Evil Talks: Chilling Confessions (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Killer Next Door - full transcript
Police outside St. Louis suspect a serial killer after finding the bodies of two women strangled to death. An anonymous tip they receive after going public with evidence found at one of the...
Narrator: A FIRE RAGES THROUGH
AN OREGON FARMHOUSE,
AND TWO MEN ARE MISSING.
A DETECTIVE CALLED AND SAID,
"I'M UNCOMFORTABLE
ABOUT JUST CALLING THIS A FIRE.
I THINK SOMETHING'S WRONG."
Narrator:
BUT WITH LITTLE EVIDENCE
AND DOZENS OF SUSPECTS,
INVESTIGATORS FACE
THE MOST COMPLICATED CASE
OF THEIR CAREERS.
WE LITERALLY HAVE A MILLION
OPEN DOORS IN FRONT OF US
AS TO POTENTIALLY
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
AND WHO COULD BE INVOLVED.
Narrator: ONE MAN MAY HOLD
THE KEY TO THE ENTIRE CRIME,
IF THEY CAN GET HIM TALKING.
CAN DETECTIVES CONVINCE HIM
TO CONFESS TO THE AWFUL TRUTH.
I JUST WISH I HAD TIME WITH HIM.
HE'D WISH FOR DEATH.
♪♪
[ ELECTRICITY BUZZING ]
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL.
Man: WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT
YOU WERE GOING TO KILL
THIS PERSON?
Man:
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MURDER?
Man: DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF
AS A SERIAL KILLER?
Narrator: SIFTING THROUGH
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES
AND THE DARK SECRETS...
I HAD A KNIFE
AND WENT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I'VE KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator:...THE TRUTH CAN ONLY
BE REVEALED WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
JULY 16, 2014.
EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS
IN CRESWELL, OREGON,
RECEIVE AN URGENT 911 CALL.
♪♪
Anchorman:
LANE COUNTY DISPATCHERS
GOT THE CALL THIS AFTERNOON,
AND FIREFIGHTERS...
Narrator: WORD OF THE FIRE
REACHES THE LOCAL NEWS.
I WAS IN THE BEDROOM
WATCHING TV.
CHERYL.
CHERYL!
I TELL MY WIFE, I TOLD HER,
"COME IN HERE,"
AND I SAYS,
"THAT'S MY BROTHER'S HOUSE."
Narrator:
MARK AND HIS WIFE, CHERYL,
WATCH THE NEWS IN DISBELIEF.
THAT'S DENNIS' PLACE.
WHAT?
FLAMES RAGE THROUGH
THE FARMHOUSE
THAT BELONGS TO MARK'S BROTHER,
DENNIS KELLEY.
YOU'RE SEEING THE FLAMES, YOU'RE
SEEING EVERYTHING BURNING.
Narrator:
MARK AND CHERYL TRY TO REACH
DENNIS ON HIS CELLPHONE,
BUT THERE'S NO ANSWER.
Mark:
YOU JUST HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS.
SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS
RUN ACROSS YOUR MIND.
I MEAN, WHAT ONE DO YOU
REALLY WANT TO GRAB HOLD OF?
Cheryl: AND I SAID, "ARE YOU
SURE IT WAS DENNIS' HOUSE,"
AND I TURNED AROUND
HIS FACE WAS SO WHITE,
AND HE SAID,
"I HAVE TO GO DOWN THERE."
[ SIRENS WAILING ]
THE ACTUAL 911 CALL
REGARDING THE FIRE
CAME IN AT ABOUT 2:40 P.M.
THAT WAS A FULLY ENGULFED
STRUCTURE FIRE,
AND IT WAS A HOT SUMMER,
AND IT'S AN OLD FARMHOUSE THAT,
UNFORTUNATELY, BURNED
REALLY FAST AND REALLY QUICK.
FIRST RESPONDERS ARE CONCERNED
FOR ANYONE CAUGHT IN THE BLAZE
AND ASK NEIGHBORS WHERE
TO FIND THE FARM'S OWNERS.
WE KNOW THE FIRE SCENE
IS THE KELLEY HOG FARM,
AND THE PROPERTY'S OWNED
BY DENNIS KELLEY.
WE'RE INFORMED THAT
HE HAS A LONG-TIME RESIDENT
THAT LIVES WITH HIM,
CARL McFARLAND,
WHO HELPS AROUND THE FARM.
AND AT THAT POINT, WE'RE UNABLE
TO LOCATE DENNIS OR CARL.
YOU KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
NO -- YOU KNOW?
BUT DENNIS AIN'T HERE,
I CAN TELL YOU THAT.
INITIALLY, NOT KNOWING
WHAT WE HAVE,
THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
WE DON'T KNOW
IF THIS IS AN ACCIDENTAL FIRE
OR IF IT'S INTENTIONALLY SET.
♪♪
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING
TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN MARK KELLEY ARRIVES,
LOOKING FOR HIS BROTHER.
WHEN I WENT DOWN THERE,
I WAS ACTUALLY EXPECTING
TO SEE MY BROTHER.
THIS IS MY BROTHER'S HOUSE.
WHERE'S HE AT?
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING
TO FIND OUT, SIR.
DENNIS WASN'T THERE.
CARL WASN'T THERE.
AS FAR AS THE HOUSE ITSELF,
THERE WAS NOTHING THERE.
Narrator: IN THE ROOMS OF HIS
BROTHER'S FARM,
MARK NOTICES SOMETHING
ELSE THAT'S NOT THERE.
HIS PICKUP'S GONE.
WHERE'S HIS TRUCK?
MAYBE HE WENT LOOKING FOR HELP
OR SOMETHING, I DON'T KNOW.
Narrator:
DENNIS KELLEY'S MISSING TRUCK
OFFERS MARK A GLIMMER OF HOPE
THAT DENNIS AND CARL
ARE SAFE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
HE'S JUST TO BE AROUND.
INVESTIGATORS COMB
THROUGH THE ASHES,
SEEKING CLUES TO WHAT HAPPENED
AND WHERE DENNIS AND CARL
MIGHT BE FOUND.
DETECTIVE SILANO CALLED
MARK LATER THAT EVENING,
AND HE SAID, "YEAH, WE --
WE FOUND SOME STUFF HERE."
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER
TWO BODIES IN THE ASHES.
Silano: THE FIRST HUMAN REMAINS,
THEY WERE INITIALLY
MISIDENTIFIED BY FIRE PERSONNEL
AS BEING POSSIBLY ONE OF
THE HOGS THAT WAS ON THE FARM.
THERE WERE BURNED SO BADLY
THAT THEY WEREN'T
EASILY IDENTIFIABLE.
Narrator: POLICE SUSPECT THE
BODIES ARE DENNIS AND CARL.
IT IS THE HORRIBLE NEWS MARK
AND CHERYL KELLEY HAVE FEARED.
♪♪
Mark: DENNIS WAS A VERY CARING,
COMPASSIONATE GUY.
HE WAS AN HONEST GUY.
AND SO TO SPEAK, HE'D GIVE
THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK
IF THAT WOULD HELP YOU OUT.
FARMING WAS HIS NICHE.
HE ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
HE EXISTED FOR THAT FARM.
AND...
YEAH, HE WAS UNIQUE.
I FELT PRIVILEGED
TO BE HIS BROTHER.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: WHAT CAUSED THE DEADLY
BLAZE AT KELLEY'S FARM?
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
WERE GOING THROUGH,
LOOKING AT THIS,
LOOKING AT THAT,
AND THAT'S WHEN MR. SILANO SAYS
"THIS JUST DON'T SET RIGHT.
SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT HERE.
♪♪
Narrator: WHEN THE MEDICAL
EXAMINER CONFIRMS
THAT THE BODIES IN THE ASHES ARE
THE TWO MISSING MEN,
EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE
TAKES ON ADDED SIGNIFICANCE.
THIS WAS A TWO-STORY FARMHOUSE,
AND THE ROOF OF THE TOP OF THE
BUILDING WAS AT GROUND LEVEL.
IT COMPLETELY LEVELED THIS HOUSE
AND BURNED IT TO NOTHING.
YOU'RE TRYING TO GO BACK THROUGH
THAT FIRE SCENE AFTER THE FACT
AND DETERMINE WHAT'S
IMPORTANT AND WHAT'S NOT.
AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF
FIGURING OUT NOT WHAT HAPPENED,
BUT WHY IT HAPPENED
IN WHAT WAY DID IT HAPPEN?
Narrator: DENNIS' BODY IS
DISCOVERED ON WHAT WAS ONCE
THE FRONT PORCH OF THE FARM,
A LOCATION DETECTIVE
SILANO FINDS STRANGE.
Silano: WE FIND DENNIS OUTSIDE
THE RESIDENCE, SO WE KNOW
THAT HE CERTAINLY
COULD HAVE SUCCUMBED
TO THE SMOKE INHALATION,
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT HE HAD
EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO --
TO GET AWAY FROM THAT --
THAT FIRE, AND HE --
AND HE DIDN'T.
♪♪
♪♪
FROM TALKING TO FAMILY
AND OTHER PEOPLE,
WE KNEW THERE WAS A LOT OF GUNS,
A LOT OF AMMUNITION
IN THE PROPERTY,
BUT WE HAD SEVERAL SHELL CASINGS
OUTSIDE OF THE RESIDENCE
NEAR THE PORCH AREA
THAT WERE OUT OF PLACE.
THERE'S CERTAINLY
SOME POSSIBILITY
THIS IS AN ACCIDENTAL FIRE THAT,
BUT THE MISSING VEHICLE
FROM THE LOCATION
AND THE PROXIMITY
OF THE SHELL CASINGS,
OUR GUTS ARE TELLING US
THAT THIS IS FOUL PLAY,
THAT THIS IS PROBABLY
A HOMICIDE.
♪♪
Narrator: THE DEATHS OF KELLEY
AND McFARLAND
ARE OFFICIALLY RULED SUSPICIOUS.
SEVERAL MORE LANE COUNTY
DETECTIVES
JOIN THE INVESTIGATION
TO CHASE DOWN LEADS.
WE WOULD ASK THE NEIGHBORS,
YOU KNOW, TRIED TO FIGURE OUT
WHEN THE LAST TIME EITHER
OF THESE GUYS WERE SEEN
AND TRY AND FIGURE OUT
WHO WAS ON THE PROPERTY.
THANKS, I APPRECIATE IT.
Narrator:
ONE NEIGHBOR'S STORY STANDS OUT.
ON THE MORNING OF THE FIRE,
SHE STOPPED BY THE FARM
AND ENCOUNTERED
AN UNFAMILIAR FACE.
SHE SAID THAT THIS ROUGH GUY
CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE,
AND HE LOOKED LIKE HE HAD JUST
WOKE UP WITHOUT HIS SHIRT ON.
WAS PRETTY ROUGH, I THINK,
OR "GRUFF" WAS HER WORDS.
Narrator: OF ALL THE WORKERS ON
KELLEY'S FARM, WHO WAS THIS MAN?
COULD HE HAVE INFORMATION
ABOUT HOW DENNIS AND CARL
PERISHED IN THE FLAMES?
♪♪
Narrator:
AFTER A FIRE RAGES THROUGH
A FARM OUTSIDE CRESWELL, OREGON,
THE BODIES OF DENNIS KELLEY
AND CARL McFARLAND
ARE FOUND IN THE ASHES.
SHELL CASINGS FOUND ON THE PORCH
NEARBY SUGGEST FOUL PLAY,
BUT BY WHOSE HAND?
WHEN THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
COMPLETES THE AUTOPSIES,
THE RESULT STUN DETECTIVES.
THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF DENNIS
KELLEY'S DEATH IS UNDETERMINED,
BECAUSE THE BODY'S
BURNT SO BADLY,
BUT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
DETERMINES
THAT CARL DIED
FROM STRANGULATION.
♪♪
WE REALIZE THEN
WE HAVE FOR CERTAIN,
WITHOUT EXCEPTION, A HOMICIDE.
Narrator:
THE REPORT ALSO REVEALS METALS
MELTED IN DENNIS' BODY.
A DEATH BY STRANGULATION
AND A POSSIBLE SHOOTING.
IS LAW ENFORCEMENT LOOKING
AT A MURDER-SUICIDE?
DETECTIVES EXAM DENNIS
AND CARL'S FRIENDSHIP
FOR ANY SIGN OF TROUBLE
BETWEEN THE MEN.
♪♪
CARL McFARLAND WAS
ONE OF DOZENS OF WORKERS
WHO CAME TO DENNIS' FARM
FROM A LOCAL MISSION,
A SHELTER FOR PEOPLE
DOWN ON THEIR LUCK.
DENNIS WOULD GO DOWN THERE,
AND HE'D APPROACH THEM,
SAY, "DO YOU NEED A JOB?
CAN I HELP YOU OUT?
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU?"
HEY!
YOU LOOKING FOR WORK?
"AND IF I CAN, MAYBE
YOU COULD HELP ME COME OUT,
AND I'LL GIVE YOU
A PLACE TO STAY,
MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY,
AND YOU'LL HELP WORK MY FARM."
IT'S HARD WORK, FARMING.
WELL, SOME WOULD WORK
AND SOME WOULDN'T.
SOME OF THEM DID GOOD.
CARL HAD LOST HIS JOB,
HAD NO FAMILY,
AND HE WAS WANTING TO WORK.
♪♪
Narrator:
MARK KELLEY DISMISSES THE IDEA
THAT CARL COULD HAVE SPARKED A
DEADLY DISPUTE WITH HIS BROTHER,
BUT HE'S NOT SO SURE
ABOUT DENNIS' OTHER FARMHANDS.
WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENED,
I DID NOT HAVE ANY IDEA
OF WHO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN,
WHO IT COULD HAVE BEEN.
THERE WERE DIFFERENT PEOPLE
DOWN THERE AT DIFFERENT TIMES
THAT WOULD WORK THE FARM.
SOME WOULD COME TO WORK,
AND HE WOULD HIRE THOSE BACK,
BUT I'D SAY HE HAD A LOT
OF PEOPLE COMING AND GOING.
♪♪
Narrator: POLICE BEGIN TO FOCUS
ON THOSE WORKERS COMING
AND GOING FROM KELLEY'S FARM.
Silano: IT OPENED THE DOOR TO
A LOT OF UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS
THAT COULD POTENTIALLY
BE INVOLVED.
WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW
WHO ALL HAD BEEN ON THE FARM,
AND WHO ALL DENNIS HAD WORKING
FOR HIM IN THE MONTHS
PRIOR TO THIS
INCIDENT HAPPENING.
IT'S KIND OF A TRUE
WHODUNIT AT THAT POINT.
WE KNOW WE'RE DEALING
WITH A HOMICIDE,
BUT WE LITERALLY HAVE A MILLION
OPEN DOORS IN FRONT OF US
AS TO POTENTIALLY
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
AND WHO COULD BE INVOLVED.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES NEED A BREAK,
AND SURE ENOUGH...
[ TELEPHONE RINGING ]
SILANO.
WHAT'S THAT?
TWO DAYS AFTER THE FIRE,
ON THE 18th OF JULY,
WE GET A CALL
FROM A LOCAL BUSINESS,
A MILL, IN THE WEST EUGENE AREA,
ADVISING US THAT
THERE'S AN ABANDONED TRUCK
IN FRONT OF THEIR BUSINESS.
DO YOU HAVE PLATES?
ALL RIGHT.
YEAH, WE'LL BE DOWN IN 10.
WE GOT THE TRUCK.
♪♪
Narrator: IT'S DENNIS KELLEY'S
MISSING TRUCK.
Simons: WE START LOOKING
IN THAT TRUCK FOR EVIDENCE,
FINGERPRINTS, YOU KNOW,
DNA, BLOOD,
ANYTHING ELSE
WE COULD THINK OF.
WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?
Silano: IT BECOMES A WHOLE
NOTHER CRIME SCENE,
FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES,
AND WE PROCESS IT TO THE SAME
EXTENT WE WOULD A HOUSE FIRE.
Simons: WHILE I WAS HELPING
PROCESS THE TRUCK...
[ CELLPHONE RINGS ]
MY DISPATCH CALLED AND SAID
THAT THERE WAS A LADY
THAT WANTED TO SPEAK WITH ME.
THIS IS DETECTIVE SIMONS.
SHE SAID, "HEY, I JUST WANTED
TO LET YOU KNOW
THAT I WAS AT THIS FARM
SHORTLY BEFORE THE FIRE STARTED,
AND I HAVE SOME INFORMATION
ON THE GUY THAT WAS THERE..."
CAN YOU DESCRIBE HIM?
"...WHO MADE ME REALLY UNEASY
AND WAS PRETTY ROUGH."
♪♪
Silano: SO, THIS NEIGHBOR TELLS
US THAT ON THE DAY OF THE FIRE,
ABOUT 40 MINUTES PRIOR TO IT
BEING REPORTED TO 911,
SHE HAD ARRIVED AT DENNIS' HOUSE
FOR A PRE-SCHEDULED MEETING,
AND SHE SAID SHE WAS ENCOUNTERED
BY A MAN SHE'D NEVER
SEEN BEFORE.
HAVE YOU SEEN DENNIS?
HE'S NOT HERE.
I HAD AN APPOINTMENT
WITH HIM AT 2:00.
I DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO TELL YOU, LADY.
HE CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE LOOKING
VERY NERVOUS AND AGITATED.
HE HAD NO SHIRT ON,
AND HE HAD SOME TATTOOS
THAT SHE DESCRIBED VERY WELL.
Narrator:
UNNERVED BY HER ENCOUNTER,
THE WOMAN LEFT AND CALLED
ONE OF DENNIS' NEIGHBORS,
ASKING IF THEY KNEW
WHO THE MAN WAS.
BASED ON THE DESCRIPTION
OF THE PERSON, THE TATTOOS,
THIS OTHER RESIDENT SAID,
"OH, THAT SOUNDS
LIKE EUGENE WHITEHALL,"
SOMEBODY WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY
WORKED ON DENNIS' FARM.
Simons: FROM THE LITTLE BIT
THAT SHE KNEW,
IT SOUNDED LIKE MR. KELLEY
WAS KIND OF A BIT OF
A HARD GUY TO WORK FOR,
AND WITH GENE WHITEHALL --
I DON'T THINK
HE WAS THE GREATEST WORKER,
AND I THINK MR. KELLEY
TOLD HIM, BASICALLY,
"JUST PACK UP AND TAKE A HIKE."
Narrator: POLICE WONDER
IF WHITEHALL COULD HAVE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIRE
OR EVEN A MOTIVE FOR MURDER.
Silano: WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO
TALK TO EUGENE WHITEHALL
SOONER THAN LATER.
HE'S CERTAINLY A PERSON
OF INTEREST AT THAT POINT.
Narrator: POLICE USE HIS
CELLPHONE NUMBER
TO LOCATE WHITEHALL.
DETECTIVES PICK HIM UP AND
BRING HIM IN FOR QUESTIONING,
BUT THE INTERVIEW QUICKLY
TAKES AN EXPLOSIVE TURN.
♪♪
Narrator: THE BODIES OF
DENNIS KELLEY AND CARL McFARLAND
ARE RECOVERED FROM THE FIRE
THAT DESTROYED KELLEY'S FARM.
WAS IT MURDER?
POLICE TRACK DOWN A MAN SPOTTED
ON THE FARM THE DAY OF THE FIRE.
Simons:
HIS NAME'S EUGENE WHITEHALL.
HE GOES "GENE."
BASICALLY, WE KNEW HE WAS
A TRANSITORY TYPE PERSON.
Silano:
HE WAS A HAND ON THE FARM.
HE WORKED FOR ROOM AND BOARD,
AND THIS NEIGHBOR
HAD SEEN HIM ON THE PROPERTY
WITHIN 45 MINUTES
OF THE FIRE STARTING.
WE RESEARCH HIM AND LEARN THAT
HE HAS SOME CRIMINAL HISTORY,
NOTHING SUPER SIGNIFICANT
AS IT RELATES
TO VIOLENT-PERSON CRIMES.
Narrator: IS EUGENE WHITEHALL
A POTENTIAL WITNESS
OR A POTENTIAL KILLER?
DETECTIVE SILANO
AND SIMONS BRING HIM
INTO THE INTERROGATION ROOM.
SILANO TAKES THE LEAD
WHILE SIMONS OBSERVES.
REALLY AT THIS POINT
IN THE INTERVIEW,
WE JUST TRYING TO GET
A STORY FROM HIM,
AND SO I WANT TO
LOCK HIM INTO SOMETHING,
WHETHER IT'S THE TRUTH OR A LIE.
WHITEHALL OPENLY PLACES HIMSELF
AT KELLEY'S FARM
ON THE DAY OF THE FIRE.
WHITEHALL CLAIMS
HE DIDN'T STAY LONG,
BUT HE DOES CORROBORATE
THE WITNESS' STATEMENT
WHO PUT HIM AT THE SCENE.
WHITEHALL IS NOW THE LAST PERSON
POLICE CAN PLACE AT THE FARM,
BUT HE DENIES WHAT DENNIS'
NEIGHBORS TOLD POLICE --
THAT HE AND DENNIS
HAD A FALLING OUT.
Silano:
WHITEHALL INITIALLY TOLD US
THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO PROBLEMS
BETWEEN HIM AND DENNIS
WHEN HE LEFT THE FARM.
IT WAS OUR BELIEF THAT HE WASN'T
WELCOME ON THAT PROPERTY
AND HE HADN'T BEEN
THERE FOR SOME TIME.
Narrator: DETECTIVES PUSH
WHITEHALL TO REACT
TO WHAT THE NEIGHBORS
ARE SAYING.
WHEN HE BECAME AGITATED,
THE TENSION IN THE ROOM,
FOR ME, BECAME MUCH,
MUCH HIGHER.
Narrator: EUGENE WHITEHALL
IS NOT UNDER ARREST.
HE COULD WALK OUT
OF THE ROOM AT ANY MOMENT.
DETECTIVES HAVE NO EVIDENCE
WITH WHICH TO HOLD HIM.
JUST THE ESCALATING SITUATION,
THAT'S WHAT WE DO AS A STREET
COP FOR YOUR WHOLE CAREER
IS CALMING PEOPLE DOWN
AND TRYING TO GET
INFORMATION FROM THEM.
Narrator: EVENTUALLY, DETECTIVES
GET WHITEHALL TO CALM DOWN,
AND HE EXPLAINS HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH DENNIS.
Silano: WHEN WHITEHALL SAYS THAT
DENNIS HAS A LOT OF ENEMIES,
I THINK HE'S TRYING
TO PAINT THE PICTURE
THAT THIS COULD BE
ANYBODY INVOLVED.
HE'S TRYING TO DIVERT
FROM HIMSELF,
TRYING TO GET US TO LOOK
SOMEONE ELSE OTHER THAN HIM.
Narrator: THE DETECTIVE'S
HUNCH IS CORRECT.
WHITEHALL EVEN OFFERS THE NAME
OF ANOTHER SUSPECT FOR THEM
TO INVESTIGATE.
HE STARTS TELLING US
THAT HE'S BEEN AT A LOCAL BAR
THE NIGHT BEFORE,
AND THAT THE GUY HE IDENTIFIED
ONLY AS "COWBOY"
ASKED HIM ABOUT THE FIRE.
Simons: I THOUGHT HE WAS
GIVING US A FICTITIOUS PERSON
UNDER THE NAME "COWBOY"
THAT WE'D SPEND OUR TIME
AND SPIN OUR WHEELS
TRYING TO INVESTIGATE.
Narrator:
THEN WHITEHALL TELLS HIM HE HAS
PROOF THAT COWBOY WAS INVOLVED.
HE SAYS THAT HE HAS CREDIT CARDS
THAT BELONG TO MR. KELLEY,
MR. McFARLAND IN HIS BAG,
AND THAT COWBOY SLIPPED THEM
INTO HIS BAG
WHILE WAS HE AT THE BAR.
HE THEN GIVES US CONSENT
TO LOOK IN HIS BACKPACK,
IN WHICH TIME
WE FIND BANK CARDS, DEBIT CARDS
FOR BOTH DENNIS KELLEY
AND CARL McFARLAND.
MY BELIEF AT THAT POINT
IS WHITEHALL'S
JUST TRYING TO EXPLAIN AWAY
HIS POSSESSION OF THOSE CARDS.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH WHITEHALL IS
IN POSSESSION
OF THE DEAD MEN'S CREDIT CARDS,
DETECTIVES STILL DECIDE TO
INVESTIGATE HIS "COWBOY" STORY.
Simons:
HE'S GIVING US INFORMATION.
WE BELIEVE THEY'RE LIES,
BUT JUST AS MUCH AS YOU
HAVE TO PROVE THE TRUTH,
YOU HAVE TO PROVE THE LIES.
Narrator:
IS COWBOY A REAL PERSON,
POSSIBLY AN ACCOMPLICE?
DETECTIVE LES SIECZKOWSKI
HAS BEEN RUNNING DOWN LEADS
FROM THE INTERROGATION.
AS AN INVESTIGATOR, YOU NEED
TO INVESTIGATE AND EITHER PROVE
OR DISPROVE ANY STORY
THAT A POTENTIAL
SUSPECT HAS FOR YOU.
Narrator: HE CONTACTS THE BAR
WHERE WHITEHALL SAYS
HE MET COWBOY, AND IS SURPRISED
BY WHAT HE LEARNS.
TURNED OUT IT WASN'T A LIE.
COWBOY WAS A REAL PERSON.
BUT WE WERE ABLE TO ESTABLISH
THAT HE HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE DOUBLE HOMICIDE.
Narrator: WHITEHALL'S ACCOUNT OF
MEETING COWBOY CHECKS OUT,
BUT COWBOY HAS A SOLID ALIBI
AND WAS NO WHERE NEAR
THE SCENE OF THE FIRE.
WHITEHALL IS LOOKING MORE
AND MORE LIKE A PRIME SUSPECT,
BUT POLICE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH
TO CHARGE HIM WITH MURDER YET.
DETECTIVE SIMONS
MAKES A RISKY DECISION.
IF YOU'VE BEEN WORKING
AT SOMEBODY IN AN INTERVIEW,
AND THEY'RE BASICALLY --
IT'S NOT GETTING ANYWHERE,
IT'S TIME TO KIND OF
MAYBE USE THE TACTIC OF GOING
AT THEM A LITTLE BIT HARDER.
YOU GET TO A POINT
WHERE YOU SAY,
"OKAY, WELL, THEY'RE NOT
TELLING ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW,
AND I NEED TO BASICALLY SHOVE
THESE FACTS DOWN THEIR THROAT,"
AND THEN HOPEFULLY GET TO
WHERE I NEED TO GO THAT WAY.
Narrator: WHITEHALL HAS
REQUESTED AN ATTORNEY.
THE INTERROGATION IS OVER,
ALONG WITH DETECTIVES
CHANCE AT A CONFESSION.
IT WAS AWFUL.
WE HAVE NOTHING, AND I THOUGHT
THAT I HAD JUST KILLED THE CASE.
♪♪
Narrator: TWO DAYS AFTER POLICE
FIND THE BADLY BURNED BODIES
OF CARL McFARLAND
AND DENNIS KELLEY,
THEY FIND KELLEY'S
MISSING PICKUP TRUCK.
THE NEXT DAY, THEY HAVE
A SUSPECT IN CUSTODY --
EUGENE WHITEHALL, A MAN WHO ONCE
WORKED ON KELLEY'S FARM.
Mark: THIS MR. WHITEHALL,
I HAD NEVER REALLY --
I MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM.
I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER.
I TOLD MY BROTHER,
"KEEP IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND,
DENNIS, THESE AREN'T
ALWAYS TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE."
I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GONNA
HAPPEN EVENTUALLY
WITH THE PEOPLE
COMING DOWN THERE.
I ACTUALLY TOLD MY WIFE JUST
A MONTH OR SO BEFORE THAT.
I SAYS,
"SOME OF THE PEOPLE DENNIS
IS GETTING DOWN THERE
TO WORK HIS FARM,"
I SAYS, "THEY'RE GONNA KILL HIM
AND BURN THE HOUSE
DOWN AROUND HIM,"
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
IT'S JUST...
IT'S HORRIBLE.
Narrator: POLICE SUSPECT
WHITEHALL KNOWS ABOUT
OR WAS INVOLVED
IN THE DEATHS OF BOTH MEN.
BUT WHITEHALL RESENTS
THE SUSPICION,
AND THREE HOURS INTO QUESTIONING
INVOKES HIS RIGHT TO A LAWYER,
ENDING THE INTERROGATION.
IT WAS MY TECHNIQUE AND MY
PUSHING AND MY AGGRESSIVENESS
THAT CAUSED HIM
TO LAWYER UP.
Narrator:
CONFRONTING A VOLATILE SUSPECT
SO FORCEFULLY IS A MISSTEP
THAT WEIGHS ON DETECTIVE SIMONS.
I THOUGHT THAT I HAD JUST
TOTALLY BLOWN THE CASE UP
AND WE'D LOST
OUR ONE CHANCE TO REALLY,
REALLY PIN THIS GUY DOWN.
Narrator: DETECTIVES CAN HOLD
WHITEHALL IN POSSESSION
OF DENNIS AND CARL'S
STOLEN CREDIT CARDS,
BUT ONLY FOR 48 HOURS.
WITHOUT A CONFESSION,
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TO CHARGE
WHITEHALL WITH MURDER.
Simons:
I LET THESE PEOPLE ALL DOWN.
I BLEW SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE
LIFE-DETERMINING
FOR THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE,
AND I DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT.
THAT WAS MY JOB.
Narrator: THE NEXT DAY,
DETECTIVE SIMONS
GETS A CALL FROM THE JAIL.
WHITEHALL WANTS TO MEET,
AND HE TELLS DETECTIVES
THAT HE DOES NOT NEED
AN ATTORNEY PRESENT.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA
THE HAPPINESS THAT COMES TO ME
WHEN I HEAR
HE WANTS TO TALK AGAIN.
MAYBE THERE'S A CHANCE
THAT THIS ISN'T OVER,
AND WE'RE ACTUALLY
GONNA GET WHAT WE NEED.
I'VE NEVER HAD THAT
HAPPEN BEFORE.
BUT WE HAD NO IDEA
WHAT WE WERE GONNA HEAR
WHEN WE WALKED BACK
IN THERE THAT SECOND DAY.
Narrator:
WHAT WHITEHALL OFFERS DETECTIVES
IS A NEW VERSION OF EVENTS
THAT CATCHES THEM BY SURPRISE.
HE TELLS US THAT HE, IN FACT,
WAS THERE WHEN
DENNIS WAS KILLED,
BUT IT WASN'T HE
WHO KILLED THEM.
Narrator:
A ROBBERY GONE BAD SOUNDS
LIKE A PLAUSIBLE MOTIVE,
BUT WHO ARE JOHN AND KENNY?
DETECTIVES NEED MORE INFORMATION
TO CONFIRM THE STORY.
WHITEHALL TELLS US THAT HE MET
A GUY NAMED "JOHN"
AT A TRANSIENT CAMP,
AND JOHN, KENNY, AND WHITEHALL
CONCOCT A PLAN
TO GO DOWN TO THE FARM
AND STEAL PROPERTY FROM DENNIS.
Narrator:
WHITEHALL CLAIMS HIS JOB WAS
TO DISTRACT DENNIS AND CARL,
THE TWO MEN HE ONCE WORKED WITH.
WHITEHALL ALSO CLAIMS HE CAUGHT
DENNIS AND CARL IN AN ARGUMENT,
AND THE SITUATION ESCALATED.
WHITEHALL NOW SAYS DENNIS
WAS INVOLVED IN CARL'S DEATH,
AND A MAN NAMED "JOHN"
SHOT DENNIS AS WHITEHALL FLED.
HE'S VISIBLY UPSET,
AND HE'S RELIVING THAT.
HE'S PICTURING IT HAPPENING.
Narrator: POLICE DIG INTO
WHITEHALL'S STORY.
WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE SAME
MOTIONS THAT WE DID WITH COWBOY.
WE HAVE TO DECIPHER THIS,
GET THROUGH ALL THIS.
Narrator:
WHITEHALL'S PREVIOUS STORY
MIXED TRUTH WITH LIES.
AT THIS POINT, POLICE
AREN'T SURE WHAT TO BELIEVE.
DID JOHN AND KENNY EVEN EXIST?
Simons: HE GAVE US ENOUGH
DETAILS IN HIS STORY
TO LEAD US TO A PROPERTY THAT'S
IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF A TOWN.
IT'S A COMPOUND WITH PEOPLE
ALL OVER THE PLACE --
SOME UNSAVORY CHARACTERS.
WHITEHALL HAD GIVEN US
A DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON
HE IDENTIFIED AS "JOHN" BY
HIS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
AND THE VEHICLE HE DRIVES.
LO AND BEHOLD, WE FOUND JOHN.
Narrator:
JOHN REMEMBERS WHITEHALL
BUT KNOWS NOTHING
ABOUT THE ROBBERY,
AND HIS ALIBI CHECKS OUT,
WHICH MEANS WHITEHALL
IS LYING AGAIN.
DETECTIVE SILANO
AND SIECZKOWSKI GO BACK
TO THE INTERROGATION ROOM.
WE SHOW HIM THE PHOTO OF JOHN.
HE STARES AT IT FOR A WHILE,
AND YOU CAN SEE THE WHEELS
TURNING IN HIS HEAD.
YOU CAN SEE HIM STARING
AT THAT PICTURE,
AND YOU KNOW HE WAS
JUST THINKING
"HOW DID THEY FIND THIS GUY
THAT I MET AT A TRANSIENT CAMP
AND WAS JUST -- "
I MEAN, YOU CAN JUST SEE IT.
LIKE, "HOW DID THEY DO THIS?"
NOW WE'VE IDENTIFIED
WHO THIS GUY IS,
YOU SAID HE WAS THE ONE
WHO DID IT, WE TALKED TO HIM,
WE KNOW THAT HE WASN'T,
SO WHAT DO YOU GOT NOW?
HOW ABOUT THE TRUTH, YOU KNOW?
Narrator: AGAIN, WHITEHALL
IS GETTING UPSET.
KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED,
WITH HIM BEING AGITATED
AND HOW HE REACTED
THE FIRST TIME,
IT'S REALLY, REALLY UNLIKELY
THAT IF HE INVOKES AGAIN
HE'S GONNA TALK TO US ANYMORE.
Narrator: THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
IN A MATTER OF HOURS WHITEHALL
WILL BE ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES
OF POSSESSING STOLEN PROPERTY,
AND HE'LL BE ASSIGNED A LAWYER.
THIS MAY BE DETECTIVES
LAST CHANCE TO GET A CONFESSION,
BUT ONCE MORE HAVE THEY PUSHED
THEIR SUSPECT TOO FAR?
SO, WHEN
THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED,
I'D ONLY BEEN A DETECTIVE
FOR THREE MONTHS.
I WAS PRETTY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT
BEING IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM.
AS THE YEARS HAVE PROGRESSED,
AND NOW THREE YEARS LATER,
IT'S MY THING I LOVE MOST,
BEING IN THE INTERVIEW ROOM,
TRYING TO ELICIT
ANY INFORMATION,
WHETHER IT'D BE THE TRUTH
OR A LIE,
IS WHAT I STRIVE FOR,
TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM
TO TELL YOU THE LAST THING
ON EARTH THEY WANT TO ADMIT TO.
WELL, THAT'S DENNIS
AND THAT'S CARL.
IT'S JUST KIND OF OUT OF RESPECT
FOR WHO WE'RE DOING THIS FOR.
♪♪
Narrator:
TRYING TO HIDE HIS INVOLVEMENT
IN THE DEATHS OF DENNIS KELLEY
AND CARL McFARLAND,
EUGENE WHITEHALL HAS
BEEN CAUGHT IN ANOTHER LIE.
YOU CAN SEE THE FRUSTRATION IN
WHITEHALL'S FACE AT THAT POINT.
IT MAKES IT MUCH HARDER FOR HIM,
THEN, TO SPOOL UP ANOTHER LIE.
Narrator: BACKED INTO A CORNER,
WILL WHITEHALL
COME CLEAN OR GO QUIETLY?
YOU CAN TELL HE'S JUST DONE.
HE CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE.
Simons: THAT WAS THE END.
THAT WAS A GOOD POINT
FOR US, ALL OF US.
Narrator:
BUT HAVING ADMITTED HIS GUILT,
WHITEHALL ONCE AGAIN
WANTS TO STOP TALKING.
Narrator: WITH NO PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE TO LINK
WHITEHALL TO THE DEATHS
OF KELLEY AND McFARLAND,
DETECTIVES NEED A FULL, DETAILED
CONFESSION TO THE MURDERS.
DEFEATED,
WHITEHALL BEGINS TO DESCRIBE
EXACTLY WHAT TRANSPIRED
ON THE DAY
HE WENT TO
DENNIS KELLEY'S FARM.
♪♪
WHAT THE HELL YA DOING?!
NO!
WHITEHALL, I THINK
HE'S SURPRISED BY CARL.
I THINK CARL REALIZES
THAT WHITEHALL'S THERE
TO STEAL FROM THEM,
AND THEY GET INTO A SCUFFLE.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: MOMENTS LATER,
WHITEHALL FINDS HIMSELF
IN ANOTHER
THREATENING SITUATION.
WHAT THE HELL'S
GOING ON?
CARL?
WHAT THE HELL'S
GOING ON?
DENNIS ARRIVES AT THE SCENE,
HE COMES BACK TO THE PROPERTY
AFTER BEING OUT
IN THE FIELDS.
WHAT THE HELL'D YOU DO?
DENNIS REALIZES WHAT HAPPENS,
AND THEN THAT'S WHEN WHITEHALL
SHOOTS DENNIS WITH A FIREARM.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: TO COVER UP HIS CRIME,
WHITEHALL USED A FLARE
TO SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE.
♪♪
AFTER THREE DAYS OF LIES
AND ANGRY OUTBURSTS,
DETECTIVES FINALLY HAVE
THE CONFESSION THEY NEED.
YEARS LATER, MARK KELLEY LISTENS
TO WHITEHALL'S CONFESSION
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
OH, I'M FINE WITH IT.
I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THESE THINGS
A LONG TIME AGO.
IT WOULD BE HARD TO TELL YOU HOW
I FEEL ABOUT MY BROTHER BEING --
DEATH THE WAY IT WAS,
TAKEN FOR NO JUST REASON.
WORDS WON'T EVEN DESCRIBE IT.
AT THE POINT WHERE
WHITEHALL'S TELLING US
HIS ACTUAL INVOLVEMENT
KILLING DENNIS AND CARL,
THERE'S A DIFFERENT AIR
ABOUT HIM.
IT FEELS LIKE IT'S THE TRUTH.
THE ONLY TIME I FEEL LIKE
I REALLY SAW ANY REMORSE
FROM WHITEHALL
WAS AT THE END,
AFTER HE CONFESSED TO THIS,
AND I BELIEVE THAT HIS EMOTION
WAS REAL AT THAT POINT.
Narrator: THE TRUTH OF WHAT
HE'S DONE OVERWHELMS WHITEHALL.
♪♪
PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE THAT MOST
OF THE ANGER THAT HE HAD
IN THAT INTERVIEW ROOM
WAS FROM THE REMORSE
HE HAD FOR KILLING THOSE GUYS.
♪♪
THE DEATH OF CARL REALLY,
REALLY HAUNTED WHITEHALL
BECAUSE OF HOW
HE KILLED HIM, I THINK.
♪♪
♪♪
Whitehall: [ SOBS]
♪♪
♪♪
I DON'T REMEMBER
IF I'D SEEN ONE OR NOT.
I DON'T KNOW.
NO.
NO, IT DOESN'T MEAN
ANYTHING TO ME.
Narrator: MARCH 13, 2015.
EUGENE WHITEHALL PLEADS GUILTY
TO TWO COUNTS
OF AGGRAVATED MURDER,
FIRST-DEGREE ARSON,
AND OTHER CHARGES.
HE IS SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN PRISON
WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY
OF PAROLE.
HE RUINED MY LIFE,
HIS OWN FAMILY'S LIFE.
I JUST WISH I HAD TIME WITH HIM.
HE'D WISH FOR DEATH.
WELL, I LOOKED AT THIS MAN
AND THOUGHT,
"HOW DID YOU GET TO A POINT
WHERE YOU COULD ACTUALLY MURDER
TWO PEOPLE THAT
YOU CALLED FRIENDS?"
AND YOU HAVE DESTROYED SO MUCH.
MY BROTHER'S GONE
FROM THIS WORLD,
BUT AS LONG AS I CAN
REMEMBER HIM, HE'S STILL HERE.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW I LOOK AT IT.
THE HARDEST PART ABOUT
LOSING DENNIS WAS --
FOR US JUST TO GO DOWN THERE,
DO SOME SHOP TALK,
AND JUST WATCH THE ANIMALS.
THAT'S GONE FOREVER.
THAT WON'T EVER COME BACK.
♪♪
AN OREGON FARMHOUSE,
AND TWO MEN ARE MISSING.
A DETECTIVE CALLED AND SAID,
"I'M UNCOMFORTABLE
ABOUT JUST CALLING THIS A FIRE.
I THINK SOMETHING'S WRONG."
Narrator:
BUT WITH LITTLE EVIDENCE
AND DOZENS OF SUSPECTS,
INVESTIGATORS FACE
THE MOST COMPLICATED CASE
OF THEIR CAREERS.
WE LITERALLY HAVE A MILLION
OPEN DOORS IN FRONT OF US
AS TO POTENTIALLY
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
AND WHO COULD BE INVOLVED.
Narrator: ONE MAN MAY HOLD
THE KEY TO THE ENTIRE CRIME,
IF THEY CAN GET HIM TALKING.
CAN DETECTIVES CONVINCE HIM
TO CONFESS TO THE AWFUL TRUTH.
I JUST WISH I HAD TIME WITH HIM.
HE'D WISH FOR DEATH.
♪♪
[ ELECTRICITY BUZZING ]
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL.
Man: WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT
YOU WERE GOING TO KILL
THIS PERSON?
Man:
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MURDER?
Man: DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF
AS A SERIAL KILLER?
Narrator: SIFTING THROUGH
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES
AND THE DARK SECRETS...
I HAD A KNIFE
AND WENT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I'VE KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator:...THE TRUTH CAN ONLY
BE REVEALED WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
JULY 16, 2014.
EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS
IN CRESWELL, OREGON,
RECEIVE AN URGENT 911 CALL.
♪♪
Anchorman:
LANE COUNTY DISPATCHERS
GOT THE CALL THIS AFTERNOON,
AND FIREFIGHTERS...
Narrator: WORD OF THE FIRE
REACHES THE LOCAL NEWS.
I WAS IN THE BEDROOM
WATCHING TV.
CHERYL.
CHERYL!
I TELL MY WIFE, I TOLD HER,
"COME IN HERE,"
AND I SAYS,
"THAT'S MY BROTHER'S HOUSE."
Narrator:
MARK AND HIS WIFE, CHERYL,
WATCH THE NEWS IN DISBELIEF.
THAT'S DENNIS' PLACE.
WHAT?
FLAMES RAGE THROUGH
THE FARMHOUSE
THAT BELONGS TO MARK'S BROTHER,
DENNIS KELLEY.
YOU'RE SEEING THE FLAMES, YOU'RE
SEEING EVERYTHING BURNING.
Narrator:
MARK AND CHERYL TRY TO REACH
DENNIS ON HIS CELLPHONE,
BUT THERE'S NO ANSWER.
Mark:
YOU JUST HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS.
SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS
RUN ACROSS YOUR MIND.
I MEAN, WHAT ONE DO YOU
REALLY WANT TO GRAB HOLD OF?
Cheryl: AND I SAID, "ARE YOU
SURE IT WAS DENNIS' HOUSE,"
AND I TURNED AROUND
HIS FACE WAS SO WHITE,
AND HE SAID,
"I HAVE TO GO DOWN THERE."
[ SIRENS WAILING ]
THE ACTUAL 911 CALL
REGARDING THE FIRE
CAME IN AT ABOUT 2:40 P.M.
THAT WAS A FULLY ENGULFED
STRUCTURE FIRE,
AND IT WAS A HOT SUMMER,
AND IT'S AN OLD FARMHOUSE THAT,
UNFORTUNATELY, BURNED
REALLY FAST AND REALLY QUICK.
FIRST RESPONDERS ARE CONCERNED
FOR ANYONE CAUGHT IN THE BLAZE
AND ASK NEIGHBORS WHERE
TO FIND THE FARM'S OWNERS.
WE KNOW THE FIRE SCENE
IS THE KELLEY HOG FARM,
AND THE PROPERTY'S OWNED
BY DENNIS KELLEY.
WE'RE INFORMED THAT
HE HAS A LONG-TIME RESIDENT
THAT LIVES WITH HIM,
CARL McFARLAND,
WHO HELPS AROUND THE FARM.
AND AT THAT POINT, WE'RE UNABLE
TO LOCATE DENNIS OR CARL.
YOU KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
NO -- YOU KNOW?
BUT DENNIS AIN'T HERE,
I CAN TELL YOU THAT.
INITIALLY, NOT KNOWING
WHAT WE HAVE,
THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
WE DON'T KNOW
IF THIS IS AN ACCIDENTAL FIRE
OR IF IT'S INTENTIONALLY SET.
♪♪
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING
TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN MARK KELLEY ARRIVES,
LOOKING FOR HIS BROTHER.
WHEN I WENT DOWN THERE,
I WAS ACTUALLY EXPECTING
TO SEE MY BROTHER.
THIS IS MY BROTHER'S HOUSE.
WHERE'S HE AT?
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING
TO FIND OUT, SIR.
DENNIS WASN'T THERE.
CARL WASN'T THERE.
AS FAR AS THE HOUSE ITSELF,
THERE WAS NOTHING THERE.
Narrator: IN THE ROOMS OF HIS
BROTHER'S FARM,
MARK NOTICES SOMETHING
ELSE THAT'S NOT THERE.
HIS PICKUP'S GONE.
WHERE'S HIS TRUCK?
MAYBE HE WENT LOOKING FOR HELP
OR SOMETHING, I DON'T KNOW.
Narrator:
DENNIS KELLEY'S MISSING TRUCK
OFFERS MARK A GLIMMER OF HOPE
THAT DENNIS AND CARL
ARE SAFE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
HE'S JUST TO BE AROUND.
INVESTIGATORS COMB
THROUGH THE ASHES,
SEEKING CLUES TO WHAT HAPPENED
AND WHERE DENNIS AND CARL
MIGHT BE FOUND.
DETECTIVE SILANO CALLED
MARK LATER THAT EVENING,
AND HE SAID, "YEAH, WE --
WE FOUND SOME STUFF HERE."
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER
TWO BODIES IN THE ASHES.
Silano: THE FIRST HUMAN REMAINS,
THEY WERE INITIALLY
MISIDENTIFIED BY FIRE PERSONNEL
AS BEING POSSIBLY ONE OF
THE HOGS THAT WAS ON THE FARM.
THERE WERE BURNED SO BADLY
THAT THEY WEREN'T
EASILY IDENTIFIABLE.
Narrator: POLICE SUSPECT THE
BODIES ARE DENNIS AND CARL.
IT IS THE HORRIBLE NEWS MARK
AND CHERYL KELLEY HAVE FEARED.
♪♪
Mark: DENNIS WAS A VERY CARING,
COMPASSIONATE GUY.
HE WAS AN HONEST GUY.
AND SO TO SPEAK, HE'D GIVE
THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK
IF THAT WOULD HELP YOU OUT.
FARMING WAS HIS NICHE.
HE ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
HE EXISTED FOR THAT FARM.
AND...
YEAH, HE WAS UNIQUE.
I FELT PRIVILEGED
TO BE HIS BROTHER.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: WHAT CAUSED THE DEADLY
BLAZE AT KELLEY'S FARM?
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
WERE GOING THROUGH,
LOOKING AT THIS,
LOOKING AT THAT,
AND THAT'S WHEN MR. SILANO SAYS
"THIS JUST DON'T SET RIGHT.
SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT HERE.
♪♪
Narrator: WHEN THE MEDICAL
EXAMINER CONFIRMS
THAT THE BODIES IN THE ASHES ARE
THE TWO MISSING MEN,
EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE
TAKES ON ADDED SIGNIFICANCE.
THIS WAS A TWO-STORY FARMHOUSE,
AND THE ROOF OF THE TOP OF THE
BUILDING WAS AT GROUND LEVEL.
IT COMPLETELY LEVELED THIS HOUSE
AND BURNED IT TO NOTHING.
YOU'RE TRYING TO GO BACK THROUGH
THAT FIRE SCENE AFTER THE FACT
AND DETERMINE WHAT'S
IMPORTANT AND WHAT'S NOT.
AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF
FIGURING OUT NOT WHAT HAPPENED,
BUT WHY IT HAPPENED
IN WHAT WAY DID IT HAPPEN?
Narrator: DENNIS' BODY IS
DISCOVERED ON WHAT WAS ONCE
THE FRONT PORCH OF THE FARM,
A LOCATION DETECTIVE
SILANO FINDS STRANGE.
Silano: WE FIND DENNIS OUTSIDE
THE RESIDENCE, SO WE KNOW
THAT HE CERTAINLY
COULD HAVE SUCCUMBED
TO THE SMOKE INHALATION,
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT HE HAD
EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO --
TO GET AWAY FROM THAT --
THAT FIRE, AND HE --
AND HE DIDN'T.
♪♪
♪♪
FROM TALKING TO FAMILY
AND OTHER PEOPLE,
WE KNEW THERE WAS A LOT OF GUNS,
A LOT OF AMMUNITION
IN THE PROPERTY,
BUT WE HAD SEVERAL SHELL CASINGS
OUTSIDE OF THE RESIDENCE
NEAR THE PORCH AREA
THAT WERE OUT OF PLACE.
THERE'S CERTAINLY
SOME POSSIBILITY
THIS IS AN ACCIDENTAL FIRE THAT,
BUT THE MISSING VEHICLE
FROM THE LOCATION
AND THE PROXIMITY
OF THE SHELL CASINGS,
OUR GUTS ARE TELLING US
THAT THIS IS FOUL PLAY,
THAT THIS IS PROBABLY
A HOMICIDE.
♪♪
Narrator: THE DEATHS OF KELLEY
AND McFARLAND
ARE OFFICIALLY RULED SUSPICIOUS.
SEVERAL MORE LANE COUNTY
DETECTIVES
JOIN THE INVESTIGATION
TO CHASE DOWN LEADS.
WE WOULD ASK THE NEIGHBORS,
YOU KNOW, TRIED TO FIGURE OUT
WHEN THE LAST TIME EITHER
OF THESE GUYS WERE SEEN
AND TRY AND FIGURE OUT
WHO WAS ON THE PROPERTY.
THANKS, I APPRECIATE IT.
Narrator:
ONE NEIGHBOR'S STORY STANDS OUT.
ON THE MORNING OF THE FIRE,
SHE STOPPED BY THE FARM
AND ENCOUNTERED
AN UNFAMILIAR FACE.
SHE SAID THAT THIS ROUGH GUY
CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE,
AND HE LOOKED LIKE HE HAD JUST
WOKE UP WITHOUT HIS SHIRT ON.
WAS PRETTY ROUGH, I THINK,
OR "GRUFF" WAS HER WORDS.
Narrator: OF ALL THE WORKERS ON
KELLEY'S FARM, WHO WAS THIS MAN?
COULD HE HAVE INFORMATION
ABOUT HOW DENNIS AND CARL
PERISHED IN THE FLAMES?
♪♪
Narrator:
AFTER A FIRE RAGES THROUGH
A FARM OUTSIDE CRESWELL, OREGON,
THE BODIES OF DENNIS KELLEY
AND CARL McFARLAND
ARE FOUND IN THE ASHES.
SHELL CASINGS FOUND ON THE PORCH
NEARBY SUGGEST FOUL PLAY,
BUT BY WHOSE HAND?
WHEN THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
COMPLETES THE AUTOPSIES,
THE RESULT STUN DETECTIVES.
THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF DENNIS
KELLEY'S DEATH IS UNDETERMINED,
BECAUSE THE BODY'S
BURNT SO BADLY,
BUT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
DETERMINES
THAT CARL DIED
FROM STRANGULATION.
♪♪
WE REALIZE THEN
WE HAVE FOR CERTAIN,
WITHOUT EXCEPTION, A HOMICIDE.
Narrator:
THE REPORT ALSO REVEALS METALS
MELTED IN DENNIS' BODY.
A DEATH BY STRANGULATION
AND A POSSIBLE SHOOTING.
IS LAW ENFORCEMENT LOOKING
AT A MURDER-SUICIDE?
DETECTIVES EXAM DENNIS
AND CARL'S FRIENDSHIP
FOR ANY SIGN OF TROUBLE
BETWEEN THE MEN.
♪♪
CARL McFARLAND WAS
ONE OF DOZENS OF WORKERS
WHO CAME TO DENNIS' FARM
FROM A LOCAL MISSION,
A SHELTER FOR PEOPLE
DOWN ON THEIR LUCK.
DENNIS WOULD GO DOWN THERE,
AND HE'D APPROACH THEM,
SAY, "DO YOU NEED A JOB?
CAN I HELP YOU OUT?
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU?"
HEY!
YOU LOOKING FOR WORK?
"AND IF I CAN, MAYBE
YOU COULD HELP ME COME OUT,
AND I'LL GIVE YOU
A PLACE TO STAY,
MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY,
AND YOU'LL HELP WORK MY FARM."
IT'S HARD WORK, FARMING.
WELL, SOME WOULD WORK
AND SOME WOULDN'T.
SOME OF THEM DID GOOD.
CARL HAD LOST HIS JOB,
HAD NO FAMILY,
AND HE WAS WANTING TO WORK.
♪♪
Narrator:
MARK KELLEY DISMISSES THE IDEA
THAT CARL COULD HAVE SPARKED A
DEADLY DISPUTE WITH HIS BROTHER,
BUT HE'S NOT SO SURE
ABOUT DENNIS' OTHER FARMHANDS.
WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENED,
I DID NOT HAVE ANY IDEA
OF WHO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN,
WHO IT COULD HAVE BEEN.
THERE WERE DIFFERENT PEOPLE
DOWN THERE AT DIFFERENT TIMES
THAT WOULD WORK THE FARM.
SOME WOULD COME TO WORK,
AND HE WOULD HIRE THOSE BACK,
BUT I'D SAY HE HAD A LOT
OF PEOPLE COMING AND GOING.
♪♪
Narrator: POLICE BEGIN TO FOCUS
ON THOSE WORKERS COMING
AND GOING FROM KELLEY'S FARM.
Silano: IT OPENED THE DOOR TO
A LOT OF UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS
THAT COULD POTENTIALLY
BE INVOLVED.
WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW
WHO ALL HAD BEEN ON THE FARM,
AND WHO ALL DENNIS HAD WORKING
FOR HIM IN THE MONTHS
PRIOR TO THIS
INCIDENT HAPPENING.
IT'S KIND OF A TRUE
WHODUNIT AT THAT POINT.
WE KNOW WE'RE DEALING
WITH A HOMICIDE,
BUT WE LITERALLY HAVE A MILLION
OPEN DOORS IN FRONT OF US
AS TO POTENTIALLY
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
AND WHO COULD BE INVOLVED.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES NEED A BREAK,
AND SURE ENOUGH...
[ TELEPHONE RINGING ]
SILANO.
WHAT'S THAT?
TWO DAYS AFTER THE FIRE,
ON THE 18th OF JULY,
WE GET A CALL
FROM A LOCAL BUSINESS,
A MILL, IN THE WEST EUGENE AREA,
ADVISING US THAT
THERE'S AN ABANDONED TRUCK
IN FRONT OF THEIR BUSINESS.
DO YOU HAVE PLATES?
ALL RIGHT.
YEAH, WE'LL BE DOWN IN 10.
WE GOT THE TRUCK.
♪♪
Narrator: IT'S DENNIS KELLEY'S
MISSING TRUCK.
Simons: WE START LOOKING
IN THAT TRUCK FOR EVIDENCE,
FINGERPRINTS, YOU KNOW,
DNA, BLOOD,
ANYTHING ELSE
WE COULD THINK OF.
WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?
Silano: IT BECOMES A WHOLE
NOTHER CRIME SCENE,
FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES,
AND WE PROCESS IT TO THE SAME
EXTENT WE WOULD A HOUSE FIRE.
Simons: WHILE I WAS HELPING
PROCESS THE TRUCK...
[ CELLPHONE RINGS ]
MY DISPATCH CALLED AND SAID
THAT THERE WAS A LADY
THAT WANTED TO SPEAK WITH ME.
THIS IS DETECTIVE SIMONS.
SHE SAID, "HEY, I JUST WANTED
TO LET YOU KNOW
THAT I WAS AT THIS FARM
SHORTLY BEFORE THE FIRE STARTED,
AND I HAVE SOME INFORMATION
ON THE GUY THAT WAS THERE..."
CAN YOU DESCRIBE HIM?
"...WHO MADE ME REALLY UNEASY
AND WAS PRETTY ROUGH."
♪♪
Silano: SO, THIS NEIGHBOR TELLS
US THAT ON THE DAY OF THE FIRE,
ABOUT 40 MINUTES PRIOR TO IT
BEING REPORTED TO 911,
SHE HAD ARRIVED AT DENNIS' HOUSE
FOR A PRE-SCHEDULED MEETING,
AND SHE SAID SHE WAS ENCOUNTERED
BY A MAN SHE'D NEVER
SEEN BEFORE.
HAVE YOU SEEN DENNIS?
HE'S NOT HERE.
I HAD AN APPOINTMENT
WITH HIM AT 2:00.
I DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO TELL YOU, LADY.
HE CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE LOOKING
VERY NERVOUS AND AGITATED.
HE HAD NO SHIRT ON,
AND HE HAD SOME TATTOOS
THAT SHE DESCRIBED VERY WELL.
Narrator:
UNNERVED BY HER ENCOUNTER,
THE WOMAN LEFT AND CALLED
ONE OF DENNIS' NEIGHBORS,
ASKING IF THEY KNEW
WHO THE MAN WAS.
BASED ON THE DESCRIPTION
OF THE PERSON, THE TATTOOS,
THIS OTHER RESIDENT SAID,
"OH, THAT SOUNDS
LIKE EUGENE WHITEHALL,"
SOMEBODY WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY
WORKED ON DENNIS' FARM.
Simons: FROM THE LITTLE BIT
THAT SHE KNEW,
IT SOUNDED LIKE MR. KELLEY
WAS KIND OF A BIT OF
A HARD GUY TO WORK FOR,
AND WITH GENE WHITEHALL --
I DON'T THINK
HE WAS THE GREATEST WORKER,
AND I THINK MR. KELLEY
TOLD HIM, BASICALLY,
"JUST PACK UP AND TAKE A HIKE."
Narrator: POLICE WONDER
IF WHITEHALL COULD HAVE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIRE
OR EVEN A MOTIVE FOR MURDER.
Silano: WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO
TALK TO EUGENE WHITEHALL
SOONER THAN LATER.
HE'S CERTAINLY A PERSON
OF INTEREST AT THAT POINT.
Narrator: POLICE USE HIS
CELLPHONE NUMBER
TO LOCATE WHITEHALL.
DETECTIVES PICK HIM UP AND
BRING HIM IN FOR QUESTIONING,
BUT THE INTERVIEW QUICKLY
TAKES AN EXPLOSIVE TURN.
♪♪
Narrator: THE BODIES OF
DENNIS KELLEY AND CARL McFARLAND
ARE RECOVERED FROM THE FIRE
THAT DESTROYED KELLEY'S FARM.
WAS IT MURDER?
POLICE TRACK DOWN A MAN SPOTTED
ON THE FARM THE DAY OF THE FIRE.
Simons:
HIS NAME'S EUGENE WHITEHALL.
HE GOES "GENE."
BASICALLY, WE KNEW HE WAS
A TRANSITORY TYPE PERSON.
Silano:
HE WAS A HAND ON THE FARM.
HE WORKED FOR ROOM AND BOARD,
AND THIS NEIGHBOR
HAD SEEN HIM ON THE PROPERTY
WITHIN 45 MINUTES
OF THE FIRE STARTING.
WE RESEARCH HIM AND LEARN THAT
HE HAS SOME CRIMINAL HISTORY,
NOTHING SUPER SIGNIFICANT
AS IT RELATES
TO VIOLENT-PERSON CRIMES.
Narrator: IS EUGENE WHITEHALL
A POTENTIAL WITNESS
OR A POTENTIAL KILLER?
DETECTIVE SILANO
AND SIMONS BRING HIM
INTO THE INTERROGATION ROOM.
SILANO TAKES THE LEAD
WHILE SIMONS OBSERVES.
REALLY AT THIS POINT
IN THE INTERVIEW,
WE JUST TRYING TO GET
A STORY FROM HIM,
AND SO I WANT TO
LOCK HIM INTO SOMETHING,
WHETHER IT'S THE TRUTH OR A LIE.
WHITEHALL OPENLY PLACES HIMSELF
AT KELLEY'S FARM
ON THE DAY OF THE FIRE.
WHITEHALL CLAIMS
HE DIDN'T STAY LONG,
BUT HE DOES CORROBORATE
THE WITNESS' STATEMENT
WHO PUT HIM AT THE SCENE.
WHITEHALL IS NOW THE LAST PERSON
POLICE CAN PLACE AT THE FARM,
BUT HE DENIES WHAT DENNIS'
NEIGHBORS TOLD POLICE --
THAT HE AND DENNIS
HAD A FALLING OUT.
Silano:
WHITEHALL INITIALLY TOLD US
THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO PROBLEMS
BETWEEN HIM AND DENNIS
WHEN HE LEFT THE FARM.
IT WAS OUR BELIEF THAT HE WASN'T
WELCOME ON THAT PROPERTY
AND HE HADN'T BEEN
THERE FOR SOME TIME.
Narrator: DETECTIVES PUSH
WHITEHALL TO REACT
TO WHAT THE NEIGHBORS
ARE SAYING.
WHEN HE BECAME AGITATED,
THE TENSION IN THE ROOM,
FOR ME, BECAME MUCH,
MUCH HIGHER.
Narrator: EUGENE WHITEHALL
IS NOT UNDER ARREST.
HE COULD WALK OUT
OF THE ROOM AT ANY MOMENT.
DETECTIVES HAVE NO EVIDENCE
WITH WHICH TO HOLD HIM.
JUST THE ESCALATING SITUATION,
THAT'S WHAT WE DO AS A STREET
COP FOR YOUR WHOLE CAREER
IS CALMING PEOPLE DOWN
AND TRYING TO GET
INFORMATION FROM THEM.
Narrator: EVENTUALLY, DETECTIVES
GET WHITEHALL TO CALM DOWN,
AND HE EXPLAINS HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH DENNIS.
Silano: WHEN WHITEHALL SAYS THAT
DENNIS HAS A LOT OF ENEMIES,
I THINK HE'S TRYING
TO PAINT THE PICTURE
THAT THIS COULD BE
ANYBODY INVOLVED.
HE'S TRYING TO DIVERT
FROM HIMSELF,
TRYING TO GET US TO LOOK
SOMEONE ELSE OTHER THAN HIM.
Narrator: THE DETECTIVE'S
HUNCH IS CORRECT.
WHITEHALL EVEN OFFERS THE NAME
OF ANOTHER SUSPECT FOR THEM
TO INVESTIGATE.
HE STARTS TELLING US
THAT HE'S BEEN AT A LOCAL BAR
THE NIGHT BEFORE,
AND THAT THE GUY HE IDENTIFIED
ONLY AS "COWBOY"
ASKED HIM ABOUT THE FIRE.
Simons: I THOUGHT HE WAS
GIVING US A FICTITIOUS PERSON
UNDER THE NAME "COWBOY"
THAT WE'D SPEND OUR TIME
AND SPIN OUR WHEELS
TRYING TO INVESTIGATE.
Narrator:
THEN WHITEHALL TELLS HIM HE HAS
PROOF THAT COWBOY WAS INVOLVED.
HE SAYS THAT HE HAS CREDIT CARDS
THAT BELONG TO MR. KELLEY,
MR. McFARLAND IN HIS BAG,
AND THAT COWBOY SLIPPED THEM
INTO HIS BAG
WHILE WAS HE AT THE BAR.
HE THEN GIVES US CONSENT
TO LOOK IN HIS BACKPACK,
IN WHICH TIME
WE FIND BANK CARDS, DEBIT CARDS
FOR BOTH DENNIS KELLEY
AND CARL McFARLAND.
MY BELIEF AT THAT POINT
IS WHITEHALL'S
JUST TRYING TO EXPLAIN AWAY
HIS POSSESSION OF THOSE CARDS.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH WHITEHALL IS
IN POSSESSION
OF THE DEAD MEN'S CREDIT CARDS,
DETECTIVES STILL DECIDE TO
INVESTIGATE HIS "COWBOY" STORY.
Simons:
HE'S GIVING US INFORMATION.
WE BELIEVE THEY'RE LIES,
BUT JUST AS MUCH AS YOU
HAVE TO PROVE THE TRUTH,
YOU HAVE TO PROVE THE LIES.
Narrator:
IS COWBOY A REAL PERSON,
POSSIBLY AN ACCOMPLICE?
DETECTIVE LES SIECZKOWSKI
HAS BEEN RUNNING DOWN LEADS
FROM THE INTERROGATION.
AS AN INVESTIGATOR, YOU NEED
TO INVESTIGATE AND EITHER PROVE
OR DISPROVE ANY STORY
THAT A POTENTIAL
SUSPECT HAS FOR YOU.
Narrator: HE CONTACTS THE BAR
WHERE WHITEHALL SAYS
HE MET COWBOY, AND IS SURPRISED
BY WHAT HE LEARNS.
TURNED OUT IT WASN'T A LIE.
COWBOY WAS A REAL PERSON.
BUT WE WERE ABLE TO ESTABLISH
THAT HE HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE DOUBLE HOMICIDE.
Narrator: WHITEHALL'S ACCOUNT OF
MEETING COWBOY CHECKS OUT,
BUT COWBOY HAS A SOLID ALIBI
AND WAS NO WHERE NEAR
THE SCENE OF THE FIRE.
WHITEHALL IS LOOKING MORE
AND MORE LIKE A PRIME SUSPECT,
BUT POLICE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH
TO CHARGE HIM WITH MURDER YET.
DETECTIVE SIMONS
MAKES A RISKY DECISION.
IF YOU'VE BEEN WORKING
AT SOMEBODY IN AN INTERVIEW,
AND THEY'RE BASICALLY --
IT'S NOT GETTING ANYWHERE,
IT'S TIME TO KIND OF
MAYBE USE THE TACTIC OF GOING
AT THEM A LITTLE BIT HARDER.
YOU GET TO A POINT
WHERE YOU SAY,
"OKAY, WELL, THEY'RE NOT
TELLING ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW,
AND I NEED TO BASICALLY SHOVE
THESE FACTS DOWN THEIR THROAT,"
AND THEN HOPEFULLY GET TO
WHERE I NEED TO GO THAT WAY.
Narrator: WHITEHALL HAS
REQUESTED AN ATTORNEY.
THE INTERROGATION IS OVER,
ALONG WITH DETECTIVES
CHANCE AT A CONFESSION.
IT WAS AWFUL.
WE HAVE NOTHING, AND I THOUGHT
THAT I HAD JUST KILLED THE CASE.
♪♪
Narrator: TWO DAYS AFTER POLICE
FIND THE BADLY BURNED BODIES
OF CARL McFARLAND
AND DENNIS KELLEY,
THEY FIND KELLEY'S
MISSING PICKUP TRUCK.
THE NEXT DAY, THEY HAVE
A SUSPECT IN CUSTODY --
EUGENE WHITEHALL, A MAN WHO ONCE
WORKED ON KELLEY'S FARM.
Mark: THIS MR. WHITEHALL,
I HAD NEVER REALLY --
I MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM.
I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER.
I TOLD MY BROTHER,
"KEEP IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND,
DENNIS, THESE AREN'T
ALWAYS TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE."
I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GONNA
HAPPEN EVENTUALLY
WITH THE PEOPLE
COMING DOWN THERE.
I ACTUALLY TOLD MY WIFE JUST
A MONTH OR SO BEFORE THAT.
I SAYS,
"SOME OF THE PEOPLE DENNIS
IS GETTING DOWN THERE
TO WORK HIS FARM,"
I SAYS, "THEY'RE GONNA KILL HIM
AND BURN THE HOUSE
DOWN AROUND HIM,"
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
IT'S JUST...
IT'S HORRIBLE.
Narrator: POLICE SUSPECT
WHITEHALL KNOWS ABOUT
OR WAS INVOLVED
IN THE DEATHS OF BOTH MEN.
BUT WHITEHALL RESENTS
THE SUSPICION,
AND THREE HOURS INTO QUESTIONING
INVOKES HIS RIGHT TO A LAWYER,
ENDING THE INTERROGATION.
IT WAS MY TECHNIQUE AND MY
PUSHING AND MY AGGRESSIVENESS
THAT CAUSED HIM
TO LAWYER UP.
Narrator:
CONFRONTING A VOLATILE SUSPECT
SO FORCEFULLY IS A MISSTEP
THAT WEIGHS ON DETECTIVE SIMONS.
I THOUGHT THAT I HAD JUST
TOTALLY BLOWN THE CASE UP
AND WE'D LOST
OUR ONE CHANCE TO REALLY,
REALLY PIN THIS GUY DOWN.
Narrator: DETECTIVES CAN HOLD
WHITEHALL IN POSSESSION
OF DENNIS AND CARL'S
STOLEN CREDIT CARDS,
BUT ONLY FOR 48 HOURS.
WITHOUT A CONFESSION,
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TO CHARGE
WHITEHALL WITH MURDER.
Simons:
I LET THESE PEOPLE ALL DOWN.
I BLEW SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE
LIFE-DETERMINING
FOR THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE,
AND I DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT.
THAT WAS MY JOB.
Narrator: THE NEXT DAY,
DETECTIVE SIMONS
GETS A CALL FROM THE JAIL.
WHITEHALL WANTS TO MEET,
AND HE TELLS DETECTIVES
THAT HE DOES NOT NEED
AN ATTORNEY PRESENT.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA
THE HAPPINESS THAT COMES TO ME
WHEN I HEAR
HE WANTS TO TALK AGAIN.
MAYBE THERE'S A CHANCE
THAT THIS ISN'T OVER,
AND WE'RE ACTUALLY
GONNA GET WHAT WE NEED.
I'VE NEVER HAD THAT
HAPPEN BEFORE.
BUT WE HAD NO IDEA
WHAT WE WERE GONNA HEAR
WHEN WE WALKED BACK
IN THERE THAT SECOND DAY.
Narrator:
WHAT WHITEHALL OFFERS DETECTIVES
IS A NEW VERSION OF EVENTS
THAT CATCHES THEM BY SURPRISE.
HE TELLS US THAT HE, IN FACT,
WAS THERE WHEN
DENNIS WAS KILLED,
BUT IT WASN'T HE
WHO KILLED THEM.
Narrator:
A ROBBERY GONE BAD SOUNDS
LIKE A PLAUSIBLE MOTIVE,
BUT WHO ARE JOHN AND KENNY?
DETECTIVES NEED MORE INFORMATION
TO CONFIRM THE STORY.
WHITEHALL TELLS US THAT HE MET
A GUY NAMED "JOHN"
AT A TRANSIENT CAMP,
AND JOHN, KENNY, AND WHITEHALL
CONCOCT A PLAN
TO GO DOWN TO THE FARM
AND STEAL PROPERTY FROM DENNIS.
Narrator:
WHITEHALL CLAIMS HIS JOB WAS
TO DISTRACT DENNIS AND CARL,
THE TWO MEN HE ONCE WORKED WITH.
WHITEHALL ALSO CLAIMS HE CAUGHT
DENNIS AND CARL IN AN ARGUMENT,
AND THE SITUATION ESCALATED.
WHITEHALL NOW SAYS DENNIS
WAS INVOLVED IN CARL'S DEATH,
AND A MAN NAMED "JOHN"
SHOT DENNIS AS WHITEHALL FLED.
HE'S VISIBLY UPSET,
AND HE'S RELIVING THAT.
HE'S PICTURING IT HAPPENING.
Narrator: POLICE DIG INTO
WHITEHALL'S STORY.
WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE SAME
MOTIONS THAT WE DID WITH COWBOY.
WE HAVE TO DECIPHER THIS,
GET THROUGH ALL THIS.
Narrator:
WHITEHALL'S PREVIOUS STORY
MIXED TRUTH WITH LIES.
AT THIS POINT, POLICE
AREN'T SURE WHAT TO BELIEVE.
DID JOHN AND KENNY EVEN EXIST?
Simons: HE GAVE US ENOUGH
DETAILS IN HIS STORY
TO LEAD US TO A PROPERTY THAT'S
IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF A TOWN.
IT'S A COMPOUND WITH PEOPLE
ALL OVER THE PLACE --
SOME UNSAVORY CHARACTERS.
WHITEHALL HAD GIVEN US
A DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON
HE IDENTIFIED AS "JOHN" BY
HIS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
AND THE VEHICLE HE DRIVES.
LO AND BEHOLD, WE FOUND JOHN.
Narrator:
JOHN REMEMBERS WHITEHALL
BUT KNOWS NOTHING
ABOUT THE ROBBERY,
AND HIS ALIBI CHECKS OUT,
WHICH MEANS WHITEHALL
IS LYING AGAIN.
DETECTIVE SILANO
AND SIECZKOWSKI GO BACK
TO THE INTERROGATION ROOM.
WE SHOW HIM THE PHOTO OF JOHN.
HE STARES AT IT FOR A WHILE,
AND YOU CAN SEE THE WHEELS
TURNING IN HIS HEAD.
YOU CAN SEE HIM STARING
AT THAT PICTURE,
AND YOU KNOW HE WAS
JUST THINKING
"HOW DID THEY FIND THIS GUY
THAT I MET AT A TRANSIENT CAMP
AND WAS JUST -- "
I MEAN, YOU CAN JUST SEE IT.
LIKE, "HOW DID THEY DO THIS?"
NOW WE'VE IDENTIFIED
WHO THIS GUY IS,
YOU SAID HE WAS THE ONE
WHO DID IT, WE TALKED TO HIM,
WE KNOW THAT HE WASN'T,
SO WHAT DO YOU GOT NOW?
HOW ABOUT THE TRUTH, YOU KNOW?
Narrator: AGAIN, WHITEHALL
IS GETTING UPSET.
KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED,
WITH HIM BEING AGITATED
AND HOW HE REACTED
THE FIRST TIME,
IT'S REALLY, REALLY UNLIKELY
THAT IF HE INVOKES AGAIN
HE'S GONNA TALK TO US ANYMORE.
Narrator: THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
IN A MATTER OF HOURS WHITEHALL
WILL BE ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES
OF POSSESSING STOLEN PROPERTY,
AND HE'LL BE ASSIGNED A LAWYER.
THIS MAY BE DETECTIVES
LAST CHANCE TO GET A CONFESSION,
BUT ONCE MORE HAVE THEY PUSHED
THEIR SUSPECT TOO FAR?
SO, WHEN
THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED,
I'D ONLY BEEN A DETECTIVE
FOR THREE MONTHS.
I WAS PRETTY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT
BEING IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM.
AS THE YEARS HAVE PROGRESSED,
AND NOW THREE YEARS LATER,
IT'S MY THING I LOVE MOST,
BEING IN THE INTERVIEW ROOM,
TRYING TO ELICIT
ANY INFORMATION,
WHETHER IT'D BE THE TRUTH
OR A LIE,
IS WHAT I STRIVE FOR,
TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM
TO TELL YOU THE LAST THING
ON EARTH THEY WANT TO ADMIT TO.
WELL, THAT'S DENNIS
AND THAT'S CARL.
IT'S JUST KIND OF OUT OF RESPECT
FOR WHO WE'RE DOING THIS FOR.
♪♪
Narrator:
TRYING TO HIDE HIS INVOLVEMENT
IN THE DEATHS OF DENNIS KELLEY
AND CARL McFARLAND,
EUGENE WHITEHALL HAS
BEEN CAUGHT IN ANOTHER LIE.
YOU CAN SEE THE FRUSTRATION IN
WHITEHALL'S FACE AT THAT POINT.
IT MAKES IT MUCH HARDER FOR HIM,
THEN, TO SPOOL UP ANOTHER LIE.
Narrator: BACKED INTO A CORNER,
WILL WHITEHALL
COME CLEAN OR GO QUIETLY?
YOU CAN TELL HE'S JUST DONE.
HE CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE.
Simons: THAT WAS THE END.
THAT WAS A GOOD POINT
FOR US, ALL OF US.
Narrator:
BUT HAVING ADMITTED HIS GUILT,
WHITEHALL ONCE AGAIN
WANTS TO STOP TALKING.
Narrator: WITH NO PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE TO LINK
WHITEHALL TO THE DEATHS
OF KELLEY AND McFARLAND,
DETECTIVES NEED A FULL, DETAILED
CONFESSION TO THE MURDERS.
DEFEATED,
WHITEHALL BEGINS TO DESCRIBE
EXACTLY WHAT TRANSPIRED
ON THE DAY
HE WENT TO
DENNIS KELLEY'S FARM.
♪♪
WHAT THE HELL YA DOING?!
NO!
WHITEHALL, I THINK
HE'S SURPRISED BY CARL.
I THINK CARL REALIZES
THAT WHITEHALL'S THERE
TO STEAL FROM THEM,
AND THEY GET INTO A SCUFFLE.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: MOMENTS LATER,
WHITEHALL FINDS HIMSELF
IN ANOTHER
THREATENING SITUATION.
WHAT THE HELL'S
GOING ON?
CARL?
WHAT THE HELL'S
GOING ON?
DENNIS ARRIVES AT THE SCENE,
HE COMES BACK TO THE PROPERTY
AFTER BEING OUT
IN THE FIELDS.
WHAT THE HELL'D YOU DO?
DENNIS REALIZES WHAT HAPPENS,
AND THEN THAT'S WHEN WHITEHALL
SHOOTS DENNIS WITH A FIREARM.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: TO COVER UP HIS CRIME,
WHITEHALL USED A FLARE
TO SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE.
♪♪
AFTER THREE DAYS OF LIES
AND ANGRY OUTBURSTS,
DETECTIVES FINALLY HAVE
THE CONFESSION THEY NEED.
YEARS LATER, MARK KELLEY LISTENS
TO WHITEHALL'S CONFESSION
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
OH, I'M FINE WITH IT.
I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THESE THINGS
A LONG TIME AGO.
IT WOULD BE HARD TO TELL YOU HOW
I FEEL ABOUT MY BROTHER BEING --
DEATH THE WAY IT WAS,
TAKEN FOR NO JUST REASON.
WORDS WON'T EVEN DESCRIBE IT.
AT THE POINT WHERE
WHITEHALL'S TELLING US
HIS ACTUAL INVOLVEMENT
KILLING DENNIS AND CARL,
THERE'S A DIFFERENT AIR
ABOUT HIM.
IT FEELS LIKE IT'S THE TRUTH.
THE ONLY TIME I FEEL LIKE
I REALLY SAW ANY REMORSE
FROM WHITEHALL
WAS AT THE END,
AFTER HE CONFESSED TO THIS,
AND I BELIEVE THAT HIS EMOTION
WAS REAL AT THAT POINT.
Narrator: THE TRUTH OF WHAT
HE'S DONE OVERWHELMS WHITEHALL.
♪♪
PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE THAT MOST
OF THE ANGER THAT HE HAD
IN THAT INTERVIEW ROOM
WAS FROM THE REMORSE
HE HAD FOR KILLING THOSE GUYS.
♪♪
THE DEATH OF CARL REALLY,
REALLY HAUNTED WHITEHALL
BECAUSE OF HOW
HE KILLED HIM, I THINK.
♪♪
♪♪
Whitehall: [ SOBS]
♪♪
♪♪
I DON'T REMEMBER
IF I'D SEEN ONE OR NOT.
I DON'T KNOW.
NO.
NO, IT DOESN'T MEAN
ANYTHING TO ME.
Narrator: MARCH 13, 2015.
EUGENE WHITEHALL PLEADS GUILTY
TO TWO COUNTS
OF AGGRAVATED MURDER,
FIRST-DEGREE ARSON,
AND OTHER CHARGES.
HE IS SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN PRISON
WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY
OF PAROLE.
HE RUINED MY LIFE,
HIS OWN FAMILY'S LIFE.
I JUST WISH I HAD TIME WITH HIM.
HE'D WISH FOR DEATH.
WELL, I LOOKED AT THIS MAN
AND THOUGHT,
"HOW DID YOU GET TO A POINT
WHERE YOU COULD ACTUALLY MURDER
TWO PEOPLE THAT
YOU CALLED FRIENDS?"
AND YOU HAVE DESTROYED SO MUCH.
MY BROTHER'S GONE
FROM THIS WORLD,
BUT AS LONG AS I CAN
REMEMBER HIM, HE'S STILL HERE.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW I LOOK AT IT.
THE HARDEST PART ABOUT
LOSING DENNIS WAS --
FOR US JUST TO GO DOWN THERE,
DO SOME SHOP TALK,
AND JUST WATCH THE ANIMALS.
THAT'S GONE FOREVER.
THAT WON'T EVER COME BACK.
♪♪