- Work? Is the work screwing someone while you're in AA? Your problems go way beyond drinking. - You know what? I was fine before you came here. - Yeah, so was I! - OK, great. - How long have you been self-medicating? - Since dad died. I always thought he would be there, and it's like, what if I keep forgetting? - DR CHENG: I'd like you to come in so we can talk about this. - What's the worst-case scenario? - There is a small chance, however, if we operate, that it could affect your ability to walk. - (SCREAMS) - Dad, it's us! Just stay exactly where you are, OK? Ross, I release you from the responsibility of Grandpa. OK? He's resilient. And you? You need to be 19. Come on. (UPBEAT DANCE MUSIC PLAYS) - Where are we going? - You've been so stressed out. Tonight, the mission is Operation Ross Fun. (MUSIC CONTINUES) (MUSIC FADES, DISTORTS) (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC PLAYS) (GUNSHOTS) (MUSIC FADES) Captions were made with support from NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 - I confessed in court. - I understand that, Mr Bennett, but I've been asked to review the medical evidence that's against you. OK? So, do you mind telling me what happened the night Wyllanne died? - That night was supposed to be a celebration. We'd made it to the finals, my team. - Mm-hm. And that's for hockey? - Yeah. Wasn't feeling too hot for a couple weeks. Bad mood I couldn't shake. Wanted to stay home, but the boys, they wouldn't give it up. We'd finally won. Campbell passed out. Then, in the morning, I wake up and find Wyllanne. - And she was already dead. - On the bathroom floor. First I thought she'd OD'd, but then the cops showed up and told me I did it. - And you don't remember hurting her. - No. But at the trial, the medical experts said she died of internal bleeding from what I did to her. - Mr Bennett, why did you confess to a crime that you don't remember committing? - At the trial, they showed her x-rays. And that lawyer, he counted out loud every single bone of hers I broke, just pointing and counting until something in me just broke. (DOOR OPENS) - Dr Cooper? You're needed at a... - Right. Thank you. One sec. (CELL PHONE RINGS) - Donovan speaking. No, I haven't scheduled my pre-op appointment yet. Let me check my calendar. My sched's looking pretty full. I don't think I can move anything around. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll get back to you by the end of the day with a date I can come in. Yep, end of the day. Yeah. All right. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) (SOFT MUSIC) - (WHISPERS) (MELANIE HUMS TUNE) Bizet's Habanera? - Point for the coroner. - So, this death is unrelated to the shooting? - Oh, that guy survived. Idiot was showing off his gun, and his friend shot him in the ass. He's been identified as the owner of the house, Joshua Harris. - We've got multiple stab wounds. Blood's smeared, so somebody might've tried CPR. The wounds aren't clean; the weapon probably wasn't a knife. Maybe an ice pick? Screwdriver? Something like that. - Apparently, he's some kind of counterfeit goods kingpin. Fake designer handbags, watches, clothes, you know, that sort of thing. - Well, it explains how he could afford all this. (CURIOUS MUSIC) - Detective West. I'm in charge of this investigation. Put your mask on, please. - Look, why are you keeping me in here? - Any of these yours? Hm? - Um, yeah. - Ross... How do you say it? - It's Ross Khalighi. - Khalighi. This also yours? - Yeah, I was supposed to clean it. - Mm-hm. Let me see your hands, please? - Wh-What? - What's that on your cuff there? - (STAMMERS) - Huh? Turn around, please. Keep your hands where I can see 'em. - No, no, look. I need` - Turn around! Hands where I can see 'em! - What? Hey. No, no, no. Look. OK. Look, look, look, my mom is the coroner. - Yeah? Yeah, my dad's a chief. Ross Khalighi, you're under arrest for the murder of Joshua Harris. Let's go. - No! (UNSETTLING MUSIC) - OFFICER: Right hand. OK, left hand. (MUSIC CONTINUES) - Mm-hm. - Can I call my mom? - You 18? - 19. - 19. Then you are your own legal guardian, so no, we are not gonna call your mommy. You're an adult man who went to a party, and you killed someone. - No. I didn't kill anybody. - Where were you born? - I was born in Toronto. - Great. You cooperate, you get to go home. See your mommy. Yeah. What's your relationship with Joshua Harris? How long you known him? - I don't know him. I've never met him before. - So you stabbed a guy you didn't know with a screwdriver? - I found him like that. - Dead or alive? - Dead? - So you did CPR on a dead guy. - No, I thought he was alive. - So he was alive. (DOOR OPENS) - Jenny, this tres charmant and fantastically persuasive man is here to see you. He said it couldn't wait. - Uh, yeah. Yeah, it's all good. Thanks. Hey. - So, how'd it go with Oshae Bennett? - Oh, our interview got cut short. I got pulled to a homicide. Hey, I still don't understand why you're asking me to review a case that you prosecuted him in. You were the one who put him in jail. - I like to, you know, cross my Is and dot my Ts. - OK, well, I haven't found anything that contradicts his confession, so it seems valid. - (CELL PHONE RINGS) Sorry. I just... One sec. - Yeah. - Hey, Matteo. Everything OK? Sorry. No, I thought he stayed at your house last night. What? Hold on. Wait. Where? Wh`? Party. Sorry, I gotta go. - Something wrong? - Get a job. - What's good? - Hey, man. Got a slam dunk. Murder she wrote. - On the mansion party thing? - Yeah. I left a suspect in the interrogation room. His story was he was doing CPR. That's how he got blood on his cuffs. - (CHUCKLES) Well, what about the shooter and the guy who got shot in the ass? - No, unrelated. Guns and gangs. I already solved that. So I'm just running this dude through counter-terrorism. - You really think it's terrorist related? - I'm just being safe, you know. Probably radicalised to connect with his dad. Allahu Akbar, all that crap, right? - Man, don't make racist comments like that. - Don't go all PC on me, bruh. - Ross Khalighi? That's Jenny Cooper's son. - Well, there's always a bad apple. - No other suspects? - No. He's with duty counsel now. For all the good that's gonna do him. - I'll take over now. You go write up the warrants, bruh. - Looks like you got caught with blood on your hands, in both senses of the word. - But? But I can get bail, right? - You've been charged with murder. You're not getting released on a promise to appear. You're gonna have to spend the night in lockup. Well, we're outta time. - (STAMMERS) Look, I... I can't stay overnight in jail. - We'll strategize a plea bargain later. I've got a bail hearing. - But I didn't do anything! - Right now, it doesn't matter what you did. (TENSE MUSIC) Look, eat something. And don't talk. Nice to meet you, Mr 'Khalaghi'. - Ross? I'm Detective McAvoy. - I know. I know. Look. There's been a really big misunderstanding. OK? But you know me, right? I'm... I'm not a murderer. - I know your mom. - OK. Well... No one has been listening to me. Even my own duty counsel is trying to tell me that it doesn't matter what I did. But I didn't do anything. - All right, I'm gonna record this if you're giving me a statement. - Are you gonna help me? - Are you asking to give me a statement without a lawyer present? - Yes. Y-Yes. - All right. (BEEP) All right, it's Friday, October 3rd, 9 AM. Detective Donovan McAvoy interviewing Ross Khalighi. All right, Ross, you have my undivided attention. Tell me what happened. - I went into the room because of the gunshots. There he was. He was right there. - (EXHALES) You went to the party to sell drugs. You got into a beef with the homeowner. And you stabbed him with this. - No. - That's what the evidence tells me. So why don't we try this again? What were you doing at the party? (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC PLAYS) - I was... I was just havin' fun. - All right, what's the gap between having fun and a guy with holes in him? (GUNSHOTS) - MAN: Run! - You didn't go there with anybody? You didn't talk to anybody? - I don't remember. - You told Detective West, and I quote, 'I meant to clean that off,' about this. That's called an utterance, Ross, and it holds up in court. Why would you bring a screwdriver to a party anyways? - It was just in my pocket. I was fixing a car with my grandpa, and I just... And then, after that, I'm at the party with the dead guy. - I don't know who you think you're protecting. But it's not you. - Hi. Ma'am? I'm here for my son, Ross Khalighi. He's been detained. - (TAPS KEYS) Sorry, you won't be able to see him. - Why not? - I can't disclose that information. - No, sorry, I wanna see my son. I have a right to see my son. - Sorry, ma'am, you can't, and you don't. - Um, can you call Detective McAvoy for me, please? I'm Jenny Cooper. I'm the coroner. WHISPERS: Come on! (DOOR OPENS) - Jenny. - Hey. - Hey. - They have Ross. And they're not telling me anything about this. - I know. Come here. Come here. - Is Ross OK? - Let's talk over here, please. - Hey, is Ross OK? - No, he's not. - Wh`? - He's been charged with murder. - What? I mean, Ross wouldn't hurt anybody. There is no way that you can be taking this seriously? - I'm taking the evidence against him seriously. - What is the evidence against him? - I can't tell you that. That would be compromising the investigation. Oh my... I mean, you're... You're helping him, right? - Do you want me to be the one that's in there with him? - Yes, of course. Yeah. - The best thing you can do for Ross is find him a defence attorney that has more than five minutes to spend with him. I gotta go. (TENSE UPBEAT MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) - Hi. Is Marie Halcrow there? I-I need a lawyer for my son. (MUSIC CONTINUES) She's in trial. OK. Hi. Yes. Can I speak with Nicholas Digba? I need a lawyer. My son has been falsely accused of murder and` Great. Mr Digba is on vacation. Hi, this is Jenny Cooper. I'm a coroner. I need a lawyer. No, I don't want a junior associate. I want` Come on. I need... a lawyer... now. (MUSIC CONTINUES) (SIGHS) Just do it. - Hey. Hey. - Hey. - You think you can help? - Yeah. Yeah, I can get in there, spot what kinda case they're building, see the holes. - OK. OK, thank you. I'll just wait in my car. You can text me. - No, no, Jenny. No, no, no, you can't sit out here while your colleague interrogates your son, OK? It's bad optics. - OK. All right. I'll go to the office. I can, um... - Not try to be Ross's superhero. You can't go anywhere near the autopsy suite or the crime scene, OK? You can't. - Then what can I do? Right? What can I do? Because everything that I can do I can't do for my own kid. (EXHALES HEAVILY) What do I do? - Well, there is another innocent man that could use your help. You've got to get your mind off this, OK? And look at the Oshae Bennett case again. He deserves a fair shake. Just like your kid. But I got Ross. I got him. - That's my son. Don't mess this up. - OK. - OK. - DONOVAN: I just talked to your mom. - Um, is she, um...? How is she? - She's worried sick. Detective Donovan McAvoy resuming interview with Ross Khalighi. All right. Let's talk about this. The ecstasy. Where'd you get it? - Tonight's mission is Operation Ross Fun. - Cheers to that. (UPBEAT MUSIC) (DISTORTED LAUGHTER) - Let's do that thing we talked about. Hm? - You wanna do that? - Yeah. - I don't know where I got it. - OK. What about this? - It looks like my dad's watch. It looks like his watch if he was still here. - You sure? - Yeah. His is not as tacky as that one. - But you were wearing this one. - What? - This was on your wrist when you were booked. - That's not my watch. - All right. I'm gonna show you something, OK? Look closely. What's Joshua Harris wearing in each of these pictures? - He's wearing the watch. - He is. - I have no idea how I got that, OK? None. (LOCK BEEPS, DOOR OPENS) - His lawyer's here to see him. - I thought she had bail hearings. - Pausing interview. You came to the party to sell the drugs. You saw the watch. It reminded you of your father. - No! - You were emotionally distraught. You stabbed Joshua Harris, and you stole his watch. - No, no, that` That is not what happened. - Until you tell me different, that's what the evidence says. (SOLEMN MUSIC) - Your conference call is up. - Oh. OK. Thank you. Alphonse, whatever you do, do not let me go into the autopsy suite, OK? - Oh, OK. I like this game, JC. - It's not a game. - Right. - OK. - OSHAE: Hey, don't waste my time if you're not even there, lady. - I'm here. - My mom had to re-mortgage her house when legal aid ended. She doesn't want any more false hope. - No, you're absolutely right, Mr Bennett. I'm sorry. Um... Can we go back to Wyllanne's injuries? You said that you kept reliving the moment that the evidence was shown in court. - Wyllanne's back... broken, yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah, I did that. (UNSETTLING MUSIC) - I have a chest x-ray here. I mean, her spine looks fine. - No, it's broken. - I'm sorry do to this, Mr Bennett, but I need to show you Wyllanne's x-rays. - Come on, lady. No. - No, it's important. Can you...? Can you tell me what this is? - It's Wyllanne's back. Every single bone is broken. - And can you show me where this is on your body? - My back. - Mm-hm. - OK, so, you admitted you were in the room. Murder weapon is in your pocket. And you're wearing the dead man's watch. You come from a dysfunctional home. I'm a friend of your mother's, by the way. - So, what, you're not my duty counsel, but you're still my lawyer? - No, I'm not your lawyer. I'm a crown attorney. And they're doing you a favour by letting me talk to you. I'm here to prevent you from making things worse for yourself. - OK. So should I stop talking? - No. You can't stop talking. You gotta keep talking. You can't stop now. You need to repaint the narrative. - OK, but I told them everything I know, so... - OK. - It's not like I can just do better here. - Listen, when you get entangled with the cops, you lose control. OK, all your power is taken away from you. You're in the system. You just start to refute what they say, and boom, they got you. I'm here to give you back your power. - OK, how? - Focus on the details that are important to you. OK? They've dug you a hole. Now we build you a ladder. (TENSE MUSIC) - RIVER: A colleague sent these over. Jenny? - Sorry. - Your images. From Boston University. A former football player donated his brain to their chronic traumatic encephalopathy centre. - The brain looks shrunken. Look at the sulci. You can see the sulci through they gyri more easily than you would on a normal brain. - Happens a lot to these poor athletes. Football, rugby, boxing. - Hockey. - MELANIE: Definitely. - Could be why he couldn't shake that bad mood. Thank you. This has been really helpful. - Oh, I'm about to finish the Joshua Harris autopsy, if you'd like to join? - DONOVAN: You get some good advice from your lawyer? - Yeah, I did. Like, from the beginning, I've been treated different. I'm getting treated like a suspect because I'm brown, and I know that I'd get the benefit of the doubt if I was white. - Welcome to reality. As a mixed kid, you have privilege until you don't. - You're trying to tell me what I was doing, but what I remember is what I was feeling. - All I want is the truth, Ross. - WHISPERS: Come on! - What are you doing? We can hear you pacing over the bone saw. Just come in. - I can't. - Uh, have you been body-snatched? You love autopsies. Well, (CHUCKLES) not love, but... What's wrong? Um... I'm sorry. Uh... Ross... SOBS: 'My son... My son is being held on this case. 'They've charged him. I'm sorry.' - Oh, Jenny. That's horrible. - I don't wanna compromise this case. I mean, and I wanna ask so many questions. I just` I can't` I'm not supposed to be near here. - (SIGHS) - I'm sorry. I'm sorry. - (GROANS) - Sorry. - We found... There's water in the stomach. - Oh God. - Who are you calling? - I have to call Donovan. - Use my phone. (TENSE MUSIC) (MUFFLED DANCE MUSIC) (DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES) - ROSS: It was Matteo's idea. - DONOVAN: Going to the party? - I'd been really stressed out. - Let's open things up. Just for tonight, OK? - OK. - OK. - My family, um, they can be a little overwhelming. I felt like I was just jumping out of my own skin. That night, I... I was feeling free. Felt like I was flying. I could feel the wind, the air on my face. And then... I could just... just see it. It was so shiny. - Are you talking about the watch, Ross? - Yeah. I found it in the yard. It was beside the hot tub. I picked it up. It felt heavy. And it was wet. - The watch was wet? - Yeah, the watch... and the grass. I felt alive, you know. - Then what? (DRAMATIC MUSIC) (MUFFLED, DISTORTED DANCE MUSIC) What are you feeling now? - Hi. - Hi. (CHUCKLES) Um, I feel... I'm feeling friendly. I made a friend. - Does this friend have a name? - Ross? I like your name. - I like your name. Shimmery Shameer. No. I don't remember. (DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES) We wanted to get into the bedroom for some privacy. This door. Ugh. No. Locked. We couldn't. The door was locked. - The door to the bedroom where you found the body was locked? - Yeah. Yeah, but it was weird because... I felt... (GUNSHOTS) - Run! (PEOPLE SCREAM) - Come on. - You felt...? - He... One minute, he was out cold. And the next, he was opening the door. - Let me give you a hand. - Who, Ross? - It was the guy. Guy with the neck tattoo. But I just... (PANTS) I just didn't notice it because I... Whoa. Hey. Hey! No, no, no. Hey. Oh God. (BREATHES HEAVILY) Come on! Come on! (DISTORTED DANCE MUSIC RESUMES) (MUSIC STOPS) I just... That's it. That's it. - (EXHALES) (CELL PHONE CHIMES) (TENSE MUSIC) Donovan McAvoy pausing interview. (BEEP) - What? Why? What's wrong? Hey! I'm not lying! Where are you g`? I'm not lying! - Malik, our time frame's wrong. The murder wasn't committed during the party. It was committed before the party. - MALIK: That's a wrinkle in time. - The pathologist found water in his stomach, which means the guy bled out in water. Ross said he found the watch near the hot tub. - Aw, Mac, we checked it. It was dry. - Check it again. - All right. Whatever you say, boss. One second, Mac. OK, you there? - Yeah, I'm still here. - Uh... Huh. Yeah. OK. Yeah. Yeah, there's something in the drain. Huh. It's a barbecue skewer. - Suspect killed Joshua Harris in the hot tub, moved the body to the bedroom, locked the bedroom door, let the party completely contaminate the crime scene. - Yeah, then waited for a distraction to unlock the door. It's a good plan. You almost have to admire it. (CHUCKLES) (DOOR OPENS) - Do you think you could ID the guy you saw unlock the door? - Yeah. Am I`? Am I going to prison? - No, Ross. You're free to go. (SOFT MUSIC) - She's in pretty good nick ` only done 110,000 K's; WOF and rego, you know, full service history. Try and get in. - What is this? - This is a one-star safety-rated car. (GRUNTS) - I don't understand. What's going on? - People don't often think about how a car will crash ` you know, how it will protect you. That's what a star safety rating tells you. Just can't imagine. Like, if` if we crashed in a car like this, there's no way we would survive. - CLARK: CTE. - JENNY: Mm-hm. - We should've seen this. - Well, nobody looked. I mean, this diagnosis doesn't exonerate Oshae, but CTE causes confusion, so his confession, you know, it might not be valid. - Which means his lawyers have a good case for an appeal. - Mm-hm. - Yeah. - Sorry, this doesn't seem just like crossing Is and dotting Ts. Doesn't seem like you wanted to win this one. - I did wanna win. When I caught Oshae's case, I was stalled on my career. Happens a lot to crowns of colour. But I went hard, and I got him convicted. He put me on the map. - Yeah` Sorry, you don't` I mean, you don't have to... You don't have to explain yourself. - Yeah, I usually don't, but I... I don't want you to feel used. - I don't. I will make sure that his defence lawyer gets these. - Yeah. Don't tell anyone that you heard it from me. - I won't. - (CELL PHONE RINGS) Um, Donovan? Yeah. Yeah, thank you. - He's out? - Yeah. Yeah, he's out. (SOFT MUSIC) (EXHALES) - I'm glad your kid's OK. - DONOVAN: A guy named Doug Downey has been arrested. He and Joshua Harris were partners in a counterfeiting gang until Joshua cut him out of the business. Real ball buster. - Yeah, understatement of the year. This sucks. This whole system just sucks. Like, let's just burn this whole thing to the ground. I mean, (SCOFFS) what are we doing? - You know, what happened to you was wrong. It should never have happened. But it does. And worse. George Floyd. Chantel Moore. Breonna Taylor. Regis Korchinski-Paquet. - How can you even work for the police? - Who would you rather? - I hate that I'm mixed. And I hate that I even need to think about that right now. - Don't even go there. Your racial identity's not a burden. That's when they win. Racism is born of fear, fear that what's different could be equal, if not more powerful than them. So for hundreds of years, they've created laws, rules, and belief systems to try and keep us down. You need to find the joy and power in your own identity. - Yeah, I guess. - You might not feel it now. But you will. (CELL PHONE VIBRATES) (SOFT MUSIC) - Hey. - He's had quite a day. It's not about you. - Yeah. I know. I just... - (SIGHS) (MUSIC CONTINUES) - Hi. Smells good. You're making vaavishkaa. Dad used to make that when he had a rough day. - (EXHALES HEAVILY) I miss Dad. - I know. God, I wish he was here. You wanna talk about it? - Eventually. But not right now. - Yeah. I'll call you when it's ready. Shouldn't be long. - You're OK? (MUSIC CONTINUES) Captions by Able. Captions were made with support from NZ On Air.