yes?

-[Romana] Yes!

-Yes?

[Romana] Yes!

[music fades]

Oh, man, when Rodney

and Romana got together,

it was a great thing.

It was a great

thing for Rodney.

I never seen him that happy.

Marty McFerguson

up to the t-box.

Averaging 350 yards

per drive.

[young Rodney]

You're a little pink

around the edges,

aren't you, Marty?

[Marty] Keeps me goin'.

You take your vitamins today,

Marty?

-[Marty] Everyday.

-Good. [laughs]

Doesn't get

much better than this, buddy.

-[young Rodney sighs]

-Look at this!

[young Rodney]

Normally, on any given day,

Marty,

I'd agree with you.

But today is not a

normal day, my friend.

I got some good news.

-[Marty] What?

-You're gonna be an uncle.

I-- I'm gonna get adopted?

No, Marty.

I'm gonna be a father!

With Romana?

No, with your mother--

yes, with Romana!

-Romana Lisa Capps!

-Rod, man! Look at you!

-We're having a family!

-[Marty] Oh!

-Man!

-[young Rodney laughs]

The new man Rodney Bonnifield

family man.

-Yes!

-[sighs] I'll take that.

-A new man.

-[young Rodney laughs]

[Marty] So what's next

for the family man?

[young Rodney] Well,

I gotta clean up my act.

I can't be doin'

what I've been doing up here

and Washington's

pretty much tapped out.

So, I'm gonna be working

down in California

for a little bit.

♪

[Rodney] The Boins

was lettin' everybody go.

No jobs here,

so we went down there,

worked at Carol's Cabinets.

♪ And it's hard

to call it home ♪

♪ When it's raining

all day long ♪

♪ And you know

it's all been done ♪

♪ And you can't get you

no sun ♪

♪ No, no, see,

I got bigger plans ♪

♪ Something to hold

in my hands... ♪

You here for castle tickets?

If you're selling magic

I'm buying.

♪ Going where

the sun shines ♪

What is this?

This is magic

that's gonna send your ass

over the fuckin' moon.

-How much?

-For you?

-$100.

-100 bucks?

I can get this much

back up in Seattle for $40!

Look around, does it look like

we're in Seattle?

You got palm

trees in fuckin' Seattle?

Does Marlon Brando live

in Seattle?

100 bucks.

Take it or beat it.

That's all I got-

Hey! Where's a guy go to have

a good time around here?

Excuse me, do I know you?

♪ Where the sunshine

gon' get me high ♪

[exhales audibly]

♪ I'm goin' where the sunshine

gon' get me high ♪

[exhales audibly]

[Romana] He started just doin'

a lot of drugs

and-- and drinking a lot

and, uh, would disappear

for days on end and--

I'm-- I'm not gonna raise

my kid

how my parents raised me.

[phone ringing]

[Romana] Ooh.

[ringing continues]

-Hello?

-[young Rodney] Hi!

I'm calling

for the most gorgeous woman

in the entire world.

Is that one of your

brother's pick up lines?

[Young Rodney] Ouch, Romana.

I'd say

we're well beyond that.

I mean,

I thought we were,

but someone doesn't know

how to pick up the phone.

[Young Rodney] I'm here

working for you, babe.

For the both of you.

-How's little Rod?

-[Ramona] He's kicking.

I cannot wait to feel that.

I'm so excited

for you to get here.

I just know

that this kid is gonna have

your eyes and,

Lord willing,

he doesn't have my ears,

and I think he'll be okay.

-Hm.

-[Young Rodney] But seriously.

Being in your arms again

will be absolute Heaven

and I sure cannot wait.

Oh. Now?

Now you miss me?

Come on, babe.

What do you want from me?

I'm just trying to do

right by ya.

[Ramona]

It's late, Rod.

I need to go.

I have

an early flight tomorrow.

Love you.

[phone clicks]

You all right?

Yeah.

It's about time

you let him know.

-I know.

-He needs to know.

When things

started getting fucked up

with Rodney and I, uh,

he heard from my brother

at the mechanic shop

and started coming around more

and maybe the truth is that--

I didn't know for a while,

but I had a suspicion

that it was

actually Wayne Shannon's.

♪

Hey!

-You're here!

-Hi, Rod.

I can't stay long.

What're you talking about,

you just got into town.

Yeah, I wanted to talk

to you in person.

Do you wanna have a seat?

-Yeah--

-Okay.

-[Romana] Chat?

-Yeah. Sure, what--

What's up, babe?

You're always drinking

God knows how much,

staying out 'til

the wee hours of the morning,

barely

remembering to call me.

I am pregnant, Rod.

I know you're pregnant.

And that's why I'm down here

trying to earn a living for us.

[Romana] Yeah, and drink half

of it away while you're at it?

We are not in love, Rod.

We got married for the baby.

-[young Rodney] Romana--

-And I'll be damned

if I spend

the rest of my life unhappy

just because I got pregnant.

Oh, hon, I'm trying to do

the right thing here.

I made an honest woman

out of you.

Yes, I got you pregnant,

but you're down here

and we're gonna be

a family together.

I don't even know

if it's yours, Rod.

[young Rodney] Oh.

[sighs] Okay.

I know what this is about.

This is about Wayne Shannon.

You're fucking

Wayne Shannon.

[Romana]

It's none of your business.

I think

it is my business!

-It's about us!

-There is no us!

I am done, Rod. I am done.

-Do you hear that?

-Romana,

I moved my ass

all the way to LA for this.

For you.

For the goddamn baby.

And this is what you do?

[Rodney] She thought

she could talk to me about

having sex with a guy.

Well, you don't talk to me

when you have sex

with somebody else.

I flipped out.

I took a chair

and threw it right through

the-- right through

the side window.

I was, uh, very upset.

I thought

that she loved me,

but then she left me

because of my temper.

[Kevin]

What the fuck, Rodney?

I told you no more bullshit!

-You're gone!

-Fuck you, Kevin!

That's the worst pain

I've ever felt

in my life,

is losing her.

Absolutely pain

that you wouldn't believe.

'Cause I loved her.

♪ I been walking, oh, oh ♪

♪ Down this lonely road ♪

♪ Trying to find my way, mmm

♪ Find my way back home ♪

♪ Sleepless nights, yeah

♪ Cryin' 'bout my bare side

♪ Oh, trying to get my mind

♪ Off of your love, mmm

♪ Sweet baby, take me back ♪

♪ Oh, take me back ♪

♪ To the good times ♪

♪ Where my heart belongs ♪

♪ Oh, on the open road

♪ Night can be so cold

on this journey ♪

♪ Going up this open road ♪

[music fades]

[Rodney] So I got back

to Federal Way in Washington.

I was not very right

in the mind at the time.

She knew

I was looking for her.

They didn't do

a damn thing in those days

with somebody

stealin' your kid.

So, be honest.

How'd you like the movie?

Well,

Eastwood was dreamy

and I like a little violence.

The baby doesn't

really like the violence.

[Wayne] Oh, honey.

You seem cold.

♪

And about the violence.

Just like Dirty Harry,

I'm gonna keep you...

and this baby safe forever.

Don't you worry.

I love you, Wayne Shannon.

[Wayne] I love you,

Romana Lisa Capps.

Wayne Shannon,

you're a dead man.

They tried to talk to me,

my cousins and stuff,

and I just couldn't take it.

I was just-- madly in love

with this woman.

Had a baby by her.

And, uh, we split up.

His, uh,

wife at the time had left him

and then had actually stated

that the child

that they had together,

or that he assumed

they had together,

probably wasn't his.

And I think that at that time,

he-- he lost his mind,

the wheels came off

at that point.

-[young Rodney snorts]

-[Marty] Hey, I couldn't find

your car, man--

Holy shit.

-[young Rodney coughs]

-You all right, man?

[young Rodney] Oh-- yeah.

What the fuck's goin' on?

[young Rodney]

Well, Romana came down.

And, uh,

she's leavin' me.

Sneaking around

with Wayne Shannon.

Yeah.

[exhales] So... [chuckles]

...I have devised a plan

and with your help

it's gonna work

and I'll get her back.

Honestly. Let it go.

I've never heard

of a broad changing her mind

after stepping out

with a new man.

[snorting]

[Marty] Maybe you're hitting

that shit too hard, man.

Oh, wow.

Says my drug dealer.

What, overnight

you grew a conscience?

Huh? You grew a fuckin' pair

of balls?

Fuck you, Marty.

Get down here.

-Have some of this with me.

-I'm good.

[young Rodney]

Oh, you're good? Yeah.

You know,

I fuckin' had your back

-through it all.

-[Rodney mumbles]

I've fuckin'

been there for you.

But I'm not fuckin'

doin' this shit

and I'm not goin' down

this fuckin' road with you.

What fuckin' road?

This fuckin' road with me

and the woman I love,

Romana?

It's not fuckin'

about Romana!

It's never been about Romana,

it's about these fuckin' drugs.

That are killing you!

And I'm not gonna be here

to see that.

You're not there

for much, are you, Marty?

Chicken shit.

Your chicken shit ideas,

and you're

a chicken shit lackey.

So, by all means, go fuck off.

Out the front door.

And go home.

All right.

Call me if you need me.

You know where the fuck I am.

Been there the last 20 years.

-Uh-huh. Mmm.

-For you.

See you at

Thanksgiving, asshole!

[door slams shut]

[snorting & coughing]

[Marty]

After the Romana split,

I'd never seen him like that.

He-- he wasn't Rodney anymore.

He wasn't the Rodney I know.

And that dude's

the craziest guy,

so to be at that point, for me,

I didn't even know

how to have his back.

I didn't know how

to support him.

So, at that moment

in time...

Rodney could've done anything.

Anything was possible.

[ominous music plays]

[Rodney] I was up for four days

on criss-cross speed.

Uh, had suicidal, uh,

tendencies,

I had the suitcase

with the flares,

like, dynamite.

I was gonna force her

to go with me,

no matter which way

you look at it.

♪

[interviewer] What were you

wearing that day?

[Rodney]

I wore a sports jacket,

penny loafers, black tie,

a tie clasp

with a round stone in it.

[interviewer]

Why were you wearing a suit?

[Rodney]

I wanted to impress my, uh,

wife when I picked her up.

♪

I drove over

to her mother's house

and asked her

where she was at

and she said that

she just left in her Javelin

to go down

to Portland at the mall

and I figured, well,

I'd just go ahead

try to catch her at the mall

so I could talk to her and,

uh, drove from Seattle

Federal Way to-- to Portland.

I parked my car in the loop.

[interviewer] So, you're saying

that you were suicidal,

so you went

to go take her hostage?

[Rodney] Yes, I did.

I was gonna do it.

[interviewer] And that was

a very serious thought

-in your mind?

-[Rodney] Yes.

♪

[Rodney] I took a taxi

from there to the mall.

Jameson Beach mall,

and step on it already.

[Rodney] But she wasn't there,

missed her by 20 minutes.

Plan B was

to get ahead of her,

so I'd take an airplane back.

Right away I was worried,

I just left the car,

took a cab from the air--

from there, the mall,

to the airport.

Got to the airport,

I asked him how much

it'd be to ride coach

to Seattle and they said $20.

I signed my name Dan Cooper.

[Mike] Anytime y-- you start

digging into something

that happened in the past,

there are a lot of

different things

that could or couldn't

have happened,

and as time grows, you-- you--

those facts are more difficult

to uncover.

Sometimes it-- it-- it's

left with a question mark.

After being presented

with what he gave us,

we're convinced enough

to at least move forward

with this because, whether the

story is true or not,

it-- it's an adventure.

And we went

on a treasure hunt.

[Wes] We're gonna pass,

like, some sort of,

like, industrial area,

which is where,

on some YouTube video,

they dropped a pin that said

"DB money found," like,

around that area.

[man] That's what

I'm saying Tena Bar is--

[Wes] Right, right.

[Mike] Yeah, it's called

Tena Bar,

and it-- it's located

on several maps

so we're trying to, uh,

convert,

you know, screenshots

over to an actual GPS map

and, uh, figured out

where it was.

[Wes] DB was talkin' about

a little cove

that he buried the money at

and we think

that's the cove right there.

[man]

Outside the cove.

So we'll be able

to park on the road

or maybe even closer,

pop down, and...

theoretically get it.

[Mike] This is, um,

a geographic area

that is--

it's very, very, rural.

Flat and open and it has

a lot of growth,

there's no malls out there.

[Rodney] Road closed.

-[man] Well, this is us.

[Carlos] As we pull up

to the end of the road,

we have the anticipation,

as you're starting,

that you might

actually dig up,

you know, $190,000.

You know,

a 48 year mystery solved,

you know,

in a handful of hours.

[interviewer]

How're you feeling?

I'm optimistic, but still--

I have to be a realist.

If it's there, though.

He says he can find it,

so we're gonna give it a go.

The money they

did find right down there--

Yeah. We're looking at

the cove that he had identified

as a landmark to where he--

[man] How far is it away?

[man 2] Like, 900 feet,

it's close.

[Mike] Well, let's gear up,

let's get all the stuff

we need for, uh,

hoofing here

and anything we need

to dig it out.

I mean, let's do it.

If it's there, we're

gonna find it right now.

Carry the money out there.

[Mike] When they were

getting out of the vehicle,

they grabbed a duffel bag

and then

a backpack that was empty,

not one single thing in it

and I could hear them

talkin', sayin', "We'll

just put the money in this."

Why would they do that

unless they really felt

there was money out there?

Because we had backpacks,

we could've easily

carried it out.

But instead they had

an empty backpack,

so that was part of the--

one of the times

when I thought,

"Well, this-- this is real

and we might find

this money."

So, are you

guys armed right now?

Are you guys carryin'?

[Rodney] Don. Don was--

Are you guys

carrying a weapon?

Well, I don't think

we need it out here, do we?

No, we don't,

I was just makin' sure

that we're all safe

and we're all on the same page.

Oh, yeah.

He gets on a shootin' spree,

he might not quit.

Well, I only brought

one clip--

Cameramen are next!

[chattering

& laughter continues]

Let's go get the money!

[interviewer]

How're you feelin' right now?

Real good.

I'm gonna go dig my money up.

The main thing is

I didn't harm nobody.

I just got the money.

I never was gonna harm nobody.

A little dynamite don't scare

anybody, does it?

[Rodney cackles] It does.

When you're way up

in the air.

[interviewer]

What was your intention

getting on that plane?

[Rodney] Getting on

that plane was to,

uh-- uh,

get ahead of her.

Well, things escalated.

I said I might as well

get some cash

and do a quick robbery

and, uh,

that's when I realized

that I had

the suitcase anyway,

that I would go ahead

and use that suitcase

as a bomb threat

and take the plane over.

Ladies and gentlemen,

my name is Tina

and I'm your chief

flight attendant.

We go back and forth

up the coast,

I-- it was just like

any normal flight.

Done it 1,000 times.

[Tina over PA]

I'd like to welcome you aboard

Northwest Orient 727

nonstop service

from Portland to Seattle.

At this time,

we'd like to ask you to...

-[stewardess] Here you go.

-[Young Rodney] Thank you.

Is everything all right?

Yeah, uh, I lost my wife.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[young Rodney]

But, you know what, Flo,

I think that everything

is gonna be all right.

You just keep those drinks

comin'... [chuckles]

...and at the end

of this flight

I'm gonna have a nice,

big tip for ya.

-Oh, okay.

-[Tina] Flo came and got me

and said that there was a--

disturbing passenger in 18E.

I thought

I'd go by and take a look.

Excuse me.

Oh, did you want me

to give this to Flo?

I know you've

been hot on her tail.

[laughing] No, no, no.

Um, that's quite all right.

That's-- that's for you.

[Tina] Oh,

you're not very picky, are you?

I'm flattered, but married.

I think

you'd better take a good,

-long look at that note.

-[Tina] Okay.

[Rodney] She read the note

and then I went and flashed

the suitcase in front of her

and kinda looked at me

and stuttered all the way up

to the-- fast as she could.

[pilot 1]

Auto coming on. Okay.

Is everything all right?

"$200,000 in negotiable

American currency

and-- four parachutes

or this plane blows.

[chuckles]

Too bad it's Thanksgiving

and not April Fools. [chuckles]

-[Pilot] Yeah, right?

-Who put you up to this?

The passenger in 18E.

This isn't a joke, sir.

Let me see that thing.

It smells like whiskey.

You know,

I'll tell you what.

Here,

you tell 007 back there

if he wants to earn

his wings,

he can come up here

and ask me next time, okay?

He showed me the bomb,

captain.

I think

this is really happening.

[Pilot] Oh, shit.

Who the hell hijacks a plane

on a 30-minute flight?

That's the craziest

thing I've ever heard.

All right,

punch in the Squawk Code

and, uh, make the call.

Metro tower, this is

Northwest Orient flight 305.

We have a-- situation.

[Pilot] Yeah, we do.

All right, auto coming off.

Okay, everybody,

could we settle down, please?

Please, quiet,

we-- we don't have

a lot of time here, guys,

so we're on limited time.

Thank you.

Um, first question.

[reporter 1]

Was there ever any attempt

to dissuade him

or refuse his orders?

[Co-pilot clears throat]

The safety

of the crew is paramount

in a situation like that.

We were honoring

his requests

and therefore

made no attempt

to impede his mission,

per se.

[Rodney]

Well, I went up to the pilot,

he was telling me, uh, what--

what they were gonna do.

They'll have the money.

And I said,

for a good gesture,

I'll let everybody

off the plane.

And, uh, meanwhile,

I'm talking

to the sheriff's department

and they said,

uh, they got two 'chutes

from McCord airport base

and they got two

from somewhere else.

One's for green,

one's for brown.

So, I took the green one

because I knew

that the air force packed 'em

and I wasn't gonna die.

I didn't wanna harm anybody.

I didn't have any dynamite

in that suitcase,

it was all flares

and-- and an alarm clock.

[laughs]

I didn't mean anybody harm,

but it was too late

to back out.

After we secured

the money and the parachute,

we took off from Seattle

and then he asked us to lower

our airspeed and our altitude,

which we did.

[young Rodney]

All right, fellas,

I'm gonna need you

to take this thing down

to about 10,000 feet

and slow it down

to about 100 knots.

But, sir,

it's inclement weather here.

Just-- just--

I know what this bird can do,

just, please,

follow my request.

Tina. Sweet Tina.

I'm gonna have to

have you stay up here now.

I don't wanna see

you get hurt.

I don't wanna see

anybody get hurt.

[reporter 2]

And what was he like?

How was his demeanor

during the ordeal?

Well,

he was rather nice.

Other than he wanted

certain things done.

He was never cruel or nasty.

He even ordered

a second bourbon

and paid his drink tab.

He even tried to tip me.

[chuckles]

♪ He's the leader

of the band ♪

♪ Takes strides

against his enemies ♪

♪ Down coke-filled hallways ♪

♪ Against

what his mother said ♪

♪ Blonde hair, blue eyed

♪ An angel in the daylight

♪ Come night,

he's three tabs deep ♪

♪ And senseless ♪

♪ Against

the face of violence... ♪

[reporter 3] Given

the conditions of the jump,

do you think

he could've survived?

Um... [chuckles]

...without any training?

Uh, I think his chances

were between slim and none.

♪ Oh,

I see myself free falling ♪

♪ Being

the woman to his addiction ♪

♪

[Rodney] I went right

down on the Columbia River.

I left $5,880 on the beach

and I took 300 more out

and I went forth and buried

the other part on the way out.

♪

♪ Oh, baby, baby,

baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ Hold me, hold me,

hold me, hold me, baby ♪

[young Rodney grunting

& log thudding]

♪ Oh, no, no, no, no, no ♪

[laughing]

[music fades]

[Mike] When we got out there,

you know,

it's a matter of-- kind of

getting, uh, a feel

of the geographic area

and then following his lead

by where he described

the money being buried.

And so from the gate's location

is it to the south?

[Rodney] Wherever that money

that I buried the first time--

I go from there,

down to the cove,

there's a great

big black onyx rock.

That's where

I buried the money.

Just off to the main track

where they ride motorcycles?

-[Rodney] Yeah.

-[Mike] Okay.

[Mike] He was all on board

and knew that it was there.

That wasn't a question,

it was--

it's there

and we just need to find it.

Holy shit,

it's all grown-in

48 years later.

We're comin'

straight through the woods.

[Rodney] Where I put

the first money was down there

and I climbed over

a barbed-wire fence

and cut my pants

and came over on a hill.

Then I followed it out

this way toward Woodland.

-[Mike] Right, right.

-[Rodney] The lights

[Mike]

He came up over a berm.

And then there was

a dirt road--

a sandy dirt road.

So, if this is that dirt road,

we gotta be close

because that bay

is right over there.

All this new growth

can cover up something

that's five,

six feet tall, easily.

[man over radio]

Where are you?

Give me

a little bit of reference.

-[walkie-talkie beeps]

-Well, we're moving faster

than you we-- we're moving

south on the road.

If you guys get up north

on that little area over here--

[interviewer] How you feelin'?

Uh, he's just kind of

dialing it in.

I-- I feel optimistic

right now.

Walked up further,

went further north,

and he insists

that it's way above

the flood stage and-- and--

and tidal influence.

And found, what I thought,

was a really good

potential target area.

There's a really cool

area up here

where it does have a high berm

and it definitely would be

probably above flood stage

and tide stage.

So, check out-- you know,

'cause he said

there was a distinctive berm.

-Look how this comes up.

-[Mike] Yeah.

It's all sand

but when you get up on there

it's full of, uh, old,

uh, RV

or off-road vehicle tracks.

-Yeah.

-With access

right here to the road.

[Mike] It does fit

the description of the area.

And then he did say

he followed it out.

-[Carlos] Yeah.

-So he buried it

and then saw...

tracks, motorcycle--

whatever that came back out.

So this could

be where he came out.

[Rodney]

If I follow those tracks out,

I should be

able to get to a road

and I did, I walked out

and got to the main road

and then

this cowboy picks me up.

[country music plays]

[cowboy] Ooh-ooh-ooh!

You just party out there, man?

[young Rodney]

Somethin' like that.

[cowboy] Well, hop in, huh?

[Rodney] And if it wasn't

for that cowboy

that picked me up

drinkin' alcohol,

headin' to a bar in Woodland,

I would've never made it,

I don't think.

You have no idea

how much I appreciate this.

Here. For the trouble.

[cowboy] Hey, appreciate!

See you down the road, hoss.

[Rodney] Rode me up

to Piggly Wiggly's,

he says,

"Hurry up, get in there,

you get your shoes 'cause they

close at ten."

And I went across

the street and down

this alley 'cause there's

a phone booth right there.

Called a taxi to bring me back

to Portland, Oregon.

♪ You help me baby ♪

♪ Said you got

your misgivings ♪

♪ But I'm out here

day to day ♪

♪ Working hard

just for my living ♪

♪ And that's the truth, baby

[interviewer] You pretty much

made it clear.

You-- you're free and clear,

pretty much.

[Rodney]

I'm free. I'm goin' home.

I said, "I'm goin' home."

There's nothin-- no--

nobody knows who I am.

Driving home

across the bridge,

got into Oregon and I got up

towards Olympia

and I saw the-- state patrol.

There must've been ten cars

coming down the other side

with the army, a bunch of 'em,

and these big trucks

are goin' down the road

and I'm goin',

"Uh-oh, might be for me."

You know?

So, I turn the transistor

radio on, it says a manhunt.

[radio newscaster]

Police believe he left

the 727 in the flatlands

of Oregon or Washington,

but they are still looking

in four states,

even around the airport.

[Rodney] November 25th

at my mom's house

to get my dinner--

turkey dinner.

I ate there then went

downstairs and went to bed.

Slept 'til about two or three

in the afternoon

and my dad said,

"You had a rough night,

must've been out

with some girls with him

or something,

always with those girls."

And my mom said,

"Oh, let him go,

it's Thanksgiving."

You know, and everything.

♪ Whoa,

she was my little machine ♪

I got home

and then I sat there

and then Joe McDonald

came over, the neighbor,

and said, "Oh,

you gotta turn the TV on."

So then

I turn the TV on and my--

my dad's sitting there

and he goes, "Betty!

This looks like Rod!

But how could it be Rod?

He's sittin' right here."

That's what he said

to my mother.

Well, that's another

good lookin' Irish kid,

isn't it?

-What, half Irish?

-[young Rodney laughing]

I give the Lions

plus three.

You always bet on the Lions,

the Lions never win.

I pick the Lions

on Thanksgiving,

that's the way it is.

No smoking in the house.

My second family!

My home away from home!

[Jack and Babs]

Happy Thanksgiving, McDonald.

McDonald, how many times

do I have to tell you

to keep your fuckin' feet

off my fuckin' table?

Senior, these are bitchin'

Italian leather.

I don't care if they came

straight off the feet

of Elvis Aaron Presley

himself.

Off the table

or in your ass.

-You pick.

-Sorry, sorry.

You know, McDonald,

actin' like that,

you're never gonna get yourself

a babe like my Babs here.

You two make me sick.

Piss off, Rodney.

[young Rodney]

Piss off, Barbara.

Hey, piss off, Rod.

Piss off, Jack.

You got a muzzle for her?

-[Babs] I can hold my own.

-[young Rodney scoffs]

You know that

from experience.

That's 'cause

you wear the pants

in the relationship.

Oh, Rod,

you know that's not true.

[Mom]

Hey, hey, guys, cut it out!

When can a mother

just have a nice,

peaceful holiday

with her two lovely boys

and her dapper husband?

Oh, I wish my family

was this well-behaved.

Hell, I just came here

to get away from their asses.

Oh, and see if you guys

watched the news!

Some guy hijacked a plane

in Portland last night

and then jumped from it!

It's like some

James Bond movie, man!

Ooh, I love James Bond!

Turn it on, Senior!

[news anchor]

When he got on a plane

in Portland, Oregon

last night,

he was just another passenger

who gave his name

as D.A. Cooper.

But today,

after hijacking a--

A plane heist?

In our backyard?

Oh, dear Lord!

This guy got away with it

though.

-Betty.

-[Mom] Yeah?

This looks a lot like Rod.

How can it be Rod?

He's sitting right here!

[news anchor] ...left aboard

four crew members

and the hijacker.

[Dad] I guess

it's just another

good-looking Irish kid.

[all]

No smoking in the house!

[news anchor]

...with the full ransom

collected from

the Seattle banks

and four parachutes

aboard...

[Rodney] My dad didn't know,

I didn't tell my dad and mom

for ten years

after I did it.

[interviewer]

So, did you tell anyone

right after

you committed the crime?

My brother.

My brother's known all along.

[Jack] Golly!

Brigitte Bardot's

hot as a pistol!

[young Rodney] Oh, yeah?

You got

the Brigitte Bardot edition?

-Let me take a look.

-Hands off the merchandise.

Sorry, it's not like

I need to see it,

I've seen it

a thousand times.

I got Brigitte Bardot

stored away up here

for very special occasions

in the future.

Yeah?

Like the time

you got busted by mom

-looking for face lotion?

-[young Rodney laughs]

No, and I would prefer

that we forget about that,

thank you very much.

Lotta good memories

in this house.

Do you remember

when we used to raid

dad's old movie cabinet

and we'd put on Public Enemy

over and over and over again?

And I would play

John Dillinger

and you'd play

Pretty Boy Floyd?

Yeah, yeah.

Or how 'bout that kid

across the street?

With the headgear?

What'd we call him?

What'd we used to call him?

Uh--

[both] Brace-face Nelson!

[laughing] What an idiot.

Gangster films...

I have a feeling

I'm about to put

all those gangsters

in the cinema to shame.

Keep dreamin', bud.

No, I'm not kidding.

Last night on the news,

the guy that jumped

outta the plane, you remember?

-Yeah.

-[laughs]

You're sitting with him.

It was me.

-[Jack] Full of shit.

-[laughing]

I'm not full of shit.

I really did it.

Look, come on.

If I didn't do it,

how did I get these?

Rod,

if you were that guy,

we'd be on our way to paradise

with $200,000.

You really don't believe me.

I jumped out of the plane!

I landed and about a quarter

mile from where I landed

I buried all this money

next to this big black

onyx rock!

I need you to come help me

dig it up.

You're serious?

[young Rodney scoffs]

As a heart attack.

Okay, let's just say,

hypothetically,

you were that guy.

Those bills

would definitely be marked...

and if you got caught

you'd be goin' to Walla Walla

for the rest

of your goddamn life.

Bro, I need you

to believe me on this.

Rod...

if you're that guy...

don't go back there.

[announcer]

The Army Corps of Engineers

had dredged the Columbia River

here in 1974.

[Mike] And the original money

was found just south of here.

So, this, uh, probably

is the cove

that he encountered.

And then he moved inland

from there.

Have him come

take a look at this.

[announcer]

And now on shore,

where FBI agents comb the sand

like archaeologists.

All they found was $5,800

and no sign of D.B. Cooper.

Oh, yeah, it's here.

It's right on this--

we're right in the right area.

It's gotta be here somewhere.

[intriguing music playing]

[worker indistinct]

[Rodney] And they're digging

right by the flat rock, right?

[man] Yeah.

[Mike] To me, that whole

group of rocks right there--

Yeah, and that is--

he says that's black onyx.

And, yeah, there's several

up in this area too,

so that's the only

concentration of that.

[announcer]

Crews continue to dig

but found very little

of Cooper's green treasure

today,

even though

the discovery site

is looking

like a very scientific

archaeological excavation.

Shovels gave way

to backhoes,

the FBI and geologists

scooping out a test-trench

up the beach.

What they're trying to tell,

how long had D.B.'s money

been here?

They knew certain levels

were laid down on the beach

in 1974, but they found

no money below that point.

[man 2 whistling]

-[Mike] We got a whistle.

-[both] What's up?

[Carlos] Heard a whistle,

blood starts pumping,

and I think, "Okay,

maybe somebody's found

something of interest.

[man 2] Is anybody

in the woods?

There's a body.

[Carlos] I thought

I heard somebody say,

"I found a body."

[Mike] [indistinct] body.

[man 3] Yeah, we might wanna

go up there and check it out.

[man 4] Well,

I will just take this.

[Mike] And then uh--

and then I hear something

about a warrant.

...somebody hollerin'.

We don't know

if it's a sheriff

or an officer

or who it could be.

We're just out for a day hike

and shooting some of the...

[Mike]

I mean, we knew going in

that we probably

shouldn't be there.

[Carlos indistinct]

[Scott] Kids walk

from the bus everyday

'cause I live down here.

That sign

is pretty highly posted

-on that gate.

-Yeah.

So is this all private property

from the gate back?

-[Scott] Yessir.

-Yeah.

[Scott] Sorry, I'm not trying

to be an ass.

-[Carlos] No, no.

-[Mike] And we're not either.

-[Scott] I'm loaded.

-So are we.

You have the complete right

to-- yeah.

[Scott]

My name's Scott. Is that on?

-Do you want it to be on?

-[Scott] No.

-[both laughing]

-[cameraman] It's not on you.

-Yeah.

-[Scott] It's recording.

What're you guys recovering?

You said you guys

were down here

with a recovery agent?

What're you looking for?

[all laughing]

[Scott] Hey,

you're on my property,

what're you looking for?

Is that

your specific property?

-[Scott] Yeah!

-I-- I thought

this was private property-

[Scott] No, no, it says

it all over the gate.

[interviewer] Why didn't

you go back and get the money?

[Rodney] Pandora's box.

You open that box...

it's gonna happen

all over again.

138 kidnapping cases

plus the pilots,

another four, five of them.

That's--

you'd never get out of prison,

you'd never see

the light of day.

I knew

that I was still wanted.

It was, like,

I was wanted all the time,

walking around and I thought

maybe sooner or later

somebody'd recognize me,

but that wasn't the case.

So I decided

to go on the run for a while,

I went to Whitefish, Montana,

went to, uh, Lake Tahoe,

I went to Reno,

I went to Vegas.

[interviewer]

I-- so-- you just-- you knew

you had done something

so crazy

and you knew

you would go to prison forever

so there's no way

that you'd have ever bragged?

No.

But I did brag

to Rita Coolidge.

I met her in Lake Tahoe,

she's singing at a bar,

and she says,

"Well, you know I did a movie

with Kris Kristofferson,

Billy the Kid."

And she says,

"You're more famous

than Billy the Kid."

She said, "I'd like to do

a movie with you."

And so,

she took her shoes off

and kept rubbing her feet

on my knee and, uh,

getting close to this

and I says,

"Well, she must like me

a whole bunch."

I just made a movie

with Kris

called Billy the Kid...

and things had gotten,

well...

[sighs] out of hand.

I was heartbroken at the time,

you know,

and drinkin' more

than I shoulda been.

♪ All I was was patient

♪ All I was was kind ♪

♪ But you found

the burnt pieces ♪

♪ Of the love

we left behind ♪

♪ The love we left behind ♪

♪ Oh, the love we left

♪ Behind

♪ Mm ♪

[applause]

-Hey, Stan.

-[Stan] Hey!

Can I get a Macallan

on the rocks?

You know how I like it.

Now a lady who knows

how to order whiskey...

that, I like.

Well,

I been drinkin' long enough

to know what I like.

Well,

that makes two of us.

And, I love that song

that you sang tonight.

Who writes something

like that?

That's incredible,

I could really, you know,

hear all the pain

coming out of you on that one.

[laughs]

Yeah.

Heartbreak is a funny thing.

There's always that one

that leaves

with a piece of you.

And the only way I seem to cope

is on a stage...

or with a few of these.

I'm sorry,

I didn't catch your name.

Rodney Bonnifield.

Pleasure to meet you.

Rita Coolidge.

Just like the town

in Colorado.

[young Rodney] Oh, yeah?

It's actually

named after my family.

Now,

that is funny because...

-I also have a long history--

-Oh, wait, wait, wait.

I wanna hear this.

-Stan, turn it up.

-[Stan] You got it.

[news anchor]

In other news,

it's been two years since

the D.B. Cooper hijacking

and still no sign

of a suspect.

Oh, my gosh.

I'm fascinated by this guy.

It takes a real man

to carry out a plan like that

and not harm a soul.

Now,

that I will agree with you on.

Yeah.

You know, he's probably

on some beach somewhere

sippin' piña coladas

while I'm here

in this bar

singin' songs to the same

ten people every night.

[laughs] Well,

I can certainly see why!

You know,

this D.B. Cooper fella,

he's probably on some

white sandy beach somewhere

tossin' back a piña colada.

Or...

he's right here

in this bar...

havin' drinks with you,

miss.

[guitar music playing]

♪ Woke up this morning

I was a thousand miles away ♪

♪ Didn't know

just where I stand ♪

♪ Nothing on me

but this beat up suitcase ♪

♪ And I know I got a plan ♪

♪ And I'll be runnin' now ♪

♪ 'Fore my feet

ever hit the ground ♪

♪ I'll be runnin' now

♪ 'Fore my feet

ever hit the ground ♪

♪ And I'm running

out of my head ♪

♪ Nobody's gonna

bring me down ♪

You know, I was thinkin'...

you should come

to Denver with me.

I got a couple gigs there.

[young Rodney sighs]

I can't go

to Colorado with you.

I've had

a fantastic time with you...

But the whole

outlaw on the run thing...

kinda gets in the way.

I understand.

I've had a melody in my head

all morning.

♪ Run, D.B., run

♪ Mm

♪ Run, D.B., run

♪ But for how long?

♪ 'Cause eventually

♪ You're gonna have to find

somebody ♪

♪ To hold onto ♪

[interviewer]

Um, what do you--

where do you think

we go from here?

In this process?

Well,

where we go from here?

First, we have some details

that we have to vet out

and there are--

there are a few specific things

that may indicate,

um, that,

still there's a chance

that he is D.B. Cooper.

If we debunk those, then--

then I think

our options do shrink.

And if you analyze

the facts

and his commitment

to this dig,

um, you think,

"Yes, it's true. It's real.

This individual

is D.B. Cooper.

You know, we were disappointed

at the end of the day

because in three hours

we didn't solve a mystery

that had been going on

for 48 years.

So we felt negligent.

But in reality,

you know, we went out there

and gave it, you know,

a good effort and, uh, again,

it doesn't mean

that it's not there.

It just means

we didn't find it.

So we, right now,

today, don't know.

So what we need to do

is fall back

and do some fact checking

on some of the things

-that he's told us.

-[man on phone] Hey.

Hey, um, we're doing

some fact checking...

and does he have

his brother's number?

Does Rod have

his brother's number

or any phone numbers?

-[man] 360.

-Yep.

-[man] 387.

-Yep.

[man] But he is, again,

recouping from, uh,

prostate surgery

and he wants to recoup

a little bit.

Okay, that's fair.

We'll call him first.

[phone line rings]

And this is his brother,

Jack,

who just got out of

prostate surgery two days ago.

So if he's all hopped up,

he might be telling us

the truth.

-[Babs] Hello?

-Hey, is Jack available?

[Babs] Uh, no he's not,

who's this?

Uh, my name is Mike Rocha

we're doing some research

on the D.B. Cooper hijacking

back in 1971.

-Are you familiar with that?

-[Babs] Uh-huh.

-We're talking to Rod and...

-[Babs] Oh.

...Rod claims

to be D.B. Cooper.

[Babs]

Oh, no he's not.

Do you have any--

I mean-- is he--

has he had this manifestation

in his mind for a while?

[Babs]

Yeah, yeah, for a long time.

Right. Do you-- I mean,

do you guys have facts about,

the-- where he was the day

that it happened or anything?

[Babs] No,

but he's definitely not.

Uh, yeah, I mean,

we've spent

the last couple days with him,

trying to, you know,

corroborate his story.

What is the family's view

on this?

[Babs] The family's view

is that he's nuts. [laughing]

I mean-- what--

has he always been crazy

-or, um--

-[Babs] Uh, no.

He was in a car wreck

when he was about 18...

-Right.

-...years old.

[Babs]

And, uh, he...

uh, he went forward

in the backseat

and then

when he went backwards

he hit his head real bad.

[Babs indistinct]

[Mike] We got a hold

of his sister-in-law.

And she described an accident

that Rodney was in

and he sustained

a brain injury.

Which really sheds

some light

on our view of him.

Now it's possible

he is a little bit delusional.

[interviewer]

You're so detailed

with everything

and that's why I'm just--

I'm so interested

as why some of

your family members

might not believe

that you are

or some people might not

believe that you are.

Well, my brother's wife,

Barbara Bonnifield,

wants to protect

their name.

They're Christians,

they have a Christian--

they go to church,

my mom and dad

went to church there and stuff.

She's known all along

that I'm D.B. Cooper.

I had called her

about three months

before this episode happened.

I said,

"I'm goin' down there

and digging my money

up by the river."

Before I even met you guys.

And-- and that's--

that's what I told her.

She never answered me,

she just is kinda like,

"Okay, protect the family.

Protect the family name,

you know."

[interviewer]

She said that, uh,

the reason why you're claiming

to be all this

is because

of your car wreck.

No, that's not true.

Car wreck happened

in 9th grade,

going from 9th grade

on Military Road,

we got hit sideways

with a woman that was driving,

her mother was there.

And his name was Johnson.

Uh, her name was Johnson.

She ran a stop sign.

-[tires squeaking]

-[glass shattering]

My fault.

The accident was my fault.

It was an accident.

Accidents are accidents.

[Rodney] [echoing]

I got hit in my head and, uh,

I was dizzy for, like,

a couple years after that

taking Dilaudid pills.

Pandora's box.

You open that box,

it'll happen all over again.

[driver] [echoing]

Please calm down! Okay?

I know your gal left you,

I'm so sorry.

What the fuck, Rodney!

I told you no more bullshit!

You're gone!

[Rodney] 138 kidnapping cases,

you'll never

get out of prison.

You wouldn't even see

the light of day.

[young Rodney] I'd sit

your ass down if I were you

and fix that crooked-ass

toupee while you're at it.

[pilot 1] It was at that point,

we believe,

that with the money

strapped to his chest,

he then jumped

from the aircraft.

Appreciate it!

See you down the road, boss!

Come away with me, Rodney.

[hyperventilating]

I love you,

Rodney Bonnifield.

-[Rodney indistinct]

-[tense music playing]

That's it.

48 years of runnin'.

Now the FBI will look for me

and they will look hard.

And I ain't goin' easy.

Run D.B., run.

Run D.B., run.

Run D.B., run.

Run D.B., run.

Run D.B., run.

♪ Runnin' down the road

got the wind in my hair ♪

♪ Got enough fuel for Reno,

babe I'll meet you there ♪

♪ Tell you most people

wouldn't get this high ♪

♪ And I'm tailin'

down the highway ♪

♪ Got this gleam

in my eye ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, oh keep runnin'

won't ever get caught ♪

♪ I'm gonna keep runnin'

'til the wheels come off ♪

♪ I'm heading straight west,

baby, into the sun ♪

♪ I'm on the freeway

inside of a car ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Well my mama

she done told me ♪

♪ I was born to lose ♪

♪ All throughout

my lonely life ♪

♪ Damn, my woman

singing the lonely blues ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Whoo,

keep running, boy ♪

♪ Got that look in your eye

♪ Run, run, baby

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ I've got a plan baby,

make things right ♪

♪ Finding out who

grabbed my case of dynamite ♪

♪ Criss-crossing baby,

jumping out of my seat ♪

♪ Skyjacking baby

going down for the win ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Well my mama

she done told me ♪

♪ I was born to lose ♪

♪ All throughout my life

♪ Damn, my woman

singing the lonely blues ♪

♪ Run, run

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run

D.B., D.B. run ♪

♪ Run, run,

run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D.B., D.B. run ♪