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Man: ♪ COME, ALL YE TRUE-BORN LUMBERIN' BOYS ♪
♪ AND LISTEN UNTO ME ♪
♪ I'LL TELL YOU OF SOME LUMBERIN' BOYS ♪
♪ AND THEY DID NUMBER THREE ♪
♪ I'LL TELL YOU OF SOME LUMBERIN' BOYS ♪
♪ SO MANLY, TRUE, AND BRAVE ♪
♪ AND 'TWAS ON YONDER GERRY'S ROCKS ♪
♪ THEY FOUND THEIR WATERY GRAVE ♪
[ BRAKES SQUEAL ]
[ DOOR CREAKING ]
[ DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE ]
[ DOORBELL RINGS ]
HEY, SOMEBODY BETTER GET OUT HERE
AND CHECK ON THE MILLERS.
Benson: THE ONLY INFORMATION WAS
THAT THERE WERE BODIES OF TWO ADULTS
ON THE FLOOR OF THEIR HOME IN WEBSTER PLANTATION.
A COUPLE OF MEMBERS OF THE EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAM
WENT IN WITH ONE OF THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS.
Crocker: IT'S OUT OF THE WAY -- A VERY RURAL BACK ROAD.
IT TAKES US ABOUT 12 MINUTES TO GET THERE,
AND THAT'S DRIVING PRETTY FAST.
Allen: THE CLOSER YOU GET, YOU KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING UP.
THE COPS, GAME WARDENS, YOU NAME IT --
IF IT WAS LAW ENFORCEMENT, IT WAS THERE.
THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT THERE MAY BE, LIKE,
A CARBON-MONOXIDE POISONING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
[ DOGS BARKING ]
Crocker: THE DOG WAS IN THE OTHER ROOM, BARKING,
SO I ASSUMED IT WASN'T CARBON MONOXIDE,
BUT WE STILL WENT THROUGH THE TEST TO MAKE SURE.
NEGATIVE. ALL YOURS.
Benson: A COUPLE OF MEMBERS OF THE EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAM
WENT IN WITH ONE OF THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS.
IT BECAME CLEAR THAT BOTH OF THE MILLERS
HAD SUSTAINED GUNSHOT WOUNDS.
I JUST REMEMBER THINKING,
"GOOD LUCK FINDING OUT WHO DID THIS,
BECAUSE IT'S GONNA TAKE A LONG TIME."
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: LURKING ALMOST SILENTLY
IN THE DARK BACKWOODS OF MAINE,
MIDWAY BETWEEN THE COAST AND CANADA,
THE TINY TOWN OF WEBSTER PLANTATION
RARELY EVEN FINDS ITS WAY ONTO MAPS THESE DAYS.
THERE'S A SIGN, SURE, BUT IT'S WEATHER-WORN AND EASY TO MISS.
THERE'S A ONE-ROOM TOWN HALL,
BUT NO PARKING LOT OR EVEN SIDEWALK --
JUST DARK, DESOLATE WOODS AND UNPLOWED FIELDS.
AROUND 70 SOULS CALL IT HOME, GIVE OR TAKE,
SOME RETIRED, SOME DRAWING A WELFARE CHECK.
IF YOU WANT TO WORK,
YOU'VE GOT ABOUT A 50-MILE DRIVE UP TO THE MILLS
OR 75 DOWN TO BANGOR.
THERE'S LEE A DOZEN MILES AWAY,
BUT THERE ISN'T MUCH THERE, EITHER.
AND THERE'S LINCOLN,
WHICH AT LEAST HAS A PIZZA PLACE AND A BARBER SHOP,
BUT THAT'S 30 MILES AWAY.
NOTHING MUCH EVER HAPPENS UP IN WEBSTER, GOOD OR BAD.
BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
Rand: SOME OF THE STREAMS HAVE SOME GREAT FISHING,
BUT THERE'S REALLY NOT A LOT TO SEE
IN WEBSTER PLANTATION, REALLY.
Bradbury: WATCH THE GRASS GROW,
WATCH THE PAINT DRY ON THE HOUSES -- STUFF LIKE THAT.
THAT'D BE ABOUT THE ONLY EXCITEMENT --
THE ONLY TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT YOU CAN FIND IN WEBSTER.
Narrator: WHICH IS WHY,
WHEN LONGTIME RESIDENTS MIKE AND VALERIE MILLER
ARE FOUND MURDERED ON THEIR KITCHEN FLOOR,
IT STRIKES A NERVOUS CHORD
FROM ONE END OF THE TOWN TO THE OTHER.
Crocker: YOU KNOW, I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THEM.
MY SON-IN-LAW'S RELATED TO THEM, YOU KNOW,
SO EVERYONE IN THE AREA IS EITHER RELATED OR KNOW THEM.
MY SISTER CALLED ME ON MY CELLPHONE
AND TOLD ME THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO MIKE AND VALERIE
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD FOUND THEIR BODIES
AND THAT THEY WERE -- THEY WERE -- THEY WERE DEAD.
Bradbury: I THINK MY GRANDMOTHER TOLD ME THAT MORNING,
AND OF COURSE IT SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE
JUST BY WORD OF MOUTH.
MY SON CALLED ME AND SAID THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIS AUNT.
SO I TOLD HIM, FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT -- WHAT WAS GOING ON,
'CAUSE IT WAS A THREE-HOUR RIDE THERE.
AND HE CALLED ME BACK FIVE MINUTES LATER
AND SAID THEY WAS DEAD.
AND I -- YOU KNOW, I JUST LOST IT.
Narrator: WORD OF THE DOUBLE HOMICIDE
SLITHERS ITS WAY THROUGH TOWN
LIKE A SERPENT LOOKING FOR VULNERABLE PREY.
IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE IT REACHES THE MILLERS' NEXT OF KIN.
Lord: WE WERE WATCHING TV,
AND MY CELLPHONE RANG, AND IT WAS MIKE'S AUNT.
AND I ANSWERED THE PHONE, AND SHE SAID,
"YOU NEED TO GET OUT HERE. SOMETHING'S WRONG."
Narrator: WHEN ALEXIS AND MIKE
GET TO HIS PARENTS' HOUSE ABOUT AN HOUR LATER,
THEY'RE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED BY THE LOCAL SHERIFF.
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ]
HE'S LIKE, "I'M JUST GONNA TELL YOU FOR NOW --"
HE'S LIKE, "THEY'RE GONE. THEY'RE GONE."
HE'S LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING."
HE'S LIKE -- HE'S LIKE,
"ALL I KNOW IS THAT THEY'RE IN THE HOME, AND THEY'RE GONE."
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ARE INSIDE,
EXAMINING THE MILLERS' LIFELESS BODIES.
BUT OUTSIDE,
THE TRUE HORROR OF WHAT HAPPENED REMAINS A MYSTERY.
ALL I COULD THINK WAS MIKE'S MOTHER HAD A STROKE
OR, YOU KNOW -- THAT'S ALL I COULD THINK,
WAS THAT SOMETHING HEALTH-RELATED HAD HAPPENED,
AND I WANTED IN.
I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
I WANTED IN THE HOUSE.
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ]
AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY, UM, THE MOBILE CRIME VAN CAME.
NOW I KNOW THAT THEY WERE MURDERED.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH EMOTION YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE.
ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE FURIOUS?
ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE HEARTBROKEN?
ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE DEVASTATED?
ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE OVERWHELMED?
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ALL THESE THINGS.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
EVERYBODY KNEW MY PARENTS.
I MEAN, THEY WERE JUST --
YOU KNOW, THEY WERE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE.
Narrator: MIKE MILLER, OR BIG MIKE,
AND VALERIE WHITE'S STORY
ISN'T ALL THAT UNUSUAL FOR THESE PARTS.
THEY MEET IN HIGH SCHOOL
AND DON'T EVEN WAIT TILL GRADUATION TO TIE THE KNOT.
AND HIM AND VALERIE GOT TOGETHER,
AND THEN THEY GOT MARRIED WHEN THEY WERE 17.
Lord: THEY WERE SOUL MATES.
I MEAN, ANYBODY THAT HAD EVER BEEN AROUND THEM
COULD JUST TELL THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER.
Narrator: BIG MIKE BRINGS HIS YOUNG BRIDE
TO WEBSTER PLANTATION IN 1979,
ONTO LAND LEFT TO HIM BY HIS FATHER,
WHO DIED OF A HEART ATTACK FOUR YEARS EARLIER.
BASICALLY, THAT WAS ONE OF THE ONLY OPTIONS
THEY HAD HAD AVAILABLE TO THEM AT THE TIME OF THEIR MARRIAGE.
Narrator: AFTER SCROUNGING UP THE FUNDS TO PURCHASE A TRAILER,
THEY BRING IT OUT TO THE LOT AND SET UP THEIR HOME.
WEBSTER PLANTATION IS ALL BIG MIKE KNOWS,
AND LEAVING NEVER CROSSES HIS MIND.
BIG MIKE HAD LIVED ON THIS PROPERTY FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE.
THIS IS WHERE HE WAS BORN. THIS IS WHERE HE WAS RAISED.
AND HE ALWAYS HAD KIND OF, LIKE, A RELATIONSHIP
WITH THIS PROPERTY AND THIS AREA.
Narrator: NOW, THIS IS NOT THE TOURISTY PART OF MAINE.
THE NEAREST LOBSTER IS WELL OVER 100 MILES AWAY.
HERE, A MAN MAKES A LIVING WITH HIS HANDS AND HIS BACK.
AND FOR BIG MIKE, THAT MEANS A SERIES
OF ODD FARMING AND CONSTRUCTION JOBS.
AND THEN, INEVITABLY, HE GOES TO WORK IN THE WOODS.
HE WORKED AT A WOOD MILL OVER IN CHESTER.
IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PENOBSCOT RIVER.
AND THEY DO, LIKE, FENCE POSTS.
Mike: THE OLDER YOU GET, YOU GRADUALLY FIND YOURSELF,
USUALLY, HEADING TOWARDS THE WOODS --
LUMBER MILLS, UM, SKIDDER OPERATION, LOADER OPERATION --
ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.
THE WOODS ARE OUR LIFE.
Narrator: THOUGH THE WORK IS SEASONAL,
BIG MIKE EARNS ENOUGH TO PUT A LITTLE AWAY EACH MONTH
SO WHEN THEIR SONS, MIKEY AND MATT, COME ALONG,
VAL STAYS HOME TO RAISE THEM.
EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS -- SHE WAS SMALL AND STUFF,
BUT SHE ALSO -- YOU KNOW, SHE KNEW HOW TO TAKE CHARGE.
YOU KNOW, SHE COULD KEEP EVERYTHING TOGETHER, YOU KNOW,
KEEP US ALL HAPPY AND KEEP US ALL IN LINE, YOU KNOW.
AND EVEN WHEN SHE WAS TINY, YOU KNOW --
AS NICE AS SHE WAS -- WHEN SHE SPOKE, YOU LISTENED.
Narrator: NOW, VAL MAY HAVE BEEN A SMALL PERSON,
BUT SHE HAD A BIG HEART.
FOLKS AROUND HERE DIDN'T EVEN CALL HER VAL AFTER A WHILE.
THEY CALLED HER MUM.
THE REASON WHY EVERYBODY CALLED HER MUM
WAS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS.
SHE WAS LIKE A COMMUNITY MOTHER.
VALERIE, YOU KNOW -- SHE WOULD HELP ANYBODY OUT,
NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION AND WHAT TIME OF NIGHT IT WAS.
IF THEY CALLED HER, SHE WOULD BE THERE, YOU KNOW.
Mike: AROUND HERE, YOU KNOW,
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ON A FIXED INCOME.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF JOBS.
MY MOTHER WAS ALWAYS BUYING GROCERIES FOR PEOPLE,
DELIVERING GROCERIES.
THAT'S ONE THING SHE COULDN'T STAND,
WAS ANYBODY GOING HUNGRY, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN.
Narrator: AND DESPITE HIS OPPOSING APPEARANCE,
BIG MIKE IS JUST AS GENEROUS.
Mike: THEY ALWAYS TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES
TO OFFER A HELPING HAND TO ANYBODY.
AND THAT'S WHAT MADE THEM SO POPULAR IN TOWN.
Narrator: BUT NOT ALL OF THAT HELP IS STRICTLY CHARITY.
TO MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA CASH,
BIG MIKE RUNS AN INFORMAL AND OFF-THE-BOOKS PAWNSHOP
OUT A BACK ROOM HE BUILT OFF THE TRAILER,
MAKING SMALL LOANS AND TAKING IN ITEMS FOR COLLATERAL
UNTIL FOLKS CAN PAY HIM BACK.
$40 SOUND GOOD TO YOU? YOU GOOD WITH THAT?
ALL RIGHT, HERE YOU GO.
Kevin: IF PEOPLE NEEDED MONEY,
THEY'D HAVE TO GO HOCK STUFF TO MIKE,
AND MIKE WOULD, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM MONEY FOR IT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE WAY LIFE IS UP THAT WAY, YOU KNOW?
WHAT'S UNFORTUNATE IS THAT IT WAS AN ILLEGAL BUSINESS.
IT JUST, YOU KNOW -- IF IT HAD BEEN RUN LEGALLY,
IT -- IT JUST WOULD HAVE WORKED OUT SO MUCH BETTER,
BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD RUN INTO HARD TIMES AND NEED MONEY,
AND THEY'D BE ABLE TO TAKE
ANYTHING OF VALUE THAT THEY HAD --
YOU KNOW, MOSTLY POWER TOOLS, GENERATORS, STUFF LIKE THAT --
THEY'D TAKE THEM DOWN TO HIM AND HOCK THEM,
AND HE'D GIVE THEM MONEY, AND THEY'D COME BACK AND BUY IT,
AND THEY'D END UP PAYING MORE TO GET IT BACK.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT
THROUGH THAT HURDLE BECAUSE HE WAS THERE.
Narrator: YES, PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS COMING AND GOING
FROM THE MILLER PLACE AT ALL HOURS.
SO GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF WHICH ONE OF THEM
PAID THE FINAL VISIT ON NOVEMBER 28, 2009,
IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY -- NOT IN THE LEAST.
Narrator: IF, FOR SOME REASON,
YOU FIND YOURSELF UP NEAR WEBSTER PLANTATION, MAINE,
YOU'D BEST KEEP GOING.
OUTSIDERS MAKE FOLKS A LITTLE UNEASY.
NOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG --
THE PEOPLE UP HERE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
AND ALWAYS QUICK TO LEND A HELPING HAND.
BUT IT'S A PLACE WHERE THE NUMBER-ONE RULE
IS TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO WHEN BELOVED LOCALS BIG MIKE AND VALERIE MILLER ARE MURDERED,
IT'S ALL ANYONE CAN TALK ABOUT.
AND THE RUMORS QUICKLY TAKE ON A RATHER DARK TONE.
THE RUMORS WERE BLOOD AND GORE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
WE HEARD THAT THEY HAD BEEN STABBED.
AND THEN WE HEARD THAT IT WAS
A -- UM, A HIT MAN,
YOU KNOW, LIKE, CLOSE RANGE.
MAN: All units, respond.
Narrator: THE LAST *** ANYONE CAN REMEMBER
WAS DECADES AGO, AND IT WAS NEVER SOLVED.
THIS TIME, AUTHORITIES ARE TAKING NO CHANCES.
THEY'RE WITHHOLDING THE SPECIFICS ABOUT THE CRIME,
SO ALL ANYONE IN WEBSTER PLANTATION KNOWS FOR SURE
IS THAT SOMEONE HAS MURDERED
THEIR GOOD FRIENDS AND LONGTIME NEIGHBORS MIKE AND VAL.
MAINE STATE POLICE DETECTIVES ARE PRETTY GOOD
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THINGS UNDER WRAPS,
ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDST OF INVESTIGATIONS.
THEY BEGAN TO BACKTRACK THROUGH THE PEOPLE
WHO HAD BEEN AT THE MILLER RESIDENCE THAT DAY,
AND THERE HAD BEEN A FAIR NUMBER OF PEOPLE
VISITING THE MILLERS ON THAT SATURDAY MORNING.
HEY, MIKE. ARE YOU COMING TO THE PARTY TODAY?
Mike: I CALLED MY MOM, YOU KNOW,
JUST TO SEE WHAT THEY WERE UP TO,
AND IT WAS MY BROTHER'S DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY THAT DAY,
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST RECAPPING OUR PLANS.
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO COME OUT
TO THE BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE HOUSE.
Narrator: AMONG THE MANY VISITORS THAT MORNING
IS MIKE'S BEST FRIEND AND ROOMMATE, NATE NIGHTINGALE.
Mike: I HEARD NATE IN THE BACKGROUND,
SO I WAS LIKE, "OH, WHAT, NATE'S OUT THERE?"
"YEAH. YEAH, HE'S HAVING A COFFEE."
HE WAS LIKE A THIRD KID FOR THEM.
HE, UM -- HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME HERE.
Narrator: BEFORE LONG, THE KITCHEN IS FULL,
JUST LIKE MOST SATURDAY MORNINGS.
MY COUSIN CLAYTON AND THEM
WERE STOPPING OVER TO VISIT AND STUFF, WHICH HE DID.
HE STOPPED OVER WITH HIS DAUGHTER THERE
AND VISITED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, HAD A COFFEE.
Narrator: WHILE INVESTIGATORS CONTINUE
TALKING TO MIKE OUTSIDE,
INSIDE, THEY'RE STARTING TO PIECE TOGETHER
SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THE CRIME ITSELF.
SO, WE GOT TWO DEAD HERE AND, UH...
Narrator: THERE'S THE CALIBER OF THE WEAPON...
LOOKS LIKE A .22 RIGHT HERE IN THE FOREHEAD.
...AND THE FACT THAT, FROM THE POSITION OF THE BODIES,
THE MURDERS LIKELY HAPPENED ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.
IT MUST HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN A MATTER OF A SECOND OR LESS.
I MEAN, MICHAEL MILLER COLLAPSED ON THE FLOOR OF THE KITCHEN,
AND MRS. MILLER, OF COURSE, WAS FOUND
ESSENTIALLY LYING ON TOP OF HIM.
LOOKS LIKE HIS WALLET'S GONE.
MR. MILLER WAS KNOWN TO CARRY LARGE AMOUNTS OF CASH,
SO THE SUSPICION WAS ALWAYS THAT IT HAD BEEN
SOME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
RIGHT FROM THE OUTSET OF THE INVESTIGATION,
WE ALL BELIEVED THEFT OR ROBBERY TO HAVE BEEN THE MOTIVE.
PEOPLE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, DOWN ON THEIR LUCK,
BEHIND ON THE CAR PAYMENT --
THEY'D GO OUT AND HOCK
OR SELL HIM A COUPLE GUNS OR SOMETHING
TO GET MONEY TO PAY THE PAYMENTS, AND THEN PAY HIM BACK.
BUT THAT ALSO DRAWS ATTENTION FOR SOMEBODY
THAT MAY BE THINKING ABOUT ROBBING YOU.
IF YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF CASH HANGING AROUND,
IT MAKES A GOOD TARGET.
YOU'RE A GOOD TARGET.
Narrator: THE QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S MIND, OF COURSE,
IS WHO CAME TO THE MILLERS THAT MORNING
LOOKING FOR MORE THAN A CUP OF JOE?
IS IT SOMEONE FROM OUTSIDE
OR SOMEONE MUCH CLOSER TO HOME?
THE COLD-BLOODED *** OF GOOD FRIENDS
UPENDS EVEN THE STOIC SILENCE
PEOPLE UP IN THESE PARTS ARE KNOWN FOR.
THOSE WHO HAD BEEN AT THE MILLERS' THAT MORNING
ARE EAGER TO TALK.
FREQUENTLY, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS,
WHEN THE NEWS GETS OUT ABOUT A TRAUMATIC EVENT LIKE THIS,
PEOPLE WILL COME FORWARD.
AND THAT'S CERTAINLY WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS CASE.
Narrator: DURING THE COURSE OF THE INTERVIEWS,
MIKE AND VAL'S FRIENDS REVEAL
THERE WAS A LITTLE MORE GOING ON AT BIG MIKE'S PAWNSHOP
THAN NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS.
Benson: IN MR. MILLERS' CASE, HE WAS LOAN-SHARKING,
SELLING CIGARETTES WITHOUT TAX STAMPS...
I KNEW THEY SOLD CIGARETTES,
YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I BOUGHT THEM MYSELF.
YOU KNOW, ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND
GONNA BUY CHEAP CIGARETTES, YOU KNOW?
Narrator: BUT CHEAP CIGARETTES ISN'T THE WORST OF IT.
BIG MIKE WAS ALLEGEDLY ENGAGED
IN SOME DRUG BUSINESS, AS WELL --
SPECIFICALLY PRESCRIPTION NARCOTICS.
IT MAKES YOU WONDER --
DID BIG MIKE'S DEALINGS IN ILLICIT PILLS
INVITE THE WRONG KIND OF PEOPLE
INTO THE CLOSED, INSULAR WORLD OF WEBSTER PLANTATION?
HE'D BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
AND, I MEAN, PEOPLE MOVE IN,
AND THEY GET INTRODUCED,
AND THEY ENGAGE AND PARTICIPATE,
AND THEN THEY MOVE AWAY AND SOMEBODY ELSE MOVES IN.
Narrator: WELL, MAYBE.
BUT AS THOSE WHO KNEW THE MILLERS CONTINUED TO TALK,
ONE NAME KEEPS COMING UP, AND IT ISN'T AN OUTSIDER.
IT'S SOMEONE WHO'S LIVED IN WEBSTER PLANTATION
HIS WHOLE LIFE --
MIKE AND VAL'S YOUNGEST SON, MATT.
WE WERE ALL PRETTY CONVINCED IN OUR -- IN OUR GUTS
THAT THERE WAS -- THERE WAS MORE TO MATT MILLER
THAN WAS MEETING THE EYE.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH WEBSTER PLANTATION
HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER,
THE TIMES ARE CHANGING.
SOMETHING SINISTER HAS MADE ITS WAY
INTO THE BACKWOODS OF NORTHERN MAINE,
AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE MILLERS ARE IN THE THICK OF IT.
THE DRUG THING WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT --
IT JUST COME ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS STARTING TO BECOME EPIDEMIC IN THE AREA.
ANYBODY WOULD BE NAIVE, STUPID, OR A LIAR IF THEY TOLD YOU
THERE WASN'T A DRUG PROBLEM, YOU KNOW,
WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN.
IT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT UNCOMMON,
EVEN HERE IN A RURAL STATE LIKE MAINE --
EVEN, PERHAPS, PARTICULARLY IN A RURAL STATE LIKE MAINE --
FOR HOMICIDES TO INVOLVE NARCOTICS USERS.
Narrator: AND MATT MILLER, AS EVERYONE UP HERE KNOWS,
IS AS HEAVY A NARCOTICS USER AS IT GETS.
HE WAS SO ADDICTED, AND, UM, I MEAN,
EVERYBODY WAS WONDERING IF -- WHAT HIS INVOLVEMENT WAS.
MATT -- HE WAS A --
YOU KNOW, THE ONE WE CONSIDERED THE QUIET ONE,
BUT, IN THE LONG RUN, HE REALLY WASN'T THE QUIET ONE.
HE WAS THE ONE THAT WAS MOSTLY IN TROUBLE, YOU KNOW.
IT WAS MOSTLY DRUGS WITH MATT.
YOU KNOW, HE GOT IN WITH THE WRONG CROWD.
Narrator: MATT'S PROBLEMS WITH DRUGS
ARE WELL KNOWN AROUND TOWN.
BUT IT'S A BIG STEP
FROM HAVING A DRUG HABIT TO KILLING YOUR PARENTS.
COULD THERE BE MORE TO IT THAN THAT?
THE FOLKS OF WEBSTER PLANTATION WILL SOON FIND OUT,
AND HARDLY ANYONE WILL SEE IT COMING.
Narrator: WEBSTER PLANTATION IN RURAL MAINE
IS THE KIND OF PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE DON'T LOCK THEIR DOORS AT NIGHT,
AND MOST PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR KEYS
ON THE FRONT SEAT OF THEIR PICKUP.
Bradbury: THERE ISN'T GONNA BE TOO MANY PEOPLE
THAT LIVE IN TOWN THAT YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE
AFTER YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER AMOUNT OF TIME.
AND IT'S, UH -- IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, SMALL-TOWN AMERICA.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY TAKES CARE OF EVERYBODY.
YOUR NEIGHBOR HELPS YOUR NEIGHBOR.
THAT'S -- THAT'S THE WAY WE WERE BROUGHT UP.
Narrator: BUT THE TOWN HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN
A SAFE HAVEN FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS.
Lord: THERE'S THE CEMETERY DOWN THE ROAD HERE.
THE STONES THAT ARE IN IT ARE REALLY, REALLY OLD.
A LOT OF THEM ARE FROM THE 1860s,
AND A LOT OF THEM ARE CHILDREN.
AND, IN THE 1860s,
A SERIOUS STRAIN OF SOME DISEASE
SIMILAR TO THE BUBONIC PLAGUE
JUST ABOUT KILLED EVERYONE OFF.
Narrator: BUT THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
TRAGEDY HASN'T VISITED WEBSTER PLANTATION
FOR AS LONG AS ANYONE CAN REMEMBER.
THE DOUBLE HOMICIDE AT THE MILLERS' CHANGES ALL THAT.
MAINE AVERAGE IS ABOUT 20 TO 25 MURDERS PER YEAR.
BUT THE EFFECT IS OBVIOUSLY CATASTROPHIC
WHEN YOU HAVE TWO MURDERS
IN A VERY, VERY TINY COMMUNITY LIKE WEBSTER.
YOU THINK YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO GET STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
OR, YOU KNOW, RUN OVER BY A MOOSE OR SOMETHING,
BEFORE SOMEBODY COMES ALONG AND, YOU KNOW, MURDERS YOU.
Narrator: LET ALONE YOUR OWN SON.
BUT JUST TWO DAYS
AFTER THE MURDERS OF BIG MIKE AND VALERIE MILLER,
THE FOCUS IS ON THE MURDERED COUPLE'S 26-YEAR-OLD SON, MATT.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW HIM AREN'T ALL THAT SURPRISED.
YOU KNOW, MIKEY WAS SHEDDING TEARS,
YOU KNOW, WHEN THEIR PARENTS WERE DEAD.
MATT NEVER SHED A TEAR. THAT'S WHAT THREW US OFF.
YOU KNOW, IF MY PARENTS WERE KILLED, I WOULD BE HYSTERIC.
WHEN PARENTS DIE LIKE THAT -- WHEN THEY'RE MURDERED --
THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT THE CHILDREN.
Narrator: JUST BECAUSE MATT MILLER HAS A DRUG PROBLEM
DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE HIM A MURDERER.
BUT THERE ARE MORE REASONS TO SUSPECT HIM THAN THAT.
AND WHEN WORD GETS OUT,
THE TOWN IS EVEN MORE CONVINCED OF HIS GUILT.
Benson: THE STATE POLICE RECEIVED INFORMATION
THAT, THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MILLERS WERE KILLED,
MATTHEW MILLER WAS LOOKING
FOR AN UNREGISTERED .22
OR A .22 PISTOL THAT HAD HAD THE SERIAL NUMBER FILED OFF.
HE WAS ON THE COMPUTER, LOOKING FOR A GUN.
YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHY EVERYBODY SAID MATT'S INVOLVED.
Narrator: IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.
BUT MATT CLAIMS HE WAS WITH A GIRLFRIEND
AT THE TIME OF HIS PARENTS' ***.
WHEN POLICE QUESTION HER,
THEIR STORIES DON'T ADD UP.
AND THERE'S YET ANOTHER REASON
EVERYONE'S FINGER IS POINTING IN MATT'S DIRECTION.
NEIGHBORS REPORT SEEING A WHITE CAR
THAT FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF A CAR
MATT IS KNOWN TO BE USING THE MORNING OF THE MURDERS.
IT APPEARED THAT HE HAD BEEN IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA
NEAR HIS PARENTS' HOME THAT MORNING.
THAT'S ALL I WAS THINKING,
THAT MATT -- MATT KILLED HIS PARENTS.
YOU KNOW, I -- I SAID
I HATE TO BELIEVE THAT, BUT JUST THE WAY MATT IS.
Narrator: BEFORE COPS HAUL HIM IN,
FAMILY FRIEND NATE NIGHTINGALE COMES FORWARD WITH A STORY
THAT SENDS THE TOWN'S FOCUS
IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
SO, SHE HAD, LIKE, STRINGY HAIR -- REAL STRINGY HAIR.
AND I DON'T -- I'D NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE.
Benson: HE ADMITTED THAT HE HAD, IN FACT, BEEN THERE
ON THE MORNING THAT THE MILLERS WERE KILLED.
HE HAD DONE A GREAT DEAL OF WORK FOR MICHAEL MILLER SR. --
HAD LIVED THERE, AND REALLY SORT OF WAS
IN THE ROLE OF AN ADOPTED SON.
Narrator: NATE CLAIMS HE HAD GONE TO THE MILLERS'
TO MAKE A PAYMENT TO BIG MIKE ON A iPOD HE HAD HOCKED.
GOT SOME NERVE, THERE, I THINK.
THEN, AS HE WAS LEAVING THE MILLERS' HOUSE
LESS THAN AN HOUR BEFORE THE MURDERS,
SOMEONE ELSE CAME IN.
Benson: HE GAVE A PRETTY GOOD DESCRIPTION OF A WOMAN
THAT HE SUGGESTED WAS PERHAPS IN HER MID-40s
WITH LONGER, GRAYING HAIR, GLASSES.
AND, BASED UPON THE DESCRIPTION THAT HE GAVE,
THE SKETCH ARTIST FOR THE MAINE STATE POLICE PREPARED A SKETCH
THAT HE SAID LOOKED LIKE THE PERSON
THAT HE CLAIMED TO HAVE SEEN THERE.
Narrator: AUTHORITIES RELEASED THE SKETCH TO THE MEDIA
AS FAR AWAY AS BANGOR
AND IN THE SMALL TOWNS ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CANADIAN BORDER.
WHEN I FIRST LOOKED AT IT,
I DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHO IT WAS.
I'D NEVER SEEN THAT PERSON BEFORE IN MY LIFE.
NEITHER HAD MIKE.
THAT WAS THE FOCUS OF THE STATE POLICE
IN PERFORMING THEIR INVESTIGATION.
Narrator: BEFORE LONG, THE LEADS COME POURING IN.
MANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CAME FORWARD TO SUGGEST
THAT THEY BELIEVED THAT THEY KNEW WHO THIS WOMAN WAS.
Narrator: IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE HAS SEEN THIS WOMAN
AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.
SIGHTINGS ARE REPORTED ACROSS THE STATE.
I HEARD STORIES THAT --
THEY SAID, "OH, SHE LIVES IN LINCOLN."
AND THEN THEY SAY THAT, AFTER THE SKETCH CAME OUT,
SHE WAS GONE -- NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.
THE STATE POLICE SPENT HOURS AND HOURS AND DAYS AND DAYS
SPEAKING TO PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED
THEY HAD INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MYSTERY WOMAN.
HOW YOU DOING, MATT?
WHAT'S UP?
Narrator: AS POLICE CONTINUE TO RUN DOWN LEADS,
THEY ALSO TURN UP THE HEAT ON MATT MILLER TO COME CLEAN
ABOUT WHAT HE WAS DOING THE DAY OF HIS PARENTS' ***.
Benson: HE GAVE SOME INCONSISTENT STORIES
ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE AND WHERE HE HAD BEEN
ON THE MORNING OF THE 28th
THAT MADE THE STATE POLICE BECOME EVEN MORE SUSPICIOUS.
Narrator: MEANWHILE, THOSE CLOSEST TO MATT
ADMIT HE HAS A SERIOUS DRUG PROBLEM
BUT REMAIN CONVINCED
HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS PARENTS' ***.
THEY BROUGHT IT UP IN THE INTERVIEWS
AND IN QUESTIONING AND STUFF TO US.
AND IT WAS -- IT WAS JUST LIKE,
YOU KNOW, "HOW CAN YOU EVEN ASK US THAT?"
Narrator: NOW, MORE THAN WEEK AFTER THE MURDERS,
WEBSTER PLANTATION IS STILL FOCUSED
ON FINDING THE WOMAN
NATE NIGHTINGALE SAYS HE SAW AT THE MILLERS'
SHORTLY BEFORE THEY WERE MURDERED.
DOZENS OF DETECTIVES WERE LOOKING FOR THIS WOMAN,
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO THIS WOMAN WAS.
AND THEY WOULD TRACK DOWN EVERY LEAD,
AND EVERY LEAD CAME, ESSENTIALLY, TO NOTHING.
DeBeck: JUST STARTING TO WONDER
MAYBE THIS MIGHT BE A CASE THAT NEVER GETS SOLVED.
Narrator: IN FACT, EVERYONE IN WEBSTER PLANTATION
IS DOING EXACTLY THAT,
NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY WISH THE MILLERS GET JUSTICE.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY --
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.
Narrator: NOVEMBER IN THE DARK BACKWOODS OF MAINE
IS A TIME OF WAITING.
THE DAYS ARE DEPRESSINGLY SHORT,
THE NIGHT TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW FREEZING,
AND SOON, WINTER WILL HIT.
AND, AS EVERYONE KNOWS
IN THE ISOLATED TOWN OF WEBSTER PLANTATION,
WINTER WILL COME WITH A VENGEANCE,
CUTTING THEM OFF EVEN FURTHER FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD.
BUT IN THE FALL OF 2009,
WEBSTER IS WAITING FOR SOMETHING ELSE -- ANSWERS.
MORE THAN A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE THE MILLER MURDERS,
AND THE WARY TOWN IS ON EDGE,
FEARING A DERANGED KILLER MAY BE LURKING CLOSE BY.
Crocker: A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SCARED
BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW
WHERE THIS PERSON WAS AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
AND IT WAS -- PEOPLE WERE PRETTY UPSET.
Narrator: AND WHILE THE SO-CALLED MYSTERY WOMAN
REMAINS THEIR TOP SUSPECT,
POLICE AREN'T PREPARED TO LET
THE MILLERS' YOUNGEST SON, MATT, OFF THE HOOK JUST YET.
Mike: THEY JUST DIDN'T AGREE WITH SOME OF HIS ACTIONS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT AFTER THE CRIME HAD TOOK PLACE,
AND BASICALLY THOUGHT HE WAS INVOLVED.
WHAT'S UP?
Narrator: ON DECEMBER 5, 2009,
A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AFTER HIS PARENTS
WERE FOUND MURDERED ON THEIR KITCHEN FLOOR,
26-YEAR-OLD MATT MILLER IS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.
NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, DID THIS JUST HAPPEN
TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER,
NOW MY BROTHER'S GONE, SUPPOSEDLY ACCUSED OF DOING IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? MY WHOLE FAMILY -- BOOM.
Narrator: MATT CONTINUES TO CLAIM
HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS PARENTS' MURDERS.
THAT'S NOT, HOWEVER, WHAT POLICE TELL HIS OLDER BROTHER, MIKE.
THEY BASICALLY SIT THERE AND TELL ME
THAT MATT CONFESSED TO IT,
AND THAT HE'S TELLING THEM ALL ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW.
Narrator: IF STATE POLICE ARE HOPING
TO GET THE MILLER BOYS TO TURN ON EACH OTHER,
THEY'RE SORELY MISTAKEN.
THAT'S NOT HOW THINGS WORK IN WEBSTER PLANTATION.
NOW, I'M OBVIOUSLY UPSET -- TEARING UP, MAD, YOU KNOW --
AND BASICALLY THREATENED THE INVESTIGATOR.
YOU KNOW, "YOU KEEP SITTING THERE, SAYING THAT --
"THAT MY BROTHER'S IN THE NEXT ROOM
ADMITTING TO KILLING MY PARENTS."
I'M LIKE, "I'M GONNA COME OVER THERE
AND SMASH YOUR TEETH DOWN YOUR MOUTH."
YOU KNOW, "QUIT SAYING THAT. PERIOD."
Narrator: PROBLEM IS, MATT STILL CAN'T ADEQUATELY ACCOUNT
FOR HIS WHEREABOUTS THE MORNING OF THE MURDERS.
WE KNOW YOU WEREN'T WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND.
SO HELP US OUT.
Mike: HE WASN'T BEING TRUTHFUL WITH THE INVESTIGATORS,
WASN'T BEING HONEST.
IT JUST DIDN'T LOOK GOOD.
BASICALLY, HE DIDN'T WANT
TO, YOU KNOW, TELL THEM THAT HE WAS USING DRUGS.
Narrator: NOW IN CUSTODY AND FACING *** CHARGES,
MATT ADMITS THAT HE WASN'T WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND
THE MORNING OF THE MURDERS.
Benson: MATTHEW HAD BEEN OUT AND ABOUT THAT MORNING,
LOOKING FOR DRUGS, AND HAD BEEN IN HIS PARENTS' NEIGHBORHOOD,
LOOKING FOR DRUGS.
HE APPARENTLY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT
TO COVER UP THAT DRUG ACTIVITY THAN IT WAS
TO BE SORT OF FORTHCOMING IN THE HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION.
Narrator: MATT'S STORY HAS CHANGED.
THIS TIME, IT SEEMS TO FIT BETTER
WITH WHAT THE FOLKS
OUT ON TUCKER RIDGE ROAD CLAIMED THEY SAW,
AND THAT'S NOT MATT'S ONLY CORROBORATING SOURCE.
Benson: THERE WAS VIDEO FOOTAGE AT A LOCAL FUNERAL HOME
THAT MADE IT APPEAR THAT MR. MILLER,
ALTHOUGH PERHAPS IN THE AREA OF HIS PARENTS' HOME
ON THE MORNING OF THE 28th,
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE AT THE TIME
THE HOMICIDES HAD TO HAVE BEEN COMMITTED.
Narrator: THE FOOTAGE OF MATT DRIVING THROUGH LINCOLN
DOESN'T PROVE MATT WASN'T INVOLVED IN HIS PARENTS' ***,
BUT IT DOES INDICATE
THAT HE'S FINALLY TELLING INVESTIGATORS THE TRUTH.
AS FOR THE GUN HE WAS ALLEGEDLY LOOKING FOR ON THE INTERNET,
MATT ADMITS TO THAT, TOO.
Benson: WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THAT,
HE CLAIMED -- AND IT'S VERY LIKELY TRUE --
THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR A GUN THAT HE COULD USE TO PAWN
SO THAT HE COULD GET MONEY FOR DRUGS.
Narrator: NOW THAT MATT HAS COME CLEAN,
HE FIGURES HE'S FREE TO GO, BUT THE COPS ARE IN NO HURRY.
WHILE HE REMAINS IN CUSTODY, THEY SHIFT THEIR FOCUS
BACK TO THE MYSTERY WOMAN STILL AT LARGE.
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WITH RUMORS AND GOSSIP,
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE JUST TALKING FOOLISHNESS, YOU KNOW.
AND THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE TALKING
'CAUSE THEY WERE CONCERNED AND WORRIED.
Bradbury: YOU KNOW, IT'S A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM WHEN YOU HEAR
THAT THEY'VE BOTH BEEN MURDERED IN A SMALL TOWN,
AND YOU'RE A LITTLE CONCERNED,
YOU KNOW, UNTIL THEY FIND WHO DID IT.
Narrator: WITH LITTLE ELSE TO GO ON,
POLICE CIRCLE BACK TO THE MAN WHO FIRST REPORTED
THE WOMAN BEING AT THE MILLER HOUSE,
FAMILY FRIEND NATE NIGHTINGALE.
Benson: NATHANEAL NIGHTINGALE
WAS INTERVIEWED SEVERAL TIMES BY THE MAINE STATE POLICE
IN CONNECTION WITH THIS CASE,
AND ALL OF THEM REALLY BELIEVED
MR. NIGHTINGALE'S STORY.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS WOMAN AGAIN. TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU SAW.
Narrator: BUT NOW, THE MAINE STATE POLICE
DECIDE TO PRESS NATE A LITTLE HARDER.
ARE YOU SURE YOU DESCRIBED EVERYTHING JUST RIGHT
YEAH.
YES. I'M SURE.
HOW OLD WAS SHE?
THEY REALLY STARTED HOUNDING AND HOUNDING AND HOUNDING.
Narrator: NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY PUSH,
NATE STICKS TO HIS STORY.
I'M SURE I SAW HER. SHE WAS RIGHT OUT FRONT.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH HIM -- WHEN YOU SEE HIM --
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE,
"THESE DETECTIVES ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY," YOU KNOW,
"THEY JUST WON'T GET OFF MY BACK.
THEY'RE FOLLOWING ME EVERYWHERE."
Narrator: SEEING HIS FRUSTRATION,
POLICE OFFER TO MAKE NATE A DEAL --
TAKE A POLYGRAPH TEST TO CLEAR HIS GOOD NAME.
HE SAID SURE.
YOU KNOW, THAT -- HE FIGURED, "I'M SET.
"I'LL DO A POLYGRAPH AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL LEAVE ME ALONE.
THEY'LL SEE THAT I DIDN'T DO IT."
SO HE JUMPED ON IT. "YEAH, I'LL DO A POLYGRAPH."
Narrator: ON DECEMBER 11,
TWO WEEKS AFTER THE MILLERS' MURDERS,
NATE NIGHTINGALE SITS DOWN WITH THE MAINE POLYGRAPH EXAMINER.
FOR OVER SIX HOURS OF QUESTIONING,
NATE CONTINUES TO DENY HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE MURDERS.
AND WHY WOULDN'T HE?
THE MILLERS WERE LIKE A SECOND FAMILY TO HIM.
BIG MIKE TREATED HIM LIKE A SON.
IT'S A GOOD STORY.
THERE'S JUST ONE PROBLEM --
THE POLYGRAPH TELLS A DIFFERENT ONE.
Benson: THE POLYGRAPH EXAMINER,
THROUGHOUT A VERY, VERY LONG POLYGRAPH --
IT WENT ON FOR SEVERAL HOURS --
WAS ABLE TO DETECT A NUMBER OF PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES
THAT SUGGESTED THAT HIS DENIALS SIMPLY WEREN'T TRUE.
AS THEY WERE TURNING THE HEAT UP,
SO TO SPEAK, ON MR. NIGHTINGALE,
MR. NIGHTINGALE MENTIONED THE FACT
THAT HE THOUGHT PERHAPS HE SHOULD GET A LAWYER.
SO THE INTERVIEW ENDED AND MR. NIGHTINGALE LEFT.
Narrator: SOMETIMES OUR GREATEST FEARS
ARE NOT LYING IN WAIT SOMEWHERE JUST OUT OF SIGHT.
SOMETIMES OUR GREATEST FEARS ARE RIGHT HERE WITH US,
HIDDEN AMONG OUR NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, OR RELATIVES.
AND THAT COULD MAKE THE SOLVING OF THE MYSTERY
OF WHO KILLED THE MILLERS
THAT MUCH MORE HORRIBLE TO SWALLOW
FOR THE TOWN OF WEBSTER PLANTATION.
Narrator: THE INSULAR, BACKWOODS MAINE TOWNSHIP
OF WEBSTER PLANTATION
HAD ALWAYS STOOD UP FOR AND PROTECTED ITS RESIDENTS,
BUT IT COULD NOT PROTECT BIG MIKE AND VALERIE MILLER.
NOW, A MONTH AFTER THEY'D BEEN FOUND MURDERED
IN THEIR TUCKER RIDGE ROAD HOME,
THE TWO MAIN SUSPECTS
ARE THEIR YOUNGEST SON, MATT,
AND FAMILY FRIEND NATE NIGHTINGALE.
HE WAS LIKE A SON TO THEM.
THAT'S THE WAY THEY TREATED HIM,
YOU KNOW, LIKE A THIRD SON.
AND I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE
THAT HE WOULD GO IN AND DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
Narrator: AFTER TAKING A LIE-DETECTOR TEST
ABOUT HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE MURDERS,
NATE DRIVES HOME TOWARDS WEBSTER PLANTATION.
BUT FIRST, HE MEETS UP WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND, BROOKE LAWSON.
BIG MIKE WAS AN ACCIDENT.
[ SNIFFLES ]
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
[ SNIFFLES ]
WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?
OH, GOD. [ SOBS ]
Garnett: AND SO SHE CALLS THE COPS --
SHE'S ALL HYSTERICAL --
AND SAYS THAT NATHANEAL HAS CONFESSED.
[ Sobbing ] HE DID IT.
HE -- HE KILLED MIKE AND VAL.
Silverstein: HE HAD ALREADY GONE FROM BROOKE'S TO HIS MOM'S --
GONE IN, SEEN HIS MOM,
AND MADE SOME SORT OF OBLIQUE REFERENCE
OF A CONFESSION TO HER.
Narrator: FOUND AT HIS MOTHER'S HOUSE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING,
NATE CONFESSES TO THE COPS.
HE WAS READ HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS,
AND HE TOLD THEM HIS VERSION
OF HOW THE HOMICIDES INVOLVING THE MILLERS HAD TAKEN PLACE.
Narrator: NATE TELLS POLICE HE HAD GONE TO THE MILLERS
TO TRY TO PAWN A GUN FOR DRUG MONEY.
WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO HELP ME OUT.
JUST NEED A COUPLE BUCKS.
YOU KNOW.
NATE THEN LEADS POLICE TO HIS FATHER'S CAMP
TO RECOVER BIG MIKE'S WALLET,
WHICH NATE HAD HIDDEN BENEATH THE CABIN.
Mike: WE GOT THE PHONE CALL THAT HE HAD CONFESSED TO BROOKE
AND THAT ALL THIS WAS GOING ON,
SO, THEN WHEN THE DETECTIVES COME OUT HERE THAT NIGHT
AFTER EVERYTHING TOOK PLACE,
THAT'S THE FIRST THING I TOLD THEM.
I WAS LIKE, "YOU GET ON THAT PHONE,
"OR YOU GET IN YOUR CAR AND YOU DRIVE TO THAT JAIL,
AND YOU TELL MY BROTHER, PERIOD."
AND THEY DID.
EVERY ONE OF THEM INVESTIGATORS
WENT TO THAT JAIL AND APOLOGIZED AND TOLD HIM.
Narrator: DESPITE HIS RECORDED CONFESSION,
AT TRIAL, NATE CLAIMS HE'S INNOCENT
AND THAT THE COPS PRESSURED HIM TO ADMIT HE KILLED THE MILLERS
SO THAT THEY COULD WRAP UP THE CASE.
WE TOOK A POSITION AT TRIAL THAT HE KNEW
THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS LEANING ON HIM HEAVILY --
THAT THEY BELIEVED HE WAS RESPONSIBLE --
AND SO THEREFORE, HE JUST TOLD THEM WHAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR
SO THEY WOULD LAY OFF HIM.
Narrator: FOR THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF THE MILLERS,
AND INDEED THE WHOLE TOWN OF WEBSTER PLANTATION,
WAITING FOR THE JURY'S VERDICT IS JUST AS PAINFUL
AND, WHEN IT IS FINALLY READ, STUNNING.
I JUST REMEMBER THAT FEELING WHEN THEY COME BACK
AND THEY'RE -- YOU KNOW, THEY ASK,
"*** -- MIKE MILLER -- BLAH, BLAH -- NOT GUILTY."
LIKE, MY HEART JUST DROPPED.
I'M LIKE, "WHAT?" YOU KNOW?
THEN THEY COME BACK WITH THE MANSLAUGHTER.
THEN, *** FOR MY MOM -- "GUILTY."
YOU KNOW, AND THAT
KIND OF LIFTED IT BACK OFF, LIKE, "PHEW."
Narrator: WHILE FEW QUESTION NATE'S GUILT,
MANY STILL QUESTION HIS CLAIM
THAT THE FIRST SHOT WAS AN ACCIDENT.
IT WAS A .22 RUGER.
AND THAT'S A GUN THAT CAN'T GO OFF UNLESS YOU *** THE HAMMER.
Narrator: ONLY THREE PEOPLE KNOW
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE KITCHEN THAT MORNING,
AND TWO ARE DEAD.
WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING THROUGH HIS HEAD WHEN HE DID THAT?
WHAT THE HELL PUT HIM TO THAT POINT
WHEN HE DID THAT, YOU KNOW?
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID THAT, WHEN THEY BOTH DIED,
THAT ONE -- IT WAS ALMOST, YOU KNOW, SOOTHING
THAT THEY HAD GONE TOGETHER,
BECAUSE ONE WOULDN'T BE OKAY WITHOUT THE OTHER.
IT WOULD BE --
[ Voice breaking ] I'M SORRY.
IT WOULD BE TOO MUCH.
PEOPLE STILL TALK ABOUT IT.
IT MAY GET -- FEEL BETTER, BUT YOU STILL REMEMBER FOREVER.
Narrator: REMEMBER -- SURE.
BUT WHAT THE GOOD FOLKS OF WEBSTER PLANTATION
WISH THEY COULD FORGET
IS THE HARD LESSON THAT THE GREATEST DANGER
IS NOT SOME ABSTRACT EVIL
LURKING SILENTLY IN THE DARK WOODS,
BUT THE FRIEND WHO STOPS BY FOR A SATURDAY-MORNING COFFEE.
MAKES YOU WONDER IF THIS PERSON, YOU KNOW --
"YOU'RE REALLY MY FRIEND, OR IS HE SOMEBODY
WHO'S GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME, OR EVEN WORSE?"
IT REALLY WOKE EVERYBODY UP
TO, YOU KNOW, THAT TIMES ARE CHANGING,
AND MAYBE SOMETIMES THAT'S NOT FOR THE BETTER.