An emergency dash to hospital. An infant death. Under questioning, what the suspect says and what the suspect doesn’t say. In April 2016 in a seaside town a call was made to the emergency services. A 5month-old baby had stopped breathing. His name was Eli Cox. Neighbours heard screams and rushed to help. Inside the house were Eli’s mother Catherine Cox and her partner, Danny Shepherd … Shepherd had shaken him violently and hurled him into his cot. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e6: Danny Shepherd
The TV actress, the partner and the cover up. London October 2013: at 12.46 a working mother is messaged from home. Then her mobile phone rang … It was the tragic end to the story of Ellie Butler, a little girl who had endured abuse at the hands of a violent, unstable father; her weak and terrified mother let it happen. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e7: Ben Butler
Pembrokeshire, south Wales: For more than a decade its people lived in fear terrorised by a violent armed robber and serial killer who lived among them. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e7: John Cooper
The best form of defence is attack. That in itself is an indicator of deception. ibid. Cliff
December 1985: A fire destroys a manor house near Milford Haven. Inside were Richard Thomas and his sister Helen. Both had been murdered. The police believed an armed intruder targeted the house thinking Helen was alone. When her brother came home, the gunman, fearing he’d be recognised, panicked and fired. ibid.
‘He is violent, he is sadistic, far far removed from the person that you see in public.’ ibid. Kerry
Weeks later in June 1989 Cooper continued to believe he would get away with his crime by striking again, and once again striking close to home. This time the victims were Oxfordshire couple Gwenda & Peter Dixon. ibid.
‘We recovered vast amounts of stolen property. Property from these previous burglaries, some dating back 15 years or more … We found in the cesspit five-hundred keys.’ ibid. rozzer
Then came the first damning forensic evidence. ibid.
* Cliff: Slight head nod yes to their names x2
Murder in the family: one teenage victim [Becky Watts], two prime suspects. The dark secret that points to guilt. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e8: Nathan Matthews & Shauna Hoare
Becky lived here in the St George area of Bristol with her father and stepmother. When she disappeared, her tablet, laptop and mobile phone were missing too. And at the same time all her online activity ceased. In a massive search that quickly went global, detectives were immediately suspicious about what was happening close to home. ibid.
The fingerprint in Becky’s blood belonged to Nathan Matthews. ibid.
Now in her third interview, Shauna Hoare was under pressure and struggling. ibid.
His desperate attempts to get his partner off the hook. But was she more complicit than anyone had imagined? ibid.
They find CCTV of Matthews buring gloves, a face mask and a circular saw. It’s now a murder inquiry. ibid.
He confessed in an extraordinary written statement. ibid.
* Cliff: She’s over-egging it & single-sided shoulder shrug & flash of wide-eyed fear & uses past tense
* Dawn: This volume is down
Four men dead on the streets of London. A prime suspect the police knew all about. And how body language betrayed his guilty. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e8: Stephen Port
They [rozzers] were even more incompetent than he was. ibid. Kerry
Late at night a caller says he’s discovered a young man in the street needing help. ibid.
In behavioural terms this is a poor performance. ibid. Cliff
* Cliff: 6 sings of anxiety and stress: closing lips, armed locked, low volume, right fist clench and hand squeeze up, vibration from leg, nose itchy and red
* Dawn: Over-multiple use of negation, no & volume drop
Death on the beach. A young wife killed, her husband wounded but is he faking it? Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e9: Justin Barber
A $2 million insurance policy could be the solution to all his problems. ibid. Kerry
Jacksonville, Florida: It was here in August 2002 that a young married couple went on a late-night walk … Their names: April and Justin Barber. Romantic and also remote. But it was in this quietest of spots that a shocking crime unfolded. A crime that according to Justin Barber robbed him of the wife he adored. ibid.
Right from the start Barber’s story was suspicious. He claimed he’d tried but failed to flag down passing vehicles. In desperation, though shot, he climbed into his own car and drove off in search of help. But it would be another ten miles before he stopped. ibid.
They found that the husband had plenty of reasons for wanting his wife dead. ibid.
* Cliff: Brows being brought together & chin boss up = fake sadness expression & squeezing eyeballs with thumb and forefinger
Dawn: Truthful speakers are more willing to use contracted forms … I didn’t kill my wife
C: Head shakes beyond speech = not synchronised = convincing tactic
It was a story that gripped the world. Michael Smith, aged 3, and his brother Alexander, 18 months, had disappeared both reportedly in the backseat of a hijacked car. Their mother, Susan Smith, was the only witness to a shocking crime in the quietest of places. But all of that would change on October 25th 1994. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e9: Susan Smith
The press also began questioning the details of Susan Smith’s story, they began to delve into her private life. ibid.
She’s telling us it’s a lie because her head is moving left and right to contradict the positive affirmative statement. ibid. Cliff
What we’re hearing here is almost a laugh. ibid. Cliff
She admitted driving her car to the edge of a local lake, then letting it roll into the water with her two young sons inside. ibid.
* Cliff: Micro gestures contradict positive statement
* Dawn: Use of God to justify claim = trying too hard
Expecting her first child but then Laci Peterson disappears. Her husband said he’d gone fishing. But is he faking it? Secret phone calls, a secret lover. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e10: Scott Peterson
The missing person: Laci Peterson, aged 27. Laci’s husband, Scott Peterson, aged 30. The 911 call was made not by Laci’s husband but by her stepdad. ibid.
He just seems altogether too casual, too unconcerned. ibid. Kerry
Laci and her unborn child were washed ashore. ibid.
* Cliff: So calm & slight headshake
* C: It’s a smug smile and this signifies the thrill = dupring delight several times
The policewoman suspected of murder. On camera the full interrogation. Los Angeles, June 2009: the moment a murder mystery is about to be solved. For the next 70 minutes detectives would interrogate Stephanie Lazarus about a cold-blooded murder committed more than 20 years earlier [Sherri Rasmussen]. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s3e10: Stephanie Lazarus
We can see stress, anxiety, by a reddening of cheeks, nose, ears. ibid. Cliff
A female bite-mark … Officers had matched her DNA with a sample recovered from the body of the victim who’d been bitten, beaten and shot three times at close range. ibid.
You effectively see someone in turmoil. ibid. Dawn
*Cliff: Anxiety levels skyrocket: drastic reaction of skin tone, nostril flare and lips tighten
He said he lost his family in the Grenfell fire. But his story sparked suspicion. Faking It: Tears of a Crime s4e1: The Grenfell Conman
It was Britain’s worst residential fire since the Second World War. The fire broke out on the 4th floor when a faulty fridge-freezer sparked flames that set alight polythene-filled cladding that covered the Tower. ibid.
The public responded immediately moved by images and stories of families who had lost everything. More than £1 million was raised in the first 24 hours. In total £26 million was donated, and 10,000 people volunteered to help. ibid.
Anh Nhu Nguyen presented himself at the emergency health centre, telling his heartbreaking story of losing his wife and son in the blaze. He received £360 in cash, fresh food and clothing and temporary hotel accommodation … Now he was applying for a further £5,000 from the Grenfell fund. ibid.
He never lived there and nobody had ever heard of him. ibid. Kerry
Cliff: Anger & exaggerated gestures & stares at interviewer (unusual) = he’s struggling
* Dawn: Hguyen says he saw dead bodies then he says he couldn’t see anything
* C: Pitch of response increases at excitement of being believed & hesitation, lip presses