1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. 2 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 2: This is a. 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: Story about Britney Murphy, an incredibly charismatic actress who shined 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: in numerous roles and left an acting legacy that is 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: perhaps outshined by the questions surrounding her suspicious death of 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: supposed pneumonia at just the age of thirty two. And 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: this is also the story about a controlling and abusive husband. 8 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: It's about drug abuse, poor health, two parents with very 9 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 1: different agendas following the death of their daughter, and about 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: highly suspicious details surrounding that death, toxic mold, anemia and poison. 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: Dramatic details surrounding an actress who participated in popular works 12 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: of drama. Eminem's film eight Mile among her best work, 13 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: a film that, of course featured great music. Unlike that 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: music I played for you at the top of the show. 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: That wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from 16 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: my mellotron called Hysteria Dance MK one. I played you 17 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: that loop because I can't afford the rights to empire 18 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: A State of Mind by jay Z featuring Alicia Keys, 19 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: And why would I play you that specific slice of 20 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: New York cheese? Could I afford it because that was 21 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: the number one song in America on December one, two 22 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: thousand and nine, and that was the day that Britney 23 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: Murphy walked the Red Carpet for the final time. 24 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 2: On this episode, a controlling and abusive husband, drug abuse, 25 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 2: toxic mold, poison, a highly suspicious cause of death, and 26 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 2: an actress gone too soon Britney Murphy. 27 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: I'm Jake Brennan in this discreen. It's an experimental treatment. 28 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,399 Speaker 1: I'm sure you've never heard of it. Smoke trailed from 29 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: Simon Monjack's cigar. As he spoke. The dinner guests gathered 30 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: around the table, leaned in, hanging on his every word, 31 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: until each person was suspended in an unflattering slouch. The 32 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: clinking of crystal champagne glasses quieted the murmurs of side 33 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: conversations long since trailed off. A selection of cheesecakes were 34 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: plated and ready to serve, and no one seemed interested 35 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: in cheesecake at the moment. So you're telling me a 36 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: shark saved your life? One guest challenged, cells from shark fins, yes, 37 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: Simon answered, very expensive, but it cured the cancer. So 38 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,399 Speaker 1: who m I to complain? He chuckled with an air 39 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: of false modesty, and the girl sitting beside him rubbed 40 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: his arm affectionately, soothing him from the potential sting of 41 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: the memory. It wasn't even Simon's party. It was the 42 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: turn of the century and the fledgling filmmaker was a 43 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,239 Speaker 1: special guest in the home of established filmmaker Alison Burnett. 44 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: Alison had heard things about the new brit On the 45 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: block that his grandfather founded British Steel, that he was 46 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: worth a billion dollars, and now he learned that Simon 47 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: was apparently a cancer survivor too. But there was more. 48 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: Simon locked eyes with everyone in the room as he 49 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: unveiled each new detail of his story, and no one 50 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: dared interrupt him. Simon kept regaling and for starters. His 51 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: so called gripping debut film in two Days, Nine Lives 52 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: was receiving the best reviews in the history of independent 53 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: filmmaking in England. He also dated supermodel Ellen McPherson, then Madonna, 54 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: or was it the other way around? Didn't matter. He 55 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: boasted a collection of seventeen ferraris. Better yet he owned 56 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: more pieces by Dutch painter Johannes Vermier than anyone in 57 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: the world. You know, the girl with the pearl earring, 58 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: that's the guy. Simon's tails were unreal, but this was Hollywood, hollyweird. 59 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:30,799 Speaker 1: At the time, there was no fact checking websites to summon, 60 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: no Wikipedia that other guests could glance at, during a 61 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: quick smoke outside between courses. Hell. Nobody could even reach 62 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: into their phone and ask Syria yet, because smartphones were 63 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: still a few years off. Simon's googly at girlfriend, who 64 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,119 Speaker 1: made glued to his side, hanging on his every word 65 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: like she was hearing these tales for the first time too. 66 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: Simon had every guest spellbond. Alison Burnett had forfeited control 67 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: of his dinner party, but he didn't care. Didn't care 68 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: until an email hit his inbox roughly month later. It 69 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: was from Simon's girlfriend, now ex girlfriend. She wrote Alison 70 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: to inform him that every word of Simon's tales had 71 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: been false. He had lied through his cigar chomping teeth, 72 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: the cancer, the car collection, the art collection, all bogus. 73 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: She had believed him too, believed him so well that 74 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: she never saw their breakup coming, nor did she see 75 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: his subsequent hookup with her best friend it's what Simon 76 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:33,600 Speaker 1: Monjack did. He lied, he schemed, he conned people, and 77 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: that's exactly how he found his way into Britney Murphy's life. 78 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: He didn't screw it up at all. He didn't screw 79 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: it up at all. He didn't screw it up at all. 80 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: Britney Murphy repeated the line in her mind over and 81 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: over again, so she couldn't have the chance to forget it. 82 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: She spat it out right on queue. He didn't screw 83 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: it up at all, she recited aloud, trembling through tears. 84 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: A sniffle made her button nose wrinkle. She locked her 85 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: big brown eyes with her co star Mike Vogel. Her 86 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: lips pursed into a pout. Then her perfect delivery was broken. 87 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: Shit line. Brittany maintained the perturbed look plastered on her 88 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: face as she barked for her next words. By now, 89 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: the production staff working on the film across the hall 90 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:29,559 Speaker 1: was used to it. It had been a tumultuous time 91 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: on the set with Brittany. Perhaps it was more accurate 92 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: to say it was a tumultuous time on set with 93 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: Brittany and her husband, Simon Monjack. As the crew fed 94 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: Brittany her line. She struggled to retain it. Her thoughts slogged, 95 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: her mind moved in its lowest gear, fumbling with what 96 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: emotion she should evoke next. Fuck, she was tired. Simon 97 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: kept her up late last night again. Her husband of 98 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: one year had a tendency to push her boundaries mentally 99 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: and physically. He'd often deprive her of sleep for activities 100 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: like late night photoshoots. For her career, he promised, and 101 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: that's what he always said. Their formal relationship began in 102 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: early two thousand and seven when Britney first clutched the 103 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: script for The White Hotel, slated to be Simon's second movie. 104 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: She was so intrigued by the project that she phoned 105 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: Simon from Tokyo straight from the set of the cornball 106 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: comedy The Ramen Girl. When they met in the States 107 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: to discuss the movie, Simon promised her the leading role. 108 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: Except the White Hotel never opened, never materialized. What Britney 109 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: got instead was a new relationship followed by a sudden proposal, 110 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: and after two failed engagements with two separate men before 111 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: the age thirty, Britney Murphy was beyond ready to play 112 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: the role of a bride. She and Simon tied the 113 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: knot in a private ceremony that spring. No big media announcements, 114 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: no press coverage, private quiet, intimate and the fact that 115 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: their marriage came on the heels of a nine day 116 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: prison stay for Simon's American visa expiring was merely a coincidence, 117 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: Britney sore so anyways, just a very unimportant detail in 118 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: the life of her new filmmaker husband. Simon's own credits 119 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: at the time were limited to two days, nine lives, 120 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: and a credit for a two thousand and six film 121 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: called Factory Girl, all about the life of Yetie Sedgwick 122 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: and her entanglement with Andy Warhol. Upon its release, Simon 123 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: sued the filmmakers, claiming they stole the script and the 124 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: filmmakers had never heard of a quote unquote industry professional 125 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 1: named Simon Monjack. They dismissed him as a nuisance, but 126 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: granted him a writing credit for the sake of shutting 127 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: him up. In two thousand and eight. That unearned credit 128 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 1: remained Simon's biggest claim to fame, while Britney's biggest success 129 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: is slipped farther and farther into the rear view. Eight 130 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: mile felt like eight eternities ago. The teen dream of 131 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: Clueless was over ten years old now. In fact, Brittany 132 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: hadn't starred in a major studio production since two thousand 133 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: and four's Little Black Book That made two careers Teetering 134 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: on the brink of obscurity in Brittany Murphy teetering on 135 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: the brink of losing her mind. Simon so called helping 136 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: hand was his excuse for the late nights or hovering 137 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: on set, for micromanaging the final fragments of his wife's career. 138 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: Simon's behavior ran Britney down and kept her run down, 139 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: kept her in a tizzy calling out for his help 140 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: right now on set. It kept her calling out for Lyne. 141 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: She knew, damn well, she should be able to memorize. 142 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: What was she some sort of mentally challenged airhead. Fortunately, 143 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 1: across the hall, director Alex Murkin could handle repetition. He 144 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: could handle reminding Brittany to get back in the frame. 145 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: He could even deal with the peanut butter and jelly 146 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: sandwich's cross cut off cut diagonally that she requested every 147 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: hour on the hour and inevitably barely touched. What he 148 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: couldn't handle was the resistance. Today, Brittany wasn't getting in 149 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 1: bed for Across the Hall's love scene. She was beyond 150 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: that kind of acting, she insisted. How could she shine 151 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: when the low budget sets and low browsed scripts didn't 152 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: give her room to when she had to bring her 153 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: acting skills into a prop bed. Alex sensed a stalemate. 154 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,319 Speaker 1: He sighed and waved everyone off set. No sense prolonging 155 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: the inevitable, he thought. As the staff dispersed, he meandered 156 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: outside with select members of his crew for a private 157 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: conversation about the situation. Alex spotted Simon milling about outside. 158 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:47,439 Speaker 1: He cleared his throat and chose his words carefully. We're 159 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 1: going to just have to go with somebody else, he 160 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: said a little too loudly, hoping Simon's ears would perk up. 161 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: But Simon's ears were already perked up. They always were, 162 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: especially when he lingered awkwardly on set, waiting for Brittany 163 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,679 Speaker 1: to take a break or glance in his direction for 164 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: some sort of guidance. And that's what he was there for, 165 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 1: to guide her, to nudge her back on the right 166 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: path in her career, to make sure she nailed this 167 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: role so well that the rest of the industry wouldn't 168 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: be able to turn their backs on her anymore, and 169 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: by association, on him either. Alex had to fight off 170 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: a snicker when he saw Simon rushing over. We can 171 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: work this out. She'll do whatever you want, he said 172 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: at Alex, failing to hide the panic in his voice. 173 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: Let me go speak with her and we'll get this 174 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 1: all worked out. He darted over to Brittany. Alex observed 175 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: them from afar, Whisper said distrap frown from her, some 176 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: stern words from him, and the unspoken truth. She couldn't 177 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: afford to lose this role in the unspoken agreement, She'd 178 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,439 Speaker 1: do the scene and she'd like it, or at least 179 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: should pretend to. And that's what acting was all about. 180 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: Right after the break, Britney shimmied under the sheets and 181 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: glanced at her co star. Her dough eyes went glass. 182 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: Only for now, she thought, only until my next big break. 183 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: She didn't know that the next big break would never come. 184 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 1: A shiver shot up Britney Murphy's spine. It started in 185 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: her abdomen and then crawled up to her chest, where 186 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: it hammered on her rip cage and clawed at her lungs. 187 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: She tried to breathe through the sensation, but she could 188 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: barely breathe at all. She knew the feeling well by now, 189 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: over a week into a mystery illness that left her 190 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: shuddering in the sun on the December weather in Los 191 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: Angeles wasn't warming up her thin frame, no matter how 192 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: long she lingered near the rays of the sun pouring 193 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,200 Speaker 1: into her private bathroom. A breeze cut through her skin 194 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: as she pulled a towel over her shoulders like a 195 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: blanket and called out for her husband, Simon Monjack, through 196 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,959 Speaker 1: chattering teeth, a blanket, please. She just needed a blanket. 197 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: She knew she wasn't strong enough to fetch one herself. 198 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: Short walks weakened her. Anything more adventurous, like climbing a 199 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:34,319 Speaker 1: single story of stairs, left her gasping for air. If 200 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:36,960 Speaker 1: Simon had heard her request and the death rattle of 201 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: her clicking teeth, he didn't acknowledge it. He was off 202 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: in his own little world, thinking about his own dreams 203 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: of being famous, no doubt. As she turned the page 204 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: of a fashion magazine from her cruch position on the floor, 205 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: her chilly hand shook so fiercely that it ripped the 206 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 1: bottom page. Britney grimaced and pulled her knees tight to 207 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: her chest, one last attempt at salvaging anybody. She could 208 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: be at the beach right now, about the pool, flagging 209 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: a pool boy for another lemonade, sweating off her suntan 210 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,439 Speaker 1: lotion instead of begging her husband for a fucking blanket. 211 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: Only a few days earlier, Brittany was all smiles overseas 212 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: alongside Simon and her mother Sharon. She had landed another 213 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,720 Speaker 1: leading role, this time for a thriller titled The Caller, 214 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: set to be filmed entirely in Puerto Rico. Her hopes 215 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: were high, Simons might have been even higher. She landed 216 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: safely in Puerto Rico in November of two thousand and nine, 217 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: and those high hopes for the Collar crashed and burned 218 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: shortly thereafter. Brittany had lasted no more than two days 219 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: on set. That's all it took for her to sever 220 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: herself from what she saw as a B movie horror 221 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: catastrophe that in Simon's helicopter mentorship accelerated her departure. Her 222 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:01,359 Speaker 1: soul souvenirs in the trip were dash streams and wounded pride. 223 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: Simon and Sharon, on the other hand, a part of 224 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico with a nasty case of pneumonia, which they 225 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: passed to Brittany after their return to California. As if 226 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: losing the role wasn't enough, now she had more reasons 227 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 1: to sniffle. How many more hits could she take? She 228 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't be returning as a member of the voice cast 229 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,280 Speaker 1: for Happy Feet two. Her much anticipated role in The 230 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 1: Expendables was written out of the script, and she lost 231 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: her role as tinker Bell for a straight to DVD 232 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: Disney movie. And now now she couldn't last two days 233 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: on set for a movie she didn't even want to 234 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: be in. This was an unprecedented low for her, an 235 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: unprecedented low that directly contradicted everything else Simon demanded from her. 236 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: Simon says she needs to make a real Hollywood comeback. 237 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: Simon says she needs to be thinner. Simon says, these 238 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: roles are better than those roles. Simon says He'll always 239 00:15:54,640 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: take care of it. Simon says. Simon says, if Simon 240 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 1: spoke it, Brittany absorbed it as gospel. She assumed it 241 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: was the truth because there wasn't anyone else around her 242 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: to tell her otherwise. In two thousand and nine, Brittany 243 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: had no direct access to her email, no direct access 244 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: to her personal cell phone. Anyone who wished to speak 245 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 1: with Brittany had to go through Simon first and then 246 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: speak with her on Simon's terms. Friends and family couldn't 247 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: even reach her via landline. Simon cut the phone surface 248 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: in her house that she bought with her movie star money. 249 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: Brittany thought Simon was just good at taking charge. Her 250 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: friends thought he was downright controlling. There were some things 251 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: that he legitimately assisted her with. Simon had a set 252 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: of simple life skills, so that Britney lacked the price 253 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: she paid for spending her adolescence on TV in movie sets. 254 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: She couldn't balance a checkbook, she couldn't drive, no driver's 255 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: license met. Brittany relied on Simon to get out of 256 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: her house, a high level Mediterranean mansion nestled in West Hollywood, 257 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: but Simon wasn't keen on joy rides. Upon their marriage 258 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: in two thousand and seven, Britney Murphy's life shrunk to 259 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: a claustrophobic eight thousand square feet, but that didn't stop 260 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: the tabloids from talking, from typing their nasty, nitpicking headlines. 261 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: Britney devoured them all, often crouched in her private bathroom 262 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: as she was now, she bassed in the warm comfort 263 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: of its pink peach walls as she absorbed each article's criticisms. 264 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,679 Speaker 1: The one suggesting she had an eating disorder cut the 265 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:38,679 Speaker 1: deepest ha What happened to the days when she was 266 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: huggable not fuckable? And that's what a powerful, anonymous figure 267 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,879 Speaker 1: in Hollywood once told her she was She wanted to 268 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: be a leading lady. Those same powerful types advised her 269 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,479 Speaker 1: to loose some pounds, so she trimmed herself down, clipped 270 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:55,360 Speaker 1: in hair extensions, upgraded her appearance. She made herself quote 271 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 1: unquote fuckable in no time flat. And now people had 272 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: the audacity to quot bullshit. It was all unrealistic beauty standards, bullshit, 273 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: But it was bullshit that weighed on her. Nonetheless, when 274 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: Brittany retreated to her bathroom, she did more than indulge 275 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: in tabloids. She tested out hair treatments and perfumes, skin 276 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: creams and lip tints. She tore pages from fashion magazines, 277 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: pinched skin between her thin fingers, in the mirror. A 278 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: little voice in her mind repeated what she read in 279 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: the papers, repeated what Simon said to her. Change yourself, 280 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 1: shrink yourself, make yourself smaller so you can make your 281 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: career bigger. Brittany was sick of the superficial life out West. 282 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: Twenty ten would be different. It had to be different 283 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: for her own sanity. She'd pack up with Simon and 284 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: jet to New York and rehabilitate a reputation by starring 285 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: in some independent films, maybe even start a family. Six 286 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 1: years in her current living situation, Sandwich between Simon and 287 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 1: her mother Sharon had been more than an enough. Britney 288 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: purchased the home for three point nine million dollars from 289 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 1: Britney Spears in two thousand and three, six years ago. 290 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 1: Now one Brittany had moved on from it already, it 291 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: was time for another Brittany, herself to fall sup Except 292 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: Britney Spears was still hot in two thousand and nine, 293 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: and Britney Murphy was not. Brittey Murphy was cold, ice cold, 294 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: colder than her skin even as she tried to warm 295 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:31,680 Speaker 1: herself in the California sun, and Brittany Murphy needed to 296 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: nurse herself and her career back to health. Immediately, Brittany 297 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: Murphy's body laid limp on the floor. Cold water from 298 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:49,199 Speaker 1: the shower head. Heelt at her face, droplets collected on 299 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 1: her face and in her hair, and Brittany did so 300 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: much as flinch. Her blue lips remained slightly parted, indifferent. 301 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: That's when Sharon really started to panic. She clasped her 302 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: daughter's I see body with one hand and used the 303 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: other to dial nine one one with her thumb. Please 304 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,719 Speaker 1: get here quick, please, she's not moving. Simon helps Sharon 305 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: hoist Brittany out of the shower and onto the bathroom floor. 306 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:16,160 Speaker 1: As they maneuvered her body, bottles in Britney's private bathroom, 307 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 1: tuckled over hair spray, skinny creamy's face mask, lip mass, perfumes, 308 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,359 Speaker 1: some jars fell into shallow pools of vomit on the floor, 309 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: and Brittany been throwing up all morning, expelling water like 310 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,479 Speaker 1: it was poison, tons and tons of it. Sharon informed 311 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 1: the dispatcher she was dizzy, she couldn't walk right. She's 312 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 1: had a cold, she explained, through tears. Can you feel 313 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,880 Speaker 1: or hear any breathing? The dispatcher asked, he heard Simon 314 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: relay the message to Sharon in the background. No. Then 315 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: Sharon's answer more of a blubbering howl than a word. 316 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 2: No. 317 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,480 Speaker 1: As an ambulance race to one eight nine to five, 318 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: rising Glen Road in Los Angeles, the dispatcher explained how 319 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: to do compressions. A last ditch effort to get Britney 320 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,719 Speaker 1: breathing again, Simon placed the heel of his hand on 321 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:07,439 Speaker 1: Britney's breast pawn. The dispatcher calmly but sternly ordered him 322 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: to pump her chest hard and fast, at least twice 323 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: per second. Simon counted his compressions out loud, pushed down 324 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: hard on her dainty rib cage like her life depended 325 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: on it. Because it did. Simon wasn't fast enough. Eight 326 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: nine ten, the dispatcher said. He scolded again when he 327 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: heard no change in Simon's pacing. Britney, please come back, 328 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: Sharon howld over the phone. But Britney didn't come back. 329 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: After an ambulance brought her to Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 330 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: it wasn't long before doctors delivered the grim news, and 331 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: there was nothing they could do. Britney Murphy died just 332 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: after ten am that morning, on December twentieth, two thousand 333 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: and nine. She was thirty two years old. The media 334 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: swarmed around one eight nine to five, rising Glenn Road. 335 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,720 Speaker 1: They had pressing questions, questions that were somehow bolder than 336 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: their previous queries, asking if she was addicted to drugs 337 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:12,120 Speaker 1: or if an eating disorder lurked under that limber frame 338 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: of hers. Now the question was, how does a thirty 339 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 1: two year old seemingly die from a cold. Everyone wanted 340 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: to know, everyone except Simon Manjak Simon publicly and unabashedly 341 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: opposed an autopsy. He didn't want his wife to be 342 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,479 Speaker 1: carved like a Thanksgiving turkey for some science experiment. The 343 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: idea of his wife's body being sliced up was too 344 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 1: much to bear. It was curvy in all the right places. 345 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:45,440 Speaker 1: He told Larry King about his dead wife on national television. Fortunately, 346 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: what Simon said didn't have any sway to the Los 347 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: Angeles Coroner's office. To halt the autopsy. Simon had to 348 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,159 Speaker 1: either send the Coroner's office a court order or a 349 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:59,199 Speaker 1: religious reason, and he provided neither. Over the course of 350 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: a few months, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office and so 351 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 1: called Hollywood's Corner at Winter, searched for answers to the 352 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: public's pressing questions about Britney's sudden death. While they did 353 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 1: their medical digging, there was plenty of time for things 354 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: to get even weirder at the Murphy Monjack residence. When 355 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: investigators searched Britney's mansion in the days after her death, 356 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:27,119 Speaker 1: they uncovered roughly ninety bottles of prescription pills in Simon's nightstand, 357 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: some in his name, some in Britney's name, some of 358 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: the names of unidentified third parties. Investigators all noticed that 359 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: Simon and Britney's bed appeared to have been recently disturbed 360 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:43,880 Speaker 1: by two people, except Britney was already long gone. When questioned, 361 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:47,359 Speaker 1: Simon confessed that Scherer would often climb into bed with 362 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,119 Speaker 1: him so they could tearfully console each other and share 363 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 1: the burden of their grief. Simon's truth telling track record 364 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: wasn't exactly stellar, and Sharon vehemently denied this gross version 365 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: of events. Simon raised eyebrows again when they sent out 366 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: invitations to a memorial for Britney scheduled for February twenty ten. 367 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: The event launched the Britney Murphy Foundation, a nonprofit organization 368 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: dedicated to helping children pursue the arts. Simon requested one 369 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: thousand dollars donation from each attendee, or a sum of 370 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,880 Speaker 1: ten thousand dollars for organizations to attend a memorial service. 371 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 1: Sharon was Britney's sole beneficiary. It wasn't a secret that 372 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: Simon hadn't inherited a cent, but many were unaware that 373 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 1: Simon had spent three million dollars of Britney's money in 374 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: three years, effectively draining eighty percent of her assets. Coincidentally, 375 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: at the time of the memorial, the foundation's official status 376 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: as a charity had yet to be approved. Those donations 377 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: weren't going to a nonprofit. They were lining Simon's pockets. 378 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: In the interim. At least Hollywood got wise when attendee 379 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: started asking for more information, Simon pulled the plug on 380 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,959 Speaker 1: the event with only one day to go. He blamed 381 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: a family illness for the sudden cancelation, and no one 382 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 1: bought it. The Britney Murphy Foundation evaporated before it could 383 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: even be deemed a legitimate nonprofit, and by February twenty ten, 384 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 1: it felt like there couldn't possibly be any more peculiar 385 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: angles to the Britney Murphy story. Then her autopsy results 386 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: came back, We'll be right back after this. 387 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 2: We're we're, we're. 388 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: Pneumonia. The answer was so anti climactic that it didn't 389 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,639 Speaker 1: even sound real. An affluent, thirty two year old woman 390 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: had succumbed to fucking pneumonia. The LA Coroner's office ruled 391 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,600 Speaker 1: Britney Murphy's death accidental on February twenty fifth, twenty ten, 392 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:58,520 Speaker 1: citing pneumonia as the culprit, along with two smaller contributing factors. 393 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: Test reveal that Brittany had life threateningly low levels of hemoglobin, 394 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: far worse than a quote unquote regular case of anemia, 395 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: and there was also a loaded cocktail of medications in 396 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: her system at the time of her death. Migraine tells 397 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:17,200 Speaker 1: cough medicine, over the counter, nasal spray, antibiotics, prozac, klonopin, 398 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 1: an anti inflammatory, a beta blocker from Simon, the painkiller 399 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: like a profen prescribed by her doctor. It was a 400 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: long list, but a legitimate one. None of the drugs 401 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: were illegal. There was no illicit substance aha moment, no 402 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:36,160 Speaker 1: prescription pill smoking gun for her destitute vagrant living outside 403 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 1: in the tent. The cause of death made perfect sense 404 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,480 Speaker 1: for an actress living in a three point nine million 405 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 1: dollar home with two loved ones. It was nearly unheard of. 406 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: At long last, the public had their unsatisfying answer to 407 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: what now came the follow up? Why Why didn't Sharon 408 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: and Simon take her symptoms seriously as she gasped for 409 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: air at the time the staircase or wabbled around the 410 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,199 Speaker 1: house like a newborn fawn. Why didn't they rush her 411 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 1: to the hospital themselves the moment she struggled to breathe 412 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,120 Speaker 1: days before her death. Why did they think hot tea 413 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 1: with ginger and lemon was all they needed to soothe 414 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:16,639 Speaker 1: her parched blue lips as she gasped for air and 415 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,680 Speaker 1: pleaded for oxygen. Why would a mother and a husband 416 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: wait so long to call nine one one? And would 417 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: they be foolish enough to make the same mistake twice? 418 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 1: It seems so familiar that Sharon thought she was dreaming 419 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,360 Speaker 1: From across the bedroom. She could hear it, the sound 420 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: of silence, more specifically, absence of breathing. Simon Monjack's chest 421 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: wasn't moving. It wasn't rising and falling, not even for 422 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 1: the most shallow breaths. Instead, he lay motionless in bed 423 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 1: while a brown foam like liquid spewed from his lips, 424 00:27:56,160 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: A gurgling sound erupted from his mouth. Sharon's sight nearly 425 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 1: went dim. This couldn't be happening, no way, not again. 426 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,880 Speaker 1: Five months after her daughter gasped for her final breass, 427 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,719 Speaker 1: her son in law was doing the same, And just 428 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: like Brittany, Simon was sick with some mystery illness that 429 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:19,879 Speaker 1: left him coughing, sweating, shaking. Pain radiated from his lungs 430 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 1: and into his chest. At times. His fever reached a 431 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:26,680 Speaker 1: frightening hive nearly one hundred and six degrees. He was tired, 432 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: His body was leading lethargic. The illness weighed him down 433 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 1: with an intensity that even trumped the burden of his grief. 434 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: He was immobile, He was dying. Despite all this, Sharon 435 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: didn't call for help until forty five minutes after first 436 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: attempting to wipe Simon's mouth clean from the mystery fluid. 437 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 1: She dialed nine one one at nine fifteen pm on 438 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: the evening of May twenty third, twenty ten. The rapid 439 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: fire Questions from dispatch were like deja vu? What his age? 440 00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,360 Speaker 1: Did he awake or not awake? Is he breathing or 441 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: not breathing. Sharon was told to move Simon's body from 442 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: the bed to the floor for compressions. She balked, no 443 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 1: way she could get him on the ground, he was 444 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:12,360 Speaker 1: too big. She compromised by delicately removing his massive melon 445 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,360 Speaker 1: of a head from his pillow. She began chess compressions 446 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 1: right in the bed, following the same step Simon had 447 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:23,280 Speaker 1: once done for Brittany. Now it was Sharon's turn. Emergency 448 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: services rushed to one eight nine to five, rising Glen 449 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: Road for the second time in six months. This time 450 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 1: there was no need to rush back to the hospital. 451 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: Unlike Brittany, Simon did not have a pulse when the 452 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: paramedics arrived, no lung sound either. He was declared dead 453 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: in their bedroom at nine to forty five PM. He 454 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 1: was forty years old. In the following days, investigators didn't 455 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: need a second tour of the eight thousand square foot mansion. 456 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,719 Speaker 1: The homes layout remained fresh in their minds from their 457 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: last visit. Certain sections of the Mediterranean try level had 458 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:04,239 Speaker 1: to deteriorated from disorderly to disgusting. The wreckage of the 459 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: past few days stained Simon's bedsheets, which were covered in 460 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: brown black splotches of mucus used tissues spilled from the 461 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: trash can next to the nightstand. Investigators revisited Simon's nightstand 462 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: and were greeted by the same stash of prescription pill bottles, 463 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: with an added surprise, some bore the name Sharon Monjack, 464 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: much like the climbing in bed together tidbit. Sharon also 465 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: denied any allegations here, but there was one detail that 466 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:38,520 Speaker 1: aroused more suspicion than anything else, Even more so than 467 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: the puzzling pill bottle situation. The house had quite literally 468 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: developed a new feature since investigator's previous visit. Mold. Mold 469 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: coating the picture window in the living room. Mold sprouting 470 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 1: on the French doors. Not a few specs, not a 471 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 1: minuscule amount easily missed during spring cleaning. It was a 472 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 1: plague of It didn't matter that it was disgusting, and 473 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:07,360 Speaker 1: not because it demonstrated in neglectful housekeeping. The mold mattered 474 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: because inhaling spores come with a certain set of symptoms, 475 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: the same symptoms as pneumonia, headaches, congestion, lung irritation, sneezing, wheezing, 476 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 1: the same symptoms Britney Murphy had in December, the same 477 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: symptoms Simon Monjack had in his final days. Coincidentally, Britney's 478 00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: autopsy revealed multiple areas of inflammation or granny lomis and 479 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: her lungs. The most common cause of this kind of 480 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 1: irritation is fungal infections. Then, the most common fungal infection 481 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 1: in the United States is caused by histoplasma, a species 482 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: of mold, specifically a species of mold that, if inhaled, 483 00:31:48,000 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: can lead to death. So you're telling me there's ten 484 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: different metals in my daughter's hair. Angelo Bertolotti stared at 485 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 1: the toxicology report in his hands. His eyes ran down 486 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: the massive list again. Ten selenium, barium, aluminum, uranium, copper, silver, platinum, antimony, 487 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,960 Speaker 1: ten different heavy metals in total, all present in a 488 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: sample of Britney Murphy's hair, nine times the normal level 489 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: according to the World Health Organization. The pathologist on the 490 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: phone said he'd never seen anything like it in his life. 491 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 1: Angelo couldn't fathom how the LA coroner had missed something 492 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: so obvious. So bizarre. After years of tussling with an 493 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: unsatisfying ending, Angelo finally requested a sample of Britney's hair 494 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 1: in the La Coroner's office to use for his own investigation. 495 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: In twenty thirteen, he shipped off her locks to a 496 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 1: toxicology lab in Colorado, and they sent back a case 497 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 1: for murder. It had been years since Angelou had dug 498 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: this deep into his daughter's life. On paper, Angelo was 499 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: Britney's father, but he only played that role for two 500 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: years before Britney's mother, Sharon, divorced him and took Brittany 501 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: to Edison, New Jersey to start a new life together 502 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: as a twosome. The split kept Brittany away from her 503 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: father's world, the sleazy Florida clubs he owned, and his 504 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: involvement with organized crime that earned him roughly a decade 505 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: in prison for dirty deeds like racketeering and a counterfeiting scam. 506 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: His relationship with Sharon had played out like a movie 507 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:53,000 Speaker 1: script from the start. Girl meets mobster. Mobster hires girl 508 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 1: to dance at his clubs, mobster marries girl, girl, divorces mobster, 509 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:00,200 Speaker 1: and runs far, far away. Britney could have shined in 510 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 1: a role like that only a few years ago. But 511 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 1: Brittany wasn't here anymore, and Angelo wanted to know why. 512 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: Angelo used to mingle with criminals. For christ say, he 513 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,279 Speaker 1: knew a lie when he heard one and two adults, not 514 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:15,920 Speaker 1: even in middle aged dying from pneumonia was the biggest 515 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:18,600 Speaker 1: heap of steaming bullshit he had ever heard in his life. 516 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: Simon's autopsy results came back nearly identical to Britney's. The 517 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: cause of death community acquired pneumonia and severe anemia. Bullshit, 518 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: Angelo thought, mighty suspicious bullshit. The distance between Angelo and 519 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 1: his daughter didn't matter at the moment. Didn't matter that 520 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 1: Britney changed her legal name from Bertolotti to Murphy to 521 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,480 Speaker 1: match her stage name, placing a further distance between Angelo 522 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: and his low brown dealings. Didn't matter that Angelo wasn't 523 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:51,440 Speaker 1: even listed as Brittany's father on her death certificate. His 524 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 1: daughter was dead and he wanted answers. The mold theory 525 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:00,920 Speaker 1: was compelling, but ultimately a dead end. Despite the aligning 526 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: symptoms and irritation in Britney's lungs, there was no sign 527 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: of spores in her lungs, which would have been the 528 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:11,280 Speaker 1: true dead giveaway. Also, had mold been the culprin, surely 529 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: it would have also affected Sharon, a two time breast 530 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: cancer survivor and thus the most susceptible person in the family. No, 531 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: Angelo had a different theory. Altogether, He had every reason 532 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: to believe that Brittany and Simon have been poisoned, poisoned 533 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: by the one other person in the home who would 534 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:32,600 Speaker 1: have access to their food and drinks. Angelo thought the 535 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: couple was poisoned by Sharon. Much like inhaling mold spores, 536 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:44,200 Speaker 1: heavy metal poisoning reveals itself through pneumonia like symptoms, dizziness, sweating, cramps, lethargy, 537 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: and coughing. Angelo wasn't shy. He named names. He claimed 538 00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:51,400 Speaker 1: it had to be Sharon. He found it suspicious that 539 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,760 Speaker 1: Sharon wouldn't allow Britney's body to be exhumed for further testing. 540 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: Sharon dismissed Angelo's claims as fraudulent, but in Angelo's eyes, 541 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:05,239 Speaker 1: there was no other logical explanation. Coroner ed Winter disagreed 542 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,879 Speaker 1: he didn't see anything logical about Angelo's claims at all. 543 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:13,720 Speaker 1: Ed had tested Britney's skin, tested her blood, tested her urine, 544 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,399 Speaker 1: and there was no sign of anything unusual in any 545 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 1: of the samples, Nor were their thin lines running across 546 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:23,280 Speaker 1: Brittany or Simon's fingernails the hallmark of heavy metal poisoning. 547 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,880 Speaker 1: And just like the mold theory, and just like Simon's 548 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 1: incessant bragging, Ed thought it was bocus. Instead, he suggested 549 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,800 Speaker 1: a far more likely source of the metals, sprays, dyes, 550 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 1: and other hair treatments. The chemicals bottled up in every 551 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 1: corner of Britney's private bathroom, the same ones that surrounded 552 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,319 Speaker 1: her when she slipped from her final moments of consciousness. 553 00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: Angelo hadn't found a clue. He found another symptom of 554 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:56,120 Speaker 1: Britney's insecurity, another display of her white knuckle determination to 555 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:00,520 Speaker 1: better herself while the person closest to her insists on 556 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: tearing her down. It wasn't just the chemicals and hairspray 557 00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:07,799 Speaker 1: that led to her downfall. It was a dependency on 558 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 1: other people to feel secure. Such a disgrace. I'm Jake Brennan, 559 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:18,920 Speaker 1: and this is disgrace. 560 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:33,040 Speaker 3: Sign All right, guys, thanks for listening to this week's 561 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:36,120 Speaker 3: episode on Brittany Murphy, whose suspicious cause of death has 562 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:39,799 Speaker 3: me wanting to know which celebrity cause of death is 563 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 3: most suspicious to you guys? Is it this Britney Murphy 564 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:44,560 Speaker 3: story is at Elliott Smith? Is it Brian Jones of 565 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 3: the Rolling Stones? And why why aren't you buying the 566 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 3: official cause of death for these guys? You can hit 567 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:52,799 Speaker 3: me up let me know your answer six one seven 568 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 3: nine oh six six six three eight via voicemail and text, 569 00:37:56,320 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 3: or hit me with a DM at disgrace lampod on Instagram, 570 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,640 Speaker 3: X and face book. If you want to support the show, 571 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:04,440 Speaker 3: leave a review for us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, 572 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 3: and you know the drill. 573 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 1: You can win some free merch. 574 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:07,720 Speaker 2: All right, here come some credits. 575 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:13,840 Speaker 1: Disgraceland was created by Yours Truly and is produced in 576 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:17,319 Speaker 1: partnership with Double Elvis. 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He's a bad, 589 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:05,960 Speaker 1: bad man.