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GET OFF OF ME!
Jones: A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL BRUTALLY ASSAULTED.
FIVE YOUNG MEN CONVICTED OF AN HORRIFIC CRIME.
BUT 20 YEARS LATER,
NEW EVIDENCE SURFACES THAT REOPENS OLD WOUNDS.
I THOUGHT, "THIS IS CRAZY.
THERE'S DNA EVIDENCE THAT POINTS TO SOMEONE ELSE.
NOW I WANT TO FIND OUT
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO CATERESA MATTHEWS.
MY NAME IS APHRODITE JONES.
AS A TRUE-CRIME AUTHOR, I TAKE ON CONTROVERSIAL CASES.
I TRACK DOWN THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY,
AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL I GET THE TRUTH.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
IT'S A GRUESOME *** THAT TIED SIX TEENAGERS TOGETHER FOREVER,
IN LIFE AND IN DEATH.
A COMMUNITY IS LEFT TO WONDER, HOW COULD ANYONE COMMIT
SUCH A HEINOUS CRIME AGAINST AN INNOCENT CHILD?
THIS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED --
IN DIXMOOR, ILLINOIS, A SMALL TOWN SOUTH OF CHICAGO.
DIXMOOR IS A PLACE WHERE HARD-WORKING PEOPLE
LIVE ALONGSIDE DRUG DEALERS AND VIOLENCE.
PEOPLE ARE CONFRONTED
WITH A CRIMINAL MENTALITY ON A DAILY BASIS.
Thompson: IT'S SEEN A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT DEVELOPED
IN THE POST-MANUFACTURING 1980s IN THE UNITED STATES
WITH SOME MANUFACTURING JOBS LEAVING.
AND IT BREEDS, THEREFORE, A LOT OF ANGER ISSUES
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE, ESPECIALLY THE YOUTH.
ONE YOUNG PERSON LIVING IN DIXMOOR IS CATERESA MATTHEWS.
IN THE FALL OF 1991,
SHE'S AN EIGHTH GRADER AT ROSA PARKS MIDDLE SCHOOL.
JUST A TYPICAL AMERICAN TEENAGE GIRL.
14 YEARS OLD.
SHE LIKES FASHION AND DESIGN, SINGS IN THE SCHOOL CHOIR,
ENJOYS HANGING OUT WITH HER FRIENDS.
Jones: CATERESA LIVES WITH HER MOTHER,
BUT ON THE AFTERNOON OF NOVEMBER 19, 1991,
SHE'S AT HER GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE, EATING A HEARTY MEAL.
IT'S HER USUAL AFTER-SCHOOL ROUTINE.
AT AROUND 3:30 P.M., SHE HEADS FOR HOME.
BUT SHE NEVER ARRIVES.
AFTER A FRANTIC SEARCH,
HER MOTHER CALLS THE POLICE TO REPORT THAT CATERESA IS MISSING.
CATERESA'S FATHER, MARK SMITH,
IS LIVING IN FLORIDA AT THE TIME.
BUT HE IS IMMEDIATELY ALERTED.
THEY HAD CALLED AND TOLD ME SHE HAD DISAPPEARED.
AND THEY THOUGHT THAT SHE HAD RAN AWAY FROM HOME,
AND I SAID
THAT SHE DIDN'T RUN AWAY BECAUSE SHE WOULD'VE CALLED.
MARK AND CATERESA WERE MAKING PLANS FOR HER FUTURE
THAT INCLUDED MOVING IN WITH HIM DOWN SOUTH.
WHY WERE YOU NOT LIVING THERE IN CHICAGO WITH HER?
MOVED AWAY TO TRY TO BETTER MYSELF.
GET AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE THAT I HUNG OUT WITH THAT --
IT WASN'T THE BEST PEOPLE TO BE AROUND.
WHEN SHE WAS GONNA COME AND MOVE WITH YOU TO FLORIDA,
YOU MUST'VE BEEN ELATED.
I WAS. I HAD DREAMS OF WHAT SHE COULD BE.
DREAMS THAT SHE WOULD SEE A DIFFERENT WORLD.
LIKE I DID.
TRAGICALLY,
CATERESA NEVER GETS TO EXPLORE THE WORLD BEYOND DIXMOOR.
NEARLY THREE WEEKS AFTER SHE DISAPPEARED,
ON DECEMBER 8th,
A MAN IS WALKING ON A WELL-WORN PATH NEXT TO INTERSTATE 57
WHEN HE SPOTS A BODY IN THE BRUSH.
IT'S A YOUNG GIRL, PARTIALLY UNDRESSED,
A BULLET THROUGH HER HEAD.
CATERESA MATTHEWS HAS BEEN FOUND.
TO ME, THIS IS THE PARENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE ON EARTH.
IT IS.
YOU NEVER WANT YOUR CHILD TO LEAVE BEFORE YOU.
IS THERE PART OF YOU THAT FEELS
LIKE YOU HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS?
I DO.
WHY?
I HAVE A WHOLE LOT.
I SHOULD'VE BEEN THERE FOR HER. I WOULD'VE MADE A DIFFERENCE.
I THINK IF I'D HAVE BEEN THERE FOR HER,
SHE'D PROBABLY BE STILL ALIVE TODAY.
I WAS THERE FOR MY OTHER KIDS, AND THEY DOING GREAT.
I STILL FEEL THAT IF I WOULD'VE BEEN IN THE AREA,
I COULD'VE MADE A DIFFERENCE.
AND I WASN'T.
THAT'S SO HEAVY, MARK.
I'M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY, HONESTLY.
WHILE CATERESA'S FAMILY
STRUGGLES TO FACE THEIR NEW REALITY,
POLICE PROCESS THE CRIME SCENE.
THE EVIDENCE POINTS
TO A TERRIFYING FINAL FEW MINUTES FOR THIS YOUNG WOMAN.
CATERESA HAS BEEN SHOT ONCE IN THE MOUTH.
WHITE UNDERPANTS CIRCLE HER ANKLE,
AND IT APPEARS SHE'S BEEN ***.
THREE HAIRS ARE TAPE LIFTED FROM HER LOWER BODY,
AND A ***-ASSAULT KIT IS CONDUCTED.
SHE DIED AT THE HANDS OF SOMEBODY WHO WAS WILLING
TO LEAVE HER MURDERED ON THE SIDE OF THE STREET.
IT MAKES YOU SHUDDER TO THINK
THAT THIS INNOCENT CHILD HAD TO DIE THIS WAY.
IN THE *** SAMPLE TAKEN FROM CATERESA'S BODY,
A MEDICAL EXAMINER FINDS DNA BELONGING TO A SOLE MALE.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY FOR CATERESA'S FAMILY,
IN 1991, DNA ANALYSIS IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY.
THE FBI AND FORENSIC SCIENTISTS
WERE REALLY JUST BEGINNING TO DEVELOP THE TOOLS
THAT WOULD ALLOW DNA TO BE USED AT TRIALS.
THE NATIONAL DNA DATABASE SYSTEM WAS JUST GETTING STARTED.
TODAY, THERE'S OVER 10 MILLION NAMES
IN THE NATIONAL DNA DATABASE,
AND HALF A MILLION OF THOSE ARE ILLINOIS NAMES.
BUT AT THAT TIME,
THERE WAS NO WAY TO MATCH THIS DNA TO THE PERPETRATOR.
IF THIS DNA WON'T POINT TO HER MURDERER,
WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO GO ON?
POLICE QUESTION CATERESA'S FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL
AND ALMOST EVERYONE WHO KNEW HER.
BUT ALL LEADS LEAD NOWHERE.
THE INVESTIGATION GOES COLD UNTIL ALMOST 11 MONTHS LATER.
Thompson: SO, THEN, IN THE WINTER OF 1992, THERE'S A POLICE REPORT
SHOWING THAT POLICE TALKED TO SOMEONE NAMED KENO BARNES,
AND THIS SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY LEAD
THE POLICE HAVE HAD ON THE CASE IN ALMOST A YEAR.
Jones: ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, KENO BARNES TELLS DIXMOOR POLICE
THAT ONE OF HIS CLASSMATES, JONATHAN BARR,
SAW CATERESA THE DAY SHE DISAPPEARED.
SHE WAS GETTING INTO A CAR WITH A GROUP OF BOYS.
IT'S A BIG LEAD, AND IT RESTARTS THE INVESTIGATION.
Jones: BUT THIS LEAD RAISES A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
I MEAN, WHO'S JONATHAN BARR?
WHO ARE THESE KIDS IN THE CAR WITH CATERESA?
AND WHY DIDN'T WE HEAR ABOUT THEM UNTIL NOW?
SURELY THIS GROUP OF KIDS
COULDN'T BE INVOLVED IN SUCH AN UNSPEAKABLE CRIME.
COULD THEY?
YOU WANTED THEM EXECUTED?
I WANTED THEM DEAD.
YOU WOULD'VE WANTED THEM DEAD, TOO.
Jones: I'M IN DIXMOOR, ILLINOIS,
LOOKING INTO THE BRUTAL 1991 ***
OF 14-YEAR-OLD CATERESA MATTHEWS.
ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR PASSES BEFORE POLICE GET A TIP
THAT JONATHAN BARR SAW HIS CLASSMATE, CATERESA,
GET INTO A CAR WITH A GROUP OF BOYS
ON THE DAY SHE WENT MISSING.
AND THERE'S MORE.
ACCORDING TO THIS TIP,
JONATHAN CAN IDENTIFY TWO OF THE BOYS IN THE CAR --
ROBERT TAYLOR AND ROBERT LEE VEAL.
DO THESE KIDS KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO CATERESA?
ROBERT LEE VEAL IS THE FIRST TO BE BROUGHT TO MARKHAM COURTHOUSE
FOR QUESTIONING.
AFTER FIVE HOURS IN POLICE CUSTODY,
HE SIGNS A HANDWRITTEN DOCUMENT.
SIGN RIGHT THERE.
IT'S A CONFESSION
TO THE GANG *** AND *** OF CATERESA MATTHEWS.
VEAL SAYS FOUR OTHER TEENAGERS PARTICIPATED IN THE CRIME.
ROBERT TAYLOR. HE'S 14. HE'S A TOUGH KID.
JAMES HARDEN AND JONATHAN BARR ARE BROTHERS.
JAMES IS 16. JONATHAN'S 14.
AND SHAINNE SHARP IS AN OLDER KID.
Jones: THE CRIME DESCRIBED IN VEAL'S CONFESSION
IS VICIOUS AND COLD-BLOODED.
AT AROUND 3:00 P.M. THE DAY CATERESA WENT MISSING,
VEAL IS WALKING DOWN THE STREET
WHEN JAMES AND SOME OF THE OTHER BOYS DRIVE BY
AND INVITE HIM TO JUMP IN.
SOON, THEY PICK UP JONATHAN AND CATERESA
AND PARK NEXT TO A FIELD.
WHEN EVERYONE GETS OUT, VEAL'S STATEMENT SAYS,
JONATHAN PUNCHES CATERESA IN THE FACE.
AFTER JAMES COMFORTS HER, THEY ALL WALK DOWN A PATH TOGETHER.
ACCORDING TO VEAL'S STATEMENT...
Matthews: GET OFF OF ME!
...ALL THE BOYS, EXCEPT FOR HIM, *** CATERESA.
WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED, JAMES TAKES A GUN OUT OF HIS WAISTBAND
AND FIRES ONE FATAL SHOT AT HER HEAD.
[ GUNSHOT ]
COME ON, MAN. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET'S GET OUT OF HERE.
I HATE TO THINK ABOUT THAT POOR CHILD'S LAST MOMENTS.
IT'S UPSETTING TO THINK THAT CHILDREN COULD BE CAPABLE
OF BRUTALIZING EACH OTHER.
YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THAT OUR WORLD HAS NOT COME TO THAT.
IT'S THE SENSELESSNESS OF THIS CRIME
THAT'S HARDEST FOR ME TO STOMACH.
ROBERT LEE VEAL DOESN'T GIVE US ANY SENSE
OF WHOSE IDEA THIS WAS, WHY THIS HAPPENED.
IT'S VERY CURIOUS, HIS CONFESSION.
POLICE BRING IN ONE OF THE OTHER BOYS FOR QUESTIONING --
14-YEAR-OLD ROBERT TAYLOR.
AFTER FOUR HOURS IN CUSTODY,
TAYLOR SIGNS HIS OWN
HANDWRITTEN CONFESSION...
JUST SIGN THERE.
...IMPLICATING HIMSELF AND THE FOUR OTHER BOYS.
VEAL AND TAYLOR'S CONFESSIONS LEAD TO A THIRD.
THIS ONE COMES AFTER 21 HOURS IN CUSTODY,
FROM 17-YEAR-OLD SHAINNE SHARP.
ALL OF THE BOYS ARE ARRESTED.
THEY BECOME KNOWN AS THE DIXMOOR FIVE.
FOR CATERESA'S FATHER, ANGER TAKES OVER.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN TO THESE YOUNG MEN
FOR WHAT THEY DID TO YOUR DAUGHTER?
I FIGURED SHE DIDN'T HAVE A LIFE, THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE ONE.
YOU WANTED THEM EXECUTED?
I WANTED THEM DEAD. I THINK ANYBODY
THAT TAKES A PERSON -- A CHILD'S LIFE
DESERVES TO DIE.
IN THE STORY THAT I HAD HEARD,
YOU WOULD'VE WANTED THEM DEAD, TOO.
JAMES, JONATHAN, AND ROBERT TAYLOR
TAKE THEIR CASE TO TRIAL.
Thompson: THEY'RE CONVICTED,
AND THEY'RE EACH SENTENCED TO OVER 80 YEARS IN PRISON.
AND FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S A YOUNG MAN AT THE TIME YOU'RE CONVICTED,
THAT'S YOUR WHOLE LIFE.
THIS IS A LIFE SENTENCE.
ROBERT LEE VEAL AND SHAINNE SHARP
TAKE DEALS TO TESTIFY AGAINST THE OTHER THREE,
AND THEY GET SIGNIFICANTLY LIGHTER SENTENCES.
Jones: IT SEEMS THAT JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED
FOR CATERESA MATTHEWS AND HER FAMILY.
BUT WHAT IF IT WASN'T?
I'M LOOKING THROUGH THE TRIAL TRANSCRIPTS,
AND ONE THING JUMPS OUT AT ME.
THE DNA SAMPLE THAT WAS FOUND IN CATERESA'S BODY
BELONGS TO A SOLE MALE.
AND IT DOESN'T MATCH ANY ONE OF THE BOYS IN THE DIXMOOR FIVE.
FIVE BOYS SUPPOSEDLY *** HER, AND NONE OF THEM LEAVE DNA?
REALLY?
I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE TROUBLED BY THIS.
I TRACK DOWN ATTORNEY JENNIFER BLAGG,
WHO FIRST CAME ACROSS THIS CASE IN 2006.
WHAT WAS IT THAT BOTHERED YOU ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR CASE?
15-YEAR-OLD BOYS SUPPOSEDLY HAVING SEX WITH A GIRL
WHO LEAVE NO DNA BEHIND, WHO LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND,
TO SAY THAT THEY WERE AT THE SCENE?
THERE'S A MAN AT NORTHWESTERN WITH A FAMOUS SAYING, LIKE,
"A 15-YEAR-OLD CAN'T MAKE A PEANUT-BUTTER SANDWICH
WITHOUT LEAVING BEHIND EVIDENCE."
I THOUGHT, "THIS IS CRAZY.
THERE'S DNA EVIDENCE THAT POINTS TO SOMEONE ELSE."
IN 2007, JENNIFER REPRESENTS ROBERT TAYLOR AND JONATHAN BARR
IN THEIR APPEAL
TO TRY AND FIND THE MAN WHO MATCHES THIS DNA SAMPLE.
THE APPEAL IS DENIED,
BUT SHE DOESN'T GIVE UP, AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.
ON TOP OF THIS MYSTERY DNA,
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT ALL
LINKING THE DIXMOOR FIVE TO THE CRIME SCENE.
THERE'S NO FINGERPRINTS.
RIGHT.
THERE'S NOTHING.
THE SHELL CASINGS FROM THE BULLET.
NOTHING TIES THESE FIVE YOUNG MEN TO THIS ***.
RIGHT. IN FACT, THERE WERE HAIRS FOUND ON THE SCENE
THAT DID NOT MATCH ANY OF THE BOYS.
IT'S A HEAD-TURNER.
SO, HOW DOES THE JURY CONVICT FIVE YOUNG MEN?
IT SHOWS YOU THE POWER OF A CONFESSION.
IN MY EXPERIENCE,
WHERE SOMEONE CONFESSES TO COMMITTING A CRIME,
THE JURY IS ALWAYS GOING TO BELIEVE THAT CONFESSION.
THE PROSECUTION'S ENTIRE CASE
SEEMS TO BE BASED ON THE CONFESSIONS.
BUT WHEN I LOOK FOR RECORDINGS
OF THESE CONFESSIONS AND INTERVIEWS WITH POLICE,
I FIND THEY DON'T EXIST.
THE WAY THAT THE CONFESSIONS WERE TAKEN IN THIS CASE
WERE PRETTY STANDARD FOR THE TIME.
THEY'RE NOT AUDIO RECORDED OR VIDEO RECORDED.
THEY'RE TAKEN WITHOUT PARENTS OR ATTORNEYS PRESENT.
THEY'RE NOT TYPED OUT BY A COURT REPORTER.
THEY'RE WRITTEN BY THE PEOPLE
WHO TOOK THOSE CONFESSIONS FROM THESE KIDS.
Jones: I'M TRYING TO TRACK DOWN
THE PERSON WHO HANDWROTE THESE CONFESSIONS.
WITHOUT AUDIO OR VIDEOTAPE OF THE INTERROGATIONS,
IT'LL BE HARD FOR ME TO GET A SENSE OF HOW THEY WENT DOWN.
AT THIS POINT, I'M DEFINITELY WONDERING,
"ARE THESE HANDWRITTEN CONFESSIONS RELIABLE?"
I'M NOT SURE I BELIEVE IT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
REVIEW EACH SIGNED CONFESSION
AND SEE IF THERE'S MORE TO THIS STORY THAN MEETS THE EYE.
I JUST KEPT TELLING THEM I DIDN'T DO NOTHING.
I AIN'T HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT.
Jones: BY 1997,
THE DIXMOOR FIVE ARE ALL IN PRISON
FOR THE *** AND *** OF CATERESA MATTHEWS,
BUT THERE'S NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
CONNECTING THEM TO THE CRIME SCENE.
THE PROSECUTION'S CASE RELIES ON THREE HANDWRITTEN CONFESSIONS.
SO I'M GOING THROUGH EACH OF THEM CAREFULLY,
STARTING FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
ON THE DAY CATERESA WENT MISSING,
ALL THREE CONFESSIONS SAY
THE DIXMOOR FIVE PICKED HER UP IN A CAR
AND ENDED UP IN A FIELD.
RIGHT AWAY, I SPOT A PROBLEM.
THEY CAN'T AGREE ON WHO WAS DRIVING THE CAR.
ROBERT VEAL AND ROBERT TAYLOR'S CONFESSIONS
SAY THAT JAMES WAS DRIVING.
BUT ACCORDING TO SHAINNE'S CONFESSION,
IT WAS TAYLOR WHO WAS DRIVING.
TAYLOR WAS 14 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.
THAT RINGS FALSE TO ME.
IT ALSO RINGS FALSE TO ATTORNEY JENNIFER BLAGG.
NORMALLY, IF SOMEONE COMES TO PICK ME UP,
I REMEMBER WHO'S DRIVING THE CAR.
THAT IS SOMETHING MEMORABLE.
YOU MIGHT NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHO'S IN THE BACK SEAT,
BUT YOU REMEMBER WHO'S DRIVING THE CAR.
THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT DOESN'T MATCH UP.
IN SHAINNE'S CONFESSION,
THE GROUP GOES TO JONATHAN AND JAMES' BASEMENT TO PLAY DICE.
BUT THE OTHER TWO CONFESSIONS
NEVER MENTION GOING TO THE HOUSE AT ALL.
YOU HAVE A NARRATIVE
ABOUT A WHOLE GAME THAT WENT ON IN THE MIDST OF THIS CRIME
THAT IS MISSING FROM TWO OF THE CONFESSIONS.
HOW DO YOU MISS THAT?
THE FACTS ARE STILL NOT IN SYNC
WHEN THE GROUP HEADS TO THE FIELD.
ACCORDING TO SHAINNE,
CATERESA AND JONATHAN LEAVE THE BASEMENT TOGETHER.
[ CHUCKLES ]
THE OTHERS FOLLOW THEM TO A FIELD.
THEN JAMES CHASES CATERESA DOWN A PATH...
WHERE YOU GOING, JAMES? COME ON.
...AND HITS HER.
BUT IN THE TAYLOR AND VEAL CONFESSIONS,
THE GROUP NEVER GOES TO ANYONE'S HOUSE.
ONCE IN THE CAR, THEY DRIVE DIRECTLY TO THE FIELD,
AND SOON AFTER THEY ARRIVE,
IT'S JONATHAN WHO PUNCHES CATERESA IN THE MOUTH.
AND THERE'S NO CHASING.
ONE OF THEM SAYS JONATHAN HIT HER.
THE OTHER SAYS JAMES HIT HER.
AND AT THE END, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY ANYBODY HIT HER.
WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR THIS INITIAL ATTACK?
Matthews: [ Crying ] QUIT IT!
WHEN IT COMES TO THE ***,
THE CONFESSIONS ARE NO MORE CONSISTENT.
VEAL SAYS HE DIDN'T *** HER.
TAYLOR SAYS HE DIDN'T, EITHER.
SHAINNE SAYS ONLY HE AND JONATHAN DIDN'T *** CATERESA.
HAVING DEALT WITH *** STORIES IN THE PAST,
WHEN THERE IS MORE THAN ONE PERPETRATOR,
IT'S TYPICAL FOR PEOPLE TO POINT FINGERS AT EACH OTHER,
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHO IS GUILTY OF THIS ***?
WE DON'T KNOW.
[ GUNSHOT ]
ONE THING IS CLEAR.
A BRUTAL CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED.
BUT THE INCONSISTENCIES IN THESE CONFESSIONS ARE UNDENIABLE.
SO, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF CONFLICT
IN THESE CONFESSIONS,
WHY DOESN'T THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY
POINT THAT OUT TO THE JURY?
THE INCONSISTENCIES WERE POINTED OUT,
AND, AGAIN, THE ANSWER IS THEY CONFESSED.
ONCE THEY HEAR THERE'S A CONFESSION,
YOU COULD ARGUE ANY OTHER THING.
YOU CAN SAY, "WELL, THE CONFESSION SAID
THAT THEY WENT EAST AND THE OTHER SAID THEY WENT WEST."
IT WOULDN'T MATTER. THEY CONFESSED.
THAT'S IT. YOU CLOSE THE BOOK.
ROBERT MILAN, THE ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEY
WHO HANDWROTE THE CONFESSIONS DURING THE INTERROGATIONS,
AGREED TO AN INTERVIEW.
AND THOUGH HE WON'T SPEAK TO THE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THIS CASE,
HE CAN SAY FROM EXPERIENCE
THAT THE DEVIL IS NOT NECESSARILY IN THE DETAILS.
Milan: PEOPLE REMEMBER THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
OFTENTIMES, YOU'LL SEE SUSPECTS
THAT JUST DON'T WANT TO ADMIT TO A PARTICULAR ACT.
OFTENTIMES, THE SEX ACT.
"YEAH, WE SHOT HER, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE SEX WITH HER."
CONFLICTING STATEMENTS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.
THEY SHOULD BE WEIGHED.
BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU HAVE THE WRONG PERSON.
Jones: THE PROBLEM IS, THERE'S NOT MUCH EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE
ASIDE FROM THESE CONFESSIONS.
AND THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN THEM DO SEEM LIKE A BIG DEAL.
SO I SECURE AN INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF THE DIXMOOR FIVE
WHO CONFESSED -- ROBERT TAYLOR.
TO HIM, THE TRUTH IS CRYSTAL CLEAR.
Jones: DID YOU COMMIT THE CRIMES
THAT YOU ARE ACCUSED OF AGAINST CATERESA?
NO.
THEN WHAT ABOUT THE CONFESSION THAT YOU MADE?
IS ANY OF IT TRUE?
NONE.
NOT A WORD OF IT?
NOT A WORD OF IT.
WHY DID YOU SIGN IT?
I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT NO MORE.
COULDN'T TAKE WHAT?
THE ABUSE. PERIOD.
SO, YOU'RE SAYING
THAT THE POLICE TRAPPED YOU IN THEIR OFFICES
UNTIL THEY GOT YOU TO SIGN THIS PIECE OF PAPER?
CORRECT.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED?
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
TAYLOR SAYS THAT DURING HIS FOUR-HOUR INTERROGATION,
HE WAS INTIMIDATED BY POLICE AND REPEATEDLY ACCUSED
OF A CRIME THEY SAID HE COMMITTED.
HOW LONG WERE YOU IN THERE WITH THEM, ROBERT?
IT WAS SOME HOURS.
DID YOU JUST SAY, "LOOK, IT'S NOT TRUE"?
I JUST KEPT TELLING THEM I DIDN'T DO NOTHING.
I AIN'T HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
YOU PUT ANY CHILD IN A SITUATION WHERE HE FEEL TRAPPED --
THERE'S NO FAMILY, NOBODY HE CAN TALK TO,
JUST LAW ENFORCEMENT --
MAN, THEM PEOPLE CAN GET A CHILD TO DO ANYTHING THEY WANT THAT CHILD TO DO...
WHEN THAT CHILD FEEL THERE'S NO WAY OUT.
MY REQUEST TO SPEAK TO POLICE AND STATE OFFICIALS
ABOUT THIS CASE WENT UNANSWERED.
IF ROBERT IS TELLING THE TRUTH,
HOW COULD HIS CONFESSION BE SO RICH WITH DETAIL?
HIS ATTORNEY, JENNIFER BLAGG, HAS AN EXPLANATION.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, CATERESA HAD BEEN FOUND ALMOST A YEAR BEFORE.
SO THE COPS KNEW A LOT OF EVIDENCE ABOUT THE CASE,
AND WHETHER YOU SAY IT'S WILLFUL OR INADVERTENT,
IT'S BEEN SHOWN THAT INTERROGATORS OFTEN FEED
EVIDENCE TO THE PEOPLE BEING INTERROGATED,
AND THEN THAT'S LATER PUT INTO THE CONFESSION.
THIS STATEMENT THAT YOU SIGNED,
DID THEY SIT THERE AND WRITE THAT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU?
WHATEVER THEY PUT ON THAT PAPER IS WHAT CAME OUT THEY MOUTH.
I DIDN'T WRITE IT.
THIS IS SOMETHING YOU CAME UP WITH
AND YOU GOT THE PERSON TO SIGN.
THEY BROKE THAT CHILD. IT WAS OVER WITH.
SO YOU SIGNED THE PAPER.
RIGHT.
WHAT ABOUT THE CONFESSIONS
OF SHAINNE SHARP AND ROBERT LEE VEAL?
COULD THEY HAVE BEEN COERCED?
THEY DID GET SHORTER SENTENCES FOR TESTIFYING AT TRIAL,
AND IT'S DOCUMENTED
THAT ROBERT LEE VEAL HAD A LOWER-THAN-AVERAGE I.Q.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH A KID LIKE THAT
WHO MAKES THAT KIND OF A CONFESSION?
WELL, IT'S SORT OF LIKE A DOUBLE WHAMMY, RIGHT?
HE'S A JUVENILE, HE'S YOUNG, AND STUDY AFTER STUDY SHOWS
THAT JUVENILES ARE MORE EASILY COERCED INTO FALSE CONFESSIONS.
AND YOU HAVE HIS MENTAL DISABILITY ADDED TO THAT.
EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS HIS OWN STRENGTH LIMIT,
AND AT THE TIME, I GUESS, HE WASN'T THAT STRONG.
ACCORDING TO ROBERT AND JENNIFER,
ALL THREE OF THESE YOUNG MEN
WERE COERCED INTO GIVING FALSE CONFESSIONS.
IT'S STILL HARD TO UNDERSTAND.
WHY WOULD YOU TELL THE POLICE
YOU'RE GUILTY OF SOMETHING THAT YOU DIDN'T DO?
BUT AT THIS POINT, I'M FEELING MORE AND MORE
LIKE THE WRONG MEN HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF THIS CRIME.
DID THE DIXMOOR FIVE *** AND *** CATERESA MATTHEWS?
AND IF THEY DIDN'T DO IT, WHO DID?
UP NEXT...
YOU GO NOW TO THE DIXMOOR POLICE AND SAY,
"LET'S HAVE THAT DNA SAMPLE TO TEST."
AND WHAT HAPPENS?
THEY CAN'T FIND IT.
THEY COULDN'T FIND IT?
THEY COULDN'T FIND IT.
Jones: IN DIXMOOR, ILLINOIS, FIVE YOUNG MEN
HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF CATERESA MATTHEWS' ***,
EVEN THOUGH THE DNA FOUND ON HER BODY
DOESN'T BELONG TO ANY OF THEM.
AND PIECES OF THE CONFESSIONS IN THE CASE DON'T MATCH.
AFTER HAVING GONE THROUGH EVERYTHING,
I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE
THE WRONG PEOPLE WERE SENT TO PRISON FOR THIS CRIME.
JAMES WAS THE ALLEGED TRIGGER MAN.
AND IN THE LATE '90s, HE AND HIS BROTHER JONATHAN
BEGAN SERVING OVER 80 YEARS IN PRISON.
THEY NEVER CONFESSED, BUT THEIR THREE CODEFENDANTS DID.
IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR ME TO REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND
WHY THEY DID WHAT THEY DID.
I JUST DIDN'T SIGN NOTHING THAT I KNEW WASN'T RIGHT.
THEY SAY FOR SOME PEOPLE,
PRESSURE COULD EITHER BUST A PIPE OR IT COULD MAKE DIAMONDS.
YOU KNOW, IT BUSTS PIPES
ON SOME OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OUR SITUATION.
WHILE IN PRISON,
JAMES AND JONATHAN BEGIN A LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN
TO TRY AND CALL ATTENTION TO THEIR CASE.
JAMES CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA
TO WRITE TO ALL OF THE UNIVERSITIES
AND LAWYERS THAT HE COULD THINK OF.
HE WROTE A LETTER. HE SENT THE LETTER TO ME.
HE SAID, "WELL, JONATHAN, I NEED YOU TO TWEAK THIS LETTER."
CRITIQUE IT.
AND HE SENT THOSE LETTERS OUT TO EVERYBODY.
YOU KNOW, AND HE BEGAN TO RECEIVE RAPID RESPONSES.
ONE OF THOSE RESPONSES WAS FROM TARA THOMPSON
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO'S EXONERATION PROJECT.
THIS IS A CASE THAT I FELT STRONGLY ABOUT
FROM THE BEGINNING.
THE FACTS HERE JUST DON'T MAKE SENSE.
AND FROM TALKING WITH JAMES HARDEN FROM THE BEGINNING,
I REALLY KNEW THAT HE WAS INNOCENT.
I COULDN'T SQUARE THIS REALLY, REALLY NICE GUY
THAT I WAS TALKING TO IN PRISON
WAS SOMEBODY WHO WOULD HAVE DONE THIS.
Jones: ROBERT TAYLOR IS ALSO SERVING AN 80-YEAR SENTENCE.
JENNIFER BLAGG TAKES HIS CASE IN 2006 AND LATER JOINS
WITH NORTHWESTERN'S CENTER ON WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS OF YOUTH.
I TOLD SOMEONE AT NORTHWESTERN ABOUT THE CASE,
BECAUSE IT WAS THAT THING THAT NEVER LEFT ME.
THEN HE CALLED THE INNOCENCE PROJECT OUT OF NEW YORK.
THEY GOT INVOLVED. AND FOUND OUT THAT TARA THOMPSON
HAD ALREADY FILED A MOTION FOR DNA TESTING FOR JAMES HARDEN,
AND THE STATE HAD AGREED. AND WE JOINED.
SO, THE STATE FINALLY AGREES,
"OKAY, YOU CAN TEST THAT DNA SAMPLE THAT EXISTS
THAT WAS FROM THE BODY OF CATERESA."
RIGHT.
AND YOU GO NOW TO THE DIXMOOR POLICE AND SAY,
"LET'S HAVE THAT DNA SAMPLE TO TEST," RIGHT,
"SEND IT TO THE CRIME LAB."
RIGHT.
AND WHAT HAPPENS?
THEY CAN'T FIND IT.
THEY COULDN'T FIND IT?
THEY COULDN'T FIND IT.
THEN THE PROBLEM BECAME TRYING TO FIND THE DNA.
ARE THEY THAT DISORGANIZED
THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND IT IN SUCH A SMALL POLICE STATION?
OR IS THERE ANOTHER REASON --
LIKE THEY DON'T WANT TO HAND IT OVER?
IT'S HARD TO KNOW, SINCE THE DIXMOOR POLICE
DIDN'T RESPOND TO MY REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW.
BUT EVEN IN THE LEGAL TEAM CAN FIND THE DNA,
THERE'S ANOTHER BIG QUESTION.
HOW WILL THEY MAKE SENSE OF THE 1992 TIP FROM KENO BARNES
THAT LED POLICE TO THE DIXMOOR FIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
IN 2010, THE TEAM FINALLY TRACKS HIM DOWN.
KENO BARNES WAS AN OBVIOUS PLACE TO START,
BECAUSE THERE IS THIS MENTION IN THE POLICE REPORT
THAT HE TOLD THE POLICE TO GO TALK TO JONATHAN BARR.
Jones: TALKING TO KENO, THE TEAM GETS A SHOCK.
HE SAT DOWN WITH US AND GAVE A WRITTEN STATEMENT
SAYING THAT HE'D NEVER TOLD THE POLICE
THAT JONATHAN BARR HAD ANY INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO CATERESA MATTHEWS.
HE LOOKED AT THAT POLICE REPORT, AND HE SAID IT WAS FALSE.
Jones: FOR HIS PART, JONATHAN CAN'T FIGURE OUT
HOW THIS KENO BARNES STORY EVEN STARTED.
Barr: I NEVER HAD A CONVERSATION WITH KENO
ABOUT CATERESA'S DEATH.
I DON'T KNOW IF KENO WENT OFF
AND TOLD THE POLICE THIS OR NOT.
SO, WHAT AM I TO BELIEVE?
LATER, IN THE SUMMER OF 2010, THE LEGAL TEAM SITS DOWN
WITH THE FIRST OF THE DIXMOOR FIVE TO CONFESS TO THE CRIME,
ROBERT LEE VEAL.
Thompson: AND WE TALKED TO HIM
ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED DURING HIS CONFESSION.
HE IMMEDIATELY SAID THAT WAS ALL A LIE.
IT WAS NOT TRUE.
AND IT'S TERRIBLE. IT'S SAD.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO CONFESSED TO A CRIME THAT HE DIDN'T DO
AND TOOK A DEAL TO TESTIFY AGAINST OTHERS.
AND HE REALLY EMERGES AS A VICTIM IN THIS CASE.
PART OF ROBERT LEE VEAL'S STATEMENT SAYS,
"THE INVESTIGATOR STARTED TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE STORY.
"I KEPT SAYING THAT I WASN'T THERE,
SO I DIDN'T KNOW WHO DID WHAT."
Veal: HE STARTED WRITING THINGS DOWN
AND TELLING ME WHAT HE WAS WRITING.
HE USED THE WORD "APPROXIMATELY,"
WHICH I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.
I SIGNED THE PAPERS EVEN THOUGH THEY WEREN'T TRUE.
I THOUGHT THAT WOULD END THE QUESTIONING AND I COULD GO HOME.
BUT I DIDN'T GET TO GO HOME.
I LEARNED THAT I WOULD BE CHARGED AS AN ADULT.
EVEN THOUGH I WAS INNOCENT, I THOUGHT I WOULD LOSE.
I THEN TESTIFIED IN TWO TRIALS.
BUT THE TESTIMONY I GAVE WAS FALSE.
"I'M COMING FORWARD NOW BECAUSE I WANT THE TRUTH TO BE KNOWN,
AND I WANT TO KNOW WHO REALLY DID THIS TO THIS LITTLE GIRL."
HERE'S A YOUNG BOY WHO'S FRIGHTENED,
WHO'S NOT SURE WHO TO BELIEVE,
AND HE'S FORCED TO TESTIFY
AGAINST NOT ONLY THE OTHER BOYS, BUT HIMSELF.
WHAT A TRAGEDY.
ROBERT MILAN IS THE FORMER ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEY
WHO TOOK THE ORIGINAL CONFESSION OF ROBERT LEE VEAL.
I NEVER BELIEVED THAT AN INDIVIDUAL WOULD CONFESS
TO A HORRIBLE CRIME HE DIDN'T COMMIT.
I NEVER BELIEVED THAT. MY COLLEAGUES NEVER BELIEVED IT.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC NEVER BELIEVED IT.
IT WASN'T UNTIL DNA THAT IT BECAME CRYSTAL CLEAR TO ME
THAT PEOPLE WERE CONFESSING
TO HORRIBLE CRIMES THEY DIDN'T COMMIT.
Jones: AND WHILE MILAN CAN'T TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME,
HE WISHES HE COULD.
Milan: WE NOW HAVE A DATABASE TO COMPARE THE DNA TO.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT OPTION BACK IN THE EARLY '90s.
I FEEL VERY BADLY
THAT I PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THAT PROSECUTION.
AND THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY
IS I WISH I KNEW THAT IN 1991 OR '92,
YOU KNOW, WHAT I KNEW IN 2002.
'CAUSE IF I DID, IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.
Jones: AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, THE DIXMOOR POLICE TURN OVER
THE ORIGINAL DNA EVIDENCE TO BE TESTED.
AND IN MARCH OF 2011, THE RESULTS COME IN.
SO, ONCE YOU GOT THAT DNA TEST,
WAS IT DIFFICULT
TO PUT THE MATCH TOGETHER WITH A KNOWN OFFENDER?
NO. ONCE IT WAS SUBMITTED.
IT WAS AMAZING.
AND THAT OFFENDER WAS...
WILLIE RANDOLPH.
WILLIE RANDOLPH.
WHO'S THIS GUY?
TO ME, THIS SOUNDS LIKE FINAL PROOF
THAT THE DIXMOOR FIVE ARE INNOCENT.
AND THAT MEANS THEY'VE SPENT DECADES BEHIND BARS
FOR ANOTHER MAN'S CRIME.
IF I COULD INTRODUCE YOU
TO SOME OF THESE BOYS THAT ARE NOW YOUNG MEN,
WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE?
OH, YEAH.
Jones: EVER SINCE CATERESA MATTHEWS WAS *** AND MURDERED IN 1991,
THE DNA FOUND ON HER BODY HAS BEEN A MYSTERY.
IT DOESN'T MATCH ANY OF THE MEN IN THE DIXMOOR FIVE
WHO WERE CONVICTED OF THE CRIME.
SO, WHOSE IS IT?
20 YEARS LATER, IN 2011, THE TRUTH IS FINALLY REVEALED.
WE GET A POSITIVE HIT ON THE DNA,
AND IT MATCHES WILLIE RANDOLPH.
Jones: TELL ME ABOUT HIM.
Blagg: WILLIE RANDOLPH IS A CONVICTED ***,
AND HE HAS NUMEROUS CONVICTIONS FOR VARIOUS VIOLENT CRIMES,
ARMED ROBBERY, HAD A GUN-POSSESSION CONVICTION,
DRUG CONVICTIONS.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT HE IS GUILTY?
OH, YES. YES, UNQUESTIONABLY.
THERE'S NO GOOD EXPLANATION
WHY AN ADULT MALE'S DNA WOULD BE IN THAT OF A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
AND WHEN HE WAS QUESTIONED BY THE POLICE ABOUT IT,
HE TOLD THE POLICE THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW CATERESA MATTHEWS
AND THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT HE COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED.
AND WE KNOW THAT THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE.
THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO HAD JUST GOTTEN OUT OF PRISON
SHORTLY BEFORE CATERESA MATTHEWS DISAPPEARED.
AND HE LIVED REALLY, REALLY CLOSE TO HER GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE
AND TO WHERE HER BODY WAS FOUND.
YOU CAN'T COME UP WITH A BETTER SUSPECT FOR THIS CRIME.
LOOKING THROUGH HIS CRIMINAL RECORD,
ALL I COULD THINK IS, "WHAT A MENACE TO SOCIETY."
IN 2011, RANDOLPH IS SERVING A TWO-YEAR SENTENCE
IN AN ILLINOIS JAIL FOR AN UNRELATED CRIME.
BUT HE IS NOT CHARGED IN CATERESA'S ***.
DO YOU THINK HE'LL EVER BE CHARGED?
SADLY, I DON'T.
WHY NOT?
I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
IT'S A QUESTION YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK THE STATE.
I THINK THE TRUTH IS READILY APPARENT IN THIS CASE.
Thompson: IT SEEMS
LIKE IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO EVER BE CONVICTED,
BECAUSE AUTHORITIES HAVE THREE CONFESSIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE
SAYING THAT FIVE OTHER PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CRIME.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD ALWAYS BE USED
TO SHOW THAT THERE'S REASONABLE DOUBT
AS TO WHETHER WILLIE RANDOLPH IS GUILTY.
Jones: IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT WILLIE RANDOLPH WILL, ONE DAY, BE WALKING THE STREETS.
AND GUESS WHAT.
HE MAY HAVE JUST GOTTEN AWAY WITH ***.
BUT EVEN IF RANDOLPH IS NEVER CHARGED,
HIS DNA AT THE CRIME SCENE CANNOT BE IGNORED.
FOR THE DIXMOOR FIVE, IT CHANGES EVERYTHING.
IN NOVEMBER, 2011,
THE COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
RULES THAT THERE IS NO LONGER ENOUGH EVIDENCE
TO FIND THEM GUILTY OF THIS CRIME.
ROBERT VEAL AND SHAINNE SHARP
HAVE ALREADY SERVED THEIR PRISON SENTENCES IN THIS CASE.
BUT THE RULING VINDICATES THEM.
MEANWHILE,
ALMOST 20 YEARS TO THE DAY FROM WHEN CATERESA WENT MISSING,
JONATHAN, JAMES, AND ROBERT TAYLOR
ARE RELEASED FROM PRISON.
WERE YOU THERE THE DAY THAT ROBERT GOT OUT?
WE WAITED OUTSIDE. IT WAS RAINING. IT WAS A COLD DAY.
FIRST PERSON HE HUGGED WAS HIS DAD.
I STILL HAVE CHILL BUMPS RIGHT NOW, THINKING ABOUT IT.
IT WAS AWESOME.
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
I WAS STILL SECOND-GUESSING IT.
I WASN'T GONNA BELIEVE IT TILL I ACTUALLY WALKED OUT.
I MEAN, I KNEW I WAS HAPPY.
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL NOTHING ELSE.
JUST FEELINGS PERIOD -- I DON'T HAVE THAT NO MORE.
'CAUSE I WANT TO DRIVE A TRUCK.
I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE TRAVELING.
I SPENT ALMOST 20 YEARS LOCKED UP
FOR A *** I DIDN'T COMMIT -- FOR NOTHING.
FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU GIVE 20 YEARS BACK?
YOU CAN'T. I VIEWED IT AS SUCH A VICTORY
TO HELP GET ROBERT AND THE OTHER BOYS OUT OF JAIL, TRULY.
BUT I ALSO KNEW THAT THAT'S PART OF THE BATTLE.
THE OTHER PART OF THE BATTLE FOR THEM
IS TO TRY TO ASSIMILATE BACK TO SOCIETY
AND BE A NORMAL, FUNCTIONING HUMAN.
TODAY, ROBERT LEE VEAL...
AND SHAINNE SHARP LIVE OUT OF STATE.
ROBERT TAYLOR FOUND A JOB IN A SALVAGE YARD
AND IS EXPECTING HIS FIRST SON.
AND JAMES AND JONATHAN
WOULD LIKE TO START THEIR OWN TRUCKING COMPANY.
BUT WHILE IN PRISON, THEY LOST MUCH MORE THAN TIME.
JAMES AND JONATHAN'S MOTHER GOT SICK
SHORTLY AFTER THEY WERE LOCKED UP, AND SHE DIED.
JAMES AND JONATHAN'S FATHER
CONTINUED TO FIGHT FOR THEM ALL THROUGH THEIR INCARCERATION.
AND IT'S REALLY SAD THAT HE DIED JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS
BEFORE HE WAS ABLE TO SEE HIS SONS RETURN HOME AS FREE MEN.
Jones: AS FOR CATERESA'S FATHER, MARK SMITH,
HE HAS STRUGGLED TO COME TO TERMS WITH A NEW TRUTH.
SO, DO YOU BELIEVE NOW THAT THE DIXMOOR FIVE ARE INNOCENT?
YES, I DO. DNA DOESN'T LIE.
HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL NOW
WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THESE BOYS WERE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED?
I FEEL KIND OF EMBARRASSED FOR THE WAY I THOUGHT ABOUT THEM.
I LOOK AT HOW SOME OF THEM
NEVER GOT TO SEE THE INSIDE OF A HIGH SCHOOL
OR WENT TO A DANCE.
THEY'VE MISSED OUT ON A LOT OF THINGS.
SEEMS LIKE YOU FEEL
LIKE YOU'VE LOST SIX PEOPLE WITH THIS TRAGEDY.
I DO.
THERE IS STILL NO JUSTICE FOR CATERESA AND HER FAMILY,
NO CLOSURE.
BUT THERE IS ONE THING I BELIEVE I COULD DO
TO CONTRIBUTE TO MARK'S HEALING.
IF I COULD INTRODUCE YOU
TO SOME OF THESE BOYS THAT ARE NOW YOUNG MEN,
WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE?
OH, YEAH.
HAVE YOU BEEN AWARE OF HIM AND HOW ANGRY HE'S BEEN
AT YOU AND THE OTHER BOYS THAT ARE NOW MEN?
HOW ANGRY HE HAS BEEN?
I CAN UNDERSTAND HIS ANGER.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS HE AIN'T THE ONLY ONE THAT'S ANGRY.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO HIM
AND GIVE YOU THAT CHANCE TO HEAR HIM OUT, TOO.
ALL RIGHT.
ROBERT, JONATHAN, AND JAMES ARE LIVING IN THE CHICAGO AREA.
MARK AGREED TO COME TO ILLINOIS
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST 20 YEARS.
AND I ARRANGED A SIT-DOWN FOR THEM AT A DOWNTOWN PARK.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF EMOTIONS ARE GONNA FLY
WHERE PEOPLE HAVEN'T EVER MET EACH OTHER OR SEEN EACH OTHER FOR 20 YEARS,
AND YET THEIR LIVES HAVE BEEN INTERTWINED
IN SUCH A HORRIBLE WAY.
DO YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING TO THE YOUNG MEN?
I'D JUST LIKE TO LET Y'ALL KNOW THAT I BELIEVE --
I KNOW, FROM THE DNA EVIDENCE,
THAT Y'ALL DID NOT KILL MY DAUGHTER.
NO MATTER WHAT THE STATE OF ILLINOIS SAY,
COOK COUNTY, OR THE DIXMOOR POLICE,
I KNOW THAT Y'ALL DIDN'T DO IT.
AND I'M SORRY
ALL THE YEARS THAT YOUR LIVES WAS TAKEN FROM YOU.
AND I KNOW MY WORDS CAN'T GET YOU BACK YOUR YOUTH,
BUT Y'ALL CAN GO ON.
SO, I HATED EVERYTHING ABOUT ALL OF Y'ALL,
AND NOW I'M MOSTLY ASHAMED ABOUT HOW I FELT ABOUT YOU.
AND I HOPE ONE DAY
THAT YOU GUYS CAN FORGIVE ME FOR HOW I FELT.
I ASKED THE THREE YOUNG MEN WHAT THEY'D LIKE TO SAY TO MARK.
FOR ROBERT,
THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE CONTINUES TO BE A STRUGGLE.
I TRY TO MOVE ON AND FORGIVE LIKE I SHOULD.
RIGHT.
BUT THIS WHOLE ORDEAL IS SO HARD THAT I LOST A LOT.
I DON'T THINK I EVER WILL BE CONTENT
WITH JUST NOT BEING ANGRY ABOUT MY LIFE BEING RUINED.
I'M GONNA SAY I'M GONNA TRY.
AND THAT'S ALL I CAN DO.
I JUST DIDN'T NEVER UNDERSTAND --
THE WHOLE SITUATION FROM DAY ONE.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MY NAME CAME UP IN THIS.
I AM NO KILLER.
AND THEY SAID THAT I PULLED THE TRIGGER THAT KILLED YOUR BABY.
AND I'M TELLING YOU TO YOUR FACE, MAN TO MAN,
AS YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T ME -- OR MY TWO BROTHERS.
I'M THANKFUL THAT YOU EVEN TOOK THE TIME OUT
TO SIT HERE WITH US,
TO COME BEARING YOUR APOLOGIES
FOR THOUGHTS THAT YOU'VE HARBORED, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS US
FOR ALL OF THESE YEARS.
I'M HUMBLED.
I'LL WALK AWAY FROM THIS TABLE TODAY
WITH A SOURCE OF PEACE IN MY HEART
BECAUSE, AT THE END OF THE DAY,
IT WAS ALWAYS ON MY MIND, YOU KNOW,
WHAT HER MOTHER AND HER FATHER THOUGHT ABOUT US.
THEY EMBRACED EACH OTHER.
THERE WAS A TRUE EXCHANGE OF EMOTIONS BETWEEN THEM
ALL CENTERED AROUND A TRAGEDY
THAT NONE OF THEM HAD ANY CONTROL OVER.
I KNOW THAT YOUTH CANNOT BE RESTORED TO THEM, LORD,
BUT WHAT THEY HAVE, LORD,
LET THEM BUILD ON IT FROM WHERE THEY'RE AT RIGHT NOW, LORD.
THANK YOU.
AMEN.
Barr: ONE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO YOU, MR. SMITH.
YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH YOU LOST CATERESA,
YOU DO HAVE THREE OTHER SONS.
I APPRECIATE IT.
I THINK YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SAID
THAT YOU WANTED TO BE A TRUCK DRIVER.
YES, SIR.
YOU CAN BE THAT.
I DROVE TRUCKS FOR YEARS. YOU CAN DO IT.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I CAN EVER DO FOR YOU GUYS --
ANYTHING.
TEACH ME HOW TO DRIVE A TRUCK.
Barr: SAME HERE.
YOU GOT TO COME TO FLORIDA.
IT'S STORIES LIKE THESE THAT MAKE YOU WONDER
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE JUSTICE IN THE AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM.
AND THE ANSWER I HAVE IS,
YES, WE DO, BUT CERTAINLY NOT ALL THE TIME.
IT'S IMPERFECT, OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM.
AND, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M HOPING
THAT MARK SMITH'S CONVERSATION WITH THESE YOUNG MEN
WILL SOMEHOW BRING THEM TO A BETTER PLACE,
WILL HELP THEM TO MOVE ON.
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