Day 17 - Tuesday 2/22 - Travel Day

1:15pm O'Hare International Airport

Leaving Chicago for D.C. Today. 6-day shoot begins tomorrow. I have 5 solid interviews lined up – with the people who were closest to the case. I booked the sister if the victim over the weekend, and along with the perp’s ex-mistress, the FBI agent who investigated the case, the lead detective, and the US attorney who prosecuted the case, I have a great cast of characters. Days 1-3 will be crucial as I need to knock 4 interviews out in that time, and get D.C. b-roll along with crime scene photos, surveillance video, and b-roll of my police in action.

Most of the prep work has been done, now it’s just a matter of executing in the field. Any number of things can go wrong, but I feel very good about where we stand. The last 3 days are pretty open, and I’d like to book two more interviews on the fly, but if they don’t come through, the show will still be good. I’ve made calls to the following potentials: TT (guy in surveillance video with perp), responding officer, 2^nd detective, and the perp’s ex-wfe. If any of those come through, the show only gets better. TT would be the biggest get but is also the most reluctant to do the show. My understanding is that he offered a gun to the perp who then used it to off someone. He eventually cooperated with the police, but took a lot of guff for it in his neighborhood.   I at least got him on the phone, and asked him to think about it. Then I left him a VM offerin $$$ to him since he’s a criminal by trade and that’s what criminals respond to. 

The other 3 I’ve made calls to – but haven’t gotten any calls back.

I’m not worried at all about the interviews themselves. I know the visual format, my understanding of the story is strong, and I’ve allocated enough time to go through all my questions (that said, I should actually write up a question list on the plane).  My chief concerns are getting strong b-roll with my characters (FBI, police, and two women) and getting visual archive. Since this case wasn’t covered at all by thelocal (or national ) media, there’s a big question about what we’ll actually show during the show.  With news station crime scene footage or shots of police tape, you can always go back to that because it’s visually relevant to the story. It helps the viewer identify with the crime scene and keep it fresh in their mind. They relate to the victim more. Without that, we’ll be heavily dependent on re-creating the crime scene with actors and reinforcing the events through photographs. That’s very doable, but I NEED those photos from the police…or attorney, or whoever has them. Sometimes, they’re skittish about releasing such things for several reasons. Sometimes the photos are just gruesome and they don’t want people to see those, or sometimes they don’t know if they have clearance to release them and don’t want to cause a shitstorm.  I’ve discussed this with both the police and the US attorney and they assure me that they have photos for me, but until I actually see them and copy them over to my hard drive (and my RAM…haha) I won’t feel at ease.  So much of the show will be recreations already that without some authentic visuals, the audience will get tired of watching actors.

The other thing to get is strong b-roll with my main police characters. This is important because there’s so many lines in the show that start with “investigators searched for clues…” or “authorities had to find answers…” In this instance, “authorities” and “investigators” are my FBI & police guys. I need to get them “working,” i.e. going through papers, doing computer work, looking at files. This would seem to be easy, but it’s actually hard to make any of that stuff look interesting. Acting on camera is very difficult for suit-types, and they tend to look fake. It’s also challenging because visually it’s very boring. No one gets off by seeing a shot of someone sitting at a desk.  

First snag of the shoot: I failed to get a driver’s license since losing my wallet two weeks ago and realized I will need one to pick up the rental car. I brought my passport to use as an ID, but I was just too lazy to go to the Chicago DMV (one of the worst places on earth) and didn’t even connect that I would need it until I was in the cab on the way to the airport.  Solution: have my cameraman pick up the car. Pretty easy solution, but techinically I won’t be on the rental agreement as a driver so I shouldn’t be allowed to drive the car. That won’t work because I’ll need to drive the car while my cameraman shoots out the window. Solution: drive it anyway.

Wednesday 2/16/2011 - Day 13

TO DO LIST:

-       lock down interview times locations

o   Paul W, Brad G, Renee M, Matt C

-       talk with RB about case

-       book responding officer to missing person request  from county PD

-       talk on phone with D.C. Det. George B about his involvement

-       hear back from Paul W about case questions

-       finish treatment - send treatment to linda

-       compile list of field needs: photos, evidence, video

-       continue to figure out shooting schedule and details

-       call tammy F (relation to victim)

-    hear back from tracy T?

-       Hear back from E.T.  – victims’s aunt?

-       Email brad G with date once confirmed with Det. W and RB

-       Prep list of questions for bradG

Not a lot of that got done. Made significant progress on the treatment after the hour+ conversation with AUSA Matt yesterday. He was able to fill in a lot of details about the crime, key players, timeline, trial, and evidence that I hadn't gotten from the FBI or cops. 

Did hear back from the ex-mistress of the perp - RB. I just needed to get background info on how she met BW.    She cried on the phone while relating the story. I hate that. It''s always a tough experience when you make someone cry, especially when you're asking them the most intimate details about their involvement in a brutal murder. I can't go in to what she said, but you'll see in the show. On the flip side, that means she's going to be a great interview. Bosses love emotional interviews when people cry.

Need to book at least 2 of 4 more people.A family member of the victim, friend of the perp, one more cop, and possibly another person who knew the couple.  I have calls out to all parties, so I just need to hear back. AUSA was great about giving me names yesterday.

I set the schedule dates. I leave for D.C. a week from yesterday (2/22) and fly back in two weeks (3/1.)  A little tight to still be booking folks, but what can you do.

Friday 2/11 Day 10

"Hi Ian - looks like a go. Let's try to set up a time for the background
phone interview with Matt C*******.
Best,
B***"

BOOM!  Got the interview. Only took 2 weeks, 4 emails, and 3 unreturned follow-up phone calls. Now the FBI can jump on board, I can actually book some travel, know that I'll be getting a paycheck instead of a reprimand, and can move forward in filling in the "shit I don't know list."

Lots to do in the next 8 days before I head into the field, but this was a major hurdle, and now my bosses are happy.

2/10/2011 - Day 09

Thursday 11:42pm

My good friend Trevor gave me a kick in the butt, so it really is time I post another entry. 

Unfortunately, I have been not writing because there hasn’t been much to write about.  I’m still waiting to get clearance from the AUSA about the prosecutor, and the FBI agent won’t committ to an interview unless the prosecutor gets approval. I received an email from the PIO yesterday saying things were looking good, but that he expected to be in touch with me today. I heard nothing. I HAVE to hear from him tomorrow or my boss will freak out. She’s already very nervous because they don’t have another backup show if this one falls through.

However, I did score a huge victory today by getting the mistress of our perp to agree to an interview. She’s a huge part of the story, so she was really necessary.  Det. Paul W made the initial contact for me – always a plus when they hear from someone trusted first – and she called me this morning. After talking to her from a bit and assuaging some of her fears, she agreed to do the show. Major victory, but I still need about 5 more interviews to make this show work. And I’m tentatively supposed to fly to D.C. a week from Sunday – on 2/20. 

I’m also still missing some major details about the case.  I need to see some police reports and trial transcripts, to know certain details about the case. Right now, my list of what I don’t know about this case is longer than my list of what I do know.

By the end of Friday, I need to have trial transcripts ordered, agreement from the FBI & US Attorney’s office to participate in the show, names of other individuals to interview, and their contact info.  I also need a breakdown of key players’ role and their relationship to the other people in the case (husband, wife, mistress, ex-wife, mother, cop, witness, bystander, etc…)

Wednesday 2/2/2011 - Day 3

I really shouldn’t have taken that flexoral with wine last night. I’m so sluggish today. 

More about the case. Once the authorities found the body of one Inga Wilson – shot four times in the left side of her head in the couple’s SUV – they at least knew where to start. This is important in missing persons/homicide cases because without a body (or a living person for that matter) it’s very hard to prove anything. Anyway, the authorities interviewed the family and friends, they realized that this wasn’t a normal homicide case. The suburban couple had no known enemies, were not in debt, and not had the traditional “problems” of an everyday husband-wife couple. There were no forensic clues left at the crime scene, and no witnesses.

I spoke with “Brad G” – the FBI Special Agent (now retired) who will be the star of the show.  He’s on board to do the interview as long as the US Attorney says it’s OK. The logic being, if there’s no appeal issues, then the US Attorney will go ahead with the interview and then it’s OK for the FBI to as well.

I did not hear from the US Attorney’s office today, but “Raul M” with the DC metro police did call to ask which company I’m working for. At least they’re discussing my request.

The FBI SA “Brad” told me a few more details about the case and himself. He specialized in hard-to-solve murder cases and worked on some of the agency’s high-profile cases, including the DC sniper case and the murder of Chandra Levy. He is the only known FBI agent to ever track a terrorist back into Pakistan, bring him out again, see him through to arrest, arraignment, trial, conviction and execution – for the killing of two CIA agents. Not a bad career.

Regarding my case, it turns out that for any murder that happens in the District of Columbia, the FBI has the same jurisdiction as the police, so they can investigate any crime. Said crimes are also prosecuted by US Attorneys – there are no District Attorneys in the “district.”

But I digress.  I’m still playing the waiting game, essentially. Waiting to hear from the US Attorney, the DC Metro police, and to try and track down some family /friends of the “W” family. But my Exec Producer did give me some advice on how to view this episode. “Look at it like a Spanish Novella, like a soap opera.” she said. Hmmm…

Day 2 - Tuesday 2/1/2011

Word of the day: “Thundersnow.”

11:16am

So today again is a little bit more of what I don’t know.  I haven’t heard much from my bosses about what I’m supposed to be doing. I mean, ostensibly, I know that I have to book the interviews, line them up, and fill in the story gaps.  But who do I interview?  Who do we have booked already and who is a loose strand I need to pick up?

Let me back up…to yesterday...after I finished my fruit cup and sandwich, and with a belly full of pale ale, I read (on the plane) the 3 pre-prepared documents from my colleagues about the “Sex & Candy” case. They include a timeline of events, a 1-page summary of the crime, case, and principals, along with an 24-page judgment from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals about the perp.  I learned a lot more about the case. “Bryan W” the main principal, called the DC police late Sunday morning, to report his wife, “Inga W,” missing. The couple had gone to dinner at Olive Garden the night before, followed by a movie (which he couldn’t recall the name of), and eventually home to have sex. The wife, needing candy after her lustful experience, needed candy to satiate herself completely. So she drove their SUV to a gas station, at which point she wasn’t seen or heard from again.   I’ll reveal more in subsequent posts. But I know what you’re thinking, “why make a TV show about a couple that eats at Olive Garden?” And I don’t have an answer for that.

Side note: After landing in Chicago, United lost my bag between the plane and the baggage claim. Then I left my wallet in the cab on the way home.  I’m essentially non-existent today.

The appeal (doc 1) lists the FBI special agent names (side note: there are no “agents,” they’re all “special agents”), an investigator “Geroge B”(not sure which agency (DC metro PD? Maryland State Police? Some sort of county agency?)), the relevant witnesses, and some facts surrounding the crime and investigation.  The timeline (doc 2) tells the story of what happened when.  An online article (doc 3) describes the crime and the conviction/sentence. 

So this morning, my task is to contact our booked interviews, get some juicy details about the case I can use to fill in my treatment, and find out anything that was left out of the articles. Questions I need answers to are: what were the “red herrings” in this case?  What made this case stand out?  Are you available for an on-camera interview (important to specify ‘on-camera’ – I once had an interviewee assume the whole thing would be over the phone)?  Ideally, we should already have the FBI special agents on board. I mean, without them, we can’t really do the show.

Even with the FBI SAs names down, there’s always tons of protocol to go about the process of booking them for an interview. Can I just cold-call the FBI and tell them I’m doing a show about them and I need the case agents to talk to me about this murder investigation?  No, I don’t think that will work. In fact, there’s almost always rules against such things. Production companies usually have a liaison that works with the FBI PIOs to figure out which cases they want to talk about (they like to promote themselves and not the cases which they fuck-up.), which agents will play ball, and what each of them will say. It’s very top-down.

So, with that in mind, I reach out to my colleagues to ask where we stand on the FBI guys, the US Attorney who prosecuted the case, and any relations to the victim (the network loves emotional interviews from victims’ relatives).  What about witnesses – were there any and are they available for interviews? They should be listed in the court transcript if they testified at trial.  How about accomplices? Other cops?

Well, it turns out we know very little. The FBI agents are both retired and have not committed to the show. The US attorney may not be able to participate because there might still be a pending appeal. No one has contacted the witnesses, friends, other cops, or family members of the deceased.  I now know where to get started. The difficult part is finding these people.  Without any DOB, address or phone number, I either help from the FBI or go to whitepages.com and see what I can find.

1:30 P.M.

Now I have some leads…A colleague forwards me an email from the retired agent “Brad G” that has the prosecutors name and number, and some info about the case. My researcher pulls together the name of the PIO at DC Metro police along with a phone number. Now the issue is getting them to talk to me.

2:50pm

Starting with the prosecutor, I need to get at least a phone interview this week to find out more details about the case.  I have a phone number for him, but you almost always have to go through the PIO first. Even just to chat about the case, you need permission from someone in public affairs. It’s very important to make those people your allies. They can track down case numbers, set aside interview time, find an empty room for the interview, and more – all things you can’t easily do from 500 miles away. So how to find them? Since it was a federal case, I know it was prosecuted out of the US attorney’s office. A quick google search will give you the website and contact info for the D.C. office of the US Attorney’s. Rather than call the switchboard, I always open up a recent press release to see if my guy/lady is listed as a contact. There’s always a phone number, so either way, you’re one step closer. In this case, “Bill M” is not listed, but I give the phone number a call anyway. Bingo. I ask for Bill and he’s on the line within seconds.

I explain who I am and what I’m doing for which show and why I want to speak with “Matt C.” Bill M, He seems agreeable to the situation. He suggests putting everything in an email for him, which of course, I will do. They always suggest this, but I find it’s better to talk to them at least once on the phone, to pacify them a bit, and give them a voice/personality to associate with the request.

Next, I call “Raul M” with the DC Metro Police. Again, same situation as with the US Attorney…he seems agreeable but suggests I put everything down in an email to him.  He wants me to CC his boss so they can discuss it together.

As I hang up the phone I look outside to see the snowpocalypse forming in Chicago. See attached weather map. Good thing I have frozen pizza, cheap wine, ice cream , and a muscle relaxer for later.

3:56 pm – Emails sent. Realistically, they’ll talk about it tomorrow, and I’ll hear from the dudes on Thursday, just enough time for me to get soundbytes from them over the phone and slot them into my treatment for delivery on Friday. Of course, if either the PIOs or agents/detectives say no, then I’m back to square one.