Interrogation (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - P.I. Charlie Shannon vs Eric Fisher 1996 - full transcript

I need an ambulance. Hurry.

My mom--
she's fucking dying, okay?

Just get over here.

have intensified with

the government-ordered culling
of high-risk cattle

nearing 3,000 head per day.

The large-scale slaughter,
which started Friday,

is the government's latest
response to scientific...

Count time, inmates!Don't-don't stop.

Okay, okay.
No.

Hold that thought. Hold it.Don't...



Hold it. I'll be right back.

Fuck.

Badges out.

Let's go, inmates.

Mitchell.

Check.

Rodriguez.

Check.

Gomes.

Check.Dominguez.

Check.

Come on.
Fisher.

Check.

My God.



If it's that good now,

what's it gonna be like
when I'm free?

You okay?

On March 10, 1983,

Mary Fisher was murdered
in her home in Sherman Oaks.

I was the primary
investigating officer.

Last month's
clearance rates, Russ.

I need them
yesterday.

I'm almost done.

Mr. Fisher never, at any time,

displayed remorse for this
brutal and senseless crime,

but there is additional
evidence to consider,

evidence I received
years after the murder,

new evidence that only further
confirms Mr. Fisher's guilt,

evidence that
leads me to recommend,

in the strongest
possible terms,

that Mr. Fisher be denied
parole at this time.

Make sure this goes out today.

For 18 years,

Jeremy Williams' claims
of innocence

Yeah.

in the American justice system.Harder.

That is, until
Private Investigator

Charlie Shannon
took on his case.

So, Charlie, how did you do it?

When a man is truly innocent--
I mean, truly--

when a man's been framed
by corrupt cops,

there's always a way.

I mean, you just don't give up
until you find it.

I find it.

I'm Charlie Shannon.

You need a guy
like this, babe.

That ship has
sailed, baby.

My hearing's next week.

Hey.

You don't think
I'm gonna get parole?

How many lifers
get parole first time up?

One percent?

But I've done the work.

I've got references,

statements of support,
job offers,

and approved
living arrangements

with my wife.

Honey, we got to talk.

Okay.

Before we met,
I thought

this was gonna be...

I don't know, um, like,
an arrangement.

Answer an ad,
meet a guy.

I never thought
that I would fall for you.

But I did.

All the way.

Me, too.

I mean, that's-that's
why we got married.

Honey...

We got married so we could fuck,

and then it

turned into something else--
it turned into this

beautiful thing that
I thought I could never have...

...because I didn't deserve it.

I'm sick of waiting
until the next conjugal.

It's not enough.

I deserve more.

You taught me that.

And you'll have that...

with me.

I don't think so.

I'm sorry, honey.

You're hurting me.

I'm sorry, too.

Your parole hearing, Eric.

Are you ready?

Ready to go.

Yeah, I know.

I know you are, son.

I only wish I could be there
to see it all pay off.

I'm really proud of you, boy.

Dad, you okay?

Yeah.

Hi, Eric, honey.

He's fine.
He's just fine.

How are you? You doing
your dream book?

How's Nancy doing?

Eric, listen up.

I'm not going anywhere,

unless I can take you and...

And we're gonna go
to a ball game, you hear me?

Eric?

Dad, I got to go.
There's guys waiting.

God, let them wait.
They...

No, I got to go.

Shit. Dad, hey!

Jesus.

Fuck!

Hey, you got to take
the plastic off first.

Nomo won another one last night.

Nomo.

Our new star pitcher, the Chink.

Big-shot murder cop

doesn't give a shit
about baseball anymore.

Motherfucker.

I filled out that housing req
myself, just like you told me,

and it worked.

I move to my new pod tomorrow.

Thanks, man.

I don't want that.

I'm clean.
Yeah, you do.

You call this
a personal statement?

Where's the remorse?

Keep reading.
No.

First, write a letter
from her to you

asking why
you killed her.

Why you would
even do that.

Fine.

You don't want a release date.All right, all right, all right.

All right, wait.

How do I do that?

Put yourself in her shoes.

Write her
letter first,

then your personal statement.

That thing's gonna be
soaked in remorse.

Do you solemnly swear or affirm

that the testimony
you're about to give

is the truth
and nothing but the truth?

I do.

You may be seated.

You were going
through her purse

when your mother
confronted you.

You beat her in the head
with multiple blunt instruments

and stabbed her
with two knives.

Yes, ma'am.

So how do you feel
about the crime now?

Commissioner,
perhaps you haven't...

Yeah, I read his
personal statement.

I'd like to hear
it from him.

I take full responsibility
for my actions,

but the person
who did this,

the person I was...

...that person
doesn't exist anymore.

You know, my stepmother says,
I should be grateful.

I hadn't gone to prison,
I'd be dead now from drugs.

But this version
of me,

this Eric, he is dead,

and I'm alive, because I do
take responsibility.

I stand before you

a changed man.

And how did you
effect that change,

Mr. Fisher?Consciously, through hard work,

since the day I arrived here.

I've had continued involvement
in 12 Step programs,

I've acquired a GED,

a paralegal degree...

Do you plan to continue
your self-improvement

if given a
parole date?
Yes, sir.

If you choose to release me,

I will do everything I can
to make you proud of me,

to make my parents

proud of me.

To make me proud of me.

First thing that I,
I want to do...

...I-I need to do

is, go see her.

Visit her grave and, um...

...and beg her forgiveness.

Mr. Fisher,
there is a report here

regarding a 1992 incident.

A corrections officer,

Armstrong, was stabbed
to death in a...

There was a thorough
investigation.

Mr. Fisher was cleared
of all possible involvement.

No gang affiliations?

No, sir.Would you be willing

to show us your
left forearm?
Yes, sir.

That's not a gang symbol?

Actually, I was going
for a peace sign.

Couldn't finish.

Hurts like hell
getting a tattoo.

Prior criminality consisted

of traffic tickets and
the use of illegal drugs.

I was a drug addict, yeah.

I still am.

In recovery.

And this,

before the murder, 1983 assault

on a young woman,
Kimberly Decker.

Never happened.

Kimberly was a very troubled
young woman.

Charges were never filed.

The investigating officer
suggested your father

paid the Deckers
not to file.

My father would never do that.

With all due respect,
Commissioner, my dad is my hero.

He's the best man
I've ever known.

I'm not gonna sit here
and have you tell me he's not.

Mr. Fisher, your psychological
evaluation at Sylmar

prior to trial.When I was 19, yeah.

11 years ago.

I've undergone a number

of extensive psych evals
since then.

And I'm talking about this one.

"Subject was
extremely aggressive,

"especially in charged
emotional situations

where he feels
he lacks control."

So... situation like this,

for example?

Like I said, I'm a changed man,

and frankly, sir,
after this hearing,

if you don't believe that, then,

I mean, I would urge you
to keep me in prison,

all of you.

You've
reached Henry and Faith Fisher.

We accept charges
for all collect calls.

Leave a message at the beep.

I did good.

I, I think
it went all right.

Dad?

Faith? Anybody?

All right.

So you told them you did it?

You got to, Chuck.

If you want to get out,
you got to tell them you did it

and you got to
show remorse.

Remorse? I'll show them
a shitload of remorse.

I'm just not gonna say
that I did it,

'cause I didn't.
I'm fucking innocent, man.OFFICER: Fisher.

Warden wants
to see you.

Hey, man, looks like
my man's got his date.

Yeah! Whoo!

On Fisher.

Fisher man!

Come in. Have a seat.

You need to call home.

Faith?

Honey, I'm sorry.

He's gone.

When?

Two days ago.

It was a very
peaceful transition.

He didn't want you to carry any
bad thoughts into your hearing.

When's the funeral?

Thursday,

at Mount Sinai.

And, I already
talked to your warden,

so maybe he could
get you a pass.

It's my father's funeral, sir.

I need to be there.

You know the rules.I'll pay.

I've got an inheritance coming.

You're 16 to life.

I just had my hearing.

No day passes for lifers.

The bucket.
That's contraband, inmate.

I've had this thing
for years, man.

I use it for laundry.

Ask your captain.The bucket.

Now.

- That's right, man.
- You better give it to him!

Fuck y'all.

Goddamn it, Fisher,
give it back.

Come here!

Get down!

All right, enough.

Stand down.

...witness stand in last year's
trial of the century.

In the upcoming civil trial

set for September 9,
O.J. Simpson will...

I'm not going in.

Dad, we're just checking it out.

No.

Fine. Stay here.

Unfortunately,

Dad's insurance only covers
a small portion

of our Level A care.Won't be a problem.

Here's $5,000--
that's first two months.

I don't know when he'll
start, but I want to know

that he has a spot
when he needs it.

One step at a time.

Why don't we get Dad in here
for a tour?

I don't think
he's in the touring mood.

We'll see about that.

We have a prospective
resident outside.

I said pull over!Shit.

Get out of the road!

Dave Russell, LAPD.Hey.

License and registration.My father.

He's retired off the job.

I told him to stay in the car.Okay.

So I got this.
Thanks, Officer.

Copy that.Thank you.

Hey, buddy, what
are you doing?

Hey. I got his license.Hey, no, no, no, no.

Give me it. Can you
give me the license?

No.

Let's give this guy back.

Sorry about that.

Come on.
You don't have to go in.

I went...

You went where?I don't know.

Do you need some help?

Come on.We're good. Thanks.

You do this, I'll eat my gun.

Don't say a word, kid.

Ed's a snitch.

You okay?

Hey, you're the fucking snitch, Paulie!

He wants you to confess.

When was the last time
you got high?

Shit, man, you killed her high.

Shut your own fucking mouth.

Fine. Fine.

We're all snitches.

No one's listening to you,
asshole!

Eric.

Eric.

Dad?

You there?

Dad?

Jesus loves you.

This just came for you today.

Sure it's good news.

China white.

Way it melts.

Covers the spoon.

I can't stop thinking...

I'd say then don't, man. Leave.

No, no, no.

Shoot that shit up.
Just stop fucking bitching.

No cross talk.

You know, somebody
gave me some smack.

I flushed it.

You think that was easy?

Should've given it to you.

Sit down, Fisher.

It's cool.

We're all cool.

Sit your ass down, man.

Keep coming back, shit bug.

From your lawyers.

Yeah.

You're not even
gonna look at them?

I get copies sent here.

That you don't read.

I know you've
given up on parole,

but they're still
working for you.

They say they're
investigating.

They're just
cashing checks.

They found something, honey.

A year ago.

Chris Keller.

He killed himself.

Shit.

What?

Not much of a note.

Well, what did you expect--

a confession?

Nobody is gonna
give you a ticket out.

Not the parole board.
Not Chris Keller.

You're gonna
have to work for it.

You can't do it alone.

You need help.Ma'am.

You've got to ask for help.

Find someone who
can get you out of here.

Ma'am.It's okay.

We're done.

Your father asked me...

Asked me to get you these
right before he transitioned.

Just wanted

to go to one more ball game
with his son.

He didn't
have the strength,

so he asked for help.

Can you do that?

I can do that.

I can tell you exactly what
happened that day, Mr. Shannon.

Charlie.

That's why I'm here.

Hey, Mrs. Fisher.

How's it going?No. Chris, Jesus.

I told you yesterday
you can't just drop in.N-No, I...

I just need some money for
a bus ticket to get home.

Yeah...W... Wait!

Can I just call my mom?

It'll be a second.

How do you know this happened?Mean, he had to go back.

You know, he's still pissed
from the day before.

He's still broke.

Where else would he go?

What are you doing?

Nothing.

What's in the backpack?

What's the code to the safe?

What's the fucking code?!

Fuck!

Bitch.

Give me the fucking thing!

Gimme it!

Mom, it's me.

Mom, you there?

Mom?

Okay, I've heard enough.

Chris Keller
didn't put you here.

We got to focus
on what did.

The cops. The D.A.
Your lawyer.

The judge. The evidence.

If you want my help,
those are our targets.

Right, and that's
what I'm saying.

Once Russell locked in on me,
he locked everything else out,

including Chris.

But Russell
interviewed Keller.Yeah,

in New Mexico,
where he was in jail

for attempting to rob
an old lady

with a fucking knife.

Right?
Less than a month

after he killed my mom,
and Russell knew that.

I read the transcript
before the trial.

So, your friend
Eric Fisher says that...

you did it.

We know that's not true.

Everything Chris said pointed

to his guilt, and my
lawyer wasn't even allowed

to mention his name.

You have that transcript?

It's okay. It's okay.
Your hotshot lawyers do,

and if you read it,
it was part of discovery.

That's just the tip
of the iceberg.

Russell falsified
tons of evidence.

He fucked me

every way he could.

There's no way he saw her
through that window.

You have any proof?

I got all kinds of proof.

I just fucking love prison.

Your arrest report.

Russell's follow-up.

The chrono.

Witness statements.
Trial transcripts.

We need everything.

My lawyers said that...Yeah, wild guess.

"Better we hold onto it,
keep everything in one place."

You want a chance
at getting out,

we got to work this ourselves.

You sign this,
and I'll get you everything

your legal weasels have.

What they don't have,

whatever's missing, I'll find.

All right?
Now, you know

you got to go through all of it.

Any mistakes.

Any evidence of misconduct.

$1,200 a week?

Plus expenses.

If Dave Russell framed you,

it's not the only time.

I'll look into him, hard.

If we can prove
a pattern of corruption...

It gets me out.It's a start.

Jeremy Williams,

the guy you saw me on TV with?

He signed it.

He's free now.

Built in '64.

Rock-solid.

Safe building?

For my daughter.

Well, you got a real-life cop
living next door.

Active LAPD.

Moved in with his, dad
a couple years back.

Good guy, this cop?

Yeah, he's a great tenant.

Pays on time. Cash.

Six months at a clip.

You want an app?

There's always guys out
there for themselves.

Problem with Rampart is
it's putting a spotlight

on a whole group of scumbags.

Think Dave Russell
fits with that?

Skimming and the shakedowns?

Russ?

He's the boss now.

He runs all the detective
tables in Metro.

West Bureau gangs
back in the '80s.

What, you think
he never got his hands dirty?

Fuck you.

You're working a convict case.

Squeezing the last dime
out of some shitbird,

selling him hope that
he don't deserve.

Well, some shitbirds
are innocent.

Some shitbirds
are framed by dirty cops.

Not Russ.

Compared to you?

He's got more real cop...

in his left nut.

Coffee?

Yes, please.

So, you a cop, too?

Used to be.

Now, apparently,
I'm just an asshole.

No, you're not.

You sure?

trust me.

My ex was the king of assholes.

I'm an expert in this area.

I think what you need

is some sweet potato pie.

To prove her confidence
in the work that...

...Y2K bugs in the agency's
computers, FAA administrator...

Nice car, Dave.

Fancy house, Mr. Russell.

What do we got here?

This is his house.

See you, babe.

Where we going? Where we going?
All right.

The problem is,
there's not much to find.

I looked into his other cases.

Russell seems like
a pretty straight arrow.

Says who, the police?

Look, I thought he showed

some weirdness
on the financial side.

You know, big-ass Mercedes,

a mansion in Hancock Park,

paying cash for stuff.Well, he's taking payoffs.

Nope.
Just a sad divorce.

And the wife traded up,
from cop to doctor.

Married a guy she worked with
at the ER.

Owns a bunch of high-end
trauma centers.

The dad's an old-school copper,
the kind that don't trust

the bank with
their pension money,

so that could explain
the cash flow.

Russell's dirty, man,
he's got to be.

You and me, Eric.

We're two peas in the pod.

All right?
We don't give up.

Yeah.

Okay.
Look, I'll keep checking.

You need more money?

Buy you a drink, Detective?

Charlie Shannon, P.I.
Work for Eric Fisher.

I don't come to you
with my problems.

Nice meeting you, too, Dave.

Mama, could I get
a Macallan 12, double?

Are you sure?

I mean, Fisher's a big spender.

Eric Fisher is
guilty as sin.

And if you're
following me, asshole,

you want to stand the fuck down.

Well, Fisher says
Chris Keller killed his mother,

and you looked the other way.

Eric Fisher carved his mom
wide open.

Crushed her head, stabbed her,

choked her out.

He's a piece of shit
that deserves to die in prison.

And you work for him.

So what does that make you?

That they'd have a black shirt
and a gray shirt,

and I feel like they should
pick one color scheme.

Well, you know
what they're doing,

the-the Mets are spending

all that World Series money
on uniforms.

They're big boys, they can
handle themselves. Relax.

Not like I'm beating up
on a chili guy, you know?

Got to get rid
of some of this shit

if all this gonna fit
in your cell.

Shut the fuck up!

You shut
the fuck up!

Shut the fuck up!

Fuck, man!

Quiet your ass down, man!

But there is additional
evidence to consider.

Evidence I received

years after the murder.

"I met with Carl Horowitz,

"the new owner
of the Fisher house,

"after receiving
a call from him.

"Mr. Horowitz informed me

"that he had found $150

"hidden in the attic

above Eric Fisher's
old bedroom."

He's lying.

Nobody found
any money in that attic.

Are you kidding me?
The only way up there

is the ladder from the garage.

There's no fucking way
Keller did that, man.

He killed my mother,
he took the money

and he split.

Lieutenant Russell
straight-up lied

to my parole board in writing.

California Penal Code S134:
"Any person guilty

"of preparing false documents
to be used in any trial,

"proceeding or inquiry

is guilty of a fucking felony."

Yes.
You just have to prove it.

No.
No, that's your job.

Detective Russell
ever came by to talk to you

about the Eric Fisher case?

You were right. Horowitz never found any money.

He never even met Dave Russell.
I've got a sworn statement

to prove it.

LAPD Internal Affairs

has to go after Russell.

They're gonna do our job for us,

and they're gonna do it
for free.

The higher up you are,
the more I.A.

loves kicking your ass,

and Russell is a lieutenant.

We fucking got him.

We got him.

Where is your client,
Ms. Harding?

He is not coming, Commissioner.

Mr. Fisher has
instructed me to inform you

that he had nothing to do
with his mother's murder

and he is no longer
willing to claim otherwise

in order to be granted
an early release date.

The California Board
of Prison Terms

received a letter from
LAPD Lieutenant Dave Russell

on May 7, 1996

concerning the robbery and murder of my mother Mary Fisher

in our home in Sherman Oaks.

In this letter, Lieutenant
Russell falsified evidence

against me in order
to have my parole denied,

making him guilty of a felony.

I have proof
of his false statement.

Lieutenant Russell's
obvious contempt for the law

and his oath
must not be rewarded.

He has lied to the parole board and lied to the courts.

Society deserves no less
than to be relieved

of Russell's brand
of willful corruption.

I ask that you give this matter

your utmost
and immediate attention.

Sincerely,

Eric Fisher.