1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Hi. Steve Fishman here, creator of The Burden as well 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: as the number one true crime podcast, My Friend The 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: Serial Killer. For those of you who liked The Burden, 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: I have good news. Season two starts August seventh. It's 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: a series called The Burden Empire on Blood and it's 6 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: the director's cut of the true crime classic Empire on Blood, 7 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: which reached number one on the charts when it debuted 8 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: half a dozen years ago. Then the fat cat funders 9 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: abandon it. I wrangled it back and now I'm thrilled 10 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: to share this story of a man who fought the 11 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: law for two decades, fought against the Bronx's top homicide 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: prosecutor and a detective sometimes known as the Louis Scarcela 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: of the Bronx. It's all coming to you August seventh, 14 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. 15 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 2: Hey Burden fans, I'm Dax Devlin and I'm Steve Fishman. 16 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,919 Speaker 1: Welcome to another bonus episode of The Burden. As always, 17 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: would love to hear your thoughts about the series the bonuses. 18 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: If you feel like sharing, call us at eight three 19 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: three eight Burden. 20 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: Today, we're diving into a case that changed everything for 21 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 2: Louis Scarcela at least, and for the members of the 22 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 2: jail house law firm as well though, and maybe even 23 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,320 Speaker 2: for Brooklyn Criminal Justice. This is the first of twenty 24 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 2: one Scarcella cases to be overturned. You could say it 25 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 2: opened the floodgates. 26 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: And I'll tell you it's a really good episode. And 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: here's the reason. The information is new, the stakes are high, 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: and the people involved care. Plus, we got a hold 29 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: of some really unusual secret tape. You'll hear that towards 30 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: the end of the episode. It raises a question that's 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: hung over the series. What did the district attorney do 32 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: think You're going to be surprised by the answer. 33 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 2: In this episode, we offer three points of view on 34 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: the same case. We start with Louise, which inevitably means 35 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:13,119 Speaker 2: we start with a dead body. In this case, it's 36 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 2: that of a revered Brooklyn rabbi. 37 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 3: This was the murder of the century, a rabbi getting 38 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 3: killed in Brooklyn. 39 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 2: This is the case that made Louis famous, TV famous. 40 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: At least it's nineteen ninety one. There's something like fifty 41 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: detectives assigned to this case, and they come up with 42 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: bubkiss nothing. Enter Louis and his partner. 43 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 4: I was born in Brooklyn, got married in Brooklyn, and 44 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 4: I raised my kids here. I'm Italian, proud of it. 45 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 4: I'm proud of my neighborhood. I don't like seeing it 46 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 4: get missed around. 47 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 2: This is audio from an early nineties nationally syndicated TV 48 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 2: show called Cops. It broadcasts great detective work from around 49 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 2: the country. The guy talking guys is none other than 50 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 2: Louis Scarcella himself. He's on the show to talk about 51 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: the David Ranta case, the case that made him fact. 52 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 4: Two small time stick up men, guys we call street monts. 53 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 4: It shows in this particular day for the biggest score 54 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 4: of their lives. 55 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 5: I should look for pocket space, shut up and do 56 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 5: what I tell y'all. 57 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 2: As actors recreate the scenes, Scarcella narrates the action. 58 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 4: The situation here involved the Diamond and Jewelry company courier. 59 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 4: Every Tuesday and Thursday, he took a quarter of a 60 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 4: million dollars worth of golden diamonds in a cardboard box 61 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 4: and flew. 62 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: To Santo Domingo for processing. On screen, we see the 63 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: courier leave the building and head towards his car. The 64 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: two stickup men are waiting for him. The courier gets 65 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: in his car and one of the stickup men puts 66 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: a gun to the window. The car now, but the 67 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: courier manages to peel off. When the stickup man runs 68 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: back to the street after the car, his partner is 69 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: nowhere to be found in the car. He needs a 70 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: getaway car. 71 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 4: Rabbi Haskell Wurtzburger, an Auschwitz survivor whose family had perished 72 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 4: in the concentration camps, was going to school to open 73 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 4: it for morning prayers. 74 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 2: The stickup man approaches the Rabbi and his part. 75 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: He shoots him, steals the car, and takes off. The 76 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: Rabbi lies bleeding in the street. 77 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 4: Two days later, Rabbi Wurzburger died, and the anger of 78 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,799 Speaker 4: not only the Williamsburg Jewish community, but the entire city 79 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 4: of New York become a call with one voice to 80 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:50,119 Speaker 4: find his killer. 81 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: Dozens of detectives that fan out across the city. They 82 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 1: come up with nothing, and then they call him the 83 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: big dogs, Scarcel and his partner Steve Camill. 84 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 2: Hey, luie, this guy must have been a crackhead. 85 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 6: I mean the panic like this kill a guy for 86 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 6: his car, I know, but the jeweler. Sounds like a 87 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 6: job a pro would do, and nobody knows his way around. 88 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 6: Try a score like this without wheel Man. 89 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, but a pro wouldn't shoot an innocent bystander. 90 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: Plus he was just playing crazy. 91 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 6: By the way, this city's going not to make sense anymore. 92 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 6: You're on the northomal side. 93 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 3: Of the airk. 94 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 1: Eventually they catch a break. As Louis told us the story, 95 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: he was in a bar with his favorite cops and prosecutors, 96 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: having a good old time blowing off steam. His beeper 97 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: goes off. It's a cop calling with a tip a 98 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: stick up artist he knows fits the profile of the 99 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: guy they're looking for. This is a guy named Alan Bloom. 100 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: So scar Selling his partner rushed from the bar to 101 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: bring in Alan Bloom for questioning. 102 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 7: Listen, like I was saying, we got this case this Rabbi, 103 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 7: I can't tell you what that is to. 104 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: Us, and from what I hear, you could use a 105 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: little l. 106 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 8: The next day we arrange for a takeout order. 107 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 4: This gave us a chance to talk some more and 108 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 4: to build up his trust. 109 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 2: A takeout order that's what allows the detectives to take 110 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 2: a suspected criminal out of jail for official purposes. 111 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 6: Where you guys taking me DA's office. I hear you 112 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 6: been a busy boy forties stick up some counting. Yeah, 113 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 6: I got some expensive habits. 114 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 2: Expensive habits he's referring to crack addiction. Scarcela and Camille 115 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 2: they make a detour. They take Bloom out for pizza, 116 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 2: and then they get to talking. 117 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,720 Speaker 4: Sure, if I give you guys information, you can make 118 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 4: me a deal. 119 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: Right, only the DA can do that. 120 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 5: You can talk to him put in a word, we 121 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 5: can if you do what's right. 122 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: So, uh, Cat, I. 123 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 4: Found you got anyway, A couple of sisters bounce him 124 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 4: too much. 125 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: I would like to see my mother, though she here 126 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: in Brooklyn is very often how it is, Let's go. 127 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 6: She said, you want to see your mother now. 128 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 4: And that the little things we were doing for him 129 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 4: were working in our favor. 130 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: He started. Alan Bloome really came around. He admitted to 131 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: being the wheelman in the botched jewelry heist. He was 132 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: supposed to be that getaway driver, and he told Scarcella 133 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: the name of his accomplice. The shooter was a man 134 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: named David Ranta, another crack user and small time stick 135 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: up artist. Eventually he told Scarsella something really important. He 136 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: said he saw Ranta shoot the rabbi. Scarcella and his 137 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: partner track Ranta down, put him in a witness I know, 138 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: I believe it's him. 139 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 2: The one second from right. 140 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 6: What number is he holding? 141 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: Number two? That was the key. 142 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 2: The detectives had a witness who claimed to see David 143 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 2: Ranta commit the murder. Still, a confession would be useful, 144 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 2: and of course getting confessions is Louis Garcella's superpower. Luckily, 145 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 2: he and Ranta find themselves alone in central book. 146 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:30,559 Speaker 1: You're in Vitty. 147 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 9: You're going to jail. 148 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 6: Anything you say now can only help you out. You're 149 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 6: the wrong guy here, Driep, You're nothing. 150 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: Don't call me you're nothing. Man. Look you're Italian. 151 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 7: I'm Italian. 152 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:43,319 Speaker 6: I was born right across the street from where you lived. 153 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 6: I know what's happened to Bensoners because it creeps like 154 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 6: you be a. 155 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 1: Man about it. You won't be a nothing, all right? 156 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 2: All right, now pause for a second. He didn't say 157 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 2: he shot the rabbi. He said, according to Scarcella, at 158 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 2: least I was there. Seems innocent enough. It's not, though. 159 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 2: What it means is that he's guilty of felay murder. 160 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,319 Speaker 2: It's very useful for cops to have this one in 161 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 2: their back pocket. And a felony murder situation, you might 162 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:25,319 Speaker 2: commit a robbery, but if someone gets murdered in the process, 163 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 2: that's on you as well. Even if you personally didn't 164 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 2: shoot the guy, you're guilty. 165 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: So back to forty year old Scarcella in Top Cops 166 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: way back in nineteen ninety two, wrapping things up for 167 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:41,680 Speaker 1: the television audience. 168 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 4: A lot of people don't think detectives try and establish 169 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 4: relationships with people were investigating, but it's. 170 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: Part of the job. 171 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 4: All we were trying to do was to convince the 172 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 4: witnesses that it was in their best interest to tell 173 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 4: the truth. 174 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 2: Now to this is a real product of its era. 175 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 2: I mean, the acting is awful, the recreations, let's just 176 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 2: say they're hoky, and the sets are just cheap, flimsy. 177 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:15,199 Speaker 2: The cops are the good guys, chasing down people they 178 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,959 Speaker 2: call street MutS, and every case is resolved in time 179 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 2: for a serial commercial. The thing is, though, when it 180 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 2: comes to Louis Scarcella's career, Top Cops looked at the 181 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 2: moment like a career topper for this first grade detective. 182 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: Not the way it worked out. Here's version two of 183 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: the same events. 184 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:44,839 Speaker 2: On a cold gray morning in Williamsburg, Hassidic Jews converged 185 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 2: on the main synagogue of congregation. 186 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: You have to have leed of Satmorrow. 187 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 3: Thousands came to pay their last respects to ride By 188 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 3: High School Wurzburger. 189 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 2: As Scarcela noted earlier in the episode, the murder of 190 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 2: Rabbi Hschool Wertzbeger was a huge deal. Among other things, 191 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 2: religious Jews are a crucial voting block in Brooklyn, the DA. 192 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 2: If you don't recall, it's an elected office. 193 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 10: He was just on the wrong place, on the wrong time, 194 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 10: and it became a casualty of the jungle of the 195 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 10: city of New York. 196 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 2: That made defending David Ranta an unpopular job. 197 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 7: I get a call one morning, I'm in the office. 198 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 7: It's a hot August day, mister Brown with a mykahomicide. 199 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: This is Michael Baum. He was a defense attorney at 200 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: the time, and he sometimes got assigned cases for defendants 201 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:44,960 Speaker 1: who couldn't afford lawyers. 202 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 7: And she said, well, it's the David Rant the cases 203 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 7: he's tried to kill in the rabbi, and I said, sure, 204 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 7: I'll take the case. She says, you don't have to 205 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 7: if you don't want to. In fact, we've gone down 206 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 7: the list. We've already asked seven or eight lawyers. They've 207 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 7: all turned it down. I'll take the case. I thought 208 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 7: it was great, it was exciting, it was a great case, 209 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 7: but it was sort of like walking into the lions. 210 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 7: Then I walked into court to meet with him. I'm 211 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 7: immediately surrounded by reporters. I had done a few high 212 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 7: publicity cases before, but nothing like this. I met David 213 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 7: and the first thing he said to me was, Michael, 214 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 7: I had nothing to do with this case. I had 215 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 7: nothing to do with this case. I may be a 216 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 7: nice guy, which I hate that reputation. 217 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: I have no heart. 218 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 7: I am absolutely heartless and I am absolutely ruthless. And 219 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 7: never let my nice guy persona fool you, because that's 220 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 7: when DA's get in trouble, and that's when cops get 221 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 7: in trouble. I'm a street wise kid from benson Hurst 222 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 7: and no one is going to fool me, and David 223 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 7: was not going to fool me either. The more I 224 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 7: learned about the case, the more I believed he was innocent. 225 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 7: I was just convinced David was not the guy they're 226 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 7: looking for. David just didn't have the wherewithal to commit 227 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 7: a quarter of a million dollar Jwelry, Robbie. It just 228 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,439 Speaker 7: wasn't him. Where was he going to get this information? 229 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 7: It just wasn't like David. 230 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: Growing up in Bensonhurst, Michael Baum was familiar with guys. 231 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 7: Like David Ranta. David, you know, lived my mother's building. 232 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 7: He grew up in Bensonhurst. He was like the kids 233 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 7: I know. He could have been me. I mean I 234 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,679 Speaker 7: knew kids like him growing up. And David had a record. 235 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 7: He'd been arrested a few times before, but nothing bad, 236 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 7: and there was no violence in his history. There were 237 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 7: probably some issues with drugs that he had, but nothing 238 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,199 Speaker 7: like this. And I never, for a minute believed that 239 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 7: David had anything to do with this. But that belief 240 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 7: wasn't worth much on paper. I will tell you on paper, 241 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,199 Speaker 7: that case was as strong as can be. They had 242 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 7: an accomplished named Alan Bloom, who claimed that he knew 243 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:54,720 Speaker 7: that David had set this up, that he had driven 244 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 7: David to the crime scene and he had watched as 245 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 7: David tried to rob this jewelry Karia, who then got away, 246 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 7: and then David ran up to the rabbi and shot him. 247 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: In his car. 248 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:08,440 Speaker 7: There were three kids from the neighborhood who claimed that 249 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 7: they had seen somebody they identified as David sitting in 250 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,760 Speaker 7: a car in the area and at the scene of 251 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 7: the crime right before the shooting, and it was a 252 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 7: confession that they alleged David to me. David is alleged 253 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 7: to have signed a confession written out by Luce Garsella. 254 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 7: What more do you need? This case has guilt written 255 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,480 Speaker 7: all over. It just was as solid as you can imagine. 256 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 7: The case was garbage. The case was garbage. 257 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 2: The problems begin with David Ranta's alleged accomplice, Alan Bloom, 258 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 2: the witness Garcela learned about in the bar. 259 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 7: Alan Bloom was willing to testify for the prosecution had 260 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 7: five pending indictments against him for robbing little old ladies. 261 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 7: He was a terrible, terrible dame drug at it and 262 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 7: would have said and done anything. Alan Bloom was facing 263 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 7: one hundred years in jail on his five indictments, signed 264 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 7: a cooperation agreement where he was to get three to 265 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 7: nine years in jail if. 266 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: He testified for the prosecution. So let's note what just happened. Bloom, 267 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: a stick up man with a long list of charges, 268 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: is facing a century in prison. District attorney has a 269 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: deal he could do as little as three years. Hey, 270 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:36,160 Speaker 1: if I'm Alan Bloom, I say, mister district attorney, whatever 271 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: you need me to do. As for the kids who 272 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: saw Ranta in the area. 273 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 7: The three kids who supposedly identified David at a lineup, 274 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 7: who identified David in the neighborhood, all gave a description 275 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 7: of the person they saw, none of which matched David. 276 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: None of which matched David. 277 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,239 Speaker 2: And what about that signed confession. 278 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 7: David told me that when he was in Central booking, 279 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 7: he has to make a phone call, and Scarcela said, sure, 280 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 7: we'll give that. To make a phone call, just sign 281 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 7: here on this Manila envelope that he gave them, and 282 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 7: David signed his name. He said it was a blank Endvoope, 283 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 7: he just asked me to saw man named to make 284 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 7: a phone call. We get the court and suddenly there's 285 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 7: a confession written in Scarcela's handwriting above and below the signature. 286 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 7: They said that was blank. I never signed that. I 287 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 7: never said that. 288 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,120 Speaker 1: Now, the people who will eventually review this case. Don't 289 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: believe that David Ranta actually signed a blank Manila envelope. 290 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 1: He'd been in and out of jail a lot, he 291 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: knew how the system worked. Plus he'd sign that Manila 292 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: envelope in several places. Still, the confession wasn't really a confession. 293 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: And does someone cough it up? Because our cop challenges 294 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: his manhood? Remember Scarcella's ploy was to say to Ranta, 295 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: be a man, be a man? Does that really lead 296 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: to confession? To bound the case against Rant? That was 297 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 1: suddenly looking vulnerable, and the defense had some evidence of 298 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: its own. 299 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 7: We had Iron Weinberger, who was the jewelry carrier, who 300 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 7: testified that David was not the guy who tried to rob. 301 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: Them, and there had been another suspect. 302 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,520 Speaker 7: There must have been fifty names or more anonymous hips, 303 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 7: but there was one name that popped up, the name 304 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 7: of Joseph Asten. There was an anonymous caller that said, 305 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 7: you know the guy you're looking for is Joseph Asten. 306 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 9: Equip the deck, does Wilson, Okay, I'm calling as by Workburger. 307 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:47,640 Speaker 8: Is the person you're looking for? Your name is Joseph 308 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,840 Speaker 8: c Im. You know this, just check it out. 309 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:54,360 Speaker 1: Thank you your name please. 310 00:17:54,240 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 2: I'm sorry, All of which raised a question, how did 311 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 2: David rant To become the prime suspect in the first place. 312 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 7: Alan Blue knows Ranta well. He knows him from the neighborhood. 313 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 7: They were used to do drugs together. 314 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: As the trial date approach, Michael Baum caught a break. 315 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: Remember those takeouts, Scarcela described in Top Cops. 316 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 7: We had a tip that they were taking Alan Bloom 317 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 7: out of jail. My investigator goes and it parks herself 318 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 7: in front of Alan Bloom's house and sure enough, first 319 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 7: day out. Within an hour, scarcell and Camille come driving up. 320 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 7: Alan blooms in the car. They all get out of 321 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 7: the car. He's not handcuffed. He goes into his mother's house, 322 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,199 Speaker 7: has breakfast or whatever he's doing there, comes out an 323 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 7: arrowway and they're sitting in the car waiting for him. 324 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 7: She continues to follow him. They drive to Alan Bloom's 325 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:48,159 Speaker 7: old apartment on Avenue L in Brooklyn, and again they 326 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 7: all get out of the car, Scarcelle waiting downstairs. Alan 327 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 7: goes up to his home where his girlfriend resides. They're 328 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 7: smoking crack and then he comes down and they take 329 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 7: him back to jail. They were getting these orders to 330 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 7: take Alan Bloom out for investigatory purposes. His testimony was 331 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,719 Speaker 7: born and paid for. He would have said anything they 332 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 7: wanted to say. He's got the greatest deal in the world. 333 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: Scarcela later acknowledged that he and his partner took Bloom 334 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 1: out of jail twenty one times. Bloom was pretty good company. 335 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:24,719 Speaker 1: But was that why he testified against David Ranta or 336 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: was it Alan Bloom's sweetheart deal offered by the DA 337 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: instead of one hundred years. Remember he's looking at as 338 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: little as three. But for Baum, it was Louis Scarcella 339 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: who was pulling all the strings. This could not have 340 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: happened without Scarcewa doing all this. He put the case together, 341 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: he arranged for all the witnesses, He got all the witnesses. 342 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 7: This was not good investigatory techniques. This was perjury. 343 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. 344 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,040 Speaker 11: I took him out, took the cuffs off of him, 345 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 11: took him to see his girlfriend, took him to his 346 00:19:58,320 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 11: mother's house, took him to eat pizza. 347 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 2: We asked Scarcela about these takeouts, and he says they 348 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 2: were pretty common at the time. Everyone knew about them, 349 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 2: including the District Attorney's office. 350 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 3: As he put it, a happy witness is a good witness. 351 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:17,679 Speaker 3: Maybe taking a guy out of jail and taking him 352 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:22,640 Speaker 3: to his girlfriend is breaking the rules, But it didn't 353 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:26,679 Speaker 3: occur to me because it just I was caught up 354 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,440 Speaker 3: in the moment, and you have to put your trust 355 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 3: in someone, and I put my trust into Alan Loom 356 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:39,679 Speaker 3: And I believed every word he said, and I'll go 357 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 3: to my grave believe in every word he. 358 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: Said, Worth noting that these are the same words Scarcela 359 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:53,199 Speaker 1: used when endorsing Teresa Gomez's accounts. Meanwhile, the DA was 360 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,439 Speaker 1: pushing hard for a conviction. The city was living in 361 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: fear of murders like Rabbi Wurtzburgers twenty two hundred murders 362 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,959 Speaker 1: in New York City the year that the Rabbi was killed. 363 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 7: I'm going to stand up in front of a jury 364 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 7: in Brooklyn in nineteen ninety one, and I'm going to 365 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 7: tell them that this case was set up by Luce Garcela. 366 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 7: Forget about that he's a decorated detective, renowned detective. I'm 367 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 7: going to tell them that this detective set up this case, 368 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 7: that this detective arranged to arrest an innocent man. 369 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: And you know something, the more I thought about it, 370 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:31,959 Speaker 1: the more bizarre it sounded. 371 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 7: Who would believe this? I knew we were getting close 372 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 7: to conviction, and it's devastating. It's just devastating. 373 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 1: You know. I know where we're going. 374 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 7: I'm trying to keep David as positive as possible, but 375 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 7: I know where the jury is going with that. And 376 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 7: David was a venture sentenced to thirty seven and a 377 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 7: half years to five. 378 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 1: The jury actually acquitted Rant of murder. Garcela might believe everything, 379 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,360 Speaker 1: Alan Bloom said. Jurors didn't. If they found Ranta guilty 380 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: of felony murder, remember those three little words. I was there. 381 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: He hugged me leaving the court room. 382 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,920 Speaker 7: They said, Michael, please don't forget about me. Please don't 383 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 7: forget about me. I remember those words this day. Don't 384 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 7: forget about me. As if I ever could. You know 385 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 7: case was done. I followed my notice of appo. It 386 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:36,479 Speaker 7: was as discouraging as you could imagine. It was grim. 387 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 7: And then I got a phone call. A few days 388 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,359 Speaker 7: after the verdict. I get a call from a woman 389 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 7: who says to me, mister Bow, he said, man who. 390 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,679 Speaker 1: Tried to Dave Rant. The case. Yes, he says, your 391 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 1: coin is innocent. He said, how do you know, because 392 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:55,440 Speaker 1: my husband is the murderer. 393 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:02,440 Speaker 2: Quick has he heard that bomb? Thought of one name, 394 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 2: Joseph Aston, the same name provided by the anonymous tipster 395 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 2: all those years ago. 396 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 7: And I said, let me drive over to the Aston's address. 397 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 7: And I drive over and I knock on the door. 398 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 7: The young girl comes to the door, and I said, Hi, 399 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:21,400 Speaker 7: my name is Michael Baum. I wonder if I could 400 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 7: talk to you. She looked around to see if anybody was, 401 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 7: you know, following me. She stuck my hand, led me in. 402 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 7: She took me up to her apartment. She lived above 403 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 7: a store, and finally she said to me, I'm the 404 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 7: woman how called. And she says, my husband, Joseph was 405 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 7: the one who killed a rabbi. And I said, well, 406 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 7: you know, why don't you come Why didn't you come forward? 407 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 1: Why didn't why did you wait? What was the problem? 408 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,920 Speaker 7: She says, I knew your client, David Rant was innocent, 409 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,359 Speaker 7: and I didn't want to come forward because I'm thinking 410 00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 7: he's going to get acquitted and then I don't have 411 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 7: to reveal to the world that my husband was the murderer, 412 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,640 Speaker 7: that my husband murdered around by, she said, but after 413 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 7: he was convicted, I felt bad. 414 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: I was afraid to give you my name. Her name 415 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,639 Speaker 1: was Teresa Aston, and the problem was that her husband, Joseph, 416 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:17,119 Speaker 1: had died after confessing the murder to his wife and Teresa, 417 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: she was still afraid to testify. 418 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 7: When Rant's appeals were exhausted, I went back to Teresa 419 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:30,159 Speaker 7: and I said, Teresa, I need your help. And I 420 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 7: knew she was religious, and I said, your husband's soul 421 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 7: will never rest knowing that an innocent man is in 422 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 7: jail for something that he did. Phuease help me, and 423 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 7: she agreed to help. She finally agreed to sign an affidavit. 424 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 2: Fate helped Teresa got arrested. Bomb offered legal help. Teresa 425 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:57,480 Speaker 2: said she testified, but it didn't matter. The judge thought 426 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:02,960 Speaker 2: she was a liar. Years passed, then decades David Rant 427 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 2: had remained in prison. 428 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 7: It was a matter of justice, and I could not 429 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,439 Speaker 7: let it rest. I just would not let it rest. 430 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 7: If there's any hope, any chance, I'm going to fight. 431 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,159 Speaker 7: David wrote to me letters over the years, begging me 432 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 7: for help, sending me Christmas cards every year, asking about 433 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 7: my kids. It was almost heartbreaking, quite frankly. I would 434 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,359 Speaker 7: love getting letters from him and hearing from him, but 435 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 7: it was very difficult, very emotional, quite frankly. And then 436 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,919 Speaker 7: I got another call. It was twenty eleven. It was 437 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:39,679 Speaker 7: in the spring, and I got a call. Mister Baum, 438 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 7: my name is Max Leebman. Do you remember me? Do 439 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 7: I remember you? It's only been twenty years. Yes, I 440 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 7: remember you. You were one of the thirteen year old 441 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 7: kids that testified at the Ranta case. He says he'd 442 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 7: been thinking about this case for twenty years. He said 443 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:57,479 Speaker 7: it had always been on his mind, that had always 444 00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 7: bothered him. 445 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,080 Speaker 1: He said the. 446 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 7: Cops called him in and he went into that lineup. 447 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 7: He said he was scared to death. He comes from 448 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,959 Speaker 7: a Laura abiding family. The community was very laurabiding. They 449 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 7: believed in what the police did and what the police said. 450 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: He said. 451 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 7: They took him into the lineup and told him pick 452 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 7: the guy with the big nose. He said, I looked 453 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 7: at the lineup, your client was obviously the one with 454 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,359 Speaker 7: the big nose, and I picked out David Ranta. He says, 455 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,239 Speaker 7: I never saw him before. I had no idea who 456 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,400 Speaker 7: he was. The cop told me who to pick out. 457 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 7: I picked him out. 458 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: Here's Max Lieberman speaking on CNN years later. 459 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 12: As I was walking in the room to the lineup, 460 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 12: he basically told me that I should pick up the 461 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 12: guy with the biggest notes. I was too young back 462 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 12: then to realize that this was a setup. As I 463 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 12: grew older and saw more and more of this wrongful convictions, 464 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 12: it really bothered me. I mean, it's something that bothered 465 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,159 Speaker 12: me very much until two years ago. I decided I 466 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 12: have to get it off my chest. I have to 467 00:26:58,080 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 12: tell the authorities what happened. 468 00:26:59,440 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: Then. 469 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:03,960 Speaker 2: Max Lieberman didn't name Scarcela as the cop who told 470 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 2: him who to pick thar Scarcella was in charge of 471 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:12,199 Speaker 2: the lineup in any case. At the time, for Michael Baum, 472 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 2: it felt like too little, too late. 473 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 1: I said, what the hell am I supposed to do 474 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 1: with this information? 475 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,400 Speaker 7: Now? Who's going to give a damn? Twenty years after 476 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:23,040 Speaker 7: the fact, Ranta was convicted in nineteen ninety one. This 477 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 7: is now twenty eleven, but by an incredible coincidence, a 478 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 7: few months later. This was in the December of two 479 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 7: thousand and eleven, Hines, the DA comes to my office. 480 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 1: Remember when the Rabbi's murder case occurred. Charles Hines had 481 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: just been elected Brooklyn District Attorney, that's for the first time, 482 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 1: and he'd made prosecuting David Ranta a lynchpin of his 483 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 1: early career. His office had fought every Ran to appeal. 484 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,920 Speaker 1: But twenty years later, it's an election year and Hines 485 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 1: has a new thought. 486 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:04,120 Speaker 7: Starting this new unit, the Conviction Integrity Unit, to look 487 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 7: at old cases, to look at cases where people have 488 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 7: been convicted who may very well been innocent. And does 489 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 7: anybody here know of any case where you have an 490 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 7: innocent coin in jail? Then I raised my hand, mister Hines, 491 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 7: I have a case I'd like to talk. 492 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:23,720 Speaker 2: To you about after the break. A third point of view. 493 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 13: I always somehow knew I wanted to be a lawyer. 494 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 13: I had a couple lawyers in my family, but honestly 495 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 13: and truly was influenced heavily by law and order. 496 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:43,720 Speaker 5: I just couldn't stop watching the TV show. 497 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: This is Taylor Coss. He went from watching a prosecutor 498 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: on TV to being a prosecutor in the Brooklyn District 499 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 1: Attorney's Office. 500 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 13: I grew up in Brooklyn, so I thought working for 501 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 13: the Brooklyn DA's office was the appropriate office to be in, 502 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 13: get back to the community where up and stuff like that. 503 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 5: And then from there. 504 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 13: During the time I was there was when the Conviction 505 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 13: Integraty Unit was formed. 506 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 2: That's the unit Hinz form to look at questionable convictions. 507 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 13: I just thought it was really interesting. It was something different. 508 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 13: I had been in the office for a decade already, 509 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 13: and I thought, this is a way perhaps to have 510 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,600 Speaker 13: a real impact. The idea and the concept that individuals 511 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 13: wrongfully convicted had never crossed my mind up until that point. 512 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 13: You become programmed to believe that all of these convictions 513 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 13: are legitimate, you know, you don't even. 514 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 5: Question them at all. 515 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: So COS joined the new unit as its first staff attorney. 516 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 5: I got there on day one. Rant was the president 517 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 5: waiting for me. 518 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 13: I had, you know, I had one time had the 519 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 13: beautiful corner office with the windows and it was nice 520 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 13: and lovely. 521 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 5: It was awesome. 522 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:50,240 Speaker 13: Then, you know, the Conviction Integrity Unit didn't have anything. 523 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,120 Speaker 5: There was no bureau, there were no offices anything. 524 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 13: So I was given a tiny office in the Appeals 525 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 13: unit that was literally like a box. It was no windows, 526 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,560 Speaker 13: maybe six square It felt like it was a maybe 527 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 13: eight square feet and just stacked from top to bottom 528 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 13: with cardboard boxes of cases. 529 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:08,320 Speaker 1: It was terrible. 530 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 5: I mean Ranta itself, I think was thirteen boxes. 531 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 13: And I just was completely and totally intimidated by the mountain, 532 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 13: you know, by the mountains of files and everything. And 533 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:20,720 Speaker 13: I just dove headfirst into it, you know, and I 534 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:21,640 Speaker 13: was like, this is amazing. 535 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 2: Taylor Coss immediately thought something about the Ranta case looked off. 536 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 13: If you look at Randa on paper, on paper, not 537 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 13: knowing anything else, no color, commentary, nothing else on paper, 538 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 13: you say strong case. And all you do is you 539 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 13: start with the first person, the jeweler, right, he was 540 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 13: the robbery victim. He was right there, maybe what five 541 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 13: ten feet closer at points, and you talk to him 542 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 13: and he says, you know, with emphasis, not Randa. Never Ranta. 543 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 13: You know, was never Randa, and in fact doesn't really 544 00:30:57,800 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 13: look like Randa. Then you say to yourself, well, this 545 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 13: is a problem, alm right. 546 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:05,120 Speaker 2: Piece by piece, Taylor Coss went through the file, and 547 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,719 Speaker 2: as he did, troubling facts started to accumulate. He started 548 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 2: to wonder about other suspects, like Joe Aston. 549 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 13: If you look at the DD fives on the case, right, 550 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 13: you know, the detective's reports In all of those DD fives, 551 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,479 Speaker 13: you'll never find the name David Ranta. You will find 552 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 13: Joe Aston's name. A few times it was clear that 553 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,440 Speaker 13: Aston was a real suspect, and then, of course, at 554 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 13: the end of April, Aston dies in an untimely death. 555 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 13: Teresa Aston claims that her now deceased husband, Joseph Austen, 556 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 13: confessed to her that he did this crime. So my 557 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 13: gut feeling was this, I believe he was the primary 558 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 13: suspect at that time. I believe that Scarcela thought that 559 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 13: he did it, and he was the only one that 560 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 13: they had any eyes on, And I think he knew 561 00:31:57,160 --> 00:31:58,920 Speaker 13: that he would never be able to close the case 562 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 13: on Aston as it stood, and for him then that's 563 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 13: an abject. 564 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 5: Failure, right, So what does he have to do? Has 565 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:06,480 Speaker 5: to close the case somehow. 566 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 1: So Dax, I'm going to tell you this explanation by 567 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:17,240 Speaker 1: Coss seems a little Coca Maimi. Coss says, Detective Scarcella 568 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,440 Speaker 1: can't close the case if the purpose did which I 569 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,000 Speaker 1: don't understand. Of course, you can close a case if 570 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:27,840 Speaker 1: the purpose did. So. Cause's theory is that because the 571 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:32,440 Speaker 1: guy's dead, Sarcella can't get the headlines that he really 572 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 1: yearns for, and rather than go with the dead guy, 573 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,680 Speaker 1: he jin's up a case against someone else. I don't 574 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 1: know about that anyhow. 575 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 13: Heavy action on this case, tremendous political and environmental pressure 576 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 13: to solve this case, and all of a sudden, now 577 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 13: Alan Bloom, career criminal, Alan Bloom comes forward and now says, 578 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 13: I got it. 579 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 5: I got your guy. 580 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 13: It's David ran It's it's you know, I got the guy. 581 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 5: That's what he says. 582 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 2: And then one day, Costs made a discard that convinced 583 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:05,320 Speaker 2: him of Ranta's innocence and also convinced him that nefarious 584 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 2: forces were'd work inside his own office. Now this story, 585 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 2: if you didn't think it was already, gets crazy. 586 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 13: So I was wandering alone and I walked into what 587 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,280 Speaker 13: I didn't even know existed at the time, which was 588 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 13: a separate appeals fileroom. I didn't even know the thing existed. 589 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 13: I would never an appeals and never handle appeals, so 590 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 13: I had no idea. So I just started wandering around 591 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,600 Speaker 13: in the appeals fileroom, and out of the corner of 592 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 13: my eye, I. 593 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 5: See the name Rantha. I'm like, what the heck is this? 594 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 13: And there's a box that says Ranta kind of poking 595 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 13: out from the back, So I immediately grab it and 596 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 13: I go back to my office and there's a bunch 597 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 13: of things in there, and one of the things in 598 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,880 Speaker 13: there is an audio tape, and I'm like, what the 599 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 13: heck's this audio tape? I play it and it's clearly 600 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,920 Speaker 13: Ranta in a telephone call while he was incarcerated, being recorded. 601 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,479 Speaker 2: So this is the voice of David Ranta from nineteen 602 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 2: ninety one. 603 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: Everything. Maybe God, I was writing to hear from you, Dave. 604 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:05,280 Speaker 13: Yeah. 605 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 3: Well, I had to. 606 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: Let no profile and everything because some way they were 607 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 1: doing it, maybe investigating, and I couldn't fathom what was 608 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: going on. 609 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 5: I really couldn't at first. 610 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:19,239 Speaker 13: This is way way, way before corrections, was taping every call. 611 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 13: So really no circumstances that I could think of that 612 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:26,880 Speaker 13: the call should have been taped legitimately. But it was 613 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 13: interesting because he was claiming he was innocent in the 614 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,560 Speaker 13: call and asking this individual for help. 615 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:37,320 Speaker 14: She's a witnessed against me, she's a witness against you. 616 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: She knows who did it, Yeah, she knows who took 617 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:40,879 Speaker 1: him in it. 618 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:44,400 Speaker 13: Right, Brandon doesn't know he's being recorded has no reason 619 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 13: to think he's being recorded, and all he does is 620 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:50,800 Speaker 13: protest is innocence. And yet here's the DA's office freaking 621 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 13: recording the guy, which is just absurd. 622 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:54,920 Speaker 5: You weren't allowed to do that. 623 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,760 Speaker 13: He's represented by a council, so you have no You're 624 00:34:57,760 --> 00:34:59,200 Speaker 13: not allowed to talk to him. You're not allowed to 625 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:00,920 Speaker 13: be a part of any kind versation with him. Not 626 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:01,520 Speaker 13: allowed to do this. 627 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 5: You don't have a warrant, you don't have any order 628 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:04,120 Speaker 5: to do this. 629 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:08,239 Speaker 13: You're illegally recording, and you certainly never turned it over 630 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 13: when it had been interesting, by the way, for the 631 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:12,919 Speaker 13: jury to know then in a recorded a conversation when 632 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,439 Speaker 13: nobody knew he was listening that Randa was in fact 633 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:16,560 Speaker 13: asserting his innocence. 634 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 1: Just to be clear, Taylor cost is saying that his office, 635 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:30,959 Speaker 1: the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, committed a crime in order 636 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 1: to convict an innocent man. It's a twist right out 637 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 1: of law and order. Cos wanted to know where the 638 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,800 Speaker 1: tape came from. He began by sitting down with Ranta 639 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:43,720 Speaker 1: and playing him the tape. 640 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:47,520 Speaker 14: Ranta was he was obviously thrown He was like, what 641 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:49,720 Speaker 14: is this? Why am I being recorded, who is this? 642 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 14: I don't know what this is. I don't know, I 643 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:53,560 Speaker 14: don't remember. I said, you gotta know what this is. 644 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 14: Who are you talking to? 645 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 4: Who's talking? 646 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 14: Who's recording you? Dude? Who is this? So after like 647 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 14: an hour and a half, all he could come up 648 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 14: with was that he believed that it was a person 649 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:08,759 Speaker 14: named Monty from the car wash? What car wash? Oh 650 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:10,839 Speaker 14: went over by this area. I don't remember which one. 651 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:12,960 Speaker 14: You don't remember the guy? You don't know him? Why 652 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:13,560 Speaker 14: would he be calling? 653 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:14,000 Speaker 1: Oh? 654 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 14: He was you know, he was involved in everything. He 655 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 14: was a friend everybody. I thought he could help. Blah 656 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,080 Speaker 14: blah blah blah. What locate you know? So he had 657 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:22,800 Speaker 14: no only those is Manty from the car wash. 658 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,320 Speaker 2: So now Taylor Kass, who was short and a little roundish, 659 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 2: who sometimes wears what looks like a backpack, goes on 660 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,359 Speaker 2: the hunt like a real, you know, detective out there 661 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:34,920 Speaker 2: law and order style. 662 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 14: It's like, I'm a detective, you know. And by the way, 663 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 14: I kind of I kind of was into it, you know, 664 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 14: like when you're an Ada, You're always like I want 665 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:42,800 Speaker 14: to be a detective. Yeah, I'm like detectives literally pounding 666 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 14: the payment and we actually go into a car wash 667 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:48,160 Speaker 14: where one of the guys is like, I think, I think, 668 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:51,840 Speaker 14: I remember when I bought the place that there was 669 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:53,759 Speaker 14: a guy named Monty. He used to hang out here, 670 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,600 Speaker 14: but I'm not sure. Call the owner. The owner of 671 00:36:57,640 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 14: the car washes down in Florida. Owner of the car 672 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 14: rush gets on the phone with us. The guy says, 673 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,160 Speaker 14: you know what, that sounds vaguely familiar. I don't know. 674 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:04,839 Speaker 13: Go to the. 675 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:07,759 Speaker 14: Funeral parlor around the corner. Around the corner. They were 676 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,799 Speaker 14: here at the time, they may know something. So we 677 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:11,800 Speaker 14: go around the corner. 678 00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:15,560 Speaker 1: This turns into one of those long shaggy dog stories, 679 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:17,920 Speaker 1: but Daxx I'm into. 680 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:22,600 Speaker 14: It, and we buzz the funeral parlor. Nobody's there, but 681 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:24,440 Speaker 14: the owner says we'll be there. He comes over fifteen 682 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 14: minutes later. Flavorite take friend and the owner of the 683 00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:31,840 Speaker 14: fucking funeral parlor is like, Oh, that's my brother in law. 684 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,759 Speaker 14: What gives us the name of his guy? He's a 685 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:40,480 Speaker 14: professional fucking confidential informant for the FEDS, for all atf 686 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:42,680 Speaker 14: for all these places. Me and Ronny can find the guy. 687 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 14: Takes me a while, but he finally talks to me 688 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:48,360 Speaker 14: and tells me that he was specifically asked to do 689 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:51,080 Speaker 14: it by someone at the DA's office and tells me 690 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:53,400 Speaker 14: a story. Whoever would pay better he would work with, 691 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,799 Speaker 14: and at the time he was working with the narcotics guys, 692 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,440 Speaker 14: and the narcotics guys mentioned the name Random, and Monty 693 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 14: knew him from around the neighborhood, and so he says, Oh, 694 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:05,480 Speaker 14: I know that's I know that fucking guy. I know 695 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:06,080 Speaker 14: that fucking guy. 696 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:06,239 Speaker 9: Right. 697 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,719 Speaker 14: They said, what what do you mean you know that guy? 698 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:11,560 Speaker 14: You fucking know that guy? Hold on, they say, They 699 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,320 Speaker 14: pick him up, They walk him over to an Ada's office. 700 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:18,759 Speaker 14: They set him in a chair and the Ada says, oh, 701 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 14: you know you know David Randam's like, yeah, of course 702 00:38:20,719 --> 00:38:22,560 Speaker 14: I'm not doing so he's like, so, what are you 703 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 14: gonna fucking do about it? And the guy says, what 704 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:26,080 Speaker 14: do you mean about it? 705 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:26,719 Speaker 7: He's like, what do you say? 706 00:38:26,719 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 14: Oh, you're going to record a conversation for him. Oh, 707 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,319 Speaker 14: that's so nice of you. And he's like, uh, what 708 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 14: do you mean is that guy you're gonna record if 709 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:35,320 Speaker 14: he calls you from If he calls you, oh, he 710 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 14: just called me from Jolie. Oh, if he calls you again, 711 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 14: you're going to record it. Did the ADA get to 712 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 14: the detectives to give him all the recording equipment they 713 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,160 Speaker 14: set up, set it up on his phone, and they 714 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:46,880 Speaker 14: basically tell him, get him to say anything he can 715 00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:51,359 Speaker 14: about doing it, and to illegally record him while he's 716 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,479 Speaker 14: in jail. So I say, who was it? Who's the idea? 717 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:57,279 Speaker 14: He has no idea. He describes where the office was, 718 00:38:57,800 --> 00:38:59,239 Speaker 14: how he got there specifically. 719 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:02,879 Speaker 2: Yeah, so cass is on the trail now like a bloodhound, 720 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,880 Speaker 2: like a real detective. He drew up a photo array 721 00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,680 Speaker 2: and asked Monty to identify who asked him to make 722 00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:12,800 Speaker 2: the recording. Monty pointed to a picture of the Deputy 723 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:14,799 Speaker 2: District attorney at the time. 724 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,799 Speaker 1: A big shot in the office. 725 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:19,879 Speaker 14: It was clear what he had done. You know that 726 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:22,239 Speaker 14: that should have gotten this barred probably at the time. 727 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 14: He's just fucking outrageous behavior. 728 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 1: Finally, after months of work, Taylor Coss brought all the 729 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:33,799 Speaker 1: evidence of David Rance's wrongful conviction to his bosses, and 730 00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:37,840 Speaker 1: the result was something extraordinary. Here's Michael Baum again. He 731 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:41,440 Speaker 1: wasn't David Rance's lawyer anymore, but he still followed the 732 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:42,320 Speaker 1: case closely. 733 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:51,920 Speaker 7: One morning in March I'm right on the train and 734 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 7: I open up to New York Times. I'm going to work, 735 00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:58,879 Speaker 7: and they're in the front page. There's a story about 736 00:39:58,960 --> 00:39:59,480 Speaker 7: David Ranta. 737 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:04,160 Speaker 1: He's going to be and I said, and I cried. 738 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:10,000 Speaker 8: Talks of the District Attorney charge and hiens by John 739 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,719 Speaker 8: o'bara for the people. And we have concluded, at for 740 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 8: rather extensive investigation by the unit that is a conviction 741 00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:21,200 Speaker 8: integrity unit of the District Attorney's office, that the evidence 742 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:24,239 Speaker 8: no longer establishes the defendants guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 743 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 15: Okay, thank you. It's clear that the effects of this 744 00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:30,640 Speaker 15: case have been devastating. To say that I'm sorry for 745 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:35,839 Speaker 15: what you have endured would be an understatement and grossly inadequate, 746 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 15: but I say it to you anyway. Based on the 747 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:44,120 Speaker 15: record made here today, it's okay. The defendant's motion to 748 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:49,839 Speaker 15: vacate the judgment of conviction is granted. Sir, you are 749 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 15: free to go. 750 00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:01,400 Speaker 1: As I said from the and I had nothing to 751 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:02,640 Speaker 1: do with this case. 752 00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:06,399 Speaker 2: And what did Louis Scarcella have to say that day? 753 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 9: Detective Scarcella retired. How are you, sir? What do you 754 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,000 Speaker 9: think about this release of Ranta? 755 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:16,440 Speaker 4: I really can't talk about it, but well, what I 756 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,520 Speaker 4: will say is this, I'm certainly not running from you. 757 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:25,480 Speaker 6: I stand by the confession. I stand by the case. 758 00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:29,280 Speaker 9: Did you coach witnesses? No, sir, did you ever instruct 759 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,480 Speaker 9: the thirteen year old witness to pick out the guy 760 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:35,719 Speaker 9: with the big nose? I don't never, No, sir, No, sir, 761 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:36,799 Speaker 9: didn't do it. 762 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:42,919 Speaker 1: Noson. After that everything changed. Francis Robless, that's Frenchie, did 763 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:47,080 Speaker 1: her stories about Teresa Gomez and others. Dozens of Scarcella's 764 00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 1: old cases were reopened, a new district attorney was elected 765 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:55,400 Speaker 1: on a platform of reform, and Louis Scarcella became the 766 00:41:55,400 --> 00:42:02,440 Speaker 1: most notorious cop in New York. Then, one day, about 767 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:06,359 Speaker 1: a year after the conviction was overturned, Michael Baum ran 768 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,400 Speaker 1: into Louis Scarcella in a Brooklyn courthouse. 769 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:11,880 Speaker 7: He was sitting on the bench, well dressed, look good. 770 00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 7: He was Elbatara and we chit chatted, and I said, Louis, 771 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,080 Speaker 7: you know, I used to think the devil was somebody 772 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:21,400 Speaker 7: with horns and a tail. And I says, you know what, Louis, 773 00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:25,200 Speaker 7: the devil was smart and looking good and dresses well 774 00:42:25,239 --> 00:42:28,720 Speaker 7: and articulate. Not the guy in the in the red suit, 775 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:30,320 Speaker 7: you know with the tail and the pitchfork. 776 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:31,800 Speaker 1: Yes, Louis, you wore the devil. 777 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:40,760 Speaker 11: Oh yeah, I'm the devil and disgraced devil. Yeah yeah, 778 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:42,640 Speaker 11: Well what can I tell you? 779 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:50,560 Speaker 1: This episode was produced by Drew Nellis. Our associate producer 780 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 1: and production coordinator is Austin Smith. Sound designed for today's 781 00:42:55,480 --> 00:43:00,359 Speaker 1: episode by Bianca Salinas, Dax Devlin Ross and Me. Steve 782 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 1: Fishman are your hosts. The Burden is a production of 783 00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:11,960 Speaker 1: Orbit Media. Thank You, See You next time. Season two 784 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:15,360 Speaker 1: of The Burden Empire on Blood will be available everywhere 785 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:19,319 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts on August seventh. All episodes will 786 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:23,680 Speaker 1: be available early and ad free, along with exclusive bonus 787 00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:29,040 Speaker 1: content on Orbit's newly launched True Crime Clubhouse, our subscription 788 00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:33,480 Speaker 1: channel on Apple Podcasts. It's only two ninety nine a month.