1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Hi there, it's Lauren I writer, and this time I'm 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 1: here with some really encouraging news for anyone committed to 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: true justice in this country. Back in twenty twenty, we 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: brought you the story of Ricky Davis, a California man 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: who spent fifteen years in prison for murder he didn't commit. 6 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: This is one of those bone chilling cases that reminds 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: you a wrongful conviction can happen to anyone. Police were 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: allowed to use deceptive interrogation techniques to convince someone they'd 9 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: witnessed a crime when they hadn't been there at all. Thankfully, 10 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: this is changing. In September twenty twenty two, the actual 11 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: murderer was caught. He was convicted of the murder and 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: sentenced to fifteen years to life. To help make sure 13 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: this never happens again, California has enacted new legislation. Now 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: the state bans police from using the kinds of deceptive 15 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: interrogation tactics that were used to produce the statement the 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: convicted Ricky Davis. And this this new law was made 17 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: possible with the support of District Attorney Verne Pearson, the 18 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: very same prosecutor who exonerated Ricky and convicted the real killer. 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: We applaud this positive step toward justice, and I hope 20 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: it'll inspire sorely needed changes just like this around the country. 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to wrongful Conviction, False Confessions. I'm Laura and I 22 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: writer and I'm Steve Dreson. Today we're going to tell 23 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: you about a California man named Ricky Davis. In nineteen 24 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: eighty five, Ricky and his girlfriend Connie found their roommate 25 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: brutally stabbed to death. Without any leads, the case went 26 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 1: cold for fourteen years. That's when detectives convinced Connie that 27 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: she had repressed memories of Ricky committing the crime. Based 28 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: on Connie's false statement, Ricky spent twelve years in prison 29 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: until very recently when he and his mother Maureen, finally 30 00:01:58,600 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: had something to be thankful for. 31 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 2: I think it's important to realize that on the road 32 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 2: to a wrongful conviction, there's a lot of road kill. 33 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 2: There's the defendant who gets wrongfully convicted. There's the defendant's 34 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 2: family who has to live with the fact that their 35 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 2: loved one is going away for a long period of 36 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 2: time or sentenced to death. 37 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, in this case, it was Ricky's mom Maureene, who 38 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: had to bear the brunt of that pain. 39 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 2: And then there are witnesses sometimes who are pressured to 40 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 2: lie to save their own. 41 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: Skin, witnesses like Connie Dahl, and they have. 42 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 2: To live with the guilt that accompanies that lie. 43 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's interesting. I mean when you think about Connie 44 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: and Maureene in that courtroom, one woman is being forced 45 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: to talk and one woman is being prevented from talking, 46 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: and of course the two of them have two very 47 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: different stories to tell about who Ricky Davis is and 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: what Ricky Davis did. 49 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 2: And so the notion of powerlessness that Maureen experienced in 50 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 2: this case is something that we see all the time. 51 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 2: I mean, while the trial is happening, there's nothing that 52 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 2: Maureene can do to stop the train from running over 53 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 2: her son. 54 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: And Connie's being forced to drive that train. She's a 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:40,119 Speaker 1: victim here too. Today's story starts in El Dorado Hills, California, 56 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: an upper class suburb about twenty miles east of Sacramento. 57 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: In so many ways, El Dorado Hills epitomizes the American dream. 58 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: It's filled with expensive homes that back up onto lush 59 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: golf courses, its shopping centers are filled with luxury stores 60 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: and fancy restaurants. It's families, by and large, live lives 61 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: of privilege and peace. Ricky Davis's story is still unfolding today, 62 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: but it began back in nineteen eighty five. Ricky was 63 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: twenty years old. He lived in El Dorado Hills and 64 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: a large home on Stanford Lane along with his mom, Maureen. 65 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: Now Ricky and Maureen were pretty different from their wealthy neighbors. 66 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: Maureen had been a teenage mom by the time she 67 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: turned twenty. She was raising Ricky and his three sisters 68 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: in southern California without much support from their dad. Maureen 69 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: worked to pay the bills by waitressing. She and Ricky 70 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: had come to El Dorado Hills just a few years 71 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: before our story begins. Ricky's grandmother, a successful business woman, 72 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: had recently moved to the area, and she bought the 73 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: house on Stanford Lane for them. This family might not 74 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: have been classic El Dorado Hills, but they were close 75 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:52,799 Speaker 1: knit and loving. No secrets, no drama, no lies. Ricky 76 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,799 Speaker 1: had a nineteen year old girlfriend, Connie Dahl, who spent 77 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: plenty of nights at the Stanford Lane house. Now Ricky's 78 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: mom Maureene wasn thrilled with Ricky and Connie's relationship because 79 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,559 Speaker 1: Connie had a pretty serious meth habit. Ricky smoked pot, 80 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 1: It's true, but he wasn't into harder stuff, and Maureen 81 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,359 Speaker 1: worried that Connie would drag Ricky into trouble. But unlike Ricky, 82 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: Connie didn't have a stable home. Sometimes she had no 83 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: home at all and slept in her car. Once she 84 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: and Ricky started dating, Connie often spent the night at 85 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: Rickey's house, climbing in his bedroom window after Maureen was asleep. 86 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: One Friday in nineteen eighty five, July fifth, the Stanford 87 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: Lane house gained two more residents. Ricky's grandmother was in 88 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 1: the real estate business, and she'd recently learned that one 89 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: of her employees needed a temporary place to stay. Fifty 90 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: four year old Jane Hilton had been fighting with her 91 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: husband over money, and those fights had apparently turned violent. 92 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: When Ricky's grandmother found out about this, she offered Jane 93 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: and her thirteen year old daughter Autumn a spare bedroom 94 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: on Stanford Lane as a safe harbor. They moved in 95 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: on Friday, July fifth, but that harbor wasn't quite as 96 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 1: safe as it seemed. The next day, Saturday, July sixth, 97 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 1: the house emptied out, at least for the most part. 98 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:11,720 Speaker 1: Ricky's mom, Maureen, took off in the middle of the 99 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: day to go camping with her boyfriend. In the evening, 100 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: Ricky and his girlfriend Connie headed out to a party. 101 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,479 Speaker 1: Even thirteen year old Autumn left the house to meet 102 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: up with some new friends, three teenage boys she'd met 103 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: earlier that day. For her part, Autumn's mom, Jane, stayed home. 104 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: Ricky and Connie got back at around three thirty Sunday morning. 105 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: When they arrived at the house, they found Autumn outside 106 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: standing alone in the front yard. Autumn told them she'd 107 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: been home for an hour, but she hadn't gone inside yet. 108 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,119 Speaker 1: She was worried about getting in trouble with her mom 109 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: for being out too late, she said, and she was 110 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,159 Speaker 1: hoping Ricky and Connie would go inside with her. The 111 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: three go in together upstairs, there's no sign of Autumn's mom, Jane, 112 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: so Ricky and Connie leave Autumn in her room and 113 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: had forbid themsels. But as they walked down the hall, 114 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: Ricky spots blood on the carpet outside the master bedroom. 115 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: Where his mom, Maureen usually sleeps. She's on a camping trip, 116 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: he reminds himself. He pushes the door open and finds 117 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: a nightmare. It's not his mom, but Autumn's mom, Jane Hilton. 118 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: She's lying on the bed wearing only a nightgown, and 119 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: she's clearly dead. Jane's been stabbed thirty nine times and 120 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: is covered in blood. She's got defensive wounds up and 121 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: down her arms. One of her fingernails is missing, and 122 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,240 Speaker 1: her hand is clutching a tuft of someone's hair. There's 123 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: even a bite mark on the back of her left shoulder. 124 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: Ricky and Connie were horrified. They called the police, who 125 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: arrived and interviewed both of them on the spot. Ricky 126 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: and Connie told the police they'd been at a party 127 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: all night and it was pretty easy to corroborate their story. 128 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: The hood of Ricky's car was still warm, suggesting he 129 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: and Connie were being on it about only recently getting 130 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: back to the house, and thirteen year old Autumn told 131 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: police she'd seen Ricky and Connie arrive home and gone 132 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: in with them. To these officers at the scene, it 133 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: seemed pretty clear that Ricky and Connie were innocent, so 134 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: clear that the police didn't bother to interview the other 135 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: people who'd been with them at the party. Of course, 136 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: those people would have been alibi witnesses. Instead, police moved 137 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: on to check out the obvious suspect, Jane's husband, the 138 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: guy with whom she'd been fighting, but he seemed to 139 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: have an alibi two he'd apparently spent the evening at 140 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: a local restaurant. So next the police tried to find 141 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: the three teenage boys Autumn had been hanging out with 142 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: earlier that night. Problem was, Autumn only knew first names 143 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: for two of them, Michael and Calvin. After scanning through 144 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: a few yearbooks from local high schools, the detectives came 145 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: up with nothing. Unfortunately, that was it for the investigation. 146 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,959 Speaker 1: Without any suspects or solid leads, the case went cold 147 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:04,199 Speaker 1: for four thirteen years. Fast forward from July nineteen eighty 148 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: five to November nineteen ninety nine. Ricky and Connie had 149 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: broken up long ago. Their relationship ended up lasting less 150 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: than a year. Since then, Connie had continued using meth 151 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: off and on. For his part, Ricky had spent those 152 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: years in and out of prison for a series of 153 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: relatively minor offenses, mostly drug related crimes and robbery, but 154 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,679 Speaker 1: neither of them had ever been involved in anything close 155 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: to murder. In nineteen ninety nine, the El Dorado County 156 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: Sheriff's Office decided to reinvestigate Jane Hilton's killing. Two detectives 157 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: were assigned to this cold case, and they started by 158 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: reviewing old news coverage. Their attention was caught by a 159 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: story that had run in a local newspaper just a 160 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: few days after the murder. A reporter from the paper 161 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: had shown up at the Stanford Lane house. Connie had 162 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: let her in and shown her the room where Jane 163 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: had been killed. The reporter asked a bunch of questions 164 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: about finding the body, and that's when Connie had said 165 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: so thing that struck these new detectives as suspicious. Connie 166 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 1: had told the reporter that Jane's body had been positioned 167 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: on the bed as though she were sleeping. Whoever had 168 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: killed Jane, Connie speculated, must have moved her body onto 169 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: the bed afterwards. Connie's comment was pretty obviously a guess, 170 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,440 Speaker 1: but the police began wondering if she actually might know 171 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: something about the body being moved. So over the next 172 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: fifteen months. Between November nineteen ninety nine and February two 173 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,719 Speaker 1: thousand and one, the police decided to interrogate Connie on 174 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 1: three separate occasions. It was all caught on videotape, every 175 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: last word, and that videotape makes it clear the police 176 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: weren't aiming only for Connie. They wanted her to confess 177 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: to being present when Jane died, and they wanted her 178 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: to name her ex boyfriend, Ricky Davis, as the killer. 179 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 2: The theory was that Jane was brutally beaten and stabbed 180 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 2: to death by a man, and the man that the 181 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 2: police officers had in mind was Ricky Davis. Police officers 182 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 2: often go after ex girlfriends or ex wives on the 183 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 2: assumption that there was a bad breakup, that there's some 184 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 2: animists there that may motivate the aggrieved party into revealing 185 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 2: information that they had been unwilling to reveal at the 186 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 2: time of the investigation. Hell hath no fury like a 187 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 2: woman scorned is the thinking here. 188 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: Connie is first brought in for questioning only days after 189 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: the new cops take over the case. At first, she 190 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: insists repeatedly that she had nothing to do with Jane's murder, 191 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,440 Speaker 1: that all she remembers is coming home and finding the body, 192 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: But right away Connie is hit with a barrage of lies. 193 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: Police tell her that a witness had placed her in 194 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: Ricky at the homicide scene, although no one had. Police 195 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: tell Connie that DNA established her presence in Jane's bedroom, 196 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: even though it didn't, and they tell Connie that the 197 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: hares found clenched in Jane's hand belonged to Ricky. Another lie. 198 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 1: Police had actually lost those hairs. They were never tested 199 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: at all. 200 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 2: We know that you were present in the house when 201 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 2: this happened. I know I was not. We already know that. 202 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:26,839 Speaker 1: What do you mean, Well, like. 203 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 3: I said, you know, we've got all kinds of physical 204 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 3: evidence I happened. Yes, Oh my god, there's no way. 205 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: Over time, though, the police's cascading lies begin to break 206 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: Connie down. Like most of us, Connie has no idea 207 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: that police are allowed to lie during interrogations, So after 208 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: hearing all this apparent evidence of her own involvement, Connie 209 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: starts questioning her memory of what happened all those years ago. 210 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 3: Okay, if I was there, I had no memory of that. 211 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: She's desperately trying to make sense of what they're say saying, 212 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: and eventually tells the investigators that maybe she was there 213 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 1: and just couldn't remember it. The investigator suggests that Ricky 214 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:11,680 Speaker 1: had programmed her memory so that Connie would blank out 215 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: her recollections of the crime. She agrees, maybe I have amnesia. 216 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 3: I couldn't have watched that happen. That would have been 217 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 3: Oh if I've witness for that happening, that or at 218 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 3: least you wouldn't I blanked it out. 219 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 2: They are absolutely confusing the hell out of her. They 220 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:36,960 Speaker 2: are causing a crisis of confidence where she begins not 221 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 2: only to doubt her memory, but she can't really distinguish 222 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 2: between what she actually remembers and what she thinks she 223 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 2: might remember. 224 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: Investigators warn Connie that if she doesn't somehow recover her memories, 225 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: they might have to interrogate her again, and they say 226 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: that could lead to her arrest. On the other hand, 227 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: they imply that Connie will receive leniency, even immunity from 228 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: prosecution if she provides them with a statement right now. 229 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 3: Well, first one to jump on the bandwagon, I always 230 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 3: con sieius ride right. 231 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 2: And so what happens here is that the police provide 232 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 2: incentives to adopt their preconceived theory, promises of leniency or 233 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 2: threats of harm, suggestions that the first person to jump 234 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 2: on the bandwagon is going to get the best deal, 235 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 2: and that if she doesn't jump on first, someone else 236 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 2: is going to take your spot and she's going to 237 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 2: get punished more severely. 238 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: These tactics work. Connie breaks and agrees to confess, to 239 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: say that she helped Ricky kill Jane, but she has 240 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: no idea what to say about the crime. Remember, Connie 241 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: wasn't actually there to help her out. Investigators feed Connie 242 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: everything they know about Jane Hilton's murder and everything they 243 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: think happened too. Here's the story that Connie ultimately agreed 244 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: to repeat. She said she was there while Ricky and 245 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: Jane were arguing about whether Jane's daughter Autumn could go 246 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: out that night. During the argument, Connie said, Ricky punched 247 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 1: Jane in the face. The altercation escalated. Eventually, Connie went 248 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: downstairs and acted as a lookout while Ricky stabbed Jane. 249 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: Then Connie said she came back to the room and 250 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: helped Ricky move Jane's body onto the bed. 251 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 2: So, to me, what makes this case different is that 252 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 2: we have a sort of recipe, if you will, for 253 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 2: a persuaded false confession. What's unique about a persuaded false 254 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 2: confession is that the suspect comes to doubt their own memory. 255 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 2: They get to a place where they think the police 256 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 2: officers are telling me I committed this crime. They're telling 257 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 2: me they have evidence that proves that I committed this crime, 258 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 2: but why can't I remember it? And when a suspect 259 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 2: gets to that place of uncertainty, the police officers provide 260 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 2: an answer. The events that you saw were so traumatic 261 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 2: that they caused you to repress these memories, and so 262 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 2: the interrogation becomes an exercise in pulling these memories out 263 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 2: of the suspect's mind. But they're not real memories. They 264 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:29,479 Speaker 2: don't exist. 265 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: At times, Connie's language reveals her own uncertainty. Even while 266 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: she's confessing. 267 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 2: I think I did that, I probably did that. I 268 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 2: seem to remember that. There's a tentativeness that you wouldn't 269 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 2: have if they were real memories, and we see that 270 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 2: throughout Connie's interrogation. 271 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: Telling LYE, when Connie's not fed information, she can't get 272 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: anything about the story right. She's not able to tell 273 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: the police what the murder weapon looked like where Ricky 274 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: got it or how he disposed of it. 275 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:09,400 Speaker 2: The detectives are shaping her memories. They are feeding her 276 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:14,640 Speaker 2: facts and their final story here is really their story. 277 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 2: It's their preconceived theory of the crime come to life 278 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 2: through the words of Connie Doll. 279 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: Strangely enough, the police don't arrest anyone right away. Instead, 280 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 1: they leave Connie alone for a while and interview Ricky himself. 281 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,880 Speaker 1: He vehemently denies any involvement whatsoever. So the police come 282 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: back to Connie in January two thousand to see if 283 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: she can give them any more information, and they remind 284 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: her that the more details she can provide, the better 285 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:48,159 Speaker 1: off she'll be. During this interrogation, officers play Connie the 286 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: crime scene video that was recorded the night Jane died 287 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: to see if they can quote refresh her memory. Now. 288 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: I've seen this video myself, and it's horrifying. It's almost 289 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: totally sign Island. As the videographer walks from room to room, 290 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 1: ending up in the bedroom where Jane died, the camera 291 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: documents every wound, every injury, from her missing fingernail to 292 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 1: her eyes which were still open. It's the kind of 293 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: crime scene that makes even people who see this all 294 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: the time sick to their stomachs. Connie watches the video 295 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: and agrees to add more detail to her story. She 296 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: says she heard Jane plead for her life, but Ricky 297 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,639 Speaker 1: didn't listen. She says she heard Jane make gurgling noises 298 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: as Ricky stabbed her, and after the attack, Connie says 299 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: she saw Ricky covered in blood. The police still don't 300 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: arrest Connie, but they also don't leave her alone. Instead, 301 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: they come back a third time in two thousand and 302 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: one to try to get even more details. This time, 303 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: detectives tell her that she'll either be charged with a 304 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: misdemeanor accessory type thing, or she'll go down as a 305 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: full blooded half partner in the murder. It all de 306 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 1: on her credibility. Now. Connie's got two young children. The 307 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: police tell her that if she continues to cooperate, she'll 308 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: be able to go home to her kids. But they 309 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,960 Speaker 1: warn her saying I don't know isn't going to help 310 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: you at all. 311 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,160 Speaker 2: They bring up the subject of her children repeatedly throughout 312 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 2: the interrogation, and the message to Connie is crystal clear, 313 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 2: if I don't tell them what they want to hear, 314 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,959 Speaker 2: I'm going to lose my children, so they play on 315 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 2: her emotions as a mother. These kinds of tactics are 316 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 2: very common when a woman is a suspect or a witness, 317 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:43,880 Speaker 2: because police officers know that most women would walk across 318 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 2: a field of glass in order to protect their children. 319 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: To satisfy her interrogators, Connie adds another detail to her story, 320 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,040 Speaker 1: and it's a big one. She wasn't just a lookout. 321 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: She says she was in the room during the murder 322 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,199 Speaker 1: and tried to intervene. And remember that bite mark on 323 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: the back of Jane's shoulder. Connie ends up saying she 324 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,120 Speaker 1: was responsible for it, that she accidentally bit Jane during 325 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:14,320 Speaker 1: the struggle. Finally, Connie's story was good enough. On May 326 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 1: twenty first, two thousand and two, based only on Connie's confession, 327 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,479 Speaker 1: the El Dorado County District Attorney's office filed murder charges 328 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: against Ricky Davis. And here's the thing. When those cops 329 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 1: told Connie she wouldn't be charged, turns out they were 330 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: lying again. Connie was charged with murder II as an accomplice. 331 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: A few months later, prosecutors told Connie that if she 332 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,160 Speaker 1: agreed to testify against Ricky a trial. She could plead 333 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: guilty to manslaughter and get a huge reduction in her sentence. 334 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: They decide exactly how much of her reduction. After she testified, 335 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: With no good options left, Connie pled guilty and agreed 336 00:20:53,720 --> 00:21:02,400 Speaker 1: to take the stand. 337 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 3: I didn't like her to start with. 338 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:12,640 Speaker 1: That's Maureen Klein, Ricky Davis's mother. Remember, she's always had 339 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: an opinion about Ricky's ex girlfriend, Connie. 340 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 3: Ricky and I have always been very close. He had 341 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 3: a horrible father, so I think the closeness was because 342 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 3: I was all Ricky really had. Even as a teenager, 343 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 3: he would call me his best friend. So this situation 344 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 3: was extremely devastating. 345 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: In two thousand and two, Maureen learned that Ricky was 346 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:40,000 Speaker 1: being charged with murdering Jane Hilton, based on the testimony 347 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 1: of a girl he dated fourteen years ago. Mariene couldn't 348 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: believe it. She knew her son was no killer and 349 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 1: the police had seemed to acknowledge his and Connie's innocence 350 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,919 Speaker 1: years ago. As she processed the news, Maureen struggled to 351 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,360 Speaker 1: understand why Connie would falsely confess. 352 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 3: Connie had problems obviously and she let the detectives talk 353 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 3: her into believing that she had something to do with 354 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:08,080 Speaker 3: the murder. I was very angry at Connie, and I 355 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 3: couldn't believe that she was lying this out not lying. 356 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 3: I don't understand how somebody could convince you that you 357 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,920 Speaker 3: participated in a murder that you didn't. 358 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 2: The idea that Connie would confess to a murder she 359 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 2: didn't commit, it was impossible for Maureen to believe. I 360 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:33,360 Speaker 2: understand and sympathize with Maureen about her anger towards Connie, 361 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 2: But Connie's a tragic victim in this too. She didn't 362 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 2: start out by naming Ricky Davis as a murderer, and 363 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 2: it was only the lies and the manipulation by the 364 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 2: detectives in that cold case squad that gave her really 365 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 2: no choice but to change her story in ways that 366 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 2: pleased them, or else she was going to lose her kids. 367 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 1: After Ricky was charged, Maureen sat down and watched Connie's 368 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:04,360 Speaker 1: interrogation videos. As Maureen watched, she began to see how 369 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,439 Speaker 1: police manipulated Connie. She started realizing that the problem was 370 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: much bigger than her son's ex girlfriend. 371 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,359 Speaker 3: Connie did stay in the starting of one of the 372 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 3: interviews that she had been up on MES for twenty 373 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 3: four hours prior, so that in itself, I would think 374 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 3: they wouldn't have interviewed her at that time, but they did. Anyway, 375 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,159 Speaker 3: she would say exactly what they actually sold it to. 376 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 3: You could tell that they would turn off the recording 377 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,680 Speaker 3: and get her back on track. They did tell Connie 378 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 3: that once Ricky was convicted that she would go free, 379 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:44,480 Speaker 3: and I guess they threatened her with her children and stuff. 380 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,440 Speaker 3: I didn't believe anything would come of it because I 381 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 3: knew Ricky had no part of it. I knew he 382 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 3: was innocent. 383 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: Maureen was right that Ricky was innocent, but she was 384 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: wrong that nothing would come of Connie's story. In June 385 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: two thousand and five, Ricky went on for Jane Hilton's murder. 386 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 1: Prosecutors called Connie Dahl as their star witness. From his 387 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 1: seat at the defense table, Ricky watched Connie testify. He 388 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 1: hadn't seen her in almost twenty years, and he couldn't 389 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 1: believe what he was hearing. Connie knew he was innocent. 390 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: The two of them had discovered Jane's body together somehow, 391 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,199 Speaker 1: though the system had put them on opposite sides. For 392 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:26,879 Speaker 1: her part, Maureen sat in the front row of the courtroom, 393 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: right behind Ricky as prosecutors told the jury an unthinkable 394 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 1: story about her son. 395 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,400 Speaker 3: The way they portrayed him, like he was some vicious animal, 396 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 3: that was hard to take. I was surprised that the 397 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 3: jurors believed Connie. To me, she didn't sound very credible. 398 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 3: The way she answered was what she was told to say, 399 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 3: but they did believe her. Obviously, I couldn't say anything. 400 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 3: At times, I wanted to yell out or react, but 401 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 3: I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be allowed 402 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:02,000 Speaker 3: in the courtroom. So it was a helpless feelings. 403 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: In exchange for Connie's testimony, prosecutors agreed that her sentence 404 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: should be reduced to times served. The next day, she 405 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 1: walked free, but Ricky. Ricky wasn't as lucky. Based on 406 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: Connie's false testimony, Ricky was convicted of murdering Jane Hilton. 407 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: He was given a sentence of sixteen years to life. 408 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 3: It was like a bad movie. I mean, no systems perfect, 409 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 3: but there was just no way I thought it could 410 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 3: be convicted under the circumstances. But he was everything about 411 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 3: my life. Changed in the moment that he was convicted. 412 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:49,439 Speaker 3: It seemed to me my whole personality changed. I became 413 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 3: angry at everything I wish I was detecting. It's nothing 414 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 3: but horrible things in their life. I mean, I'm sorry 415 00:25:57,760 --> 00:25:58,879 Speaker 3: that that's the way I feel. 416 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,199 Speaker 1: After his two thousand and five conviction, Ricky Davis was 417 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: sent to a California prison hours away from Eldorado Hills. 418 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: His ex girlfriend, Connie was free, but she never shook 419 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 1: her meth habit. In twenty fourteen, Connie died of an overdose. 420 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:20,680 Speaker 1: For her part, Maureen moved out of the Stanford Lane 421 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: house she couldn't be there alone and started living with 422 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: her mom. Every month, Maureen drove to visit Ricky in 423 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 1: prison year after year after year. 424 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:32,679 Speaker 3: So there's a lot of bad people and they deserve 425 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 3: to be in there, but there's seems to be a 426 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,919 Speaker 3: lot that shouldn't be in there. With no money, you're 427 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 3: going to do time period. That was just cut and dry, 428 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 3: and that pretty much is the way it is. It's 429 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:51,680 Speaker 3: the same with different nationalities. They don't get the same 430 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 3: justice that a rich white person does, and that's wrong. 431 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:00,600 Speaker 1: Shortly before Connie's death, the Northern California Innocence Project agreed 432 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 1: to take on Ricky Davis's case, and in twenty fourteen, 433 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: attorneys from the project sought DNA testing on a host 434 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: of items from Jane Hilton's murder scene. The crime lab 435 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:13,879 Speaker 1: started with that bite mark on the back of Jane's shoulder, 436 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 1: the mark that Connie told police had been left by 437 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,600 Speaker 1: her teeth. Whoever left that mark bit through Jane's nightgown. 438 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 1: Sure enough, the lab found saliva on the nightgown and 439 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: developed a full DNA profile of an unknown male. Obviously, 440 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 1: the bier was not Connie Dull and it wasn't Ricky 441 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,439 Speaker 1: Davis either. Next, the lab tested DNA from skin cells 442 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,720 Speaker 1: that were left underneath Jane's fingernails from when she'd scratched 443 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 1: her attacker whose DNA was it? The same unknown man 444 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: who'd left his saliva on Jane's nightgown. The profile was 445 00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 1: run through the local and national DNA databases with no luck. 446 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 1: The attacker couldn't be identified, but it was crystal clear 447 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 1: that whoever had killed Jane Hilton was not Connie or Ricky. 448 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: Ricky's attorneys fell a post conviction petition based on this 449 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,879 Speaker 1: new evidence. In twenty nineteen, the court threw out Ricky's conviction. 450 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: That was great news, but Ricky's fight wasn't over. Even 451 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,880 Speaker 1: though the DNA excluded Ricky, prosecutors weren't ready to drop 452 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,439 Speaker 1: charges until they knew whose DNA it was, so they 453 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:21,200 Speaker 1: began preparing to retry Ricky for Jane's murder, and Ricky 454 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: had to stay behind bars. But in the meantime, prosecutors 455 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 1: tried a brand new method to identify the DNA, genetic genealogy, 456 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: and it led investigators back to someone whose name they 457 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: hadn't heard in twenty five years. 458 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 2: Genetic genealogy searches public databases like ancestry dot com and 459 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 2: twenty three in meters to look for matches to evidence 460 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 2: that's found at a crime scene. Police officers start examining 461 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 2: the family trees and look for people who have a 462 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 2: connection to the crime scene. 463 00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 1: In Ricky's case, the process led the DA's office to 464 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 1: fifty one years old Michael Green, who is Michael Green. 465 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: Turns out he was one of the three teenagers that 466 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: Jane's daughter Autumn had been with the night her mother 467 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 1: was killed at Long Last. Twenty five years after Jane's death, 468 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: the authorities had found her killer. In February twenty twenty, 469 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 1: Michael Green was charged with Jane's murder and was booked 470 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: into the El Dorado County jail. He entered a plea 471 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,920 Speaker 1: of not guilty and is awaiting trial today now. Because 472 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: Green's case is still unfolding, we don't have clear answers 473 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: yet about why he attacked Jane or how he did it. 474 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: We just know the DNA was his. That's pretty close 475 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 1: to case closed. On February thirteenth, twenty twenty, a judge 476 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: declared Ricky Davis factually innocent and dismissed the case against 477 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: him after serving twelve years for a murder he did 478 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: not commit. Ricky walked out of prison right into the 479 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 1: arms of his mom. 480 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 3: Ed exonerate him, which he said that was the first 481 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,480 Speaker 3: time he had ever done it. That was such a 482 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 3: great feeling. And didn't see him walk out of the jail, 483 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 3: It's the crazyest thing. Everybody was there to hear him 484 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,240 Speaker 3: coming down and how getting him and stuff. To see 485 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 3: him smiling because he was happy instead of having to 486 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 3: go back into the sales as I was leading him. Yeah, 487 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 3: it was fantastic. Steaming. 488 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:32,479 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, the same couldn't happen for Connie. She remains in 489 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,920 Speaker 1: death a convicted participant in Jane Hilton's murder. 490 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 2: There were two wrongful convictions here, and this DNA evidence 491 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 2: proved that Connie's story was false. It also proved that 492 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 2: she didn't bite Jane Hilton, so she deserves to be 493 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 2: exonerated posthumously. 494 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: This year, Ricky Davis will be spending its first Thanksgiving 495 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: in nearly twelve years with his mom Maureen. 496 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 3: Well, I'll make dinner Thanksgiving turkey. That's the only prime 497 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 3: of year I can afford it. But his sisters and 498 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:14,480 Speaker 3: nephew will be here, and that'll be nice. I'm not 499 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:18,760 Speaker 3: the best cook, to tell you, but it's more having 500 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 3: everybody together and happy. That's the best part of it. 501 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:26,160 Speaker 3: Ricky's a very affectionate person. When he comes in and 502 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 3: hugs me, it's best stealing in the world. 503 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 2: I feel lucky. 504 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 3: You're blessed every time I look at him. 505 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 2: Hello, Hey, Ricky, how are you? 506 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:40,400 Speaker 3: I am doing good? 507 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 2: How are you see good? 508 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:42,400 Speaker 3: Hi? Laura? 509 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 1: Tell me about those first moments of freedom, what it 510 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 1: felt like to walk up those doors longtime con Yeah, 511 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: I've seen the video. 512 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 2: A lot of people there. 513 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: That I saw you eating some pizza. 514 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 2: Well you went right for the comfort food. 515 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:02,040 Speaker 1: You know, what are your top is of choice? 516 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 2: Lagusa, all the good stuff. 517 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 1: Do you see your mom much these days? 518 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 2: Yes? 519 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 3: I do. Yeah, I love her very much. 520 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: I just thank seeing her. Since we're talking about food 521 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: and pizza and everything else. Is there something your mom 522 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,200 Speaker 1: makes for you, something she used to cook that you 523 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: missed and that she can make for you again, Not 524 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 1: that you're out. 525 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 3: I have a funny story for that, you know. A 526 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 3: few days after I was out, I tell her. You know, Mam, 527 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 3: I vision waking up in the morning if you couldn't 528 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 3: net breakfast, And she says, while you were envisioning this, 529 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 3: did you vision a different mom? 530 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:36,720 Speaker 2: There you go. 531 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: Oh my god, that's amazing. 532 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 3: Strong to the end. I love it. 533 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 1: Wrongful Conviction, False Confessions is a production of Lava for 534 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:56,240 Speaker 1: Good Podcasts in association with Signal Company Number one Special 535 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: thanks to our executive producers Jason Slamm and Kevin Wardis. 536 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,560 Speaker 1: Our production team is headed by senior producer and Pope, 537 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: along with producers Joshi Hammer and Jess Shane. Our show 538 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: is mixed by Genie Montalvo. John Colbert is our Intrepid intern. 539 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 1: Our music was composed by Jay Ralph. You can follow 540 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,240 Speaker 1: me on Instagram or Twitter at Laura and I Wrider. 541 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,120 Speaker 2: And you can follow me on Twitter at s Drizzen. 542 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 1: For more information on the show, visit wrongfulconvictionpodcast dot com. 543 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,360 Speaker 1: Be sure to follow the show on Instagram at Wrongful Conviction, 544 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Wrongful Conviction Podcast, and on Twitter at 545 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: wrong Conviction