Shades of Guilt (2015–2019): Season 1, Episode 5 - DNA - full transcript
15 years ago a young homeless couple commit a crime, but advances in forensic science catch up with them and DNA tests force them to face their past.
I can't look at it.
SHADES OF GUILT
Mrs Deggert?
I've written a letter.
For my children.
Can you take it?
I wish I could,
but I'm not allowed.
Tell me about that day.
Thomas and I were living
on the streets back then.
We hadn't known each other long.
It was our first Christmas together.
Merry Christmas.
Mum?
Nina?
Where's Mum?
- She's not here.
- Put Mum on.
Nina, please.
Please come back, Nina.
Please.
Go to hell!
What kind of pervert are you?
Piss off.
- Didn't you hear me? Piss off.
- Hey, get lost.
Are you OK?
Bastard.
He'd better not come back.
Here.
Come here.
Nina.
I'm just going upstairs.
I'll be right back.
Do you want to come to my place?
My flat's nice and warm.
I don't want sex. I just don't want
to spend Christmas by myself.
Only if my boyfriend can come too.
Forgive the intrusion.
Would you mind if I joined you?
I've been travelling all day.
I'm Hermann, by the way.
I'm Nina. This is Thomas.
Would you like
to take a hot bath?
It will do you good.
Go ahead.
OK, where's the bathroom?
You don't mind, do you?
- The pig.
- The pig.
Did you try to get help?
- Do you know anything about Thomas?
- No.
I can get in touch with his lawyer.
You'll need to waive confidentiality.
Did you realise he was dead?
No.
That is, not immediately.
Is he dead?
I don't know. I think so.
Shit, my ID is still in there.
Look.
8,500.
It'll be tough.
Very tough.
Want one?
POLICE ASK FOR HELP
WANTED: YOUNG MAN
YOUNG WOMAN
NO PERMANENT ADDRESS
You said it was cold that day.
Was it snowing?
Were you ever in Steglitz?
Steglitz? No, I hardly know it.
We were in our usual place.
We were in our usual spot all day.
I've never been to Steglitz.
Which train goes there?
Do you know Hermann Seidler?
Did anyone approach you that day?
It was pretty busy that evening,
even though it was Christmas Eve.
Yes, a nice Christmas,
out in the cold.
It snowed that day, didn't it?
Yes, it snowed.
Of course, it was Christmas.
I'm sorry we kept you so long.
There were a few uncertainties.
And?
You can go.
You could call that a lucky break,
given the situation.
Yes, it felt very odd.
We said to each other:
"It's like a sign. It's meant to be."
You understand?
Who knows where we'd be
without that money.
Suddenly everything was different.
Everything was good.
Hello, I'm calling
about the flat.
Can we arrange a viewing?
OK.
Great, thank you.
Then this letter arrived.
That's mine.
Sorry.
At 10am on the 12th
we have to be in Keithstrasse.
OK, guys, take your bags.
The first to reach the car wins.
- Nina, come on.
- I win!
Then go ahead and get in.
Go on.
SUMMONS TO PROVIDE
DNA SAMPLE
It concerns
the Seidler case from 1997.
You were called in for questioning
but there was insufficient evidence.
Forensic science
has come a long way.
We'd like you to do a saliva test
so we can compare your DNA.
If you refuse, the court will order it
and you'll have to do it anyway.
We found cigarette ends
at the crime scene.
Mr Seidler didn't smoke.
Assuming they came
from the culprit,
we had them subjected
to molecular genetic analysis.
The DNA we found on the butts
clearly matches your DNA.
You were in the flat.
Which contradicts the statement
you made in January 1998.
Mr Deggert, we're talking about
manslaughter, murder even.
There's no statute on murder.
Mrs Deggert, we therefore assume
that on Christmas Eve, 1997,
you killed Hermann Seidler.
At the time you denied it
and we couldn't prove anything.
But now we can.
You're under provisional arrest.
I'll read you your rights.
You need not incriminate yourself.
You have the right to a lawyer. If you
don't know any, we'll assign you one.
Do you understand?
Tell me what happened.
It's in your own interest.
Can I let my aunt know
so she can look after the children?
How long will we go to prison for?
As far as I can tell at this point,
we're talking about manslaughter.
That would be 7 or 8 years.
The arrest warrant...
It said murder.
The investigating authorities
always go for murder initially.
That would mean life, right?
MOABIT PRISON
GATE 1
Mrs Deggert, your husband's aunt
brought you some things.
Thank you.
You are Nina Deggert,
born in Berlin on August 15th, 1979.
Residing at Ritterweg 15,
10443 Berlin?
Yes.
- Do you know the charges?
- Yes.
Do you have anything to say?
- No.
- Mr Kronberg.
My client, together with
her husband and children,
leads a very stable life.
She's employed at a bakery.
Here's the certificate of employment.
She's lived at the same address
for over 10 years
and has a stable home life.
She's able to post bail,
and has no foreign contacts.
That's why I ask for the warrant
to be suspended until the trial.
Given your client's past,
the risk of flight is warranted.
After all, she's being
charged with murder.
Yes, but my client left that life
behind her over 15 years ago.
Together with her husband
she managed to find a way out
and she's been living
a normal life ever since.
If this long, drawn-out
investigation leads
to this normal life
being threatened,
then the detention
will serve no purpose.
This is certainly an unusual case.
The accused
is under strong suspicion,
but, like Mr Kronberg,
I don't see any risk of flight.
I hereby revoke the arrest warrant
with bail set at 3,000 euros.
The accused must report
to the police each week.
You are not allowed to leave Berlin.
Thank you. Excellent.
You can live at home again
and go back to work.
Provided you adhere to the conditions,
otherwise bail can be revoked.
Thank you, Mr Kronberg.
Come along.
Goodbye.
Hello.
- Thanks again, Mr Kronberg.
- Don't mention it.
Mrs Deggert.
- Stick to the bail conditions.
- Yes, of course.
If we get life, we'll have to do
at least 18 years.
- Mr Kronberg said 7 or 8.
- That remains to be seen.
Why would anyone believe us?
Even 8 years...
Sally and Dennis
will have grown up.
Yes.
I can't handle that.
Do you understand?
I can't handle that.
I can't look at it.
Dad, I need a pee.
OK, hold on.
We have to go to the station.
Aunt Judith's waiting.
Yes, the confession
is indeed a problem.
The judge wouldn't have been
able to rule out accidental death.
They needed a solicitor sooner.
Water under the bridge.
Hopefully they'll get
two and a half years.
- But?
- I don't know. Something's not right.
A person's guilt is hard to measure.
All our lives
we strive for happiness,
but sometimes we go astray
and things go awry.
Then only the law
separates us from chaos,
a thin layer of ice, underneath
which it's cold and you die quickly.
SHADES OF GUILT
Mrs Deggert?
I've written a letter.
For my children.
Can you take it?
I wish I could,
but I'm not allowed.
Tell me about that day.
Thomas and I were living
on the streets back then.
We hadn't known each other long.
It was our first Christmas together.
Merry Christmas.
Mum?
Nina?
Where's Mum?
- She's not here.
- Put Mum on.
Nina, please.
Please come back, Nina.
Please.
Go to hell!
What kind of pervert are you?
Piss off.
- Didn't you hear me? Piss off.
- Hey, get lost.
Are you OK?
Bastard.
He'd better not come back.
Here.
Come here.
Nina.
I'm just going upstairs.
I'll be right back.
Do you want to come to my place?
My flat's nice and warm.
I don't want sex. I just don't want
to spend Christmas by myself.
Only if my boyfriend can come too.
Forgive the intrusion.
Would you mind if I joined you?
I've been travelling all day.
I'm Hermann, by the way.
I'm Nina. This is Thomas.
Would you like
to take a hot bath?
It will do you good.
Go ahead.
OK, where's the bathroom?
You don't mind, do you?
- The pig.
- The pig.
Did you try to get help?
- Do you know anything about Thomas?
- No.
I can get in touch with his lawyer.
You'll need to waive confidentiality.
Did you realise he was dead?
No.
That is, not immediately.
Is he dead?
I don't know. I think so.
Shit, my ID is still in there.
Look.
8,500.
It'll be tough.
Very tough.
Want one?
POLICE ASK FOR HELP
WANTED: YOUNG MAN
YOUNG WOMAN
NO PERMANENT ADDRESS
You said it was cold that day.
Was it snowing?
Were you ever in Steglitz?
Steglitz? No, I hardly know it.
We were in our usual place.
We were in our usual spot all day.
I've never been to Steglitz.
Which train goes there?
Do you know Hermann Seidler?
Did anyone approach you that day?
It was pretty busy that evening,
even though it was Christmas Eve.
Yes, a nice Christmas,
out in the cold.
It snowed that day, didn't it?
Yes, it snowed.
Of course, it was Christmas.
I'm sorry we kept you so long.
There were a few uncertainties.
And?
You can go.
You could call that a lucky break,
given the situation.
Yes, it felt very odd.
We said to each other:
"It's like a sign. It's meant to be."
You understand?
Who knows where we'd be
without that money.
Suddenly everything was different.
Everything was good.
Hello, I'm calling
about the flat.
Can we arrange a viewing?
OK.
Great, thank you.
Then this letter arrived.
That's mine.
Sorry.
At 10am on the 12th
we have to be in Keithstrasse.
OK, guys, take your bags.
The first to reach the car wins.
- Nina, come on.
- I win!
Then go ahead and get in.
Go on.
SUMMONS TO PROVIDE
DNA SAMPLE
It concerns
the Seidler case from 1997.
You were called in for questioning
but there was insufficient evidence.
Forensic science
has come a long way.
We'd like you to do a saliva test
so we can compare your DNA.
If you refuse, the court will order it
and you'll have to do it anyway.
We found cigarette ends
at the crime scene.
Mr Seidler didn't smoke.
Assuming they came
from the culprit,
we had them subjected
to molecular genetic analysis.
The DNA we found on the butts
clearly matches your DNA.
You were in the flat.
Which contradicts the statement
you made in January 1998.
Mr Deggert, we're talking about
manslaughter, murder even.
There's no statute on murder.
Mrs Deggert, we therefore assume
that on Christmas Eve, 1997,
you killed Hermann Seidler.
At the time you denied it
and we couldn't prove anything.
But now we can.
You're under provisional arrest.
I'll read you your rights.
You need not incriminate yourself.
You have the right to a lawyer. If you
don't know any, we'll assign you one.
Do you understand?
Tell me what happened.
It's in your own interest.
Can I let my aunt know
so she can look after the children?
How long will we go to prison for?
As far as I can tell at this point,
we're talking about manslaughter.
That would be 7 or 8 years.
The arrest warrant...
It said murder.
The investigating authorities
always go for murder initially.
That would mean life, right?
MOABIT PRISON
GATE 1
Mrs Deggert, your husband's aunt
brought you some things.
Thank you.
You are Nina Deggert,
born in Berlin on August 15th, 1979.
Residing at Ritterweg 15,
10443 Berlin?
Yes.
- Do you know the charges?
- Yes.
Do you have anything to say?
- No.
- Mr Kronberg.
My client, together with
her husband and children,
leads a very stable life.
She's employed at a bakery.
Here's the certificate of employment.
She's lived at the same address
for over 10 years
and has a stable home life.
She's able to post bail,
and has no foreign contacts.
That's why I ask for the warrant
to be suspended until the trial.
Given your client's past,
the risk of flight is warranted.
After all, she's being
charged with murder.
Yes, but my client left that life
behind her over 15 years ago.
Together with her husband
she managed to find a way out
and she's been living
a normal life ever since.
If this long, drawn-out
investigation leads
to this normal life
being threatened,
then the detention
will serve no purpose.
This is certainly an unusual case.
The accused
is under strong suspicion,
but, like Mr Kronberg,
I don't see any risk of flight.
I hereby revoke the arrest warrant
with bail set at 3,000 euros.
The accused must report
to the police each week.
You are not allowed to leave Berlin.
Thank you. Excellent.
You can live at home again
and go back to work.
Provided you adhere to the conditions,
otherwise bail can be revoked.
Thank you, Mr Kronberg.
Come along.
Goodbye.
Hello.
- Thanks again, Mr Kronberg.
- Don't mention it.
Mrs Deggert.
- Stick to the bail conditions.
- Yes, of course.
If we get life, we'll have to do
at least 18 years.
- Mr Kronberg said 7 or 8.
- That remains to be seen.
Why would anyone believe us?
Even 8 years...
Sally and Dennis
will have grown up.
Yes.
I can't handle that.
Do you understand?
I can't handle that.
I can't look at it.
Dad, I need a pee.
OK, hold on.
We have to go to the station.
Aunt Judith's waiting.
Yes, the confession
is indeed a problem.
The judge wouldn't have been
able to rule out accidental death.
They needed a solicitor sooner.
Water under the bridge.
Hopefully they'll get
two and a half years.
- But?
- I don't know. Something's not right.
A person's guilt is hard to measure.
All our lives
we strive for happiness,
but sometimes we go astray
and things go awry.
Then only the law
separates us from chaos,
a thin layer of ice, underneath
which it's cold and you die quickly.