Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
This is the city.
Every 24 hours a little bit of everything happens.
Two million people make a lot of history in one day.
They write it all down and file it away.
Some of it's important, some of it isn't.
Business, industry, government, you buy a three cent stamp or an OLL.
They keep records on all of it.
Progress, money, success, and failure.
A complete history of every day.
Some of it's public, some of it's personal.
It's all written down.
In my job we catalog trouble.
I'm a cop.
It was Wednesday, October 6th.
It was sultry in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch on a homicide.
My partner's Ed Jacobs, the boss is Thad Brown, chief of detectives.
My name's Friday.
It was 1045 a.m. when we got to the Ortega Hotel.
A 30 year old man had disappeared suddenly.
We'd uncovered evidence of foul play.
The list of suspects was narrowed down to one man, the last person to see the victim
alive.
We traced the suspect for months.
The break finally came.
We found him.
Taking his time, isn't he?
Yeah, you want to try it again?
Yeah, all right.
Yeah?
Police officers.
Your name Henry Ross?
Get in there.
Watch it, Andy.
Andy, behind your back.
Hold him.
Sit on that chair.
What is this, you guys really cops?
Don't fool me, you cops, I thought you were faking.
I showed you my card at the door.
I thought you were faking, that's the truth.
There's a couple of guys out to mess me up and I thought you were them.
Your name Henry Ross?
Sure, that's right.
I thought you were one of those moochers I had a fight with in the bar the other night.
He said he was going to get a pal and come back and take care of me.
Yeah?
Sure, I got no reason to fight cops.
Didn't do my room any good.
Landlady's been a screen.
All right, you want to finish up dressing?
I want to talk to you downtown.
What's it about, officer?
Missing person.
We'll brief you when we get downtown.
All right with me.
Could you take these cuffs off, please?
Kind of hard to dress with them.
All right, bend over.
I don't know, you have to slap cuffs on me.
I didn't know you were cops.
Mind if we check through your things, Ross?
Why?
You mind?
Go ahead if you want.
I got nothing to hide.
You spoke up with the daughter when I'm in this fight.
I thought you were that mooch in the bar and his friend.
Thought you were looking for trouble.
All right, mister, you about ready to go?
I'd like to brush my teeth first if you don't mind.
Got a mouthful of cotton this morning.
Where do you keep your toothbrush?
Over here, I'll get it.
Never mind.
All right.
Turn on the water tap.
You can make out.
Nothing, Joe, pretty clean.
Of course I'm clean.
I'm up to the place.
What'd you expect?
Anybody can make a mistake, I didn't know you were cops.
Henry Ellsworth Ross, that's your full name?
Yeah, that's right.
Hardly ever used the L for it.
Lousy name, huh?
Well, what's the picture on this, officer?
We told you.
This old person.
Would like to talk to you about it.
I don't think I can help you.
Nobody I know is missing.
How about Paul Davis?
Davis?
Yeah, I know him.
He's a good guy.
He's a good guy.
He's a good guy.
He's a good guy.
He's a good guy.
He's a good guy.
He's a good guy.
I know Davis.
Don't know his name was Paul, though.
It's been going on a long time, this guy Davis?
Yeah, that's right.
Something wrong, you think?
Yeah, we think you're murder.
After going over his room thoroughly, we took Henry Ellsworth Ross back to the city hall
to the interrogation room.
He was a long shaman by trade.
Among his friends and acquaintances, he was known as a heavy drinker and a man with a
violent temper.
At night, questioned him for half an hour.
We got nowhere.
I'll tell you the truth.
I just don't know what you're getting at.
I think I know a guy named Davis, and that's about as far as it goes.
You sure that's all you have to tell us?
Of course I'm sure.
Look, I got a right to a lawyer, if you understand that.
I throw a lot of charges at me.
We're not throwing charges at you, Henry.
We got a missing persons case.
I'd like to have you cooperate.
That's about it.
Well, maybe I'd like to, but I can't.
Paul Ellsworth Ross is a good guy.
Paul Davis.
Just a name to me.
Maybe I know him.
I don't know.
You got that report there, Ed?
Yeah.
That's it.
Thanks.
According to his wife, Paul Davis left Los Angeles by auto a little over four months
ago.
He was driving up to Oakdale, California to take a job with a dairy company.
He never got there.
He's been missing ever since.
And what's the pitch?
Well, all we've been able to find is Davis' car, 36 Ford coupe, 7 Tom, 7972.
Was sold a month ago up in Lodi, California, but Davis didn't sell it.
A man by the name of Carter signed the pink slip at the time of sale.
Henry Carter.
So, it doesn't mean anything to me.
Well, it's Carter made it look like Paul Davis had signed the Ford over to him.
We checked it out.
Davis' signature was forged.
That's all.
It's supposed to have something to do with me?
You ever use the name Henry Carter?
Of course not.
Ross, that's the only name I go by.
Never had your name changed?
No.
Never used an alias?
I told you no.
I wonder if you'd mind taking a look at this here.
What's it got to do with me?
That's the pink slip to Paul Davis' car, Henry.
Now, these signatures on the back, transfer of ownership, you recognize either one of
them?
Paul Davis and Henry S. Carter.
Well, they're just names to me.
Why am I supposed to recognize something?
You should, yeah.
Why?
The signatures are both in your handwriting.
How about it, Henry?
How about what?
I don't know what you're talking about.
You're trying to give me the treatment.
What's it all about?
We're trying to locate Paul Davis.
I'm not even sure I know the guy.
Now, look, I think you'd better level, Henry.
Our handwriting man checked both the signatures.
It's your writing.
I'm going to be better going to handwriting, Maya.
I never saw that slip.
I never wrote those signatures.
Anybody can copy handwriting.
I've got something else for you here.
I'd like to have you check it over, Ross, see if you can identify it.
What is it?
It's a letter.
Take a look at it.
Mean anything to you?
No, nothing.
Hope you're not going to tell me that's my handwriting.
That's what the report says.
That's crazy.
I never wrote like that in my life.
All the writing characteristics match up, same as the signatures on the pink slip.
All right, maybe they are the same.
I didn't write one, though.
I never wrote like that in my life.
No, that's all right, Henry.
Ed, you want to pull the package for Maya and I?
Yeah, okay.
I'm going to send someone to the sergeant to land it out for me, huh?
You can see the name there at the bottom of the letter, not signed, Henry Carter, same as the pink slip.
That doesn't mean anything to me.
That letter was sent to the wife of Paul Davis about nine weeks ago.
It says there that Davis supposedly was too busy to write his wife, so he had this Henry Carter send a letter.
He also writes that Davis sold his car to Carter.
Somebody trying to cover up, huh?
Yeah, we think so.
We think it's Henry Carter.
This guy Davis has been gone four months.
That's right.
You said you thought Davis was murdered.
I thought.
Just an idea.
Eight men have disappeared from around here in the last 14 months, just like Davis.
Six more up in the San Joaquin Valley, same way.
They took off alone on auto trips.
Never seen again, not a trace of them.
Here you go, Joe.
Thanks.
We've got your record here, Henry, from Baton Rouge.
We sent to Sheriff Clemens for it.
Well, if they're going to have to drag all that out again, it's past.
No, it's just one thing we had to check out, Henry.
Now, you told us that you never use an alias, is that right?
Well, I don't have.
I don't know what you're getting at.
I didn't figure I was going to use some dragon on Dirty Laundry again.
I asked you if you ever used the name Henry Carter.
I don't think I've ever used it.
It's a common name.
A lot of Henry Carters are on it.
We only know one if it's your description.
Come on, Clem, you know that.
Smoke, Henry?
No.
Joe?
Thanks.
You want me to have one, huh?
Henry, we rode this thing for four months all over the state, and I'll tell you what we got.
We'll let you make up your own mind.
It's not my riding.
On June 4th, Paul Davis left Los Angeles in his car, headed up for Oakdale.
Late in the afternoon, he stopped for gas at a service station just beyond San Fernando.
The attendant says a man was with Davis.
You fit that man's description, Henry.
Yeah?
I've seen months like that in court.
If I get on the stand, I can't even remember the name.
A couple others.
You and Davis stopped for a hamburger just outside of Gorman.
There's a man there.
He remembers you too.
You stopped again in Bakersfield, picked up a quart of oil for the car.
You and Davis had a Coke.
That's the last time he was seen alive.
That makes me a killer, huh?
A month after that, the pink slip from Davis' car came through DMV up in Sacramento.
That was for the transfer of ownership from Davis to Henry Carter, both in your handwriting.
A couple of weeks later, Mrs. Davis got that letter.
A month ago, Davis' car was sold to a dealer up in Lodi.
We found the dealer.
Ross showed him your mugshot.
He says you sold him the car.
Not at all?
No, that's just the main part.
There's more.
We've been on the road a lot.
We followed you from here to Sacramento and back, Henry.
Every stop, every detour took us a long time.
Yeah, I guess it did.
What do you say, Ross?
Nothing.
All right.
Any way you want it, Henry.
Yeah, I guess you'll work hard on it, huh?
All the time.
That's right.
Must be pretty hot in the Valley.
Summertime.
Dusty, huh?
We made it up.
Nine over nine in the Valley in summer.
Too hot for me.
We got people who saw you up there.
You know what's the proof?
Ten people, some hammering samples.
You can't build a case on that.
You know that, don't you?
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
We're going to try.
You think I murdered Davis?
You, Sergeant?
Yeah.
You think I murdered those other guys, too, huh?
What was it, ten or twelve of them?
We're asking about Davis.
You think I killed him?
Well, tell me the truth, do you?
You think I murdered Davis?
Yeah.
I think you did, Henry.
Uh-huh.
And you know, as well as I do, there's only one way to prove it.
Yeah.
You think I killed him?
Well, tell me the truth, do you?
You think I murdered Davis?
Yeah.
There's only one way to prove it.
Yeah.
Find his body.
One fifteen p.m. Ed and I took Henry Ross out and fed him some lunch.
Then we took him back to the city hall to the interrogation room where we continued
to question him.
He was relaxed and he talked a great deal about everything but the disappearance of
Paul Davis.
He didn't seem anxious to get away.
He made no demands for an attorney to represent him.
He told us about different homicide cases that he'd read up on.
He asked us about the twelve men who disappeared in the past months in the same manner Paul
Davis had.
Was there any trace of them at all?
Did we have any leads?
We finally got around to asking him if he'd submit to a lie detector test.
We seemed taken to the idea and agreed to it almost immediately.
We made up a list of key questions.
Ed called Sergeant Berger and made arrangements for the test.
At five p.m. we took the suspect to the third floor of the old city jail where Sergeant
Berger gave him the polygraph test.
When it was over we brought him back to the interrogation room.
The questioning continued.
Ross kept talking.
We let him talk.
Eight p.m. he was still going strong.
You remember the Wilson case back in 34, don't you Sergeant?
Woman killed her whole family.
Big case.
You remember it?
Yeah.
Pretty tragic.
Not a hobby of yours Henry?
Collecting murder stories?
No, I just read them.
I remember them.
Guess I can remember every murder case in the past 15 years.
That's so.
I'm sure just about all of them.
I guess it's kind of a hobby.
I get a big kick out of it.
Joe, see you in a minute.
Yeah.
Berger opened the polygraph room just now.
What did he say?
He found 16 positive reactions on Ross.
Thanks Bates.
You know there's one thing I get a real kick out of.
These detective magazines.
Mystery stories.
You know the way they make out the murderer.
How do you mean?
Well you know they always build it into something big.
Somebody's always killing somebody else for a million dollars or maybe over some woman.
Some beautiful woman.
Same with the movies.
That's where they get it all mixed up.
I don't think I follow you Henry.
Sure you do.
Every time some guy writes a murder story he's got to build up a big reason for the
killing.
Well it generally works out that way doesn't it?
Why?
I'll bet there's a thousand murder cases in your files without a reason.
Some people kill that's all.
I've heard about lots of them.
Sure they just want to kill them they go ahead and do it.
Maybe for a few bucks, maybe for nothing.
They just do it that's all.
That's how.
Well sure.
You know that.
Like this thing you've been talking about.
Ten, twelve guys disappear.
They got a few bucks, maybe they got nothing.
Somebody plows them under that's all.
No big reason they just do it.
So twelve guys are gone.
Doesn't mean anything.
Is that how you figured it Henry?
Huh?
Phone call a minute ago.
That was from the man who gave you the lie detector test.
Oh that right?
How'd it go?
Well he just finished going over your graph.
He got 16 positive reactions.
Yeah?
What would that mean?
You lied Henry.
16 times.
Is that right?
Yeah but I told him to get a new machine.
I lied all the way through.
Mind telling us why?
No I don't mind.
I guess I knew you'd find out.
Let's go out and get something to eat first huh?
Hungry.
We better talk a little more Henry.
Now let's go I'll tell you while we're eating.
Bring a pencil and I'll draw you a map.
A map of what?
The canyon.
Where I buried him.
Ed and I took Henry Ross out to get him something to eat.
At his request we went to Helga's health shop.
Was almost closing time.
Ross got himself a salad, molasses bread, yogurt, a vegetable burger and some grape juice.
Ed and I settled for a swiss cheese sandwich and some grape juice.
Vegetable burger and beets huh?
Sure smells great.
Yeah you can't take those beets too well they repeat on me.
Not me.
I can eat anything.
Salt and pepper?
Yeah thanks.
You know I haven't eaten much today.
Did you get your sandwich made with molasses bread?
No wheat jam bread.
Oh you should have got molasses bread.
Real black strap molasses.
Smell it.
Nice and fresh huh?
Oh you know this yogurt really sharpens up my appetite.
Food tastes great huh?
Want some saccharin?
Yeah thanks.
We brought a pencil along Ross.
Want to start making notes?
Good time as any I guess.
You know the whole thing comes right back to what I was trying to tell you there in
the office.
Well what's that?
What do you know about the phony mystery stories?
You know every time there's trouble there's a big reason behind it.
Phony that's all.
Yeah?
Sure.
There's Paul Davis for instance.
Now I guess I know you'd find out.
I knew this morning when you picked me up I knew you had a figure.
Must have been a big job huh?
Finding me?
Pretty big Henry.
You know a lot of mileage.
How did it happen?
Well there again it's just what I was saying.
There's no reason behind it.
I needed a few bucks and Davis came along.
I guess he was a pretty much passionate stalker.
Hey uh.
Where'd you meet Davis Henry?
Well I was hitchhiking up in Ventura.
On the night when my jeans I was going up to Marcopa.
So I had a job up there.
Well this Davis came along and he picked me up.
You ever know him before that?
No stranger.
Said he was going to Oakdale and he'd be glad to give me a ride.
Go ahead.
Well I think we stopped for gas up around San Fernando and I saw he had a few bucks
in his wallet.
I guess that's when I got the idea.
About what?
I'm feeling him.
Maybe that gives you an idea of what I was talking about.
You know any big reason to kill somebody?
I guess I had 18 bucks.
Suppose I told that to a writer.
Somebody killing my guy for 18 bucks.
Wouldn't make much sense huh?
I tell you they never sell.
You need a million dollars.
Beautiful woman.
Good motive.
Where'd you kill him Henry?
Outside of Bakersfield.
Little canyon there.
I picked up a fifth of sherry in Bakersfield and I got Davis to bring some on the way.
So would you pass us all again?
Yeah.
I'm not as good without a lot of salt.
How'd you kill Davis Henry?
Funny thing.
He drank some of the wine and got a little sleepy.
I was just outside of Bakersfield and it was dark by that time.
I spotted this little canyon and I figured it was as good as places Henry.
Yeah?
Well I found a place to pull off the road and we had a few more drinks and I spotted
this little shack out there.
I thought I'm gonna know where.
Exactly where was this Henry?
Well I can show you.
Maybe two miles north of Bakersfield.
We got to the shack and finished the wine and then we went to sleep.
Both of you?
Mm-hmm.
That's where the funny part comes in.
Well I guess I killed Davis alright but I didn't mean it.
I'm gonna work through that will ya?
Think those monks will figure out some other time to clean up when people are reading.
They'll be through in a minute.
How do you mean Henry you didn't mean to kill him?
You already told us you had the idea.
Sure I had the idea.
Let me explain it then.
We both went to sleep in this shack.
Davis and me.
Guess that must have been about nine o'clock that night.
I don't know what it was.
Maybe the wine I guess and I started having nightmares.
Huh?
Yeah.
Now maybe this part sounded like a story about the truth.
I had all these dreams.
I woke up but they were still there.
What's that?
On the faces.
Until I could see the air was full of faces.
I guess I was really still asleep.
Yeah go ahead.
Well I picked up a two before and started swinging at them.
Faces.
Funny thing.
I knew every one of those faces.
How do you mean?
People I killed.
It was only a dozen of them really but it seemed like there were hundreds of them.
All around in the air.
Grabbed a two before and started swinging.
I was cold and I was sweating at the same time.
I kept swinging.
And I saw Davis.
Swung hard.
Kept swinging.
He didn't even make a sound.
Eyes closed.
Kept swinging in his head.
When I came to there he was lying on the floor.
Seemed to take those other faces away.
They didn't bother me after I killed Davis.
What'd you do with him Henry?
Pulled him outside the shack, dug a hole and buried him.
Burned his clothes, took his car and money and drove off.
I'll show you if you like where I buried him I think.
How about those other men Ross?
These faces you saw.
Yeah wonder if I can get some more of that juice.
Sure looks good.
Oh sure.
Take mine I haven't tested.
What about it Ross?
The other men?
I don't recall them too well.
It's what you said in the office.
Ten or twelve of them.
A couple in Sacramento and the others down through the valley.
Like I say no big reason for killing any of them.
Just happened that way that's all.
What'd you do with them you remember?
In general yeah.
There's one of them though that stands out.
A guy by the name of Slattery.
Some kind of salesman.
A real private.
Where'd this happen?
Only he picked me up in his car outside of Chowchilla.
It was night time and he was feeling pretty good.
I made him stop on the side road and hand him with a piece of angle iron.
He cried like a baby.
Buried him in the field.
He was one of those faces I saw.
Shows you how psychology works huh?
Yeah.
What'd you do with this car?
Slattery's I mean.
I drove it down to Mexico and sold it there.
Guess that's what I should have done with Davis' car huh?
Those killings are yours Henry.
You got any more you want to tell us about?
I told you already.
Ten or twelve of them.
Pretty much the same.
When was the first one?
Oh maybe eighteen months, two years ago.
First one wasn't any harder than the last.
Just like I was telling you before.
Yeah.
You know everybody builds up murder.
It's supposed to be a big thing.
Hard to do.
All those phony stories.
I hit a guy a couple times with something.
That would be a real small thing.
Didn't change me any.
That's why I say it's all built up.
You ever been treated for any mental sickness, Russ?
No.
You ever been examined by a psychiatrist?
No.
After you killed these men, didn't bother you at all?
I just had one dream.
Thomas was Davis.
That's about it.
I'm sure a good meal, Sergeant.
Thanks a lot.
Yeah, okay.
Ready?
Let's go.
We go back to City Hall now huh?
Yeah.
You ready to give a statement now?
Alright.
I have an idea you'll find me.
I guess I always know you'll find me.
Yeah.
Well I guess I proved my point anyway.
It's all built up.
What is?
Oh murder.
Killing somebody.
Those phony stories.
It's all built up.
It's just cheap.
You got it wrong, Henry.
What?
Wait till they read you the bill.
Come on.
Let's go.
Let's go.
On January 7th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 86, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
In a moment the results of that trial.
The suspect was tried and found guilty of murder in the first degree.
The suspect was found guilty of murder in the first degree.
The suspect was found guilty of murder in the first degree.
The suspect was found guilty of murder in the first degree.